Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	duke_n	king_n	navarre_n	3,500	5	11.2903	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05073	The declaration of the Lord de la Noue, vpon his taking armes for the iust defence of the townes of Sedan and Iametz, frontiers of the realme of Fraunce, and vnder the protection of his Maiestie. Truely translated (according to the French copie printed at Verdun) by A.M.; Déclaration de Monsieur de la Noue, sur sa prise des armes. English	La Noue, François de, 1531-1591.; Munday, Anthony, 1553-1633.	1589 (1589)	STC 15213; ESTC S120928	9,684	24

THE DECLARAtion of the Lord de la Noue vpon his taking Armes for the iust defence of the Townes of Sedan and Iametz frontiers of the Realme of Fraunce and vnder the protection of his Maiestie Truely translated according to the French Copie printed at Verdun by A. M. LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Woolfe 1589. THE DECLARATION OF THE LORD DE LA NOVE Vpon his taking Armes for the iust defence of the Townes of Sedan and Iametz frontiers of the Realme of Fraunce and vnder the protection of his Maiestie THE deuoire of a Gentleman making profession of vertue consisteth first of all in so well ordering and digesting his actions that himselfe may receyue in them contentment Afterward hee ought to make such a splendour of them and to iustifie them in such sorte as the well minded may bee satisfied and the ill disposed rayse no suggestion to condemne them And seeing it is so that honour which is the rewarde of the fairest workes proceedeth from such who after they haue examined and finde them worthie will approue them he then that is desirous to be honoured ought to be very carefull that his owne actions if it be possible bee not blemished with any spot or staine and especially such as deale with persons of great and highest qualitie herein stand bound with chiefest regard Admit they should incurre but onely the detection of slaunder which is so cōmon in this vnhappy age when wee see that blamed which is most modestly doone and the contrary to passe with commendation may not this then serue as a liuely touch or feeling to admonish such to render a publique account of the principall carriage of their liues What I haue determined to doo at this present shall be some discourse of mine owne to the ende it may bee truely knowne what causes haue mooued mee after so long rest and euen among the bonds of some particular promises to take these Armes for defence of the Townes of Sedan Iametz auncient frontiers of the Realme against such as haue assayled them To many it is well knowne in what miserable captiuitie I haue beene deteyned the space of fiue yeares and a halfe by those who haue gotten little praise for such rigour wherein happily I had longer continued if they had not prooued the vncertaintie of humane affaires but God is to bee bountifully blessed for this bitter aduersitie wherein I haue learned that which the most sweetest prosperitie would haue made me misconceiue The time beeing nowe come of my deliuerance I was taken foorth of my darke habitation to be brought to the place where I receiued the sentence of my libertie but with conditions no lesse hard then mine imprisonment had beene notwithstanding I accepted them ioyfully in respect they surceased my long heauines I must say then that the first cause of this so desired benefit was the bountie of God who now remembred mine affliction The second the prisoner that I tooke for whome I was exchaunged and who was of greater price then I. And the third the bond of one hundred thousand crownes made by the King of Nauarre on his goods in Flaunders for the assurance of my promises not to beare Armes against the King of Spayne in his countryes This accomplished I was deliuered then I went towards Nancy to make proofe of satisfiyng certaine other points which are couched within mine Articles to vnderstand if my Lord the Duke of Lorraine ouer and beside the aforenamed suretie would be likewise bo●nd for me to the King of Spaine in the said sum of one hundred thousand crownes if he fayled one Prince of Allemaigne or one Canton of the Zwitzers That I should also dēliuer my second Son to be one yeere as an hostage in his Court. Beside that the said Duke my Lord the Duke of Guyse shuld promise by writing a part signed with their hands that I should not beare Armes against the King of Spayne In all these bondes these Spaniards boūd me as if they had receiued occasiō of feare that so slender a Solidiour as my selfe should come soone or late to hinder the course of their victory from which thought I was most furthest off for my desire stretched no otherwise than to gohome to my house there to repose my selfe and giue God thanks for sauing me from the shadow of death and the graue Beeing arriued in Lorrayne I spake with the said Princes to know if they would fauour mee with this bond whereto they very liberally cōdiscended prouided that his most Christian Maiestie agreed thereto To him I went and could not obtaine his consent except I would promise him that I would not enter Armes without his expresse commaundement this I likewise graunted Soone after he wrote to my Lord the Duke of Lorrayne that he might answere for me to the King of Spayne which hee did vnder these conditions that I should bee bound to him in a hundred thousand crownes with all my goodes as a gage of his bond for the satisfaction afterward I should promise not to beare Armes against him nor his estate Like promise I made him also in case it went not against my dutifull obeysance of seruice and fidelitie to the Crowne of Fraunce and to the King my Souereigne Lord. All these matters ended I departed from the saide Princes hauing beene very curteously entertayned by thē and then I went to Geneua where I made my choise of aboade during the time of this miserable warre At the ende of two moneths my Sonne whome I sent for from the King of Nauarre came to me and I sent him in hostage to Nancy here he was gently intreated while he there remayned See heere successiuely the pure truth of all my promises and bonds and the causes of my libertie discouered in due order Which I haue doone to the ende that many who are ouer hastie in censuring the actions of others either by humours ignorance or bad information should be better aduised not to condemne me without they first had heard me as I know diuers already haue doone within more than six moneths at which time with all their vigilancie they could not reprooue me of any speeches that happily might be thought woorthie reprehension But these good censurers doo not in the meane while forethinke themselues howe they rashly attempt in causes against their Souereigne Lord and likewise against their natiue countrey In sooth if I would haue shrunke from my wordes beeing pressed thereto by mine owne particular interests I should haue beene an handsome subiect As for the straunge Armie raysed if I would haue gone therin I could haue had no meane place or authoritie seeing that Monsieur de Buillon and my cheefest frendes who were imploied in the conduct therof called me and would haue deferred more to me then I could well couet or desire But I excused my selfe and would not outgo the limits of my promises because I could not with credit doo it And many Gentlemen yet liuing

who hath often come to Sedan about busines shall be witnesse how I haue twise sayde vnto him that my Lord the Duke of Lorrayne shall gather no great fruite by this warre little gayne shall hee get and that vncertaine but store of charge and trauayle certaine The Towne of lametz which yet resisteth hath cost him foure times more then it is woorth yet should not hee set himselfe agaynst an Orphane Princesse who demaundeth nothing but peace whereto shee will attaine by dilligent search otherwise her country must suffer and in such sort as it were to begin agayne As could I declare vnto him by what meanes and hee should bee suffised therewith when I speake that which is true rather as a seruant to his deserts then an enemy and as one that loueth quiet vnwilling to vse my Armes against him This likewise I willingly alleadge to the ende it may be knowne that I haue attempted all courteous wayes not to enter Armes as well for the good of both partyes as alfo for mine owne contentment Certainly I am very desirous not to bee constrayned to drawe my swoord which for these eight yeares hath continued idle and chiefly against a Prince to whome I finde my selfe beholding Yet in my iudgement he is brought into these newfoūd conceits by the bad euill disposed councell of others rather then by his owne naturall disposition but I may not goe contrary to that which reason willeth who commandeth me when question is made of two bondes to preferre the cause of nature before that of getting because it is a matter most honest and among these acquisitions after I haue iudged of the difference betweene them I will stay my selfe vpon the strongest Among all Nations naturall dutie hath euermore beene and yet is most commendable and the first after God is that wherewith wee regard our country which comprehendeth in it all the other and bindeth vs so straitly to her that it is as it were sacrilege to fayle in the due performance therof none of all the other may be equalled with this As for the fathers mothers themselues who haue giuen life to their children when the father shall be imployed in the right of his country they must be constrained to holde him excused howsoeuer deuoted in affection he be to them Much more ought such doo as holde any one bound onely for a good turne or a simple promise for it is a necessary consequence that a greater matter must be preferred before a lesse I haue heere before declared that which I promised to my Lord the Duke of Lorrayne but yet with an exception which although it had not beene made ought euermore to take place and I thinke that few people would make doubt thereof albeit wee lyue in such a season wherin all things are debated and disguised that the dutie to the Prince must go before that is due to any benefactour who happily may say Seeing I haue beene the cause of your libertie why will you offend me with Armes which you promised not to beare against me Truly I cannot deny that my Lord the Duke of Lorrayne hath ayded mee to defend the same more entiere and happy but I should not haue recouered the same which I speake not as ingratefull for his good turne by the three meanes that I haue rehearsed before hee bound mee to him not hauing so small a thing to promise in preiudice of my present bond whereto nature the lawes and men of vertue will that I cause it to holde due degree I know well it will bee obiected to mee that the party which I make to sound so high ought to enter into consideration to see what is attempted against it which I would with all my heart But what is this then to assayle Sedan Iametz Townes vnder the protection frontiers of the Realme faithfull to the Crowne peopled with Frenchmen is not this to touch Fraunce it selfe Truely a Romane Ambassadour that returned from Hanniball sayd most well wisely before the Senate that the Carthaginians in beating of the walles of Sagunt a confederate Cittie battered the walles of Rome And with as good right it may be sayde when with their Cannons they beat on Iametz they might doo the like against them of Paris I haue beene patient so long time that I haue iust occasion to feare least I bee reprooued of sloth and breach of fayth hauing a lawfull calling for the defence of the said Towns if I should longer deferre to imploy my selfe in their safegard from ruine King Frauncis the great durst hazard his person and forces not to haue the dishonor of the losse of Landrecy a little towne that was not of his Realme but gotten in the countrey of another The like did the deceassed Duke of Guyze for the defence of Metz at the new entraunce thereof into the protection of Fraunce Should I then fayle that am but a most simple subiect yet retayned for those that are incorporate with vs and where there is not one house but the Flowers de Luces floorish therein I shall bee accused as ingratefull towards my benefactour because I beare these Armes against him but it is in such a defence as I may not forsake without beeing conuinced of more great ingratitude towardes my Countrey and King You haue broken saith one your promise which vpon so woorthy a good turne you hartily plighted If things were in like estate as when I promysed I should bee restrayned within my bounds but one hath chaunged them in dooing that which I haue shewed and vnlawfull beside to be doone Let vs now come vnto the second bond that the Tutour is to procure the best for his warde and ayd her so farre as need shall require The Ciuilians holde thus much that they place this next after the father to his owne childe and will that the officer shall run to the maintenance of his wardes right so soone as to that belongeth to his Prince This also reason requireth the one being more destitute of a stay or helpe then the other and this bond fulfilled is so much the more of force in that it is ioyned next vnto that of nature So that I am not to be thought woorthy of blame if I haue preferred this before the other vnto my Lord the Duke of Lorrayne namely in this respect because it is to defend and not to assayle the defence beeing more iust then the offence seeing also that this charge was deferred to mee before my Lord of Lorrayne assayled Madamoyselle de Bouillon And that which hath fortifyed me in this resolution is in hauing examined the cause of the warre I finde that the assaulter hath very slender right to doo so for if it were about any auncient difference hee ought then to shewe his titles and to haue them disputed by reason If hee haue proceeded on any iuiurie receyued by the deceassed Lord of Bouillon why dooth he not as much to the King of Nauarre to the