Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	king_n	law_n	prerogative_n	2,294	5	10.0658	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78293	The Iesuits undermining of parliaments and Protestants with their foolish phancy of a toleration, discovered, and censured. Written by William Castle, for the confirmation of wavering Protestants, and the reducing of seduced papists.	Castell, William, d. 1645.	1642 (1642)	Wing C1229; Thomason E124_7; ESTC R4761	12,847	16

tranquility of the Kingdome and the protestant religion now established First his Majesty was drawn on to conclude a peace with the King of Spaine the most disadvantagious to this Kingdom as ever was were it but for one particular which indeed was rested in but upon the concluding of the Articles and it was this that no English be permitted to trade in the West-Indies and if any did venture so to doe they should be hanged and tortured without mercy Hence it followed that the English who had resolved with the Netherlands for the sending of ten thousand men between them into those parts were so deterred as that our best friends the Netherlands were left to shift for themselves who thanks be to God have got a greater footing in Brasill not the tenth part of America yet bigger then three Englands then that the Spaniard will be ever able to remove them thence And whilst the English have for many yeeres sate still and have not in the generall dared to adventure into those parts the Pilatage into those spacious and goodly Countreys hath been by us well nigh lost and the King of Spaine so well inabled by a yeerely abundant comming in of his vast treasure there to make full and due payment to his Jesuiticall pensioners here as that ever since they have performed such faithfull service unto him as may shortly prove destructive to these Kingdoms if not timely foreseene and prevented by the wisdome and blessed accord of his Majesty and this his present Parliament And lest any thing should be wanting to the Catholique King undertaking the Catholique cause his faithfull pensioners perswaded King James to arme the King of Spaine with 20●0 peeces of Ordnance under colour of which licence one Sir Iohn Ferne transported twice as many more What others did here in is not so well known but by wise men who have had knowledge of former times it is conceived that if the King of Spaine were as well prepared with men and shipping as he is with guns and amunition from us he might beat us with our own weapons A third thing wherin King Iames was strangley abused by the Spanish pensioners the best friends to Jesuits was that by reason of their continuall crying up his boundlesse prerogative a point which Princes generally are overmuch pleased to heare of his Majestie though otherwise very iudicious was at last drawne to di●affect and undervalue Parliaments as intrenching too much upon his royall prerogative by how much they did more carefully endeavour to preserve the laws enacted in their full strength and to enact other laws as might tend but to due regulating of regall power which ought never to exceed law but when it tendeth to the releife of the subject in mitigating the vigour of law not to the oppressing and impoverishing of them with illegall Monopolies and unwarrantable taxations I might instance in many other particulars but one more shall suffice to shew how prevalent the Spanish faction were with King Iames when upon the motion of Gundumore that arch politician seconded by their strong approbation his Majesty neglecting the profers of some German Protestant Princes did condescend to send his only sonne and heire into Spaine for the contracting of a mariage there with the Spanish Kings Sister one of a contrary Religion which had it accordingly proceeded it might have proved more inconvenient and troublesome then hath his mariage with France How the Jesuits and Jesuiticall Spanish pensioners plots have succeeded since the accesse of his Majesty that now is unto the Crowne I need not relate at large the wisdome of this present Parliament hath saved mee that labor in their first unanswerable remonstrance I shall therefore only breifly mention some of the chiefe after which I shall lay forth their yet more bold practizes and bloody executions in France and else where The first was the laying of their foundation at the conclave at Rome wher it was concluded that his holines should have a Nuntio in England and the Queene of England should have an agent at Rome to act things here as should be there resolved upon The 2. was to perswade his Majestie by meditation of the Queene whom they too well knew he did as entirely love as if she had bin of his owne Religion to preferr those to places of dignitie at Court and of judicature both in Church and common weale as might serve to put in execution their mischewous designes Whence it came most unhappily to passe that the Spanish pensioners became here Cabinet Councellors so usually over-awing and overswaying the farre greater and better part of the privy Councell as that their meere proposalls past for resolutions and hence it was that the Star-chamber where these Jesuiticall pensioners and such as they had promoted bare Sway did abound with extravagate censures no lesse unconsionable then terrible to the oppressing of the common people by maintaining illegall taxations and unwarrantable monopolies and in advancing prerogatives farr beyond all the presidents of former times And Shurely had it not bin for those exceeding powerfull Popish factors the high commition had no dareth so eagerly to oppose true Religion by suspentions deprivations excommunications fines and imprisonments much les would some Bishops and in eriour ecclesiasticall Courts have adventured with such animosity to propose or bitternes to persecute their owne superstitions articles as if they had bin Cannons concluded upon by the whole Church of England as then consisting only of Bishops Deanes Archdeacons Cathedrall Priests and 2. such country Clarkes as every Bishop and his Sly officiall thought good off ought to bind the whole Church being so partially if not corruptly represented For what are Cathedrall Church but such places as Queene Elizabeth and her Councell for some by Politicall ends were pleased to let rest in some part of that Popist splendor which might take with neighboring Princes and not render her and her people utterly irreconcilable to the Church of Rome when as yet the Parochill Churchs here were better clensed from Popish relickes according to the well setled constitution of other reformed Churches and yet for south these better refined Parochiall Churches must againe be reduced to a Cathedrall garbe why But that it is more ceremonecus more Majesticall and therin more resembleth Rome To conclude this point by reason of the oversweling greatnesse of those Cabinet Councellours men were preferred to places of Judicature in the common-weale which either could not or would not maintaine Justice but were alwayes forward to advance prerogative above and against law witnesse some millions of mony in few yeares wrested from the subject under the name of Loane Knighthood Shippe Coat and conducte mony by colour of forrest law the Statute of improvement the commission of severs abused Tunnage and Poundage inhaunced by unwarrantable rates All which though unlawfull yet were they all either justified by the most part of the Judges or the people miserablely oppressed whilst being debarred the

not Zedekiah for breaking faith with a Pagan see his children and servants slain before his eyes after which his own eyes were torn out of his head How were the Israelites miserably afflicted in King Davids time with 3 yeares famine for Sauls slaying of the Gibeonites whose preservation was sworne 400 yeares before by the congregation of Israel which agreement though it were fraudulently obtained by the Gibeonites yet the Israelites having by oath confirmed it in the name of the Lord dared not break it And though Saul were so bold as to violate the covenant so solemnly sworn yet just vengeance ceased upon his posterity whereof seven of them were delivered into the hands of the Gibennites whom they hanged up before the Lord and the famine ceased And although they account us Protestants but Hereticks and infidells yet they might likewise remember that Abraham sware to many unbelieving Princes Isaac gave his faith and observed it to Abimelcch Jacob and his sonnes especially Joseph were allied and lived with the Egyptians And for their distinctions in promises it wil breed in short time such confusion in all the states of Europe as there will be nothing more pernitious lamentable For if a serious promise much more a solemn oath shall not be kept inviolable upon what agreement may any rely upon There are few towns castles Cities governments that are not bound by oath The Protestant by oath taketh assurance of the Papists The Papists of the Protestants Kings from their Subjects Subjects from their Kings By oathes the lives and states 〈◊〉 all men are tryed and the whole religious world governned How can this Kingdome or any other stand long if equivocation prevail so far as that things covenanted and sorwn need not to be observed This once known there can be no end of warre nor hope of peace nor safety to treat of Shall it be made but a bait for lying treason and cruelty by which our Predecessours passed through the armes of their enemies through the weapons of their most hatefull soes The Romanes ignorant of the true God in their swearing and contracting alliances were wont to say O Jupiter smite and with lightning blast him whosoever he be that is here with an intent to deceive what can be more horrible then to cover falshood with the name of the living God We may not touch them said the Princes of Israell meaning the Gibeonites because we have sworn to them in the name of the living God Now then that Jesuits dare to take libertie to themselves and dispence with others to equivocate to the breach of faith given upon oath we may safely conclude that they give the greatest wound to Chistian society as ever it received A third no lesse perilous then arrogant positiō of Jesuits is blind obedience to their conclusions and commands be they never so differing nay never so contrary to the law of God of nature of nations They indeed by vertue of their order are bound to obey their generall though his command extend to the killing of a King And whereas their generall is ever a Spaniard be the Jesuites English Scottish French Dutch or of any other nation whatsoever he must venter upon the person of his own naturall Prince rather then the Catholick King might suffer and so the Romish cause which is upon the matter onely supported by him might come in jeopardy But it doth not hence follow that the people should herein follow their blinde guides who dare publish to the world that they under his Holinesse can pardon slippes to Gods commandements But can affoord no pardon unto those who breake the commandements of the Church which how farre it doth derogate from the Majestie and authority of God and his holy word let not onely religious but even rationall men judge I will now instance in one more no lesse dangerous then blasphemous position of Jesuites upon which the three former and many more are grounded namely that the Church is above the Scriptures and so judgeth of the Scriptures as that she may reproove or reject Scripture as she shall think fit that the Church and the head thereof the Pope is the rule of faith better known and farre more certaine then are the Scriptures by whom Scripture ought to be judged and not either Pope or Church by Scripture whereas in truth the Scripture affordeth such a cleare and perfect light as may sufficiently guide our feet in the way of truth and fully instruct us what we are to believe and what we are to doe what to affect and what to hope which foure contains the whole dutie of a Christian To say no more the Church became the Church by receiving believing and so lowing the Scriptures from which when it shall in any sort vary it is no more the Church of God And now to their dangerous positions I shall adde so many of their bloudy nefarious practises as may in all reason indue those who most admire and are most addicted to them to detest and abandon them It is well known how often and how miraculously Queene Elisabeth escaped their many close contrived plots a-against her person and kingdome And it is no lesse known that in the beginning of King Iames his raigne an impudent petition for a toleration cōtrived by father Garnet other Jesuits was preferred to his Majesty but advisedly rejected upon the Archbishop Abbots grave counsel to the King Upon the rejecting of which their audacious petition growing desperate they enterprised by the advice of the said Garnet the gunpowder-treason the most cruell and barbarous as ever was heard of which had it taken it had been accompanied with a greaer effusion of bloud then was the massacre in France but herein much more destructive when King Prince Nobles Gentry and the whole wisdome of the land should have received an irrecoverable blow in being blown up in a moment so as the amased headlesse people not able to resist them and their army being at an instant in readinesse they must have yeelded to them both in matter of religion and liberty or have been miserably slaughtered by them A man might reasonably have concluded that such a matchlesse treason and bloudy designe upon King and kingdome should have produced execution of law to the extirpation of them and a dissipation of their Jesuiticall adherents But such was then their interest with forrain Princes subject to Rome especially with the King of Spaine and his pentioners here some of our Nobility Church-papists whose entertainment came to no lesse then 3000 l. or 4000 l. a yeere as that after execution done upon some few of them the father due prosecution of Law was stopped yea so powerfull and prevalent were our Spanish pensioners with King Iames a very wise Prince as they by many importunate solicitations induced him to yeeld to somethings and to deny other things which have or may prove exceeding prejudiciall to him and his royall posterity to the peace and