two of the fairest flowers in the English Crown in lieu wherof it may be sayd ther is set in an ear of barly with a Chimney Wallflower ther is froth and fume given in exchange which doth so much sully the luster of it for as I intimated before the state and plenty of the Court was accounted the greatest glory of the Crown of England as Forren Authors of most Nations do acknowledg in their public Writings Now wheras some do affirm that the yeerly benefit of the Excise doth make a full compensation for the Court of Wards and tenures in Capite out of which ther was also computed fifty thousand pounds yeerly towards the Diet at Court It is too well known that the said Excise doth not make the King any Equivalent satisfaction for his Tenures alone if well managd much less for his Pourvoyances Preemptions and Carriages For ther was an exact account made by his Majesties special command of the last yeers expence that ther were Seventy three thousand six hundred and seven pounds fourteen shillings and seven pence spent more in the Court-diet and provision of the Stables then were in the time of Pourvoyance besides the extraordinary charge of Carriages for his Removes and Navy Royal. Now in expending those provisions that were servd into the Court by way of Pourvoyance and Composition ther was the greatest care and Oeconomical good husbandry usd that possibly could be for when ther were more Beefs and Muttons with other provisions servd in then the Court wanted The faithful Officers of the Green-cloth caused them to be Sould and with the moneys arising thence they were commonly usd to buy Napery and other Houshold-things for the service of the Kings House as also in paying the arrears of som of his Servants wages with the surplusages But now that we dance after the French Fiddle so fast as we always did so for the back and now begin to follow him also in things relating to the Belly by Board-wages c. I wish the time may not come that we do not follow him too farr As that one cannot put a grain of Salt in his pot unless he buy it of the King wherby in making Salt his own Commodity the French King raiseth by the meer Gabel which ariseth thence above 20 millions of Livres evry yeer which is two millions Sterling which sum is twice more then the King of Great Britain hath from all Incoms whatsoever as Crown-lands Customes and Imposts Excise and Chimney-money with other perquisits and casualities And as the French thus cannot put a grain of Salt in his pot so the Spaniard cannot put a corn of Peper into his Olla unless he hath it from the King Nor can he buy a pair of Cards or Dice to pass away the time withal unless he hath them of the King Nay he cannot buy half a sheet of Paper to write either Bond or Bill Acquittance or Receit or other legal Instrument but he must buy all of the King Which adds millions to his yeerly Revenues yet the peeple of Spain are cryed up for a free peeple But touching the Imposition of Excise which is given the King for his Royal Tenures and House-keeping I well remember the time that Excise was held such an abominable word that my Lord Carleton but only for naming it once in the Parlement-House yet to no ill meaning at all was violently cryed to the Bar and though a person of that eminence as being then a Privie Counsellor and principal Secretary of State he hardly escapd being committed to the Tower The Excise was then calld the Dutch Devil because it came first from Holland with other fine words as plunder storming c. which were all made free Denizons of England by that so longd-for Long Parlement And observable it is that the first imposing and use of Excise in England was to enable Rebels to make War against their King and Country Having thus briefly run over the Sumptuary part of the English Court we will now proceed to the Servants and Officers to the Attendance and State thereof which comes not behind any other Court whatsoever And this might be the ground of that ancient Proverb in England and nowhere els There is no Fishing to the Sea nor Service to the Kings The Court is the randevous of Vertu of Cadets and persons well qualified It is the Scale by which they rise the King being the fountain of Honour as well as of Bounty But before we come to speak of the Officers at Court and of their Diet and Bouche which by a pitiful corruption is vulgarly calld budg wheras it is bouche a mouth therfore it is a French phrase Il a bouche à la Cour He hath a mouth at Court viz. he hath a Diet I say before we come to speak of the Dishes and Diet at Court let the Reader take this small Advertisement in the way that evry Dish at Court was computed to cost the King viis modis at the years end 100 l. a dish But now since the Preemption and Pourvoyance is taken away evry dish doth stand in four times as much at least The Kings Court or Houshold The Lord Great Chamberlain and Earl Marshal are rather Officers of State and as it were extraneous in relation to the Houshold so in a manner are the four Officers of the Crown who use to have Houses abroad viz. The Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal of England The Lord high Tresurer The Lord Privie Seal The Lord high Admiral But the properst Domestick Officers are as follow viz. The Lord Steward of the Houshold who hath allowed him evry day besides his Fee 32 dishes The Tresurer of the Houshold 32 dishes and besides his table he hath a Fee of 123 l. 14 s. 4 d. The Controuler besides thirty two dishes a day hath a Fee of 167 l. 17 s. 4 d. The Cofferer besides his Table hath 100 l. The principal Secretary of State hath besides his Table 100 l. The Secretary for the Latin Toung Fee 40 l. The Secretary for the French Toung Fee 66 l. 13 s. 4 d. The Clerks of the Signet Fee every one 40 l. Four Clerks of the Privie Council Fee evry one 50 l. Clerk of the Council in the Star-chamber Fee 26 l. 13 s. 4 d. Two Clerks of the Parlement Fee The first 40 l. Two Clerks of the Parlement Fee The second 10 l. Clerk of the Market Fee 20 l. Post-master Fee 20 l. Thirty standing Posts appointed by the Post-master evry one Fee 18 l. 5 s. Two Carriers To one 24 l. 3 s. 4 d. Two Carriers To the other 12 l. Officers above Stayrs Lord Chamberlain of the Houshold besides his Table of thirty two dishes a day hath a Fee 100 l. The Groom of the Stole who is always a Gentleman of the Bed-chamber hath evry day 32 dishes Vice-chamberlain Fee 100 Marks Knight-Marshal Fee 100 Marks The Gentlemen of the Privie Chamber whose
Great Britain having intimation that ther might be some clash between the Coaches of the foresaid Ambassadors if they sent them according to custome to bring in the said new Ambassador He sent unto them that they wold forbear to send their Coaches because some inconvenience might arise Batteville answerd That he wold conform to his Majesties plesure provided l' Estrade did likewise do so But l' Estrade gave answer to the Kings Message That his Predecessor the French Ambassador immediatly before him had receavd a check at his return to France for omitting this ceremony and so was he like to do if he did not perform it So both of them sending their rich Coaches and Laquays to Tower-wharf where the new Ambassador was to land Batteville it seems had taken such a survey of the place that his Coach stood in such a posture that none could get before it and the Kings Coach besides he had causd the Rains and Harness of his Coach to be lin'd with Wire making them therby poof against the strokes of Swords so ther happend a hot and fierce Scirmige ther being Pistols on both sides besides Swords and the French had some horsmen also so the poor Horses were slashd and some Laquays killd on both sides and one Spanish Gentleman was killd in the Coach but Batteville stood firm to his ground and so his Coach went next to the Kings all the way News being sent herof to Paris it was much resented and the Spanish Ambassador there being confind to his House he presently dispatchd an Expresse to Madrid who being returnd He sent to the Louvre that he had receavd such Orders that wold give his Majesty satisfaction touching the late Traverses in England and so desired Audience which was appointed him the next day In the interim command was sent that the Princes of the Blood and chief Officers of the Crown shold be there The Spanish Ambassador being come and expecting a privat audience but finding such a solemn meeting was a little stunnd at first yet he went on and deliverd his Message to the King which was that touching the late Contest in England it was done without his Catholique Majesties direction and knowledge therfore he wold take a cours that no occasion shold be offerd for such differences herafter Besides these he pronouncd other Explanatory words that were equivalent to an acknowledgment of Precedence to his most Christian Majesty which were suddenly commanded to be registred in the Council for an Act of State and so to stand upon Record to Posterity Hereupon ther was a most prudent Act of State passd in the Privy Council of the King of Great Britain That in regard of the inconvenience and disturbances which did thence arise his Majesty commanded that no Forren Ambassadors Coaches shall for the future go to accompany and introduce any new Ambassador whatsoever because his Majesties Coaches are sufficient to accompany them in a fitting Equippage which Act I believe will be a leading case to all the Courts of Christendome Before we conclude this Section touching the Right of Precedence which the French King claims of other Princes we will adde what Mr. de Breves says in his Appendix of the Negotiations in the East where he says That in the Raign of Henry the Great he took Precedence of the Ambassadors of Rodulphus the Emperour in Constantinople at the Port of the Turks Court who values Christian Princes according to the merit of their Might WE will now proceed to weigh and winnow the Arguments of Spain in order to a Precedence which we will extract also and distil out of their own Authors as Valdesius Francisco Vasquez Camillo Borrello Besoldus Morales Augusto Cavaisll Caranato with divers others And let this be a Close to the second Section The third Section CONTAINING The Reasons wherby the King of Spain pretends and claims Priority of Place and Proximity of Session next the Emperour at all solemn Meetings and in all Publik Transactions of State c. Which Reasons We will reduce also to Ten Heads or Arguments The first Argument Proving That the Catholik King may challenge Precedence because Spain is the Noblest Kingdome of Europe as being always accounted the Head therof The second Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence by the Authority of General Councils and the Learned Doctors of the Church The third Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because Spain first receavd and professd the Catholik Faith That the first Christian Church was built there The first Council celebrated The first Bishop was elected out of Her The first Emperour created c. The fourth Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because He is the Catholick King which is a more ancient Title then Christianissimus The fifth Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because that in magnitude of Kingdomes in Power and Tresure he excels all other The sixth Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence for Nobleness of Family and that the Kingdome of France did justly belong to Philip 3. The seventh Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because he is King of Ierusalem The eighth Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because of free and absolut Dominion and that he hath Empires under Him The ninth Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because he hath done such great Offices to the Christian Church The tenth and last Argument Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because the Catholick Church receaves greater Protection and Emoluments from Him then from any other Prince whatsoever OF all these Arguments we shall treat distinctly in several divisions according to the former method and distil out of the chiefest Spanish Authors that write of this subject the Elixir and strength of their Reasons But let the Reader take this Advertisement That he must not expect here the particular Quotations and Marginals wherwith the Spanish Writers use to abound and which indeed belong to Civilians and Iurists No the Author here goes on in a freer and generous way and the Reader without abusing his Faith may believe what he delivers being extracted with much fidelity and care out of the forementiond Authors who write for the Crown of Spain and in their own expressions and so we begin with the first Argument viz. That Spain is calld the Head of Europe and consequently the Noblest Kingdome I. THe beginning of evry thing as it is the hardest so it is always accounted the worthiest and most Noble part as being the head and source whence the rest are derivd so our blessed Saviour is calld Principium Caput the beginning and Head wherof all the Faithful are Members He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And his Vicar-general upon earth the Pope is calld Caput Ecclesiae Militantis The
Subject who resembleth a Mediator of Love Concerning the word Legat Resoldus tells us in brief that He is one who is sent to deliver the Commands of another but none of these can be calld properly Definitions according to the Rules of Logik but Descriptions They are calld sometimes Orators from Oracion or the fluency of the Toung which is the chiefest tool of an Ambassador They are calld also Nuncii because they come to declare and tell Now Nuncii and Legats are of late Ages they whom the Popa sends whose Ministers of this kind have a mixt employment twixt Spiritual and Secular Legats are of three sorts ther is Legatus Natus Legatus Missus and Legatus à Latere The first hath a perpetual successif Legantine Power as the Archbishop of Canterbury in England is endowed with that Prerogative as a Dignity annexd to the Archbishoprik above 1000 years since therfore ther can no other Legats come to England without the Kings special consent wherupon one of the Articles against Cardinal Wolsey was That he exercised a Legantine Power in England without the Kings privity Then ther is Legatus Missus and he signifieth as much as an ordinary Nuncio Then ther is Legatus à Latere or Apostolical Nuncio who is desumd out of the number of Cardinals only and they are sometimes Gâ—…vernors of Provinces or calld Pro-consuls and they are calld Legati de Latere because they are neerest the side and the greatest Confidents of the Pope We may read in Iustine that Ambassadors by some are calld Lenones Bawds but taken in a chast sense because by smooth and alluring Language they move the affections of the Prince to whom they are sent The Greeks call their Ambassadors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they ought to be of yeers and well salted in the world Ther are also Deputies and Commissaries who have the same Office as Ambassadors but the Civilians make this difference betwixt them that Ambassadors are sent to Equals Deputies to Superiors and Commissaries to Inferiors Ther is also a publik Minister of State calld Agent and he is sent when ther is a suspition that the Ambassador will not be honord as he shold be Therfore the French Kings of late yeers have no Ambassadors in the Emperors Court but Agents because of the Competition for Precedence twixt him and Spain Agents are likewise employd sometimes to save charges or that the Business may be done without noise Ahd of late yeers ther is a new Minister of State invented which is a Resident who is superiour to an Agent and inferiour to an Ambassador Both Agent and Resident have the Security though not the Session and state or such a latitude of power as Ambassadors have Now Agents may dispatch Businesses of as great consequence as Ambassadors though they do it more secretly and with lesse stir Therfore Hottoman saith That the Queen of England and the Princes of Germany had des Agens Secrets in Venice because that in regard of diversity of Religion the Senat wold not seem to make too strict a frendship with them and for these secret Employments Merchants have bin thought to be the fittest Instruments because under the cloak of Trading they may also hide Affairs of State Ther are also Heralds which are a sort of Ambassadors and they are very ancient They are calld Caduceatores whose Office is to denounce War for such was the open honesty of our Ancestors that they would not commence a War until they had sent notice of it in a convenient time beforehand and these had also the security of Ambassadors for the time but they were strictly tied to the very same words that were dictated unto them Their persons also are to be as free from any outrage as Ambassadors are which made the Earl of Essex check his soldiers in Keinton-field when the late King sent Sir William le Neve King of Arms the next morning after the Battail was sought who wold have outragd Him Ther are also other Ministers of State that draw neer to the nature of Ambassadors which are calld Consuls wherof some have Royal Commission though the nature of their Office be to protect and assist the Merchant being practisd in the Custome and Language of the Country in their Law-suits and ther is as much esteem had of these as of Agents Of these England hath more then any and they are allowd very noble allowance as he of Aleppo hath 4000 Dollars yeerly and they of Smyrna and Mosco little less but if ther be an Ambassador in that Dominion where they serve they are subordinat to his commands in divers things We will conclude this Paragraph with this distinction of Ambassadors That some are extraordinary or pro tempore employd upon some particular great Affairs or Condolements or Congratulations or for Overtures of Marriage c. and they use to go with greater lustre and magnificence and may return without sending for leave unless ther be a restraining clause in their Commission The other are Ordinary or Lidger Ambassadors commanded to reside in the place until they receave Letters of Revocation and as their time of return is indefinit so their business is incertain arising out of emergent occasions and commonly the protection and affairs of the Merchants is their greatest care But Albericus Gentilis with all the great Civilians alledge that these kinde of Ambassadors were not known but of late yeers and Paschalius calls them no better then Emissaries Explorators or Spyes which made Hen. 7. of England as he saith admit of none The second Paragraph Of the absolut and indispensable necessity of Ambassadors and that Mankind cannot subsist without them IF it were not for Ambassadors Wars wold be endless and Enmities everlasting Ther wold be no knowledg no frendship among Princes nor commerce among Nations Brunus says That among all Functions all Offices and Employments of a Commonwealth ther is none more necessary more difficult more honorable and that requires greater discretion sagacity and caution then that of an Ambassador but as it is accompanied with honor and profit so it is with danger and hazard Ambassadors are the emissititious Eyes of a Prince they are his ears and hands they are his very understanding and reason they are his breath and voice in contemplation wherof the Poet sings that an Ambassador is Vox Regum lingua salutis Foederis Orator pacis via Terminus irae Semen Amicitiae Belli fuga litibus hostis It is observd in all stories and confirmd by multitude of examples that the Interview and encounter of Kings hath bin rather a disadvantage then an advance to any great business specially in treating of Capitulations of Peace Therfore in the Politiks t is a Principle that in Colloquies for Pacification Princes shold not appeer in person but be represented by their Ambassadors and Commissaries A Journey to be performd by Kings requires much trouble and charges much ado ther is in fitting their train that they may