Reliquiae Wottonianae, or, A collection of lives, letters, poems with characters of sundry personages : and other incomparable pieces of language and art : also additional letters to several persons, not before printed / by the curious pencil of the ever memorable Sir Henry Wottan ...

A Copy of the Emperors Answer to my Audience, 28. Nov. 1620.

AD ea quae Serenissimi Magnae Britanniae Regis Legatus nuper, cùm ore tenus, tùm scripto pro∣posuit; Sacratissima Caesarea, & Hungariae Bohe∣miaeque Majestas, Dominus noster Clementissimus, be∣nignè respondet, uti animum suum ad solidae amicitiae atque benevolentiae studia cum a 1.1 serenitate sua sinceré continuanda proclivem jam tum ab initio Legationis suae dicto Domino Legato decla∣ravit, ita etiamnum eidem s•…•…se proposito firmiter in∣haerere.

Ad negotium autem Bo∣hemicum quod attinet, in

quo Majestati suae Caesareae Regiae{que} non alia Controver∣sia est, quam quae Principibus, cum subditis suis rebellibus ad obedientiae metam reducendis esse solet; certó sibi persua∣det, Serenissimum Magnae Britanniae Regem, pro sin∣gulari sua prudentia at{que} in∣tegritate evidentem, quae pro Majestate sua Caesarea militat, causae justitiam atque aquitatem agnoscere & observare; eoque magis gratum habet, quod Affinitatem, & Genus, & Foedera, Regio sanè judicio, b 1.2 infra Conscientiae legem hactenus sese locâsse scripserit. Op∣tâsset autem Majestas sua Caesarea, at hoc ipsum tot auxiliaribus copiis è Sereni∣tatis suae Regnis atque Pro∣vinciis iniquissimae causae c 1.3 subsidio missis, aut certè permissis, nequaquam Se∣renitas sua dubium reddi∣disset: Sed potius Generum suum, non tantùm pruden∣tissimis monitis, atque con∣siliis, verùm etiam viri∣bus substractis, ab iniqua cu∣piditate alienis se Regnis im∣miscendi absterruisset; unde non alius quam optatus alma pacis fructus, & ut Majesta∣ti suae in Bohemia, Palati∣no

verò in Ditionibus, quas Majestatis Caesareae, Sa∣eri{que} Romani Imperii beneficio tenebat, res tranquillae persisterent, sperari potuisset. Nunc si in Ditionibus propriis, quas à Suprema Majestate Caesarea, Sacro{que} Imperio, infeudum cum fidelitatis obsequio recognoscere debebat, quasque Dominus Legatus d 1.4 Patrimonium ap∣pellat, poenam temerarii am∣bitus contra Dominum & Imperatorem suum, Serenis∣simi Regis. Gener experitur, non habet quem culpet, prae∣terquam quòd animo suo ob∣secundare, & intempestivis suorum consiliis, quam pru∣dentissimis Majestatis suae Cesareae, Regum, Electo∣rum & Principum, ipsius{que} Soceri sui consiliis deferre maluerit.

Et sanè nullus non iniquis∣simum aestimabit, si tempe∣stivè praecavere non liceret, ne Feuda & beneficia quae à Supremo Monarcha fluunt, in propriam suam injuriam redundent: quod quidem Se∣renissimo Magnae Britanniae Regi (cui perpetuam in Regnis suis pacem ex animo Majestas sua Caesarea pre∣catur) uti rerum humanarum vices sunt, tam aliquando obesse posset, quemadmodum nunc ad injustam Generi causam colorandam praetenditur.

Hinc itaque Dominus Legatus rationes haud obscurè colliget, quibus permota Majestas sua Caesarea, vigore Constitutionum Imperialium, ad turbatam Imperii pa•…•…em

redintegrandam, & Inclytae Domus suae Iura vindicanda, Primarium Imperii Principem, & Patruelem suum cha∣rissimum, Archiducem Albertum requisiverit, à quo e 1.5 Marchio Spinola cum flo∣rente exercitu, Literis Ma∣jestatis suae Caesareae Paten∣tibus munitus, adversus eum submissus, qui nulla injuria lacessitus, rebellibus subditis, infami & abominando qui∣buscun{que} Regibus & Prin∣cipibus exemplo, patrocinari, & Regiae Imperatoris atque Domini sui Coronae verticem suum submittere ausus fuit.

Circa Tractatum de Pace instituendum, declarat se sua Caesarea Majestas ab eodem b•…•…d quaquam alienum; quodque intellecto Consilio Inclytae Domus suae Principum, nec non Electorum & Principum, quorum hictenus fide∣lem operam adhibuit, f 1.6 intra dies quadraginta circitèr se resolvet: quem tamen Tractatum ad illas saltem Provncias extendi vult, quae interim vel armis, vel

alio modo, ad debitam Regi Dominoque suo obedientiam non fuerint reductae; reser∣vato sibi quoque jure interim tum Armis, tum Legibus & Constitutionibus Imperiali∣bus, contra quoscunque Pacis publicae perturbatores, & adversarios suos procedendi.

Et in his omnibus, quemadmodum Majestas Caesarea Iure & recta Conscientia freta, nihil ambigit, omnes Christiani Orbis Reges & Principes ea probare, quae pro omnibus Regibus & Principibus, quantum ad exemplum attinet, gessit: ita quicquid in posterum ex Iuris prae∣scripto in hac causa sanciet, iisdem facilè se comprobatu∣ram confidit. Domino autem Legato gratiam suam Cae∣saream clementer offert.

Per Imperatorem Die Nov. 28. Anno 1620.

Notes

• a 1.1

  1. The Style of the Emperours Chancery when he treateth with Kings, is not Majestas, which he reserveth for himself, but either Sere∣nitas, or Regia Dignitas: This made him angry, when he heard that the French Ambassadours styled Bethlem Gabor, Serenissimum: who on the other side, gave them leave to entitle him how they would, adding this Reason, That they were not Ambassadours which could make or unmake Kings.
• b 1.2

  2. Of these words he taketh advantage, which were in your Majesties Credentiall Letter delivered by me.
• c 1.3

  3. I wonder he should touch this point, wherein I had cleared both the Arch-duke Leopoldus and the Em∣perour himself: name∣ly, that the first subsi∣diary Troops sent to∣wards the Palatinate, were-meerly Volunta∣ries, without Your Majesties Contributi∣on, and defensively intended, before any noise of the Invasion.
• d 1.4

  4. In declaring Your Majesties Will and de∣termination from the beginning touching the Palatinates, if they should be assailed, I told the Emperour, that though in the sin∣gle Business of Bohemia You had suspended Your judgement till more liquid proofs; yet You found Your Self tyed, both by Na∣ture and Reason, not to suffer the Patri∣monial Inheritance of Your Own Descen∣dents in the hands of an Alien Usurper.
• e 1.5

  5. At this Audience I told the Emperour, that Your Majesty would hardly be per∣swaded, without his own affirmation, that Spinola had invaded the Palatinate by his express Order: And much less believe, that he would lend any approbation thereunto ex post facto, by way of Ban, or otherwise. Which action of Spinola, the Emperour doth here assume: But whe∣ther such was his meaning, from the beginning; or that his success in Bohemia hath bred this resolu∣tion, may be somewhat questionable. Alwayes sure it is, that he affirmed unto the French Ambassa∣dors long since, that the Marquess Spinola was to come into Bohemia.
• f 1.6

  6. Of this term of 40 dayes, and the follow∣ing restriction, not to treat touching any Province that in the mean time shall be re∣duced to his obedience, I have written the true cause in my Letter to Your Majesty.