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THe next doubtfull Stage hee had to act upon (howsoever it may seem private) was grounded up∣on a publique and specious propo∣sition of marriage, between the late famous Queen, and the Duke of An∣iou, With which Current, although he saw the great, and wise men of the
time suddainly carryed down, and every one fishing to catch the Queens humor in it; yet when he considered the difference of years, person, edu∣cation, state, and religion between them; and then called to minde the success of our former alliances with the French: he found many reasons to make question whether it would prove Poetical, or reall on their part? And if reall; yet whether the ballance swayed not unequally, by adding much to them, and little to his So∣veraign? The Dukes greatness be∣ing onely name, and possibility; and both these either to wither, or be maintained at her cost. Her state a∣gain in hand; and though Royally sufficient to satisfie that Queens Princely and moderate desires, or ex∣pences, yet perchance inferior to bear out those mixt designes, into which his ambition, or necessities might en∣tise, or draw her.
Besides, the marriage of K. Philip,
to Q. Mary her sister, was yet so fresh in memory, with the many inconve∣niences of it, as by comparing and paralleling these together, he found credible instances to conclude, nei∣ther of these forrain alliances could prove safe for this Kingdom. Because in her marriage with Spain, though both Princes continuing under the obedience of the Roman Church nei∣ther their consciences, nor their peo∣ples could suffer any fear of tumult, or imputation by change of faith; Yet was the winning of St. Quintins, with the loss of Calice, and the car∣rying away of our money to forrain ends, odious universally; the Spanish pride incompatible; their advanta∣gious delayes suspicious; and their short reign here felt to be a kinde of exhausting tax upon the whole Na∣tion.
Besides, he discerned how this great Monarch countenanced with our Forces by sea, and land, might, and
did use this addition of her strength to transform his Low-Countrey Dukedomes, fall'n to him by de∣scent, into the nature of a soveraign conquest; and so by conjoyning their Dominion, and Forces by Sea, to his large Empires, and Armies upon the Mayn, would probably enforce all absolute Princes to acknowledg sub∣jection to him before their time. And for our Kingdome, besides that this King then meant to use it as a forge, to fashion all his soveraign designes in; had he not (except some bely him) a fore-running hand in the change of Religion after King Edwards death? And had he not (even in that change) so mastered us in our own Church, by his Chaplain and Conclave of Rome, that both these carried all their courses byaced to his ends, as to an elder brother, who had more abun∣dant degrees of wealth, and honour to return them? so as every body (that devoted Queen excepted) fore∣saw
we must suddenly have been compelled to wear his livery, and serve his ends; or else to live like children neglected, or disfavoured by our holy Mother.
Again, for our temporall Govern∣ment; was not his influence (except report belie him) as well in passing many sharp lawes, and heavy execu∣tions of them with more strange Councels; as fashioning our leagues both of peace, and traffique to his conquering ends? All these together, with that Master prize of his play∣ing, when under colour of piety, he stirred up in that wel-affected Queen a purpose of restoring those tempo∣ralities to the Church, which by the fall of Abbies, were long before di∣spersed among the Nobility, Gen∣try, and people of this Kingdome: all these (as he said) did clearly shew, that this ambitious King had an in∣tent of moulding us to his use, even by distracting us amongst our selves.
Neverthelesse, to give him the honor of worldly wisedom, I dare aver, he had no hope of bringing these curious assumptions to pass; but rather did cast them out, as sounding lines, to fathome the depths of peoples mindes; and with particular fear, and distraction in the owners, to raise a generall distast in all men against the Government. Now, if we may judge the future by what is past, his scope in all these particulars could be no other, but when our inward waters had been throughly troubled, then to possess this diversly diseas'd Estate with cer∣tain poëticall titles of his own, de∣vised long before, and since publish∣ed by Dolman, to the end, that under the shadow of such clouds, he might work upon the next heir; and so cast a chance for all our goodes, lives, and liberties with little interrupti∣on. These, and such like, were the groundes which moved Sir Philip to
compare the past, and present con∣sequence of our Marriage with ei∣ther of these Crowns together.
And though in danger of subjecti∣on he did confess our aliance with the French to be lesse unequall; yet even in that, he foresaw, diver∣sitie of Religion would first give scandall to both; and in progress, prove fatall of necessity to one side. Because the weaker sect here, being fortified by strong parties abroad, and a husbands name at home, must necessarily have brought the native Soveraign under a kinde of Covert Baron, and thereby forced her Ma∣jesty, either to lose the freedom, and conscience of a good Christian, the honor of an excellent Prince, or the private reputation of obedient Wife. Neither could that excellent Lady (as he, and that time conceived) with these, or any other cautions, have countermined the mines of practice, whereby (it is probable)
this Prince would have endeavou∣red to steal change of Religion into her Kingdom.
1. As first, by cavelling at the Au∣thors, and Fathers that upheld her Church.
2. Then by disgracing her most zealous Ministers, through asper∣sions cast upon their persons, and advancing indifferent spirits, whose God is this world, the Court their heaven, and consequently their ends, to biace Gods immortall truth to the fantasies of mortall Princes.
3. By the subtile latitude of school∣distinctions, publiquely edging nea∣rer the holy mother Church; and therein first waving, then soun∣ding the peoples mindes; if not with abrupt, and spirit-fall'n tolleration, yet with that invisible web of con∣nivencie, which is a snare to entan∣gle great, or little flies, at the will of power.
4. By a Princely licentiousnesse in
behaviour, and conference, fashio∣ning atheisme among her Subjects: as knowing that in confusion of thoughts, he might the more easilie raise up superstitious idolatry: which crafty Image of his, with all the nice lineaments belonging to it, was the more credible, in respect the French have scornfully affirm'd one chief branch of our Princes prero∣gatives to be, the carying of their peoples consciences which way they list. An absoluteness the more dange∣rous to their subjects freedom, be∣cause they bring these changes to pass (as the French say) under the safe conduct of our earth-cy com∣mon law; and thereby make change legally safe, and constancie in the truth exceeding dangerous.
5. By a publique decrying of our ancient Customes, and Statutes; and from that ground, giving Proclama∣tions a Royall vigor in moulding of pleas, pulpits and Parliaments, after
the pattern of their own, and some other forain Nations; which in our Government is a confusion, almost as fatall as the confusion of tongues.
6. By employing no instruments among the people, but such as de∣vise to sheer them with taxes, ran∣some them with fines, draw in bon∣dage under colour of obedience, and (like Frenchified Empsons, and Dudlies) bring the English peo∣ple to the povertie of the French Peasants, onely to fill up a Danaus sive of prodigality, and thereby to secure the old age of Tyranny from that which is never old: I mean, dan∣ger of popular inundations.
7. To lift up Monarchie above her ancient legall Circles, by banishing all free spirits, and faithfull Patri∣ots, with a kinde of shaddowed O∣stracisme, till the Ideas of native freedom should be utterly forgot∣ten; and then (by the pattern of their own Duke of Guise) so to en∣courage
a multitude of impove∣rishing impositions upon the peo∣ple, as he might become the head of all discontentedness; and under the envy of that art, stir them up to depose their naturall annointed So∣veraign,
8. When he had thus metamor∣phosed our moderate form of Mo∣narchie into a precipitate absolute∣ness; and therein shaken all Leagues offensive or defensive between us, the Kings of Denmark, and Sweden, the free Princes of Garmany, the poor oppressed soules of France, the steady subsisting Hanses; and lastly weakned that league of Religion, suffique, which with prosperous suc∣cess hath continued long between us, and the Netherlanders; then (I say) must his next project have been, either abusively to entise, or through fear enforce this excellent Lady, to countenance his over-grown party abroad, by suffering the
same sect to multiply here at home, till she should too late discover a ne∣cessity, either of changing her faith, hazarding her Crown, or at least holding it at the joint courtesie of that ambitious Roman Conclave, or encreasing Monarchie of Spain. A Scepter, and Miter, whose con∣junction bringes forth boundless freedom to themselves, and begets a narrow servitude upon all other Nations, that by surprise of wit, or power become subject to them.
9 Besides, in the practice of this Marriage, he foresaw, and prophe∣sied, that the very first breach of Gods ordinance, in matching her∣self with a Prince of a diverse faith, would infallibly carry with it some piece of the rending destiny, which Solomon, and those other Princes justly felt, for having ventured to weigh the immortall wisdom in e∣ven scales, with mortall convenien∣cy or inconveniency.
10. The next step must infallibly have been (as he conceived) with our shipping to disturb or belea∣guer the Netherlanders by Sea, under colour, or pretence of honor unsea∣sonably taken, even when the horse and foot of France should threaten their subsistence by land; and ther∣by (in this period of extremity) constrain that active people to run headlong into one of these three des∣perate courses, viz. Either to fly for protection to the Flower-de-Luce, with whom they join in continent; Or precipitately submit their necks to the yoking Cittadells of Spain, against whose inquisitions, and usur∣pations upon their Consciences, and Liberties, so much money, and bloud had been shed, and consu∣med already; Or else unnaturally to turn Pirates, and so become enemies to that trade, by which they and their friends have reciprocally got∣ten, and given so much prosperity.
The choice or comparison of which mischiefes to them, and us, he brief∣ly laid before me, in this man∣ner.
First, that if they should incor∣porate with France, the Netherlands manufactures, industry, trade, and shipping, would add much to that Monarchie, both in peace, and war: The naturall riches of the French having been hitherto either kept barrain at home, or barrainly trans∣ported abroad, for lack of the true use of trade, shipping, exchange, and such other mysteries as multiply native wealth; by improving their man-hood at home, and giving formes both to domestique, and forrain materialls; which defect (as he said) being now abundantly to be supplied, by this conjunction with the Netherlands, would in a lit∣tle time, not onely puff up that active Common-wealth with unqui∣et pride, but awake the stirring
French to feel this addition to their own strengths; and so make them become dangerous neighbours by incursion in invasion to the Baltique Sea; many waies prejudice to the mutuall traffique between Italy, the Germans, and England; and con∣sequently a terror to all others, that by land, or Sea confine upon them, yea and apt enough once in a year, to try their fortune with that grow∣ing Monarch of Spain, for his Indian treasure.
2. On the other side; if any stricter league should come to pass between those adventurous French Spirits, and the solid counsells of Spaine; and so through fear, scorn, or any other desperate apparances force the Netherlands into a precipi∣tate, but steady subjection of that Spanish Monarchie; then he willed me to observe, how this fearfull uni∣on of Earth, and Sea, having esca∣ped the petty Monarches of Europe,
would in all probability, costrain them to play after-games for their own Estates. Because these two po∣tent Navies (his and the Nether∣land's) being thus added to his in∣vincible Armies by land, would soon (as he thought) compell that head of holy mother Church, whose best use for many yeares had been (by ballancing these two Emperiall greatnesses one with another) to se∣cure inferior Princes: would (as I said) soon enforce that sacred Mo∣ther-head to shelter her self un∣der the wings of this Emperiall Ea∣gle, and so absolutely quit her Mi∣ter-supremacie; or at least become Chaplain to this suppressing, or sup∣porting Conqueror.
Besides, in this fatall probability he discovered the great difference between the wisdom of quiet Prin∣ces, in their moderate desires of subsistence, from the large, and ha∣zardous counsells of undertaking
Monarches; whose ends are onely to make force the umpier of right, and by that inequality become Sove∣raign Lords (without any other ti∣tle) over equalls and inferiors.
3. Now for this third point, of constraining this oppressed, yet active Netherland people to become Pirates: he willed me in the exam∣ples of time past to observe, how much Scirpalus did among the Gre∣cians; Sextus Pompeius the Romans, even in their greatness; and in themodern, Flushiug, Dunkerk, Ro∣chell and Algiers. Inferring with∣all, that this people, which had so long prospered upon the rich mate∣rialls of all Nations, by the two large spreading armes of manufacture, and traffique, could not possibly be forced at once to leave this habit: but would rather desperately ad∣venture to maintain these enrich∣ing strengthes of marriners, souldi∣ers, and shipping of their own, with
becomming a Rende-vous for the swarm of discontented subjects uni∣versally; inviting them with hope of spoil, and by that inheritance, to try whether the world were ready to examine her old foundations of freedom, in the specious, and flatte∣ring regions of change, and Powers encrochments?
Lastly, besides this uneven ballance of State; the very reflexion of scorn between age, and youth; her come∣liness, his disadvantage that way; the excessive charge by continuall resort of the French hither; danger of change for the worse; her reall native States and riches made sub∣ject to forrain humors; little hope of succession, and if any, then France assured to become the seat, and England the Province; children, or no children, misfortune, or uncer∣tainty: These (I say) and such like threatning probabilities made him joyn with the weaker party, and
oppose this torrent; even while the French faction reigning had cast as∣persions upon his Uncle of Leicester, and made him, like a wise man (un∣der colour of taking physick) volun∣tarily become prisoner in his cham∣ber.