The right of primogeniture, in succession to the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland as declared by the statutes of 24 E.3 cap 2. De Proditionibus, King of England, and of Kenneth the third, and Malcolm Mackenneth the second, Kings of Scotland : as likewise of 10 H.7 made by a Parliament of Ireland : with all objections answered, and clear probation made : that to compass or imagine the death, exile, or disinheriting of the King's eldest son, is high treason : to which is added, an answer to all objections against declaring him a Protestant successor, with reasons shewing the fatal dangers of neglecting the same.

It Exposeth the Succession of Kingdoms to Sale.

* 1.1Buch. Rer. Scot. lib. 7. pag. 206. saith, Mackbethus ut Regnum male partum stabiliret, potentiores Magnis Largitionibus sibi conciliat, se∣curus de Regis liberis ob aetatem, de vicinis Regibus ob Mutuas simul∣tates, Potentioribus delenitis Populi favorem aequitate parare seve∣ritate retinere decrevit.* 1.2 Mackbeth that he might Establish his ill-got Kingdom, binds to himself the great Men by great Gifts, being at that time secure from the King's Children, in regard they were under Age, and from the Neighbouring Kings by

their mutual Quarrels one with another, having obliged the great Ones, he resolved to catch the People with Equity, and to keep them with Severity. In the time of H. 3. Richard Earl of Cornwall begging the King's Brother, and Alphonsus King of Spain,* 1.3 were each Competitors to be elected to the Empire of Germany. And the Seven Electors were ready to elect him who would give most to Buy it. In the end Richard being in Person in Germany and nearest at hand, and his Money readiest; he is preferred by the Bishop of Ment••, the Bishop of Cologne, and the Palsegrave, whose Voices he is said to have bought; and was thereupon Crowned Emperor at Aquisgrave: And to reimburse himself of the great Sums he had disburst, and to confirm his Estate, he was set on by his Salesmen and Cour∣tiers, who expected likewise to have a share in Purchase. And proceeded in all Violent and Hostile manner against those who opposed his Election, and having consumed himself by exces∣sive Gifts to Buy Suffrages and Assistants; and by this Prose∣cution he came to be again dispossessed and forsaken, and with the loss of his Money, and contracting Debts; besides, he was forced to return home to England to his Brother, who was then in War with his Nobles,* 1.4 Dan. Hist. 174. It were infinite to recite all the Buyers and Sellers of Successions to Kingdoms, there having rarely been any Age or Nation wherein the Si∣mony of Churches and Kingdoms hath not been alike common, either by the Priest, Nobles, or Souldiers, and corrupted both the Divinity and Justice of both, except where an House of Commons hath had an hand in the Actual declaring the Suc∣cessor; when therefore a Successor is not declared by Act of Parliament, but left to buy his Right, these horrible Mischiefs ensue. First, To the Prince himself. Secondly, To the Peo∣ple. As to the Prince himself, these Mischiefs ensue.

(1.) If to buy a Kingdom he is known to give Donatives or Pensions, he raises a greater Party against him than he can ob∣lige for him; for if he give a Donative or Pension to one, he can oblige only that one; but for him disobliges an hundred.

(2.) No Person that receives a Bribe can be obliged by that Bribe, because what he doth is for Money, and not for Con∣science; and if any offer him another Bribe, he will as readily be for the last giver, as he was for the first; for the first giver of Money cannot take his Gift from him again: And the Mer∣cenary,

if he hath but half so much giver by the second giver as the first, will think he shall be richer with a Gift and half, than only with a single Gift. Hence it is that,

Perdurat non empta fides, nec Pectora merces Alligat.

Claudian.

Bought Faith indures not, nor will hire bind The Traitor's heart, if greater hire he find.

And the Roman Mercenaries who were corrupted with great Donatives by one Emperor, before he was scarce warm in his seat, used to kill him, and if a new offered another Donative, set up him for the like time, till another offered them a new Donative. And so they perpetually Murdered them from Ge∣neration to Generation. It's true, many good Princes have been compelled to buy their Rights; and better it were they did so, than the same should be taken from them by one that hath no Right; but this can only be understood where there is a Necessity, and no Remedy: But where God is pleased to offer a just King, and a just Parliament to Judge equally, there is no Necessity of using any unjust means, though to obtain Right.

(3.) If a Prince buy not with ready Money, or Donatives given in Possession, but oblige himself in future Promises, if he obtain the Kingdom, the Mercenaries are so many who will expect to be promised, and their Nature so unsatiable, That no Prince can be so rich who is to obtain, nor can any King∣dom be so rich when it is obtained, as to be able to satisfie a small part of them, and who fail of their Expectation turn Enemies. As Rich. 3. promised the Duke of Buckingham, if he obtained the Kingdom, very great Rewards; but after he was King failed to perform the same, the Duke of Buckingham be∣came his Mortal Enemy, and King Richard paid his Promises by cutting him off for Treason, when he had first ruined Ri∣chard, by laying the Plot for Henry the Seventh.

(4.) If the Kingdoms are left exposed to Sale, a Papist Suc∣cessor will be richer than a Protestant; and so carry it by Mo∣ney, though not by Right.

* 1.5(5.) It impoverisheth and weakens the Prince and his Posteri∣ty. So the German Emperors have impoverished and weakened themselves by giving away so many Royalties to 7 Electors to buy them in Elections; That the Electors are greater than they.

The Mischiefs as to the People are.

* 1.6(1.) The Sale of the Successions of the Three Kingdoms, and buying of them Destroys all Religion and Justice among the People; for your Kingdom-Sellers usually receive a great share of their Money out of the Power, they Contract to have of the Sale of all Publick Offices of Gain, both Ecclesiastical and Temporal; If therefore Bishops and other Ecclesiastical Per∣sons buy their Offices, they will neither Form nor Preach any Divinity, but for Gain. If Temporal Judges, or other Judi∣cial or Ministerial Officers buy their Offices, those who buy will sell, and take Bribes; and none shall have Justice unless he buys.

In Turky all the great Officers buy their Places of the Grand Seignior, whereby they run themselves into great Debts; which they rake out again of the poor People, by all manner of Rapine and Oppression. And though the fame is of the Great Turk's great Severity on the Bribery of Judges; yet no Courts in the World are more corrupt for that Vice than they: For what colour can the Emperor have to punish those Thieves to whom he himself is accessary, by selling their Licences to Rob at so dear a rate as he usually puts them to buy, and will after∣ward take the whole spoil if it grow to any bulk?

(2.) The Exchequer will be ingaged under unsupportable Debts, and charged with Pensions to a Multitude of Pretended Claimants of Promises, which will totally exhaust the Publick Treasure, load the People with insupportable Burdens and Taxes, and destroy all the Military Defence of the Kingdoms by Sea and Land for want of Pay.

(3.) Kingdom-Sellers will usually have Commissions to take all Penalties on the Penal Statutes, to Dispense and Pardon Of∣fences against those Statutes, and to Pardon or make Composi∣tion for the Penalties, which Penal Statutes concerning both Re∣ligion, Justice, Trade, Military Affairs, and the whole Policy of the Kingdom will be totally subverted by Money, by such said Kingdom-Sellers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  15. Danger of ex∣posing the Succession to Sale.
• * 1.2

  Mischiefs of buying Crowns to Princes them∣selves.
• * 1.3

  Empire of Germany expo∣sed to Sale to Richard Earl of Cornwall, and Alphonsus King of Spain.
• * 1.4

  Simony in Churches and Kingdoms, corrupts Reli∣gion and Ju∣stice in both.
• * 1.5

  Impoverisheth the Prince.
• * 1.6

  Mischiefs of buying Crowns to the Subject.