An Oration Gratulatory to King James, Part 2
I wil giuegive ſaith the Lord by noſea the prophet,Oſe 2.15. the vale of Achor for the gate of hope. Now the vale of Achor was the firſt entraunce for the people of Iſrael into the land of promiſe. Semblably this fort of the Tower (O mighty King) is the threſhold, as it were, of the land of your beheſt: and the firſt ſtep of your inveſtiture vntounto a kingdome, determined vntounto you by divine decree, before you were borne. At the porte gates whereof there ſaluteth you by my words, not only your faithfull Lieuetenant a Knight graced with ornaments of warre and peace,The Warders. and the whole troop of armed men, that ſurroūd your princely perſon, your ſervants the Gard in this place: but togither alſo there welcomes you, as it were with one obeyſance, whole England, Fraunce & Ireland, the ſoveraigne authority of all which by the poſſeſſion of this one place, you do claſpe and as it were gripe in your hand. For this Tower and royal Caſtle is the pledge for them all, & not onelyonly the gate of good hope, but the haven of the whole ſcope.The Lyons Here the ſtately and princely beaſtes the Lyons (couchant) of England do bow downe to the Lyon (Rampant) of Scotland: even to you a true ofſpring of the Lyon of Iuda, and rightly diſcended of Kings your great-great grandfathers. Here is mony coyned,The mynt. the ioints & ſinewes of warre, which now a good while ſince hath borne the image and ſuperſcription of you our Caeſar. Here are the Records of Eſtate,Records. the cloſet of the acts & patents of our princes, your renowned progenitors, out of which, I may boldly avouch it, a truer ſtory of our nation by far may be compiled, then any is yet extant. Here are diſperſed in the ſeverall quarters of this place,Priſons. certaine rounde turrets for the cuſtody of offendors againſt the king. This which is next,Bloody Tower. our elders tearmed the bloody Tower, for the bloodſhed, as they ſay, of thoſe Infant Princes of Edward the fourth, whō Richard the third of curſed memory (I ſhudder to men…ion it,) ſavagely killed two togither at one time. Then there preſente h… ſel…e looking dutifully from a great heigth vponupon you,Square Tower. but holding out braſen pieces of ſhot, threatning ſlaſhings of fire and thunderbolts to your enemies, a great and ſquare Tower for martiall ſervice, the ſtrength of this place, a watchman for the City, a keeper of the peace, a commaunder of the country round about,Caeſars hall wherein antiquity hath eſpecially made memorable the hall of the Romaine Caeſar. Here is the Iewell-houſe and the wealth of the kingdome,The Iewell houſe. containing implements of great valew aboue number, and al the gold and ſilver plate,The Wardrop. with a moſt rich princely wardrop; all which hauehave now long ſince powred themſelues into your boſome, as the iuſt owner & ful heire to thē al. Here are, that I may not name every thing, moūtaines of bullets, and moſt large places aboue and below for receipt of armour,Armory. with ordinance, dartes, pikes, bowes arrowes, privy coats, helmets, gun-powder, finally with the whole furniture of chivalry, for ſervice on horſe, on foot, by land by ſea, exceedingly ſtoared: (& all theſe) to ſubdue your enemies▪ to defend your friends, citizens, ſubiects, aſſociats and confederats: and to propulſe danger, annoyance, violence, feare from your owne perſon (moſt puiſſant King) from your deareſt ſpouſe, our Soveraigne Queene, your progeny, eſtate, and whole traine. Wherefore we giuegive thankes as many as our heart can conceiue, to him firſt, by whom Kings raigne,Pro. 8.15. by whom your Maieſty, O Iames a ſixt among others, to vsus a firſt, in this ſixt age of the world, in your owne conſtant age, in the declyning age of our kingdome, doth enter your raigne & now fully raigneth: and the rather, that in ſo great ods of diſpoſitions, ſo many ſects cutting from one another, ſuch diſtractions of mens mindes, you doe with ſuch wonderfull agreement of all degrees, every one acclaming to it, no man reclaiming at it, and without any ſtirring of weapon ſo peaceably raigne. There is no country, burrough, precinct, city, hamlet, out of which there hauehave not come openly of al ſorts, ages, degrees, of al eſtates & conditions even from the moſt vtmoſt foreine parts, embaſſadors to congratulate. What wonderfull reſorte out of good townes: what concourſe out of the field country of farmers with their wiues & children, as though ſome great & feſtivall day of the everliving God were now celebrated. So that there was not a more dutifull ſtriving betweene Iſrael and Iuda to bring home David there king:2. Sam. …9. then there is ready obſequiouſnes of the whole kingdome of England as of one mā for the bringing in of our David a King after Gods owne hart. For theſe two ornaments of arts and armes, which in David were eminent, namely the praiſe of holy learning to the height of a prophet, the honour of victorious exploits abroad in warre: theſe two do begin to ſhew themſelues to bee with you: who without warre vanquiſhing the prowde, hauehave vponupon the hearing of your name attained vntounto moſt mighty kingdomes: and hauehave written ſuch worthy goldē bookes out of the circle of ſacred ſciences, & the finer learning, that good literature which, as vulgar, lay deſpiſed, ſeemeth now to be ennobled, and by your raigne to raigne it ſelfe. And verely as the ſonne is brighter then, when it is in the midſt of heaven, then whē it is in any other part: ſo the ſhine of learning is both more orient, and the fruite more abundant in a king, thē in any other eſtate of men: ſeeing thereby he may bee preſident in the courts of Iuſtice, and chiefe moderator in ſchooles; (as of late you were to al our glory:) both to diſcerne the right with your owne eies, and alſo to foſter learning, and to favour learned men much more. And although we cannot but bee affected with the miſſe of (now) St. Elizabeth (our late Queene) yet ſeing, whē as ſhe, as our ſunne ſetting & departing frō vsus in the ripe time of her daies, there followed ſo ſhort and ſo cleare a night enlightened with ſo many ſtarres of the kingdome,The milkē way in heaven diverſe philoſophers hauehave called S. Iames way. The laſt conſpiracy. chalking out one kings way, as the milken way in heaven, plainely (as the olde ſawe hath bin) St. Iames way: and ſeeing another ſunne roſe ſo carely vntounto vsus, by cōfort whereof this whole now a yeare almoſt hath continued as one faire day, without any ſtormy cloud towards, but ſuch an one, as vaniſhed in the verie gathering of it through the protection of God: ſo that in this change we feele no alteration frō the raygne of Queene Elizabeth, neither may we expect any other thinges at your Maieſties hands, but even all the good things of Queene Elizabethes time, ſaving that your mā ly proweſſe, and the induments of nature in the ſuperior degree of your ſex aboue her, doth promiſe both greater and more notable attempts:Apoc. 19.16. VntoUnto God (firſt) in whoſe thigh is written King of Kinges and Lord of Lordes (the chiefe Prince among al your imperial electors (for it was the doing of divine power and not humane) with moſt thankful mindes we yeeld our ſelues, and next in you, O ſacred King the annointed of the Lord, we ſet our hearts at reſt. For this is the ſhouting and triumphant applauſe of al your ſubiectes, that ioyntly welcome you vntounto the crowne.
The cry of people ſounds alike, yet is their voice all one:Martial.
Thou Iames our King, of country art, the father term'd alone.
Wherefore take vntounto you, the triumphs of peace: receiue (here) the keyes of the kingdome: take into your hand the helme of this Empire: Enter into the poſſeſſion of the chamber of your kingdome, the chiefe citty London: goe vp into the chiefe fort of your land, the Principall armour houſe of the Realme; this Tower of London. Ireland wiſely foreſeeing your approach, partly ſubdued, partly yeelding, is become totally yours. The two Roſes of England, both the red Roſe of Lancaſter, rightly called ruddie, as beeing embrued in blood by wounds from her ſelfe, til ſhee was almoſt ſpent: and that other white Roſe of the houſe of Yorke, rightly named white, as which having loſt much blood by civil warre waxed pale wel nigh vntounto death: which both with their prickles ſtinging togither encountered oftener then was fitte with the Lion of Scotland; do now offer themſelues as coronets & garlāds about your head. As though God had now fulfilled that, which he foreſpake by Ezechiel to this purpoſe:Ezech. 37.16. Sonne of man take vntounto thee two pieces of wood; write in one to Iohuda: in the other write To Ioſeph with al the houſe of Iſrael: Then frame them togither in one, that they may be one in thy hand. For thus ſaith the Lord. I wil take the houſe of Ioſeph with the tribes of Iſrael, & the houſe of Iuda with his tribes, and wil ioyne them by one fabricke in my hand, & will make them one nation, and one king, namely David my ſervant ſhall be Paſtor over them neither ſhall they be anie more two nations, nor henceforth devided into two kingdoms &c. who doth not ſee & louelove the like proceeding of God with vsus? The wicked, the deſperate ruffins thought in the chāge to caſt all in a hurly-burly: the Popiſh crue hoped that the whole Iland would hauehave bin on fire with civil warre & both of them out of the midſt of the ſturre, did gloriouſly bragge of their golden day. But through the rod of Gods providence over vsus, and by the prudent advice of the counſelors of eſtate, al their hopes hitherto hauehave beene made fruſtrate:Pſal. 85.10. Yet iuſtice and peace do greete togither truth & faithfulnes do kiſſe each other: the kingdome of England is ſtill the kingdome of the Goſpell: the kingdome of my king is the kingdome of my God: yet there liveth the Defender of the faith, defended by the faith: the mainteiner of Iuſtice, and moſt acceptably intertained in his moſt iuſt title to the kingdome: a promoter of peace & promoted by peace, evē Iames the father of the church, & ſonne of the ſame: the heire of Queene Elizabeth in her kingdomes and vertues. God hath given vntounto you a kingdome: vntounto the kingdome a holy Religiō: to a holy Religion peace: and all theſe to you even by inheritance. This neighbour nation to our natiue country, not out halfe but full ſiſter, evē as it were a twinne of the ſame mother, moſt neere of al other to one another in Religiō, in blood, in ſoile, in right of crowne, in language, in common ſervices, and common hazardes, ſurrounded with one ſea as one wall, I meane England and Scotland, or to ſpeake more truely, One land, hath God plotted into one by the golden and moſt loving knotte of your governement: and that if our ſinnes doe not overturne it, even for ever. Socrates was wont to curſe them,Cicero. offic. 2. who ſevered honeſty and profit a ſunder in their purpoſes, which by nature cleave togither. Chriſt greater then Socrates doth command; Let no man ſeperate, Matth. 19.6.that which God hath ioined togither. The partition wall betweene theſe two kingdomes by the finger of God at your comming to the crowne is gone: he hath made Iſrael and Iuda one in you:Eph. 2.14. no more two kingdomes, nor two kings: nor two paſtors, nor two flockes: nor two kindes nor two mindes: nor two Regions, nor two Religions. One King, one people, one law, and as it was in the beginning, one land of Albion. Al things in one heavenly God one: al things in one earthly God, (for I have stiled you Gods, Pſalm. 82.as the ſcripture ſpeaketh) One.
It is not good that in any heads beare rule in any land:Homer.
Let one be ſoveraigne King and Lord, and ſo decrees may ſtand.
Wherfore moſt mighty monarch, make vſe of this your magnificent eſtate; poſſeſſe it, enioy it; bewtifie this your portion, even your beſt inheritance, which you are come vntounto by right of nature: proceed on in your princely vertue: go forward in the worthy praiſe of theſe beginnings: Seeke that God, which is become your God wonderfully by ſuch a heape of benefits, and his kingdome alſo in this beginning of your kingdome, the plague beeing much abated, and the counſels of conſpirators detected, e…en with a perfit hart and with all your power, even yet more earneſtly, if it may be. Not only preſerve religion, but increaſe it: Plant the Goſpel throughout all your Dominions: Give reputatiō to Arts & Vniverſitie, Enlarge the patrimony of Chriſt; that now at lēgth after long detinue, reſtitutiō may be made vntounto God of al that is due vntounto God, wherſoever you hauehave to do. Confirme & ratifie the auncient lawes both in Church and Commonwealth, except where we hauehave gathered any corruption, either from Adam or Rome: Command iuſtice to all mē: but eaſe the lowe eſtate of the poore in following their ſuites Eſtabliſh ſtrongly by al meanes not only concord, but indiſſoluble frendſhip betweene theſe ſiſter natiōs, and all the ſiſters children: Finally receive vsus and ours into your protection; that we may alway ſing vntounto God a holy himne, & alleluiah, & of you may ſtil ring this peale among our ſelues: Let live, O God, let vanquiſh, let growe, let proſper, let flouriſh, as long, as mortality may endure, evē Iames of England, Scotland, Fraunce and Ireland King, togither with our ſoveraigne Ladie Anne, his ſpouſe; with Henry Prince of Wales, and the reſt of the royal Progeny: Let liue I ſay Iames of England and Scotland, or to ſpeake at one word, King of whole Brittaine.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Hubbock, An Oration Gratulatory to King James (1604)