The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Of the Guide of Warre.
THus hauing ſhewed the incommodities of war, and the equitie of it, I come to the third & laſt point of the treatiſe, namely, the ordering of warre. This is the main point; for the clearing whereof, I hauehave with as much brevitie as I could, handled the former two. Here againe to Apologize my want of ſkill, and to deprecate cenſure, were to be iealous of the readers good will, and to detract from my higheſt patronage. To come then to the point.
In every warre there be two things eſpecially to be obſerved. That it be Iuſtum & Iuſte; juſt in it ſelfe, that is, iuſtly vndertaken; and it muſt be iuſtly, and duely followed. For the firſt, we muſt firſt know what a iuſt war is, The deſcription of a iuſt war.wich may be thus defined: That which is undertaken, for a iuſt cauſe, by a competent perſon, in place of Magiſtracie, in a lawfull māner, againſt an externall or internall enemie; following it orderly by the law of nature and nations, having for the end Gods glory and our owne peace: to the ſame effect as divines tell vsus; to a iuſt and lavvfull war three thinges are required; A good cauſe, a well ordered affection, and a lawfull authoritie; Or if yow wil, for the better ordering of war by its proper lawes, let vsus obſerve three ſorts of polemick lawes; ſome concerneth the preparation, ſome the battle it ſelfe, and ſome the ſequele or the event. Some parts of the deſcription apperatine to the firſt lawes, ſome to the ſecond, and ſome to third. The iuſt cauſe of war.To come in order to the firſt, there muſt be a iuſt cauſe, which may briefly be expreſt, under the maintenance of religion, or civill right, eyther for our ſelves, or our Chriſtian confederates … Thus was the warre of the Iſraelits againſt the Amalekits, Exod. 17: So againſt the Midianites, Numb. 25.17. & 18. For they had hurt them both in their bodyes and in their ſoules. A like good ground had Abraham for his war againſt the four Kings, namely, the reſcuing of his nephevv Lot, out of the hands of merciles & bloudy enemies. It is true indeed that Lot had no good ground for being there, neyther is it thought, that the King of Elam wanted iuſt cauſe to come againſt Sodome, to repreſſe rebells; but howſoever they had nothing to doe with Lot, by whom they were not wronged; and this gaue Abraham juſt cauſe without further expoſtulation of Lots overſight, to adventure his owne life, and the life of his, for the delivery of his friend. And indeed as the cauſe was juſt, he did but what he ſhould hauehave done; yea, if he had not done it, it had been both ſin and ſhame to him. Wilt thou not (ſaith the Wiſe man) preſerue thoſe that are led to be ſlaine? Prov. 24.11In the war injoyned by God to his people againſt the nations, and in other warrs permitted occaſionally, they were alwayes to looke to the equitie of the cauſe, as the main ground whereupon they were to go. For God himſelfe injoyneth nothing without a good ground. The Romanes, who had onelyonly the light of nature to guide them, in their procedings had alwayes reſpect to the ground of their vvar, before they vvould undertake it. Amongſt many inſtances obſerve theſe tvvo. The Campani who vvere nieghbours to the Romanes, being invaded by the Samnites, a mightie people, deſired ayd againſt them, preſsing them vvith many forcible arguments; as from the lavv of proximitie or neighbour-hood, of affinitie, of enſuyng commoditie, and finally from the Romans generous diſpoſition: but all theſe allegations not affording a ſufficient ground, this vvas all the Romanes did for the preſent, they ſent Embaſſadors to the Samnites, deſiring them to ceaſe from vvar againſt their neighbours, vvhichwhich the Campanian deputies knovving to be loſt labor, they yeild themſelves up as the right of the Romans, vvith this ſpeech; If you thinke much to defend vsus from the unjust invaſion of a Tyranons enemy, yet defend that which is your owne. VponUpon this voluntarie dedition, Tit. Liv li. 7. Decad.the Senat undertooke the defence of them, having a juſt title for the ground of the vvarre.
Another inſtance offers it ſelfe, in that diſpute between the wiſeſt man and the beſt man in Rome; namely, Cato and Scipio Naſsica. Becauſe the Carthaginians began to rig ſhips contrary to the articles of peace; it was the judgement of Cato and others, that warre ſhould be denounced out of hand; but Scipio was of another mind, becauſe he thought it was no ſufficient ground for warre; for they had yet ſuſtained no damage, but the Carthaginians had rather indammaged themſelues; in violating their faith; they ſhould rather be ſummoned to lay down their Armes, to untackle their Ships, and ſo to keep the peace. Scipio his judgment was approved, but the Carthaginians contemned the ſummons; Whereupon the Senate, and that upon juſt ground, agreed all in one to take up Armes againſt them. Other memorable examples are extant to this purpoſe: Charles the 8, of France, a yong King, being inſtigated to take Arms againſt Francis Duke of Brittaine, and …o lay hold upon the Dutchy as his right: the Chancell our of Rochel told the King; that the right pretended was not well deceided; and that he ſhould not doe well to attempt war but upon a good ground. VponUpon this Embaſſadours were ſent to the Duke, and on both ſides it was referred to learned Counſell, to ſearch out the right: In the mean while the Duke dyed, the King had the heire to wife, and ſo the controverſie was ended. Annal. in Ann. 1488The like courſe the ſame King took for reſolution of his right to Naples and Cicily; before he would attempt any thing, he convocated all the Preſidents of his Parliamentary Courts; his Chauncellors, privy Councell, and Princes of the bloud, willing them to inform him truely. Where, upon due ſearch of the Genealogies of the Kings of the aforeſaid Kingdoms, Annal. in An. 1493.they found the true title to be in him. So that upon this ground, he carryed his forces into Italie; not that he meant to intrude upon Italie (as Matchivel would fooliſhly charge upon him, bringing this his attempt as an inſtance of a juſt vvar, vvithout any truth of title at all) but he meant nothing leſſe: for in ſuyng out a good ground for Cicilie and Naples, he never pretended any right to Italie, onelyonly hee aſſured himſelfe of ſome Towns for his ſafer paſſage, which hee minded to giuegive up at his departure.
To come to a preſent inſtance: Application.The equitie of the cauſe is an undenyable good ground for the Bohemian war, undertaken by his Highneſſe Frederick King of Bohemia. Hapily ſome ſcoffing Iſmalites, and the rayling crew, may flout and make mouthes at the Title, becauſe hee is abandoned the poſſeſſion of that, and all other his right: but howſoever, truth is truth in deſpite of the devill, and the Lord vvill up one day and reſtore him to his right. The equity of the Bohemian warre on the Kings part.As for the equity of the vvar, it will appear to the view of every indifferent eye, in theſe two particulars; Firſt, on his part it was meerly Defenſiue; ſecondly, it vvas undertaken for the maintenance of Civill right, and true Religion. If vvar be not juſt undertaken upon theſe grounds, I know not any vvar at all to be juſt.
For the former of theſe two; that the Crown and Kingdom of Bohemia, is his Right, it is as cleere to every impartiall minded man, as the Sun-ſhine at noon day, and that upon theſe grounds: Firſt, it was freely offered unto him, when he did not ſo much as think upon it. Secondly, it is cleer, from the ſtate and condition of their Kings and Dukes, vvhichwhich from the very firſt beginning of their ſtate to this preſent time, Dubrav. Aeno. Silv. Haiccius.hath been meerly electiue; witneſſe their uninterrupted practiſe of free election, recorded by the unanimous conſent of all that ever undertook their Hiſtories; together with the teſtimonies of Kings and Emperours; and laſtly, the reverſall letters of all the Emperours even to this preſent Ferdinand, will witneſſe the ſame. Lib. 30. Haic. fol. 167.One pregnant inſtance for all, recorded by Dubravius and Hajecius, when Anno 1458, ſome ſeven or eight Competitors, and that no ſmall ones, as the Emperour himſelfe, and the King of France put in for the Kingdom. The States to manifeſt and to maintain, their undoubted, and indiſputable free right of election, made choice of Georgius Podiebrachius. So that you ſee, without any reſpect to treatie or intreatie, or any motion of diſpoſall upon pretence of hereditary right, that State ſtood ever faſt in their free liberty of election. They that will be further ſatisfied, may ſee this truth from point to point diſcovered, and confirmed in the defence of the Bohemian right, with a full anſwer to one that calleth himſelfe the Informer, who indeed is rather a miſinformer, and of leſſe truth and honeſtie then the baſeſt ſharking Promooter. For as I doe not think but he hath peruſed their Lawes and read their Hiſtories; ſo againſt the tenour of the one, and the truth of the other, hee hath laboured to his ſhame, by ſhifting and ſhuffling, to with-hold the truth in unrighteouſneſſe: but if the light in him and others be darkneſſe, how great is the darkneſſe? His onelyonly overture is, that foiſted-in clauſe of Charles the 4, to procure and confirm to his poſterity hereditary ſucceſſion. This is fully anſwered in the related anſwer. Doth it ſtand vvith reaſon that a King Electiue, ſhall of his own head infert a new clauſe, to the ſubverſion of the fundamentall Lavves of the State vvherein he is elected? Beſides this, No man is a ſufficient witneſſe in his own cauſe: Yea, the ſame Charles in another priviledge, bearing the date of the ſame day and year, ſhevveth the approving of the free election of Wenceſlaus by Frederick King of the Romans; ſo if the clauſe be his, he is contrary to himſelfe. As for the right of preelection of Ferdinaend; novv Emperour (as the ſaid anſvver ſufficiently proveth,) it was none at all. Firſt, he deprived himſelfe of all right or title to that Kingdom, by rejecting and contemning the right electiue, and ſtriving to poſſeſſe it by hereditary right, (as the adopted ſon of Matthias,) or by ſome other right of bloud. And that this came not barely of himſelfe, but was the plot of the whole Imperial faction, is as cleer as the light, in the particular inſtruments of the pactions and conditions betwixt Phillip the 3, King of Spain, and Ferdinand Archduke of Auſtria, Mathew the Emperour, procuring and confirming the ſame. The ſumme of all which is this; that upon certain conditions amongſt themſelues agreed upon, the hereditarie right of Bohemia, and Hungary, ſhould paſſe from one to another upon the fayling of iſſues. Where obſerue that all right of election, and by conſequence all right indeed, is quitted by the Emperour; but becauſe great is the ſtrength of truth, when hereditary right would not hold water, they pretended the right of election. A bare pretence indeed, if it be duely examined. Firſt, it was done the King being aliue, and ſtill King, and therfore of no validity: for in every Election two things are required; a vacant ſtate, and lawfull Electors, the former muſt precede the latter; both theſe, in this pretended election, was wanting: for the full right was by reſervation in Mathias, with a joynt inhibition, that Fordinand ſhould not meddle with the government, and that upon the challenge of intruſion; which notwithſtanding he laboured to infringe againſt law and promiſe, and by vexation of Armes endevoured to turn an electiue power into an hereditary right; yea, and that before he was actually poſſeſſed, which made his election voide if it had been lawfull; for elections being conditionall, the conditions broke, the election is no election. As for the Electors, beſides their want of power, the place being full, as they wronged themſelues, ſo they wrong all thoſe that had any intereſt therein. If the ſame grounds be well ſifted, his title to the Empire and Hungary, will proue but a broken title. This I was forced to cleer, as briefly as I could, that the right of King Frederick might be the clearer; which being laid in the ballance of equity with the former pretended right, ſhall ſhew it ſelfe of a juſt weight, which the other vvants.
Firſt the place was orderly quitted of all lavvfull challenge. Secōdly, he vvas called vvithout ſeeking or intruding. Thirdly, he had an orderly unanimous and plenarie election, all vvhichwhich, as I hauehave ſhevved, vvere vvanting in the former. Neither did ever the ſaid king infringe any of their liberties. This being as you ſee his undoubted right, ſtood it eyther vvith equitie or pietie, not to maintaine it? Compare his right and maintenance of the ſame, vvith the examples quoted, of the Campani, & the Romanes, and out of them you ſhall ſee, as from the minor to the maior, that his cauſe & action is as juſt as may be. Firſt the Campani vvere a free people, to make choyſe at their pleaſure of their Head and Governor; ſo vvere the Bohemians, and ever, hauehave been ſince their firſt being. Witnes all the Hiſtories of Bohemia, Hungaria, Polonia; the Annalls of Cilecia, and the examples & monuments of the Bohemians. Aeneas Silvius in hiſt;▪ Bohem.To the vvhichwhich I may add, for the better cleering of the point, that Embaſſye of Charles the ſeventh of France to the Bohemians, after the death of Ladislaus, to vvhom he had contracted his daughter, vvherein he requeſted them, eyther to chuſe one of his ſons for their King, or ſuch a one, on vvhom he might beſtovv his daughter. Secondly, they vvere unjuſtly invaded by a mightie people the Samnites; ſo did the Bohemians ſuffer much from the hovvſe of Auſtria, and no litle by the preſent Emperour. Thirdly, they ſought aide from the Romanes, vvho would not, but on juſt ground, undertake the vvarre, and therefore they became their ſubiects, and ſo they vndertooke it; ſo the Bohemians made ſuit to the Prince Elector, in their feare of cruell dealing, that he vvould become their King, and take the maintenance of their iuſt cauſe, which he did, and that lawfully; not undertaking any thing for them directly, or indirectly before he vvas their King. Compare theſe together, In Nevio licet quod in Gais non licet.and except that we wil ſay, that it is lavvful in Nevius, which is not lawful in Gaius, or a heathen Senate may doe for their ſubiects, vvhat a Chriſtian King may not doe for his, I ſee not whye the one in him, is not as lawful, or more lawful, then the other was in them. But to conclude this point, If his ſucceſſe of poſſeſſion had ſeconded his right of election, a great many of our Engliſh Imperialiſts & other drowſy Sybarits, would never hauehave torne his title, nor exclaimed on his practiſe, as they now doe. To them for the preſent, I will ſay no more, but to iudge actions by events, & right of titles by preſent poſſeſsion, is, in theſe evill & dangerous dayes, rather to approve of tyrannous intruders (both in church & commō wealth) then of the true owners.
As for the latter point of the ground, namely truth of religion, the defence whereof he undertooke, It is the trueth and none but it, againſt which the gates of hell, the dragon, beaſt and falſe Prophet, the croaking frogges and all the drunken Princes of the earth, with the cup of the whore (doe what they can) ſhall never be able to prevayle.
As hitherto then appeareth the equitie of the warre on the Kings part, The iniquitie of our onemies war.ſo likewiſe, from the want of this ground, is laid open to the view, the iniquitie of all the warres, vndertaken by the enemies of God againſt his people: as the warres of Gog and Magog, and of the heathen Emperours, made vponupon Gods inheritance. What ground had the great red Dragon for making warre againſt the woman, and to ſtand before her to devour the man child when it was brought forth? Rev. 12.3.4As for the greatnes of this perſecution by the Roman Emperours, and for the bloudy crueltie of it, it may juſtly be called a wonder; ſo not vnfitlie may it ſo be called, becauſe there was no cauſe given them by thoſe whom they perſecuted, but rather by their quiet and holy behaviour they deſerved to live in peace. So the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh of the rage of the wicked againſt Chriſt & his Church. Pſal. 2.2.Why doe the people tumulteouſly rage? Where David marveileth at the tumulteous hurling together of the wicked, as if they would devoure the godly (as they would indeed). What ground had the ſcarlet whore to bathe her leprous carkaſſe in the bloud of the Saints? Where obſerve likewiſe, Rev. 17.6.that it is called a great wonder. What equitie was there that the Popes unholineſſe, under a pretence of the inlargement of Peters patrimony, took armes againſt Kings and Emperours, as Iulius the ſecond againſt Lewes the tvvelfth of France? Yea he gave battel on Eaſter day againſt the French at Ravenna. Innocent the ſecond againſt Roger king of Cicilie. What ground of ſtirring up one Prince againſt another, & giving of Kingdoms from hand to hand? the French againſt the Engliſh, as Lewis againſt King Iohn; by Innocent the third, the Engliſh againſt the French, as Rich: of England an Vrbaniſt, made war at the Popes command upon the King of France a Clementine: Paul the third, ſent Cardinall Poole to forraigne Princes to ſtir them up againſt Henry the eight, giving him & his people as a prey to their enemies. So, how like is the Pope to the devill his father, in being prodigal of Kingdomes, which are none of his to deale. Doe wee ever reade (as a fryer Minorite ſaid well) that Peter did ſo? VponUpon what ground doe they incite ſubiects to take armes againſt their ſoveraigne Kings and Princes, as Pius quintus, & Sixtus quintus, the one by his Bull, the other by his Declaration, excited the ſubiects of England to take armes, againſt their ſoveraigne Queene Elizabeth: yea to lay hands on her and puniſh her? What juſt cauſe had Philip the 2 of Spaine, to undertake by force of Armes, againſt law and covenant, the eſtabliſhing of the bloudy Inquiſition in the Low countries? The beſt ground I can find was, Duke de Alva, his hart-burne againſt the people, and Cardinall Granvils ſpleene againſt the Goſpell. What account in conſcience, could the Duke and Red-cap giuegive, to counſell the King to conquer England, whereto he had no right at all, and to ſuppreſſe religion in all other places? For the effecting of this Chiapin Vitelli, Duke de Alva his Chiefe Captaine, was ſent with ſome faigned meſſage to the Queene; but indeed his errand was to try the Papiſts: for immediatly after his departure out of England, the Earles rebelled in the North. And for fuell for this fire, Duke de Alva had ready in Zealand 10 Regiments to be imbarkt for England, but God quenched our fire quickly, and found him enough to doe at home for all his forces. But becauſe this ſucceded not, the great Armado in 88, was ſet out to ſinke our nation; For both the matter of that warre, and the cruell manner of the execution intended, if the ground be well ſearched, I thinke it will be found no better then the ſucceſſe. As for that Hiſpaniolized Popiſh pamphleter, indevouring with tooth and nayle to make good that Spaniſh invaſion, from provocation given by her Majeſty to the Spaniard, he ſhevveth himſelf a Viper to the honor of his Countrie, concealing treacherouſly both the iniquitie of the Spaniſh ground, and his trechery in the manner of proceeding, The affairs of Holland. pag. 53.under the colour of a treatie: But him in his coulours I ſhall hauehave occaſion in ſome other treatiſe to diſcover more largely.
Laſtly, for theſe preſent warrs, maintayned with much outrage and crueltie, by the popiſh faction, what good ground can be given, I ſee not, unleſſe their Trent deſigne be a good ground, which was to root out the Goſpell, and to ruine the Profeſſors thereof throughout all Chriſtendome. If this rule ſhould hold in every war. No war but juſt let Magiſtrates maintayn. Bella magiſtratus non niſi juſta gerat.Then I am ſure that all the aforeſaid Warres of the crew recited are againſt this rule; yea a juſt quarrell in the Popes or Spaniards hand, is a very rate thing. Witneſs their practiſes and poſſeſſions, the right whereof now I mean not to canvaſſe. I am ſure of this, that they contend for much, and keepe much, that they hauehave as much right to as the Devill had to the body of Moſes. One thing I could wiſh them, that they would follow Charles the 5, in one thing, who in his retired life, taking account of his actions (which were in number twenty more remarkeable) he viewed them often, and amongſt all the reſt, when he looked upon that unjuſt war, made againſt the Duke of Saxon, and the reſt of the Proteſtant Princes, with ſighes and words hee much regrated the ſame; But I fear they muſt be cloyſtered up, before they doe the like. But if intreatie, or example cannot moue, let the infamie of unjuſt war, and the iſſue of it, terrifie all the undertakers of it. It is a ſhame for a Chriſtian to play the Matchivilian. Now this is one of his moſt impious and helliſh principles, that upon any occaſion a Prince may undertake-warre, although there be no juſt ground for it. VponUpon which falſ ground, he perſwaded Laurence de Medicis, to undertake the conqueſt of Italy; which he might eaſily atchieue by the help of the Church, by the which he meant Leo the 10. He propounds likewiſe before him and others, that monſtrous abortiue, Caeſar Borgia, as a pattern to be followed: but to follow this pattern, or to uſurp anothers right, is the very note and work of a tyrant; as the Chancellour of Rochel wel obſerved in the advice formerly mentioned.
As for the iſſue; both ſacred Writ, and humane Hiſtories, The bitter fruits of unjuſt wardoe tell us; that remarkeable ruin; yea, and ſometimes utter extirpation, hath followed upon unjuſt warre. For brevities ſake I will onelyonly inſtance with theſe two, well known, but yet very memorable examples. The former of Amaleck, Deu. 25.1…concerning whom the Lord giues a ſtrict charge that hee ſhould be rooted out; yea, his people ſhould doe it, and not forget i…; ſo the Lord is ſaid to hauehave him in remembrance, till he did ſee the charge fully executed. Dent. 32.Another inſtance obſerue in Simeon; when Moſes before his death bleſſeth all the Tribes, Simeons name is quite omitted, which is not without matter of note, eſpecially if we compare this with other paſſages anſwerable to this; as vvhen the bleſſing was firſt given he looſeth his honour; Gen. 49.5.7his poſterity in the wilderneſſe was diminiſhed from 93000 at the firſt muſter to 22200 at the latter muſter: Numb 1.26, & 14.neither were there Iudges of his Tribe as of others; he had no poſſeſſion by himſelfe. The ground of all which, as I conceiue, vvas their unjuſt war and bloudy execution. Yea, the moving of unjuſt warre, argueth exceedingly the want of the fear of God, Deut. 2….18: for by the feare of the Lord men depart from evill. Prov. 16.6.And what fear of God is there, in thoſe Captaines, Colonels or Souldiers, that never lookes to the cauſe, nor cares not whom they ſerue, ſo it be a golden ſervice?