A Pithy Exhortation to Her Majesty, Part 2 – Part 4
FIRST, whither the Lord himſelf didTen queſtions to be conſidered of by her Maieſtie. not ſet the crown on your head, when your enemies earneſt purpoſe was to hauehave taken your head away.
Secondlie, whither the ſame Lord hath not (with a mightie hand and outſtretched arme) kept the ſame hitherto on your head, in deſpite of all your foes.
Thirdlie, whither hee hath not alſo wonderfullie in your regiment bleſſed you, and made you ſo famous, that you are a wonderment to all the Princes, and their kingdomes round about you.
Fourthlie, whither in regarde of all theſe exceeding benefites, you are not bounde to ſerue the Lorde with all your ſoule, & with all your ſtrength.
Fiftlie, whither you do not think, that it is an eſpeciall dutie that Princes owe vntounto God, and their people, to doe what may be done to preſerue them and their poſterities from all evils & miſchief?
Sixtlie, whither you do not plainly & palpablie feele and fore-ſee, that if you leaue your people without a known ſucceſſor, that then it muſt needes followe, that you ſhall leaue both Gods religion, his people & your dominions, in evident hazarde of extreame confuſion and vtter overthrow.
Seventhlie, whither you do not think, that, in your life-time, to make knowne your ſucceſſour, bee not (by all likeliehood) the beſt and onlie way to prevent all theſe dolefull evils.
Eightlie, whither (then) you doe not think it a grevous ſin in you, if you ſhould not doe the beſt that lieth in you, by making your ſucceſſor knowne, to prevent theſe perils to your whole people.
Ninthlie, and whither that therefore, if theſe perils bee not prevented, you, (though a Queene) ſhall not come one day before the tribunall ſeate of God, the revenger of all vngodlines, to make ſtraight accompt of this greevous ſinne.
Laſtlie, whither in the meane time, it bee not a meane greatlie to your perill, thereby, not only (preſentlie) to harden the hearts of your ſubiectes againſt you: but alſo, to provoke the Lord to bee angrie with you, and ſo to withdrawe his hedge and ſtrong wall of defence from about you: if anie humaine perſwaſion, whatſoever, continue you ſtill in this vnnaturall ſinne?
TRue and vnfained louelove, doeth evenThe concluſion of the whole treatiſe, and exhortation enlarged with two new arguments, the one from the ignominie which is like to befall to her Maieſties perſon af…er her death, for wanting the honor of buriall: the other from the danger the conuſellors are like to fall into after her deceaſe, for not procuring the eſtabliſhing of a ſucceſſor, as though by their default her Maieſtie had neglected the ſame. force vsus to vtter vntounto you (our moſt deare and natural Soveraigne:) that when ſoever it ſall pleaſe God to touche you with the pangs of death, (as die moſt certainlie you ſhall, and howe ſoone is knowne to none but to the Lord onlie) if your Maieſtie doe not ſettle the ſucceſſion in your life-time, which God for his mercies ſake long prolong, we do greatlie feare, that your grace ſhall, then, finde ſuch a troubled ſoule and conſcience, yea, ten thouſand helles in your ſoule, even ſuch bitter vexation of ſoule & hart for the perilling of the Church of God, and of your naturall countrie, as to be releaſed therof, you would giuegive the whole world, if you had it. Of true louelove to your Maieſtie, and of a reverent regarde that wee hauehave vntounto your honour and good name after your deceaſe: wee beſeeche your Maieſtie to conſider, whither your noble perſon is like to come to that honorable burial, that your honorable progenitours hauehave had, or that (as we doubt not) your grace will take order for by your teſtament, or whither anie part of yourwil ſhal be performed by your executors, if your ſucceſſor be not ſetled before your death. It may be, that this is a matter neither thought of, nor yet doubted of by your highnes, but that you holde it as a cleere and vndoubted matter or queſtion. To let your maieſtie vnderſtand our opinions herein, we do thinke it our duties. Wee doe aſſure our ſelues, that the breath ſhall be no ſooner out of your body (if your ſucceſſor be not ſetled in your life-time) but that al your nobility, counſellours, and whole people will be vp in armes with all the ſpeede they may: yea, their care and haſte to arme themſelues will be ſo earneſt, that they will thinke themſelues moſte happie, that can firſt draw themſelues and their power into the fielde: and then there will be as many kings proclaimed, as there will be competitors, the which will be fowre or fiue at the leaſt, though all hauehave not the like right: ſo that then, your executors will be ſo buſied to ſet vp a new king, yea, (it is likelie) two or three, that they ſhall not poſſiblie hauehave one howres leyſure to attend, nor once thinke of your buriall, or will: and then it is to be feared, yea, vndoubtedlie to be iudged, that your noble perſon ſhall lye vponupon the earth vnburied, as a dolefull ſpectacle to the worlde, but chieflie to ſuch as dearelie louelove you. The ſhame and infamie hereof, wee beſeeche your grace to be careful of: and true and vnfained louelove, yea, our duties do force vsus to warne your maieſtie of it: for it would be a wonderfull ſorow to a great number of our hearts, if your noble perſon (being the reſtorer of true religiō) ſhould come to that ſhame as to lye vnburied. Againe, we feare (if your maieſtie do not prevent theſe perils before your death) that (after the diſſolution of your life) you ſhall leaue behind you ſuch a name of infamie througout the whole world, even in ſuch an opprobrious manner, that the forethinking therof, cannot (we do perſwade our ſelues) but deepelie grieue & wound your honorable, pitifull & tender heart: eſpeciallie, ſithence your wiſdome and kinde heart cannot but foreſee, that thoſe whome you ſhall leaue behinde you, which bee of naturall kinred, or beare anie heartie or true louelove and affection towardes you, will daylie die a thouſand deathes, to heare the evils that ſhall be howrelie vſed in vile reports, ſongs and rymes againſt your noble perſon: & may not with truth defend you, for that you hauehave not dutifullie prevented the overthrow of the Church of God, and of your noble kingdome, but hauehave ſuffered both to be ſubverted, even by the moſt cruell meanes that may be, to wit, by the mercileſſe ſhedding of rivers of innocent blood, by all thoſe endleſſe bloodie battailes which ſhal be fought in that cauſe: and al for that you hauehave not ſhewed pitie & mercy in the ſetling of the ſucceſſion of the imperial crown of your noble realm: This is not al, for your privie counſellors, which you ſhal leaue aliue after you, who (of feare) to trouble you, hauehave ſuffered you to ſleepe in quiet, as though you had no iuſt cauſe to take care for the ſafetie of the Church of God, and of your countrie, and alſo, in that they hauehave not inceſſantlie called vponupon you, thereby ſtirring you vp (with all ferventneſſe) to prevent theſe intolerable evils, ſhall (in all likelyhoode) pay full dearelie for their ſilence after your deceaſe. For wee cannot perſwade our ſelues, but that the realme wil call them to a ſharpe accompt for ſuffering the Church of God and the crowne of England to be vtterlie ſubverted. And well they ſhall deſerve it, both at the Lords hand, and of this their worthy and natiue countrie, if it ſhould ſo fall out: for they tooke their corporall oathes to be true counſellours vntounto this noble realme,Counſellers ſworne aſwell to the realme as to the Prince. aſwel as to your noble perſon, when they were ſworne to be counſellours to both. And when they ſhall reape the iuſt rewarde of their deſerts, then they will cry out vppon your Maieſtie with a dolefull woe: ſaying, that you hauehave vtterlie caſt them and all theirs away. This wofull tuned ſong, (we do perſwade our ſelues) will the Lord (in his iuſtice) force them (then) to ſing, doubtleſſe, if the afore-named miſchiefes be not prevented in your maieſties life-time. Therefore, an happie, and a thouſand times happie, yea, and a moſt bleſſed thing were it to your maieſtie, and to all your ſaid counſellours alſo, if they did ſo heartilie and trulie louelove you, that they woulde not ſuffer you to reſt in quiet, neither at bed nor at board, vntil you had prevented the afore-named lamentable perils to your own ſoule and noble perſon, and to theirs alſo. For then might your Maieſtie, and they alſo, both liue and end the reſidue of your daies in great ſafetie: with a merie, cheerefull, & quiet heart, and bee at good peace, both with God and man: things greatlie deſired, and heartilie wiſhed to your noble heart by vsus, your loyall, true, and moſte faithfull ſubiects, even of very true, & vnfained louelove, as the Lord knoweth before whom we ſhall make a ſtraight accompt if wee vſe anie flattering or diſſembled ſpeaches. Wherfore we humbly beſeech your Maieſty to beare with our true harted plainneſſe. Thus with all humble ferventneſſe & loving dutie (our moſt ſweet ſoveraigne and mercifull Princeſſe) wee eft-ſoones begge the reading, & the reading againe heereof by your highneſſe, with patience, and with all godly attention, and wiſe weighing of the reaſons therein. And God graunt you grace to ſuck out the hony out of the ſweet flowrs thereof, and to ſpit out the venome that hath heertofore envonomed you with a fearfull, wrongfull, and deceit-full conceit, and ſetled opinion, even to the great and wonderfull perill of wounding the Church of God, and your whole people and noble Realme, vntounto death: yea, and a poiſoned dart to wound your own ſweet ſoule, and your noble perſon likewiſe: whoſe line of life, wee as heartilie deſire may be ſtretched out of as great a length as any ſubiects you hauehave, whatſoever they be: yea, albeit they hauehave receiued never ſo much honor, credite, eſtimation or benefite at your Maieſties hands. And this we ſpeake trulie from our hearts, of louelove vnfained, and without flattery, according to the rule of S. Paull: being heartilie deſirous to gaine vntounto your Maieſtie, the favour of God, the generall, fervent and true louelove of eache degree of your ſubiects, vnfainedlie: a glorious and immortall good name throughout the earth, with the immortality of your moſt ſweet and pretious ſoule.
The Lord of heaven and earth worke ſo effectuallie in your noble heart, that you may ſo throughlie, and ſo deepelie weigh this, and what elſe we hauehave ſaid in theſe few leaves, as to the glorie of God, to the ſafetie of your noble perſon and honor, and to all your true ſubiects comforts and preſervations, wee may hauehave ſhortlie (in Parliament) this moſt neceſſarie queſtion (who hath moſte right to ſucceede you) lawfully, peaceablie and effectuallie decided and determined. God grant it for his ſweete Chriſts his ſake.
AMEN.
THIS OBIECTION WAS SENT AND anſwered, when I was priſoner of the Gate-houſe at Weſtminſter.
VVHereas the Scottiſh King is nowe our friend, if the ſucceſſor were ſetled, and the title to the crown given from him to another, hee would, after, become our enemie. And for revenge hee would ſuffer the Spaniards with all their power to land in his countrie, & ſo to enter into ours.
FIVE GENERALL ANSVVERES VNTOUNTO THIS OBIECTION.
FIrſt a wiſe King may thinke it verie dangerous to ſuffer or receiue ſuch a ſtrong power to enter into his countrie as are not eaſilie to be repulſed, eſpeciallie, beeing diviſion betweene him and his ſubiects, as there is betweene the papiſts and the Scottiſh king: for ſo might the papiſts ioine with that ſtrange power, & either perill or vtterlie driue him out of his countrie. And he & his counſel are to wiſe to truſt wicked & deceitfull papiſts, having had ſo good experience of their falſe hearts, as they hauehave. And there are manie preſidents of ſtates greatlie perilled, and free cities loſt and gotten by this policie, ſlender care, and truſting the vntruſtie. And were it not a good policie of the Spaniard to winne the poſſeſſion of Scotland by ſuch a ſtrategeme? For then woulde hee deeme England more then halfe gotten. No, no, the Scottiſh king and his counſell are to wiſe and godlie diſpoſed to perill both the Church of God, and their common-wealth▪ by truſting of the falſe Romiſh ſect, who hauehave ſet this downe for a principle. That no ſolemne oath, faith or faithfull vowe, is to bee kept with heretikes. Of the which number (in their iudgement) the noble and vertuous Scottiſh king and his counſell are numbered, yea, even as the moſt chiefe and principall heretikes.
If the Scottiſh king ſhould take offence hereat, I affirme, it were an offence taken and not given. For what can bee a more godlie and dutifull act in anie Prince, then to preſerue both the Church of God, and the common wealth committed to his charge, ſeing them in apparant and vnavoideable dangers.
To prevent this miſchiefe, I affirme, it were a ſimple policie in vsus, wittinglie to ſee and ſuffer our ſtate to be overthrown, rather then to hauehave the Scottiſh king our enemie.
It is a generall rule amongſt the wiſe, of two evils, the leſſe is to be choſen, and the greater is to be avoided. Heerein the queſtion is, whither the Scottiſh Kings malice (if his title ſhould not be iudged good by Parliament) or the ſubverſion of the ſtate, will be vntounto vsus the leſſe evill.
To forbeare to prevent an apparant and vnavoidable danger, or rather an intollerable and vnrecoverable miſchief, for the preventing of a ſuppoſed or imagined perill. I referre to your graue and wiſe iudgements, what wiſdome it were.