Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	5,724	5	4.8029	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11788	A true souldiers councel; Experimentall discoverie of Spanish practises.	Hexham, Henry, 1585?-1650?, attributed name.; Scott, Thomas, 1580?-1626, attributed name.	1624 (1624)	STC 22078; ESTC S114763	30,552	55

which treacherous overthrow of these two noble Captains by don Consolis de Cordua called the great Captain Commander of the Spaniards in these parts they wrested from the French most of the places in Italy which they keep untill this day And therefore howsoever other men be opinionated of the Spanish faith and fidelity with your Majesty and State yet for my part I will think of them and their promises as a Noble man of Athens thought of a certain Oratour Your words quoth he my friends are like the Cypresse which although great and high bear no fruit And truely as they are Spaniards I cannot well blame them for they well know that the Crown of Spain is at stake and all the Indies and his other Signiories and therfore will not fail to put in practise all tricks that may win the game though it be by foule play For if he haue not peace with England at this time it is not unknown unto him that the foundation of his Monarchy will be shaken in peeces And we cannot but see this and yet will take no advantage therof wherby we may secure our selues both for present and future times we may be compared to the Athenians of whom I haue spoken before who by Titus Livius report were men who knew what to doe but would not doe it which is a fault so ominous to all states that it not onely presenteth it selfe against but likewise followeth disasters and ruin to the Common-wealth that refuseth For opportunitie doth not attend upon Captaines and Councellours pleasures but sheweth it selfe on a suddain and if not imbraced passeth away without returning And therfore the advantages that one State that are enemies hath of another happen so seldom to the Globes as Saturn finisheth his course but in 30 yeares But our enemy is free and I speak it to his honour from this base and earthly resolution for it is reported of them by this speciall vertue they haue raysed their state to so high a pitch which is that no people can readier finde the occasion or sooner take or resolue it when it is offered And doubtlesse to say the truth I am much more fearfull of the Spanish proceedings for that he goeth by precedent which is an excellent kind of discipline as well in Martiall as civill actions especially when the action is grounded upon a sure foundation And as all Kings and Captaines which desire to attain to great things doe imitate some one Prince or Generall that hath preceded them so doubtless haue the Kings of Spain for these many yeares imitated in all their actions as neer as the time and States with whom they haue contended would giue them leaue that noble valiant and politick Captain Phillip of Macedon who indeed laid the foundation of his sons Monarchy and this was his Maxime That where force could not prevail he alwaies used bribes and mony to corrupt the principall of the inhabitants Insomuch that at a certain time at the assault of a Citie which to a Captain of his seemed impregnable and therfore thought to divert his purpose in the besieging therof Then art a fool quoth he for I will haue this great Citie notwithstanding the walles and ramparts if the Gates be so big that an Asse laden with gold can but enter And questionless if your Majestie would but search into the Spaniards proceedings since he had the Indies you should acquaint your selfe with many such presidents of their part to be a warning to you to look at this time advisedly to your own safety lest you fall into the like misfortunes And although I could alledge many which for brevities sake I omit yet I will recite one lest it should be thought I knew none which is viz. When Ferdinand of Aragon saw by the sword he could not get the country of Rows●●ton and Perpignan out of the hands of Charles the French King which as they say had been ingaged to Lewis the 11 he fell to practise with them of Religion wherfore he corrupted with a great summe of mony one Oliver Maillandor as some say Iohn de Madron a Franciscan Frier Confessor to the Lady Brawnen the Kings sister who under the root of Religion cloaking his hypocrysie and coveteousnesse perswaded this simple Lady that unlesse restitution was made of those Territories to the King of Spain his government could not prosper nor please God she being moved in conscience with this Friers perswasions brake this matter to Lewis of Amboise Bishop of S. Albie the Kings Schoolemaster who together with her so terrified the Kings conscience that hee not onely made restitution of the said Territories by the said Bishop but likewise freely released to the King of Spaine the said Ferdinand all the mony that Lewis his father had paid for them Marry with condition that the said King and his Successors should ever loue and honour the King of France that he should make no warres against it nor aide with mony victuals nor counsell any enemies therof nor permit them to haue passage through their Dominions And thus were the countries restored to the Frenchmens griefe But the French King misreckoned himselfe in the Spanish fidelity for having occasion to warre in Italy shortly after he was no sooner past the Mountains but the King of Spaine forgat all his kindness and began to practise a leagu with his enemies So as I inferre mighty Prince that either by shew of Religion or subtle and sophisticall Arguments or in desire you haue to trust some about you on whose shoulders ever in regard of your opinion of their wisedomes and fidelities you cast your selfe and your care of your estate in all or either of these you are like without the more grace of God to receiue disadvantage in this your peace-making and yet perhaps no fault in them For it seemes to me wonderfull that the truth of things being one yet may falshood be so apparelled with the habits of likelihood and truth as changing countenance it is often retained in stead therof As for as much as upon this Treatie now in hand not onely dependeth your own happiness the happiness of your noble Issue States Kingdoms Subjects or whatsoever else is deer unto you but likewise the happiness or unhappiness of all the Princes of Europe So most gracious Lord in respect of these great and mighty dependances as well in regard of your own particular as generall good of the Christian Common-wealth which so long hath groaned under the fear of the Spanish greatness digest and distinguish every particular and in a point in your own person without trusting of any man with a matter of great importance which although it will be very intricate by the diversitie of so many things as will offer themselues to be considered yet renoumed Soveraign it will be very profitable to your Highness and most acceptable and pleasing to the people when they shall hear and see the great care the King hath of them and their

safety For as Commines saith hee thinketh it the greatest plague that God can lay upon a Realm to giue them such a Prince as shall in great things giue his Authority unto others which most especially in such a case as this hee ought to reseru unto himselfe Although I confess Princes ought to haue Ministers in all things especially in great matters but not to conclude any thing without the Princes assent nor with him neither but by the relation of many circumstances in regard of that affinity which truth and falsehood haue in many matters of great moment And yet I protest out of my own opinion I am no way jealous of any of the Councell for as for them I hold them to be all most noble and worthy personages and fit to manage great Kingdoms as part of the Indies and other Seigniories which are as fit for you to take as the King of Spaine to keep which by your just command and valour of the English and Scottish Nations shall be gained unto you and your posterity without which whatsoever your Selfe thinketh or other men say neither you nor your posterity can ever be safe upon probable and reasonable grounds if the Spaniards intend to disquiet you as I will now my selfe proue and as these following projects made by the Castilian themselues may appear by the necessity they are in to be Masters of the I le viz. That a mighty King determining to preserue his own hath no better meanes then by conquering that of another mans alwaies holding this as a Maxime That whosoever preserveth getting nothing neither by keeping his own can subdue the will of perverse men that they may not be able to make him a disturbance These reasons ought more to prevail with your Majestie quoth he then with any other Prince since you hold your great State much dispersed and the greatest part of your power consists in things moueable and uncerrain which are the Indian Fleet which neither Garrisons Fortresses nor any good proceedings can hardly assure although your Majesty had great forces and power as at this present we may well perceiu by this Pirat Drake who with nothing is able to molest the whole world notwithstanding the provisions which are made on your Majesties behalfe for the preventing therof Wherfore saith he let your Majesty entertain an enterprise against England which both is and may be the principall disturber of your Indian Fleet and Commerce Neither let your Majesty suppose there can be a better or safer way for the quiet of States or the advancement of your certain Greatness then by removing this Mountain of Disquiet to your most high and Kingly purposes and conquering of this I le As also Don Phillip the second of Castile having a great and earnest desire to make himselfe Master of this I le of the world and perceiving two obstacles to curb his proceedings in that kind to wit the warres of the Netherlands and the Iealousie of this State of ours hath ever had of his Greatness and being desirous to haue the fountain of this happiness to spring from one of those two heads determining to build this resolution which with most ease most honour most safety and most advantage might be carried to his after designes Vpon consideration wherof and mature deliberation reasons were alledged pro contra amongst which in my judgment some are most prevailent reasons and such doubts as the Spanish King from the mouth of him who made Reason his ground and Experience his schoolmaster for what he said and are following It is my determination in this present Discourse said he to shew as your renoumed Seigniorie commandeth me by way of Reall foundation that it is much more expedient for that purpose of your Catholike Majestie to moue your war against England then the Netherlands declaring thus much notwithstanding reall foundation in this point I mean not common principles of nature or of science neither of Mathematicall demonstrations of this present subject is not capable but rather reasons probably grounded upon truth There are many who but observing the first view of your Catholike Majesties interest to Flanders and England affirm that though this Iland by just pretention pertaineth to your Majestie yet you are so much the more bound to recover those countries of the Netherlands rather then conquer England by how much by all policy the preservation of things already possessed must goe before things never injoyed But though this be a great position in publick affaires yet we intreating of matters of State I will not judge it of that weight as that it may weigh down the ballance which galling the one side more then the other might impair the whole summe and safety of things Wee must consider what ought but further how it is possible more profitable more easie more expedient to be done For oftentimes Princes are so pricked to warre by the stimulation of honour or of their desire to some enterprise as that the bridle of many other circumstances which would requisitely be considered cannot draw them back For an example of this we may set before our eyes the Venetian Common wealth who thinking of nothing else but their duty to be revenged on the Duke of Millain preferred immoderate ambition before all other respects and so too late remembred that the office of prudence is to moderate passions and spleen in important resolutions especially when they draw after them a tail or train of great inconveniences The consideration therof that we are more bound to preserue the things we possesse then conquer new is not sufficient to conclude that your Majesty ought to take in hand the enterprise of Flanders rather then England neither in that so importunate affaires should we seek occasions so light But to the end it may appear evidently that in every respect your Majesty is bound to the enterprise of England I will before any thing establish a foundation to that whole edifice of my opinion viz. That in subduing of England you overcome at the same time the Netherlands also but having overcome the Netherlands England is not presently subdued neither doth peradventure the hope increase that you shall after conquer it But I affirm moreover that to conquer England is not an action more difficult or lesse certain then if it were the Netherlands For if England doe consequently draw after it the Netherlands and if it be more easie and more secure who doubteth but he that should pervert this course would be a right destroyer of Opportunity and so become the forget of his own disgrace But I will proue with prevailent Reasons that one and the other member of my foundation which is that the victorie of England is more profitable then that of the Netherlands more easie to obtain As for the proofe of my first foundation I betake my selfe to these principall heads The first is If the Netherlands had not maintained warre so many yeares but by the aide and