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A50052
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Choice observations of all the kings of England from the Saxons to the death of King Charles the First collected out of the best Latine and English writers, who have treated of that argument / by Edward Leigh ...
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Leigh, Edward, 1602-1671.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing L987; ESTC R11454
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137,037
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241
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as he was hunting within the New-Forrest before he had made experiment of his worth He was buried at Winchester with this inscription Hic jacet Richardus filius Wilielmi senioris Berniae Dux To Henry the King gave at the time of his death five thousand pounds out of his treasure but gave him neither dignity nor Lands foretelling that he should enjoy the honour of both his Brothers in time and far excell them both in dominion and power He succeeded his Brother William in the Kingdome of England and wrested Normandy out of the possession of Robert When William the first drew near his end he commended the Kingdome of England to his second son William with many blessings admonitions and prayers for his prosperous success He dispatched him unto England with Letters under his own Seal to Lanâ—rancke then Archbishop of Canterbury whose authority was great with the Clergy and people of the Realm It was conjectured by some that the King was guided in this choice no less by his judgment then by his affection because he esteemed the fierce disposition of his son William more fit to govern a people not well setled in subjection then the flexible and mild nature of his eldest son Robert Cambden saith he was berest of the Kingdome of England because he was born before his Father was King Milles gives two reasons why the Conquerour preferred his younger son unto the Kingdome before his eldest Partly for his disloyalty and disobedience and partly doubting lest through the facility of his nature he should give occasion unto the English men to take heart unto them and to rebell against him whereas William his younger Brother was a man of more rough and harsh nature and therefore fitter as his Father thought to bear rule and command over a warlike and new conquered people Sir Iohn Hayward in the life of William the second discusseth that controversie whether Kings may prefer younger sons and quite disinherit elder sons of the Kingdome and resolves it negatively The Glossographer upon the Decrees noteth that the son of a King may be called King during the life of his Father as wanting nothing but administration A little before his Fathers death William journeyed toward England and quickly arrived at the Port called Whitesand where he received the first report of his Fathers death Hereupon with all speed he posted to Lanfrancke delivered his Fathers Letters and forthwith was declared King and not long after was crowned at Westminster His hair was deeply yellow by reason whereof he was called Rufus say Polyd. Virgil and others He doubted of some points of Religion then professed namely of praying to Saints worshipping of reliques and such like He endeavoured to abate the tumorous greatness of the Clergy at that time and attributed not so much to the See of Rome as divers Kings before him had done He restrained his Subjects from going to Rome and withheld the annuall payment of Peter-pence and was often heard to say that they follow not the trace of St. Peter they greedily gape after gifts and rewards they retain not his power whose piety they do not imitate Albeit he promised to the English whilest his first fears and jealousies continued that they should enjoy free liberty of hunting yet did he afterwards so severely restrain it that the penalty for killing a Deer was death During Lanfranckes life he so lived that he might have been a mirrour of Princes though afterwards he gave himself to sensuall lust and covetousness Matthew Paris condemns him much It is reported that when his Chamberlain upon a certain morning brought him a new pair of Hose the King demanded what they cost and the Chamberlain answered three shillings hereat the King grew impatient and said What heavy beast dost thou take these to be convenient Hose for a King Away beggar and bring me other of a better price Then the Chamberlain departed and brought a far worse pair of Hose for a better could not at that time be found and told the King that they cost a mark The King not only allowed them for fine enough but commended them also as exceeding fit He walled the City of London and built the great Hall at Westminster which is two hundred seventy foot in length and seventy four foot in breadth He set forth a Proclamation that none should go out of the Realm without his license by which he drew much money from many From thence the custome or Law of Ne exeas Regno seems to have taken its beginning His usuall Oath was by St. Lukes face Malmesb. Coming to imbarque at Dartmouth the Mariners told him the weather was rough and there was no passing without imminent danger Tush said he set forward I never yet heard of King that was drowned Answerable to that of Iulius Caesar which enforced a poor Pilot in the like case to launch forth and in the rage of the storm comforted him with saying Caesarem Caesaris fortunam veâ—is Charles the fifth in the Battell of Tunis when he was advised by the Marquess of Guasto to retire his person when the great Ordnance began to play said Marquess thou never heardst that an Emperour was slain with a great shot Sir Walter Tyrell aiming at the Deer where the King was hunting within the New-Forrest with an Arrow and looseing his Bow either too carelesly at the Deer or too steadily at the king saith Polydore Virgil struck him therewith full upon the brest The King having so received the wound gave forth a heavy groan and presently fell down dead So much of the Arrow as was without his body was found broken whether with his hand or by his fall it is not certainly known He raigned in great variety of opinion with his Subjects some applauding his vertues others aggravating his vices twelve yeares eleven moneths wanting eight dayes and was at his death forty and three years old Sir Iohn Hayward in his life p. 219. CHAP. XIII King Henry the first sirnamed Beauclerke HE apprehending the opportunity of Duke Roberts absence did forthwith seize upon the treasure of the King and thereby also upon his State and so was crowned at Westminster by Maurice Bishop of London because Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury was then in exile For his learning he was called Beauclerke fair Clerk or fine Scholar brought up in the study of the liberall Arts at Cambridge He was sirnamed Leo justitiae in all Stories one of the most noble Princes that ever raigned in this Realm Sir Thomas Eliots Governour Cambden urgeth this against him as if his justice was by the common people deemed cruelty Cambd. Rem He was excellent in wit eloquent in speech and fortunate in Battell and for these three he had three notable vices covetousness cruelty and lechery Stowes Chron. By his example the young Nobility of the Realm began to affect a praise for learning insomuch as
ingenio acri animo magno memoria tenacissima Polyd. Virg. Lib 2. c. 8. he shews that an interview between two great Princes for treaty of their affairs hurteth more then profiteth Habingtons Hist. of Edw. the fourth The title and claim of the house of Lancaster was but faigned See Lamberts Perambul of Kent Alexander the Great sayling on a time in Tygris with divers Princes and great Lords it chanced his Royall Diadem fell from his head into the River where being in danger to be lost a Sailer that could swim cast himself into the water and notwithstanding the fierceness of that stream adventured his life to save his Soveraigns Diadem and having recovered it and not being able to bring it in his hand being of necessity to use both hands to save His life he held it in his teeth but being to work â—nd strive against the stream he puâ— it upon his head and so with much perill of life recovered the Ship and presented the Emperour with his Diadem This loyall and brave adventure of his was most bountifully and Princely rewarded and moreover he had leave and time given him to dispose and bestow his reward to whom he would but was judged to forfeir that head upon which he had presumed to put the Ensign of Majesty The justice of the sentence is agreeable to the grounds of true policy which in no case can admit a Subject to make himself a soveraign no not for an hour Crashams Rates of the Popes Custome-house c. 13. Mr. Fox saith he meant by those words his own house That whip-King as some termed him Cambd. Brit. in Warwickeshire Habington Yet Henry of Bullenbrook son to Iohn of Gaunt was more powerfull See Dr. Heylins Animadversions on the Church-Hist of Brittain l. 4. p. 78 79. Sir Francis Bacons Hist. of K. Henry the 7th He is by generall consent numbered amongst the Kings and named Edward the fifth although he never wore the Crown nor took any Oath nor exercised any Authority The Crown is but a Ceremony to make the King known to his people Sir Thomas Mores Hist. of K. Richard the third Cambd. Brit. in Glocestershire Speed Cambd. Brit. in Dorsâ—tshire Sir Walter Rauleighs Preface to his History of the world Is uâ—us fuit ex percussoribus Edovardi Principis sexti Henriciâ—ilii â—ilii qui demum pari est affectus caede Ita Hastingius suo ad extremum periculo didicit illam naturae legem secundum Evangelicum verbum omnia quae vultis ut vobis faciant homines sic vos facite illis impunè violari non posse Polyd Virg Ang hist. l. 25. Verum id credo non fuâ—t somnium sed conscientia scelerum conscientia inquam cò gravior quò culpa major c. Polyd. Virg. Aug. hist. lib. 25. pag. 562. Iohn Du Scrres Hist. of France He and Q. Mary raigned the shortest while of any since the Conquest See Psal. 55. 23. Primus omnium Angliae Regum stipâ—toreâ— corporis habere caepit quod à Francis Principibus sumpsisse ferturâ— Polyd. Virg. The Kings Guard when first instituted Sir Franck Bacons Hist. of Henry the 7th Speed Hollinsh Chron. Vide Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 26 p. 616. Sir Walter Rauleighs Preface to his History of the world Sir Thomas Eliots Governour Henricus noster septimus cùm omnes regni rectè administrandi artes calleret sic his ornamentis instructus venit ut cum pacem exulantem exul extorremque extorris concomitatus esset reducem quoque redux apportaret Twin Com. de reb Brit. He was a wise man and an excellent King Sir Francis Bacons Epist. Dedicat to his hist. He cals him in his hist this Salomon of England not only for his actions but wisdome Sir Walter Rauleighs Preface to his hist. The story of England from the uniting of the Roses to the uniting of the Kingdomes is a space of time which in my judgement contains more variety of rare events then in like number of successions ever was known in an Hereditary Kingdome Sir Francis Bacons Advancement of learning l. 2. c. 7. See more there There have died in England in these Civil Warres since my remembrance above fourscore person of the bloud Royall Phil. dem Comin l 1. c. 2. p. 22. Quae exsurrexere factiones magnae Romanam Rempublicam peâ—sum dedere Duae quadraetae P Rempublicam illam â—vertere patritia plebeia factio Duae hic turbarunt grandes R. Rosae duae quae in unam arctissimè mixtae per ipsam veram mixtionem commixtae sanguinis placarunt omnia Albericus Gentilis de unione Regnorum isput 2 It happened that there was fallen in communication of the story of Ioseph how his master Potiphars wife would have pulled him to her bed and he â—led away Now Master Maior quoth the King you are a tall strong man on the one side and a cunning Doctor on the other what would you have done if you had not been Joseph but in Josephs stead By my troth quoth he and it like your Grace I cannot tell what I would have done but I can tell what I should have done The King replied He answered well Sir Thomas Mores Dialogue l. 1. * Sir Francis Bacons Hist of Henry the 7th Tempore fami geratissimi istius Arthuri de quo tam incredibilia narrantur à nostris ut â—aâ—sa intermixta veris fidem derogantia meritissima laude defraudarint vâ—rum hand dubie insignem aeterna memoria dignissimum Godw. de praesul Ang. Hic est Arthurus de quo Brittonum nugae bodieque delirant dignus plane quem non fallaces somâ—iarent fabulae sed veraces praedicarent historiae quippe qui labantem patriam diu sustinuerit infractasque civiâ—m mentes ad bellum acuerit Malmeâ—b de gestis Regum Anglorum l. 1. c. 1. Regem illum inclitissimum Arthurum legimus duos â—â—racones in suis armis portasse Pater suus Vter qui Pen-dragon vocabatur habuit magnum corpus longum cum capite multum parvo ad fimilitudinem Draconis qua de cause Pen-dragon i. e. caput Draconiâ— vocabatur Et sic dictus Rex Arthur portavit arma paterna propter habitudinem corporis patris sui assumpta Bissaei notae in Uptoâ—um Vide Twini Comment de rebus ` Britannicis p. 124 125 161. Sir Francis Bacons hist. of Henry the seventh Id. ib. * By some Antimonarchicall Writers whom I will not undertake to justifie Sir Francis Bacons hist. of Henry the seventh Nulli Regum antca cúm inâ— numerato tum in moventibus rebus major venerat haereditas Polyd. Viâ—g hist. l. 28. de Henâ—ico 8â— Anno Dom. 1509. He overthrew Sir William Kingstone both horse and man before three Queens Herberts hist. of Henry the 8th Having a desire to marry within degrees unlawfull he set his learned men on work to prove it lawfull and again after a while being cloy'd and desiring change set them again on work to prove the