Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	charles_n	king_n	spain_n	2,773	5	8.5751	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42794	The history of the life of the Duke of Espernon, the great favourite of France Englished by Charles Cotton, Esq. ; in three parts, containing twelve books ; wherein the history of France is continued from the year 1598 where D'Avila leaves off, down to our own times, 1642.; Histoire de la vie du duc d'Espernon. English	Girard, Guillaume, d. 1663.; Cotton, Charles, 1630-1687.	1670 (1670)	Wing G788; ESTC R21918	646,422	678

in fine condescended so far as to consent that all the Goods sav'd from the Wrack should be deposited in the hands of two sufficient Citizens of which Goods there were seven or eight thousand little rough Diamonds valued generally at forty or fifty Sous a piece some pieces of Amber-gris or rather black Amber for it was of that colour and nothing near so good as ours several Bezoar Stones and some other Merchandize of no great value and this was all that was recover'd of the rich lading of this prodigious Carrick the rest being either buried in the Sea or pilfred away by the Countrey people though all put together was but a very small part of this mighty loss Servient therefore by a gentle and insensible violence having as has been said won upon the Duke 's inflexible temper obtain'd all the satisfaction he could desire and in exactly observing his Commission acquir'd the Duke withal for his friend performing therein what is only reserved for men of extraordinary Conduct which was to reconcile so opposite Interests and yet to disoblige neither party The differences thus moderated by the prudence of Servient were soon totally hush'd up by the noise of a War with England which at this time unexpectedly broke out The Duke of Buckingham Favourite to Charles King of Great Britain as by an extraordinary priviledge of Fortune he had been before to King Iames his Father was as it was said highly press'd by some of the House of Lords of the Parliament of England to give an account of the Treasure that as they pretended had been imbezzeld during the Reign of the late King upon which occasion the Severity natural to that Nation in such Inquisitions making him justly to apprehend the issue of an Enquiry wherein perhaps it had been impossible for any man living to have satisfied their Judgments or their Malice he chose rather to withdraw himself from the inconvenience of such a Trial and to put himself into a posture of standing upon his own Guard than to run the hazard of a Sentence that he could not expect should be favourable to him from men that were envious of his Favour and Fortune and this has been said to have been one motive to this Invasion Another and which was no less prevalent with the Duke as some have deliver'd who pretended to be very privy to his thoughts was the jealousie he had of the Cardinal's greatness of whom he had been so ill satisfied in a late Embassy into this Kingdom as thenceforward to conceive either so mortal a hatred to his Person or at least so high an emulation of his Power as it is believ'd by many prompted him to undertake this War with France from whence it may be judg'd how light the causes commonly are that bring on the ruine of Nations and the desolation of Kingdoms But the better to perswade the English to approve of this expedition it being no easie matter to raise money there for any preparation of this kind without the consent of the people his pretense was to succour the Rochellers that were infinitely oppress'd and the Protestant Party which he said since the last Peace was very much weakned in France Having with this pretext palliated either his Animosity or his Ambition with a Fleet consisting of a hundred and fifty Sail upon which he had Ship'd ten thousand men he presented himself before the Isle of Ré in Iuly 1627. This Enterprize which in all probability was likely to be favour'd with an Insurrection of those of the Reform'd Religion at home who were not depress'd to that degree but that they were yet very considerable put the whole Court into a very great Alarm wherein the Cardinal who very well understood this affront to be particularly directed against him look'd upon it as his own immediate concern neither did he fail on his part of his utmost endeavour to frustrate his Adversaries Design and to maintain himself in the advantages of his Princes Favour He sent dispatches therefore to all parts of the Kingdom for the raising of new Forces and caus'd a Commission to be issued out to the Duke of Angoulesme to call together such as were already on foot with them to go to the defense of Fort-Loüis built before Rochelle upon which it was likely the English would make their first attempt and therein also to endeavour to curb Rochelle it self which yet retain'd a mutinous disposition under a dissembled shew of Obedience and Duty Le Plessis hapned in this juncture of time to be at Court whither as has been said he had been before dispatch'd by the Duke his Master to solicit his Interest about the Wrack of the Carrick This Gentleman was so generally esteem'd by all both for his Valour and his Experience in matters of War and principally by the Cardinal who had been a witness of his behaviour throughout the Queen Mother's Affairs and had in those times contracted a strict League of Friendship with him that he immediately apply'd himself to him in this urgent necessity neither did he herein forget any promises that might induce him or omit any endearments that might oblige him to render the Duke his Master favourable to his designs and himself to accept of an Employment upon this important occasion Assuring him withal that no more mention should be made of the Carrick or of any other cross Affair he had been perplex'd withal and had now depending at Court Upon this assurance Le Plessis departed from Court provided with ten Commissions for the raising of a Regiment in his own name and with all the civil Language and fair Promises could be desir'd for the Duke his Master whose assistance was exceedingly considerable by reason of the short cut by Sea betwixt Bordeaux and Rochelle Le Plessis arriv'd in Guienne in the beginning of August where he first gave the Duke an accompt of his own Affairs and afterwards acquainted him with the Commission he had receiv'd for himself who was so assisting to him in the raising of his Regiment that it was one of the first that was ready for this Service The Duke no sooner saw Le Plessis Companies compleat but that he fell to making ready the Succours were requir'd of him for the Fort of the Isle of Ré already besieg'd by the English Forces though I must confess it was contrary to his custom in other occasions exceeding slowly not that he did not heartily desire to see Rochelle reduc'd to the King's Obedience but he could have been glad that the Cardinal whom he had no reason to love might have had no share in the honour of this great Enterprize as if he had then foreseen that the addition of Reputation and Greatness he must infallibly derive from that success would one day prove fatal to him Yet in this distraction of thoughts he fail●d not nevertheless to prefer his Duty before all other respects that regarded either his

condition till they had consum'd not only all provisions fit for the use of man but also all that the extremest hunger could compel the uncleanest creatures to convert to food they yet found they had not exhausted the King's Royal goodness who had enough left to pardon the miserable remains of those wretched people the length and sufferings of the Siege had yet left alive preserving so those that had try'd and had not been able to effect their own destruction and exercising his Clemency upon such as had no compassion of themselves To conclude he made himself Master of Rochelle that is to say absolute King of France which till this City was reduc'd he could not properly have been said to be This glorious year was concluded by this happy Victory a success by which all the occasions of those civil discords which the difference of Religions had hitherto almost continually fomented were so totally rooted up as gave us for the future leisure to prosecute our Forein designs wherein we have since been so fortunate as by the success of our Arms to be secur'd of a firm and last repose for the time to come if we can continue this good union and intelligence amongst our selves the breach whereof can alone encourage our Neighbours to attempt upon our Peace The King being yet before Rochelle and the Town upon the point of Surrender his resolution was absolutely bent upon reducing the remaining Cities of the Hugonot Party to the same obedience in order whereunto his Majesty sent a Letter to the Duke of Espernon to acquaint him with so much of his design as concern'd the Province where he had the honour to Command a Dispatch that was sent away by Servient who was to be both the Bearer of this Missive and the Interpreter of his Majesties further Intentions The Employment this Gentleman had been upon into that Countrey the preceding year about the business of the Carrick and the dexterity and prudence he had discover'd in the management of that Affair had made him by the King thought worthy of and sufficient for the Office of Intendant de la Iustice Police in Guienne with which he was at this time invested but that being such a Commission as is hardly to be executed in Provinces that have Parliaments of their own without intrenching upon or at least giving offense unto their Authority soon begot a feud betwixt the Parliament of Bordeaux and him which grew at last to such a height that Servient was fain to prefer a complaint to the Council of some affronts he had receiv'd from that Assembly whereupon he had granted him a Sentence of Prohibition together with a Citation of personal appearance against the first President de Gourgues and some other Members of that Court They must therefore of necessity appear and accordingly the first President came in at the appointed time where presenting himself before the King to justifie the proceeding that had occasion'd this Citation his reception was a little severe The King dissatisfied with him as was said upon other accompts commanded him to speak kneeling which the President making some difficulty to do as an unusual form the King rising from his seat pull'd him by the Robe to compel him to it 'T is said that even in this very act and the confusion the face of an incens'd Prince might reasonably have put any man into the President immediately recollecting himself spoke of the violence was offer'd to him with an Efficacy and Eloquence that astonish'd all that heard him and that was so powerful as to extract some gentle and satisfactory expressions even from the King himself but this was also the last lightning of his Wit and he seem'd to have mustred all his Forces for this one piece of Service ending his Life almost as soon as his Oration who though of a contemptible stature and an infirm constitution but of a strange vivacity and courage was so wounded with the sense of the King's severity that he was never after to be comforted but retiring already ●ick out of his Majesties presence dyed a very few days after He had this obligation to the Duke of Espernons unkindness that it discover'd in him a great many excellent qualities that would otherwise have been buried in his Ashes for had he in truth had nothing more to do than meerly to have exercis'd the ordinary functions of his place he would even in that capacity have met with concurrences enough to have disputed that honour with him but having had opportunity to manifest his courage in so mighty and dangerous a dispute his Eloquence in so many Illustrious Assemblies and his Zeal for the dignity and honour of his Fraternity in so many notable and important occasions has left behind him so fair a memory that he does at this day pass in the opinions of all that knew him for one of the greatest men that ever presided in that Court If the King's success in the reducing of Rochelle gave a high reputation to the Royal Arms the quick dispatch of that Siege was of no less utility to his other Affairs for every one imagining this Victory would have cost as many years as he was months about it that opinion was so generally receiv'd and concluded for so infallible a truth by all the neighbouring Princes that there was hardly one who had not propos'd to himself some advantage or other from this long diversion either to the prejudice of his Majesties Reputation or to that of his Affairs The King of Spain therefore the King of England the Dukes of Savoy and Lorain entred into a powerful League that every one might make his benefit of this Civil War Wherein Spain and Savoy doubted not without any resistance to possess themselves of the Territories of the Duke of Mantua an Ally and a Vassal to this Crown The design of the English was not only to relieve and reestablish the remains of the Reform'd Religion in France but also to revenge themselves for the losses they had sustain'd in the business of the Isle of Ré and the Duke of Lorain an ambitious and offended Prince propos'd to himself and that without much difficulty the usurpation of the three Bishopricks of Metz Toul and Verdun which as they were naturally members of it would bring an equal addition of benefit and honour to his own Dukedom The last of the foremention'd Princes not daring to begin the quarrel staid expecting when the other Confederates should break the Ice in the mean time concealing his designs under a dissembled shew of Friendship and the King of England not well recover'd of the late Blow had no mind to declare without the concurrence of the Duke of Lorain so that whilst these two Princes sate still in mutual expectation which should lead the Field the King of Spain and the Duke of Savoy falling smartly to work had by Arms so far advanc'd their designs that they had already possess'd themselves

other men usually give for their Follies in such cases will nevertheless serve perhaps to satisfie such as are kindest to me and who will not render themselves over-hard to be satisfied in a thing wherein I presume they would themselves be content to see me justified It was not therefore out of any ambition I had to be again in Print I having suffer'd too much that way already nor to be reputed a good Translator the best whereof sit in the lowest Form of Writers and no one can be proud of the meanest Company neither shall I pretend to be put upon it by my Friends for that would tacitly imply something of opinion they must have of my ability that way and I must be so just to 〈◊〉 my worthy Acquaintance as to dec●●re them men of better judgments than to be so deceiv'd besides the greater part of them being better Frenchmen than I pretend to be such as have read the Original could never wish to see it blemish'd by so unskilful a hand neither was I prompted to it by any design of advantage that consideration being ever very much below my thoughts nor to oblige the world that being as much above my expectation but having an incurable humour of scribling upon me I believ'd I could not choose a braver Subject for my Friends diversion and my own Entertainment than this wherein I thought at least I discover'd as much Variety of Revolution and accident as is any where in no larger a Volume to be found besides something of utility here being a general account of the most important Transactions of Europe for above threescore years together and in one continued series of Discourse which are otherwise only to be pick'd up out of several Authors and most of them ●mitted in all but that which gave me the greatest invitation besides the Character of Honour that continues throughout the whole thred of his Life was the great example of uncorrupted Loyalty the Duke of Espernon ever retain'd in all his Exigencies and Disgraces a Vertue which though none of the Nobility of this Kingdom for whom this is chiefly design'd need to be informed in 't is nevertheless a glorious Record and ought to be in History that succeeding times may see after what manner a good Subject ●ow powerful soever ought to behave himself how or how unkindly soever his Prince shall please to dispose of his Person and Fortune This consideration it was that after a first and second reading of this brave life though every year of it contains variety enough to furnish out a History which I must confess to have been the greatest temptation that decoy'd me into this undertaking especially when I reflected upon the times we our selves have too lately seen when Loyalty was not very much in fashion or not to be owned withou● manifest ruine And although I know very well we have Examples enow of Vertue Bravery Wisdom Fidelity and Honour in persons of our own Nation as well Kings as Subjects Princes of the Blood Generals Ecclesiasticks and Statesmen both of Former and the present Age and the meanest of those Lives sufficient to create as beautiful a Story yet of those the Dead are many of them already recorded beyond my imitation and to Write in Praise of the Living besides the danger of standing suspected either of Flattery or Design were to offend the modesty natural to all generous minds In the next place I am to acquaint my Reader that the Author of this History Monsieur Girard was Secretary to the Duke of Espernon and a very extraordinary person in himself as you will find in the Texture Disposition and Elegancy of the whole in despight of my ill handling by which advantages he must doubtless be able to give the best and truest account of any w●●ever both of his Masters private Affairs and the general Transactions of that time he being especially in the Duke's later Years continually employ'd by him and the Duke himself being so eternally upon the Scene of Action that we shall seldom find him retir'd and alone in the whole course of his Life And although his dependence upon this great person may render his testimony suspected to some he is however so generally allow'd by the most Intelligent and such as are best read in the Affairs of that Kingdom for a faithful Historian that the truth of the Story ought to Balance any other defect of the work Lastly in the behalf of my Bookseller Mr. Brome to whose Kindness I owe more than I can pay him by this Impression I am to say that although I dare not answer how far this History may suffer by my Oversights or Mistakes or by the Faults escap'd the Press which I know not by what accident are very many and some of them very considerable yet I dare pronounce it one of the best things I have seen in that Language I do not mean for the Excellency or Harmony of the Stile which in the Original it self though the words there be very Significant Elegant and admirably well chosen is notwithstanding none of the smoothest I have read but for the importance of the Subject wherein you will find much of the Policy of that time not only of France it self but moreover of the Courts of England Rome Spain Savoy Germany Sweeden and the States of the United Provinces together with a Narrative of all the most celebrated Battles Skirmishes Rencounters Combats Sieges Assaults and Stratagems for above threescore years together with the Descriptions of the Strengths Situations and distances of Cities Towns Castles Cittadels Forts Rivers Countries Seigneuries Iurisdictions and Provinces and all this collected and deliver'd by a Iudicious and Impartial Hand an ex●raordinary effect of a French Pen that Nation especially in Records that immediately concern their own Honour having been commonly observ'd to be very civil to themselves So that methinks the Dignity of the Subject and the Ingenuity of the Author consider'd a work how unhappily soever perform'd by me undertaken nevertheless meerly for the common benefit and delight ought not to be discountenanc'd nor very ill receiv'd Yet do I not though in the foregoing Paragraph I have discover'd something of the Charlatan in the behalf of my Bookseller hereby intend to beg any favour for my self or by these large promises to bribe my Reader into milder Censures neither do I think it fit to provoke him by a defiance for that were to be an ill Man as well as an ill Writer I therefore franckly and without condition expose my self to every mans Iudgment of which such as appear civil to me are my Friends and I shall owe them the same respect when it shall be my turn to Iudg as it is now to be censur'd Those who will not be so I shall threaten no further than to put them in mind that if ever they attempt any thing of the same nature they will then lie under the same disadvantage I now do and consequently may