if not innocent The least traine of wicked pollicie undermining the firmest edifice of empire That hereafter when the Fathers death shall prepare the passage to the sons government the entry not being violent might bee happie and carrying with it no cloud of sinister practises might shine glorious For the present he intreated that patience which the Divine Law commanded and all humane customes had still observed Withall he perswaded him to tame his wild ambition ambition which if naturall is a sickenesse destroyes the body it possesses if infusive a venome ministered by the most malicious against which there is no antidote but ruine That his association into the Kingdome was not prejudice the present authority of the Father but to confirme the greatnesse of the sonne in future That it was high ingratitude to retribute disobedience for so unexampled a favour But reason forc't by strongest arguments was to weak to prevaile against those many Castles built high in the ayre of his vaine thoughts And seeing his desires batter'd by his fathers just resolutions when he expected no resistance pride perswaded him to seeke remedie abroade and to force what he could not intreate Suddenly therefore hee conveyes himselfe and all his passions to King Lewis of France whose daughter he had married but never bedded King Henry the Father carefully providing against the consummation of those Nuptialls least his Sonne might by the alliance increase in power and dependencies But this pollitick barre which divided the young Princes mature for love created rage in the young King disdaine in the Ladie in Lewis discontent but in Queene Aeleanor Henry the fathers wife an impious jealousie For she who in her youth had made forfeite of her honour and in her lust repugnant to Christian Lawes chose a Sarazen for her Lover interpreted this restraint of the young Kings wife to a vicious designe in the old King and that all the cautions pretended were onely with the more artifice and secrecie to secure the fruition of his injurious pleasures And shee seem'd to have ground for her suspitions in the much liberty of his former life which seldome had in his restraint condemn'd that action dishonest which his blood prompted was delightfull This calumnie wrought the old King into the peoples hard censure and brought compassion to the young King whose injuries seem'd of that qualitie as might authorize disobedience So that not onely Lewis of France who as being a Neighbour King was concernd to foment that discord but even many of the subjects to the Crowne of England prepared their Armes for an unnaturall warre The chiefe heads of which Rebellion at home were the Earles of Chester and Leicester who to give their King despaire of any suddaine quiet fortified their Castles and other strong holds with so much Art as if they design'd to perpetuate mischiefe And what encouraged them to danger was beside hopes of greatnes in the change of government confederacie with the King of Scotland by whose power joyn'd to that of France they doubted not either to advance their fortunes by warre or make an honorable retreate by peace For when did unquiet subjects presume to arme without promise of ayde from forraigne Princes And when bad attempts with them proved unsuccessefull what stranger but disavowed all under-hand darke intelligence But the wonder of this mischiefe was that Richard and Geoffrey brothers to the young King entred into this conspiracie as if the blood of Princes had not flowed according to the course of Nature and the eminencie of birth had elevated them above the Lawes of filiall Dutie To wrest justice to either quarrell both betrayd themselves for infamie and rage shot no arrow to wound the others honour but repercussively flew backe Even he who most apparently proved himselfe injured being guilty and no man safe to fame who had best title to defame his enemie So unhappily had nature cimented them that their fortunes and honours could admit no disunion and none could triumph but when part of him was ruin'd The Father amaz'd at the irreligious quarrell forgot not neverthelesse that he was to maime himselfe if he destroy'd his enemie and therefore by most loving addresses courted his Sonnes to more peacefull thoughts He urged them to returne to dutie with confidence that he retain'd a mercie greater than their errour That their demand should end in no deniall provided that Reason gave it moderation and that they would not chide with time which yet enlarged their father life That from their best confederates they could expect nothing but the breach of faith and who could bee more interessed to advance their businesse than a father All other allies onely dissembling friendship to entrap their youth and nourishing this discord to dissolve all the Ligaments of our Empire and purchase safety at the cost of our ruine But no perswasion could humble the young Kings desires his cause now justified by a generall sentence and his Armie increast by an universall confluence of his confederates For into conspiracie of mischiefe how easily are men drawne who value the justice of the quarrell at the rate of their owne profit All the territories belonging to the Crowne of England were now on fire the King of France with the unnaturall sons wasting Normandie and Aquitain the King of Scotland with the disloyall Lords destroying England In the meanetime the innocent people were offer'd a victim to both their furies and the honest labourer forc't to the sweate of warre to obey the passions of those Lords whose quarrell hee understood not So cruell is the fortune of the vulgar that they can make no just account of their owne lives or states when Princes are pleas'd to follow the disorder of their rage For at the expence of the common blood highest discords are maintain'd and at their losse chiefely the ambition of the Mighty is purchast Victory at length brought the old King to the Majestie of a Father and the young King inclin'd to obedience when by overthrow of the King of Scots and the English rebells he found his faction weakned For adversitie hath a more powerfull Oratory than all the wit of Pietie to perswade the proud from their usurped height And seldome can we stoope to confesse our frailty till compel'd by some accidentall weakenesse But the Father had his armes open when ever the Sonne would throw himselfe into his embraces never wanting affection to entertaine humility And concord was thus restored when the Sonne perceiv'd his inabilitie longer to continue impious and the father found that his revenge would be most cruell to his owne Nature The young King was to consummate his marriage with the Daughter of France for in all tragedies the amorous businesse acts a part with an allowance great as the dignity he wore but no Soveraign power For the Father gain'd by this treatie from his Sonne the liberty to live a King All discor'd by this agreement appear'd rooted up when indeede nothing but the branches were
cut downe For no free delivery of all the prisoners taken in the late battle and fully re-invested in their greatnesse no over liberall allowance no solemne protestations of a Father could winne authoritie with the Sonne New disgusts on the least grounds were built by his owne unquiet spirit and the suggestions of cunning instruments For he wanted that absolute power his title challeng'd from which he was debar'd by his fathers life and fortune they who had adherd heard to his disobedience expected recompence for mischeife and hee unable to pay them for their sinnes rewarded their humour with discontent His disease of minde was incapable of cure for no Phificke without the mixture of his Fathers vitall blood could minister releefe that the old King preserved against all practise And to a resignation of Empire no Argument could perswade him not willing to encoffin himselfe in a Church solitude till death enforc't him At length unquiet thoughts destroy'd the young King who disdain'd to live and not to raigne and since he could be onely the mockery of his owne title he was willing not to bee at all For while with his brother Geoffrey he was in armes against his Father and found no successe to his designes a violent fever with a flux seiz'd and admonisht him he was to dye which he entertain'd with little horrour till at last the conscience of his many crimes frighted him with apprehension of that world he was suddenly to travaile to The racke which put his soule to the extreamest torture was the injurie hee had contriv'd against his father which hee redeem'd by humble penitence for the old King sent his signer whether he durst not trust his person and assured his sonne a pardon which gave courage to his death and made him with lesse trouble resolve for his last account Having by his preposterous association into the Soveraigne title created to his father disquiet and repentance and to himselfe onely enlarg'd the shadow The death of Richard the first King of England THe severall parts of humane life are distinguisht by our vices The smoothnesse of youth is tyranniz'd by sensuall pleasure the body growing to more strength ambition engageth to action but when age inclines toward the grave Avarice preposterous to reason forceth man then to reckon upon treasure when death threatens to cancell all the bonds and Out him from the world with no more gaietie than at his birth hee entred Thus are we mockt by our owne sinnes vainely providing for the safetie of life when the tombe layes claime to our wrinckles and infirmitie holds before our eyes Times houre-glasse with the last graine of sand readie to fall downe The soule busying its thoughts with setting long leases when it is suddenly to be turn'd out of its owne weak cottage Richard the first of England varied not from this common path having stain'd his youth with lust honour'd his maturer yeares with triumphs but leaning now toward age permitting Avarice to be night the glory of his former actions And so vainly did this wretched vice mis-governe him that as wandring by the conduct of an ignis fatuus hee followed the acquisition of an imaginary treasure For vvhile he pursued the punishment of some Rebell Lords in Poitou vvho had assisted contrary to alleigance the French Kings affaires during the late vvarres hee vvas inform'd that Widomer a Vicount of base Britaine had possest himselfe of much vvealth fortune unavvares to his endeavours having leade him to a secret cave vvherein foolish Avarice or feare of some sudden surprise had buried vast treasures This severe pursute thrust the distracted Lord into severall passions vvhich councel'd him rather to foregoe his alleigance than his fortune and knovving hovv safe even innocence and integrity are against the assault of povver hee having no such vvarrant fled into Limosin a Country which owed to King Richard no obedience but what his just title and sharpe sword did force and in the strongest towne there hee inclosed himselfe and the purchase of that treasure which created him so many feares and so little safety By the communication of his gold he brought the townesmen into association of his danger for where they are interested in a regard to profit what tye hath fealtie upon the conscience and how little is a life esteem'd when money that supreame felicitie of fooles is concern'd The King disdained thus to be opposed threatning ruine and devastation to that place which could so easily sell its homage and in the heate of rage and power he assaulted it ventring for a poore bargaine the Crowne of England and his principalities in France and Ireland For if his life miscarried in the attempt what interest could death reserve for him to Empire who wanting children despair'd even to survive in that imaginary vanitie But when did passion take advice of truth Or when powerfull Avarice inclined to revenge what reason could give a bound to mischiefe But the Towne resolv'd to oppose since no conquest could bring more desolation than to yeeld to that passion which hath no affinitie with mercie And while the King when violence receiv'd repulse labourd by Art to master the place an envenomed Arrow shot by a revengfull hand strucke him into the shoulder Which wound being drest by a rude unskilfull Surgeon made the anguish insupportable to any man whom rage arm'd not with a new kinde of patience For neglecting all complaint he so seriously used his wit and courage to prosecute his designe that within twelve dayes he brought the towne to yeeld to mercie Where after narrow search hee found the treasure hee so vainely followed a deceitfull vision that misled him to his ruin This conquest finisht he began to acknowledge he was but man for death commanded him away and hee obeyd the summons Then hee found another law to over-rule his spirits and being to appeale from the severity of the eternall Iustice hee laboured in himselfe to practise mercie And in this short intervall betweene the glorious thoughts of life and his last houre hee left his vertue an example to the most religious as his valour had beene an envie in the most ambitious For when the Paracide in a pride of the high mischiefe hee had committed refused to lay fault on errour but impiously aver'd hee did that great sinne to revenge his Father and two brothers slaughtered by the King the King forgave him with so much pietie that hee rewarded even the Executioner and conjured his servants that this unhappie man might enjoy the comfort of his revenge and survive a Trophee of so eminent a mercy But this pious Testament had no obedient Executors the King no longer obey'd than he had liberty from death to command For justice then unsheath'd her sword and least the example of too much favour might afterward become an injurie the Paracide was fleade and hang'd upon a gibbet In the horrid silence of his punishment more effectually expressing his owne treason and the
OBSERVATIONS VPON HISTORIE BY W. H. Esq. LONDON Printed by T. Cotes for Will Cooke and are to be sold at his shop neere Furnivalls-Inne gate in Holborne 1641. TO THE READER THe world must forgive me my trouble and perhaps its owne if I throw my selfe on censure by this publicke Edition of my private studie These observations are history such as surpris'd me in the reading wch least my memory should betray me I committed to writing They are singular accidents and therefore more powerfull to arrest the eye and make the imagination stand amaz'd at the vicissitude of time and fortune And where can Phylosophie finde such sober precepts as out of history History that faithfull preserver of things past that great instructer of the present and certaine Prophet of the future By it wee may discover the print which former ages made and treading that know how to avoyd the by-wayes of errour and misfortune By it wee are taught the value of humane things by contemplation of the frailtie and ruine of which wee are elevated to the love of the Eternall For when we reade the subversion of Empires and looke for those great Princes who commanded them and finde not so much dust left of them as may serve the smallest wind to sport with what variety of power is not confounded What authority with most famed Monarchs can secure it selfe to the least complacence when the proud manreades the folly of all those cunning Arts which advance to greatnesse but never could protect from ruin And who can looke cloudie on his owne poore fortune when he findes that the too much favour of Princes like the too neere rayes of the Sunne tans them they shine upon Neither can discontent finde entrance into that soule who by a just valuation of what is transitory resolves fortune hath not in her gift vvhat may ennoble nor in her rage vvhat may debase a vvell ordered minde This History instructs us to vvhich maturely read by a Sober spirit hath povver in the uncertaine Sea of fraylty to settle man fixt against all the injures of nature hath depraved us to Farewell OBSERVATIONS UPON HISTORY Of Henry the seconds association of his eldest Sonne to the regall Throne MAude the Empresse by the weaknesse of her Sexe lost that Crowne she had title to in being sole Daughter to Henry the first The ungratefull English opposing powre against infirmitie and violating that oath they had sworne to her succession as if fealtie could not be obleiged to woman and the more politick regards had authority to dispence with the more honest Yet did her son prevaile and Anchor'd in the Haven of that Monarchie from which so various tempests such broken tides and so many shelfs and rockes had bar'd her For the very Genius of this Nation by a strange dotage on the male heires hath still bin cruell to the female when they had a sonne able for government Henry the seventh like this great Henry not disputing the title of a mother when youth and action rais'd him to be acceptable to the Kingdome though in that some contempt reflected on her reverend weakenesse So little did the appetite of power regulate it selfe by the streight rule of conscience But Henry the second disdain'd this disordered voting in the people who were in danger as easily to misplace Authority if fancie should mis-leade them to doate unlawfully since in how dangerous a Doctrine an unwarrantable president instructs posteritie And with what little difficultie the multitude breakes all dutie if by an awfull hand not kept to the most severe The libertie of such elections having beene ever of ruinous consequence to that Nation which maintaines it Among many gallant sonnes to leave the Kingdome no dispute about the choyce he gave order for coronation of his eldest thereby to exempt the people from the trouble of an hereafter suffrage For since the violent entrance of his great grand father William the Bastard on the government of England passion had disorder'd succession and no Prince but might challenge in his tyrannie a descent from the first usurper But King Henry brought justice to the throne and making claime to the Monarchie by a streight line with more earnestnesse endeavour'd to continue it to posterity But when pollicie shoots too farre her arrowes fall ever wide for humane judgement hath no sight into the future and mistakes when it endeavours beyond a lawful distance The wit of man delights to finde eternitie in a moment and to build a lasting edefice on a quickesand For what Arts can perpetuate Monarchie and how fraile a reede is all our wisedome to support an empire This very cunning in King Henry proved such folly that his friends were enforst to pittie For while in the pompe of this Coronation he seem'd even to survive himselfe and see his eldest sonne succeed which happinesse no Prince here had for long time attain'd A sudden Devill for what els can we terme ambition was rais'd which no exorcisme of a parents awe had powre to lay For this new honour created new passions and the sonne having equall title with the Father disdain'd to want equall greatnesse Why should he bee made a mockery of Princes and weare the Diadem without the power why should he be thought worthy the throne and not the Scepter why should his youth active to great attempts be frozen up by the cold advice of a declining father If it was wisdom to raise him to so eminent a degree why wanted he justice to exercise it Vnlesse his father design'd to make the most serious act of government an interlude of mirth and convert the Church into a stage to represent the Comedie more to the life But though this was intended onely for a Pageant yet did it behoove him in this first appearing to the world to shew himselfe farre above the scorne or sport of either his enemies or friends This was whisper'd in his eare and the discourse pleasing the vanitie of his passion soone wonne authoritie on his reason For with how little remorse is the conscience perswaded when the least apparence of justice priviledgeth ambition what thoughts at first he feard to trust his heart with by this advice he enlarged to his tongue and from private discourses he began open complaints so that hee tooke confidence to urge his father to a resignation of his Kingdome and other Provinces which with so eminent a fame he hitherto had govern'd Nor was a powerfull faction wanting both in England and abroad who though at the inward tribunall of their judgement they condemn'd so unnaturall ingratitude yet outwardly did applaude the young Kings most crooked wayes which easily are made streight to opinion when they carry in them matter to foment hopes of innovation The father endeavourd by reason to calm this tempest advis'd the son not to anticipate vexation for how smoth a brow soever Majestiepretended the inward aspect must needes prove rugged Since no command is happie