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A08591
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Sir Thomas Ouerbury his obseruations in his trauailes vpon the state of the Xvii. Prouinces as they stood anno Dom. 1609 The treatie of peace being then on foote.
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Overbury, Thomas, Sir, 1581-1613.
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1626
(1626)
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STC 18903; ESTC S113538
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13,386
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32
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most remarkable place in that side is Antwerp which rose vpon the fall of Bruges equally strong and beautifull remaining yet so vpon the strength of its former greatnesse twice spoyled by the Spaniard and the like attempted by the French The Cittadell was built there by the D. of Alva but renued by the Prince of Parma after his 18. moneths besieging it the Towne accepting a Castle rather then a Garrison to mingle among them There are yet in the Towne of Citizens 30000. fighting men 600. of which kept Watch nightly but they allowed neither Cannon vpon the Rampier nor Megazins of powder In the Castle are 200. peeces of Ordnance and commonly seuen or eight hundred Souldiers Flanders is the best of the seuenteene Provinces but the Havens thereof are naught Obseruations on the State of France 1609. vnder Henry the Fourth By Sir THOMAS OVERBVRY HAuing seene the forme of a Common-wealth and a Prouince with the different effects of Warres in them I entred France flourishing with Peace and of Monarchies the most absolute because the King there not only makes Peace and Warres Calls and dissolues Parliaments Pardoneth naturalizeth Innobleth Names the value of Money Presseth to the Warre but euen makes Lawes and imposes Taxes at his pleasure And all this he doth alone for as for that forme that his Edicts must be authorized by the next Court of Parliament that is the next Court of soueraigne Iustice first the Presidents thereof are to be chosen by him and to bee put out by him and secondly when they concurre not with the King he passeth any thing without them as he did the last Edict for the Protestants And for the assembly of the three Estates it is growne now almost as extraordinary as a generall Counsell with the losse of which their Liberty fell and when occasion vrgeth it is possible for the King to procure that all those that shall bee sent thither shall be his Instruments for the Duke of Guise effected as much at the assembly of Bloys The occasion that first procured the King that Supremacie that his Edicts should be Lawes was the last Inuasion of the English for at that time they possessing two parts of France the three Estates could not assemble whereupon they did then grant that power vnto Charles the Seuenth during the Warre And that which made it easie for Lewis the Eleuenth and his Successors to continue the same the occsion ceasing was that the Clergie and Gentrie did not runne the same fortune with the people there as in England for most of the Taxes falling only vpon the people the Clergie aud Gentrie being forborne were easily induced to leaue them to the Kings mercy But the King hauing got strength vpon the Pesants hath beene since the bolder to inuade part of both their liberties For the succession of this Monarchie it hath subsisted without intermission these 1200. yeares vnder three Races of Kings No Nation hath heretofore done greater things abroad in Palestine and Egipt besides all parts of Europe but for these last 400. yeares they haue only made Sallies into Italie and often suffered at home Three hundred yeares the English afflicted them making two firme Inuasions vpon them and taking their King prisoner the second greatnesse of Christendome next the Emperour being then in competition betwixt vs and them And to secure themselues against vs rather then the House of Austria as it then stood they chose to marry the Heire of Bretaigne before that of Burgundy And for this last hundred yeares the Spantard vndertaking them hath eaten them out of all but France and endangered that too But for this present France had neuer as France a more entire greatnesse though it hath often beene richer For since the Warre the King is only got afore hand the Country is but yet in recouering the War hauing lasted by spaces 32. yeares and so generally that no man but had an Enemie within three miles and so the Countrey became Frontier all ouer Now that which hath made them at this time so largely great at home is their adopting into themselues the lesser adioyning Nations without destruction or leauing any marke of strangenesse vpon them as the Bretons Gascoignes Provincalls and others which are not French towards the which Vnions their nature which is easie and harborous to strangers hath done more then any Lawes could haue effected but with long time The King as I said enioying what Lewis the 11. did gaine hath the entire Soueraigntie in himselfe because hee can make the Parliament doe what he please or else doe what he please without them For the other three Estates The Church is there very rich being estimated to enioy the third part of the Reuenew of France but otherwise nothing so potent as else-where partly because the Inquisition is not admitted in France but principally because the Popes ordinary power is much restrayned there by the Liberties which the French Church claymeth Which Liberties doe not so much ensranchize the Church it selfe as conferre the Authoritie the Pope looseth vpon the King as first fruites and the disposing of all Spirituall preferments And by reason of this neutralitie of Authoritie the Church-men suffer more there then either in England where they wholly depend vpon the King or in Spaine and Italie where they wholly subsist by the Pope because the Pope is not able totally to support them and the King takes occasion euer to suppresse them as beeing not entirely his Subiects and to him they pay yearely both the tenth of all their Tithe and of all their Temporall land The Gentrie are the onely entire Body there which participate with the Prerogatiues of the Crowne for from it they receiue Priuiledges aboue all other men and a kinde of limited Regality vpon their Tenants besides reall supply to their estates by Gouernments and Pensions and freedome from Tallies vpon their owne Lands that is vpon their Demaines and whatsoeuer else they manure by their Seruants but so much as they let to Tenants is presently Tallie-able which causeth proportionable abatement in the Rent and in recompence of this they owe to the King the Ban and the Arriereban that is to serue him and his Lieutenant three Moneths within the Land at their owne Charges And as in Warre they vndergoe the greatest part of the danger so then is their power most perremptorie aboue the rest whereas in time of Peace the King is ready to support inferiour persons against them and is glad to see them to waste one another by Contention in Law for feare they grow rich because hee fore-sees that as the Nobilitie onely can doe him seruice so they onely misapplyed can doe him harme The auntient Gentrie of France was most of it consumed in the Warres of Godfrey of Bulloigne and some in those of Saint Lewis because vpon their setting out they pawned all their Feifs to the Church and few of them were after redeemed by reason whereof the Church possesseth at
Sir THOMAS OVERBVRY HIS OBSERVATIONS IN HIS TRAVAILES VPON THE STATE OF THE XVII PROVINCES AS THEY STOOD ANNO DOM. 1609. The Treatie of Peace being then on foote Printed M.DC.XXVI SIR THOMAS OVERBVRY'S OBSERVATIONS IN HIS TRAVELS VPON THE STATE of the 17. Prouinces as they stood Anno Dom. 1609. the Treaty of Peace being then on foote And first of the PROVINCES Vnited ALL things Concurred for the rising and maintenance of this State the Disposition of the people beeing as mutenous so industrious and frugall the Nature of the Countrey euery where Fortifiable with water the Scituation of it hauing behinde them the Baltique Sea which yeelds them all materials for Ships and many other Commodities and for Men hard before them France and England both fearing the Spanish greatnesse and therefore both Concurring for their Ayde the remotenesse of their Master from them the Change of Religion falling out about the time of their Reuolt and now the Marquise of Brandenburgh a Protestant like to become Duke of Cleue The discontentments of the Low-Countries did first appeare soone after the going away of the Kings of Spaine while the Dutchesse of Parma Gouerned to suppresse which beginnings the Duke of Alva being sent inflamed them more vpon attempting to bring in the Inquisition and Spanish Decimation vpon the Beheading Count Horne and Count Egmont persecuting those of the Religion and vndertaking to build Cittadels vpon all their Townes which hee effected at Antwerpe but enterprising the like at Flushing that Towne reuolted first and vnder it began the Warre But the more generall reuolt of the Prouinces happened after the Death of Don Lewis de Requiesens and vpon the comming downe of Don Iohn of Austria when all the Prouinces excepting Luxenburgh vpon the sacke of Antwerpe and other Insolencies Proclaimed the Spaniards Rebels and Enemies to the King yet the abjuring of their obedience from the Crowne of Spaine was not in a yeare or two after Holland and Zealand vpon their first standing out offered the Soueraigntie of themselues to the Queene then the Protection both which shee neglected and that while the French sent greater ayde and more men of qualitie then wee but after the Ciuill Warre began in France that kept them busie at home and then the Queene seeing the necessitie of their being supported vpon the pawning of Brill and Flushing sent Money and Men And since that most part of the great exploits there haue beene done by the English who were commonly the third part of the Armie being foure Regiments besides eleuen hundred in Flushing and the Ramekins and fiue hundred in the Brill But of late the King of France appearing more for them then ours and paying himselfe the French that are there they giue equall if not more Countenance to that Nation But vpon these two Kings they make their whole dependancie and though with more respect to him that is stronger for the time yet so as it may giue no distaste vnto the other For the manner of their Gouernment They haue vpon occasion an assembly of the generall States like our Parliament being composed of those which are sent from euery Prouince vpon summons and what these Enact stands for Lawe Then is there besides a Counsell of State residing for the most part at the Hage which attends daily occasions being rather imployed vpon affaires of State then of particular Iustice. The most potent in this Counsell was BARNAVILL by reason of his Aduocates of Holland And besides both these euery Prouince and great Towne haue particular Counsells of their owne To all which assemblies aswell of the generall States as the rest the Gentrie is called for order sake but the State indeed is Democraticall the Merchant and the Tradesman being predominant the Gentrie now but few and poore and euen at the beginning the Prince of Orange saw it safer to relie vpon the Townes then them Neither are the Gentrie so much engaged in the cause the people hauing more aduantages in a free State they in a Monarchy Their care in gouernment is very exact and particular by reason that euery one hath an imediate interest in the State Such is the equality of Iustice that it renders euery man satisfied such the publike regularity as a man may see their Lawes were made to guide not to entrappe such their exactnesse in casting the expence of an Armie as that it shall bee equally farre from superfluity and want and as much order and certaintie in their acts of Warre as in ours of Peace teaching it to bee both Ciuill and rich And they still retaine that signe of a Common-wealth yet vncorrupted Priuate Pouertie and publike Weale for no one priuate man there is exceeding rich and few very poore and no State more sumptuous in all publike things But the question is whether this being a free State will aswell subsist in Peace as it hath done hitherto in Warre Peace leauing euery one to attend his particular wealth when feare while the Warre lasts makes them concurre for their common safety And Zealand vpon the least securitie hath euer beene enuious at the predominancie of Holland and Vtrich ready to Mutinie for Religion and besides it is a doubt whether the same care and sinceritie would continue if they were at their Consistence as appeares yet whiles they are but in rising The Reuenew of this State ariseth chiefely from the Earle of Hollands Demaynes and Confiscated Church liuings the rising and falling of Money which they vse with much aduantage their Fishing vpon our Coasts and those of Norway Contribution out of the Enemies Countrie Taxes vpon all things at home and Impositions vpon all Merchandizes from abroad Their expences vpon their Ambassadours their Shippings their Ditches their Rampiers and Munition and commonly they haue in pay by Sea and Land 60000. men For the strength The nature of the Countrie makes them able to defend themselues long by land neither could any thing haue endangered them so much as the last great Frost had not the Treatie beene then on foot because the Enemy being then Master of the field that rendred their Ditches Marshes and Riuers as firme ground There belongs to that State 20000. Vessells of all sorts so that if the Spaniard were entirely beaten out of those parts the Kings of France and England would take asmuch paines to suppresse as euer they did to raise them For being our Enemies they are able to giue vs the Law at Sea and eate vs out of all trade much more the French hauing at this time three Ships for our one though none so good as our best Now that whereupon the most part of their Reuenew and strength depends is their Traffique in which mysterie of State they are at this day the wisest for all the Commodities that this part of the world wants and the Indies haue as Spice Silke Iewells Gold they are become the Conueyers of them for the rest of Christendome except vs as the Venetians were of