and speech encouraged both Commanders and souldiers saying to them as I have heard If her brother Philip came she would give fire to the first Piece against him I might alledge the testimony of your greatest enemy in confirmation of your Majesties valour at Worcester-battle Kings bear a double image of God as they are men and as they are Magistrates The Scripture saith Those which rule over men should be just ruling in the fear of God One saith They should labour to be more religious and pious toward God than ordinary persons because of the great need they have of his illumination in their counsels of his conduct in their enterprises of his force in their executions and of his provident care in their various occurrents dangers difficulties The Kings seat was so set in the Temple that all might see him there Ezek. 46. 10. 2 Chron. 6. 12 13. 2 King 11. 14. 23. 3. that by his example the devotion of his people might be stirred up God having done such great things both abroad and at home for your Majesty expecteth great things from you I shall humbly implore the Almighty that he would so guide you in all your wayes that you may make his Interest your great interest by reforming what is amiss in Court and Kingdom by promoting his pure worship encouraging the power of godliness and all such as walk according to Scripture-rule are peaceable and hold the Fundamentals by discountenancing Atheisme errour and profaneness the fruits of abused peace and prosperity altering the old speech for the better Exeat aula Qui vult esse pius into impius So shall White-Hall answer its name and your Majesty approve your self to be what your Father desired Charles the Good which is the earnest prayer of Your Majesties most humbly devoted and Loyall subject Edward Leigh TO THE CURTEOUS AND CANDID READER Reader I Here present thee with Choice Observations of all the Kings of England I suppose the Subject will not be unpleasing to an Englishman if the work be answerable to the Title I have excerped my Materials out of the best Latine Writers the Monks to whom we are especially beholding for the History of our Kings of England and chiefest English Chroniclers and Annalists and such as have written of a few or any one of our English Princes Bedes Historia Gentis Anglorum set out by Wheelock of whom Petavius in his History of the world lib. 8. cap. 4. saith thus Bede made his Brittain famous with no lesse Godlinesse and Learning than History who even unto the year 735 hath concluded the Christian beginnings of that Nation Rerum Anglicarum Scriptores post Bedam praecipui in Latine in folio set out by Sr Henry Savill containing the History of Gulielmus Malmesburiensis Henry Huntington Roger Hoveden and others Anglica Normannica Hibernica Cambrica a veteribus Scripta in Latine also in Folio put out by Camden Matthew Paris his Works set out by Dr Watts who is a faithfull Historian and hath written the Reigns of the first seven Kings after the Conquest Of the English Chroniclers Speed Martin and Baker seem to be the best Voluminous Hollingshead Stow and How are not much esteemed by the Learned Sr John Hayward hath written well of the three Norman Kings and Edward the sixth he hath written briefly also of Henry the eourth Godwin of Henry the eighth Edward the sixth and Queen Mary and also of the Bishops of England in Latine and English Sr Robert Cotton of Henry the third Habington of Edward the fourth Sr Thomas More of Richard the third both in Latine and English and Buck my Lord Bacon excellently of Henry the seventh my Lord Herbert of Henry the eighth Camden Annals of Queen Elizabeth and Dr Heylin as is said of King Charles the first History is both pleasing and profitable especially the memorable things of all our own Kings and Governours who have for so many years Raigned amongst us Examples of Superiours especially are very prevalent which of the Rulers believed in him One saith if King Edward the sixth had lived a little longer his only example had bred such a Race of worthy learned Gentlemen as this Realm never yet did afford Here are examples of all sorts good and bad to be followed and eschewed Some loose vain and licentious others learned wise valiant minding the publick welfare of the Nation The Pope could but little prevaile here in England during the Raign of King Edward the third and Richard the second Henry the eighth cast him out then when he had too great power and command over other Princes As he cast out the Pope so did his children Edward the sixth and Queen Elizabeth cast out Popery out of England and so freed us from his spirituall bondage as the other did from his Temporall May their memory be therefore still precious amongst us as the Reformation we enjoy chiefly by their means is a singular blessing Let Him be accounted our English Josias and Her our English Deborah on whom those Verses were made Spains Rod Romes Ruine Netherlands Relief Earths Joy Englands Gem Worlds Wonder Natures chief Prince Henry likewise eldest Son to King James was a virtuous and hopefull Prince had he not been taken away in the flower of his youth he would its thought have much opposed the Pope and Spaniard I have read somewhere of him that he would not swear no not at his Sports and Recreation and being demanded the reason tâ—ereof he said they were not of that weight as to draw an oath from him I hope therefore this Nation having had such worthy Princes and not being ignorant of the slavery they formerly indured when the Pope called England his Ass will never be so foolish as to turn back again into Egypt As long as Mr Foxe his Martyrology is so common to be read eighty eight and the fifth of November are so fresh in our remembrance let us valew the losse of Rome here amongst us no more than that Emperour Honorius did of whom Zonaras writes that he had a Hen called Roma and it being told him Rome was last he was troubled and said She was here even now yea said the other the Hen is here but the City is lost he was then well pleased Our Countriman Beda hath prophetically expounded that Roman S. P. Q. R. of our Englishmen travelling to Rome Stulâ—us Populus Quaerit Roman Though perhaps in some cases one may go too far from Rome yet since some of our Bishops formerly have written well against Antichrist and others have made the Pope to be Antichrist and since also the Iesuites are still busie amongst us I wish there may be no unwarrantable compliance either with the Romish Doctrine or Rites Thomas Lever who Preached before King Edward the sixth and escaped the fury of Queen Maries dayes is commended by Bullinger in his Epistle to Hooper He was the first
Rosa munda Non redolet sedolet quae redolere solet Being much incensed against Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury he once cried out Me miserum non possum in meo regno pacem cum uno sacerdote habere nec quisquam meorum omnium est qui me hac molestia liberare velit Which words were so interpreted by some that it occasioned his death Stapleton a Jesuit put forth a Book entituled Tres Thomae St. Thomas the Apostle Thomas of Becket and Sir Thomas More He canonizeth the two last and writes far more of them then of the first For the death of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury he was scourged with rods by the Monks of Canterbury and had eighty lashes Geffery Archbishop of Yorke and base son to King Henry the second used proudly to protest by his faith and the Royalty of the King his father To whom one said You may sometimes Sir as well remember what was the honesty of your mother Petrus Blesensis was Archdeacon of Bath under him There was a very strange presage of his death by a Meer or Pool in Normandy for all the Fishes therein leapt forth on land in the night time and fought together with such a dreadfull noise that men came in great numbers to behold the wonder and not one Fish could be found alive in the Pool Other strange accidents are also reported When he died there were found in his Coffers nine hundred thousand pounds besides Plate and Jewels His youngest son was called Iohn Lackland because he had no land assigned him in his fathers time Titles he lacked none for his father had made him Earl of Cornwall Dorset Sommerset Nottingham Derby and Lancaster He raigned thirty four yeares seven moneths and five dayes CHAP. XV. RICHARD the first HE was for his valour sirnamed Coeur de Lion or the Lions heart Hugh Nevill a Gentleman of noble linage one of King Richards speciall familiars is recorded to have slain a Lion in the holy land driving first an Arrow into his brest and then running him through with his Sword Whereupon this Hexameter was made Viribus Hugonis vires periere Leonis The strength of Hugh a Lion slew Which atchievment belike was transferred from the man to the Master and the Story applied to the King by name of King Richard Coeur de Lion But this is only Weevers opinion He was crowned at Westminster by Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury He being at dinner in his Hall of Westminster hearing the French King besieged Vernoyâ—e he swore that he would never turn his face till he had fought with him if he did abide and caused the wall to be broken before him and so passed to Normandy and receiving his brother Iohn to mercy raised the siege for the French King fled as soon as he heard of Kings Richards coming A Prince of a most haughty mind and full of resolution born for the Weal of Christendome the honour of England and the terrour of Infidels With the beams of his victories atchieved in Cypres and Syria he made our Countrey of England most famous and renowned through the world He had trained up in his Court a Rymer or Minstrell called Blondell de Neste who being so long without the sight of his Lord his life seemed wearisome to him It was known that he came back from the holy land but none could tell in what Countrey he arrived Whereupon this Blondell resolving to make search for him in many Countries but he would hear some news of him after expence of divers dayes in travell he came to a Town by good hap near to the Castle where his Master King Richard was kept Of his Host he demanded to whom the Castle appertained and the Host told him it belonged to the Duke of Austria Then he enquired whether any prisoner was there detained or no for alwayes he made such secret questionings wheresoever he came and the Host answered that there was one only prisoner but he knew not what he was and yet he had been detained there more then the space of a year When Blondell heard this he used such meanes that he became acquainted with them of the Castle as Minstrels do easily win acquaintance any where but see the King he could not neither understand that it was he One day he sate directly before a window of the Castle where King Richard was kept prisoner and began to sing a song in French which King Richard and Blondell had sometime composed together When King Richard heard the song he knew it was Blondell that sung it and when Blondell paused at half of the song the King entreated him to sing the rest Thus Blondell won knowledge of the King his Master and returning home into England made the Barons of the Countrey acquainted where the King was Whereas before his time the City of London was governed by Portgraves he granted them to be governed by two Sheriffs and a Maior as now it is Iohn the Kings brother making an incursion up to Beauvois where the Bishop being also an Earl of the royall bloud and the eleventh Peer of France valiantly fighting was taken in the skirmish armed at all points and bravely mounted on whose behalf the Pope upon the Bishops humble suit pleading the Clergies immunity wrote somewhat earnestly to King Richard to set his very dear son for so he called the Bishop at liberty The King in a kind of pleasant earnestness caused the Habergeon and Curaces of the Bishop to be presented to the Pope with this question Vide an tunica filii tui sit an non Whereupon the Pope replied That he was neither his son nor the son of the Church and therefore should be ransomed at the Kings will because he was rather judged to be a servitor of Mars then a souldier of Christ. In his time were those famous Out-laws called Robin-hood and Little Iohn He was wounded in the arm by an Arrow shot at him out of a Cross-bow by Peter Bisile of which wound he died within four dayes after CHAP. XVI King Iohn WHose Raign had it not fallen in the time of so turbulent a Pope so ambitious neighbour-Princes so disloyall Subjects nor his Story into the hands of exasperated Writers he had appeared a King of as great renown as misfortunes His overhasty undertakings brought in those broyls of the Barons Wars Before this Kings time we seek in vain for any great Councel He first as may be gathered though darkly by the Record used their Councels and Assents in the sixth year of his Raign He had by his Wife Isabel a son Henry who succeeded him in the Kingdome In his voyage towards Ireland as he was in his journey in the borders of Wales there was one taken and brought before him who had killed a Priest The Officer desired to understand the Kings pleasure what he would have done to him Let him
overlaid Well then said the King return and tell them who sent you That so long at my son is alive they send no more to me whatever happen for I will that the honour of the day be his And so at last the English obtained the greatest victory they ever yet had against the French There were there found the dead bodies of eleven great Princes and of Barons Knights and men of Arms above one thousand and five hundred of the Commons above thirty thousand Not one man of honour or note slain upon the English side King Edward after the Battell aftectionately embracing and kissing his victorious son said Fair son God send you good perseverance to so prosperous beg innings you have nobly acquit your self and are well worthy to have the governance of a Kingdome entrusted to you for your valour Sir Eustace Rihamant in the encounter at Calis-Gate between Sir Walter Manny and the Lord Charney met with King Edward who disguising himself in common armour served under the banner of Sir Walter Manny and fought so stoutly with him that he stroke the King twice down on his knees but in the end the King took him prisoner and then he yeelded his Sword to the King but knowing what he was said thus Sir Knight I yeeld me as your prisoner upon which cause the King came after supper to him and with a merry countenance said thus to the Knight Sir Eustace you are the Knight in the world that I have seen most valiant either in assault of enemies or defence of himself I never â—ound Knight that gave so much ado body to body as ye have done this day wheâ—efore I give you the prize above all the Knights of my Court by right sentence and herewithall the King being bare-headed having a Chaplet of fine pearls that he ware on his head took the same Chaplet from off his head being fair goodly and rich and said to the Knight I give you this Chaplet for the best doer in Arms in this journey past of either party and I desire you to bear it this year for the love of me I know well you be fresh and amorous and oftentimes are among doubty Knights and fair Ladies yet say wheresoever ye come that the King of England did give it you and I quite your prison and ransome depart to morrow if it please you whereupon the Knight did not only wear the same Chaplet in remembrance of so gracious a benevolence of so worthy a Prince but also did bear after in his Arms three Chaplets garnished of pearls Fern his Glory of Generosity p. 210 211. Mr. Wren in his Monarchy asserted p. 125. saith The successes of the English in France alwayes followed the person of the Prince with us Edward the third and Henry the fifth wise and valiant Princes gaining Richard the second and Henry the sixth weak Princes losing with them Iohn and Charles the sixth men of no ability losing Charles the fifth and Charles the seventh brave Princes recovering Edward the black Prince of Wales who so long governed our Countrey of Guienne a man whose conditions and fortune were accompanied with many notable parts of worth and magnanimity having been grievously offended by the Limosins though he by main force took and entered their City could by no means be appeased nor by the wailfull out-cries of all sorts of people as of men women and children be moved to any pitty they prostrating themselves to the common slaughter crying for mercy and humbly submitting themselves at his feet untill such time as in triumphant manner passing through their City he perceived three French Gentlemen who alone with an incredible and undaunted boldness gainstood the enraged violence and made head against the fury of his victorious Army The consideration and respect of so notable a vertue did first abate the dint of his wrath and from these three began he to relent and shew mercy to all the other inhabitants of the Town Michael Lord of Montaigne his Essayes l. 1. c. 1. Having had great victories against the French and other neighbouring Nations he instituted the Order of the Garter and consecrated it to St. George He appointed a Garter to be the Ensign of this Order wrought richly with gold and precious stones which should circle the leg beneath the knee and on it to have these words apparently discerned Honi Soit Qui Mal Y â—ense Shame to him which evil thinks The number of these Knights are twenty six whereof the King himself is the chief These Knights wear the Ensign of Saint George fighting with a Dragon fastened to a rich Chain or Collar which weighed and was worth eighty pounds of English money See Montaigne his Essayes l. 2. c. 7. of the words of honour About this time the famous Dr. Iohn Wicklef a man of sharp wit profound learning and of great judgement did in the University of Oxford publickly maintain sundry Propositions and dogmaticall points against the Church of Rome His followers were in the phrase of those dark dayes called Lollards whereas in truth they endeavoured to extirpate all pernicious weeds which through time sloath and fraud had crept into the field of Gods Church Such was this Kings courtesie friendly behaviour toward the two captive Kings of France and Scotland while they remained together in England as that hereby he won their love and favour for ever after as appeared by their repair hither to visit the King and Queen and to recreate and solace themselves in their company Thus it came to pass that their captivity here turned more to their own advantage and the peaceable enjoying of their estates after the same then if it had never hapned unto them Mr. Thomas May wrote his victorious Raign in Verse in seven Books He raigned almost one and fifty yeares and lived about sixty five who of all the Kings of the Realm saith Mr. Fâ—x unto Henry the eight was the greatest bridler of the Popes usurped power whereby Iohn Wicklef was maintained with aid sufficient CHAP. XVIII RICHARD the second HE descended from four Edwards of which the first three were succeeding Kings the fourth Prince of Wales sirnamed the black Prince who dying before his father Edward the third did not attain the Crown The Civil Warres of England by Sir Francis Bâ—ondi an Italian He was crowned in the eleventh year of his age and sufficiently shewed the miserable condition of such States as are governed by an Infant King He was the goodliest personage of all the Kings that had been since the conquest The beautifull picture of a King sighing crowned in a Chair of Estate at the upper end of the Quire in St. Peters at Westminster is said to be of him which witnesseth how goodly a creature he was ilâ— outward lineaments Speed He had nothing worthy his great fortunes but his great birth When he had with full hand bestowed upon Simâ—â—â— Montford Earl of Leicester
all the benefits he could yea and given his own sister iâ— marriage he raised a most dangerous War and spoiled shamefully a great part of England under pretence of restoring the Commonwealth and maintaining liberty neither left he any thing undone to bring the King under to change the State of a Mâ—â—â—rchy to bring in an Oligarchy But in the 〈◊〉 after that fortune had for a good while favourably smiled upon him he was slain at Eveshâ—m in Worcestershire with many other of the Barons his Complices by the prowess of Prince Edward 〈…〉 〈…〉 Although the Kingdome endured great Crosses in the affairs of State under this King yet some have thought that it found as great a blessing in matters of Religion which in those dayes took so deep root in this our Land by the preaching of Iohn Wickliffe that the branches thereof did spread themselves even over the Seas Speeds Chronicle He was the onely Son of that famous Cheiftain the black Prince of Wales a renowned son of a renowned father but as a plant transplanted into a savage soyl in degree and disposition wholly degenerate retained a tincture of the light inconstancy of his Mother and the luxuriousness of his great Grandfather Edward the second and running his course came to his end He had in his Court a thousand persons in ordinary allowance of diet three hundred servitors in his Kitchin above three hundred Ladies Chamberers and Landerers His Apparel was sumptuous and so was it generally in his time he had one Coat of gold and stone valued at thirty thousand Marks One interview with the French King at Ards when his Wife Isabel was delivered unto him cost three hundred thousand Markâ— Queen Anne his Wife Daughter to the Emperour Charles the fourth first taught English women the manner of sitting on horseback which now is used whereas before-time they rode very unseemly astride like as men do The Civil Wars in England had their beginning from his bad Government Henry the fourth did first commence them and Henry the fifth suspended them but they again brake forth under Henry the sixth Wat Tyler the Master of the Kentish Rebels was slain with a Dagger by William Walworth Mayor of London close by the Kings side in the Kings defence who was therefore Knighted and the City since giveth for Arms the Dagger He was first deposed then slain Men are easily emboldened saith Guicciardine c. 3. of his History of Italy against a Prince that is fallen into contempt The most current report at that time went that he was Princely served every day at the Table with abundance of costly meats according to the order prescribed by Parliament but was not suffered to taste or touch any one of them and so perished of famine Mr. Fox saith he was at Pamfret Castle famished to death Sir Pierce of Extone at last killed him though he with an Axe wrested out of one of their hands first killed four of those which came with him to murther him At the point of his death he groaned forth these words My great Grandfather King Edward the second was in this manner deposed imprisoned and murthered by which means my Grandfather King Edward the third obtained possession of the Crown and now is the punishment of that injury powred upon his next successor Well this is right for me to suffer but not for you to do your King for a time may joy at my death and enjoy his desire but let him qualifie his pleasures with the expectation of the like justice for God who measureth all our actions by the malice of our minds will not suffer this violence unrevenged He lived three and thirty years raigned two and twenty and three moneths Thus far the Plantagenets have continued in an unquestionable right line now follows the division of the houses of Lancaster York three of each succeeding in their order Of Lancaster Henry the fourth sirnamed Bulling brook Henry the fifth of Monmouth Henry the sixth of Windsor Of Yorke three others succeeded upon a better title 1. Edward the fourth 2. Edward the fifth 3. Richard the third HENRY the fourth He was son to Iohn of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster from the loynâ— of whom the greatest number of the Kings of England Spain Portugall since his time as also several other persons of eminent dignity are descended Mr. Dugdalâ—s History of St. Pauls Cathedrall He was annointed with an oyl which a certain religious man gave unto Henry the first Duke of Lancaster Grandfather to the King by the mothers side when he served in the Wars of King Edward the third beyond the seas together with this Prophesie that the Kings which should be annointed therewith should be the Champions of the Church There was a great contest then between the white and red Rose the houses of Yorke and Lancaster The red Rose prevailed now he being the first renowned King of the house of Lancaster He first studied a popular party as needing all to support his titles There was in his Raign a Parliament held at Coventry called Parliamentum indoctorum the lack-learning Parliament either for the unlearnedness of the persons or for their malice to learned men During the time of this Kings Raign execution by fire was first put in practice within this Realm for controversies in points of Religion He shed the bloud of Gods Saints and raigned neither long nor hâ—pâ—ily Mr. Foxâ—aith â—aith his time was full of trouble bloud and misery He was the first of the Kings of England saith he that put out his hand to the shedding of the bloud of the Saints since the conquest Humphrey his son was by his brother King Henry the fifth created Duke of Glocester he was Protector of the Kingdome of England for twenty five years in the time of King Henry the sixth He was a man who nobly deserved of the Commonwealth and of learning as being himself very learned and a magnificent Patron and benefactor of the University of Oxford where he had been educated and was generally called the good Duke Speed This Duke Humphrey purchased a wonderfull number of Books in all Sciences whereof he freely gave to a Library in Oxford a hundred and twenty nine fair Volumes Bales Conclusion to Leylands New years gift to King Henry the eight One saith all the Henries of the house of Lancaster even to Henry the seventh were most eminent for great vertues Henry the fourth for his behaviour and courtesie Henry the fifth for his valour and magnanimity Henry the sixth for his justice and piety The renowned Prince King Henry the fifth during the life of his father was noted to be fierce and of wanton courage One of his servants whom he favoured was for felony by him committed arraigned at the Kings Bench whereof the Prince being advertised and incensed by light persons about him in furious rage came hastily to the Barre
learned himself and was a great Benefactor to the Vniversity of Oxford p. 123 I Queen Jane p. 178 179 Jests witty and merry speeches p. 21 29 35 81 92 158 163 165 166 167 175 176 185 188 207 211 King John p. 93 94 Ironside why so called p. 40 A stout Judge p. 124 125 126 K Kings-Evil when first cured in England p. 51 King of Heralds ordained by whom p. 132 L Laws the best made in the time of Richard the second and Henry the seventh p. 148 155 956 M Queen Mary p. 179 to 183 Murder punished remarkably p. 149 150 N Neote me of the first Divinity-Readers in Oxford p. 17 Normans what p. 53. We re-received our Laws and names of sports from them ib. p. 54 O Offa first gave the Peter-pence to Rome p. 12 Offas Church aud Offas Ditch ib. Oswald p. 9 Oswy ib. p. 9 10 P Parliament the first in the raign of Edward the third p. 111 Parliamentum bonum ib. Parliamentum indoctorum p. 122. Insanum Parliamentum p. 96 Plantagenet whence p. 84 Q Vertuous Queens p. 98 178 179 183 to 200 R Richard the first p. 89. 90 91 92 Richard the second p. 117 to 122 Richard the third p. 146 to 150 Rosamand what it signifies p. 86 87 The comely riding of women when it began in England p. 120 S Saxons a warlike people p. 12. They gave names to many Cities Towns Rivers Woods Fields in Engl. ib. Why Saxon Princes had their Name from a Horse and gave a Horse for their Escucheon p. 4 5 Schola Salernitana dedicated to Robert Son to William the Conqueror p. 67 68 Stephen p. 82 83 Stuart whence p. 200 T Thong Castle why so called p. 4 Tudors why so called p. 150 151 V Great Victory of the English over the French p 112 113 University Colledge in Oxford founded by King Alfred p. 22. There are his Armes in the Hall p. 25 W Earle of Warwick a person of great power in Edward the fourths reign p. 200 Women whether the Rule of Women be lawfull p 179 William the first p. 54 to 66 William the second p. 66 to 73 Wolves how destroyed in England p. 34. Wicklef in the Reign of Edw. the third p. 116 Y Yeomen of the Guard instituted by Henry the seventh p. 151 FINIS Beda to King Ceolwolph Speed his History of Greatbrittain to King Iames. Howe his Annals or Continuation of Stow and Bacons Henry the 7th to your Father when Prince * It was illustrious both in respect of the bright Star which then appeared at high-noon in the presence and sight of all See Stella meridiana also in respect of your near alliance to the greatest â—rinces of Christendom Doway Notes on Iosh. 3. 8. a See Dr Basire of Sacriledge b Montacuâ—ii Antidiatribae ad Diat 1. Bulengeri C Hookers Ecclesiasticall Policy l. 8. It is by divers Charters granted to the Church of Westminster to be locus Coronationis Regis repositorium Regalium Liber Regalis The Sword presents the Princes power the Crown their glory B. Bilson in his Sermon before K. Iames at his Coronation See the 〈◊〉 of Worcester 〈◊〉 Sermon at the Coronation King Iames commâ—ndeth Caesar above all proâ—â—e Writers both for the sweet slowing of thâ— style and the worthiness of the maner it self * Henry the first the fifth the seventh the eighth Edward the first the third the sixth especially who first began our happy Reformation in Religion At the Coronation of King Ioash the High-Priest delivered him the Testimony not only that he might know and do it himself but take care as much as lie in him that it might be known and observed by the people Dr Hardy his Apostolicall Lyturgy revived on 2 King 11. 12. Read the Scriptures diligently and with an humble spirit and in it observe what is plain and believe live accordingly Dr Ier. Taylors Letter to a person newly converted to the Church 2 Sam. 23. 3. a Molinier in his Essayâ—â— All that we beg at the hands of our Superiors is a liberty to worship God according to his word that we may have no thing imposed upon us but what we may be directed in our compliance with by the rule of Scripture we desire that men may not command where God is silent The Examinat of Dr Heylins History of the Reformar of the Church of England Those of the Presbyterian judgement that out of a reall tenderness cannot comply in all particulars will beyond doubt receive from his Majesty such savour and indulgence as may abundantly suffice to their relief Mr L'estrange his Holy Cheat. p. 78. of the 2d Edition See Mr Wheare De Methodâ— legendi Historias pag. 52. Daniel doth very well so far as he goes He is continued by Trussell Historia est testis temporum lux veritatis vita memoriae magistra vitae nuncia vetustatis Cicero l. 2. De Oratore * Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis a Aschams Schoolemaster l. 1. p. 20. * It was a very pious care and of singular example in so young a Prince to intend endeavour the reformation of Religion and the Church within his Realms For which even at this day we have cause to acknowledge the good providence of Almighty God in â—aising him up to become so blessed an instrument of his glory and our good BP Sandersons Episcopacy not prejudicial to Regall Power In the time of King Edward there was more I suppose than what one calls it a wambling toward the Genevah Discipline but neither very earnest nor very popular a Annal Tom◠〈◊〉 p. 33. b Whereas the Papists unjustly charge the Protestant Churches with Schism for departing from their Communion it could not but be a great scandall to them to confirm them in that their uncharitable opinion of us if we should utterly condemn any thing as unlawfull because it had been used in the times of Popery or abused by the Papists B. Sanders Epise not prejudiciall to Regall Power c As Father Gilpin and Father Latimer Annal. Rerum Anglicarum parte prima p. 101 102. Mr Lyfords Conscience Informed touching our late Thanksgivings Fox his Acts and Monumenâ— vol. 1. Cambd Brit. Englâ—sh Saxons Saxons eâ—oient tous extremeâ—ent belli queux comme esâ—rit Zosine lâ— plus vaillants renommez de tous les Germanis en grandeur de Courage en forces de â—â—â—ps en patience au â—ravail Histoire Dâ— Angleterre Par Andre Da Chesne l. 6. p. 1â—6 Verstigans Antiq 〈◊〉 tamen in 〈…〉 dominium Hexaâ—châ— ab 〈◊〉 Anglorum 〈◊〉 primordiis 〈…〉 dictum coâ—rcebantur Sold. Analect Angloâ—bris l. 2. â— 4. The first King of Kent became the first Monarch of the English men Camâ—â— Bâ—it English Saxons Histoire 〈◊〉 Angâ—â—t re lar 〈◊〉 â—â—Chesâ—e l 6. p. 1◠〈◊〉 Brit English Saxons Hengist signifieth â— stoned Horse Equus bellicosorum Saxoniae principum antiquissimum insigne pugnaâ—itâ—â—is celeretatis
Bastards as begotten in the highest heat and strength of affection have many times been men of excellent proof both in courage and in understanding â—his was verified in Hercules Alexander the great Romulus 〈◊〉 King Arthur in Homer Demosthenes Bartholus Gratian 〈…〉 Peter Comestor See Peacham compleat Gentleman c. 1. p 9. 〈…〉 alâ—cubi leâ—â—sse prisâ—os septentrionales populos etiam spurios 〈◊〉 in successionâ—m nec illâ—us igitur tituli gloriosum Angliae subactorem 〈◊〉 Normannâ—m puâ—â—â—â—sse videtur qui Epistolam ut alias plurâ—s ad Alanum Brittaniae minâ—ris comitem sic orditur Ego Wilielmus Cogâ—nâ—mâ—nto Bastardus Henrici Spelmanni Glossarium Vide Polyd. Virg. Aug. hist. l. 8. Sir Iohn Hayward in the life of William the first reports this jest somewhat otherwise though he agree in the substance The arrow was first brought into this Land by the Normans Hollinshed and Sir Iohn Hayward in William the first As long Bows were the weapons with which this King conquered England so they were the weapons with which England under after-after-Kings conquered France as if it were not enough for us to beat them unless we did beat them with their own weapons Sir Richard Baker Subjectis humilis apparebat facilis inexorabilis erat rebellibus Matth. Paris hist. Ang. Daniels History Vide Henrici Spelmanni Glossarium p 287. Curfu aliter Corerfu à Gal. Couvrir tege re feu ignis Latine Ignitagium Spelmanni Glossartum Vt ferociam populi ad otiumper-ducereâ— omnibus 〈◊〉 ademit statuit que ut quisque pater familias vesperi circiter horam octavam post meridiem tecto ciueribus igne dormitum tret ad ad signum vicatâ—m dari voluit per campanas it quot etiam nunc servatur Normannice vulgo dicitur Coverfu Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist l. 9. Lamberts Archeion p. 24. Monumentum totius Britranniae non dico antiquissimum sed absque controversia augustissimum duobus magnis voluminibus Angliae descriptionem continens Alià s Liber judiciarius alià s censualiâ— Angliae alià s Angliae noticia lustratio interdum Rotulus Regis à similitudine antiquioris Rotulus Wintoniae Liber Wintoniae nuncupatum Spelmanni Glossarium Vide plura ibid. 〈◊〉 praefat ad Eadmeri historiam Sir Iohn Hayward in his life p. 23. â—14 Sir Iohn Hayward Cardinal Perron the learned French man was a fat corpulent man and had a great belly A French Lady to quip him said thus to him Mouasieur quaâ—d vous vous accoucherez To whom he replyed Quand vouâ— sâ—ras sage femme Speed Silent lâ—gos inter arma Lambards Arâ—â—tion Verstegans Antiq. c. 6. p. 182. Pueritiam aâ—â— spem regui literis municbat subinde patre quoque audiento jactare Proverbium solitus Rex illiteratus Asinus coronatus Malmesb de Henrico primo l 5. One and twenty years and one moneth saith Fox Seventy four saith Polyd Virgil. Qua enim conditio sortis humanae non moneat ad pictatem cùm auditum suâ—rit Regem istum qui tantae potentiae in vitâ suâ extitit ut in tota Anglia in tota Normannia in tota Cinomanensi patria neâ—o contra imperium ejus manum movere auderet Mox ut in terram spiritum exhalaturus positus est ab omni homine sicut accepimus uno solo duntaxat serviente excepto derelictum cadaver ejus sine omni pompa per Sequanam naâ—cella delatum cum scpeliri deberet ipsam terram sepulturae illius à quodam rustico calumniatam qui eam hereditario jure reclamans conquestus est illam sibi jam olim ab codem injuria fuisse ablatam Eâ—dmeri historia novorum Viâ—â— Maâ—mesb Polyd. Virg. de Wilielmo primo * Or Courthosâ— of his short Hose or Brâ—eches Or Courtois of his courteous behaviour Sir Iobn Haywards Lives of the three Norman Kings of England p. 125. 222. See Renasus Morean in his Prolâ—gomena to his learned Animadversions by which he hath illustrated that work Vossius de Philosophia c. 12. Joannes de Meâ—iolano medicus nomine â—ollâ—gii Scholae Salernitanae conscripâ—i librum cui titulus Schola Salernitana Id ibid. By a fall from his Horse Deâ—raudaverat Gulielmus pater Robertum regno Angliae partim non oblitus ejus in se impietatis contumaciae partim veritus si ille id obtineret ne ejus facilitas qua praeditus erat ad defectionem paratiores non redderet Anglos quos ipse laeserat quapropter rem tutiore loco fore putà vit si Rufo cujus jampridem morum pariter acerbitatem atque immanitatem naturae cognitam habucrat committeretur Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 10. Sir Iohn Hayward * Brittarnia in Glocester-shire See more there of him He seems to have followed the example of Iacob who gave to his younger son Ioseph the land which he had taken with his Sword and his Bow Besides in the rebellion of his son Robert this son stood firmly for him and in his quarrell hazarded his life Sir Richard Baker Robert was then absent in Germany Incomparabilis proculdubio nostro tempore princeps si non â—um magnitudo patris obruâ—reâ— nec ejus juventutem fata praecipitassent ne per 〈◊〉 maturiorem aboleret â—rrores â—centia potestatis impetus juvenili contractos Malmesb de Wilielmo secundo l. 4. He is therefore ill spoken of by Clergy men He claimed the investitute of Prelates to be his right He forbad appeals to Rome Malmesb. Vnum adificium ipsum per maximum domum in Londoniâ iâ—câ—pit perfecit non parcens expensis dummodo liberalitatis suae magnificentiam exhiberet Malmesb. Daniels History Malmesb. Veterum plerique traditur transsossum fuisse Regem sagitta quam in ferarum vivario quod novam Forestam dicimus jactu infoelici collimaraâ— Gualterus Tyrellus Gallus idque est receptissimum Scd accuratius multo quam caeteri singularia omnia quae miseram Regis caedem Tyrelli jactum fatalem attinent narrat Ordericus Vitalis in hist. Eccles l. 10. p. 783. Seldeni notae ad Eadmerum Vide Malmesb de Wilielmo secundo l 4. Henricus ob singularem quae pro regio fuit nomine eruditionem Belloclericus dictus Seldeni Ianuâ—â— Anglorum Vide ejus dissert ad c. â— Henricus Rex urbanitate comitate affabilitate lenitate justitia fortitudine omnes sui temporis Principes anteire putabatur Huc etiam acces sit quod oâ— ni literarum genere Cantabridgiae Lutetiaeque instructus à pueritia ita profecit â—ut Wilielmus ejus pater eum Episcopali muâ—â—ri aptum censuerit Qui doctâ—nae praesidio saluberrimâ—s multas leges ipse condidit Papales technas saepe offecit caâ—â—è vitavit ut siâ—cam opportunitatem quam Henricus octavus nactus fuisset Papalem jurisdictionem exterminasset praefractum ac à Papa concitatum in se clerum in officio tenuisset Joscâ—lini Antiq. Brit. p. 124. Infans cum omnium votis conspirantibus
educatus egregie qui solus omnium filiorum Wilielmi natus esset regiâ— â—i regnum videretur competere Itaque tyrocinium rudimentorum in scholis egiâ— liberalibus literarum mella adeo avidus medullis indidit ut nihil postea bellorum tumultus nulli curarum motâ—s eas excutere illustri animo possent Malmesb de Henrico primo l. 5. Nocturnas faces quas primus Gulielmus vetuerat restituit quippe cui jam firmato regno minus formidaâ—das Seldeni Ianus Anglorum l 2. None of our Kings married with Scotland but he Flemings Stemma sacrum Habitus est crudelis praesâ—râ—im propter Robeâ—tum germanum fratrem quem in carcero sinem vitae facere coegit Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 11. Stubbâ— his discovery of a gaping gulf whereinto England is like to be swallowed by another French marriage He shews there also in Henry the second Richard the first King Iohn Henry the third Edward the second Richard the second the inconveniences to this Nation by their marriages with the French Hinc cognoscere licet priâ—s Aethiopem posse mutare pellem uti dicitur quà m qui terram incolunt Galliam valde multum diligere Anglos Polyd. Virg. Ang hist. l. 23. p. 483. It was said of Charles Earl of Valois that he was the son of a King brother to a King uncle to a King father to a King and yet no King * Cambdens Brittannia in Barkshire Miâ—ses Henrico adscribunt nonnulli legem quam curtoise d' Angleterre dicunt I. C. ti Hac vir suscepta prole coâ—jugis demortuae baeredâ—s sruitur in humanis dum â—gâ—rit Seldeni Ianus Anglorum l. 2. Hayward The antiquity of a yard â—anicls Histâ—ry and Hayward Sir Walter Rawleigh his Preface to his History of the world See Sir Iohn Hayward in the life of King Henry the first p. 267 2â—8 269 270. Prudentum congressus in Anglia vocatur magna comitia Mutuato denium à Gallis Parliamentorum nomine quae ante Henricum perraro scribit Polydorus l. 11. habita Seldeni Ianus Anglorum l. 2. A Hide of land contains 20. Acres saith Hayward in the life of William the first p. 99. A 100. Acres saith Lambert Daniels History The famous Family of Plantagenets which stored the Crown of England well nigh the space of four hundred years from whence have issued one Emperour fifteen Kings and ten Queens twelve Princes twenty four Dukes and sixty Earls took its name of a â—lant Fern. Glor. Generos Galfredus Plantaginettâ— cujus absque dubio à Plantagine herba quemadmodum elim apâ—d Romanos multarum nobilssimorum 〈◊〉 ab herbis frugibus deductum â—omen est Matildam Henrici primi Anglorum regis filiam viduam duxit in uxorem Henricus secundus in regiam familiam nobilissimum illud Plantaginettarum cognomen insinuavit Hoc mirum in modum postea prolis numerositate incrcvit a leo ut exea gente quatuordecim reges quanquam desultoria quadam successionis lege aliquando conâ—inuata tamen seric regnum administrarunt T wini Comment de rebus Britanuicis Prince douè de plusicurs vertus vrayement digne d' un Royâ—mais aussi suict à quelques vices encores plus indignes d' un Princeâ— hrestein Histoire d' Angleterre par Andre Du Chesne l. 12. Fox p 228. Col. 2. Hollinsh in K. Stephen Cambd. Britannia in Northumberland At pater Henricus haec audiens ingenti affectus dolore antistiti submissa voce ait Paenitets inquam paenitet extulisse hominem Polyd. Virg. Montaigne in his second Book of Essayes c 8. commends the Emperour Charles the fifth for resigning his means his greatness and Kingdome to his son at what time he found his former undaunted resolution to decay and force to conduct his affairs to droop in himself together with the glory he had thereby acquired Robert son to Hugh Capet was crowned King in his fathers life time of whom it is sajd He was a son without frowardness a companion without jealousie a King without ambition Du Serres History of France Verstegans Etymology of our Saxon proper names Poysoned her as was thought Verstegan ubisupra Gualterus Mappaeus de nugis Curialium Polyd. Virg. Ang hist. Hollinsh Polyd. Virg. Dan hist. Statura corporis fuit justa lata bonesta facie in qua multum gratiae gravitatuque incrat sed quò pulchrior corpore hoc animi altitudine praestantior undo non immeritò cognomen invenit qui cor Leonis vocatus est Polyd. Virg. Ang hist l. 14. Illud innuere videtur Richardum inter Angliae Reges primum usum fuisse Leonino gestamine quod ei prae caeteris cognomen inderetur Cor Leonis à picturaâ— clypei ni vana conjectura derivatum Nam é clypeis armaturis nomina saepe acceperunt tum antiqui tum recentiores Spelmanâ—i Aspilogia p 46 47. Weevers ancient Funerall-Monuments Cambdens Brittannia in Oxfordshire Id. ib. in Barkshire Histoire d' Angleterre Par Andre Du Chesne l. 1â— Theater of honour Book 5. c. 1â— Sheriffs and Maiors of London first ordained Alluding to that Gen. 37. 33. Hollinsh and Speeds Chron. Speed Câ—ttoni Posthuma Powell on Lhoyds History of Wales p. 261. out of Matthew Paris Hist. d'Angleterre Par Andre Du Chesne l. 12. * Acts and Mo. vol. 1. Fox Foxes Acts and Mon vol. 1. There are various reports of his death See Hollinsh Chron. * Eighteen years five moneths and four dayes saith Matthew Paris One writes that he was poysoned at Swinsted with a dish of Pears Others there in a cup of Wine Some that he died at Newarke of the Flux A fourth by the distemperature of Peaches eaten in his fit of an Ague Browns Britannias Pastorals Contigit aliquando S. Ludovicum Francorum Regem cum eo super hoc conferentem dicere quod non semper missis sed frequentius sermonibus audiendis esse vacandum Cui faceta urbanitate respondens ait se malle amicum suum saepius videre quam deâ—â— oquentem licet bona dicentem audâ—re Matth. Paris Walsingh Gration Hollinsh Magna Charta Lambards Archeion Id. ib. Matth. Paris hist. Ang. Hen. 3. p. 945. p. 783. There will be little reason to be over-confident in matters of Pedigree and Arms much beyond 400 years â—d ibid. Matth. Paris Cooke 2d part of Instit. c. 11. The names of the first Richard the first Edward were as terrible to Infidels as William to the Saxons and as much renowned among all Christian Princes Sir Francis Wâ—rtly his Characters Rodericus Toletanus l. 1. breaks forth into this exclamation Quid igitur hujus mulieris fide rarius audiri quid mirabilius esse potest ut uxoris lingua fide dilectione maritali peruncta vencua à dilecto marito expulerit quae electo medico trahi non valuerunt quod plurima exquistiáque non effecerunt medicamenta una uxoris pietas explevit Iactura filiorum facilis est cùm
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
at a certain interview between the King and Pope Innocent the second the sons of Robert Earl of Mellent maintained open disputations against divers Cardinals and Chaplains of the Pope Sir Iohn Hayward To purchase the favour of the Clergy he called Anselme out of exile and restored him both to the dignity and revenues of the See of Canterbury He committed Radulph alias Ranulph Bishop of Durham to prison who had been both author and agent to King William in most of his distrustfull actions against the Clergy To make the Clergy the more assured the King renounced the right which his Ancestours used in giving Investitures and acknowledged the same to appertain to the Pope The Clergy did much favour him by reason of his liberall leave either to erect or to enlarge or else to enrich religious buildings For to these works the King was so ready to give not only way but encouragement and help that in no Princes time they did more within this Realm either flourish or encrease Sir Iohn Hayward numbers twenty five religious buildings either done or helped forward or permitted and allowed by the King This King being born in England and the Queen of English bloud-royall raised the depressed English Nation again unto honour and credit He restored them to the use of fire and candle after eight of the Clock at night which his Father had most straitly forbidden He being a wise Prince and well knowing that an Empire gotten by force could no longer remain then that force continued sent into Scotland and took to Wife Maud the daughter of Queen Margaret sister to Edgar Etheling who was now dead and left no issue whereby this Maud was the heir of the Saxon line and in her brought back again to us the ancient English blood-royall before it had descended beyond one generation from the Conquerour in whose line it continueth unto this day She was adorned with all royall vertues principally with piety and humility These Verses were made in her commendation Prospera non laetam fecere nec aspera tristem Aspera risus ei prospera terror erant Non decor effecit fragilem non sceptra superbam Sola potens humilis sola pudica decens She being married against her will seeing she must violate the vow of her virginity she cursed her of-spring if any came of her which was not altogether vain saith Polyd. Virgil in regard they were all afterward drowned He reduced Normandy to England He built therein many Castles and planted Garrisons and with no less wisdome assured that State then with valour he had won it He brought with him his Brother Robert into England and committed him to safe custody in the Castle of Cardiffe He striving to escape was taken again committed to close prison his eyes put out and a sure guard set upon him Thus he remained in desolate darkness neither reverenced by any for his former greatness nor pitied for his present distress Thus he continued about twenty seven years in a life far more grievous then death even untill the year before the death of King Henry So long was he a suitor in wooing of death So long did the one Brother overlive his good fortune the other his good nature and disposition esteeming it a fair favour that the uttermost extremity was not inflicted He gave his daughter Maud the Empress in second marriage to the Earl of Anjou and his Sister Elix as some Chronicles call her to Steven Earl of Bloys Thence sprang the loss of this Kingdome to Maud during her life by being so far out of the land in another Countrey when she should have accepted it here Therof sprang the perjuries of Steven King of England enticed to a Kingdome through the commodity of his near place And thence came the Civill miseries to the people who through the incertainty of a Governour were in field and Arms one against another His daughter Maud as well as that Lacedemonian Lady Lampedo whom Pliny maketh mention of was a Kings daughter a Kings wife and a Kings mother Daughter of this Henry the first King of England wife of Henry the fourth Emperour of Germany and mother to Henry the second King of England Concerning which matter there is this Distick engraven on her Tomb. Magna ortu majórque viro sed maxima partu Hîc jacet Henrici filia sponsa parens The daughter wife the mother eke of Henry lieth here Much blest by birth by marriage more but most by issue dear He was a great administrer of justice and the first that ordained that theeves should be hanged He ordained that counterfeiters of money should lose both their eyes and be deprived of their privy parts He took away the deceit which had been occasioned by variety of measures and made measure by the length of his own arm which hath been commonly used ever since by the name of a yard He is yet alive in his Laws See his Laws in Lambard de priscis Anglorum legibus His expences were chiefly in his Warres and his many and great fortifications in Normandy His buildings were the Abbey of Reading the Castle of Warwicke of Bristoll the Mannour of Woodstocke and the great inclosure of that Park with a stone Wall seven miles about There was a singular and most remarkable example of Gods justice upon his children For when the King both by force crast and cruelty had dispossest over-reacht and lastly made blind and destroyed his elder Brother Duke of Normandy to make his own sons Lords of his Land God cast them all male and female Nephews and Neeces Maud excepted into the bottome of the Sea with above a hundred and fifty others that attended them whereof a great many were noble and of the King dearly beloved Evasit unus ille agrestis qui tota nocte malo supernatans mane totius tragediae actum expressit Malmesb. de Henrico primo l. 5. Vide Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 11. p. 191. Nulla unquam navis fuit Anglâ—ae tantae miseriae nulla toto orbi tam patulae famae His usuall Oath was By our Lords death and so was Queen Elizabeths He first instituted the form of the High-Court of Parliament as now it is in use The first Parliament was held at Salisbury upon the nineteenth day of April in the sixteenth year of his Raign See Lamberts Archeion p. 240 241 242 243. When Matilde his daughter was given in marriage to Henry the fifth Emperour he took three shillings of every Hide of land throughout the Realm which being followed by succeeding Kings did grow to a custome of receiving aid whensoever they gave their daughters in marriage About this time the marriage of Priests was forbidden in England but the King for money permitted them to retain their wives and in the end set an imposition in that respect upon every Church throughout the Realm It availed not any man
where he sate which being stayed miraculously so long as he was sitting as soon as he was up immediately fell upon the place where he sate able to have crushed him in pieces Fox Martyrolog Having prepared a great Fleet of Ships for a journey into Flanders and being at Winchelsey where the Ships were to meet it happened that riding about the Harbour his Horse frighted with the noise of a Wind-mill which the wind drove violently about scrambled up and leapt over the mud-wall of the Town so as neither the King nor Horse was to be seen but every one judged the King could not choose but be thrown and killed yet such was the divine providence over him that the Horse lighted upon his feet and the King keeping the Saddle returned safe He was crowned at Westminster together with his wife Queen Elenor by Robert Kilwarthy Archbishop of Canterbury He ingeniously surprized the Welch into subjection proffering them such a Prince as should be 1. The son of a King 2. Born in their own Countrey 3. Whom none could taxe for any fault The Welch accepted the conditions and the King tendered them his son Edward an Infant newly born in the Castle of Carnarvaâ— Wales was united to the Crown of England in the eleventh year of his Raign who thereupon established the Government thereof according to the Lawes of England A wise a just and fortunate Prince who in regard of his Princely vertues deserveth to be ranged among the principall and best Kings that ever were A right noble and worthy Prince to whom God proportioned a most princely presence and personage a right worthy seat to entertain so heroicall a mind For he not only in regard of fortitude and wisdome but also for a beautifull and personall presence was in all points answerable to the height of royall Majesty whom fortune also in the very prime and flower of his age inured to many a Warre and exercised in most dangerous troubles of the State whilest she framed and fitted him for the Empire of Brittain which he being once crowned King managed and governed in such wise that having subdued the Welch and vanquished the Scots he may justly be counted the second ornament of Great Brittain No Realm but did resound first Edwards praise No praise was ever won with more deserts And no deserts though great could counterpoise Much less out-balance his heroick parts Mars taught him Arms the Muses taught him Arts Whereby so great he grew that might there be A love on earth that earthly love was he Sir Francis Huberts History of Edward the second In the long Warres he had with Robert King of Scotland having by triall found how greatly his presence advantaged the success of his affairs and how he was ever victorious in any enterprise he undertook in his own person when he died he bound his son by solemn oath that being dead he should cause his body to be boiled untill the flesh fell from the bones which he should cause to be interred and carefully keeping the bones ever carry them about him whensoever he should happen to have Warres with the Scots as if destiny had fatally annexed the victory unto his limmes Mountaigne his Essayes l. 1. c. 3. Baliol King of Scotland came to Newcastle upon Tine where King Edward then lay and there with many of his Nobles swears fealty and doth homage to him as his Soveraign Lord. Afterward there grew a great dissention between him and the King and the two Nations which consumed much Christian bloud and continued almost three hundred years King Edward entered Scotland with a great Army King Baliol was taken prisoner The marble Chair in which the Kings of Scotland used to be crowned was also brought thence to Westminster and placed there amongst the Monuments where it still continues Ni fallat fatum Scoti quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem regnare tenentur ibidem Except old sawes do fain And Wizards wits be blind The Scots in place shall raign Where they this stone shall find Of his Warres with the Scotch and his victories over them see Ayscâ— his History of the Warres Treaties Marriages and other occurrents between England and Scotland from King William the Conquerour untill the union of them both in King Iames. In his twelfth year the Justices Itinerants began In his time Iohn Baliol King of Scots builded Baliol-Colledge in Oxford Walter Merton Lord Chancellour of England and after Bishop of Rochester founded Merton-Colledge in Oxford One made this Epitaph of him Dum viguit Rex valuit tua magna potestas Frauâ— latuit pax magna fuit regnavit honestas He raigned thirty four yeares seven moneths one and twenty dayes and lived sixty eight years and twenty dayes EDWARD the second He degenerated wholly from his fathers vertues and esteemed not the good advertisements and precepts which he gave him before his death He granted the Charter to London to elect yearly one of the City at their own pleasure to be their Maior He was the first of the King of Englands children which bore the title and quality of the Prince of Wales Since whose time the eldest sons of the Kings of England were called Princes of Wales as the eldest sons of the Kings of Franâ—e are called Dolphins and of Spain Infants He was called Edward of Carnarvan for the Welch men after Leolines death were earnest with the King for a Prince of their own Countrymen the King told them they should have a Prince there born that could speak no English which they being contented with he named his Infant son who was born there the Queen being brought to Carnarvan He divided Wales incorporated into England into Shires and Hundreds His great affection to Pierce Gaveston and Spenser his Favourites was a means of stirring up the Barons against him It is thy sad disaster which I sing Carnarvan Edward second of that name Thy Minions pride thy States ill managing Thy Peers revolt the sequell of the same Thy life thy death I sing thy sin thy shame And how thou wert deprived of thy Crown In highest fortunes cast by fortune down Sir Francis Huberts History of Edward the second Nine Kings had raigned since the conquest here Whom I succeeded in a rightfull line My father all domestick tumults clear Did warre and win in fruitfull Palestine This Northern Sun even to the East did shine The French were fearfull hearing but his name French Scots and Turks aeternized his fame He married Isabel daughter to King Philip sirnamed le Bean the fair and heir to France all her brothers being dead without issue Gourney most barbarously caused the miserable King to sit on a Mole-hill whilest the Barber shaved him and to take cold water out of a ditch to wash him withall which the patient King seeing told them That in despight of them he would have warm water at his Barbing and there withall shed abundance of tears Being deposed from his Kingdome
where his servant stood as prisoner and commanded him to be ungived and set at liberty William Gascoigne the chief Justice of the Kings Bench exhorted the Prince to be ordered according to the ancient Laws of the Realm or if he would have him saved from the rigour of the Laws that he should obtain if he might of the King his father his gracious pardon whereby no Law or justice should be impeached With which answer the Prince being more inflamed endeavoured himself to take away his servant The Judge considering the perillous example and inconvenience that might thereby ensue with a valiant courage and spirit commanded the Prince upon his allegiance to leave the prisoner and to depart his way with which commandement the Prince being set all in a fury in a terrible manner came up to the place of judgement some thinking that he would have slain the Judge or have done him some hurt but the Judge sitting still without moving declaring the majesty of the Kings place of judgement and with an assured bold countenance spake thus to the Prince Sir remember your self I keep here the place of the King your soveraign Lord and Father to whom you owe double obeysance wherefore in his name I charge you desist from your wilfulness and unlawfull enterprise and from henceforth give good example to those which after shall be your proper Subjects 〈◊〉 and now for your contempt and disobedience go you to the prison of the Kings Bench whereto I commit you and remaine you there prisoner untill the pleasure of the King your Father be further known With which wordes being abashed and also wondering at the marvellous gravity of that worshipfull Justice the Prince laying his weapon apart doing reverence departed and went to the Kings Bench as he was commanded whereat his servants disdaining came and shewed to the King all the whole affair He a while studying after as a man all ravished with gladness holding his hands and eyes towards heaven cried out with a loud voice O mercifull God how much am I bound to thy infinite goodness â—ffâ—ecially for that thou hast given me a Iudge who feareth not to minister justice and also a sin who can suffer semblably and obey justice Sir Thomas Eliot in his Governour saith here a man may behold three persons worthy memory First a Judge who being a Subject feared not to execute justice on the eldest son of his soveraign Lord and by order of nature his successor Also a Prince son and heir of the King in the midst of his folly more considered his evil example and the Judges conscience in justice then his own estate and wilfull appetito Thirdly a noble King and wise father who contrary to the custome of parents rejoyced to see his son and the heir of his Crown to be for his disobedience by his Subject corrected The Oath ex officio it should rather be called in officiosum was brought into the Church under him The Prelates requiring it to discover those which that age esteemed Hereticks and especially those which they called Lollards which Master Fox in his Acts and Monuments calls a bloudy Law In his admonition to his son at his death he said Of English men so long as they have wealth and riches so long shalt thou have obeysance but when they be poor they are alwayes ready to make insurrection at every motion All the time of his sickness his will was to have his Crown set upon his Bolster by him and one of his fits being so strong upon him that all men thought him directly dead the Prince coming in took away the Crown when suddenly the King recovering his senses missed his Crown and asking for it was told the Prince had taken it whereupon the Prince being called came back with the Crown and kneeling down said Sir to all our judgements and to all our griefs you seemed directly dead and therefore I took the Crown as being my right but seeing to all our comforts you live I here deliver it much more joyfully then I took it and pray God you may long live to wear it your self In his time were the two famous Poets Chaucer and Gower None of the sons of Henry the fourth did degenerate a thing not usuall in so large a family Henry the fifth died gloriously in the pursuit of his conquests the Duke of Clarence valiantly fighting and though of a naturall death and Glocester of a violent yet died they not with less fame then did the others Biondi his History of the Civil Warres of England l. 5. in Henry the sixth The Duke of Bedfords death is to be numbred among the chiefest causes of the loss of France He was a prudent Prince of long experience in Arms and Government obeyed by his own feared by his enemies Id. ibid. Fourth Henry was by some blind Bard foretold That he should never die till he had seen Ierusalem fourth Henry will be old Ierusalem for him shall be unseen No he shall see it when he least doth ween He swouns at prayers and by religious men Is straight convey'd unto Ierusalem Sir Francis Huberts History of Edward the second The like Prophesie we read of Pope Sylvester the second to whom being inquisitive for the time and place where he should die it was answered that he should die in Ierusalem who then saying Mass in a Chappell called likewise Ierusalem perceived his end there to be near and died In this Kings time Guild-Hall in London was built Gower being very gracious with him carried the name of the only Poet in his time He and Chaucer were Knights The King died in Ierusalem-Chamber in minster in the year of his age forty six He raigned thirteen years and a half wanting five dayes Fourteen years say others CHAP. XIX HENRY the fifth HE was just wise magnanimous valiant To this noble Prince by an assent of the Parliament all the Estates of the Realm after three dayes offered to do fealty before he was crowned or had solemnized his Oath well and justly to govern the Commonweal which offer before was never found to be made to any Prince of England Stowes Chron. His young years were spent in literature in the Academy of Oxford where in Queens-Colledge he was a Student under the tuition of his Uncle Henry Beauford Chancellour of that University When he came to be King he made Thomas Rodban a famous Astronomer in those dayes Bishop of St. Davids and Iohn Carpenter a learned Divine Bishop of Worcester having known them both whilest he lived in the University The Civil Wars of England by Sir Francis Biondi Presently after his Coronation he called before him all his old companions who had been disorderly with him strictly charging them not to presume to come within ten miles of his Court untill such time as they had given good proof of their amendment in manners and left any of them should pretend want of maintenance
thereby to win the hearts of the people as being conscious to himself that the true obligations of Soveraignty in him failed He put to death Hastings A greater judgement of God then this upon Hastings I have never observed in any Story For the self same day that the Earl Riners Grey and others were without triall of Law or ostence given by Hastings advice executed at Ponfret I say Hastings himself in the same day and as I take it in the same hour in the same Lawless manner had his head stricken off in the Tower of London He had little quiet after the murther of his two Nephews in the Tower of London Sir Iohn Beaumont hath well described Bosworth-field in Verse The night before he was slain he dreamed that he saw divers images of Devils which pulled and haled him not suffering him to take any rest the which vision stroke him into such a troubled mind that he began to doubt what after came to pass Charles the ninth King of France after the massacre in Paris and divers other Cities wherein were slaughtered about thirty thousand never saw good day but his eyes rolled often uncertainly in the day with fear and suspition and his sleep was usually interrupted in the night with dismall dreams and apparitions He being near his end vomited out bloud pittifully by all the conduits of his body as a just judgement for him that barbarously shed it throughout all the Provinces of the Realm He raigned two yeares two moneths and one day CHAP. XIX HENRY the seventh THe fourteen Plantagenets thus expiring with Richard the third five Tudors take their turns in this manner Henry the seventh Henry the eighth Edward the sixth Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth They are called Tudors because Henry the fifth his widow being a French woman married Owen Tudor from whom Henry the seventh did lineally descend In this Nation how hath the Crown walked even since Christs birth from Britains to Saxons Danes Normans Plantagenets Tudors Stuarts Mrs Shawes Tomb-stone This King pretended a six-fold title to the Crown By Conquest Military election of Souldiers in the fields near Bosworth by Parliament by Birth by Donation and Marriage He did never stand upon his marriage with the right heir as the foundation of his right unto the Crown for he knew well enough that if that had been his best and only title though it might make the power good unto his children yet while she was living he must hold the Crown in her right not in his own and if she died before him it was lost Because he was crowned in the field with King Richards Crown found in an Hawthorn-Bush he bare the Hawthorn-Bush with the Crown in it He was crowned the thirtieth day of October in the year of our Lord 1485 by Thomas Bourehier Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinall At which day he did institute for the better security of his person a Band of fifty Archers under a Captain to attend him by the name of Yeomen of his Guard and yet that it might be thought to be rather a matter of dignity after the imitation of that he had known abroad then any matter of diffidence appropriate to his own case he made it to be understood for an Ordinance not temporary but to hold in succession for ever after Through whose care vigilancy policy and forecasting wisdome for times to come the State and Commonwealth of England hath to this day stood established and invincible Camdens Britannia in Surrey A politick Prince he was if ever there were any who by the engine of his wisdome beat down and overturned as many strong oppositions both before and after he wore the Crown as ever King of England did Whose worthy renown like the Sun in the midst of his sphere shineth and ever shall shine in mens remembrance What incomparable circumspection was in him alwayes found that notwithstanding his long absence out of this Realm the disturbance of the same by sundry seditions among the Nobility Civil Warres and Battels wherein infinite people were slain yet by his most excellent wit he in few years not only brought this Realm in good order and under due obedience revived the Laws advanced justice refurnished his dominions and repaired his mannours but also with such circumspection treated with other Princes and Realms of leagues of alliance and amities that during the most part of his Raign he was little or nothing disquieted with War hostile or martiall business And yet all other Princes either feared him or had him in fatherly reverence He could never endure any mediation in rewarding his servants and therein exceeding wise for whatsoever himself gave he himself received back the thanks and the love on the contrary in whatsoever he grieved his Subjects he wisely put it off on those that he found fit ministers for such actions By his happy marriage being next heir to the house of Lancaster with Elizabeth daughter and heir to Edward the fourth of the house of Yorke the white and red Roses were conjoyned Sir Francis Bacon saith of Iohn Morton Archbishop of Canterbury Chancellor of England and Cardinal He deserveth a most happy memory in that he was the principall means of joyning the two Roses From the twenty eighth year of Henry the sixth unto the fifteenth of Henry the seventh the Civil War between Lancaster and Yâ—â—ke continued wherein as they reckoned there were thirteen fields fought three Kings of England one Prince of Wales twelve Dukes one Mâ—rquesse eighteen Earles with one Vicount and twenty three Barons besides Knights and Gentlemen lost their lives Cambd. Brit. in Warwickeshire The King in honour of the Brittish race of which himself was named his first son Arthur according to the name of that ancient worthy King of the Brittains in whose acts there is truth enough to make him famous besides that which is fabulous King Arthur fought twelve Battels with the Saxons and overthrew them Hollinsh Arthurus belliger illis temporibus dux militum Regum Brittanniae contra Saxones invictissimè pugnabat duodecies dux belli fuit duodecies victor bellatorum Hunting hist. l. 2. That Arthur was one of the nine Worthies There were three Jewes Ioshua David Iudas Maccabaeus three Gentiles Hector of Troy Alexander the Great and Iulius Caesar three Christians Arthur of Britain Charlemain of France and Godfrey of Bullen Arthur ursum significat quasi ursinum diceres Burhillus in MS. The Prince Arthur died before his father and lieth buried in the Quire of the Cathedrall Church at Worcester After was born to the King at Greenwich the Lord Henry his second son which was created Duke of Yorke and after Prince of Wales who succeeded his father in governance of this Realm by the name of Henry the eighth His time did excell for good Common-wealths Laws so as he may justly be celebrated for the best Law-giver to this Nation after
end kept a most judicious Journall of all the most principall passages of the affairs of his estate Inclytus Edvardus formatus ab ubere matris Confestim doctis à praeceptoribus artes Ingenuas omnes didicit qui Graeca Latinis Adjungens studio paucis profecerat annis Ut foret inferior nulli quem terra Britanna Protulerat claro magnorum ex stemmate Regum Nullus adaequari posset si flexilis â—tas In puero egresso nondum tria lustra duosque Annos ingenii aut praecox spectetur acumen Quantum ad doctrinas virtutesque attinet almas Ille erat Europae Phoenix quem funere acerbo Ut flos vere novo viridanti carpitur horto Sustulit ante diem mors immatura Britannis Invidet haec terris pietatem jura colentes Oclandi Anglorum praelia In his childhood being about to take down something which seemed to be above his reach one of his fellowes offered him a bossed plated Bible to stand upon and heighten him for taking that which he desired But he perceiving it to be a Bible with holy indignation resused it and sharply reproved him that made the offer A strong assurance of that dear esteem and veneration in which he held that sacred Book in his riper years Dr. Heylins History of Edward the sixth He hath this observation in his Diary the originall of which is in the hands of Sir Thomas Cotton At the sixth year of my age I was brought up in learning by Dr. Coxe who was after my Almner and John Cheek Master of Arts two well learned men who sought to bring me up in learning of tongues of the Scripture of Philosophy and all liberall Sciences Also John Belmain French man did teach me the French tongue He was annointed King at Westminster by Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury being of the age of nine years A Prince of great devotion constancy of mind love of the truth and incredibly studious Godwins Annals of England He knew all the principall Ports in England Scotland Ireland France and other Countries not far distant how they lay when the tide served what vessels of burden they could receive and what winds served for entrance He reformed Religion He caused Images and all monuments of Idolatry to be destroyed and a great Bible in English to be set up in every Church He was in body beautifull of a sweet aspect and specially in his eyes which seemed to have a starry liveliness and lustre in them He would answer Embassadors sometime upon the suddain either in French or Latin He could call all Gentlemen of account through his Kingdome by their names When Ioan Butcher a blasphemous Heretick was to be burned all the Counsell could not procure him to set his hand to the Warrant Wherefore they employed Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury to deal privily with him for his subscription But the King remained firm both in reason and resolution affirming that he would not drive her headlong to the Devil but because Hereticks for the most part have a strain of madness he thought it best to apply her with some corporall chastisements which with respite of time might happily reduce her to good order The Archbishop was violent both by perswasions and entreaties and when with meer importunity he had prevailed the King in subscribing his name said that he would lay all the charge thereof upon the Archbishop before God Not many years passed but this Archbishop also felt the smart of the fire and it may be that by his importunity for bloud he did offend for a good thing is not good if it be immoderately desired A Miller who had been busie in rebellion against the King knowing the danger willed his man to take the name of the master if any enquired after him Sir Anthony Kingston Provost Martiall came to the Mill and calling for the master the man in his name presented himself who strait commanded him to the Gallows the servant then seeing the danger of death confessed he was not the master but the man Well said the Knight thou canst never do thy master better service then to hang for him and thereupon trusted him up in the next tree The Lord Protector in his dayes marcht with a powerfull Army into Scotland to demand their Queen Mary in marriage to our King according their promises The Scots refusing to do it were beaten by the English in Musleborough fight One demanding of a Scotch Lord taken prisoner Now Sir how do you like our Kings marriage with your Queen I alwayes quoth he did like the marriage but I do not like the wooing that you should fetch a Bride with fire and sword The Kings Uncles Edward-Duke of Somerset Protector of his person Realms and Dominions and Thomas Lord Seymour Baron of â—udley the younger high Admirall of England were both beheaded Strife between their wives about place and precedency caused the death of their husbands and the death of the young King followed speedily after Sir Thomas Seymour Admirall and the younger brother married the Queen Dowager whose hap it was of all the rest to survive her husband She contested with her sister in law for priority of place both were privately encouraged neither would give way to the other The one claimed it as she had been once Queen the other challenged it as she was the present wife of the Protector The wives set their husbands at oddes and their enemies took hold of this advantage The Admirall was shortly questioned for treason by consent of his brother condemned in Parliament and lost his head In the same moneth was the Protector committed to the Tower by the Lords of the Counsell and after beheaded In this Kings dayes when Bonner was kept in prison reverend Ridley having his Bishoprick of London would â—ever go to dinner at Fulham without the company of Bonners mother and sister the former alwayes sitting in a Chair at the upper end of the Table These guests were as constant as Bread and Salt to the Board no meal could be made without them He died in the seventh year of his Princely Government in the sixth of Iuly anno 1553. Some write that he was poysoned The death of this Prince was lamented of all the godly within Europe for the graces given unto him of God as well of nature as of erudition and godliness passed the measure that accustomably is used to be given to other Princes in their greatest perfection and yet exceeded he not sixteen years of age Knoxe his Ecclesiasticall Hist. of Scotland l. 1. p. 97. I wonder that Doctor Heylin in his Epistle before his Ecclesia Restaurata should say therefore Whose death I cannot reckon for an infelicity to the Church of England Cardan made this Epitaph of him Flete nefas magnum sed toto flebitis orbe Mortales vester corruit omnis honos Nam Regum decus juvenum flos spesque bonorum Deliciae saecli
which the Scots signifie by the name of Stuart or Steward He so faithfully discharged the trust reposed in him without the least reproach or wasting of the Kings Moneys that the sirname of Stuart was imposed on him and given also to his posterity This was the original of the Illustrious Family of Stuart From this Walter descended that Robert Steward who was after in right of his wife King of Scotland since which time there have been successively nine Soveraigns of that name in Scotand Margaret eldest daughter of King Henry the seventh and Elizabeth his Queen was twice married in Scotland first to King Iames the fourth then to Archibald Douglas Earl of Angis her son by the King was King Iames the fifth our King Iames his mothers father her daughter by the Earl was Margaret Countess of Lennox our King Iames his fathers mother David Bruse King of Scotland being dead without issue of his body Robert Steward his sisters son by the generall consent of all the Estates was crowned King of Scotland in the year of our Lord 1370. This family hath ever since born the Crown of Scotland even unto this day King Iames united both the Kingdomes of England and Scotland and testified this conjunction in the Money that was coined both silver and gold with these words Quae Deus conjuxit nemo separet and also Tueatur unita Deus The twenty shillings pieces had this Inscription Faciam eos in gentem unam other golden Coines had these words Henricus rosas regna Iacobus He was born in the Palace of Edinborough on the nineteenth of Iuly anno 1566 and solemnly crowned King of the Scots on the same day of the Moneth anno 1567 and joyfully received to the Crown of England on the fourteenth of March 1602. He had a great dexterity in discovering an imposture and a marvellous sagacity to discuss natural things He detected the forgery of Richard Haydock a Physitian pretending to preach at night in his sleep who acknowledged his forgery to the King It was his custome to discourse during Meals with one or more Divines concerning some point of controversie in Philosophy There was a Conference or Disputation at Hampton Court before him Some of our Divines taxe Dr. Barlow Dean of Chester for a partial Penman of that Conference See Mr. Ley his Discourse of Disputat concerning matters of Religion c. 4. p. 46. Besides the relieving by Pensions all the poorer sort he hath honoured more Martial men than all the Kings of England have done for this hundred years Had his Apothegmes or wise speeches and also Queen Elizabeths been collected by a skilfull hand I suppose they would have been very usefull to the publick There is one that hath written a Book in Latine of Favourites where I think my Lord Car the Earle of Somerset the Duke of Buckingham are reckoned for the English Favourites the later of which was in great favour both with the Father and Son King Iames and King Charles Vossius in his Preface to his Book de Arte Grammatica if I forget not much commends King Iames. Isaac Causabone that famous Schollar was much respected and encouraged by him He was both a wise and learned Prince of disposition merciful and gracious a great seeker of peace according to that Motto which he ever used Beati pacifici In the stile of the Court he went for Great Britains Solomon nor is it any excursion beyond the precincts of verity to say that neither Britain nor any other Kingdome whatsoever could ever since Solomons dayes glory in a King for recondite learning and abstruse knowledge so near a match to Solomon as he Mr. Rushworths Historicall Collections 23. Iacobi p. 161. He was compared to Solomon in severall respects by Bishop Williams in his Funerall Sermon on 1 King 11. 41 42 43. Archbishop Spotswood saith he was the Solomon of this age admired for his knowledge of all manner of learning Hist. of Scotland l. 7. His Works shew his great learning especially his Basilicon Doron or Kingly gift It cannot be said how well it was accepted in England and what admiration it raised in all mens hearts of him and of his piety and wisdome Certain it is that all the Discourses which came forth that time for maintaining his right to the Crown of England prevailed nothing so much as did that Treatise Spotsw Hist. of the Church of Scotland l. 6. Iustinians Institutes Caesars Commentaries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are prized for their Authors as well as matter He had such a promptness in exprâ—ssing his mind that his extemporall sâ—eeches were little inferiour to his premeditated writings His invention was as quick as his first thoughts and his words as ready as his invention I' advouois franchement de n' avoir Iamais veu Prince dont la sincerité la prudence l' equaunimité meritast plus de gloire de louanges Que l' ayant tonsiours trouné d' un courage urayement Royal tout genereux d' un esprit plus intelligent plus vif plus penetrant plus judicieux que nul de son Conseil I' avois aussi tonsiours passionnement desiré de terminer conclurre avec luy les affaires non avec eux Memoires de Mounsier de Rosny Duc de Sully Tom. 2. p. 141. He was a good Poet. A very good Horseman He had such a fashion in riding that it could not so properly be said he rid as that his Horse carried him for he made but little use of his bridle and would say a Horse never stumbled but when he was reined He was a great lover of quiet and much given to hunting and to his Book and wholly fixt in Warring by writings with the Church Bentivoglio his History of Flanders part 3. l. 8. See his Relation of the united Provinces of Flanders c. 3. In his apparrell and civill garb he seemed naturally to affect a majestick carelesness in his pecuniary dispensations to his favourites he was excessive liberall King Iames being invited in a hunting journey to dine with Sir Thomas I. of Barkshire turning short at the corner of a Common happened near to a Countryman sitting by the heels in the stocks who cryed Hosanna unto his Majesty which invited him to ask the reason of his restraint Sir Thomas said It was for stealing a Goose from the Common The fellow replyed I beseech your Majesty be judge who is the greater thief I for stealing Geese from the Common or his Worship for robbing the Common from the Geese By my sale Sir said the King to Sir Thomas I 'le not dine to day on your dishes till you restore the Common for the poor to feed their flocks Which was forthwith granted to them and the witty fellow set free He spake broad in the Scottish tone and dialect Sir Kenelme Digby in his Discourse touching
King on either side whereof was a close Gallery for the King Queen and Prince to be private sutable to the ancient mode Which triall of his if we consider all things the high nature of the Charge against him the pompous Circumstances and stately manner of the triall it self the time that it lasted and lastly of what moment and consequence the success of it must prove I may safely say that no Subject in England and probably in Europe ever had the like Mr. May his History of the Parliament of England l. 1. c. 8. See more there Sir Thomas Roe was Chancellor of the most noble Order of the Garter and of King Charles his Privy Councel and severall years Embassador to the Great Mogor Great Turk King of Sweden and lastly to the Princes of the Protestant Union in Germany Iohn de Montreul a Parisian was he that thinking thereby to do some good office to the King of England negotiated that he might be put into the hands of the Scots This unfortunate Prince of whom he hath since given this testimony that he never saw a man of greater spirit and more vertue delighted often to discourse with him and expressed a great deal of affection to him I learned from a friend of mine to whom he told it himself that he made use of a secret which the King of England had taught him in the long conferences which they sometimes had together 'T was a certain powder very rare which being cast on the paper made that which was before-hand written there with a white liquor to appear which without that was wholly imperceptible His Majesty had a fine stroke with his pen which he practised at all times of leasure By which means he became Master of a pure and elegant stile as both his intercepted Letters and those to Mr. Henderson at Newcastle in the point of Episcopacy and his Book entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Pourtraiture of his Sacred Majesty in his solitudes and sufferings do most clearly evidence Which Book is put into Latine by Dr Earle At King Iames his Funerall he attended the Herse as the chiefest mourner an action laudable and deserving better interpretation than some make of it He shewed great patience in his sufferings It argued a charitable temper in him in pardoning his enemies when he died and praying for them and charging the Prince his eldest son to pardon them also He was the hundred and tenth Monarch of that line that swayed the Scepter of Scotland successively Bishop Bramhall his Answer to Militiere his Epistle His Works are all in two Volumes Reliquiae Carolinae and Bibliotheca Carolina The Arsenals Store-houses and Ship-docks erected by him are so magnificent and universally usefull that they are become a principall pillar of the Nations support so far as they relate to the Navall defence of it and affords variety of imployment by the manufacture of Cordage as also by the carâ—ening and building of Ships The latter end of his life by reason of the Civil broyls was troublesome and painfull as the Book stiled Iter Carolinum shews Lewis the thirteenth the last King of France spoke ofttimes of the troubles of Great Brittain in his sickness and once he was over heard to say that it was a just judgement because his brother of England would have assisted his Subjects once against him Mr. Howels Corollary to the life of Lewis the thirteenth In his March after Essex to the West it happened that one of his Carriages brake in a long narrow Lane which they were to pass and gave his Majesty a stop at a time of a great showr of rain which fell upon him Some of his Courtiers and others which were near about him offered to hew him out a way through the hedges with their swords that he might get shelter in some of the Villages adjoyning but he resolved not to forsake his Canon upon any occasion At which when some about him seemed to admire marvel at the patience which he shewed in that extremity his Majesty lifting up his Hat made answer That as God had given him affliction to exercise his patience so he had given him patience to â—ear his afflictions Mr. Fords Panegyrick on King Charles the first Let his Conference with the Marquess of Worcester the Papers which passed betwixt his Majesty and Master Henderson and those others with the Ministers in the Isle of Weight testifie how great a Master he was of reason how well read in the Fathers the Councels Ecclesiasticall History and the customes of the Church in all ages Id. ib. He made an admirable Anagram of himself the day before his death Carolus Rex Cras ero lux Id. ib. His death saith the Author of the Additions to Bakers Chronicle was strange and unparalleld We may read saith he of many Kings who came to violent ends but never any that was so formally and solemnly first tryed for his life and then judicially executed in publick by his own Subjects Mr. Love in his Vindication of the London-Ministers against Price his Clerico-Classicum pag. 36. gives good reasons against putting the King to death and saith He was the first Protestant King in the world so put to death by his own Subjects pag. 55. he saith He could produce multitudes of Protestant Divines against the cutting off the Head of our King in particular as the Ministers beyond the Seas the Ministers of Scotland the Ministers of Essex and Lancashire and of many other places of the Kingdome besides the London Ministers who unanimously declared their abhorrency of that horrid fact of taking away the life of the King pag. 59. he saith That there is no president in all the Scripture that the Sanhedrim of the Jewes or Rulers of Israel did ever judicially arraign and put to death any of the Kings of Judah or Israel though many of them were most gross Idolaters and tyrannous Princes who shed much innocent blood and oâ—pressed the people sundry wayes This notwithstanding another Divine of our own hath presumed to publish a Defence of the Sentence passed upon the late King He quotes Gen. 9. 6. Exod. 21. 12. Lev. 24. 17. Numb 35. 30 31 33. Prov. 28. 17. and Mat. 26. 52. to prove the lawfulness of it That private person which sheddeth mans bloud wilfully by man that is by the Magistrate whose power is here stablished saith Ainsworth for killing all wilfull murtherers shall his bloud be shed And this saith Ainsworth there accordeth with the Law Numb 35. 29 30. but private men may not use the sword Mat. 26. 52. Rom. 13. 4. I have read that place Matth. 26. 52. strongly urged by some against Subjects taking up Arms against their Princes but never this way before These Scriptures though he think them of so express a tenour of such a pregnant import I conceive make little for the purpose he alleadgeth them When I consider with my self
Seldeni Analect Anglobâ—it l. 2. c. 6. Vide Malmesb. de gestâ—â— Reg. Aug. l. 2. c. 10. Hunting hist. l. 5. Ejus vitae cursus saevâ—s in principio miser in medio turpis in exitu asseritur Malm. l. 2. c. 10. Ea nox parâ—ulo temporis momento vetustam Danorum dominationem diuque majorum virtute elaboratum finivit imperium Sed neque id postera nostris fortuna restituit Ita Anglia dominandi juâ—â—ignavia perdâ—tum scelere recuperavit Saxo-Grammat hist. Dan l. 10. Krantziâ— hist. D n. l. 4. Magni roboris animo corpore prâ—pter hoc ferreum â—atus nuncupatus Malmesb. de gestis Reg Aug. l. 2 c. 10. Palâ—d Viâ—g Ang hist. l 7. Vide Malmesb. de gestis Reg. Ang. l. 2. c. 10. Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 7. p. 132. Polyd. Virg. Ang hist. l. 7. Some say one year and a few moneths Vide Polyd. Virg. hist. Ang. l. 8. p. 135. Scians omnes habitantes orâ—em vanam frivolaâ— regum esse potentiam Hunting hist. l. 6. Erat Dominus totius Daciae totius Angliae totius Norwagiae simul Scotiae Hunting hist. l 6. Ea fuit optimi Regis diligentia ut optimis legibus patriam cives milites intra honestatis praescriptum contineret Tulit legem de singulis rebus omniâ—qâ—e praeviâ—it quae ab optimo legum latore sunt providenda Et quum inter alia homicidio quoque paenam decrevissâ—t accidit ut ipsae 〈◊〉 is praevaricator occiso milite inveâ—iretur Quâ—mqu factum majestaâ—is reverentia â—uâ—ripot â—isset militari se animadversiouâ— substravit Kranâ—â—zii hist Daniâ— l. 4. Vide plura ibid. Leges Canuti posteâ—â—ati tam gratae fuerunt sibiquâ—â—am satutares Anglâ— semper duxâ—runt ut ad eas sirmiteâ— observandas sub nomine Edwardâ— Regis non quod illâ—â— stâ—tuâ—rit sed quod observaverit Principes regâ—o inaugurâ—â—dos solio sepius obstrinxerint juramento Seldeni Analâ—ct Anglobrit l. 2 c. 6. Ex Malmesâ— l 2. c. 11. Nou refero confessoris has leges ad certum regni cjus anuum aliquem quod non ab eo institutas câ—nsâ—oâ—â—sed ex Antecossorum suoruâ— legthâ—s praesertim Regis Canuti ut animadvertit Malmâ—sburius ducta plerunquâ— essent promulgaâ—a Innuit hoc idem ipsarum titulus in quo decitur Iucipiunt legeâ— S. Edwardâ— Regis quas in Anglia 〈◊〉 Id est observavit Non quas tulit hoc est instituit Spelman de Concil p 625 l. â—ide Lambardum de priscis Anglorum legibus Quo nemo Damcorum Regum tam eâ—si piura alii victor t is illustraverint splendidiâ—r fuit Equidem sanctitate ac fortitudine instâ—â—ctissâ—mus non minus religionem quam râ—gnum proferre curae hâ—huit Craâ—zii hist. Daniae l 4. Some say twenty St 〈◊〉 Malmeâ—b Dani ut patria pace loquar sâ—ecandis certatim calicibus assueti Saxo-Gram Hic tributum inexâ—rabile importabile Angliae imposuit ut classiariis suâ—â— pers ingulas naves viginti marcas ex pollicitâ— pensitaret Malm. l. 2 c 12. Edwardus Cognomento ob pâ—etatem Confessor Selden Ianus Ang. It was imposed by his Father and payed for forty years continuance cut of the lands of all except only the Clergy Danegeldum sâ—u Danageldum â—d est Tributum Danicum dicebatur Selden Marâ— clausum â—â—â— c. 11. vid plura â— Ibid. A Treatise of union of the two Realms of England and Scotland c. â— * Eâ—ymon ipsius habe primum nominis Op 〈◊〉 privativa est particula dâ—el pars sonat totum expers quasi criminis Purgationis autem sive Ordalii gâ—â—us duplex iâ—ncum aquâ—um Duplâ—â—i etiam forma ignâ—â—â— â—â—simulâ—tus cum quis criminis aut nuda manâ—â— sâ—rrum gestabat aut pedibua mâ—dus igâ—iâ—oâ— veâ—â—â—res premebit Distinguebant porro juxta ferrâ— magnitudinem quod si uniâ—s esset pondo simplex si trium triplex Ordalium nominabant Seld. Analect Auglebrit l 2. c. 8. Vide ejus Janum Anglorum l 2. p 253 254 255 256. Vedesis Glossarium annexum legibus Henrici primi apud Lambaâ— luâ— de prâ—sâ—â—â— Anglorum legibus See Dr. Hackwels Apology of Gods pâ—â—vidence in the government of the world l. 4. c. 2. Sect. 5 against the Ordeal Laws Sr Iohn Hayward alleadgeth two other causes impotency of nature and suspicion against her Ediderat à â—undamentis Baâ—dicam seu Ecclesiaâ— S. Petri Westmonasterii supra modum saeculi augustissimâ—m qua nostratibus etiam exemplum dedit condendi Ecclesias in formam Crucis Christi passioualis id est productiore radio inferiori Spelm. de Concil p. â—36 Matth. Paris hist. Ang. p. 2. Earl Godwin Father to King Harold having procured the untimely death of Alfred Brother to King Edward the Confessor denied is continually with solemn oathes and especially once when he dined with the King At what time occasion being offered to speak of that matter he took a piecâ— of broad and prayed to God that the same might be his last if he were any way consenting or privy thereto and so eating the bread was choaked therewith and died there in the Kings presence Henry Hunting hist. l. 6. Ingulphus hist. Ang. 153. Polyd. Virg Ang. hist The Archers of the Normans send forth their arrows on every side as thick as hail which kind of fight as it was unto the Englâ—sh mâ—n strange so it was unto them no less terrible Milles. Walsingham History is called Hypodigma Neustriae Ayscis Haec gen◠á Dacia oriunda ferox statim tanto regâ—o potita mores optimos leges sanctissimas divina humanaque vertere ac denique genus ipsum Aâ—gâ—icum perdere conata est Polyd. Virg. Aug. hist. Proaem in l. 9. Erat sapiens sed astutus locuples sed cupidus gloriosas sed famae deditus eras humilis Deo servientibus durus sibi resistâ—ntibus Huntington hist. l 6. Aluâ—â— non habebat Gallia qui talis praelicaretur eques arma tus Spectaculum erat delectabile simul ac terribile eum cernere frâ—ua moderantem ense decorum clypeo sulgentem galea teloque minitantem Gesta Gulielmi Ducis Normannorum à Gulielmoâ—â—ctaviensi â—â—ctaviensi Lexoviorum Archidiacono Mr. Pryns seasonable legall and historicall vindication of the fundamentall Liberties Rights Laws of England p. 382 383. See more there See Sir Iohn Hayward in the life of King William the first p. â—9 32 33 34 35 36 and Master Bacons first part of his historicall discourse of the uniformity of the Government of England c. 44 45 46 55 56 and Carpenters Geog. l. 2. c. 14. p. 238. Verstegâ—ns Antiquities c. 6. p. 171 172. It was a generall custome at that time in France that Bastards did succeed even in dignities of highest condiâ—ion no otherwise than children lawfully begotten Sir Iohn Hayward in the life of William the first p. 4 5. He hath seven examples there of Bastards lawfull succession It is probable saith the same Hayward that this uâ—e was grounded upon often experience that
Edwards Laws These Laws are partly Ecclesiasticall partly Civill Lambard de priseis Anglorum legibus mentions Leges boni Regis Edwardi quas Gulielmus Bastardus postea confirmavit In these Laws it is observable 1. That all capitall corporall pecuniaty punishments fines for criminall offence◠〈◊〉 all reliefs services and duties to the King are reduced to a certainty not leâ—t arbitrary to the King his Justices or other Officers for the Subjects greater liberty ease and security 2. That they protect preserve the possessions priviledges persons of the Church and Clergy from all invasion injury violence and disturbance The Raign of this King was very peaceable He first used the broad Seal His Wife was named Editha the vertuous Daughter of an infamous Father Earl Godwin Sicut spina Rosam genuit Godwinus Editham His unnaturall dealing with his good Mother Emma and vertuous Wife Editha in whose breast there was a School of all liberall Sciences saith William Malmesbury cannot be excused For upon a poor surmise of Incontinency with Alwin Bishop of Winchester his Mother in his presence was put to the Ordalium to pass blindfolded between nine glowing Coulters which she did without hurt His refusing carnall copulation with his Queen either out of a vowed virginity as most Historians conclude or out of a detestation of Earl Godwins trayterous race quod Rex religiosus de genere proditoris haeredes qui sibi succederent corrupto semine regio noluerit pâ—â—râ—ari as Ingulphus Matthew Westminster and others record whereby he exposed the Kingdome for a prey to the ambitious pretenders aspiring after it The King after this craved mercy and pardon from his Mother for the infamy and injury done unto her for which he was disciplined and whipped by his Mother and all the Bishops there present The first curing the Kings Evil is referred to him and thence to have continued to his successors Solebat Rex Edwardus divinitus solo tactu sanare strumosos hoc est strumam patientes Est enim srruma morbus quem Itali scrophulaâ— vulgo vocant à scrophis quae ea mala scabie afflictantur Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 8. Struma gutturis vitium quod nonnulli scrophulam dicunt solo tactu in quam plurimis sanasse dicitur Lil. Ang. Reg. Chronicon He raigned twenty three years and six moneths and died in the Painted Chamber at Westminster He built St Peters Church in Westminster and was there buried In hoc Rege linea Regum Angliae defecit quae à Cerdicio primo Westsaxonum Rege ex Anglis quingentis septuaginta uno annis non legitur interrupta praeter paucos Danos qui peccatis exigentibus gentis Anglorum aliquandiu regnaverunt Harold The second of that name the thirty eighth Monarch of the English men Son of Earl Goodwin a man of excellent parts and approved valour He driven by tempest into Normandy was affianced to Adelizi the Dukes fifth Daughter He covenanted with the Duke to make him successor to Edward in the Kingdome of England Mr. Fox's Acts and Monuments vol. 1. Mr. Cambden in his Brittannia Holinshed Sir Iohn Hayward Sir Richard Baker incline to this opinion that Harold by his might power craft policy usurped and invaded the Crown without any right against his Oath After Edwards death the Duke sent to him to put him in mind of his Covenant and Oath but Harold replied that this Oath being constrained did no way binde The Duke William landing in Sussex to cut off all occasion of return he fired his own Fleet and upon the shore erected a fortress to be if need were a retiring place for his Souldiers Harold and he fighting seven miles from Hastings in Sussex Harold was slain and his Army vanquished His overthrow was a just punishment of God upon him for his perjury He raigned but nine moneths and nine dayes In him was compleated the period of the Saxons Empire in Brittain after they had continued from their first erected Kingdome by Hengisâ— in Kent the space of six hundred and ten years without any interruption saving the small inter-Raigns of three Danish Kings The Normans were a miâ—â— people of Norvegians Suevians and Danes That Province in France was then called Neustria and now Normandy of the name Norman given unto them because they came out of the North parts The Normans laboured by all means to supplant the English and to plant their own language amongst us and for that purpose they both gave us the Lawes and all manner of pastimes in the French tongue as he that will peruse the Laws of the Conquerour and consider the terms of Hawking Hunting Tenice Dice-play and other disports shall easily perceive Lamb's Perambulation of Kent CHAP. XI WILLIAM the first sirnamed the Conqueror RObert Duke of Normandy the sixth in descent from Rollo riding through Falais a Town in Normandy espied certain young persons dancing near the way And as he stayed to view a while the manner of their disport he fixed his eye especially upon a certain Damsell named Arlotte of mean birth a Skinners Daughter who there danced among the rest The frame and comely carriage of her body the naturall beauty and graces of her countenance the simplicity of her rurall both behaviour and attire pleased him so well that the same night he procured her to be brought to his lodging where he begat of her a Son who afterward was named William The English afterwards adding an aspiration to her name according to the naturall manner of their pronouncing termed every unchast Woman Harlot He seized the Crown of England not as conquered but by pretence of gift or adoption aided and confirmed by nearness of bloud and so the Saxon Laws formerly in force could not but continue and such of them as are now abrogated were not at all abrogated by his conquest but either by the Parliaments or Ordinances of his time and of his successours or else by non-usage or contrary custome Mr. Seldens review of his History of Tythes c. 8. see more there He never made the least pretence claim or title to the Crown and Realm of England only as an absolute Conquerour of the Nation but meerly by title as their true and lawfull King by designation adoption and cognation seconded with the Nobles Prelates Clergy and peoples unanimous election And although it be true that this Duke ejected Harold and got actuall possession of the Throne and Kingdome from him by the sword as did Auâ—elius Ambrosius and others before and King Henry the fourth Edward the fourth and Henry the seventh yet that neither did nor could make him a King by conquest only no more than these other Princes seeing the end of this Warre was not against the whole English Nation the greatest part whereof abetted his interest but only against the unjust usurper and intruder King Harold and his adherents Although the Laws of this Kingdome
his Father At a time upon the repulse of a certain suit the Archbishop brake forth into discontentment expostulated sharply against the King and in a humorous heat offered to depart But the King stayed him fell down at his feet desired pardon and promised satisfaction in the best manner that he could The Nobility which were present put the Archbishop in minde that he should cause the King to arise nay answered the Archbishop let him alone let him still abide at St. Peters feet So with much ado he was appeased and entreated to accept his suit By reason of sickness he kept his chamber a long time whereat the French King scoffing said The King of England lyeth long in Childbed Which when it was reported unto King William he answered When I am Churched there shall be a thousand lights in France alluding to the lights that Women used to bear when they were Churched and that he performed within few dayes after wasting the French Frontiers with fire and sword Malmesb. de Wilielmo primo l. 4. Some of the Earls conspiring against him he perceiving his estate to be now brought into no small danger and loath to put all upon the hazard and fortune of a Battell against men so well provided and with desperation armed as a man perplexed entred into consultation with Lâ—nfrancke then Archbishop of Canterbury what course were now best for him to take for the appeasing of these so great and dangerous troubles By whose advice he came to a parl with the English Nobility where after much reasoning and debating of the matter a peace was at length concluded and agreed upon so that the English men laying down their Arms the Conquerour in the presence of the Archbishop Lanfrancke and others took a solemn Oath upon the holy Evangelists and all the reliques of the Churches of St. Albans from thence forth to observe and keep the good and ancient Laws of the Realm which the noble Kings of England his Predecessors had before made and ordained but especially those of St. Edwarâ— of all others supposed to be most equall and indifferent for the geneâ—all good of the people He courteously received and honourably maintained Edgar Etheling in his Court allowing him a pound weight of silver every day to spend a rare example of a victorious Conqueror shewed upon a man so unconstant who twice had broken his Oath of fidelity and dangerous to be so near unto his person being as he was a competitor of his Crown During all his Raign either the sword was not put up into the scabbard or if it were the hand was alwayes upon the hilt ready to draw it So unwilling on the one part were the English men to bear the yoke and so haughty on the other part were the Norman Conquerors that to be called an English man was in their eyes a great concumely insomuch as it made some of the more light-conceited of the English to seek to better their esteem by imitating the Normans both in apparrell and language which among the graver sort bred the Proverb that Jack would be a Gentleman if he could speak French He favoured learned men and drew out of Italy Lanfrancke Anselme Durand Trahern and divers others famous at that time for learning and piety 'T is better with William Hunter than with William the Conqueror 'T is better to have a name in the Book of Martyrs than in the Book of Chronicles Mr. Nortons life of Mr. Iohn Cotton Perceiving his own defects in some points for want of learning he did exhort his children oftentimes to learning with this saying An unlearned Prince is a crowned Ass which speech took great impression in his son Henry This is one speciall honour attributed unto him that from him we begin the Computation of our Kings of England From the Normans bearing of Armes began amongst us Ab eo posteriores series Regum inchoavere perinde acsi de integro ille regnum ipsum instituâ—isset Regesque qui seâ—uti sunt usi similiter sunt ut nunc utuntur insignibus Regiis quae dedisset Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 9. Nostrates priusquam in Angliam penetrasset Wilielmus primus hunc armorum cultum à Normannis videntur accepisse Spelmanni Aspilegia p. 40. Vide etiam p. 44. He ended his life upon the ninth day of September full both of honour and of age when he had raigned twenty years eight moneths and sixteen dayes in the threescore and fourth year of his age His dead body was not only abandoned but left almost naked upon the ground Being conveyed from Roan where he died to Cane one Fitz Arthur denied the King buriall in the Abbey-Church as ground which was wrongfully taken by the King from his Father till he had a hundred pounds paid him for it Mr. Ienkyn in his Exposition of the Epistle of Iude vers 4. p. 351. saith Of our twenty five Monarchs since the Conquest thirteen taking in three who are thought to be poysoned are said to have had violent and untimely deaths CHAP. XII K. William the second sirnamed Rufus or the Red. KIng William the first took to wife Matilde daughter to Baldwin Earl of Flanders a man for his wisdome and power both reverenced and feared even of Kings but because she was his Cousin-germane he was for his marriage excommunicate by his own Uncle Mauger Archbishop of Roan Hereupon he sued to Pope Victor and obtained of him a dispensation and afterwards so wrought that by a provinciall Counsell his Uncle Mauger was deprived of his dignity This King had by his Wife four sons Robert Richard William and Henry Robert his eldest son sirnamed Courtcuise by reason of the shortness of his thighs succeeded him in the Duchy of Normandy He was a man of exceeding honourable courage and spirit for which cause he was so esteemed by the Christian Princes in the great Warre against the Saracens that when they had subdued the City and Territory of Hierusalem they offered the Kingdome thereof first unto him The King of England to whom the Schola Salernitana was dedicated was this Robert eldest son of the Duke of Normandy which begins thus Anglorum Regi scribit Schola tota Salerni and it seems to be written when this Robert returned out of Palestina into Apulia and by reason of a Fistula from his poysoned wound he had consulted with the School of Salerne concerning it and preserving his health Neither doth that hinder that this Book is written to the King of England but Robert never raigned here for the Kingdome of right belonged to him which his younger Brother William Rufus possessed in his absence and for recovering of that he warred with his Brother but was overcome by him Richard had raised the good expectation of many as well by his comely countenance and behaviour as by his lively and generous spirit But he died young by misadventure
rubra stirpis Eboracensis alba Lancastâ—ensis Spelm. Aspilogia Speed Trussels life and Raign of Richard the second Humfridus filius Henrici quarit sâ—ater Henrici quinti patruus Henrici sexti Regum Angliae excoluit tum juvenis tum etiam senex virtutem ut qui maximo Hinc clarus domi militiaeque bonis omnibus gratissâ—mus Amavit praeter caetera politas literas quibus etiam impendio invigilavit Vidi ego libellum de rebus astronomicis ab eo non infaeliciter scriptum Mecaenas ille quidem doctorum omnium quos illis temporibus vel Anglia vel Gailâ—a vel Italia protulii Testes exemplaria antiquissima quidem illa numero 1296 quae Academiae ad Isidis viâ—um fitae inchoata ibidem longè pulcherrimâ— operis Bibliotheca liberaliter contulit Lel. comment in Cygn Cant. Vide ejus l. 3. de vtris illustribus He took delight to lie lurking in high wayes to steal from himself for observing the times that his Tenants were to bring home his rents he would set upon them yea sometimes to the danger of his life making them make good in their accounts as much as had been stolen from them neither could they defraud him for he himself knew best how much they had lost And if they chanced to hurt or evil treat him he liked them the better Sir Francis Biondi of the Civil Warres of England The Prince impatient of contradiction and who was naturally given to blows insomuch as he would disguise himself to seek occasion for them gave the Judge such a Cuffe on the ear as would have stunned any one who had been less resolute then he but the Judge neither frighted with the blow nor losing his former gravity said unto him that the injury done unto him sitting on that seat was an offence done unto the King to whom and to whose Laws he the Prince was doubly obliged as a Subject and as a son Sir Francis Biondi of the Civil Warres of England p. 102 103. Sir Francis Biondi of the Civil Wars of England Sir Richard Bakers Chronicle Grasion Hollinsh Quod benevolentiae officium nulli antea priusquam Rex renunciatus esset praestitum constat adeo Henricus ab incuâ—ta aetate spem omnibus optinae indolis fecit Polyd Virg. Ang. hist. Speed Hic vir hic fuit qui à primo docuit honores ut est in Proverbio debere mutare mores c. Polyd Virg ib. Dolem Confer touching Success part 1. c. 3. He was so devout and serviceable to the Pope and his Chaplains that he was called of many the Prince of Priests Fox his Acts and Monum v. l. 1. Cambd. Britannia in Monmouthshire Speed V. debatur Deorum hominiemque consensus conspiratio esse in Anglicam fortnnam cùm ecce subitò in pejus omnia labi cunctà que retrò ferri Henricus ille Regum flos illud belli fulmen suorum delicium in medio victoriae cursu fatis ostensus tantùm moritur infante regni bellìque haerede relicto Forstneri omissorum libeâ— ad l. 1. Annal Taciti Constantius Chlorus father unto the Emperour Constantine the Great having commanded that all such Christians as would not adoâ—â— his Gods should depart from his service did nevertheless is banish all thoâ—e that denied their faith and retained the others in his service and favour whereâ—â— he gave this reason That those who had so little conscience as to be false unto their God could not be true to him Treasury of timeâ— l 9 c. 6. Hollinsh As Henry the fifth prophesieth here of his son Henry so Henry the sixth afterward prophesied likewise of his son Henry Matth. Paris hist. Ang Henr. 1. p 62. mentions also a prophesie of William the Conquerour concerning his son Henry the first Aequanimis esto sili comfortare in Domino pacifiâ—è sustiâ—e ut fratres tui majores te praecedant tu autem tempore tuo honorem totum quem adquisivi habebis fratribus tuis divitiis potcstate praecâ—lles Dux Bedfordiae vir tam pace optimus quam bello for tissimus Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l 23. Vide plura ibid. Bacons uniform Government of England part 2. c. 13. He lived thirry six years His innocency gave him holiness Sir Francis Bacon Habingtons History of Edw. the fourth Cambd. Brit. in Yorkeshire Biondi Trussells continuat of Dan-Hist Erat Henricus vir miti simplicìque ingenio qui pacem bello qui requietem solicitudini qui honestum utili 〈…〉 curis anteponebat quodemum nihil castius nibil probius nihil sanctius in eo pudor modestia integritas patientia summa qui humanos casus aerumâ—as omnia id genus vitae tormenta perinde aequo animo ferebat ac si ipsius culpa contracta essent continebat se ut facilè quibus praecrat contincret non inhiabat opes firtebat honores at animae tantum saluti studebat qua sola sapienter quidem bona ejùsque amissione mala metiebatur ac desiniebat Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist c. 23 p. 492. In weighty matters his affirmation was forsooth and forsooth Fuit Henricus animo liberali qui bonarum artium studia mirabatur eâ—s diligebat in quibus eas esse videret quare suos ipse quoque juvit ut doctrina crudirentur Condidit euim Scholam magnificam ad Hetonam pagum proximum Vindesoram in quo collocavit Collegium sacerdotum pucrorùmque magno numero qui ibi nâ—â—rirentur docerentque Grammaticam gratuito Idem Cantabridgiae autor fuit Collegiircgii quod bodie ita disciplinarum eultu floret ut facile omnium Collegiorum sitâ— Princeps Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 24. p. 532. Daniels eighth Book of Civil Warres His Propheticall speech Caeterùm illud infortunium apud vulgus predigio creditur esse demonstratum quandoquidem ferunt cùm ipse Henricus paulò antè in Senatu ornatus regio habitu consideret subitò coronam è capite in terram cecidisse Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 23. Ob pictatem vir babitus sanctissimus ob inertiam tamen inter pessiâ—nos Reges numerandus nam Galliam à patresubactam amisit turpiter ac postea deinde Angliae etiam regno excidit Godw. de Praesul Angl. * Philip the third King of Spain was wholly addicted to exercises of piety alwayes fingering his Beads he sympathized much in nature with this King but was not so unfortunate for he preserved what his father left him whereas Henry the sixth lost France where he had been crowned King in his cradle Howel his History of Naples Gulielmus Alnwick Episcopus Lincolniensis homo propter doctrinam morum sanctitatem tant celebris ut priscorum Regum sanctissimus Henricus sextus in confessionem cum sibi asciverit Godw. de Praes Ang. Stubbs his discourse against Q Eliz. French match Hollinsh Fuit Edwardus corpore proceâ—o ac eminents quippe qui inter omnes exâ—ellcret statura honesta facie laetis oculis patenti pectore
how many of note this Divine hath written against and what paradoxall if not heterodoxall tenets he hath often laboured to maintain sometimes against the determinations of a Parliament rightly so called I wonder at that passage of his near the conclusion of his Novice-Presbyter instructed The great knower of hearts and searcher of the reins in whose presence I write knoweth that if himself would be pleased to discharge me of the service of contradicting and opposing men and dispose of me in a way of retirement were it never so private and obscure where I might only contest with my own weakness and errors he should give me one of the first-born desires of my soul in the things of this life into my bosome He may do well to weigh those places Exod. 22. 28. 1 Sam. 26. 9. Prov. 24. 21. Eccles. 10. 20. The Greek word for King notes him that is the stay or foundation of the people He is called 1 Pet. 2. 13. the Supreme or Superiour The Greek word signifies one that hath above others in matter of Authority and Supremacy The Generals Commission the Covenant the Parliaments Declarations and Engagements both to the King and Scots were for the preservation of the Kings person Even Mr. Goodwin in his Anticavallierismâ— and Mr. Burroughs in his Lord of Hosts though they justified the Warre yet they shewed their dislike of any injury to the Kings person I may justly vindicate the Parliament of England from having any hand in this abominable action Nunquam in te peccavit Britannia tua sed nec in Parentem sola colluvies illa de formis nefariorum tâ—nebrionum haec cuncta execranda procudit D. Creyghtoni Dedicâ—t hist. Concilii Tridentini Some object that every Monarch hath his power from the consent of the whole body therefore the whole body hath a power above the power of the Monarch and to this purpose they alleadge that Maxime Quicquid efficit tale est magis tale All Government they say is for the good of the governed and Salus populi suprema lex That Maxime even in naturall causes is subject to divers restrictions and it holds not in this particular The Guardian is for his sake that is under age yet he hath power over him Of the right interpretation of the other Maxime Salus populi suprema lex See Dr. Sanderson de Obligat Consc. Praelect 9 10. Not that Prince which is most potent over his Subjects but that Prince which is most potent in his Subjects is truly potent witness that incomparable Princess of happy memory Queen Elizabeth It was also our King Charles his own Golden Maxime The peoples Liberty strengthens the Kings Prerogative and the Kings Prerogative is to defend the peoples Liberty Let us leave the Doctrine of King-killing to Mariana the Iesuite to defend and the perpetration of such a horrid act to Ravilliac and such monsters of men Of Marianas Doctrine and of the Iesuites opinion of the lawfulness of deposing Princes that are hereticall See in Dr. Taylors collection of Polemicall and Morall Discourses his Sermon preached upon the fifth of November on Luke 9. 54. I shall close up all with Davids patheticall speech 2 Sam. 1. 20. Tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askeloâ— lest the daughters of the Philistims rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph As I have severall times in the Parliament so I thought sit here to give in my testimony against that unsound opinion and abominable practice Had I been sooner freed out of the Kings-head in the Strand where I with many other worthy Secluded Members were confined for not going along with the rest of the House in their intended evill designe I had published a Treatise against King-killing which I had formerly composed before that Fatall stroake Finis Errata PAge a line 15. read Hervord p. 3. l. 22. Ethelbald p. 4. margin Histoire d' Angleterre p. 9 l. penult ult r. Aidan p. 10. l. 4. p. 9. l. 9. r. Oswalstre p. 16. marg l. 10. r. nami illi argentei l. 11. r. pontificius quaestor l. 11 12. dele qui publicé bonas artes profiterentur quô multi doctrina clari confluérunt docendi gratta p. 20. marg dele Vid Asser c. p. 29. l. 9. r. sica p. 28. l. penult r. upon a. p. 34. l. e 30. r. this l 31. r. all p. 44. marg l. 20 21. r. ipse suae p. 51. l. 4. r. He refused p. 61. l. 36. r. cotraderet p. 68. marg l. 20. dele non p. 73. marg l. 1. r. plerisqué p. 81 l. 15. r. one one one c. p. 85. l. 29. r. of p. 90. l. 21. r. Cyrus p. 95. marg l. ult r. loquentem p. 106. marg l. 8. r. Episcopus p. 116. m. l. 11. r. Polyd. p. 111. l. 14. r. Civilis p. 129. l. 6. r. Westminster An Alphabeticall Table expressing or pointing to the chief things contained in this Treatise A ALfred his severall Names page 20 The first annointed King of England ibid. His Vertues p. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Arthur King and Prince p. 154 155 B Bastards many of them famous p. 56 Benevolence by whom that Tax was devised p. 156 Black Prince a valiant person why so called p. 113 115 Bush Why Henry the 7th bore the Hawthorn-Bush with the Crown in it p. 151 C Canutus p. 42 43 44 45 Magna Charta often confirmed p. 111 City of London gives the Dagger for its Arms and why p. 100 D Danes long molested England p. 37 38 47 E Edgar p. 33 34 35 36 37 38 Edward the elder p. 27 More Kings of England of that name than of any other name p. 27 Edward the Confessor p. 48 49 50 51. Edward the first p. 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 Edward the second p. 104 to 109 Edward the third p. 109 to 117 Edward the fourth p. 136 to 146 Edward the fifth p. 146 147 Edward the sixth from p. 170 to 178 Egbert p. 15 16 England five times plagued by other Nations p. 14 Called so first by Ethelbald p. 11 18 Ethelbert p. 7 18 Ethelred p. 10 18 19 Ethelwolfe p. 16 17 Ethelston p. 28 G The order of the Garter instituted by King Edward the third p. 115 116 The King of Heralds called Garter ordained by Henry the fifth p. 132 Guild-Hall in London in what Kings raign erected p. 128 H L. Hastings a speciall judgment on him p. 149 Harlos whence p. 55 Hengist why so called the first Monarch of the English p. 4 5 The Heptarchy of the Saxons p. 2 3 Henry the first p. 73 to 81 Henry the second p. 84 to 86 Henry the third p. 94 to 98 Henry the fourth p. 122 to 129 Henry the fifth p. 129 to 134 Henry the sixth 134 to 139 Henry the seventh p. 150 to 160 Henry the eighth p. 160 to 170 Humble King rare p. 10 Humphrey Duke of Glocester