things were to whom though the old man answered that they were a kind of Goslings yet the yong Religious man could not rest so satisfied but he would needes haue one of those Goslings home with him for his recreation There is a Record yet to bee seene in England of a Grant made by an Abbâ—t of certaine lands vpon condition the Tenant would prouide a pretty yong wench once a moneth for my Lord Abbot ad purgandos renes to purge his reines Many other examples may be produced to proue the impossibility of fulfilling your monasticall vowes Why then doe you tollerate with vnlawfull lust with billing and bussing like Owles while yee may goe neately about it without any disparage and marrie in the open face of the Church To this Saint Francis answered that hee measured other mens dispositions by his owne and for his poore brother if he erred he erred not of any malicious thought but of pure Loue which is the Soueraignest blessing required in all honest men to root out the contrarie which is Hatred Likewise hee shewed out of profound Schoolemen that there were seuen kinds of Kissing The first a charitable kisse a kisse of charitie which the Patriarkes and the Saints in old time vsed one to another as also in the Scripture is implied by our Sauiour Kisse the Sonne least he be angry And againe Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth This sacred kisse did his louing Brother substantially engraue on the lips of his sweet Sister And because the memoriall of his vertuous Loue might sticke there he infused it with a long temporizing breath of halfe an houre together as with a deepe Seale and Character not to bee forgotten by her which kisse being so imprinted could not but argue an entire vnion in their Soules by a pleasing harmonie and a honeyed participation of excellent Charitie As for Doctor Wicliffe impeachment hee hoped that an Hereticks supercilious taxation was not of force to condemne an act of Charitie being a man euer reputed euen among his own Sect too rigorous austere whose teeth might perhaps water at such a daintie obiect because hee had not met with the like happinesse himselfe And if the said Doctor Wicliffe did misconster their true intent he retorted that embleme which the Knights of the Noble Order of the Garter by the Institution of Edward the third King of England vsed for many yeeres to embellize Honte soit qui maly pensoit Shame to him that euill thinketh The second sort of Kissing is called a Complementall Kisse which the English allow by way of Complement and friendly ceremonie to salute their friends wiues withall or any of the Feminine kind often-times giuing it with a smacke to rellish the better This is a harmlesse Kisse iustifiable both at comming and parting But more then two Kisses at one meeting a seuere Lord President of Wales could not endure The third kind of Kissing is a naturall token of Loue among the married couples whereof let them discourse whom the Church hath so conioyned in the Honourable state of Matrimonie The fourth degree of Kissing is called a Lecherous kisse vsed vnlawfully among them that shunne the light or in the Stewes to despite their Angell Guardians and to call the Sunne as a witnesse of their obstinate standing out against their Great Creatour The fift sort of Kissing is termed an unnaturall kisse of man with man a minion-kisse such as Iupiter vsed to Ganymede his Cup-bearer and which I am sorrie to heare of such as some of our Italians doe practize to the obloquie of our Catholicke Romish Church This kind of kissing Pygmalion falling in loue with an Image of his owne caruing often vsed It seem'd a virgin full of liuing flame That would haue mou'd if not with-held by shame So Art it selfe conceald His Art admires From th' Image drawes imaginarie fires And often feeles it with his hands to try If 't were a Bodie or cold Iuorie Nor could resolue Who kissing thought it kist He courts embraces wrings it by the wrist There is a sixt kind of Kissing called a Iudas kisse where with he bearing honey in his mouth and gall in his heart mel in ore fel in corde did most treacherously betray his Master Christ such a kisse likewise as Ioab gaue to Amasa at the instant when hee killed him being compared to the salutation of the antient Irish who when they purposed to doe an ill turne laughed and smiled thereby to make the innocent stranger secure and carelesse of his safetie The seuenth sort of Kissing is stiled the kisse of Grace or Honour which Potentates and great Princes haue vsed to conferre on inferiour Persons by reaching their hands or feet to be kissed by them This last of the Foot doth properly belong to my Lord the Pope to countenance and fauour Emperours and Kings like the Sunne which lends the beautie of his rayes to the Moone and lesser Starres though in very deede they are no more worthy being worldly-minded creatures to kisse his holy and sanctified Foot then Saint Iohn Baptist to approach vnto Christ whose shooe latchet hee confessed that hee was no way worthy to vndoe I know Doctor Raynolds in his workes de Romana Idololatria mislikes this as a marke of Antichristian Pride not accepted by Saint Peter though a meaner man then an Emperour would haue done that vassalage vnto his Holinesse But Heretickes know not the reason of Saint Peters refusall Let them therefore vnderstand that the Triple Crowne was not at that time settled on Peters head and withall that Saint Peters deniall saying My selfe am also a man sauoured not so much of modestie as of a Courtly putting by the vrgent presumption of such an inferiour Person as Cornelius was For perhaps if the Roman Emperour himselfe would haue sued for that Honour with teares and humilitie he might haue had the grace to kisse his Foot When a subiect sues to a King for some extraordinarie Gift which he is not willing to bestow hee will not daunt him with a rigorous repulse but answeres him that he will consider of it Le Roy se auisera Of these sixe last kisses I dare cleere my good Franciscan He is as harmelesse as my selfe I can assure your Maiestie being of my owne education and like me in conditions And a very Ideot then replied Apollo But the young Fellow lookes as if he had more wit then his Tutour more Knaue then Foole. You haue discoursed of sundrie kindes of Kisses Yet for all your simplicitie you haue learnt that magisteriall trick of State for the credit of your Order propter bonestatem domus to couer the sinfull pollutions of your Brood because they are sweet veniall sinnes But if a Lay man had committed such a crime in the Church it had beene exorbitant worthy of fire and faggot Old Couper of Westminster found no such fauor nor Aduocate to defend his innocencie for one poore kisse which hee
Mastership haue Nor to carke for cloth or for food From euery mischiefe he would them saue Their Clothing should be Righteousnesse Their Treasure pure life should be Charity should be their Riches Their Lordship should be vnitee Hope in God their Honestie Their vessell cleane Conscience Poore in spirit and Humilitie Should be Holy Churches defence The Griffon said thou shalt abie Thou shalt be burnt in balefull fire And all thy Sect I shall destry You shall be hanged by the swire I le cause you soone to hang and draw VVho giueth you leaue for to preach Or thus to speake against Gods Law And the people thus false to teach Thou shalt be cursed with Booke and Bell And disseuer'd from Holy Church And cleane ydamned into Hell Otherwise but you will worke The Pellican said I doe not dread Your Cursing is of little value Of God I hope to have my meed For it is falshood which you shew For you beene out of Charity And would doe vengeance as did Nero. To suffer I will ready be I dread not that what thou caâ—st doe CHAP. XV. Sir Geffrey Chaucer being proâ—oked by Scotus to defend his Cause proues the Pope to bee the great and vniuersall Antichrist prophesied in the Scriptures AFter that the Pronotarie had read that Part of the Plowmans Tale which Sir Geffrey Chaucer had published against the Pope the Romish Church hee was commanded by Apollo to defend his Doctrine Sir Geffrey Chaucer obeyed and framed this extemporary Oration Most high and redoubted Emperour I am glad that Scotus hath prouoked mee this day to open that Secret which by the craft of our Arch sorcerer of the Christian Church hath beene concealed from the vulgars knowledge vntill this fulnesse of Time which the Holy Ghost hath appointed for his Discouerie The Waldenses Albigienses and many others long before my time haue done their endeauors in other Countryes to reueale him but here in England Abbot Ioachim excepted who in K. Rich. the firsts dayes proclaymed the Pope Antichrist no man durst for feare of his formidable Tyrannie disclose what they knew in their Consciences to bee apparantly true This Illumination and Gift of discerning Spirits was indeed kept from the Common people by that execrable Policie of with-holding the Bible from our English translation so that these two Witnesses which lay martyred and yet vnburied in the streets of Spirituall Sodome and Aegypt could not performe their proper offices Now that it hath pleased God to remoue that palpable Darknesse they begin to reuiue and to stand vpon their feet to the amazement of the Carnall Beholders By their sacred motion the eyes of my vnderstanding are likewise opened and I doubt not but all your Maiesties Court shall know out of my mouth this day that the Pope and none but he is that Antichrist which was so long agoe prophesied to come and seduce the Christian Church with lyes Equiuocations and the wonders of Sathan For the manifestation of which damnable practices inspire my heart O fierie Comforter Inflame my mind with true Zeale the seale of thy sacred Spirit that I may soare vp like an Eagle to the Sunne of thy Grace with feruencie founded on Diuine Discretion for Feruencie is but foolish furie without Diuine Discretion The first marke of Antichrist I gather from our Sauiour himselfe who prophefied many shall come in my name and shall say I am Christ vnder this Title the Pope doth most blasphemously coâ—er his Temporall Power For what signifies the word Christ but Anointed Insomuch that whensoeuer any of his Clergie hath offended the Temporall sword must not punish them but for their protection his Holinesse wardeth them with that saying of the Prophet Dauid Touch not mine Anointed Meddle not with my Christs Though they be taken fighting in the Field with Armour on their backs hee termes them his Sons the Conqueror must leaue them to depart in peace Which made a Prince sometime to returne him this Answer I haue sent your Holinesse your Sonnes Coat the Armour in which I found your Bishop fighting when I tooke him Prisoner And if you be as quick-sighted as Iacob let me know whether this be your Iosephs Coat vntill King Edward the first his time Clergie men were the Lawyers in England as an Ancient Writer testified Nullus Clericus nisi Causidicus They sate as supreme Iudges in Temporall Causes But when their King should chastize them for their briberies and extortions then they shrowded themselues vnder the Spirituall keyes and appealing to the Pope they freed themselues from all Accusations Thus did Errors play vpon the preheminence of Kings vntill they were beaten out from their Law and at the last from their chiefest holds by the valour of King Henry the Eight and well worthy seeing that they presumed to make vse of the name of Christ to cloke their falsehoods and lewd tricks The second Mark of Antichrist I collect out of Saint Paul that in the last dayes men should bee high-minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God hauing a shew of godlines but denying the power thereof All these are verified in the Pope and his Clergie Hee exalteth himselfe aboue Emperours and Kings comparing himselfe to the Sunne and them to the Moone and lesser starres Yea he ranketh his Courtly Cardinals with Kings Which ambition moued Cardinall Wolsey to place himselfe aboue his King Ego Rex meus What greater pleasure can worldly men enioy more then the Pope and his Hierarchie doe They haue a large command of Cities and huge Territories Besides Rome Romania Bolonia Ferrara Auinion the Pope is like to possesse very shortly the Dutchie of Vrbin Nor doth his Ambition cease in these pleasant places many other Episcopall Seates out of Italie doth hee dispose of In Humilitie farre from Christs life yet pretending sanctimonie and a vertuous life but denying the effects thereof as his tolleration of the Iewes and Stewes his seruing of Idols his vnlawfull Dispensations and monstrous Pardons doe plainly demonstrate The third marke of Antichrist is deriued from another place of Saint Paul Now the spirit speaketh euidently that some should fall from the Faith giuing heede to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Deuils speaking lyes in hypocrifie forbidding Marriage and Meates Now what Church is the same which forbiddeth Marriage and the eating of flesh at prefixed times Is it not the Romish The Greeke Church whom for Antiquitie none can deny but they stand parraleld and equall with the Romane doe prohibit no such things Their Clergie as the Abissines in Aethiopia haue alwayes continued marriage Therefore let this Marke serue for one to conuince the Pope of the Doctrine of Deuils as Saint Paul calls it And for their prohibition of meates who doe insist more strongly then the Pope and his Clergie To eate Flesh vpon some dayes is a mortall sinne vnlesse it bee with their speciall dispensation as the Castilians haue bought out their freedome vpon some forbidden
the Saints But vnto God she framed her Complaints Bad Company she shunn'd as Rockie shelues And fear'd suspected Suiters worse then Elues If Flesh and Bloud in her began to tickle She mortified her thoughts that were so fickle She fasted oft but oftner vs'd to pray To which she ioyn'd some labour eu'ry day No Day without a Line She daily wrought Somtimes on Needle when she fitting thought Or spunne by Distaffe or the Wheele she rowld Somtimes on Loome her skil she would vnfold At times she stirr'd more busie then the Bee And was well pleas'd the Maids to ouer-see Tir'd with houshold busines on Harp she playes Or Violl which she tunes to Dauids Layes One while she sings for her recreation Of Noahs Arke and the first Creation Another whiles of Aegypts Miracles Her Nation blest with Sinaes Oracles Their wandring forty yeeres with Manna fed And in the Desert by an Angell led Now of their Wars she tels with warbling voice Anon of Iewries fall with dolefull noyse One while she reades another while she writes She writes those rules which she herself endites Some other time to draw the Countries Aire She went abroad but neuer to a Faire Least Tortoiselike cub'd vp shee might take harme She goes abroad to see her Fathers Farme The Fields shee likes but more the Garden walkes To note Gods workes in seedes herbes flowres and stalkes Yea though seldome she the Towne suruayes With her deere Mother witnesse of her wayes CHAP. XIII A Corollary or an epitomized Censure of Apollo pronounced after the aforesaid Opinions deliuered touching the Election of Wines and their vsage AFter these Gentlemen had deliuered their seuerall Iudgements how men should not onely chuse their wines and conforme them to their wils but like wise take away all the Occasions of vnlawfull Loue ie pleased his Imperiall Maiestie to adde these few Admonitions Well haue yee O my vertnous Minions discoursed of the affections of the Female Sexe And I doe approoue and confirme your positions with this Caueat to the Man that he make choise of a Wise by the Eares and not by the Eyes And to the woman I aduise her not to presume on her owne Conceit either of her honestie wit or loue of Company as to giue way vnto flâ—ttering and idle speeches of any Man whatsoeuer but at the first touch with a braue yet modest disdaine to bid Sathan aâ—oid though hee speake in an Angels shape lest otherwise shee bee misconstrued loose For it is enough for a Man because hee is a Man to bee honest though hee doth but seeme so But for a woman because shee is a woman it is not enough to be chaste if shee bee not knowne to bee chaste yea and apparantly knowne in despite of the Deuill and all his Followers CHAP. XIIII Cato the Censour of good manners hauing arrested certaine Persons a drinking more then the Lawes prescribed them brings them before Apollo His Maiestie reproues them for their Drunkennesse and banisheth them for euer out of the precincts of Parnassus VPon the tenth of Iune last 1626. Cato the diligent Inquisitour and Censour of good manners hauing apprehended foure persons in a Wine-tauerne which had drunke ten quarts of strong wine at a sitting brought them before Apollo to be censured and humbly desired his Maiestie that he would shew some exemplarie punishment on those bestiall persons who albeit they dranke more then a dozen yet could they not performe the deeds of two able men either in the bodies Actions or in the Spirits functions Apollo asked them what tempted them to lade their bodies with so much strong Liquor They answered that it was not the loue of the wine but of the Companie which drew them to carowse so many pots And further they alledged that their natures being accustomed to drinke they bare it out well without the least giddinesse in the head reeling or staggering which as long as they could so doe they hoped no man might taxe them of Drunkennesse To this Apollo replied that by the late Statutes of England no Trauellers might drinke aboue one qâ—â—rt of Ale or Beere at a penny the quart vpon one â—itting or meale so that to drinke more then that measure prescribed by Law ought to bee construed Drunkennesse because the wise Law-makers of that State foresaw that so much would serue any reasonable Creature But to exceed that quantitie in a stronger kind of liquor in Corsicke Greeke or Falerne wines could not but redound to Drunkennesse in the superlatiue degree And whereas said he yee would couer your Drunkennesse with the ablenesse of your braine I must tell you that he is to bee termed a reall Drunkard which surpasseth the set stint of his Countryes Lawes or if hee enters after his bibbing into any vnseemely passion or borrowes the gesture of a raging Lion of the toyish Ape of the sensuall Hog or of the lasciuious Goat pratling or acting any feates more then are decent or more then he vsed at other times he may be branded with the note of a Drunkard then which nothing is more odious in the sight of our vertuous Societie Bring a horse to the water all the world cannot vrge him to drinke more then sufficeth nature at that time And yet man a Creature enriched with free will in naturall things wil proue himselfe worse then the Beasts which haue no vnderstanding Most honourable be those Masters of Families which hate and curb this wanton excesse of Drinking in their Seruants And worthy of applause in our Court is that Nobleman who seeing no admonitions nor change of Butlers could restraine his vnruly Seruants from this Swinish vice caused his seller to bee remoued by building one within his Parlour whereby shame his Eye being vpon them might bridle their inordinate affections freely protesting that hee would haue nothing spent which might be honestly spared nor any thing spared which might be honestly spent that it was not the expence but ciuill gouernment to settle sobrietie in his house which made him to take so strict a course In this he imitated that Learned Emperour Antonius Pius which banished all the Wine-tauernes in Rome because hee saw his Subiects begin to turne Drunkards and that none but Apothecaries should presume to sell any wine and that as Phy sick to the sick and weake Heeretofore a King of England noting that by the Companie of the Daues all his Subiects were infected with this Sinne he imposed a fit and limited measure for euery man to drinke by Within these fiftie yeeres Drunkennesse was scarce knowne in England At such time as the Low Countrey warres began the souldiers at their returne by the Diuels temptations brought it thither to impouerish their natiue Country And vntill a set sâ—int bee prouided for pledging and carowsing with a Law to make the misdoers infamous and vncapable of promotion it wil hardly be rooted out What a preposterous thing is it that one man should drinke more then
infect the Aire able to poyson the strongest Snake For the verifying of this my allegation I will produce one example which may serue to confirme the same I haue heard it reported by very credible persons that about 4. yeares past in a house neere S. Dunstons of the West the Priuies there being emptied on a night the next morning they found not onely their Brasse and Pewter in the lower roomes soild and filth'd but likewise their Plate two stoâ—â—s higher standing on their Cupboord tainted and corrupted with a yellowish vnseemely colour Yea and that which Aristotle himselfe would admire at they found their money in their purses to haue lost the colour as if it had beene of purpose varnished with smoaky dung If the serious regard of their healths moue them not yet let the wisedome of Magistrates foresee the inconuenience which yearely accrues to the Generality by suffering vnnecessary people to hinder the gaines of the industrious and withall to know this that too many of the industrious Craftsmen themselues flocking together doe so diuide the profit which more politikely being fitter for a few that both the one and the other are often seene to faint vnder their owne waight Better it is for a City to content themselues with a few substantiall neighbours then to be troubled with many rakers If the City of London which is thought to hold eight hundred thousand Soules within it and the Suburbes were rid of 40000 of these the rest would thriue the better and saue at least two hundred thousand pounds a yeare which now are spent in vain hereafter wil be conuerted for the weale of the whole Iland In one yeare there were suppressed 700. Cottagers in Glocestershire since which time that Country flourished Comineus Lord of Argenton the great Statesman of France whom Katherine de Medicis Queen Mother and somtimes Regent of that Kingdome was wont to terme the Heretike of State because he disclosed the secrets of Princes vttered his opinion next after Cornelius Tacitus In the warres betwixt the House of Burgundy and my Soueraigne Lewis the eleuenth I remember that Money fell out very scarce as it doth now in Great Britaine for all that saying which this wise King was accustomed to repeat that his France might be compared to a Meadow ready to bee mowne twise a yeare And one of the principall meanes which he inuented to be stored with money was to raise his Coine From the Saxons time vntill my time in the Raigne of King Henry the sixt an ounce of Siluer was diuided into 20. peeces and so passed for 20. pence King Henry by reason of his wars with vs and afterwards with the House of Yorke proclaimed the ounce at 30. pence King Henry the 4. vpon the like necessity enhansed it to 40. pence which so lasted vntill King Henry the 8. daies who raised the ounce to the value of 45. pence King Edward the 6. proclaimed it at fiue shillings If Money continues still scant I see no reason but that it might be raised higher as in former times which also would induce men to bring forth their Plate In France Venice yea and in Golden Spaine Brasse money goes current two and thirty Marauedis amounting to sixe pence which they call a Reall Of these Marauedis I heard a Rhodomonting Castilian vaunt that hee would bestow 600. thousand of them with his deare Daughter to her mariage In some Countries they vse Shelles Pepper and lether peeces for money In other places gaddes of Steele or Iron At the first troubles of the Low Countries they made stampes on Past-Boords which they licensed to goe current for Money In the last warres of Ireland base Coine was ordained to supply the vse of the finest Siluer As long as it will passe in estimation and warranted by publike authority either Money may bee raised or the same of a mixt alloy as the Venetian Liure or the French Souls or of such other mettall as the Prince liketh may serue the Subiects turne in time of warres as it serues those Nations both in Warre and Peace The Lord Cromwell succeeded this Noble Frenchman and said that hee was one of the chiefest Instruments vnder King Henry the 8. to dissolue the Religious Houses in England wished that now some of those Farmes and impropriated Tithes were for a few yeares lent by the State of England to support Ecclesiasticall persons in the new Plantations meaning those which the State could spare in their places And he hoped by this meanes the Clergy being prouided for in those New Lands Churches would there be built the sooner and the Plantations in a short time would helpe to inrich this Kingdome with many sorts of Commodities specially if some of the Religious that went in person others well beloued in their Country that for their sakes others of good account would accompany them and so assist the Common-wealth by their power and example Sir Thomas Chaloner renewed the old proiect of building Busses flat Flemish boates for fishing on the Easterly coasts of this kingdome saying that it was a shame for his nation to looke on while the Hollanders yearely tooke worth 300000 pounds of fish vpon our sea coasts and in our liberties although they fished farther off then they did for the truth of which assertion of his he alleadged the testimony of Bartolus the famous Lawier As Ilands saith he in the sea next adioyning so likewise the Sea it selfe to an hundred miles extent is assigned to the bordering Countrey Iâ— Insul ff â—de Iur. Secretary Walsingham was of opinion that letters of Mart or Reprizals would furnish the land with treasure so that they went forth in Fleetes more strongly prepared then in Queen Elizabeths daies For that now-a-dayes the Pyrates of Algiere had taught the Spaniards more wit not to go so weakly mand and stor'd as in times past In Drakes Haukins and other braue Aduenturers voyages our English found a Golden age But that now the case was otherwise Therefore they must goe strong if they meane to surprize any rich Carricks Likewise he wished them whose powers extended not to supply themselues with many Copartners to watch about the lesser Ilands in America and not to draw too neere those Forts where the Gallies frequeÌ„ted nor to be aduenturous about the time when the Spanish Fleet repaired thither About Brazill and the riuer of Plate hee supposed they might intercept good booties with more safety or if they entred into Lameeres straights they might in the South sea meet with rich prizes Further he animated the East Indy Company to ioyne with the Hollanders to driue the Portingals out of the wade of Spiceries Further he aduised the English to prouide the like kinde entertainment for the Spanish prisoners if not in their owne Countrey yet in the Summer Ilands and other Plantations where they might be put to labour as well as they employ them in their Gallies vntil they paid sufficient ransomes Lastly he
of some superfluous humour ingendred in the braine where the Intellectuall Faculties ought to reside and to direct the inferiour Functions How soeuer the Cure is not impossible yet perhaps a thanklesse Office for a man vncalled to take in hand This last is the cause and none but this which makes mee the more sparing of my remedies In this confusion of thoughts fearing to play with Iupiters beard or to dally with Saints and higher Powers who might misconster my Good-will I thought once to be silent left in lending my hand to saue others of tender charitie and compassion I might fal my selfe into the Whirle-poole and there sinke or swimme I should rather be laughed at then pitied Sic aliquis nanti dextram dum porrigit ipse Incidit in liquidas non bene cautus aquat For this cause I minded to lay afide my Melodie one of my chiefest Receits to restore mad men to their wits in respect of these thanklesse times and thus to lament my doubtfull disaster as Sir Walter Raleigh did to our late Queene Anne of happy memory My broken pipes shall on the willow hang Like those which on the Babylonian bankes These ioyes foredone their present sorrow sang These times to worth yeelding but frozen thankes At last the Cloudie sable vaile of iealous doubts being remoued which for a while had interposed themselues betwixt the Light of my vnderstanding and the other attributes of my Soule I valiantly resolued on this Treatise of the Golden Fleece and in regard of the fraikies which the greatest part of my fellow-subiects doe as it were by some vnluekie influence of the Starres participate I haue prepared sundry kinds of artiâ—…ce so that if some proue distastfull and nauâ—eatiâ—e yet others may sort out well according to my expectation I will therefore diuide this Worke into three Parts In the first I will refute the Errours of Religion preparing the way to Vâ—ilie In the second I will endeuour to remoue the Diseases of our Kingdome that Contraries may be cured by Contraries And lastly I will lay downe those Helps which may repaire the ruines of our State as the surest Elixir and Restoratiue which my poore Experience hath attained vnto THE FIRST PART OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE Discouering the Errours of Religion with the remedies CHAP. 1. The greatest care which Apollo takes for the Monarchy of Great Britaine The singular and respectiue loue which hee beares towards the hopefull magnanimous King Charles And how by his Proclamation he caused Mariana the Iesuite to be apprehended for animating Subiects against their naturall Prince ABoue all the magnificent courts which the sun beholds from East to West and from the one Pole to the other It is noted that Apollo as it were by Sympathy of some Heauenly Influence beares particular affection to the Regall Court of Great Brittaine and tenders the welfare thereof as of his owne Parnassus Insomuch that his Imperiall Maiestie foreseeing that Gâ—y Faux and his damned Confederates would haue blowne vp the Parliament house with the King and Estates there assembled vpon the fift day of Nouember in the yeere 1605. and that they afterwards intended to set vp their Romish Religion hee first caused one of the Aeriall Spirits to insinuate into Tressams braine and by often nibling on his imagination to procure from him that Aenigmaticall Letter vnto his brother in Law the Lord Mounteagle Then out of his diuine loue towards this Monarchy he assisted the Genius of the learned and most noble King Iames to discouer the whole plot by vnlocking with the key of Prophesie the Mysterie of that intricate Letter more intricate and darke then Sphinx his Riddle So odious appeared this Butcherly and Diabolicall Treason vnto his Sacred Spirit That no Scrutinies of Triall nor legall Consultations were by him omitted to know the hidden motiues and quintessence of this bloudie and vnnaturall practice so much degenerating from mans nature as with the Giants of old time to scale the Heauens and to assault the Authour of nature by whom they liued moued and had their being But for all his Examinations and vigilant cares Apollo could by no meanes ferret out the Fox for the Deuill had transformed the beast into an Angell of light vntill Raâ—illiac that monster of Mankind had massacred the great Hercules of France King Henry the fourth Vpon which Accident one Peter Ramus a learned Parisian whom the Papists sometimes nicknamed the Hugenotes Champion informed Apollo that the said Rauilliac the very morning of the same day when he committed this lamentable murther was heard to maintaine that Paradoxe how iustifiable and glorious an Act it were for a Subiect to kill a Tyrannicall or Hereticall Prince For the verifying and approuing of which position he quoted down certaine leaues of Mariana the Iesuites Booke de Rege Reg. Instit. cap. 6. whereby hee subiects all Powers and Dominions to the becke and dispose of his earthly God my Lord the Pope and frees them from their alleageance to their natiue Prince if his Holinesse storme or themselues doe imagine him to become an Apostata or to fauour Apostasie or Heresie Apolloes griefe conceiued by this Assassinate and Tragicall euent became somewhat asswaged when he knew the cause of this inhumane butchery proceeded through the Kings owne credulitie and tendernesse of heart in admitting the Iesuits into France against the will of his judicious Sorbonists and afterwards sostering them like Aesopes Snake in the Louvre his Regall Palace whose common Maxime he knew to bee One God in Heauen one God on Earth and one Catholike King Yet notwithstanding to let his vertuous followers vnderstand how heynous crying sinnes and the treacherous shedding of humane bloud seemed in his vnspotted presence Apollo commanded Robert Earle of Essex Lord High Marshall of his Empire and Sir I hilip Sidney the Prouost Marshall of his Court to make diligent search and inquirie within the Precincts of his Territories for the bodie of Mariana and him to apprehend and in sure and safe manner to bring before his Imperiall Highnes These Noble Gentlemen endeuoured to performe the contents of his command but in no wise could they light on Mariana's person For while the warrant was a writing by the Clarke of the Counsell it chanced that Pererius Tolet Posseuinus Bellarmine Cotton of Paris ouer-heard the charge and tenour thereof And it is to bee suspected that they gaue him notice for the repute and credit of their Societie to hide himselfe for indeed the Varlet fled before the Warrant was signed Apollo perceiuing that his Marshals had taken exceeding great paines and yet in vaine for his attaching hee caused a publike Proclamation to be fixed on the Gate of his Palace at Parnassus that what persons soeuer could bring this fugitiue Iesuite before him his Maiestie would preferre him to some Office or place about his Court. For all this no man could finde out his haunt or tracke So wary and carefull were these subtill
and in the neerest places adioyning vnto Rome that no Ecclesiasticall Policie could stand on foote nor erect publicke Churches and consequently no Mitred Bishops to solemnize or order the affaires of that spiritual Common-wealth in any complete forme no more then at this day we see in France a few places onely by their Ciuill Warres tolerated Specially in Paris the chiefe Citie they of the Reformed Religion cannot haue any but by permission about two leagues from the Citie they are allowed their Diuine Seruice The like though not so openly those ancient Christians were tolerated to enioy priuately in their Houses as in hugger-mugger at Rome the Capitall Seate of that Empire In processe of time Constantine the Great attained to the Empire who for some causes and principally because he would bee a neerer Neighbour to the Northerne Nations and also to the Persians who infested his State with sundry inrodes and hostile inuasions he was constrained to remoue the Imperiall Seate to Constantinople leauing the Bishop of Rome some power at old Rome whereby in his absence hee might as a Reuerend Prelate with his graue and Christianly exhortations retaine the Citizens in their Alleageance In this sort these good Bishops continued loyall to their Prince and subiect to their Command and to their Successours in the Empire vntill the yeere of our Lord 606. about which time after a great contention for the Primacie betwixt them and the Patriarch of Constantinople which then was called New Rome Phocas by the murther of his Lord and Master Maurice the Emperour hauing gotten the Soueraigntie made Boniface the Third Supreme Bishop aboue all other Bishops and to that end sent forth a Decree that all the Churches in his Empire should obey him as their Soueraigne Bishop which Iurisdiction he held onely in Spiritull matters After this the Emperour Iustine Iustinians Sonne raigned who sent Longinus as his Deputy into Italy to settle the confused state thereof after the expulsion of the Gothes who altered the forme of Gouernment in Rome and abrogated the Senate and Consulary Dignities which till that time continued and carried with it a glimpse of the ancient Maiestie of the Romane State and in steed of them appointed one Principall Gouernour whom he called an Exarch or Viceroy This innouation ministred an occasion to the Lumbards to enter into Italie And then the Citie of Rome felt new troubles But at last Theodoricus King of the Goths by the Popes Counsell remoued from Rome and erected Rauenna to be the Head Citie of his Kingdome and there keeping his Royall Court gaue room to the Popes to flourish in Rome Sometimes they tooke part with the Emperour some other times with the Lumbards accommodating their fortunes warily to the strongest parties liking Thus they continued vntill the Emperour Heraclius his time who being oppressed by the Persians Saracens and Arabians vnder Mahomet was so farre from looking into the affaires of Italy and into the Popes aspiring designes that he found much adoe to defend his neerer territories from those bloudy Enemies and Infidels The Popes watchfull to take aduantage partly by their Religious carriage among the common people and partly by Rewards got themselues to be equall in Power with the Kings of the Lumbards And then Pope Gregorie finding himselfe reasonable strong assaulted Raâ—enna the chiefe Citie of Italie and tooke it But being presently expulsed out of it by Astulfus King of the Lumbards hee was reseized thereof againe by succours sent vnto him from Pipin King of France After Astulfus death the Pope falling at ods with Desiderius the sonne of Astulfus hee sent for aide to Charles the Great King Pipins Sonne who in proper person came into Italie tooke Desiderius Prisoner augmented the Popes Dominion and at his motion crowned himselfe Emperour of the West at Rome At which time he againe to requite his good will enacted that from thenceforth the Bishop of Rome as Christs Vicar should neuer more bee subiect to any Earthly Potentate And whereas before that time they were themselues confirmed Bishops by the Emperour at Constantinople now by this new Emperour of the West they began to be of themselues and by their wits got the Emperours to be inuested at their hands This Pope was Leo the third And this notable Accident and alteration fell out about 801. yeares after Christ. After Leo his decease Pope Paschale after the example of his Predecessour Leo who had wrested the nomination of the Pope from the people of Rome and also the confirmation from the Emperour at Constantinople caused those Priests of the Citie who had elected him as the next neighbours to be enobled with a glorious Title and to be called Cardinalls Thus in lesse then two hundred yeares after their Supremacie obtayned from Phocas in spirituall matters the Popes aspired to a Supremacie in temporall affaires not so much for their hypocriticall holinesse as indeed for the Dignitie and repute of the Place and Seat their Citie of Rome hauing beene the Lady of the world and the eyes of all men being fixt on that Place brought at length most Princes of Christendome as Factions grew betwixt them to make profitable vse of their friendship either to appease their Aduerfaries or vnder colour of their Excommunications and Saint Peters keyes to oppresse one another Yea and that which was most strange as Machiauell obserues in his Florentine Historie King Iohn of England vpon the dissention betweene him and his Subiects yeelded himselfe at the Popes dispose when hee durâ—â— not shew his face in Rome by reason of the Factions of the Orsini and Columneses and of the Guâ—â—ses and the Gibellines but was faine to translate the Papacie to Aâ—inion in France Whereby our Politicians may gather this remarkable Rule that things which seeme to bee and are not such in very deâ—d are more feared or regarded afarre off then at home by reason of the vncertaine knowledge which strangers haue of other mens states Thus may all good Christians note by what meanes the Church of Rome arriued to her Greatnesse and how like a Foxe by little and little the Pope crept vp to the double Supremacie which Saint Peter and the blessed Apostles neuer once dreamed nor would our Sauiour Christ by any meanes accept of the Temporall Sword For hee vtterly defied the Deuill when hee motioned vnto him of an Earthly Kingdome And when some purposed afterwards to make him King he forsooke that Coast. To conclude this point of the Popes Supremacie Pope Hildebrand whom some call Gregory the seuenth after much contestation with the Emperour and his Gibellines was the first which triumphed ouer him about one thousand yeeres after Christ. Of whom an ancient Historiographer thus testifieth To this man only doth the Latin Church ascribe that she is free and pluckt out of the Emperours hands By his meanes she stands enriched with so much wealth and Temporall Power By his meanes shee stands inriched with so much wealth and
buying Lands Old and cruell From losing Heauen gayning Hell From Diues fare and hardned mind While Lazarus with hunger's pin'd From tumbling in a downy bed While Godlier men for cold lie dead From Misers and those greedy Elues Which loue no Creatures but themselues From wishing Neighbours lazie bones When Hiues are full to play the Drones From sneaking like a Snaile at home When Forraigne Climes yeeld elbow rome From them which hate Plantations From Sathans combinations Our Christ's bright Genius Blesse and reforme vs S. Patrick FRom a faire House which seldome smoakes While the Owner in Riot soakes From slauish prodigalitie From miserable frug alitie From a Cloake that 's full of patches From a Hen which neuer hatches From seeing Elues or strange Monsters Or those men my mind misconsters From those which causlesse doe arrest vs. When we would gladly sit and rest vs. From such sights make vs amazed From a Chamber not well glazed From rude people in a furie From a false and partiall Iurie From Almanacks false predictions From th' Exchange and Currents fictions From White Spaniards or Red headed From all Women which are bearded From Black-haird Women stubborne proud From Little Deuils scolding loud From the Faire-snouted held for Fooles From all long slow-backs idle tooles From Red-hair'd Foxes closely bad From pale and leane too peeuish sad The Worlds great Genius Blesse and defend vs. After these deuout Patriarchs and famous Fraternitie of the Rosie Crosse had made an end of their Hymnes with an applauding Alleluiah to the Diuine Maiestie for the discouery of themselues now at a pinch when Sathan thought to sist vs all as Wheate and vtterly to eclipse the glory of this Monarchie they interceded vnto Apolloes Maiestie that hee would proclaime some fauourable Edict on the behalfe of their humble and penitent Clients Whereupon the Noble Emperour rose vp from his Sunny Throne and pronounced his Oracle If Brittaines King like valiant Hercules His Stables cleanse and those Foxes footlesse Which Christian Vines destroy do firret out His Prouinces shall rise without all doubt And brauely flourish by our Golden Fleece As Rome was sau'd once by the noyse of Geese So he restraine some of these vagaries For Contraries are cur'd by Contraries CHAP. XVIII Orpheus Iunior sheweth that one of the chiefest causes of the Decay of Trading in Great Brittaine proceeded by the rash Aduentures of the Westerne Merchants in passing the Straites of Gibraltar and in fishing on the Coast of Newfoundland without wafting ships to defend them from Pirats THe next day after this memorable Procession of the famous Fraternity Apollo caused a publick Proclamation to bee set vp on the great Porch of Neptunes Royall Exchange willing and requiring all such as wished well to Great Britaine to repaire with their grieuances before him into the Hall of the said Exchange where hee had appointed a particular meeting for the affaires of that Common-wealth in the afternoone of the said day Orpheus Iunior finding by experience that one of the late causes of the Decay of Trade arose by the misgouerned and stragling courses of the Westerne Merchants which either of foole-hardinesse carelessenesse or of a griping humour to saue a little charge aduentured in their returne from Newfoundland without Fleets or Wafters to guard them or any politicke Order to passe through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Dominions of the King of Spaine to Marseilles or Italy where yeerly they met with the Moorish Pirats who by the conniuance of the Great Turk were suffered to prey vpon al Christiās which they encountred With these inconueniences Orpheus Iunior being grieued to see his Countrie suffer through these Merchants sides he exhibited a Petition to his Imperiall Maiestie Shewing these irregular courses as also how that the Golden Fleece which now became rife in all mens mouthes might bee quickly surprized and anihilated if his Prouidence did not becimes take some safe course to secure the labours of those new Argonautickes which spared no shipping to saile into those Coasts where this precious Fleece flourished on the backes of Neptunes Sheepe Apollo vpon this Information examined the proceedings of the English and comparing them with the Hollanders as also with those of other Companies established with Priuiledges and Ciuill Order found more confusion among the Fishermen of New foundland then in any other For where soeuer the Hollanders either fished or traded they went strongly guarded with wasting Ships to preuent all casualties The Spaniards likewise being taught in Queene Elizabeths time by the English sithence by the Moorish Pirats to go wel prouided with some ships of Defence Yea and all those Companies in London which the King of Great Britaine had graced with Charters and Freedomes prospered and neuer went abroad without sufficient strength Onely those petty Merchants which were led with desire of Gaine not willing to enranke themselues into an orderly Societie but as it were in despite of Gouernment singled and seuered from Fleets these became continually a spoyle to the Pirats His Maiesty viewed the East India Company and found them Rich with many braue seruiceable Ships He searched into the strength of the Turkie Merchants and saw them stored with warlike Munition and abounding in wealth yea and by their painfull Trading getting the start of the Italians which heretofore in Argosies gained and exported great treasure out of this Kingdome He pryed into the state of the Moscouie Company and found them very able subsisting of themselues and readie to supply their Countrey with many rich Commodities He entred into the Mystery of the French Societie and also into the Easterne Merchants and beheld them winning the Trade from the Balticke Sea and the Hans Towne in Germany Onely the Westerne Trading he saw out of square and all for want of setled Fleets At last it came into his Maiesties minde that the Noble King Iames of happy memory did about three yeeres past see into these discommodities and thereupon directed out a Commission at the suite of the Corporation for the Plantation of the Newfoundland to prouide a couple of good Ships on the charge of the Fishermen which yeerely frequented that Coast continually to assist them against the inuasions of Pirats who had in a few yeeres before pillaged them to the damage of fortie thousand pounds besides a hundred Peeces of Ordnance and had taken away aboue fifteene hundred Mariners to the great hinderance of Nauigation and terrour of the Planters Vpon mature consideration of this Royall Commission Apollo pronounced that it was necessary to keepe this Commission still a foot aswell in time of peace as of Warre both for the rearing of expert Commanders at Sea as for the securing of that most hopefull Country And to this purpose he commanded Orpheus Iunior to attend at his Maiesties Court of Great Britaine and to sollicit his Soueraigne to conclude that Noble Designe which his Royall Father vpon most weightie deliberation had formerly granted The
the Land for the drying of their Fish whereas euery man which goeth to Virginia must pay fiue pound for his passage Lastly wee are better secured from Enemies for we haue no Sauages to annoy vs in the South-parts And if any warres should happen betwixt Great Britaine and Spaine we need not feare their insolent inuasions For wee haue a Garrison of three or foure hundred Ships of our owne Nation which fish at our doores all the summer and are able to withstand an Armada if their King would but confirme that Commission which his blessed Father about three yeares already past granted that two warlike Ships be yearely sent as waftors to defend the Coast and to be authorized with power to leuy men Ships there if occasion so require and all vpon the charges of the Fishing fleete This Commission I obtained and sithence I left it with my friend Orpheus Iunior to bring to perfection who as I am informed is at this present in the Court of Great Britaine an earnest solicitor to that effect To conclude after the Fishing Fleetes are returned homewards we are safe for the windes are commonly from August out Westerly whereby none can come to vs. And if they should we haue other places in the Country to goe to till our Enemies bee gone For there long they dare not stay for feare of the Frosts which perhaps their tender complexions cannot brooke as well as our Northerly Nations CHAP. 4. Apollo commands Iohn Guy Alderman of Bristow to shew how the Plantations in the Newfoundland might be established secured from the cold vapours and foggy mists which in the Spring are supposed to molest that Country APollo hauing noted how important to Great Britaine the Plantations are like to succeed and fall out for the restoring of their State to worldly felicity that it proue a paralleled Monarchy to the proudest of the bordering kingdomes made choise of Iohn Guy Alderman of Bristow to shew in what manner the Britaines should order their Plantations in this Golden Iland and secure their new habitations from the icie and cold foggy Aire which in some seasons of the yeare were reported by the Fishermen to molest and damnifie the Inhabitants Master Guy earnestly sought to post ouer the handling of this serious determination to Captaine Mason in respect hee had wintred there longer then he had But Apollo by no meanes would alter his imposition saying that in regard that Mr. Guy had oftentimes beene personally in the Land and wintred there twise being the first Christian which made it apparent to the world that it was habitable commodious for the vse of mankinde and also for that he had calculated the mutations of the seasons keeping a Iournall of euery Accident during his abode in the Country hee and none but he should direct what might be conuenient for the setling and prosperous propagation of these most hopefull Plantations Mr. Guy seeing that by no entreaty or excuse he could put the taske off from himselfe with a lowly reuerence to his Maiestie he said If the Noble Emperour had askt my poore iudgement a dozen yeares past concerning these secrets it may be I might haue giuen him more agreeable contentment then at this time For then the modell of the Country and Climat lay more fresh in my apprehension Notwithstanding seeing the lot is cast vpon me I will produce the best remedies which I know for the correcting of the malignant ayre if so I may without scandall call it The Country I assure your Maiestie is as tolerable as England Caeteris paribus comparing all the seasons together And if some nice persons feele one winter among many more snowy and frosty then other they seeme to forget their owne Country where the like inconuenience hapneth But to auoid the worst if euery Householder digge vp the next ground to his habitation and round about the same and then burne it those moyst foggy vapours will not appeare specially after the Sunne hath once warmed and pierced into the earth so dismantled and layd bare Secondly let them dig welles neere their houses against winter that they may haue water in despite of the frost or snow Thirdly let them prouide them of fewell enough before winter to haue the same more seare and dried Fourthly let them build their houses with a hill or great store of trees interposed as a shelter betwixt them and the sea-windes which there are Easterly and very nipping There is no winter to speake of before the midst of Ianuary And when the Easterly windes blow the weather is no other then it is in Holland And I verily beleeue that in the south part of the Land where it trends towards the west and where the ground is eauen and plaine without hilles it differs not much from the temperature of the south part of Germany And for the further encouragement of our Planters I can auow this for a certaine rule that once being passed a mile or two into the Land the weather is farre hotter I found Filberds fixe miles distant from the Sea side very ripe a moneth before they were fit to be eaten by the Seaside So great an alteration there is within sixe miles space by reason that those raging Easterly windes are defended and asswaged by the hilles and woods which stand as walles to fence and breake their force Aboue all things I wish the Planters to sleepe in boorded roomes and not to be too idle the first winter for feare of the Scuruy For in all Plantations this disease commonly seaseth vpon lazy people the first winter Yea Sir Walter Rawleighs Colony in Virginia though a hotter Country 1586. could not auoid this mortall sicknesse These rules obserued our Planters may liue happily They may fish a moneth before others which come out of England thither to fish they may fish three moneths or more for Cod and Herring after they are departed which will much enrich them CHAP. 5. Sir Ferdinando Gorge is accused by the western Fishermen of England for hindering thē of their stages to dry their Fish in New England and from trading with the Sauages for Furres and other Commodities Ferdinando Gorge his answer Apollo reconcileth their differences VPon the Friday seuen night before Easter in Lent last 1626. there arriued here at Parnassus certaine Westerne Merchants out of England iust about that time as Apollo had decreed straight execution against some for the eating of Flesh on some prescribed dayes for that weighty and politicall respect of maintaining Nauigation wherein the workes of our Creator doe shew themselues no lesse admirable then the land Assoone as these Merchants had heard this necessary Law with the execution one of them a person of very discreet behauiour desired liberty to speake on the behalfe of his poore Countrey men for some oppressions which Ferdinando Gorge Gouernour of the Fort at Plimouth whom they pointed at present in the great Hall of the Court of Audience had vnder colour of
the Golden Fleece should be a Catholike Restoratiue as well for the Inlanders and the Sea Coasts as for the Plantations to bee aduanced forwards and therefore hee wished the seuen wise men of Greece to repaire their reputations lately lost in missing to reforme the world and to deuise some new Remedies and Commodities for the perpetuall good of that Monarchy which hee laboured to preserue as the apple of his eye Byas was chosen first to signifie his Opinion who discoursed in this manner I haue trauelled ouer all this spacious Iland and by a curious suruay I found more Parkes for Deere inclosed in this Country then in all Christendome besides I found many Commons Mountaines Heath and wast grounds which might be better conuerted and seuered for bearing of Corne Grasse and Hay wherein the labour will quickly defray the charge and mightily inrich the Natiues In Lincolneshire about the Washes and Marshes there may many new habitations be erected in imitation of the Low-County men who haue wonne from the Sea as the Venetians before them their famous City more vnlikely grounds then any I saw in Lincolneshire A Patterne wherefore let them take from Sir Hugh Middleton that renowned Barronet which makes London for euer obliged vnto him for her water a piece of worke eternizing his Name so farre that a Spanish Embassador vpon the sight thereof rauished with admiration protested that if such an enterprise had beene atchieued in Spaine his King had ennobled him with the Title of a Count. This industrious Gentleman together with Sir Ambrose Theloall pursuing on the like profitable workes recouered aboue 1000 acres of Land from the Sea in the I le of Wight worth a thousand pound a yeare And if others would follow their vertuous examples doubtlesse the euent would crowne their designes and cost with prosperous successe If Commons were husbanded and tilled by such inclosures the Commoners should reape that commodity seuerally in 20. Acres which they could not in 100. while they lay confused A little Good is better managed tâ—en much disorderly inioyed Some men will get more by their Gardens and Orchards then others by their Plow Lands How many Mountaines Heaths Wasts and Furzy grounds might be conuerted to better vses then they be at this day Yea and many thefts robberies and other intollerable abuses might bee preuented by these inclosures Here Bias ended when Pittacus began to discouer his Plot. Well hath my Collegiat Bias manifested a matter of great import beneficially tending to restore Great Britaine to prosperity But what shall the Inhabitants afterwards doe when the genuine and natiue vertue which now is verdant of a liuely saltish vigour spicke and spanne new what shall they doe fiue or sixe yeares hence when they haue throughly gotten the maidenhead of these wastes and wearied all the youthfull graine of these grounds with bearing of Corne Will they feed and sucke still on the blood of their decaied veines The best grounds will grow out of heart in a short time vnlesse they be holpen by Art I confesse the subiect which I intend now to commend is sordide rude and more beseeming a Clownish Coridon then one of my education in this magnifique Court yet neuerthelesse because the same serues to inrich his Maiesties Territories in these Westerne Coasts which hee holds as deere as his Thessalian Tempe I will disclose the secret meanes to renew the life of ouer-wearied Lands There is no ground but hath Marle either neere the superficies of it or deeper in the wombe of the earth abounding This Marle in some Countries by the reuolution of time is turned to lime or limestone and this lime in some places is growne to a finer mould euen to chalke which is the perfection of all Marle Where none of these abound nature hauing not as yet wrought her selfe to her fulnesse I wish euery Landed man with an Augur boarer or piercing worme to search and try in the deepest part of his earth where the same lieth hid for surely shallow or thicke he may finde Marle vpon his Land If it be oily vnctuous and clammy then it is fat and rich It is of sundry colours and different likewise in the goodnesse For there is a yellow Marle a Red a Grey and Blew all which are good if they be oily and slippery as Sope and mixed with earth as also weake if it be incorporated with grauell stone or sand The red Marle is the worst vnlesse it be found to lye neere the blew For the best is the blew in operation and will last longest Next vnto it is the yellow and the grey better then the red All which may bee searched after in the veines of the earth Hauing met with it let the Husband man glory that hee hath met with treasure able to supply his owne and his Countries necessities Onely let him take this for a Caueat that at the first marling of his ground hee must look he plow not with broad and deepe furrowes but narrow lest he throw his Marle into the dead mould For the nature of Marle is to send all the goodnesse downewards and for that cause it must not be buried too deepe but still kept aloft on the vpper mould And in this it differeth much from Dung and Mucke which spend their vertue vpward and will ascend by their misty vapour springing vp to the face of the ground though they be buried deeper then they ought to bee I could admonish men oftener to hearten their outworne grounds with other remedies as with the soile of old Ditches or with sand or to transferre and temper fresh earth brought from lay grounds with their ouerspent mould as they vse in Deuonshire Or to adde tough clay to the tender sandy for the one is life to the other being so incorporated specially moist with the dry But I hope this being practised their Corne fields will produce sufficient increase so that they shall not become too often beholding to the Sound of Denmarke for Rie as commonly heretofore euery fiue yeares they haue beene Periander after this speech produced his opinion Seeing we haue like Moles begunne to treat of earthly Commodities to inrich this decayed Countrie let me exhort them to plant Orchards the benefits I dare well say will counteruaile the French Vineyards if they be rightly followed and need but small pruning and looking to after the first planting By this way they shall haue Cider which with a little helpe of some Spice will goe beyond most of their Wines and consequently saue aboue sixe hundred thousand pound a yeare which now most lauishly are consumed by them euen to the cutting and ending of their fatall threed Already some discreet and circumspect Landlords haue couenanted conditioned with their Tenants that they shall euery yeare during their Leases plant fruit Trees which if others will imitate not onely wines will grow in lesse vse but malt will be spared out of the superfluity of their store to furnish the
needy and supply Nauigations and Plantations abroad As soone as Periander had done Thales the Milesian tooke his turne and spake Many small pieces of meat put into the Pot make fat pottage and as the other Prouerbe implieth many a small makes a great and mountaines were made of small motes or atomes which I alleadge in my defence at this present for though I cannot promise Golden Mountaines to augment the State of Great Britaine yet I dare auow that I shall reueale one Proiect which shall spare them sixty thousand pounds a yeare now of meere necessity transported into France and Spaine for Salt Why may not they erect good store of Salt-houses in England neere those places where Coales are digged about New-Castle in Lancashire and in Wales where lately an Alderman of London had one which supplied Bristow and those Westerne parts with very fine Salt I know not what makes men so backward now adaies vnlesse they are made to beleeue by the Spirit of Errour that a bare naked Faith will iustifie them with doing any deedes of Charity For besides their yearely gaine they may doe very meritorious deedes equall to Almes giuing which as S. Iames writes will couer a multitude of sinnes in setting the poore at worke If they think it much to erect so many Salt houses as will serue all the Ilanders by reason of the deare rate of Coales to be conuerted for other vses let them set vp some in Newfound land some in New England and others in New Scotland where they may haue plenty of woods And it is knowne that Wood fire without conuerting Wood into Charcoale wil serue to boile Salt as wel as Coal There Salt being at hand to be had for the Fishermens vse it will saue at the least twenty thousand pound vnto the English which now with the tunnage and the Salt they are forced to be at charge Captain Whithorne in his book of the CoÌ„modities of that Country among other exceeding good notes by him there deliuered writes that one Panne will make aboue 20. bushels of good Salt in euery 24. houres onely with mans labour and the Salt water and not as some doe vse to make Salt vpon Salt which so there made shall not stand in three pence the bushell to those that prouide in that manner Wheras Salt now stands them in twenty pence at the least euery bushell And as the said Captaine Whitborne further affirmeth that Salt thus orderly boyled doth much better preserue Fish whether it be Ling Codde or Herring and keepe it sweeter then if the same were seasoned with any other kind of Salt Yea and Fish preserued with this white fine Salt will sell dearer in Spaine or Italy then if it were salted with the other muddy Salt After Thales Chilon began his relation in this wise I thinke there is money enough in the Land if people would bring it forth to take the Aire that Aire which God made common for the poore as the rich What a deale of Plate is there in London and in rich mens houses which some had rather goe directly into Hell then to sell it for the common good It were fit that such creatures had Tutors or as the Ciuilians say Curators to mannage their Estates for them seeing they haue not the benefit of reason to distinguish what is conuenient for mortall men which must suddenly returne to the dust of the earth and then whose shall these Goods be which these Fooles haue prepared with curses disquietnes of mind If Commissioners and Presenters were vpon their oathes to sound search into euery mans ability Subsidies might be trebled on some and the needier sort eased But in vaine doe I speake of Tutors Commissioners and Iuries if Merchants bee not lookt vnto that they transport not Money Plate or Bullion as the Statutes of Edward the 3. Richard the 2. Henry the 4. Henry the 6. Henry the 7. and Edward the 6. doe all strictly prohibite Erasmus in King Henry the 8. daies was like to feele the seuerity of those Lawes if that Magnificent King had not highly fauoured him For when this famous Scholler thought to take shipping to goe into the Low Countries at Grauesend the Kings Officers conâ—iscated 300. pound which hee had gotten in London by the liberality of the King Sir Thomas Moore and other fauourers of Learning in those daies so that poore Erasmus like another Pauper Henricus was constrained to returne backe to London where after that hee had bewailed his mishap to Sir Thomas Moore and other friends of his hee was aduised by them to repaire to the Chamber of Presence when this noble King sate at dinner The King wondred to see Erasmus who had taken his leaue of him aboue a fortnight before And thereupon merily askt him what winde draue him backe againe to his Court whom hee imagined to haue beene at Rotterdam Erasmus shewed the Case how his Maiesties Officers vsed him The King vnderstanding the matter bestowed on him 60. pound towards his stay and wrote to the Searchers commending their dutifull care that they should repay Erasmus all his money Many Noblemen also being present incouraged by the Kings liberality presented Erasmus with good gifts which with the Kings amounted to 300. pound more so that hee returned home into his Country with twise so much more money then he brought with him into England And from thence forth in all Companies applauded the iustice and liberality of the English Nation If Officers would watch to doe their indeauours for the seizing of Coine which may be transported yearely inâ—o Forraigne parts doubtlesse money would become more plentifull within the Land Here Chilon ended And Cleobulus framed his speech in this manner So great is some mens Couetousnesse at this time that they had rather hazard their soules to hell rather then to imploy their money for the honour and weale of their Country They will rather keepe it by them then lend part to releeue their dearest friends And I know not how to compell these wretches to bring it abroad vnlesse the Common-wealth would order Tutors ouer them as my Brother Chilon aduised grounding the equity of this Order vpon the antient writ de Lunatico inquirendo For surely a spirit possesseth them worse then that which madded Saul There is no other way to draw money out of misers hands but by hope of profit Since the Statute enacted in King Iames time for 8. in the 100. money is farre more scarce And therefore in my iudgement if that Act were repealed there might insue a twofold benefit First money would become more plentifull And then if an Act were made that Vsurers might be tolerated to take 9. pound in the 100. pound for one yeares vse that the party which borrowes should pay 20. shillings more to make it vp 10. pound as in former time and this last to be conuerted towards some meritorious work mony would waxe more abundant and no man would grudge to
pay 20. shillings for a vertuous purpose And perhaps the same would lessen the exaction of the rest in the mercie of God To this furtherance of money I would haue those Brokers and extorting Iackes receiue corporall punishment who shall by indirect tricks and monthly bills exact vpon pawnes more interest then euer the Iew of Malta tooke of his deadly enemies After him the Lawmaker Solon discoursed as followeth I haue heard this day sundry pretty proiects pronounced by my Colleagues for the enriching of Great Britaine But if all these fall out happily and the Deuill still continue to sow his seeds of dissention in mens hearts to goe to Law one with another for a Goats haire by the procurement of Makebates and the aduice of some couetous Lawiers to what end shall his Maiestie spend his time to succour and supply them with money and they presently after to bestow the same on others for the molesting of Innocents This were to make our great Appollo accessary and priuie to iniurious dealings First let my good Ilanders weed out or at least wise restraine the insolencies deceits and equiuocations of Lawiers and then seeke for remedies to heale their indispositions Shall the mild Comforter of humane soules minister an occasion of scandall to reprobates and fewell to their iniquities If they get wealth men as I see haue not the wit to keepe it Therefore I thinke fit and it is a treasure inualuable to tame the Lawiers before any more riches be giuen as swords in mad mens hands to offend the seruants of God What intolerable knaueries haue beene exercised of late yeares by fellowes of this ranke against honest men yea against whole Countries whose blood like that of Abell doth cry for vengeance I know one poore Lordship in Wales which was persecuted by them and forced for foure thousand pounds to compound for their natiue freehold which by Records found in the Tower their Ancestors had enioyed 300. yeares and all vpon that farre fetcht maxime Nullum tempus occurrit Regi that no prescription of time might barre the Prince of his Right And if the wise King Iames of blessed memory had not set a period to their insinuations by limiting 60 yeares to his titulary demand God knowes to what euent their dangerous positions would haue issued vnto It is an easie thing for a man to find a staffe to beat a dog and for a cunning Lawier with the crochet of his braine to circumuent harmelesse people How many thousand pounds are yearely spent in Wales alone to maintaine suites at Law which might be well spared if the fountaine were dam'd vp Let the King of Great Britaine shut vp the spring which enuenomes multitudes of his poore subiects who grone vnder their burthen worse then the Israelies vnder the bondage of Egypt and Wales alone shall saue aboue 40. thousand pounds a yeare which row they consume besides their dear time not to be redeemed in vnnecessary suits at Law CHAP. 11. Apollo not throughly contented with the proiects of the seuen wise men of Greece commands others viz. Cornelius Tacitus CoÌ„minaeus the Lord Cromwell Sir Thomas Chaloner Secretary Walsingham Sir Thomas Smith and William Lord Burleigh who were knowne to be farre more Politicke Statesmen to deliuer their opinions how Great Britaine might be inriched APollo liked reasonable well of the inuentions demonstrated by the Seuen wise men of Greece But for all that some of them hee deemed to be more theoricall then really practick and therefore He caused some of his vertuous Attendants which had been famous for their Actiue diligence in managing matters of State to discouer more proiects whereby Great Britaine might attaine to a present fruition of Treasure For as his Imperiall Maiestie said Philosophers being Clinickes and retired to close chambers delighting more to be as Persius notes of them Esse quod Arcesilas arumnosique Solones Obstipo capite figentes lumine terram Like to Arcesilas or Solons found With down bent heads eies vpoÌ„ the ground then personally to bestirre themselues as men of motion ought in bringing their purposes and plots to execution they could not proue so necessary members to act what he intended as those which had by their industry got the start of them in actuall businesse The euent his Maiestie saw in Cicero and Caesar which moued our most prudent Apollo to referre these Pragmaticke affaires of Great Britaine to the experienced Cornelius Tacitus to Philip Commâ—naus to the Lord Cromwell which flourished in King Henrie the 8. daies to Sir Thomas Chaloner sometimes Ambassadour in Spain author of those admirable books de repub Anglorum instaur to Sir Francis Walsingham to Sir Thomas Smith which wrote the Common-wealth of England and to William Lord Burleigh Treasurer of England Cornelius Tacitus as the most ancient was elected first to certifie his censure who with a free Romane candour framed this discourse There is asmuch difference betwixt the face and state of Great Britane at this day and the fashion as it stood in Domitian time when I liued there with my victorious father in law Iulius Agricola as we see betwixt it and the Countrey of the Crime Tartare Then there was elbow roome for the Inhabitants sufficient without multiplicities of Law-suites subtle shifts conycatching or contagious thronging and hudling together But now Sunt homines alij natura Britannica differt In Britanes Isle both men and Land are chang'd We Romanes by our Legionary Cities wonne them to ciuility which they according to their quicke capacities speedily apprehending embraced the Christian Faith paid tribute to Caesar and continued in loyall obedience vnder his Lieutenants vntill our Monarchy became translated to Constantinople that so the fulnesse of time might inuest Antichrist in old Rome the Babylon of the West Since which time as the Children of Israel were sometimes aloft sometimes cast downe this Iland indured sundry changes But in my iudgement next vnto suits at Law which the wise Solon obserued to begger both Towne and Country the populousnesse of some chiefe Cities and specially of London doth impouerish the Royall Chamber of that Empire insomuch that it is in a manner impossible to inrich them before the Drones and yong hungry Bees bee remoued to some forraigne Places by an Act of Parliament and so prest by transcendent authority The people which I would haue thus prest are the Inmates the Cottagers the needy and needlesse numbers An honest Minister assured me that in his Parish at London there were many which perished of want being ashamed to begge and that he knew tenne persons hauing but a roome of twelue foot square to containe them but one bed for them all Many of the like calamity might bee found in that City two or three housholds crept into one house that I haue diuers times wondred that they are not euery second year visited with the Plague or Purples considering the multitudes of Channels Iakes and other vnpleasing places which
counselled them to erect a speciall society of men of war to ioyne together in the Nauall expedition and to lend vpon reasonable considerations some of those shippes which they tooke to waft our Fishermen and to defend the Plantations Sir Thomas Smith protested that there must be strait Lawes enacted against superfluous commodities imported into the land out of other Countreyes before the Golden Fleece could possibly become the Catholike Restoratiue Among many superfluities hee insisted principally on three 1. vpon the extraordinary vse of Tobacco 2. vpon forraigne stuffes and silks which wrought the Decay of English cloth and consequently of many poore Housholds which liued by spinning weauing fulling and dressing of cloth 3. He enueighed against the multitudes of wine tauernes and Alehouses saying that a great part of our Treasure were yearly wasted in these fiery houses That halfe of them might well bee spared and that in Cities and Townes next to the contagion of the Aire formerly mentioned they were the chiefe causes of the inflamation of mens blood and so of Feuers and most of our late sicknesses And in conclusion he pronounced these verses In anciant times they vsed much to Fast And what was spar'd they turn'd to Almes at last But we the Sabbaths make Saturnall Feash On Holy dayes Drinke makes some worse then beasts If men did Custome pay for Ale and Beere Great Charles then Spaines King Philip richer were Our bloods inflam'd Diseases grow by Wine Our Barnes waxe lesse The Poore doe grone and pine Tempore Maiorum leiunis multa colebant Inque Eleâ—mosynas Copia versa suit Sabbata nunc mutant in Satur nalia Bacchi Patrum Festa di s ebri tate scatet Si pro Ceruisid persoluerâ—t Anglia Censum Ditior Hispano Carole magne fores Corporis hinc nimy facta ebullâ—tio morbos Accersâ—â— minuunt Hordea languet Egenis Lastly William Lord Burleigh brought forth his opinion and said that all the meanes restoratiues and good orders which hee had heard deliuered would proue of no validity nor euer come to perfection except his Maiesty of Great Britaine might find some zealous ministers to execute the Lawes and statutes concerning the hindrance of Trade And further he signified that one maine point for reformation and repaire of Trading consisted in rewarding those vigilant spirits which like Sentinells awaked when others slept or proiected for the coÌ„mon benefit while others spent their time like belly-gods in bibbing of sugred sack in pampring their guts with gluttonous fare In these two positiuely he laid the foundation of Great Britaines well fare In the execution of these new Decrees and in rewarding of the industrious whereby the obstinate might be punished and the vertuous heartned And in conclusion this prudent Atlas on whose vnwearied shoulders sometimes relied the waight of Englands cares made this discourse In one thing more I note the prouident Remedy which the diuine wisedome lately manifested in this Kingdome by remouing from hence many people with famine war plagues feuers and other sicknesses A remedy surely applyed for two beneficiall respects In his loue to these by translating them to a happier place In his mercy to the rest which suruiue that they take heed by such terrible sudden accidents how they wast those means whereof they are but his Stewards in lauish feasts in Tobacco Apparell in suites at Law or in drinking more then sufficeth nature And to bestow the estimate of what they shall saue hereafter by their thrist on nobler monuments in offring of sweet smelling sacrifices to his sacred nostrills by helping to build places of succour for their distressed brethren seeing that the noney-bees doe ouerswarme at home for certainely if all these whom He lately tooke to his mercy had been yet liuing their natiue Countrey could not containe them but that a greater Decay of trading would necessarily haue ensued nor could all the wits of our wisest Politicians haue deuised remedies to restore it which now may in all humane probability serue to make the Golden Fleece an absolute Catholike Medicine God grant that the same may worke effectually and conuert the steely heart into a relenting tender and into that which is truly Christian Let all good Christians say Amen Fiat voluntas Domini CHAP. 12. The Order which Apollo tooke for the setling of the Golden Fleece before his late Progresse into the Tropick of Cancer recommending the same to the care of the Fraternity of the Rosie Crosse the foure Patrons of Great Britaine The Consultation of the foure Patrons for the good of Great Britaine The copy of Saint Dauids sonnet which he pronounced in the Amphitheater at Parnassus in honour of the King of Great Britaines mariage and Coronation THe day before the summers Solftice in Iune last 1626. Apollo sent for the famous fraternity of the Rosie Crosse St. George St. Andrew St. David and St. Patrick those carefull Patrons of Great Britaine and in the presence of the Lady Pallas the Muses the Graces and other vertuous persons his Fauorites he deliuered this short speech The time now drawes on that we must take our Progresse into the Tropicke of Cancer where we must exhilarate with our influence those rude subiects of ours which inhabit neere the Northerne Pole to gratifie their natures which otherwise would proue more fullen with some perpetuall Dayes without Nights for their patience in tolerating so many long nights without dayes at the winters Solstice during which timeof our Progresse I require you my Gratious friends to assist the planters of the Newfoundlle which we haue lately styled Britanniol and to treat on their behalfe with that magnanimous King Charles of Great Britaine that hee confirme the commission and orders which his Father of blessed memory granted about three yeares past for the establishing of Wafting ships for the defence of that hopefull Plantation and of the fishing fleetes against the oppressions of Pyrats assuring him from vs that there lies the principall part of the Golden Fleece which Orpheus Iunior hath sounded out in his Cambrensium Caroleia which he published at the celebration of his Mariage with the Paragon of France which likewise he lately renewed here before vs at Parnassus And not onely hee but others haue intimated the benefit of this Proiect namely the Noble Sir William Alexander in his New Scotland and Master Misselden in his Circle of Commerce who in most liuely termes paints out the substance of this Fleece A braue Dessigne it is as Royall as Reall as Honourable as Profitable It promises renowne to the King reuenew to the Crowne Treasure to the Kingdome a purchase for the Land a prize for the Sea Ships for nauigation Nauigation for ships Mariners for both Entertainment for the rich employment for the poore aduantage for the Aduenturers and encrease of Trade to all the subiects A myne of Gold it is The Myne is deepe the veines are great the Oare is rare the gold is pure the extent vnlimited the wealth