of England and Iohn 2. of Denmark and Norway 1490. England is put before France as for example Sancitum est quod Mercatores Homines Ligii Piscatores quicunque alii Reg. Angliae Franciae subditi liberè possint temporibus futuris in perpetuum ad Insulam Tyle i. e. Islandiam c. Augustus de Cavallis who is no obscure Author infers the Queen of England from her Ancestors both in respect of Inheritance Conquest and Gift to be Queen of France de Iure In the Treaty twixt Hen. the 7. and Philip of Castile 1506. the English Commissioners subsign'd first As also in the Treaty of Marriage with Queen Mary Anno 1533. the first Signature is given to the English Ambassadors When Queen Elizabeth employed the Earl of Derby the Lord Cobham Sir Iames Crofts Doctor Dale and Doctor Rogers in quality of Ambassadors with their Assistants to Ostend anno 1588. Dignitatis Praerogativa incedendo sedendo The Prerogative of going and sitting was given her Ambassadors In the Treaty at Bullen twixt England and Spain for renewing the Burgundian League Queen Elizabeth sent Sir Hen. Nevil Sir Iohn Herbert Robert Beale and Tho. Edmunds who in their Instructions had command in no case to give Precedence to the Spanish Ambassadors but being met ther was a Contest happend The English produc'd a Certificat procur'd privatly from Rome out of the Book of Ceremonies there which according to the Canon giveth the Rule in such cases That the King of England is to have place before the King of Castile That the English quietly held this Right in the Councils of Basil Constance and others They alledg'd also that the Kingdom of Castile which is the Spaniards first Title is but an upstart-in regard of England for it had no Kings but Earls till the year 1017. Moreover Pope Iulius 3. gave sentence for Hen. 7. of England against Ferdinand of Spain in this particular c. Furthermore for Eminency of Title Great Britain is oftentimes calld an Empire by Forren Authors nay Pope Urban terms it a World of it self at the Council of Clermont almost a thousand years since wherin the Archbishop of Canterbury is call'd Alteterius Orbis Papa The Pope of another World What wold he say now that Ireland and Scotland are added Some of the Saxon Kings stil'd themselfs Emperours as Ego Ethelredus Ego Edgarus Anglorum Induperator c. William the Conqueror writ Ego Willielmus Rex Anglorum ab incarnatione Domini 1089. 2 Anno mei Imperii This is found upon record in his Charter to the Monastery of Shaftsbury In Hen. 8. Raign the eighth year thereof England was declar'd an Empire in Parlement where he had also these Epithets Metuendissimus Praepotentissimus and London was call'd the Imperial Chamber But most memorable is that of King Edgar in the Charter that he gave the Church of Worcester Which Charter is yet extant and runs thus Altitonantis Dei largifluâ clementiâ qui est Rex Regum Ego Edgarus Anglorum Basileus omniumque Regum Insularum Oceanique Britanniam circumjacentis cunctarúmque Nationum quae infra Eam includuntur Imperator Dominus Gratias ago ipsi Deo omnipotenti Regi meo qui meum Imperium sic ampliavit exaltavit super Regnum Patrum meorum Qui licet Monarchiam totius Angliae adepti sunt à tempore Athelstani qui primus Regnum Anglorum omnes Nationes quae Britanniam incolunt sibi Armis subegit nullus tamen Illorum ultra ejus fines Imperium suum dilatare aggressus est Mihi autem concessit propitia Divinitas cum Anglorum Imperio omnia Regna Insularum Oceani cum suis ferocissimis Regibus usque Norwegiam Maximamque Partem Hiberniae cum sua nobilissima Civitate Dublinia Anglorum Regno subjugare Quos etiam omnes meis Imperiis colla subdere Dei favente gratia Coegi Quapropter ut Ego Christi Gloriam laudem in Regno meo exaltare ejus servitutem amplificare devotus disposui per meos Fideles Fautores Dunstanum Archiepiscopum Ayeliolanum ac Oswaldum Archiepiscopos quos mihi Patres Spirituales Consiliarios elegi magna ex parte disposui c. Facta haec sunt anno Dom. 964. Indictione 8 Regni Ego Alfrye Regina consensi signo Crucis confirmavi ✚ This being so ancient a Record and of so high a Tenure I thought good to render it into English for the satisfaction of the Common Reader By the clemency of the high-thundring God who is King of Kings I Edgar King of the English and of all Kings of Ilands and of the Ocean circumjacent to Britain and of all Nations which are included within her Emperour and Lord I give thanks only to Almighty God my King that he hath amplified and exalted my Empire above the Kingdome of my Fathers who although they had obtain'd the Monarchy of all England from the time of Athelstan who was the first that subdued the Kingdom of the English and all Nations who inhabit Britain yet none of them attempted to dilate his Empire beyond its bounds But propitious Divinity hath granted unto me to subjugat together with the Empire of the English all the Kingdomes in the Iles of the Ocean with their most ferocious Kings as far as Norway and most part of Ireland with her most Noble City of Dublin All whom I compell'd to bow their Necks to my Commands the Grace of God so favouring me c. This King Edgar though very little of stature was so magnanimous and successful that he was Row'd upon the River of Dee by four subjugated Kings whereof Kennad King of Scots was one Ther is also a very remarkable and authentic story of King Canutus afterwards who being upon Southampton-Strand at the flowing of the Sea he sate in a Chair of State which was brought him upon the sands and the Billows tossing and tumbling towards him he gave the Sea this command Thou art my Subject and the Earth wheron I sit is mine and ther was none yet that ever resisted my Command who went unpunish'd Therefore I command Thee that Thou come not up upon my Earth nor presume to wet the Garment or the Body of thy Lord. But the Sea continuing his cours dash'd and wetted his feet and thighs illfavouredly without any reverence or fear whereupon the King stepping back declar'd That none is worthy of the Name of a King but only He whose Nod both Sea and Earth observd And as the story hath it he never wore the Crown of Gold again but being fix'd to a Cross did consecrat it to the Image of our Saviour Ther have been also Titles of Dignity given to our Kings in the Abstract which hath more of State and Substance in it then the Concret as Celsitudo Tua Magnitudo Tua given by the Pope in his Letters to Ed. 2. And Edward the 4. was us'd to write Nostra Regia Majestas though indeed that word
Port and some say it was of stone where after thanks being given to God they placd the body of the most holy Apostle and after many dangers they arrivd at Iria Flaria now calld Padron thence they carried it to Liberum Donum now calld Compostella where they entombd it in a Marble Monument But as the Disciples were seeking for a place fit for so great an Apostle they made their address to Queen Luparia or Lupa who sent them to King Philotrus who casting them into an obscure prison they were freed by an Angel and while the soldiers were in pursute of them they were all drownd in a River the Bridg and all falling down with them by which miracle King Philotrus was converted But Luparia continuing obstinat she threw their Bodies to Bulls and Dragons wherof some they slew and some grew mild Then Luparia being orecome by these miracles causd a Temple to be erected there for the holy Apostle as Faber out of Sophorinus doth affirm And although Morales makes a doubt herof in regard that Spain was then subject to the Romans and so could have no Kings yet ther might be some Kings there though subject and tributary to Rome as Herodes Agrippa was in Hierusalem and as Queen Candacis was But because these passages are so overgrown with yeers let us hasten to later times The second signal time that Spain receavd extraordinary influence of Christian Faith was in the raign of Constantine the great who was so glorious an Instrument to the Church his Mother a British Lady being a Christian and Osius a Spanish Bishop having taken so much pains for his conversion Then Theodosius who did propagat the Faith more openly and did destroy the Pagan Churches which were stuffd with Idols was by Nation a Spaniard and his sons who succeeded him in the Empire The third time was when the seat of the Roman Empire being translated to Constantinople divers rough Northern Nations broke in and seazd upon most parts of the Western Territories therof so that the Goths invaded Spain and came to possess it and then by the special benediction of God ther was a Catholik King in Spain before any in France For an 554. Athanagildus King of the Goths according to the currant consent of all Historiographers professd the Christian Faith as Lucas Tudensis hath it Then succeeded him Leonegiâ—…dus Then a little after came Richaredus and in his raign the whole Kingdome of Spain became Catholik and florishd exceedingly But the French object that Anno 496. Clodovaeus was baptizd by St. Rhemigius and so had the start of Richaredus in Christianity but to that t is answerd That the whole Kingdome of France was not then converted Nor was He King of all the Kingdome as Richaredus was of Spain For Gregorius Turonensis relates that Clodovaeus with his two sisters were baptizd and three thousand French more the whole Kingdome came not to be Christian a good while after wheras all Spain was reducd entirely to the Faith a good while before and did make open profession therof in the Council of Toledo Moreover a good part of France was then subject to Theodoricus King of the Ostrogoths who then raignd in Italy who were of the Arrian Heresie But Spain was then totally under Richaredus whence may be inferrd that Spain generally had a Christian King before France But if we divide Spain into Provinces ther were divers of them had Christianity planted and publiquely preferrd before Clovis for Rechiarius King of the Suevians was Christian Anno 440. Furthermore t is very observable that from Richaredus no King in Spain fell from the true Catholick Church wheras divers in France did after Clodoveus as Chilperik and others witness what Gaguinus writes Nec multò post Chilpericus cujus malitia ut in Homines multis fraudibus perspicua esset in Deum quoque impietatem meditatus est de divina quidem Trinitate ita credi noluit ut tres in Illa Personas sed unam confiteretur c. Not long after Chilperik whose malice was so evident against men did meditat malice also against God for he wold not confess three but one Person in the Trinity And Mausonius saith Chilpericus cùm multis rebus impiè gestis Deum sibi iratum reddidisset mense quarto à Natali Clodovaei successoris sui apud Callam vicum Parisiorum occididitur Chilperik when for many things impiously committed he had made God angry with him was killd in Calla a small Village of the Parisians And in this last Age the last King of France before Hen. 4. having done some acts of Impiety as imprisoning of Cardinals and other things it induced a Brother of the Dominican Order to dispatch him violently out of the world Besides a King of Spain Rechiarius was the first who out of a Zeal to protect the tru Religion made the first War against the Enemies therof which were the Arrian Goths and ever since the Kings of Spain have bin the greatest Champions and Propugnators of the Catholik Church upon all occasions But now we will take in hand the Titles of Christianissimus and Catholik and make it appeer that the Kings of Spain had the one before the French Kings had the other and because that Names are the Images of Things we will give you their primitive derivations The first Propagators of Christianity we all know were the holy Apostles and their Disciples but some of the latter falling into errors the Orthodoxal Disciples to distinguish themselfs from the false calld themselfs Christians which name they first assumd at Antioch and then it grew general being derivd from Christ and Christ a Crismate or Unction It was afterwards raisd to a superlatif to Christianissimus which was first given to the Emperors and to this day as Castaldus observes they are solemnly prayed for in Oratione Parasceue in Good-Friday-Prayer evry yeer Oremus pro Christianissimo Imperatore nostro wherin Ferrault is deceavd by attributing it onely to the French King Moreover divers Kings of Spain had that Title given them upon oceasion as all the Spanish Annalists do aver For Richaredus was calld Christianissimus Anno 589. and after him Sisebutus Anno 616. when he expelld the Iews out of the Territories of Spain and Cinthillanus is calld so in the sixth Council of Toledo and Pope Leo writing to Quirico calls Flavium Ervigium then King of Spain Christianissimum in the fourth Council of Toledo and this was before Charlemain who first bore that Title in France Ramirus King of Aragon and Sancho 3. as also Alphonsus Magnus was entitled so Now let us examine when this Title Christianissimus was given to the French Kings Most do affirm that it began in Charlemain but observe it was given him and to some of his Successors as they were Emperours for the ordinary Title which was usd to be given the Kings of France before was Illustris Ther is another opinion that Pope Pius 2. gave Lewis 11.
going out Among Artificers and Men of Trade the Civilians say that each one is to precede according to the Dignity of the Stuff wheron they work Moreover when Publik Instruments are made that Kingdom in whose Right t is made hath the Precedence so somtimes Scotland is namd before England c. General Precedences do differ according to the Genius of some Nations as among the Turks to go on the left hand is more honorable sedendo incedendo in sitting and going then on the right and the reson is good because he may seaze upon his Companions Sword at plesure In Spain the Pages and Laquays go before and the Lords follow And in some cases t is so in France as in going over a Bridg a Plank or a River the Man goes before the Master according to the old Proverb En Pont en Planche en Riviere Valet devant Maitre derriere Concerning Ambassadors ther is a way that they shall never clash which is to make them Parallels viz. that the Ambassadors of those Kings who stand in competition for Precedence do never meet unless it be in visiting one another And the Mathematician tells us That Parallelae etiamsi ducantur in infinitum nunquam concurrent Parallels although they be drawn in infinitum they will never meet and if Ambassadors never meet they will never jussle or jarr J. H. THE Civilians Antiquaries and Historians BOTH Latin English British Italians Spanish and French That were Consulted and Cited in the Compilement of this WORK GOldastus Cassanaeus Besoldus Valdesius Francisco Vasquez Volaterranus Bodin Boterus Albericus Gentilis Lansius Augustin Caranato Thesaurus Politicus Ant. Corsetus Camillo Borrello Boccolini Sleidon Dr. Gaspar Bragaccia Paschalius Don Ant. de Zuniga Mariana Garibai Fredericus de Marselaer Carolus de Grassaliis Du Haillan Comines Pierre Matthieu The Bishop of Rhodes Du Serres Versâ—…egan Il Conte Losco The Lord Coke Bishop Usher Sir Thomas More Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Robert Cotton Sir Henry Spelman Sir Richard Baker Sir Iohn Finet Sir Iohn Price Iudg Doddridge Humphry Lloyd Iudg Ienkins Mr. Campden Mr. Selden Mr. Fabian Philipps Barclays Argenis Matthew Paris Polydore Virgile Sir Henry Wotten Sir Isaak Wake Mr. Minshew Besides these Authors many Ancient Records and Manuscripts have bin consulted and the perusing of old Parchment-Records is a hard and harsh Work it may be said to be like the peeling of old Walnuts ANALYSIS Totius Operis TOuching the Matter and Method in framing this Work it is by dividing it into four Compartments viz. into four Sections The first three treat of the Precedence of Kings The fourth of Ambassadors Evry one of the Sections is subdivided into ten heads or Paragraphs containing still new matter The first Section consists of the Resons of the King of Great Britain c. First That He had to his Predecessors as ancient Kings as France and Spain and as famous among others Mulmutius Dunwallo who raignd here many hundred yeers before the Romans came in and he was so great a Legislator that his Laws are calld Leges Mulmuntinae and stand upon record to this day Moreover his Majesty now Regnant is the hundred thirty ninth King of Britain and the hundred and ninth of Scotland wheras neither Spain or France can shew a Catalog of half the number 2. The King of Great Britain had to his Predecessor the first Christian King that ever was upon earth viz. King Lucius according to the concurrent Opinion of all Antiquaries for St. Peters Church in Cornhil was built by him as a Record yet extant shews and this was many hundred yeers before France or Spain had any Christian King which made England to be entitled in all dispatches from Rome Primogenita Ecclesiae the first-born Daughter of the Church Now it is a Canon among the Civilians Summa Ratio quae ducitur à Religione and Grotius hath also a Principle Qui primò Christianismum professi sunt Praecedant c. 3. The King of Great Britain hath a Merum immixum Imperium he hath as absolut Possession and Authority and more Independent then France or Spain take Spiritual and Temporal together 4. The King of Great Britain for Eminence of Royal Dignity for State and Titles hath as fair Flowers He hath as rich Jewels in his Crowns as any other He hath as Noble Arms the Cross and the Lyon who is King of Animals 5. The King of Great Britain had to his Predecessor the first Christian Emperour Constantin and the first Christian Worthy Arthur the first Founder of Martial Knighthood whom ther is Truth enough to make Famous without that which is thought Fabulous 6. The King of Great Britains Predecessors were the first who freed themselfs from the Roman yoke long before France or Spain and this is one of the greatest Arguments that those Kings do produce for a Precedence one of another 7. The Kings of Great Britain had Precedence adjudgd Them both of France and Spain in General Councils as also by the Decrees of Popes as it will appeer in the following Discours 8. The King of Great Britain is Souverain of as Noble an Order of Knighthood as any in Christendome wherof eight Emperours and well neer eight times as many Kings have bin and is more ancient then the Royal Orders of France or Spain 9. The King of Great Britain hath had as Martial and Magnanimous Progenitors as any of the other two who performd great Acts both far and neer and touching Exploits in the Holy Land the Kings of Spain had little share in them 10. The King of Great Britain hath as free-born and strong sturdy Peeple of four several Nations to make Soldiers of as either France or Spain He hath the best Mariners the stoutest Men of War the Noblest Haven for so Milford is accounted by all Geographers He hath the Inaccessiblest Coasts with the greatest Command and Power at Sea both Defensive and Offensive of any King whatsoever The second Section Consists of Reasons and Arguments why France doth pretend and challenge Priority of Place which Reasons under favor may be appliable also to the King of Great Britain and the world knows why But for to make the King of Great Britain come after the King of France is to make him come behind himself which is no less then an absurdity The third Section Consists of the Reasons and Arguments which Spain alledgeth for Precedence at least of an Equality with the two forementiond Kings extracted with as much fidelity as carefulness out of her own Authors as Don Diego de Valdez D. Francisco Vasquez with others The fourth Section Consists of a Discours of Ambassadors T is tru ther are some who have written of this subject already yet not any under this Meridian But those Forreners who have discoursd therof do amuse the Reader with such general Notions that the Breeding and Qualities which they require as also the Monitions Precepts and Instructions which they prescribe may fit any
we think that Right to appertain still to the Crown of England notwithstanding that the Territories and Dominions of the Kingdome of Spain be propagated and amplified which in the right estimation of things prevails not or ought to prevail twixt Christian Princes touching this question For then other Kings and Princes would assume a right of Precedence above others to whom now they grant it ever and anon if their Dominions increase Moreover touching this present controversie about Precedence ther is another thing which doth not unworthily offer it self to be examined by your Judgements which is That one of Us which the most serene Queen our Mistress hath chosen her Ambassador to conclude this Treaty of Peace is one who daily resides in that quality in the Court of the most Christian King which Dignity with all Prerogatives he retains as long as he sojourns in France But the first of you although he be Ambassador to the Catholick King with the most serene Archduke and being out of the Dominions therof he puts off that quality and dignity We think also that our Ambassador in whom this Dignity is multiplyed and shines more ought by right to be preferred before any that is appointed by a single and bare title onely for this great Treaty Therfore if you please let this Question be pretermitted with deep silence and let this Prerogative remain and dwell in the most serene Queen our Mistress to whom it justly belongs and appertains so we shall more cheerfully apyly our selfs to the business for which we are come All this we desire may be candidly and frendly accepted according to the prudence and moderation of your illustrious and magnificent Lordships as proceeding from the Observances and Religion of our Office not with any dessein to consume time or raise contentions Bullen 26 Maii 1600. Henry Nevil Iohn Harbert c. The Spanish Ambassadors made an answer herunto which we reserve for the third Section wherin the Arguments of Spain for Precedence are set down wherof one of the strongest he urgeth is the Multiplication and encrease of Dominions which according to Besoldus and Cassaneus with other great Civilian Jurists is no Argument at all in regard it doth not hold among ordinary Nobility As for example He of Arundel is first Earl in England He of Angus in Scotland And He of Kildare in Ireland by the Laws of Heraldry and Hereditary Right Put case that some other of their fellow Earls in either Kingdome shold grow richer and have more Mannors Possessions and Lordships yet they will not offer to take place or precedence so the Argument may hold A minori ad majus For if it be so among Noble-men much more shold this Rule have validity among Souvrain Princes I will go on with a passage that happend in Paris a little above twenty years since Hugo Grotius residing at Paris in quality of Ambassador for the Crown of Sweden attempted to make his Coaches go before those of the Earl of Leicester pretending a right of Precedence because the King of Sweden whom he represented was King of the ancient Goths and Vandals c. which was under favor but a feeble Argument For ther were Kings of Great Britain thousands of years before the Goths or Vandals were scarce known to the Christian world nor do any stories make mention of them until a little after the declinings of the Roman Empire about the year 350 from the Incarnation nor came they to be Christians till a long time after And it is the Position of Grotius himself in his Book de Iure Belli Inter Reges quâ—… primo Christianismum professi sunt praecedunt Who first professd Christianity ought to precede Moreover the King of Denmark entitles himself King of the Goths and Vandals as well But my Lord of Leicester carried himself so like himself that our Swedish Ambassador was put behind with a Disgrace somewhat answerable to his Presumption and to the explosion of the Spectators Now Let the prudent and unpassionat Reader weigh with leasure the foregoing Particulars and reserve his Judgement till he hath run through the Reasons and Arguments of the other two Kings in order to a Precedency T is time now to cross over to France and produce the Arguments of that King faithfully extracted out of the most receavd and celebrated Authors who assert his Right to sit next the Emperour upon all occasions As Cassanaeus Ferhaut Besoldus Carolus de Grasseliis Hierome Bignon Pierre Matthieu c. And let this be a close to the First Section The second Section Consisting of the Reasons wherby the French King pretends and claims Priority of Place and Proximity of Session next the Emperour at all Solemn Meetings and in all publik Transactions of State c. Which Reasons In regard they lie confusd and scatterd in other Authors we will reduce to Ten Heads or Arguments wherof the first shall be drawn 1. A Nobilitate Regni from the Nobleness of the Kingdome 2. The second A Nobilitate Regionis from the Nobleness of the Country 3. The third A Noblitate Regiminis from the Nobleness of the Government 4. The fourth A Religione Nobilitate Ecclesiae from Religion and the Nobleness of the Church 5. The fifth A Nobilitate Gentis multitudine Subditorum from the Nobleness of the Nation and multitude of Subjects 6. The sixth A plenitudine Regiae Potestatis from the absolutness of Regal Authority 7. The seventh A Potentia ipsius Regni from the Power of the Kingdome it self 8. The eighth Ab opulentia ipsius Regni from the Riches thereof 9. The ninth A Fortitudine Rebus in Bello gestis from Valour and Exploits done in the War 10. The tenth and last Argument shall be drawn ab Exemplo Antiquitate from Examples and Antiquities Of the first Argument A Nobilitate Regni from the Nobleness of the Kingdome THer is a speech drawing neer to the nature of a Proverb Great Britain for an Iland France for a Kingdome Milan for a Duchy and Flanders for a County or Earldome are preferrable before all other They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their kind this shews the supereminence of the Kingdome of France Ther is also a signal saying of the Emperour Maximilian the first who being in some Critical Discourses with his Lords about the Dominions of Europe broke out into this high Encomium of France That if it could stand with the Order of Nature and the Plesure of the Almighty that any mortal Man were capable to be a God of the Elementary world and that I were He I would so make my last Will and Testament in the disposing of my Estate That my eldest Son shold be God after me but my second shold be King of France This saying or excess of speech must be interpreted with a sane sense for the Emperour meant nothing els hereby but to intimate his opinion touching that potent and noble Kingdom which Kingdom hath continued an Heredetary
of France the Title of Christianissimus and that his Father Charles had it in the Council of Mantua Anno 1459. But grant that the French Kings had the Title Christianissimus given them since Charlemain yet the Title Catholicus was given before to the Kings of Spain For Alfonso Son-in-law to Pelagius had it Anno 734. as Garabai and Morales do affirm and the Epitaph upon his Tomb doth justifie it which is Alfonsus Catholicus Others are of opinion that Richaredus who quelld the Arrian Heresie was first intitled Catholicus But now that we have spoken of the Antiquity of these two Titles in relation to the two Kings we will examine which is the superior and more excellent Christianissimus or Catholicus not but that both of them are sublime and glorious Touching the Title Catholik it is so complete a word that nothing can be added to it therfore it admits no superlatif it is of that comprehensif latitude that it is Universal which is the tru Etymologie of the Greek word now it is an Axiome in all Sciences Qui totum dicit nihil excludit Who says All excludes nothing therfore we say Ecclesiam Catholicam not Catholicissimam as we say Concilium oecumenicum or Universale not Universalissimum And certainly this word Catholicum must be of extraordinary value and ancient extraction since it was an Epithet given the Church of Christ in the Apostolical Creed in that first Symbole of Faith Credo in Spiritum sanctum sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam Now as we pointed at before wheras any Beleever was calld Christian at first and that by erroneous interpretations some Heresies began to creep in the name of Catholik was given him who was a constant embracer of the tru Doctrine of the Church wheras the simple name Christian might comprehend also a Heretik as Pacianus observes against the Novatians Christianus mihi nomen est Catholicus vero cognomen Illud me nuncupat Istud ostendit Hoc probat Illud significat My name is Christian my firname Catholik the one calls me the other shews me this proves the other signifies Insomuch that the word Catholik did distinguish a tru Beleever from a Heretik Whence the excellencie of this word appeers being a primitive attribut given both to Church and Faith for they were both calld Catholik Nor doth it follow though evry Catholik be a Christian that evry Christian is a Catholik For when one is calld Catholik t is understood that he is an Elect that he is saithful pure constant and obedient to the Doctrine of the holy Church without mixture or taint Therfore most meritoriously is this high Epitheâ—… peculiar to the King of Spain because he permits no Apostaâ—…s no Schismaticks to be in his Dominions as the French and other Kings do But by an humble filial obedience he adheres to the Catholik Mother-church which is the Roman For the Roman and Catholik Church are Synonimas according to Saint Cyprian in these words Dividi à Romano Pontifice idem quod ab universa Ecclesia scismate separari Rursum illam communicare id ipsum esse quod Catholicae Ecclesiae unitati conjungi To be divided from the Roman Bishop is to be separated by Schism from the universal Church and to hold communion with him is the same as to be joynd in unity with the Catholik Church Argum. 5. Proving That the King of Spain may challenge Precedence because that in Magnitude of Kingdoms in Power Territories and Tresure He excels all other MUltitude of Regions Affluence of Wealth and Magnitude of Power is so considerable in Kings that this one Reason of it self were sufficient by Divine Laws as well as Humane to yeeld unto Him who excels in these Particulars superiority of session and precedence Now in all things by the very constitution of the Creator ther is a superiority and excellence Eternity is above Time The Intellect is beyond Reason and Reason above Sense Go to the Fabrick of Coelestial Cretures and the pulchritude of the Stars We see the Sun is as their Prince and one Star exceeds another in glory so in this Elementary and the lower world specially among Mankind some are more Illustrious some more Potent then others Nature will tell you that all the Fingers of the hand are not equal and this inequality conduceth to the bewty of the Univers and Manilius tells us Est aequale nihil Terrenos aspice tractus By which Ratiocination he is most sublime and may claim superiority who exceeds in multitude of Peeple in extent of Regions in Wealth and Dominions and since the Catholik King excels in all these as the French Authors themselfs confess out of Cassanaeus certainly the higher seat is to be assignd Him The wisest of Kings tells us that In multitudine Populi dignitas Reg is in paucitate Plebis ignominia Principis In the multitude consists the dignity of a King and in the paucity of peeple his shame Therfore at the meeting of Councils an Universal Council which is made up of most Bishops is more illustrious and carrieth a greater stamp of authority then a Provincial which consisteth of fewer As the Emperour and Pope have three Crowns apeece denoting Asia Afrik and Europe where the first exerciseth Souvrain Power in Temporals and the other in all Spiritual Affairs Now to prove that the Catholik King is more potent then any other in spacious Dominions it is no hard task For go to Spain it self it cannot be denied but it is a large Empire T is tru that Spain in former times was divided into many Kingdoms as Castile Aragon Navarre Leon c. but now they are all concentred in one Crown Adde herunto the Kingdoms of Naples and Calabria with the Duchy of Milan which make up about the one moity of Italy He is Lord of Belgium or the Netherland He hath Sicilie Sardinia with other Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canaries with divers other in the Atlantik He hath sundry places up and down the Coasts of Afrik He hath the Moluccas and Philipiâ—…a Islands which are without number in the Indies It was the Spanish Navigation that refelld the Paradox for which we read that a Bishop was once imprisond for a Heretik because he held ther were Antipodes O Immortal God! what an heroik and incomparable exploit was that of discovering and conquering the West-Indies which counterbalanceth all the old world were they cast into a pair of scales which mighty benediction was reservd by a special Providence for Spain But what a world of dangers doubts and difficulties did precede the work On the one side the incertitude of the Thing and the perils of the angry-tumbling Ocean did offer themsells On the other side the vast expences of the Viage with despair of new provision when the old was spent And in case they shold take sooting on a new earth the Clime might perhaps not agree with their bodies and the Savages might prove stronger then they as they were in