Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A89087
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The Bishop of Carlile's speech in parliament, concerning deposing of princes Thought seasonable to be published to this murmuring age.
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Merke, Thomas, d. 1409.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing M1827; ESTC R225562
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8,159
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8
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Dictatour for fourscore Years And by like impression of fear Casar caused the Law Servia to be promulged by which he was made perpetual Dictatour But both these Laws were afterwards adjudged void As for the Deposing of King Edward the second it is no more to be urged than the Poisoning of King John or the Murdering of any other good and lawful Prince We must live according to Laws and not to Examples And yet the Kingdom was not then taken from the lawful Successour But if we look back to times lately past we shall find that these Titles were more strong in King Stephen than they are in the Duke of Lancaster For King Henry the first being at large liberty neither restrained in body nor constrained in mind had appointed him to succeed as it was upon good credit certainly affirmed The people assented to this designment and thereupon without fear and without force he was annointed King and obtained full possession of the Realm Yet Henry Son of the Earl of Anjowe having a neerer right by his Mother to the Crown notwithstanding his Father was a stranger and himself born beyond the Seas raised such Rough Wars upon K ing Stephen that there was no end of spoiling the Goods and spilling the Blood of the unhappy people besides the ruins and deformities of many Cities and Holds until his lawful inheritance was to him assured It terrifieth me to remember how many flourishing Empires and Kingdoms have been by means of such Contentions either torn in pieces with detestive division or subdued to forraign Princes under pretence of assistance and aid And I need not repeat how fore this Realm hath heretofore been shaken with these seueral Mischieves And yet neither the examples of other Countries nor the Miseries of our own are sufficient to make us to beware O English Men worse Bewitched than the Foolish Galathians our unstayed minds and reftless resolutions do nothing else but hunt after our own harms No people have more hatred abroad and none less quiet at home In other Countreys the Sword of Invasion hath been shaken against us In our own Land the fire of Insurrection hath been kindled among us And what are these innovasions but Whetstones to sharpen the one and Bellows to blow up the other Certainly I fear that the same will happen unto us which Æsop fableth to have been fallen unto the Froggs who being desirous to have a King a Beam was given unto them The first fall whereof did put them in some fear but when they saw it lie still in the Stream they insulted thereon with great contempt and desired a King of quicker courage Then was sent unto them a Storke which stalking among them with stately steps continually devoured them The mildness of King Richard hath bred in us this scorn Interpreting it to be cowardise and dulness of nature The next Heir is likewise rejected I will not say that with greater Courage we shall find greater Cruelty but if either of these shall hereafter be able to set up their side and bring the matter to Trial by arms I do assuredly say that which part soever shall carry the Fortune of the Field the people both ways must go to wrack And thus have I declared my mind concerning this question in more words than your Wisdom yet fewer then the weight of the Cause doth require And do boldly conclude that we have neither Power nor Pollicy either to depose King Richard or to elect Duke Henry in his place that King Richard remaineth still our Soveraign Prince and therefore it is not lawful for us to give Judgment upon him that the Duke whom you call King hath more offended against the King and the Realm than the King hath done either against him or us for being Banished the Realm for ten Years by the King and his Counsel amongst whom his own Father was chief and sworn not to return again without special Licence He hath not only violated his Oath but with impious Arms disturbed the quiet of the Land and dispossessed the King from his Royal Estate and now demandeth Judgment against his Person without Offence proved or Defence heard If this Injury and this Perjury doth nothing move us yet let both our private and common dangers somewhat withdraw us from these violent proceedings FINIS The Characteristie Description of this Stout and Renowned Champion of Fidelity and Loyalty the Reader may be pleased to take it Transcribed from the Learned Francis Godwin Bishop of Hereford In his Succession of the Bishops of England jisdem verbis as he there relates it THomas Merks a Monk of Westminster was likewise thrust into this Bishoprick by the Pope at the Kings Request and Consecrated 1397. Amongst many unworthily preferred in those days he undoubtedly was a Man well deserving that Honour for he was a Man Learned and Wise but principally to be commended First for his constant and unmoveable Fidelity unto his Patron and Preferrer King Richard the second then for his excellent courage in professing the same when he might safely yea and honestly also have concealed his Affection Some others there were of the Nobility that remembring their Duty and Allegiance when all the World beside forsook that unfortunate Prince followed him with their best assistance even till the time of his Captivity This Man nothing regarding the danger might insue not only refused to forsake him when he had forsaken himself but defended him and his cause the best he could when he might well perceive his endeavour might hurt himself much without any possibility of helping the other When the Furious and unstable Multitude not contented that King Richard had resigned his Crown to save the Head that ware it and their Darling Hen. 4. seated himself in his Royal Throne importuned the Parliament assembled to proceed yet further against him desiring no doubt that to make all sure his Life might be taken from him This Worthy and Memorable Prelate stepping forth doubted not to tell them that there was none amongst them meet to give Judgment upon so Noble a Prince as King Richard was whom they had taken for their Soveraign and Liege Lord for the space of 22 years and more And proceeding further I assure you quoth he I report his words as I find them in our Chronicles there is not so rank a Traytor nor so errand a Thief nor yet so cruel a Murtherer apprehended or detained in Prison for his offence but he shall be brought before the Justice to hear Judgment and will you proceed to the Judgment of an Annointed King hearing neither his Answer nor Excuse I say and will avouch that the Duke of Lancaster whom you call King hath more trespassed to King Richard and his Realm then King Richard hath done either to him or us For it is manifest and well known that the Duke was Banished the Realm by King Richard and his Council and by the Judgment of his own Father for the space of ten years for what cause your remember well enough This notwithstanding without Licence of King Richard he is returned again into the Realm and that is worse hath taken upon him the Name Title and Preheminence of King And therefore I say that you have done manifest wrong to proceed against King Richard in any sort without calling him openly to his Answer and Defence This Speech scarcely ended he was attached by the Earl Marshal and for a time committed to Ward in the Abby of St. Albanes Continuing yet his Loyal Affection to his distressed Master Soon after his inlargment he joyned with the Hollands and others in a Conspiracy against King Henry Which being bewrayed to the Destruction of all the rest he only was pardoned Peradventure in regard of his calling For it had never been seen hitherto that any Bishop was put to death by order of Law Peradventure in some kind of favour and admiration of his Faithful constancy for Vertue will be Honoured even of her Enemies Peradventure else to this end that by forcing him to live miserably they might lay a Punishment upon him more grievous then death which they well saw he despised The Pope who seldome denied the King any request that he might afford good cheap was easily entreated to translate forsooth this good Bishop from the See of Carlile that yielded him Honourable maintainance unto Samos in Greece whence he knew he should never receive one penny profit He was so happy as neither to take benefit of the gift of his Enemy nor to be hurt by the masked Malice of his Counterfeit Friends disdaining as it were to take his Life by his Gift who took away from his Master both Life and Kingdom he died shortly after his deliverance so deluding also the morkery of his Translation whereby things so falling out he was nothing damnified Quicquid in Historiâ discribitur vel ad imitandum indigitat vel ad evitandum instruit