And this was done in a General Parliament which was held at Segovia in the year 1276. and the two Princes his Nephews were put in Prison but afterwards by the intercession of their Uncle King Philip of France they were releas'd and had certain Lands given them and of them came the Dukes of Medina Coeli and all the rest of the House of Cerda which are of great Nobility in Spain Not long after this Garab lib. 15. 〈◊〉 1. An. 1363. when Don Pedro Sirnamed The Cruel King of Castile was driven out and his Bastard-Brother Henry the Second set up in his place John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster having Married Dono Constantia the said King Peters Daughter and Heir pretended by Succession to the said Crown of Castile which was really his Right but yet the State of Spain denyed it flatly and defended it by Arms and prevailed against John of Gaunt as did also the Race of Henry the Bastard against his lawful Brother and the Race of Don Sancho the Uncle against his lawful Nephews and this hapned in the third and principal Descent of the Spanish Kings when this Matter of Succession was most assuredly and perfectly establisht and yet who will deny the Kings of Spain who held under the latter Titles To be true and lawful Kings By which it appears how frequently the Line of Succession has been altered in Spain upon any reasonable Consideration which they imagined to be for the Publick good And the like we shall find in France and England which we shall begin to treat of Now concerning the State of France thô since the Entrance of King Pharamond with his Franks out of Germany which was about the year of Christ 419. they have never had any Stranger come to wear the Crown which they attribute to their Salick Law that forbids Womens Reign yet they have twice chang'd their whole Race and Linage of Kings once by the Entrance of King Pepin who put out the Line of Pharamond about the year 751. and again in the promotion of Hugo Capetus who put out the Line of Pepin in the year 988. so as they have had three Descents and Races of Kings as well as the Spaniards Now I 'le pass over all the first Race of the Franch Kings as I also did the Spanish because some men may say That the Commonwealth and Law of Succession was not so well setled in those days as it was afterwards in the time of Pepin Charles the Great and their Descendents Therefore I shall only mention the second Rank which began with the Exclusion and Deposition of their lawful King Childerick the Third and Election of King Pepin in the year of Christ 781 after 22 Kings which had Reigned of the first Line of Pharamond for the space of Three hundred years This King Reigned 18 years being a famous King as all the World knows left his Kingdom by Succession to his eldest Son Charles Sirnamed aster The Great for his Famous and Heroical Acts. And thô the whole Kingdom belong'd to him by right of Succession yet did the Realm of France shew her Authority in his Admission â—â—rard du â—ilan lib 3. as the Historian relates in these Words King Pepin being dead the French chose for their King his two Sons Charles and Carlomon on condition that they should divide the Realm equally betwixt them which was a heavy Condition to the elder Brother to part with half his Kingdom After these Brothers had Reigned together three years King Carlomon died and left many Sons but the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of France Swore Allegiance to Charles without any respect to the Children of Carlomon who by right of Succession should have been preferred After Charles the Great Reigned his Son Lewis the First Sirnamed Debonnaire of his Courtesie who entred with great Applause of all Men for the exceeding grateful Memory of his Father but he was Deposed by the means of his Sons and was put in a Monastery thô after he came to Reign again â—erard lib. 5. â—n 834. and his fourth Son by his second Wife named Charles the Bold succeded him in the Crown after many Battels against his elder Brother Lothair to whom it belong'd by Succession After Charles the Beld succeeded Lewis the Second who was the third Son for the Second died before his Father and the Eldest was put by for his ill Demeanour This Lewis also had like to have been deprived by the States at his Entrance for the Hatred conceived against his Father Gerard. lib. 1. had he not call'd a Perliament at Campeigne and sweetned the People and Nobility with many fair Promises This Lewis left two Bastards by a Concubine who were call'd Lewis and Carlomon as also an Infant newly born of his lawful Wife Adeltrude Daughter to King Alfred of England which Infant was King of France after by the Name of Charles the Simple thô not immediately after the Death of his Fahter For the Nobles of France said They had need of a Man to be King and not a Child and so the whole State of France chose for their Kings the two aforesaid Bastards and they were Crowned most solemnly and divided the whole Realm between them An. 881. and Queen Adeltrude with her Child true Heir of France fled into England to her Fahter and there kept him many years in which time she saw four or five Kings Reign in his place successively Of these two Bastards the Elder named Lewis Reigned but Four years and died without Issue the second named Carlomon lived but one year after him and left a Son called Lewis which succeeded him in the Kingdom by the name of Lewis the Fisth and Sirnamed Faineant for his idle and slothful Life for which as also for his vicious Behaviour and in particular for taking out and Marrying a Nun of the Abby of S. Saveour he was depriv'd and made a Monk in the Abby of S. Denis where he died and in his place was chosen King of France and Crown'd with great Solemnity Charles the Fourth Emperour of Rome who was Nephew to Charles the Bold before mentioned and therefore the French. Historians say That he came to the Crown partly by Succession and partly by Election but for Succession we see it was of no account being Charles the Simple the right Heir was alive in England and as it were forgotten being they had thrice excluded him and would not receive him after they had deprived Charles for his evil Government and rather chose one Odo Earl of Baris and Duke of Angiers and caused him to be Crown'd But after a few years being weary of this Man's Government and moved with Compassion towards the Youth in England they Deposed him while he was absent in Gascony and call'd Charles the Simple out of England and restor'd him to the Kingdom of France leaving only to Odo the State of Aquitain with Title of a Duke wherewith in rine he contented himself seeing
the Spaniards return'd and depriv'd Peter the second time and slew him in fight hand to hand who proved an excellent Prince and for his great nobility in Conversation and prowess in Chivalry was called El Cavalero the Knightly King and for his exceeding benignity and liberality was Sirnam'd also El delas Mercedes i.e. the King who gave many Gifts or the liberal frank and bountiful King which was a great alteration from King Peter the Cruel his Predecessor In Portugal also before I go out of Spain I will alledge one Example more which is of Don Sancho the 2d fourth King of Portugal lawful Son to Don Alenso Sirnam'd El Gardo 3d King of Portugal This Don Sancho after he had Reigned 34 years was deprived for his defects in Government by the universal Consent of all Portugal Garib lib. 4. de hist Port. cap. 19. and this approved by a general Council in Lions and Don Alonso third Brother to the said Don Sancho succeeded who enjoy'd the Kingdom of Portugal prosperously and peaceably all the days of his life and he was a notable King who among other great Exploits set Portugal free from all subjection Garib hist Port. lib. 34. cap. 20. dependance and homage to the Kingdom of Castile which unto his time it had acknowledged and he left for his Successor his Son and Heir Don Dionysio el Fabricador that is the Great Builder for he built and founded above 44 great Towns in Portgual and was a very excellent Prince In Polonia Henry the 3d who was King of France thô before Sworn King of Poland Vide Gagnen part 1. of which Crown he was deprived by publick Act of Parliament for departing thence without Licence and not returning at his day by the State appointed and denounced by publick Letters of peremptory Commandment This was a clear Abdication and the said State proceeded against him much after the same manner as ours did against the late King James In Denmark Cisternus their lawful King if we respect his descent in Blood being Son to King John who Reigned before him and Crown'd in his Fathers life was deposed for his intolerable Cruelty and driven into Banishment together with his Wife and three Children which were all disinherited and his Uncle Frederick Prince of Holsatia was chosen King and Cisternus thô he married the Sister of Charles the 5th Emperour of Germany and was Related also to Henry the 8th of England yet he could never prevail to be restored but past his time miserably partly in Banishment and partly in Prison till he died Now I think it convenient to end this short Narration with an Example or two out of England being I have not read of more remarkable Accidents concerning this Point than in the History of this Kingdom But for brevities sake I shall content my self with three or four Examples which hapned since the Conquest thô I may well look higher as appears by the deprivation of King Edwin and others Now I might instance King John who the States had deprived first at Canterbury and after at London in the 18th year of his Reign but being he was in actual War with the Barons and had a considerable Party to espouse his Quarrel and not being deprived by Parliament I shall therefore pass it by not accounting it so compleat a Deposition as that of Edward the Seconds was Polydor. lib. 18. it being done by Act of Parliament assembled in London in the year 1326 and his Body adjudg'd to perpetual Imprisonment he being Prisoner at that time in the Castle of Wallingford Stow in the Life of Edw. the 2d whether divers both Bishops Lords and Commoners were sent to him to denounce the Sentence of the Realm against him viz. how they had deprived him and chosen Edward his Son in his stead For which act of chasing his Son he thank'd them heartily and with many Tears acknowledg'd his own unworthiness Whereupon he was degraded his name of King first taken from him and he appointed to be call'd Edward of Carnarvan and then his Crown and Ring were taken away and the Steward of his House brake the Staff of his Office in his presence and discharged his Servants of their Services and all other People were discharged of their Obedience and Allegiance to him and towards his Maintenance he had only 100 Marks a year allowed for his Expences and then he was delivered into the hands of particular Keepers who led him Prisoner from thence to many other places using him with extreme Indignity in the way until at last they took away his Life in Berkley Castle and his Son Edward the 2d Reign'd in his stead who if we respect either Valour Prowess length of Reign acts of Chivalry or the multitude of Famous Princes his Children left behind him was one of the noblest Kings that ever England had After him succeeded Richard the 2d Son and Heir to the renowned Black Prince of Wales who forgetting the miserable end of his Great Grandfather for evil Government and the felicity of his Grandfather for the contrary suffered himself to be abus'd and misled by evil Counsellors to the great prejudice and disquiet of the Realm For which cause after he had Reigned 22 years he was also depos'd by Act of Parliament held at London 1399 and condemn'd to perpetual Imprisonment in the Castle of Pomfret where he was soon after put do death as the other before had been in whose place by free Election was chosen the Noble Henry Duke of Lancaster who prov'd a notable King and was Father to Henry the 5th commonly call'd the Alexander of England for as Alexander the Great conquered most part of Asia in the space of 9 or 10 years so did this Henry conquer France in less time I may also reckon in the number of Princes depriv'd for defect in Government thô otherwise of no ill life Henry the 6th who after 40 years Reign was deposed and imprisoned by Edward the 4th of the House of York and the same was confirm'd by the Commons and especially by the People of London and also by publick Act of Parliament not only in respect of the Title which King Edward pretended but also by reason that King Henry suffered himself to be over rul'd by the Queen his Wife and had broken the Articles of Agreement made by the Parliament between him and the Duke of York and solemnly sworn on both sides in punishment whereof and of his other negligent and evil Government Sentence was given against him and Edward the 4th elected in his place who was an excellent Prince But after this there sell another Accident much more notorious which was That Richard Duke of Gloucester this King Edward's Brother did put to death his two Nephews and made himself King and thô he acted very barbarously by taking the Crown in this wicked manner yet when his Nephews were once dead he might reasonably seem to be lawful King both
rendred useless 't will be natural to conclude That the Means we have used were the only effectual ones for our Peace and Happiness and that one Restauration is enough in an Age. Now there are some superficial Objections made against the Deposition of the late King viz. That many Kings have been privately Assassinated but that we hear of none who have been publickly Deposed by the Jurisdiction of a National Council or Assembly without the Limits of our own Kingdom In Answer to which I shall endeavour to make it appear That it hath been the practice of all Nations and at all times to assert their Jurisdiction as we have done by the Deposition of Evil Princes whenever they had the means to effect it And we may safely bid any of our Neighbouring Kingdoms who have not been in our Circumstances to cast the first Stone at us Now as previous to our main design we shall lay down this Position and shew our Reasons for it That as Government and Authority in general is from God so the particular Forms and Magistrates are left to the Election of the People that is Whether they 'l have Democracy which is Popular Government by the People it self as Athens Thebes and many other Cities of Greece had in old times or as the Cantons or Switzers at this day have or else Aristocracy which is the Government of some certain Chosen number of the best as the Romans many years were govern'd by Consuls and Senators which the States of Holland imitate at this day Or else Monarchy which is the Regiment of one and this of an Emperour King Duke Earl or the like These particular Forms I say are not determin'd by God or Nature as Government in general is for then they should be all one in all Nations as the other is seeing God and Nature are one to all but it is left to every Nation and Country to chuse that Form of Government which they shall like best which Aristotle proveth throughout all the second and fourth Books of his Politicks very largely laying down divers kinds of Governments in his days as in Greece that of the Milesians Lacedemonians Candians and others and sheweth the Causes of their difference which he attributes to the diversity of Mens Natures Customs Educations and other such Causes that inclined them to make Choice of such or such Forms And this might be proved also by infinite other Examples both of Time past and present and in all Nations and Countries which have not had only different Forms of Government the one from the other but even among themselves at one time one Form and another at other times For the Romans first had Kings and after rejecting them for their Evil Government they chose Consuls which were two Governours for every Year whose Authority they limited by a multitude of Senators which were of their Council and these mens Power was restrained also by adding Tribunes of the People and sometimes Dictators and finally they came to be governed last of all by Emperours The like may be said of Carthage in Africa and many Cities and Commonwealths of Greece which in divers Seasons and upon divers Causes have taken different Forms of Government to themselves The like we see in Europe at this Day Naples hath a King for its Sovereign Rome the Pope Venice and Genoua have Senators and Dukes but their Dukes have little Authority Florence Mantua Parma Vrbin and Savoy have their Dukes only without Senatours and their Power is Absolute Milan was once a Kingdom but now a Dukedom Burgundy and Lorain had once Kings and after Dukes and now Kings again Bohemia and Polonia were formerly Dukedoms and now are Kingdoms The like may be said of France after the expulsion of the Romans which was first a Monarchy under Pharamond their first King and so continued for many years under Clodion Merovis Childerik and Clodovaeus their first Christian Kings but after it was divided into four Kingdoms one of Paris another of Soissons the third of Orleance and the fourth of Metz and so it continued for many years but afterwards it was one Monarchy again England also was first a Monarchy under the Britains and then a Province under the Romans and after an Heptarchy under the Saxons and now a Monarchy again under the English And all this by Gods permission and approbation who in token thereof suffered his own Peculiar People of Israel to be under divers manners of Government in divers Times as first under Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob then under Captains as Moses Joshua and the like then under Judges as Othniel Ehud and Gideon then under High-Priests as Ely and Samuel then under Kings as Saul David and the rest and then under Captains and High-Priests again as Zorobabel Judas Machabeus and his Brethren until the Government was taken from them and they brought under the Power of the Romans Wherefore there can be no doubt but that the Commonwealth hath power to chuse their own Form of Government as also to change the same upon reasonable Causes as we shall make appear they have done in all Times and Countries and God no doubt approveth what the Realm determineth in this Point for otherwise nothing could be certain for on these Changes depend the Titles of all Princes and Potentates from the foundation of the World and if they should not be justifiable we must condemn as Illegal the Acts and Jurisdiction of almost all the Princes and Governours that ever have Reign'd which were great rashness and folly to do In like manner it is evident That as the Commonwealth hath Authority to chuse and change her Government so hath she also to limit the same with what Laws and Conditions she pleaseth from whence ensueth the diversity of Power which each of the former Governments had as the Dukes of Venice at this day are for their Lives except in certain Cases wherein they may be Deposed and those of Genoua only for two years and their Power is very small and much limited and their Heirs have no Claim or Pretence at all after them to that Dignity as the Children and next of Kin of other Dukes of Italy have thô in different sort also For that the Dukedoms of Vrbin and Parma are limited only to the Heirs Males and for defect thereof to return to the Pope or See of Rome Florence and Mantua are to return to the Empire for like defects and not to pass to the Heirs Female or next of Kin as Savoy and others do And now if we respect God and Nature as well might all these Governments follow one Law as so different for that neither God nor Nature prescribeth any of these particular Forms but concurreth with that the Commonwealth appointeth and so it is to be believ'd That God concur'd as well with Italy when it had but one Prince as now when it hath so many and the like also with Switzerland which once was one Commonwealth under Dukes
chosen Souldiers to reduce the Rebels as he called them to their Obedience God appeared to one Semia an holy Man and commanded him to go to the Camp of Rehoboam and tell them that they should not fight against their Brethren who had chosen another King but that every Man should go to his House and live quietly under the King they had chosen and so they did and this was the end of that Tumult which God for the Sins of Solomon had permitted and allowed of And thus much I thought good to relate concerning the Jewish Commonwealth for that it may give light to all the rest I am to treat of for if God permitted and allowed this in his own Commonweal that was to be the Example and Pattern of all others that should ensue no doubt but he approveth also the same in other Realms when just occasion offers either for his Service the good of the People or for the punishment of the Sins and Wickedness of some Princes that the Line of Succession should be altered Now then to pass on further and to begin with the Kingdom of Spain which hath had three or four Races or Descents of Kings as France also and England have had First Race And the first Race was from the Goths which began their Reign in Spain after the expulsion of the Romans about the year of Christ 416 to whom the Spaniard referreth all his Nobility as the French doth to the German Franks and the English to the Saxons who entred France and England in the same Age as the others did Spain and the Race of the Gothish Kings endured Three hundred years until Spain was lost unto the Moors The second Race is from Don Pelago Second Race that was chosen first King of Austria after the destruction of the Kingdom by the Moors about the year of Christ 717 which Race continued and added Kingdom unto Kingdom for the space of Three hundred years until the year of Christ 1034 when Don Sancho King of Navarre got the Earldom of Aragon and Castile and made them Kingdoms dividing them among his Children to his second Son Don Ferdinando Sirnamed afterwards The Great he gave not only the Earldom of Castilia but by Marrying also the Sister of don Dermudo King of Leon and Asturia he joyned all those Kingdoms together Third Race and so from that Day began the third Race of the Kings of Navarre to Reign in Castile and so endured for Five hundred years until the year of Christ 1540 when the House of Austria entred to Reign by Marriage of the Daughter of Don Ferndinando Sirnamed The Catholick Fourth Race and this was the fourth Race of the Spanish Kings after the Romans Now in these four Ranks of Regal Descents divers Examples may be alledged for my purpose yet I shall pass by my first Race for that its evident by the Councils of Toledo which were held in those Times That express Election was joyned with Succession for in the 4th Council of Toledo Cap. 74. are these Words Let no man among us snatch the Kingdom by presumption but the former King being dead let the Nobility of the Kingdom together with the Priests and Clergy appoint the Successour of the Kingdom by Common Council Which is as much as if they had said Let no man enter upon the Kingdom by presumption of Succession alone but let the Lords Spiritual and Temporal by Common Voice see what 's best for the Weal-publick Don Pylao the first King after the destruction of the Kingdom by the Moors died and left a Son named Don Favilla who was King after his Father and Reigned two years aftes whose Death none of his Children werre admitted for King thô he left many but Don Alonso was chosen by the unanimous Consent of the Gothish Nation and for no other Reason Ambro. Moral lib. 13. cap. 6. 9. 10. but that the Kings Sons were young and unable to govern and this Alonso proved an excellent King and as Sebastianus Bishop of Salamancha who lived in the same time writes was for his Valiant Acts Sirnamed The Great To this Famous Don Alonso succeeded his Son Don Fruela who was a Noble King for Ten years and had many great Victories over the Moors but after declining to Tyranny he became odious to his Subjects and was Deposed and put to Death Anno Domini 768 Moral l. 13. cap. 17. and tho' he left two Sons yet for the Prejudice conceived against their Father neither of them were admitted by the Realm to succeed him but rather his Cousin Don Aurelio who Reigned Six years and died without Issue and because the Hatred which the Spaniards conceived against the Memory of Don Fruela was not yet extinguish'd they would not yet admit any of his Generation but excluded them a second time and chose Don Silo a Brother-in-Law of his so that the right Heirs of Don Fruela were twice put back for his evil Government But Don Silo being dead without Issue as also Don Aurelio was before him and the Anger of the Spaniards against Fruela being well asswaged they admitted his Son Don Alonso whom they had twice put back But he dying without Issue Don Ramiro his Cousin was chosen Moral cap. 33. and thô Don Ramiro was next in Blood to Alonso yet he was elected by the States as the Historian expresly writes But in the time of Don Ramiro the Law of Succession by propinquity of Blood was much reviv'd and strongly confirm'd and from this time forward the King always caus'd his eldest Son to be named King or Prince and to be always Sworn by the Realm and Nobility yet we shall find this Ordinance to have been frequently broken upon several Considerations As for Example after some Descents from Don Ramiro which were Don Ordonio this Mans Son and Don Alonso the Third Don Garzia and Don Ordonio the Second all four Kings by orderly Succession It hapned that in the year of Christ 924 Don Ordonio the Second dying left four Sons and one Daughter lawfully begotten and yet the State of Spain displaced them all and gave the Kingdom to their Uncle Don Fruela second Brother to their Father and for no other Reason but their being young and not so able to govern as their Uncle was But after a year this Fruela died leaving many Sons of a full Age yet the Spaniards put them all by the Crown and those Don Alonso the Fourth And this shall suffice concerning the Race of Don Pylao first Christian King of Spain after the Entrance of the Moors Now for avoiding prolixity we 'll omit many Instances that are for our purpose and be content to repeat a few of latter Date And First In the year of Christ 1276. Don Sancho Sirnamed El Bravo for his great Valour was chosen and his Nephews who were Heirs apparent put back because he weas a great Warriour and more like to manage better the Matters of War than they
he could get no more But yet his Posterity by virtue of this Election ever after pretended a Title to the Crown of France and never desisted until by Hugo Capetus they got it for Hugh was descended of this King and Duke Odo This Charles the Simple was decoy'd into the Castle of Perene in Picardy where he was made Prisoner and fore'd to resign his Kingdom unto Ralph King of Burgundy and soon after he died in the Castle and his Queen Odin and English Woman fled into England with her little Son Lewis unto her Uncle King Adelstan as Queen Adeltrude had done before But this new King Ralph lived but three years aster and then the States of France considering the Title of Lewis the Lawful Son of Charles the Simple which Lewis was commonly called by the name of d'Outremere that is beyond Sea being he was brought up in England the said States being continually solicited by the Ambassadors of King Adelstan and by William Duke of Normandy in behalf of the young Prince they resolved to call him home as they had done his Father and to admit and Crown him King and so they did and he Reigned Twenty seven years and was a good Prince and died peaceably in his Bed in the year of Christ 945. This Lewis d'Outremere left two Sons behind him the eldest succeeded him by the name of Lothair the First and the youngest he made Duke of Lorrain Lothair dying left one Son named Lewis who succeeded him by the name of Lewis the Fifth but dying without Issue the Crown was to have gone by Lineal Succession to his Uncle Charles Duke of Lorrain second Son of Lewis d'Outremere but the States of France put him byfor mislike of his Person chose Hugo Capetus Earl of Paris and so ended the second Line of Pepin and of Charles the Great and entred the Race of Capetus Now thô all the French Chronicles are carnest defenders of their Law of Succession yet they justifie the Title of Capetus against Charles of Lorrain as may appear by the Words of an ancient and diligent Chronicler of the Abby of S. Denis who defends King Capetus in these Words We may not grant by any means that Hugh Capet should be esteemed an Invader or Vsurper of the Crown of France seeing the Lords Prelates and Princes of the Realm did call him to this Dignity and chose him for their King and Sovereign Lord. Upon which Words Belforest saith as follows Bel. lib 3. cap 1. I have laid besore you the Words and Censure of this good and religious Man for they seem to me to touch the quick for in truth we cannot defend the Title of Capetus by any means from Vsurpation and Felony but by justifying his coming to the Crown by the consent and good will of the Commonwealth And these Instances out of the second Line of France I take to be sufficient proof of our Assertion without going any further for if we do but number these Kings already named of this second Race from Pepin to Capet which are about Seventeen in Two hundred thirty eight years we shall sind that not few but the most part of them did both enter and enjoy their Crown and Dignity contrary to the Law of Lineal Descent and of next Succession by Blood. We shall therefore instance some Examples for our purpose out of the English History and so conclude this Point First then it 's to be noted That the Realm of England hath had as great variety changes and diversity in the Races of their Kings as any Nation in the World For after the Britains it had Romans for their Governours for many years and then of them and their Roman Blood they had Kings of their own as appears by that Valiant King Aurelius Ambrosius who resisted so manfully the Saxons for a time after his they had Kings of the Saxon and English Blood and after them of the Danes and then of the Normans and after them again of the French and last of all of the Scotch of whom King james the Sixth was descended which continues to this day Now I mean to pass over the first and ancient Races of Kings as well of the British and Roman as also of the Saxon Races until King Egbert the First of that Name King of the West Saxons and almost of all the rest of England besides who therefore is said to be properly the first Monarch of the Saxon Blood as he that first commanded the Realm to be called England which ever since has been observ'd Thsi Egbert was banish'd the Realm by King Britricus for the suspected that he might be chosen King by reason of his great Prowess and Valour He lived many years in France under the Famous King Pepin afterwards hearing Britrious was dead he came into England Polydor. lib. 4. and was chosen King by universal Consent of the People and he prov'd one of the best Kings that ever the Saxons had before or perhaps after and he and King Pepin of France began their Reigns as it were together and came both to their Crown by no other Title but the Election of the People This King Egbert left a lawful son behind him named Ethelwolf who succeeded him in the Kingdom and was a Famous a Man as his Fahter This Ethelwolf had four lawful sons who all in their turns succeeded by just and lawful Order in the Crown viz. Ethelbald Ethelbert Ethelred and Alfred and all the latter Three were most excellent Princes especially Alfred who drow Rollo that Famous Captain of the Danes from the Borders of England with all his Company into France where he got the Country then name Neustria and now Normandy and was the first Duke of that Nation from whom our William the Conquerour came afterwards in the 6th Descent This Alfred left one Son behind him named Edward who dying left two Sons lawfully begotten of his Wife Edigna one called Edmond the other Eldred Polydor. lib. 5. â—tow pag. 130. and a third Illegitimate nam'd Adelstan whom he had by a Concubine This last was preferr'd to the Crown before the other two legitimate princes only for his Valour and Conduct This Man dying without Issue his lawful Brother Edmond put back before was admitted to the Crown who Reigned six years and left two lawful Sons but they bing young were both put back and their Uncle Eldred preferr'd before them who after Nine years Reign died without Issue and so his elder Nephew Edwin was admitted to the Crown who after four years was Depos'd for his lew'd and vitious Life and his younger Brother Edgar admitted in his place This King Edgar who entred by Depositio of his Brother was one of the rarest Princes that the World had in his time both for peace and War Justice Piety and Valour He lest two Sons by different Wives Edmond and Etheldred the first was Murther'd after which many good Men of the Realm were of Opinion not to
Government thô Peace ensu'd not presently but that Galba Otho and Vitellius three Captains of the Empire made some little interludes of Tragical killing one another yet within few Months the whole Empire by that means fell into Vespastan and his Son Titus's hand two of the best Governours that ever those times saw The like may be noted of the Noble rank of five excellent Princes viz. Nerva Trajan Adrian Antorinus Pius and Marcus Aurelius who succeeded in the Empire by the just Death of cruel Domitian which Execution its thought the Senate secretly procured not being able to perform it openly by Justice which appears because when the act was done the Senate did presently by publick Decree allow it and disannull'd all his barbarous acts for their exceeding Cruelty and commanded his Arms and Memorials to be taken down every where and chose for his Successor one Cocceius Nerva an Italian a Man of excellent Vertue by whom they not only enjoy'd the most prosperous time of his Government but of all the four who ensued him no less worthy than himself Not long after the Succession of these excellent Emperours there came to the Crown by lawful descent a youth named Antoninus Heliogabalus Son of the Emperour Antoninus Caracalla and Grandchild as was supposed to the famous and noble Emperour Septimius Severus who died in England which Youth as he was highly honour'd for a time upon the account of his worthy Grandfather so after for his own Beastly life he was depriv'd and put to death by the Souldiers at the request and common desire both of the Senate and People who ordained also in his detestation That no Emperour after him should be call'd Antonius This Man being deposed as aforesaid there was prefer'd to the Empire in his room a hopeful young Man of his next Kingdred named Alexander Severus being admitted by common Consent both of Senate and People who prov'd one of the rarest Princes for Valour and Vertue that ever the Roman Empire had so as the excellency of Severus seemed fully to recompence the wickedness of Heliogabalus I may name many other such Examples and among the rest that of Maxentius who being lawfully possess'd of the Empire being Son to Maximinianus the Emperour which Reign'd with Dioclesian yet for his Tyrannical Government that was intolerable it s supposed that the Senate not being able to match him in open strength sent privily into England and France to invite Constantine to come to their relief and so he did and Maxentius being drown'd in the River Tyber Constantine afterwards Sirnam'd the Great succeeded in the Empire who was the Emperour as the World knows who first publickly professed himself a Christian and planted our Faith over all the World. And so I shall end with the Roman Empire Now if we come lower down and nearer home we have yet another Example more remarkable than the rest which is the change of the Empire from the East to the West for the evil Government of Irene and her Son Constantine the 6th who was deposed first and his Eyes put out by his own Mother Irene and the Empire usurp'd by her who not being able to Rule it in such order as was requisite for so great a Monarchy she was deprived thereof by the Sentence of Pope Leo the Third and by Consent of all the People and Senate of Rome Charles King of France and Germany after Sirnamed the Great was Crown'd Emperour of the West which Succession continues as it were to this day and many Worthy men have succeeded therein and insinite acts of Jurisdiction have been exercised by that Authority which were all unjust and Tyrannical if this change of the Empire and deposition of Irene and her Son for their evil Government had not been lawful It were too long to run over all other Kingdoms and therefore I shall only touch some in those Points that are most notorious Now the two famous Changes that have been made in the Royal Line of France the first from the Race of Pharamond and Clodoveus to the Line of Pepin and the second from the Race of Pepin to Hugo Capetus whereon are they founded but upon the Judicial chastisement and deposition of two evil Princes the first of Childeric the third lawful King of France the second of Charles of Lorain who was kept Prisoner during his life in the Castle of Orleance And thus muhc all the French Histories do affirm and do attribute to these Changes the prosperity and greatness of their Kingdom And so much for France where many other Examples might be alledg'd as of King Lewis the Third Sirnamed Fainant and of Charles Sirnamed Le Gross who succeeded him both of them depos'd by the States of France as before I have noted But now if we step over the Pyrenean Mountains and look into Spain where we shall not fail of many Examples to our purpose both before the oppression of that Realm by the Moors and after for before in the year of Christ 630 we read of a lawful King named Flaveo Suintila put down and deprived with his whole Posterity in the fourth Council National of Toledo and one Sissinando confirmed in his place Ambrosio Mora lib. 11. cap. 19. notwithstanding that Suintila was at the beginning of his Reign a very good King and much commended by S. Isidorus Archbishop of Sevil who yet in the said Council was the first Man who subscrib'd to his deprivation After the entrance of the Moors also when Spain was reduc'd again to order and government of the Spanish Kings Garib lib. 13 cap. 15. we read that about the year of Christ 1282. one Don Alonso the 11th of that name King of Castile and Leon succeeded his Father Ferdinand Sirnam'd the Saint and he obtain'd the name of Sabio and Astrologio that is of Wise and so an Astrologer for excelent Learning and peculiar skill in that Art as may appear by the Astronomy Tables that at this day go under his Name which are the most perfect and exact that ever were set forth by Judgment of the Learned This Man for his evil government and especially for Tyranny used towards two Nephews of his was deposed of his Kingdom by a publick Act of Parliament in the Town of Validolid after he had Reigned 30 years and his Son Don Sancho the 4th was Crown'd in his place who for his valiant Acts was Sirnam'd El Bravo and it turn'd to the great commodity of the Commonwealth The same Country of Spain some years after about the year of Christ 1368 Garib lib. 14. cap. 40 41. having to their King one Don Pedro Sirnamed the Cruel who for his injurious Proceedings with his Subjects they deposed and sent for his Bastard Brother out of France and made him King. And thô Edward Sirnamed the Black Prince by order of his Father Edward the 3d of England restored the said Peter again yet it was not durable for that Henry having the favour of