Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A52753
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Christianissimus Christianandus, or, Reason for the reduction of France to a more Christian state in Europ[e]
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Nedham, Marchamont, 1620-1678.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing N383; ESTC R14468
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47,167
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81
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be able to oppress another And that we ought ever to hold it even betwixt France and the House of Austria and if either of them exceed to reduce it to an Equality this was accounted a principal part of the Ancient Grandeur of the English Nation King Henry the Eighth first well setled it in managing the Differences betwixt Charles the Fifth then both Emperor and King of Spain and Francis the First King of France the two Grand Competitors of that Age. That excellent Princess Queen Elizabeth well improved it and so it continued till the time of Cromwell who first erred in this matter of Publick Interest to serve his own private by greatning of France beyond due proportion so that he interposed the Difficulties which since lay in the way of Reducing it By the Influence of this old piece of policy it was that England was always in a condition whensoever she pleased to dispence Peace or War to every Nation and thereby great Honour redounded to our own throughout the World and there is nothing but War can restore it by curing the overgrown Dropsie of the French Greatness VI. You had before an Intimation of another most considerable Reason drawn from a consideration that no Peace that can be made can give us any security of enjoying it long to which I may add That a Peace will but betray us to the next Opportunity the French shall please to take Besides in the interval we should but give him the opportunity to reinforce himself ramass his Treasury and thereby inable himself to prosecute the old Artifice of corrupting other Princes Ministers Officers and Governors and work his Ends so as to alienate and separate as many of the Consederates as he can from their holding Counsels in common for Mutuall preservation to embrace such terms as he shall under a specious shew of Advantages think fit to propose unto them which if obtained would utterly break them one after another and induce this Inconveniency upon England to be left alone or with but few Participants to joyn in the Work of Reducing France into its former legitimate moderate Condition VII Another Reason is to be derived from a Consideration of the great increase of the Naval Power of France whereby they are enboldened to give disturbance to our Merchant-men in our own Seas such an Indignity to his Majesty and Violation of our Rights by Sea as is not to be indured and which the Kings of this Island have from all Antiquity possessed as far as the very shores of France exclusive of any Pretentions of Right of any other Nations within the FOUR SEAS The Evidences whereof were collected and with Arguments drawn from all sorts of Learning and Records digested into one excellent Book by that most famous Man Mr. Selden entituled MARECLAVSVM Among the particulars whereof I remember that the Addition of the Port-Cullis to the Royal Badges of the Crown of England which is yet to be seen upon many of the Royal Houses built by our Kings was made for this Reason even to signifie to all the World That we had a just Right and Title at pleasure to shut up and open the Sea when we thought fit as it were with a Port-Cullis to all Passengers passing by Sea And by the same Evidences it is there proved that our Title to our Propriety in the Sea is as good as any Title the French King hath to any part of his Dominion by Land His Grand-Father wrote divers Letters with his own Hand to King James which I have formerly seen in the Paper-Office at White-Hall to ask Leave for some few Vessels to fish for Soales as he should have occasion for his own Table Which was a sufficient Acknowledgment where the Soveraignty lies by Sea There have been also in former time brisk Messengers sent to the French Kings requiring them as soon as they had but begun to lay the Carcass of some pitiful Ship upon the Stocks to forbear building Which shews the present Presumption of the French in making so grand Naval Preparations to invade our Seas And our Honour as well as our Right calls aloud for a Vindication VIII There is Reason also to be drawn from a Consideration of the hazard of Religion 1. As concerning the Protestant about which I shall not use any more words to clear this point than this short Proverb now used in France and by them attributed to their own King That his Grand-Father loved the Protestants his Father feared them and he himself hated them Which any one that beholds the Ruines of their demolished Churches and the hard Conditions under which they are oppressed in every point within that Kingdom too large here to recite will easily believe 2. As touching the Roman Catholick Religion how that is like to fare may readily be prognosticated Tros Rutilúsve fuat nullo discrimine habebunt Be a Papist or be a Protestant the French make no difference in usage wheresoever they come Witness to this how they have dealt in Catalonia Alsatia the Spanish Low-Countrys and divers other Roman Catholick Countrys where all men exclaim against the Domination of France 3. Whereas it was of old a Doctrine instilled into the minds of the Romanists by their Father-Confessors that they ought to adhere to Spain and the House of Austria rather than to promote the French Empire because Spain being then much the greater Kingdom and esteemed the dearer Son of the Church by reason of its greater Zeal and more strict and intire Imbracement of the Romish Faith and through the diligence of the Inquisition kept without any mixture of that which they call Heresie and therefore more likely to continue firm to the Roman See now of later time the State of Empire being altered Spain brought much lower and not able to give such Protection and Defence as formerly to the Roman Cause in these parts of the World the Pope and his Priests and Jesuits are so far altered too that having since seen the French go on like Conquerers they have quitted the former Reasons on Spain's side and like the Men of the World are turned Courtiers of Fortune crying up France altogether now though if they please to remember how not many Years ago France upon a petty Quarrel in Rome betwixt some of the Pope's Souldiers and the Duke of Crequi's Servants then Ambassador there ruffled the Pope himself with such unheard of Insolence that for meer fear he was constrained to abandon divers of his Friends and Kindred and to the perpetual disgrace of the Holy-Chair and of their Religion and of the Adored-Father of Christians as they would seem to repute him they made him cry like a Child and erect a Pillar in Rome with an Inscription signifying the pretended Affront to France engraven upon it and it continued some Years standing till the Tears of his Holiness prevailed for the demolishing of it Notwithstanding all this I say the Roman Priests do venture to magnifie France as
much as they did Spain before not considering how their Interest of Religion declines there by the marvelous increase of the Protestants and Jansenists and by the indifferency of zeal in most of the French Papists and were it not mere Reason of State that holds it up there among the Great Ones for the present no Man knows how soon it might be relinquish't if a little time should happen to alter that Reason of State it being a voluble thing if their Ministers shall think they have as good reason to invade Italy as other Places and after Conquest of the smaller Princes there to seize Saint Peters fair Patrimony for an Addition to the French Kings Revenue and then make the Pope content to become his Chaplain and to be glad of a Pension as the Mufti is at Constantinople who knows then how far Reason of State may alter it self and make further Alterations But let the Popish Party look to that They may hope the best if they please but we and all the rest of the Protestant Party in Germany and other parts must be sure to go to wrack as fast as they can reach us and then deal with us as they do with their own in the Concerns of our Religion as well as Estates Ours shall be sure to go down and the Papists cannot be sure their Religion shall not receive Alterations especially in Secular Advantages of Wealth and Power seeing even in France the King hath already converted to his own use a great part of the Monastick Revenues Therefore it almost equally concerns both Papist and Protestant in reference to Religion to adventure their distinct Powers and Interests in one common Bottom and Resolution to War with him and to hinder the obstinate pursuit of that Project of an Universal Monarchy IX The last Argument that might be brought is the Universal Inclination of our People towards a War with France And the like Inclination yea and Necessity that appears among our Foreign Neighbours Never was there a more marvelous Consent of Mankind about any one Business therefore I need not use more words to press it on SECTION V. An Account of such Objections and Impediments as by Malcontents may be cast in the way in case His Majesty shall see Cause now to make a War THat there are Discontents among us is a thing in no wise to be denied and the Authors of them are sufficiently known They are a sort of ominous Birds always hovering about City and Suburbs presuming to misrepresent argue and arbitrate the great Affairs of State and such is the licentious Liberty they take to themselves that they censure arraign and condemn what and whom they please Ever against the Sitting of Parliament they gather and appear in whole Flights and Flocks breeding of false News and boding Mischief wheresoever they come They sometimes haunt the Houses of Ambassadors and other Foreign Ministers if they can get any intimacy with their Servants with whom they give and take Supplies toward a Stock of Intelligence the one to furnish the Foreign Post the other the Coffee-Houses whence they issue again and make sallies upon the Canary Cabals at the Globe the Horn the Kings-head or the Devil to furnish them and settle Correspondencies both East and West and to that end receive Commission to become Emissaries and Trotters betwixt some particular Wiseacres in both the Climates If the Parliament chance at any time to be Prorogued or Adjourn'd that Season proves to this sort of News-mongers like a nipping Frost to Flies and they are even ready to die away like fainting Grass-hoppers There 's nothing revives them in the Interval like some unlucky Mischief befal'n the Court 'T is Mischief they gape for and yet are but Fools at doing it and therefore ought to be better instructed For if I loved Mischief and meant to do it I would first raise Objections to prevent a War now though a while ago I wished well to all those that had a desire to promote it I would object that it is too late to enter upon it now because it should a been done last Summer before the French King could a made his late Impression so far into the Spanish Low-Countrys and before the Confederates were brought so low Besides I would not give way with patience to hear another man answer me that it is not too late but prove that had his Majesty consented to it last Summer there are most sufficient Reasons to be given why it might have turned very much to the prejudice of his Affairs as for Instance 1. Had he then declared an immediate Consent to it it had been all one as to have declared a War for the French are not so slow-witted as not to apprehend it so nor so remiss as to neglect a dealing with us accordingly What could we have expected but that our Merchants Ships which at that time were in great numbers trading within the Dominions of France would have been immediately seized and all their Effects which amounted to a vast sum of mony whereby our King besides the losses of the Merchants must have lost a great sum of mony accruing here to his Customs by the Import of those Goods and Commodities 2. His Majesty very well understands what an important Point 't is to consent to a War which is all one in effect as to proclaim a War before competent preparations made for it by Mony Ammunition and Men Ships and all other necessaries for War could be ready to put it in execution 3. The French King might then for ought that can be said to the contrary have been thereby so exasperated as to lay aside a while his Affairs in Flanders and being ready furnisht with all the necessaries that we wanted immediately have resolved to fall upon us by an Invasion and what I pray you could have hindered at that time such a Surprise of us 4. It had been a strange Adventure to have been so forward to have engaged our selves by promise to enter into the War before it was known what the Confederates would do towards it to encourage us to their Assistance The present Distress lies upon them more than upon us therefore there ought to be no bogling with us or delaying but a quick doing what is reasonable for them on their part to engage us in their Confederacie 5. The French King having pretended fair for an imbracing of His Majesties Mediation in order to a reasonable Peace it was questionless very convenient we should stop a while to see what would be the issue of his pretence that in case he should play foul and deceive us we might have the juster and fairer cause to War with him 6. If there had not been any of these Reasons for delay yet the happy Alliance with the Prince of Orange having been since accomplished and being a very good expedient to open the way for a more convenient entrance into Confederation is that which may abundantly serve to balance