the 11. time was al one with this of the Guises in these late troubles namely for that the warres only maintayned them in their greatnesse and forced the King to stand in need of them whereas the peace might be much preiudiciall to them and bring them to their accounts for many matters ill carried in their charges Hereupon the Count set on his King to enbarke himselfe in a warre against so great an enemy as the Duke of Burgogne and these euen forced their Master to war vpon his owne Subiects against so good a cause as true Religion And as he desired nothing lesse then that the Duke should condescend to his Maiestie and so make a peace so did these only wish that they of the Religion might still stand stiffe in their profession Likely also it is that at the first they did not so much as dreame of obtayning the Crowne as hauing foure Princes of the house of Valois al yong besides the house of Burbon standing in their way But when these one after another died and the times grew so fauourable through their popular carriage the onely signe of an ambitious mind as that all the eyes of France were bent vpoÌ„ them then they raysed their thoughts as high as the highest place and the rather because the Religion of the next Prince of the bloud who should bee serued before them was so contrary to the general liking of the French State Their only cause they said was Religion but true it is that Haillan saith that Religion is only the cloke and pretext selon les esprits des païs ou selon les menees et practiques des grands qui donnent cette opinion aux peuples According to the humors of the country or the driftes and practises of the Grandies who possesse the people with that opinion And in another place Diuisions sont comme fatales à la France et entre les causes qui l' ont trouble toutes les fois qu'il à este la diuision de grands a este la premiere et la principale et tousiours couuerte du nom du bien publique et de la Religion Diuisions haue beene as it were fatall to France and of all the causes of her trouble at any time the diuision among the Grandies hath euer beene the first and principall and alwayes cloaked with the name of the publike good and Religion The onely patterne and Mirrour whome the last Duke of Guise folowed in these his dangerous deseignes for the obtaining of the Crowne was Pepin who to depose his Master and to preferre himselfe found no way more compendious then to professe himselfe the Protectour of the Church and Rooter out of heresies For which good seruice the Romish Church inuested him with the Crowne of France and hee gaue them many Territories in Italy both large caruers of that which was not their owne But the vsurpation was most vniust as also the attempt it selfe howsoeuer they shadow it with the colour of Religion For Nulla iusta causa videri potest contra Remp. arma capiendi No cause of taking armes against the State can seeme truely iust It is a pitifull spectacle to see a happie State brought to ruine by the diuision of her great ones but when it is wrought by such of the Nobilitie as are newly infranchised and ennobled with all preferments who were but lately strangers it is much more lamentable and also insupportable The three great States of England Spaine and France can instance herein and giue you examples of Piers Gauestone Aluaro de Luna and this house of Lorraine These are they of whom all the late writers complaine Les François esloient lois speaking of former times vrays François n'auoyent point succéle laict de Lorraine qui donne les humeurs de toutes les sortes de Trahisons The French were then true French they had not yet sucked the milke of Lorrayne which breedes humors fit for all sorts of treasons And as it is sayd of Lalain a gallant Gentleman in Commines his time Estoit d'une race dont pens'en est trouue qui n'ayent esté vaillans quasi touts morts en seruant leurs Seigneurs en la guerre He was of a race whereof few can be found that haue not bene valiant and almost all of them slaine in the warres in their Princes seruice So may we say of these that it hath bin a valiant race and most of them haue dyed in the warres but with this difference that it hath still beene against the good of their Countrey howsoeuer they couered their treasons with the vaile of bien publique publique good as one saith of the Duke of Guyenne and Bretagne Mais en fin le bien publique estoit conuerti en bien particulier But in the end the publique good was turned to priuate profit The chiefest supporter of these Guisards and that still gaue oyle to the fire of this rebellion was the King of Spaine who the comparison of the State of France with the game of Primero saith that he stood by and looked on following that Machiauellian maxime or lesson which he had learned of the other Philippe of Macedon to suffer them to ruyne one another as did the Cities of Greece and then himselfe to take the aduantage and winne all for it is no question if Guise had wonne the game but this would haue had the rest He had this aduantage also while they were together by the eares to be in quiet himselfe for so saith the principle in the Mathematickes Ce qui faict mouuoir altruy est necessairement tousiours en repos That which giues motion to other things must needes it selfe be in rest The third cause I impute especially of the later troubles to the timorous nature and pusillanimity of Henry the 3. Ce qui donne volunté et moyens aux hommes de grands Esprits de conspirer contre leurs princes et d' attenter à l' vsurpation de la coronne est l'imbecillite et la neaâ—tise d'iceux Princes That which giues both will and meanes to men of great Spirits to conspire against their Princes attempt the vsurping of their Crowns is the weakenesse and worthlessenesse of the Princes themselues For in his time the Crowne of France was like the daughter and heire of Burgogne and the poore King like the crafty Duke made euery wooer and suter that she had beleeue that he should speede the King for feare lest by these corriuals hee should be brought lower the Duke in hope by intertaining them all to haue their aydes to raise himselfe higher Marry neither of them would gladly while they liued that this faire daughter should be married It is a dangerous thing in a State when the King dare not punish the ambitious desseignes of his Subiect Voyla le mal-heur d'vn siecle miserable iniuste de cognoistre l' iniustice ne
sayth The Reuenue of Charles the sixt which was but fourteene hundred thousand Francks was as sufficient to mayntayne the greatnesse of a French King as that of Charles the nynth which was fifteene millions considering the price of all things and pension of Officers enhaunced And so by consequent the ransome of the Sultane of Egypt of fiue hundred thousand Liures which hee payd the Turke not much lesse then the three millions of Crownes which Francis the first paide to Charles the fift It remaineth I speake of of the Administration and Execution of Iustice and of those places and persons where and by whome it is done I will therefore begin with their Assemblies as the highest and greatest Court of al which well resembleth the Parliament of England the Diet of the Empire or the Counsell of the Amphyrthions in Greece We may say of these Assemblies of France where matters are concluded by the multiplicitie of voyces not by the poyze of reason as was said of the Romanes elections where the Consull propounded and the people approoued by suffrage or disprooued or as the Philosopher Anacharsis said of Solons Common-wealth Es consultations et deliberations des Grecs les sages proposent les matieres et les fols les decident In the consultations and deliberations of the Greekes wise men propound the matters and fooles decide them There are three especiall causes of calling these Assemblies The first Quand la succession à la Coronne estoit douteuse et controuersé ou qu' il estoit necessaire de pouruoir à la Regence durant la captiuité ou minorité des Roys ou quand ils estoyent preclus de l' vsage de leux intendement When the succession of the Crowne was doubtful and in controuersie or when it was to take order for the Regencie during the Kings captiuitie or minoritie or when they had not the right vse of their wits Hereof ye haue examples Anno 1327. S. Lewes an infant and Charles the sixt Anno 1380. lunaticke and 1484. Iohn prisoner For all which occasions Assemblies were called to determine who should haue the Regencie of the Realme in the meane while The second cause is Quand il est question de reformer le Royaume corriger les abus des Officers et Magistrats ou appaiser les troubles et seditions When there is question of reforming the kingdome correcting the abuses of Officers and Magistrates or appeasing troubles and seditions Hereof ye haue examples 14.12 when a peace was made between the Infants of Orleans Burgundy whose houses had long warred one with another and distracted all the Nobilitie of France to their parts taking Also anno 1560. when Frances the second called an assembly at Orleans for the different of Religion where the Prince of Condie was arrested and condemned of treason and where this young King died before hee could see the execution And anno 1587. an assembly called at Blois for the reformation of the State punishment of diuers abuses in Magistrates as the Duke of Guise pretended and for the deposing of the King as some thought that he entended others say that he had here plotted to kill the King and that the King had but the start of the Duke one day for if he had deferred the death of the Guise till the next day the lot had fallen vpon himselfe There is a very iudicious late writer who discoursing of this assembly at Blois where the three Estates excepted against the Kings ill Gouernment complayneth that of late they are growne too insolent in their demaunds Ye shall reade in our Histories of such a like Parliament as this in England called by Henry of Derby against Richard the second The third cause is la necessitè du Roy ou royaume où l' on exhortoit aux subsides subuentions aides et octrois The want and necessity of the King or kingdome in which case the Estates are exhorted to giue Subsidies subuentions aides and gratuities For in former times the Kings contenting themselues with their Domaine and impost of such wares as came in or went out of the land the two most ancient and most iust grounds of Finances were not accustomed to leuy and impose vpon their Subiects any taxe whatsoeuer without the consent of the three States thus assembled They did not say as of later yeeres Lewes the eleuenth was wont Que la France estoit vn pré qui se tondoit trois fois l' anneé That France was a Meddowe which hee mowed thrice a yeere The next Soueraigne Court for so the French call it is the Court of Parliament le vray temple de la Iustice Françoise Seige du Roy et de ses Paires The true temple of French Iustice Seate of the King and his Peeres And as Haillan calles it L'archbouttan des droicts the Buttresse of equitie This Court very much resembleth the Star-Chamber of England the Areopage of Athens the Senate of Rome the Consiglio de' dieij of Venice There are no lawes saith Haillan by which this Court is directed it iudgeth secundum aequum et bonū according to equitie and conscience and mitigateth the rigour of the Law Les nom des Parlements sont appliquez aux compagnies de Cours Soueraignes qui cognossoient en dernier ressort de matieres de iustice The names of Parliaments are giuen to the bodies of Soueraigne Courtes which determine without appeale in matters of Iustice Of these Courts of Parliament ye haue eight in France That of Paris the most ancient highest in preeminence which at first was ambulatory as they call it euer followed the K. Court whither soeuer it wēt but since Philip le bel it hath beene sedentary in this Citie That of Grenoble was erected anno 1453. That of Tholouse anno 1302. That of Bourdeaux anno 1443. That of Dijon in the yeere 1476. That of Rouen in the yeere 1501. That of Aix the same yeere And lastly that of Bretaigne in the yeere 1553. Anciently all Arch-Bishops and Bishops might sit and giue voyces in this Parliament of Paris but in 1463. it was decreed that none but the Bishop of Paris and Abbot of Saint Denis might sit there except he be of the Bloud for all these are priuiledged The Presidents and Councellors of the Court of Parliament of Paris may not depart the Towne without leaue of the Court by the ordinance of Lewes 12. in the yeere 1499. Senatores semper adesse debent quòd grauitatem res habet cum frequens est ordo The Senators ought alwayes to be present because things are carried with more maiestie when that Court is full To this Parliament they appeale from all other subalterne Courts throughout the Realme as they doe in Venice to the Consiglio grande Neither can the King conclude any warre or peace without the aduice and consent hereof or at least as Haillan sayth hee demaundeth it for
so little as scarse any at all They say that the chamber of Accounts is to examine the Kings gifts and if they find any vnmeasurable to shorten them to which purpose there is written in great letters in the same court Trop donnè soit repeté Let gifts too great be reuoked It should seeme hee saues them this labour Such a parsimonious sparer was Lewes 11. of whom in the said chamber of Accounts as Bodin saith it is recorded that he wore a greazy hatte and clothes of the coursest stuffe and there likewise yee shall find a reckoning of 20. sols that is ii s. sterling for a new payre of sleeues to his olde dublet an another of 15. deniers that is three halfe-pence for grease to liquor his bootes This was he that made his Taylor his Herald of Armes his Barber his Ambassador and his Surgeon his Chancellor of whome Commines reporteth many vertues as many faults and yet it should seeme that Commines his seruant would not tell all for so sayth another of the French Historians discoursing impartially of this Lewes Nous auous librement dit ce que Commines n' a osc et volu dire et ce que les autres n' ont sceu We haue freely spoken what Commines durst not nor would not speake and what others knew not Though he himselfe protesteth that he left none of his trumperies and double dealings vnreuealed Non pour en vser mais pour en gardez Not to practise but to preuent theÌ„ As we desire to know the poyson in the Apothecaries shop from his other good drugges not to vse to the hurt of others but to shunne for the safety of our selues And howsoeuer Haillan taxe him of impartialitie true it is that the Q. Mother did not like him of all others For said she hee hath made as many Heretikes in Policy as euer Luther made in Religion by discouering the secrets of State Which should be kept as secret as the Caball of the Iewes or verses of the Druides But neither the sparing of this Prince that now raigneth of whose vertues I will presently speake nor the faults of Lewes the 11. make them the onely two Kings of this Realme taxable aboue the rest For one of their writers sayth in general that France hath fatally beene subiect to this malheur desaster to haue Kings imbecilles et estroppiez de l' entendement weake and lame in iudgement He reckoneth vp many as Charles the great a paillard a wencher Pepin a vsurper Lewes the first lasche et mol faint-harted and effeminate and after these three other Charleses the baldâ— the grosse the simple which no doubt if they had deserued better Epithites should haue had them Insomuch as one concludeth of the good Kings of France as Suetonius did of the Princes of his time Se pouuoyend bien touts grauez en vn anneau they might al be grauen in one ring But I had rather conclude with Bodin There is no Prince without his fault Howbeit those few that are in this Prince are recompenced with many very heroicall and princely vertues both of body mind For those of the mind let me only coÌ„mend the excellency of wit and suddennesse of answere whereof wee may take acknowledgemeÌ„t in these three which I wil here recount answerable in my opinioÌ„ to any of those Apophthegms of the olde Kings or Philosophers which history hath commeÌ„ded to vs. At his being here at Orleans this Iune last past the Maior and Burgeses of the Towne came to his Maiestie to desire they might bee eased of certayne extraordinary taxes and impositions wherewith in the time of the league they had been burdened by Mons. de la Chastre their Gouernour Saith he M. de la Chastre vous a liguez qu'il vous desligue M. de la Chastre hath tide you let him vntye you At his being at the siege of Amiens amongst others of the Noblesse which he summoned to that seruice he sent also for the Count Soissons a Prince of the bloud one of the rarest Gentlemen of France to whom the King giues as is said 5000. Crowns pensioÌ„ The Count at that time discontented returned the King answere that he was a poore Gent. wanted meanes to come to that seruice as became one of his birth place being a Prince of the bloud Peere of France he therfore most humbly craued pardon and that hee would pray for his Maiesties prosperous successe which was all he could doe Well saith the King Dautaut que les prieres ne seruent point sans ieusne il faut qu' il ieusne de la pension de ses 5000. escus Seeing prayer is not acceptable without fasting my couzin shall hereafter fast from his pension of fiue thousand Crownes After the death of the Duke of Guise when almost all France had reuolted from the late King like a poore Roy d' Iuidot as the French prouerbe is he was chased of them of the League from all places of France to Toures and was there as it were besieged of Charles Duke of Mayenne After that this King present came thither with his small forces to the distressed Kings succour the King of France whose name was also Henry would needes perswade Henry King of Nauarre with those small forces which they both had to march out of the Towne and encounter the Dukes forces who were double the number Sirs saith hee ne hazardons point vn double Henry contre vn Carolus Let vs not play a double Henry against a Carolus that is a peece of gold of 14 shillings and this a peece of brasse onely of 10. deniers For his valour and princelike courage it is such to say truly as neuer any of his Predecessors Kings of France were matchable to him who for the space of almost thirty yeeres hath as one would say neuer beene vnarmed without his foote in the stirrop and his lance in the rest hath beene himselfe in person the formost in all perils and last out of the field A Prince not long in the resoluing but once resolued quicke to performe and himselfe alwayes one in the executioÌ„ though perhaps some wil taxe this hazarding of his owne person as a matter of imputation and better befitting a young Prince of Nauarre then a great King of France For as I read Epaminâ—ndas was fined for hauing beene too forward seruing without good armour after a great victory which he had vpon the Lacedemonians This forwardnesse indeed is most honourable and prayse worthy in all Nobilitie and Commaunders whatsoeuer excepting onely the chiefe Iphicrates an Athenian Captayne sayd the Vantâ—urrers resembled the hands the Gensdarmes the feet the Batallion on foot the brest and the Generall the head which saith hee must best be armed and carefullest bee garded And therefore the answere of Callicratidas is disliked who when it was tolde him that in the battell hee was
as to get that from another which is not our owne For as it is truely said of the Spanish King that hee hath not got vpon the French money by victories but victories by money And as Plutarch saith of Philip of Macedon It was not Philip but his golde and siluer that tooke the townes of Greece So may we say of his Treaties which hee hath had with France whereunto hee hath of force beene driuen euen as Ennius saith of Fabius Our State which witlesse force made wayne His wise delayes made waxe agayne For that this nation will rather yeeld the enemie what he demandeth then bee troubled with long deliberation a thing so contrarie to his nature as nothing more You may obserue by the course of later Histories that the Spaniards purpose was to deale with France as Alcibiades said the Athenians would deale by them of Patrae They will eate you out by litle and little To which purpose in all these late ciuill Warres King Philip played the Fire-brand like the Priests of Mars who when two Armies were met threw fire betweene them for a signall of battell to set them together and then retired themselues from the danger He set the Popes on also to kindle this fire who were but Barkers and could not bite their leaden Buls did but butt they could not hurt abler to curse then to kill whose force is like that of a Whet-stone Which though it sharpnesse lacke Yet yron sharpe can make But when hee saw that little England which is to Spaine as Alcibiades said the I le Aegina was to Athens Vne paille en l'ail a mote in his eye did trump in his way and crosse his dessignes and when as hee considered that as Henry the second of France was the only cause of hindering his father Charles the fift from vsurping vpon all Germanie for which cause hee is called in their publike writings The Protector of the Empire and deliuerer of the Princes So her Maiestie by defending the oppressed and withstanding his Forces deserueth the Title of Protectrix of France and deliuerer of the Estates Hee was then content to motion a Peace and like a false friend when he could doe no more hurt to shake hands Herevpon he did capitulate to render Calâ—is Durlens Ardres Blauet and other places conquered or surprised vpon the French A course no question wisely taken by the Spaniard considering the termes wherein hee stoode the want of money hee had the credit hee had lost in all Bankes the decrepit age wherein he was and lastly the sudden and incredible good fortunes of the French King and State after so many yeres of miserie and losse As for the French what could he haue done more dishonourable to himselfe or profitable to his enemies or preiudiciall to his late Allies what lesse agreeing with the time with his cause with his oath then to yeeld to this peace But it hath bene an old tricke of the French to obserue neither promise nor oath as Clouis the first saith Haill lib. 1. Wee may say of their purpose as Plutarch of Lisanders Children are deceiued with chance bones and mâ—n with oathes In this schoole of Fraude Pope Iulius 2. was well read who professed to his priuate friends that all the Treaties which he made with the Princes of France Germanie and Spaine was but to deceiue the one of them by the other But let the French take heede there come not a day of payment for this who are so hastie to abandon their friends and make peace with their foes onely vpon a foolish naturel of theirs to desire change and to enioy their present ease and pleasure not foreseeing future daungers like Schoole-boyes who care not so they may play to day though they be britcht to morrow When the Dukes of Burgondie Berrie and Bretaine were combined against Lewes the 11. of France as were lately England France and States against Spaine the counsell of Francis Zforce to the King was for the present to agree to all things they desired and after saith hee in short time ye shall haue occasion when they are disleagued to deale with them one by one And we may well say of this King present as the Count Charollois feared of the Duke of Berrie the French Kings brother That he was a likely man to be soone drawen to agree leaue vs in the mire forgetting the olde sentence It is the true signe of the approching ruine of a Countrey when those that should holde together diuide themselues and abandon one another And howsoeuer for the present the French bragge to be gayners by the bargayn I am sure their Allies haue no part of the Gasteau Cake It is true therefore that Commines saith There was neuer so plentifull a mariage feast but some went without their dinners Wherein me thinks we haue great wrong to beare a burden with them in their Warres and not to partake with them in the benefit of their Peace Maximilian the first Emperour said hee made Peace for no other end with Lewes the twelfth but to be reuenged of seuenteene wrongs he had done him The King present by the policie of this age and law Talionis might say and doe the like to the Spaniard not for seuenteene wrongs but for seuenteene yeeres wrongs hee hath receiued which when hee shall haue done it is but quittance and the other shall be but iustly serued for saith Bodin He which is falsly dealt with hauing himselfe first played false hath no cause to complaine And surely the French must againe shortly bee doing with him or some other or at least one with another at home he will soone be as wearie of Peace as he is now of warre La nation Françoise est insolent en pain impatiente de demurer long temps en la maison The French nation is insolent in Peace impatient of tarrying long at home ¶ Thus haue you a superficiall suruey of this Country and People of France of whom we may conclude with La Nouë Plus de la moitié de la Noblesse est perié le peuple diminué les finances espuisées les debts accreuës la discipline renuersée la pieté languisant les moeurs desbordées la iustice corrumpuë les hommes diuises More then halfe the Noblesse is perished the people diminished the Treasure exhausted the debts increased good Order ouerthrowen Religion languished maners debaucked Iustice corrupted and the men diuided I make no doubt but to these slender obseruations you wil after adde better of your own Collection vsing this onely as the patterne of a method how to discourse of the Cosmography Policie and Oeconomy of such other Countries wherein you shall trauaile FINIS Caesar Com. lib. 1. P. Commines Limits P. Commines Cabinet du Roy Bodin lib. 6. La Noüe Prouinces La Guide CoÌ„modities La Noüe Bod. li. 6. Bod. contra Malatest Bod. contra Mal. Iustin. Poggio Cabinet