Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	great_a	king_n	majesty_n	3,331	5	6.0086	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16433	A letter sent from the Prince of Parma vnto the borrowmaisters, sherifes, and magistrate of the towne of Anwerpe also to the great counsayle called Den Breeden Raedt, and the fraternities of the same. Whereunto is adioyned the aunswere of the sayde borrowmaysters, sherifes, treasurers, receiuer, and counsaile, with the common consent and generall aduow of the whole towne.	Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma, 1545-1592.	1585 (1585)	STC 335; ESTC S119156	5,791	22

Kings Maiesties hāds vnto whom as also to all other the high and mighty Princes his predecessors these coūtries haue euermore borne as faithful and true obedience as euer any other nation in the world did beare to their Prince generally against al the inhabitants of the country of whatsoeuer estate condition age or kind the erection of the most horrible cruell persecutions y e were euer herd of or practised togither with infinite confiscations of goods proscriptions banishments and bloody executions by fire sword and halter against al sortes of pore honest and innocēt people who euen vnhearde in their iust lawfull defence haue ben without imposition of any crime condemned only for gathering together to pray and call vpon one God through our onely mediatour Jesus Christ according to his owne word and commaundemente wherevpon contrary to the treaties agreements and edictes so firmelye made and published by the Ladye of Parma your Highnesse mother with the aduow and consente of the whole counsaile of estate yea euen in y e kings name vnder his authoritie and seale haue ensued such tirannicall executions by the late Duke of Alua and the Spaniards not against the pore commons only but also against the principall gouernours Lords Barons Nobles of y e coūtrie of whom his maiestie had receaued most notable seruice y e manifest infringing of al rights customs priuileges sworne vnto by al Princes of these coūtries y e subuersion of all seats of Justice which haue bene committed vnto such men as by all auncient lawes priuileges of the countrie were vtterly vncapable of y e same The raising of diuersforts and vntollerable vniust vnlawful exactions togither with the vtter oppression of all y e liberties of y e whole countrie Which things being so notoriously cōmitted against al ordinary forme of Justice could not possibly bring forth any other fruite then this miserable war which haue ouerwhelmed vs in this floude of mischiefes sea of calamities We do therefore beseeche your highnesse to beleeue that we neuer entred into this war of any pleasure neither by the motion or perswation of the late Lord the P. of Orange of famous memory who came not hether but at the instant request of the estates as well of the Prelates as of the Nobles towns neither vsurped any other authority then with greate importunity was layd vpon him But that of meere extremitie and ineuitable necessitie we were forced and constrayned to take Armoure and to enter into these Conflictes whereof wee desire nothing in this Worlde more earnestly then some good end by a happye peace and generall tranquilitie We doe also most humblye thanke your Highnesse for such Parley as at this presente you doe offer vs the fruition of and can not sufficiently commend extol your magnanimity who hauing more then any other Gouernor your predecessors made profe of your vertue and valiauncie in armes do neuerthelesse so curteously offer to accompany the same with all gentlenesse and clemency a vertue vndoubtedly most commendable euen in the greatest Princes and Monarks So that hauing before time ben thus perswaded of your highnesse if we could haue bene certefied that you had sufficiently ben authorised to haue graūted vnto vs whatsoeuer accerding to your wisedome discretion you had knowne necessary for the establishing of a good and perfite peace we would neuer haue so long delayed the committing of our selues into your protection neyther would we haue soughte to enter into any other communication and conditions then youre Highnesse of your own discretion togither with your clemencie courtesie shold haue thought reasonable as nothing doubting but that willingly ye wold haue followed moued the King likewise to followe the path of the Noble and commendable examples of other the great kings and princes his Predecessors who in y e like disease hauing more nearely searched out the roote of the mischiefe haue found it vnpossible to attain to the perfite cure thereof to the maintaining of their subiectes in a stedfast peace firme quietnesse accompanied with al faithful dutie obedience to their superiors without graunting them libertie of their religion wherof at al times they offered to giue account to any vnsuspected or not partial Judges in all free assemblies lawful synodes For in this respect haue they found the especial and most soueraigne remedie for all these mischiefes to consist in moderate condiscending vnto the iust lawfull request of their subiectes as appeareth by the examples of the moste victorious mightye Emperours of famous memory Charles the v. Ferdinand and Maximilian in Germany also of y e most Christian kings in Fraūce the kings of Polland in their dominions But when as by infinite testimonies euē by sundry declarations whiche youre highnes haue made vnto vs we were certainly aduertised y t it lay not in you any way to dispose of y t point whiche neuertheles is the only ground principall piller wherevppon this peace or war doth consist yea that the King finding himself subiect to the Spanishe Inquisition the Pope of Romes commandemēts had neither autority nor liberty to graunt to his christian subiects the same which the Pope sundrie Italian Princes doe permit to the Jewes Turkes without y e which it is vtterly vnpossible to turne from the people a cōtinual course of al sorts of calamities we foūd our selues past al hope of attaining vnto any thing y e might breed our assured rest the same necessitie which forced vs to enter into these wars did also constrain vs to continue the same thereby to defende our selues from so vntollerable wicked oppression so y e after infinite most humble supplications petitions declarations protestations as well by writing as by our deputies sent into Spaine besides the manifold intercessions mediations of diuers christian kings princes in vaine prosecuted for the space of 20 yeares or more we wer finally compelled to haue our recourse to forrain Princes And at this present pondering the great singuler wisdome equitie moderation wherby the most christian King doth maintain his subiects as wel of the one as the other religion in al rest tranquilitie finding also our selues in suche want necessity we cannot dissēble w t your highnes but must needs giue yē to vnderstand y e al the vnited prouinces which are confederat with vs by a general vniuersal resolution haue already had recourse to the most christian Maiestie most humbly haue besought him to take our cause in hand as his subiects to receiue vs into his protection to y e end to defend vs from so extreme rigor crueltie wherein he hath giuen vs so curteous audience good hope that according to the dutie wherein solemnely generally we all stand now bound vnto him it is no lōger in vs to enter into any communication or Parlie y e may neuer so little bee preiudicial to our offer promise vnles we wold willingly incur a iust reproch of the greatest vnstedfastnes ingratitude in the world Moreouer as we are but one member of the sayd generalitie also y e by solemne oath we haue bound our selues not to enter into any parlie or treatie of peace without the general consent agrement of al others y e vnited prouinces we cannot though we would accept your highnes offer before we haue obtayned the consent and good will as well of them as of the sayde most Christian Maiestie Herevpon doe we therefore most humbly desire your Highnesse y e according to this your fatherly curtesie clemency which so freelye you offer vnto vs it may please you not to mislike that before we enter into any Parlie we doe according to our dutie send your highnes letters vnto y e sayd vnited prouinces by their consent agrement do likewise exhibite thē vnto his sayd most christian Maiestie to the end y e sith it hath pleased him to do vs so much honor as to hearken to our most humble complaints which in other place haue bene reiected wee doe nothing without his leaue tolleration least we should giue him iust cause to cast vs of as deceitfull inconstant vnthankfull persons As concerning the protestation which it pleaseth your Highnes to make toward the ende of your letter we do vndoubtedly beleue that your self are not the cause of sheding so much innocent blood neither of such mischiefs as may insue for that the originall of this warre proceedeth from an other foundation But withall wee doe most humbly pray you to consider that for our parts we are not iustly to be blamed as being entered only into defensiue war not tending to any other then the maintaining of our selues our wiues children in life libertie of conscience in the free calling vpon the name of God through our only Sauiour mediatour Jesus Christ that therefore for our partes we wold willingly cease from al shedding of blood in case it might likewise please your highnes in effect to prosecute y e moderation clemency whiche in letters it pleaseth you to shew vnto vs by staying the same likewise on your side to the end y e by the verification of this beginning we may iudge of the assurance of the rest farther beseeching your highnes to beleeue that we do both admire loue your vertues withall our harts doe desire to yeelde vnto you most humble seruice in what soeuer our honor Oath conscience which we praye that we may reserue to God only may any way permit Herevpon my L. most humbly kissing your Highnes hands we beseech God to send vnto you whatsoeuer may be most for your health From Anwerpe this 23 of Nouember 1584. Of your Highnesse The most humble at commaund The Borrowmaisters Sherifes Treasurers Receiuer counsail of the Town of Antuerp hauing imparted the same to others the members assembled at Breeden Raedt and the Fraternities of the same Tovvne By their decree and signed B. Berlecom The Superscription To his Highnesse

A Leter sent from the Prince of Parma vnto the Borrowmaisters Sherifes and Magistrate of the Towne of Anwerpet Also to the great Counsayle called Den Breeden Raedt and the Fraternities of the same Wherevnto is adioyned the Aunswere of the sayde Borrowmaysters Sherifes Treasurers Receiuer and counsaile with the common consent and generall aduow of the Whole Towne Printed at London for Edward Aggas 1585. Alexander Prince of Parma and Playsance Gouernor Lieuetenant and Captaine generall c. DEarely and welbeloued The tediousnesse of this inward war desolation which this Countrey hath sustayned haue giuen you sufficiently to vnderstād and as it were palpably to feele the small duty that you ow vnto the causers of the same who in respect of their own passions and perticuler interest haue procured the destruction of the poore people It is not therefore necessarye to repeat vnto you all such things as haue passed since the beginning of these troubles sith euen the moste ignorant haue euidently perceiued that the stirrers vp of these wars bent not their indeauour to the maintainance of common commodity and quiet but rather to whatsoeuer tended to the perticularities of their dāgerous deuises For in case wee should begin to rip vp their dealings we should finde first that the late of Orange sought no other but a continuall confusion of all things and neuer cared for succoring any one of those towns which my L. the Kings army besieged cōquered The like may we report of y e Frenche for your selues are to testifie how they purposed to entreat your wiues and children in recompence of such and so many honoures as you strained your selues to heape vpon them Now that God hath ben serued in calling out of this world as wel the one as y e other and that thereby you doe on the one side find your forces decay and on the other do perceaue your Kings greate power togither with such happy successe as it pleaseth God the Creator dayly to graunt vnto him to increase it were more then time for you to haue some respect to your own safegard the discommodity of your pore people oppressed enuironed with so manye mischiefs wherevnto in the end they shal be forced to stoope A Cause that being moued by priuate zeale whiche we beare to the countrey as well in respect of the place from whence wee be discended as also of such courtesies as we there tasted in our youth wee haue hertofore by our letters endeuored to represent vnto you euen as wel to you perticulerly as also generallye to al other y e townes prouinces such meanes as in God and our consciences did vnto vs seeme most expedient for the restoring of the whole country to peace and quietnes but in as much as the late of Orange and others who sought only by the destruction of the country blood of so many innocents to intrude thēselues into the gouernmente and dominion of the same did wickedly deteine suppresse our sayd letters we thought it good now for a final conclusion to write yet this one vnto you wherin we desire you with al feruēcy zeale possible to take pitty vpon your wiues children desolate countrie Once againe call to remembrance loke back vpon such rest and felicitie as euery mā hertofore did enioy vnder the obedience of his Maiestie contrariwise consider of the destruction and extremitie wherinto at this present your countrey is reduced which yet daily if the war continue wil more more encrease vnto y e very tipe vttermost periode of the same Hēceforth stop your eares against the lying inuentions suttle perswasions of those which do maintain feed you with this error of mistrust of the goodnesse sincerity of the king your naturall prince which neuertheles is such that notwithstanding the iniuries be bitter hard to digest yet doth he not stand vpon thē but offreth you perfit perpetual obliuion Furthermore in case you be disposed according to the desire of more then half your Bnrgesie of Antuerpe as by such aduertisements as dayly and hourely from all parts we do vnderstād to enter communication parlie we do promise ye that for our parts we wil in such wise concurre with you in whatsoeuer honestly and reasonablye you maye propound that you shall effectually perceaue that wee bee rather led by a fatherly affection and vnfayned good will y e we beare to your priuate benefite and tranquilitie then any other our own interest and particuler passion or mistrust of the successe of oure enterprises Whereas contrariwise if you do purpose to be obstinate stubborne your selues will procure y e empayring of all conditions of reconsiliatiō furthermore protesting that our selues are altogither blamelesse in the shedding of so much innocente blood as also of whatsoeuer calamities may hereafter ensue To the end therefore that hereafter no man pretende cause of ignoraunce of this our good wil togither with suche offers as wee make vnto you we do write our Letters to the same effect vnto the great Counsayle called Den Breeden Raedt and other the Fraternities beseeching the Creator so to touch the harts of those that may do most among you that the wealth quiet which you are hereby to hope for maye according to our hope shortly ensue And so praiing the Lord to haue you most dearely welbeloued in his holy worthy protection we cease From our Campe at Stabrocck this 13. of Nouemb 1584. Signed Alexander and somewhat lower Garnier The superscription To our dearely and vvelbeloued the Borrovvmaisters Sherifes and Counsaile of the tovvne of Antuerpe The Aunsvvere MY Lord your Highnes Letters of the 13 of this Moneth respectiuely writtē vnto the Magistrate y e deanes of Fraternities the great Counsaile of this Towne haue bene receaued read as well by our College as by all the members of our towne in the great counsaile of y e same expresly assembled to that end Whervnto of one consent we haue resolued for aunswere to shew to your highnes in all reuerence that the exhortatiō to vs made that we should cōsider of the entent of those that haue bene procurers of this inward warre wee haue accepted in very good part as proceeding from your highnesse good affection that you beare to these countries which you do wishe to bee reduced to some better quietnesse as our selues do also hartily desire the same and in consideration thereof do most humbly thanke you But vnder your correction it seemeth that your highnesse are not sufficiently enformed of the true originall and fountaine of this warre for it is manifest to all the World that against our willes and to our greate greefe we were forced thereto by the driftes and practises of those who for their owne priuate purposes and to the end to establish in these countries a dominion in effect more than roial haue vnder pretence of religion with their sinister informations procured at y e