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Show ••• , I I • Ohfer'llation.t upon a Libell, publijhcd, In Anno i; ~9· Ambition: Thefe are > in Rules of follicy, the Firmefr ContralJs. Let thus much be {aid, in Anfwer, of the Sec on~ Branch,conc_er-ningthe Number, of Exteri~r Enemies: . ':"htretn, my ft!t:amng, is nothing leife, then to attnbute, our Feltctt! , to our Follzcy ; Or to nourifh our felves) in the Huntour_o~ Securtty. But, I ~op~, we fuall depend upon Ged, and be vtgtlant; And then, tt wtll be feen to what end, thefe Falfe Alarnms will come. IritheThirtlBranch, oftheMiferie~ of England, he t~keth upon him,to play the Pro_p~et,as he hath;tn_all the refi,play d the Poet: And will needes Dtvtntt or Progno.ft1cate, the great Troubles, wbreunto this Realm fhali fall,after berMaj rflier Times: As i~he, ' that bath fo jing11lara Gift,1n;Lying, of the prejent :rime, . and Timet pafl,had, neverthelefs, an ~xt;ra-ordinary GracC',tn tdhng Truth~ of the Time to come:Or as tf, the Effect, of the Popes CHrfes,of England werf" upon better Ad-vife adJ. ourned, to thofe dayes. It is tr~e, it' will be Mifery enough, for this Realm, ( whenfoevt r it fuall be,) to leefe, fuch a soveraign: But for the refr, ~~ muH: repofe our felves, upon the go?d pleafure, of ~od : So Itt:-, a un jufr c~arge, in the Libeller,to tmpute, an .Accrdent of State, to the Fault , of the Government. It pleaeth God, fometimes, to the end, to make Men depend, upon him the more, to hide, from thc:m,the clear fight, offut~ue Eventr An'd to make them think that full of 'l:Jncertttinties, whtch prove~h Certain and cle~r: A~d, fometimes, on the other fide, to croff~ Mens ~xpectations, and to make them, full of D ifficul ty and Perplexity in that, which they thought, to be Eafie, and Alrured. Neith;r is it, any N~w Thing_, for the Titles, of SHcceffi~" in Monarehier to be, at Ttmes, ldie, or more declared. Kmg sebaftian, ofPort;gall, before his Journey into Ajfrick.., declared no SHcciffor. The lardinall, though he were of extream Ag~, and were mpch importuned, by the King of spain, and knew,dt~ecUy, of 6. or 7. Competitours, to that Crown; yet he rather eftabhilied_, I know not what, Interims, then decided the Titles , or defigned any c;rtain Snccejfor. The Duk.gdome ?f Ferrara, is, a~ t~ts Day, after the Death, of the Prince, that now ltveth, uncertatn, tn the point ofsuccejfion : The Kingdom of s cotland, hath declared no succejfor. Nay, it is very rare) in Hereditary Monarchies,. by any A{J of State, or any Recognition, or Oath of the People, tn the coUaterall Line, to efiablifu a SuccejfiJr. The DNks of Orleans, fi cceeded, charles the 8'h. of Fr-znce, but was never declared, Succl[- or, in his time. Monfteur d' Angoulefme, alfo fucceeded him, but without any Deflgnation. Sonnes of Kings, themfelves, oftentimes, througli defire to raign, and to prevent their T ime, wax d angerous to their Parents: How much more:~ Co1{t:nr, in a more Remote De.~ree? It is lawfull, no doubt, and Honourable, if the Cafe require, for Prince1, to make an efrablifhment. But, as it was fa id, it is rarely prafrifed, in the Collateral/ Line. Trajan,:, the befr Em- P;~ Obforfllatimti upon a Libell,pHblijbed, In Anno, t59l· peror of Rom_e, of an He11.then, that ~ver was; At what time, ~he Emperour~, dtd ufe, to defign SHcef!our 1; Not fo much~ ~o avotd, the V»certainty of Su,cceffion,as to the end, to have ParttClpes CHrA· rum for the prefent Time, becaufe their Empire, was fo vafr; At wh;t Time alfo, Adoptions were in ufe,and hin1felfhad been Adop-ted yet never defigned a SuccejfoNr, but by his La.ft Will, and Tejia - me~t; Which alfo, was thought, to be fuborned by his Wife Plotina, in the Favour, of her Lover, Adrian. You may be fure; That nothing hath been done, to prejtldice the J{.ight; And there can be, but one Right. But one thing, I am perf waded of, that no King of spain; nor Bi[hop of Rome, iball umpire) nor promote, any Beneficiary, or Feodatory, King, as as they defigned to do; Even when the Scottifh il!!een lived, whom they pretended to cheri!h. I will not retort, the matter of SHcctjfion upon Sp!lin,bntl;lfe that ModeftJ,and Reverence, that belongeth, to the MajeflJ, of fo great a King, though an Enemy. And fo much, for this Third Branch. The F oHrth Br11nch, he maketh to be, touching the overthrow, of the Nobility; And the opprejfion,ofthe People: wher<:in,though he may, percafe, abufe, the Simplicity,of any Forreiner; yet to an En~lifh JlJan, or any, that heareth, of the prefent Condition, of E11gland he will appear, to be a Man, of fingular Audacity, and worthy' to be employed, in the defence of any Paradox. And furely, if he would needs, hav_e d~faced , the generall State of England, at this time, he fhould, tn wtfdome, rather have made, fozne Friar!y Declamation, agaiufr the Excejfe of super.flniry, and DelicAcy of our Times; then to have infifted, up<;>[\ theMiferJ, and Poverty, and Depopulation, of the Land; as may 'fufficiently . appear, by that which hath been faid. Bat neverthelefie) to follow this Man, . in his own fl:eps:Firfi; concern ina the Nobility : It is true, that there have been, in A- Choncenting ges pafr, Nhob Iemen, ( as 1 tak e t· t,) b ot h o f greater PD.JrJr .e~_rru;1 ons ,and tr hce SNroabtie!ioryf. of greater r:ommand, and Sway, then any are, at this day. One Re,!fon~ why the poffeffions are leffe, I conceive to be, beca\lfe certain Sumptuous Veins, an_d Hnmours of Expence; (As App~trell, Gaming, M4intaining of a kmd of Followers, and the like;) Do raign, more, then they did, in times pafi. Another Reafon is, be-caufe Noblemen, now a dayes, do deal better, with their Joungtr' Sons, then they wereac.cufiomed to do, heretofore; whereby~ the principall Houfe, receiveth many Abatements'. Touching the Com,;tand, which is not, indeed, fo great, as it hath been, I take it, rather, to be a Commendation of the Time, then otherwife: For Me~1, were wont, factioufiy, to Depend upon Noblemen;, whereof~nfued, many Pa~tialities, and Diviji~ns, befides ~·uch Interruptzono£ ]Hflice, whtle the great Onei, dtd feek ~o bea out Thofe, that did depend upon them.So as the Kings of this H.e lm, finding, long fince, that kind of Commttndement, in Noblemen, 'l:Jnfafe unto their Crown, and Incotrl;Jenient unto their People , R 2 thought |
