OCR Text |
Show l~· l \ ACol!;Ef:-;;;;:;J:tiJeFelicities, of~unElizabeth. '111w, and to fuch :1 ~ fi t at the Helmes of ~reat I<ingdomJSJnd have betn acquainted witb the weight, aod Se~rets,ofCivil ~ufinefs; I to handle this m·atter dextrouHy. Rare, tn all Ages, hHh been the Raign 0f J lfOJJJtU.l! l\r1€>re rare, the Felicity of a Woman, in her J:{tlign: But men rare, a l'erm.<tnP.ncy' and Lafling' joy ned with that Felici1y. As fer thts Lady,fhe raigned Four and Jfotlrty years:> , compleat and yet !be did not furvive htr Felicity. OfthisFelici- · ty , lam p~rpoftd to .(1y fomewh~t.; yet without any ~x.c~rfion ' tin to Praifo;. For i'rt~ifw are the Tnbute of Men) but felicity the Gift of God. Fi1 ft,I reckon it as a part of her Felicity,that £hewas advanced to · the Regal1 h1·one,from a Private Fortune. For this is ingenerate,in 'rhe Nature, and Opinion~, ofMen, to afcribe that, to the greatefi : Fe/, city, which is not counted upon, and cometh un ooked for . · But this is not that I intend. It is this. rrince1, that are trained . ur intheirFtzthersCourts, andtoanimrnediate, andApparcnt, · H~pe of succ.ejfiontdo get this, by the Tcnd€rndle, and rcmiife: nef~ of thetr Educatton, that they become (commonly) l · ile · cap;blc, and leile Temperate, in their Affetlions. And therefo re, you {bali find thoft', H> have been the ablefr~ and mofi: ace, m rl i{hed I<.i11gs, that were Tutoured, by b?th Fortunes. Such wa!'·wirh us, Fi11g Henry the Seventh; And wtth the French,LewiJ ; t~\e 'lrvel(rh: Moth whic;:h, in recent Memory, and,a1mofr, iibout · tl .e fame time, obtained thetr Crowns, notonely,froma Private, l'ut alto from an Adverfe, and Afflicted, Fortune; And did l::oth txcell,· in their fever:.tll wayes; The former in Prudence~ And the other in ]Yft_ice. Much like wai the Condidon of t~is J' ri11cejJe, w·l10fe Biofiomes, and Hopes, were 1lnequa.l1y afpectcd by Fortune; That af£erwards, when fue ca.me to the Crown, Fortune might prove, towards her,alway~ Mild, and Confrant • . for r;;ucen E lrzabet h, foon after fhe was born:, was entituled to the S~ cdlion;,. in the Crown; upon the next turn dif.inherited a gain; Thtn l'ayfd afide, and fiighted: D tuing the 'R:ai!f,n, of her 1 :brother, her Efrate, was mofr Profperous, ~nd Flounilitng ;· Du- 1· 1·i.ng the Raign, of h~r sifter, very Tempell:uous, and full of l B a~rd. Neither yet, did ihe paffe, immediately, from the Pri· t (on to rhe crown; (which fndden Change, might have been : \ 'en~ngh,to.make her call: off all Moderation;~ But firft fhe regain· , ! cd her Liberty; Then there budded forth fome probable Hopes 1.·: of succcjjicm; .And lafily, in a great ~till, an~ Happin~fs~ fhe was · advanct:d to the Impcriall Crown,. wtthout etther Notfe, or Com. I pctitour. All which I aJledge) that it may 2ppear,.that the Di'lJine 1~ , rro7Jidence, intending to produce, a mofi: exquifite Ptincejfe, was · plea fed: to prepare, and m~:mld Her, by thefe Degrees, of Difcipline. Neither ought the MHfortune of her M"ther,jufiiy toftain, ' the pure strea1n of her Blood; efpecially, feeing it is. very evi- · dent, that King Henry the eighth did fidl: burn, with new Loves! before he was enfbmed,. with Indignation, againfr ~eett An11e: ! Neither -·-~--- -: ~~ollection, of the l',elicitieJ' of f!J!.e'n Elizabeth. .-.8 3 .. ;· Neaher is it unknown to th A-~ (i' naturally prone to Lo' d g w' lnce, that he was a King' himfclf, in thofe cafes v:rs~ at.th Je~o;;fies 3 And not containing ':ery pcrfon, for whom' lhe o:; fu~ e~~~n of Blood. Befides,the twn, to be leife probable: db ·) ' ilieweth, the Accufa· Suppofitions · Which ' an b ~ ~upon weak, and frivolous, .lv1ens ears, at. that Tim;.a~ doth. ~retly whifpered, in many fied' by her undaunted ' .~ . w Ic 'J!2.!!cr:Jt Anhe her feif, tefi:i· hers, at the Time ~fher b~~~~ra~e, and .that memorable Speeth of fed,) a faithfull and friend1 . M olrchavmg gotteoj (as .ille fuppoher Deatb,fbe delivered hxni;he~ eng:r,m the very Hour before That foe had ever fonnd the K. e w~~ds.>tordate unto the King; of Advancing her; For:firn m~~~cry C011J'.ant d1td firm, to his purpoft emd no way pretending to //'b/ Ti/he ~ftate~f a Gentlewom~n, onely, ll A1'archiuners. Ne;·t he 0 e ,,)0~d.r, He ra~ifed Her, to the Honour of h. . ')" ' ' VOUC!J_j rl e to ma e her h. ,. 4r; t b h zs J(zngclom and Bed· A d h h . u .... o":Jor' ot of ly Honolir, h:.uteant to :.row: 1ZOJ:v,t rlt t ere re~ained niJ higher earth. dome. But thou her Innocency, Wttb theGlorJof ltfartyrthe Kilio wh gh, tlhe md dfenflger d urlt not relate tbefe words to . o' o was a rea yen amed with L . tatn Traditiott the Conf'crve . new ove.s ; yet cer- Pofrerity. ' 'JI,; r of Trttth' hath conveyed them to . Another principall thing h. h I fr . Felicity, was the 1ime, and' r:~'i;~ f ~a Int.o ffl.!!een Elitzdheths tbat it was L b lfc b 0 er RdiJ!.n; Not onely for Life, which~!; m~haA~· ecaufd it ~ell, iuto that feafon, of her Scepter. For ilie was full ~~:e, an Ftttefi, for the fwaying of a age, the Civill Law frelth f?v~ andCTwenty years old, (at which chc Crown; And rai ned tol. tom a ura~our,) when fhe came to chat lhe never fuffer~d ei~he~e t~ev~ntt~th year of htr Life. So Check of an Over-a~r;;,' Power· e etnments,. of ~upj/Jage, and Potent andu . Jd g l'J ,Orthelnconvcntenctesofan lm- . ' nwle y, 0 a· age. And OJd-ag,. , , . a competent portion of m .{4 . ' - ' ts not, Without Kings, bdides the Comtno~ u~~:h ever} to . priv:ate ~et); But to moft,parr, a Declining in the Efracn q_o ~ears, It bnny, for the clufion of their Lives 'witho ~ H te.' t eFy govern, and a Con-b k , Ut. onour. or there /bath r een no\Vll a King that hath r d ICarce potent Old-age b~t he hath ~vfn ' ~o an Extrea.rne, an? Im' Territorin, and gone lefie in h. u Rere ~ome D~tn~ent, tn his there is a mofr ~minent Ex . 19 . epula~z~n. Of whtch Thing, Sp.ain a molt .,r a~ple, ln Phtllp the Second, Kilng of - W , pmuant J'rn1ce and an Excel! t G ~· - . ho, in the lafryeazs of his Life a d J eOnld overner; : k:nGbleofth." ·h f · , 11 mpotent "'age:> was · · · L, w erco we fpeak · And ther ~ · h · ~lrcumfpecrion fubmitted r-r . ~ If N e ore, Wlt great ' tarily furrend 'd h "' . 1';1 e ' to atures Law; Vo1un· ~lilhed a Fi r~ t e. Terntones he had g-0tten in France; Efra. ther Phces :m eace m that!<ingdom; Attempted the like in oble an'd E 't.Th:u fo, He mtght tranfi.l'lit his Kinj!,donu, Peacea beth'J ortunn el re' to his next H · c ·r ~ r. err. QD trary. Wile, .ff2!!een Eliz.a. ) w. as 10 eonfiant, and deeply I'ooted ~ that no Difa.(l'er |