CERTAINE REASONS AND ARGVMENTS OF POLICIE, Why the King of ENGLAND should hereafter give over all further Treatie, and enter into warre with the Spaniard.

Printed M.DC.XXIV.

CERTAIN REASONS AND ARGVMENTS OF PO­LICIE, WHY THE KING OF England should hereafter give over all further Treatie, and enter into warre with the Spaniard.

For the first, which is, Leaving off all treaty.

BEcause the English in all Treaties taken in hand with the Spaniard and the house of Austria, and continued so many yeares with such labour and charges, hath not only bin vnfortunate, but also scornfully abused by the Spaniard, who is exceedingly disagree­ing from the honest mind and meaning of the English. For so many yeares while things stood stronger on the side of the English, no­thing hath been effected by treatie: and who can presume that any thing will be effected now, when things are brought into far worse case?

The King by seuen diuers Treaties and Ambassages hath effected iust nothing in this cause, which concernes the peace of Germany [Page] and the whole estate of his Sonne in law. 1. In the yeare 1619. by the Earle of Carleil. 2. by Sir H. VVotton at Ʋienna, 1620. 3. by Sir E. Conway and Sir R. VVeston in the same yeare. 4. by the Lord Digby, 1621. 5. by Sir R. VVeston in the same 6. by the Lord Chichester Baron of Belfast. 7. by the Prince in Spaine, 1623. Besides, how many Curriers haue been sent? how many letters written? and what adoe ha [...]h been made by ordinary Ambassadours and Ministers?

2. The honor of the King and kingdome requires, that this tye of Treaties which they haue been entangled in all this while, should now be broken off. For if they should con­tinue that course which hath brought no be­nefit to either themselues or to others, or to the common cause, who can excuse them? Besides, they should expose themselues to cō ­tempt and scorne, by stumbling so often vn­pardonably at the same stone; with their friends and subiects they should bring them­selues into suspition and hate, by continuing a thing so dangerous; & to strangers they shold not onely increase the ill opinion which the [Page] world hath conceiued of their secure cariage, but also they should giue all men good cause to forsake them hereafter, if they should chance to haue need of them

3. By Treaties the English haue not onely got and gained nothing; but farther, all the businesses of themselues and their friends haue euer gone backward to the worse: the Spaniards going forward alwaies with a high looke and a brazen face, and wisely making vse of the faire forewind of fortune, turning their countenance to the English, and their mind to their owne aduantage.

4. The meaning and s [...]ope of the Spani­ard is directly opposite to that of the English. For his endeuour is by Treaties to circum­uent, to gaine time, to vndoe his enemies by delayes, to aduance his owne profit and do­minion, to despise peace as perni [...]ious to him, and his great power to nourish warre, especi­ally in Germanie, where by the dissention of the Princes diuersity of Religion, & assistance of his friends, he may be sure not only to lose nothing, but to gaine, & to fish safely in trou­bled waters. But the intention of the English [Page] is honest, viz. to giue peace to Europe, and to euery one his owne: neither doth he intend to get benefit to himselfe, & rule ouer others. And how can these contradictories be recon­ciled by Treaties?

5. The very adverse part doth ill interpret and take these treaties of the King, as if there­by he intended nothing else but to gain time, and to waite for the reuolution of fortune, or the occasion of change, with a minde altoge­ther estranged from any peaceable composi­tion, and onely pretending an intention of treating; as the Archbishop of Mentz doth in expresse words write of the King to the Ele­ctor of Saxon. 7. Octob. 1623. The letters may be seene.

Reasons for the second: Of vndertaking warre with Spaine.

The faith promised mutually to one ano­ther, which they haue violated, the breaking of the couenants confirmed by solemne sti­pulation, the iniuries offered, the deeds and Instruments of the couenants falsified, and [Page] such like as these which follow: all or any one of these are esteemed of all Nations iust cause of entring into warre.

Now then must we declare how faith hath been violated, and the solemne conditions of the League haue been broken by them. The last yeare a surcease of Armes for 15 moneths was propounded of the Spaniard, accepted of the English, and vpon certaine Articles vpon both parts agreed vpon, was set downe in in­struments, signed and sealed. But the Spaniard and their Complices, both at the very time in which they sealed the Articles, and also af­terward, did many wayes violate and pervert them, both by leauing out what was agreed vpon, & inserting vvhat vvas not couenanted at all. That Instrument of truce vvas exhibi­ted and communicated in the Empire in the moneth of March, many weeks before it was either concluded or signed in England. In the meeting at Iutterbock, to the end that the war­like preparations of the Princes of Germanie might be hindered, and in Hungarie to Gabor that he should not stirre, it was exhibited long before it was concluded, as if it had bin [Page] fully concluded and sealed. And marke their cunning and false practise, by this exhibition of it, and a false perswasion which they added to it, that all things should shortly be accom­modated, were the Princes of the Empire so moued and perswaded, that they compelled the Duke of Brunswick to lay downe armes, and to depart out of the bounds of Germanie, denying him all prouision and passage. But the Instruments of the Truce were not sub­scribed by the English, but in the 21 of April old stile, or the first of May new stile, and af­ter in the moneth of August ratified by the Elector Palatine. Moreouer in those instru­ments and deeds giuen abroad there to Ger­manie by the other partie, these words in the third Article ( Declaring them enemies of the Empire and of our Allies) were left out, as words that might giue iust cause of offence to the Princes of the Empire, when they should see such a hard declaration extorted and wrung out of the English. But in the instruments sig­ned in England, those words were expresly set downe, notwithstanding the exception made against them by the Kings Sonne in law. [Page] 2. In the last Article in their deeds, it was left out, That the King of England should send his De­puties for the interest of his Son in law, when yet in that consisted the very hinge and contro­uersie of the businesse, and the foundation of the mind and will of the King of England, as it is expressed in the English instruments.

There is also a falshood to be noted in the subscription of the day. In the English is ex­pressed the 21 of April, English stile; in theirs the first of May. Moe things may be brought to shew, that there was either falshood or else double deeds.

Furthermore, it was also expresly prouided by way of caution, That all things should a­bide in the Palatinate in the place and state as they then were during the truce: that all acts of hostilitie should cease: that neither Allies nor friends should be offended, but that both parts should enioy the peace of the League. But Spaniards and their Complices did & doe still in the time of the truce exercise all kinds of hostilitie, by confiscating of their goods who haue withdrawne themselues from the ruine of their countrey, by abolishing religiō, by dismembring & transferring vnto others [Page] the better parts of the Palatinate, as was done with the Lordship called the Bergstras, with the Diocesses of Bleyensteine and Nevenhane, & others; by imposing continuall seruitudes, and by often extorting new contributions frō the oppressed; by drawing out the bloud and soule of the afflicted, and by wasting and wearing out all the poore subiects with their insolent tyrannie. The very Spaniards alone haue in that part which they hold in the Pa­latinate imposed an exaction of aboue thirty thousand Dollars a moneth ouer and aboue the ordinary impositions. Verdugo in his pro­position when he imposed this exaction, was not afraid to affirm, that it was done with the knowledge and sufferance of the King of En­gland, & that he did to moue the people. This extorsion hath now continued diuers mo­neths, and is yet still exercised, Lastly the Spa­niards and their complices did neuer for all the truce lay downe armes in the Empire, but went on with victorious warre against the friends of the King of England and his Sonne in law: yea we yet see them to proceed on still scorning & breaking this league of the truce, making it a net to catch their enemies in.

[Page]2. The Spaniard hath by force and armes possest himselfe of the Patrimony of the in­nocent infants the grand children of the King of England, hath cast his Daughter and Son in law out of all their estates and dominions, and doth detaine the Palatinate against the hope he hath giuen and promise which hee hath so oft made of restoring it: he hath be­sieged the Citie of Frankendale the Dowrie of his Daughter, & invaded it in hostile maner; neither would he vouchsafe to raise the siege at the most earnest entreaty of the King of England ▪ he compelled the forces of the king of England and his Generall sent thither, to de­part out of the Palatinate, scoffing and deri­ding the protection of England, by which hee had falsly perswaded him that the Palatinate should be safe.

3. Forsomuch as the Spaniard doth op­presse the Allies and friends ioyned in confe­ration and bloud with the King, doth cast them out of their dominions, & doth pursue them with hostility euen against his faith gi­uen; there is no other course left to help them but by armes: treaties in this case will proue vnprofitable.

[Page]4. The safety of the King and kingdome requires warre. For it behoues vs then to look to our selues, when our next neighbours hou­ses are on fire. Princes lose both power and strength when their Allies do perish. The en­crease of a potent neighbor whose friendship is vnsafe, as it cannot be without iust suspitiō, so is it also dangerous and hurtful. The liberty of Germany now ready to perish, is to be relie­ued; and the conseruation of it doth greatly concerne both the English and all the Princes of Europe. Germanie is the heart of Europe, for so Nature seems to haue placed it; the Palati­nate is the motion in the heart, according to the lawes. If Germaine as the heart be possest by the Spaniard, who striues to get the domi­nion ouer all Europe, the rest of the Princes shall not long draw or enioy any vitall life or spirits. The heart therefore must be succored, if you would haue the rest of the members or the body to be safe. But by these weake reme­dies of treaties you shal do no good: stronger things are to be applyed, the disease still en­creasing.

5. Necessitie requires warre. Great prepa­rations for warre are made by the Spaniard [Page] here neare at hand; his mind and intentions are well enough knowne. A potent Prince makes no reckoning of friends when he finds opportunity to oppresse them. The English are now brought into that extremity by their owne foresaid counsels, that vnlesse they do preuent by war, they wil shortly be preuented. The Spaniard knows ful wel, that he may not trust them any longer, and that it is the part of an vnwise man to stay for the first blow, which is commonly the Crisis of the future war, by which we may take a scantling of the euent of it, which is vsually ouercome by pre­uention and diuersiō, according to the saying of that prudent King. Politicians say, that he which consults of breaking and making war, hath already broken; and that he is not well advised or wary enough, who neglects to pre­uent his enemy. The Spaniard who is natural­ly distrustful, doth without question construe & take this consultation & alteratiō of minds in England for a breach and a war, and experi­ence will shortly shew it, if prudence take not place: but if he see the English men remisse, he wil say that they want not strēgth but corage, and that it is base feare that keeps them back.

[Page]6. The King of England in the yeare 1621. the 12 of Nouemb. set downe the conditions of peace, & what he would haue to be obser­ued and kept by his Son in law, and sent them to the Emperor for his finall declaration; and did thē withal protest of the effusion of bloud that would follow, & of the warre which he should be compelled vnto if the Emperour wold not subscribe vnto those cōditions. But the Emperour and the Spaniard haue not only deluded the conditions, but went boldly on with war against the innocent infants & the Kings bloud. And is he not now bound in honor to recouer what he prescribed by war which he threatned and denounced, that the conditions were not performed.

7. Suspension of arms was promised at Vi­enna to the Lord Digby, who brought the Em­perors lettets with him to Bruxels concerning that businesse: yet by collusion was the con­trary giuen in charge to the Infanta, and sent thither either before or at the same instant in­somuch that that suspēsion was changed into a most cruell war; which was executed with the more immanity, because the King of En­gland hath vndertaken the protection of the [Page] Palatinate, and was pleased to strengthen and defend it with his own garrisons. And 1 when the Lord Digby had in the Kings name long and exceedingly solicited, but in vaine, the raising of the siege at Franckendale; this an­swer was giuen him, That it was against the honor of the Spaniards to leaue a citie which they had once besieged without the expresse commandment of the King of Spain. 2. In the very time of the treaty at Bruxels, was Hendel­berg taken and spoiled. 3. If he could not then obtain by treaties and entreaties, a thing vn­certaine and subiect to chance, & which was not in their hands, but only in hope, wil resti­tution of those things which they are possest of, be now procured by those former means? The Spaniards as they will doe nothing for loue, so will they also refuse nothing when they are compelled by feare and force; as one of themselues hath confessed.

8. The Proscription which is the head of the euils which haue followed, by which the Kings son in law was declared infamous, & al his grandchildren pronounced fallen from al right of successiō, was most earnestly solicited by the Archduke Albert, and was consulted of [Page] in the Spanish Ambassadours house. And is there not then iust cause that the Father should by warre vindicate the honour of his Son?

9. The restitution of the Palatinate cannot be procured by treaty: for this course hath bin often tried and vsed, euen by the Prince him­selfe, but euer in vain. Therefore there is now no other meane to be vsed, saue the way of warre.

10. The honour of the King and kingdom requires, that now these wrongs be fought to be righted by warre, the last arrow in necessi­ties quiuer, and the onely meane now left of preseruing reputation. He doth but draw on new iniuries, who neglects to reuenge the old, especially so intollerable as haue been of­fered to the English. But if now, after they haue raised so good opinion & hope of themselues in the world, they should grow faint, and fall backe into their former lethargie, they should lose all faith and reputation. I cease to shew how magnanimious Princes are more bound in honour to recouer the estates of their friends which they haue taken into their pro­tection, then their owne goods.

FINIS.

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