King Henry IV. of good Princes only, they fpeak generally of all; and further, to take away all Doubt, they make express • Mention of the Evil. For the Power and Authority of wicked Princes is the Ordinance of God; and therefore Chrift told Pilate, That the Power which he had was given him from above; and the Prophet Isaiah calleth Cyrus, being a profane and heathen Prince, the Lord's Anointed. For God ftirred up the Spirit < even of wicked Princes to do his Will; and, as Jeho'faphat faid to his Rulers, they execute not the Judgment of Man, but of the Lord: In regard hereof David calleth them Gods; because they have their < Rule and Authority immediately from God; which if < they abufe, they are not to be adjudged by their Sub'jects, for no Power within their Dominion is fuperior C to theirs; but God referveth them to the foreft Trial: Horribly and fuddenly, faith the Wiseman, will the Lord appear unto them, and a hard Judgment fhall they have. [ 46 ] The Law of God commandeth, that the Child 'fhall be put to Death for any Contumely done unto the Parents; but what if the Father be a Robber? If a Murderer? If for all Excefs of Villainies, odious and execrable both to God and Man? Surely he deferveth the highest Degree of Punishments, and yet 'must not the Son lift up his Hand against him, for no Offence is fo great as to be punished by Parricide: But our Country is dearer unto us than our Parents; and the Prince is Pater Patria, the Father of our Country; and therefore more facred and dear unto us ⚫ than our Parents by Nature, and must not be violated, how imperious, how impious foever he be: Doth he 'command or demand our Perfons or our Purses; we must not fhun for the one, nor fhrink for the other; for, as Nehemiah faith, Kings have Dominion over the Bodies and over the Cattle of their Subjects, at their Pleafure. Doth he enjoin thofe Actions which are contrary to the Laws of God? We muft neither wholly obey nor violently refift, but with a conftant Courage fubmit ourselves to all Manner of Punishment, and fhew our Subjection by enduring, and not performing; yea the Church hath declared it to be an Herefy, to hold that a Prince may be flain or depofed by his Subjects, for any Disorder or Default, either in • Life, Life, or elfe in Government. There will be Faults King Henry IV. " fo long as there are Men; and as we endure with Pa'tience a barren Year if it happen, and unfeasonable 'Weather, and fuch other Defects of Nature, fo muft 'we tolerate the Imperfections of Rulers, and quietly 'expect either a Reformation, or elfe a Change. But, alas! good King Richard, why fuch Cruelty? What fuch Impiety hath he ever committed? Exa'mine rightly thofe Imputations which are laid against him, without any falfe Circumftance of Aggravation, ' and you fhall find nothing objected, either of any 'Truth, or of great Moment. It may be, that many 'Errors and Overfights have efcaped him, yet none fo 'grievous to be termed Tyranny; as proceeding rather 'from unexperienced Ignorance, or corrupt Counsel, 'than from any natural or wilful Malice. Oh, how 'fhall the World be peftered with Tyrants, if Subjects may rebel upon every Pretence of Tyranny! How many good Princes fhall daily be fuppreffed by those, by whom they ought to be fupported! If they levy a Subfidy, or any other Taxation, it fhall be deemed 'Oppreffion: If they put any to Death for Traiterous 'Attempts against their Perfons, it fhall be exclaimed Cruelty: If they do any Thing against the Luft and Liking of the People, it fhall be proclaimed Tyranny. ' ་ But let it be that, without Authority in us, or De'fert in him, King Richard must be depofed: Yet what Right had the Duke of Lancaster to the Crown? Or 'what Reason have we, without his Right, to give it to 'him? If he make Title as Heir unto King Richard, 'then must he yet ftay untill King Richard's Death; 'for no Man can fucceed as Heir to one that liveth. 'But it is well known to all Men, who are not either wilfully blind or grofly ignorant, that there are fome < now alive, lineally defcended from Lionel Duke of 'Clarence, whofe Offspring was, by Judgment of the High Court of Parliament, holden the ninth Year of 'the Reign of King Richard, declared next Succeffor to 'the Crown, in cafe King Richard should die without 'Iffuet Concerning the Title from Edmund Crouchback, I will pass it over; feeing the Authors thereof 6 are become afhamed of fo abfurd Abuse, both of their ' t See Vol. I. p. 387, 414, and in this Volume, p. 2. Own [ 47 ] King Henry IV. own Knowledge and our Credulity; and therefore all the Claim is now made by Right of Conqueft; by the Ceffion and Grant of King Richard; and by 'the general Confent of all the People. It is a bad Wooll that will take no Colour: But what Conquest can a Subject pretend against his Sovereign, where the • War is Infurrection, and the Victory high and heinous • Treason? As for the Refignation which King Richard made, being a pent Prisoner for the fame Caufe, it is · an Act extorted by Force, and therefore of no Validity to bind him': And seeing that, by the Laws of this Land, the King alone cannot alienate the antient 'Jewels and Ornaments pertaining to the Crown, surely he cannot give away the Crown itself, and there• withall the Kingdom. [ 48 ] Neither have we any Cuftom, that the People at < Pleasure should elect their King; but they are always 'bound unto him, who, by Right of Blood, is right Succeffor; much lefs can they confirm and make good that Title, which is before, by Violence, ufurped; for nothing can then be freely done, when Liberty is once reftrained by Fear. So did Scylla, by Terror ' of his Legions, obtain the Law Velleia to be made, ' whereby he was created Dictator for Fourfcore Years: And, by like Impreffion of Fear, Cafar caufed the Law Servia to be promulged, by which he was made perpetual Dictator: But both thefe Laws were afterwards adjudged void. As for the Depofing of King Edward the Second, it is no more to be urged than the Poisoning of King John, or the Murdering of any other good and lawful Prince (we muft live according to Laws, ' and not to Examples); and yet the Kingdom was not • then taken from the lawful Succeffor. But if we look < back to Times lately paft, we shall find that thefe Titles were more ftrong in King Stephen, than they are in • the Duke of Lancaster. For King Henry I. being at 6 large Liberty, neither reftrained in Body, nor con' ftrained in Mind, had appointed him to fucceed, as it was, upon good Credit, certainly affirmed. The People affented to this Defignment; and thereupon, without Fear, and without Force, he was anointed King, and obtained full Poffeffion of the Realm". Yet Henry, u See Vel, I. p. 12. • Son 'Son of the Earl of Anjou, having a nearer Right, by his King Henry IV. 'Mother, to the Crown, notwithstanding his Father 'was a Stranger, and himself born beyond the Seas, 'raised fuch rough Wars upon King Stephen, that there was no End of spoiling the Goods and fpilling the 'Blood of the unhappy People, befides the Ruins and 'Deformities of many Cities and Holds, untill his law'ful Inheritance was to him affured. It terrifieth me 'to remember how many flourishing Empires and Kingdoms have been, by Means of fuch Contentions, ' either torn in Pieces with inteftine Division, or sub'dued to foreign Princes, under Pretence of Affiftance 'and Aid; and I need not repeat how this Realm hath 'heretofore been fhaken with these feveral Mischiefs. 'And yet neither the Examples of other Countries, nor 'the Miseries of our own, are fufficient to make us to 'beware. O Englishmen, worfe bewitched than the foolish 'Galatians! Our unftaid Minds and restlefs Refolutions 'do nothing else but hunt after our own Harms: No "People have more Hatred abroad, and none lefs Quiet ' at home: In other Countries the Sword of Invafion 'hath been fhaken against us: In our own Land, the 'Fire of Infurrection hath been kindled among us: And 'what are thefe Innovations, but Whetstones to sharpen 'the one, and Bellows to blow up the other? 'Certainly I fear that the fame will happen unto us 'which Efop fableth to have been fallen unto the Frogs, 'who, being defirous to have a King, a Beam was given unto them; the first Fall whereof did put them in 'fome Fear, but when they faw it lie ftill in the Stream, they infulted thereon with great Contempt, and de'fired a King of quicker Courage; then was fent unto 'them a Stork, which, stalking among them with stately 'Steps, continually devoured them. The Mildnefs of King Richard hath bred in us this Scorn, interpreting 'it to be Cowardice and Dulnefs of Nature; the next 'Heir is also rejected: I will not fay that with greater Courage we fhall find greater Cruelty; but if either of 'these shall hereafter be able to fet up their Side, and 'bring the Matter to Trial by Arms, I do affuredly fay 'that, which Part foever fhail carry the Fortune of the Field, the People both Ways must go to Wreck. And • thus [ 49 ] King Henry IV. thus have I declared my Mind concerning this Quef'tion, in more Words than your Wisdom, yet fewer than the Weight of the Caufe, doth require; and do boldly conclude, That we have neither Power nor Policy, either to depofe King Richard, or to elect Duke Henry in his Place; that King Richard remaineth still our Sovereign Prince, and therefore it is not lawful for us to give Judgment upon him; that the 'Duke, whom you call King, hath more offended against the King and the Realm, than the King hath done, either against him or us: For being banished the Realm for ten Years by the King and his Council, amongst whom his own Father was Chief 2, and fworn not to return again without special Licence, he hath not only violated his Oath, but, with impious Arms, disturbed the Quiet of the Land, and difpoffeffed the King from his Royal Eftate, and now demandeth Judgment against his Perfon, without Offence proved, or Defence heard. If this Injury and this Perjury doth nothing move us, yet let both our private and common Dangers fomewhat withdraw us from thefe violent Proceedings b." [ 50 ] For which he is charged with High Treafon. This Speech, fays the Hiftorian from whom we now quote, was differently taken, as Men were then differently affected, between Fear, Hope, and Shame; yet the major Part, by far, fhewed themselves in the Interest of their new King Henry; and the Orator was inftantly attached of High Treafon, by the Earl Marshal, and fent Prifoner to the Abbey of St. Alban's. Whofe Counfel, adds he, then contemned, was afterwards better thought, upon; partly in the Life-time of this King Henry, during whofe Reign scarce a Year paffed without a See before in Vol. I. p. 494, 520. b Our immortal Shakespear, in his Hiftorical Play of King Richard II. has given us the Subftance of this Speech, made by the Bishop of Carlisle, in his elegant Manner. Theobald's First Edition, p. 316. The fame great Poet, at the Conclufion of this Play, when the said Bifhop was brought before Henry to receive his Sentence for being concerned in an Infurrection against him, makes the King speak thus: King. "Carlisle, this is thy Doom. "Chufe out fome fecret Place, fome reverend Room, Ibid. p. 340 |