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Certaine reasons and arguments of policie, why the king of England should enter into warre with the Spaniard. 1624

Note on the e-text: this Renascence Editions text was transcribed in March 1999 by Richard Bear, University of Oregon Library, from the 1624 edition. Content unique to this presentation is copyright © 1998 The University of Oregon. For nonprofit and educational uses only. Send comments and corrections to the Publisher.

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CERTAINE  REASONS
AND  ARGVMENTS OF PO-
LICIE, WHY THE KING OF
England should hereafter giue 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 for many yeares with such labour and charges, hath not only bin vnfortunate, but also scornefully 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 treaties and who can presume that any thing will be effected now, when things are brought into far worse case?
    The King by seuen divers Treaties and Ambassages hath effected iust nothing in this cause, which concernes the peace of Germany and the whole estate of his Sonne in law. 1. In the yeare 1619. by the Earle of Carleil. 2 . by Sir H. Wotton at Vienna 1610. 3. by Conway and Weston in the same yeare. 4. by the Lord Digby, 1621. 5. by Weston 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 hath beene made by ordinary Ambassadours and Ministers?
    2. The honor of the King and kingdome requires, that this tie 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 contempt 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 world hath conceived of their secure cariage, but also they should giue all men good cause to forsake them herafter, 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 alwayes 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 aduantages.
    4. The meaning and scope of the Spaniard is directly opposite to that of the English. For his endevour is by Treaties to circumvent, to gaine time, to vndoe his enemies by delayes, to aduance his owne profit and Dominion, to despise Peace as pernicious to him, and his great power to nourish Warre, especially in Germanie, where by the dissention of the Princes, diversitie of Religion, and assistance of his friends, he may be sure not onely to lose nothing, but to gaine, and to fish safely in troubled Waters. But the intention of the English is honest, viz. to giue peace to Europe, and to euery one his owne, neither doth he intend to get benefit to himselfe, & rule over others. And how can these contradictions be reconciled by Treaties?
    5. The very adverse part doth ill interpret and take these treaties of the King, as if thereby he intended to waite for the revolution of fortune, or the occasion of change, with a mind 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 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 beene 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, disd many waies violate and pervert them, both by leauing out, what was agreed vpon, and inserting what was not couenanted at all. That Instrument of truce was exhibited and communicated in the Empire in the month 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 Hungary to Gabor that he should not stirre, it was exhibited long before it was concluded, as if it had been 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 Aprill olde 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.
    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 constituted the very hinge and controuersie of the businesse, and in 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 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 and 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 religion, by dismembring & transferring vnto others the better parts of the Palatinate, as was done with the Lordship called Bergstras, with the Diocesses of Bleyensteine and Neuenhane, and others; by imposing continuall seruitudes, and by often extorting new contributions from the oppressed by drawing out the blood 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 ordinarie impositions. Verdugo in his proposition when he imposed an exaction, was not afraid to affirm, that it was done with the knowledge and sufferance of the King of England, and that he did to moue the people. This extortion 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.
    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 Sonne in law out of all their estates and dominions, and doth detaine the Palatinate against the hope hee hath giuen and promise which he hath so oft made of rrestoring it: hee hath besieged the Citie of Frankendale the Dowrie of his Daughter, and invaded it in hostile maner; neither would he vouchsafe to raise the seige at the most earnest entreaty of the King of
England: he compelled the forces of the King of England and and his Generall sent thither, to depart out of the Palatinate, scoffing and deriding the protection of England, by which he had falsely perswaded him that the Palatinate should be safe.
    3. Forsomuch as the Spaniard doth oppresse the Allies and friends ioyned in confederation and blood with the King, doth cast them out of their dominions, and doth pursue them with hostilitie euen against his faith giuen; there is no other course left to help them but by armes: treaties in this case will proue vnprofitable.
    4. The safety of the King and kingdome requires war. For it behoues vs then to look to ourselues, 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 suspition, 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 Germanie as the heart bee 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 spririts. The heart therefore must be succored, if you would haue the rest of the members on the body to be safe. But by these weake remedies of treaties you shall do no good: stronger things are to bee applyed; the disease still encreasing.
    5. Necessity requires warre. Great preparations for warre are made by the Spaniard 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 opresse them. The English are now brought into that extremitie by their owne foresayd counsels, that vnlesse they doe preuent by war, they will shortly be preuented. The Spaniard knows full well, 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 & diuersion, according to the saying of that prudent King. Politicians say, that he which consults of breaking and making war, hath alreadie 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 and alteration 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 strength but corage, and that it is base feare that keeps them back.
    6. The King of England in the yeare 1621. the 11. of Novemb. 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 then withall protest of the effusion of bloud that would follow, & of the warre which he should be compelled vnto if the Emperour would not subscribe vnto those conditions. But the Emperour and the Spaniard haue not onely deluded the conditions, but went boldly on with warre against the innocent infants & the Kings bloud. And is he not now bound in honor to recouer what he prescribed by warre which he threatned and denounced, that the conditions were not performed.
    7. Suspension of Armes was promised at Vienna to the Lord Digby, who brought the Emperors letters 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 the suspension was changed into a most cruell war; which was executed with the more immanitie, because the King of England hath vnder-taken the protection of the Palatinate, and was pleased to strengthen & defend it with his owne Garrisons. And 1. when the Lord Digby had in the Kings name long & exceedingly solicited, but in vaine, the raysing of the siege at Frankendal; 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 Heidelberg taken and spoyled. 3. If he could not then obtaine by treaties and entreaties, a thing vncertaine & subiect to chance, & which was not in their hands, but onely in hope will restitution of those things which they are possest of, be now procured by those former meanes? The Spaniards as they will do nothing for loue, so wil they also refuse nothing when they are compelled by feare & 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, and al his grandchildren pronounced fallen from all right of succession, was most earnestly solicited by the Archduke Albert, and was consulted of in the Spanish Ambassadors house. And is there not then iust cause that the Father shuld by warre vindicate the honour of his Son?
    9. The restitution of the Palatinate cannot be procured by treaty: for this course hath been often tryed and vsed, euen by the Prince himselfe, but euer in vaine. Therefore there is now no other meane to be vsed, saue the way of Warre.
    10. The honour of the King and kingdome requires, that now these wrongs be sought to be righted by Warre, the last arrow in necessities quiver, and the onely meane now left of preserving reputation. He doth but draw on new iniuries, who neglects to revenge the old, especially so intollerable as hath been offered to the English. But if now, after they haue raised so good opinion and hope of themselues in the World, they should grow faint, and fal backe into their former lethargie, they should lose all faith & reputation. I cease to shew how magnanimous Princes are more bound in honour to recover the estates of their friends which they haue taken into their protection, then their owne goods.

F I N I S.

 
 

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