THE ANATOMIE OF THE FRENCH And SPANISH FACTION.

With a full Discovery of who they are; and what they have done, from before the beginning of King Iames his Raigne unto this present.

Declaring in particulars, how the many mise­ries and the calamities which we have, and do indure by Blood, Rapine, and many insupportable Impositions, have proceeded directly from them, seconded by the ambitious Spirits of the Bishops.

Wherein also all our grievances, and their subtle and horrible Plots are instanced; to give a more full and ample satisfaction unto all.

Published according to the Order of Parliament.

LONDON. Printed by Bernard Alsop. 1644.

THE ANATOMIE OF THE FRENCH and SPANISH Faction.

BEfore the Norman Conquest, the French looked long upon the affaires of Eng­land with a greedy eye, and in those innocent times maintained a partie here in England to make good their Faction. The Spaniards, as they are more grave in their deportment, so they are more retired in their Coun­sailes; and being then alwayes in Warres, either to establish or increase their more VVesterne territories, had hardly the leisure to think on England, untill the Allyance of King Phi­lip with Queen Mary; since which time, being taken either with the wealth or the pleasure of this Isle, they have alwaies either openly by warre, or privately by policie, been indu­strious either to assault it or betray it.

[Page 2]I will not wipe off the dust of antiquity from the story of the French, to represent unto you, what were the designes which many yeares since they nourished to unite this King­dome unto France, neither will I ravell out your expectation or the time in any discourse upon the Spaniard more then what shall concern our present purpose, which is to declare unto you, how the French and Spanish for these late yeares have desperately conjoyned into one resolve of mischiefe for the subverting of the Protestant Religion, and the ruin of this Kingdome, which was of late the envy, and is now become the pitty and the astonishment of Christendome.

Yet before I arrive unto their latter practises, on which I chiefly would insist, it will be worth your observation to consider how eagerly both nations did ambiate the marriage of the renowned Queen Elizabeth, who alwayes overcame her enemies and her Sex. The first who did court her in the way of marriage, was Don Iohn de Austria thinking thereby to reduce our Island and Religion to the Spanish Principles, but the Queen who knew very well before, what was the am­bition and the arts of Spaine could no wayes bee induced to heare of that illegitimate Prince; The second was the Duke of Alenson brother to Henry the third, then King of France, (a gallant Gentleman indeed) and who, wheresoever he came did winne upon the hearts of all by his valour and his courte­sie, but as the Kingdome was then blessed in a brave Queen, so was the Queen blessed with as brave a Counsell, and that marriage by reason of the diversity in religion, and many considerations of State being also rejected, the Duke retur­ned into Flanders where either by greife or poyson, he died strangely in the flower of his Age, of an issue of blood, which abundantly came from him, out of all the passages of his bodie.

[Page 3]In the same manner also died his Elder Brother Charles the eight King of France, neither did his other brother Henry the third, (who before hee was King of France swayed the Imperiall Scepter of Polonia) descend unto his grave by a naturall or timely death, so true is that of the Satyrist.

Ad generum Cereris sine caede & sanguine pauci
Descendunt Reges et sicca morte tyranni.
By a dry death, without some bloody end
Few Kings to Ceres sonne in law descend.

Herein you may observe how just are all the works, and how constant are the wayes of God, their Father Henry the se­cond of France promised his Father on his death-bed, that he would make no more warre with the Protestants, nor be the occasion of any more effusion of blood in France for Re­ligion, but soon after his death, forgetting his Covenant with the dead, and overcome with the evill counsell of his Queen, the warre began anew, and the old wounds being opened, the land again did sweat with blood. But marke the event, this Henry being afterwards at a Turnament, in which him­selfe would be a tilter, he was struck through the eye with the splinter of a speare, of which not long afterwards hee dyed.

His sonnes Charles and Francis miserably ended their contracted dayes by a terrible evacuation of blood, the wit of Iustice punishing that blood in their bodies which they had caused to issue out of the body of the Kingdom. Hen­ry the third a great contriver of that most horrid massacre, and Author of much Protestant bloodshed at the battels of Dreux [Page 4] and Moncontour, was killed afterwards himselfe by a Friar, and both the Murder and the Murderer commended by Xistus then Pope of Rome, neither of such faire hopes of posterity was there any one left, of the great and glorious name of Valois to succeed in the Kingdom of France. I have obviously inserted this, that the world might take notice how deere unto God is the safety of his people, and that he hath pacified the crying blood of the Protestants with the destruction of the families of the Monarchs of the earth. If you would give me the reading of it, I could furnish your observation with another story, which because it is very me­morable I will here insert it, and then returne from whence a little I have digressed.

Henry the third being slaine, the Crowne of France was devolved unto Henry of Burbon King of Navarre, who had married Margaret sister to Henry the third, she was a Lady of a delicate constitution both of mind and body, and admi­rable for her vertues and her vices, who finding that the Peers of France had estranged their hearts and their loyalties from her husband by reason of his religion, she perswaded him for the assurance of his Crowne, and the safety of his person, to turn Catholick again; which indeed once before he did, which was at the massacre of Saint Bartholomews, some 3 or 4 dayes after the solemnization of his marriage. But though that su­perstition be blind, what cannot the Iesuits see? They conceiv­ing that this alteration of his Religion was but dissolation in the King, they corrupted a villain with gold and the certainty of salvation, (as if the way to heaven was by murder) to de­stroy him; this desperate caitiff (under the pretence of private businesse of great importance) having passed the guards had accesse unto his Majesty, and finding him on the top of the staires stooping, and prepared to listen to him, hee struck at [Page 5] his brest with his knife, and missing it by a more merci­full errour, he struck his knife through his lip against his teeth. The villaine apprehended and the tumult appeased, a great Personage standing neare unto his Majesty, said unto him, Sir, You have denied God in your mouth, and now you feele he hath struck you in the mouth, I must beseech your Maiesty to consider of it, and not deny him in your heart, least he should strike you through the heart. Many yeares after this were passed away, and the King oftentimes in his mirth a­mongst other doubts would desire to bee satisfied in his knowledge of what Religion he himselfe was, and surely at the conference betwixt the Cardinall Du Peron, and Mon­sieur Du Plessis, it seems that he was more addicted to the Cardinalls part; howsoever not long after (it is too well known,) that passing through the street in his Caroach, hee was struck quite through the heart with Ravilliacs knife. The hearts of Princes are in the mercifull hands of God, who by vile Agents can deprive them of their temporall Crownes, to crowne them with glory and happinesse for evermore; how­soever this is a true and a sad relation, and of great use and consequence in all ages, if it precisely be considered.

I will not trouble you with a further repetition, how often in Queen Elizabeths dayes the Spanish faction by Warre, by Iesuites, and by some great though disaffected personages at Court did advance it self, and how often it was suppressed. VVhat title the Spaniard pretended to the Crowne, even in the evening of her raigne is sufficiently knowne and answe­red. I will passe therefore to the beginning of King Iames his dayes, who although hee was a most wise and knowing Prince, the Spanish faction found then a greater power to act their designes, and Historians a lesser liberty to expresse them: Almost at his very entrance into this Kingdome, an [Page 6] impudent and wilde Petition was contrived by Father Gar­net and other Priests and Iesuites, for a tolleration of Reli­gion and preferred to his Majesty, but advisedly rejected, up­on Arch Bishop Abbots grave counsell to the King; upon this deniall their Faction growing desperate, they enterprised (by the advice of the said Father Garnet) the Gunpowder treason, for which how farre they dived into Hell for coun­saile, the Devils themselves can witnesse. Not long before in eighty eight, they practised on the water to overthrow us, and now (as if they would make all the Elements accessary to our destruction) they contrived in the Earth by fire, to blow us up into the Ayre. And indeed it is no wonder they should so much practise with fire, and be so guilty of it, who are themselves the fire brands of Hell. One would have thought that such a desperate and so matchlesse a designe, upon King, Peers, Kingdome and people, should have produced the exe­cution of some Law, for the utter extirpation of all Papists, and their Iesuiticall adherents; but unfortunately such was then the interest with forraign Princes and the King of Spain, the entertainment of whose Pentioners, being some of our Nobility and Church Papists, came to no lesse then three thousand or four thousand pound a yeare, that after execution done upon a few, the further prosecution of the Law did cease; Nay so prevalent was this Spanish Faction with King Iames, that by many impertinent sollicitations, they induced him to condiscend to many things, which have proved since very prejudiciall to him, his Royall progeny, the Peace of his Kingdome, and the Protestant Religion then established. For in the first place, his Majesty was drawne to conclude a Peace with Spain, the most disadvantageous to this King­dom that ever was; for by it no English were permitted to trade into the West Indies, and if any did adventure so to do, [Page 7] he was to be hanged and tortured without mercy; from hence it came to passe, that the English who had resol­ved with the Netherlands for the sending of ten thousand men between them into those parts, were so deterred as that our friends the Netherlanders were left to shift for themselves; who now have gotten so great a footing in Brasile (which is not the tenth part of America, yet big­ger in scituation then three times England) that the Spa­niard will never be able to remove them thence. And while the English for many yeares sare still, the King of Spain hath beene so well inabled by the vast treasures that came from thence, to make full and due payment to his Iesuiticall Factors here, as that they ever since have performed most faithfull service to him. And lest any thing should be wanting to the Catholicke King underta­king the Catholick Cause, they perswaded King Iames to arme the King of Spain with two thousand Peeces of Ord­nance, under colour of which licence, Sir Iohn Ieme trans­ported twice as many, what others did is not well known, but it is conceived by able judgements, that if the King of Spain were as well prepared with men and shipping, as he is with Guns and Ammunition, he might beat us with our own weapons. And thus from one degree to another, they have still incroached on His Majesty. After this, with might and main they laboured for; and cried up his bound­lesse prerogative, a thing which Princes are generally over much delighted to hear, and by this his Majestie was drawn at last to disaffect Parliaments, as intrenching too much upon His Royall Prerogative, and regulating the Regall power, which never ought to exceed Law, but when it rendeth to the relief of the subject in mitigating [Page 8] the rigour of it, and not by impoverishing the Subjects, and oppressing them with illegall Monopolies and unwar­rantable taxations, which by wofull experience this mi­serable Kingdome hath too long felt and groaned under the burthen of them.

Many more particulars may be alledged, as the prevailing power they had with King Iames, when (upon the motion of Gondamore) his Majesty neglected the proffer of some German Princes, and condiscended to send his son and heir into Spain, for the contract of a marriage with the King of Spains sister, and one of a contrary Religion, which had it accordingly proceeded, it might have proved as prejudiciall and troublesome, as the marriage with France.

But the proceedings of the Spanish Faction since the accesse of His Majesty that now is unto the Crowne, I need not recite at large, they are all within your owne memory, yet for your better satisfaction, I cannot but report some few particulars. The first is, of the laying of their foundation at the Conclave at Rome, where it was concluded, that his Holinesse should have a Nuntio in England, and the Queen of England should have an A­gent at Rome, to act things here as should be there resol­ved on. Another was to perswade his Majesty by media­tion of the Queen (whom they too well knew and saw that he entirely loved) to prefer those to dignities and Courts of judicature, who might serve best to put in execution their mischievous designes, whereby it most unhappily came to passe that the Spanish Faction became the Cabi­net Councellors, so over-awing and over-swaying the greater and better part of the privie Councell, that their [Page 9] meer proposals past for resolutions, and hence it was that the Starchamber (where these and they whom these promoted and countenanced did bear the greatest sway) did abound with extravagant Censures, no lesse uncon­scionable then terrible, by oppressing the common people and maintaining illegall taxations, and inducing Preroga­tives far beyond the presidents of all former times, and surely had it not been for those exceeding powerfull Po­pish factors, the high Commission had not decreed so ea­gerly to oppose true Religion, by Suspension, deprivation, Excommunication, Fines and imprisonment, much lesse some Bishops and inferior Ecclesiasticall Courts, had not adventured with such animosity to propose, or with such violence to prosecute their own superstitious articles, as if they had bin Canons concluded on by the whole Church of England, or as if the Articles of these men which consi­sted only of Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, &c. (as every Bishop or slye Officiall thought good) ought to binde the the whole Church being so partially, if not corruptly re­presented. For are Cathedral Churches any other but such places which Queen Elizabeth and her Councell for some political ends, were pleased to let rest in some part of that popish splendor and magnificence which might take with the neighboring Princes of the contrary Religion, and not render her and her people utterly reconcileable to the Church of Rome. The Parochiall Churches then were better cleansed from Popish Reliques, according to the well setled constitution of other reformed Churches, and now forsooth better refined Parochiall Churches must a­gain be reduced to a Cathedrall garbe, because it is more ceremonious and majesticall, and therein more resembleth Rome.

[Page 10]Thus with the overswelling greatnesse of those cabinet Councellours, men were preferred to places of Iudica­ture in the Common wealth, which (I suppose) either could not or would not maintain Iustice, but were alwaies forced to advance prerogative above and against Law, the subiects by many woefull complaints can witnesse how many millions of monies in few yeares have been wrested from them under the name of Lone, Knighthood, Shipmony, &c. all which though unlawfull, yet were they either justified by the most part of the Iudges, and the people miserably oppressed.

The next plot which they no lesse endeavoured then obtained, was to weaken his Majesty both at home and a­broad, and indeed which way could they weaken him more in England, then to imploy the cabinet counsell to perswade him to make sale of his own proper hereditary land, and so without Parliaments to raise mony for the supporting of his royall dignity by unlawfull and unusuall meanes, which could not but much withdraw the dutifull affection of the subiect from him, wherein his chiefest strength consisted, and how could they have devised more to lessen the reputation of his wisdome and puissance with forraign Princes then by inciting his Maiesty (as if hee had married the conditions as well as the daughter of France) to begin a warre with Spaine, and then to con­clude it partly without, and partly against the approbati­on of the Parliament, and so afterwards to France it selfe.

To this may be added the taking of Rochell, for all the ayde of his Maiesties ships; the little assistance and coun­tenance which of late times hath been from England af­forded [Page 11] to the Netherlands, and from all their premises it may be concluded, that there were all destructive wayes to the Protestant Religion, and therefore promoted and prosecuted by great persons Popishly addicted to the ruine of our Peace, our Lives, Liberties, and (which is yet much dearer to us) our Religion. Was the plot small may we think by billetting of souldiers in all parts of this Kingdome, by intending to bring in forraign forces, espe­cially many hundred of German horse, and by proposing Martiall law to be put into execution, which now we see to take effect, yet it was under pretence of law, when there was neither Reason, Law, nor Equity for the raising of forces or any such great summes of mony as there was raised, which yet had they been imployed in any reaso­nable proportion for the good of the King or Kingdome, neither King nor Kingdome had been so distressed as now they are, but the truth is, as such vast summes were ille­gally extorted, so they were as fraudulentally disposed without his Maiesties privity, even to the strengthening of the professed enemies of our Religion, which now threaten the subjugation, if not the utter extirpation of it.

The next plot was for brasse mony, and the making of it currant, whilst the French of all other nations were permitted to carry our gold and silver, away, were they of what Sexe, Age, or condition soever. How much the Queen Mother had for her part is not, nor ever will bee certainly knowne, but, it is conceived upon very good ground, that she and her Iesuiticall traine have had two millions of mony, which is tenne times as much, as the Queen her daughter brought into this land; and if this hath not been a heavie burthen to poore England, let all [Page 12] men Iudge. But this is not all, have not the Iesuites had free egresse and regresse and intimate acquaintance, with Canterbury, Wren, and the rest of the Popish Bishops, whereby they procured the discountenancing, yea the suppressing of the most able and faithfull Divines and Mi­nisters of the Gospell, when in the mean time who were advanced and put into places of trust or preferment, but Arminians, and Socinians, whose poysenous tenents in some and many things are steps to Rome, in others more dangerous as being more subtilly contrived.

We cannot here omit (by their instigation) the recei­ving into favour of many great Delinquents who fled from the Iustice of the Parliament: the cessation of Armes in Ireland to bring over the warre and Popery in­to England; the Queens negotiation beyond the Seas, for the continuance and fomenting this unnaturall warre, partly in her owne person, and partly by her seconds. And to this end the pawning of the Iewels of the Crowne. The severall plots daily contrived to corrupt our soldiers, citizens, nay even our Divines themselves, all which are unquiet and dangerous issues and effects of the French and Spanish Counsells.

And now (when they can proceed no further in their mischievous devices) they indeavoured to continue the last and worst of all, which is still managed by the help of their old sure freinds who are so gracious at Court, and that is the separating of his Maiesty from his high Cour [...] of Parliament, and in keeping him from them, as also in causing an ill opinion in some people and Counties against their own representative body so advisedly now a [...] sembled, and at first aggregated from all shires. And indeed [Page 13] of all other practices this is most fearfull, destru­ctive, and the most desperate, for who could imagine (did it not evidently appeare) that the Papists both of the French and Spanish faction should have such an influence on his Majesty, as to make him beleive that his Parlia­ment is set against him and the good of the land, and that Privadoes and Sycophantes at Court are better affected and more able to seek for the good and safety of the King and Kingdome then they are, as if it were probable the wisdome, and till now the never suspected integrity of both the Houses of Parliament, by which the King and Kingdome have alwayes flourished could ever prove so treacherous to King or Kingdome, or be so carelesse of themselves and their posterity as to doe things dishonest and treasonable, or if it were possible that men for the most part who were never greatly intrusted by his Maie­sty, or the State, should bee able to give more faithfull Counsell, or be lesse subiect to erroneous advices then they are, who now sit in our high Court of Parliament. Surely as after many storms at sea, wee now begin to see the day and land again, so great thanks for their pains, pru­dence and patience is to be given to God by us, to whom (no doubt) the benefit will redound.

FINIS.

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