THE ANTIQUITY OF ENGLANDS Superiority over SCOTLAND.

AND The Equity of Incorporating Scotland, or other Conquered Nation, into the Commonwealth of ENGLAND.

WITH Parallels to our former Transactions with WALES, and IRELAND.

AND Illustrations out of the Scottish, English, Jewish, Grecian, Assyrian, and Roman Histories.

By a Well-wisher to this Commonwealth.

LONDON, Printed by R. Ibbitson, 1652. ⟨June .28.⟩

The Antiquity of the Superiority of England over Scotland.

THat Scotland was anciently an Appendix, Province, or subjected state, to England, ap­peareth thus:

1 Wee finde in Marianus (a Scotch Writer) his History, that before the Con­quest, Edward the sonne of King Alured had the King of Scots under his obedience, as the said Marianus confesseth.

2 After him, Athelstan King of England, disposed of the Crowne of Scotland to one Constantine.

3 Some foure and twenty years after King Eldred tooke homage of the King of Scots.

4 After thirty yeers more, King Edgar received ho­mage from Kinabe, King of Scots.

5 About the yeer of our Lord Christ 1018. Malcolm King of Scotland, did homage to King Canutus.

6 About the yeer 1056. King Edward the Confessor, deposed the said Malcolm King of Scots, and put his sonne Malcolm into his fathers Throne, from whom the said King Edward received homage.

7 There was another Malcolm that did homage to William the Conquerour.

8 As also the same Malcolm did the like homage to William Rufus.

[Page 2] 9 About seven yeers after Edgar King of Scotland did homage to our Henry the first.

10 The like did David King of Scots, to our King Stephen.

11 Also William King of Scots did homage to our Henry the second.

12 And after the same William came into England as far as Canterbury to doe homage to Richard the first.

13 And after that neer to Lincoln, to performe ho­mage to King John.

14 Homage was done to our Henry the third, by Alex­ander King of Scots.

15 And Alexander the sonne of the said Alexander did homage to our Edward the first.

16 After him John Baliol King of Scots did homage to the same Edward the first.

17 In Edward the seconds time it was omitted by rea­son of the civill broyles, and infirmities of Edward the second; but to Edward the third was homage againe paid by Edward Baliol King of Scots, upon whom he bestowed the Kingdome of Scotland as a gift.

After him the Civil wars of England coming on, and our Nation being taken up with contests about Title at home, it had little list or leasure to make good the ho­mage due from Scotland, and our Title to it.

And thus you see what right wee have had of old to Scotland, which right now descends to the people of England (in whose right alone, our Kings held all they possessed) and is now more firme then ever, being reco­vered againe, by a totall conquest of the sword.

The Equity of Incorporating Scotland, or other Conquered Nation, into the Commonwealth of England.

HAving seen the right of England to their Superio­rity over Scotland; And having now attained jus inre as well as jus ad rem, a full possession of what wee have a right to, the next Vertue to our Valour is our prudence to keep what we have won.

There are but two wayes chiefly, of holding and maintaining of a Conquest over a neighbour Nation.

1 Either by a powerfull restraint, and constraint un­der the Superiority of the Conquerour, the said con­quered as a distinct Nation.

2 Or by an amicable invitation of the conquered unto an Integration and Incorporation into the Respublick of the Conqueror, so as to sit and vote with that conquering Commonweale in their Law-making, and paramount Assemblies, or Representatives.

Some have conceived, that by reason it is generally suspected that the Scots have been formerly for many ge­nerations complexionated, and as it were naturalized in­to an inveterate and strong Antipathy against the English, the onely way were to retaine them under force as a sub­jugated people to England.

But first against this, wee must ballance two great at­tempt that must necessarily concur to that course, which though very feisable for the power of England, yet too unbecoming and unseemly (if not unrighteous and irreligi­ous) in the eyes of so ingenuous candid and pious a Con­querour as England is, and have all along shewed them­selves.

For wee cannot well hold a conquered people under [Page 4]force as a distinct Nation, unlesse wee should first drive away their contrary minded Ministers. Secondly, Ex­tirpate their Grandees in interest with the people.

The non-doing of which two, hath made it so difficult (as some have conceived) for England formerly to hold Scotland as a distinct Nation in subjection to England; and so troublesome and chargeable to hold Ireland to their duty to England. And therefore this course did the harsh Heathen Assyrian conquerours take with the Jewes, in their severall captivities, carrying away all their Mini­sters, and secular men of note, for the generall, quite from their own Country.

Secondly, if a Conquerour should dare to doe both those, yet would it bee almost impossible, without in­finite expence, and labour to retaine a conquered Nation under force, because as long as you so keep them, as a separate and distinct Nation, severed in point of common interest and priviledge, so long also occasion is represen­ted and ministred unto them (as before their eyes) freshly and affectionately to remember their old condition, and to revive their Antipathy either to an anti-acting to the utmost as oft as opportunity opens it self, or to a sluggish non-acting for the peace and welfare of the Mistresse Commonweale. The Greeks found this true of the Jews in the wars of the Maccabees. And so did the Romans in the oft insurrections of the Jews in the time of Vespasian, and Adrian and Constantine the Roman Emperours.

The Romans therefore learning this experience of the Jewes, as also of their neerer neighbours whom they subdued, namely the Albans, Vosscians, Tusculans, Urians, Sabins, and Hernicaus after they had subdcued the said neer neighbours, in Civitatem (saith Cicero) receperun [...], t [...]at is, they admitted them into the Roman priviledge, as if [Page 5]they had been all one and the same City. By which meanes onely, they immediately enlarged at once the bounds of their Territory and Government; which at first reaching but fifteen miles beyond their wals, in so short a space fixt, were at to great a distance enlarged, as to comprise all that which we now call Italy.

All Historians (especially Livy and his Commenta­tours) applaud this as a most prudent course of the Ro­mans, to be imitated by all the world, upon the same occasion of Conquest made upon a neighbour inhabiting the same terra firma, or continent lying next the Con­querour, without a maine sea subdividing them at an in­convenient distance.

For instance, even at home, almost at our doors in Wales, though all the great ones were extinct, yet wee had much adoe to hold it, yea we could not hold it with peace or profit against the common people, till they were incorporated with us. For though Edward the first was so kinde to them as to summon them to our Parlia­ment, where they had liberty to vote, so as it was onely in order to the interest of their owne Country, yet because their votes extended no further, they never tooke it as a courtesie; but contrariwise that liberty of voting upon a separate and distinct interest, gave in [...]o their mindes, still to remember they were once a distinct Nation; upon which score they ever flew out into [...]ebellion, till it quit­ted the notion of a distinct Nation or Province, and was incorporated with us by Henry the eight, made a member and brought under the same fundamentall Law with England. Since which time all Antipathies and Emulations have by this meanes been buried in oblivion.

But yet it may be that the incorporating of a conque­red neighbour Nation may not bee done hastily, if wee [Page 6]will have it solid. And therefore these two rules are to be observed:

1 After the example of the Romans (thus far) to ex­tinguish the great families as to their interest and power, in, and over the common people. The reason is plaine, because these are the onely available incendiaries of the common sort, and will be the last that will sorget their old condition.

2 According to the patterne of the Romans, to admit the conquered by degrees unto an incorporation, as a triall whether the Commonalty will meetly settle; if so, well. But if the great spirits meane while grow impati­ent, and draw parties into fresh commotions, they will give new occasion of laying them lower, more stript of power and estate, and to further punish their adherents. Which additional smart, being uneasier then the former, and sinking them into deeper despaire of delivering them­selves, they will with open armes, and thankfull hearts imbrace so high a favour, as to be received into a partici­pation of interest, and immunities with their Conque­rours, and will, as Wales did, soon forget those deadly feudes, and sodder into amity, as if all of one blood.

FINIS.

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