'Advertisements of a Loyal Subject to his Gracious Soveraign Drawn from Observations of the People's Speeches (1603)'

63r

Aduertisments of a loyall subiect to his gratious Soveraigne drawen from the obseruations of the peoples speaches [but is a libellous exception against sum proceding of the stat sinc the Kengs Comming]

It is said [tha]t your magistie will not continewe the p[ro]tection of the lowe countries, they bee the onlie yokefellowes as it weare of yo[u]r religion, & althoughe doubtles your magisties high wysedome will heare and see all inconveniences, yet the simple gospellers morne for yo[u]r resolution, and god graunt yo[u]r magistie repent not there dissentiones or els destructiones, for if the Spannard prevaile against those forsaken men, his forces by Sea are more then trebled, peace will inrich him, wealth will add to his pride, his pride will increase, his hatred to yo[u]r religion & people and the Pope the firebrand of dissention, even then when you are dispoyled of your best ayde, will discover his wonted malice against us. The prentended title of the infanta is not vnknowne to your Maigistie, yet shall not want the Anti christian furtherance, the Spannard is his dearest child, your kingdome shall by his unholie holines bee given fortiori: Alas they shall have noe worke at home, it will bee but sporte for them to warr vppon you: Principijs obsto sero medicina paratur:

It is saide [that], if your Magistie discontinewe the leage w[i]th the States, the French are readie to entertaine the bargaine: There is a certaine Anti[pathie] beetweene them and vs, and that is hard to iudge whether the Spannard or the french will proue worse neighbours vnto you, yo[u]r true Subiects therfore pray you to keepe them both at the staffes ende,

It it saide, [tha]t yo[u]r magistie doth receave an infinit nomber of peticions & the pooer foolish people think the king hath leasure to attend euerie private buisenes, Rid[d]e your hands beetymes of such importunities and except your magistie see great cause to the contrarie, referre them to the ordinarie course of iustice ordained for the ending of all differences, But if anie complaine trulie againest the cheif officers, of what place & dignitie soeuer they bee, heare them yo[u]r self gratious Soveraigne, make but one or two examples of iustice, & wee shall find a goulden chaunge suddenlie, but yet the lawe Talionis must bee put in vre and the vniust accuser, must bee seuerlie punished

It is said yo[u]r magestie giveth much, Liberalitie in a prince is a necessarie vertue, but your cofers are said not to bee soe full, as [tha]t they need emptinge nor your estate in soe great securitie, [tha]t it maie endure a leane tresurie, after two or three years triall of your neighbours confederates & there affections & the better vnderstanding of your owen fortu[n]es & occasions, your magistie shall better decerne out of what plentie, in what manner, & to whome to give your subiects haue bine of late years charged with manie Subsedyes & w[i] th out doubt wonder [tha]t your highnes doth not remitte the remaynder of the taxes and Subsides still behind, they saie it hath bine the custome of kings at there entrance vnto the crowne soe to doe, and there hope in that case is deceaved, they pray you not to followe the opinion of king Rohaboams young councellers not to suffer the long vse of taxes and Subsidyes to turne vnto an habite, for they vowe in defence of your ma[jes]tie the Gospell and the state, they willbe prodigall of there lives and livinge, They saie that some bee advanced to places of iustice altogether vnfitt for them, in that they are ignorant of o[u]r lawes and custumes, our aduancements to those of the gowen were wont to bee as those of the Feild, from an olde Souldyer to a lieftennant, from a liefte[n]nant to a Captaine and so orderlie euerie place in the campe, now in deed in the danger this is some difference, for an vnskilfull generall can seldome offend more then once, and his lyfe and all payes for [tha]t. But such a Magistrate by a thousand ignorants maie p[er]adventure inrich himselfe, and wrong a nomber of poore people.

It is saide that the mastershipe of the Rowles shall bee executed by a deputie the is held for a wyse and honorable gen[tleman] but the deputie now spoken of is not of honest fame, and god forbidde that soe good a king should make soe badde a pr[e]sident as to suffer a cheif place of iustice to bee 63vPerformed or rather abused by a deputie, or that the should make sale of your ma[jes]ties fayre gifte, the place was in a manner executed (before such weare the iudges) by deputy, w[hi]ch pro tempore weare commysyoners, but the due vse of the afternoone w[hi]ch the m[aste]r of the Rowles did vsuallie spend to heare & to end manie causes was a cheif want, where of the Client complayned, w[hi]ch course it is said the m[aste]r nowe being, cannot followe by reasone of his more neare and necessarie imployments about yo[u]r ma[jes]tie./

It is said that the respect at the courte of the Scottish by all the attendant officers there is soe partiall, that the English find them selves much disgraced, the meanest of that countrie maie enter [th]e pr[e]sence and were not w[i]th one controled but the English men very unseasonably I wis are kept out, the fault is not said to bee yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties, but is the foolish grose clauing of some of the English, but your Ma[jes]tie must provide least such discretion breed an vndiscreet æmulacon betweene vs, who ought as wee p[ro]fesse but one god and one king soe to have but one harte and yo[u]r English Subiects ought not to bee disgraced, for it must bee confessed right noble kinge that the kingdome and people of England made you great, many offices have bine taken from the English and given to the Scottish, and some that have served the state with good co[m]mendation w[hi]ch now you must esteeme done to yo[u]r selfe remayne vnthought [of] and vnrewarded./

It is said that your Ma[jes]tie purposeth to alter the manner of goverment and that fault was found with co[m]mon lawe and customes of England and especiallie our trialls by oath of xij men w[hi]ch is with out doubt the beste & equalest course and in it selfe b[l]est capable of corruption, euerie alteration even in a privat familie, much more in kingdomes breedeth hurts {gap: illegible} doubtles there bee abuses even in the courts at Westmaster and cheiflie in the Arbitrarie Courts, but yet yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie hade but once purified a feawe of the cheefest officers, howe suddenlie would yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie with one experience give the highest allowance to our co[m]on lawes and statutes w[hi]ch bee ever fitted with the occurents and natures of the people of this kingdome.)

It is said that yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie of an ingenious and r[o]iall nature not delighting in o[u]r popular salutations, doe passe by great tropes of yo[u]r co[m]mons with a kind of kinglie negligence nether speaking, nor looking vpon them, the poore sort of people are bolde with your ma[jes]tie: they prate of the manner of there late Queene, whthe when shee was publicly abroad would often stay & speake kindlie to the multitud, discovering her r[o]iall accepture of there dutifull ioyfull acclamacon and manie tymes alsoe saying that her subiects hungrie eies might have there fyll in beholding there Soueraigne: yo[u]r ma[jes]tie must needs therefore in some sort satisfie there Jealous affections, the poore rascales soe farr as they dare will be angry with you.)

It is said that yo[u]r ma[jes]ties followers as well English as Scottish doe proclaime open sale of the most noble and auncient order of knighthood, whereby some contrary to your Highnes intent of vnworthy condicion have for bribery bine vnworthily made knights, to the dishonour of your r[o]iall Ma[jes]tie and the disgrace of other noble vertuous knights.)

The kingdome and people of England made you great, manie offices have bine taken from the English and given to the Scottish, and some that have served {the} state with good co[m]endations w[hi]ch now you must esteeme donne to your selfe

The Plebes I wot[te] not what they call them, but some there bee who most unnaturallie & vnreverentlie by most egregious lies, wound the honour of our deceased Soueraigne, not onlie touching her goverment & good fame but her p[er]son with sundry vntruthes, and the foolish indigesta moles, your co[m]mons of London I should say some of them, for doubtles all are not soe lewd haue put out the name where yt was ingraven, and paynted vnder the armes of the kingdom And it is sayd [tha]t they are about to alter certaine monuments once dedicated to her as loth belyke to bee at anie new cost with your Ma[jes]tie Suerlie these 64rslanders bee the doings of the Papists ayming thereby at the deformation of the Gospell, wee will therfore praie your maiestie trulie magnanimious to p[ro]vide for the pr[e]servation of famous memorie by all good meanes./

It is said that manie auncient and poore officers at Court be displaced & there places given to yo[u]r countrie men the Scotts in deed to say true, it is meet [tha]t your ma[jes]ties true seruants should bee foer your maiesties nearest impoloyment, nor is it anie dishonour to the English nation [tha]t yo[u]r good seruants be pr[e]ferred soe that your ma[jes]tie leaue not the well deseruing disgraced, the people are rightlie tearmed a beaste of manie heads, soe manie men so manie minds, yet such is the worke of god, I heare euerie man loueth and reuerenceth your ma[jes]tie, let therfore the admirable name of your ma[jes]ties co[m]ming to soe opulent a kingdome bee ever before your eies: God is cheiflie to be honoured, religion to bee more and more advaunced, & the co[m]mon wealth to be cherrished, which consisteth cheiflie of home borne men, it weare good wee could forgett all difference of na{gap: illegible}[m]es and repayer the almost decaied name of great Brittane. doubt-lesse vnto soe wyse a prince a word is inough and therfore poore I haue allwaies in my privat conference mayntained yo[u]r maiesties iust title soe farr as I durst, will here end. Blessing my god that I see these happie daies, where in the kingdomes soe long disioyned be nowe vnited in one r[o]iall p[er]son whose posteritie I would soe obey god as they shall continewe kings of this land, vntill the desolution of the vniversall/

64v

Advertizement of a Loyall subiect