wyse intended against all states and persons professyng the gospell abroade, her Maiestie thought it very nedefull to thynke of some other meanes of more efficacie to induce the aucthours of those troubles to geue eare to some reasonable mocions of accorde, and not to aduenture the ruyne of a realme for theyr particuler appetites; and therefore determined to sende a solempne ambassade of a certeine numbre of personages of her councell, being of great aucthoritie, experience, and indifferencie, to repayre into Fraunce, to assay howe some staye myght be reasonably deuysed for these extremities, by preseruyng of both partes indifferently, to the seruice of the kyng theyr soueraigne, according to theyr estates of byrth and callyng.

But thys maner of proceadyng also could no wyse be lyked nor allowed, neither coulde answere be hadde hereunto from the good yonge kyng, nor the timerous quene his good mother, without the onely direction of that part, which both began and continued the troubles from the begynnyng.

And whylest her Maiestie was thus well occupyed, meanyng principallye the weale and honour of the Kyng, her good brother; and, secondly, well towardes both the parties beyng at deuision, without the preiudice of eyther; a playne contrary course and proceadyng was vsed agaynst her Maiestie, by the whiche was made manifest what was further ment and intended by them that had so often tymes refused to heare her Maiestie speake for mediation and accorde. All her Maiesties subiectes aad marchauntes, aswell of her cities of London and Excester, as of other porte townes in the west partes of the realme, beyng at that very tymet in diuers partes of the country of Bryttayne, resortyng thyther onely for trade of marchaundizes, and ready to returne to theyr owne portes, were in the same tyme‡ apprehended, spoyled, miserably imprisoned; yea, such, as sought to defend themselues, cruelly kylled, theyr shyppes taken, theyr goodes and marchaundize seased, and nothyng sayde nor deuysed to charge them, but onely furiouslye callyng them al Hugenotz: a word, though very strange and folyshe to many of the honest marchauntes and poore maryners, yet fully sufficient to declare from whence these commaundementes came, and what their intent is to prosecute, when theyr tyme shall serue them. Neither were these spoyles small or few, but in value and numbre greate and many; neither done by private furye, but by publique officers, who were also mainteined by gouernours of the countreys; yea, none of her Maiesties subiectes were there spared, that coulde be taken, though some escaped with great hazarde. Well; herof complaint was made [], where it ought to be, but therin hath ben as small regard had, as was before for robbyng of her Maiestics owne messengers with her letters from her embassadour, and yet the fact vnpunyshed, without any satisfaction for the same: wherin her Maiestie surely noteth and pitieth the lacke, rather of aucthoritie, then of good wyll. in the Kyng, or the Quene his mother, or the Kyng of Nauarre his lieuetenaunt; but seethe manifestly, by this, and by al other proceadinges, in what harde tearmes the estate of the yong kynge is set, 420 Aug. 1562

26 July, 1562.

+ 30 July.

19 Aug. 1562.

that can neither be permitted to preserue his own people and seruauntes, his owne lawes and ordinaunces, neither to aunswere to other princes and people, in fourme of iustice, that which he ought to do.

Vpon these, and other former daungerous enterprises agaynste her Maiestie and her crowne, may it well appeare, to all persons of indifferent iudgement, howe these violent proceadynges in Fraunce, conducted at this tyme by the Duke of Guyse and his adherentes, do touch the Quenes Maiestie much nearer for her state and realme, then anye other prince of Christendome. Wherfore, seyng the aucthoritie of the King and the Quene his mother, with theyr quiet good councellours, can not at this tyme haue place to direct theyr affayres, neyther towardes theyr owne people, nor towardes theyr neyghbours; neither can any mediation, sought by her Maiestie, for concorde, be allowed; but, contrarywise, the tender persons of the king, and the quene his mother, be manifestlye abused, and daungerouslye caried about, for the particuler pleasures onely of a fewe persons, and specially those of Guyse, to waste the kinges countreys, to sacke and spoyle his ryche and greate townes, to kyll and murder the multitude of his good and true subiectes: And, seyng also the quarrell manifestly publyshed, and prosecuted, both by wrytyng and otherwyse, by them, is to subuert the whole profession of true religion through Christendome by force, without mercy, and thereby to stirre vp a ciuile blouddy lamentable warre in all Christendome. Lastly, seyng they, whiche be the aucthours and mainteyners of all these diuisions, are well knowen to the worlde to be the same that, when tyme serued them, bent theyr whole endeuours to offende and diminishe the crowne and dignitie of this realme of Englande +; and of late tyme, for the exaltation of theyr particuler house, deuysed vniustly to assayle the whole crowne of Englande ‡ by sundrye wayes; though, by Gods goodnes, theyr practises and counsels turned, for that tyme, to theyr owne confusion, as, by the same goodnes, they shall at all tymes hereafter.

Howe may her Maicstic, without note of manifest vnkyndnes to her deare yonge brother and confederat; of vnmercifulnes to her next neighbours, his subiectes; of vncarefulnes to the common quiet of Christendome; and, lastly, whiche is nearest to her selfe, of mere negligence to the suertie of her owne estate, her countrey, and people, suffer these fewe troublesome men, firste, to destroye and shedde the bloud of a number of Chrystien people, whose bloud, by nearnesse of place to her maiesties realme, may be stopped, or some wyse saued: Nexte, to surprise and take such townes and hauens, whereby theyr former long intended and many fest practises agaynst the crowne of this realme may be most easyly for them, and daungerously for this realme, put in vre and execution. Wherfore, for these reasonable, evident, vrgent, and necessary considerations, and not without the lamentable and continuall request of the Frenche kynges subiects, her maiesties nexte neyghbours, crying to her maiestie onelye for defence of themselues, their portes, and townes, from tiranny and subuertion, duryng this theyr kynges minoritie,

• Protestant and Evangelical.

By denying the restitution of Calice. + From 1560. there were French armies sent by way of Scotlande, and other denyses, to clayme the crowne of Englande, &c.

or, at the least, duryng this his vnhabilitie to pacifie these troubles; her Maiestie hath put certayne numbres of her subiectes in order, both by sea and land, to saue some parte of her good brothers innocent people from this tiranny, slaughter, and ruyne; and to preserue some speciall townes and portes of importaunce for the kyng, her good brother, that they come not into the possession of them; who, yf they hadde them, myght more easely therby prosecute theyr old particuler practises against this realme, as in tymes lately paste they dyd manifestly attempte; wherby of necessitie they muste nedes endaunger the perpetuitie of the peace betwixt the Frenche kyng and her Maiestie, and so, consequentlye, though agaynste the meanyng of the kyng, depriue her Maiestie of her good ryght to her towne of Callyce, and the membres thereof, wherof it behoueth her Maiestie, as thinges be handled, to haue good regarde. And in this sort her Maiestie doubteth not, but the sinceritie of her doynges, tendyng onely to procure Chrystien quietnes, by sauing of Chrystien bloud, shal wel please Almyghtie God; content the kyng her good brother, when he shal be in estate and libertie, to ponder the same indifferentlye; and serue also for the iuste and naturall defence of her selfe, her people, and countreys; and, finallye, by Gods grace, shal establyshe the continuaunce of some more assured peace and concorde betwixt both theyr Maiesties and countreys, so as eyther of them quietly enioy and rule theyr own. And, in the meane time, her Maicstie assureth the sayde kyng, the quene his mother, the kyng of Navare, and al his good councellours and subiectes, that, whatsoeuer anye malicious or miscontented person shall sinisterly report of her intent and doynges, her Maiestie meaneth nothing herin, but sincerely, and as the necessitie of the time and cause requireth, without vsurpyng any thyng, or doyng wrong or violence towardes any the French kynges subiects; protesting before God and all the worlde, that her meanyng is for a necessary defence onely of the true and good subiectes of the Frenche kyng, whiche otherwyse apparantly, in this troublesome tyme, shoulde be violentlye kylled or destroyed: And so, consequentlye, her Maiestie intendeth, by al maner of meanes possible, to kepe and continue good peace with the sayde Kyng and all his countreys, and to neglect no reasonable meanes, that may procure libertie to hym selfe, and quietnesse betwixt his subiectes; which then shall succede, when it shall please Almyghtye God to geue to the first and chiefe aucthours of these troubles grace to content them selues with theyr owne estates, and to lyue within the compasse of theyr degrees, lyke quiet subiectes, and fauourers of the common peace and tranquillitie of Christendome: A matter more necessarye at this tyme to be sought for, rather by coniunction of Christen princes and states in vnitie of mynde, and loue of peace and concorde, then in this sorte by sworde and fyre, by priuate deuises and secrete factions to stirre a deuision and ciuile warre in Christendome, vnder the cloke and pretence of religion.

The Guises.

A LETTER

FROM

SIR HENRY SIDNEY, TO HIS SON, SIR PHILIP SIDNEY,

Consisting of

RULES, IN HIS CONDUCT IN LIFE.

MS.

I

Son Philip,

HAVE received two letters from you, the one written in Latin, the other in French, which I take in good part, and will you to exercise that practice of learning often, for it will stand you in stead, in that profession of life which you are born to live in; and now, since that this is my first letter that ever I did write to you, I will not, that it be all empty of some advices, which my natural care of you provoketh me to with you, to follow as documents to you in this tender age. Let your first action be the lifting up of your hands and mind to Almighty God, by hearty prayer, and feelingly digest the words you speak in prayer with continual meditations and thinking of him to whom you pray, and use this at an ordinary hour, whereby, the time itself will put you in remembrance to do that thing which you are accustomed in that time.

2. Apply your study such hours as your discreet master doth assign you earnestly, and the time I know he will so limit, as shall be both sufficient for your learning, and safe for your health; and mark the sense and matter of that you read, as well as the words; so shall you both inrich your tongue with words, and your wit with matter; and judgment will grow, as years grow on you.

3. Be humble and obedient to your master, for unless you frame yourself to obey, yea, and to feel in yourself what obedience is, you shall never be able to teach others, how to obey you hereafter.

4. Be courteous of gesture, and affable to all men with universality of reverence, according to the dignity of the person; there is nothing that winneth so much with so little cost.

5. Use moderate diet, so as after your meat you may find your wit fresher, and not duller; and your body more lively, and not more heavy.

6. Seldom drink wines, and yet sometimes do, lest being forced to drink upon the sudden, you should find yourself inflamed.

7. Use exercise of body, but such as is without peril of your bones or joints; it will much increase your force, and inlarge your breath.

8. Delight to be cleanly, as well in all parts of your body, as in your garments; it shall make you grateful in each company, and otherwise loathsome.

9. Give yourself to be merry, for you degenerate from your father, if you find not yourself most able in wit and body to do any thing, when you be most merry; but let your mirth be ever void of all scurrility and biting words to any man, for a wound given by a word is harder to be cured than that which is given by a sword.

10. Be you rather a hearer and bearer away of other men's talk than a beginner, or procurer of speech, otherwise you will be accounted to delight to hear yourself speak.

11. Be modest in each assembly, and rather be rebuffed of light fellows for a maiden shamefacedness, than of your sober friends, for pert boldness.

12. Think of every word you will speak before you utter it, and remember how nature hath, as it were, rampired up the tongue with teeth, lips, yea, and hair without the lips, and all betoken reins and bridles to the restraining the use of that member.

13. Above all things tell no untruth, no not in trifles, the custom of it is naught; and let it not satisfy you, that the hearers for a time take it for a truth, for afterwards it will be known as it is to shame, and there cannot be a greater reproach to a gentleman than to be accounted a lyar.

14. Study and endeavour yourself to be virtuously occupied, so shall you make such a habit of well doing, as you shall not know how to do evil though you would.

15. Remember, my son, the noble blood you are descended of by your mother's side, and think, that only by a virtuous life, and good actions, you may be an ornament to your illustrious family, and otherwise through vice and sloth you may be esteemed Labes Generis, one of the greatest curses that can happen to a man; well, my little Philip, this is enough for me, and I fear too much for you at this time, but yet if I find that this light meat of digestion do nourish any thing the weak stomach of your young capacity, I will, as I find the same grow stronger, feed it with tougher food. Farewel; your mother and I send you our blessing, and Almighty God grant you his; nourish you with his fear; guide you with his grace, and make you a good servant to your prince and country.

Your loving Father,

HENRY SIDNEY.