the houses of Bourbon, and Auftria, [4 B] with

without uneafinefs; and fubmitted to be led by his favourite quite contrary to his inclinations. A fure fign of his weakness! For princes have it in their power at all times to be obeyed, if they require nothing contrary to the laws and fuch of them as fuffer themselves to be affionted, contradicted or menaced by their fervants, and yet continue unto them their favour, fhew unto all men that they are unworthy to be trufted with the government and defence of a whole people. For their courage and understanding can be but of a very low kind. However, poffibly the fame reafon which induced James to pardon Somerset, made him bear the infolence of Buckingham.

[4 B] He profeffed himself a protestant, and boasted of his having been a kind of martyr for that profeffion, -but he suffered those of that perfuafion in France and Germany, to be oppreffed by the houses of Bourbon, and Auftria.] In his fpeech to the parliament in the year 1624, we have the following expreffions: "What "religion I am of, my books do declare, my profes"fion and behaviour doth fhew; and I hope in God I "shall never live to be thought otherwife; furely I "fhall never deferve it; and for my part, I with it "may be written in marble, and remain to pofterity as "a mark upon me, when I fhall fwerve from my religion; for he that doth diffemble with God, is not "to be trufted with men.

66

"My lords, for my part, I proteft before God, that 66 my heart hath bled, when I have heard of the increase "of popery; God is my judge, it hath been fuch a 86 great grief to me, that it hath been as thorns in my eyes, and pricks in my fides; and fo far I have been, "and fhall be, from turning another way. And, my "lords and gentlemen, you shall be my confeffors, that 66 one way or other it hath been my defire to hinder the "growth of popery; and I could not have been an "honeft man, if I fhould have done otherwife. And

P 3

"this

(6) King James's works, p.

$44.

without affording them affiftance of any value;

I

this I may fay further, that if I be not a martyr, * am sure I am a confeffor; and in some sense I may be "called a martyr, as in the fcripture, Ifaac was perfe

cuted by Ishmael, by mocking words; for never king "fuffered more ill tongues than I have done; and I (d) Frank-am fure for no caufe." (a)" Long before this, in land's an- in the year 1609, in a fpeech at Whitehall, he fays, nals, p. pol.ce that with his own pen he had brought the pope's quar "rel upon him, and proclaimed publique defiance to "Babylon." (b) Would not one think from thence that James had the proteftant intereft at heart, and that he was a mighty champion for it? that he had taken it under his protection, and had fought zealoufly in ́its cause those who knew not the man, might have been impofed on by his fpeeches; fuch as did, could not. We have seen his unaccountable behaviour in the bufinefs of the Palatinate, the lofs of which had well nigh terminated in the total ruin of the proteftant religion in Germany, as alfo of the liberties of Europe. For Ferdinand the fecond aimed at nothing lefs than being abfolute mafter over the Germanic body, and in conjunction with Spain, to have given the law to all around him. The confequence of which must have been the total extirpation of the reformed every where. But James was no way alarmed at the confequence. He would not endeavour to prevent it, but remained in a manner neuter, if you'll believe him, " for confcience, "honour, and example's fake. In regard of confcience judging it unlawful to inthrone or dethrone kings for religion's fake; having a quarrel against the Jefuits, "for holding that opinion. Befides, he faw the world "inclined to make that a war of religion, which he "would never do. In point of honour; for that when

he fent his ambaffador into Germany, to treat of "peace, in the interim, his fon-in-law had taken the "crown upon him. And for example's fake; holding "it a dangerous prefident against all chriftian princes,

value; directly contrary to all the maxims of

good

worth, Vol.

"to allow a fudden translation of crowns by the peo-
"ple's authority." (c) With fuch pretences as these did (c) Rufh-
he cover his cowardice, and his unconcern about the I. P. 16.
civil and religious rights of Europe.

66

Wars to propagate religion, are whimfical and impious: But wars for the defence of its profeffors, may be very juft and lawful. To have affifted Frederick and his honeft Bohemians; to have encouraged and kept together the princes of the union; to have diverted the power of Spain, which was at the command of Ferdinand; and by every honeft art to have rifen a force capable of withstanding the emperor, was at that time incumbent on a king of Great Britain. This I know has been denied by a very able writer, (d) who afferts, "that if (d) OldJames had entered into an immediate war to main- caftle's re"tain the elector Palatine on the throne of Bohemia, marks, p. “ he must have exhausted and ruined this nation to sup66 port it." But I must confefs I cannot fee that this would have been the event. The princes of the union were, 'tis true, not fo closely connected in temper and intereft as might have been wifhed; France weakly refused to aid the foes of Ferdinand; and the popish party at that time was moft powerful: But ftill a refiftance might have been made; and had James had kill and courage enough to have joined in it, it might have been effectual to have withstood the attempts towards bringing on the whole world a blind superstition, and a lawlefs rule.

To talk of ruining and exhaufting the British nation, by engaging in this war as a principal, is, in my opinion, unworthy of the penetration and abilities of this writer. Was France ruined and exhausted by encountering this fame Ferdinand, when his power by fuccefs was much more formidable than it now was? did not Richlieu obtain the greatest glory by advising the affiftance of Guftavus Adolphus; by fupporting him with money and troops; by drawing off the confederates of the emperor,

P 4

and

285.

.

good policy, and the conduct of queen Elizabeth, who valued herself, not unjustly, on

the

and engaging every State poffible against him? Might not the fame thing have been done by James, and that without injuring the British, any more than Lewis the thirteenth did the French nation? Gulavus Adolphus indeed was a great captain, and headed a brave army: But a great captain and a brave army could not have been wanting, had the king of Great Britain fallen heartily into the war, and supported it, as the king of France afterwards did by the perfons and purfes of his people. In fhort as a proteftant, James was concerned to prevent the increase of the power of Ferdinand, and þinder him from triumphing; for every victory of his was a wound to the intereft of the religion profeffed by him.

But we fee that he was fo far from doing what he ought to have done in this matter, that he fuffered the Bohemians to be reduced; his fon in-law to be expelled his dominions; and the proteftants to be brought to the very brink of ruin in Germany; from which only they were delivered by the force of Guftavus, and the abilities of Richlieu. Nor were the reformed in France more indebted to James, than thofe in the empire. At his acceffion to the English throne, the dukes la Tremouille, and Bouillon, together with the famous du Pleis, had a defign to make him protector of the calvinist party in France. (e) But they foon laid afide their defign after having had a thorough knowledge of his character. For no man interested himself less than James in their affairs, no prince gave them less affistance. He refused to Speak to Henry the fourth in favour of Bouillon, when folicited by him to do it, because he said it did not be(f) Id. ibid, come a great prince to intercede for a rebel fubject. (f) And though the reformed were a very confiderable body in France, poffeffed of places of ftrength and importance and capable with proper help, of making head against all their enemies, as they had fully manifested in the

(e) See Sully's memoirs, Vol.

II. p. 45.

former

the aids fhe from time to time had given them, to her own, as well as their great ad

vantage.

former civil wars: though they were thus powerful, and confequently important, he food tamely by, and faw them divefted of their strong holds, and rendered almoft wholly infignificant as a party. 'Tis true, James kept up a kind of correfpondence with Bouillon, whom at first he had refufed to intercede for, and by him gave affurances of his "affifting the reformed if the whole "body was affailed, the edicts broken, and they in "danger of apparent ruin : in which cafe (says Buck

ingham, in a letter to Sir Thomas Edmonds) his majefty doth engage himself to affift them; which "though he fhould have no other means to perform, he

will call a parliament for that purpose, not doubting "but his people will be as ready to furnish him with "means, as his majefty to engage himself to aid them

view of the

in that caufe." (g) But James was not as good as (g) Birch's his word, The reformed were affailed foon after, negotiathough not in a body; the edicts were broken in num- tions, &c. berless inftances, particularly in taking from them their P. 4c6. ftrong towns; and they were in danger of apparent ruin; (b) and yet I know not that James afforded them (6) See the leaft affiftance, any farther than by ordering his am- Howell's letters, P. baffadors to use their good offices on their behalf. "Yea, we are affured by the duke of Rohan himself, Hift. of the "one of the proteftant chiefs, that James urged him by edict of "letters (in any cafe) to make a peace, and to fubmit 11. p. 3439 Nantz, Vol. <c to, and wholly rely upon the promises of his own fo- 420. vereign, preffing him moreover to confider the affairs "of his fon-in-law, and affuring him that he could not (i) Duke of "poffibly give the reformed any affiftance." (i)

90. and

Rohan's

on the peace

Had the reformed been properly aided during the mi- difcourfe upnority of Lewis the thirteenth, their power probably made before, would have been fo great, that Richlieu's arts would not Montpellier have overturned it: nor would France have given that P. 44. at the difturbance to Europe fhe did, under Lewis the four- memoirs, teenth, Advantages (fays a noble author) might 8vo. Lond. "have 1660.

end of his