PROSOPOPOEIA. Or, A CONFERENCE held at Angelo Castle, between the Pope, the Emperor, and the King of Spain.  Pope. 
WElcome dear Sons, unto our court of Rome,  
blessing Apostolic and holy doom,  
shield all the house of Austria from mischance,  
And both their fortunes and your crowns advance.  Emperor. 
Thy feet most holy Father do I kiss.  
Of Church benediction if I miss,  
th'imperial Crown from Austria will be gone,  
which heaven forbidden: for then weare all undone.  
Bohemia's rebels with Hungaria join  
the Heretics from Danow to the Rhine,  
their heads, their arms, their forces they combine,  
'gainst Rome and Austria: Oh the Palatine!  
that cursed Calvinist with his partakers,  
those damned Schismatics the Church forsakers,  
upon our ruins seek to build their fortune,  
which makes me thus your Holiness importune.  Pope. 
The keys of Peter, and the sword of Paul,  
shall shut, and open, cut in sunder all:  
the gates of heaven, nations laws, and rights,  
and turn clear days, into the darkest nights;  
ere one of Calvin's, or of Luther's sect,  
with Roman Bays, or Aegle shall be decked.  Emperor. 
The threats and curses of the Catholics,  
are now despised by these vile Heretics:  
help by your counsel therefore Holy Sir,  
and show us means to quiet all this stir.  Pope. 
Thou mayst by reasons, and Embassages,  
by questions, answers, and like passages,  
win time a while, but these are out of date:  
Now sword, not words, do Kingdoms arbitrate.  
To neighbour friends, and subjects quickly send,  
that from surprise, thou mayst thyself defend.  
My Nuntios and my Legates I'll dispatch,  
more forces'mongst the Catholics to hatch,  
Ments, Colen, Trier, Catholic Baviere,  
hast thou in Germany, with other there;  
Thy uncle Albert, and the Polish King,  
unto thee quickly may their forces bring.  
And though myself with Florence may not send  
our arms so soon; yet money will we lend.  
The Cantons of the Swissers shall be waged,  
which to our See do hold themselves engaged;  
so is the Saxon Duke with his estate,  
to thee in Dresden and th' Electorate,  
whose elder cousins hopes will make him fear,  
and to thy fortunes, and thy house adhere:  
I'll also send to Savoy, and to Venice,  
to France our eldest son, and to S. Dennice,  
I'll fetch the saints from heaven, The fiends from hell, 
Flectere si nequeo sisperos, A●…eronta movebe.   
but I'll those drunken German traitors quell:  
Besides thy Spanish cousin present here,  
whom Europe and the new found world do fear,  
the Churches Atlas, and the Empire's prop,  
by strength, by wit, by friends, or gold will stop  
these proud attempts and dare of the Dutch,  
and break their forces, cost it near so much.  K. of Spain. 
If Caesar and your Holiness have done,  
observe the answer of your Spanish son.  
Not German Prelates, nor Bavarie can,  
nor King of Pole, yourself, nor any man,  
nor Tuscan's Duke, nor Albert my poor brother,  
nor Cantons Catholic, nor any other,  
bring timely succours, 'gainst the conjuration  
those Almaigne Graves have made in every Nation.  
Expect not help from Savoy, nor Venetia,  
who fear and deadly hate the house of Austria.  
I look for nothing from my son of France,  
for if he saw us down he'd sing and dance.  
And why should you from Saxon hope for more,  
than Charles my grandsire reaped from his before;  
who gave him all, and more than you do mention:  
yet shortly after in the great contention,  
twixt him and German rebels, he forsook  
his Benefactor, and against him took.  
And Caesar if at home thou look'st for aid,  
thy Kingdoms both are lost, thy strength decayed.  
Thine Austrian subjects also are infected  
with Luther's heresy, and have rejected  
the Papal dignity, and may do thine,  
and with their fellow Lutherans combine,  
and if for secure thou do send to Thracia;  
the faithless Turks, thou knowst do not love Austria.  
Spain then must help, or what will Caesar do?  
and how shall Spain help Rome and Caesar too?  
Shall Indian armies, be recalled from thence,  
Italian forces march away from hence,  
leave Milan, Naples, and our silver fountains  
ungarded, naked, to march over the mountains?  
Through Grisons' country lead the strength of Spain,  
or venture our Armada once again,  
to narrow Seas, and so at once lose more  
than we have got, in sixscore years before?  
So thou at Auspourgh, I in Arragon  
may shave our crowns, turn Monks, and live alone.  
You count your friends, but count not all your foes,  
whose strength, whose number, you cannot oppose:  
The Northern tract of Europe from Britania,  
tending to East, as far as Transilvania,  
(save Poleland and some trifles) is their own,  
ay me, in fourscore years how they are grown.  
Their Kingdoms, England, Scotland, Ireland, be,  
with Denmark, Norway, Sweden, six you see:  
besides those two which they have won from thee,  
being eight in all, and our Kings are but three.  
The number of their Princes, Dukes, and Countess,  
with their free Lords, and States, ours far surmounts:  
besides their many Palsgraves', and Burghgraves,  
with all their Lantgraves, Reingraves, and Markgraves.  
And as their numbers, so their spirits are,  
made great with hopes, 
〈◊〉 1618.  by the Prodigious star:  
which Blazed over Almaigne last December,  
portending change of states; and I remember  
their expositions, and their calculations  
of times, of Scriptures, and of situations.  
of Rome, of Babel, and of hills and dales,  
of beasts and dragons, and such fearful tales:  
wherewith they cheer themselves, and their new King,  
as if they Victors were, and bells do ring.  
Alas for Rome, alas for Ferdinand,  
Alas for Philip, must he needs withstand  
his own, the Empires, and the Church's foes,  
and so himself, the Church and Empire lose?  
Have all my Ancestors to five descents,  
by Conquest, wedlock, and like ligaments,  
tied Earldoms, Dukedoms, Crowns and Empire fast,  
hoping for Western Monarchy at last:  
and is the period of our greatness past,  
and our declining now begin to haste?  
Ah Nassau, Nassau, hateful Son and Father;  
Cursed be your name and house, you, you did gather  
the hateful rebels, into warlike bands:  
who now do State it in our Netherlands.  
There, there you wrote nil Vltra once again,  
and set up Eastern pillars, bars to Spain.  Emperor. 
Thus are our dangers, thus our fears related:  
thus be our minds perplexed, our hearts amated.  
If Rome have any secret wisdom hide  
laid up for wicked times, or ever did  
make wicked heretics feel Churches power,  
than Father now's the time and this the hour.  
Remember how two frederick's heretofore  
‛ frighted thy predecessors, this may more  
hazard thy fortunes, utterly suppress  
the Roman Church, thyself, and us (unless  
by some prime Stratagem) fetched from the deep  
thou dost thyself and friends from danger keep.  Pope. 

And are our friends so few and so untrusty?  
and be our foes so many and so lusty?   

One Innocent of ●ome in former ages,  
hath used three Kings for lackeys and for pages:  
And dare they now against our liking make  
both Kings and Kaisers? then you furies wake:  
Help me to store of pistols, poisons, knives,  
to fire and powder, manacles and gives.  
Bid Ravilltack and Clement high them hither,  
Let Gerad, Faux, and Garnet come together;  
Come ye Ignatians bring assassinates,  
left handed ehud's, that do rule the fates,  
and cut the threads of Princes lives a sunder:  
these Roman Scauola's shall make men wonder  
to see the upstart King with his partakers,  
in every nation slaughtered by massacres.  
I'll raise up Swarez, 
3. Famous jesuits.  Parsons, Bellar mine,  
Loyallas-selfe their father: and refine  
all human wit to one pure quintessence,  
against whose virtue shallbe no defence.  
Therefore fair Sons at nothing be dismayed,  
remember what your Father now hath said:  
You to Vienna, you to Civil go,  
help as you may to give the fatal blow.   K. of Spain. 
Come LLerma: look not sadly on thy friend  
But let's with Spanish patience wait the end.