THE DANGER wherein the Kingdom now standeth, & the Remedy.  
Printed, 1628.   

AS soon as the House of Austria had incorporated itself with Spain, and by their new Discoveries gotten to themselves the wealth of the Indies, they began to affect and have ever since pursued a first Monarchy.  
The Emperor CHARLES the fifth would first lay the foundarion thereof in Italy, by surprising Rome: from this, he was thrust by the force and respect of Religion: HENRY 8. being made Caput foederis against him. He then attempted it in high Germany, practising by faction and force to reduce them first to Petty States, & so to his absolute power. Thus HEN: 8. again prevented him, by tying the Lutheran Princes under his confederacy and assistance. His soon the second PHILIP, pursued the same ambition in the Nether Germany, by reduction whereof he intended to make his farther way into the other. This the late Queen of England interrupted, by siding with the afflicted people on the one part, and making herself the head of their Protestants league with the Princes on the other: drawing in as a secret of State the countenance of France, to give the more reputation, and assistance to them, and security to itself.  
Spain seeing his hopes fruitless by those unions and's straits, began first to break if he may the amity of France and England; but finding the common danger to be a fast tye, he raiseth up in that Kingdom a faction of his own, by which the French King was distressed, that had not the English Counsel and assistance relieved him, Spain had there removed that next and greatest obstacle of his ambition: his Counsel now tells him from these Examples, that the way to this great work is impassable, so long as England lays a net in his way; and the remove of that must be the first of his intents.  
This drew on those secret practices often against the Queen, and his open fury in 88 against the State; which she seeing by following the advice of a free Counsel, would never after admit of Peace, winning thereby the hearts of a loving people, who ever found hands and money at home, and keeping sacredly her alliances abroad, securing to her Confederates all her time, freedom from Spanish flattery, and so ended her old and happy days in glory.  
Spain then by the wisdom and power of that great Lady despoiled of his means to hurt, though not of his desires, makes up with her peaceful Successor of happy Memory, that golden League, that discerning us at home by opinion of security, and giving them a power in our Counsel by believing their friendships, & pretended marriages, gave them a way to cherish amongst us a party of their own belief, of power abroad to lead in jealousy, and sow division between us and our confederates, by which we see they have swallowed up the fortune of our Master's brother, with the rest of the Imperial States; distressed the K. of Denmark, by that quarrel, diverted the sweden assistance by the wars with the Pole, and maining him now with the ofex of the Danish Crown. And now whether from the plot, or our fatality, it hath cast such a bone between France and us, as hath made themselves by our quarrel of Religion a fast Confederate, and us a dangerous Enemy: so that now we are left no other assurance against their malice and ambition, but the Netherlanders where the tie of mutual safety is weakened, by daily discontents bred and fed between us, from some ill affected to both our securities; that by the doubtfulness of friendship, as we now stand, we may rather suspect from our own domestic faction: if they grow too furious, they will rather follow the example of Rome in her growing, that held it equal safety, honourable & more easy dare Regem, then subiugare Proviciam, considering the power they have in their hands, then to give any friend's assistance to serve the present condition of our state.  
You may therefore see in what terms we stand abroad, and I fear me at home for resistance in no better state: There must be to withstand a foreign invasion, a proportion both of Sea and Land forces for to give an Enemy an easy passage, and a Port to relieve him in, is no less than to hazard all at one stake; and it is to be considered, that no march of land can be of that speed to make head against the landing of an Enemy, nor no such prevention as to be master of the Sea: To this point of necessary defence, there can be no less than 24000. for the Land forces: if it were for an offensive war, the men of less livelihood were the best spared, and were used formerly to make such war Purgamento Repub: if we made no farther purchase by it: and for a safety of a Commonwealth, the wisdom of all times did never interest the public cause to any other, than such as have a portion in the public adventure, and that we saw in 88 when the care of the Queen and Counsel did make the body of that large Army no other than the trained band with which the auxiliaries of the whole Realm amounted to no less than 24000. men; neither was any of these drawn from forth their Countries and proper habitations before the end of May, that there must be no long agrievance to the public: such discontentments being even to us a more fatal Enemy than any foreign Force: the careful distribution and direction of their sea and land Forces, being more fitting for a Counsel of war, than a private man to advise of. I pass it over, yet willing when I shall be called humbly to offer up such observations as I have formerly gathered by the former like occasions in this Realm.  
To make up this preparation, there is requisite two things; Money, and Affections, for they cannot be properly severed.  
It was well and wisely said of the great Counsellor the L. BURLEIGH in the like case to the Queen, win hearts and you have their hands and purses. And I find that of late, diffidence having been a defect in the one, it hath unhappily produced the other.  
In gathering then of money for this present need, there is requisite three things, Speed, assurance, and satisfaction, and the way to gather as others in the like case have done, must be by that paith-way that is called, Via Regia; being more secure and speedy, for by unknown and untrodden ways it is both rougher and tedious, and seldom succeedeth: this last way although it took place as it were by a supply at first, and received no general denial; yet since, it hath drawn many to consult with themselves and others in the consequence, and is now conceived as a pressure on their Liberties and against Law; I much fear, if now again it be offered either in the same face, or by privy Seal, it will be refused wholly; neither find I it, that the restraint of those Recusants have produced any other effect then a stiff resolution in them and others to forbear: beside, although it went at first with some assurance, yet when we consider your Commissions and other forms incident to such like services; that how long it hangs in hand, the many delays that we may easily see, that such a sum by Parliament granted is far sooner and more easily gathered.  
If any make the successions of time, to produce an inevitable necessicitie to enforce it; if denied, whether in general, or by excise, or by imposition, or particular in some select persons, which is the custom of some Countries, and so conclude it as therefore the public state Suprema Siege, he must look for this to be told them; that seeing necessity must conclude always to gather money as less speedy or assured, then that so practised, which cannot be fitter then by Parliament, the success attendeth the humour of the heedless multitude, that are full of jealousy and distrust; and so unlike to comply to any usual course of leavie but by force, which if used the effect is fearful, and hath been fatal to this state: where as that by Parliament resteth principally on the Regal person, who may with ease and safety mould them to his fit desires, by a gracious yielding to their just Petitions.  
If a Parliament then be most speedy, assured and safe way, it is fit to conceive what is the fairest way to act and work it to the present need: first, for the time of the usual summons, reputed to be 40. days, to be too large for this present necessity; it may be by the dating of the writs lessened, since it is no positive Law, so that care be had that there be but one County day; if then, the same to be levied be once agteed of for the time: in the body of our grant there may be assignment made to the Knights of every Shire and County respectively, who under such assurance may safely give security proportionable to the receipts, to such as shall advance in present for the public service any sums of money,  
The last and weightiest consideration if a Parliament be thought fit, is how to remove or comply the differences between the King and the Subjects in their mutual demands, and what I have learned amongst the better sort of the multitude, I will freely declare, that your Lordships may be more enabled to remove and answer those distrusts, that either concern Religion, Public safety of the King and state, or the just liberties of the Commonwealth: for Religion is a matter that they lay nearest to their conscience, and they are led by this ground of jealousy, to doubt some practice against it: First, for that the Spanish match was broken by the grateful industry of my Lord of Buck: out of his religious care; as there he declared, that the Articles there demanded, in some such sufferance as may endanger the quiet if not the state of the reformed Religion here. Yet there have (when he was a principal actor in the conditions of France) as hard, if not worse to the preservation of our Religion passed, than those with Spain; and the suspect is strengthened, by the close keeping of his agreements; In the point there concluded.  
It is no less argument of a doubt to them of his affectios, in that his Mother and others, many of his Ministers in near employment about him are so affected, they talk much of his advancing, men papistically devoted so placed in the Camp of nearest service and chief command; and that the Recusants have got these late years by his power, more of courage than assurance) then before. If to clear these doubts (which perhaps are worse in fancy then in truth) he take a course, it might much advance the public service against the squeamish humours, that have more a violent passion then settled judgement, and are not the least of the opposite number in the commonwealth.  
The next, is the late losses, misfortunes, and losses both of men and munition, and how in our late undertake abroad, which the more temperate spirits impute to want of counsel, and the more sublime wits to practise.  
They began with the Palatinate and lay the fault of the loss there, on the improved credit of GONDAMOR distrusting him for the staying of supplies to Sir HORACE VEER, when Colonel CECIL was cast on that employment: by which the King of Spain became the Mr. of the King's children's inheritance; And when Count MANSFIELD had a royal supply of forces to assist the Princes of our part for the recovery thereof, either plot or error defeated the enterprise for us to Spain's advantage; That Sir ROBERT mansfield's expedition to Algiers, should purchase only the security and guard of the Spanish coasts; To spend so many 100000. l. in the Cales voyage against the advice of the Parliament, only to warn the King of Spain to be in a readiness and so weaken ourselves, is taken for such a sign of ill affection to him amongst the multitude; The spending of so much munition and victuals, and money, in my Lord WILLOUHBIES' journey, is conceived an unthrifty error in the director of it, to disarm ourselves in fruitless voyages, may (to seem over curious) seem a plot of danger, to turn the quarrel of Spain our ancient enemy; that the Parliament peticioned and gave supply to support upon our Allies of France, and so some after (a new and happily) gave much talk that we were not so doubtful of Spain as many wish since? it was held not long ago a fundamental rule of theirs and our security, by the old Lord BURLEIGH, that nothing can prevent the Spanish Monarchy, but a fastness of the two Princes whole amity, gave countenance and courage to the Netherlanders and Germane Princes to make head against his ambition, and we see by this disunion a fearful defeat hath happened to Denmark, and that party to the advantage of the Austrian family, and thus far of the waste of public treasure in fruitless expeditions, and an important cause to hinder any new supply in Parliament: another fear that may disturb the smooth and speedy passing of the King's desire in Parliament, is the late waste of the King's livelihood whereby is like and in former times to arise this jealousy and fear that when he hath not of his own to support his ordinary, for which the lands of the Crown were settled unalterable and called sacra Patrimonium Principes, that then he must of necessity rest to those assistances of the people, which ever were collected and Consigned for the Commonwealth: from hence it is like there will be no great labour and stiffness to induce his Majesty to an act of resumption, since such desires of the state have found an easy way in the will of all Princes from the 3. HEN. to the last, but that which is like to pass the deeper to their disputes and care, is the late pressures they suppose to have been done upon public liberties and freedom of the subject, in commanding their goods without assent by Parliament, confining their persons without especial cause declared, and that made good by the judges lately, and pretending a writ to command their attendance in a foreign war; all which they are like to enforce as repugnant to many positive laws and customary immunities of this Commonwealth; and these dangerous distrusts to the people are not a little improved by his unexampled course, as they conceive an Inland army in winter season, when forms times of greatest fear produced no such, 
Anno. 88  and makes therein their distracted fear, to conjecture idly, it was raised wholly to subject their fortunes to that will of power, then of law, and so make good some farther breach upon their liberties and freedom at home, then defend from any force abroad: how far at home such jealousies (if they met with any unusual disorder of lawless Soldiers) or unapt distemper of the loose and needy multitude, which will easily turn away upon any occasion, in the State they can side with a glorious pretence of Religion & public safety, when their true end will be only rapine of the rich (and ruin of all) is worthy a provident and preventing care.  
I have thus far delivered that (that which freedom you pleased to admit such difficulties as I have taken up amongst the multitude) which may avert if not remove impediments to any speedy supply in Parliament at this time, which how to facilitate may better become the care of your Lordship's judgements then my ignorance, only wish, that to remove away a personal distaste of my Lord of Buck: amongst the people, he might be pleased if there be a necessity of Parliament, to appear a first adviser thereunto, and what satisfaction it shall please his Majesty of grace to give at such time to his people, which I would wish to be grounded with present of his best and fortunate progenitors, and which I conceive will largely satisfy the desires and hopes of all, if it may appear in some sort to be drawn down from him to the people, by the zealous care and industry that my Lord of Buck: hath of the public unity and content by which there is no doubt, but he may remain not only secure from any farther quarrel with them, but merit happy memory amongst them of a zealous Patriot, for to expiate the passion of the people at such time with sacrifice of any of his Majesty's servants, I have ever found (as in Edw. 2. Rich. 2. Hen. 6.) no less fatal to the master than the minister in the end.  
FINIS.