A Declaration of the Causes, which mooved the chiefe Commanders of the Nauie of her most excellent | Page 5

one thing is worth the noting, which was there found, that they couenanted in plaine words, with the shipmasters, that they should not passe into Spaine & Portingall through the English Chanel & vsuall way, but on the backe side of the Kingdomes of Scotland, and Ireland, a newe and strange, and without doubt, a dangerous course: by which their intention and deede, they declared howe litle they cared for good meaning, and how carefull they were to arme and furnish the common and knowen enemie of the Queene of England. But as alwayes for the most part it falleth out, deceite doeth neuer thriue with any man, and when men thinke most to deceiue, they are deceiued, and suffer the penaltie of their guile: for falling into the handes of her Maiesties armie vpon the coast of Portugall, and euen in the entrance of the hauen of Lisbone, they were brought backe into England, and by the lawe of Nations, are become prises to him which tooke them.
Here now they cry out, that the Commaunders of our Fleete haue delt iniuriously with them, they exclaime that the leagues are broken, that their old priuiledges in England are violated, which they chalenge to belong to their Cities, and ought to be kept and mainteined. As though that any man were so madde, so farre from the trueth of things, so carelesse of his owne safetie, so great an enemie to publike securitie, that with all his might and indeuour, would not preuent the mischiefe and destruction hanging ouer the Commonwealth. He that withstandeth not wrong when hee is able, is in as great fault, as if he destroyed the Commonwealth. The preseruation of the people hath bene euer accompted among all nations, for the very supreame Law. Are not the Hanse townes ashamed to maintaine and pretend a priuiledge, that is to say, a priuate lawe against a publike and soueraigne lawe? Did euer any king or Prince witting and waring, suffer such a kinde of trafike which should make his enemie ouer mightie, and though hee did not disfurnish himselfe, yet shoulde leaue himselfe more open vnto his furie, which otherwise were like to be vnarmed and vnable to wage warre against him?
[Sidenote: The English and French enemies: Charles the fift a confederate.]
In the yeere 1545. at which time the warres grew hotte betwixt the kingdomes of England and Fraunce, when the subiects of Charles the Emperour the fift of that name of noble memorie, would needes haue had free libertie of passage with all commodities into Fraunce, vnder pretext of their Newtralitie, What was the Emperours answere being a Prince of great equitie? Did he not openly pronounce that course of theirs altogether vnlawfull? let the Contract it selfe concluded the 6. day of April be lookt into.
[Sidenote: The Danes and Swethens enemies: the Hanse men confederats.]
When the Kings of Denmarke, and of Swethlande were at difference one with another, was it permitted to these Hansemen to conuay freely any thing into one of their kingdomes, which was not in deede ceased vpon & confiscated, if it fel into the laps of the other, not hauing first obtained speciall libertie for the same? Was this stately, & so much priuiledged name of Newtralitie at that time, of such force, that without vsing of any mediatour, it could recouer againe their goods out of the hands of the Danes & Swethens, & countenance the same in safetie, & securitie? Let them acknowledge that, whereof they are not ignorant, that although the Emperour Ferdinande and other Princes of the Empire dealt in their behalfe by way of intreatie and mediation, and that from the solemne assemblie of the said Empire, yet they in this case preuailed nothing at all with Ericke, the king of Swethland.
[Sidenote: The Emperour and the King of Poland enemies to the Moscouite: the English and Hanse men friends.]
And further in the time of hostilitie betwene the Empire, wherewith as then the king of Poland ioyned against the great Duke of Muscouie, went these matters otherwise then? Could either the English marchants, or anie other frequent the Narue in Liuonia, or any other partes of the Dukes dominions freely, and without daunger? Did the Hanse men which then were for their king and Emperor, deliuer and restore againe the shippes which they had intercepted and taken, from those which made such attempts? Many mens goods surprised by the Hanse men and others, as then intertained against the Moscouite, and by them still detained, without anie precedent prohibition of passing to the said Moscouite, are hereof very good witnesses.
It is also a thing well knowen, that the noble Prince of Orange, and the States, exercised the like iustice, as well against the Hanse men, as others in times