Page:The Works of Francis Bacon (1884) Volume 1.djvu/454

 326 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. Saven : and thanking his holiness that he had his father, received the kingdom of France in luorw Honoured the celebration of his marriage with the flourishing and spread estate than it had been of presence of his ambassador ; and offering both his, many years before; being redintegrate in those person and the forces of his kingdom, upon all oc casions, to do him service. The ambassador making his oration to the pope, principal members, which anciently had beii portions of the crown of France, and were alter ward dissevered, so as they remained only in ho in the presence of the cardinals, did so magnify mage and not in sovereignty, being governed byab- the king and queen, as was enough to glut the solute princes of their own, Anjou, Normandy, Pro vence, and Burgundy. There remained only Bri tain to be reunited, and so the monarchy of France to be reduced to the ancient terms and bounds. hearers. But then he did again so extol and dei fy the pope, as made all that he had said in praise of his master and mistress seem temperate and passable. But he was very honourably entertain ed, and extremely much made on by the pope : who knowing himself to be lazy and unprofitable to the Christian world, was wonderfully glad to hear that there were such echoes of him sounding in remote parts. He obtained also of the pope a very just and honourable bull, qualifying the pri vileges of sanctuary, wherewith the king had been extremely gulled in three points. The first, that if any sanctuary man did by night, or otherwise,- get out of sanctuary privily, and commit mischief and trespass, and then come in again, he should lose the benefit of sanctuary for ever after. The second, that howsoever the per son of the sanctuary man was protected from his creditors, yet his goods out of sanctuary should not. The third, that if any took sanctuary for case of treason, the king might appoint him keepers to look to him in sanctuary. The king also, for the better securing of his es tate against mutinous and malcontented subjects, whereof he saw the realm was full, who might have their refuge into Scotland, which was not under key as the ports were ; for that cause rather than for any doubt of hostility from those parts, before his coming to London, when he was at Newcastle, had sent a solemn ambassage unto James the Third, King of Scotland, to treat and conclude a peace with him. The ambassadors were, Richard Fox, Bishop of Exeter, and Sir Richard Edgcombe, comptroller of the king s house, who were honourably received and enter tained there. But the King of Scotland, labour ing of the same disease that King Henry did, though more mortal, as afterwards appeared, that is, discontented subjects, apt to rise and raise tu mult, although in his own affection he did much desire to make a peace with the king ; yet finding his nobles averse, and not daring to them, concluded only a truce for seven years; giving nevertheless promise in private, that it should be renewed from time to time during the two king s lives. Hitherto the king had been exercised in settling his affairs at home. But about this time brake forth an occasion that drew him to look abroad, and to hearken to foreign business. Charles the King Charles was not a little inflamed with an ambition to re-purchase and re-annex that duchy : which his ambition was a wise and well-weighed ambition ; not like unto the ambitions of his suc ceeding enterprises of Italy. For at that time, being newly come to the crown, he was somewhat guided by his father s counsels, counsels not coun sellors, for his father was his own council, and had few able men about him. And that king, he knew well, had ever distasted the designs of Italy, and in particular had an eye upon Britain. There were many circumstances that did feed the am bition of Charles with pregnant and apparent hopes of success : the Duke of Britain, old, and entered into a lethargy, and served with merce nary counsellors, father of two only daughters, the one sickly and not likely to continue ; King Charles himself in the flower of age, and the sub jects of France at that time well trained for war, both for leaders and soldiers ; men of service be ing not yet worn out since the wars of Lewis against Burgundy. He found himself also in peace with all his neighbour princes. As for those that might oppose to his enterprise, Maxi milian King of the Romans, his rival in the same desires, (as well for the duchy, as the daughter,) feeble in means ; and King Henry of England, as well somewhat obnoxious to him for his favours and benefits, as busied in his particular troubles at home. There vas also a fair and specious occasion offered him to hide his ambition, and to justify his warring upon Britain ; for that the duke had received and succoured Lewis Duke of Orleans, and other of the French nobility, which had taken arms against their king. Wherefore, King Charles, being resolvecl upon that war, knew well he could not receive any opposition so potent, as if King Henry should, either upon po licy of state in preventing the growing greatness of France, or upon gratitude unto the Duke of Britain for his former favours in the time of his distress, es pouse thatquarrel, and declare himself in aid of the duke. Therefore he no sooner heard that King Henry was settled by his victory, but forthwith he sent ambassadors unto him to pray his assist ance, or at least that he would stand neutral. Which ambassadors found the king at Leicester, Eighth, the French king, by the virtue and goodfor- ) and delivered their embassage to this effect: they tune of his two immediate predecessors, Charles the first imparted unto the king the success that their, his grandfather, and Lewis the Eleventh, ! master had had a little before against Maximilian.