Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 After these words thus by him vttered, he returned and sate him downe in the place where before he had sitten. Then the lords hauing heard and well percei|ued this claime thus made by this noble man, ech of them asked of other what they thought therein. At length, after a little pausing or staie made, the archbi|shop of Canturburie hauing notice of the minds of the lords,The demand of the archbi|shop of Can|turburie to the commons. stood vp & asked the commons if they would assent to the lords, which in their minds thought the claime of the duke made, to be rightfull and necessa|rie for the wealth of the realme and them all: whereto the commons with one voice cried, Yea, yea, yea. Af|ter which answer, the said archbishop going to the duke, and knéeling downe before him on his knée, addressed to him all his purpose in few words. Thom. Wals. The duke of Hereford pla|ced in the re|gall throne. The which when he had ended, he rose, & taking the duke by the right hand, led him vnto the kings seate, the archbishop of Yorke assisting him, and with great EEBO page image 506 reuerence set him therein, after that the duke had first vpon his knées made his praier in deuout man|ner vnto almightie God. When he was thus placed in his throne to the great reioising of the people, the archbishop of Canturburie began a breefe collation,The archbi|shop preached. taking for his theme these words, written in the first booke of kings the ninth chapter; Vir dominabitur in po|pulo, &c: handling the same, & the whole tenour of his tale to the praise of the king, whose setled iudgement, grounded wisedome, perfect reason, and ripe discre|tion was such (said he) as declared him to be no child, neither in yeares, nor in light conditions, but a man able and méete for the gouernement of a realme: so that there was no small cause of comfort ministred to them through the fauourable goodnesse of almigh|tie God, which had prouided them of such a gouernor, as like a discréet iudge shall déeme in causes by skil|full doomes, and rule his subiects in vpright equitie, setting apart all wilfull pleasures, and childish incon|stancie. This is a summarie of his oration. But be|cause the qualitie of this volume is such, as that it hath set foorth matters at large: I will laie downe the archbishops words, as they are recorded by Fa|bian in ample manner as followeth.
12.1. The archbishop of Canturburie his o|ration, framed vpon this text, Vir dominabitur in populo, &c: written in the first booke of kings and ninth chapter.
The archbishop of Canturburie his o|ration, framed vpon this text, Vir dominabitur in populo, &c: written in the first booke of kings and ninth chapter.
Abr. Fl. out of Fabian, pag. 351._THese be the words of the high, and most mightie king, speaking to Samuel his prophet, teaching him how he should choose and or|daine a gouernor of his people of Israell, when the said people asked of him a king, to rule them. And not without cause may these woords be said here of our lord the king that is. For, if they be inwardlie con|ceiued, they shall giue vnto vs matter of consolation and comfort, when it is said that a man shall haue lordship and rule of the people, and not a child. For God threat|neth not vs as he sometime threatned the people by Esaie, saieng: Esa. 3. Et dabo pueros principes eorum, & effeminati dominabuntur eis, I shall (saith our Lord) giue children to be their rulers & princes, and weake or feare|full shall haue dominion ouer them. But of his great mercie he hath visited vs, I trust his peculiar people, and sent vs a man to haue the rule of vs, & put by children that before time ruled this land, after childish conditions, as by the woorkes of them it hath rightlie appeared, to the disturbance of all this realme; and for want and lacke of a man. For, as saith the apostle Paule ad Corinthos, 1. capite 14. Cùm essem paruulus, loquebar vt paruulus, &c: quando autem factus sum vir, euacuaui quae erant paruuli, that is to say, When I was a child, I sauored and spake as a child, but at the time when I came vnto the estate of a man, then I put by all my childish conditions.
The apostle saith, he sauored and spake as a child, in whom is no stedfastnesse, or constancie. For a child will lightlie promise, and lightlie he will breake his promise, and doo all things that his appetite giueth him vnto, and forgetteth lightlie what he hath doone. By which reason it followeth, that needilie great inconuenience must fall to that people, that a child is ruler and go|uernour of: nor it is not possible for that kingdome to stand in felicitie, where such conditions reigne in the head and ruler of the same. But now we ought all to reioise, that all such defaults be expelled, and that a man, and not a child, shall haue lordship ouer vs. To whom it belongeth to haue a sure rane vpon his toong, that he maie be knowne from a child, or a man vsing chil|dish conditions: of whom I trust I maie say, as the wise man saith in his prouerbs, Prouerb. 3. cap. Beatus homo qui inuenit sapien|tiam, & qui affluit prudentia, that is to say; Blessed be the man that hath sapience or wisdome, and that aboundeth in prudence. For that man that is ruled by sapience, must needs loue & dred our Lord God, and who so loueth & dreadeth him, it must con|sequentlie follow that he must keepe his commandements. By force wherof he shall minister true iustice vnto his subiects, and doo no wrong nor iniurie to any man.
So that then shall follow the words of the wise man the which be rehearsed, Pro|uerb. 10. Benedictio Domini super caput iusti, os autem impiorum operit iniquitatem, that is to saie, The blessing of our Lord God shall light vpon the head of our king, being a iust and righteous man, for the toong of him worketh equitie and iustice; but the toong of the wicked & of sinners couereth iniquitie. And who so worketh or mini|streth iustice in due order, he not onlie safe|gardeth himself, but also holdeth people in a suertie of restfulnes, of the which insueth peace and plentie. And therefore it is said of the wise king Salomon, Eccles. 10. Beata terra cuius rex nobilis est, vel cuius principes ves|cuntur in tempore suo, wich is to be vnder|standed, that blessed & happie is that land, of the which the king or ruler is noble and wise, and the princes be blessed that liue in his time. As who would say, they may take example of him to rule and guide their sub|iects. For by the discretion of a noble and wise man being in authoritie, manie euils be sequestred and set apart, all dissemblers put to silence. For the wise man considereth and noteth well the great inconueniences which dailie now growe of it, where the child or insipient drinketh the sweet and de|licious words vnaduisedlie, and perceiueth not intoxication which they be mingled or mixt with, till he be inuironed and wrap|ped in all danger, as latelie the experience thereof hath beene apparent to all our sights and knowledges, & not without the great danger of all this realme. And all was for lacke of wisedome in the ruler, which deemed & taught as a child, giuing sentence of wilfulnesse and not of reason. So that while a child reigned, selfe-will & lust reigned, and reason with good consci|ence were outlawed, with iustice, stedfast|nesse, and manie other vertues.
But of this perill and danger we be deli|uered by the especiall helpe and grace of EEBO page image 507 God, Quia vir dominabitur inpopulo, that is to saie, He that is not a child but perfect in reason. For he commeth not to execute his owne will, but his will that sent him, that is to wit, Gods will, as a man vnto whome God of his abundant grace hath giuen perfect reason and discretion, to dis|cerne & deeme as a perfect man. Wherfore not all onlie of this man we shall saie that he shall dwell in wisedome, but as a perfect man and not a child, he shall thinke, and deeme, & haue such a circumspection with him, that he shall diligentlie fore-looke and see that Gods will be doone, & not his. And therfore now I trust the words of the wise man, Ecclesiast. 10. shall be verified in our king: saieng, Iudex sapiens iudicabit populum suum, & principa [...]us sensati stabilis erit; that is (as saith the wiseman) A wise and discreet iudge shall now deeme his people, and the dominion or lordship of a discreet wiseman shall stand stedfast. Wherevpon shall then follow the second verse of the same chapter, saieng, Secundum iudicempopuli, sic & ministri eius, that is, Like as the head & souereigne is replenished with all sapience and ver|tue, in guiding of his people, administring to them law, with due and conuenient iu|stice, so shall the subiects againward be garnished with awe and louing dread, and beare vnto him next God all honour, truth and allegiance.
So that then it may be concluded with the residue of the foresaid verses; Qualis re|ctor est ciuitatis, tales & inhabitant es in ea, which is to saie, Such as the ruler of the citie is, such then be the inhabitants of the same. So that consequentlie it followeth, a good master maketh a good disciple. And likewise an euill king or ruler shall lose his people, & the cities of his kingdome shall be left deso|late and vnhabited. Wherefore thus I make an end. In sted of a child wilfullie do|ing his lust and pleasure without reason, now shall a man be lord and ruler, that is replenished with sapience and reason, and shall gouerne the people by skilfull doome, setting apart all wilfulnesse and pleasure of himselfe. So that the word that I be|gan with may be verified of him, Ecce quia vir dominabitur in populo. The which our lord grant, & that he may prosperouslie reigne vnto the pleasure of God and wealth of his realme, Amen.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 After the archbishop had ended, wishing that it might so come to passe, and the people answered, A|men;The words of the elected king. the king standing on his féet, said vnto the lords and commons there present:
I thanke you my lords both spirituall and temporall, and all the states of this land, and doo you to wit, that it is not my will that any man thinke, that I by the waie of conquest would disherit any man of his heritage, franches, or other rights, that him ought to haue of right, nor to put him out of that which he now inioieth, and hath had before time by custome or good law of this realme, except such priuat persons as haue béene a|gainst the good purpose, and the common profit of the realme.When he had thus ended, all the shiriffes and other officers were put in their authorities a|gaine, to exercise the same as before, which they could not doo whilest the kings roiall throne was void.