On the other side, the desire of the French king was as great, and no lesse were his hopes,The French king in hope to be emperor as well as the Spanish. which tooke their principall foundation vpon an opinion he had to corrupt the voices of the electors with his huge summes of monie: especiallie for that there were a|mongest them both pensionaries to him, and other|wise assured by manie good offices, who incouraging him with the facilitie of the enterprise, pushed him on to imbrace it. And for his part, as mortall men are apt to beléeue the thing they desire, so he nourished that hope with reasons rather apparant than true: he knew that commonlie it was a matter grieuous to the princes of Germanie to haue the emperors mightie; being gealous that in so great a puissance, they would not either in part or in all, quarrell the iu|risdictions and authorities imperiall occupied by manie of them. In which reason he persuaded him|selfe, that they would in no sort consent to the election of the Spaniard, & so of themselues to subiect them|selues to an emperor more mightie than had beene since a long descent and race of emperors. A matter which in his person séemed to be qualified, for that ha|uing neither estates nor ancient aliances in Ger|manie, they had no occasion of suspicion of his great|nesse.

The same reason also made him beleeue well of the conformitie of the frée townes, in whome much lesse that the regard of the glorie of the nation would carie it from him, séeing it would helpe to peize the ballance on his side, for that with most men the mo|tions of proper and priuate interest maie doo more, than the respect of publike and generall profit.The French king builded his hope vpon the humors of the princes of Germanie. He knewe it was not a little grieuous to manie noble houses of Germanie, pretending to be capable of such a dignitie, to see the empire continue so long time in one house; but much more did it discontent them to suffer that so great an estate, which of right ought sometimes to be giuen to one of them, and sometime to passe to another, should become a perpetuall des|cent and succession in one line: insomuch as they might call inheritance and succession that election, which durst not leaue the line of the emperors. That in that sort the empire was translated from Albert de Austrich to Frederike his brother, and from Fre|derike to Maximilian his sonne; and now there was deuise to passe it from Maximilian to the person of Charles his grandchild.

By these humors and indignations of the prin|ces of Germanie, he tooke hope that the discords and gealousies among [...] themselues might helpe on his cause, the rather for that it often happeneth in the con|tentions of men, that he that is excluded, or the par|tie whome he fauoureth, runneth with a naturall rashnesse rather to call in, and to aduance a third, than to giue place to him that hath opposed against his intention. Moreouer,The French king relieth vpon the [...]a|uour of the pope. the French king was not without his hopes in the fauour of the pope, both in regard of the amitie and aliance newlie past betwixt them; and also for that he was not ignorant how in|conuenient it would be to the sée apostolike to haue EEBO page image 851 [...] EEBO page image 852 the imperiall crowne inuested in Charls, nor so much for his owne greatnesse, as for that by the opportuni|tie and neighbourhood of the realme of Naples to the estate of the church, and the adherencie of the barons of the Gebelins, he had a plaine and open passage to run vp to the gates of Rome.