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I doubt not, my Lord, but you know, that it is wiſdome for any man to looke before he leape, and to ſowne the water before his ſhip hul ther|on, and namely where the matter is of weight, there it behoueth to follow ſounde, ſage and ma|ture aduiſe. Wherefore, my Lorde, ſithe it is no Maygame, for a ſubiect to leuie an armye a|gainſt his prince: it lyeth your Lordſhip in hand to breath longer on the matter, as well by fore|caſting the hurt whereby you may fall, as by re|uoluing the hope wherewith you are fed. What ſhould moue your Lordſhip to this ſodaine at|tempt, I know not. If it be the death of your fa|ther, it is as yet but ſecretly muttered, not mani|feſtly publiſhed. And if I ſhould graunt you, that your zeale in reuenging your father his execu|tion were in ſome reſpect to be commended: yet reaſon would you ſhould ſuſpend the reuẽge vn|til the certaintie were knowne. And were it, that the report were true, yet it ſtandeth with the du|tie and allegeance of a good ſubiect (from whom I hope in God,The ſubiects dutie towards his king. you meane not to diſſeuer your ſelfe) not to ſpurne and kicke againſt his prince, but contrariewiſe, if his ſoueraigne be mightie, to feare him: if he be profitable to his ſubiects, to honour him: if he commaunde, to obey him: if he be kinde, to loue him: if he bee vicious, to pitie him: if he be a Tyrant, to beare with him, conſidering that in ſuche caſe it is better wyth pacience to bowe, than with ſtubburnneſſe to breake. For ſacred is the name of a king, and odious is the name of a rebellion:The name of a king ſacred. the one from heauen deriued, and by God ſhielded, the other in hell forged, and by the Diuell executed.Rebellion frõ whence it ſpringeth. And therefore who ſo wyll obſerue the courſe of Hy|ſtories, or weigh the Iuſtice of God in puni|ſhing malefactours, ſhall eaſily ſee, that albeit the Sunne ſhyneth for a tyme on them that are in Rebellion, yet ſuche ſweete beginnings are at length claſped vp with ſharpe and ſowre endes.

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Now that it appeareth, that you ought not to beare armoure agaynſt your King, it reſteth to diſcuſſe whether you bee able, although you were willing to annoy your King. For if a|mong meane and priuate foes it be reckened for a folly in a ſecrete grudge to profeſſe open ha|tred, and where hee is not able to hynder, there to ſhewe a willing mynde to hurte: muche more ought your Lordſhippe in ſo generall a quarell as thys, that concerneth the King, that toucheth the Nobilitie, that apperteyneth to the whole common wealth, to foreſee the King his power on the one ſide, and your force on the o|ther, and then to iudge if you bee able to cocke with him, and to put hym beſide the Cuſhion, and not whyleſt you ſtriue to ſit in the Saddle, to loſe to your owne vndoyng, both the Horſe and the Saddle.

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King Henrie is knowne to bee in theſe our dayes ſo puiſſant a Prince, and ſo victorious a woorthie, that he is able to conquere foreyne do|minions: and thinke you, that he cannot defend his owne? He tameth kings, and iudge you that he may not rule his owne ſubiectes? Suppoſe you conquere the lande, doe you ymagine that hee will not recouer it? Therefore my Lorde, flatter not your ſelfe ouer muche, repoſe not ſo great affiance either in your troupe of horſmen, or in your bande of footmen, or in the multitude EEBO page image 88 of your partakers. What face ſoeuer they put now on the matter, or what ſucceſſe ſoeuer for a ſeaſon they haue, bycauſe it is eaſie for an army to vanquiſh them that doe not reſiſt, yet hereaf|ter when the king ſhall ſend his power into this Countrey, you ſhall ſee your adherents like ſlip|per chaungelings plucke in theyr hornes, and ſuch as were cõtent, to beare you vp by the chin, as long as you coulde ſwim, when they eſpie you ſinke, they will by little and little ſhrinke from you, and percaſe will ducke you ouer head and eares. As long as the gale puffeth full in your ſayles, doubt not but diuerſe wil anerre vn|to you, and feede on you, as Crowes on carion. But if any ſtorme happen to bluſter, then will they be ſure to leaue you poſt alone ſticking in the myre or ſands, hauing leaſt helpe, when you haue moſt neede. And what will then enſue of this. The braunches will be pardoned, the roote apprehended, your honour diſteyned, your houſe attainted, your armes reuerſed, your Ma|nours razed, your doings examined, at whiche time God knoweth, what an heartburning it will be, when that with no colour may bee de|nied, which without ſhame cannot be confeſſed. My Lorde I poure not out Oracles as a ſooth|ſayer, for I am neyther a Prophet, nor the ſonne of a Prophete.Caſsandraes prophecie. But it may be, that I am ſome frãtique Caſſandra being partner of hir ſpirit in foretelling the truth, and partaker of hir miſfor|tune, in that I am not when I tell the truth be|leeued of your Lordſhip, whome God defende from being Priamus.