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 perceiued 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 archbishop of Canturburie hauing notice of
the minds of the lords, 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 necessarie for the wealth of the realme
and them all: whereto the commons with one voice cried, Yea, yea, yea.
After which answer, the said archbishop going to the duke, and knéeling
downe before him on his knee, addressed to him all his purpose in few
words. 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 reuerence set him therein, after that
the duke had first vpon his knées made his praier in deuout manner
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, taking for his theme these words, written in the first booke
of kings the ninth chapter; Vir dominabitur in populo, &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
discretion 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 almightie God,
which had prouided them of such a gouernor, as like a discréet iudge
shall déeme in causes by skilfull doomes, and rule his subiects in
vpright equitie, setting apart all wilfull pleasures, and childish
inconstancie. This is a summarie of his oration. But because 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
Fabian in ample manner as followeth.
The archbishop of Canturburie his oration, framed vpon this text, Vir
dominabitur in populo, &c: written in the first booke of kings and
ninth chapter.
[Sidenote: _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 ordaine
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
conceiued, |866| 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 threatneth 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
fearefull 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 quæ 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 whome 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 gouernour 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 childish conditions: of whom I trust I maie
say, as the wise man saith in his prouerbs, Prouerb. 3. cap. Beatus
homo qui inuenit sapientiam, & 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
consequentlie follow that he must keepe his commandements. By force
whereof 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, Prouerb. 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 ministreth iustice in due order, he not onlie safegardeth
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 vescuntur in tempore suo, wich is to be vnderstanded,
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
subiects. 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 delicious words vnaduisedlie, and
perceiueth not intoxication which they be mingled or mixt with, till
he be inuironed and wrapped 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 conscience
were outlawed, with iustice, stedfastnesse, and manie other vertues.
But of this perill and danger we be deliuered by the especiall helpe
and grace of God, Quia vir dominabitur in populo, that is to saie,
He that is not a child but perfect in reason. |867| 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 discerne & 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 forelooke 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 & principatus 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 iudicem populi, sic & ministri eius, that is, Like
as the head & sovereigne is replenished with all sapience and vertue,
in guiding of his people, administring to them law, with due and
conuenient iustice, 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 rector est ciuitatis, tales & inhabitantes 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
desolate and vnhabited. Wherefore thus I make an end. In sted of a
child wilfullie doing 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 began
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.
[Sidenote: The words of the elected king.]
After the archbishop had ended, wishing that it might so come to passe,
and the people answered, Amen; the king standing on his féet, said
unto 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 against
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 againe, to exercise the same as before, which they could
not doo whilest the kings roiall throne was void.
[Sidenote: _Thom. Wals._
The coronation proclaimed.