The king by the chancellor declareth in parliament, that the mar riage with Margaret, the King of Sicily's daughter, was contracted for inducing the peace made with the French, to which the lords (not by their advice effected) make protestation, and enter it upon the roll. The king intending to pass in person into France, then to treat of peace with the king, advises with his lords and commons in parliament; and letters of mart are granted against the Britons for spoils done to the English merchants. The Lord Hastings and the Abbot of Gloucester declared in par liament the preparation of the French, the breach by them of the peace, the weak defence of Normandy, and expiration shortly of the truce; requiring speedy advice and remedy. It was injoined the parliament || to provide for the defence of the sea and land against the French. It was commanded by the king to the states assembled§, to advise for the well ordering of his house, payment of his soldiers at Calais, guard of the seas, raising of the siege at Berwick made by the Scots against the truce, disposing of the thirteen thousand soldiers arrayed the last parliament, according of differences amongst the lords, restraining transportation of gold and silver, and acquitting the disorders in Wales; of all which committees are appointed to frame bills. Edward the Fourth, by the chancellor, declareth to the lords and commons (a), that having peace with the Scots, entered league with Spain and Denmark, contracted with Burgundy and Britain for their aid, in recovery of his right in France; he had now assembled them to give their advice and counsel therein proceeding, with a charge in a second session again pressed them. The like was at another parliament (b). After this time, the journals of parliaments have been either not well preserved, or not carefully entered; for I can find of this nature no record, until the first of Henry the Seventh, wherein the commons, by Thomas Lovel, their speaker, petitioned the king to take to wife Elisabeth, the daughter of Edward the Fourth, to which at their request he agreeth. The next is the third of Henry the Eighth (c), in which, from the king, the chancellor delivereth to the three estates the cause of their assembly. The first to advise a course for resisting the invasion of the Scots; next how to acquit the quarrel between the king and the Castiles, and the Duke of Guilders. Lastly, for assisting the Pope (d) against Lewis of France, whose bull, expressing the injuries done to the apostolick see, was read by the master of the rolls in open parliament; the chancellor, treasurer, and other lords sent down unto the commons to confer thereof. The last in the thirty-second, where the chancellor, remembering the many troubles the state had undergone in doubtful titles of succession, declareth that the convocation had judged void the marriage with Anne of Cleves; yet the king would not proceed without the counsel of the three estates*. The two archbishops are sent to the commons with the sentence sealed, which being read, and there discussed, they pass a bill against the marriage +. In all these passages of publick counsel, wherein I have been much assisted by the painful labours of Mr. Elsing, clerk of the parliament, I still observe that the sovereign lord, either in best advice, or most necessities, would entertain the commons with the weightiest causes, either foreign or domestick, to adapt and bind them so to readiness of charge; and they as warily avoiding to shun expence; their modest answers may be a rule for ignorant liberty to form their duties, and humbly to entertain such weighty counsels at their sovereign's pleasure; and not out of the wild sin of any factious spirits. I will only add one foreign example, to shew what use hath been formerly made of pretended marriages, and of parliaments to dissolve them, their first ends served. Maximilian the emperor, and Ferdinand of Spain, the one to secure his possessions in Italy, the other to secure the kingdom of Navarre: to both which the French king stood in the way, projecting a marriage of Charles the grand-child with Mary, the King of England's sister; it was embraced, a contract per verba de præsenti, passed, and a book published, of the benefits and liberty to ensue to the Christian world by this match. Upon this ground Ferdinand begins to incite King Henry the Eighth to war in France; presents him with succour, and designs him Guienne to be the mark; Dorset is sent with men and ammunition to join with the Spanish forces. Then on the borders of Navarre the noise is, they come to assist Ferdinand in conquest of that kingdom, which (though false) gains such reputation, that Albert was disheartened, and Ferdinand possessed himself of that which his successors since retained, his ends served; the English army in the depth of winter, weak and weather-beaten, are returned fruitless. Maximilian then allureth the young and active king to begin with France, on the other side Turway; and Turway is now the object whither Henry the Eighth goeth with victory, but, advised with that pittance, maketh an end with France, whose eye and heart were set on Maximilian.. A new bait the old emperor casteth out to catch the ambitious young man; he will needs resign unto him the empire, too heavy for his age to bear t. The Cardinal Sedanensis, is sent over to sign the agreement, which he did, and France must now again be made an enemy. To prevent this danger, France releaseth his title to Naples, and offereth his Infanta Lampsia to Maximilian's grand-child, Charles of Noyen ||. Rot. 9. Hen. VIII. Pral. + Ex Instrument. Original. Extract. Origina 1. 1515, Extract. Original. 15, 16. This is acted in the dark; and at Arno the French commissioners come up the back stairs with sixty thousand, and the ingrossed cove*nants, when they abused the King of England's ambassadors; a peace went down the other way. The lord cardinal returneth home, meeteth by the way the foul play of his master, and wrote to the King of Eng. land; not in excuse, but in complaint, contra perfidiam principum, an honest servant. Ferdinand and Maximilian dead, Francis and Charles are competitors for the empire. Henry the Eighth is courted for his help by both, the one with tie of alliance (for the Infanta, the dauphin had offered to Henry the Eighth) the other with the like; the one will make his daughter a queen in present*, which the dauphin cannot do; and by his favour an empress. To further Francis was but to win ambition, to prey upon all his neighbours +. The English are won, and win for Spain, all the imperial wealth, which Charles (in two letters I have of his own hand) then thankfully confessed. From Aquisgrave he cometh crowned in haste to England; weddeth at Windsor the king's daughter; contracteth to join in an invasion of France; to divide it with his father-in-law by the river of Rhodines; and sweareth at the altar in St. Paul's to keep faith in all ‡. Bourbon is wrought from France, and entereth the province with an army, paid with King Henry's money; Suffolk passeth with the English forces by Picardy; but Charles the emperor, who should have entered by Guienne, faileth, drawing away Bourbon from a strait siege of Marseilles, to interrupt Francis, then entered Italy; and so the enterprise of France is defeated §. The French king is at Pavy taken prisoner by Pescaro, led to Genoa, carried into Spain by the emperor's gallies, and forced at Madrid to a hard bargain, without privity to Henry the Eighth or provision for him, who had borne the greater charge of that war (a). Now the emperor affecteth the (b) monarchy, that hath ever since (as some say) infected the Austrian family of Rome; the fatal old seat of government must be the seat of this new empire; Bourbon, and after Moncado, are directed to surprise it (c); Angelo, the observant Friar, is sent before; a Pope confined by the emperor's election, who meant (as his own instructions warrant) to restore that right again to the imperial throne (d). Charles will follow from Baçalona with the army, but before he must call a parliament at Toledo. Here, whether by direction or affection, I dare not discuss, that assembly maketh protestation against their master's marriage with England, and assigneth him Isabella of Portugal for a wife (e). The instrument is sent, signed by the imperial notary, to Henry the Eighth, and Charles bemoaneth the strait he is forced unto by them: and, before all this, he had wrought from Rome a dispensation for his Ex Literis Car. Regis Hisp. Ex Orig. Instr. (b) Universal. + Extract. Windosil. (a) Extract. Madrid, 115, 26. (d) Ex Instrum. Carol. V. Imp. + Ex Literis Car. V. Impr. Orig. (Ex Instrum. Hen. VIII. Brian et Gardian ex literis Frenston Epicond. Legat. Hen, VIII. in Hisp. Ex Protestat. Orig. Toledo Parl. former ally and marriage, sending not long after Gonsales Ferdinand, his dolphin, to incite the Earl of Desmond in Ireland, and inviting James the Fourth (by promise of marriage, to Christian, the King of Denmark's daughter, his niece) to enter the English borders, to busy the English king, for asking a strict account of that indignity. Henry the Eighth, with providence and good success, and by the league of Italy, in which he was made Caput Faderis against the empe ror; he inforceth him to moderate conditions, at the treaty of Cam. bray, 1529.+ I may end your honours trouble with this one example, and with humble prayer, That the Catholic king may either have so much of princely sincerity, as not to intend the like, or my good and gracious master a jealous vigilance to prevent, if he should, &c. ROBERT COTTON. A BRIEF RELATION OF A WONDERFUL ACCIDENT, A DISSOLUTION OF THE EARTH, IN THE FOREST OF CHARNWOOD, About two miles from Loughborough in Leicestershire ; LATELY DONE, And discovered, and resorted to, by many people, both old and young. Published by two lovers of art, I. C. and I. W. quarto, containing six pages, MDCLXXIX. TO THE READER. To your ingenuous acceptation, we communicate these our observations; not for filthy lucre's sake, but for publick satisfaction, and truth-sake, being provoked thereto by some persons of quality: considering the evil custom of erroneous reports, and the fearful rumours of ignorant people. Read, and judge charitably, without critical, or incredulous censure; here is no wandering prolixity, nor superfluous embellishment of eloquence, but a scrutiny into the proper Antithesis, apparelled with necessary language. Be candid, not cunning. VALE. THE HE figure is almost circular, posited in a declining condition to the horizon, it being the end or fragment of a hilly body, and contains about two acres of ground. In its upper division, or primary breach, the lower, or fallen part of it, lies a yard (in some places) beneath the unmoved body: about three parts of this circular wonder shews symptoms of the efficient cause; and the rest shews little, or no defect. Ex literis Car. Wol. et Grego. Gassalis Instrum. et Sign. Carol. Imp. Quozag. Fiend. Capl. suos Dat. 24 Feb. Ex libro. n. n. n. D. Carer. Ex literis in a Com. Northum. Custo, March. Scotia + Extract. Orig. in Archivis Westm. Extract. Cambren. 1529. A About three paces from the upper breach, or prime division, is a second trench all down one curve of the circle aforesaid, and some second fractures be on the other side these; over the prime trench, or breach lieth, a narrow path-way; the fallen part, whose hypotenusal should fall upon the true angular point (if it had a perpendicular fall) is subverted, and turned aside one foot and more. Between the prime breach, and second curvery fracture, the earth shews a perpendicular descent, or downright falling, because it doth thrust itself within its former bounds; on the other side of the curve, which is higher ground, the parts of the earth fallen, and unfallen, shew the distance of a foot; which, if it should be raised to a parallel, with its former bounds, would differ half a yard. The sine for these curves is the radius, or total sine. The lower part of the periphery (or arch opposite to the primary breach) is rolled in, with an overshooting of its bounds; as if it were driven, being light in substance, and stones (in some places thereof) thrust forth themselves. This lower curve contains about half the radius for its versed sine. The unbreached part of the periphery lies on the lower side of the hill, in respect to the hill's ridge. Some persons judge water to be the cause of the breach; others say wind. The latter we account proper, and consider, both in method and manner following: 1. That it was not water. 2. That it was occasioned by wind. Reasons negative, and affirmative, That it was not water. 1. Water doth naturally run in a channel hasting forward, yea, and that where the ground is level: but, where the ground descendeth through which it is to pass, there it forceth with a more direct course, and speedy stream; not dilating itself, but rather drawing its body more close into narrow bounds. 2. If water had been the cause, then it should not have run in a round figure, where the hill is so much descending; unless some artificial pipes had been laid, which by the attractive power of the air should draw the water up again; which if fancy, or any person's supposition, should incline to, yet nevertheless it would have more powerful force in its descent, than ascent. 3. Had water (by its violent billows) caused this accident, it would either have done it by an eruption outward, or a dissolution of the earth within, whereby the upper superficies should have fallen in, or sunk within its counterminal sides. Indeed, some part of the ground we allow to be depressed, but another part is not, but rather heightened, by rolling up. And, how any thing should produce contrary effects to its nature, is marvellous! 4. Had water been the cause by demolishing the intrails of the earth, then (running in a channel) the breach should be opposite to its cur |