&c. Hardly any cap-paper would be in use, till that of legends, pamphlets, &c. were spent. How justly may we take up that complaint in Strad. Lib. i. Prælect. 1. wherein he brings in printers complaining against rhiming (poetick they would be called) pedlars into the press: quique noctu somniant, hac mane lucem videre illico gestiant. Already, what danger are we in of eating up Antichrist confuted in the bottom of a pye? or to light tobacco with the dark holdings-forth of new lights? To see the Antinomian honey-comb holding physick (at the second hand) in a stool-pan, sure, argueth a surfeit in the press, that thus swarmeth with vanity, or controversies; which is its worst fault, as being the mischief of a sadder and engaging consequence. Alas, what now is the press, but an office of contention, issuing rather challenges, than books? When pulpits grow hoarse with railing, then doth this take up the quar rel, that often admitteth of no arbitrator, setting the world on fire of contention, schism, and heresy; introducing strife, wars, and bloodshed. Alas, how miserably is truth torn by antilogies and little better than scolding, and suffereth more by this pen and ink war, than by pike and bloodshed! By how much more captivating of assent sophistry is, than success, among reasonable souls (that coming nearer reason, than success doth justice.) And we know, truth is often watered by mar. tyrs blood, receiving more strength from the red-lettered days in an almanack, than whole tomes of pro's and con's. And what truths, politicks, or news suffer by the press, is weekly experienced. It is nothing to kill a man this week, and, with ink, instead of aqua vitæ, fetch him alive the next; to drown two admirals in one week, and to buoy them up again next; so that many of those pamphlets may be better termed Weekly Bills of Truth's Mortality, than faithful intelligences of affairs.

Nor fareth it better with peace, than truth; the feathers and plume seconding the quarrel of the quill, from inveighings to invading, declarations to defiance, remonstrances to resistance, and that to blood.

The press rippeth up the faults and disgraces of a nation, and then the sword the bowels of it. What printing beginneth, by way of challenge, its contemporary invention, guns, answers in destruction.

accents.

And the enormities of the press are caused partly by writers, and partly by readers.

Among writers, some write to eat; as beggars examine not the vir. tues of benefactors, but such, as they hope or find able or willing, they ply, be they good or bad, wise men or fools; so do they beg of any theme that will sell; true or false, good or bad, in rhime or prose, and that, pitiful or passable, all is one: ink must earn ale, and, it may be, three-penny ordinaries; write they must, against things, or men (if the spirit of contradiction prove saleable) that they can neither master, nor conquer; sparing neither Bacons, Harveys, Digbys, Browns, &c. though nought else do they obtain, except such a credit, as he did, that set Diana's temple on fire to perpetuate his fame.

Another sort are discoverers of their affections, by faking up the cud gels on one side or other; and it is come to that now, that an author scarce

passeth, that writeth not controversies ecclesiastical, political, or philosophical; though far better it were for publick good, there were more (deserving the naine of Johannes de Indagine) progressive pioneers in the mines of knowledge, than controverters of what is sound; it would lessen the number of conciliators, which cannot themselves now write, but as engagedly biassed to one side, or other: but these are desiderata, vereor, semper desideranda: things wanting, and to be desired, I fear, for ever.

A second cause of the enormities of the press are buyers. The chapman's vanity and weakness of choice maketh the mart of less worthy books the bigger. Such is the fate of books, as of other ware, the coarser the ware, the more the seller getteth by it. Examine the truth, and it will too evidently appear, that, in these times, the bookseller hath frequently got most by those books, that the buyer hath got least by, being not only the luck of Rabelais's bookseller, that was a loser by his book of Seneca and Judgment, but abundantly repaired by that ingenious nothing, The Life of Garagantua and Pantagruel.' What age ever brought forth more, or bought more printed wastepaper? To read which is the worst spending of time (next the making them) and the greater price given for them, and far above their

worth.

6

But, the distemper of the press being so various and hazardous, what cures can we propose?

Why truly, for them in Fieri, no such correcting the press, as break. ing it; but the chiefest help is prophylactical, a care preservatory. Also, an index expurgatorius of vanity and whimsies would save paper from being so stained, and would keep it from burning, it may be, by the common hangman; and so a nation less molested, idle persons better employed. But, not to make our eyes sore by looking on the hurt, let us turn them on the benefits of a well-employed press; and then we shall see it a mint of solid worth, the good it hath done, and yet may do, being inestimable. It is truth, armoury, the book of knowledge, and nursery of religion; a battering-ram to destroy and overthrow the mighty walls of heresy and error; and also communica tive of all wholesome learning and science, and never suffering a want of the sincere milk of the word, nor Piety's Practice to be out of print (and that not only in one book) constantly issuing out helps to doing, as well as knowing our duty. But the worth of the warehouse will be best known by the wares, which are books; which will herein appear, which also no prudent man will deny, that they are.

For company, good friends; in doubts, counsellors; in damps, comforters; time's prospective; the home-traveller's ship or horse; the busy man's best recreation, the opiate of idle weariness, the mind's best ordinary, nature's garden and seed-plot of immortality; time spent needlesly from them is consumed; but, with them, twice gained; time, captivated and snatched from a man by incursions of business, thefts, or visitants, or by one's own carelesness lost, is, by these, redeemed in life; they are the soul's viaticum, and, against death, a

cordial.

VOL. VIII.

THE LAST

MEMORIAL OF THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR,

FAITHFULLY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.

London, printed for Francis Smith, at the Elephant and Castle, near the Royal Exchange, in Cornhill, 1681. Folio, containing two pages.

SIR,

ON Pedro Ronquillo, Ambassador of Spain, saith, that, by a memorial, which he presented to your majesty, the fifteenth of December, he did set forth the infractions which the most Christian King hath made since the peace of Nimeguen, from the month of September, after the difference was agreed about the title of the Duke of Burgundy, which was alledged for a pretence to suspend the conference at Courtray, according to the fifteenth article of that treaty; in order to the adjusting in an amicable way all the limits, pretensions, and differences of the two crowns, which should result from that treaty: and your majesty was pleased by your royal order of the fifteenth of December, to order your envoy extraordinary, at Paris, to put in execu tion what was contained in the said memorial. By the last post, the said ambassador received letters of first instant, from the Marquis de la Fuente, who is ambassador at Paris, in which he gives an account of the complaints he had made to the Christian King, about the excesses and infractions, which are committed against the inhabitants of Fontarabia, and in the Low Countries, and particularly about a message, which the governor of Tournay sent to the Prince of Parma, pretending, that not one pallisado should be laid at Bovignies, which incontestably hath been a separated state, and comprehended in the country of Namur. After many violent contestations, the answer of the most Christian king was, 'That he did not doubt, but that the catholick king would give order to his commissioner at Fontarabia, to proceed in the treaty, leaving each party in the possession, which, at present, they hold; as if a violent usurpation, under the surety of the good faith of the conference, could, in one day, be concluded to be an actual possession; that, for what relates to the Low Countries, he cannot abstain from taking possession of that, which, he supposes, doth appertain to him, according to what he shall declare at the conference of Courtray.' To this violent, as well as undecent answer, the Marquis de la Fuente, with the strength of the undoubted justice and reason, which the king my master hath, concluding he did not receive the same, not knowing how to impart it to his catholick majesty, and that he beseeched him to resolve what was just; to which reply it was answered: That he would consider it.' And, at the same time, his most Christian ma

jesty hath ordered his forces to enter in the Spanish Low Countries, to hinder the fortifying of Bovignies.

This proceeding doth exceed all limits, and cannot be reasonably endured; for the most Christian king will, by force of arms, be arbitrator, and command in the dominions of the catholick king, thereby hindering him, from fortifying a place, which is his own; when, by the article of Nimeguen, it is allowed to be done, by both parties. And when the French King himself hath made use of the same article, in order to have the course of the waters stopped, that they may not hinder the fortifying his towns; as it was more particularly done at Mennin, causing the river Lisse to be lowered, that they might, with more facility, fortify that town, a place, which was wholly open, and which, the French King is fortifying and enlarging in extent, much more than it was before: so that now, Sir, these are not infractions, but a de clared war: The designs of the French being publick, that, they intend to besiege Luxemburg, and that, from thence, they will go to Namur, when the fact of hindering the fortification of Bovignies, which is upon the Mose, almost over-against Dinant, makes it clear and past doubt; especially, the most Christian king having possessed himself of all the towns, that are upon the river Mose, from Charlemont, and of the most part of the territory between that river, and the Sambre, in such a manner, that they have gotten almost all the country of Namur, as well as that of Luxemburg; and, thereby, those two provinces are left without communication.

By these infractions, and clear beginnings of war, the under-written ambassador doth apply himself to your majesty as a mediator, that you would cause what was agreed, by the peace of Nimeguen, to be ob served; and as an ally, that you would defend it, and resist the violence of France; your majesty being obliged to the one, and to the other, by the treaties; in which consideration, he cannot omit saying, that although the frontiers of Spain by Cantabria and Catalonia are infested, and by the treaty of Cassal, between the French king and the Duke of Mantua, the dominions of Italy are in apparent danger, and no less the Indies, where Count d'Estre is with a squadron of ships, all which are the countries, that do compose the greatest power of the Spanish monarchy; notwithstanding this, his catholick majesty has postponed these his greatest concerns, to the defence of that little, which remains to him, in the Low Countries; although it be lessened of a great part of territory, which the French have violently possessed themselves of, since the peace of Nimeguen, which hath been the only cause, that we have not been able to keep that country in a better posture; for each unjust usurpation, of the French, had broken the measures which were taken, and reduced us to seek others; and, therefore, his majesty hath already sent considerable supplies to Flanders, and appointed the Prince of Parma, governor thereof, as an experienced soldier, and one who hath been viceroy of several kingdoms, thereby to encourage those subjects, with these endeavours; and that they may be governed by a grandson, and of the same name of Alexander Farnese, whom, with so much love, they reverence.

All this, Sir, hath been done, in hopes that the union and interest

of England with Spain, will produce mutual effects of conveniences to both crowns; for no good Englishman can doubt, that, if there be no opposition made to the present great power of France, it is impossible, but that, in a few days, they should possess themselves of the Low Countries; and that the states-general should subject themselves, by reason of the impossibility of resisting the powerful. And afterwards, your majesty and England shall be the first in perceiving this mischief; to remedy which, it will be then impossible; and at present, nothing is capable to suppress these evils, but the power of England, at this time, the only in Europe, that can restrain the torrent of France. The differences, which are at present in England, do occasion these bold attempts of the French king, and encourage him in the continuation of his vast designs; upon the whole so apparent already, that there is no clear-sighted understanding, but will apprehend them. All the princes and powers of Europe, as also, his most Christian majesty, are in expectation of the success of this parliament, and of the agreement of England; the first, to take mea. sures, in order to shake off the yoke, which they are like to be made subject to and the most Christian king hath also for a time re strained his ambition, and at present nothing doth encourage him to deliver himself up to it, but the differences, which he sees, breaking out here, giving it out as well within as without this kingdom, That he is assured, they will not be reconciled; and that, in the mean while, he may make up the conquest of the Low Countries, which is the master-key of the universal monarchy.' And the first door, which he will open with it, shall be that of England, without further trouble, than that of maintaining the differences, with great promises, and with a small charge; and whatsoever he shall find most for his advantage, will be first invaded by him.

That this disunion is the chief encouragement of the design and enterprises of the most Christian king, in the Low Countries, is apparent; and there are so great proofs of this truth, that it is blindness not to see them and the ambassador will only acquaint your majesty, with one late instance, which doth manifest the same, which is, That his most Christian majesty sees the emperor is mak. ing considerable levies; as also, the Elector of Saxony, and other princes of the empire; that the Electors of Bavaria, and Branden. burgh, have declared, that they will not suffer his proceedings against the empire, and the princes of the same, and that they will oppose it with all their power.'

His most Christian majesty, after so many violent answers, which he himself had made, and also his ministers, to all the princes of Germany, hath now answered the emperor's Envoy Extraordinary, That he doth agree in appointing a conference, in one of the imperial cities, to decide and explain the ambiguous points of the articles of the peace of Nimeguen, concerning the possessions taken in Alsatia; and that, as soon as the commissioners are met, the chamber of Metz shall cease its proceedings, and all manner of no