Righteousness of God. And to fay the Truth, it was excellently and prudently obferved by a very wife Father of the Church; and fpoke with great Sincerity and Ingenuity, that they who advise the ftraining and forcing of Confciences, only cover their own Paffions under that Pretence; and think their Intereft concerned in the thing °.

See the whole of this Subject farther profecuted in the Author's Difcourfe upon promoting the Peace of the Church, Supplem. XVII.

SUPPLEMENT XII.

A

ou

DISCOURSE

OF

WAR:

On Occafion of a WAR with SPAIN.

A

Y

OUR Highness P has an imperial Name.. It was a Charles that brought the Empire firft into France; a Charles that brought it firft into Spain; why fhould not Great Britain have its Turn? But to lay afide all that may favour of Fume or Fancy, and to fpeak Solids: A War with Spain is a great Work; it requires ftrong Materials and active Motions. He who fays otherwife is zealous; but not according to Knowledge. Yet Spain is no fuch Giant: and he who thinks Spain a great Over-match for this Kingdom, affifted as it is, and may be, is no good Affay-mafter; but takes Greatnefs of Kingdoms according to their Bulk and Currency; and not according to their intrinfick Value. Altho, therefore, I had wholly fequeftred my Thoughts from Civil Affairs; yet because 'tis a new Cafe, and concerns my Country infinitely, I obtain'd of my felf to fet down, out of long continued Experience in Bufinefs of State, and great Converfation in Books of Policy and Hiftory, what I thought pertinent to this Bufinefs; and in all Humility prefent it to your Highness; hoping that at least you will difcern the Strength of my Affection, thro the Weakness of my Abilities: for the Spaniard has a good Proverb; There is no Heat of Affection but is joined with fome Idleness of Brain 9.

P This Piece was dedicated to Prince Charles in the Year 1624..

De Suario fi empre con la calentura.

SECT.

The Requifites. of a War.

Three

Grounds of
War.

The first
Ground.

T

O a War are required; (1.) à juft Quarrel; (2.) fufficient Forces and Provifions; and (3.) a prudent Choice of the Defign. So that I will first justify the Quarrel; Secondly, balance the Forces; and lastly, propofe a Variety of Designs for the Choice; but not advise the Choice; for that were unfit for a Writing of this Nature: nor is it a Subject within the Level of my Judgment; I being in effect, a Stranger to the prefent Occurrences'.

2. Wars, where not ambitious and predatory, are Suits of Appeal to the Tribunal of God's Juftice, when there are no Superiors on Earth to determine the Caufe. And they are as Civil Pleas, Plaints or Defences. There are therefore three juft Grounds of a War with Spain; one upon Plaint, and two upon Defence. Solomon fays, A Cord of three is not eafily broken: but especially when every one of thefe Lines will hold fingle by itself. They are thefe: (1.) the Recovery of the Palatinate; (2.) a just Fear of the Subverfion of our Civil State; and (3.) a just Fear of the Subverfion of our Church and Religion. For in the handling of the two laft Grounds of War, I fhall make it plain, that preventive Wars upon juft Fears, are true Defenfives; as well as upon actual Invasions and again, that defenfive Wars for Religion, are most juft; tho offenfive Wars for Religion are feldom or never to be approved, unless they have fome Mixture of Civil Titles. But all that I fhall fay in this Argument, will be like Thread in the Bottom, which with a good Needle may be flourished into large Works.

I. 3. For afferting the Juftice of the Quarrel, the recovery of the Palatinate; I fhall not go fo high as to difcufs the Right of the War of Bobemia; which if freed from Doubt on our Part, there is no Colour nor Shadow why the Palatinate fhould be retained; the ravishing whereof was a mere Excurfion of the firft Wrong, and a double Injuftice. But I do not take my felf to be fo perfect in the Cuftoms, Tranfactions and Privileges of that Kingdom of Bohemia, as to treat this Part properly and will not offer at what I cannot mafter. Yet this I muft fay pofitively, and resolutely that 'tis impoffible an elective Monarchy fhould be fo free and abfolute as an hereditary; no more than 'tis poffible for a Father to have fo full Power and Intereft in an adopted Son, as in a natural one: because a natural Obligation is ftronger than a civil. And again, that received Maxim is almost unfhaken and infallible; There is nothing more agreeable to Nature, than that Things fhould be diffolved by the fame means they were conftituted.

So

The third Part was not publifhed..