University of Virginia Library

THE Suddaine Turne of ffortunes wheele;

OR A Conference holden in the Castle of St. Angello, betwixt the Pope, the Emperor and the King of Spaine.

THE VIZAGE, COMPLEXION, fface or Preface of the Booke.

Preface.

Doth time retort, or Fortune play the Iade,
Or doth the course of fate run retrograde?
Is hap turn'd haples, or is chance chance Medly,
Or what strainge wonders strickes our foes so deadly?
Hath Rome with Ceasar and most mightie Spaine
Soe long held Fortune pris'ner in a chaine,
Whereby warr with a bloody invndation
O'rewhelm'd and halfe extirp'd the German nation;
And is she now broake loose and chaung'd hir grownd,
With fauour smileing where she long hath frown'd?
These shifteing trickes doth to the world present
That fortunes fauoures are not permanent:
Then fortune, fate and chance and lucke are fictions,
Dreames and Phantasmaes full of contradictions,
And nothing constant in the world wee see
But HE that Was, and IS, and still shalbe.
HE made all thinges, and all thinges that are made
Are mutable, and doe increase or fade;
HE calls himselfe I AM, the present tense,
Who's euer present in omnipotence;
He's still the same almightie, iust and pure,
And no iniquitie he cann indure;
HE sees our sinnes with his all seeing Eye;
Which doe for vengeance to his iustice crye,
For which he long hath suff'red his deere vine
To be opprest, and rooted vp by swine,
For 'tis a Maxim that hath alwaies bin,
That punishment doth euer follow sinn.
Now, in his owne good time, he heares the cryes
Of his aflicted churches Miseries,
He's graciously pleas'd his hands to staye
And turne his furious wrath another way,
Seeinge his people hath so long bene try'de
And with aflictions purg'd and purifi'd,
Their patience and their sufferings being soe
Which made some feare a finall ouerthrowe.
But he that doth his chosen Israell keepe,
Who neither slumbers nor did euer sleepe,
Himselfe now takes his owne great cause in hand,
And doth his vauntinge Enemies with stand;
Which makes our foes complot, consult, and plod
How and by what meanes they may warr with God;
As in these followinge lines I doe explaine,
Twixt Rome, the Empire, and most mightie Spaine.
Tis plainely writt, and harsh and rudely pen'd,
And hopes it shall noe honest man offend.

A CONFERENCE HOLDEN IN THE CASTLE OF ST. ANGELLO BETWIXT THE POPE, THE EMPEROUR & THE KING OF SPAINE.

Pope.
Welcome deere Sonnes vnto our court of Rome;
Blessinges Apostolique and holie doome
Sheild all the house of Austria from mischance,
And both their fortunes and their crownes advance.

Emperour.
Thy feete most holy ffather doe I kisse;
Of churches benediction if I miss,
Th'Imperiall crowne from Austria wilbe gone,
Which heauens forbid, for then w' are all vndone.
Bohemias rebells doth with Sueden ioyne
The heretiques from Donan to the Rhyne;
Their heades, their armes, their forces they combine
'Gainst Rome and Austria and the Palatine
That cursed Caluinist, with his partakers,
Those damned Schismatickes the church forsakers,
Vpon our ruine seeke to build their fortune,
Which makes me thus thy Holines importune.

Pope.
The keys of Peeter and the sword of Paule
Shall shutt and open, cutt in peices all,
The gates of Heauen, Nations lawes and rights,
And turne cleare daies into the darkest nightes.
Their land, that haue our dignitie withstood,
I'le make Aceldema a feild of blood;
'Gainst heretiques I'le thunder out my bulls,
And make their land a place of dead mens skulls.
Some saintes I will enforce and some implore,
And hell and purgatory both shall rore,
E're one of Caluins or of Luthers sect
With Roman Bayes or Eagles shalbe deckt.

Emperour.
The threats and Curses of the Catholickes
Are now despis'd by those vile heretickes;
They hold your blessinge in no more avayle
Then is the flapping of a fox his taile.
In breife they all soe desobedient are,
That for your Bliss or Ban they feare nor care;
Helpe by your Counsell therefore (Holie Sir)
And shew vs meanes to quiet all this stir.

Pope.
Thou maiest by reasons and Embassages,
By questions, answers, and like passadges,
Win time a while; but these are out of date,
Now swordes, not wordes, doe kingdomes arbitrate;
And wee haue vs'd delaies and sleights so oft,
That all our Enemies perceiue our Croft.
Vnto thy neighbour freinds and subiects send,
That from surprise thou maiest thy selfe defend;
My Legates and my Nuncies I'le dispatch
More forces 'mongst the Catholickes to hatch;
Mentz, Cullein, Triers, Catholike Bauare,
Thou hast in Germany, with others there,
From Flaunders, Brabant, and the Poleish King,
Thy true freindes, quickly will their succoures bring;
And though my selfe with Florence may not send
Our armes soe soone, our mony wee will lend:
The Cantons of the Swittzers shalbe wadg'd,
Who to our sea do hold themselues ingag'd:
I'le send to Vrbin and to Mantua,
Vnto Ferara and to Genoa,
To Sauoy, to Pimont, and to Venice,
To ffraunce (our eldest sonn) and to St. Denis:
I'le fetch the saintes from heauen, the feinds from hell,
But I'le those druncken German traytors quell:
Besides thy spanishe Cousin present here,
Whom Europe and the new fownd world doth feare,
The Churches Atlas and the Empires propp:
By streinth, by witt, or gold we meane to stopp
These proud attempts and darings of the dutch,
And breake their forces cost it nere so much.

Spaine.
If Ceasar and your Holines haue done,
Obserue the answere of your Spanish sonne:
Nor German Prelates or Bauaria can,
Nor King of Pole, your selfe, nor anie man,
Nor Florence duke, nor Brabant ioynd with Flaunders,
Nor Cantons Catholicke with their Commaunders;
If these were ioyn'd in one yet could they not,
With all the force that can by them be gott,
Bring timely succores 'gainst this coniuration
These Almaine Graues haue made in euery nation.
Expect not helpe from Sauoye or Venetia,
Who feare and deadly hate the house of Austria:
I looke for nothing from my brother ffraunce,
For if he saw vs downe he'll sing and daunce:
And Ceasar, if at home thou lookst for ayde,
Thy state is tottering and thy streinth decay'd;
Thine Austrian subiects likewise are infected
With Luthers heresie, and haue reiected
The Papall dignitie, and may doe thine,
And with their fellowe Lutherans combine;
And if for succoures thou doe send to Thracia,
The faithles Turkes thou know'st will not from Asia.
Spaine then must helpe, or what shall Ceasar doe,
And how can Spaine helpe Rome and Ceasar to?
Shall Indian armies be recal'd from thence?
Italian forces martch away from hence;
Leaue Millaine, Naples, and our siluer fountaines
Vnguarded, naked, and martch o're the mountaines?
Through Grissons country lead the streinth of Spaine;
Or venter our Armadoe once againe
To narrowe seas, and soe at once loose more
Then wee haue gott in six score yeares before?
Soe thou at Vien, I at Arragon,
May shaue our heades, turne Monkes, and liue alone.
You count your freindes, but count not all your foes,
Whose streinths, whose numbers you cannot opose;
The Northerne trackt of Europe from Brittania,
Tending to East as farr as Transiluania,
Saue Holland, and some trifles, are their owne.
Aye me! fowerscore yeares how are they growne.
Three Kingdomes England, Scotland, Ireland be,
With Denmarke, Norway, Sueden, six you see,
Besides those two which they haue won from thee,
Being eight in all; and our Kings are but three.
The numbers of their Princes, Dukes and Countes,
With their free Lords and stats, oures farr surmountes:
Besides their many Palsgraues and their Mortgraues,
With all their Lantgraues, Rhinegraues, and their Burgraues.
And as their numbers soe their spirrits are,
Made great with hopes by their prodidgious starr,
Which blaz'd o're Germany the last December,
Portending chaunge of stats; and I remember
Their oppositions and their calculations
Of times, of scepters, and of scituations;
Of Rome, of Babell, and of hills and dales,
Of beastes and draggons, and such fearefull tales,
Wherewith they cheare themselues and triumph soe,
As if th'had giuen vs all the ouerthrowe.
The eleuenth and twelfe of Esdras they applye
Against th'Imperiall Eagles monarchie;
And that the Lion comeing from the wood
Is of the King of Sueden vnderstood;
And that the Lion shall the Eagle foile,
And in triumphant sort deuide the spoyle.
The rebells make constructions on this text,
Whereby the Catholickes are sorely vext;
As th'Eagles wings doth o're th'Empire spread,
Euen so the Lion is the armes of Sued,
And Sued (they say) true annagram'd is Deus,
Whom they doe hold the Christian Macchabeus;
They further saye Gustauus is his name,
Which is Augustus in his Annagram.

Pope.
An vncouth shiuering makes my blood to thrill
And strainge amazement doth my sences fill.
I wonder much that they soe skillfull be,
Against vs to applye the Prophesie:
I also doe admier how they could frame
Such annagrams on Sued and Suedens name.
But though those hopes their forward minds may cheare,
Let our imperious thoughts contemne all feare;
For 'tis not ffortunes turning of hir wheele
Can make our noble resolutions reele;
Doubt not but I will find a stratagem
T'vphold Rome, Ceasars, and Spaines diadem.

Spaine.
But, holie ffather, I am certifi'd
That they your power and pollicy deride,
And how of you they made an Annagrame,
The best and bittrest that their witts could frame,

Pope.
And doe they find such strainge predictions out
To fill the Catholikes with feare and doubt?
I'le make them knowe that I am fixed fast
On Peeter, and shall neuer downe be cast:
My benediction or my malediction
Can raise in state, and ruine with afliction.
The heretiques on Peeters faith doe build;
But I vpon his person am vpheld,
And from him vnto me all power is giuen
To bind and loose, to shutt and open heauen,
And whilst I keepe the keyes none shall come in
That in these madd rebellious warrs haue binn.

Emperour.
All you can say, and all you can deuise,
They vallue not, but vtterly despise.
The Duke of Saxon from our side is gone,
And with the King of Sued conioyn'd as one:
And why should I from him expect for more,
Then Charles my predecessor did before,
Who gaue him all and more then I can mention?
Yet shortly after, in that great contention
Twixt him and Luthers rebells, he forsooke
His benefactor, and against him tooke.
And by these Ciuill warrs what is our gaine?
Our people more then millions haue bene slaine;
Dampeire, Buequoy, and many valient men,
Whose like wee haue no hope to haue agen:
Our subiects with great taxes rent and rack'd,
Our Prouince laied wast, our citties sack'd,
Our fruitfull feildes vntil'd and vnmanur'd,
Loss vpon loss, past hope to be recur'd:
Maides, wiues and widdowes rauish'd and deflowr'd;
Our land with spoile and rapine all devour'd;
Fire, sword and famine hath these twelve yeares space
Rag'd all mine Empire o're in euery place:
Our freindes fall off, our treasury exhausted,
Our selfe with greife and age decay'd and wasted;
And all the mischeifes that by warr can fall,
Wee and our people haue endur'd them all;
Whilst many thousands that were wont to giue,
Now begg or starue, or miserably liue;
And last, that most vnlucky ouerthrowe,
My trusty Tillies loss, a deadly blowe.
Prague and Bohemias kingdom, all is gone;
Our townes of ffranckfurt and of Hanow wone,
Hall, Haluerstadt and Heinst, with mightie Mentz;
Our cheife Elector bishopp fled from thence:
My generalls Walsteine and don Baltazarr
Fled to Polonia from the rage of warr.
This makes our foes with victorie to swell,
And all is worse then tounge or pen can tell.

Spaine.
Noe Prince with me in losses may compare,
For I haue had more then a double share.
Great damage I haue had in Asia;
And Pernambucco in America,
With places of importance in Braseele,
The furious force of chance and chaunge doth feele:
Mine India shipps surpris'd, my subiects slaine,
Wherein consisted halfe the hope of Spaine:
Besides in Belgia I haue had mishapp;
My towne of Weazle taken in a trapp;
The Buss a place of great importance lost,
Long time defended with exceeding cost;
And late that vnrecouerable stroake
In Zealand, where our forces all were broake;
Sloopes, punts and lighters, seauenty eight confounded,
Six thousand men tane pris'ners, many wounded;
Fower thousand hand granadoes and of brass
Fower hundred thirty peices taken was;
Eleuen barrells of good mony tane,
And many hundredes of my souldiers slaine;
With store of powder, shott and ammunition,
All lost in that vnlucky expedition.
All this the last September was atcheiued,
For which our foes reioyce, our freindes are greiued;
Whilst onely Dunkirke, man'd with runagadoes,
Against mine enemies haue made brauadoes.
They onely haue done thinges of speciall notes,
Taken some merchants and small fisher boats,
And now and then a collier, or a katch
With oysters, seldome meeteing with their match;
For with braue acts their fame abroad is hurl'd,
As if they had subdu'd and wone the world,
When euery wiseman knowes well and beleiues
Their towne and shipps to be but dens for theiues.
Haue all my auncestors to six descents,
By conquests, wedlocke, and like liggaments,
Ty'd earledomes, dukedomes, Crowne and Empire fast,
And is the period of our greatnes past,
And our declineing now begin to hast,
Hopeing for westerne monarchie at last?
Nassaw, Nassaw, you hatefull sonnes and father,
Curst be your name and house: you, you did gather
The fearefull rebells into warlike bands,
Who now doe state it in the Netherlands;
There, there you writt Nill vltra once againe,
And set vp Easterne pillars barrs to Spaine.

Emperour.
Thus are our danegers, these our greifes related;
Thus are our minds perplex'd, our harts amated.
If Rome have any secret wisedome hid
Laied vp for euill times, or euer did
Make wicked heretiques feele churches power,
Then, father, now's the time and this the hower.
Remember how two Frederickes heretofore
Frighted thy predecessors; this may more
Hazzard thy fortunes, vtterly suppress
Thy selfe, the Roman church and vs, vnless
By some prime stratagem fetch'd from the deepe
Thou dost thy selfe and freinds from damage keepe.

Pope.
And are our freindes soe fewe and so vntrustie,
And be our foes so many and so lustie?
One Innocent in Rome, in former ages,
Hath vs'd three Kings for lacques and for pages;
And dare they nowe against our likeing make
Both Kings and Ceasars? then, you furies, wake!
Helpe me to store of pistolls, poysons, kniues,
To fire and powder, manacles and giues.
Bid Rauillack and Clement hye them hither;
Let Guido Faux and Garnett come togeather;
All those that doe in Pollicy excell,
Sonnes of Iscariott and Achittophell.
Come, ye Ignatians, bring ye assassinates,
Left handed Ehuds that doe rule the fates
And cutt the threades of Princes liues assunder;
These Roman Sceueloes shall make men wonder,
To see these vpstarts all with their partakers,
In euerie nation slaughtred by massacres.
I'le raise vp Suares, Parsons, Bellarmine,
And Loyalla their father, and refine
All humane witt to one pure quintessence,
Against whose vertue shal be no defence.
My sonnes therefore at nothinge be dismaied,
Remember what your father now hath saied;
You to Viena, you to Siuill goe,
Helpe as you maye to giue the fatall blowe.