342 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. " Meanwhile, let us make his ambition our advantage; and let us not stand upon a few crowns of tribute or acknowledgment, but, by the favour of Almighty God, try our right for the crown of France itself; remembering that there hath been a French king prisoner in England, and a King of England crowned in France. Our confederates are not diminished. Burgundy is in a mightier hand than ever, and never more pro voked. Britain cannot help us, but it may hurt them. New acquests are more burden than strength. The malcontents of his own kingdom have not been base, popular, nor titulary impos tors, but of a higher nature. The King of Spain, doubt ye not, will join with us, not knowing where the French king s ambition will stay. Our holy father, the pope, likes no Tramontanes in Italy. But howsoever it be, this matter of confederates is rather to be thought on than reckoned on. For God forbid but England should be able to get reason of France without a second. " At the battles of Cressy, Poictiers, Agincourt, we were of ourselves. France hath much people, and few soldiers. They have no stable bands of foot. Some good horse they have; but those are forces which are least fit for a defensive war, where the actions are in the assailant s choice. It was our discords only that lost France ; and, by the power of God, it is the good peace which we now enjoy that will recover it. God hath hitherto blessed my sword. I have, in this time that I have reigned, weeded out my bad subjects, and tried my good. My people and I know one another, which breeds confidence : and if there should be any bad blood left in the kingdom, an honourable foreign war will vent it or purify it. In this great business let me have your advice and aid. If any of you were to make his son knight, you might have aid of your tenants by law. This concerns the knighthood and spurs of the kingdom, whereof I am father; and bound not only to seek to maintain it, but to advance it : but for matter of treasure, let it not be taken from the poorest sort, but from those to whom the benefit of the war may redound. France is no wilderness ; and I, that profess good husbandry, hope to make the war, after the .beginnings to pay itself. Go together in God s name, and lose no time; for I have called this parliament wholly for this cause." Thus spake the king ; but for all this, though he showed great forwardness for a war, not only to his parliament and court, but to his privy coun cil likewise, except the two bishops and a few more, yet nevertheless in his secret intentions he had no purpose to go through with any war upon France. But the truth was, that he did but traffic with that war, to make his return in money. He knew well, that France was now entire and at unity with itself, and never so mighty many years wfore He saw by the taste that he had of his forces sent into Britain, that the French knew well enough how to make war witn the English, by not putting things to the hazard of a battle, but wearing them by long sieges of towns, and strong fortified encampings. James the Third of Scotland, his true friend and confederate, gone ; and James the Fourth, that had succeeded, wholly at the devotion of France, and ill affected towards him. As for the conjunctions of Ferdinando of Spain and Maximilian, he could make no founda tion upon them. For the one had power, and not will ; and the other had will, and not power. Be sides that, Ferdinando had but newly taken breath from the war with the Moors ; and merchanded at this time with France for the restoring of the counties of Russignon and Perpignan, oppigno- rated to the French. Neither was he out of fear of the discontents and ill blood within the realm; which having used always to repress and appease in person, he was loath they should find him at a distance beyond sea, and engaged in war. Find ing therefore the inconveniences and difficulties in the prosecution of a war, he cast with himself how to compass two things. The one, how by the declaration and inchoation of a war to make his profit. The other, how to come off from the war with saving of his honour. For profit, it was to be made two ways ; upon his subjects for the war, and upon his enemies for the peace ; like a good merchant, that maketh his gain both upon the commodities exported, and imported back again. For the point of honour, wherein he might suffer for giving over the war; he con sidered well, that as he could not trust upon the aids of Ferdinando and Maximilian for supports of war; so the impuissance of the one, and the double proceeding of the other, lay fair for him for occasions to accept of peace. These things he did wisely foresee, and did as artificially conduct, whereby all things fell into his lap as he desired. For, as for the parliament, it presently took fire, being affectionate, of old, to the war of France ; and desirous afresh to repair the dishonour they thought the king sustained by the loss of Britain. Therefore they advised the king, with great ala crity, to undertake the war of France. And although the parliament consisted of the first and second nobility, together with principal citizens and townsmen, yet worthily and justly respecting more the people, whose deputies they were, than their own private persons, and finding by the lord chancellor s speech the king s inclination that way, they consented that commissioners should go forth for the gathering and levying of a benevolence from the more able sort. This tax. cnlled a benevolence, was devised by Edward trie Fourth, for which he sustained much envy. It was abolished by Richard the Third by act of parliament, to ingratiate himself with the people; and it was now revived by the king, but with consent of parliament, for so it was not in the
