72 OF GENERAL NATURALIZATION. 



Nay, the fortune of the Swisses of late years, 

 which are bred in a barren and mountainous country, 

 is not to be forgotten ; who first ruined the Duke of 

 Burgundy, the same who had almost ruined the 

 kingdom of France, what time, after the battle near 

 Granson, the rich jewel of Burgundy, prized at many 

 thousands, was sold for a few pence by a common 

 Swiss, that knew no more what a jewel meant than 

 did ^Esop s cock. And again, the same nation, in 

 revenge of a scorn, was the ruin of the French king s 

 affairs in Italy, Lewis XII. For that king, when he 

 was pressed somewhat rudely by an agent of the 

 Switzers to raise their pensions, brake into words of 

 choler : &quot; What,&quot; said he, &quot; will these villains of the 

 &quot; mountains put a tax upon me T Which words lost 

 him his duchy of Milan, and chased him out of Italy. 



All which examples, Mr. Speaker, do well prove 

 Solon s opinion of the authority and mastery that 

 iron hath over gold. And therefore, if I shall speak 

 unto you mine own heart, methinks we should a 

 little disdain that the nation of Spain, which howso 

 ever of late it hath grown to rule, yet of ancient 

 time served many ages ; first under Carthage, then 

 under Rome, after under Saracens, Goths, and 

 others, should of late years take unto themselves 

 that spirit as to dream of a monarchy in the west, 

 according to that device, &quot; Video solem orientem in 

 &quot; occidente,&quot; only because they have ravished from 

 some wild and unarmed people mines and store of 

 gold ; and on the other side, that this island of Bri 

 tain, seated and manned as it is, and that hath, I 



