CHARGE AGAINST MR. OWEN. 175 



reference to religion ; but merely upon that law 

 which was born with the kingdom, and was law 

 even in superstitious times, when the pope was 

 received. The compassing and imagining of the king s 

 death was treason. The statute of 25 Edw. III. 

 which was but declaratory, begins with this article 

 as the capital of capitals in treason, and of all others 

 the most odious and the most perilous : and so the 

 civil law saith, &quot; Conjurationes omnium proditionum 

 &quot; odiosissimae et perniciosissimae.&quot; Against hostile 

 invasions and the adherence of subjects to enemies, 

 kings can arm. Rebellions must go over the bodies 

 of many good subjects before they can hurt the 

 king : but conspiracies against the persons of kings 

 are like thunderbolts that strike upon the sudden, 

 hardly to be avoided. &quot; Major metus a singulis,&quot; 

 saith he, &quot; quam ab universis.&quot; There is no pre 

 paration against them : and that preparation which 

 may be of guard or custody, is a perpetual misery. 

 And therefore they that have written of the pri 

 vileges of ambassadors and of the amplitude of safe- 

 conducts, have defined,, that if an ambassador or a 

 man that cometh in upon the highest safe-conducts, 

 do practise matter of sedition in a state, yet by the 

 law of nations he ought to be remanded ; but if he 

 conspire against the life of a prince by violence or 

 poison, he is to be justiced : &quot; Quia odium est omni 

 &quot; privilegio majus. Nay, even amongst enemies, 

 and in the most deadly wars, yet nevertheless con 

 spiracy and assassination of princes hath been ac 

 counted villainous and execrable. 



