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Chapter 22EikonBas.1.22

Upon His Majesty's leaving Oxford, and going to the Scots

The King's Refuge in Adversity

Facing the loss of his kingdoms and safety, the King resolves to trust in God's providence rather than human strength, choosing to seek peace through a risky act of faith.

Although God has given me three kingdoms, yet among them he has now left me no place where I can rest my head in safety and honor—showing me that he himself is the safest refuge and the strongest tower of defense, in which I can put my trust.✦ In these extreme straits, I look not so much to man as to God: He wills it this way, so that I may cast myself and my now distressed affairs upon his mercy, who has both the hearts and the hands of all people at his disposal.✦✦ What Providence denies to force, it may grant to prudence; necessity is now my counselor, and it commands me to look to my safety by withdrawing in disguise from my greatest strength, and by trusting myself to the loyalty of those who first began my troubles. Perhaps God may make them an honorable means of settling these troubles.1 The confidence I place in them may disarm and overcome them; by putting myself into their hands, I may win the affection of those who have so often claimed that they weren't fighting against me, but for me. I must now resolve the riddle of their loyalty and give them the chance to show the world that they don't mean what they do, but rather what they say. Still, God must be my primary guard, and my conscience my counselor and comforter. Even if I surrender my body into their hands, I will reserve my soul for God and myself; no necessity will force me to abandon my honor or swerve from my judgment. What they fought to take by force will now be given to them, with such unusual trust placed in them that it may make them ashamed not to be truly what they ought to be—and what they claimed to be. God doesn't consider it enough to strip me of all military power to defend myself, but also puts me in the position of using the power of those who seem to fight against me, yet who by duty ought to defend me. Human affairs are so changeable, and the position of princes can become so precarious, that their greatest danger may lie in their supposed safety, and their safety in their supposed danger. I must now leave those who have stood by me and turn to those who have opposed me; this way of peace may succeed better than war, both to stop the shedding of blood and to close the wounds already made: and in it I am no less concerned for my friends' safety than for my own, choosing to risk myself in further dangers rather than expose their resolute loyalty to every extreme. It takes some skill at the game to know when a game is lost; better to give up fairly than to keep fighting in vain.2

The Inviolable Conscience

The King affirms that while his body may be constrained, his reason and conscience remain free and under God's protection.

I must now focus on strengthening my judgment and fortifying my mind with reason and religion, so I don't appear to surrender my soul's liberty or make my conscience a captive to those who, from the start, should have used arguments rather than arms to persuade me to agree to their demands. I thank God that no success darkens or disguises truth to me; and I'll conform my words to my inward dictates now no less than if they still had the full power a king's words ought to have among loyal subjects. Reason is the most divine power. I'll never think myself weakened as long as I can make full and free use of it.3 No eclipse of outward fortune will rob me of that light: what God has denied me in outward strength, I hope his grace will supply with inward resolve—not a sour refusal of what is right to grant, but a resolve not to grant anything that Reason and Religion tell me I must deny.45 I'll never think myself less than myself while I can still preserve the integrity of my conscience—the only jewel now left me that's worth keeping.

A Prayer for Guidance and Integrity

The King concludes with a fervent prayer, asking God to be his guide, protector, and the ultimate keeper of his soul during his time of trial.

O Sovereign of our souls, the only Commander of our consciences: though I don't know what to do, my eyes are still on you. I continue to commit myself to the protection of your mercy. Just as you've protected me in the day of battle, you can still show me your strength in my weakness. In my darkest night, be a pillar of fire to light and guide me; in the day of my fiercest affliction, be a pillar of cloud to overshadow and protect me; be to me both a sun and a shield. You know it isn't any perverseness of will, but simply the persuasions of honor, reason, and religion, that have made me go this far in risking my person, peace, and safety against those who have tried to take them from me by force. Don't let my firm resolutions weaken as my outward strength fails; let a good conscience always accompany me in my solitude and desertions. Don't let me betray the powers of reason, or that fortress of my soul which I'm entrusted to keep for you. Lead me in the paths of your righteousness, and show me your salvation. Make my ways pleasing to you, and then you'll make my enemies be at peace with me.

Read the original Latin

Although God hath given me three Kingdoms, yet in these He hath not now left me any place where I may with safety & Honor rest my head: shewing me that himself is the safest Refuge, and the strongest Tower of defence, in which I may put my trust.

In these extremities, I look not to man so much as to God: He will have it thus, that I may cast my self, and my now distressed Affairs upon his mercy, who hath both hearts and hands of all men in his dispose.

What Providence denies to Force, it may grant to Prudence; Necessity is now my Counsellor, and commands Me to study My safety by a disguised withdrawing from my chiefest strength, and adventuring upon their Loyalty, who first began my troubles. Happily, God may make them a means honorable to compose them.

This my confidence of them, may dis-arm & overcom them; my rendring my person to them, may engage their affection to me, who have oft professed, They fought not against me, but for me.

I must now resolve the riddle of their Loyalty: and give them opportunity to let the world see, they mean not what they do, but what they say.

Yet must God be my chiefest Guard; and my Conscience both my Counsellor and my Comforter: Though I put my body into their hands, yet I shall reserve my soul to God and my self; nor shall any necessities compell me, to desert mine honour, or swerve from my Judgement.

What they fought to take by force, shall now be given them in such a way of unusuall confidence of them, as may make them ashamed not to be really such as they ought, and professed to be.

God sees it not enough to desert me of all Military power to defend my Self, but to put me upon using their power, who seem to fight against me, yet ought in duty to defend me.

So various are all humane affairs, & so necessitous may the state of Princes be, that their greatest danger may be in their supposed safety, and their safety in their supposed danger.

I must now leave those that have Adhered to me, and apply to those that have Opposed me; this method of Peace may be more prosperous then that of War, both to stop the effusion of bloud, & to close those wounds already made: and in it I am no less solicitous for my Friends safety, then mine own; chusing to venture my Self upon further hazards, rather then expose their resolute Loyaltie to all extremities.

It is some skil in play to know when a game is lost; better fairly to give over, then to contest in vain.

I must now study to re-inforce my Judgment, and fortifie my mind with Reason and Religion, that I may not seem to offer up my Souls libertie, or make my Conscience their Captive; who ought at first to have used Arguments, not Arms, to have perswaded my consent to their demands.

I thank God, no success darkens or disguises Truth to me; and I shall no less conform my words to my inward dictates now, then if they had been as the words of a KING ought to be among loyal Subjects, full of power.

Reason is the divinest power. I shall never think my Self weakned, while I may make full and free use of that. No ecclipse of outward Fortune shall rob me of that light: what God hath denied of outward strength, his grace, I hope, will supply with inward resolutions; not morositie to deny, what is fit to be granted; but not to grant any thing which Reason and Religion bids me denie.

I shall never think my Self less then my Self, while I am able thus to preserve the integrity of my Conscience, the only Jewel now left me, which is worth keeping.

O thou Soveraign of our Souls, the onely Commander of our Consciences; though I know not what to do, yet mine eyes are toward thee: To the protection of thy mercy I still commend my self.

As thou hast preserved me in the day of Battell, so thou canst still shew me thy strength in my weaknesse.

Be thou unto me in my darkest night a pillar of fire, to enlighten and direct me; in the day of my hottest affliction, be also a pillar of cloud to over-shadow and protect me; be to me both a Sun and a Shield.

Thou knowest, that it is not any perverseness of will, but just perswasions of Honour, Reason, and Religion, which have made me thus far to hazard my Person, Peace, and Safetie, against those that by force have sought to wrest them from me.

Suffer not my just resolutions to abate with my outward Forces; let a good Conscience alwaies accompany me in my solitude and desertions.

Suffer me not to betray the powers of Reason, and that fortresse of my Soul which I am entrusted to keep for thee.

Lead me in the paths of thy righteousnesse, and shew me thy salvation.

Make my waies to please thee, and then thou wilt make mine enemies to be at peace with me.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.8.20;Luke.9.58 — And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Luke.9.58 — And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
  2. ↩1Pet.5.7;Ps.55.22 — Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Ps.55.22 — Smooth are the words from his mouth, but war is in his heart; his speech is softer than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
  3. ↩Prov.21.1 — The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he wills.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source 'Happily' is early-modern 'haply' (perhaps / it may be), not cheerful gladness; 'compose them' means settle/reconcile the troubles named in the previous sentence.
  2. 2 ↩Early modern 'then' is comparative 'than'; 'skil' is 'skill'; 'give over' means yield/quit.
  3. 3 ↩Source 'that' points back to Reason in the preceding sentence; rendered as 'it' for natural contemporary English.
  4. 4 ↩Source 'morositie' means sullen or peevish stubbornness; rendered as 'sour refusal' to keep the contrast with principled denial clear in plain English.
  5. 5 ↩Normalized early-modern spellings: 'ecclipse'→eclipse, 'hath'→has, 'morositie'→moroseness sense, 'denie'→deny; sense follows the corrected reading.

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