Here now they cry out, that the Commaunders of our Fleete haue delt iniuriously with them, they exclaime that the leagues are broken, that their old priuiledges in England are violated, which they chalenge to belong to their Cities, and ought to be kept and mainteined. As though that any man were so madde, so farre from the trueth of things, so carelesse of his owne safetie, so great an enemie to publike securitie, that with all his might and indeuour, would not preuent the mischiefe and destruction hanging ouer the Commonwealth. He that withstandeth not wrong when hee is able, is in as great fault, as if he destroyed the Commonwealth. The preseruation of the people hath bene euer accompted among all nations, for the very supreame Law. Are not the _Hanse_ townes ashamed to maintaine and pretend a priuiledge, that is to say, a priuate lawe against a publike and soueraigne lawe? Did euer any king or Prince witting and waring, suffer such a kinde of trafike which should make his enemie ouer mightie, and though hee did not disfurnish himselfe, yet shoulde leaue himselfe more open vnto his furie, which otherwise were like to be vnarmed and vnable to wage warre against him? [Sidenote: The English and French enemies: Charles the fift a confederate.] In the yeere 1545. at which time the warres grew hotte betwixt the kingdomes of England and Fraunce, when the subiects of _Charles_ the Emperour the fift of that name of noble memorie, would needes haue had free libertie of passage with all commodities into Fraunce, vnder pretext of their Newtralitie, What was the Emperours answere being a Prince of great equitie? Did he not openly pronounce that course of theirs altogether vnlawfull? let the Contract it selfe concluded the 6. day of April be lookt into. [Sidenote: The Danes and Swethens enemies: the Hanse men confederats.] When the Kings of Denmarke, and of Swethlande were at difference one with another, was it permitted to these Hansemen to conuay freely any thing into one of their kingdomes, which was not in deede ceased vpon & confiscated, if it fel into the laps of the other, not hauing first obtained speciall libertie for the same? Was this stately, & so much priuiledged name of Newtralitie at that time, of such force, that without vsing of any mediatour, it could recouer againe their goods out of the hands of the Danes & Swethens, & countenance the same in safetie, & securitie? Let them acknowledge that, whereof they are not ignorant, that although the Emperour _Ferdinande_ and other Princes of the Empire dealt in their behalfe by way of intreatie and mediation, and that from the solemne assemblie of the said Empire, yet they in this case preuailed nothing at all with _Ericke_, the king of Swethland. [Sidenote: The Emperour and the King of Poland enemies to the Moscouite: the English and Hanse men friends.]