so much success and glory is thought to have proceeded from one verse of Homer Iohannes Bodinus in method hist makes mention that Selimus causing Caesars Commentaries to be translated into his own natural Language was so expert in his manner of warfare that in a short time he joined a great part of Africk and Asia the less to the Empire of his Predecessors Valerius Maximus makes mention that Lucius Paulus had not routed the Persians Lib. 6. if Gallus Sulpitius the Philosopher had not remov'd that fear in the Roman Camp proceeding from a sudden Eclipse of the Moon by discoursing elegantly of the nature of the Heavens and the cause of that change The answer to the fifth Argument is easie For we speak not of that Learning which consists merely in the Idea's of the mind or in fantastick Aristotelian notions but of such as joyns knowledge and practice together which will not always be kept in obscurity but will shine at length to the good of the Republick Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians said when it was debated whether Justice or Fortitude had the precedency that there was no need of Fortitude if all men would adhere to Justice Baldus affirm'd that Common wealth stood more in need of Gown-men than Souldiers because times of peace are of longer continuance than those of War The true glory of Ancient Princes chiefly consisted in the honour they paid to Learning and learned men and in that they used their Councel and Assistance in governing their Kingdoms For as in Diseases of the Body one skiful Physitian is better than a thousand Mountebanks so when the whole Common-wealth is affected one learned Gown-man is worth a numerous Army Lampridius says that the good Emperor Aurelius and the brave Severus did always converse familiary with prudent and learned men and in civil Affairs did use the Councel of learned men only but in any military business besides old Officers they consulted also the learned Many Kings at the point of Death have recommended their Children and Successors to learned mens tuition calling them not only their Friends and Fathers but also their best Treasure On the contrary vitious Princes have vilipended learned Men and esteemed it more laudable to extoll toll those who were most agreable to their pernicious inclinations whose service they could use in the perpetration of their crimes and oppression of their Subjects We are to answer now to the objection of the immortality of war-like Prowess thus we must be forc'd to confess if we behold the perpetual memory of both that it is rather contain'd in Learning than in martial Prowess To the former we are indebted for the remembrance of what is either well or ill done and so without it the Art of Governing would be imperfect and next to Oblivion Who would have known the Caesars says Pliny the second in his Epistle to Cornelius Priscus if Suetonius had not liv'd Who would have known Scipio and Pompey so famous for their great triumphs if Learned Men had not written in their praise And seeing the acts of fortitude in one Individual are only during the life of one Man whatever is written for the benefit of the Republick is continual according to Vigetius in his second Book de re militari And though amongst the Scythians and other fierce and barbarous Nations Arms had the precedency and that by an ancient Aethiopian Statute those were made Kings who exceeded others in the stature of Body yet on the contrary amongst the Gracians Aegyptians Indians and Persians according to Bonsinus Wisdom and Learning were so much prefer'd that they did chuse Kings from the Altars of their Gods and Schools of Philosophers For Learning infuseth into Men the sense of a Divinity informs their Manners and conserves the Common-wealth The Lacedemonians by the Law of Lycurgus did not give honours to the rich and potent but to those endued with Prudence and Virtue And in the Indian Kingdoms and Countries found out by the Portuguesses Learning is in great esteem for none there without it can obtain any Office much less the * Osor lib. 3. de gloria Principality Homer the Father of Poets makes Pallas always a Friend to Achilles and Vlysses which he did because they were Men of reason and good Counsel And in his 2. lib. Iliadum Agamemnon desires in his Army not ten Ajaces but Nestores And the Wisdom of Aeneas is said to have been of more use in the defence of Troy than the valour and strength of Hector The Common-wealth of Venice seems to be of longer continuance than that of Rome not so much for her martial Valour as politick Government SECT I. Shewing the People incline either to Mars or Mercury as their Prince is inclined Thus considering what is already spoken it will not be difficult to find out what Profession is the better But now Learned Men to the shame of a Nation do vail to Souldiers give them a tacit renunciation of their right and acquiesce in the vulgar Opinion which is for the most part ever false I would allow indeed that our Nobility and Gentry following the Wars for the safety of their King and Country should not be defrauded of their due honour so as Gown-men on the other side be not wrong'd and vilipended and I do think that neither Party should permit the other to give their judgment in their own proper cause which I shall in this place forbear also to do and only say That Men are stir'd up to those Professions and Arts which are in greatest esteem for the time according to Plato in his 4th Book de Republica Nero declaimed in the first year of his Reign according to the Example of Pompey the Great and Augustus Caesar and immediately there was such abundance of Orators and the Study of Eloquence so flourish'd that many from low fortunes were made Senators * Sueto de clara Rheter and obtain'd great honours In the Reign of Charles the fifth all his Courtiers did learn the French Tongue because the Emperour himself delighted in it So Aristotle truly said that * lib. 2. Polit. c. 9. the inclinations of Princes were examples to his Subjects because the Life of a Prince is a perpetual Law or Decree concerning Manners as Pliny doth elegantly show Trajan and Claudian wittily in his admonition to Honorius Componitur Orbis Regis ad exemplum nec sic inflectere sensus Humanos edicta valent ut vita regentum Mobile mutatur semper cum Principe vulgus Men follow still the footsteps of their King Nor are Laws able humane minds to bring Under command so much as his life why The Vulgar with the Prince doth change alway Count Palavicin is introduced in Castilion's Courtier and alledging some subtile reasons doth conclude that Arms had the precedency yet he courteously avoids the opinion of Petrus Bembus his Colloquutor For this man doth quote Alexander the Great who did not envy Achilles for
which two Vices sprung chiefly from the depravation of Humane Nature that Military men have not so much deserved as usurped the first place having despised and contemned those who applying themselves to Learning with no less pains and danger have done excellent service to their Country On the contrary Learned men complain that they are defrauded of their due honour and endeavour to recover the same It is necessary therefore to search out the Reasons of this Controversie We come now to the Arguments of both Parties The first for the Military Prerogative is thought to be Antiquity for Nimrod the Son of Chus by his Martial Prowess subdued Nations and brought in the use of Arms. An other very strong Argument is that Empires are commanded by Arms as with a Bridle and so transmitted to Posterity of which we are furnished with almost innumerable examples out of Histories as well Sacred as Prophane But the most remarkable is the counsel of Pansa and Hircius which Experience proved Those men did perswade Julius Caesar to govern by Arms the Empire of Rome obtain'd by his Martial Virtue when he by doing the contrary was the cause of his own destruction Thirdly they say by Arms our Country is defended and when our Enemies are o'recome and all danger removed a general safety is procured Examples are in readiness to any read in History On the contrary Countries wanting Military defence are exposed to the Rapine of Enemies Poor Hungaria gives an example of this and many think that the boldness of the Turk had not succeeded so far if Ladislaus the Successor of Mathias Corvinus in that Kingdom had observed more diligently Military Discipline Fourthly It makes much for Souldiers that the World admires Power War-like Glory and Triumphs which because notorious needs no probation Fifthly The Art Military consists in the active part when the knowledge of Learning is only busied with meer Contemplation therefore Martial Prowess is the more honourable Sixthly and lastly Brave War-like actions make men immortal and therefore the more to be esteemed I answer to what was spoken in the first place of Antiquity that it is very much controverted whether Learning had its Birth after the expedition of Nimrod who began to Reign in Babylon or invented by the Aethiopians as Diodorus Siculus asserts in his fourth Book or taught first by Moses according to * Lib. 8. 10. Eusebius For Josephus in his first Book of Antiquity says that Letters were in use before the Flood and that the Sons of Seth the Son of Adam did write in two Pillars one of Stone and the other of Brick the nature of the Heavens and the motion of the Stars Epigenes also makes mention that there were Observations of the Stars many years before the Flood from which it appears that the use of Letters has been from the beginning which are the words of Pliny in the seventh Book of his Natural History It might therefore be that Moses or Abraham to whom Philo attributes the invention of Letters did restore those again which perished in the Flood which were transferred from the Syrians to the Phoenicians and from them to the Graecians by Cadmus and then inriched and further propagated by Palamedes in the time of the Trojan War But to conclude it 's agreed upon that time only doth not introduce true Pre-eminence that Excellency which is requisite being wanting The second Argument is refuted thus Arms only are not sufficient nor are great exploits done by them only Moreover in time of War when Martial prowess doth act barbarity reigns Countries are laid waste Justice neglected and horrid Cruelties committed Italy of old the Mistress of the Universe did give a most clear testimony of this when it was delacerated so miserably by those Northern People the Goths Huns Vandals and Lombards On the contrary in time of Peace Learning flourisheth and Justice is administred Moreover Affairs happen often which require learning and prudence more than armed force Hence is that of Cicero in his first Book de Officiis Cedant arma togae concedat laurea linguae that is Let Arms give place to the Gown and let the Laureat Souldier give place to the eloquent Orator Neither when the Sword rages can Princes want the industry of learned men for in declaring managing and ending the War there is great need of such Wherefore the ancient Grecians did so join both Arts together that thereby they not only overcame the Persians but also subdued other Warlike Nations The Romans famous for their Martial Valour were also no less learned for according to the Comick Poet its nothing to be brave abroad unless men be wise at home And as reason and judgment are more excellent than the strength of the body or boldness in fight So a Scholar is more to be honoured than a Souldier John Galeass Duke of Millan being an Enemy of the Florentines used to say That he received more hurt by the Letters of Collutius Pierius than by a thousand armed Souldiers To confirm which we shall bring in that saying of the most wise Cato in his Oration against Catoline Non solis armis Respublica Romana crevit sedalia fuere qua illos magnos fecere domi industria foris justum imperium animus in consulendo liber neque delicto neque libidini obnoxius The Roman Common-wealth did not increase by Arms only but there were other things which made it great industry at home a just command abroad freedom in Consultations obnoxious to neither Crimes nor unlawful desires Florus says That Empires were obtained by strength but preserved by equity and justice Wise Antiquity made use of the Fiction of Pallas whom they made the Praeses of War and Learning Thirdly It was argued for Military Virtue that our Country was defended by Arms. We grant this partly but yet not by Arms only as appears from what is already spoken For if defence according to the ancient Military Law is better than offence it certainly consists more in counsel and prudence than in fighting It has been the destruction of many and of their Country also to trust to the hazard of a Battel Again Arms are more easily taken up than laid down therefore it s most uncertain to put confidence in Arms only Fourthly it was argued for martial prowess that War-like Glory is in greater admiration than Learning To which I answer that whereas Kings and Princes do honour the one more than the other that is occasioned through Ambition or greedy desire of command neither can Glory purchased by Arms be of long continuance without Prudence and Learning for it 's the opinion of the judicious that military discipline from whence War-like Glory doth flow as from its Fountain did take its original from Homer That learned man Alianus did teach the Emperour Adrian an excellent military order of drawing up of Souldiers in equal proportions and just distances The Macedonian Phalanx which Alexander the great made use of with
the affections of the weaker Sex Olympia Fulvia of Ferrara a most ingenious Woman in those latter times lived and dyed in Germany whose Orations and learned Works are yet extant After the same manner many Virago's indued with masculine courage have affected and obtained the honour of warlike fortitude The Roman Virgin Clelia being one of the Pledges given to King Porsenna in the night-time escaped her Guards took Horse and by her speedy passing the River not only free'd her City of a dangerous siege but of all fear Thirdly we read that many War-like Hero's and Eminent Gown-men who at home and abroad have deserved well of their Country have fallen from the height of Honour into great Calamities Therfore we may exclaim with Lucan in his First Book of the Civil War 'twixt Caesar and Pompey Invida fatorum series summisque negatum Stare diu nimioque graves sub pondere lapsus Fates envious course continuance doth deny To mighty Men who greatest falls do try What is more famous than the exile of Scipio * Valer. Max. lib. 5. cap. 3. and Themistocles Franciscus Bussonus General of the Venetian Army a Man Valiant and active against Philip Duke of Millain after his taking of Verona and Brixia was accus'd of perfidious delay brought to Venice in the course of his Actions and there * Petrus Just l. 7. hist Venetae beheaded Conradine the Nephew of the Emperour Frederick Barbarossa for the loss of a Battel at the instigation of the Pope and the Arch-Duke of Austria had his Head struck off in the Market-place of the City of Naples Socrates the wisest of Greece by the testimony of the Oracle dyed a * Val. Max. lib. 7. cap. 2. violent death Cicero the Fountain of Roman Eloquence was first banish'd * Plut. in vita Ciceron and then beheaded William Hugonet Chancellour to Charles Duke of Burgundy after the death of his Prince at Nancy was beheaded by the People of Gaunt That famous Lawyer Alpianus was banished by Heliogabolus Bellisarius and Narses two famous and glorious Captains after they had obtain'd great and honourable Victories were thrust from their commands and reduc'd to misery by the Emperour Justinian Gonsalvo having obtain'd the name of great Captain by the consent of all Christendom after he had confirmed the Kingdom of Naples to his Master †Jovius in his life by his singular Vertue and Constancy was required to give up his Accounts and thereby brought in disgrace I shall forbear to produce examples of latter Favourites as also of those who have suffered for the glory of God and good of their Country because I do not intend here a Martyrology If we would but look into the Courts of Princes even of latter times what a Multitude of evils and misfortunes would offer themselves and how many examples of the Courts inconstancy could we instance Subsect 1. Shewing the causes of their so sad fate I judge the causes thereof to be either those in great favour with Kings and Princes do put too much confidence therein or oppress'd with envy which is the inseparable Concomitant of Vertue and Felicity they fall into disgrace or Fortune according to her custome at length deserts Men loaded with riches and honours or their Spirits fail them being oppressed with the weight of affairs Injustice and desire of private gain have also been the ruine of many Hence you may see Men blinded with avarice and ambition run beyond the limits of their duty and many according to Polybius more fit to innovate than manage affairs To which may be added the change of the Prince his inclination which appears after Favorites have acquired great riches and dignities For according to Martial Immodicis brevis est aetas rara senectus Next the divulging of the Prince's secrets And finally the anger and suspicion of Princes for such give themselves up to their own humours and whilst they endeavour to confirm their authority they erre sometimes in the excess of punishing These are the ordinary causes of the ruine of many brave Men. There are also other Theological reasons First the godly Man is not innocent before God it 's needful for all Men to be subject to afflictions that therein their divine vertues may be exercised Before I was afflicted I went astray says the Psalmist and trouble gives understanding says Esaias Secondly that it may appear that all things are not ruled by human Counsels because it 's written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise The more therefore with the Apostle to Timothy is the safety of Princes to be recommended to God that they may do what is good and just in his eyes lest afterwards Vices turn into Manners where at length according to Seneca there is no redress Let their Ministers who are intrusted with Offices either military or civil endeavour to follow the Dictates of Virtue hoping felicity in their actions from God to whom they must give an account Whereby it will come to pass that they shall have comfort in whatsoever calamity and shall not suffer any thing but what will be conducing to the good of their Souls But lest we involve our selves in this Labyrinth beyond our intention let us refer the whole matter to the secret yet just judgment of God CHAP. III. Shewing that Arms and Learning go hand in hand together IT follows therefore that Letters and Arms should not only accord but be inseparably conjoyn'd besides the Reasons above-mentioned because Martial Prowess doth furnish matter to Learning Hence was Hercules call'd Musagetes and was ador'd in a Temple dedicated to himself and the Muses as on the contrary Learned men do Eternize the Memory of virtuous actions that they may be also Immortal to Posterity Suetonius Tranquillus writ a Book of such as were famous in the Roman Commonwealth either for their war-like actions or civil policy Saint Jerom following his Example writ a Book of Holy Men famous in the Church of God And in latter times Paulus Jovius did honour with splendid Elogies men famous either for their Martial Prowess or their refined and learned Wits The dangerous Contentions for Honour ought to be shunn'd and the same given to Virtue whose proper reward it is and that without any envy whereby whole Common-wealths have perished and of which History furnisheth us with many famous Examples Who contend for Honour in a Commonwealth says Plato are like Mariners striving in a Tempest who should be Pilot which cannot be without the evident danger of all It 's the part therefore of wise men to hate Emulations and the greedy desire of Vain-glory and to follow Honour but not ambitiously to covet the same Ambition was prohibited of old at †Cicero de Orato Rome by the severest Laws If all the induements of Body and Mind and all External Dignities were considered we would find that they were not sufficient to the tranquility of Humane Life we should augment therefore the care of Piety and lessen the solicitude of perishing things and especially that specious trouble which we see most strictly joyn'd with acquired Power It is written Do all to the Glory of God this is the end which all Christians should propose to themselves the rest do not only perish with us but in the midst of our course they withdraw themselves and vanish The Government of men is obnoxious to divers Changes therefore it stands in need of men fitted for all times as divers Remedies are to be used according to the nature of mens Diseases Sometimes Arms sometimes Learning is required and neither can subsist without the other It is absolutely necessary that Justice be attended with Arms and it is certain that God is the Fountain of Justice and that the highest and lowest Vocations are governed by him Therefore we should pray for Concord Humility and Mutual Love The Conclusion NOw at the close Ingenuous Youth should be admonished that as the Civil Perfection of Man consists in Military and Doctoral Dignities and as in this Politique Government divers Offices are required they would study those two Noble Arts without pride or mutual contempt And let those who are to be Souldiers consider that the Defenders of their Country shall have Glory on Earth and Felicity in Heaven But where there is a necessity of War let it be undertaken that nothing seem to be required but Peace whereby according to †Hist. Roman lib. 2. Velleius the Laws and Justice flourish For a certain Honourable Peace is far better than an uncertain event of War All the events of Warare uncertain says Cicero Moreover although what we know is far less than what we are ignorant of for according to the Apostle in this life we know but in part Young men ought to learn what is necessary to the just Government of the Commonwealth whereunto Earthly Riches and Honours should not invite them so much as that Celestial Remuneration of which the Followers of true Vertue are certain Finally let them contain themselves within the limits of their Vocation neither let them allured with the desire of Superiority which is always joyn'd with present danger attempt any thing beyond their ability O happy England if young Men of noble Birth and opulent fortunes would not lose their youthful years in riot voluptuous pleasures and all sorts of sensuality but would instruct and adorn their minds with vertuous Sciences By so doing they should not only learn to live well themselves but also to rule others aright they should the better acquire political knowledge and instructed with vertuous Precepts of Philosophy should contain themselves within the limits of their duty be more fit for the Government of the Common-wealth either in Peace or War and extend and augment the splendour of their Birth by their laudable actions Those are the Pillars and Supporters of solid Honour and Glory by those Wings we mount to Heaven and by those watchings and pains we acquire eternal Fame and Glory FINIS ERRATA PAge 10. line 30. for Councellors read Councellor P. 13. l. 4. after be r. so p. 16. l. 18. for Treasures r. in the Treasury l. 27. r. that after Liberality p. 77. l. 24. dele to be p. 92. l. 21. for Mercuris r. Mercurio