find out many excellent and beneficial Arts but not the Cause or Principle Yet we find that Nature works not so curiously upon the Essence of Things as upon the Corporal Substance for Nature is but rude in the Minds of Men and so in other Creatures untill Community and Art have civilized them and Experience and Learning have perfected them Of Nature NAture is more various in the Shapes Thoughts and Colours than in the Substance or Kind of Things yet for Shapes there are but four grounds as High Low Thick and Thin of Quality or Essences she hath but four as Fire Water Air and Earth and for Colours the ground is onely Light and for Life she hath given onely three degrees as the Life of Growth the Life of Sense and the Life of Reason which is a Motion belonging to the Mind the other two Motions belong to the Corporal Part and all Life is but Motion so that Motion is the Life of Natures Work and the Work of Natures Life The Power of Natural Works ALthough Nature hath made every thing Good if it be rightly placed yet she hath given her Works power of misplacing themselves which produceth Evil Effects for that which corrupts Nature as it were is the disordered mixture But of all her Works Man hath entangled her waies the most by his Arts which makes Nature seem Vicious when most commonly Mans Curiosity causeth his Pain But there is nothing that is purely made and orderly set by Nature that hath not a Virtue in it but by her Creatures mis-applyings produceth a Vice Change in Nature NAture hath not onely made Bodies changeable but Minds so to have a Constant Mind is to be Unnatural for our Body changeth from the first beginning to the last end every Minute adds or takes away so by Nature we should change every Minute since Nature hath made nothing to stand at a stay but to alter as fast as Time runs wherefore it is Natural to be in one Mind one minute and in another in the next and yet Men think the Mind Immortal But the Changes of Nature are like the Sleights of a Juggler we see many several Shapes but still but one Matter Of Natural Wars IT seems to me a thing above Nature that Men are not alwaies in War one against the other and that some Estates live in peace somtimes forty or an hundred years nay some above a Thousand as the Venetians without Civil Warrs for the old saying is So many Men so many Minds yet they meet all in Ambitious Desires and naturaly Self-love seeks and strives for Preheminency Command which all cannot have yet submit and obey which is strange But say some it is Love that Makes Unites and Keeps a Common-wealth in Peace no saies another it is Fear and another may say as Tichobrahe the Dane said of the Sun and Earth For Ptolomy saith that the Sun moveth and the Earth stands still Copernicus said that the Earth moved and the Sun stood still Tichobrahe took up the third Opinion to which could be added no more but that they both moved So one may say it is both Love and Fear since those two Passions most commonly accompany one another But say they all things naturally incline to Peace and Unity and that War is unnatural because it tends to Destruction but some may say again that we find Nature hath made nothing but is subject to Preying Ravening and Devouring one thing of another and that most things live upon the spoil of another by the Humours Constitutions and Desires she hath given them for in many things their Lives cannot subsist or be nourished but by the Death of other Creatures So that Men are not only subject to War upon one another but all Creatures that Nature hath made as also the Elements for what is Thunder but a War betwixt Heat and Cold for Nature meeting in Contrarieties must needs Dispute when they meet and are never quieted untill one part get the upper hand and though Numbers make aConsort yet they must have a Sympathy one to another Thus all things are subject to War yet the Causes are different that provoke them to it But Nature would have wanted work if she had made all things to continue and nothing to decay for Death is as natural as Life but it seems to be Natures great Art to make all things subject to War and yet live in Peace as not to make an utter Destruction Of Darkness DArkness is more powerfull than Light for a little dark Cloud will ecclipse the great light of the Sun and there would be more Twilight if there were no Clouds for the Clouds are like a Screen that hides the Light Of the Air. THE Air is Water as well as the Sea So that Men Beasts and Birds are all but kinds of Fishes for we cannot live without Air which is rarified Water but it seems we are of a subtiller Sense than Fishes which makes us require a thinner Element Of Air. THE Air is as all other Animal Creatures are subject to Corruption Putrefaction and Distemper somtimes in a continual Feaver other times in an intermitting Feaver sometimes in a Hectick Feaver other times it hath shaking Agues Wind-Chollcks and oft times Rheumatick and Hydropical and as the Air is so it is apt to infect mens Bodies by reason that Air is so thin and subtil as it enters and intermingles into all things Of the Corruptions of the Air. THE Air is more corrupted in the Spring and the Autumn than in the Winter and Summer for in the Winter it is less corrupted by reason it is more united as being congealed by Cold neither hath the Sun that Force to draw more Vapours than it can digest besides for want of Heat the Pores of the Earth are shut where by less Vapours issue out and in Summer it hath a sufficient heat to concoct what it draws up or at least it contracts it so as to keep it from running into corruption and the Spring at the Suns return opens the Pores of the Earth suoking out Vapour there from which V pour is like the first milk of a Cow or the like Udder'd Creature when they have new cast forth their Birth which Milk is all corrupted with Blood and Matter by reason it hath been so long in the Udder so likewise the Vapour is corrupted when it is first drawn as it were by the returning Sun by reason it wanted Vent and Agitation to purify it and as it is ascending it mingles with those Creatures that live upon the Earth for the Pores of the Creatures that live upon the Earth also open by the springing heat from whence Vapours like wise do issue from their Bodies yet they live by the Air that encompasseth them as Fishes do in Water which if the Water be corrupted the Fishes dye caused by the Malignity they draw in for though they are not smotherd or choaked as in Frosty weather yet could
the power to keep a Friendship for there was never any of our Senses that could constantly be unwearied of any one Subject or Object having naturally a various quality which makes them great Admirers but uncertain Lovers and Friends neither is it altogether the Strength of Love but the Length that makes a perfect Friendship Friendship of Kings SOme say that Kings are unhappy because they cannot have a Bosome-friend for there must be some Equality for True Friendship and a Prince makes himself a Subject or his Subject as great as himself in making particular Friendships which may cause Danger to his Person and State But a King that hath Loyal Subjects wants no Friend But say they a Friend is to open and disburthen the Thoughts from his Heart of all Joys Griefs and Secrets which are not so convenient or satisfactory to be published to all his Loyal Subjects To all which may be answered that his Privy Council is a Secret Friend where he may and ought to disburthen his Mind being an united Body or should be so which will increase his Joys with their Joys and ease his Griefs with their Counsel which is the part of a Friend So as a Privy Council to Kings is as a Private Friend to another Man Friendship of Parents and Children IT is said Parents and Children cannot have Friendship for they must have no tyes of Nature but be Voluntary and Free where in Parents it is rather a Self love or Self-interest than a clear Friendship Where I answer that there can be no Friendship but proceeds from Self-love and Interest for their delight is in their Friend and to dye for a Friend is because they cannot live without him Besides say they there is a Bar that hinders the Friendship of Parents and Children which is the Duty and Respect which ought to be in the Child towards the Parent and a Reservedness of the Father to the Child But to my thinking it is a strange Reason that Duty and Respect should hinder Friendship as if Friendship were built upon an open Rudeness But certainly True Love which is that which makes Dear Friendships takes more pleasure to be Commanded and to Obey those they love than to Command and be Obeyed Besides Respect hinders not the disclosing or the receiving into the Mind or helping with their Bodies or Estates or parting with Life which are the Acts of Friendship For I take Duty and Obedience to be from the Mind as consenting to their Desires and respect as towards the Body by an humble presenting of it self But a Reservedness of the Parent to the Child is rather a proud Insulting and Love of Authority than out of Love or Consideration for their good or to keep their Natural Affection for it must be a very Ill Nature that sweet and kind Perswasions free and open Relations seasonable and secret Counsellings willing and reasonable Actions shall not onely keep the Natural Love as from the Child to the Parent but tye a perfect Friendship as from Man to Man unless you will say there can be no perfect Friendship except there be an equality of their Ages which indeed a Child and a Parent can never be even in But Parents are so far from making of Friendship with their Children as they know less and are more unacquainted with them than with Strangers by their reserved Formalities or else they are so rudely Familiar with their Children as makes their Children rudely Familiar with them in which kind of Natures and Humours can be no tyes of Friendship neither with their own nor Strangers Of Madness in general THere are more that run Mad for the loss of Hope than for the loss of what they have Enjoyed as for example How many have run Mad for the loss of their Servant or Mistress which are called Lovers but few or none for their Husbands or Wives every Town or Kingdome at least may be an Example of the first but few in the whole World to be heard of the last And how many Parents have run Mad for the loss of their Children because they have lost the hopes of their Perfections or Excellencies which Time might have brought forth that might have been an Honour to their Name and Posterity which by Death were cut off So as it is not so much for the present Comfort they lost in their Child for few Parents make their Children their onely or chief Society but the expectation of the Future being lost is that they most commonly run Mad for for there are none that wish not themselves in a good Condition and there are very few that not onely wish themselves in a better Condition though they have no cause to complain but hope to be so and where the Hopes are cut off and the Desires remain they must needs grow Impatient and Impatiency grows Extravagant and Extravagancy is Madness But how seldome is it heard that Children run Mad for their Parents the reason is because there is little hopes from them but of their Estates or Titles if they have any for Men never consider so much what is past as what is to come unless it be to compare the past time with the present that they might guess at the Future So that there is nothing to hope from Parents because all things are past from them for Men joy more in looking forward through their Posterity than in looking back upon their Ancestors the one is a Contemplation of Life the other but a Contemplation of Death and though they are sometimes proud of their Forefathers worthy Actions yet they take more delight in the hopes of their own Posterity And when Men grow Mad for the loss of their Estates it is not for what they have enjoyed but for what they would or might have enjoyed had not Ill Fortune been but now they cannot And when Men fall Mad through Despair it is because they have no hopes of Heaven So that Hope is the Life of Mans Thoughts and the Ground of his Actions it makes Piety in the Church and Industry in the Common-wealth where the want of it is a Death in Life An Epistle to the Unbelieving Readers in Natural Philosophy MANY say That in Natural Philosophy nothing is to be known not the Cause of any one thing which I cannot perswade my self is Truth for if we know Effects we must needs know Causes by reason Effects are the Causes of Effects and if we can know but one Effect it is a hundred to one but we shall know how to produce more Effects thereby Secondly That Natural Philosophy is an endless Study without any profitable Advantage but I may answer That there is no Art nor Science but is produced thereby if we will without Partiality consider from whence they were derived Thirdly That it is impossible that any thing should be known in Natural Philosophy by reason it is so obscure and hid from the knowledge of Mankind I answer That it is impossible that
curable or no. Of Natural Faith THere may be such Sympathy in Nature that if we could believe undoubtedly our own Belief might bring any thing to pass For why may not Faith beget naturally what it requires as well as one Creature beget another But Nature is Wise for she hath mixed Mans Mind with so many Passions and Affections as his Belief cannot be so clear but that there lye alwaies Dregs and Doubts in the bottom of his Mind which if Nature had not ordered so Man might have transformed her Works to his Humour But certainly there is a Natural Sympathy in Curses to produce an Evil Effect The Predestination of Nature THere is a Predestination in Nature that whatsoever she gives Life to she gives Death to she hath also predestinated such Effects from such Causes Of Chymistry THE greatest Chymists are of a strong Opinion that they can enforce Nature as to make her go out of her Natural Pace and to do that by Art in a Furnace as the Elixar in half a Year that Nature cannot in a hundred or a thousand Years and that their Art can do as much as Nature in making her Originals another way than she hath made them as Paracelsus little Man which may be some Dregs gathered together in a Form and then perswaded himself it was like the Shape of a Man as Fancies will form and liken the Vapours that are gathered into Clouds to the Figures of several things Nay they will pretend to do more than ever we saw Nature to do as if they were the God of Nature and not the Work of Nature to return Life into that which is dead as to renew a Flower out of its own Ashes and make that Flower live fresh again which seems strange since we find nothing that Nature hath made that can be more powerfull or more cunning or curious than her self for though the Arts of Men and other Creatures are very fine and profitable yet they are nothing in comparison to Natures works when they are compared Besides it seems impossible to imitate Nature as to do as Nature doth because her Waies and her Originals are utterly unknown for Man can only guess at them or indeed but at some of them But the reason of raising such Imaginations in Man is because they find by practice that they can extract and divide one Quality from another though it may be in question whether they can do it purely or no but so as to deform that Nature hath formed But to compass and make as Nature doth as they imagin they can is such a Difficulty as I believe they have not the power to perform for to divide or substract is to undo and Nature hath given that Faculty to Man to do some things when he will but not in all as he may ruin and destroy that he cannot build or renew though he be an Instrument as all other things are to further Natures Works since she is pleased to work one thing out of another not making new Principles for every thing yet he cannot work as she worketh for though he can extract yet he cannot make for he may extract Fire out of a thing but he cannot make the principle Element of Fire so of Water and Earth no more can he make the Elizar than he can make the Sun Sea or Earth and so it seems as impossible to make a Man as to make a piece of Meat put into a Pot and setting it upon the Fire of what temper or which way he can he shall never turn it into Blood as it doth in the Stomack or make such Excrements as the Bowels cast forth And to make the Essence of a Flower return into the same Flower again seems more strange for first that Motion is ceased and gone that gave it that Form and where they will find that Motion or know what kind moves it or what moved it to that Form I doubt is beyond their skill Besides those Qualities or Substances are evapoured out that gave it that tast or smell or that made it such a thing and though they be never so Industrious to keep those Vapours in yet they are too subtil to be restrained and Insensible to be found again when once they are separated so as it is as hard to gather the dispersed Parts as to make the first Principles which none but the God of Nature can do for it is a hard thing out of the Ashes of a Billet to make a Billet again But Nature hath given such a Presumptuous Self-love to Mankind and filled him with that Credulity of Powerfull Art that he thinks not onely to learn Natures Waies but to know her Means and Abilities and become Lord of Nature as to rule her and bring her under his Subjection But in this Man seems rather to play than work to seek rather than to find for Nature hath infinite Varieties of Motions to form Matters with that Man knows not nor can guess at and such Materials and Ingredients as Mans gross Sense cannot find out insomuch that we scarce see the Shadow of Natures Works but live in Twilight and have not alwaies that but sometimes we are in Utter Darkness where the more we wander the apter we are to break our Heads THE EPISTLE THis Book I doubt will never gain an Applause especially amongst those Students who have spent their time with Antient Authorities who are become so restringent with their Doctrines as the strongest reason of Contradiction cannot move them nor reasonable Truths purge out the Erroneous Dregs And they do not onely make a Laughing Scorn or cast a Deriding Jest on Modern Opinions but they will fly from them as from the Plague without any Examination crying they are Defective out of an Obstinate Belief that none but the Antients were Masters of Knowledge and their Works the onely Guides of Truth which is as Ridiculous as to think that Nature cannot or will not make any thing equal to her former Works or to think Nature confined all Knowledge to some Particular Heads in Antient Times and none but those to trace her Waies or to think that the Curiosity of Nature is so easily found out that the Antients could not be mistaken But the Antients are divided amongst the Scholars or rather the Scholars are divided amongst the Antients where every several Author hath a several Party to fight in his Defence or to usurp an Absolute Power where there is so much Envy and Malicious Factions and Side-takings to maintain or to fling down several Opinions or so much Ignorance blindly to throw at all having no Understanding Eye to make Distinguishment or to see what they are against But I hope none of my Readers will be so blind as to break their Heads against the Candlestick when the Light is set therein and I wish it may burn so clearly and bright as to cast no dark Shadows against the Wall of Ignorance yet I must confess it is but a
in Tyranny with whipping the people into obedience then the pleasure of being obeyed Of Tyrannical Government THe most Tyrannical Government is by Armies for whatsoever intentions they are raised for if they are not disbanded assoon as the work is ended they grow mutinous for idle time makes them corrupt one another but if they be setled in Government either to keep the people in subjection or secure their Princes in time they will not onely keep the people in subjection but become Tyrants to their Princes or Governours as for example the Romans that conquered all the world when their armies had no more work to do they fell upon their Emperours and murthered them pulling some down and setting others up that at some times there have been three or four and at other times none to govern the Empire and how often nay how few die of the Emperours of the Turks in peace for the Janisaries whom they raised for their guard murthers them upon the least dislike and many other examples may be given wherefore it is as great a wonder to hear of an Army to protect their Governours as usual to destroy them but this comfort onely is to those that live under the power of the sword that as they destroy their heads so they destroy themselves for without Government nothing can last and there can be no Government without superiority or superiours for there must be both authority and obedience to make a Harmonical Common-wealth Of the favour of Princes THere is no greater advantage to a Prince then to prefer men that have the reputation of being wise valiant and honest or those men that are great in alliance or have great estates for men of wisdom they inable their Princes by their counsel and men of valour they enable their Princes by execution and honest men inable them by their trust and men of alliances inable them by their power and rich men help to maintain their war but poor and mean-born men are leaches that suck in the wealth of the kingdom and spue it forth in vanities they bring nothing to their Prince but hatred from the commons through envy to those that are preferred The misplacing of Honours that causeth Rebellion OUtward Honor should be the mark of inward worthy a reward for action proceeding from valour and wisdom in conducting and governing maintaining and keeping assisting and obeying their King and Country ButifHonour be placed by favour and not for merit it brings envy to those which are honoured and hatred to the Prince for honouring such persons which envy and hate bring murmur discontent brings war and ruin to the kingdom But Kings should be like good husbands that sowe their seed in fertil ground and not in barren ground where the cost and paines will be lost neither do they fling in their seeds in a lump but spread them about so Princes should divide their favours amongst the worthiest persons not to favour one to discontent all the rest The cause of Rebellion THere is nothing causeth rebellion so soon as the unequal living of the subject as for a Noble man who strives to live like his King a Gentleman to live like a Noble man and a Pesant or a Citizen to live like a Gentleman For every man living not according to their qualitie will in short time think his quality according to his expence which must needs make a disorder where there is an inequalitie of degrees and not in expence for the rate of the expence must be set at the degree of the person for when a Noble man seeth an inferiour person in as good or better equipage then himself it begets envy and envy causeth murmur murmur faction faction rebellion and the inferiour sort living at the rate of the nobler sort begets pride pride ambition ambition faction faction rebellion and thus the Nobler sort striving to keep up their dignitie and the inferiour through their pride out-braves the nobler then those of the same degrees are tempted to live above their abilities even with their equals thus striving to out-brave one another they run into poverty and being poor they fear no losse for having little to maintain life they set it at stake either to lose all or to get more for in civil wars all is fish that comes to net whereas every man living in his degree envy is abated pride abated luxury abated neighbourly love and kindnesse bred and peace kept and every one thrives in his qualitie and grows rich by frugality and riches beget care care begets fear and modest fear keeps peace Of Ceremony CEremony is rather of superstitious shew then a substance it lives in formality not in reality yet it is that which keeps up the Church and is the life of religion it heightens and glories the power of Kings and States it strikes such a reverence and respect in the beholders as it begets fear and wonder in so much as it a mazes the spirits of men to humiliation and adoration and gives such a distance as it deifies humane things or ceremony hath such a majestical form as it becomes a kinde of a god for it creates such a superstition that it is not onely served with earnest endeavours but many times with such a fury that oft times the observer runs into madnesse but as it strikes fear so it begets pride yet ceremony is so necessary as without it Common-wealths would run into a confusion for it is the officer to make way for command and obedience which keeps peace and creates order which order is to place things in such manner formes and times Of Councellours An idle or lazy man is unfit for a Counsellour because he will not take so much pains to consider to the bottom of a cause And a Epicure is an unfit man for a Counsellour for his minde is so set on his delight as it is buried to all other thoughts And a doubtful man is an unfit man for a Counsellour because he cannot resolve upon any thing And a feareful man is an unfit Counsellour because he can never give a solid opinion for fear of danger Discord in Counsel many times proves very prejudicial to a state Age becomes Counsel and command IT is seemly and fit for age to be in all commands and Councels for that which makes a wise Privie Councellour or States-man is aged experience in active times bred in observing quick in conceiving industrious in continuing led with honesty forced to policy and in commands ages gravity forceth authority and compels obedience by his wise conduct wherefore those that prefer youth before age it is to esteem the strength of the body before the strength of the brain and if so a horse is to be preferred before a man Of Command and order THough command is to have the first place as coming from nature or power yet it cannot execute its power without order and Ceremony for ceremony and order are the two necessary parts of man that
not so much the Wisdome of Henry the Seventh that gave him the Crown as his Good Fortune in having a Tyrant Opposer on which the Peoples fear was above their feeling for they did apprehend more Tyrannie than they found in the time that Richard did reign for he made more good Laws in the time of his Reign than had been made in the Reign of many Kings before or after him But the Peoples mistrust cannot be satisfied with any Act let it be never so just or profitable but by their absence which they never think far enough untill they go to the Shades of Death and many times that which they believe will prove the best for them proves the worst because they follow not Reason but Will For Henry the Seventh whom they thought to be most happy under proved but a Tyrant in his Acts although a Saint in his Words for he brought by the means of Projecting and Informing Knaves the greatest or indeed all Estates to be Forfeited and so to be Compounded for by which he raised great Sums of Money to the ruining of many Antient Families yet he reigned peaceably most part of all his time which many a better and juster Prince had not the fortune to do Of the Emperors MOST commonly it may be said of Kings or Governors as they say of March It comes in like a Lion it goeth out like a Lamb and when it comes in like a Lamb it goeth out like a lion But when a Man desires to raise an Empire or himself to be an Emperor he flatters the People but when he is once become Emperor he makes the People flatter him Caesar might have proved a good Emperor but he had not time to be an ill one Augustus Caesar was a wise Prince he knew there was no way to settle the new-born Empire and to enjoy it peaceably but by gaining the Love of the People not by the base servile way of Flattery but by executing Justice and making wise and good Laws Tiberius was a good Prince whilst the memory of Augustus lasted in the Minds of the People and a wise Prince that he could dissemble his Humour so well and so long and none was so fit as Ascianus to bring him to bed of his great belly'd Cruelty Tiberius was of a lazy disposition as we may know by his solitary and luxurious life Nero came too soon to the Empire to reign well Vanities the Rulers of Youth despise Prudence and Temperance the Companions of Age his Vanities bred Vices his Vices bred Fear Fear bred Jealousie Jealousie bred Tyrannie Tyrannie bred Conspiracy and Conspiracy Destruction in brief he had not Age enough to poyse him he killed himself more out of Fear than Courage Both the Neroes the Uncles and the Cosen were much of a humour Nero Germanicus his Son he was Proud Cowardly Effeminat Envious Vainglorious Covetous to get Prodigal to spend Cruel without Craft and Mad he was not wise enough to rule his Empire nor temperate enough to govern his Vanities nor couragious enough to dissemble his Fears or be a good Prince As for Claudius the Emperour he was more learned than wise and he had more good Nature than Constancy and whatsoever ill he did he was seduced to do it by those he loved True it is he was of an easy Disposition but that proceeds more from a good Disposition in Nature than an evil one and it rather comes from Love than Hate although the Effects be all one for he that is easily perswaded and suddenly believes commits more Cruelty by his Credulity than distributes Justice by his good Nature As for Galba he had too narrow a Soul for so great an Empire for the Vices of Age and Covetousness had got hold of him he was Old and Crazy he had no Generosity to entice nor Sweet Behaviour to win nor Oratory to perswade nor Industry to order nor Faith to perform and whatsoever Man hath these Faults must needs get more Enemies than Friends As for Otho he had not Patience to try his Fortune neither lived he so long as any one could judge of his Government he was better beloved of his Souldiers than fortunate in their Successes besides he was beloved more of the People after he was dead than when he was living but whether he killed himself for the grief of those Souldiers that were lost or fear of the loss of the rest or for fear of himself it is doubtfull Vitelius was cruel gluttonous and of an unworthy nature For Vespasian he was very greedy of Gain to the height of Covetousness and yet he was very Generous for whatsoever he got though ill yet he bestowed it well he was a very mercifull Prince and very few Faults to be found in him He sprung from a Family of no great growth Titus Flavius Son to Vespasian he was so good there cannot enough be said in praise of him he was a Wise Prince and a Just Prince a Mercifull Prince and a Loving Temperate Carefull and Religious Prince he seemed to have more Goodness in him than were waies or means to express it he was Valiant Learned Mild Patient Industrious Skilfull in all Arts and Majestical Flavius Domitianus was Cruel and Vainglorious he followed not the steps of his Father nor Brother I observe Ill-born Natures cannot be bettered by Good Examples nor warned by Ill Examples for all the Cruel Emperors came to Untimely Deaths Of Pompey with Caesar. SOme praise Pompey and say He was a faithfull and loving Citizen of Rome a Father in defending the Laws and Liberties and a Martyr in dying in the Cause Others dispraise him and say It was Envy to Caesar that brought him out against him more than for the Publick Good and that if Pompey had had but the same Fortune he would have taken upon him the same Command Others again praise Caesar and say that he was forced to use his Power and Arms against the Senate out of necessity the one being much in Debt having exhausted his Estate the other in defence of his Life knowing the Senate would accuse him instead of rewarding him for his good Service and that Rational Men may judge by the succession of Story that he was necessitated and that Fortune being on his side gave him greater Hopes and higher Designs which he thought not at first on and that he had Reason though he had not been necessitated for though the Roman Government began from a Low and Mean Beginning yet it came to be the most Powerfull and Famous whilst Mediocrity ruled amongst them for at first their Poverty made them Just not daring to do Wrong and Prudent in providing the best waies and means to keep and raise themselves and Valiant and Industrious to defend themselves and to increase their Dominions Thus Virtues begot their Strength and raised their Fame But their good Fortune brought Plenty and Plenty Pride the one runs into Luxury the other into Ambition and Ambition begot Factions