desend thēselues at home then to inuade their enemies Countrey But Scipio said that it was more conuenient for the Common-wealth to warre in Carthage then in Italie Furthermore they that consult ere they determine to maintaine warre either at home or abroad ought to consider whether it be profitable for the estate of the Countrey to make war at all For though it lie in the power of men to beginne warre yet cannot they obtain victorie at their pleasure and y t commonly many thinges fall out in warfare which men can neither sée nor imagine and yet the warre it selfe the enemies and the successe shew teach what ought to be doone and for this cause it is said that counsaile is taken in the field And though the matters that concerne warre may be communicated and talked of among many yet they ought to be deliberated vpon but by a fewe for els they would be discouered before they were determined Also they that consult vpon matters touching warre ought to consider whether it be profitable for the Common-wealth that their Generals Souldiers should be strangers or naturall borne Subiects The Carthagineans did not onely take strange Souldiers into their seruice but did also elect strange Captaines as they did in the warres which they waged against the Romans choosing Xantippus a Lacedaemonian to be the Generall of their Armie Many Common-weales after that their Captaines were ouercome they vanquished their enemies by the seruice of strange Captaines as the Chalcedonians did with Brasidas the Sicilians with Gylippus the Asians with Lysander Callicratides and Agathocles Captaines of Lacedaemonia And if it chaunce y t any strange Captains doo tyrannise ouer the Common-weales which they ayde as they of the house of Othoman did that happeneth héerof that they which requested them to helpe them are not able to withstand their forces and to defend themselues against thē The Romans to shunne this inconuenience would not consent that they which came to succour or helpe them should be mightier then themselues 10 Princes ought not to committe the administration of the warre vnto any person whom they haue offended for such a one to reuenge the inturie offered vnto him wold cast away the Armie Marius had after such order compassed Hasdruball a noble Captain of Carthage that he was driuen either to fight with disaduantage or die for hunger but Hasdruball did hold him so cunninglie with certaine parleyes of agréement that he gotte out of his reache and so Marius was frustrated of the occasion which was offered him to ouerthrow his enemie which thing when it was knowne in Rome did redownd to his great discredit both with the Senate and the people and euery one through all the Cittie spake verie much euill of him Within a while after Marius béeing made Consull and going to make warre vpon the enemie Fabius Maximus saide vnto him that before he came to the day appointed for the field he shoulde see what forces the enemies had and that he should not rashlie hazard the Armie and aduenture the libertie of Rome Vnto whō Marius answered that as soone as he came by the enemie hee had fullie determined to encounter with him and béeing asked why he said because he knew that if he ouercame the enemy he should recouer the glorie which he had lost in Spayne and if that his owne Armie were ouerthrowne dispersed and put to flight he shoulde be reuenged of the iniurie which was offered him by that Cittie and those Cittizens which so vnthankfullie had offended him Princes ought also to consider the necesitie which they haue to make warre and to vnderstande what prouision they ought to make against occasion be offered them to make warre that if any strangers goe about to molest them they may defend thēselues by force of Armes and not be vanquished for there is no Prince so great mightie and strong but some or other may set vpon him And as our olde Castilian prouerbe goeth Muchas vezes chicas piedras aballam grandes carreras Little stones oft times we see Way downe the greatest Apple tree And if a Prince be of so little vnderstanding that he must be ruled by that which the Captaines say he is their seruaunt and putteth himselfe into daunger either that the Captaines know not what they doo or that they doo not so faithfully dilligently as they ought 11 Those Princes that determine to make warre ought to imitate the Catholicke King Don Hernando the first of that name King of Castile who as it were standing on hie in his Towre a farre of espied and watched the successe and euent of the wars which the Christian Princes made among thēselues to succour and ayde them that were weakest and not to suffer their power to increase in Italie that pretended to make themselues Lordes ouer it neither did hee enter league with those Princes that were confederated together if he could reape no profit thereby and for this cause he would not wage war with Lewes King of Fraunce when Pope Iulius the Emperour and the Zwitcers warred against him for he thought that he should receiue no profit by weakning the Kingdome of Fraunce with the augmentation of those that did persecute it But when hée saw that the King of Fraunce would increase his estate and inlarge his kingdome by making warre against the kingdome of Naples he entered league with the Emperour and the King of England against the King of Fraunce Finally such Princes as enter league with other Kings ought to consider whether it be better for them to maintaine that peace which they enioy or to wage warres as King Mithridates wrote to King Arsaces and whether the warres be iust and such as thereby they may haue profit and atchiue honour glory and renowne The Romans as Appian reporteth woulde not accept many Subiects that offered themselues vnto thē because they were pore and if could not any way redounde vnto their profit to haue thē vnder their subiection Many other examples precepts rules considerations and instructions coulde I giue and aleage but because I writte of them in my bookes of Militarie discipline I willinglie heere omitte them The fifteenth discourse concerning peace WE haue said that the Counsell of estate is called the Counsell of peace because their principall intent that assemble in that Counsell is to procure that y e people may liue in peace and if they make warre if is to defend themselues from the iniurie of those that trouble molest them And to signifie this the Romans accustomed to were the Millitarie ring on the left hand in which they did beare their shielde and not on y e right hand in which they held their sworde for they thought it more necessarie for a well instituted Common-wealth to defende themselues then to offend others The Spartans demaunded of those that returned from warres whether they had lost theyr shielde for they thought it more not to loose
poynt of wise men to giue good counsell not of those that be welthie And the Angell being demaunded by Tobias of what Tribe he was answered vnto him Doost thou séeke a stocke or familie or an hired man to goe with thy Sonne Though the vertue of counselling well consisteth more in wisedome then in wealth or nobilitie yet it is supposed that Gentlemen and rich men are commonly better brought vppe and instructed then others and that they doo better vnderstand and know what is belonging to the gouernment of the Common-wealth then men of base linage and small substance And to put the counsell and gouernment of the Common-wealth in the power of the Comminaltie were to take the eyes out of the head and place them in the taile as it is said that the Snakâ— did whereby he burst his head For because the eyes looke ouer the whole body God placed them in the heade and not in the other inferiour members seeing then that the Rich men Noble men are the head of the Common-wealth they ought to haue a regard ouer her counselling what is most profitable for the conseruation of the whole Common-wealth and gouernment of the same euen as the eyes looke to the whole bodie The Venetians admit not any of the common sort of people into their counsels nor yet to the gouerment of their Common-wealth neither doo they suffer any bastards to become CouÌ„sellers vnto the Duke though they be made legitimate neither may they be created Cardinals for these be the Pope his Counsellers Yet Princes commonly admit them vnto their couÌ„sels and commit the administration of publique affaires vnto theÌ„r for in that they be bastards that taketh not from them the iudgment and vnderstanding which God hath giuen them and there hath béene a great companie of bastards that haue béene verie excellent men and very profitable to their Common-weales as Polietus larglie prooueth by many examples No man ought to take counsell of those that may coÌ„maund him for then he is bound to doo that which they counsell him to doo Neither ought any man to take counsell of such men as take it in displeasure if men follow not their counsell thinking that he despiseth and contemneth them that will not doo as they counsell him But these are rather to be termed Maisters then Counsellers for it is the propertie of counsaile that he who asketh it may take it or leaue it and of dominion or signorie to obey and doo that which is commaunded 27 Princes ought to make election of Counsellers out of those nations which they gouerne for they that be naturallie borne in those Prouinces are better acquainted with y e estate of their Countrey then Strangers be And for this cause S. Bernard saith that the Cardinals who be Counsellers vnto the Pope ought to be chosen out of all Nations The Ciuil lawes ordaine that they which are of the Counsell-house should not leaue their own Countries for they as Gometius saith know and vnderstand the affaires of their Countrey better theÌ„ strangers Aristotle saith that some Common-weales ordained and decréed that none such as had their liuings and possessions in the borders of their enemies Countreyes should be admitted to the Counsell For such persons fearing to loose their goods wold not counsell that which were profitable for the Common-wealth Some will haue that the Counsellers of a Prince should haue all their liuings within the territorie and Lordship of the Prince whoÌ„ they serue for then they fearing least they should loose them if they counsell ill or otherwise offende their Prince and hauing no forraine place to flée to they are more carefull of their charge and dutie towards their Prince It concerneth euery Prince to haue such persons in his seruice as put all their hope in him and altogether depend vpon him that euen as those which passe ouer the Seas in some shippe looke vnto the same ship least they should loose their owne liues and substaunce so they that counsell Princes if their life and all their liuings consist in the Prince his welfare they wil giue him counsell with greater diligence care For the Common-wealths are like ships and vessels of the Sea in which they be carried that liue in them And by this meanes will the Counsellers take more héede of the publique profit and counsel that which is most conuenient for the Common-wealth séeing that their life and substance dependeth vpon that Prince his safetie whose Counsellers they be and that if the Prince decay they must fall to decay also If the Counsellers of Princes haue any lands or liuings in those Countryes against which their Lords will wage warre they ought to renounce them imitating the great Captain Goncalo Hernando de Cordoua who before he made war against the King of Naples being commaunded by the Catholick king Don Hernando to do it resigned al y e lands titles and estates he had in the kingdome of Naples Some braue and noble Captaines gaue their goods vnto the Common wealth because the enemies commaunded that it should be cryed through all their Campe that no one should doo any hurt or domage to the possessions of those Captaines against whom they warred by this means to make that the CoÌ„mon-weales vnto whome those Captaines serued should not trust them as I wrote more at large in the bookes whith I compiled of Militarie Discipline 28 The priuate Lawes of the Kingdome of Spayne â—aie that the Counsellers of the Prince ought to be of good wit and iudgment and learned and ancient men For prudence wisedome and authoritie and experience of all matters consist in continuance of time They ought to be such men as feare God and are alienated from all couetousnes and gréedines and such as loue to serue their Prince and séeke by all meanes possible how to further their Country Each Prince that maketh choise of Counsellers to be counselled by them ought to consider that nature bringeth foorth thrée sorts of men as Hesiodus saith Whereof the one sort is of them that through their owne naturall inclination perceiue and know what ought to be doone in the administration and gouernment of matters and that which they iudge they put it in vre without the aduisement teaching or helpe of any other person at all This state of men is the chiefe principall among all others and such men séeme to be sent by the prouidence of God to the profit welfare and conseruation of mans estate The other sort of men is of such persons as of their owne naturall inclinations cannot themselues iudge what is conuenient for them to order and dispose those affaires well that are committed to their gouernment but they be endued with such a naturall kinde of goodnes that they willingly learne of others that are wiser then themselues and obey them that giue them good counsell The third sort is of those persons that neither know
concerning conscience and iustice and the craftie vnlearned to recouer Rents and to dispatch such busines as pertaine to the substance of the Common-wealth neither as Plato saith doo subtile vnskilfull men suffice to gouerne the Common-wealth well nor they that spend their life time in studie And experience teacheth that Princes further their estate no lesse with the subtiltie of the vnlearned then with the learning of Schollers for they that apply themselues to learning are but little skilled in action and practice and knowe not howe to contriue the affaires of the Common-wealth And as Quintilian and Plinie say more profiteth practise without science thē science without practise Learned men be verie doubtfull and perplext in giuing their resolutions of those matters vpon which they cōsult for they find many difficulties and ambiguities and many inconueniences which make them to stand in great perplexitie full of imaginations and respects which doo not profit at all Homer going about to describe a wise prudent expert and an absolute Prince such an one as he fained Vlysses to be saith not that he deliuered himselfe out of so many troubles and dangers in which he oft found himselfe because he was learned or brought vppe in good literature at schooles or because he had spent much time in haunting those Vniuersities that florished in his time but for that he was verie wittie watchfull and subtile could quicklie and readilie perceiue and fore-sée how things would fall out 4 The Gouernours of the Cittie of Norimberge admit no learned men to enter in the counsell to consult vppon matters concerning the Common-wealth but they haue som excellent men that be verie well learned and great Schollers of whom they take aduise vpon such matters as are mooued in the counsell And the Vrsins in Italie doo not permit that any learned men should gouerne the Common-wealth This statute as Pope Pius saith is like to that statute in the Cittie Ephesus which did not consent that any vertuous man brought vppe in learning should liue there and for this cause they banished Hermodorus the Philosopher who béeing sent into exile left Ephesus and came to Rome and caused the Romans to establish the Lawes of the twelue Tables And Pope Pius saith that those Princes that expell learned men from their counsels resemble the Gouernours of Ephesus To be short no man can denie but that Princes haue great necessitie to vse the seruice of learned men and Schollers to helpe and assist them in the gouernment of the people which is committed to their charge as Iethro counselled Moses to do for by reason of the great and manifold busines which they haue they are not able to minister iustice themselues vnto their Subiects without the helpe and seruice of wise and learned men that vnderstande and knowe what is profitable and necessarie for the Common-wealth conformable to the Lawes ordinances by which it is gouerned And that the Counsellers of Princes may performe their duetie accordinglie it is conuenient they shold giue themselues to the reading of many Histories and Chronicles that when they consult they may turn that to their profit which hath in like matters succéeded and fallen out at diuers times and in sundry places For they that haue séene little and know no more thē they haue séene are but children in respect of them that haue read much and as Iob saith they that haue onely experience of thēselues are not confirmed by the example of others that went before them are but of yesterdaie Plato reporteth that a certaine Egiptian Philosopher saide vnto Solon that the Philosophers of Greece were as children in comparison to thē of Egipt because the Egiptian Philosophers were verie ancient and had long time before giuen themselues to the contemplation consideration of diuine and naturall things The difference betwéene them that haue séene and also read and heard many things and those that know no more then they haue séene which for the most part is but little is this that they which haue séene read and heard many things may fréelie speake in all places concerning all matters And for this cause it is commonlie said that three sorts of men may discourse fréelie Old men at home young mē abroad and men of great reading euery where 5 My intent is not to prooue that it is not necessarie for Princes to haue learned men to giue them counsell séeing that they haue such great néed of men that can examine and waigh whether that which is consulted be conformable to iustice and reason but that which I say tendeth to this end that men may well enough be learned without haunting many Uniuersities or continuing long in Schooles to take degrées become Maisters Licentiats Bachelers and Doctors for there haue béene many men in the worlde that haue béene excellent fine Schollers and wonderfull well learned that were not either Bachelers Licentiats Maisters or Doctors created in the Vniuersities of their time for the degrees which nowe a daies are giuen in Vniuersities vnto them that studie in them tooke beginning but seuen hundred yéeres agoe and in déede many labour more to be Doctors and Graduats then learned as I writt more at large in my treatise of Schooles and Readers Therefore men may verie well become learned and be good Schollers without béeing Bachelers Maisters Licentiates or Doctors if in stéed of spending the time in such exercises and passetemps as be but little profitable to the Common-welth they did read Histories and Treatises concerning Princes and Common-weales but especially such Bookes and discourses that treate of things touching the Princes of their own Countrey and those Princes whom they serue séeing they ought to counsel them according to that which they find and read in such discourses Histories and Chronicles for neither Acurtius nor Bernard teach them any such thing Men may also be learned as Euripides and Plato say by béeing conuersant with men of vnderstanding and literature for thereby of rude and vnlearned men they become skilfull and prudent and by this meanes they come to be acquainted with the Lawes by which y e Common-wealth is ruled to giue counsel according as the Lawes ordaine and commaund in so much that though men be subtile craftie and watchful yet be they no whit the better for that to rule Countries for gouernment doth not procéed from wilines and subtiltie but from vertue and iustice 6 Isocrates counselleth Princes to enquire whether the Counsellers of whom they take aduice were good Husbands and had the wit and wisedome how to vse their thrift and how to bestow their own substance for he that cannot rule and gouerne matters pertaining to his owne substance will neuer be able well to rule other mens things There was once a certain Gentleman which being very vnthriftie yet thinking his deserts great requested the Emperour Charles the fift to pleasure him with an Office in