the flatterers of his Court and that hee could take no order for them they had him so besieged in their hands he gaue ouer the Empire and retyred himselfe to his house in Slcauonia where he liued euer after a very priuate life delighting himselfe with Gardens and rurall workes But the Emperour Caligula tooke a better course with his Parasites for one Afrianius Potitus and Afranius Secundus made a shew of great sorrow for him when he was sicke and swore by the gods that they would very willingly dye for his recouery The Emperour knowing they did but flatter said then little but being recouered called them before him and said my good friends I haue found that you are in fauour with the gods for since your vow for me I haue recouered but fearing I should fall sicke againe if you accomplish not your vow I sent for you to dye desiring you both to take your deaths patiently and so presently put them to death Plutarch writeth that Dionysius the Tyrant of Cicily delighting in his owne Poems asked diuers Philosophers how they liked them they all flatteringly highly commended them sauing one who said plainly that it was a shame to heare them they were so bad Whereat the Tyrant offended commanded him to the Mines there to worke amongst the condemned men but being released by meanes of his friends and againe in the Kings presence when he demaunded the opinion of the Philosophers in another of his Poems and they all extolling it aboue the Skies he cryed to the guard of the Tyrant saying Come my masters come carry me away to the Mines againe for I cannot endure this foolish flattery The King by chance being then in a good humour was not offended but turned it to a laughter Curtius saith that the states of Princes are oftner ouerthrowne by flatterers then by force It is a happy thing therefore for Princes to haue those about them that will not flatter but tell them the truth For what saith Seneca wanteth he that hath all marry one to tell the truth Therefore the Emperour Gordian said that that Prince is very vnfor tunate who hath not about him those who may plainly tell him the truth For a King knoweth not what passeth but by relation of those that conuerse with him Theopompus being asked how a Prince might preserue his Kingdome said by giuing his friends liberty to speake the truth and in keeping his subiects from oppression Phocian dealt plainly and like a faithfull seruant with King Antipater telling him vpon occasion that he would do him any seruice possible but could not be to him both a friend and a flatterer Themistocles in like manner seeing Euribiades taking vp a staffe to strike him for his free speeches said strike me so you will heare me after A Prince therefore must permit freedome of speech if he meane to heare the truth and giue no care to flattery Pessenius Niger a Roman Captaine hearing one praise and flatter him in his Oration said to him goe goe write the praises of Marius and Hanniball other old and valiant Captaines that are dead that we may immitate theÌ„ for it is a mockry to praise theÌ„ that are aliue and as for me I will do good whilst I liue and be praysed when I am dead Yet Agesilaus king of Sparta sayd that he liked to be praysed of those friends who would not also spare to blame him when occasion should serue CHAP. 20. What kind of persons to be of a Princes Counsell A Prince should be very carefull in making choyce of his Counsellors For Plato faith that many Princes are vndone because thâ—y want faithfull friends and seruants to counsell them Therefore Alfred kiâ—g of England sought out the wisâ—st and most learned men to be about him Alexander Seuerus likewise made choise of honest and vertnous Counsellors and dilplaced the vitious and sought to know the truth of all things that passed in all places and Prouinces of the Empire Fredericus Furius opinion is that Counsellours to a Prince ought not to be vnder thirty yeares of age nor aboue sixty For sayth he before he be thirty his vnderstanding is not setled his experience llitle his presumption great his heate much his thoughts light and not of sufficient grauity And that after sixty yeares his memory faileth his vnderstanding weake his experience turned to obstinacy his his heate little lonsing oacasion his thoughts wearied and able to take no paines nor trauell Howbeit some haue beene able and sufficient enough after they passâ—d that age as Camillus who though he were of very great yeares yet was chosen Dictator they finding his memory good and his senses perfect So many others haue bene fince his time And Frederieus Furius sayth moreouer that a Counsellour to a Prince ought to be either of a chollericke or of a fanguine complexion for that those of that temper saith he are witty haue good memory can discourse well are of good iudgement most louing affable loyall liberall and of great courage and that the melancholike are base minded vaine enemies to noble thoughts malicious superstitious and phantasticall And Socrates saith a Prince ought not to trust him that is couetous nor him that is a flatterer nor to make a passionate or a too cholericke man of his counsell nor a drunkard nor any that is subiect to a woman For it is not possible saith he that they should keepe close his secrets And Pythagoras saith it is impossible for him to obtaine wisedome and knowledge that is in bondage to a woman therefore the Emperour Alexander Seuerus would neuer admit any Counsellor or other officer whether he were of Noble parentage or had done him great seruice or were commended to him vnlesse he were of good reputation learned of good experience and of good life And better to informe himselfe hereof he caused wrightings to be set vp in common places of the streetes desiring thereby the people to shew some cause if they could why such a man should not be admitted to such a place and office and would not suffer any office to be sold because Iustice should not be sold Yet the Emperor Vespasian at the beginning of his raigne gaue the chiefe offices dignities to the greatest theeues he could find and being asked why he did so answered that he vsed them as a spunge for when they were full he would wring them and confiscate all they had and hang them Some Princes doe place thecues in authority not knowing them but being discouered it were happy for the common wealth and good for the Prince if they were vsed as Vespasian vsed his And Iulian the Apostata placed a cruell and troublesome Iudge at Alexandria in Aegypt and being told he was vnworthy to gouerne it is true sayd he and therefore I placed him there that he may plague them as they deserue they being a troublesome and wicked people but good men are alwayes to be placed in gouernement that the wicked
Bajazet Their Generall was the Earle of Neuers who against the will of the King of Hungary and of all the Campe gaue the first charge and without order and was ouer-throwne whereupon the Army of the Christians fled Anno 1396. by reason whereof the Turk tooke al Greece and the greatest part of Bulgaria and then besieged Constantinople And it is also very requisite that the Generall should keep his souldiers from idlenesse for Segnities robur frangit longa otianeruos Sloath weakneth the sinewes and diminisheth a mans force and is the nurse of all vice making a man most base Therefore Aeleas a King of Scythia sayd that hee thought himselfe no better then his Horse-keeper when hee was idle A vice to which Gentlemen alwayes haue beene too much giuen Insomuch that in Athens where they did not suffer the people to be idle a Citizen being iudicially condemned for idlenesse one Herondas requested one to shew him the party that was condemned for a Gentle-mans life In Carthage to auoyde this vice the Noble-men did alwayes exercise Armes the common people laboured and the Learned men were euer teaching and instructing others And in the Common-wealth of the Lacedemonians none were idle for all men laboured and they sending one Chilon to Corinthe to treate of a League hee found the Magistrates idlely exercised playing at Dice whereuppon hee returned home and would not speake of his Commission saying That hee would not stayne the glory of Sparta with so great an ignominy as to ioyne them in society with such kinde of people Marius caused his souldiers to make Trenches when there was no cause onely to keepe them from idlenesse Claudius hauing an assured peace for the avoyding of idlenesse kept thirty thousand men twelue yeares in working the Channell Fucinus that Rome might haue good water And when the Lawes were well kept in Rome at the time they had Warres with the Celtiberians in Spaine and with Alexander the Senators went three dayes about Rome with the Censors and could not find one idle man for a messenger to carry their letters But in Marcus Aurelius time there were plenty for he confesseth that hee banished punished and put to death in his time 30000. idle Vagabonds and 10000. idle women And France being troubled with a great number of idle vagabond souldiers Bertrand de Guesclin to free the Countrey of them drew them all to goe with him into Spaine agaynst the Sarazins Bruce King of Scotland exhorted his subiects to exercise Armes alwayes for that idlenesse would corrupt them and for want of practise they would not be able to resist their enemies A Prince therefore being the Lanterne to his subiects should giue good example herein Alfred King of England had that care to eschew idlenesse and to spend his time well as he diuided the day into three parts by a Taper that burned continually in his Chappel 24. houres The first part he spent in Prayer and in study The second part hee employed in the affaires of the Common-wealth and the third part he tooke for his recreation and rest A good president for other Princes CHAP. 26. A Prince to be well aduised before hee begin Warre and carefull in his fight IT is not for a Prince vpon euery quarrell to make War but to be sure that the cause bee good and iust which then wil bring honor to his Person safety to his soule and great encouragement to all his souldiers Yet according to the saying of Octauius Caesar neyther battell nor War is to be vndertaken vnlesse there may be euidently seene more hope of gayne then feare of damage for such as sought after the smallest commodities not with a little danger he likened vnto those that Angle with a golden hooke for the losse whereof if it hapned to be suapped or broken off no draught of Fish whatsoeuer was able to make amends And it is necessary that a Prince or his Generall should consult and take counsell before hee fight for the aduice of his Captaynes heerein may doe great good Therefore the Carthagintans commaunded those Captaynes to be hanged that got Victory without any consultation before And those that did first consult and then were ouer-throwne they did neuer punish And hauing taken counsell and resolution execution is to follow without delay least occasion be lost For Aristotle sayth that a wise man ought to counsell slowly and execuâ—e speedily and if Victory be gotten to follow it hotly is the best before the enemy being discouraged be able to make head agayne For if Hanniball had done so after the battell of Cannas and not lingred to refresh his men he had taken Rome Likewise Pompey in a skirmish put Caesar to the worse which if he had pursued he had quite ouer-throwne Caesar Yet a man must take heed he follow not the Victory too fiercely nor out of order For so Phillip King of Macedonta by following the Romanes too fiercely was defeated So likewise Gaston de Foix hauing wonne the battell at Rauenna pursuing too fiercely a squadron of Spaniards that fled by them was ouer-throwne lost his life and made all that a prey to the enemy which before hee had Conquered in Italy And an enemy is not to be contemned though his Forces be inferiour for oftentimes it is not the multitude of men that getteth the Victory but the couragious and resolute mindes of the fouldiers assisted by God For King Alexander with 33000. foote-men and 25000. horse-men ouer-threw the Persians and Darius army of 400000. foot-men and 100000. horse-men Robert le Frison with a few and without experience defeated Phillip King of Frances great Army and old Souldiers The Earle of Namure with the Flemings being but a few ouer-thre the Earle of Artois sent by Phillip the fayre King of France with 40000. French-men into Flanders whereof 300. efcaped not At the battell of Peitiers the Prince of Wales with 8000. English ouerthrow 40000. French tooke King Iohn and his Sonne prisoners and also a number of Princes and Noble-men Henry the fifth at the battell of Agincourt with 7000 ouer-threw 80000. French Simon Earle of Monford besieged in the Castle of Mirebeau in France by the King of Arragon and others and hauing with him but 2. Knights 60. horse-men and 700. foot-men hauing commended themselues to God sallied and charged the King so valiently that he ouerthrew his Army killed him and 17000. of his men and lost not aboue eight foot-men of all his Therefore a Prince should not presume too much of his owne strength nor be carelesse of his enemy nor charge him but in good order For fighting without order the Carpentines Olcades and Vaceos in Spaine hauing an Army of 100000. were ouer-throwne by Hanniball for they trusted in the number of their Souldiers and kept no order Both the Scipioes being slayne in Spaine Lucius Martius being a man of meane calling yet a good Souldier and of great courage gathered the dispersed souldiers together and was chosen for their
them to pray to their God for his and the Armies deliuery out of that danger Which they presently did and incontinent a great thunder fell amongst the enemies and abundance of water vpon the Romans wherby their thirst was quenched and the enemy ouerthrowne without any fight But prayer will not auaile euery Christian vnlesse he walke vprightly for God wil not heare the prayers of those that lye and wallow in sinue as appeareth Joh. 9. And Dauid saith Psal 65. Jf J finde iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me And God saith when you shall extend and lift vp your hands I will turne mine eyes from you and when you shall multiply your prayers I will not heare you for your hands are full of bloud I saias chap. 1. Therefore if a man be in wicked or bloudy sinne his prayer is in vaine CHAP. 11. A Prince not to shed innocent blood IT behoueth therefore a Prince to be vertuous and to haue speciall care that he put not his hand in innocent blood neither by tyranny malice ambition pollicy or vpon false reports and informations For to be a Tyrant is odious to God and man and to bring himselfe to an euill end As the Emperour Nero who after he had put to death his mother Agrippina his wife Octauia his brother Brittannicus and his Master Seneca Besides many others being proclaimed an enemy to the Common-wealth could get no body to kill him but was glad to kill himselfe saying Turpiter vixi turpius morior The Emperour Caius Caligula amongst other his tyrannies caused at his dinner and supper ordinarily one to cut off before him the heads of poore prisoners wherein he tooke great pleasure in the end he himselfe was killed by his men who conspired against him Nabis the Tyrant who vsurped the gouernment of the Lacedaemonians sent for eighty of their yong Princes and without any cause put them all to death And shortly after Alexamenes vnder pretence to serue him with some company suddenly strucke him off from his horse and killed him And as these tyrants had their iust rewards so all others had the like measure And for their wicked instruments the people oftentimes did Iustice vpon them For Plutarch writeth that the wicked Counsellors and Instruments of Apollodus of Phalaris Dionysius Nero and other tyrants were cruelly tormented to death by the people and iustly saith he because they who corrupt or seduce a Prince deserue as much to be abhorred of euery one as those who should poyson a publicke Spring or Fountaine whereof all the people doe drinke But sometimes those Princes that doe vse instruments for their murthers will not auow their Commission but doe themselues many times put them to death whom they imployed therein sometimes secretly sometimes publikely either to rid themselues of the suspition and infamy thereof or for feare of discouery As Alexander Magnus at his fathers Funerals commanded publike Iustice to be done vpon those who himselfe had secretly imployed to kill him The Emperour Tiberius did not onely dissauow his Commission giuen to a Souldier to kill Agrippa but put to death Seianus his speciall fauourite and instrument of his mischiefe Caesar Borgia did the like by a fauourite of his And let no Prince thinke that he can so contriue his matters but in the end truth will be discouered and knowne to the world and through ambition many haue shewed themselues very barbarous and bloudy as Tullia daughter to Seruius seeing her selfe married to Aruus a man of milde disposition and her sister of a gentle spirit married to Lucius Tarquinius who was ambitious and she not enduring to be thus matched killed her husband Aruus and her sister and then married Tarquinius whom she perswaded to kill her father Seruius to haue the Kingdome and she being in the streets when he was killed went with her Coach very inhumanely ouer his body that his bloud besprinkled her cloathes Soliman King of the Turks when he heard the great noyse and shout of ioy his Army made for the returne of his sonne Sultan Mustapha out of Persia caused him presently to be strangled in his outward Chamber and his dead body to be cast out before the whole Army and one to cry with a loud voyce that there was but one God and one Sultan vpon the earth He put to death also Sultan Soba because he wept for his brother and Sultan Mahomet his third sonne because he fled for feare leauing one onely aliue to auoyde the inconuenience of many Lords The Emperour Seuerus hauing vanquished Albinus and Niger his Competitor in the Empire embrued with blood put a great number to death and told his sonne Geta that he would not leaue him an enemy Geta asked him if those he put to death had neither parents friends nor kinsfolke yes said the Emperour a great number Then said Geta you will leaue vs many moe enemies then you take from vs. His sonne Bassianus hauing murthered his brother Geta to haue the Empire alone and doubting that the Senate would greatly mislike thereof made a shew that he was sorry for his brothers death and that he did it by the perswasion of Letus his fauourite whom therefore he put to death and all those that did assist him in that action likewise all those that were friends to Geta lest they should attempt any thing against him yet in the end he was killed Alphonsus King of Naples hauing vniustly murthered twenty foure of his Barons could neuer sleepe quietly for representation of their shapes which alwayes vexed him in his dreames And in the end hee fell into that feare of the French as leauing his Kingdome to his sonne he fled into Spaine to liue a in a Monastery making such haste as he would take nothing with him And his men perswading him to stay two or three dayes to make his prouision no no said hee let vs be gone doe you not heare how all the world cryes France France Hee knew himselfe to be so hated King Iohn of England murthered his nephew and in the end was murthered himselfe Richard likewise Duke of Glocester murthered his two nephews sonnes to Edward the fourth to make himselfe King and after was slaine in battell by Henry the seuenth for blood requires blood and let a bloody Prince neuer looke for better end CHAP. 12. A Prince to be circumspect in giuing credit to reports BVt many Princes haue been mightily abused by false reports and wrong informations yea sometimes by the nearest and dearest vnto them and those that should be most faithfull Dauid therefore prayed God to deliuer him from wicked lips and a lying tongue Psal 119. And in Eccle. 31. we are warned to take heed of our children and of our houshold seruants And in the sixt chapter it is said Seperate thy selfe from thine enemies and beware euen of thy friends for where a man doth trust the most there he may soonest be deceiued As was the Emperour Glaudius a
by example may amend or be punished and the good preserued For Pictatus reputed that common wealth to be well gouerned in which wicked men might beare no authority And a Prince is to haue some for Counsell some for execution for very seldome doth it concurre in one man to haue wit to disoourse well vpon any matter in Counsell and to haue iudgement to execute that which by Counsell is determined The Captaine Picinio was in consultation of a weake iudgement but in executing any thing resolued vpon by Counsell very ready Francis the first King of France did exceed all his Counsell in consultation but in his execution was not answerable to his aduise Pope Clement the 7. did exceed all other in Counsell but in executing was inferiour to euery one And as it is necessary that a Prince should haue a graue and wise Counsell so is it requisite hee should haue some about him for his pleasure So Alexander Magnus when he went into Asia against Darius tooke with him two of his most speciall friends and seruants Craterus and Hephestion very different in complexion and in condition for Craterus was graue seuere and stoike and only cared for matters of State and Counsell being one of the Kings principall Counsellors And Hiphestion was a yong Gentleman of good complexion gallant actiue and full of sport and onely cared how to recreate the King So that Craterus was called a friend to the King and Hephestion a friend to Alexander But a Prince had need to be very carefull in choosing of his friend to be inward and familiar with him For Augustus Caesar did not receiue a man to his amity and familiarity but first did proue him and sound his virtues fidelity and loyalty and those who hee knew to be vertuous and that told him freely the truth in all things and that did not flatter and that imployed themselues willingly and sincerely in his affaires and after hauing had good proofe hereof he receiued them for his friends Alcibiades to try his friends made them one after another beleeue that he had killed a man and they all refused to endanger themselues for him sauing one Calias The Emperour Constantius to make proofe of his friends made shew to abandon Christian Religion and to turne to Idolatry he was instantly applauded by a great number whom presently he banished the Court. For a Prince shall neuer want followers in any thing The world counselling those that serue Princes to please them in whatsoeuer though it redound to the losse of their soules and ruine of the common-wealth for so they shall obtaine honor riches pleasure and quietnesse but what is their end Ducunt in bonis dies suos in puncto ad â—nferna descenaunt saith Iob. 21. They lead their dâ—yes in pleasure and in an instant descend into hell For when they shall say peace and security then shall suddaine destruction come vpon them saith Saint Paule 1. Thes 5. And Dauid saith Psal 36. Vidi impium superexaltatum eleuatum ficut Cedrum Libans transiut eum non est inuentus loeu eius I did see the impious mightily exalted and raised on high as the Cedar tree and I passed by and presently he was gone I sought him and his place was not to bee found Saint Augustine therefore affimeth that it is better to suffer torments for speaking the truth then to receiue great rewards for flattery And Saint Chrysostome sayth Feare not them that kill the body least for feare of them thou speake not the truth freely And as Counsellours ought to haue freedome of speech So Predericus Furius doth wish a Prince for tryall of his Councell to aske counsell sometimes in things contray to the good of the Common wealth and to his owne intention And Demetrius Phelarius counselled Ptholomeus King of Egypt to reade bookes which treated of Kings and Common wealths for that in them be should finde many things which his Counsell and families durst not tell hid But Aristeus saith that the greatest and best guard a Prince can haue is to be accompanied with a great number of iust and expert Counsellours who through meere loue setting their owne particular commodity apart regard onely the profite and welfare of the Prince and common wealth speaking freely what they thinke For Counsellours sayth Iulius Caesar in one of his orations to the Senate should not be led by malice friendship anger nor mercy And if they concurre in one lawfull opinion though the Prince be opposite yet it is fitting he should yeeld to them For so did the Emperour Marcus Antonius saying It must bee as You will for it is great reason that I being but one should follow your opinion then you being many Wise and Learned should yeeld to mine CHAP. 21. Not good to commit the charge of the Common wealth to one Counsellor onely BVt it is very dangerous for a Prince to be led by the aduice and counsell of one onely or to commit the gouernement of the Common wealth to one Counsellour onely And so Commines dath witnesse saying that A Prince ought to haue many Counsellours and not commit any cause of importance to one onely and that all his Counsellours should be equall in fauour otherwise if he be led onely by one and make no accompt of the rest not giuing them equall hearing he may endanger himselfe as did Hieronimus King of Cicily who was onely counselled by his brother in law Andronodorus who made him odious to all the Kingdome and then killed him Stillico likewise gouerned all vnder the Emperour Honorius And to get entrance to make himselfe Emperour took pay from the Goths of purpose to make them rebel which thereupon they did and by the aide they got spoyled Thracia Hungaria Austria Sclauonia and Dalmatia Stilico though hee might yet would not quite ouer throw them whereof Honorius being informed put to death both Stilico and his sonne Vnder the Emperour Commodus first Perennis ruled all and for displacing the Nobility and preferring base persons was killed by the souldiers After him Cleander managed all and a great famine and plague beeing in Rome the people imputed the cause thereof to him and thought to kill him Hee to appease this sturre ranne vpon the people with the Emperours horse-men and killed a great number of them The Emperour fearing himselfe sent for Cleander presently cut off his head and sent it to the people wherewith they were appeased yet in the end Commodus himself was killed The Emperor Seuerus permitted Plautianus to gouerne all vnder him at his pleasure who in the end practised to kill him and his two sonnes But Bassianus the Emperours sonne vnderstanding thereof and that his Father meant to pardon him killed him in the Emperours presence The Emperour Galba was a good Prince and wise yet suffered himselfe to be onely gouerned by Titus Iunius Cornelius Lacus and Icellus Martianus who by their wicked gouernement made the Emperour to be hated of all estates
de of Soliman the great Turke against Charles the fifth who fearing by continuing the War that the Turke might get that footing as to ouercome all Christendom made peace with France But then the Turkes Bascha being in Marcelles the King of France could not get him out before hee had succours from the Emperour who was forced to ayde him Therefore when Pope Iulius the second Maximilian the Emperour Ferdinando King of Spaine and Lewes King of France had entred league against the Venetians Selin the great Turke offered to send the Venetians succours which they refused fearing that accepting thereof they should be in danger of the Turke CHAP. 24. A Prince to get and keepe the loue of his Subiects A Prince therefore to the end he may be strong at home and neede no Forraine force should alwayes respect his owne subiects especially men of worth and seruice as well in peace as in VVarre that hee may winne the loue and hearrs of his subiects the meanest whereof may be able to doe him some kinde of seruice at one time or other For Seneca sayth that the onely inexpugnable force of a Prince is the loue of his subiects Wherefore the Emperour Marcus Aurelius in his speeches to his Councell commending his sonne vnto them sayd It is not the aboundance of money and Treasure nor the multitude of sâ—uldiers that maintayneth a Prince and causeth him to be bâ—yed but the loue of his subiects For those sayth hee doe onely long and sarely Reigne who doe ingraue in the hearts of their subiects not a feare by force and cruelty but a loue by bounty and liberality And those that willingly yeelde to obedience and are not contrayned by seruitude ought not to be suspected of the Prince And subiects sayth he neuer refuse to obey but when they are vsed withviolence and contumely Mesissa King of Numidia exhorting his sonnes at his death to keepe amity and concord amongst them sayd It is not the great forces nor Armies nor great Treasure by which a Prince should preserue and maintayne his estate but friends who are not gorten by force of Armes nor with money but by good vsage and loyalty And Cornelius Tacitus sayth that a Prince can haue no greater better nor fitter instruments to keepe and conserue his estate then good friends Wherefore a Prince should haue care alwayes of his subiects and vse them well For Antonius Pius would say that hee had rather preserue one of his subiects then kill a thousand of his enemies And Pribagoras affirmeth that subiects are to the Prince as the Winde to the fire for the stronger the Wind is the greater is the fire So the richer the Subiects be the stronger the Prince But where Matcheuils principle taketh effect there the subiects must be made poore by continuall Subsidies exactions and impositions that the people may be alwayes kept vnder as slaues and feare the Prince which course extinguisheth the loue of the people towards the Prince and ingendreth hatred Therefore Pythagoras counsell is better And a Prince to enrich his subiects the only way is to keepe them in peace without quarrels and dissentions and too gricuous exactions Therefore Philip Commines blameth greatly such Princes as doe not seeke to compound and end dissentions and quarrels amongst their greatest subiects but rather doe nourish the one part wherein they doe but set their owne house on fire as did the Wife to Henry the sixt taking part with the Duke of Somerset against the Earle of Warwicke which caused the Warre betwixt the House of Yorke and Lancaster Likewise Charles the seauenth King of France beeing Dolphin taking part with the Duke of Orleans against the Duke of Burgundy was the cause that the Duke of Burgundy brought Henry the fifth into France And for exactions the Emperour Augustus made a Law called Augusta that no payment should be exacted of the people but for the profite of the Common-wealth And when Marcus Antonius layd a double taxe vppon the people they answered That if he would haue two taxes in one yeare hee must giue them two Summers two Haruests and two Vintages For the people cannot endure to bee ouercharged if they bee great inconuenience may grow thereby For Phillip Le Bell King of France being receiued in Flanders as Lord thereof charged the people with excessiue taxes and suffered the French to commit all insolency and iniuries against the people fauouring the Nobility and exempting them from all taxes impositions and charges whereupon they of Bruges begunne to reuolte and killed all the French in the Towne After this the Flemengs ouer-threw the forces of King Phillip and freed themselues from the French Therefore if the Princes Councell or Nobility doe yeelde to haue any thing imposed vpon the people it is fitting they should not be exempt but beginne and lay it first vppon themselues as the Romanes did for the people murmuring against the Consuls for imposing a great charge vppon them Consull Leuinius sayd As the chiefe Magistrate is in honour aboue the Senate and the Senate aboue the people so ought he to be a guide and the first to submit himselfe to endure all kinde of paine and trouble For if thou wilt impose a charge vppon thy inferiour first beginne and lay it vpon thy selfe and the rest will more easily follow therefore let vs beginne with our selues sayd hee and so they did The great impositions the Prince of Wales layd vppon the Councrey of Guienne was a great cause of the losse thereof The Duke of Orleans Gouenour of France for Charles the sixt was extreamely hated of the Parisians for a great imposition he layd vpon them for reformation whereof the Duke of Burgundy leuyed great forces and in the end caused the Duke of Orleans to bee killed The Duke of Aniou regent of France laying a great imposition vpon the people a Collector thereuppon demaunding a Denier of a poore VVoman for a basket of Herbes which shee refusing to pay hee forced to take her Herbes but she crying was rescued by the people and an vproare did arise which did great hurt before it could be appeased The Earle of Flanders likewise laying a great imposition vppon the people made them rebell against him And Lewes the twelfth King of France making Warre against Lodowicke Sforce Duke of Milan who knowing himselfe to be very edious to his subiects for his great exactions and impositions and fearing that they would abandon him assembled the people at Milane and to gaine their good wills remitted diuers taxes which he had imposed vpon them and gaue them many reasons and excuses for his former proceedings But such hatred they had conceiued against him as all would not serue for within few dayes after they tooke armes called in the French killed his Treasurer and made him flee When the Battell of Cressy was fought the people of France were in extreame pouerty by reason of the euill gouernment of the publicke Treasure of the false-hood of the