by Caesar notwithstanding put him to death and sent his head to Caesar which he refused to see and wept for sorrow and commanded them that brought it to be put to death Shortly after Caesar assisted Cleopatra killed Ptolomeus her brother and made her Queene of Egypt Alfonsas sonne to Ferdinando King of Naples vnder the promise and safegard of his father got to come to him foure and twenty Princes and Barons who notwithstanding his promise put them in prison and vpon the death of his father being foure and twenty yeares after put them all to death Charles the seuenth King of France when he was Dolphin made John Duke of Burgundy beleeue that he would make a peace with him whereupon they met at a place appointed where Charles caused the Duke to be presently killed But Charles after this wearied with the warres Phillip sonne to the Duke made against him and of the subiection England brought France into by this opportunity did reconcile himselfe to Phillip and asked him forgiunesse openly by his Ambassadours Charles the last Duke of Burgundy hauing giuen safe conduct to the Earle of Saint Paul Constable of France tooke him prisoner and deliuered him to the French King who put him to death But Sultan Soliman the great Turke did worthily punish his Bascha for falsifying his word who sent into Valona to passe into Jtaly landed at the Hauen of Castro where the Inhabitants being astonished yeelded vnto him vpon his word and fidelity that they should depart with bag and baggage neuerthelesse he slew them all except those that were fit to serue for slaues But he returning to Constantinople Sultan caused him to be strangled for his disloyalty and perfidiousnesse and sent backe all the prisoners with their goods into Italy Thus you may see how honourable it is for one to keep their word and what they deserue that falsifie their faith for a faithlesse Prince is beloued of none but hated of all suspected of his friends not trusted of his enemies and forsaken of all men in his greatest necessity CHAP. 5. A Prince to be constant in his Act. IT is likewise very fitting that a Prince should be constant in his Act. First to aduise well before hee resolue but after resolution to be constant and not changeable For Saint Ambrose writing to Simplician saith that a foole is mooueable as the wind but a wise man is not astonished by feare nor changed by force nor sunke by sorrow nor proud by prosperity The Romans besieged Casselin Fabius would haue giuen ouer the siege but Marcellus perswaded him to the coÌ„trary saying that as there are many things a good Captaine ought not to attempt so ought he not to desist or giue ouer an enterprise once begun and taken in hand Bertrand de Guesclin a Frenchman seruing Henry against Peter King of Spaine was by the Prince of Wales taken prisoner and Peter by this victory restored to his Kingdome The Prince offered to giue Bertrand his liberty without ransome so he would serue Henry no more which he refused because Peter had murthered the Queene his wife Blanche de Burbon and married a Sarizen kings daughter the better to strengthen himselfe and had renounced the Catholicke faith Then the Prince asked him whither he would goe if he were at liberty he said where he would soone recouer his losse and desired the Prince to aske him no further Well said the Prince consider what ransome you will giue me for I referre it to your selfe With thankes he said he would giue him 100000 doubles of gold The Prince thought he mocked him offering him so much and said he would take the fourth part I thanke you said Bertrand and you shall haue 60000 doubles willingly Of which the Prince accepted Then said Bertrand very constantly and confidently Henry may now say and brag that he shall die King of Spaine for I will Crowne him whatsoeuer it cost me The Prince was astonished at his so haughty speeches yet vsed him very houourably and gaue him his liberty whereupon hee paid his ransome by the helpe of the King of France and of Henry of Spaine And after siue battels tooke Peter prisoner put him to death and made Henry King The Priuernates warring against the Romans and not able to resist their forces sent their Ambassadours to Rome to demand peace but because they had not obserued the Treaties of Peace before time some thought it not fit to yeeld to their demand and to conclude a Peace with those that would not keepe it Whereupon the Ambassadours were asked what punishment they had in their iudgement deserued for breaking the Peace before To which one of the Ambassadours answered that the Priuernates had deserued the punishment which those deserue that thinke themselues worthy of freedome and liberty and hate slauery and bondage Some thought this answer too proud and peremptory for men ouercome neuerthelesse they were asked againe if that they being pardoned for their former breach of peace would froÌ„ thenceforth keep the Peace granted them to which the Ambassadours answered againe very constantly that if they gaue them a good peace they would faithfully and perpetually keepe it but if they gaue them an euill peace it should not long continue Vpon this answer diuers of the Senate were moued but the greatest part did not condemne them for this constant and resolute answer considering that the Ambassadour spake as a free man and that euery one in bondage will seeke for liberty therefore it was concluded that the Priuernates should haue such a peace as they should be admitted and receiued for Citizens of Rome and enioy the same liberty and priuiledge as the City of Rome did Agiges King of the Cretians about to giue battell to the Licaonians his Captaines told him that his enemies were too great in number but he not feared therwith nor any thing changed said that he that would raigne ouer many must fight with many Leouidas likewise sonne to Anaxandridas when his men told him fighting in battell that the Arrowes of his enemies were so many as they couered the Sunne was not dismaid thereby but constantly continuing his fight said then shall we fight vnder their shadow And the great Prince Bias falling by chance in the danger of his enemies the Athenians and being asked of his Captaines what they should do he seeing their feare and inconstancy was not moued but answered that they should report to the liuing that he dyed figthing and hee would report to the dead that they went away flying Scipio though hee got the victory against Antiochus yet was he not changed but gaue him the same condition of peace he had offered him before the victory Spurius Seruilius Consull being accused before the people for the same matter for which they had condâ—mned Menemius his fellow Consull who through griefe thereupon dyed was of that constancy and courage as he freed himselfe and condemned the people for their proceeding against Menemius Perses
tymorous man and gouerned most by his wife Messaline and by one Narcissus who of a slaue he had made free and had familiar credit with Messaline This Empresse became enamoured of a yong Gentleman a Roman of a Noble house called Appius Sillanus and seeing that by no meanes she could draw him to satisfie her wanton defires she practised with Narcissus that they both early one morning should come to the Emperour and tell him that they dreamed that Sillanus went about to kill him which they did one after the other Messaline had giuen commandement that Sillanus at that instant should come to speake with the Emperour Whereupon Sillanus innocently came and knocked at the Emperours chamber doore which the Emperour vnderstanding and perswaded by them that their dreams were true and that he came then to kill him commanded Sillanus presently to be put to death which was done Salome sister to Herod King of Jury perswaded him that the Queene his wife sought to poyson him and brought certaine false witnesses to confirme her report to which the King giuing credit put his Queen to death But this wicked sister not satisfied with this fearing that the Kings two sonnes would reuenge their mothers death perswaded the King that they were practising how to kill him for putting their mother to death The King fearing the Authority of the Emperour if he should put them to death brought them before Augustus Caesar who knowing their innocency by their weeping great lamentation exhorted thē to be dutifull to their father their father to make much of them and so dismissed them but the Kings sister inuented new matter against them perswaded her brother to send the Emperor word theref which he did then the Emperor gaue him authority to punish them as he thought good whereupon the King put them both to death But after vnderstanding the truth and that Antipater his sonne by another wife practised all this with his sister he put him to death within few dayes after dyed himselfe his intrailes being inflamed and thereby his bowels rotted raging at these accidents Philip King of Macedonia put to death his owne sonne Demetrius vpon the false report and accusation of Persius his base sonne and after vnderstanding how he was abused dyed raging Adelstan first Monarch of England after the entry of the Saxons through the false report of his fauourite put his owne brother to death Francis Duke of Britaine put his brother Giles to death vpon the false report of those that were messengers betwixt them and after he vnderstanding the truth put them to death also Therefore as in 1 Iohn 4. it is said Beleeue not euery spirit but proue the spirits whether they be of God or not So a Prince should duly and throughly examine report whether it be true or not before he giue credit thereunto and especially if it concernelife for innocent bloud doth cry to God for reuenge as appeareth in the Apoc. 6. saying How long Lord holy and iust iudgest thou not and reuengest thou not our bloud on them that dwel vpon the earth And Salomon saith that the hands which shed innocent blood are most odious in the sight of God Prou. ch 4. Likewise Dauid affirmeth Ps 65. That God doth abhorre abloody man Therefore Junenal saith that euery stay which is made to giue life to man is good And he that doth vse to examine a report made vnto him that toucheth a mans reputation shall free himselfe from lyars for a lye cannot abide examination CHAP. 13. A Prince to be mercifull A Prince therefore should incline himselfe to mercy and pardon iniuries and auoyd the vices which may draw him to blood which chiefly are ambition pride choller and subiection to a woman Seneca saith that forgiunesse is a valiant kind of reuenge And the more powerfull a man is the more is his honour to forgiue And Pittacus the Philosopher doth affirme that pardon is better then reuenge the one saith he being proper to the spirit the other to a cruell beast Therefore Alexander Magnus said that a man wronged had need of a more noble heart to forgiue then to reuenge And Cicero did more commend Caesar for ouercomming his owne courage in pardoning Marcellus then for the great victories against his enemies The Emperor Adrian attaining to the Empire forgot and put away all the enemies hee had before Insomuch that after he was Emperour meeting one of his enemies would not touch him but said to him thou art escaped Augustus Caesar hauing many enemies by reason of the ciuill warre did not onely pardon them but aduanced them to dignities and offices and thereby wonne their loue and made them faithfull Hamilcar hauing ouerthrowne Splendius Generall of the Mutineers against Carthage pardoned the prisoners and offered them seruice or liberty to returne to their countrey which got him great honour and loue of many of his enemies Scipio Affircanus set at liberty all the Hostages he found in new Carthage after he had wonne it by assault saying He had rather bind men to him by good deeds then by feare And amongst the Hostages there was a maruellous beautifull young Lady who was contract to Allucius Prince of the Celtiberians Scipio commanded them both to be brought before him and her parents came with great treasure to redeeme her by ransome But Scipio said to Allucius my friend vnderstanding of the loue betwixt this Lady and you I haue kept her for you not touched in honor for recompence of this fauour I pray you be a friend to the Romans Her parents then presented Scipio with great treasure which through much importunity he was content to take but bestowed it presently vpon Allucius who not long after came to serue Scipio with 1400 horse Scipio likewise by pardoning Massima his vncle Massinissa became and continued a friend to the Romans So that mercy bringeth friendship and cruelty hatred CHAP. 14. A Prince not to be proud PRide was the fall of Lucifer the ouerthrow of Babylon and the ruine of many a Prince for nemo superbus amat superos nec amatur ab illis A proud man loueth not the gods nor is beloued of them Pride produceth sometimes cruelty but alwayes shame for Salomon saith when pride commeth then commeth shame but with the humble is wisedome Prou. 11. Therefore God resisteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble Iam. 3. Allades King of the Latines contemning the gods deuised how to make a noyse like thunder and lightning to make the people feare him as a god but thunder and lightning falling vpon his house from heauen and a Lake ioyning vpon his house ouerflowing extraordinarily he and his family were were all swallowed vp Iulius Caesar after he was Emperour grew so proud as he was therefore killed by the Senators in the Senate And the Emperour Domitian was so proud as that hee commanded in all his Proclamations and publicke speeches these words to be vsed Be it knowne vnto
falsified his faith lost his Kingdome and life in prison Locrine King of Great Britaine put Guendoline his wife away and married Estreld daughter to King Humber but Guendoline killed her husband in battell and drowned Estreld and her daughter in Seuerne The Emperour Commodas kept three hundred Courtizans and in the end by one of them and one of his Parasites was strangled Childericke the third King of France for his libidonous life which made him carelesse in gouerning the Common-wealth was deposed And Lewis the sixt King of France for his adultery was poysoned by Blanche his wife Heliogabalus for his libidonous and vitious life thought hee might make an euill end and therefore if in case hee should be pressed by his enemies he had poyson ready kept in precious stones he had also halters of silke to hang himselfe and sharpe kniues of precious mettall to kill himselfe and he built a high Tower richly gilded to breake his necke vpon if he listed yet all these deuises failed him for he was strangled by his Souldiers and trailed vp and downe Rome This is the end a libidonous Prince may looke for But wise and vertuous Princes will auoyd that vice As did Ioseph who hauing the wife of Putiphar in his power would not touch her No more would Abimelech faire Sara Nor Dauid the Ebritian Sunamite Nor Scipio the Lady who was Hostage in Carthage Nor Dionysius the wife to Phocius Nor Alexander the daughter of King Darius Nor Augustus Cleopatra And as it is hurtfull for a Prince to be allured by a woman to folly so it is not good for him to be led by the counsell of a woman For Aristotle saith that part of a womans vnderstanding in which consisteth counsell is imperfect Therefore neither the Romans nor the Lacedaemonians did euer admit a woman into Councell Yet Theodora after the death of her husband the Emperour of Constanstinople was chosen Empresse and had the onely gouernment of the Empire Which without the helpe of any she gouerned in great peace and prosperity two yeares and then dyed to the great griefe of all her subiects who repented them not to be gouerned by a woman The Empresse likewise Zenobia in Asia was a most singular rare woman For Obdinato her husband chosen in Asia for their Emperour and after killed by his kinsman she tooke vpon her the gouernment and gouerned very well She was constant in her enterprises faithfull of her word liberall in her gift iust in giuing sentence seuere in punishment discreet in her speech graue in her determination and secret in that she did She loued not to ride in a Litter but on horsebacke she was of stature tall slender bodyed her eyes great her forehead large her face somewhat pale her mouth little and her teeth small After she was conceiued with child shee would not company with her husband saying that a woman ought not to marry for pleasure but onely for procreation She did eate but once a day and that at night she drunke no wine but water compounded more costly then wine when she went to Campe or to battell or to skirmish she was armed and euer when there was any seruice she would be amongst them In the end the Emperour Aurelianus besieged her tooke her prisoner and carried her in his triumph to Rome yet pardoned her for her vertue and valour and gaue her certaine possessions to liue vpon She liued ten yeares after as greatly honoured and beloued as Lucretia of all the Roman Ladies But this is as the Spaniard saith Vna golondrina que non haze verano One Swallow which maketh no Summer Yet I could not but set downe here her perfection she being such a mirrour for all Ladyes CHAP. 19. A Prince to beware of Parasites BVt there is another creature about a Prince more dangerous then a woman and that is a flatterer who neuer sings other song then placebo soothing a Prince in whatsoeuer Apelles drew the picture of a King which he sent to Ptolomeus set in a chaire of Estate with great hands great eares and besides him Ignorance Suspition a Tale-teller and Flattery these will labour to be about a Prince therefore a Prince must labour to auoyd them For an enuious and backebiting Tale-teller and a Flatterer are two most dangerous beasts for Diogenes saith that of wilde beasts a backbiter biteth the sorest and of tame beasts a flatterer And Hermes the Philosopher saith that as a Camelion can change himselfe into all colours sauing white so hath a Parasite all points sauing honesty for he windeth himselfe into fauour by any meanes especially of pleasure procuring any kind of mirth and delight and by humouring the party For Alexander Magnus and Alphonsus King of Arragon hauing each of them somewhat a wry necke the one by nature the other by custome the flatterers and Courtiers held their neckes on the one side And like as wormes breed most of all and soonest in firme tender and sweet wood euen so for the most part the generous and gentle natures and those mindes that are more ingenuous honest amiable and milde then others are readiest to receiue and nourish the flatterer that hangeth vpon him And Plato saith that he who loueth himselfe and hath a good conceit of himselfe can be content to admit another to flatter him But when a Parasite seeth nothing to be gotten then he is gone being like to lice For as these vermine neuer haunt the dead but doe leaue anâ— forsake the corpes so soone as the bloud is extinct and depriued of vitall spirit so a man shall neuer see flatterers approach to those that are in decay whose state is cracked and credite lost But where there is power and authority and glory in the world thither they flocke and there they grow and shew themselues most malicious sometimes by speaking euill of others For Medeus the chiefe Captaine of the flatterers about Alexander Magnus teached his Schollers to cast out slanders boldly to bite others for said he though the soare may heale vp yet the skarre will remaine and be euer seene By these skarres of false imputations Alexander being corroded and eaten put to death Calisthenes Parmenion and Philocas his true and faithfull friends The Emperour Commodus after the death of his father was led by Parasites and vpon their false reports put to death most of those that were graue Counsellors to his father and also many of the Senators and committed the gouernment of all his affaires to Perennis and himselfe followed his pleasure which brought him to the end you heard before The Emperour Dioclesian basely borne in Sclauonia was in his youth very ambitious and desirous of honour and from a poore Souldier came to be Emperour and then made the people honour him as a god and to kisse his foot whereon he did weare guilt shooes set with pearle and precious stones after the manner of the Persian Kings But seeing in the end himselfe wonderfully abused by
actions as well to be feared of his foes as to be beloued of his friends and not to be curious to speake eloquently but to deliuer his mind plainely and wisely it being more necessary for a Prince to doe well then to speake well For wise words are not commendable if the deeds be not answerable whereupon the Philosopher Pacuinus saith those are to be hated who in their acts are fooles and in their words Philosophers They that will therefore saith Plato haue glory in this life and attaine to glory after death and be beloued of many and feared of all let them be vertuous in doing good works and deceiue no man with vaine words And he counselleth the Athenians to chuse a Gouernour that is iust in his sentence true of his word constant in his act secret and liberall These be the principall morall vertues most cecessary in a Prince CHAP. 3. A Prince to be iust in his sentence FOr a Prince ought to be iust in his sentence according to the words of Salomon Sap. 1. saying Loue Justice you that Iudge the Earth For a iust King saith he Pro. 29. doth aduance his Countrey and the King that iudgeth the poore rightly his throne shall be established for euer Therefore he ought not to be led either by fauour passion or gaine but according to equity and iustice and to haue care that all his Counsellors and Magistrates doe the like And to attaine to this vertue of Iustice a Prince must call to God for wisedome which he cannot obtaine being of euill life For wisedome will not enter into a soule possessed with malice nor dwell in a body subiect to sinne saith Salomon Sap. 1. But if thou saith he call for wisedome and encline thine heart to Prudence then shalt thou vnderstand Iustice and iudgement and equity and euery right way Prou. 2. Therefore he prayeth saying Giue mee O Lord that wisedome which assisteth thy seate and cast me not off from the number of thy seruants for that I am thy bond-slaue and the sonne of thy bond-woman a weake man and of short life vnable to vnderstand aright what is Iustice and Law and whosoeuer is the most perfect and excellent amongst the sonnes of men he is to be accounted as no body if thy wisedome doth not assist him Sap. 9. All good and worthy Princes haue laboured to attaine to this wisedome and to execute iustice most exactly insomuch that some haue not spared their owne children so sacred a thing they held Iustice to be As for example Brutus who vnderstanding that his two sonnes were of the conspiracy for Tarquinus Superbus caused them both to be put to death in his owne presence Cassius likewise seeking to get the loue of the people and to make himselfe King was beaten to death by his father Pausanias Generall of the Lacedaemonians receiued 500 talents of gold to betray Sparta but Agesilaus his father vnderstanding thereof pursued him into the Temple of Minerua whither he fled for Sanctuary and caused the doores of the Temple to be nayled vp and so there made him dye of famine then his mother tooke his corpes and threw it to the dogs not suffering it to be interred Darius likewise King of Persia vnderstanding that his sonne Ariobrazanes ment to betray him to Alexander Magnus cut off his head Titus Manlius being challenged by one of the Latins to fight the Combate stepped forth of his ranke and in Combate killed him yet because it was done without license his owne father being then Consull and Generall presently put him to death Posthumius likewise did the same to his sonne Fidericke Earle of Harlebecque and Forrester of Flanders hauing made very straite Lawes for the reducing of his Countrey to lustice and good life put his sonne to death for breaking the Law in taking a basket of Apples from a poore woman and not paying for them Edward the first put his sonne in prison Prince Edward for breaking the Parkes of the Bishop of Chester Henry the fourth also commended the Lord chiefe Iustice of England for committing the Prince to prison for transgressing the Law And King Antiochus had that care to haue Iustice ministred as he writ to all the Cities of his Kingdome that they should not execute any thing he commanded if it were contrary to Law but they should first aduertise him thereof The Emperour Justinian likewise commanded the Lawyers to be sworne that they should not plead in an euill and vniust cause The like Law was made in the ninth Parliament of James the first King of Scotland that all Counsellours and Aduocates before they plead any temporall cause should take oath and sweare that they thinke the cause to be good they plead Lewis the ninth King of France was a iust and vertuous Prince louing the good and punishing the wicked and was a Capitall enemy to sutes commanding the Iudges to doe speedy Iustice so that sutes then were laid away Alexander Magnus was so farre from being transported from Iustice as when any made complaint to him of another he slopped alwayes one eare saying he must keepe that for the party accused The Emperour Adrian was of that integrity in Iustice as one Alexander accused another before him called Aper and bringing his proofes onely in writing he said that his informations were but Paper and Inke and perhaps forged and that a man ought not to be condemned but by honest and substantiall witnesses and therefore he sent Aper to Rufus Gouernour of Macedonia from whence he was brought commanding him diligently to examine the witnesses against him and to see that they were honest and of good name King Edgar of England had likewise that care to doe Iustice as in Winter time he would ride vp and downe the Countrey and make enquiry of the misdemeanors of his Officers and Gouernours and punish them seuerely that offended the Law And as the followers of Iustice shall not onely be famous in this world but shall perpetually liue and receiue a kingdome of glory in the world to come as saith Salomon Sap. 5. So the Princes that minister iniustice and do not iudge rightly shall reape infamy and incurre the high displeasure of Almighty God as Salomon also witnesseth saying Hearken O Kings and vnderstand learne you who are Judges of the bounds of the earth in respect that power is giuen vnto you from aboue and strength from the Highest who will examine your works and search your thoughts and because when you were Ministers in his Kingdome you did not iudge rightly nor iudge rightly nor keepe the Law of Iustice nor walke in the way of God he will appeare vnto you quickely and horribly for most rigorous iudgement is done vnto those that gouerne With the poore and meane man mercy is vsed but mighty men shall suffer torments mightily Sap. 6. And the royall Prophet saith that God is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 75. Which doth very well appeare by the strange punishments
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
choller would be appeased Virginius being chosen Generall of the Roman Hoste refused it fearing to exceed in choller against Appius Claudius his enemy Crotis King of Thracia hauing a present brought vnto him of many faire vessels of glasse most curiously wrought after he had well recompenced the gift did breake them all himselfe of purpose fearing lest through choller to which he was subiect he should too seuerely punish any of his sernants if they by chance should breake any of them But the Emperour Valentinian was so ouercharged with choller that he fell into such a rage against certaine Ambassadours as he lost his voyce and speech and so was carried to his bed and let ten blood but bled not choller hauing burned and dryed vp the veines and so dyed Patience therefore is a happy vertue by which a man may preserue his body and possesse his soule saith Christ Luke 21. In your patience you shall possesse your soules And to attaine to this vertue Diogenes asked almes of the Images in Athens to make him take deniall patiently Aristotle being told that one railed on him was not moued but said whe I am absent let him beate me also And Socrates being abused spurned and kicked by an insolent fellow and seeing his friends offended therewith said How now my Masters if an Asse had kicked and giuen mee a rap on the shinnes would you haue me to yerke out and to kicke him againe Antigonus hearing his Souldiers reuile him behind his pauillion said to them you knaues could you not goe a little further off when you meant to raile vpon me One Nicanor rayled vpon Philip King of Macedonia for which his Counsell wold haue had him seuerely punished but the King very patiently answered first let vs see whether the fault be in him or in vs. And vnderstanding that Nicanor had deserued well and that he had neuer giuen him any thing sent him a rich gift After which Niconor spoke very much good of the King Whereupon the King said to his Counsell I see well that I am a better Physitian for backebiting then you are and that it is in my power to cause either good or cuill to be spoken of me CHAP. 17. A Prince to be moderate in his dyet NAture is content with a little therefore if a man doe either eate or drinke more then sufficeth nature it is superfluous and ingendreth euill humours corrupteth the body and weakneth the spirits and vnderstanding for Diogenes saith that the wit is made dul with grosse and immoderate dealing And Plato affirmeth that those who vse to eat much although they haue a good wit yet cannot be wise The reason is saith Plutarch because the body being ful of meat corrupteth the iudgement in such sort as maketh a man neither fit to giue counsell nor to gouerne in a Common-wealth nor to doe any good worke The Emperour Octauius Caesar had therefore ordinarily at supper but three dishes of meat and when he fared best he had but sixe And the Egyptians in their feasts and banquets had a dead body dryed brought in amongst them that the sight thereof might containe them in modesty and make them temperate in their feeding Ada Queene of Caria sent Alexander Magnus certaine skilfull Cooks whom he refused and sent her word that he had better then they were namely for his dinner early rising and walking a good while before day and for his supper a little dinner for in those dayes they did commonly eate but one meale a day as appeareth by Plato who being demaunded if he had seene any new or strange thing in Cicily said that he had found there a Monster of nature which did eate twice a day meaning Diogenes the Tyrant Agesilaus King of the Lacedaemonians passing his Army through the Countrey of Thracia they presented with meale fowle baked meates and all other sorts of delicate meates and conserues The meale hee was willing to take but not the rest yet through great intreaty he accepted of all and gaue all and gaue all sauing the meale to his slaues and being asked why he did so he said It is not conuenient for men who make profession of manhood and prowesse to eate such delicates for by pleasure delicate meats and drinkes the courage of man is abated Therefore Xerxes after hee had taken the great City of Babylon would not put the people to death but to be reuenged of them commanded them not to exercise any Armes but to vse and giue themselues to all pleasure feasting and drinking So that by this meanes they grew to be most vile and base people whereas before they were most valiant And by the great feasting and drunkennesse in Siracuse in Cicily the Romans tooke the towne and spoyled it The Emperour Vitellius was very riotous in his diet insomuch as at one supper he had 2000 seuerall kinde of fishes and 7000 dishes of foule but what followed Soone after hee was openly put to death by Vespasian Caligula likewise in riotous banquets in making sweet bathes and in other vaine and friuolous expences spent in one yeare 67 millions of crownes and in the end was killed Nero also was prodigal in the like charges and banquets sumpuous attire neuer wearing one garment twice And Sabina his wife had daily the milke of 500 Asses to bathe her in but their ends were pittifull The Emperour Adrianus was riotous in his youth and thereby diseased in his age which forced him to vse many Phisitians and medicines but could not be cured Therefore good order and temperate dyet prolongeth the life and preferueth wisedome Early rising also saith Plato and much watching are profitable to keepe a man in health and to augment his wisedome It doth withall increase deuotion for then a man shall find himselfe most apt to serue God CHAP. 18. A Prince to be continent of life BVt if he serue his belly with immoderate and too great delicates and pamper his flesh too much it will besides dulling of the wit make the flesh rebell against the spirit and fall to incontinency a vice wherof a Prince ought to haue a speciall care that he giue not himselfe to the lust of the flesh for it is a deuouring fire till all be consumed and rooting vp the seed of good workes saith Iob 31. And Luxuria eneruat vires effeminat artus It will make him weake and effeminate and destroyeth both body and soule losing thereby also sometimes both life and kingdome for by adultery Roderico last King of the Gothes in Spaine committed with the wife of Iulian Earle of Cewta when hee was Ambassadour in Africke he for reuenge brought the Moores into Spaine who therupon subdued the Countrey Osibright King of Northumberland rauished the wife of one Barne who to be reuenged brought in the Danes slew Osibright and made great spoyle in the land The Emperour Claudius married his brothers daughter and shee her selfe poysoned him Siphax King of Numidia transported with the loue of Sophonisba