Which as Aristotle diuers others doe affirme is by vertue for the end of a citie and Common wealth that is the happines and felicitie therof is concluded to proceed of a good life which must require vertue which to vs is an impregnable towr a floodde that needeth no flowing a perpetuall during treasure an inuincible army a strong fortresse a true harbinger a burden supportable a balme that presently cureth an eternall honor that neuer dieth For as Socrates saith vertue is a thing that conducteth vs vnto immortality and maketh vs equals with the heauens and is called An electiue habit of the mind agreeing with reason and moderation of nature consisting in a Mediocritie between two extreams the one in defect and the other in excesse wherefore it excelleth all other things in goodnes For if by liberality substance health and liuing our countrey parents and children do well it hapneth in respect of vertue which doth aduance all and vnder whose wings all thinges are hatched which resēbleth the Cameleō that is of al colors sauing white so vertue tasteth of all diuersitie excepting vice This vertue is well compared by a wise Philosopher to the letter Y which is small at the foote and broade at the head meaning that to attaine vertue it was difficult and harde but the possessions thereof were passing pleasant for thereby wee are saide to attaine euerlasting felicity that is to witte by vertues actions which are of two fold The one variable or mutable the which may soone be chaunged or hindred especially the obiectes meanes which are vsed in the attaining thereof being taken away and this action hath no fellowship societie or affinitie with felicitie The other constant and inuariable which is firme and perfect intending a good effect alwaies perseuering in action and contemplatiō which by no meanes may be hindered or enforced to proue a changeling and this action is meere felicitie which ought to be in a Common welth wel established which beyng otherwise neglected or lightly regarded and slightly practised or on the contrarie side immoderately vsed might engender sundry vices for all immoderate actions on both sides are hurtful to nature For he that on this side flieth perill in an honest cause is termed timorous and fearful and he that on the other side aduentreth ouermuch is termed rashe therfore vertue is said to cōsist betweene extreames as not participating thereof The due obseruation of this vertue maketh a straunger grow naturall in a straunge countrey and the vitious a meere stranger in his owne natiue soile which if it be so that the efficacy of this vertue is so great and worketh such wonders no maruaile that Aemilius Paulus when it was reported him being a sacrificing that one of his sonnes the elder by birth was slaine in the field therewith being moued threw off his lawrell and triumphing crowne within a litle pawsing and deliberating with himselfe at last asked after what sort his sonne lost his life and yeelded vp the ghost to whom it was told that he was depriued thereof valiantly fighting at last breathing became breathlesse At which saying being comforted he layed on his triumphing crowne againe protesting and calling the gods to witnesse that hee conceiued greater pleasure at the death of his sonne because of his vertue then griefe and sorrow for his death Seeing vertue hath such a disposition and power of the reasonable parte of the minde and soule of man which bringeth vnto order and decency the vnreasonable part being out of square and frame causing it anew to propound a conuenient end to her owne affections passions by which means the soule abideth in a comely and decent habite accomplishing and discharging in all dutie and vprightnes of life what ought to be done according to reason Who thē respecting the properties thereof would not with al might and maine endeuour to be traced and trained herein wearing this as his recognizance and chiefe badge which euer glistereth and shineth though it be neuer so much obscured wherof Socrates hauing sufficient triall was wont to giue these precepts to his scholers That they should euery morning behold their Phisiognomy in a looking glasse wherin if they should seeme faire then they should employ themselues in Vertue that they might inwardly resēble the outward appearance if deformed then should they especially endeuour thēselues in vertuous actiōs that therby they might by the inward vertue shroud their outward deformity 1 It is the property of vertue in suffering patiently to ouercome 2 The first degree to vertue is to admire vertue in an other man 3 Vertue getteth no superiority by birth nor prudence by yeeres for there may be old fooles and yong counsellers 4 Vertue is a seemely goddesse of toyle imagination the mistres of fooles leuity the pride of nature and dissention the ruine ouerthrow of families Of Prudence Cap. 18. PRudence is a busie searcher and true inuentor of verity which alloweth nothing to haue fellowship with the truth except it be seasoned with reason and tempered with wisdome This vertue is allowed as a soueraigne precious good and is termed the very touchstone of truth which guideth the steps of men in an vnfallible way to the attaining and vnderstanding of vertue which procureth felicity Cicero defineth this vertue to be the knowledge of things which ought to be wished or obtained of those things which ought to be eschewed like a prouident mother foreseing what with decency should be accomplished in euery enterprise who prepareth a conueniēt fit abode where all other vertues might securely execute and discharge their seueral duties and offices for she accustometh to be conuersant in the choosing of good and euil being the captaine and mistresse of all other vertues whom shee feedeth This vertue cannot easily be taynted or inueigled with any lewd canker of vanity nor fettered within the bonds of folly being garded with al the troups of vertues and tried in the fire of zeale shining bright and yeelding a fragrant smell and fauour to the nostrels of the louers and possessors thereof like a beame proceeding from the cleere sunne which doth not onely lighten and kindle the affection but also doth illuminate the vnderstanding and knowledge of man wherefore wise men haue laied a difference betweene science prudence saying that science is a dead knowledge of things which of it selfe cannot change the will in such sort that it may embrace and followe the knowne good and auoid the euill which is euident in wicked men imbrued with vice endued with knowledge Wherefore Socrates was wont to admonish his scholers that in all their life time they should haue these three things in memory to witte Prudence in minde which is an inuiolable castell as Antisthenes saith Scilence in their tongue and shamefastnesse in their countenance without which nothing may bee done wisely because prudence is the prince and guide to all other vertues wherein the
their direction in all domesticall affaires Wherby we may gather the great duty we owe vnto our parents to be no lesse then a firme bond of nature fixt in the minds bowels of euery one the which obedience Cicero so highly commended that he said The obedience of children towardes their parents is the fundation of all vertue Of which mind Torquatus sonne was who thought nothing so wicked as to disobey the will of his parents wherfore being vpon the displeasure of his father banisht he killed himselfe So likewise the duety which seruants doe owe to their masters is not much inferior to this whom they are to serue with al lowlines and seemely demeanure sustayning with patience all corrections though I deeme them not so much subiects as the seruants of Frēchmen were ouer whome their masters had power of life and death and as Gellius saieth in his 15. booke and 19. chapter The ten wisemen thought that authority not onely of masters ouer their seruants but also of parents ouer their children was very necessary throughout al dominions by which means they report the Cōmon wealth long to haue stood Doutles if parents ouer their children masters ouer their seruants had such authority that in respect therof the cōmon welth flourished then the supreme gouernour should in equitie haue farre greater preeminence being of both parents children masters seruants a commaunder vnto whom all should bee most obedient wherby the state of the Common wealth might perfectly stande and that it might bee sayed in respect of this obedience as it was of a certaine man comming to Sparta who beheld what honour obedience and reuerence the yonger sort did to the elders and the elders to their superiors said It is expedient in this citie to become an old man and of authority meaning that the Magistrates being so much regarded by the cōmunalties the Common wealth should of necessity long continue Herin I cōclude of obediēce determining to passe further 1 Obediēce formeth peace establisheth cōmon wealths preuents discords wicked men obey for feare but good men for loue 2 It is a cōmendable vertue in a seruant to know how to obey well 3 That countrey is well kept where the prince gouerneth rightly and the people are submissiue obedient Of Hope Cap. 28. HOpe is a sure ground of future things wished for whether they be diuine or trāsitory extolling the mind of man with great extacy being grounded vpon good fundation hauing laid an vnfallible anchor depending thereon with a sure cōfidence to effect and accomplish his desire which means is a sure remedy to helpe our fraile nature being ful of mistrust and diffidency whereby the spirite of man putteth great trust in weighty affairs reposing such certainty and confidence in himself which otherwise would be vaine vnperfit for he that is voyd of all hope may be accoūted to be partaker of the incidēt mishap to an vnhappy man Hauing then so sure a soueraine kindling our desire emboldening our courage wee cannot possibly misse a good effect proceding from so heauenly a stay so sure a safegard who resēbleth the pure Indian spice which the more it is pund the more fragrant smell it yeeldes so the more our hope is the greater is our comfort to enioy that happines which we expect for a good and vertuous man should alwaies hope wel and feare no mishap especially beeing grounded vpon the grace of God Such a man was one of Rhodes who was cast of a tyrant into a hollow caue wherein hee was fedde after the manner of a beast being enforced to sustain reuiles and torments his face being mangled martyred with woundes who being admonished of one of his friēds that he shuld seeke an end of his torments answered All things are to be hoped of man as long as he enioyeth life Euen so Thales Milesius being demaunded what was cōmon to all men answered Hope meaning it was a soueraine good and a confederate to faith which whosoeuer hath may wel assure himself that he in continuāce of time may attaine any thing how difficult so euer Wherupō Socrates the Philosopher said that it was impossible that either womā without man should bring foorth good fruite or good hope without labor wherby hee iudged that good hope should not be groūded vpon any vncōstancy which is the subiect of a vaine and licentious life wherupō euil hope which taketh no toile is planted therefore Socrates said hope without labor could effect no good thing which like a careful nurse should be alwaies imploid or busied about some affaires or other which hinder the increase of vice for security and idlenes are accounted the mother of al enormities lewdnes by which means true hope is excluded out of doores which in whosoeuer it remaineth neuer fayleth them in the greatest extremity Such a man was Daniel who hoped so much in the mercy of God that being throwen into the Lions denne yet escaped harmeles onely by his meere hope Likewise also Iob a man that was full of good hope who in his greatest distres mistrusted not saying Loe though the Lord slay me yet will I put my trust in him Wherby it may appere that he that hopeth well shal neuer be frustrated of his expectation 1 Hope groūded on God neuer faileth but built on the world it neuer thriueth 2 Hope of al the passions yeeldeth the sweetest sauour and the most pleasant delight wherof it is said that hope onely comforteth the miserable 3 A dastardly louer shall neuer without hope gaine faire loue without frowning fortune 4 Mellifluous words procure hope large protestations cherish it and contempt spils it 5 Hope is the fooles soueraine the Marchants comfort the Souldiors confederat and the ambitious mans poyson Of Faith Cap. 29. FAith as Cicero saieth is a constant firme bond of all sayinges and contracts appointed for the accomplishing of promises and what should be assuredly decreed vpon or as Diuines terme it is a sure stay and rocke of all Christians whereuppon consisteth all their felicity and if it bee firmly setled it neuer deceiueth the which to infringe there can be nothing worse vnto any man especially to him that ruleth because this blemish by how much the more excellent the party is wherein it resteth by so much the more openly it is to be seene and more hardly to bee rooted out Ennius reprehended the Carthaginians because they violated their faith and fidelity which was the first cause of the subuersion of their city who contended for the empire of the whole world with the Romanes which of al nations were a people of most prowesse and valour But what maruaile is it that these were so slender in obseruing of faith which is the fundation of all equity when in all places it is litle regarded and vtterly excluded out of doones begging her bread with teares as a vagabond of no reputation that I am almost ashamed to speake of
being depriued held at last with his teeth Such was his excellencie and loyaltie towards his countrey that no enterprise how great soeuer could cause him to desist to patronize the safety therof But cōtrariwise Coriolanus whome if the fates had prescribed his end in his infancy had not so treacherously vnnaturally borne armes to the ruine of his own naturall countrey Antenor also blemished with this detestable vice spotted with this staine most caitifly fled with two thousand men into Italie and yeelded his natiue citie into the handes of his enemies the Grecians And no maruaile seeing neyther the loue of their countrey nor their owne loyalty could moue them to desist from so lothsome detestable a fact Alas who is hee that would not lament to see the wrack and ruine of his owne countrie and the happy stay therof turned into hellish state much more peruerting the lawes of nature yeeld his cōsent to leuell at the bitter bane and lay a plotte for the finall destruction of his natiue soyle considering and calling to minde the payne due to such gracelesse disobedient conspirators lewd caterpillers who neuer mist to suppe of the same sorrow and tast of the first fruite of their dismall misery Happie then is that commō wealth whose safetie is no lesse ioyfull to it selfe then to all and whose loyaltie may bee said with Syllas host to crie out to Sylla Solus ego extinct a patria non relinquar now that my countrey is destroied I wil not liue alone Most happy then is the citie and common wealth where the people in generall do obserue the customes and rightes of law fearing them as a tirant 1 That life which is due to death is canonized reaped double reward if eclipsed in the defence of his countrey 2 All men are by nature bound to embrace their natiue soile not in regard of the possessions which they enioy therein but for the meere loue thereof 3 In the loue of our coūtry we ought to perseuer as being not sufficient once to haue loued it vnlesse we cōtinue to the end How many sortes are there of Common wealths Cap. 2. OF Cōmon wealths there are three sortes Aristocratie Democratie and Monarchie VVhat is an Aristocratie Cap. 3. ARistocratie is a gouernment or empire depēding on the arbitrement of the best nobilitie deriued of the Greeke worde Aristocratiae in Latin Optimorum potentia in English the rule of men of the best dispositiō from which regiment Kings were discarded and excluded Such was the gouernment or estate of Rome wherein the Senators ruled this in the originall had experience of the Empire of Kings which within a litle after was changed into an Aristocratie as into a wors meaner estate at which time Tarquinius was banished for the detestable cryme and rape of Lucrecia committed by his sonne after which time the tried moderation of nobles or ancient Pieres of Rome steeded as a lawe for all the authoritie and iurisdiction consisted in the hands of Senators or Aldermen which were in number a hūdred who were accustomed to creat two yeerely consuls so named for the prouision and consultation that they made for the cōmon wealth The Thebans of a long time obserued this gouernment This maner of gouernment is this day in Venice howbeit there is a Duke which stādeth for naught els but for a vaine cipher Such hath bene the imperial state of Carthage In this Aristocraticall gouernment mercenarie craftsmen haue not bene thought worthy to haue any place of any desert or estimation appertaining to this or the like gouernment VVhat is a Democratie Cap. 4. DEmocracie is a popular regiment tending to the common good This worde Democratie is deriued of the Greek word Democratia in Latine Popularis potentia in English the Rule of the Comminalties who obtained the superiority This Empire was sustained by gentlemen whō we this day in England doe terme Esquires such a gouernment is at this present time at Switzerland where the people are deuided into Cantons or hundreds from whence the nobility haue bin reiected and excluded Such sort of gouernment was at Florence vntil 60. yeares agoe which afterwardes was changed into a Monarchie So likewise was that Empire of Athens in which Democratie aforesaid the seede of rashnes lawlesse lust held the superioritie because in a disordinate multitude the fruites of displeasure as hate rebellion sectes factions and other heynous crimes must needs be nourished by a confusion of misgouernment for defect of one sole soueraigne in whose handes the first chiefest forme of gouernment depēded which beyng rightly established is termed a kingdome or royaltie which falling into these vices hauing most affinitie therewith and being nearest vnto it as into a tyranny of their abolition ariseth an Aristocratie which is commōly or often changed into an Oligarchie when the people conspireth reuengement of the iniustice of the gouernours there hapneth this inferior gouernmēt of Democratie because the vertue of commanders are not alwaies alike Those men are accoūted good mēbers of the Cōmon wealth which to themselues liue least and most to their citizēs is hardly to be found in the pernicious state of Democratie because it is thought a cruell conflict in diuers combred with sundry cogitations to leuell ayme at the self same marke insomuch that the desire of the one is the content of the other al their desire tend to the cōmoditie of the Cōmon wealth In which there are 3. principal things to be noted in the gouernors therof First their loue towards it that is now established Secondly their authority in gouerning Thirdly their vertue and iustice all which are banished out of a Democratie Wherefore I worthily iudge this sort of gouernment to be the meanest and worst of the three because there are many that see the beginning of the miseries which arise but few respecting their own commoditie least that seeke to suppresse the same There is no Common wealth more loose then that wherein the common people haue most liberty which is their wished desire Nihil enim magis cupit popularis multitudo quam potestatem viuendi vt velit The common people doe desire nothing more then libertie to liue at their plesure which argueth sheweth their immoderate vanitie and lightnes their head-long doings and vnaduised dealings void of discretion which procureth deadly sedition mutinies vproares to the vtter destruction of their kingdome Wherefore there can no greater daunger ensue or happen to a Commō wealth then to tollerate the rude common sorte to rule who as their propertie is are alwayes noted to be vnconstāt and wauering tossed with euery sudden blast and carried with euerie light chaffe as the Prouerbe is Scinditur in contrarium semper instabile vulgus The weatherlike vulgar are prone to admire euery thing ready to turne as often as the tide Wherefore they are rightly accounted to resemble the vgly Hydra
companie of vitious persons yeelding ill example because the offence that is committed in his companie is accompted euill 4 The dutie of a king is to listen consider the complaint of his people without respect of person Magistrates ought to see iustice administred Cap. 8. THe greatest parte of the office dutie of kings in auncient time was to see the administratiō of Iustice Homer the poet may be a sufficient witnesse when he faieth of Agamemnon that the Scepter law was committed to him by GOD to doe right to euery man answerable to the which Virgil describing the Queene of Carthage saith she sate in iudgement in the middest of the people as if there nothing beseemed such a person but such an action and therefore the poets not without a cause fame Iupiter alwaies to haue Themis that is Iustice at his elbow signifying not that whatsoeuer Kinges or Princes did was iustice and lawfull be it neuer so vile in his owne nature as that wantō flatterer Anaxarchus said to Alexander but that equitie and iustice should alwaies accompanie them and neuer depart frō their sides hereupō it was that Adacus Minos and Rhadamanthus the first king of Grecia were so renowned of olde antiquitie because of their true and vpright execution of Iustice and therfore were not honored with greater title than with the name of Iudges It is said of K. Alexander that although he was alwaies busied in the affaires of the wars in giuing battels yet he would sitte personally in iudgement to heare criminal causes matters of importance pleaded whilest the accused laid open his accusation with one hand he would stop one eare to the end the other might be kept pure without preiudice for the defence answer of the accused The Roman Emperors also were very careful diligent in this behalf as first Iulius Cesar who is recorded to haue taken great paines in giuing audiēce to the parties in dealing iustice between thē In like maner Augustus Cesar is cōmēded for his care in this behalfe for he would ordinarily sitte in iudgement vpon causes and cōtrouersies of his subiects and that with such delight pleasure that oftentimes night was fayne to interrupt him before he would giue it ouer yea although he found himself not well at ease yet would he not omit to apply himselfe to the diuision of iudgement or els calling the parties before him to his bedside Iorā king of Israel sonne of Achab though a man that walked not vprightly before GOD but gaue himselfe to worke abominatiō in his sight yet he despised not the poore A famished womā of Samaria when she demaunded iustice at his hands although it was in the time of warre whē lawes vse to be silent and in the besieging famishment of the citie neyther did he request the Sunamite for the recouerie of her house and lands but caused them to be restored vnto her So that then it is manifest that those which in old time raigned ouer the people of God albeit they had in euery citie Iudges yea and in Ierusalem also as it appeareth in the 19. chapter or the 2. booke of Chronicles yet they ceased not to giue eare to suites and complaints that were made vnto them and to decide cōtrouersies that came to their knowledge for this cause it is that Wisedome saieth That by her kings raigne Princes decree iustice whervnto also belongeth that which is saide in an other place that a King setting in the throne of iudgemēt chaseth away all euill with his eyes VVhat is a tyrant Cap. 9. A Tyrant is a superiour Gouernour that ruleth as he listeth who onely raigneth to pleasure a few not to the publike profit who is accoūted a rigorous ill disposed king that persisteth in extreames perseuering in moodlesse modesty accustoming to chastice many for the fault of one which is amōgst euils the greatest euil amongst tyrants the greatest tyranny that they of thēselues will not liue within the precincts vnder the rights of law iustice nor yet consent that malefactors should receiue punishmēt he esteemeth it better to haue his own palace costly furnished the common weale poore than his palace poore the common weale rich A tyrāt is a king chosen by popular ambitious election on the behalf of the cōmunalties to patronize their cause against the chiefest citizens preuenting iniuries whose property is not to respect the publique vtilitie but onely his priuate cōmoditie whose glory consisteth in riches delight in pleasure and pompe Such a one was Dionisius the tyrāt chosē of the Syracusiās The like king was Atreus brother to Thyestes sonne to king Pelops who tyrānously slew without compassion three sons of his brother Thyestes whose bloud hee caused his brother and their owne Father to drinke vnawares and hauing hidden their bodies in a caue cut off their members and made their Father to eate thereof So likewise Astyages played the tyrant enforcing Harpagus to eate his owne sonne dressed and serued at his table before Harpagus of which as being ignorant he fed but not long after as a reward for this detestable tyranny Harpagus caused his owne nephewe young Cyrus to wage warre against him of whome hee was ouercome exiled out of his kingdome Like as a battered or a crazed ship by letting in of water not only drowneth her selfe but all that are in her so a king or a vitious tyrant by vsing detestable enormities destroyeth not himselfe alone but all others beside that are vnder his gouernment and though vniust offences escape for a time without penaltie yet neuer without reuēge wherfore as many haue beene remembred through equitie iustice aduanced to great honor euen so iniurious inuasions oppressions cursed and reprobated speeches sūdry enacted cruelties haue bene the vtter wrack ruine and endles decay of famous men and honorable peeres therfore the miserable wretchednes almost of all sauage tyrants may wel yeeld a sufficient testimony for not only they were bereued of their liues and depriued of dignities but such as were alied vnto them by blood consanguinitie or adherents by confederacy in so much that the greatest died the like death the rest being spoiled of their goods and possessiōs hardly escaped death by banishment neuerthelesse they could not happely escape and auoid the spot of slaunder and shamefull obloquie and that I may here without offence speake of Phalaris the lewdest and vnsatiablest bloudsucker that euer nature yeelded against whome rebelled the whole multitude of the citie Agrigētinum that I may lightly passe ouer diuerse others with silence whose maners were infected with the like barbarous cruelty as beyng nulled with vice and weaned from vertue assuredly al the blood race of Phistratus by this onely way lost their gouernment principalitie What should I speak of the Tarquines were not they traced in the same vice and trayned in the same ininiquitie and
knowledge of our soueraigne good and the ende of our life dependeth Wherefore we may in no sorte behaue our selues more prudently then by cōsidering how we may deale imprudently Such a prudent man was Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians who when there was a battel to be pitched at Mantinia by his subiectes the Lacedemonians counselled them thus wisely that they should bēd all their force and strength and leuell at Epiminondas saying It was a poinct of prudence to cut off the hartiest souldier first of all meaning that valiant men were the causers of victory which when they had obserued obtained the conquest and so preuented the daunger and preserued their liues safety Whereby it was concluded that in warre one prudent man was of greater force to subdue then an whole army of vnwisemen For as Homer saieth Ille sapit solus volitant alii velut vmbrae Likewise Ioseph so excelled in prudence in aduising Pharao to prouide a man of wisedome and vnderstanding and set him ouer the land of Egypt saying Let Pharao make and appoint Officers ouer the land and take vp the first part of the land of Egypt in the seuen plenteous yeeres also let them gather all the foode of these good yeeres that come and lay vp corne vnder the hand of Pharao for foode in the citie and let them keepe it so the foode shal be for the prouisiō of the land against the seuen yeres of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt that the land perish not for famine the saying pleased Pharao and al his seruants and therfore accoūted Ioseph a most prudent and wise man In like sort the prudence of Licurgus the reformer lawmaker of the Lacedemoniās was the cause of the maintenaunce of their flourishing estate aboue 500. yeeres so that it was the chiefest in all Greece both for glory excellency of gouernment from whence they digressed not vntill such time as they wholy neglected those lawes and godly ordinances the which hee gaue them Wherefore to conclude the vigor strength of this vertue in all actions whether it be ingeneral to all in a Monastike life or Oeconomicall appertaining to families or politike which is the chiefest of all vsed to the good of the Commō wealth hath such efficacy that nothing without the same may rightly be effected for the confirmation whereof and a finall conclusiō we need no more then the liuely example of Argos which had his head inuironed with a hundred watching eies signifying vnto vs that he was euery way endued with great prudēce and singular discretiō wherfore if a Pagan and a Heathen man by the reportes of the Poets so excelled in the atchiuement of vertue wisedome and prudence how much the rather ought wee Christians to bee furnished with the same as an onely ornament of all actions For although the wit of mā is most precious and apt to al goodnes glistering as the yron brasse more more in wearing whose sharpnes and brightnes is like the sparkle that soonest kindleth desire though eloquence be a diuine influence and inuentiō the daerling of nature neuerthelesse inuention bringeth forth oft times a rude deformed matter and eloquence singeth a song harsh voide of tune concord of true melody without prudence by which men are alwaies cloathed and inuested with a mild and setled disposition wherein it steadeth them no lesse then a shippe floting on the Sea doeth the presence of a Pilote that may prudently vndertake wisely execute whatsoeuer he knoweth to be good after mature deliberation and cōsideration of all the circumstances of the fact If therfore a gouernour be not endued with prudence learning ciuill policy cannot be maintained and his Empire or gouernment auaileth not 1 Prudence reformeth abuses past ordereth thinges present foreseeth things to come 2 Iustice without Prudēce is dissolued into cruelty temperance into fury and fortitude into tyranny 3 It is a point of great Prudence to lament the life of a wicked man more then the death of the iust 4 To the prudent it is more pleasant to heare coūsell mixt with mirth then to the foolish to wāt sport mixt with rudenesse 5 He that searcheth out prudence findeth treasure in this life and enioyeth perfect happines in the life to come Of Fortitude Cap. 19. FOrtitude is an inuincible vertue or courage of the mind vndertaking any peril in an honest good cause also it is defined of some to be a firie humor of the spirit inflaming the minde with boldnes in all assayes conducting the body thorow a million of perils in attempting harde aduentures because nothing ought to bee hard for a valerous mā to attempt which might daunt abate his courage This vertue is of two sorts either consisting of the meere strength of the body which ought not to be termed fortitude because there be many men that haue stout bodies and great strength and yet cowards And is therfore called naturall vigor or els fortitude otherwise it is taken for the constancy of the minde and so it is termed a morall vertue wherefore by the assent of the Philosophers it deserueth the vppermost roome and the greatest dignitie amōgst morall vertues for two considerations First in respect of the primate and chiefest man whose minde attaineth this vertue Secōdly in respect of the whole citie which he enioieth and in enioying defendeth her territories and turrets aduenturing any enterprise for the security thereof The properties of this vertue consist in two things First in despising outward casualties not beeing moued to admire thereat in admiring not to desire or wish any thing but what is honest holding the flagge of defiance against the allure and becke of fortune suffering al things patiently if any thing happen bitter or grieuous which is a token of an inuincible minde as Cicero saith Si quid obtigerit aequo animo paratoque morear neque enim turpis mors forti viro potest accidere neque immatura consulari nec misera sapienti The second is that if thou art of that minde and courage see thou imploy thy selfe in those thinges which are most difficult and full of perill which may as well cōserue the life of man as sundry other things thereunto appertaining that it may be said as it was of a certaine Philosopher who being busied touching his countreys affaires and pleading truce for his friends liues hapned to fall into the lapse of his enemies and hauing many cowardly souldiers who regarding neither their friends liues nor their owne countreys security most timerously flying demaunded of this valiant mā what they should do to whom hee answered that they should report to those that were aliue that he valiantly fighting for their security died and I will in like sort report to the dead that you escaped cowardly as being the last in the field and first in flight We see therefore that courage and magnanimity are daunted with no danger and yet conquer
note the exploits of the Grecians and the worthy feates of the Troians This mā exceeded so much herein that happy was that souldier that could be a souldier to Cesar O liberal hart O passing policy O happy estate and glorious stay of such a Common wealth wherein like liberality of Princes towards their subiects is found such loialty and fidelity of subiects is shewed and performed Seing liberality is a vertue that deserueth so great praise what man is he that carieth neuer so base and abiect a mind that hauing any possessions or wealth and would not be moued with some remorse of cōscience to bestow a smal portion thereof vpon the poore distressed and needy if not as being addicted to liberality yet as being mooued with pity he would gladly imparte some of the encrease therof for his sake that bestoweth the stocke and yeeldeth the encrease 1 Liberality hath a zealous hart opē hands inuincible faith in earth and a perpetual dwelling in heauen 2 The liberall man recōcileth displeasure the vnliberall engendreth hate 3 A liberall man beginning to decay shal in his feeblenesse and want finde his friends and foes 4 He that is liberal concealeth nothing from them whom he doth affectionate by which meanes true loue encreaseth amity is made more firme and stable Of Clemency Cap. 33. CLemēcy is a vertue which belongeth to the inuincible part of the soule wherby we are slowly addicted to any kind of vices which all decay in processe of time only this mercy or clemency encreaseth Haughtinesse seing this vertue to be honored desireth oftentimes to be couered with the cloke therof fearing lest appearing in her own shape she should be litle regarded The property of this matchles virgine is to sustaine those crimes which are layed vpon her not tolerating her selfe to be hastily carried to reuenge nor easily spurred to wrath but enforcing him in whō she resteth to be of a setled staied resolution and to carry a milde and gracious mind for hee that purchaseth otherwise wanting clemency is saied to cary dust against the winde Wherefore let all Gouernours which do know for a certainty they haue their power from aboue pōder in their minds in what case they themselues be daily if God did not abounde in mercy who would speedily assoone as they had grieuously offended smite them with his rod of correction although as the Scripture saieth the purest man liuing passeth not one howre which deserueth not some punishment but God being infinit in mercy vpon hope of amendemēt pardoneth As therefore imitating his example and following his steps let all mē most willingly embrace clemency which is of such excellency that the hart of man cannot conceiue nor his tongue vtter either the infinit goodnes thereof or how admirably it linketh humane society Wherfore as Demonax was wont to say mē ought not to want clemency nor to waxe angry in correcting faultes vsing the example of Physitions which are not moued to fret at their sicke patiēts but mildly to cure the disease meaning hereby that the only remedy and surest way to winne the good will of the subiects is alwaies for the ruler to be courteous and gentle which causeth loue in the subiects and procureth the good of the Cōmon wealth Of such clemency was Pompey the great who when Tigranes king of Armenia by him conquered kneeled before him yeelding vp his Crowne and Scepter at his feete and himself to his mercy as a captiue tooke him vp in his armes embraced him put on his crowne on his head and restored him to his kingdome againe Was there euer Monarch more feared of his enemies thē Alexander the great inuincible in al enterprises he attēpted in so much that he could not onely force all humane powers but also time place themselues yet who hath left greater proofe of meeknesse then he for as he was on his voiages vndertakē for the conquest of the Indians he Taxilles might not war one against the other If thou saith this king vnto him art lesse then I receiue benefits if greater I will take them of thee Alexander greatly cōmending withal admiring the grauity and courteous speach of this Indian answered thus At the least we must cōbat for this namely whether of vs twaine shal be most beneficial vnto his cōpanion So loath was this noble Monarch to yeeld to the other the superiority in clemency What can more stir vp humane harts to great affections what more maintaineth loue what ioyneth the harts of subiectes vnto their soueraigne Nothing so much as clemency Adrian a noble Romane conceyued great hatred against a famous gentlemā of Rome but assoone as this noble Adrian was made Emperour by chaunce meeting his enemy in the street that very day that hee was created Emperour said with a loud voice in the presence of all the people Euasistime Thou hast wōne the conquest meaning that he being made a Prince might in no sort reuēge the wrongs that he conceiued before O vnspeakable humanity and passing clemēcy in a Prince Iulius Cesar was also of such courteous behauior that hauing conquered Pompey all his enemies hee wrote to his friends in Rome that the greatest and most estimable fruit which he of his victory conceiued cōsisted in sauing daily the life of men being his owne countrey men who had borne armes against him For especiall proofe of this meeknesse and gentlenesse that speach may serue which he vttered when he vnderstoode that Cato returning vnto the towne of Vtica after the losse of the battel had violated his owne life O Cato saith this Monarch beyng then very pensiue I enuy thee for this thy death seing thou hast enuied me the glory of sauing thy life I neuer yet denied clemency said that good Emperour Marcus Aurelius to him that demaunded it of mee much lesse haue I euil entreated or offered dishonor to any that reposed any confidēce in me affirming that there could be no victory which should enioy the name of a true and perfect victory excepting that which harboureth clemency alleadging To ouercome was humane but to pardon was diuine Wherfore saith this Prince of whō we made mention that wee ought to esteeme the magnificence of the immortall Gods not so much for the chastisement as for the mercy which they vse 1 Clemency is the character of an vnspotted soule which neuer lightly suffereth innocency to be troden vnder feet 2 Pride is vaine cruelty is hated but clemēcy alone for her meekenes is canonized 3 Clemency ouermuch vsed is no clemēcy to be too submissiue and humane ingenerall is to proue humane to none because that generality can neuer at any time proue particular 4 Clemency in maiesty is the rightest path to binde affection in duty Of Peace Cap. 34. PEace is a vertue that purchaseth the security and quietnes of kingdomes suppressing al tumults vprores and factions planting quietnesse and tranquillity of life But as Cicero saieth Peace is the end
rather leaueth behinde it an occasion of repentaunce how delectable soeuer these pleasures bee then any reason to call it againe to remembrance albeit amongst the pleasures delights which men haue in this worlde some are decent holy honest as those which we cōceaue in the reading and meditation of the law of God in our obedience towards him and of the faith and hope we haue in his promises All which as Dauid saith are more to be desired then gold yea thē fine gold are sweeter then the hony hony cōbe It is also a singular pleasure to behold the prouidence wisedome and goodnes of God towards his creatures and to consider how euery one of them and euery part of them are appointed to some good purpose and ordained for the vse pleasure and profite of man in these plesures there is neyther shame sorrow nor repentāce for euery thing is holy and there is no euil vnlesse it be that wee are not greatly desirous to fall into these considerations or because we are ouer-weary of them There are other pleasures which are natural as to eate when we are hungry to drinke when we are thirsty to rest when we are weary such like by the sweetnesse wherof our good God which is a louer of our welfare would stirre vs vp to be carefull of our selues There are also some which are superfluous vnprofitable as that of Socrates which was accustomed to stand in one place gazing at the Sunne frō the rising therof vntill Sunne set or as the Deere that delighteth to gaze so long on the bowe vntil he is hit with the bolt or that of sundry others which they take in tricking toyes as in engrauing or such like othersome spend the most parte of the day at the dore to shew their beauties to behold the passengers by not vnlike the wolues of Syria which delight to barke against the Moone spēding their time about nothing which euery mā ought to hold most precious and especially gouernours who are alwaies to be emploied in matters of great consequēce whereof the charge is such that if they discharge their duty they shall hardly haue so much leasure as to eat their meat take their rest vnlesse they omit some of that time which should bee emploied in publike affaires Moreouer there are other pleasures which are lewd are termed by the name of carnall worldly pleasures these are they whereof at this present I purposed to discourse Herein let vs resolue our selues that it is not sufficiēt to do our endeuour that according vnto the example of S. Paul following his aduice coūsaile we do apply our selues to the persons with whom we liue and that we transforme our selues vnto them though that their natures be oftentimes different disagreeing from vs but withall wee must apply our selues to the suddaine chaunces and sundry accidents of this life and keepe our minds alwaies in one estate and condition whether wee be poore or rich as it is said of Socrates that vnto what house soeuer he came were it to the Kings palace or the beggers cottage were he in Silkes Veluet or Frise he alwaies kept a decorum a comlines in his behauior beseeming such a philosopher as he was So in like maner must we apply our selues learne to vse al alterations and changes whether they should be ease or labour honour or dishonor pouerty riches friends and enemies health sicknes imprisonmēt liberty rest paines sorrow and gladnes without doing any thing vnprofitable or not befitting a Christian or disagreeing not beseeming our estate conditions and in so doing a man that shal moderately wisely enioy any pleasure as God shall minister him occasiō giuing thanks vnto him acknowledging his goodnes ought much more to be cōmended thē he that refuseth his grace and fauour depriuing himselfe of those giftes talents which God hath giuen and offered him for he doth it either through contempt superstitiō or detestable pride thinking himselfe to be more wise in reiecting then accepting the goodnesse that God hath offered him 1 Worldly gladnesse rideth vpon the wings of time but he that sitteth surest may be ouerthrowne 2 Conceale thy delights in thy heart lest shamefully they be discouered 3 Delight is the brook of euils quenching the light of the soule hindering counsell turning men aside from the right way 4 The delight of the hart addeth length to life but sorrow of life hasteneth death Of Intemperance and Gluttony Cap. 37. INtemperance is an enemy to frugality a daughter to excesse a foe to temperance a fauourit to immoderate appetite that craueth daily more then it needeth like an vnthākful beast vnwilling to gratify the pleasure done it which liues as a slaue to the mouth belly for what can be more vile loathsom thē is the drūkard whose mouth is the lodge of poisoned sauors whose body through excesse doth trēble shake whose promises are large whose tongue bewraieth secretes whose minde is soone changed whose countenance is transformed for where drunkennes raigneth there secretie beareth no sway for cōmonly when the head is ful of wine the tōgue is set at liberty besides this wine doth not onely suffice a drunkard neither is he contēt with many sorts of wine as sacke bastard hipocras such like but hee drowneth his senses in all variety of liquor making himself the mōster of excesse O desire insatiable O fire inquenchable This is the nursery of al cōtētion and strife for as the wise man saith Much drinking of wine kindleth the coales of wrath and is the roote of all misbelief ruine and the sequel therof is fornication yea fornication wine drūkennes bereue noble minds of al strength and courage corrupt the bloud dissolue the whole man finally make him forgetfull of himselfe altogether Therefore the Apostle writeth Be not drūk with wine wherein is lasciuious wanton lust And that wise king saith That wine is a leacherous thing and that drunkennes is full of strife dissentiō The childrē of Rachab the sons of Zachary dranke no wine nor no other kinde of strong drinke that might ouercome their sēses Gluttony the mother of vncleannesse bringeth foorth a more vncleane daughter for it is very agreable to reason that what is already vncleane should become as it were more disparged with vncleannesse For all those which commit fornication are like vnto the bakers ouen made hote with fire The princes rulers begā to rage through wine for the belly which is daintily fed most willingly of it self embraceth carnall pleasures extreme rage of vncleane lust which doth not only effeminat the mind but also weakneth the body and indaungereth the person in this life and bringeth both body and soule in peril of damnation in the life to come for al the sinne that a mā committeth is without the body but he that offendeth infornication committeth an offence