Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	ambassador_n	great_a	king_n	1,072	5	3.7482	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47277	Politikos megas the grand politician, or, The secret art of state-policy discovered in evident demonstrations of unparalleled prudence, and confirmed with wonderful and successful adventures, stratagems and exploits of wisdom and subtility, both in peace and war, by the most remarkable witts of former ages : being a treatise both useful and necessary for all nobles, states-men, judges, lawyers justices of peace, officers of wars, and all such as now are, or may happen to stand at the helm of publick affairs, whether in kingdom or commonwealth / written originally in Latin by Conradus Reinking, Chancellour ot His Electoral Highness the Duke of Brandenburg, and now done into English by a careful hand.	Reinking, Conradus.; Ker, Patrick, fl. 1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing K342A; ESTC R32439	61,144	171

that they should exact but the half thereof The Kings equity was such that he thought the half of that which seemed moderate to his Princes to be enough yea over and above For he had rather win his People by Clemency and Acts of grace than by a rigid Superiorty to disarm weaken and enslave them Thus a Tyrant who is but the Ape of a King when he intends to demand intollerable Things and suck the very Blood of his Subjects because they should never be in capacity to shake off the yoak of their Slavery first of all imposeth great Burdens to the end he might afterwards seem to remitt and pass off his own Right and Interest and by that means act with the Clemency of a good King You shall obtain what you desire from one by asking not directely and at first dash if it be a hard thing and that your request may be denied but by this course you shall obtain it from one who is altogether averse from your purpose First of all ask very eagerly something that is harder to be obtain'd than what you design'd to ask till at Length you get him to promise that he could rather grant any thing in the World Then ask what you designed and you shall obtain it unless he has a mind to be worse then his promise Thus Scipio when he would translate the War into Africa to the end he might well accoutre his unarmed men gave charge to the Nobles of Sicily to accoutre themselves most gallantly as if they had been to go along with him When they met together the Nobles as earnestly begg'd of him not to go as if they had been unarmed Men. Give then said he your Arms to my Souldiers which they very readily did as Scipio would have had it But if he whom you Petition shall swear he will not grant your Request Then you shall ask the quite Contrary to that which you resolved to Petition for at First Then when he shall turn his Vows and Protestations to the Contrary you shall either obtain what you would have else he shall be forsworn Thus Anaximenes when he had heard that Alexander the Great had sworn to do the quite Contrary to whatsoever he reqested of him obtained Liberty to his Lampsacenians Nicolans Thomae lib. 2. cap. 65. de var Hist First desiring that their City might be plundred then overthrown and then that the Citizens themselves might be kill'd or sold Slaves By which wicked and cunning Counsel the Victorious Alexander was Vanquished so that fearing the swelling Fury and irreconcileable Revenge on both sides and dangerous Consequences of what Anaximenes advised him to he made up the supposed Breach Reconcileing them which was no hard matter to do and protested by an Oath that he would never after do any thing to the Prejudice of the Lampsacenians INTRIGUE VI. How to disarm and weaken an Enemy THE way to disarm and weaken an Enemy but especially to deprive him of his Friends may be contrived several ways whereof this is one First deal very friendly with your Enemy's Friend and in your Enemy's presence and also before those who inform your Enemy and ever now and then with squinting Eyes like those who dread that all Things are not safe gaze upon those timorous Informers as if you and they did on both sides privately communicate these Secrets which you would not have your Enemy to know of so as thereby he may become less cautious for nothing will move an observing Person more than a caution counterfeited with great artifice and cunning Thus Scipio and the other Roman Ambassadours dealt with Hannibal at Antiochus his Court for as often as King Antiochus fortun'd to come suddainly upon them Frontin C. 4. they brought about with their frequent and familiar Discourses with Hannibal what they mainly laboured for viz. that he who formerly was designed to be General of the Army against the Romans might be suspected of Treachery by the King as favouring the Romans The Roman Ambassadours made a Show as if they had come into Asia to treat with Antiochus concerning a Peace whilst the chief intent of their Embassy which they palliated all along was no other then to render Hannibal a suspected Person to Antiochus so that he might not be Trusted with an Army where with totally to over-throw the Romans Secondly you shall render your Enemy's Friend a suspected Person if with Gifts and Presents you send him Letters written with the greatest Friendship imaginable advising him in General Terms to make good his Promise which Letters must be intercepted so as they may come to your Enemy's Hands Thus when Quintus Metellus's Letters written with the greatest Familiarity and Affection to Jugurtha's Friends Frontin C. 8. for betraying the King to Metellus were intercepted King Jugurtha inflicted a grievous punishment on them all but afterwards being by this means deprived both of Friends and good Councel he was himself easily destroyed by the Romans Thirdly The Suspicion will still move and more be encreased if the Writing on the out-side resemble a Hand different from the in-side Thus when the Syracusians endeavoured by the Conduct and Assistance of Dion to disthrone Dionysius who kept the Wives of a great many in Prison in the Castle Potienus 4. and amongst the rest Hyppanio Dion's youngest Son It was granted privately to some Women Dionysius conniving to carry sorrowful Letters to their bemoaning Husbands But when he knew that as suspected Letters they would be read in the publick Council of the Citizens he privately convey'd in to the Number his own Letter the outward Inscription of which did resemble the Hand and bear the Name of Hippanio to his Father Dion But in the in-side Dionysius had written very friendly to Dion as if they had been Confederate to betray the Citizens at an appointed time These with other things being publickly read Dion was looked upon as a perfidious Traitour and Villain by all the Grandees of Syracuse which was Dionysius's only Design and that they might not have so brave a General to work his overthrow Fourthly A Person may be rendered hateful to a People if by an exact Imitation you contrive and counterfeit some pernitious project or evil Work which will be ill taken by all and then publish it in his Name Thus Anaxemenes who could counterfeit Theopompus's Stile published in his Name Lyes Fables and Stories Pausan l. 6. which disgraced and made him so infamous all Greece over that where ever he went he was still in danger of his Life INTRIGUE VII How to dissemble HE that would speak one thing and think another must be cautious that his Voice Countenance and Behaviour agree to the Sense and Humour of his Discourse lest his dissembling be discovered and he betray himself and be suspected For as the Nature of his Discourse changeth so also ought the Voice and Gesture of the Speaker to be altered too as he that speaks merrily ought

Superiority and Dominion his Marriage or Birth of an Heir And to Grace all every thing must be done and presented with the most plausible Signs of entire Favour Friendship and Familiarity Which will prove very profitable in prosecuting the intended Design INTRIGUE XXXVII How to Asswage the Insolencies of a Seditious City SWelling Cities whose Inhabitants are Subject to the Insolencies of Insurrection and Sedition when they are under a Kingly Government are kept in order no better way than by setting a Senate over them or committing the Management of Affairs to one Man chosen and appointed by the King For the Government of a People in respect of their Liberty is better and more agreeable to the Arbitrary Will and Pleasure of a King when it is committed to the Care and Fidelity of a few than of many whose Unconstant and Ambitious Drifts clash oft times against another INTRIGUE XXXVIII How to Abrogate Privileges IT is a singular piece of Secret Policy in a King to connive at first with the Insurrections and Seditions of a People which can neither bear with absolute Liberty nor absolute Servitude and when he can stop the Course of their Sedition and bring them to Tryal to give way to the Current of their Crimes Villanies and Out-rages That afterwards he may have a sufficient ground whereby to deprive them of their Priviledges and Immunities which may be termed Briars in the side of the Government and Thorns in the Eyes of the Prince And whereas such Seditious Subjects in using such dangerous and hurtful means to lose their Liberties and Privileges have forfeit all that is theirs they ought to be handled like those who being Conscious to their own Crimes deliver themselves up Prisoners to be Judged by a Councel of War INTRIGUE XXXIX How a Prince may frustrate an Enemy with whom he intendeth to Wage War A Prince that intendeth to invade another's Territories and denounce War against any King Prince People or Commonwealth must keep his Design close to prevent the violence and whispering of the Courtiers whereof some may be private Informers and seem to prize and glory in peace as the greatest blessing in the World And to frustrate his Adversaries Information Prevention or Preparation he must send Subtil and well Accomplish'd Ambassadorus in whom he can put Trust who may slily pump his Enemy's Projects without discovering his own And if there be sent any Ambassadors from his Enemy who perhaps may be Jealous of his Design and would Antidote the poyson of War they must be detained beyond the appointed time and at last sent away without any positive Answer by telling them that he will send their Master an Answer very speedily which may be delayed till all things be composed and put in Order for prosecuting the intended Design INTRIGUE XL. How a weak Kingdom or Commonwealth may be delivered from the Power of a potent Enemy IT is convenient for a Prince and People who are not able to engage an Enemy in open War to ingratiate themselves in their Adversary's Favour by confirming a durable Peace or to take for their Protection some King Prince or People more powerful than themselves or by buying their Peace tho at a dear Rate But it should be observed that Kings and potent Princes do not always openly enter in Leagues offensive and defensive with inferiour Dukes and Commonwealths but in a private Compact or Agreement lest the inferiour States should seem to aim at great things and think themselves as good as their Patrons And it is likewise a sure way to save Ones Territories from Invasion subtilly and cautiously to raise Seditious Jealousies and Insurrections in the Bowels of that Kingdom or Common-wealth which most you fear for by that means there may be some thing to do at home Or if that cannot be done it is needful to raise some quarrel or stir up a Foreign Enemy to engage with so troublesome a Neighbour with Assurance of Assistance both in Men and Money INTRIGUE XLI How to molest Neighbouring Nations THE fittest way to raise Broils intestine Wars Seditions and Insurrections in the Bowels of your Enemies Country is to allure and stir up some of the Off-spring of the Prince to undergo some hard dangerous and Seditious Undertaking in pursuit of some Royal Right and Interest which he may have or seem to have to the Crown Government or any other Regal Prerogative only lost by the Power Wrong and Injustice of Ambitious Usurpers For there is no fitter way to delude the minds of the unstable People than this Hence it is that those who have been desirous of change of Government have still been objecting against the present pointing at some Branch of the Royal Family whose Right the Crown and Government might be as they Fancy There is no necessity here to bring Examples for there is neither King nor Subject Prince nor People but have heard of or seen such Transactions and Undertakings in their own Time INTRIGUE XLII How to Suppress those who are proud of their Honourable Titles and Dignities THE surest way to Suppress those ambitious Spirits who are proud of their honourable Titles and Dignities is to make these great Titles which they so esteem and brag of common by conferring them on new Start-up rich Sparks who can look as big as they and so these Titles which once were courted as most Honourable and whereof the great ones were so proud will be slighted as an ordinary thing As for Example if there be any who looketh big for the Title of Duke Marquess Earl c. Let the King take one of his Domestick Servants and confer on him one of these high vain-glorious airy Titles which adds nothing to the Man's Accomplishments as the just Reward of his Deservings and good Service And by making him with several others of the same order of Chivalry the high Titles will not make so geat a lustre and the swelling Peer will lay by his big Looks INTRIGUE XLIII How to keep under Men of Ambitious and Aspiring Spirits ONE whose Wealth doth encrease and elevates his proud Mind above the Sphere of an ordinary Subject should be sent in Embassies and put upon expensive Employments of Ambition Honour and Greatness And those who have the Applause and look big in the Eyes of the People should be drawn over by fair Speeches and a prospect of greater Honour to be their Princes's Favourit that thereby the Subjects may owe the greater Allegiance and Loyalty to their Prince for countenancing such Men. Those who have a great Name and make a great Figure in the Government ought to be put upon hard and difficult Exploits and Expeditions that when the result of their Undertakings doth not answer the Expectation of their Admirers their Grandeur and great Estimation may be lessened and that the People may not dote on the Parts and Accomplishments of any Subject above the Enduments of their Prince They who at Court aspire in Greatness Preheminence and

and imperious an Enemy In like manner King Philip the Father of Alexander the Great after he had with a pretence of asserting Liberty invaded a great part of Greece at length besieged Athens but withal did cunningly excuse himself that he did not at first think of waging War against the Senate and People of Athens and that they should soon be rescued from war from the Siege and from Famine if they would only deliver him up Ten of the greatest of their Orators who indeed were his greatest Enemies and never gave over their barking and bawling against him in their Senate The People judging it best that a few of their Oratours for the safety of many should be given up Demosthenes persuaded them to the contrary Opinion by discovering to them King Philip's craft and double-hand Dealings by this Fable Of old says he the Wolf offered Peace to the Sheep on Condition the Doggs should be destroyed whom he did accuse as the Authors and Promotors of all their Contentions and Discord But the Doggs those watchful and careful Creatures who still gave notice to the Sheep of the Wolfes approaching being took out of the way the Treacherous Wolf as often as he listed without fear of Punishment or respect to his former Protestations made havock of the poor harmless deluded Sheep Even so Philip requireth us to be delivered up who discover his ensnaring Policy and Treacherous Plots and withstand his Force by animating you all to quit your selves in your Vindications as becometh valiant Men that by this means he may deprive the City of it's Keepers and Watchmen and destroy it unawares without difficulty Now the whole drift of his Discourse was good and honest viz. that the Oratours should no more be given up to King Philip than the Doggs to the Wolfe But when you drive at one thing and design another contrary measures must be taken as if you intended indirectly and at a distance to persuade one to a sober Life go on thus Grant me only these few rational Requests be not mad drunk after Twelve a Clock at Night lest you disquiet People in their rest and because you cannot forbear your Old Habits of Drinking running about emptying your Belly at both ends and committing other such base Acts of Indecency as are not fit to be mentioned begin your walks about Seven a Clock in the Morning that you may finish them about Twelve at Night for by that time you may be wearied and leave off to molest and be troublesom to others But if a Person obstinately still persist in his Opinion after his Error hath been clearly and in a friendly way shown to him do him some injury which may more clearly demonstrate his mistake which injury according to his own Opinion that he so confidently affirmeth and maintaineth can by clear Consequence be proved to be no injury at all tho he should bring it to a Tryal of Law Thus the obstinate Opiniator will be forced either to condemn his own false Opinion or acknowledg that he hath received no injury After this manner one that maintained that all things came by Contingency overthrew the Opinion of him who believed that all things came by Fate He gave him a Blow under the Ear and when the Cause came to a Tryal at Law he cleared himself thus Either I struck you this Blow driven to it by some fatal necessity or by chance and of my own free-Will If casually and by chance then by this I prove there is given free-Will and Contingency Neither in this Case have I done him any wrong but have convinced him of his Errour and brought him to an acknowledgment of the Truth which perhaps was my Design and for which he ought not to accuse but reward me and give me thanks But if I be driven by some fatal necessity to do you this injury and give you so violent a Blow under the Ear than I am still clear for who can withstand Fate when of necessity he must submit INTRIGUE IX How to obtain what you Desire without danger of losing the Favour of him whom you desire it of IF you would ask for any thing of one whose Favour you fear to lose and whose Wrath you fear thereby to incur if your Petition should be ill taken go on after this Method First consider whether you have reason to fear that you will come off with reproof and repulse from him whom you petition and therefore dares not hazard to be so bold though otherways he be both familiar and kind Then when you have weighed these things seriously in your Mind counterfeit that another asketh that of you or of some other Person which you really design to ask of him Then take his Advice whether it be not unworthy and base to ask such a thing of a Friend and if he judge it neither base nor irrational then without any farther delay you may downright ask what you design and you shall obtain it But if he repute the demand base and irrational desist from your Intention if you would continue in his Favour for what a Man thinketh not unworthy to be asked of another he will not take ill if asked of himself This was Eurastritus's Practice when he designed to know whether Seleucus would countenance the inordinate Love of his Son Antiochus Plutarch in Demetrio Suidas Plin. Lib. 29. Cap. 1. which he had for his Mother-in-Law Stratonice for whom he was fallen Sick and ready to Dye Which the Physician found out whilst he could find him troubled with no common Distemper for as he felt his Pulse Stratonice passing by he observed the motion of his Veins alter and turn more violent in their Course and a sudden change and cold sweat surprize the Face of Antiochus Whereupon Eurastritus spoke to his Father thus Your Son is a dead Man for he hath passionately fallen in Love with my Wife and will never recover unless he obtain his Desire which I am resolved never to agree to Whereupon King Seleucus with inordinate and compassionate Tears as a Favour never to be forgotten requested Eurastritus to comply and save his Son's Life by granting his Desire Do not you answered Eurastritus demand that of me which no Man in reason can demand To which the King made answer I heartily wish he had fallen in love with my Stratonice Do you say so seriously replied Eurastritus Yes truly says the King as I wish the Fates to favour me Then answered Eurastritus you neither stand in need of me nor my Wife for you can cure him your self And if you will let him enjoy the company of your Stratonice he will soon recover His Father King Seleucus gave him his own Wife and after a while the young Man recovered And lest this should have been known and given offence to the People Seleucus still spoke to the Young Man's Commendation which was very profitable to the Commonwealth though the Thing in it self was far contrary both to Custom

understand not these things so well as he avouch them with Confidence lest you should be thought to dissemble But if you perceive that he thinketh that you understand them as well as himself then as I have said offer them with a kind of Hesitation by telling him that you are not come to a full certainty of them and that you have them but by report and hear-say which one ought not easily without questioning to believe Then at last to perswade him to believe that which he knoweth not tell him what you say with as much Confidence as if you had seen it For by telling him at first injenuously these things whereof he is perswaded after you have declared that you are not a Babler nor Credulous nor Dissembler but very cautious and one that regards the true meaning of what is told you little minding common Reports you shall likewise lead him to the Belief of those Things which he knoweth not Thus T. Labienus after his defeat at the Battle of Pharsalia making his escape to Pyrrachium with Pompey's Forces told Truth and Lyes in a breath Frontin Lib. 2. and without concealing the event of the Battle in which he told down-right of Pompey's defeat but under-hand told how Fortune was equal on both sides forasmuch as Caesar was most grieviously wounded with as great Confidence as if he had seen the Wounds Bleeding By which Story he did put new Life and Courage in his defeated Souldiers Truly if Labienus who commanded in chief had spoke with any sort of doubt or striven to smuther the event of the Battle which was so well known to them all he had not been credited as to the rest of his Story concerning Caesar's Wounds INTRIGUE II. The Art of perswading that you know another's Secrets YOU shall perswade others that you have come to the knowledge of Secrets by one who pretends to have the Art of finding out Mysteries and understanding Secret Matters if in their presence you give him some reward or gratuity for the discovery thereof for none will suspect that one should bestow his Gifts for nothing Thus as Dionysius was very Anxious and Thoughtful how he might escape all Snares there came a Stranger to Syracuse bragging Potienus 5 Plutarch Apoph how he alone could tell the way how all Plotters might be known before-hand As he was called to the Castle to Dionysius and every Body else withdrawn This saith he is the way to render you secure from Plots and Snares make as if you had Learned of me the Art of knowing Conspirators before-hand which you shall render more credible if in the presence of your Life-Gards you bestow on me a Talent as the reward of my Teaching Dionysius being well satisfied with the Fancy gave him a Talent accordingly telling his Gards how he was taught an admirable Art of knowing Conspirators before-hand And they believing it to be so never durst afterwards be so bold as to hear of any Conspiracy against him INTRIGUE III. The Art of obtaining what you desire from your Enemy YOU shall obtain what you desire of your Enemy if you counterfeit that you fear he shall do these things which you mainly wish he would do Likewise if you counterfeit that you wish those things were done which you would not at all have to be done Thus Ventilius in the Parthian War against King Pacorus knowing that a certain Slave a Tyrian by Nation Frontin Lib. I. Cap. 1. and one of these who seemed to be of their Allies did acqu●int the Parthians with all things that were done among them did manage the Barbarous Villain 's Treachery so as to serve his own Conveniences for being grieviously afraid that the Parthians would without delay pass over the Euphrates before the Legions which were in Cappadocia beyond Mount Taurus could join him he so behaved himself that the Traitor perswaded them with his wonted Treachery to a long and troublesome March before they passed the River For said he if the Parthians come over the Mountains I shall escape all danger of the Archers by the Advantage of the Hills But if they meet me on Champaign Ground my Forces being so few and theirs so many I shall be certainly beat The barbarous People being thus seduced by his telling them so they marched their Army along the Valleys and then finding the Banks of the River become wide must of Necessity be at more trouble to make Bridges over them and to get Tools and Materials for their Business Thus they spent above Fourty Days to no purpose which space of time Ventilius made use of to gather his Forces together and then having got them in a Body three Days before the Parthians could come marched met them gave them Battle and gain'd the Victory INTRIGUE IV. The Art of obtaining what you desire without asking but by giving occasion that it may be profer'd IF you would obtain without asking what you desire of another you must first insinuate your self in his Favour by some familiar Discourse relating to your purpose which concerneth both you and him and then propose what you intend to obtain as a thing which if it were granted would tend much to his Interest And if this Occasion be Acceptable and Take you may ask down-right But if not you must smooth your Design and smuther it with all the Policy you can But must give some other plausible Reason why of Necessity it ought to be done for which Reasons sake he may of his own Accord proffer what you desire Thus upon an honest account Sertorius used to take and keep Hostages so as not to be minded by those who gave them For they who give willingly do hardly mind that they give For indeed Sertorius to keep the Spaniards Loyal and that he might the more securely live among them keept a School in Orca a very Large City where he liv'd and whether the Spanish Grandees sent their Children for education so that in effect he both received and kept Hostages and yet did instruct them withall Thus it may be oft times Lawful to obtain and possess under a more specious title what of it self may look more hateful and contemptible The truth is if Sertorius had used the Name of Hostages and required them he should never have had one INTRIGUE V. The Art of obtaining hard and Difficult things A Good Prince can without any grudge obtain difficult matters by imposing moderate Taxes when the necessity of the Government requireth them and afterwards by remitting a great part of them when his Subjects ask for no Relief or Immunity from them nor make any Complaint against them Because the Prince by so doing doth sufficiently manifest to them his Good-will and Clemency Thus King Darius the third from Cyrus being to impose Taxes upon his Subjects enquired of the Governours of his Provinces together with other Questions whether the Taxes were grievous and burdensome when they answered That they were but moderate he charg'd them

the Original of their Grievances but blame those who execute what they are bound to perform by the command of their Superiours And in such Cases this is the Course and Remedy which both good and bad Princes take For the good expiate the imputed guilt of those Offenders who have misbehaved themselves by committing Crimes ignorantly by puting them to Death And the bad impute their own Crimes to others and charge them with that envy and bad Consequences which by right is their own INTRIGUE LIV. How to keep the Favour of new Subjects THere is one good way to govern a People who have a hand in chusing Masters of Government when the People enter Articles with a new Prince lately come to the Crown which is this Let not the Prince alter any thing of the antient Laws Manners and Statutes that did formerly belong to the People nor diminish the Goods of his Subjects by excessive Taxes Customs or Fines But let all or most things continue in their former State And that the new Kingdom may still keep it 's old Face of Affairs Let all Magistrates Officers and others in publick Employment continue in their places without incroaching upon the People's Liberties Immunities and Priviledges Yet let him know by the by that Ambitious Head-strong Masters of Policy who commonly eye their own Interest Greatness and Preheminence will be but little profitable to the state of Affairs For such are commonly blown up with a self Opinion and Confidence and do both by Nature Custom and Education take a greater freedom in the Government than is fit for a Subject to do INTRIGUE LV. Why Merchandizing is forbidden to the Nobility OUR Ancestors did debar Noble Men from Merchandizing because they thought it would wrong the common Interest of Towns and Cities and that it would by an illimited Liberty hinder a more noble Commerce Now it is believed by all that Merchandizing is below the Sphere and Grandeur of a Nobleman And this Opinion was at first by the Policy of Princes infused in the Ears of the Nobility and is now become a Maxime of undoubted Truth For when Princes came to understand that their greatness and security did lie in the Exercise of Arms nor were ignorant that if the Nobility should once take to Trading and taste of the Sweetness which from thence redoundeth they would lay by the Exercise of War and follow the Exercise of Merchandizing And therefore it was necessary to infuse in them this Opinion as a Paradox in Greatness and Honour viz. that to buy and sell for the Desire of Lucre in a Nobleman was a base and scandalous thing tho to other Persons the Highway might be reputed Honourable INTRIGUE LVI Cancerning the Instruments of Power CAligula Caesar used to say that there were two things whereby Power was acquir'd preserved and augmented which were Money and strength of Arms. For it is impossible that a Kingdom can continue safe without sometimes War neither can Souldiers be kept without Money when there is neither Peace without War nor War without Money nor can Money be had without Taxes How then can Taxes be exacted securely without hatred heart-burning and envy But this we shall show you hereafter INTRIGUE LVII How States-Men ought to behave themselves in assuming the Honour of Memorable Acts. THere is one great Evil among Princes viz. that they cannot endure any to be reputed braver Men than themselves Therefore they carry on Affairs which are accomplished with little labour and difficulty according to their own Measure and Contrivance But the Management of all hard and more difficult Affairs they commit to the Conduct of others who tho by their own only Wit and Industry they accomplish the Business must lay down the Name and Honour which is properly their own at the Prince's Feet who will think himself robb'd if he carry not away the Garland tho' he never knew how it was gain'd Therefore every one who would be careful of his own security ought to shun all hard and difficult Businesses of great weight as far as possibly he can But if he cannot let him be sure to attribute the Name Honour and Conduct of all good success and well-managed Affairs to the Wisdom and Prudence of the Prince and by this means he will shun his Princes Envy and be in no danger of losing his Favour INTRIGUE LVIII How to appease offended Princes WHen a Nobleman findeth his Prince stirred up against him by the Reports and Rumours of Envious Persons and that his fury is is like to tend to his Ruine and Disgrace first of all his Wrath must be timously mitigated by the sober advice of some great Favorite in few Words before he hazard to vindicate himself in his Prince's Presence lest unawares the Prince by tossing and tormenting be provoked to greater fury Neither doth a shew of stubborness and obstinacy gain any great credit of Innocence especially when one with a brazen Face carrieth himself too confidently in his Princes Presence For being Eclipsed by the envy of his Enemies he is not able tho' Innocent to deal with his Princes Fury nor represent the Case as it really is nor remove the Cloud of bad Consequences which his Enemies Hatred hath produced Therefore it is fit to give place both to the King's Wrath and the false Reports that both in time may wear out and then when the Prince beholdeth the true face of Affairs through the right end of the Glass the matter without difficulty can be soon made up INTRIGUE LIX How to impose Taxes without the offence and grumbling of the Subject IF a Prince raise that as a Tax which is in every place cheap and may be spared and impose great Customs on such Commodities as promote the Luxury of great and rich Persons and great Fines on all Riotous Livers and such as slight and despise his Acts and Statutes of this Nature he will gain ground upon the People's Affections and raise Taxes without offence or grumbling Moreover it will be very acceptable if he use any fiugal industry upon his own account and then openly lay out the gain'd Money for the benefit of the publick with a shew of great Care and good Husbandry For nothing pleaseth Subjects more than when they see the King carefully look after the management of publick Affairs and the Treasury not wasted in Luxury INTRIGUE LX. How to collect Taxes without offending the Subject THE Antients did not so much burden with Taxes the Borders and Limits of their Kingdoms as those places in the middle of their Territories and nearer to their Courts and Persons And to shun the offence and grumbling of Subjects this advice must be taken No publick Collectors must be chosen who go in Person to private Houses who can be partial or favourable upon the Account of Bribes and self Interest but let rather inferiour Collectors be appointed who can neither add to or diminish from their limited Power to vex or oppress City or