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A72894
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A briefe discourse of royall monarchie, as of the best common weale vvherin the subiect may beholde the sacred maiestie of the princes most royall estate. VVritten by Charles Merbury Gentleman in duetifull reuerence of her Maiesties most princely Highnesse. Whereunto is added by the same gen. a collection of Italian prouerbes, in benefite of such as are studious of that language.
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Merbury, Charles.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 17823.5; ESTC S112612
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39,761
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95
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alwayes in confusion she enuyeth the riche and malliceth the mightie seeking how to betraye the nobilitie she is of so base and vile condition as she can not applie her selfe vnto any kinde of good gouernement she is ignorant of all thinges and yet she thinketh to know euery thing In few wordes she is no better then an vniuersall confusion a horrible monster of many heddes without reason a tempestuous Sea tossed with boysterous windes in euery place at euery season Betwene the gouernement of the best and that of the mightiest there is this difference Those of the best haue no other ende prefixed vnto them but vertue and honestie They refuse no traualle or paines The difference betwene Aristocratie and Oligarchie for the benefit of such as are committed vnto their charge they loue and cherish the poore people procuring to make them liue in good and plentifull estate defending them also from being iniured of mightier and richer then they and aboue all thinges they seeke to traine vp their citizens and subiectes as they would doe their owne proper children vnder a continuall discipline of vertue and good education These of the mightiest studie onely how to pull from their subiectes all the wealth vnto them selues by laying intollerable taxes and tributes vpon them All profites honors pleasures and commodities they thinke to be due vnto them onely All charges labours troubles and dangers postinge ouer vppon the people whome neuerthelesse they hate deadly inuenting by all meanes how to intrappe them and that with all kind of insolencie Betwene a good Kinge and The difference betwene Monarchis Tyrannie a Tyrante there is this difference The one is courteous mercifull endewed with all vertue the other is hautie and cruell defiled with all vice The one embraceth equitie and iustice the other treadeth both Gods lawe and mans lawe vnder his feete The one hath his minde and all his care vpon the health and wealth of his subiectes th' other estemeth his owne pleasure more then their profit his owne wealth more then their good willes The good Kinge taketh pleasure to be freely aduertised and wisely reprehended when he doth amisse the Tyrante can abide nothing worse then a graue free spoken and a vertuous man The good Kinge punisheth publicke iniuries and pardoneth those which are done vnto him selfe the Tyrante reuengeth most cruelly his owne iniuries neglecting those which are done vnto others The good King hath an especiall regarde vnto the honour and good name of chaste matrones the Tyranttriumpheth in abusing and shaming of them The good Kinge deliteth to be seene and other whiles hard of his subiectes the Tyrant Hideth himselfe from them as from his enemies The good Kinge loueth his people and is beloued of them againe the Tyrant neither loueth them that are like vnto himselfe fearing lest they being as wicked as he will be ready to betray him for euery light cause he hateth and pursueth all those that haue any valor or vertue in them as men whome he knoweth to be by nature contrarie and enemies vnto his tyrannie Againe the one chargeth his people as litle as he can and but vpon publicke honorable and necessarie occasions the other gnaweth the bones and sucketh out the very blood and marowe of them with vnlawfull taxes towles and confiscations The one maketh choise of the best and most sufficient persones about him to imploye in the publicke affaires the other imployeth none but ruffianes and cutthrotes such as he may best serue his owne turne withall The one vseth the assured fayth and forces of his owne subiectes in time of warre against his enemies the other calleth in forreinc nations whome he can not safely trust as LONOVIKO SFORZA duke of MIDANE did to warre against his owne contreymen The one hath no garde nor garrison but of his owne naturall people the other but of strangers The one liueth in assured hope merrie voide of suspition alwayes enioying the sweete rewarde of his vpright conscience the other hath the pointe of a sworde hanging ouer his head alwayes languishing in continuall feare The one looketh for euerlasting ioye the other can hardly escape euerlasting paine The one is honored in his life time and wished for after his death the other is hated in his life time and torne in peeces after he is deade so that liuing and dying he is in a continuall hell of all miserie VVherefore as the gouernement of a Tyrant is of all other the most odious and of Which is the best common weale the three ill common weales the worst So is a Lawefull kingdome of the three good the best the happiest and that which I desire to preferre in this my Treatice before all other Not ledde therunto onely by bonde of duetie as subiecte and seruant vnto so worthy a Prince Nor moued by affection onely as borne in so quiet and prosperous estate of countrey But moued ledde and drawen by force of good reason grounded vpon the naturall excellenoie and excellent properties therof as it shall at large appeare after that I haue first shewed of what especiall kinde and qualitie this best common weale of kindome is Sundry kindes of Monarchies For there are diuers kindes of kingdomes according vnto the diuersitie of countryes and of their lawes and customes though all good lawfull yet not all of like excellencie though all pertakers of soueranitie yet not all in equall proportion though of like nature and essence Kingdomes by Gifte yet differing accideÌ„tally For some kingdomes go by gifte as IVBA was by OCTAVIVS made of a slaue kinge of NVMIDIA now called Barbarie and as the kingdomes of NAPLES and SICILE were giuen first vnto CHARLES Earle of Prouence in the yeare 1266 and after vnto LEWIS the first Duke of Anioue brother vnto the french kinge CHARLES the fifth surnamed the wise and as some haue written that VVILLIAM the Conquerour by the gifte of his Nephew kinge EDWARD sonne of king EGELRED pretended and attained vnto the Kingdomes by Testamente Crowne of England Others are lefte by will of testament as CHARLES Nephew and heire vnto RENALD Duke of Anioue bequethed all his estates and dominions vnto the french Kingdomes by Customes kinge LEWIS the leuenth Some descende by the vertue of a Lawe as the Realme of Fraunce in practise of late descentes doth by the Lawe which they call SALICKE Others goe by adoption as Eâ—EVS kinge of ATHENES adopted Kingdomes by AdoptioÌ„ THESEVS MICIPSA kinge of the Numidians adopted IVGVRTHA SCIPIO th' elder adopted the sonne of PAVLVS AEMILIVS CAESAR the dictator his Nephew AVGVSTVS th' Emperor adopted TIBERIVS CLAVDIVS NERO NERVA TRAIAN TRAIAN ADRIAN who after adopted ANTONINVS surnamed the Pityfull so were AELIVS VERVS and MARCVS AVRELIVS also adopted vnto th' Empire Likewise of late yeares ANNE and IANE Queenes of NAPLES and SICILLE adopted LEWIS and RENALTE Dukes of Anioue and in the yeare 1408. MARGARIT Queene of Demnarke
and Swethlande adopted HENRY Duke of Pomerane for their heires and successours in all their dominitions So in king HENRY the fifth of England byside the interest of his auncesters and his owne interest vnto the Crowne of France was added an adoption by his father in law the french kinge CHARLES the sixte Some kingdomes are Kingdomes by Lotte translated from one to an other by lotte or Pâ—ouince of fortune as it happened vnto DARIVS one of the seuen Lordes of PERSIA who was made kinge because his horse first neyed Kingdomes by Pollicie Some estates are gotten by Pollicie as in olde time CECROPES HIERON GELON PISISTRATVS gotte theirs and as of later yeares COSMVS of MEDICES added the state of SIENNA vnto his Dukedome of FLORENCE Kingdomes by CoÌ„quest A number of kingdomes also are gotten by conqueste As FERDINAND of ARAGON the first king of Spaine got the kingdomes of NAPLES NAVARRA SICILE and after him his daughters sonne CHARLES the fifte got the kingdome of THVNES the dukedome of MILAN the Soueranitie of Artois and Flanders Kingdomes by Election Others go by Election as the kingdome of POLONIA doth And of this kinde there are diuers sortes For some are chosen kinges for their Noblenesse of birthe As CAMPSON kinge of Caramania was by the Mammelucs chosen for their SOVLDANE the Vycountes of ANGLERIE were for their noble birth made Lordes of MILANE Some for their Iustice as NVMA POMPILIVS was by the Romaines Some for their olde age as the auncient ARABIANS did choose alwayes the eldest Some for their great possessions and mightie power AS HARAVLDE sonne to GOODWINNE Earle of Kente was after the death of kinge EDWARD surnamed the Sainte because of the good and wholesome lawes which he in this our countrey instituted chosen the last SAXON kinge in Englande Some for their strenght of body as MAXIMINVS Others for their beautie as HELIOGABALVS Others for their greatnesse and tallnesse of stature As they were wonte to doe in AETHIOPIA All which are kindes of kingdomes and they may be good and lawfull according as they are well and lawfully vsed But they are not of that excellencie which is required in our best kingdome For there is yet an other kinde farre more excellent then any of them more commendable more sure lesse subiect to corruptioÌ„ more capable of perfection VVhich is when a Which is the best kinde of Kingdome kingdome descendeth by right of Succession vnto the next of the blood royall In the which point we are coÌ„tent to swarue from him whom hitherto in the waye of Philosophie we haue most followed who was of opinion that kinges were rather to be chosen calling them people Barbarous which did take their kinges by way of Succession preferring therefore the Carthaginians That Succession is to be preferred before Election before the Lacedemonians because these receiued their kinges by Succession those by Election But perhappes ARISTOTLE would haue differed herein from him selfe if he had liued a litle longer for to haue sene how the MONARCHIE of Macedone hauing continued fiue hundreth yeares from the father vnto the sonne in the right Line of HERCVLES was after for want of Royall and Lineall Succession brought vnto vtter confusion Or if he had liued in these dayes of ours to haue seene how kingdomes goe now how they florish how amplie they disteÌ„de them selues he would doubtlesse haue changed his opinion and neuer haue called Barbarous so many goodly countryes and so diuers sondry sortes of nations both of ASIA as the Persians Medians Parthenians Turkes Tartarres Arabians of AFRICA the Aethiopians Barbarians Numidians of EVROPE England Scotland Fraunce Spaine Naples Sicile preferring before all th'afore saide riche and florishing Estates a few colde countryes of Polonia Demnarke and Swethland because these haue their kinges by Election those by Succession But he neuer needed for to haue liued so long for this matter For if he would but haue looked backe with an indifferent eye into his owne countrey of Greece the which he commended to be so ciuill he should haue found that th' Athenians Lacedemonians Sicyonians Corinthians Thebanes Epirotes Macedonians for the space of sixe hundreth yeares neuer had any other gouernement but of kinges and those by the right and lawfull waye of Succession vntill such time as ambition pride and priuate Interest blinded their vnderstanding and made them change their kingdomes into DEMOCRATIES and ARISTOCRATIES missterming the same by the false name of libertie The like may be said of the auncient Toscanes and of the olde Latines who many hundreth yeares before the building of ROME had their kinges and gouernours descending lineally one vnto an other As we reade that AENEAS by the right of his wife succeded vnto LATINVS TIBERIVS of whome the riuer of Teuer or Tyber which runneth by ROME was so named vnto AENEAS and so forth vntill the kingdome came to ROMVLVS by the waye of his mother RHEA daughter to NVMITOR and Nece to AMVLIVS kinges of the Latines VVhereby we maye gather that in those dayes neither Election was vsed nor yet any exception made of kinde or Gender But some man will say O how happy is that couÌ„trey where the estates of the people do make choise of a iust and righteous Prince who feareth God aboue all thinges honoreth vertue oppresseth vice giueth rewarde vnto the good and punishment vnto the wicked that hateth flatterers keepeth his fayth and his promisse banisheth out of his Courte the Inuentours of new exactions reuengeth the iniuries that are done vnto others forgiueth those that are done vnto him selfe These are faire speeches and they seeme to cary with them great good apparences Sed lates anguis in herba they shew not id manticae quod in tergo est But as we are wonte to carie alwayes two sachelles about vs one before to put other mens faultes in and an other behinde wherin to hide our owne So they make no mention of the daungers and discommodities which are incident vnto such kinde of Elections As what What IncoÌ„ueniences do proceede from Elections a monsterous Inconuenience is that when Sede vacante after the Prince is deade and before a new can be chosen the whole state remaineth in a very ANARCHIE without kinge or any kinde of gouernement like a shippe without a Pilote in hazarde to be cast awaye with euery winde Then may you see all lewdnesse and licentiousnesse set at libertie Theeues robbe by the highe way side without punishment Murderers commit their treasons without controllment For the first thing that is done Sede vacante is to breake open the prisons kill the iâylors reuenge iniuries oppresse the poore with all insolent and vniust meanes As we reade that the MAMMELVCS were wont to doe sacking and spoiling the poore people of EGYPTE whilest their SOVLDANE was a choosing And this Impunitie of vice for the most parte lasteth vntill such time as the ELECTORS doe fall to agreement which happeneth not some times in