Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	council_n	lord_n	privy_a	4,231	5	10.1951	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06713	The Florentine historie. Written in the Italian tongue, by Nicholo Macchiavelli, citizen and secretarie of Florence. And translated into English, by T.B. Esquire; Istorie fiorentine. English	Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469-1527.; Bedingfield, Thomas, d. 1613.	1595 (1595)	STC 17162; ESTC S113983	322,124	238

THE FLORENTINE Historie WRITTEN IN THE ITALIAN TONGVE BY NICHOLO MACCHIAVELLI CITIZEN AND SECREtarie of Florence And translated into English By T. B. Esquire LONDON Printed by T. C. for VV. P. 1595. NON TIBI SPIRO S r. Richard Newdigate of Arbury in the County of Warwick Baronet 1709 TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE SYR CHRISTOPHER HATTON KNIGHT OF THE ORDER ONE OF HER MAIESTIES PRIVIE COVNCELL AND LORD CHANcellour of England MY VERIE GOOD LORD It hath bene and yet I thinke is an vse allowable to present those whom we honour or loue with such things as either for their value be profitable or for their noueltie pleasing Wanting power to performe the one I make bold to do the other and according to my promise send you this old Historie newly translated Which albeit your L. hath heretofore read in the Italian toong yet may it be that for varieties sake you will againe vouchsafe to peruse it in our English written by him that is all yours Sure I am and by reading hereof your L. shall be assured that neither I haue fully expressed the Authours conceit nor the writer well performed his dutie Notwithstanding sith both those wants may be supplied by your iudgement I aduenture the Booke into your L. hand whom I dare trust with any pardonable error For as I haue taken in hand this labour more to enterteine my selfe not otherwise occupied then thereby to merit your thanks or the commendation of others so doo I recommend the same to your L. rather to be looked on at leisure then as a thing of perfection worthie to be studied Yet do I thinke and so do others of more iudgement that this Historie doth equall or excell the most part that haue bin written not so much for the order and argument of the matter as the iuditiall discourses and obseruations of the Authour Wherein be discouered the causes of forraine and domesticall discords the commodities and discommodities of treaties and the secret humours of Princes with diuerse other things verie considerable chiefly of such as be called to consultation of publike affaires gouernment And as the end of all Histories ought be to mooue men vnto vertue and discourage them from vice so do I thinke there is not any that conteineth more examples to that purpose then this writer who leauing aside all partialitie and the custome of those that studie to flatter whom they fauour and misreport whom they loue not doth seeme greatly to follow the truth and setteth forth rather the causes and effects of euerie action then ouer-much extoll or disgrace the persons of whome the storie entreateth But as of all other things so hereof your L. can best iudge Wherefore most humbly reaccommending to your good fauour this poore Present and my faithfull seruice I take leaue At the Court this eight of Aprill 1588. Your L. most humble and assured to commaund Thomas Bedingfeld The Proeme of the Authour MY meaning was at such time as I determined to write the Actions of the Florentine people both within and without the Citie to begin my Narration from the yeare of the Christian Religion 1444. at which time the house of Medici through the merits of Cosimo and Giouanni his father aspired to more reputation then any other in Florence For I thought that Leonardo of Arezzo and Poggio two excellent Historiographers had particulerly set downe all things that till those dayes had hapned But hauing afterwards diligently read their writings to see with what order and meanes they proceeded to the end that following the same our Historie might be by the Readers better allowed I found that in their description of the warres made by the Florentines both against Princes and other forraine States they had vsed exceeding great diligence but of the ciuill discords and inward enimities of the effects by them brought forth they had vtterly omitted one part so brieflie described the other as the Readers could not thereby gather any profit or pleasure at all which I thinke they did either because they iudged those matters so meane as were not worthie the writing or else feared to offend the posteritie of some persons who should thereby haue bene euill reported VVhich two respects be it spoken without offence seeme to me vtterly vnworthie men of great reputation For if there be any thing in Histories that delighteth or teacheth it is that which maketh particuler description Or if any reading be profitable for men that gouerne in Common-weales it is that which sheweth the occasions of hate and faction to the end that being warned by harme of others they may become wise and continue themselues vnited Also if euery example of Common-weales do moue the mind those we read of our Country doo moue most and be most profitable Moreouer if the diuisions of any Common-weale haue euer bene notable the diuisions of Florence are of all others most notable For the most part of other Common-weales to vs knowne were content with one onely diuision ond thereby according to the accidents sometimes encreased and sometimes ruined their Cities But Florence not content with one had many diuisions In Rome as euery man knoweth after the Kings were expulsed diuision grew betweene the nobilitie and the multitude which continued till the ruine thereof the like hapned in Athens and all other Common-weales which in those dayes flourished But in Florence first the noble men became diuided among themselues Then the nobilitie and the people And at last the people and the multitude Yea many times it hapned that one of these being victorious diuided it selfe into two Of which diuisions followed so many murthers so many banishments and so many subuersions of Families as neuer chaunced within any Citie that can be remembred And surely it seemeth to mee there is nothing that witnesseth so well the greatnes of our Citie as that which dependeth vpon these diuisions being of force sufficient to subuert any Citie of what greatnes or power so euer Notwithstanding our state still encreased For so great was the vertue of those Citizens by their wisedome and courage to work the aduancement of themselues and their country as they that hapned to escape so manifold mischiefes could by their vertue procure more encrease to the Citie then the displeasure of those accidents which wrought the decaie could decrease it And withouc all doubc if Florence had bin so happie as it might vpon the deliuery thereof from the Empire haue taken some forme of gouernment which would haue holden the state vnited I know not what Common-weale either auncient or moderne that for vertue of Armes and industrie before it could haue bene preferred For most true it is that after the Ghibilini were banished in so great numbers that all Toscana and Lombardy was full of them the Guelfi with the rest that remayned at the warre against Arezzo one yeare before the iourney of Compaldino drew out of their owne Cittie of Cittizens onely 1200. men of Armes and 12000.