Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	time_n	18,531	5	4.0048	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01365	A very briefe and profitable treatise declaring hovve many counsells, and vvhat maner of counselers a prince that will gouerne well ought to haue The book speaketh. ...; Consejo i consejeros del principe. English. Abridgments	Furio Ceriol, Fadrique, d. 1592.; Blundeville, Thomas, fl. 1561.	1570 (1570)	STC 11488; ESTC S105670	28,475	130

ovvne countrie hovve good or euill it is and knovveth hovv to roote out all abuses and euill customes and to plant good in their stead He knovveth hovve to entertayne straungers be they friends foes or nevvtralls by reason that he is acquainted vvith their manners and conditions can apply his vvordes vvryting and deedes according as the condition of the men of the matter of the tyme and of the Prince shall require knovving both the commodities and discommodities of tymes and places vvherby the Prince or his coūsell can neuer bee decey ued in any thing by vvrong or false information of straungers neyther shall hee neede to depende vppon their iudgement The Prince to knovve vvhy ther his counseler bee a traueiler and vvhat profite hee hath reaped thereby maye question vvyth him in this vvise Hovv many myles contayneth the length of Fraunce and hovv many in breadth and also hovv manye in circute vvhat notable cities tovvnes and Vniuersities it hath specially vvhat holdes and Fortes And on vvhat side the countrie is most easie to be inuaded vvhat floudes and streames it hath that bee not vvádable vvhat vertue or vice is most proper or peculyer to the French men and in vvhat thing they most delyght also vvherin the nobilitie of Fraūce differeth from the nobilitie of Englande and vvherein their people differ from oures hovv much their buildings differ frō oures vvhich of the tvvo kings of Fraunce and Englande hath most absolute povver vppon vvhat occasions and hovve the people of Fraunce is vvont to vvithstande their prince And vvherein their seruitude differeth from the seruitude of our people hovv the king of Fran̄ce leauyeth his Souldiours hovv they are exercised and trayned And in marching through the countrie vvhat order is taken and vvhat prouision is made that the poore countriemen be not spoyled nor molested by them The like questions may bee demaunded of anye other countrie or vvythout asking these questions it is easie to perceyue by his ovvne talke of the countries vvhere he hath bene vvhat profite he hath gathered For if he be alvvayes ready eyther to condemne straunge coūtries and their customes or gouernment and to prayse hys ovvne or else contrary vvise to prayse the others to dispraise his ovvne vvithout due consideration or comparison had it is an euident signe that hee maketh no distinctiō of things and vvhereas is no distinction there can be no choyse or election and vvhere election vvanteth there is no vvisedome nor iudgement and vvhere vvisedome and iudgement fayleth all things fayle The eyght qualitie requisite in a counseler is to knovve as vvell the strength and povver of his Prince as also of his allyes friendes neyghbours and enimies for vvant of vvhich knovvledge manye tymes the Prince is counseled to vvarre vvith those vvith vvhome he ought to lyue in peace and to make peace vvith those vvyth vvhome he should rather haue vvarres And the Prince maye try the knovvledge of his coūseler in thys behalfe by asking him these or suche lyke questions As vvhat ordinary or extraordinarye reuenevves hys friendes or foes haue vvherof such reuenevves do rise vvhat Souldyours they are able to make hovve they are leauyed armed trayned and exercysed vvhat Captaines they haue of vvhat thinges necessarye to maintaine vvarre their countries haue eyther plentye or lack and such lyke The ninth qualitie requisite in a counseler is to loue hys common vvealth so vvell as he doth alvvayes regarde the profite and honour thereof more than his ovvne esteeming in respecte thereof neyther hys goodes dignitie lyfe nor fame vvithout vvhich loue he can neuer bee so carefull for the preseruation of hys common vvealth nor so diligent in doing his duetie as hee ought to be vvhich loue or zeale vvhyther the counseler hath or not the Prince may knovve partly by hearing his opinion in such matters as doe redovvnde more to the Princes peculier profite than eyther to his honor or to to the profite of the common vvealth As vvhyther vppon some fained cause it be good to breake a league or truce made vvyth some Prince or to depryue Cyties or tovvnes of their liberties or to charge the commons vvith some extreme subsedie taske loane beneuolence and such like And partly he may knovv him by his conditions For if he be eyther an hipocrite or dissembler a couetous person or a flatterer ready to vpholde the Princes vvordes vvith yea and naye affirming alvvayes that the Prince maye doe vvhat him lysteth and that he can not erre it is vnpossible that such one can loue his common vvealth but must needes be a great enimy thervnto The tenth qualitie is to haue a right iudgement in all things and to heare al men indifferentlye vvythout partialitie or respect of persons and to thinke hymselfe more bounde to right and Iustice than to Lorde or Duke to friend or kinsmā For the counseler is a publique person and therefore ought to bee voyde of all priuate affection louing in general all good men for their vertue and hating the euil in like maner for their vice of vvhat countrie or nation soeuer they be For though there be many nations yet there bee but tvvo sortes of people that is eyther good or euil Notvvithstanding of those that be good vvee are bounde both by Gods lavve and mans lavve to preferre in some respectes our Parents kinsmen and countrymen before others The Prince may knovv vvhither his counseler hath this qualitie or not by obseruing his doings and marking vvhyther he be a procurer of fauour lyuing office or dignitie for his kinsmen or others that bee not vvorthye therof Agayne vvhyther he be factious that is to saye fauouring and maintayning one part of the state more than another as the Nobles more than the cōmons or contraryvvise And vvhyther he vpholdeth the Ecclesiasticall povver more than the lay povver vvhich kinde of men are perillous in all commō vvealthes For so as their faction may stande be it by right or by vvrong they care not vvhat mischiefe they doe hauing no regarde to the commō vvealth at al. Neither is it good for a Prince to admyt into hys counsell anye man that hath beene knovvne to bee an open enimie to any dominion Prouince Citie or tovvne that is subiect to the Prince or to suffer any such to beare rule in any of those places For man being naturallye vindicatiue hauing once gotten povver to execute his desire vvill vndoubtedly vvhen he seeth his tyme vnder the colour of Iustice reuenge his priuate vvrong vvith the publicke svvorde Neyther is it good to put anye man that is the heade of any faction in authoritie or to make more accompt of hym than of the contrarye part for that breedeth disdayne and hatred in that part not onely against the partie so promoted but also against the Princes ovvne persó for his partialitie shevved therin vvhich thing hath brought many Princes to their destruction The leauenth qualitie belonging to a counseler is to

vvith vvise and learned men and in practising vvyth men of experience and vvith men of dyuers nations For vvith suche the vvise man vvill acquaint himselfe to the intent he may knovv all things and bee ignoraunt in nothing But the dull and grosse vvytted man doth cleane contrarye for he giuing himselfe to sloth to belly cheere to levvd company and to vaine pastimes abhorreth the companye of the vvise and learned sort vtterly neglecteth all vertuous exercyses The seconde qualitie meete for a counseler is to be eloquent to the intent he may be able to persvvade or disvvade to accuse or to defende to prayse or disprayse to reioyce or to sorrovv vvith others to entertaine Ambassadours vvyth pleasaunt talke or to doe any message or Ambassage from the Prince also in time of tumults and commotions the eloquent counseler vvith his authority good persvvasion maye cause much quietnesse and profite the common vvealth dyuers vvayes Novve vvhy ther the counseler be eloquent or not the Prince maye knovve partlye by hys vvords and partly by his deeds for by oft talking vvith him he shall knovv his order of speech vvhat vvordes and phrases hee commonly vseth and he maye cause hym to tell some tale or Hystorye marking him hovve he beginneth deuideth follovvith and endeth the same and vvith vvhat grace proprietie of vvords also hovv he delateth or abridgeth the same Againe the Prince may knovv hym by his deeds by considering vvhat Maysters he had to teache him also vvhat diligence he vsed vvhat time he emploied therin vvhyther he made anye vvorke or not to examine the same or fayning that hee hath some Ambassage of importaunce to sende somevvhyther he maye cause him to endight the same in his ovvne presence The thirde qualitie of the minde meete for a counseler is to haue dyuers tongues and languages to the intent that vvhen hee is sent in message to any forreyne Prince hee shall not neede the helpe of anye trussheman or Interpreter to tell his tale VVhich Interpreters many tymes by adding to or taking fro doe hynder the same or else do not tell it vvith such grace nor to so good purpose as he hymselfe vvoulde Moreouer by hauing the tong of the countrie vvhere he serueth he shall the better vnderstande the maners rightes and customes and all the secretes of the same and Spies vvill more gladly conferre vvith him and reueale to hym alone that vvhich they vvould not vvyllingly doe in the presence of a thirde person And the Prince of the country vvill delight the more in him vvho sometyme shall haue occasion to declare some secret to the Ambassador or messenger vvhich he vvould haue no other man to knovve therefore hovv needefull thys qualitie is to a counseler it is easie ynough to see vvhiche quality vvhither the counseler hath or not the Prince ought to knovve by tryall as by making him to vvryte or speake some thing in those tongues vvherein he should be skilfull The tongues necessarye for an English counseler in mine opion are these Latten Frenche Spannishe Flemmishe highe Dutch and Italian for vvith all these nations vvee haue manye tymes to doe The fourth qualitie belonging to a counseler is to bee a good Hystoriographer that is to saye to haue seene and redde as vvell the Hystories of olde tymes as of late dayes and specially those that appertayne to the state vvherein he serueth And also the Hystories of the friends neighbors and enimies to the same state vvhereby more knovvledge and experience is to bee gotten than by any thing else for Hystories be no other thing but a collection of dyuers experiences of all tymes and of all sortes of men VVherfore a dyligent Hystoriographer vvhich readeth to further his knovvledge and not to please his eares can be ignorauut in nothing that appertaines to gouernement be it in time of vvarre or peace For he seeth knovveth al the sleytes fine pollicies that hath beene vsed in eyther of both tymes Neyther is it possible for anye man liue hee neuer so long to get by hys ovvne experience the tenth part of that knovvledge vvhich a diligent reader of Hystories shall obtayne in fevve yeres For vvhereas the man of experience in his tyme perhaps seeth a small number of battayles skirmishes besiegings sedicions tumults breaking vp of vvarres leagues peaces and such lyke matters the Hystoriographer knovveth an infinite number of such things togither vvith the beginning proceeding and ending of the same Also he knovveth the best vvaye of gouernment belonging to a common vvealth or kingdome and hovve to maintaine the same and to encrease the povver thereof by reason that he hath redde of so manye common vvealthes and kingdomes and knovvne by vvhat meanes they haue increased or decayed therefore nothing is more necessary for a counseler than to bee a diligent reader of Hystories vvhich vvhither he be so or not the Prince maye knovve by tryall as by asking hym suche questions as these are hovv many chaunges hath the crovvn of England Fraunce or Spayne suffred vvhat families hath possessed it by vvhat meanes hovv long time and vvhat vvas the cause of euerye chaunge and hovve manye of euerye familye raygned and vvhich of those had most or least fame hovv many vvarres euery one of them made for vvhat cause vvith vvhom and in vvhat time and hovve such vvarres vvere first begonne and ended also to aske hym vvhat notable battayles hath beene euer since the birth of Christ eyther in Englande Fraunce or Spayne vvho hath vvonne vvho hath lost to shevv the cause thereof Also to aske him vvhat seditions and tumultes hath bene in any of those coūtries vpon vvhat cause such seditions vvere made vvhat hurt or good they dyd and hovve they vvere appeased to vvhich and such like questions if the counseler can aunsvvere readily there is no doubt but he is a good Hystoriographer and can vse hys knovvledge to good purpose vvhen tyme and occasion shall serue The fifte qualitie is to bee a good Morall Phylosopher to the intent hee maye perfitely knovve the ende and true vse of euery vertue vvherin it consisteth and hovve farre it extendeth for lack of vvhich knovvledge many doe accompt rudenesse ignoraunce to be plaine dealing pride to bee magnanimitie modestye to be covvardlynesse and foolishe hardinesse to be fortitude and to be short doe take vertue for vice vice for vertue In all counsells and deliberatiōs the first thing that men doe consult of is vvhither the thing they go about be honest or not if the counseler knovveth not vvherein honestie consisteth and hovve farre it extendeth he can neyther make vvise deliberation nor good resolution Moreouer in appointing offices to meete persons in revvarding euery man according to his deserts the knovvledge of the vertues is so necessary as a counseler can not bee vvithout it The Prince maye knovve vvhyther his counseler hath suche knovvledge or not by demaunding hym such