are vexed there is no one that troubleth and disquieteth them more than ambition and desire of honour They never content themselves with that which they have gotten but their minds are alwayes imployed in devising how to get more It is a hard thing saith Saint Augustine for him that is placed in high estate not to desire great matters Alexander the Great when hee heard a Philosopher disputing of many worlds besides this fell into a weeping as though some great cause of griefe had happened to him and being asked why he wept Because quoth he I heare of many worlds and I have not yet conquered one whole world But he that hath felicity is content with that he hath and desireth no more He is free from all perturbations and unquietnesse of mind and thinketh no man in better estate than himselfe otherwise he cannot bee accounted happie Which thing was by Cineas a verie wise man aptly given to understand to King Pyrrhus that intended great warres to enâ—…ge his dominâ—… For considering with himselfe how peaceably and happily Pyrrhus might live if he could be content with his owne kingdome as they had conference 〈◊〉 about his intended enterprise to 〈◊〉 waâ—… upon Iâ—…ly If Sir quoth Cineas the gods shew us this favour to conquer Italy what good shall wee reape by the victorie Wee may afterward sayd Byâ—… with 〈◊〉 great difficultie subdue the Greciaâ—… and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that border upon that countrie When this quoth the other is done what shall we doe then Sâ—…ilia quoth Pyrrhus will not then stand against us Shall that be the end of our waâ—…res sayd 〈◊〉 Whâ—… will stay 〈◊〉 â—…ter quoth this Monarke from passing into Afriâ—… and Carthage and from the recovery of the Kingdome of Macedon that so we may command at 〈◊〉 pleasure all Greece 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brought all this to passe what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pyrrhus beginning to smile We will quoth hâ—… my friend give our selves to rest and live as pleatâ—…ntly and merrily as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where he desired And what Sir quoth he letâ—… 〈◊〉 from rest at this present and from living in joy pleasure seeing wee have all things requiâ—… oâ—… seâ—…king it with so much effusion of bloud and an insâ—…ire number of perâ—… and dangers and 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where it is uncertaine whether we shall find it These speeches rather offended Pyrrhus that was carried away with the vehement passion of ambition than any thing diffwaded him from his violâ—…t purâ—…â—…d 〈◊〉 which in the end 〈◊〉 his own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by feeding of his ambitious humout in â—…ing 〈◊〉 hee was at last laine with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his head by a woman and so lost his life and his kingdome which hee might quietly have possessed And this is the common course of the world not onely among Princes and Potentates but also among men of meane estate alwayes to aspire and desire more according to the Emperour Charles the fifths word Plus ultra to whom sometime it happeneth as it did to Esops dogge that snatching at the shadow lost the peece of meat which he had in his mouth The ambitious humour of this King that aspired to a Monarchie of many countries and kingdomes putteth mee in mind of a pretty taunt given of late yeares to the Spaniards for the like ambition A Germane writeth a booke to his countrey-men wherein hee doth perswade them to beware they bee not entrapped by the Spaniards alledging many reasons that they aspire to the Monarchy of Germanie and that they let not openly to speake that the Monarchy of the world is due to them from God and by right One writeth in the margent Hispanis monarchia divinitâ—…s sed in Vtopia debetur A monarchy is due to the Spaniâ—…ds from above but in Vtopia There is not a more dangerous passion or affection nor that hath beene the cause of greater mischiefe than ambition and desire of honour which hath beene the utter ruine and subversion of many Kingdomes and Common-wealths and the destruction of them in whom this humour hath raigned And yet many times the worthiest men and those that are â—…ndued with excellent gifts are most subject to this passion For loftie mindes naturally have an earnest desire to excell others and to bring that to passe they forbeare not to attempt any thing whether it bee right or wrong for hee is easily â—…raen to unjust things that is deâ—…ous of glory As 〈◊〉 Casar had usually in his mouth this saying of To attâ—…ne to rule and principalitie which is as it were the subject of honour glorie there is no dutie respected nor naturall affection can beare any sway or restraine or bridle the unruly and violent passions neither betweene parents and their children betweene husband and wife nor betweene â—…thren or kinsfolke They that have suffered themselves to be overcome with this passion have made shipwrack of all godlinesse of modestie of honestie and of humanitie it selfe But meere madnesse it is to desire that honour and glory that neither contenteth the 〈◊〉 nor continueth with the possessor nor is voyd of great dangers both in this life and in the life to come and is thus threatned in the Scripture most severe judgement shal be used upon those over others The meane man shall obtaine mercie but the great and strong shall suffer torments strongly Adolphus Duke of Geldria did leade his father in the night when he was going to sleep five of their miles in the deep of Winter without shoes to a most vile prison where he kept him halfe a yeare in the end whereof for feare of the Emperour and the Pope hee let him forth And when reasonable conditions were offered by the Arbitrators which had the hearing of their cause he sayd rather than he would yeeld to those conditions hee would cast his father headlong into a well and throw himselfe after An undutifull saying of an unnatural sonne Selym the great Turke and first of that name usurped the Empire by favour of the â—…zaries upon his father Bajazet and caused him to bee poysoned and slue Aâ—…mat and Corcâ—…the his two elder brothers with all his Nephewes and others of Ottemans race saying that nothing was more pleasant than to raigne when all seare of kindred was taken away Henry the fifth deprived his father by force from the Empire and caused him to dye miserably in prison Frederiche the third after he had raigned thirty yeares was miâ—…rably slaine by Manfroy his bastard sonne who after he had committed this parricide he poysoned his brother Câ—… lawfull inheritour to â—…redericke that hee might make himselfe King of Naples salyâ—… King of the Turkes hearing the acclamations and cryes which the army made to Sultan 〈◊〉 his eldest son for joy of his 〈◊〉 from Persia jealous of his owne estate caused him to be strangled in his utter chamber and cast out to the army with these words to bee cryed aloud
no difference betweene having and not desiring A little will serve thee to happinesse of life to which thou shalt the more easily perswade thy selfe if thou consider as hath beene said that the true end and felicitie of man and his proper action is to glorifie God and that the common opinion of happinesse that commeth by pleasures riches honour and glory is contracted by the fall of our first parent and by the corruption and alteration of our nature As to him that is sicke of an ague sower things seeme sweete and pleasant because the disease hath corrupted and altered his taste If thou wilt avoyde the things that be odious to God and men in poverty bee not proud nor in riches covetous in age be not lecherous nor in youth shamelesse If thou see thy selfe in poore estate without credit and reputation and of a cleare conscience and beholdest another live in abundance of wealth and honours bee not dismayed nor thinke thy selfe lesse in Gods favour or lesse happy than he because he surmounteth thee in riches and reputation and worldly vanitie for God distributeth these temporall goods in differently both to the good to the bad For if God should give them only to good men the wicked would thinke for that cause he should be worshipped and prayed unto and if hee should bestow worldly goods upon the wicked onely the weake in faith would feare to bee converted wholly to God lest he should want It is a manifest sign of damnation for a man to â—…live here wickedly and to enjoy at the ful health of body the goods of fortune All such saith one as God marketh with recompence and reward in the book of this world it is a signe that he hath raced them out of the Register of heaven Arme thy selfe therefore with patience and expect the islue of Gods ordinance with a quiet and thankefull minde and thereto wholly submit thy selfe That which seemeth sometimes to a man full of griefe and pain becommeth many times the cause of his joy and comfort And the same that in the beginning seemeth to worke his infelicity bringeth to him unlooked for happinesse The best way is to take those things patiently that thou canst not amend And if thine estate be not sufficient to maintain thee and thine endeavour by honest meanes to amende it But if God blesse thee plentifully with riches and possessions hoord it not niggardly nor spend it prodigally but be beneficiall to others and use liberalitie to those that lacke and deserve well of thee for after Cicero wee ought to doe most for them that most loveth us yet with this consideration that thou spare at the brimme lest whilest thou shouldest powre out a pint there run forth a pottle let the old proverb never fall out of thy minde Serò parsimonia in fundo It is too late to spare when all is out Cicero counselleth us not to shut our purse so fast that a will to do good cannot open it nor yet so to unloose it that it bee open to every body And Alcmenes saith hee that possesseth much should live according to reason and not to his lust meaning that riches are hurtfull except thy mind be above riches that can moderate riches by their use not by their plentie Remember alwayesthat thou live by thy mind which after Plato is the true life and thereof hast chitsly the name of a man The substance of thy body is common with that of brute beasts but by thy minde thou resemblest the Angels and God himselfe The minde is not disgraced with the deformity of the body but by the beauty of the minde the body is graced Give not thy selfe to fleshly pleasures to ambition nor to covetousnesse as the most part of men doe thy understanding was not given thee to that purpose Thales being asked who was happy answered he that hath an healthfull body and a learned and a vertuous minde And Ecclefiasticus saith better is the poore being whole and strong than a rich man that is afflicted in his body Health and strength is above all gold and a whole body above infinite treasure There is no riches above a sound body and no joy above the joy of the heart And Anxagoras to the like question said none of these that thou accountest happy but he rather is happy that thou beleevest is unhappy meaning that the rich and honourable persons who are wondered at as the happiest men for their wealth and reputation are unhappy and he happy that contenteth himselfe with a little which agreeth with Democritus opinion that he is happy that is merry with a little money and hee unhappy that is sad in the middest of great riches Give not over thy minde unto heavinesse and vexe not thy selfe in thine owne counsell The joy of thy heart is the life of man and a mans gladnesse is the prolonging of his dayes Love thine owne soule and comfort thine heart drive sorrow farre from thee for sorrow hath slaine many and there is no profit therein envie and wrath shorten the life and carefulnesse bringeth age before the time Socrates walking in the Burse or market place and beholding the great variety of things there to bee sold How many things quoth he have I no neede of Others are rather tormented in minde at the sight of such things and will say within themselves how many things doe I lacke but hee contenting himselfe with that which is sufficient to nature esteemed gold and purple and precious stones and such like delights of rich men more fit for players of Tragedies than necessary to the use of life as hee shewed by these verses which he had oft in his mouth Argentea ista vasa simul at purpura Tragâ—…diarum accommoda bistrionibus Sunt ad beatam conferunt vitam nihil Those silver vessels and that purple be More fit for Actors in a Tragedie To blessed life they no way doe belong With such vanities mens minds bee occupied by the corruption of our nature and our judgments are so blinded with our impure affections that of all creatures man doth leaft performe his proper action and least directeth the course of his life to his true end and felicitie For whereas the great God of nature hath tyed together all his creations with some meane things that agree and participate with the extremities and hath composed the intelligible athereall and elementarie world by indissoluble meanes and boundes as betweene plants and living Creatures hee hath made sponges and oysters that in part resemble living things and in part plants betweene the creatures of the earth and those of the water Otters Tortoyfes and such like betweene those of the water and birds of the ayre flying fishes betweene brute beasts and those of a spirituall essence and understanding which are Angels he hath placed man which combineth heaven and this elementarie world together whose one part is subject to death and the other
voyce O Solon Solon which when Cyrus heard marvelling at that 〈◊〉 cry asked what he meant in such wofull sort to redouble his voyce I lived quoth Croesus not long sithence in great prosperitie was accounted the richest king of the world and as Solon one of the sages of Greece my familiar friend came to visit mee I brought him into my Treasury and shewing him all my Riches I asked him whether hee thought that any adverse fortune could have any power upon mee that was so armed and fortified with Treasure against all accidents that might happen But Solon sharpely reprehending mee for my vaine speech answered that no man could bee accounted happy untill after his death whose counsell now seeing my selfe falne into this miserable estate commeth to my remembrance and maketh mee call upon his name Cyrus moved with compassion and by his example considering with himselfe the uncertaintie of humane matters and that Fortune never gave any man that power over others but shee threatned him with the like caused him to be taken from the fire and asked Croesus as he kneeled before him by whose perswasion he began this warre O Cyrus quoth hee thy prosperous fortune and my evill destiny brought mee to it chiefly encouraged to make this warre upon thee by the Grecians god For who is so madde that without such a principall author dare preferre warre before peace seeing that in peace the children use to bury their parents but in warre the parents bury their children Cyrus marvelling at his constancie and wisedome pardoned his life and used him ever after with great honour for his counsellor Croesus sent messengers with the chaines with which he was bound to Delphos to be dedicated to the god Apollo to expostulate with him for deceiving him and to aske if these were their rewards which had the gods in so great reverence Answer was made by the Oracle that whatsoever was fatall was inevitable to the gods themselves That Croesus was thus punished for the offence of his grandfather Gyges that slew Candaules king of the Lydians And as touching the Oracle that it was not to bee reproved for a lye having expressed his meaning in plaine termes that if Croesus by the greedie desire to enlarge his dominion would make warre upon the Persians he should destroy a great kingdom which was the kingdom of Lydia and it so came to passe Kings and Cities through riches have lost great dominion which they that have been poore have wonne by vertue The lamentation made by the Tragicall Poet under the person of Hecuba upon the ruine of Troy setteth forth not unaptly the uncertaintie of high estate and the miserie of them who are puffed up in pride through abundance of riches wherein they put their felicitie Quicunque regno fidit magna potens dominatur aula Animumque rebus creduluâ—… let is dedit Me â—…deat te Troia non unquam tulit Documenta fo rs majora quà m fragili loco Starent Superbs He that his confidence puts in a Crowne Or in his Palace potently doth frowne And takes in prosperous fortunes all his joy Let him but looke on thee and mee oh Troy Chance by no greater influence could declare In what a fickle state all proud things are This Gyges that the god as they called him spake of was subject to Candaules king of Lydia who having a wife of a wonderful beautie and favour thought himselfe to want something of the fulnesse of the pleasure hee tooke in her except some other might also bee an eye-witnesse and see the beautie and comelinesse of her person Gyges being one that he greatly favoured hee discovered his intent to him made him stand secretly behind a cloth in his bed chamber when the Queene came to bed that he might see her naked when she had stripped her selfe out of her clothes ready to go to bed having discovered those parts mistrusting nothing which modestie and shame would have kept secret Gyges sheweth himselfe to her whom when she had espied and perceived the treachery she was in a great agony and conceived a deadly displeasure against the king her husband And within few dayes after she called Gyges secretly to her and intimating to him the griefâ—… 〈◊〉 had taken by this shamefull practice of the king shee told him that either he must kill the king or suffer death himselfe If Gyges would kill her husband she would marrie him and make him King of Lydia Gyges whether for feare of his owne life or through an ambitious desire to raigne by the helpe of the Divell made a ring of that vertue that whensoever he put the seale to the palme of his hand hee should be invisible And aspiring to the kingdome of Lydia by meanes of the ring hee killed the King Candaules and all those whom he thought might bee any hinderance or obstacle to his purpose they falling downe dead but no man seeing who flew them and marryed the Queene and became King Crassus an exceeding rich Romane after the manner of rich men not content with that unmeasurable riches hee possessed but desirous of more procured himselfe to bee made generall of the Romanes army in the warres against the Parthians being then three score yeares old where he was overthrowne and slaine with his sonne and almost all the army of the Romanes And to give him the greater disgrace the Parthians caused his mouth to bee filled full of gold with these words Thou hast thirsted after gold now take thy fill This Crassus was used to say that no man was to bee accounted rich except hee could maintaine an army of men with his owne goods But the pride and presumptuousnesse engendâ—…ed by riches in the Heathens is not so much to bee marvelled at if wee consider the prncipall Prolates of the Christians from whom examples of humilitie and contempt of worldly wealth should proceed who have bin carried away from their profession by the infection of that disease Saint Bernard inveighing not without cause against the vaine and superfluous pompe of the Prelates in his time which grew by the abuse of their abundance of riches who were not so much corrupted as they have beene since painted them out in their right colours and complaineth thus There is quoth he an infamous and defiled sort of men that raigne in the whole body of the Church the Ministers of Iesus Christ serve Antichrist They jet up and downe in great honour and pompe with the Lords goods but they give no honour to the Lord. And that is the whores attire which ye see every day carried about Their saddles bridles and spurres be guilt the furniture of their feet is set out with more pride and pompe than the Temple of God Their spurs be better guilt than their Altars Hereof it commeth that their tables be so sumptuous and furnished with delicate meates their rich cupboords of plate from thence commeth their gluttony and drunkennesse and harmony
riches when men of so great wisedome are so easily overcome by them Guevâ—…rra thus censureth the Duke of Veiar who in his life had gathered so much treasure that at his death he left foure hundred thousand duckets This is a matter saith he perillous to write and odious to heare But my judgement is he went to seeke care for himselfe envy for his neighbours spurres for his enemies a prey for theeves travell for his person anguish for his spirit scruple for his conscience perill for his soule law for his children and curses for his heires Amurath the great Turke a few yeares past sent Hassan a man that he favoured greatly as Bassa to Caire in Egypt where by all undue courses he would wring and extort rewards and bribes from every man By which sinister and corrupt dealing hee made himselfe so odious that it came to the kings care Who perceiving that neither Religion nor Love nor Iustice nor Reason could remove his covetous minde from bribing exâ—…rting upon his subjects and that these publike exclamations went dayly so far that it was now a shame for him to let them goe any further without due punishment he sent for him and cansed all the treasure which he had gathered to be taken from him with all the rest of his private substance and the same to be carried into the great store-house and himselfe to be 〈◊〉 up in prison But the Queene obtained pardon for his life and set him at liberty with the losse neverthelesse of all his treasure which he had unjustly scraped together which remained among the kings gold jewels When a Poet had reckoned up nobility of bloud great kindred stately palaces and such like things wherein men use to glorie and vaunt themselves as happy men he proceedeth also with riches and concludeth thus Sint tibi drvitia sit lâ—…rga 〈◊〉 supellex Esse taâ—… vel sic bestia magnapotes Deniq quicquider is nisâ—… sit prudentia tecum Magna quidem dico bestia semper 〈◊〉 Say thou hast wealth and stuffe both rare and dainty Thou may'st be a great beast for all this plenty Be any thing if of no wit possest Thou shalt be still a great beast at the best Covetousnesse teacheth to set all things to sale which overthroweth fidelitie and goodnesse two instruments of good counsell The regard of private commodity hath and will be alwayes hurtfull to publike counsells and is a strong poyson to a true affection and upright judgement To what thing may covetous men and uâ—…rers that hunt after gaine by alluring and deceiving the simple and plaine meaning men be moreaptly likened than to the fish Polipus that lying in wait for other fishes upon the rockes changeth his colour to the colour of the rocke or place where he resteth so as the other fishes not perceiving him are taken in his act which he hath naturally behind his head and can spread at his pleasure before they finde themselves in danger So can these men frame and alter their speech countenance when they finde one meete to prey upon as though it were not the same man untill they have drawne him into their net that he have no meane to escape Non possidentem multa vocaveris Recte beatum rectiâ—… occupas Nomen beati qui deorum Muneribus sapienter 〈◊〉 Duramque callet pauperiem pati Pejusque lethe flagitium â—…imet Thou canst not truely call him blest That of great substance is possest That title he may rather chuse Who Gods good gifts knows how to use That can broole want though bare and thiâ—…e And worse than death doth feare to sinne Sir Thomas Moâ—…e pleasantly derideth our estimation of vaine things which wee call riches in his common-wealth of Utopia as gold and silver pearles and precious stones and such like where they tye their bondmen with chaines of gold and none weare pearles and precious stones but little children as toyes of none account There chanced saith hee to come into Uâ—…pia from a farre countrey three 〈◊〉 with an hâ—…ndred servants all apparelled in changeable colours the most of them in silkes the 〈◊〉 themselves being noble men in cloth of gold and gold hanging 〈◊〉 their eares with gold rings upon their singers brooches and aglets of gold upon their caps which glistered full of pearles precious stones To be short trimmed and adorned with all those things which among the Utopians were either the punishment of bondmen or the reproach of infamed persons or else triâ—…es for yong children to play withall These Ambassadours with their traine advanced themselves jetted so much the more 〈◊〉 proudly as they perceived the Utopians who were all come forth into the streets to bee basely attired But contrary to their expectation when they looked for great honour the Utopians esteemed all that gorgiousnesse of apparell shamefull and reproachfull and them that were most abject and basely apparelled they reverently saluted for Lords passing over the ambassadours without any honour judging them by their wearing golden chaines to be bondman with which they found fault as serving to no use or purpose seeing a bondman would easily breake them and escape away being so weake and small And children that had cast away their pearles and precious stones when they saw them sticking upon the Ambassadours caps would push their mothers on the side and say Looke mother how great a lubber doth yet weare pearles precious stones as though he were a little child stil. Peace son would the mother say I thinke hee be some of the Ambassadours fooles But after a day or two when the Ambassadours understood how little the Utopians esteemed their gorgiousnesse they layd aside their brave attire and went more plainely and decently apparelled The covetousnesse of the Frenchmen and Portingals was not unaptly derided by an old fellow of Brasile who perceiving that their long and dangerous trauell to Brasile was to turne their wood they transported to gaine and â—…iches asked them whether rich men did not dye in their countrey which being granted who should possesse their goods after their death being answered their children or if they have none then their brethren or next kinsfolkes Now quoth he I see you are very fooles For what necessity is there in wearying your selves to passe these troublous dangerous seas to draw the occasion of so many evils to your selves If it be to seeke after riches for your children or kindred is not the earth that brought you up sufficient to bring up them also We have also children and kin that be deareunto us but when we consider that the same earth which nourished us up is sufficient also to nourish them we rest satisfied The Barbarous people likewise of Peru seeing the Spaniards that first planted themselves in their countrey given to be covetous and luxurious feared lest they would corrupt and alter their accustomed maners And therefore at their departure they railed and called them the
principalitie saith Aristotle is to make no one man great And in truth they are to be taken for unprofitable members that by abusing the lenitie and bounty of their Prince couet to augment their estate by the sweat of the Common-wealth Worthy of blame saith one are some Princes for the â—…aults they commit but much greater is their offence in dissembling the offences of their fauorites and priuate seruants Many examples Princes may finde to warne them to take heed how to magnifie their seruants with too much wealth and authoritie which hath ostentimes beene dangerous to them and their estate and odious and scandalous to their people as this of Cleander who was brought to Rome amongst other captiues when the Emperour Marcus Aurelius triumphed ouer the Argonautes and was openly sold in the Market place and bought by a Clarke of the Kitchin to sweepe the Larder at Court This slaue Cleander being a young man behaued himselfe so well in sweeping the house and other his Masters seruice that not many yeeres after his Master made him free and aduanced him to his office of Clarke of the Kitchin and married him to his daughter Now when Cleander saw his estate thus amended hee endeuoured to obtaine the fauour of the Emperour which when he had gotten by his diligent and carefull seruice the Emperour being dead hee was so fauoured of Comodus that hee made him Captaine of his guard and Lord great Chamberlaine of his chamber and aduanced him to such dignitie and honour that all matters were dispatched at his will and pleasure all offices must bee obtained by his meanes He grew so ambitious and thrust himselfe in such wise to entermeddle with the affaires of the estate that the Emperour firmed nothing if Cleander did not signe and allow the same He did so insinuate himselfe into Comodus favour by flattery that never any servant of his obtained the like grace Hee fained to wish nothing that Comodus wished not nor to allow any thing that he said not He was not ashamed to affirme that he did not thinke or dreame but that which Comodus did thinke or dreame With these and the like lies flatteries he wanne the favour of Comodus and governed the whole Empire obtained the custody of the common treasure and of all the money and jewels of the Emperour by meanes wherof he grew so exceeding rich and proud that not contented to use these high dignities estates as a subject or servant he practised to kill the Emperour that he might put the Crowne upon his owne head but his practice being discovered Comodus caused his head to be cut off and carried to Rome upon a pole to the great liking of the people his children also servants friends were executed their bodies drawne by boyes thorow Rome were cast into sinkes filthy places It hath beene alwayes dangerous saith Tacitus when the name of a private man is advanced above or neere the Kings name this was the miserable end overthrow of Cleander of his children his house his riches honor wherof may be drawn examples warnings to serve divers purposes for besides that Princes may be warned to beware how they exalt any one to over-high estate authority private men also ought to take heed that they be not overcome with the daÌ„gerous humour of ambition and greedy desire of riches seeing in this the like exaÌ„ples they may behold as in a glasse the wavering inconstancy of fortune and variable events of the miserable estate and uncertaine accidents of this life where no man possesseth any thing with suretie 〈◊〉 as some be lifted up from a base estate to honour so others are dejected from high dignitie to base and poore estate as was apparant in Cleander who of a Slave was made a Free-man of a Freeman a Steward of a Steward a Praetor and then a Great Chamberlaine and as it were Monarch of the world and afterwards in one day and in one houre hee and all his were utterly destroyed The particular loue saith one which Princes shew to one more then to another breedeth many times much envie in their Realme and when a Prince sheweth not to equals his fauour indifferently he putteth fire into his Common-wealth The like example may be taken of Plautianus an especiall favorite of the Emperour Seuerus This Plutianus was a poore Gentleman when he came first to Rome from whence he was banished by the good Emperour Marcus Aurelius for his evill conditions but afterward he obtained such grace of Seuerus that he read no letter but he must see it signed no commission that he liked not nor gave any reward that he craved not In the Senate hee was placed in the most honourable estate When hee came forth of Rome all the Gentlemen did accompany him When hee came out of his house all Embassadours did attend on him In time of Warre all Captaines sued unto him and so many honours were given him that it was never seene in Rome that any man without the title of an Emperour enjoyed so great a portioÌ„ of the Empire scuerus gave Plautianus the confiscate goods of all condemned persons within the Empire whereby he grew so rich covetous that he caused an infinite number of men to suffer death not for their demerits but that he might possesse their goods wherewith he grew so proud and stately that when he passed thorow the streets he had a naked sword borne before him and no man might behold him in the face but cast downe their eyes to the ground and besides all this he found such favour with Seuerus that he married his daughter with Seuerus the Emperour his eldest sonne so as beholding himselfe thus advanced and honoured it seemed to him but a small matter to be Commander of the whole world But at length this heaping of honour upon honour dignitie upon dignitie without end or measure wrought his owne destruction for perceiving the Emperour to withdraw his favour from him suspecting that he would also take away his life he practised to kill the Emperour and his sonne Bassianus that he might not onely prevent the suspected intent of his owne death but also succeed him in the Empire but the same being discovered to the Emperour in the presence of his sonne they trained him into his chamber where Bassianus slew him with his dagger This was the end of Plautianus through his immoderate desire of riches and honour and the good fortune of the Emperour that escaped narrowly his owne death and his sonnes by the exceeding favour and authoritie and countenance hee gave to his servant and subject by which example the Emperour seuerus was warned never after to give the like favour and grace to any person alledging that hee knew not whom to trust seeing his servant Plautianus whom he so greatly loved and favoured had deceived him It behooveth Princes to foresee that no man exceed