names if they write matters of fact 't is a sign they cannot make them good and all men are agreed to reject their Testimony except such as resolve to deny others common justice but the ill opinion of these prejudic'd persons can no more injure any man than their good opinion will do him honor Besides other reasons of mentioning my suppos'd designs one is to disabuse several people who as I am told are made to believe that in the History of SOCRATES I draw a Parallel between that Philosopher and JESUS CHRIST This is a most scandalous and unchristian calumny as will more fully appear to the world whenever the Book it self is publish'd for that I have bin som time about it I freely avow yet not in the manner those officious Informers report but as becoms a disinterested Historian and a friend to all mankind The Inscription on the Monument of Sir JAMES HARRINGTON and his three Sons at Exton in Rutlandshire HERE lieth Sir James Harrington of Exton Kt. with a And Sister to Sir Philip Sidney Kt. Lucy his Wife Daughter to Sir William Sidney Kt. by whom he had 18 Children wherof three Sons and 8 Daughters marry'd as follows THE eldest Son Sir b Who was afterwards created Ld Harrington and his Lady was Governess to the Queen of Bohemia His Family is extinct as to Heirs Male One of his Daughters was marry'd to the Earl of Bedford and was Groom of the Stole to Q. Ann. The other was marry'd to a Scotch Lord whose name was Lord Bruce Earl of Elgin his Grandson now Lord Alisbury John marry'd the Heiress of Robert Keylwoy Surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liverys The 2 d Son Sir c Who happen'd to be President of Ireland and from him descended my Lady Fretchavil's Father my Lady Morison and my Lord Falkland's Lady Henry took to Wife one of the Coheirs of Francis Agar one of his Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland the 3 d Son James d Afterwards Baronet To him were born Sir Edward Harrington Sir Sapcotes Harrington and Mr. John Harrington who had Issue both Sons and Daughters Harrington Esq had to Wife one of the Coheirs of Robert Sapcotes Esq The eldest Daughter Elizabeth was married to Sir Edward e Who was Father to the Lord Montague the Earl of Manchester and Lord Privy Seal and Sir Sidney Montague who was afterwards created Earl of Sandwich and to the Earl of Rutlana's Lady and Judg Montague Montague Kt. The 2 d Frances to Sir William f Who was afterwards created Lord Chichester and Earl of Dunsmore and marry'd one of his Daughters to the Earl of Southamton by whom he had the present Lady Northumberland And his other Daughter marry'd her self to Col. Villâ—rs and is now Governess to the Lady Mary the Duke of York's eldest Daughter Lee Kt. The 3 d Margaret to Don g Which Dukedom afterwards fell to him and by this Lady he had one sole Daughter and Heir who is said to have marry'd the Duke of Ferio and by him to have had one Daughter who is marry'd to a King of Portugal Bonitto de Sisnores of Spain of the Family of the Dukes of Frantasquo The 4 th Katherine to Sir Edward h Of Lincolnshire the King's Standard-bearer Dimmock Kt. The 5 th Mary to Sir Edward i An antient noble Family in Kent Wingâ—ield Kt. The 6 th Maball to Sir Andrew k Now Lord Cambden Owner of the place where this Monument is â—oell Kt. The 7 th Surah was marry'd to the Lord Hastings Heir to the Earl of Huntingdon The 8 th Theodosia l One of whose Daughters marry'd the Earl of Hume in Scotland and had by him two Daughters one married my Lord Morrice and the other my Lord Maitland now Duke of Lauderdale The other Daughter of my Lady Dudley was Heir to the Honour of Dudley Castle of whose Issue by the Mother's side is the present Lord Dudley to the Lord Dudley of Dudley Castle THE same Sir James and Lucy were marry'd fifty years She died first in the 72 d year of her Age he shortly after yielded to Nature being 80 years old in the year of our Lord 1591 and of Queen Elizabeth's Reign 34. their Son James being made sole Executor to them both who that he might as well perform to his Parents their Rites as leave a Testimony of his own Piety to Posterity hath erected and dedicated this Monument to their eternal Memory The Mechanics of Nature OR An Imperfect Treatise written by JAMES HARRINGTON during his sickness to prove against his Doctors that the Notions he had of his own Distemper were not as they alleg'd Hypocondriac Whimsys or Delirious Fancys The PREFACE HAVING bin about nine months som say in a Disease I in a Cure I have bin the wonder of Physicians and they mine not but that we might have bin reconcil'd for Books I grant if they keep close to Nature must be good ones but I deny that Nature is bound to Books I am no study'd Naturalist having long since given over that Philosophy as inscrutable and incertain for thus I thought with my self Nature to whom it is given to work as it were under her Veil or behind the Curtain is the Art of God now if there be Arts of Men who have wrought openly enough to the understanding for example that of TITIAN nevertheless whose excellency I shall never reach How shall I thus sticking in the Bark at the Arts of Men be able to look thence to the Roots or dive into the Abyss of things in the Art of God And nevertheless Si placidum caput undis extulerit should Nature afford me a sight of her I do not think so meanly of my self but that I would know her as soon as another tho more learn'd man Laying therfore Arts wholly and Books almost all aside I shall truly deliver to the world how I felt and saw Nature that is how she came first into my senses and by the senses into my understanding Yet for the sake of my Readers and also for my own I must invert the order of my Discourse For theirs because till I can speak to men that have had the same Sensations with my self I must speak to such as have a like understanding with others For my own because being like in this Discourse to be the Monky that play'd at Chess with his Master I have need of som Cushion on my head that being in all I have spoken hitherto more laid at than my Reason My Discourse then is to consist of two parts the first in which I appeal to his understanding who will use his Reason is a Platform of Nature drawn out in certain Aphorisms and the second in which I shall appeal to his senses who in a Disease very common will make further trial is a Narrative of my Case A Platform or Scheme of Nature 1. NATURE is the Fiat the Breath and in the
years and yet die in peace ALEXANDER his Son succeded famous for little except som Expeditions against our King JOHN som Insurrections and a Reign two years longer than his Father's His Son was the third of that name a Boy of eight years old whose Minority was infested with the turbulent CUMMINS who when he was of age being call'd to account not only refus'd to appear but surpriz'd him at Sterling governing him at their pleasure But soon after he was awak'd by a furious Invasion of ACHO King of Norway under the pretence of som Islands given him by MACBETH whom he forc'd to accept a Peace and spent the latter part amidst the Turbulencys of the Priests drunk at that time with their Wealth and Ease and at last having seen the continu'd Funerals of his Sons DAVID ALEXANDER his Wife and his Daughter he himself with a fall from Horse broke his neck leaving of all his Race only a Grandchild by his Daughter which dy'd soon after THIS Man's Family being extinguish'd they were forc'd to run to another Line which that we may see how happy an expedient immediat Succession is for the Peace of the Kingdom and what Miseries it prevents I shall as briefly and as pertinently as I can set down DAVID Brother to K. WILLIAM had three Daughters MARGARET married to ALLAN Lord of Galloway ISABEL married to ROBERT BRUCE Lord of Annandale and Cleveland ADA married to HENRY HASTINGS Earl of Huntingdon Now ALLAN begot on his Wife DORNADILLA married to JOHN BALIOL afterwards King of Scotland and two other Daughters BRUCE on his Wife got ROBERT BRUCE Earl of Carick having married the Heretrix therof As for HUNTINGDON he desisted his claim The question is whether BALIOL in right of the eldest Daughter or BRUCE being com of the second but a Man should have the Crown he being in the same degree and of the more worthy Sex The Controversy being tost up and down at last was refer'd to EDWARD the First of that name King of England He thinking to fish in these troubled waters stirs up eight other Competitors the more to entangle the business and with twenty four Counsellors half English half Scots and abundance of Lawyers fit enough to perplex the matter so handled the business after cunning delays that at length he secretly tampers with BRUCE who was then conceiv'd to have the better right of the business that if he would acknowlege the Crown of him he would adjudg it for him but he generously answering that he valu'd a Crown at a less rate than for it to put his Country under a foren Yoke He made the same motion to BALIOL who accepted it and so we have a King again by what Right we all see but it is good reason to think that Kings com they by their Power never so unjustly may justly keep it BALIOL having thus got a Crown as unhappily kept it for no sooner was he crown'd and had don homage to EDWARD but the ABERNETHYS having slain MACDUF Earl of Fife he not only pardon'd them but gave them a piece of Land in controversy wherupon MACDUF'S Brother complains against him to EDWARD who makes him rise from his Seat in Parlament and go to the Bar He hereupon enrag'd denies EDWARD assistance against the French and renounces his Homage EDWARD immediatly coms to Berwiâ— takes and kills seven thousand most of the Nobility of Fife and Lowthian and afterwards gave them a great Defeat at Dunbar whose Castle instantly surrender'd After this he march'd to Montrose where BALIOL resign'd himself and Crown all the Nobility giving homage to EDWARD BALIOL is sent Prisoner to London and from thence after a years detention into France While EDWARD was possest of all Scotland one WILLIAM WALLACE arose who being a privat man bestir'd himself in the Calamity of his Country and gave the English several notable foils EDWARD coming again with an Army beat him that was already overcom with Envy and Emulation as well as Power upon which he laid by his Command and never acted more but only in slight Incursions But the English being beaten at Roslin EDWARD coms in again takes Sterling and makes them all render Homage but at length BRUCE seeing all his Promises nothing but smoke enters into League with CUMMIN to get the Kingdom but being betray'd by him to EDWARD he stab'd CUMMIN at Drumfreis and made himself King This man tho he came with disadvantage yet wanted neither Patience Courage nor Conduct so that after he had miserably lurk'd in the Mountains he came down and gathering together som Force gave our EDWARD the Second such a defeat near Sterling as Scotland never gave the like to our Nation and continu'd the War with various fortune with the Third till at last Age and Leprosy brought him to his Grave His Son DAVID a Boy of eight years inherited that which he with so much danger obtain'd and wisdom kept In his Minority he was govern'd by THOMAS RANDOLF Earl of Murray whose severity in punishing was no less dreaded than his Valor had bin honor'd But he soon after dying of poison and EDWARD BALIOL Son of JOHN coming with a Fleet and stâ—engthn'd with the assistance of the English and som Robbers the Governor the Earl of Mar was routed so that BALIOL makes himself King and DAVID was glad to retire into France Amidst these Parties EDWARD the Third backing BALIOL was Scotland miserably torn and the BRUCES in a manner extinguish'd till ROBERT after King with them of Argile and his own Family and Friends began to renew the claim and bring it into a War again which was carried on by ANDREW MURRAY the Governor and afterwards by himself So that DAVID after nine years banishment durst return where making frequent Incursions he at length in the fourth year of his return march'd into England and in the Bishoprick of Durham was routed and fled to an obscure Bridg shew'd to this day by the Inhabitants There he was by JOHN COPLAND taken prisoner where he continu'd nine years and in the thirty ninth year of his Reign he dy'd ROBERT his Sisters Son whom he had intended to put by succedes and first brought the STUARTS which at this day are a plague to the Nation into play This man after he was King whether it were Age or Sloth did little but his Lieutenants and the English were perpetually in action He left his Kingdom to JOHN his Bastard Son by the Lady MORE his Concubin whom he marry'd either to legitimat the three Children as the manner was then he had by her or else for old Acquaintance his Wife and her Husband dying much about time This JOHN would be crown'd by the name of ROBERT his own they say being unhappy for Kings a wretched inactive Prince lame and only govern'd by his brother WALTER who having DAVID the Prince upon complaint of som Exorbitancys deliver'd to his care caus'd him to be starv'd upon which the King intending to send
that they were forc'd to bring him in a Horslitter to Edinburg where she cherish'd him extremely till the credulous young man began to lay aside suspicion and to hope better So she puts him into a ruinous house near the Palace from whence no news can be had brings in her own bed and lys in the house with him and at length when the design was ripe causes him one Sunday night with his Servant to be strangl'd thrown out of the Window and the house to be blown up with Gunpowder her own rich Bed having bin before secretly convey'd away This and other performances made her favor upon BOTHWEL so hot that she must marry him the only obstacle was he had a Wife already but she was compel'd to sue for a Divorce which so great Persons being concern'd it was a wonder it should be granting so long as ten days Well she marrys but the more honest Nobility amaz'd at those Exorbitancys assemble together and with Arms in their hands begin to expostulat The newmarry'd Couple are forc'd to make back Southwards where finding but slender assistance and the Queen foolishly coming from Dunbar to Leith was glad at last to delay a parly till her Dear was escap'd and then clad in an old tatter'd coat to yield her self a Prisoner BEING brought to Edinburg and us'd rather with hate of her former Enormitys than pity of her present Fortune she receiv'd a Message that she must either resign the Crown to her Son JAMES that was born in the time of her marriage with DARNLY or else they would procede to another Election and was forc'd to obey So the Child then in his Cradle was acknowleg'd JAMES the Sixth better known afterwards by the Title of Great Britain THE wretched Mother flying after into England was entertain'd tho with a Guard by Queen ELIZABETH but after that being suborn'd by the Papists and exasperated by the GUIZES she enter'd into Plots and Machinations so inconsistent with the Safety of England that by an Act of Parlament she was condemn'd to death which she receiv'd by a Hatchet at Fotheringay Castle THE Infancy of her Son was attended with those domestic Evils that accompany the Minority of Kings In his Youth he took to Wife the Daughter of Denmark a Woman I hear little of saving the Character SALUST gives SEMPRONIA that she could dance better than became a virtuous Woman with whom he supposing the Earl GOWRY too much in League caus'd him and his Brother to be slain at their own house whither he was invited he giving out that they had an intent to murder him and that by miracle and the assistance of som men whom he had instructed for that purpose and taught their tale he escap'd For this Deliverance or to say better Assassination he blasphem'd God with a solemn Thanksgiving once a Year all the remainder of his Life WELL had it bin for us if our Forefathers had laid hold of that happy opportunity of ELIZABETH'S Death in which the TEUTHORS took a period to have perform'd that which perhaps in due punishment has cost us so much blood and sweat and not have bow'd under the sway of a Stranger disdain'd by the most generous and wise at that time and only supported by the Faction of som and the Sloth of others who brought but a slender Title and however the flattery of the times cry'd him up for a SOLOMON weak Commendations for such an advancement HIS Title stood thus MARGARET eldest Daughter to HENRY the Seventh was marry'd to JAMES the Fourth whose Son JAMES the Fifth had MARY the Mother of JAMES the Sixth MARGARET after her first Husband's death marrys ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS Earl of Angus who upon her begot MARGARET Wife of MATTHEW Earl of Lenox and Mother of that HENRY DARNLY whose tragical End we just now mention'd Now upon this slender Title and our internal Dissensions for the Cecilians and Essexians for several ends made perpetual Applications got JAMMY from a Revenue of 30000 l. to one of almost two Millions tho there were others that had as fair pretences and what else can any of them make the Statute of 25 Edw. 3. expresly excluding Foreners from the Crown and so the Children of CHARLES BRANDON by MARY the second Daughter Dowager of France being next to com in And the Lady ARABELLA being sprung from a third Husband the Lord STUART of the said MARGARET and by a Male Line carry'd surely so formidable a pretension it should seem that even that Iniquity which was personally inherent to her made her days very unhappy and for most part captive and her death 't is thought somwhat too early so cruel are the Persecutions of cowardly minds even against the weakest and most unprotected Innocence AND indeed his Right to the Crown was so unsatisfactory even to the most judicious of those days that TOBY MATTHEWS having suit about som Privileges which he claim'd to his Bishoprick which was then Durham wherin the King oppos'd him and having one day stated the Case before som of his Friends who seem'd to approve of it yes says he I could wish he had but half so good a Title to the Crown And 't is known that some Speeches of Sir WALTER RAWLEY too generous and English for the times was that which brought him to Trial and Condemnation for a seign'd Crime and afterwards so facilitated that barbarous Design of GUNDAMAR to cut of his Head for a Crime for which he was condemn'd fourteen years before and which by the Commissions he after receiv'd according to the opinion of the then Lord Chancellor and the greatest Lawyers was in Law pardon'd THIS may appear besides our purpose but we could not sever this consideration unless we would draw him with a half face and leave as much in umbrage as we exprest That which most solemniz'd his Person was first the consideration of his adhering to the Protestant Religion wheras we are to consider that those slight Velitations he had with BELLARMIN and the Romanists tended rather to make his own Authority more intrinsically intense and venerable than to confute any thing they said for he had before shak'd them of as to foren Jurisdiction and for matter of Popery it appear'd in his latter time that he was no such enemy to it both by his own compliances with the Spanish Embassadors the design of the Spanish Match in which his Son was personally imbarkt and the slow assistances sent to his Daughter in whose safety and protection Protestantism was at that time so much concern'd FOR his Knowlege he had some glancings and niblings which the Severity of the excellent BUCHANAN forc'd into him in his younger time and after conversation somwhat polish'd But tho I bear not so great a contemt to his other Works as BEN JOHNSON did to his Poetry yet if they among many others were going to the fire they would not be one of the first I should rescue as possibly expecting a more severe
to the Lord to Mizpeh The political Assembly or Congregation of the People Book II of Israel was call'd Ecclesia Dei the Congregation of the Lord as it Judg. 20. Deut. 23. ought to have bin exprest in the Trial of BENJAMIN and is in som places by our Translation as where an Eunuch or one unfit for marriage with a Daughter of Israel which capacity was necessary to the being inrol'd of a Tribe a Bastard as dishonorable an Ammonite or Moabite as descended of perfidious Nations shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord that is shall not have right of suffrage with the People of Israel So SAMUEL by calling For the Assembly of the Congregation at Mizpeh see Judg. 10. 17. 11. 11. 20. 1. 21. 1. 1 Sam. 7. 6 16. the Congregation of the Lord or the People together to the Lord in Mizpeh the place before the taking of Jerusalem where they always held their Parlaments or political Assemblys did the office of the like Magistrats in Commonwealths The People being thus assembl'd for to be brief I must procede with conjectures which at first sight will seem bolder than really they are SAMUEL causing the Urns to be set forth pronounc'd the solemn form of words in use upon the like 1 Sam. 10. 19. occasion which were these Present your selves before the Lord by your The Military Order of Political Congregations in Israel see Chap. 3. Tribes and by your thousands The political Assemblys of the Children of Israel were held or gather'd as we say with Drums beating and Colors flying and if it were an extraordinary Congregation that is a Congregation consisting of the whole People as this and that for the trial of BENJAMIN the Princes of the Tribes with their Staves and the Standards of the Camp in the order shewn led up the People to the Urns or Ballot Wherfore upon these words of SAMUEL the Princes march'd in their known disciplin to the Urns. The Urns were two in the one were twelve Lots inscrib'd with the names of the twelve Tribes in the other were also twelve other Lots wherof eleven were Blanks and the twelfth inscrib'd with som word What the Israelitish word was dos not appear the Roman word upon the like occasion was Prerogative wherfore seeing that which is lost must have bin of a like nature we may for discourse sake presume it to have bin the same in Israel V. 20. The Prerogative Tribe as in Rome And when SAMUEL had caus'd all the Tribes of Israel to com near the Tribe of BENJAMIN was taken That is the name of this Tribe being drawn out of the one Urn to it was drawn the word Prerogative out of the other Urn which being don the Urns were chang'd or at least the Lots And wheras in the enumeration of the Patriarchs I shew'd by a catalog of their Names that the whole Tribe of BENJAMIN consisted of seven Familys seven names by that account should have bin cast into the one Urn and as many Lots into the other one of them being inscrib'd with the word Prerogative and the other six being Blanks But both the names and the number of Familys at this Ballot are most likely to have bin quite otherwise than in the Judg. 20. 2. Catalog because since that time the Tribe of BENJAMIN had in the far greater part bin destroy'd and piec'd up again out of a Remnant so for the number of the Familys or the names of them I can say nothing But the Urns being thus prepar'd came BENJAMIN as now the Prerogative Tribe to the Urns by Familys And when SAMUEL had caus'd the Tribe of BENJAMIN to com near by their Familys the Family of MATRI which is a new one was taken that is lighting in the manner shewn upon the Prize became the Prerogative Family This don the Lots were again chang'd and so many others as there were Housholds in the Family of MATRI for Jâ—â—â— 7. 14 16 17 18. so you will find it in the trial of ACHAN were cast into the Urns. Thus the Houshold of KISH coming to be the Prerogative Houshold Chap. 1 and so many Lots as there were men of that Houshold being cast into the Urns wherof the Prize was inscrib'd King came the Houshold of KISH man by man and SAUL the Son of KISH was taken That miraculous designation of Magistats in a Common-wealth was never understood to exclude the free Suffrage of the People in their Election WE find it recorded by LIVY of TARQUINIUS PRISCUS Sect. 8 and of SERVIUS TULLIUS that before either of them was King the one had his hat taken off and carry'd up by an Eagle the other had a flame resting upon his forehead by which it was firmly believ'd that each of them was design'd of the Gods to be King yet was this never so understood by themselves or any other as to exclude the right of popular Suffrage in their Election by which PRISCUS reign'd or to create an opinion that any man ought to be King of Rome whom the People had not first commanded to reign over them to whose Election therfore SERVIUS tho in possession of the Throne thought it his best way to refer himself Far be it from me to compare Prodigys among Heathens to Miracles in the Church But each People had of each a like opinion Both Israel and the Heathens began their popular Assemblys with Sacrifice In order to the election of SOLOMON the Representative of Israel 1 Chron. 29. 21 22. sacrific'd Sacrifices to the Lord even a thousand Bullocks a thousand Rams and a thousand Lambs with their Drink-offerings and Sacrifices in abundance for all Israel And when they had thus don what Magistrats soever the Israelits or the Heathens elected they always understood to be elected by God The Lot is cast into the lap but the Prov. 10. 33. whole disposing therof is of the Lord. And indeed wheras in this manner they made SOLOMON King and ZADOC to be Priest if we will hold otherwise we must think that neither the King nor the Priest was elected by God A man that is elected to som great Office by a King rightly qualify'd must have little Religion or hold himself to be rais'd up by God Why then should it be otherwise when a Magistrat is elected by a People rightly qualify'd Or what consequence is there in saying that SAUL was anointed by SAMUEL before he was elected by the People or that God rais'd them up Judges therfore neither SAUL nor the Judges were elected by the People That God elected the Kings in Israel is certain and that the People no less for that did also elect the Kings is as certain One from among thy Brethren shalt thou that is thou the People of Israel Deut. 17. 15. set King over thee That God rais'd up Judges in Israel is certain and that the People no less for that did also elect the Judges is