men by flaterie and friendship trauailed for This kynde of requiring and receiuyng of offices and dignitees are commendable and woorthy wheras the more part of vs prouoked of our owne peruerse opinions entreate praie and almoste begge for it one while of the prince and an other of the people And many tymes the princes either for bribes or through affection geue those offices and dignitees not to theim that deserue and are woorthy of theim but to suche as are most agreable vnto theyr appetites like as the people who Plato compareth to a great beast furiously without discrecion grant their fauours here and there wherof it foloweth that oftentymes whan we thinke to be honoured and exalted with shame and reproche we finde our selfes ouerthrowen Yea and how many times haue the people dooen their best to put theim vnto rebuke that haue been woorthy men The histories declare euidently the repulses geuen by the people of Rome vnto the Tuberones to the Metelli the Emilii the Scipions the Marii and the Catones and not yet contented with those repulses howe manie of the moste noble citisins haue the wicked people ben accustomed to hate and persecute Did not the Romaines banisshe the great Camillus Didde they not expell Cicero father of theyr countrey and of eloquence Did not bothe the famous and worthy Scipions Nasica and Africanus die banished in exile And the Atheniens also were no lesse vncurteise towardes the rareste of theyr commen wealthe for they made the worthy Miltiades to die in prison and banisshed the wyse Themistocles the liberall Cimon and the iust Aristides out of theyr citee The like wherof hath happened in all other commen wealthes as well auncient as present And why shoulde they not hauing the examples of the grauest Romaines and of the best learned Atheniens before theim As for princes that exalte the vnwoorthy and suppresse the vertuouse because there are so many examples seen of it daily I shall not nede to reherse the auctoritee of the histories therunto but this woulle I saie that neither the princes nor yet the commen wealthes can dishonour the vertuouse by not exaltyng theim vnto the degrees of honour rather in not callyng theim thei dishonour theim selfes and the places also in whiche they create the vnwoorthy men For as Plato saieth he that is woorthie of an office or dignitee is officer and of dignitee in dede and not he whom fauour or fortune graunteth it vnto And therfore I saie vaine is their enterprise that in sekyng of dignitees and offices consume theyr lifes For if thei would consider what I haue saied and what the places of honour be and that the honour and reuerence whiche is vsed is dooen more to the place than to the person sittyng there in maner as the countrefaict dooeth in an enterlude perchaunce many there be that woulde eschewe the vanitee therof whiche now pursue it withall theyr power But this pestilence is so great that not the temporall but the spiritual haue ben tempted withall insomuche that Christ hym selfe hath been sued vnto for the sittyng on his right and lefte hande in his kyngdome and lyke as he answered ▪ that thei wist not what thei asked so maie we saie vnto our selfes that seekyng degrees and honors whiche can not long endure we seeke we wote not what ¶ That dominion ought not to be desired LOrdship surelie in apparaunce is a goodly thyng to the eie onely that seeth no more but the outward partes therof But he that woull penetrate further shall perchaunce see that within foorth it is all an other mattier And to treate iustlie therof it behoueth vs fyrst diligently to consider that there bee two kyndes of lordes the lawfull and the tyranne ¶ What a lawfull lorde is IF he be a lawfull lorde it behoueth him principallie to thinke that he is ordeyned of God ouer his people as his lieutenaunt to gouerne them and to kepe theim in lyke maner as he gouerneth and preserueth the whole worlde and ought to knowe that those people are none of his nor prepared for his profite but rather that he is geuen vnto theim as a minister as Paule saieth to the Romaines The prince is gods minister vnto men for their wealth and is a minister to auenge with wrath the ill workes of the wicked by reason wherof he ought not to haue regard vnto his owne interest but to the wealth and benefite of them that are cōmitted to his charge His office is to prouide that they maie well and honestly lyue He muste kepe them from the assault and violence of straungers It apperteigneth vnto him to kepe them in peace and concorde he ought to determine their causes with iustice seyng that eche man maie haue his owne with chastisyng the ill and rewardyng and honoryng the good he muste ordeine iudges and magistrates not for money for ambicion or for affection but accordyng to theyr woorthinesse and merites and ought to cōmitte that charge vnto euerie man that the appoincted man is moste apte to entreprise And wheather it be in peace or in warre openly or priuilie speakyng or doyng alwaies it shalbe necessarie for hym to folowe the lawes and not to departe from theim but to be an executour of them For as Plato saieth he that gouerneth accordyng to the lawes is trulie a kyng and a lawfull lorde And he that departeth from them as the same Plato affirmeth is a tyranne But admitte Plato were not a sufficient aucthor vnto this sentēce Moyses him selfe speaking of the institucion of a kynge saieth that he ought to be with the law and to reade in it all the daies of his life to the ende that he learne how to feare his lord God how to kepe the woordes of his law and the constitucion of the same and how to put it in execucion And besides that Samuel hauyng annoyncted Saul and made him kynge of Israell wrote the lawe that he ought to obserue in a boke and set it in the sight of God Nowe if this be the right office of a lorde wherof groweth this great desire of dominion seyng that the lorde ought to be subiect vnto them that seme subiectes vnto him and that for the great businesse thereof he can skarcely finde leysure to slepe Many times reasoning with my selfe about these thynges and callyng to remembrance Alexander whō the worlde hath surnamed the great and in whom by all likelihode there haue been diuers great giftes of actiuitee me seemeth he wanted the principallest condicion that belonged to a kyng Whiche is that he knew not what was the office of a king For whan he had vainely conceiued in his minde an opinion to conquere all the worlde he saied on a tyme Whan we haue gotten this worlde what shall we than dooe O vaine and foolishe Alexander ▪ what aduailed it the to haue had Aristotle to thy maister if thou haue not learned how to finde a dooe whan well thou were lorde of all the worlde what
other shouldest thou haue dooen than rule it and gouerne it well Uerily thou haddest been more woorthy to haue been called kynge if thou haddest taried at home and gouerned well thyne owne than for all thy conquestes in vsurpyng vpon others better it had ben for the to haue knowen how to haue gouerned thy selfe and to haue eschewed wine and ambicion than to file thy handes with the bloud of thy deerest and most faiethfull friendes or to suffre thy selfe to be called kyng of the worlde or euer thou hadst gotten a small parte therof persuadyng the people furthermore that thou wast the sonne of god But leaue we now the foolishe Alexander who rather hath merited the name of tyranne than of kynge and let vs come to conclude of the lawfull lorde that seeyng his office to bee suche as here before I haue rehersed and as it is in deede I can not see any thyng therin that shulde geue man cause muche to desyre it For a more easie thyng it is a great deale to be gouerned than pleasaunt to gouerne others ¶ What a tyranne is ANd now that I haue declared â–ª what a lawfull lorde ought to be it maie easily be considered what a tyranne is and in few woordes to descriue hym He that maketh his wil a law and for hym selfe woorketh al A tyranne I saie and not a prince you maie hym cal And lyke as these kynde of men appearyng gloriousely to the sight accompanied and enuironned of a numbre of gentilmen and ministers that folow theim and serue theim doe represent a certaine outwarde similitude of felicitee Euin so inwardely they are on the tother syde turmented with corsies and passions of the minde that nother theyr gardes nor theyr armures can defende theyr ill consciences from the infernall furies Thei neuer haue good time nor rest In company of theyr owne wyfes whiche is wont to be most comfortable vnto man they haue almost no ioie and amongest theyr owne children wherin man shuld reioice they seeme to be amonge theyr enemies Of the sweete fruite of friendship they neuer taste because that not findyng in theyr owne hertes to loue any man they can not conceiue how any man should loue them againe If they eate or drinke they feare poyson If they slepe thei dreame of armes bloud persecucion and death and continually suspect that whiche they know theim selfes woorthy to haue and are a fearde of as many as be theyr subiectes Wherof it foloweth that they trust no man And some there haue been that woulde neuer goe to bedde with theyr owne wyfes but that thei would fyrst serche the chamber wheather there were any body hidde and sometyme serche the verie clothes of the bedde for feare of knifes and many of theim woulde cause mens beardes theyr owne daughters heare for dreade of lyke foolisshenesse to be cut of Amongest all other Charles the .vii. frenche king fearing to be poysoned rested certaine daies without takyng any meate wherof he sickened and so thinkyng to flee death fell into it But to passe ouer the rehersal of the violent and shamefull endes that numbres of them haue made in all ages and in all nacions I conclude that there is none astate so vnhappy as that of tyrannes who either must liue miserablie or die sklaunderfully I forbeare to reken vppe the troubles that thei haue be thei lawfull lordes or tyrannes in theyr daiely warres the losse of theyr men the destruction of their citees the spoyle of their couÌ„treis the discoumfiture of theyr armies theyr owne captiuitee and a thousande other aduersitees that are commenlie seen So that in effect lordship is more bitter than sweete and consequently a thyng not to be desyred And though well all the sweetenesse of the worlde were to be founde therin yet ought we not therin to put the ende of our desires For as the apostle Iames saieth Our life is none other but a vapour whiche appeareth a little while and incontinently is dissolued ¶ That fame is a vaine thyng ANd as for glorie and fame it is true that it semeth euery man as he is more excellent of spyrite the more doeth he desyre it whiche is clerely seen in euery studie and in euery arte as well in armes as in learning as well in peincture as in grauyng bothe in the handicraftes and also in housbandrie in all trauailes in all peines and in all perilles it seemeth none other sauour to be so sweete as the hope to atteigne glorie therof Yea and further this desyre is so farre entred into our myndes that they whiche write bookes in dispraise of glorie purtyng to theyr names seeke that whiche they persuade other men to auoyde And this was it that moued Alexander before the tombe of Achilles to sighe and saie Happie wast thou Achilles suche grace to fynde As the verse of Homer to kepe thyne actes in mynde And the same was it that moued Iulius Caesar at the sight of the image of Alexander to sighe because at that age that Alexander had doen so many thynges he yet had dooen nothyng woorthy of memorie The lyke of whiche thyng that hapned vnto Caesar of Alexander happened also to Themistocles of Miltiades whose tropheys notable markes of passed victories woulde not suffer hym to slepe And lyke as Alexander for the desyre of glorie was liberall vnto writers euin so was Caesar diligent in writyng his owne commentaries to helpe theim that woulde write of hym And Themistocles saied that he coulde heare no sweeter voice than of theim that shoulde syng his owne praises Some moued through this desyre haue builded citees and called them after theyr owne names some haue made theim goodly houses with puttyng vnto theim lykewise the titles of theyr names some haue sette vp goodly sepultures and some goodly images thynkyng to make theim selfes therwith perpetuall But what is all this in respect of the life it selfe whiche many men haue spente onely for loue of this glorie and fame For examples wherof I coulde reken vp noumbres of men that who by one waie and who by an other haue disposed theim selfes vnto wilfull death And amongest all other Empedocles in hope to deifie his name Threw hym selfe quicke into Ethnas flame But what folowed therof In stede of the godhead that he presupposed should haue folowed he hath left behynde hym a notable memorie of his folie And yet not contented with this there haue been some that with their naughty and wicked dooynges haue sought to purchace immortalitee vnto their names as Caligula seeyng nothyng woorthie wherof there shoulde remayne any memorie of hym wisshed that in his tyme there myghte some notable â—uyne happen that shoulde geue men cause to reherse his name And the emperour Adrian caused those to be slayne that he myght here shoulde excell him in any thyng to the entent he myght remayne as most excellent of his tyme. Besides this there haue been temples burned and other fouler thynges dooen onely for the desire
you Beholde here howe many waies and by howe many meanes our sweete sauiour goeth about to draw vs easelie vnto saluacion He with this one lighte commaundement enduceth vs to the fulfillynge of the whole law whiche dependyng before on two commaundementes the loue of God and of the neighbour is now comprehended in this one new commaundement on this wise Our sauiour Christ beyng man amongest vs was one of vs that shoulde loue amongest our selfes and so louyng hym beyng also God it came to passe that we loued god by reason wherof in this one commaundement was the whole law fulfilled whiche before Christes incarnacion was impossible God and man beyng through our defaulte of nature and rebellion plainly separate But now that Christ bothe by grace and by nature had ioygned theim togethers he woulde also knitte the two olde preceptes in one and for the new and meruailouse effect of it in vnityng man with God woulde also call it the new commandement because it vnited the loue of man with the loue of god And this in mine opinion is the true interpretacion of those wordes ¶ The loue of God towardes vs. NOw than hath our lorde for fulfillyng of his law commanded vs to loue amongest our selfes how euen as he hath loued vs. But how hath our lorde loued vs So muche that it can not be expressed For besides that he hath created vs of naught and fourmed vs vnto his owne image and likenesse and hath ordeyned vs ouer all the woorkes of his handes hauyng put all thinges vnder our feete wheras we by disobedience tourned our backes vnto hym and throughe our owne faulte and wilfulnesse are becomen rebelles against him he to reconcile vs vnto him hath willed hym selfe to dooe penaunce for our sinne and to make vs apte to ascende vnto him as the prophete saieth in his psalmes he made the heauens to encline and descended vnto vs Of god he became man to make vs parttakers of his diuinitee Of immortal he made hym selfe mortal to geue vs his eternitee Of impassible he made hym selfe passible to delyuer vs from passion beyng pure and vncreate he toke on hym an earthelie bodie to make our soules and bodies glorified He dwelled in the erth to make vs citisins of heauen He suffred hunger and thyrst to feede vs with Ambrosia and with angelles foode He suffred him selfe to be tempted of the diuel to deliuer vs from his temptacions He wolde be taken and bounde to loose and deliuer vs out of the chaines of our enemie He suffred him selfe to be scourged and tourmented to drawe vs out of peine and tourmentes He refused not to be reised vp on the crosse to reise vs vnto eternall triumph Nor yet refused to be wounded with speare and nayles to heale our incurable woundes he suffered a crowne of prickyng thornes to crowne vs with the crowne of glory he willed to die to purchace our lifes and descended vnto hell to make vs ascende vnto heauen These thynges hath our sauiour dooen for our loue besydes infinite others whiche I shulde not be hable to reherse though well I had all the tounges bothe of men and of angelles And yet for all the feruent loue that he hath borne vs and for all the wonders that he hath doen and suffred for vs he requyreth no more of vs but loue and how Not for him selfe alone but in token that we are his he hath entred into our company and rekenyng him selfe as one of vs hath willed vs in louyng one an other to loue hym amongest our selfes But peraduenture some may thinke this an harde commandement that we should loue no lesse amongest our selfes than as he hath loued vs because his loue beyng infinite it is impossible our loue shoulde be equall therunto Wherfore it is to be noted that Iesu Christe who descended from the boasome of the eternall father into this vale of miserie to make vs an easie waie vnto paradise neither commaundeth vs impossibilitee nor yet any thyng that shoulde be ouer harde for vs to fulfill For he saieth not that we shuld loue so muche amongest our selfes as he hath loued vs but that we shuld loue togethers in like maner as he hath loued vs as it were to saie ¶ What our mutuall loue ought to be I Woull not that you loue togethers as worldly men are wont to dooe whose workes and loue tende proprely vnto theyr owne wealth and profite For all the benefites that they doe towardes theyr neighbours are doen in hope of some delite profite or honour that shulde folow therof I woull not saieth Christ that you loue after that sorte but you ought to loue together as you haue seen me loue you whiche hath ben not for mine owne interest but altogether for your wealth your benefite and your exaltacion So than shall you loue togethers that eche man shall desire to helpe other without respect vnto any interest of his owne and so in mine opinion shall we fulfill the sentence of those wordes of our sauiour whan this loue amongest our selfes is free and liberall and not vttered of purpose as a merchaundise Finally it is a wonder to consider the vnspeakeable bountee the incomparable benignitee and the incomprehensible loue of Christ towardes vs who not contented by his owne exaumple to prouoke vs curteslie to loue togethers hath yet further bounde hym selfe for the loue amongest our selfes and for the charitee that we shalbe knitte togethers in to reward vs most largelie saiyng If we helpe one an other in our necessitees if we visite one an other and receiue one an other all the good that we shall doe vnto our neighbours we shall doe vnto hym and there shall not be one draught of colde water geuen but that he woull see it rewarded And with what rewarde The good deede to be multiplied by an hundrethfolde and to geue vs euerlastyng life withall This shalbe the rewarde of our loue And our loue is it that must make vs whynges to brynge vs vp into the true waie towardes the high felicitee For our loue and beyng in charitee togethers is it that reiseth vs vp and that knitteth vs vnto god as the deerelie beloued apostle of Christe saith god is charitee and he that dwelleth in charitee dwelleth in God and god in hym ¶ The conclusion of our doynges what they ought to be NOw hauyng founde what the true felicitie of man is and what is the meane and waie to brynge hym thereunto shakyng of all these shorte worldely pleasures the fraile corporall prosperitees the corruptible richesse the ambiciouse and inconstant honours the great and perillouse lordeshippes and the transitorie smoke of mortall fame lette vs dispose our selfes with all our hertes and with all our myndes vnto this moste holy loue that Christe calleth vs vnto and vnto this moste gloriouse charitee that knitteth vs together with God and so louynglie togethers lette vs feede Christ in the hungrie geue him drinke with the thirstie cloathe hym in the naked herboroughe hym with the herboroughlesse visite hym in the sicke redeeme hym with the captiues and burie hym with the deade And this not with our handes onelie but enforcyng vs to haue our myndes open towardes Christ let vs teache the rude counsaile the ignoraunt reproue theim that erre comforte the afflicted and beare pacientlie all iniuries forgeuyng theim that offende vs and praiyng for our enemies Of all whiche thinges let vs frely make a present vnto Christe in yeldyng vnto hym by our lyberalytee towardes our neighbours that whiche he most liberaly hath geuen vs. And so vnited in charitee amongest our selfes as true membres of that bodie wherof Christ is the head we shall finde our selfes by Christ also vnited vnto God and with our myndes all separated from the face of these vaine mortall and earthlie thynges attendyng onely vnto the true celestiall and euerlastyng goodnesse enflambed with feruent desire therof we shall beginne to saie vnto hym with the prophete Than shalbe satisfied our cheere Whan that thy glorie shall appeere FINIS JMPRINTED AT LONDON IN FLETESTRETE IN THE HOVSE OF THOmas Berthelet Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum ANNO. M. D. XLIX Esaie 5. Luc. 16. Psal. 31. Eccle. 10 â–ª Ierem. Psal. 38. Eccle. 5. Luc. 20. Mar. 10 Rom. 13. Fonde Alexander Iac. 4. Plato his opinion touchyng felicitee Iac. 4. Good workes are necessarie The new commandement comprehâ—ndeth the whole law