de of Soliman the great Turke against Charles the fifth who fearing by continuing the War that the Turke might get that footing as to ouercome all Christendom made peace with France But then the Turkes Bascha being in Marcelles the King of France could not get him out before hee had succours from the Emperour who was forced to ayde him Therefore when Pope Iulius the second Maximilian the Emperour Ferdinando King of Spaine and Lewes King of France had entred league against the Venetians Selin the great Turke offered to send the Venetians succours which they refused fearing that accepting thereof they should be in danger of the Turke CHAP. 24. A Prince to get and keepe the loue of his Subiects A Prince therefore to the end he may be strong at home and neede no Forraine force should alwayes respect his owne subiects especially men of worth and seruice as well in peace as in VVarre that hee may winne the loue and hearrs of his subiects the meanest whereof may be able to doe him some kinde of seruice at one time or other For Seneca sayth that the onely inexpugnable force of a Prince is the loue of his subiects Wherefore the Emperour Marcus Aurelius in his speeches to his Councell commending his sonne vnto them sayd It is not the aboundance of money and Treasure nor the multitude of sâ—uldiers that maintayneth a Prince and causeth him to be bâ—yed but the loue of his subiects For those sayth hee doe onely long and sarely Reigne who doe ingraue in the hearts of their subiects not a feare by force and cruelty but a loue by bounty and liberality And those that willingly yeelde to obedience and are not contrayned by seruitude ought not to be suspected of the Prince And subiects sayth he neuer refuse to obey but when they are vsed withviolence and contumely Mesissa King of Numidia exhorting his sonnes at his death to keepe amity and concord amongst them sayd It is not the great forces nor Armies nor great Treasure by which a Prince should preserue and maintayne his estate but friends who are not gorten by force of Armes nor with money but by good vsage and loyalty And Cornelius Tacitus sayth that a Prince can haue no greater better nor fitter instruments to keepe and conserue his estate then good friends Wherefore a Prince should haue care alwayes of his subiects and vse them well For Antonius Pius would say that hee had rather preserue one of his subiects then kill a thousand of his enemies And Pribagoras affirmeth that subiects are to the Prince as the Winde to the fire for the stronger the Wind is the greater is the fire So the richer the Subiects be the stronger the Prince But where Matcheuils principle taketh effect there the subiects must be made poore by continuall Subsidies exactions and impositions that the people may be alwayes kept vnder as slaues and feare the Prince which course extinguisheth the loue of the people towards the Prince and ingendreth hatred Therefore Pythagoras counsell is better And a Prince to enrich his subiects the only way is to keepe them in peace without quarrels and dissentions and too gricuous exactions Therefore Philip Commines blameth greatly such Princes as doe not seeke to compound and end dissentions and quarrels amongst their greatest subiects but rather doe nourish the one part wherein they doe but set their owne house on fire as did the Wife to Henry the sixt taking part with the Duke of Somerset against the Earle of Warwicke which caused the Warre betwixt the House of Yorke and Lancaster Likewise Charles the seauenth King of France beeing Dolphin taking part with the Duke of Orleans against the Duke of Burgundy was the cause that the Duke of Burgundy brought Henry the fifth into France And for exactions the Emperour Augustus made a Law called Augusta that no payment should be exacted of the people but for the profite of the Common-wealth And when Marcus Antonius layd a double taxe vppon the people they answered That if he would haue two taxes in one yeare hee must giue them two Summers two Haruests and two Vintages For the people cannot endure to bee ouercharged if they bee great inconuenience may grow thereby For Phillip Le Bell King of France being receiued in Flanders as Lord thereof charged the people with excessiue taxes and suffered the French to commit all insolency and iniuries against the people fauouring the Nobility and exempting them from all taxes impositions and charges whereupon they of Bruges begunne to reuolte and killed all the French in the Towne After this the Flemengs ouer-threw the forces of King Phillip and freed themselues from the French Therefore if the Princes Councell or Nobility doe yeelde to haue any thing imposed vpon the people it is fitting they should not be exempt but beginne and lay it first vppon themselues as the Romanes did for the people murmuring against the Consuls for imposing a great charge vppon them Consull Leuinius sayd As the chiefe Magistrate is in honour aboue the Senate and the Senate aboue the people so ought he to be a guide and the first to submit himselfe to endure all kinde of paine and trouble For if thou wilt impose a charge vppon thy inferiour first beginne and lay it vpon thy selfe and the rest will more easily follow therefore let vs beginne with our selues sayd hee and so they did The great impositions the Prince of Wales layd vppon the Councrey of Guienne was a great cause of the losse thereof The Duke of Orleans Gouenour of France for Charles the sixt was extreamely hated of the Parisians for a great imposition he layd vpon them for reformation whereof the Duke of Burgundy leuyed great forces and in the end caused the Duke of Orleans to bee killed The Duke of Aniou regent of France laying a great imposition vpon the people a Collector thereuppon demaunding a Denier of a poore VVoman for a basket of Herbes which shee refusing to pay hee forced to take her Herbes but she crying was rescued by the people and an vproare did arise which did great hurt before it could be appeased The Earle of Flanders likewise laying a great imposition vppon the people made them rebell against him And Lewes the twelfth King of France making Warre against Lodowicke Sforce Duke of Milan who knowing himselfe to be very edious to his subiects for his great exactions and impositions and fearing that they would abandon him assembled the people at Milane and to gaine their good wills remitted diuers taxes which he had imposed vpon them and gaue them many reasons and excuses for his former proceedings But such hatred they had conceiued against him as all would not serue for within few dayes after they tooke armes called in the French killed his Treasurer and made him flee When the Battell of Cressy was fought the people of France were in extreame pouerty by reason of the euill gouernment of the publicke Treasure of the false-hood of the
Bajazet Their Generall was the Earle of Neuers who against the will of the King of Hungary and of all the Campe gaue the first charge and without order and was ouer-throwne whereupon the Army of the Christians fled Anno 1396. by reason whereof the Turk tooke al Greece and the greatest part of Bulgaria and then besieged Constantinople And it is also very requisite that the Generall should keep his souldiers from idlenesse for Segnities robur frangit longa otianeruos Sloath weakneth the sinewes and diminisheth a mans force and is the nurse of all vice making a man most base Therefore Aeleas a King of Scythia sayd that hee thought himselfe no better then his Horse-keeper when hee was idle A vice to which Gentlemen alwayes haue beene too much giuen Insomuch that in Athens where they did not suffer the people to be idle a Citizen being iudicially condemned for idlenesse one Herondas requested one to shew him the party that was condemned for a Gentle-mans life In Carthage to auoyde this vice the Noble-men did alwayes exercise Armes the common people laboured and the Learned men were euer teaching and instructing others And in the Common-wealth of the Lacedemonians none were idle for all men laboured and they sending one Chilon to Corinthe to treate of a League hee found the Magistrates idlely exercised playing at Dice whereuppon hee returned home and would not speake of his Commission saying That hee would not stayne the glory of Sparta with so great an ignominy as to ioyne them in society with such kinde of people Marius caused his souldiers to make Trenches when there was no cause onely to keepe them from idlenesse Claudius hauing an assured peace for the avoyding of idlenesse kept thirty thousand men twelue yeares in working the Channell Fucinus that Rome might haue good water And when the Lawes were well kept in Rome at the time they had Warres with the Celtiberians in Spaine and with Alexander the Senators went three dayes about Rome with the Censors and could not find one idle man for a messenger to carry their letters But in Marcus Aurelius time there were plenty for he confesseth that hee banished punished and put to death in his time 30000. idle Vagabonds and 10000. idle women And France being troubled with a great number of idle vagabond souldiers Bertrand de Guesclin to free the Countrey of them drew them all to goe with him into Spaine agaynst the Sarazins Bruce King of Scotland exhorted his subiects to exercise Armes alwayes for that idlenesse would corrupt them and for want of practise they would not be able to resist their enemies A Prince therefore being the Lanterne to his subiects should giue good example herein Alfred King of England had that care to eschew idlenesse and to spend his time well as he diuided the day into three parts by a Taper that burned continually in his Chappel 24. houres The first part he spent in Prayer and in study The second part hee employed in the affaires of the Common-wealth and the third part he tooke for his recreation and rest A good president for other Princes CHAP. 26. A Prince to be well aduised before hee begin Warre and carefull in his fight IT is not for a Prince vpon euery quarrell to make War but to be sure that the cause bee good and iust which then wil bring honor to his Person safety to his soule and great encouragement to all his souldiers Yet according to the saying of Octauius Caesar neyther battell nor War is to be vndertaken vnlesse there may be euidently seene more hope of gayne then feare of damage for such as sought after the smallest commodities not with a little danger he likened vnto those that Angle with a golden hooke for the losse whereof if it hapned to be suapped or broken off no draught of Fish whatsoeuer was able to make amends And it is necessary that a Prince or his Generall should consult and take counsell before hee fight for the aduice of his Captaynes heerein may doe great good Therefore the Carthagintans commaunded those Captaynes to be hanged that got Victory without any consultation before And those that did first consult and then were ouer-throwne they did neuer punish And hauing taken counsell and resolution execution is to follow without delay least occasion be lost For Aristotle sayth that a wise man ought to counsell slowly and execuâ—e speedily and if Victory be gotten to follow it hotly is the best before the enemy being discouraged be able to make head agayne For if Hanniball had done so after the battell of Cannas and not lingred to refresh his men he had taken Rome Likewise Pompey in a skirmish put Caesar to the worse which if he had pursued he had quite ouer-throwne Caesar Yet a man must take heed he follow not the Victory too fiercely nor out of order For so Phillip King of Macedonta by following the Romanes too fiercely was defeated So likewise Gaston de Foix hauing wonne the battell at Rauenna pursuing too fiercely a squadron of Spaniards that fled by them was ouer-throwne lost his life and made all that a prey to the enemy which before hee had Conquered in Italy And an enemy is not to be contemned though his Forces be inferiour for oftentimes it is not the multitude of men that getteth the Victory but the couragious and resolute mindes of the fouldiers assisted by God For King Alexander with 33000. foote-men and 25000. horse-men ouer-threw the Persians and Darius army of 400000. foot-men and 100000. horse-men Robert le Frison with a few and without experience defeated Phillip King of Frances great Army and old Souldiers The Earle of Namure with the Flemings being but a few ouer-thre the Earle of Artois sent by Phillip the fayre King of France with 40000. French-men into Flanders whereof 300. efcaped not At the battell of Peitiers the Prince of Wales with 8000. English ouerthrow 40000. French tooke King Iohn and his Sonne prisoners and also a number of Princes and Noble-men Henry the fifth at the battell of Agincourt with 7000 ouer-threw 80000. French Simon Earle of Monford besieged in the Castle of Mirebeau in France by the King of Arragon and others and hauing with him but 2. Knights 60. horse-men and 700. foot-men hauing commended themselues to God sallied and charged the King so valiently that he ouerthrew his Army killed him and 17000. of his men and lost not aboue eight foot-men of all his Therefore a Prince should not presume too much of his owne strength nor be carelesse of his enemy nor charge him but in good order For fighting without order the Carpentines Olcades and Vaceos in Spaine hauing an Army of 100000. were ouer-throwne by Hanniball for they trusted in the number of their Souldiers and kept no order Both the Scipioes being slayne in Spaine Lucius Martius being a man of meane calling yet a good Souldier and of great courage gathered the dispersed souldiers together and was chosen for their
by Caesar notwithstanding put him to death and sent his head to Caesar which he refused to see and wept for sorrow and commanded them that brought it to be put to death Shortly after Caesar assisted Cleopatra killed Ptolomeus her brother and made her Queene of Egypt Alfonsas sonne to Ferdinando King of Naples vnder the promise and safegard of his father got to come to him foure and twenty Princes and Barons who notwithstanding his promise put them in prison and vpon the death of his father being foure and twenty yeares after put them all to death Charles the seuenth King of France when he was Dolphin made John Duke of Burgundy beleeue that he would make a peace with him whereupon they met at a place appointed where Charles caused the Duke to be presently killed But Charles after this wearied with the warres Phillip sonne to the Duke made against him and of the subiection England brought France into by this opportunity did reconcile himselfe to Phillip and asked him forgiunesse openly by his Ambassadours Charles the last Duke of Burgundy hauing giuen safe conduct to the Earle of Saint Paul Constable of France tooke him prisoner and deliuered him to the French King who put him to death But Sultan Soliman the great Turke did worthily punish his Bascha for falsifying his word who sent into Valona to passe into Jtaly landed at the Hauen of Castro where the Inhabitants being astonished yeelded vnto him vpon his word and fidelity that they should depart with bag and baggage neuerthelesse he slew them all except those that were fit to serue for slaues But he returning to Constantinople Sultan caused him to be strangled for his disloyalty and perfidiousnesse and sent backe all the prisoners with their goods into Italy Thus you may see how honourable it is for one to keep their word and what they deserue that falsifie their faith for a faithlesse Prince is beloued of none but hated of all suspected of his friends not trusted of his enemies and forsaken of all men in his greatest necessity CHAP. 5. A Prince to be constant in his Act. IT is likewise very fitting that a Prince should be constant in his Act. First to aduise well before hee resolue but after resolution to be constant and not changeable For Saint Ambrose writing to Simplician saith that a foole is mooueable as the wind but a wise man is not astonished by feare nor changed by force nor sunke by sorrow nor proud by prosperity The Romans besieged Casselin Fabius would haue giuen ouer the siege but Marcellus perswaded him to the coÌ„trary saying that as there are many things a good Captaine ought not to attempt so ought he not to desist or giue ouer an enterprise once begun and taken in hand Bertrand de Guesclin a Frenchman seruing Henry against Peter King of Spaine was by the Prince of Wales taken prisoner and Peter by this victory restored to his Kingdome The Prince offered to giue Bertrand his liberty without ransome so he would serue Henry no more which he refused because Peter had murthered the Queene his wife Blanche de Burbon and married a Sarizen kings daughter the better to strengthen himselfe and had renounced the Catholicke faith Then the Prince asked him whither he would goe if he were at liberty he said where he would soone recouer his losse and desired the Prince to aske him no further Well said the Prince consider what ransome you will giue me for I referre it to your selfe With thankes he said he would giue him 100000 doubles of gold The Prince thought he mocked him offering him so much and said he would take the fourth part I thanke you said Bertrand and you shall haue 60000 doubles willingly Of which the Prince accepted Then said Bertrand very constantly and confidently Henry may now say and brag that he shall die King of Spaine for I will Crowne him whatsoeuer it cost me The Prince was astonished at his so haughty speeches yet vsed him very houourably and gaue him his liberty whereupon hee paid his ransome by the helpe of the King of France and of Henry of Spaine And after siue battels tooke Peter prisoner put him to death and made Henry King The Priuernates warring against the Romans and not able to resist their forces sent their Ambassadours to Rome to demand peace but because they had not obserued the Treaties of Peace before time some thought it not fit to yeeld to their demand and to conclude a Peace with those that would not keepe it Whereupon the Ambassadours were asked what punishment they had in their iudgement deserued for breaking the Peace before To which one of the Ambassadours answered that the Priuernates had deserued the punishment which those deserue that thinke themselues worthy of freedome and liberty and hate slauery and bondage Some thought this answer too proud and peremptory for men ouercome neuerthelesse they were asked againe if that they being pardoned for their former breach of peace would froÌ„ thenceforth keep the Peace granted them to which the Ambassadours answered againe very constantly that if they gaue them a good peace they would faithfully and perpetually keepe it but if they gaue them an euill peace it should not long continue Vpon this answer diuers of the Senate were moued but the greatest part did not condemne them for this constant and resolute answer considering that the Ambassadour spake as a free man and that euery one in bondage will seeke for liberty therefore it was concluded that the Priuernates should haue such a peace as they should be admitted and receiued for Citizens of Rome and enioy the same liberty and priuiledge as the City of Rome did Agiges King of the Cretians about to giue battell to the Licaonians his Captaines told him that his enemies were too great in number but he not feared therwith nor any thing changed said that he that would raigne ouer many must fight with many Leouidas likewise sonne to Anaxandridas when his men told him fighting in battell that the Arrowes of his enemies were so many as they couered the Sunne was not dismaid thereby but constantly continuing his fight said then shall we fight vnder their shadow And the great Prince Bias falling by chance in the danger of his enemies the Athenians and being asked of his Captaines what they should do he seeing their feare and inconstancy was not moued but answered that they should report to the liuing that he dyed figthing and hee would report to the dead that they went away flying Scipio though hee got the victory against Antiochus yet was he not changed but gaue him the same condition of peace he had offered him before the victory Spurius Seruilius Consull being accused before the people for the same matter for which they had condâ—mned Menemius his fellow Consull who through griefe thereupon dyed was of that constancy and courage as he freed himselfe and condemned the people for their proceeding against Menemius Perses
falsified his faith lost his Kingdome and life in prison Locrine King of Great Britaine put Guendoline his wife away and married Estreld daughter to King Humber but Guendoline killed her husband in battell and drowned Estreld and her daughter in Seuerne The Emperour Commodas kept three hundred Courtizans and in the end by one of them and one of his Parasites was strangled Childericke the third King of France for his libidonous life which made him carelesse in gouerning the Common-wealth was deposed And Lewis the sixt King of France for his adultery was poysoned by Blanche his wife Heliogabalus for his libidonous and vitious life thought hee might make an euill end and therefore if in case hee should be pressed by his enemies he had poyson ready kept in precious stones he had also halters of silke to hang himselfe and sharpe kniues of precious mettall to kill himselfe and he built a high Tower richly gilded to breake his necke vpon if he listed yet all these deuises failed him for he was strangled by his Souldiers and trailed vp and downe Rome This is the end a libidonous Prince may looke for But wise and vertuous Princes will auoyd that vice As did Ioseph who hauing the wife of Putiphar in his power would not touch her No more would Abimelech faire Sara Nor Dauid the Ebritian Sunamite Nor Scipio the Lady who was Hostage in Carthage Nor Dionysius the wife to Phocius Nor Alexander the daughter of King Darius Nor Augustus Cleopatra And as it is hurtfull for a Prince to be allured by a woman to folly so it is not good for him to be led by the counsell of a woman For Aristotle saith that part of a womans vnderstanding in which consisteth counsell is imperfect Therefore neither the Romans nor the Lacedaemonians did euer admit a woman into Councell Yet Theodora after the death of her husband the Emperour of Constanstinople was chosen Empresse and had the onely gouernment of the Empire Which without the helpe of any she gouerned in great peace and prosperity two yeares and then dyed to the great griefe of all her subiects who repented them not to be gouerned by a woman The Empresse likewise Zenobia in Asia was a most singular rare woman For Obdinato her husband chosen in Asia for their Emperour and after killed by his kinsman she tooke vpon her the gouernment and gouerned very well She was constant in her enterprises faithfull of her word liberall in her gift iust in giuing sentence seuere in punishment discreet in her speech graue in her determination and secret in that she did She loued not to ride in a Litter but on horsebacke she was of stature tall slender bodyed her eyes great her forehead large her face somewhat pale her mouth little and her teeth small After she was conceiued with child shee would not company with her husband saying that a woman ought not to marry for pleasure but onely for procreation She did eate but once a day and that at night she drunke no wine but water compounded more costly then wine when she went to Campe or to battell or to skirmish she was armed and euer when there was any seruice she would be amongst them In the end the Emperour Aurelianus besieged her tooke her prisoner and carried her in his triumph to Rome yet pardoned her for her vertue and valour and gaue her certaine possessions to liue vpon She liued ten yeares after as greatly honoured and beloued as Lucretia of all the Roman Ladies But this is as the Spaniard saith Vna golondrina que non haze verano One Swallow which maketh no Summer Yet I could not but set downe here her perfection she being such a mirrour for all Ladyes CHAP. 19. A Prince to beware of Parasites BVt there is another creature about a Prince more dangerous then a woman and that is a flatterer who neuer sings other song then placebo soothing a Prince in whatsoeuer Apelles drew the picture of a King which he sent to Ptolomeus set in a chaire of Estate with great hands great eares and besides him Ignorance Suspition a Tale-teller and Flattery these will labour to be about a Prince therefore a Prince must labour to auoyd them For an enuious and backebiting Tale-teller and a Flatterer are two most dangerous beasts for Diogenes saith that of wilde beasts a backbiter biteth the sorest and of tame beasts a flatterer And Hermes the Philosopher saith that as a Camelion can change himselfe into all colours sauing white so hath a Parasite all points sauing honesty for he windeth himselfe into fauour by any meanes especially of pleasure procuring any kind of mirth and delight and by humouring the party For Alexander Magnus and Alphonsus King of Arragon hauing each of them somewhat a wry necke the one by nature the other by custome the flatterers and Courtiers held their neckes on the one side And like as wormes breed most of all and soonest in firme tender and sweet wood euen so for the most part the generous and gentle natures and those mindes that are more ingenuous honest amiable and milde then others are readiest to receiue and nourish the flatterer that hangeth vpon him And Plato saith that he who loueth himselfe and hath a good conceit of himselfe can be content to admit another to flatter him But when a Parasite seeth nothing to be gotten then he is gone being like to lice For as these vermine neuer haunt the dead but doe leaue anâ— forsake the corpes so soone as the bloud is extinct and depriued of vitall spirit so a man shall neuer see flatterers approach to those that are in decay whose state is cracked and credite lost But where there is power and authority and glory in the world thither they flocke and there they grow and shew themselues most malicious sometimes by speaking euill of others For Medeus the chiefe Captaine of the flatterers about Alexander Magnus teached his Schollers to cast out slanders boldly to bite others for said he though the soare may heale vp yet the skarre will remaine and be euer seene By these skarres of false imputations Alexander being corroded and eaten put to death Calisthenes Parmenion and Philocas his true and faithfull friends The Emperour Commodus after the death of his father was led by Parasites and vpon their false reports put to death most of those that were graue Counsellors to his father and also many of the Senators and committed the gouernment of all his affaires to Perennis and himselfe followed his pleasure which brought him to the end you heard before The Emperour Dioclesian basely borne in Sclauonia was in his youth very ambitious and desirous of honour and from a poore Souldier came to be Emperour and then made the people honour him as a god and to kisse his foot whereon he did weare guilt shooes set with pearle and precious stones after the manner of the Persian Kings But seeing in the end himselfe wonderfully abused by
and therefore the people murthered him This Emperour was the more hated because he entertayned Halotus and Tygenlinus who were principall seruants to Nero and instruments in all his wickednesse So Otho likewise Emperor after Galba though hee thought by good words and liberality to get the hearts of the people yet did they hate him for that he had some about him who had beene instruments and Counsellors to Nero. The Kings of France for forty yeares giuing wholly to their pleasures permitted the Maior of the Palace of Paris to gouerne all at his pleasure which gaue opportunity to Pipin to make himselfe King Who being wise vertuous and well beloued was thereby admitted their King But the Emperour Tyberius giuing himselfe to pleasure and committing the gouernment to Seanus who grew proud thereof and tooke vpon him as he had bene Emperor and had statues made him before which they offered sacrifice and happy were they that had his fauour The Emperour hearing of his pride and insolency committed him to prison then those that did most honour him contemned him and spoke euill of him And the Emperour put both him and all his children to death Zoticus had that credite with Halingabalus as he was held Lord ouer all the rest his counsell as a Law and by his direction all Offices were sould Hee made Consuls the sonnes of slaues and base men And King Attolus gaue himselfe so to his pleasure as one Phylopaemen gouerned him as hee listed Insomuch that the Romanes when they did see any ship of Asia come by asked if the King was still in the good grace and fauour of Phylopaemen But Charles the seauenth King of France hauing diuers wise and faithfull Counsellours of meane parentage at the time he had ciuill Warre with the Duke of Burgundy whom the Duke of Brittany secretly fauoured mooued the Dukes to peace who answered if the King would remooue his Counsellours from him and take others that they would accord Whereuppon the Kings Councell perswaded him to accept thereof and they most willingly refused the Court and retyred themselues to their owne houses and so the Warre was ended Therefore a Prince should take care for the good education of his Nobility and honour the Noble and worthy families whereby they may continue in the Vertue and Valour of their Ancestors and the Prince thereby be the better serued In Rome there was a Law made called Prosopina by which the off-spring of Siluius of Torquatus and of Fabricius were more honoured and priuiledged then any other because they were ancient Families and more valiant then others They had a Law also that those who were descended of wicked persons as of Tarquinius Superbus of the Consull Escaurus of Catelin of the Censor Fabatus and of the Traytor Bicinus should beare no Office in the Common-wealth nor dwell within the circute of Rome But Nobility marrying basely do oftentimes degenerate For when nature sayth Plato produced man she gaue vnto him three properties of the mettals as to those that were fit to gouerne the people the property of Gold To them of force and valour to defend the Common-wealth the property of Siluer and the property of Iron and Brasse to handy-craftes men and common people to work and labour And he sayth that marrying the Noble with the Ignoble is to mixe good mettal with base mettall which is the ouer-throw of Nobility and changing of gouernment of the Common-wealth Therefore he counselleth euery oâ—e to marry with their equals Nobles with Nobles and ignobles among themselues CHAP. 22. A Prince not to place a Stanger in Authority A Prince is also to haue speciall regard that hee giues not a Stranger authority in the Common-wealth nor trust him too much For the ancient Romanes would neuer giue any charge or Office in the Common-wealth to a Stanger Insomuch that after the Battell of Cannas for want of sufficient men to be Senators in Rome Spurius Curulius making a motion to haue had some of the Latis chosen for Senators they would not agree thereunto but all hated Spurius for that motion And William King of Cicily descended of the house of France making a French-man his Chancellour the Noble-men much grieued thereat conspired and in one night killed all the French-men in Cicily in Apulia and in Calabria Charles the 8. King of France expulsed the Spaniards out of Naples by the helpe of the Neapolitanes and placed Frenchmen in all authority and gouernment there Whereupon the Neapolitans grieued made a generall reuolte and did driue out the French-men againe The Duke of Britaine hauing married an English woman was so affected to the English as his subiects much disliked thereof and hee mistrusting thâ—m sent for English-men to gouerne vnder him but before they came his owne subiects seized vpon all the Forts and Townes in Britany and forced the Duke to flye into England The Prince of Wales placing English-men in all Offices and authority in Aquitaine made the Country-men grudge thereat and in the end reuolte by which meanes Aquitane was lost Alexander King of the Epirots giuing entertainement to a number of the Lucamans banished out of their Country and after making Warre against their Country thought he should be well serued by them who promised to yeelde their Country into his hands but they made a secret compact with their Country-men to the contrary for drawing the King into a conuenient place for their purpose they shewed themselues his enemies and he swimming a riuer to escape in landing was killed by one of them The Emperour Gordian making an Arabian his Lieutenant called Phillipus a man of base parentage he procured the Emperours ouerthrow and in the end killed him most barbarously Charles Duke of Burgundy was betrayed by an Italian the Earle of Campobach and killed before Nancy CHAP. 23. Dangerous for a Prince to take ayde of a Stranger ANd if a Prince take ayde or succours of a stranger stronger then himselfe he may thereby endanger his estate For the Esterques called but to aide the Citty of Vulture subdued it The Herules Gothes and Lombards called into Italy for succours became Lords thereof So did they of Franconia with their King Pharamond by the Gaules now France And the Saxons did the like by England The Turkes in like manner got the East Empire and Hungaria called first in by the Emperour of Constantinople and by the States of Hungaria Cairaam a Pyrate called by the Inhabitants of Alger to expell the Spaniards after hee had vanquished the Spaniards slew Selin Prince of the Towne and made himselfe King leauing the estate to his brother Aradin Barbarossa Saladin a Tartarian Captaine called by the Calipha and Inhabitants of Cair to driue the Christians out of Soria after the Victory agaynst the Christians slew the Calipha and became absolute Lord thereof The Romanes called into Cicily by the Mamertins or Campanois to aide them did subiect both them and all Cicily in the end Francis King of France had a
actions as well to be feared of his foes as to be beloued of his friends and not to be curious to speake eloquently but to deliuer his mind plainely and wisely it being more necessary for a Prince to doe well then to speake well For wise words are not commendable if the deeds be not answerable whereupon the Philosopher Pacuinus saith those are to be hated who in their acts are fooles and in their words Philosophers They that will therefore saith Plato haue glory in this life and attaine to glory after death and be beloued of many and feared of all let them be vertuous in doing good works and deceiue no man with vaine words And he counselleth the Athenians to chuse a Gouernour that is iust in his sentence true of his word constant in his act secret and liberall These be the principall morall vertues most cecessary in a Prince CHAP. 3. A Prince to be iust in his sentence FOr a Prince ought to be iust in his sentence according to the words of Salomon Sap. 1. saying Loue Justice you that Iudge the Earth For a iust King saith he Pro. 29. doth aduance his Countrey and the King that iudgeth the poore rightly his throne shall be established for euer Therefore he ought not to be led either by fauour passion or gaine but according to equity and iustice and to haue care that all his Counsellors and Magistrates doe the like And to attaine to this vertue of Iustice a Prince must call to God for wisedome which he cannot obtaine being of euill life For wisedome will not enter into a soule possessed with malice nor dwell in a body subiect to sinne saith Salomon Sap. 1. But if thou saith he call for wisedome and encline thine heart to Prudence then shalt thou vnderstand Iustice and iudgement and equity and euery right way Prou. 2. Therefore he prayeth saying Giue mee O Lord that wisedome which assisteth thy seate and cast me not off from the number of thy seruants for that I am thy bond-slaue and the sonne of thy bond-woman a weake man and of short life vnable to vnderstand aright what is Iustice and Law and whosoeuer is the most perfect and excellent amongst the sonnes of men he is to be accounted as no body if thy wisedome doth not assist him Sap. 9. All good and worthy Princes haue laboured to attaine to this wisedome and to execute iustice most exactly insomuch that some haue not spared their owne children so sacred a thing they held Iustice to be As for example Brutus who vnderstanding that his two sonnes were of the conspiracy for Tarquinus Superbus caused them both to be put to death in his owne presence Cassius likewise seeking to get the loue of the people and to make himselfe King was beaten to death by his father Pausanias Generall of the Lacedaemonians receiued 500 talents of gold to betray Sparta but Agesilaus his father vnderstanding thereof pursued him into the Temple of Minerua whither he fled for Sanctuary and caused the doores of the Temple to be nayled vp and so there made him dye of famine then his mother tooke his corpes and threw it to the dogs not suffering it to be interred Darius likewise King of Persia vnderstanding that his sonne Ariobrazanes ment to betray him to Alexander Magnus cut off his head Titus Manlius being challenged by one of the Latins to fight the Combate stepped forth of his ranke and in Combate killed him yet because it was done without license his owne father being then Consull and Generall presently put him to death Posthumius likewise did the same to his sonne Fidericke Earle of Harlebecque and Forrester of Flanders hauing made very straite Lawes for the reducing of his Countrey to lustice and good life put his sonne to death for breaking the Law in taking a basket of Apples from a poore woman and not paying for them Edward the first put his sonne in prison Prince Edward for breaking the Parkes of the Bishop of Chester Henry the fourth also commended the Lord chiefe Iustice of England for committing the Prince to prison for transgressing the Law And King Antiochus had that care to haue Iustice ministred as he writ to all the Cities of his Kingdome that they should not execute any thing he commanded if it were contrary to Law but they should first aduertise him thereof The Emperour Justinian likewise commanded the Lawyers to be sworne that they should not plead in an euill and vniust cause The like Law was made in the ninth Parliament of James the first King of Scotland that all Counsellours and Aduocates before they plead any temporall cause should take oath and sweare that they thinke the cause to be good they plead Lewis the ninth King of France was a iust and vertuous Prince louing the good and punishing the wicked and was a Capitall enemy to sutes commanding the Iudges to doe speedy Iustice so that sutes then were laid away Alexander Magnus was so farre from being transported from Iustice as when any made complaint to him of another he slopped alwayes one eare saying he must keepe that for the party accused The Emperour Adrian was of that integrity in Iustice as one Alexander accused another before him called Aper and bringing his proofes onely in writing he said that his informations were but Paper and Inke and perhaps forged and that a man ought not to be condemned but by honest and substantiall witnesses and therefore he sent Aper to Rufus Gouernour of Macedonia from whence he was brought commanding him diligently to examine the witnesses against him and to see that they were honest and of good name King Edgar of England had likewise that care to doe Iustice as in Winter time he would ride vp and downe the Countrey and make enquiry of the misdemeanors of his Officers and Gouernours and punish them seuerely that offended the Law And as the followers of Iustice shall not onely be famous in this world but shall perpetually liue and receiue a kingdome of glory in the world to come as saith Salomon Sap. 5. So the Princes that minister iniustice and do not iudge rightly shall reape infamy and incurre the high displeasure of Almighty God as Salomon also witnesseth saying Hearken O Kings and vnderstand learne you who are Judges of the bounds of the earth in respect that power is giuen vnto you from aboue and strength from the Highest who will examine your works and search your thoughts and because when you were Ministers in his Kingdome you did not iudge rightly nor iudge rightly nor keepe the Law of Iustice nor walke in the way of God he will appeare vnto you quickely and horribly for most rigorous iudgement is done vnto those that gouerne With the poore and meane man mercy is vsed but mighty men shall suffer torments mightily Sap. 6. And the royall Prophet saith that God is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 75. Which doth very well appeare by the strange punishments
he oftentimes inflicted vpon them as vpon Pharaoh who was drowned in the red Sea pursuing Moses and the seruants of God vpon Nabuchadnezzer who was cast downe from his Throne and made companion to beasts vpon Ozias who was strucken by God with a filthy leprie vpon Ioram by an incurable fluxe vpon Antiochus the Tyrant who rotted aliue vpon Herod who for killing Saint Iames and persecuring the rest of the Apostles was strucken by an Angell and consumed with wormes whilest he liued vpon Mâ—mpricius King of Great Britaine who was deuoured with Woldes vpon Anastasius the Emperor who was killed with thunder vpon Seldred a Saxon King of England who waskilled by the Dinel as he was banquetting with his Nobility vpon Drahomira Dutches of Bohemia who for procuring the death of Ludiuille her mother in law a very vertuous woman and of many Priests also was as she passed in her Coach ouer the place where the Priests were murthered swallowed vp by the earth vpon the wicked King of Nauarre Anno 1387 who fell into such an infirmitie that all his limbes were cold for remedy whereof hee was sowed in a cloath wet in aqua vitae and when the man had done for lacke of a knife to cut the thred in his needle he burned it with the Candle he vsed and so by chance set the cloath on fire which could not bee quenched but that the King lying three dayes in extremetorment dyed thereof And many moe for their iniustice and wickednesse haue beene punished very strangely and oftentimes lost their Kingdomes for a kingdome as appeareth Eccle. chap. 11. is transferred from Nations to Nations for iniustice and iniuries Therefore it behooueth a Prince to haue most speciall care hereunto CHAP. 4. A Prince to be true of his word IT is requisite that a Prince should be true of his word and faithfull of his promise both towards God and man for it is said Deut. 23. When thou hast made a promise or vow to thy Lord God be not slacke to yeeld it for he doth require it at thy hands And Salomon saith Prou. 8. J detest a double tongue And againe Pro. 17. he saith that a lying lippe doth not become a Prince Cicero likewise De officijs saith that fides which wee call fidelity consisting in the verity and constant performance of words promises and couenants is the foundation of Iustice which preserueth a Common-wealth One of the lawes of the Knights of the Band in Spaine was that if any of them broke his promise or falsified his word he went alone by himselfe no body spoke to him nor he to any And the Romans had great care alwayes to performe their word insomuch that the first Temple builded in Rome was dedicated to the goddesse Fidelity And vpon a time they wanting money to pay their Souldiers and to maintaine their Armies thought it better to spend the goods of the Common-wealth then not to pay the Souldiers their wages saying if the Common-wealth be not vpheld by faith and keeping of promise it will not be vpheld by riches And at another time because they could not ayde the Saguntines according to promise in due time they being besieged and for want of ayde spoyled by Hanibal did not onely build vp their City againe but after this made warre in Spaine for reuenge by the space of 14 yeares In which time they subdued the Turditanes who brought Hanibal into Spaine and made them pay tribute to the Saguntines and chased out of all Spaine the Carthagenians and restored all the Saguntines that were either imprisoned or fled Scipio making warre in Affrica against the Carthagenians granted them Truce for a time that they might send Ambassadours to Rome to treate of Peace but before the Ambassadors returned from Rome Asdrubal spoyled 230 shippes of the Romans whereupon Scipio sent to Carthage to aduertise them of the breach of the Truce but his Ambassadours could not be heard but were threatned by the people Soone after the Ambassadours of Carthage returning home from Rome came through the Campe of Scipio who sent for them and told them that though Carthage had broken the Truce and law of Armes yet would not he breake the custome of the Romans which was to obserue the publike faith and so let them passe Iulius Caesar likewise kept faith and promise alwayes with his enemies though they broke with him The Emperour Nerua succeeding Domitian in the Empire who had put to death diuers of the Senators did promise that hee would put to death any Senator which greatly pleased all the Senate Soone after some of the Senators conspired against him which discouered he would not put them to death because of his promise The Emperour Augustus hauing made Proclamation to giue 25000 crownes to him that should take Crocotas Captaine of the Theeues in Spaine called Bandeleros Crocotas offered himselfe to the Emperour and demaunded the money promised by him The Emperour for performance of his word did not onely giue him the money but his pardon also Sextus Pompeyus hauing warres with Antonius the Triumuir and meeting him vpon a treaty of Peace and thereupon inuiting of him to supper giuing him his faith for his assurance and safty was moued by some to detaine him prisoner but he answered that to be the Emperour of the world he would not falsifie his faith Licurgus brother to Poledectes King of Lacedaemonia hauing promised fidelity to the King refused the offer of the Queene who being left great with child offered to destroy it and to make him King if he would marry her But he like a faithfull brother proclaimed her sonne King so soone as he was borne gouerning onely during his minority chosen thereunto by the people Ferdinando brother to Henry the third King of Castile being left Tutor to the Kings sonne was vrged by the three Estates of Castile to take the Crowne himselfe but he refused it saying He would neuer be false either to his brother dead or his brother liuing to whom hee had promised fidelity And as these and many moe are famous for their fidelity and performance of their word so a number are infamous by their perfidiousnesse and breach of their word For Plutarch saith that Alexander Magnus causing certaine Indian Souldiers to be killed after they had yeelded themselues to him vpon his word spotted and stained the renowne of all his glorious Conquests and royall vertues Hanniball neuer kept his word nor faith with any but to serue his owne turne Therefore Autiochus King of Syria to whom he fled vanquished by Scipio made no account of him And he going from thence to Prusias King of Bithynea one as perfidious as himselfe for that he meant to haue deliuered him to Quintius Generall of the Romans whereof Hannibal vnderstanding poysoned himselfe Siphax King of Numidia by breaking his word with Scipio lost his Kingdome and life in captiuity Ptolomeus King of Egypt hauing promised safety to Pompey who fled vnto him ouerthrowne
King of Macedonia who ouerthrone by Paulus Emilius the Roman Captaine was brought before him prisoner Emilius did rise out of his seat to receiue and honour him as a great Prince falne into that misery by the hazzard of Fortune But Perses not constant in magnanimity cast himselfe at his feet vpon the ground vsing such base and abiect requests vnseeming for a King as Emilius said to him Alas poore man thou dischargest fortune and chargest thy selfe vnworthy of that honour thou hast had before being so base minded which hath made thee an vnworthy aduersary of the Romans But Cressus King of the Lydians being to be put to death by Cyrus shewed such constancy and resolution remembring Solon as Cyrus forgaue him restored him and made him one of his chiefest Counsellours And Pelopidas prisoner in the hands of Alexander King of the Phocians sent him word that he marueiled why he put his Citizens to death and not him The Tyrant wondring at his great constancy asked why he made such haste to dye To the end said he that thou being yet more hated of God and man then thou art may the sooner be destroyed Leaena priuy to the conspiracy of Hermodius and Aristogiton with others against the Tyrant of Athens would neuer confesse nor accuse any but bit of her tongue and spit in the Tyrants face In memory of which constancy and secrecy they erected a Lyonesse of brasse without a tongue at the entry of the Castle Zeno likewise discouered for conspiring the death of Diomedes the Tyrant accused the Tyrants best friends to make him more afraid and faining to tel him some thing of them in his eare he bit off his nose Then being beaten in a morter to make him confesse he bit off his owne tongue with a singular constancy because hee should accuse no body Anaxagoras the Philosoher did the like A Prince therefore should be constant and prepared for all fortunes For Seneca saith that as a cunning workman can fashion an Image of any kinde of matter so a wise man should be constant and take in good part all kinde of fortune For saith hee as fire tryeth gold so doth aduersity and crosse fortune a man of valour CHAP. 6 A Prince to be secret IT is necessary that a Prince should vse great secresie in all his actions for Valerius saith that secresie is the best and surest bond for by it great matters may be wrought and without it Princes designements easily crossed Therefore the Frenchman hath a prouerbe saying Que ta chemisene sache ta guyse Let not thy shirt know thy secret Peter K. of Arragon being asked what he would do with a great Nauy he had prepared with which afterward he recouered Sicily from the French said that if he thought his shirt did know it he would burne it Hanniball flying from Neron Neron left his Army neere vnto him and went himselfe secretly with a reasonable force to ioyne with Liuius against Asdrubal whose Army they ouerthrew killed him 56000 of his men and tooke prisoners 5400. Which done Neron was returned to his Campe againe before hee was knowne to be absent At another time the Romans vsed such secresie as King Eumenes demaunding of them aide against King Perseus it was neuer known what was demanded nor what was answered before the warre was ended which the Romans made at his request The Kings of Persia punished to death those that discouered any thing determined vpon in counsell And in Darian a place in the Indies they will neuer discouer any secret especialy the spies for what torment soeuer Both Leaena and Zeno before mentioned were greatly commended for their secresie as well as for their constancy Alexander Magnus reading a letter of great secresie one Ephestion being in principall fauour with him presumed to looke on and to reade it also Alexander would not debarre him but the letter being read tooke his Ring and with it sealed Ephestions mouth saying that hee who would charge himselfe with another mans secret ought to haue his mouth close and sealed King Lysimachus greatly fauouring Philipides bid him aske what hee would and it should be granted him Philipides said I will accept of any fauour you will bestow of mee so you commit not your secret to me thinking it fittest for a King to keepe his secret to himselfe and the safest for another not to know it So had it been happy for Fuluio if he had neuer knowne the Emperours secrets for the Emperor Octauian committing a secret to him he discouered it to his wife whereof the Emperour getting notice was offended with him Fuluio vnderstanding thereof and in despaire of the Emperours fauour told his wife that he would kill himselfe You haue reason said she seeing in so many yeeres you haue not knowne my imperfection or if you did know it to trust it but though the fault be yours yet will I be first punished and so killed her selfe then Fuluio did the like The Poets fained Tantalus to be in hell hauing about him water the fruits he desired to eat which as he offered to take fled from him alwayes and this was his punishment for reuealing that which was by the gods determined in Counsell They feigned likewise Sisiphus to be in like sort punished in Hell for the same offence carrying a stone vpon his shoulders vp a hill and comming to the top the stone alwayes falleth from him downe againe which he returneth to fetch and so neuer resteth Therefore Seneca saith that a Counsellour ought to speake much to himselfe but little to others for feare of discouering any secret So that secresie is most requisite both in a Prince and in his Counsellours CHAP. 7. A Prince to be Liberall LIberality is also necessary and most commendable in a Prince for it is the bond to oblige all men to him both friends and foes for which vertue the Emperour Titus was most commended who laboured by liberality to deface the report against his father for his couetousnesse and alwayes said that a man ought not to goe away sad from the face of a Prince And remembring one night that he had shewed no liberality that day towards any sighed saying my friends I haue lost this day Nabuchodonosor kept bookes wherin he commanded to be written the seruice which euery one did him to the end he might reward them Alexander Magnus going to the Conquest of Asia gaue most of his liuing and Kingdome to his Captaines reseruing hope to himselfe And hee being in Aegypt a poore man asked him something towards the marriage of his daughters Alexander gaue him a City very populous and rich Sir said the poore man you mistake me or vnderstand me not No said Alexander but know though thou be poore Biantius in asking that I am Alexander in giuing Iulius Caesar before the Ciuill warre was so liberall to get fauour and loue of the people as he grew thereby 750000 Crownes in debt Cato for all the Townes he wonne
in Spaine did neuer take any thing for himselfe but gaue all amongst his Souldiers saying that a Captaine ought not to seeke any thing in his charge but honour and glory Scipio Affricanus was so liberall as he contemned riches for in fifty foure yeeres that he liued he did neuer buy nor sell any thing nor made any building neither was there found in his house after his death aboue thirty three pound weight of plate Marcus Curius Consull who had thrice triumphed was of the like disposition for all possessions he had was but a little meane house in the Countrey where he liued for the most part when publike affaires did permit him labouring and tylling that little ground hee had himselfe And when certaine Embassadours were sent to visite him they found him dressing a Raddish for his supper And they presenting him a great summe of money from the Commonalty he refused it saying he held it farre more honourable to command them that had gold then to haue it himselfe Lutius Quintius did the like for after he had been Dictator and triumphed with greater pompe then euer did any before him yet returned he to his poore house againe refusing all liuing and riches the Senate offered him For riches and treasure is but a clog and a heauy burthen to a wise man which made all the Philosophers to contemne wealth For Plato saith he that honoureth riches despiseth wisedome Policrates bestowed fiue Talents for a gift vpon one Anacreon who for two nights after was so troubled with care how to keepe them and how to bestow them as he carried them backe againe to Policrates saying they were not worth the paines which he had already taken for them Therefore a Prince should not care how to lay vp but how to lay out with honour and wisedome For the liberall person shall haue plenty saith Salomon Prou. 11. CHAP. 8. A Prince not to be couetous ANd as by liberality a Prince may attaine to great honour so by couetousnesse he may bring himselfe to vtter destruction For the Emperour Pertinax was a very good and vertuous Prince sauing that he was extreme couetous and miserable insomuch that wheras he should haue rewarded the men of War who did aduance him to the Empire he took pensions from diuers of them which Traian his Predecessor had giuen them for which and for his miserablenesse he was killed by his Souldiers So was likewise Alexander Seuerus and his mother also for the same vice As in like manner were the Emperour Galba and the Emperour Mauricius And the Emperour Phocas by his misery was the ruine and dissipating of the Roman Empire for in his time there fell from the Empire France Germany Spaine the greatest part of Italy Esclauonia the greatest part of Affrica Armenia Arabia Macedonia Thracia Assyria Mesopotamia Egypt and many other Countries Lewis the 11 King of France was so miserable as he was contemned of all Strangers and caused rebellion in his own Countrey for he put away all the Gentlemen of his houshold and vsed his Taylor for his Herauld of Armes his Barber for his Ambassadour and his Physitian for his Chancellour and in derision of other Kings he wore a greasie hat of the coursest Wooll and in his Chamber of accounts in a bill was set downe 20 Souz for a paire of sleeues to his old doublet and 15 Denieers for grease to his Bootes He increased the charge vpon his Subiects three millions more then any of his Predecessors had done For which he was mightily hated Calipha King of Persia hauing filled a Tower with Siluer Gold Iewels precious stones and being in Warre with Allanus King of the Tartarians was so euill succoured by his owne peo-people because he was so miserable and would not giue them their pay as he was taken in his owne City and by Allanus committed to prison in the foresaid Tower who said vnto him if thou hadst not kept this Treasure so couetously but hadst distributed it amongst thy Souldiers thou mightest haue preserued thy selfe and thy City now therefore enioy it at thine ease and eate and drinke thy fill seeing thou hast loued it so well And so let him die in the middest of his riches CHAP. 9. A Prince to be learned THough it be not good that a Prince should be too great a Scholler yet it is necessary that he should haue some learning for Plato saith that neither can ignorant men nor those that spend all their life in study gouerne a Common-wealth For great learned men are perplexed to resolue vpon affaires making many doubts full of respects and imaginations The City therefore of Norenberg did not admit any great learned man into their Counsell but had some notable learned men with whom they did conferre vpon any doubt that might arise in the Counsell The Vrsins likewise in Italy would neuer permit any learned man to gouerne their Common-wealth Yet Socrates saith That wit without learning is like to a tree without fruit It is requisite therefore that both the Prince and his gouernours should be learned as well the better to vnderstand their duties towards God the Lawes of the Realme the gouernment of other Common-wealthes and their Ambassadours and the Art of Stratagems of Warre And a Prince should nourish and cherish all learning for the attaining of all Arts and knowledge And to that end Ptolemeus King of Egypt made a most famous Library in Alexandria of 200000 Volumnes CHAP. 10. A Prince to be religious BVt aboue all things Religion is most requisite in a Prince that he be carefull to serue daily the King of Kings who will prosper him on his Kingdome in earth so he seekes the Kingdome of heauen which hee must first seeke for as appeareth Matth. 6. And in Deut. 17. a King is commanded after he be placed in his Kingdome to reade the Deuteronomy that he may learne to feare God and to keepe his words and Ceremonies which are written in the Law so doing a Prince shall prosper for Salomon saith God preserueth the state of the righteous and is a shield to them that walke vprightly Prou. chap. 2. Trust therefore saith he againe Prouerbes chapter 3. in God with all thine heart and leane not to thine owne wisedome So Iacob Moses Hezekiah and Elizeus did not trust in themselues but onely by their prayers and trust in GOD preuailed against their enemies And King Dauid though he laboured by humane diligence to defend himselfe against Absolon yet especially sought to moue God to mercy by prayer 2 Reg. 15. The Emperour Marcus Antonius being in Almany with his Army was inclosed in a dry Countrey by his enemies who stopped all the passages that he his Army were like to perish for want of water The Emperors Lieutenant seeing him so distressed told him that he had hard that the Christiās could obtaine any thing of their God by their Prayers Whereupon the Emperour hauing a Legion of Christians in his Army desired
them to pray to their God for his and the Armies deliuery out of that danger Which they presently did and incontinent a great thunder fell amongst the enemies and abundance of water vpon the Romans wherby their thirst was quenched and the enemy ouerthrowne without any fight But prayer will not auaile euery Christian vnlesse he walke vprightly for God wil not heare the prayers of those that lye and wallow in sinue as appeareth Joh. 9. And Dauid saith Psal 65. Jf J finde iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me And God saith when you shall extend and lift vp your hands I will turne mine eyes from you and when you shall multiply your prayers I will not heare you for your hands are full of bloud I saias chap. 1. Therefore if a man be in wicked or bloudy sinne his prayer is in vaine CHAP. 11. A Prince not to shed innocent blood IT behoueth therefore a Prince to be vertuous and to haue speciall care that he put not his hand in innocent blood neither by tyranny malice ambition pollicy or vpon false reports and informations For to be a Tyrant is odious to God and man and to bring himselfe to an euill end As the Emperour Nero who after he had put to death his mother Agrippina his wife Octauia his brother Brittannicus and his Master Seneca Besides many others being proclaimed an enemy to the Common-wealth could get no body to kill him but was glad to kill himselfe saying Turpiter vixi turpius morior The Emperour Caius Caligula amongst other his tyrannies caused at his dinner and supper ordinarily one to cut off before him the heads of poore prisoners wherein he tooke great pleasure in the end he himselfe was killed by his men who conspired against him Nabis the Tyrant who vsurped the gouernment of the Lacedaemonians sent for eighty of their yong Princes and without any cause put them all to death And shortly after Alexamenes vnder pretence to serue him with some company suddenly strucke him off from his horse and killed him And as these tyrants had their iust rewards so all others had the like measure And for their wicked instruments the people oftentimes did Iustice vpon them For Plutarch writeth that the wicked Counsellors and Instruments of Apollodus of Phalaris Dionysius Nero and other tyrants were cruelly tormented to death by the people and iustly saith he because they who corrupt or seduce a Prince deserue as much to be abhorred of euery one as those who should poyson a publicke Spring or Fountaine whereof all the people doe drinke But sometimes those Princes that doe vse instruments for their murthers will not auow their Commission but doe themselues many times put them to death whom they imployed therein sometimes secretly sometimes publikely either to rid themselues of the suspition and infamy thereof or for feare of discouery As Alexander Magnus at his fathers Funerals commanded publike Iustice to be done vpon those who himselfe had secretly imployed to kill him The Emperour Tiberius did not onely dissauow his Commission giuen to a Souldier to kill Agrippa but put to death Seianus his speciall fauourite and instrument of his mischiefe Caesar Borgia did the like by a fauourite of his And let no Prince thinke that he can so contriue his matters but in the end truth will be discouered and knowne to the world and through ambition many haue shewed themselues very barbarous and bloudy as Tullia daughter to Seruius seeing her selfe married to Aruus a man of milde disposition and her sister of a gentle spirit married to Lucius Tarquinius who was ambitious and she not enduring to be thus matched killed her husband Aruus and her sister and then married Tarquinius whom she perswaded to kill her father Seruius to haue the Kingdome and she being in the streets when he was killed went with her Coach very inhumanely ouer his body that his bloud besprinkled her cloathes Soliman King of the Turks when he heard the great noyse and shout of ioy his Army made for the returne of his sonne Sultan Mustapha out of Persia caused him presently to be strangled in his outward Chamber and his dead body to be cast out before the whole Army and one to cry with a loud voyce that there was but one God and one Sultan vpon the earth He put to death also Sultan Soba because he wept for his brother and Sultan Mahomet his third sonne because he fled for feare leauing one onely aliue to auoyde the inconuenience of many Lords The Emperour Seuerus hauing vanquished Albinus and Niger his Competitor in the Empire embrued with blood put a great number to death and told his sonne Geta that he would not leaue him an enemy Geta asked him if those he put to death had neither parents friends nor kinsfolke yes said the Emperour a great number Then said Geta you will leaue vs many moe enemies then you take from vs. His sonne Bassianus hauing murthered his brother Geta to haue the Empire alone and doubting that the Senate would greatly mislike thereof made a shew that he was sorry for his brothers death and that he did it by the perswasion of Letus his fauourite whom therefore he put to death and all those that did assist him in that action likewise all those that were friends to Geta lest they should attempt any thing against him yet in the end he was killed Alphonsus King of Naples hauing vniustly murthered twenty foure of his Barons could neuer sleepe quietly for representation of their shapes which alwayes vexed him in his dreames And in the end hee fell into that feare of the French as leauing his Kingdome to his sonne he fled into Spaine to liue a in a Monastery making such haste as he would take nothing with him And his men perswading him to stay two or three dayes to make his prouision no no said hee let vs be gone doe you not heare how all the world cryes France France Hee knew himselfe to be so hated King Iohn of England murthered his nephew and in the end was murthered himselfe Richard likewise Duke of Glocester murthered his two nephews sonnes to Edward the fourth to make himselfe King and after was slaine in battell by Henry the seuenth for blood requires blood and let a bloody Prince neuer looke for better end CHAP. 12. A Prince to be circumspect in giuing credit to reports BVt many Princes haue been mightily abused by false reports and wrong informations yea sometimes by the nearest and dearest vnto them and those that should be most faithfull Dauid therefore prayed God to deliuer him from wicked lips and a lying tongue Psal 119. And in Eccle. 31. we are warned to take heed of our children and of our houshold seruants And in the sixt chapter it is said Seperate thy selfe from thine enemies and beware euen of thy friends for where a man doth trust the most there he may soonest be deceiued As was the Emperour Glaudius a
you from your god and master for which he was hated of all the world and in the end killed The Emperour Caius set in his palace like Jupitur with a Scepter in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other and an Eagle at his side a Cobbler seeing him fel on a great laughter The Emperour commanded him to be brought before him and asked him at what he laughed I laugh said he to see thy pride and folly The Emperour laughed also at his answer and punished him not but delighted in his owne pride But Philip father to Alexander Magnus to auoyde that vice caused a child to cry vnto him euery day at his chamber dore before hee went forth Phllip thou art a man mortall Hieronimus King of Cicily being very yong was wholly counselled by his brother in law Andronodorus who made him proud and arrogant and to contemne euery one and to giue audience to none nor to suffer almost any to haue accesse vnto him but to giue himselfe to all kinde of voluptuousnesse and to be cruell and bloody Andronodorus hauing brought him to this conspired with others against him The treason discouered and one Theodorus called in question therefore confessed that he was of the conspiracy and being vpon the torture knowing he must dye accused to be reuenged of the King the Kings most faithfull friends and seruants To which the King giuing credit put them all to death and immediately after was killed by the Conspirators Andronodorus presently seized vpon Siracusa thinking to make himselfe King But he had such successe therein as he his wife and all his family and all the line of the King were quite extirped as well innocents as offenders Timothae a Captaine of Athens through his pride did attribute all his victories onely to his owne pollicy and wisedome Whereupon saith Plutarch the gods were angry at his foolish ambition and did neuer prosper him after but all things went against him and in the end hee was so odiously hated that hee was banished Athens Cresus being in the height of his pride most sumptuously set in his Throne asked Solon if euer he had seene a more gorgeous and glorious sight yea said Solon both Capons Fesants and Peacocks for their colours are naturall Menecrates a Phisitian because he was excellent in his â—rt grew so proud as he caused himselfe to be called Iupiter But Philip King of Macedonia to make him know himselfe inuited him to a banquet and made a Table to be prouided for him by himselfe which Menecrates seeing was very ioyfull that it pleased the King to do him that honour but when he see that in stead of meat they brought him nothing but incense he was ashamed and departed with great anger Yet this King grew a little proud after his conquest insomuch that he writ a sharpe letter to Archidamus sonne to Agesilaus who answered him saying If thou measure thy shadow thou shalt not finde it to be growne greater since thou didst ouercome Pride therefore cannot make a man great but odious CHAP. 15. A Prince to be humble CHrist did humble himselfe for vs therefore wee ought to humble our selues for Christ who saith He that doth humble himselfe shall be exalted but he that doth exalt himselfe shall be humbled Mat. 23. Humility therfore affirmeth Seneca is the handmaiden of wisedom For a wiseman is humble if not humble he is not wise Caralus Magnus to haue euer before his eies the image of pouerty and humility did cause certaine very poore men to eate alwayes in his presence their meat vpon the ground The Romans had a custome that the Emperor after a victory was drawn in a Chariot with foure horses to the Capitall and a Clowne set besides him in the Chariot who strucke him euery foot in the necke saying Know thy selfe And when the Emperour was crowned one al wayes came to him and asked him of what kind of mettall or stone hee would haue his Tombe made And all this to the end the Emperour should be humble The Emperour Constantinus Magnus was of that humility as he excelled all other Emperours and Princes whatsoeuer Yet of that valour as he subdued Licinius his Competitor and many Pagan Nations The Emperour Theodosius being rebuked by S. Ambrose for a great offence did in such humility acknowledge his fault as he did open pennance therefore willingly in the Church where Saint Ambrose was ministring the Sacrament and so was admitted to communicate The Emperours Valentinian and Justinian were Princes of great humility yet famous for their many victories The Emperour Alexander Seuerus was of that humility as he would not suffer any to vse other salutations to him then to say God saue thee Alexander Scipio preuailing in Spaine against A sdruball the Spaniards called him King which Title he refused saying it was sufficient for him to be called their Generall Agathocles King of Cicily because he was but a poore Potters sonue caused himselfe to be serued with vessels of earth amongst his vessels of gold and siluer to shew his humility and what he was Julius Caesar Augustus Caesar Claudius Domitian Galba Traian Alexander and many other Princes were of that humility as they gaue continuall audience themselues vnto the people to the great content and comfort of the people And Octauius Caesar did fit daily in iudgement himselfe and did abhorre the title of Lord insomuch that when said to him O good and gracious Lord he reproued him sharply therefore And the more humble that a man is the more is he in the fauour of God who as Saint Iames saith chapter 3. doth resist the proud and giueth grace to the humble CHAP. 16. A Prince not to exceed in anger ANd a Prince to be too passionate and too chollericke is dangerous for choller sometimes burneth and dryeth vp the veines and taketh life sometimes it blindeth the vnderstanding and taketh away sense and reason wherby many a time sodaine mischiefe is done that bringeth long and too late repentance for the mind doth not easily see the truth saith Salust where passion and affection beareth sway Therefore a Prince especially should learne to know himselfe and his imperfections for Plato saith that the perfect duty of a man is first to know himselfe And the first Precept that was written in the Temple of Apollo at Delphos was Know thy selfe And knowing himselfe he must then labour to command himselfe and make reason rule nature Agesilaus did more glory that hee could command himselfe then in that he was a King For he that is slow to anger saith Salomon is better then the mighty man and he that ruleth his owne mind is better then he that winneth a City Prou. 16. Yet moderate ire saith Plutarch doth second valour and fortitude To auoid choller Athenodorus the Philosopher counselled Augustus Caesar neuer to do or say any thing when he was angry before he had repeated the twenty foure letters of the A B C thinking by that time his
choller would be appeased Virginius being chosen Generall of the Roman Hoste refused it fearing to exceed in choller against Appius Claudius his enemy Crotis King of Thracia hauing a present brought vnto him of many faire vessels of glasse most curiously wrought after he had well recompenced the gift did breake them all himselfe of purpose fearing lest through choller to which he was subiect he should too seuerely punish any of his sernants if they by chance should breake any of them But the Emperour Valentinian was so ouercharged with choller that he fell into such a rage against certaine Ambassadours as he lost his voyce and speech and so was carried to his bed and let ten blood but bled not choller hauing burned and dryed vp the veines and so dyed Patience therefore is a happy vertue by which a man may preserue his body and possesse his soule saith Christ Luke 21. In your patience you shall possesse your soules And to attaine to this vertue Diogenes asked almes of the Images in Athens to make him take deniall patiently Aristotle being told that one railed on him was not moued but said whe I am absent let him beate me also And Socrates being abused spurned and kicked by an insolent fellow and seeing his friends offended therewith said How now my Masters if an Asse had kicked and giuen mee a rap on the shinnes would you haue me to yerke out and to kicke him againe Antigonus hearing his Souldiers reuile him behind his pauillion said to them you knaues could you not goe a little further off when you meant to raile vpon me One Nicanor rayled vpon Philip King of Macedonia for which his Counsell wold haue had him seuerely punished but the King very patiently answered first let vs see whether the fault be in him or in vs. And vnderstanding that Nicanor had deserued well and that he had neuer giuen him any thing sent him a rich gift After which Niconor spoke very much good of the King Whereupon the King said to his Counsell I see well that I am a better Physitian for backebiting then you are and that it is in my power to cause either good or cuill to be spoken of me CHAP. 17. A Prince to be moderate in his dyet NAture is content with a little therefore if a man doe either eate or drinke more then sufficeth nature it is superfluous and ingendreth euill humours corrupteth the body and weakneth the spirits and vnderstanding for Diogenes saith that the wit is made dul with grosse and immoderate dealing And Plato affirmeth that those who vse to eat much although they haue a good wit yet cannot be wise The reason is saith Plutarch because the body being ful of meat corrupteth the iudgement in such sort as maketh a man neither fit to giue counsell nor to gouerne in a Common-wealth nor to doe any good worke The Emperour Octauius Caesar had therefore ordinarily at supper but three dishes of meat and when he fared best he had but sixe And the Egyptians in their feasts and banquets had a dead body dryed brought in amongst them that the sight thereof might containe them in modesty and make them temperate in their feeding Ada Queene of Caria sent Alexander Magnus certaine skilfull Cooks whom he refused and sent her word that he had better then they were namely for his dinner early rising and walking a good while before day and for his supper a little dinner for in those dayes they did commonly eate but one meale a day as appeareth by Plato who being demaunded if he had seene any new or strange thing in Cicily said that he had found there a Monster of nature which did eate twice a day meaning Diogenes the Tyrant Agesilaus King of the Lacedaemonians passing his Army through the Countrey of Thracia they presented with meale fowle baked meates and all other sorts of delicate meates and conserues The meale hee was willing to take but not the rest yet through great intreaty he accepted of all and gaue all and gaue all sauing the meale to his slaues and being asked why he did so he said It is not conuenient for men who make profession of manhood and prowesse to eate such delicates for by pleasure delicate meats and drinkes the courage of man is abated Therefore Xerxes after hee had taken the great City of Babylon would not put the people to death but to be reuenged of them commanded them not to exercise any Armes but to vse and giue themselues to all pleasure feasting and drinking So that by this meanes they grew to be most vile and base people whereas before they were most valiant And by the great feasting and drunkennesse in Siracuse in Cicily the Romans tooke the towne and spoyled it The Emperour Vitellius was very riotous in his diet insomuch as at one supper he had 2000 seuerall kinde of fishes and 7000 dishes of foule but what followed Soone after hee was openly put to death by Vespasian Caligula likewise in riotous banquets in making sweet bathes and in other vaine and friuolous expences spent in one yeare 67 millions of crownes and in the end was killed Nero also was prodigal in the like charges and banquets sumpuous attire neuer wearing one garment twice And Sabina his wife had daily the milke of 500 Asses to bathe her in but their ends were pittifull The Emperour Adrianus was riotous in his youth and thereby diseased in his age which forced him to vse many Phisitians and medicines but could not be cured Therefore good order and temperate dyet prolongeth the life and preferueth wisedome Early rising also saith Plato and much watching are profitable to keepe a man in health and to augment his wisedome It doth withall increase deuotion for then a man shall find himselfe most apt to serue God CHAP. 18. A Prince to be continent of life BVt if he serue his belly with immoderate and too great delicates and pamper his flesh too much it will besides dulling of the wit make the flesh rebell against the spirit and fall to incontinency a vice wherof a Prince ought to haue a speciall care that he giue not himselfe to the lust of the flesh for it is a deuouring fire till all be consumed and rooting vp the seed of good workes saith Iob 31. And Luxuria eneruat vires effeminat artus It will make him weake and effeminate and destroyeth both body and soule losing thereby also sometimes both life and kingdome for by adultery Roderico last King of the Gothes in Spaine committed with the wife of Iulian Earle of Cewta when hee was Ambassadour in Africke he for reuenge brought the Moores into Spaine who therupon subdued the Countrey Osibright King of Northumberland rauished the wife of one Barne who to be reuenged brought in the Danes slew Osibright and made great spoyle in the land The Emperour Claudius married his brothers daughter and shee her selfe poysoned him Siphax King of Numidia transported with the loue of Sophonisba
the flatterers of his Court and that hee could take no order for them they had him so besieged in their hands he gaue ouer the Empire and retyred himselfe to his house in Slcauonia where he liued euer after a very priuate life delighting himselfe with Gardens and rurall workes But the Emperour Caligula tooke a better course with his Parasites for one Afrianius Potitus and Afranius Secundus made a shew of great sorrow for him when he was sicke and swore by the gods that they would very willingly dye for his recouery The Emperour knowing they did but flatter said then little but being recouered called them before him and said my good friends I haue found that you are in fauour with the gods for since your vow for me I haue recouered but fearing I should fall sicke againe if you accomplish not your vow I sent for you to dye desiring you both to take your deaths patiently and so presently put them to death Plutarch writeth that Dionysius the Tyrant of Cicily delighting in his owne Poems asked diuers Philosophers how they liked them they all flatteringly highly commended them sauing one who said plainly that it was a shame to heare them they were so bad Whereat the Tyrant offended commanded him to the Mines there to worke amongst the condemned men but being released by meanes of his friends and againe in the Kings presence when he demaunded the opinion of the Philosophers in another of his Poems and they all extolling it aboue the Skies he cryed to the guard of the Tyrant saying Come my masters come carry me away to the Mines againe for I cannot endure this foolish flattery The King by chance being then in a good humour was not offended but turned it to a laughter Curtius saith that the states of Princes are oftner ouerthrowne by flatterers then by force It is a happy thing therefore for Princes to haue those about them that will not flatter but tell them the truth For what saith Seneca wanteth he that hath all marry one to tell the truth Therefore the Emperour Gordian said that that Prince is very vnfor tunate who hath not about him those who may plainly tell him the truth For a King knoweth not what passeth but by relation of those that conuerse with him Theopompus being asked how a Prince might preserue his Kingdome said by giuing his friends liberty to speake the truth and in keeping his subiects from oppression Phocian dealt plainly and like a faithfull seruant with King Antipater telling him vpon occasion that he would do him any seruice possible but could not be to him both a friend and a flatterer Themistocles in like manner seeing Euribiades taking vp a staffe to strike him for his free speeches said strike me so you will heare me after A Prince therefore must permit freedome of speech if he meane to heare the truth and giue no care to flattery Pessenius Niger a Roman Captaine hearing one praise and flatter him in his Oration said to him goe goe write the praises of Marius and Hanniball other old and valiant Captaines that are dead that we may immitate theÌ„ for it is a mockry to praise theÌ„ that are aliue and as for me I will do good whilst I liue and be praysed when I am dead Yet Agesilaus king of Sparta sayd that he liked to be praysed of those friends who would not also spare to blame him when occasion should serue CHAP. 20. What kind of persons to be of a Princes Counsell A Prince should be very carefull in making choyce of his Counsellors For Plato faith that many Princes are vndone because thâ—y want faithfull friends and seruants to counsell them Therefore Alfred kiâ—g of England sought out the wisâ—st and most learned men to be about him Alexander Seuerus likewise made choise of honest and vertnous Counsellors and dilplaced the vitious and sought to know the truth of all things that passed in all places and Prouinces of the Empire Fredericus Furius opinion is that Counsellours to a Prince ought not to be vnder thirty yeares of age nor aboue sixty For sayth he before he be thirty his vnderstanding is not setled his experience llitle his presumption great his heate much his thoughts light and not of sufficient grauity And that after sixty yeares his memory faileth his vnderstanding weake his experience turned to obstinacy his his heate little lonsing oacasion his thoughts wearied and able to take no paines nor trauell Howbeit some haue beene able and sufficient enough after they passâ—d that age as Camillus who though he were of very great yeares yet was chosen Dictator they finding his memory good and his senses perfect So many others haue bene fince his time And Frederieus Furius sayth moreouer that a Counsellour to a Prince ought to be either of a chollericke or of a fanguine complexion for that those of that temper saith he are witty haue good memory can discourse well are of good iudgement most louing affable loyall liberall and of great courage and that the melancholike are base minded vaine enemies to noble thoughts malicious superstitious and phantasticall And Socrates saith a Prince ought not to trust him that is couetous nor him that is a flatterer nor to make a passionate or a too cholericke man of his counsell nor a drunkard nor any that is subiect to a woman For it is not possible saith he that they should keepe close his secrets And Pythagoras saith it is impossible for him to obtaine wisedome and knowledge that is in bondage to a woman therefore the Emperour Alexander Seuerus would neuer admit any Counsellor or other officer whether he were of Noble parentage or had done him great seruice or were commended to him vnlesse he were of good reputation learned of good experience and of good life And better to informe himselfe hereof he caused wrightings to be set vp in common places of the streetes desiring thereby the people to shew some cause if they could why such a man should not be admitted to such a place and office and would not suffer any office to be sold because Iustice should not be sold Yet the Emperor Vespasian at the beginning of his raigne gaue the chiefe offices dignities to the greatest theeues he could find and being asked why he did so answered that he vsed them as a spunge for when they were full he would wring them and confiscate all they had and hang them Some Princes doe place thecues in authority not knowing them but being discouered it were happy for the common wealth and good for the Prince if they were vsed as Vespasian vsed his And Iulian the Apostata placed a cruell and troublesome Iudge at Alexandria in Aegypt and being told he was vnworthy to gouerne it is true sayd he and therefore I placed him there that he may plague them as they deserue they being a troublesome and wicked people but good men are alwayes to be placed in gouernement that the wicked
by example may amend or be punished and the good preserued For Pictatus reputed that common wealth to be well gouerned in which wicked men might beare no authority And a Prince is to haue some for Counsell some for execution for very seldome doth it concurre in one man to haue wit to disoourse well vpon any matter in Counsell and to haue iudgement to execute that which by Counsell is determined The Captaine Picinio was in consultation of a weake iudgement but in executing any thing resolued vpon by Counsell very ready Francis the first King of France did exceed all his Counsell in consultation but in his execution was not answerable to his aduise Pope Clement the 7. did exceed all other in Counsell but in executing was inferiour to euery one And as it is necessary that a Prince should haue a graue and wise Counsell so is it requisite hee should haue some about him for his pleasure So Alexander Magnus when he went into Asia against Darius tooke with him two of his most speciall friends and seruants Craterus and Hephestion very different in complexion and in condition for Craterus was graue seuere and stoike and only cared for matters of State and Counsell being one of the Kings principall Counsellors And Hiphestion was a yong Gentleman of good complexion gallant actiue and full of sport and onely cared how to recreate the King So that Craterus was called a friend to the King and Hephestion a friend to Alexander But a Prince had need to be very carefull in choosing of his friend to be inward and familiar with him For Augustus Caesar did not receiue a man to his amity and familiarity but first did proue him and sound his virtues fidelity and loyalty and those who hee knew to be vertuous and that told him freely the truth in all things and that did not flatter and that imployed themselues willingly and sincerely in his affaires and after hauing had good proofe hereof he receiued them for his friends Alcibiades to try his friends made them one after another beleeue that he had killed a man and they all refused to endanger themselues for him sauing one Calias The Emperour Constantius to make proofe of his friends made shew to abandon Christian Religion and to turne to Idolatry he was instantly applauded by a great number whom presently he banished the Court. For a Prince shall neuer want followers in any thing The world counselling those that serue Princes to please them in whatsoeuer though it redound to the losse of their soules and ruine of the common-wealth for so they shall obtaine honor riches pleasure and quietnesse but what is their end Ducunt in bonis dies suos in puncto ad â—nferna descenaunt saith Iob. 21. They lead their dâ—yes in pleasure and in an instant descend into hell For when they shall say peace and security then shall suddaine destruction come vpon them saith Saint Paule 1. Thes 5. And Dauid saith Psal 36. Vidi impium superexaltatum eleuatum ficut Cedrum Libans transiut eum non est inuentus loeu eius I did see the impious mightily exalted and raised on high as the Cedar tree and I passed by and presently he was gone I sought him and his place was not to bee found Saint Augustine therefore affimeth that it is better to suffer torments for speaking the truth then to receiue great rewards for flattery And Saint Chrysostome sayth Feare not them that kill the body least for feare of them thou speake not the truth freely And as Counsellours ought to haue freedome of speech So Predericus Furius doth wish a Prince for tryall of his Councell to aske counsell sometimes in things contray to the good of the Common wealth and to his owne intention And Demetrius Phelarius counselled Ptholomeus King of Egypt to reade bookes which treated of Kings and Common wealths for that in them be should finde many things which his Counsell and families durst not tell hid But Aristeus saith that the greatest and best guard a Prince can haue is to be accompanied with a great number of iust and expert Counsellours who through meere loue setting their owne particular commodity apart regard onely the profite and welfare of the Prince and common wealth speaking freely what they thinke For Counsellours sayth Iulius Caesar in one of his orations to the Senate should not be led by malice friendship anger nor mercy And if they concurre in one lawfull opinion though the Prince be opposite yet it is fitting he should yeeld to them For so did the Emperour Marcus Antonius saying It must bee as You will for it is great reason that I being but one should follow your opinion then you being many Wise and Learned should yeeld to mine CHAP. 21. Not good to commit the charge of the Common wealth to one Counsellor onely BVt it is very dangerous for a Prince to be led by the aduice and counsell of one onely or to commit the gouernement of the Common wealth to one Counsellour onely And so Commines dath witnesse saying that A Prince ought to haue many Counsellours and not commit any cause of importance to one onely and that all his Counsellours should be equall in fauour otherwise if he be led onely by one and make no accompt of the rest not giuing them equall hearing he may endanger himselfe as did Hieronimus King of Cicily who was onely counselled by his brother in law Andronodorus who made him odious to all the Kingdome and then killed him Stillico likewise gouerned all vnder the Emperour Honorius And to get entrance to make himselfe Emperour took pay from the Goths of purpose to make them rebel which thereupon they did and by the aide they got spoyled Thracia Hungaria Austria Sclauonia and Dalmatia Stilico though hee might yet would not quite ouer throw them whereof Honorius being informed put to death both Stilico and his sonne Vnder the Emperour Commodus first Perennis ruled all and for displacing the Nobility and preferring base persons was killed by the souldiers After him Cleander managed all and a great famine and plague beeing in Rome the people imputed the cause thereof to him and thought to kill him Hee to appease this sturre ranne vpon the people with the Emperours horse-men and killed a great number of them The Emperour fearing himselfe sent for Cleander presently cut off his head and sent it to the people wherewith they were appeased yet in the end Commodus himself was killed The Emperor Seuerus permitted Plautianus to gouerne all vnder him at his pleasure who in the end practised to kill him and his two sonnes But Bassianus the Emperours sonne vnderstanding thereof and that his Father meant to pardon him killed him in the Emperours presence The Emperour Galba was a good Prince and wise yet suffered himselfe to be onely gouerned by Titus Iunius Cornelius Lacus and Icellus Martianus who by their wicked gouernement made the Emperour to be hated of all estates
Treasurers and Magistrates who enriched themselues by the pâ—uerty of the people and of the increase of Taxes Subsidies and Impositions which orew the people into dispaire oppressed also with Famine and Plagues that when the King would haue leuyed an other Army hee could not get the French to it A Prince therefore should loue and cherish his Subiects but not oppresse them For Tyberius Nero when some perswaded him to take great Tributes of the Prouinces sayd that a good shepheard should sheare his sheepe but not deuoure them And Lewes the ninth King of France his chiefe care in sparing was to ease the people by abating the Taxes and Subsidies layd vppon them by his Predecessors And that State sayth Thales is best ordered which hath it neither too wealthy nor too poore Citizens CHAP. 25. Who to haue the charge in Warre FOrce and Valour most properly should belong to the Nobility and they thereby defend the people and bee their Leaders in Warre Therefore for a Prince to take that charge from them or to displace them if they be sufficient is not conuenient For Perennis hauing the whole gouernement vnder the Emperour Commodus displaced all the Noble Captaines and put other base persons in their roomes whereat the Army being grieued pulled Perennis in peeces as an enemy to the Common wealth Anno enuying the glory of Mutinesâ— tooke his charge from him and gaue it to his owne sonne Whereupon Mutines practised with the Confull and betrayed to him the Towne of Agrigente in Cicily whereby all Cicily was brought in subiection to the Romanes Lewes the eleuenth King of France displacing the Noblemen and his good seruants and giuing the Offices to men or base quality ciuill Warre did arise but the King presently acknowledging his errour restored them againe Yet it behoueth a Prince to be respectiue and not to giue a charge to a seuere man For sometimes a good Prince shall be hated for his wicked Gouernour as was Scipio for the cruelty of his Lieutenant Pleninius And Lucullus though he was wise and Valiant and did many exploits against Mythridates and Tygranes two of the greatest Kings of Asia yet was hee so seuere and vncourteous as his souldiers loued him not neyther would obay him in the end Whereupon the Romanes set Pompey in his place who by his courtesie and clemency wonne the hearts of his souldiers and thereby brought all the East parts vnder the obedience of the Romanes and so reaped the fruites of Lucullus labours and had the honour thereof with Tryumph Appius Claudius vsed in like manner great rigour and seuerity amongst his souldiers insomuch as they would doe nothing for him though he put some of the Captaines to death but reioyced to be ouer-throwne to dishonour him And at another time the Romane souldiers for despite they had against the Ten-men suffered themselues to be vanquished And Marcus Popilius Confull subduing the Lygurians now Geneuois rebelling against the Romanes raysed their Towne walls tooke their armour from them and sold them and their goods which the Senate thought to be a too seuere and cruell part of Popilius and an euill example for others to stand vppon extreamity rather then to yeeld or to trust to the clemency of the Romanes Therefore commaunded all that were sold to bee redeemed their goods to be restored they suffered to haue armour and Popilius to bee called home and his gouernement giuen to another Therefore a Prince for his Warres had neede to appoynt not onely a wise but a temperate and Valiant Commander For Plato sayth that a man temperate not endued with fortitude falleth easily into cowardlinesse and basenesse of minde and that a strong and Valiant man without remperance is easily carried away with temerity and boldnesse So was Flaminius ouer-throwne and killed by Hanniball at Trasamene for not staying to ioyne his forces with the other Consull And Minutius in the absence of Fabius hauing charge and commaund ouer the Army vppon his rash attempt against Hanniball had good successe Whereupon he would needes haue the Army diuided betwixt them and haue equall charge to which Fabius condiscended Hauniball perceiuing his rashnesse and insolence gaue him battell and ouer-threw him but Fabius being at hand gaue him succours whereuppon Minutius conâ—essed his errour And then Hanniball said that the Cloud which had wont to hang vpon the mountaynes sturred with Wind and Tempâ—st was ruined to Raine for Fabius kept the heights and would not fight but with good aduantage therefore Hanniball feared his wisedome And when Fabius had gotten the Towne of Tarent by Treason Hanuiball sayd I perceiue the Romanes haue also their Hanniball But at Treue Hanuiball defeated the Romanes who came to battell fasting which was a great ouer-fight in the Confull But Hanniball commaunded all his men to eate some meate before Marcellus through the default of his owne souldiers was ouerthrowne by Hanuiball but his wisedome was such as first rebuking his souldiers therefore and then encouraging of them he gaue battell the next day to Hanniball and deseated him But the Confull Minutius was of a weaker spirit temperate without fortitude for hee being sent agaynst the Eques durst not come neere them but fortified himselfe in his Campe which they seeing besieged him in his Tents Whereupon Lucius Quintiut was created Dictator who relieued him and subdued the Eques but would giue no part of the spoyle neyther to Minutius nor to his souldiers but rebuked them So that Wisedome Temperance and Valour are necessary in a Generall Dissention likewise in an Army is to be auoyded for by the diffention betwixt the Consuls Hanniball ouerthrew them at the battell of Cannas Therefore Claudius Neron and M. Lucins being enemies and chosen Consuls made themselues friends for the good of the Common-wealth So Aristides and Themistocles sent Embassadours by Athens did reconcile themselues during that imployment Cretes and Hermias not friends and being in their Citty of Magnetia besieged by Mythridates Cretes offered Hermias the charge of Captayne Generall and to depart the Citty himselfe or if Hermias had rather depart then to leaue that Office to him least by their both being in Towne iealousie might grow betwixt them and breed hurt to their Country Hermias seeing the honest offer of his Companion and knowing him to be the more sufficient yeelded to him the charge and left the Towne And as dissention is hurtfull so enuy is not fitting For the French men ayding Iohn King of Castile agaynst Denis King of Portugall had vpon their earnest request the poynt of the battell which did offend the Spaniards who were desirous thereof insomuch that the French-men giuing the charge the Spaniard would not second them but suffered them all to be slayne or taken and then they set vpon the Portugals who hauing vanquished the French and seeing the Castilians come killed all their prisoners and then ouer-threw them also Pope Boniface the ninth and the French King sent great forces agaynst the Turke