Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A50367
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A true copy of a letter written by N. Machiavill in defence of himself and his religion translated from an original copy.
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Neville, Henry, 1620-1694.; Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469-1527. Works. English. 1675.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing M141; ESTC R4918
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22,326
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35
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Condition it then is I mean to defend it from being Changed or Invaded by the Craft or Force of any Man although it be the Prince or Chief Magistrate himself provided that such taking up of Arms be Commanded or Authorised by those who are by the Orders of that Government legally intrusted with the Custody of the Liberty of the People and Foundation of the Government This I hold to be so far from Rebellion that I believe it laudable nay the Duty of every Member of such Commonwealth for that he who Fights to Support and Defend the Government he was born and lives under cannot deserve the odious name of Rebel but he who endeavours to destroy it If this be not granted it will be in vain to frame any mixt Monarchies in the World yet such is at this day the happy Form under which almost all Europe lives as the People of France Spain German Poland Swethland Denmark c. Wherein the Prince hath his share and the People theirs which last if they had no means of recovering their Rights if taken from them or defending them if invaded would be in the same Estate as if they had no Title to them but liv'd under the Empire of Turkey or of Muscovey And since they have no other Remedy but by Arms and that it would be of ill Conquence to make every private man judge when the Rights of the People to which they have as lawful a Claim as the Prince to his are Invaded which would be apt to produce frequent and sometimes causeless Tumults therefore it hath been the great Wisdom of the Founders of such Monarchies to appoint Guardians to their Liberty which if it be not otherwise exprest is and ought to be understood to reside in the Estates of the Country which for that Reason as also to exercise their share in the Soveraignty as making Laws Levying Money c. are frequently to be Assembled in all those Regions in Europe before mentioned These are to assert and maintain the Orders of the Government and the Laws established and if it cannot be done otherwise to arm the People to defend them and repel the force that is upon them Nay the Government of Aragon goes further and because in the intervals of the Estates or Courts many accidents may intervene to the prejudice of their Rights or Fueros as they call them they have during the intermission appointed a Magistrate called El Iusticia who is by the Law and Constiâ—ution of that Kingdom to Assemble the whole People to his Banner whenever such Rights are incroacht upon who are not only justified by the Laws for such coming together but are severely punishable in case of refusal So that there is no question but that if the Kings of Aragon at this day very powerful by the addition of the Naples Kingdom and of Sicily and the Union with Castile should in time to come Invade their Kingdom of Aragon with the Forces of their New Dominions and endeavour to take from them the Rights and Priviledges they enjoy lawfully by their Constitution There is no question I say but they may though their King be there in person against them Assemble under their Iusticia and defend their Liberties with as much Justice as if they were Invaded by the French or by the Turk For it were absurd to think since the People may be legally assembled to apprehend Banditti Robbers nay to deliver a Possession forceably detain'd against the Sentence of some inferiour Court that they may and ought not to bestir themselves to keep in being and preserve that Government which maintains them in possession of their Liberty and Property and defends their Lives too from being Arbitrarily taken away But I know this clear Truth receives opposition in this unreasonable and corrupt Age when Men are more prone to Flatter the Lusts of Princes than formerly and the Favourites are more impatient to bear the impartiality of Laws than the Sonâ— of Brutus were who complain'd Legâ—s esse Surdas that is though they were fine Gentlemen in favour with the Ladies and Ministers of the King's â—leasures vet they could not Oppress Drink Whore nor Kill the Sbiri Officers of Justice in the Streets returning from their Night Revels but the Execution of the Laws would reach them as well â—s others who in the times of Tarquin it seems found the Prince more exorable Nay the very Divines themselves help with their fallacies to oppugne this Doctrine by making us believe as I said before that it is God's will all Princes should be absolute and are so far in a Conspiracy against Mankind that they assert that in the Text This shall the manner of your King be God was giving that People the Ius Divinum of Government when in truth he was threatning then with the Plagues of Monarchy But I spare the Divines here since I shall have occasion in Discoursing of my next Accusation to shew how that sort of People have dealt with God's Truths and with the Interests of Men and to be as good as my word I shall presently fall upon that Point having been so tedious already in the former I am charged then in the Second place with Impiety in villifying the Church and so to make way for Atheism I do not deny but that I have very frequently in my Writings laid the blame upon the Church of Rome not only for all the Misgovernment of Christendom but even for the depravation and almost total Destruction of Christian Religion it self in this Province But that this Discourse of mine doth or can tend to teach Men Impiety or to make way for Atheism I peremptorily deny and although for proof of my innocence herein I need but refer you and all others to my Papers themselves as they are now Published where you will find all my Reasons drawn from Experience and frequent Examples cited which is ever my way of arguing yet since I am put upon it I shall in a few Lines make that matter possibly a little clearer and shall first make protestation that as I do undoubtedly hope by the Merits of Christ and by Faith in him to attain Eternal Salvation so I do firmly Believe the Christian Profession to be the only true Religion now in the World Next I am fully perswaded that all Divine Verities which God then designed to teach the World are contained in the Books of Holy Scripture as they are now extant and received amongst us From them I understand that God Created Man in Purity and Innocence and that the first of that Species by their frailty lost at once their Integrity and their Paradise and intail'd Sin and Misery upon their Posterity That Almighty God to repair this loss did out of his infinite Mercy and with unparallel'd Grace and Goodness send his only Begotten Son into the World to teach us new Truths to be a perfect Example of Vertue Goodness and Obedience to restore true Religion degenerated amongst the Iews into Superstition Formality and Hypocrisie to die for the Salvation of Mankind and in fine to give to us the Holy Spirit and to regenerate our Hearts support our Faith and lead us into all Truth Now
several Functions of their Calling as Prophesying that is preaching the Gospel Visiting the Sick c. and never intermitted the ordinary business of their Trade or Profession unless their Church or Congregation was very numerous in which case they were maintain'd by Alms or Contribution which was laid aside by every Member and Collected the first day of the Week by the Deacons this was said to be given to the Church and was imploy'd by Suffrage of the whole collective Body to the Poor and to other incidences so far was it from Sacriledge in those days to employ Church Goods to Lay uses From these words Church Clergy Ordination Pastor which last hath been Translated of late years Bishop you see what Conclusions these Men have deduced and how immense a Structure they have raised upon so little a Foundation and how easily it will fall to the ground when God shall inspire Christian Princes and States to redeem his Truths and his poor enslaved Members out of their clutches and to bring back again into the World the true Original Christian Faith with the Apostolical Churches Pastors and Ordination so consistent with Moral Vertue and Integrity so helpful and conducing to the best and most prudent Policy so fitted for obedience to Magistracy and Government all which the World hath for many years been depriv'd of by the execrable and innate ill quality which is inseparable from Priestcraft and the Conjuration or Spell of their new invented Ordination by which they cry with the Poet Claudian Iam furor humanum nostro de pectore sensum Expulit totum spirant praecordia Phaebum Which makes them so Sacred and Holy that they have nothing of Integrity or indeed of Humanity left in them I hope I shall not be thought impious any longer upon this Point I mean for Vindicating Christian Religion from the assaults of these Men who having the confidence to believe or at least profess themselves the only Instruments which God hath chosen or can chuse to teach and reform the World though they have neither Moral Vertues nor Natural Parts equal to other Men for the most part have by this pretence prevailed so far upon the common sort of People and upon some too of a better quality that they are perswaded their Salvation or Eternal Damnation depends upon believing or not believing of what they say I would not be understood to disswade any from honouring the true Apostolical Teachers when they shall be re-established amongst us or from allowing them even of right and not of alms or courtesie such Emoluments as may enable them cheerfully to perform the duties of their Charge to provide for their Children and even to use Hospitality as they are commanded by St. Paul But this I will Prophesie before I conclude that if Princes shall perform this business by halves and leave any root of this Clergy or Priest-craft as it now is in the ground or if that Famous Reformer fled some years since out of Picardy to Geneva who is of so great Renown for Learning and Parts and who promises us so perfect a Reformation shall not in his Model wholly extirpate this sort of Men then I say I must foretell that as well the Magistrate as this Workman will find themselves deceived in their expectation and that the least Fibra of this Plant will overrun again the whole Vineyard of the Lord and turn to a diffusive Papacy in every Diocess perhaps in every Parish So that God in his mercy inspire them to cut out the Core of the Uulcer and the bag of this Impostume that it may never ranckle or fester any more nor break out hereafter to diffuse new corruption and putrefaction through the Body of Christ which is his Holy Church nor to vitiate and infect the good Order and true Policy of Government I come now to the last branch of my Charge which is That I teach Princes Villany and and how to Enslave and Oppress their Subjects In which Accusation I am dealt with as poor Messieur Agnolo Canini was who as they report being a very Learned Practiser of the Laws and left the only Man of this profession one Autumn in our City the rest of the Advocates being fled into the Country for fear of a Contagious Disease which then reigned was commanded by our Judges to assist with his Counsel both Parties and to draw Pleas as well for the Defendant as the Plaintiff else the Courts of Justice must have been shut up In the same manner my Accusers handle me and make me first exhort and teach Subjects to throw off their Princes and then to instruct Monarchs how to Enslave and Oppress them but I did not expect such ingratitude from mine own Citizens or to be serv'd as Moses was when he was upbraided for killing the Egyptian by one of his own People for whose sake he had done it whereas he believed they would have understood by that action that he was the Person whom God intended to make use of in delivering them from the horrid Slavery they were then under If any Man will read over my Book of the Prince with impartiality and ordinary Charity he will easily perceive that it is not my intention therein to recommend that Government or those Men there described to the World much less to teach them to trample upon good Men and all that is Sacred and Venerable upon Earth Laws Religion Honesty and what not If I have been a little too punctual in designing these Monsters and drawn them to the Life in all their Lineaments and Colours I hope Mankind will know them the better to avoid them my Treatise being both a Satyr against them and a true Character of them I speak nothing of Great and Honourable Princes as the Kings of France England and others who have the States and Orders of their Kingdoms with excellent Laws and Costitutions to found and maintain their Government and who reign over the Hearts as well as the Persons of their Subjects I treat only of those Vermine bred out of the corruption of our own small Commonwealth and Cities or engender'd by the ill blasts that come from Rome as Olivarolâ— da Fermo Borgia the Baglioni the Bentivogli and a hundred others who having had neither right nor honourable means to bring them to their power use it with more Violence Rapine and Cruelty upon the poor People than those other Renowned Princes shew to the Boars the Wolves the Foxes and other Savage Beasts which are the Objects of their Chace and Hunting Whosoever in his Empire over Men is ty'd to no other Rules than those of his own Will and Lust must either be a Saint to moderate his Passions or else a very Devil incarnate or if he be neither of these both his Life and Reign are like to be very short for whosoever takes upon him so execrable an Employment as to Rule Men against the Laws of Nature and of Reason must turn all topsey