temporibus locisque referre possim decora Liv. Dec. l. 2. To the same effect Godfrey thus spoke to his Men Whose Country is not known Whose Noble Blood Whose Courage or whose Conduct is not understood * Tass. Cant. 20. Upon this account it will not be convenient for the Prince to intrust his Forces with a General which is so certain a Danger that it was looked upon as unsafe for Tiberius to put his into the Hands even of his Son Germanicus 16 In cujus manu tot legiones immensa sociorum auxilia mirus apud populum favor habere imperium quà m expectare mallet Tac. l. 4. Annal. And this takes place more particularly in Civil Insurrections where as has been said the Princes appearing easily dashes the Rebels 17 Divus Iulius seditionem exercitus verbo uno compescuit Quirites â—â—cando qui sacramentum ejus detrectabant Divus Augustus vultu aspectâ— Actiacas legiones exterruit Tac. l. 1. Hist. Notwithstanding every Motion of War or the loss of any small Town should not make the Prince come abroad and desert the Court whence Government flows to all the other Parts as Tiberius well observed in the Troubles of Germany 18 Neque decorum priâ—cipibus si una â—lterave civitas omissa urbe unde in omâ—ia regimen Tac. l. 3. Annal. He at another time hearing himself reviled for not going to quiet the Hungarian and German Legions stood unshaken at those Murmurings and was fix'd not to abandon the Head of the Monarchy and expose that and himself to the Chance of War By these Reasons were they led who persuaded David not to go out to fight against the Israelites who adhered to Absolom saying That their being put to flight or cut off would not be of so bad consequence as if he should fly or be killed in his own Person which was worth Ten Thousand of them and therefore that it seemed best that he should stay behind to guard the City Which accordingly he did 19 2 Sâ—m 18. 3 4. So if the War be made to revenge an Injury or Affront Vindictam mandâsse sat est * Claud. The same may be said when Arms are taken up for Defence only and there be no evident Danger for then the Prince will get more Credit by despising it and leaving it to a General So if the War be waged to make any new Conquests it will be thought too eager Ambition in him to hazard his Person and be greater Prudence to try his Fortune by another as King Ferdinand the Catholick did committing the Conquest of Naples to the Great Captain and that of the Indies to Herman Cortez If a General fall it is easie to find another to succeed him but if the Prince be lost all is lost as it befell King Sâ—bastian The Absence of Princes from their Courts is very dangerous as Spain found to its cost in that of the Emperor Charles V. Nor should a Prince venture his own State to conquer others 20 Ne nova molireâ—ur nisi â—ioribus firmatis Tac. Annal. l. 12. The same Sun whose Figure we use in this Device never visits the Poles because one of them would be endanger'd in the mean time Medium non desâ—rit unquam Coeli Phoebus iter radiis tamen omnia lustrat †Claud. Nature has given the Kings of the Bees Wings but those very small lest they should stray too far from their Kingdoms Let the Prince go to those Wars only whose Seat is within his own Dominions or that threaten him with evident Danger Hence Mucianus advised the Emperor Domitian to stay at Lyons in France and not stir till the State of those Provinces or the Empire it self were in greater danger 21 Ipse Lugduni vim fortunamque Principatus è proximo ostentaâ—â—â— nec parvis periculis mixtus majoribus non defuturus Tac. Hist. l. 4. Nor was it good Counsel which Titianus and Proculus gave Otho not to be at the Battel of Bedriacum upon the Issue of which the whole Empire depended 22 Postquam pugnari placitum interesse pugnae Imperatorem an seâ—â—â— melius foret dubitavere Paulino Celso non adversantibus ne Prâ—â—cipem objectare periculis viderentur iidem illi deterioris consilii perpulâ—â—â— ut Brixellum conderet ac dubiis praeliorum exemptus summae rerum â—â—perii seipsum reservaret Tac. Hist. l. 2. The Arch-Duke Leopold shews much more Courage and Prudence who though he sees himself assaulted at Salefeld by the Joint-Forces of his Enemies much superiour to his yet undervalues his Personal Dangers and always maintains a general Constancy well knowing the Safety of the Empire and House of Austria to consist in this Event and so is the foremost in the Perils and Fatigues of War Monstrat tolerare labores Non jubet * Lucan But even in these Cases too it is necessary to examine the Condition of the War whether the Prince by absenting himself will not leave his State in greater danger either from within or abroad if he shall not hazard his Succession whether he have Courage enough and be capable of Arms and have an Inclination to them For if he want but any one of these Qualities he will do more by putting his Power and Forces into another Hand as we see in the Loadstone which by touching the Iron and communicating its Virtue to it lifts up a greater Weight than it could do by it self But if the Necessity be great it will suffice if the Prince be hard by to Influence his Army staying in some Place whence he may readily Consult Resolve and give Orders This was the Emperor Leopold's way who removed sometimes to Aquileia sometimes to Ravenna or Milan to be near the Wars of Hungary and Germany EMBLEM LXXXVII PRudence is not always fortunate nor Temerity always unhappy Quisquis sapit celeriter non tuto sapit It is however good for fiery Tempers to follow the first impetus of Nature because by delay they cool insensibly and can never determine themselves nor has it usually an ill End in War particularly to let themselves be lâ—d by that secret Force of Second Causes which if it does not compell at least moves them so that with it they seldom miscarry Some Divine Genius favours Daring Actions Scipio passes the Sea into Africa and freely trusts himself to the Punick Faith of Syphax with apparent Risque of his Life and the Publick Safety of Rome Julius Caesar in a small Bark abandons himself to the Fury of the Adriatick and both succeed in their Rasâ—ness It is impossible for all things to be provided against by Prudence nor would any thing great be attempted if that should stand to consult all Casualties and Hazards Cardinal Gaspar Borgia enter'd Naples in Disguise upon hearing of the Sedition between the Commons and Nobility The Danger was great and when some of the Nobility proposed several ways for him to secure himself he answer'd
Vital Warmth which no sooner begins but begins to die too Death is naturally equal to all but is distinguished by the Glory or Oblivion we leave to Posterity Who dying makes Renown a Substitute for Life lives still Strange force of Virtue which even against Nature makes that which is of its self fading and perishable Immortally glorious Tacitus did not think Agricola's Life short though he was snatch'd away in the prime of his Years for his Glory prolong'd his Life 6 Quanquam medio in spatiâ— integrae aetatis ereptus quantum ad gâ—riam longissimum â—evum peregit â—ac in Vir. Agriâ— Let no one despise or slight Posthumous Fame for in as much as the Mind covets it 't is an acknowledgement that one time or other 't is to be enjoyed but they are in the wrong who think it sufficient if they leave it behind them in Statues or in Posterity for in one 't is fading in t'other 't is none of theirs That only is their own which springs from Actions which if not extraordinary Merit no Praise for Fame is the Daughter of Admiration To be Born only to make One in the World is for the Vulgar Rout 't is for Princes to appear perspicuously eminent among others Others study what they think their own Interest but the utmost and only aim of Princes should be Glory 7 Caeteris mortalibus in eo stare consilia quid sibi conducere puteâ—â— Principum diversam esse sortem quibus praecipua rerum ad famam diâ—â—genda Tac. 4. Ann. Avarice and desire of Riches fill their Breasts but a Prince should be inflamed by an Ambition of Fame 8 Argentum quidem pecunia est commoâ—â— omnium possessio at honestum ex eo laus gloria Deorum est 〈◊〉 eorum qui à aiis proximi censentur Polybius A heavenly Heat inspires our Prince's Veins Virg. A generous Spirit knows no mean 't will be either Caesar or no body either a shining Star or a dark Cinder nor will this if honourably extinguished shine less gloriously on Obelisks than t'other Nor indeed is that Soul truly great which like the best Gunpowder fired does not immediately burst the Body that includes it The Breast is too narrow to contain a brisk and active Soul Garci Sancho King of Navarre going to ingage the Enemy trembled all over yet in the Fight behaved himself bravely and couragiously His Body dreaded that great Multitude of Enemies into which his Courage prepared to carry it Let it therefore be the whole Aim of a Prince to live gloriously that he may be a Light in this World 9 Let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works Matth. 5. 12. All other things will come with ease but Fame not without Assiduity and Application 10 Caeteâ—a Principibus statim aâ—â—esse unum insatiabiliter parandum prosperam sui memoâ—â—am Tac. 4. Ann. But if in the beginning of his Reign he loses his Reputation he will very difficultly recover it for what the People once conceive of him they will never afterwards forget He who sets too great a value upon Life avoids Toils and Dangers without which two Honour can never be attained This Tacitus observed in King Marabodo who quitting his Kingdom lazily and shamefully spent his Days in Italy losing much of his Reputation through a too fond desire of Life 11 Consenuitque multum immatatâ 〈…〉 Tac. 2. Ann. Let a Prince so stere his Course be the Sea Calm or Tempestuous as still to keep his Eye upon that shining Beacon of Glory ever and anon calling to mind that he may admit or think of nothing unworthy himself that History will publish his Fame his Exploits and Glorious Atchievements to all Ages and to all Nations Princes have no other Superior than God and Fame they alone by the fear of Punishment and Infamy oblige them to Act honourably for which reason they often fear Historians more than their Enemies and are more aw'd by the Pen than the Sword King Balthasar though he saw only the Hand and Pen as yet not knowing what they would write was so disorder'd That he quaked all over and the Ioints of his Back were loosened 12 Dan. 5. 6. But if they neither regard God nor Glory nothing Glorious or Honourable can be expected For who e're slights Honour despises Virtue A generous desire of Glory avoids the blemish of Vice or Injustice Nor is there a more Savage Brute than that Prince who is neither moved by remorse of Conscience or desire of Glory Nor is there nevertheless no danger in Glory for its brightness often dazles Princes and leads them headlong into Rashness and Temerity That which seems Honourable and Glorious to them is Vanity or Folly sometimes Pride or Envy and oftentimes Ambition and mere Tyranny They propose great matters egg'd on by the Flatteries of their Ministers who set before them many things under the appearance of Glory concealing in the mean time the unjust and inconvenient Means by which they are to be attained by which being seduced they oftentimes find themselves deluded and ruined That Glory is safe which springs from a generous Spirit and keeps within the Bounds of Reason and Possibility Since therefore Honour and Infamy are the strongest Excitements to good Actions and that both are by History delivered down to Posterity 't would be convenient by Rewards proposed to excite Historians to write and to countenance Typography the true Treasury of Glory where the Rewards of greaâ— Actions are deposited to future Ages EMBLEM XVI 'T IS an old saying Purple is to be judged by Purple by which the Ancients signified that things were then best distinguished when one was compared with the other especially if they were such as could not easily be distinguish'd by themselves Thus Merchants do who compare Colour to Colour that they may shew each other and that a surer Judgment may be given of both In the Temple of Iupiter Capitolinus there was a Cloak a Present of some King from Persia of such an excellent Grain that the Robes of the Roman Ladies nay even of the Emperor Aurelian himself compared with it look'd as faint as Ashes If your Royal Highness when raised to the Crown would exmine and know the true worth of the Royal Purple expose it not to the false Light of Flatterers and fawning Knaves for that will never shew you its true Colour Nor rely too much upon self-love for that is like an Eye that sees all things but its self 'T will be therefore necessary that as Eyes are known by their own Species like Forms represented in a Glass so your Highness would compare the Lustre of your Diadem to that of your Glorious Predecessors seriously reflecting if any Virtues shine more bright in theirs than yours by viewing your self in them as in a Glass 1 Tanquam in speculo ornare comparare vitam tuam ad alienas virtutes
of Mind We see many who seem to be born of themselves as Tiberius used to say of Curtius Rufus 8 Videntur 〈◊〉 ex se nati Tac. 11. Ann. To such as these Claudian's Praise of a good choice of Ministers is well adapted Mirit not Birth he does prefer †Claud. Nor cares he whence but what they are But if the Nobility be corrupted by Ease and Luxury 't were adviseable to reform it by Rewards and Exercise rather than to institute an entire new set Silver and Gold are easily purified and clean'd but to make Gold out of Silver is a vast labour beyond the Art of Chymistry to perform Henry the Fourth was therefore very ill advised by some to ruin all the Grandees of his Kingdom and to promote those of mean Fortune Though the Licentiousness and Disobedience of the Nobility may sometimes require that it be a little humbled for too much Greatness begets Pride and an Aversion to Subjection and Obedience 9 Et revocante Nobilitate cui in pace durius servitium est Tac. 11. Ann. The weakest always seek Justice and Equity but the stronger trouble not themselves with it 10 Nam Imbecilliores semper equum justum quaerunt potentiâ—ribus autem id nihil curae Arist. Pol. 6. C. 2. and the People are generally more quiet when there are no Great Ones to protect them and to foment their Innovations 11 Nihil ausuram plebem principibus amotis Tac. 1. Ann. For this reason the Laws of Castile don 't allow two Great and Noble Families to incorporate that so the Estate might be more divided and that it might not creat Jealousy and Envy among others 12 Commodum est etiam ut haereditates non donatione sed jure agnationis tradantur utque ad eundem una non plures haereditates perveniant Arist. Pol. 5. c. 8. There are ways under the pretext of Honour and Favour to remedy excess of Riches in giving opportunity of employing it to the Service of the Prince and People But Prodigality and Luxury are now grown to that height that there is no occasion for such means for all the Nobility are so much straitned by Debts and necessary Expences that they want means to execute such Thoughts or to attempt Innovation While they would be great beyond what they can they become even less than what they are 'T is certain that the noblest and most renowned Families are ruined by a desire of Grandure and Magnificence 13 Dites elim familiae nobilium aut claritudine insignes studio Magnificentiae prolabehantur Tac. 3. Ann. But as too much Riches are dangerous so also is extream Poverty For when any of these Great Ones have squandred away their Estates they presently set up for Innovation 14 Sed cum ex Primariis aliqui bona dissiparunt hi res novas moliuntur Arist. Pol. 6. c. 12. EMBLEM XVIII VIRTUE has given Empire to many Vice to few In these the Scepter was a violent and dangerous Usurpation in those a just Title and lasting Succession Virtue by a certain occult and secret Force does as 't were compel Men to love and admire it The Elements obey the Heavens for the Perfection and Excellency of them so Men too think none worthy the Sovereign Power but those of Sovereign Justice and Virtue For which cause Cyrus thought no one was fit to govern but he who was better than those he governed 1 Non censebat conveniâ—e cuiquam Impertiâ—m qui non melior esset iis quibus imperaret Xenoph lib. 8. Subjects pay more Reverence to a Prince in whom they discern more than ordinary Endowments of Mind the greater they are the greater is their Respect and Esteem for all believe that to such a Prince God is more propitious and ready to assist him in all things and to direct his Government 'T is this alone made Ioshua's Name celebrated all the World over 2 So the Lord was with Ioshua and his fame was noised throughout all the Country Iosh. 6. 27. All the Actions and Counsels of a good Prince the People receive with Joy and through a certain zealous Confidence promise themselves Success from them but if it fall out otherwise they persuade themselves that for some supernatural and unknown Reasons 't is convenient it should be so For the same cause among some Nations the High Priests were Kings 3 Rex enim Dux erat in beâ—h Iudex in iis quae ad cultum Deorum pertinerent summam potestaâ—â— habebat Arist. Pol. 3. 13. that the People receiving Holy Ceremonies and Divine Worship from them might acknowledge in them a certain more sublime Nature more allied and familiar to God himself which as a Mediatrix they might make use of in their Prayers and against which they durst not attempt any thing 4 Minusque insidiantur iis qui Dâ—â—â— auxiliares habent Arist. Polit. The Crown upon Aaron's Mitre attracted the Eyes and Desires of all 5 He set a Crown of Gold upon the Mitre wherein was engraved Holiness an ornament of Honour a safety-work the desires of the Eyes goodly and beautiful Eccl. 45. 12. Iacob worshipped Ioseph's Scepter on the top of which was a Stork the Emblem of Piety and Religion 6 And he worshipped leaning upon the top of his Staff Vid. Laâ— Vers. Et adoravit fastigium virgae ejus Heb. 11. 21. Let none imagine that the time is lost which a Prince employs in the Exercise of Goodness and Virtue nay God does then chiefly dispose and direct the Events of things Ferdinand Antoline was at his Devotions while Count Garcias Fernandez fought the Moors at the River Duero and an Angel in his likeness supplied his place in the Fight by which he not only escaped the discredit of not being at the Battel but also gained the chiefest Praise of Honour of the Victory Something like this is related of that Renowned General Count Tilly that true Christian Ioshua not less Holy and Religious than Warlike and Brave that while he was at Prayers the Army was drawn up by another in his shape The Emperor Ferdinand the Second had more Standards and Trophies presented to him in the time of Divine Service than many of his Ancestors had gained from the Enemy 7 Fear ye not stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord which he will shew you to day Exod. 14. 13. The Israelites stood still and God wrought Wonders for them 8 And the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel Josh. 10. 42. That Crown which like Ariadne's shines with refulgent Stars of Virtue shall last to Eternity 9 And that turn not aside from the Commandment to the right or to the left to the end that he may prolong his days in his Kingdom he and his Children in the midst of Israel Deut. 17. 20. The Emperor Septimus told his Sons as he was dying That he left them a
of his Territories not sparing any pains for its Advantage and according to this he always acted Princes are as we shall observe elsewhere like Mountains as well because they are nearer the Favours of Heaven as because they should receive all Injuries of the Weather upon themselves being Depositaries of Ice and Snow which melting should flow thence and water and refresh the droughty Fields and Valleys beneath and by the Shade of their Bodies defend them from the scorching Heat of the Sun 10 For thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the Storm a shadow from the hear Isa. 25. 4. For this reason the Scriptures call Princes Giants 11 There were Giants in the Earth in those days the same became mighty Men Gen. 6. 4. for they that are born to sustain the weight of Government had need be of a more than ordinary Stature They are Giants which must undergo Fatigues and Groans as Iob says under the Waters 12 Vid. Iob 26. 5. by which are meant People and Nations 13 And the Waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth are Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues Revel 17. 15. They are the Corners which sustain the whole Fabrick of the State 14 Vid. 1 Sam. 14. 38. A Prince who believes he is not born to do this for his Subjects and does not prepare himself to shelter them from the Injuries of the Weather dwindles from a Mountain to a Valley nay 't is unlawful for him whom Heaven has design'd to Govern others to regard his own ease and quiet Wamba being elected King of the Goths and refusing the Crown a certain Captain with his drawn Sword threatned to stab him unless he accepted it Shall you alone says he to him oppose the Will of the whole Nation and prefer your own Private Ease to the Publick Good For this reason the States of Guadalajara would not suffer King Iohn to resign his Kingdom to his Son Henry he being too young and himself having a Constitution fit for Government Hence 't is evident That Princes are a part of the Commonwealth and that they are in some measure subject to it as Instruments of its Preservation so that their success or misfortunes respect it as Tiberius told his Sons 15 It a nati estis ut bona malaque vesâ—ra ad Remp. pertineant Tac. 4. Ann. Those who desired David for their King told him We are thy Bone and thy Flesh 16 2 Sam. 5. 1. intimating to him that he must with his own strength support them and take upon himself all their Toils and Grievances A Prince ought also to be taught while he is young to tame and govern the skittish Horse of Government for should he let him have his Head he would fall headlong with him He should use therefore the Bridle of Reason the Reigns of Policy the Whip of Justice and the Spurs of Valour keeping always fast in the Stirrups of Prudence He must not execute every thing that comes into his Mind but only what is honourable and just least he should transgress Piety Reputation Modesty or good Manners 17 Facta quae laedunt pietatem existimationâ—m verecundiam nostram ut generaliter dixeâ—im contra bonos more 's fiâ—â—t â—ec facere eâ—s credendum est L. 15. F. de Condit Iâ—stir Let not a Prince imagine that his Power is wholly absolute but subject by the publick Good and Interest of his State Not immense but limitted and expos'd to many Casualties one blast of Wind dissipated all Philip the Second's Naval Preparations against England Let the Prince also know that his Authority is not so Sovereign but that part of it remains in the Subject which they either reserv'd to themselves from the beginning or which Common Sence has since granted them for their defence against any Prince notoriously unjust and tyrannical Good Princes are pleas'd at the Liberty of their Subjects Tyrants only would be absolute 18 Quomodo pessimis Imperatoribus sine fine dominationem ita quamvis egregiis libertatis modum placere Tac. 4. Ann. The Safety and Preservation of the Kingdom depends upon the well-temper'd freedom of the People 'T is not that Prince who is most powerful that is most secure but he who is so with reason nor is he less Sovereign who defends the just Rights and Privileges of his Subjects 'T is rather prudence to let them enjoy 'em freely for they never derogate from the Authority of the Prince but when he thinks his Honour affronted and endeavours wholly to take 'em away Let him be content to maintain his Crown by the same means his Ancestors did It seems to be this which God would admonish Princes of though in another Sence by Ezekiel the Prophet 19 Bind the tiâ—e of thine Head upon thee Ezek. 24. 17. when he said bind the tire of thine Head to thee if any one shall wear it too loose 't will be very apt to fall off EMBLEM XXI JUstice is the Center from which the Circumference of a Crown is drawn If we could live without one there would be no need of t'other In former times all Princes Iudges were And to see Iustice done was all their Care In the first Age there was no need of Punishment for there were no Crimes nor of Rewards for Virtue and Glory were belov'd for their own sakes But as the World grew older Wickedness encreased with it and made Virtue more reserv'd which before liv'd freely and carelessly in the Fields When Equality was laid aside and Ambition and Force suppli'd the place of Modesty and Shame then Government was also introduc'd For Prudence urg'd by necessity and Common Prudence oblig'd Men to Civil Society that they might exercise Virtues which Reason prompted them to and make use of Speech which Nature gave them that by revealing to one another the Sense of their Minds they might inform assist and defend each other 1 Sermo vero datus est homini ad utile inutile ac proinde justum ac injustum declarandum Arist. Pol. 1. cap. 2. Society being thus by common Consent establish'd there arose at the same time a certain Supream Power necessary to the Preservation of its Parts which by punishing Vice and rewarding Virtue might defend them in Peace and Justice And because this Authority could not be diffused through the whole Body by reason of the Confusion which would arise in the Execution thereof and because 't was also necessary that some should Command and the rest Obey they quitted their Pretensions to it conferring it either upon one few or many which are the three sorts of Government Monarchy Aristocracy and Democracy The first of which was Monachy for originally Men were govern'd by one in each Family afterwards they chose from among the People one who excell'd others in Goodness and Virtue whose Hand as his Authority encreas'd they
case is condemn'd So it was enacted by Philip the Second and once when his Grandson Philip the Fourth your Highness's Father was present in Council upon a Debate of a Case relating to the Exchequer neither the Judges wanted Integrity to give it against him nor his Majesty Temper to hear it without Resentment Happy is that State in which the Prince's Cause is the worst 28 Quae gloria tua est praecipua saepe vincitur Fiscus cujus mala causa nunquam est nisi sub bono principe Plin. in Pan. EMBLEM XXII THough the Peoples Consent confers the Power of Justice upon Princes they receive it immediately from God as being his Vicars in Temporal Affairs They are the Royal Eagles the Ministers of Iove 1 For he is the Minister of God to thee for good but if thou do that which is evil â—e afraid for he beareth not the Sword in vain Rom. 13. 4. who Administer his Thunder and supply his place in punishing Vice and administring Justice in which they have need of three Qualities of the Eagle sharpness of Sight to inspect Crimes swiftness of Wing for Execution and strength of Talons that they main't fail therein The Injury done by a certain Nobleman to a poor Peasant though in the remotest Corner of Galicia could not escape the quick sight of King Alphonso the Seventh call'd Emperor who disguising himself went immediately to punish him with such speed that he apprehended him before he knew any thing of his coming O lively and ardent Soul of the Law to be himself Judge and Executioner to satisfy an Injury done to a poor Peasâ—nt and to punish the unjust Oppression of the Grandee The same did King Ferdinand the Catholick who being at Medina went privately to Salamanca and seized Roderigo Maltonado who exercis'd great-Oppressions in the Castle of Monleon 2 Mâ—r. Hist. of Spain Who would ever transgress the Laws if he always fear'd such a surprise One such as this would frighten and reform a whole Kingdom But it is not always expedient for Majesty it self to imitate such Examples When the State of the Kingdom is well settled when the Courts of Judicature are open and the fear of the Law is fresh and lively 't is sufficeint for a Prince to see Justice administer'd by his Ministers But when all is in Confusion when Obedience staggers when the King's Authority is slighted as 't was in those times then some such suddain and severe Punishment will be seasonable that the People may know the Power of their Prince and understand that as in a Humane Body so in a Kingdom the Soul of Majesty is all in all and all in every part Yet 't will be very necessary to moderate this severity when the Distemper is inveterate and the Kingdom confirm'd in Vice for if Virtue should be too severe upon Vice and endeavour to reform all at once 't would be esteem'd rather Cruelty than Justice Time must recruit that which time has weakned to precipitate a Cure is dangerous and may make the Prince experience the Rage of the incens'd Multitude Connivance and Dexterity is often more effectual than force In this King Ferdinand the Catholick was excellent and by this King Peter was deceiv'd who relying wholly upon Severity got the Name of Cruel Though Justice be one single Virtue yet has it various Effects according to the difference of time Sometimes the People wholly reject it and become more Insolent sometimes they acknowledge the damage of their excess and co-operate with the Prince to remedy it and suggest the most severe means against their own Liberty by which the Prince acquires the Name of Just without danger Let not a Prince remit the Punishment of such Offences against the Government in which few are concern'd but pardon those in which many are involv'd Agrippa being put to Death in the Isle of Planasia by the Order of Tiberius a certain Slave who was very like him stealing away his Ashes pretended that he was Agrippa the Romans believ'd it the Report spread and caus'd a Tumult with evident danger of a Civil War Tiberius caus'd the Slave to be apprehended and put to Death privately and though many Gentlemen and Senators of his own Family were said to have assisted him with Money and Advice 3 Et quanquam multi ex ejus domâ— equites ac senatores sustentasse opibus juvisse consillis dicerentur Tac. 2. Ann. yet would he suffer none to speak in his behalf Thus Prudence triumph'd over Cruelty and by Silence and Connivence he appeas'd the Disorder Let a Prince pardon small Offences and punish great ones sometimes let him be content with Repentance which Tacitus commended in Agricola 4 Parvis peccatis 〈◊〉 magnis severitatem commendare nec poena semper sed saepiùs pâ—nitentia contentus esse Tac. in Vit. Agâ—ic He is not the best Governor who punishes with most Severity but he who pardons with such Discretion and Circumspection as not to give any occasion to the Delinquents to transgress again No body commends a Chirurgeon for cutting off many Legs and Arms no body hates a Prince for punishing provided he does it with Reluctancy and Grief but him who delights in it and eagerly carps at all opportunities of doing it To punish for Example and amendment is Mercy but to do it through Passion or Avarice is Tyranny Let not a Prince suffer any one to think himself so great and free from the Laws as to dare to oppose the Ministers of Justice and those who represent its Power and Authority for so the Pillar of Justice can't stand secure 5 Hanc P. C. curam sustinet Princeps hâc omissâ sunditus Remp. trahet Tac. 3. Ann. when such boldness once takes place contempt will by degrees undermine it and bring it to the Ground The chief Foundation of the Spanish Monarchy and that which has rais'd it to such an height and keeps it so is the inviolable Observation of Justice and Rigour by which its Kings have always taken care to make it respected and esteem'd of all No Violation of it goes unpunish'd though great be the Dignity and Authority of the Delinquent A certain Judge at Corduba was by the Command of King Ferdinand the Catholick enquiring into some Misdemeanor whom when the Marquiss of Puego had arrested the King so resented it that all the Signal Services of that Family of Corduba could not hinder him from punishing him very severely afterwards he put himself wholly into his Majesty's Hands by the Advice of the Great Captain who seeing the heinousness of the Crime which would not admit of Pardon wrote to him to cast himself at the King's Feet by which he might perhaps expiate his Crime but if not he would certainly be ruined 6 Mar Hist of Spain Nor ought a Prince only to punish Crimes committed against his own Person or during his Reign but those also which were acted in the last though
belong'd to the Church-Building and the Tythes of all other Eccâ—esiastical Incomes These Subsidies ought not to be spent but in Necessities and for the Publick Uses to which they were design'd This Queen Isabella so religiously observ'd That seeing Ninety Millions rais'd by the Croisade she immediately commanded they should be employ'd to the very Uses prescribed by the Apostolick Bulls Those Favours will shine more and produce better Fruit when so expended But Necessities and Danger usually confound all things and easily wrest the Popes meaning to what was not intended EMBLEM XXVI IT was an impious Opinion that of those who impudently asserted the Heathens to have had more Courage than the Christians upon this ground that their Superstition strengthned their Minds and render'd them more fierce and manly by the dismal sight of so many bloody Victims as they offer'd to the Gods in their Sacrifices and held them only to be Men of Courage and Magnanimity who got the better of other Nations rather by force than reason Accusing on the contrary the Institution of our Religion for recommending Humility and Meekness Virtue is good for nothing but to make Men mean spirited What an impious and unreasonable Opinion this The spilling of Blood may indeed make the Mind more barbarous and cruel more valiant it never can Fortitude and Magnanimity enter not at the Eyes but are born within the Breast nor are those the most generous who are most pleas'd with the Blood and Slaughter of Beasts or who live on Man's Flesh. Our Religion does not contemn Magnanimity but rather promotes it not by proposing to us temporary and corruptible Rewards as the Pagan Superstition does but eternal ones never to have an end And if a simple Crown of Lawrel which begins to fade as soon as gathered inspired so much Courage then what won't now that everlasting one of Stars 1 Now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown but we an incoâ—râ—ptible 1 Cor. 9. 25. Is it that the Heathens have exposed themselves to greater Dangers than the Christians No for if at any time they assaulted a City or forc'd a Camp it was under Shields and Targets Whereas now Christians must make their way through thick Showers of Bullets and the Thunder and Lightning of Gunpowder 'T is a mistake to imagine Humility and Valour incompatible they are rather so closely connected 〈◊〉 without the former this is impracticable nor can true Valour be where there is not Humility Patience and in general all other Virtues For he only is really Valiant that can subdue his Passions and is free from all Perturbation of Mind a Study the Stoicks have bestow'd much labour on and after them the Christians with greater success He makes but a very small progress in it who suffers himself to be transported with Anger and Pride This is truly Heroical to conquer ones Lusts and Appetites The Mind where these Conflicts are is none of the easiest Fields of Battel he who has learnt thus much Submission to bend the Knee to another will upon occasion easily despise Danger and with undaunted Resolution submit his Neck to the Ax. The Heathen Religion 't is true has produced many great Commanders such as were the Caesars Scipios and abundance of others but certainly the Christian has furniâ—ht us with no less conâ—iderable ones in the Persons of the Alphonso's and Ferdiâ—â—â—ds of Castile as well as other Kings of Arragon Navarre and Portugal What Valour could possibly equal that of the Emperor Charles the Fifth What great Generals has Antiquity ever celebrated which have not been equall'd if not been surpass'd by Gonzalâ—z Fâ—â—dinand of Cordova Fernan Cortez Antony de Lieve Ferdinand d'Avalos Marquiss of Pescara Alphonso d'Avalos Marquiss of Guast Alexander Farnese Duke of Pâ—rma Andrâ—w d'Oria Alphonso d'Alb'ouquerque Ferdiâ—â—nd Alvarez of Toledo Duke of Alba the Marquisses of Sancta Cruz the Earl of Fuentes Marquiss Spinola Leâ—is Faâ—ardo and almost infinite others as well Spainards as others never sufficiently to be commended by Fame To whom may deservedly be applied what St. Paul said of those Great Captains Gideon Barak Sampson Iephâ—â—a David and Samuel that by Faith they subdued Kingdoms waxed vaâ—iant in Fight â—urn'd to Flight the Armies of the Aliens 2 Heb. 11. 33 34. If we will compare the Victories of the Heathens to those of the Christians we shall find the latter to have been much the greater In the Battel of Navas were kill'd Two hundred thousand Moors with the loss only of Twenty five on our side finding the Camp so covered with Spears and Darts that though the Victors â—taid there two Days using no other Fewel but the Wood of them they could not consume them even though they endeavourâ—d it There fell more in the Battel of Salado with the loss but of Twenty Christians And in that Naval Victory which Don John of Austria obtain'd over the Turks at Lepanto there were no less than an Hundred and eighty Gallies sunk and taken Which Victories Christians attribute not to their own Valour but to the True God whom they adore An Heart confiding in God as effectually stays an Enemy as a Hand arm'd with a Sword as Iudas Machabaeus found 3 So that fighting with their Hands and praying to God with their Hearts they slew no less than Thirty and five thousand Men 2 Mach. 15. 27. 'T is God who governs the Hearts 't is he that imparts Courage and Strength that grantâ— or denies Victories 4 Least thou say in thine Heart my Power and the might of my Hand hath gotten me this Victory But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is he that hath given thee power to get wealth Deut. 8. 17 18. He would be an Impostor and could not be clear'd from the Imputation of Fraud were he rather assisting to those who adore false Gods whose Idolatrous Sacrifices all tend to procure their favour But if he sometimes also permit them to be Victorious 't is not to be ascrib'd to their Devotion but to other secret Causes of Divine Providence In the Thirst which the Roman Army suffer'd in the War against the Marcomanni God could not be appeas'd with the Prayers and Sacrifices of the Heathen Legions but when the Tenth compos'd of Christians at last implor'd his aid he sent down plentiful Showers to them but to the Enemy Thunder and Lightning so that they obtain'd an easy Victory whence it was afterwards call'd the Thundring Legion If that Faith were still it would still work the same effects but whether through want of that or for some other secret Ends God does sometimes permit those to be triumph'd over who pay him true Adoration but then the Victory is not a Reward to the Conqueror but a Chastisement to the Conquered Let Princes therefore always hold in their Hands the Flag of the Cross signified by that Sword which Ieremiah gave to Iudas Machabaeus to wound his Adversaries withal 5 Take this
3 2 Sam. 9. 3. follow that of some Tyrants as if all were not ruin'd by these pernicious practices and if any one has been preserv'd as we shall observe 't was by changing them for the better Most Kingdoms are augmented by Usurpation and afterwards maintain'd by Justice and legitimated by time Extreme violence is extreme danger Cyrus invaded Lydia and dispossess'd King Croesus But had he had any of our Politicians they would have advis'd him for his greater Security to have taken him off Yet Cyrus restor'd him one City by which he might support his Royal Dignity and 't is certain he had provok'd the Hatred and Arms of all Greece if he had shew'd himself cruel 4 Hec clementia non minus utilis victori quam victo fuit Tac. 2. hist. Tyranny is equally hatefull to God and Man nor are there wanting in such cases some mild means by which the mind may be diverted from shedding Blood from breaking the Line of Succession from diminishing or transferring the greatness of States and taking off those who may aspire to the Crown which had they been observed in Portugal that people had never revolted When the danger is so evident that it obliges to Defence and natural Preservation the Prince ought to strike at the Root that it may not sprout again keeping a watchfull Eye upon it least it should happen as it did to the Philistin Princes who having cut off Sampson's hair wherein lay all his Strength began to ridicule him not considering that it might grow again as it afterwards did 5 Judg 16. 21. when he pull'd the Temple upon their Heads 6 Ibid. killing more Enemies dying than he had done living 7 Ibid. Inordinate Ambition moreover perswades the Oppression of the liberty of the people the humbling of the Nobility the weakning of the potent and rich and the reduction of all to the Royal Prerogative thinking that the more absolute the more firm it is and that the lower the people are reduc'd the higher its Glory rises an error by which Flattery gains the Hearts of Princes and leads them into great dangers 'T is Modesty that preserves Empires so correcting the Prince's Ambition that it may maintain it within the bounds of Reason the power of his Dignity the honour of the Nobility and the liberty of the people for no Monarchy is lasting which is not mixt that is compos'd of Aristocracy and Democracy 8 Quae ex pluribus constat resp melior est Arist. 2 Pol. c. â— Absolute Power is Tyranny Whoever promotes that promotes his own ruin A Prince ought not to govern as the Lord but as the Father the Protector and Governour of his States 9 Huc enim sunt omnia reducenda ut iis qui sub imperio sunt non Tyrannum sed patrem-familias aut regem agere videatur c. Arist. Pol. 5. c. 11. These disorders of Ambition proceed from a long use and abuse of Dominion which covets all for it self in which 't is necessary Princes should conquer themselves and submit to reason however difficult the attempt appear for many can conquer others few themselves This Victory is of Force that of Reason 'T is not Valour to conquer in Battle but to subdue the Passions Obedience and Necessity make Subjects humble and modest Superiority and Power render Princes proud Pride has destroy'd more Kingdoms than the Sword more Princes have ruin'd themselves than have been undone by others The remedy consists in the Prince's knowledge of himself by retiring within himself and considering that though the Scepter distinguishes him from his Subjects they much exceed him in endowments of Mind more noble than his Grandure That if Reason might take place the most accomplish'd man would be King That the hand with which he governs the World is of â—lay and Subject to the Leprosie and all other human Miseries as God gave Moses to understand 10 Exod. 4. 6. that knowing his own Miseries he might pity those of others 11 Hebr. 5. 2. That a Crown is a very unsafe Possession for between the utmost height and the lowest fall there is no Interposition 12 Quod regnum est cui parata non sit ruina proculcatio dominus carâ—fex Nec ista intervallis divisa â—ed horâ—e momentum interest inter soliâ—m aliena genua Senec. That he depends upon the Will of others since if they would not obey he would be but like other men The greater the Prince shall be the more he ought to esteem this Modesty since God himself does not disdain it 13 Modestia fama quae neque summis mortalium spernenda est à diis aestimatur Tac. 15. ann Modesty which hides Greatness under it is like rich Enamel upon Gold which gives it the greater Value and Esteem Tiberius had no Artifice more cunning than to appear modest to gain Esteem He severely reprehended those who call'd his Occupations Divine and him Lord 14 Acerâ—éque increpuit eos qui divinaâ— occupationes ipsumque Dominum dixerunt Tac. 2. ann When he went into the Courts of Justice he would not suffer the President to quit his seat but sat down upon one corner of the Bench 15 Assidâ—bat in cornâ— Tribunalis Tac. 1. ann He who is gotten to the highest step among men cannot rise but by stooping Let all Princes learn Modesty of the Emperor Ferdinand the Second who was so familiar and affable to all that he made himself lov'd rather than reverenc'd In him Goodness and Modesty were conspicuous and Majesty found but by Attention He was not the Imperial Eagle with a sharp Beak and bare Talons threatning all but the tender Pelican continually digging his own Intrails to feed his people as his own young It cost him no pains to humble his Grandure and make himself equal to others He was not the Master but Father of the World and the excess of Modesty often causes Contempt to the ruin of Princes to him it created more Respect and oblig'd all Nations to his Service and Defence See the force of true Goodness and of a greâ—t Soul which triumphs over it self and is superiour to Fortune He has left us in the present Emperour his Son the lively Portraicture of all these qualities with which he steals the Hearts both of Friends and Enemies There is no vertue more agreeable to a Prince than Modesty all others would be foolish in him if that did not adjust his Looks and Actions not permitting them to exceed themselves In Government 't is very convenient not to touch upon Extremes for too great Condescension is not less prejudicial than a haughty Grandure Monastick Communities may perhaps suffer the Rigour of Obedience but not popular ones Such rigid Discipline may keep a few in awe but not many Civil Happiness consists in vertue which consists in the middle as does civil Lâ—fe and the Government of States for the nature
servitutem pati possunt nec totam libertatem Tac. 1. hist. Princes who have wanted this consideration have felt the rage of the incensed Multitude Inveterate distempers are not always to be cured by the Knife and Fire They require soothing Medicines and when there is need of bitter Pills they should be well gilt to deceive the Sight and Tast. 'T is not necessary that the people should know the Ingredients of the Prince's Resolutions and Counsels 't is sufficient that they swallow them upon any Pretext The Dangers and Hardships of War are sweeten'd by the mildness of the Prince Thus Germanicus to keep the Gerâ—â—â— Legions in obedience and more ready for Battle us'd to visit the wounded Soldiers and taking notice of their Wounds commend their Actions gaining some by hope others by good words and so made them eager to fight 2 Circumire saucios facta singulorum extollere vulnera intuens alium spe alium gloria cunctos alloquio 〈◊〉 sibique praelio firmabat Tac. 1. ann This goodness alone is not effectual there is need also of some eminent Vertue in the Commander that if he be beloved for that he may be respected for this Many times a Prince is beloved for his extraordinary goodness and despised for his Insufficiency Respect proceeds not from Love but Admiration He obliges all who having courage to make himself fear'd makes himself beloved who knowing how to execute Justice knows also to be mercifull Goodness is often interpreted Softness and Ignorance in him who has no other Vertues to recommend him These are of such force in a Prince that they soften his Seâ—erity and Rigour being recompenc'd by them Even great Vices are excus'd or at least conniv'd at in him who is Master also of great Vertues In Negotiations 't is very convenient to mingle Sweetness with Gravity and Jests with Truth provided it be à propos without Offence to good Manners nor the Gravity of the Subject in which the Emperor Tiberius was well skill'd 3 Tiberius tamen luâ—ibria serâ—is permiscere solitus Tac. 6. ann There 's none can endure a melancholy roughness a look always set to business a grave Speech and a formal Behaviour 'T is Prudence sometimes to mix a little folly in Counsels 4 Misâ—â— stultitiam consiliis brevem when 't is well apply'd 't is Wisdom 5 Eccl. 10. 1. A happy thought and a word in season gains peoples Minds and most difficult Affairs to the end proposed and sometimes discovers the Intention deceives Malice diverts Offence and prevents a positive Answer where 't is not convenient We ought also in Negotiations to mingle the advantage of those whom we would perswade shewing them that 't is their interest as well ours for all are mov'd by self-interest few by Obligation and Glory Sejanus to incite Drusus to the Murther of his Brother Nero set before him the hopes of the Empire The skill of a prudent Minister consists in facilitating affairs with others interests disposing the Treaty so that theirs and his own Prince's may seem to be the same To desire to negotiate affairs by self-interest only is to bring water in broken pipes where one receives it from another all receive Assistance and Advantage EMBLEM XLIII ALL things as well animate as inanimate are Leaves of this great Book of the World the Work of Nature wherein divine Wisdom has written all Sciences to teach and instruct us how to act There is no moral Vertue which is not found in Animals Practick Prudence is born in them in us 't is not acquired but by Instruction and Experience We may learn from them without Confusion and Shame of our Ignorance for he who informs them the same is Author of all things But to put on their Nature or desire to imitate them in acting like them irrationally hurried by the Appetite of our Affections and Passions would be giving an affront to Reason the proper Gift of Man by which he is distinguished from other Animals and merits the command over them They for want of Reason are without Justice each aiming at nothing but its own Preservation without respecting Injuries done to others Man justifies his Actions and measures them by Equity doing nothing to others which he would not have done unto himself Whence may be inferr'd how impious and inhuman is the design of Machiavel who forms his Prince upon another Supposition of the Nature of the Lion and the Fox that what he can't attain by reason he may by force and fraud in which he was instructed by Lysander General of the Lacedaemonians who advis'd a Prince that where the Lion's skin fail'd he should put on that of the Fox making use of his Tricks and Artifices This Doctrine is of long standing Polybius reprehends it in his own and the foregoing Ages 1 Quo Leonis pellis attingere non potest principi assumendam Vulpinam Plut. In this King Saul may be a Lesson to all 2 Fuit cui in tractandis negotiis dolus malus placeret quem Regi convenire sane nemo dixerit etsi non desunt qui id tam crebrâ—â—su hodie doli mali necessarium eum esse dicant ad publicam rerum administrationem Polyb. 13. hist. This Maxim has encreas'd in time there being no Injustice nor Indecency but appears honourable to Policy provided it be in order to Dominion 3 Nihil gloriosum nisi tutum omniâ— retinendae dominationis honesta Sal. thinking that Prince lives precariously who is tied up to Law and Justice 4 Ubicunque tantam honesta dominanti licet praecario regnatur Sen. in Trag Thyest. Whence they regard not Breach of Treaties Faith or Religion it self when for the Preservation or Augmentation of Empire Upon these false foundations Duke Valentine endeavour'd to raise his Fortune but before he had finish'd it it fell with that violence upon him that the very Fragments and Ruins of it were lost How can that last which is founded upon Deceit and Lyes How can that subsist which is violent What force can there be in Contracts if the Prince who should be their security is himself the first that breaks them Who will put any confidence in him How can his Empire stand who trusts more to his own Artifices than to divine Providence Nor for all this would I have a Prince so mild as never to use force nor so candid and sincere as not to know how to dissemble nor provide against Deceit for so he would live exposed to Malice and be play'd upon by all My design in this Emblem is that he should be indued with Valour but not with that brutish and irrational Courage of Beasts but that which is attended by Justice signified by the Lyon's Skin the Emblem of Valour and therefore dedicated to Hercules Sometimes 't is necessary for a Prince to cover his Face with a Frown and to oppose Fraud He should not always appear mild There
THE Scorpion translated to the Skyes and plac'd among the Constellations loses not its Malignity which is greater by how much more its Power and venomous Influences are extended over things below Let Princes therefore well consider the Qualifications of those Subjects whom they raise to places of Trust for there Vices always thrive nay Vertue it self is often in danger for the Will being arm'd with Power bids defiance to Reason and often gets the better if Vertue have not resolution enough without being dazl'd with the splendour of Riches and Prosperity to resist it If Promotion makes the good bad 't will make the bad worse And if Vice notwithstanding the Punishments and Infamy that attend it find so many followers what will it do when back'd with Favour and Preferments And if Vice be the ready way to Preferment who will seek it through the rugged Road of Vertue That is inherent to our Natures but this must be acquir'd by Industry The first forces Rewards the other expects 'em with Patience and we find the Appetite much better pleas'd by its own Violence than Merit and being impatient had rather depend upon its own Industry than attend the Pleasure and Will of another to reward the bad by promoting them to places of Authority is to check the vertuous and incourage the vicious A private Knave while he is private can do no great matter of mischief 't is but an inconsiderable number of private Men on whom he can exercise his Villainy but promoted to places of Trust his Villainy reaches all being himself Minister of Justice and having the whole Body of Government at his disposal 1 Nam qui maguam potestatem habent etiam si ipsi nullius pretii sint multum nocent Arist. 1. Pol. cap. 9. Villains ought not to be put into places where they have power to exercise their Villainy Nature foreseeing this inconvenience has given venomous Animals neither feet nor wings that they may do less mischief He who furnished Villains with either designs it should either run or fly But Princes nevertheless usually make use of the bad rather than the good the former seeming generally more cunning 2 For the Children of this world are in their Generation wiser than the Children of light Luke 16. 8. but they are mistaken for Vice is not Wisdom and he can have no true Judgment who has no Vertue for which reason Don Alonso King of Arragon and Naples commended the prudence of the Romaus in building the Temple of Honour within that of Vertue that to go into that you must necessarily pass through this esteeming him not worthy of Honour who was not a follower of Vertue and that he should not arrive to Offices and Preferment who enter'd not at the Porch of Vertue Without this how can a Minister be serviceable to the Government Among a crowd of Vices what room is there for Prudence Justice Clemency Valour and other Vertues absolutely necessary for a Commander How will the Subject observe those proper to him if he wants the example of the Minister whose Actions he observes carefully and imitates through Flattery The people have a respect for a just Minister and imagine that he cannot err on the contrary they never approve and commend the Actions of one who is not so Demosthenes spoke very well one day in the Spartan Senate but because the people look'd upon him as a vicious person they rejected his Counsel Whereupon it was ordered by the Ephori that a person whom they had a better Opinion of should propose the same thing that it might be received and executed this good Opinion of the people is so necessary that though the Minister be a person of Integrity the Government is not safe in his hands if the people mis-inform'd think him otherwise Henry the Vth. King of England for this reason at his coming to the Crown removed from him all those who had been his Companions in his younger days and turn'd out all Ministers putting in their places Men of worth and such as were agreeable to the people one can impute the Success and Victories of Theodorick to nothing but his good Choice of Ministers having no other for his Councellors than Prelates of the strictest Vertues Ministers are as it were the Picture of Majesty which since it can't appear every where is represented by them who ought therefore to be as like him as possible in Life and Conversation since the Prince cannot of himself exercise in all places the Authority which he has received by common Consent he ought to take great Care how he shares it amongst his Ministers For he who is not born a Prince when he sees himself deck'd with Majesty will take Pride in shewing it by exercising his Authority and Passions 3 Regiae potentiae Ministri quos delectat superbiae suae longum spectaculum minusque se judicant posse nisi diu multumque singulis quid possint â—ftendant Seneca And here may the Question be decided which Nation is in the better Condition that where the Prince is good and the Ministers bad or that where the Prince is bad and the Ministers good for that may happen according to Tacitus 4 Posse etiam sub malâ—s Principibus magnos vires esse Tac. in vit Agr. for necessity obliging a Prince to substitute his Power to several Ministers if they are bad they will do more Damage to a Nation than the Prince be he never so good can advantage it for they will abuse his Goodness and under pretence of publick Good will turn it to their own private interest and advantage A bad Prince may be reformed by many good Ministers but not many bad Ministers by a good Prince Some imagine a Princes hands are bound and his Liberty infring'd when he has good Ministers and that the more vicious the Subjects are the safer he lives among 'em a ridiculous and senseless Phancy for Vertue is the only thing that keeps Nations in obedience and quiet and Nations are never more quiet and firm than when at home private people live justly and innocently and Justice and Clemency flourish abroad 't is easie to govern the good Without Vertue the Laws lose their force the love of Liberty reigns and the aversion to Government increases whence proceed the change of States and fall of Princes 'T is necessary then that they have vertuous Ministers who should advise them with Zeal and Affection and introduce Vertue into the Nation by their Example and by the integrity of their Lives Tiberius held the extreams of both Vertue and Vice equally dangerous to a Minister and chose one between both as we said elsewhere but this is properly the fear of a Tyrant if a vertuous Minister be good one more vertuous is better But 't is not sufficient for his Ministers to be endued with excellent Vertues if those necessary Endowments and Ornaments of experience which the management of Affairs requires are not eminently
be granted to none else for he exposes Loyalty to evident Danger who grants any one a Power too absolute The Royal Crown put upon a Subjects Head tho' but in jest will make him proud and think himself above what he is The mind of a Subject should not experience this Royal Grandeur and Glory of reigning for afterwards abusing it he usurps it and that it mayn't return to him from whom he had it he Plots and contrives his Ruine the Divine Writ in one Chapter gives us Examples of Kings put to Death by the hands of their Subjects for having raised them too high Solomon for all his Wisdom fell into this misfortune and ran the same Risque for having made Ieroboam President of all the Customs of the House of Ioseph 2 1 Kin. 11. 28. and we read that he had the Impudence to lift up his hand against his King 3 1 Kin. 11. 26. Let Princes then take it for a Maxim of State not to promote one too much above others or if they are oblig'd to it let it not be one but several that they may Balance one another and mutually keep each other in their Devoir by a reciprocal Examination of one anothers Actions and Designs 4 Est autem omnis Monarchiae cautio communis neminem facere nimis magnum aut certè plusquam unum facere ipsi enim inter se quid quisque agat observant Arist. 5. Pol. c. 11. The Emperour Ferdinand II. did not sufficiently observe this piece of Policy when he gave the absolute Command of his Armies and Provinces to the Duke of Fridland whence sprang so many misfortunes and amongst the rest the loss of that great Man which was meerly the effect of too much Power Let not Princes be deceived by the Example of Pharaoh who committed all his Power into the hands of Ioseph who preserv'd his Kingdom 5 Gen. 41. 40. for Ioseph was the Emblem of Christ and there are very few Ioseph's to be found now adays Each would depend upon himself and not upon the Body which this present Emblem represents by a Branch encircled with a wicker Basket filled with Earth such as Gardiners use where it by degrees takes root and so being cut off insensibly becomes a Tree independant of the Stock without the least respect to its Greatness This Example shews the Danger in making Governments of Provinces perpetual for Ambition having once taken root claims 'em as its Property he who is so accustom'd to command will afterwards scarce be brought to obey France shews us many Examples of this written in its own Blood Even God's Ministers in the Kingdom of Heaven are liable to slip 6 Job 4. 18. the Perpetuity of great Offices is an Alienation from the Crown the Scepter will be useless and of no force and will stand in awe of that very Power it has been so prodigal of Liberality will want a Dowry and Vertue a Reward The Minister becomes a Tyrant in the Government which he is sure of for Life that Prince whom he sees preserves his Authority he respects as his Master but him who does not he despises and at last rebells against him Therefore Iulius Caesar limited the Pretorship to one Year and the Consulship to two And the Emperour Charles V. advised his Son Philip II. not to continue Ministers in Office too long especially in places Military to give the greatest to persons of mean Fortune and Embassy's to the rich thereby to weaken ' em The Bravery of the great Captain in Italy made King Ferdinand the Catholick suspect him so that he recall'd him and if he did not then wholly mistrust him at least he would no longer hazard his Loyalty by the Continuation of the Vice-Royship of Naples And though that great Politician Tiberius continued Ministers in Posts all their Life-time but this was upon such Tyrannick Considerations as ought not to enter into the Thoughts of a prudent and just Prince 7 Id morum Tiberii suit continuare Imperia ac plerosque ad fine◠vitae in eisdem exercitibus aut Iurisdictionibus habere Tac. 5. ann Princes ought therefore to take advice from Nature the Mistress of true Politicks who does not allow its Celestial Ministers of light a perpetual Authority and Government of the World but certain fixt Seasons as we may see in the Motion and Reigns of the Planets that they mayn't lose the right of disposing of 'em and to prevent the usurping her Authority and Power besides she considers that the Earth would be ruined if it should always be governed by the Melancholy of Saturn or the heat and fury of Mars or the severity of Iupiter or the subtilty of Mercury or the levity of Venus or the inconstancy of the Moon In removals of this Nature great Care ought to be taken that Ministers should not take it to be a slur upon their Reputation to be removed from greater to lesser Places for since there are not many that Minister would be of no use who when he has been employ'd in the highest would refuse to Officiate in lower Places and though Reason requires that Rewards should be equal to Deserts yet in this Point the Subjects reason should be guided by the Princes interest when his Service or the publick Advantage is in the Case not that he ought to be put into any inferior Post out of Contempt or Disgrace for so the importance of the Negotiation makes amends for the meannes◠of the Office If any Offices may be continued long they are Embassies◠for their Business is only to intercede not Command not to give Orders but to negotiate at their Departure all Acquaintance with their native Countrey dies and all Intimacy with the Prince with whom they negotiate and his Ministers cease Forts and Garrisons which are as it were the Keys of the Kingdom should be at the immediate Power and Disposal of the Prince King Sancho was ill advised when by reason of the Minority of his Son Don Alonso III. he order'd those of the Nobility who were Governours of Cities to remain till his Son was fifteen years old which occasioned many grievous Calamities to that Kingdom As for other Offices let 'em be but for a time for their too long continuance makes the Ministers proud and endangers their Loyalty This Tiberius knew though he did not practise 8 Superbire homines etiam annua designatione quid si honorem per quinquennium agitent Tac. 2. ann Vertue is tired by Industry and Expectation yet should not Offices be of too short continuance so as the Minister can reap no benefit or experience in 'em or so as to make him too ravenous like Hawks in Norway because of the shortness of the day but in troublesome and dangerous times publick Offices and places of Trust ought to be continu'd longer least they should upon removal be conferr'd upon raw unexperienced Persons So Augustus did upon the defeat of Quintilius Varus
and populous which acquir'd him the Affections of all The other was Alphonso V. King of Naples who made himself extreamly beloved by the People by his care and prudence in Affairs by a due Disposal of Rewards and Punishments by Liberality Complaisance and Easiness of Access by his Love for the publick Well-fare and by so exact a Conformation to the Manners and Customs of the Kingdom that he seem'd a natural not a foreign Prince Those Kings who have their Residence among their Subjects may gain their hearts more easily than those who reside in distant Provinces for if their Loyalty does not grow quite cold 't is at most but Luke-warm and nothing but the Excellence of the Constitution can preserve its heat that is by providing able Ministers and by severely punishing their Faults especially those which they commit against Justice and the Reputation and Estates of others all the Comfort absent Subjects have is that if the Prince be good they shall feel the Effect of it as well as if present but if otherwise they should be least under the Lash of his Tyranny 25 Laudatorum Principum usuâ— ex aequo quamvis prout agentibus sâ—vi proximis ingrâ—nt Tac. 4. Hist. But because such Kingdoms love Novelty and Change and require the Presence of the Prince himself to govern them the Confidence which he puts in them should be arm'd and senced from all Accidents using the same means which we prescrib'd for the preservation of a Conquer'd Kingdom Elective Kingdoms which are obtain'd by Favour are also maintain'd by the same though this very rarely continues long And though all new Empires begin with Applause yet in this 't is but short and soon over amidst the very Acclamations when Saul was anointed King the People began to distrust and slight him though he was chosen by God himself 26 1 Sam. 10. 27. But there are Ways by which the person Elected may preserve the Peoples good Opinion of him that is to say by maintaining those Vertues and Qualifications which made him at first thought worthy of the Crown for Men usually change their Manners with their Fortunes Tiberius had a very good Character and Reputation while he was a private Person and liv'd under Augustus 27 Egregium vita famaque quoad privatus vel in imperiis sub Augusto fuit Tac. 6. ann as also had Galba let him be Courteous and obliging to all 28 Major privato visus dum privatus fuit Tac. 1. Hist. Grateful and Liberal to those who Elected him civil to those who gave their Votes against him let him be a zealous Lover of his Countrey And a vigorous Assertor of its Laws and Privileges let his Council be compos'd of the Natives of the Countrey imploying them alone in Offices and places of Trust not admitting Foreigners and Relations let him maintain his Family with modesty let him temper Majesty with Consideration and Justice with Clemency let him so govern as if his Kingdom came by Descent which he should transmit to his Posterity not as if it were Elective fleecing it of what he can during his Reign according to the Poet. A short Reign never spares the People 29 Non parcit populis Regnum breve Statius For 't is very difficult to be moderate in Grandeur which must die with us 30 Difficilius est temperare felicitati qua te non putes diâ— usâ—rum Tac. 2. ann The Prince ought moreover to be peaceable not an Invader of others for Elective Kingdoms fear such a Master whose mind is bent upon Conquering others but they love him who is only careful in preserving his own as we see in Poland for 't is evident that all Kingdoms were at first Elective and that 't was only Ambition of enlarging them by invading their Neighbours by which so many have lost that Liberty which they would have taken from others Nor is it possible that among so many Casualties and Dangers of Election this Enlargement of States should be lasting for those very Arms which make those additional Conquests will reduce them to Hereditary Kingdoms which was 31 Si immensum Imperii corpus starè ac librari sine rectore posset dignus eram à quo Respub inciperet Tac. 1. Hist. Galba's excuse for not converting the Empire into a Commonwealth Elective Monarchies love Liberty and so ought not to be governed without it and since Election is the Scale in which they weight it the Prince should always stand on that side for if he gives the least Suspicion that he intends to make the Crown Hereditary he will certainly lose it In States acquir'd by Conquest there is more difficulty in attaining than preserving them for they are like wild Colts in which the main Trouble is backing them for afterwards they willingly take the Bitt and submit to the burthen Fear and Flattery open the way to Dominion the first Ascâ—nt of which is steep and difficult 32 Prima dominandi spes in arduo ubi sis ingressus adsunt studia Ministri Tac. 4. ann but once setled you want neither Partizans nor Ministers yet since these Services are generally forced and counterfeit they easily revolt when they have opportunity and are therefore to be entertain'd and cherish'd with great Care especially at first since from the first Actions we easily Judge of the future Government as Vitellius experienced who grew hateful and odious to all for the Death of Dolabella 33 Magna cum invidia novi Principatus cujuâ—â—oc primum specimen nosceâ—atur Tac. 2. Hist. And though Piso said that a Kingdom acquir'd by ill Practices could never be maintain'd by good ones 34 Nemo enim unquam imperium flagitio quaesitum bonis artibus exercuit Tac. 1. Hist. yet King Sancho did this way establish his doubtful Title to the Kingdom which he got by Conquest Princes are soon ruin'd by striving to preserve that by Force which they got so This pernicious piece of Policy has been the ruin of all Tyrants and if any one has preserved himself 't is because he chang'd his Tyranny into Benevolence and his Cruelty into Clemency Vice cannot subsist long unless Vertue be its substitute Ambition unjust in acquiring at first must change into Zeal for the publick Good to maintain it self Subjects love their Prince for the publick and their private Interests and when they succeed in both their Fear soon changes into Reverence and their Hatred into Respect but Care must be taken that this Reformation of Vices which are now publickly known be not so sudden nor affected as to proceed from Design not Nature whose Operations are slow and methodical so Otho thought that a sudden Modesty or affected Gravity could not preserve the Empire which he had attain'd by Villany 35 Simul reputans non posse Principatum scelere quaesitum subita modestia prisca gravitate retineri Tac. 1. Hist. The People are more apprehensive of such
them but Succession makes these negligent and careless Whence 't is an Observation that those who acquire Kingdoms usually keep 'em and those who receive them lose them 27 Qui occuparunt imperia eoâ—um plerique eadem retinuâ—runt qui vero tradita ab aliis accepere hi statim ferâ— omnes amiserunt Arist. 5. Pol. 9. The Holy Spirit says that Kingdoms pass from one Nation to another because of Injustice Injuries and Deceit 28 Eccles. 1. 8. I conclude the present Discourse with two Cautions first that the Preservation of States does not always depend on their being far from the Causes of their Ruin but sometimes on their being near them 29 Conservantur etiam Respub non solum quiâ— procuâ— sunt ab iis â—uae interitum affâ—runt sed etiam quia prope sunt nam Timor intentiore curâ— Râ—iâ—ab consulâ—re câ—gis Arist. 5. pol. cap. 8. for Fear creates Care and Diligence the other is that 〈◊〉 in the Person of the Prince or in the Body of the State the least ill should be taken most Care of for they increase insensibly without being perceived till they are past Remedy 30 Ibid. A small Worm destroys the tallest Cedar the little Remora stops the Course of a Ship under sail frivolous Losses caus'd the Ruin of the Roman Empire A slight disorder of Body is often more dangerous than a real Sickness for that is not minded this diligently taken Care of We immediately apply Medicines to a Fever but never heed a Cold from which the greatest Distempers proceed EMBLEM LXI AN Harp Forms a compleat Aristocracy compos'd of Monarchy and Democracy understanding Presides several Fingers govern and many Strings obey not with a particular but general and common Harmony so that the Disproportion between the great and little ones don't spoil the Tune One may justly compare to a a Harp every Republick in which long Practice and Experience have appointed who shall command and who obey in which they have establish'd Laws elected Magistrates distinguished Offices prescribed set Rules and Methods of Government and instituted in each part of the Republick such Customs and Laws as are most conformable and consentaneous to its Nature This makes the first Institutions durable and not easie to be chang'd This Harp of Kingdoms and Commonwealths being thus fitted up and all the Strings tun'd and dispos'd in Order though any one should â—ansie he could better tune any one of them he ought to have a better opinion of the Prudence and Judgment of his Ancestors whom long Practice and dear bought Experience had instructed for some Ways and Methods of Government though they have some Inconveniences are yet better born with than alter'd A prudent Prince tunes the strings in the same Order they stand in not changing them without time or other accidents have so discompos'd them that they can't perform the Office they were first design'd for wherefore a Prince should perfectly understand this Harp of his Empire and the Grace and Majesty that attends it and be throughly vers'd in the Nature Qualities and Genius's of the Nobility and Commons which are its main Strings For as King Alphonso says in one of his Laws A King 's greatest Care should be to know Men for since tis them he has to do with an exact Knowledge of them is absolutely necessary * L. 13. tit 5. p. 2. In this consists the principal Art of Government To know his Subjects is a King 's best Art †Maâ—â— Those who have most apply'd themselves to this Study have govern'd with most Success Many take this Harp in their hand but few can finger it with Judgment few understand its Nature and can touch it agreeably Let therefore a Prince know that a Kingdom is nothing but an Union of many Cities and People and a joynt Consent to the Command of some one and the Obedience of the rest which Consent Ambition and Force introduc'd Concord at first rais'd and Concord preserves it Justice and Clemency keep it alive 't is the Care of others Safety its Spâ—rit consists in Unity of Religion its Increase Preservation or Ruin depends upon the Parts of which it is compos'd It admits of no Companion is expos'd to all Dangers In it more than any thing Fortune shews her Inconstancy 'T is liable to Envy and Emulation 't is in more danger in Prosperity than Adversity for then it lives in Security which creates Pride from whence proceeds its Ruin when young 't is weak and when old decrepid 't is as much in danger in continual Peace as in War It falls of its self when not exercis'd by foreign Arms and when it once begins to fall it cannot stop it self there is no Interval between its highest Elevation and its Ruin Emulation sometimes raises it and sometimes oppresses it If it be small it can't defend it self if great it can't govern it self it is better govern'd by Art than Force 't is fond of Novelties though they are its bane Vertue is its Health and Vice its Sickness Labour raises it and Idleness is its Ruin 't is fortified by Forts and Alliances and establish'd by Laws the Magistracy is its Heart Counsel its Eyes Arms its Hands and Riches its Feet This Harp is attended with a certain Majesty which is a Harmony springing from the strings of the People and approv'd by Heaven 1 1 Kings 2. 24. An Emblem of Power and Splendour of supream Jurisdiction a certain Force which draws Authority and Obedience to it the Safeguard and Preservation of the Government Opinion and Fame give it Life Love Security Fear Authority Ostentation Greatness Ceremony Reverence Severity Respect Pomp Esteem in Retirement the more venerable 't is in danger of Contempt and Hate It neither bears Equality nor Division for it consists in Admiration and Unity 't is constant in either Fortune Respect strengthens it Arms and the Laws maintain it it lasts not in Pride nor falls in Humility It lives by Prudence and Beneficence and dies by Force and Vice The strings of a Harp are the People which are naturally monstrous different from themselves inconstant and various govern'd by outward appearances without searching to the bottom of things they take Counsel of Report so void of means and reason that they cannot distinguish Truth from Falshood always prone to mischief The same minute of two contrary Affections by which they are always guided not by Reason by Violence not Prudence by the shadow not the reality Only to be tam'd by Punishment Their Flatteries are an aukward medly of Truth and Falsity they know no Medium they love or hate to Excess are extreamly Complaisant or extreamly Insolent either fear or frighten and when they fear are most contemptible Small Dangers at hand terrifie them strangely but great ones at a distance they are unconcern'd at If a Servant slavish if a Master haughty know not what Liberty is themselves and will not suffer it in others Bold
the Contriver and Maker of all Things yet without laying any Obligation upon his own Power or 8 Etiam merito accidisse videtur casus in culpam transit Velleius Man's Will has wrote their Changes and Vicissitudes in Characters of Light for the Glory of his Eternal Wisdom which past Ages have the present do and those to come will for ever read Greece was heretofore flourishing both in Arms and Arts it left Rome enough to learn but little to invent but now it lies buried in the Depth of Ignorance and Degeneracy The Wits in Augustus's time exceeded even Expectation but under Nero they began to flag so that all the Pains and Industry in the World was not sufficient to save the Arts and Sciences from Destruction Unhappy are those great Genius's who come into the World when Monarchies are declining in that they either are not employed or if they be cannot withstand the weight of their Ruine or perhaps miserably fall with them without Honour or Renown nay sometimes their Fate seems deserved and they are blamed for what was the effect of Chance 9 Cujâ—scunque fortunam mutare constituit consilia corrumpit Velleius God lays no Constraint upon Free-Will but yet either the course of Causes draws it on or for want of that Divine Light it stumbles of it self and its Designs are overthrown or executed too late Princes and Councellors are the Eyes of Kingdoms and when God Almighty determines the overthrow of these he blinds them that they may neither see Dangers nor know their Remedies 10 For the Lord hath poured forth upon you the spirit of deep sleep and hath closed your eyes the prophets and the rulers and the seers hath he covered Isai 29. 10. That which they think to succeed most by leads them most into Miscarriages They see Accidents but do not prevent but rather as much as in them lies forward them A Dangerous Instance of this Truth we have in the Swiss-Cantons ever so prudent and stout in defending their Country and Liberty but now so negligent and supine that themselves are the Cause of the Ruine that threatens them The First Author of Monarchies had situated their Republick between the Outworks of the Alpes and the Rhine and environ'd it with the Countries of Alsace Lorrain and Burgundy against the Power of France and other Princes and when they were farthest from the Fire of War in the Fruition of a happy and desired Peace they of themselves called and encouraged One upon their own Borders standing by and seeing the Ruine of those Provinces redounding afterwards to their own Prejudice they not considering the Danger of a neighbouring Power superiour in Strength and whose Fortune must of necessity be raised out of their Ashes May I be deceived but I fear this Body of the Switzers is already at its full growth and that it will begin to decay when those Spirits and Forces are spent which supported its Reputation and Grandeur Empires 't is certain have their Periods That which has endured longest is nearest its Ruine EMBLEM LXXXVIII WHat strange Force has the Loadstone to produce such Wonderful Effects What so Amorous Correspondence with the Polar Star that although because of its Weight it cannot always gaze on its Beauty yet the Needles it touches should What Resemblance can there be betwixt these two What so great Virtue that is not lost at so wide and remote Distances And why does it encline to that Star or Point of Heaven rather than to any other Were not the Experience common Ignorance would be apt to impute it to Magick as it does all other Extraordinary Effects of Nature when it cannot penetrate the Obscurity of its Operations Nor is the Loadstone less admirable in that other Virtue of Attracting and Lifting up Iron against its Innate Gravity nay even this carried by a kind of Natural Tendency to obey that Superior Power closes with it and does voluntarily what one would think could not but be violent How much were it to be wish'd that the Prince would by this Example learn to know that concourse of Causes which as hath been said sets up or pulls down Empires and how to carry himself therein so as not to encrease their Force by a too obstinate Opposition nor by a too easie Yielding to facilitate their Effects it being with this Series and Connexion of Causes moved by the First Cause as with a River 1 Fluminum instabiliâ— natura simul ostendereâ— omnia 〈◊〉 Tac. Annal. l. 6. which while it streams in its ordinary Current is easily parted into several Branches or by Banks cast up turned this or that way and suffers Bridges to be made over it but when swelled by continual Rains or melting Snows admits of no Resistance and for any one to contend with it does but augment its Force and put it in a condition to carry all before it Hence the Holy Spirit admonishes us not to strive against the Stream 2 Eccles. 4. 32. Patience surmounts that Violence which in a moment loses both its Power and Being Upon which account it was look'd on as an ill Omen to the War of Vitellius in the East that Euphrates overflowed and bubbled into a kind of Frothy Crowns by those who consider'd how Transitory these were When therefore many Causes conspiring together attend the Victories of aâ— Enemy and open an happy Way to his Military Expeditions it will be great Prudence to allow them Time to disperse sensibly of themselves not that they lay any necessity upon the Freedom of the Will but because this Freedom has power only over the Motions of the Mind and Body not over those External Things It may indeed give way to Accidents but cannot avoid being overwhelmed by them Constancy in Expecting is infinitely more valuable than Valour in Fighting This Fabius Maximus well knew and therefore let that Torrent of Hannibal run by till having by long Delays weakened he at length surmounted it and saved the Roman State Successes get strength from one another and by the Reputation Opinion gives them suddenly encrease to that degree that no Power is able to grapple with them The Spanish Monarchy render'd Charles V. Fortunate and Glorious and he by his Prudence Courage and Vigilance made the Empire happy Which eminent Qualities were followed by the general Acclamations and Applause of all Nations All Men joined with his Fortune and the French King Francis I. emulous of so great Splendour striving to eclipse it lost his own Liberty What Terrors does Lightning strike us with when it breaks out of the Clouds Then first exerting its Force when it meets with Resistance without that vanishing into Air. Such was that Thunderbolt raised out of the Exhalations of the North within a few Days it triumphed over the Empire and struck almost the whole World with Terrour And yet one leaden Bullet piercing it made it presently disappear There is nothing so frail and uncertain as the