if this by the Testimony of another Oracle not fabulous and uncertain but infallible and divine cannot be sunk neither can that which is embark'd in it For this reason your Highness's glorious Ancestors were us'd to consecrate part of the Spoils they took in War from their Enemies to God as the Lord of Victories who fought for them offering for his Worship very considerable Revenues and Possessions whence innumerable Foundations and Endowments of Churches Cathedrals and Convents took their rise having built in Spain above Seventy thousand Churches Of which Samy the first King of Arragon alone built a Thousand consecrated to the Blessed Virgin which his Munificence was amply rewarded by the many Conquests he made and Victories he won having fought Thirty three Battels in all which he came off victorious These pious Works were like Religious Colonies render'd by their Spiritual Arms not less powerful than Military ones for Artillery make not so great Breaches as Prayer The Prayers of the Israelites for seven Days beat down the Walls of Iericho 1 And the People shouted with a great shout that the Wall fell down flat so that the People went up into the City every Man strait before him and they took the Ciâ—y Ios. 6. 20. Riches are therefore better reposited in Temples than Treasuries not only against extream necessity but that as by them Religion flourishes the State may with it The Athenians kept theirs in that of Delphi as did many other Nations What better Guardian than the Sovereign Arbitrator of Kingdoms Our Hearts at least will be in the Churches if our Treasures are there 2 For where your Treasure is there will your Heart he also Mat. 6. 21. Wherefore their Council 〈◊〉 no less impious than imprudent who under the â—lightest pretence of publick Necessity are for pillaging them He is not worthy the Protection of Divine Providence who diffident of God's Power upon every accident has his Eye upon the Furniture of his House When King Ferdinand the Holy wanted Money to carry on the Siege of Sevil and some advis'd him to supply the Deficiency of his Exchequer out of the Church-Treasures He made answer I promise my self more from the Prayers and Sacrifices of the Priests than from their Riches which Piety and Confidence God abundantly recompenc'd the very next day by the Surrender of the City Those Kings who have done otherwise have left severe Examples of their Sacrilegious Presumption Gunderick King of the Vandals going to Plunder St. Vincent's fell down dead as he was entring it The great Misfortunes of Alphonso King of Arragon were thought to be God's Judgmentâ— upon him for having robbâ—d his Sacred Houses Queen Uraca died at the very Door of St. Isidore's at Leoâ— the Treasures of which she had embeziled Saneâ—â— King of Arragon was shot through the Arm with 〈◊〉 Arrow for that he had defilâ—d his Hands with thâ— Plunder of Churches And though in St. Victorio's aâ— Rota he publickly confess'd his Crime and with Tears and all imaginable Signs of Contrition offering Râ—stitution and Amendment yet it pleas'd God to publish his Offence in his Punishment as a warâ—ing to others King Iohn the First was routed and kill'd aâ— the Battel of Aliubanota for having made use of the Treasures of the Church of Guadaloupâ— Upon the Surrender of Cajeta to Frederick King of Naples the Frenâ—h loaded two Ships with the Plunder of the Churches both which were lost But in all these Cases extream necessity had not place for then right Reason allows Princes for their Preservation to make use of such Riches as out of â— pious Liberality themselves have laid up in these Holy Places provided it be with a Resolution to restore them when the Prosperity of their Affairs shall put them in a Capacity As their Catholick Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella did having obtainâ—d a Grant from the Parliament of Medina del Campo of the Church-Plate to defray Expences of War And the Sacred Canons and Councils have prescrib'd certain Cases and Circumstances of Necessity or Danger wherein Ecclesiasticks are bound to assist the Publick with their Contributâ—ons and certainly 't would be inexcâ—â—able Avaâ—â—câ— in them not to regard Common Necessities They are the most noble and principal Part of a State and if for them or for Religion others are oblig'd to expose their Lives why not they their Riches If the State maintains and keeps them it may very justly expect a reciprocal Relief from them for its Conservation and Defence The People would be diâ—courag'd from paying Tyths and other Church Duties if in Common Calamities there were none to ease them of extraordinary Burthens they will blame their own Piety and their Zeal and Devotion for any new Offerings Donatives and Legacies to the Chuâ—ch will slacken 'T is therefore highly reasonable that the Clergy in Cases of this Nature aid the Publick with their Revenues not only for that the danger or benefit equally respects all but withal least the Goods and Estates of the Laity be so oppress'd that Tillage and with it Tythes and other pious Works must fail In such cases Church-Plate shews better in Bars in the Mint than in Chalices and Cups in the Vestry This Obligation upon the State Ecclesiastical is more strict in the more urgent necessities of the Sâ—â—nish Kings for almost all the Foundations and Endowments of Churches being the Effects of their pious Liberality â—hey are in Justice bound mutually to relieve their Patrons in necessity and oblige them to continue their Munificence in better times These and many other Reasons have prevail'd with the Apostolick See to be so liberal to the Kings of Spain in granting them the use of the Church goods to maintain their Wars against the Infidels Gregory the Seventh granted Sancho Ramiâ—ez King of Arragon the Tythes and Revenues of all the Churches either newly built or gain'd from the Moors to dispose of as he pleasâ—d The same Grant also Pope Urban made to Peter the First King of Arragon his Successors and Grandees of his Kingdom excepting the Churches of Residence Innocent the Third granted the Bull of the Croisade for the War of Spain which was call'd the Holy War which favour Pope Calixtâ—s afterwards in Henry the Fourth's time extended both to the living and the dead Gregory the Tenth gave King Alphonsus the Wise the third Part of the Tythes which were design'd for Building This began afterwards to be perpetuated in Iohn the Second's Reign and Alexâ—nder the Sixth extended it also to the Kingdom of Granada John the Twenty Second granted the Tythes of the Church Revenues and the Croisade to King Alphonsus the Eleventh Urban the Fifth a third Part of the Benefices of Castile to Peter the Cruel Sixtus the Fourth consented to have the Clergy contribute at one time an hundred thousand Ducates for the War of Granada which favour several other Popes continued Iulius the Second granted Emanuel King of Portugal the third Part of the Revenue which
King Alphonso the Emperor was surpriz'd at the Splendour and Magnificence of that Court affirming That he had not seen the like in all that Part of Asia or Europe which he had travell'd through in his Voyage to the Holy Land Such was then â—he Grandeur of one King of Castile though distracted with Civil Wars and the greatest part of his Kingdom possess'd by the Moors There are some Authors affirm That there was in this Kingdom in the time of the Holy War against the Heathens a Rendezvouz of a Hundred Thousand Foot Ten Thousand Horse and Sixty Thousand Waggons and that King Alphonso III. daily paid both the Soldiers Captains and Generals according to their Office and Quality These vast Expences and Provisions which at present seem incredible the single Kingdom of Castile could afford nay and at the same time maintain'd a greater Number of Enemies without the Assistance of Foreign Riches until a certain Biscayner roving upon the Sea by fortune got a sight of this New World either unknown to or forgotten by the Ancients and preserv'd for the Honour of Columbus who after the Death of this Spaniard diligently considering the Observations that he the first Discoverer had made undertook to demonstrate the Discovery of the Provinces which Nature seem'd designedly to separate from us by Mountainous Waves He communicated this his Project to several Princes hoping by their Assistance to facilitate his great and difficult Enterprize But all slighted it as vain and notionary Which if they had done through Prudence and Caution and not Distrust and Misbelief they had merited the same Praise which Carthage gain'd of old which when some Sailors were boasting in the Senate of the Discovery of a wonderful Rich and Delicious Island supposed to be Hispaniola caus'd 'em immediately to be put to Death thinking the Discovery of such an Island would be of more Detriment than Advantage to the Commonwealth Columbus at last applies himself to Their Catholick Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella whose Generous Spirits capable of many Worlds could not be content with one alone So that having received necessary Assistance he put to Sea and after a tedious and hazardous Voyage in which he encounter'd as great Danger from the Diffidence of his Companions as from the Sea it self he at last return'd to Spain laden with Gold and Silver The People flock'd to the Shore of Guadalquivir to admire these precious Products of the Earth brought to light by the Indians and thither by the Valour and Industry of their Countrymen But this great Plenty of them soon perverted all Things the Husbandman soon leaves Plough gets into his Embroider'd Silks and begins to be more curious of his Tawny Sun-burnt Hands the Merchant steps from his Counter into his Sedan and lolls it lazily about the Streets Workmen disdain their Tools and all forsooth must now turn Gentlemen No Money is current now but Silver and Gold and our Coin being wholly unmix'd and pure is coveted and desired by all Nations Gold and Silver now growing common all Things raise their Price In fine It befel our Kings as it did the Emperor Nero whom a certain African put a Trick upon telling him in his Grounds he had found a vast Treasure which he believ'd Queen Dido had buried there either lest too much Riches should enervate the Minds of her Subjects or lest they should invite others to Invade her Kingdom Which the Emperor giving credit to and thinking himself already sure of the Treasure squander'd away the Old Stock upon the Hope of these New-found Riches The Expectation of Riches being the cause of the Publick Want 10 Et divitiarum expectatio inter causas paupertatis publicae erat Tac. 16. Annal. Cheated by the same Hopes we were persuaded that we had no more need of fix'd and standing Treasuries but think our Ships sufficient not considering that all our Power depends upon the Uncertainty of the Winds and Seas as Tiberius said the Lives of the Romans did because their Provisions were all brought them from Foreign Provinces 11 At hercule nemo refert quod Italia externâ—e opis indiget quòd vita populi Romani per incerta maris tempestatum quotidie vivitur Tac. 3. Annal. Which Hazard Aleto consider'd when dissuading Godfredo from going to the Holy Wars he said * Tasso Shall then your Life upon the Winds depend And as Mens Hopes are generally above their Estates 12 Sâ—epe enim de facultatibus suis amplius quam in his est sperant homines Justin. Instit. quibus ex causis man § in fraudem State and Pomp encreases the Salaries Wages and other Charges of the Crown are enlarged out of Confidence and Expectations of these Foreign Riches which being afterwards ill and negligently managed were not sufficient to defray such Expences and this made way for Debts and those for Usury and Interest Necessity daily encreas'd and occasion'd new Expences But nothing was so prejudicial to the Publick as the Alteration of the Coin which though not consider'd should be preserv'd in as much Purity as Religion it self the Kings Alphonso the Wise Alphonso XI and Henry II. who did offer to alter it endanger'd both themselves and Kingdoms and their Misfortunes ought to have been a Warning to us But when Ills are fatal neither Experience nor Example can move us King Philip II. deaf to all these Cautions doubled the Value of Copper Coin which was before convenient for common Use and answerable to bigger Money Foreigners coming to understand the Value that the Royal Stamp gave to this paultry Metal began to Traffick with nothing else bringing us in vast quantities of Copper ready Coin'd in Exchange for our Gold Silver and other Merchandise Which did us more Damage than if all the Monsters and venomous Serpents of Africa had been brought among us And the Spaniards who us'd to ridicule the Rhodians for their Copper Money became themselves the Jest and Laughing-stock of the whole World Trade was ruin'd by this troublesome scoundrel Metal all things grew dearer and by degrees scarcer as in the time of Alphonso the Wise. Buying and Selling ceas'd and at the same time the Revenues of the Crown were diminish'd so that new Impositions and Taxes were unavoidable whence for want of Commerce the Wealth of Castile was spent and the same Inconveniencies renew'd proceeding one from another in a pernicious Circle which will at last prove our Ruine unless a Remedy be timely apply'd by reducing that king of Money to its former and intrinsick Value Who would not think that this World must be subdu'd by the Riches and Wealth of the other And yet we see there were greater Exploits perform'd formerly by pure Valour than since by all these Riches as Tacitus observ'd in the time of Vitellius 13 Vires luxu corrumpebantur contra veterem disciplinam instituta majorum apud quos virtute quam pecunia res Rom. melius stetit Tac. 2. Hist.
more influenc'd by Ambition than Clemency so that he deprived him of his Kingdom and Title Thus Dangers deceive us and we find that to be the greater which we chose as the lesser There can be no assurance in Counsel grounded on Principles that depend on anothers pleasure We deceive our selves in supposing others will act nothing but what is agreeable to Religion Justice Relation or Friendship or but what is consistent with their Honour and Interest Not considering that Men are not always guided by their Advantage or Duty but rather by their private Passions and Sentiments and consequently their Actions are not only to be examined by the Rule of Reason but also by that of Malice and the Experience of the ordinary Injustices and Tyrannies of the World Dangers are a Prince's best Masters The past teach 〈◊〉 to remedy the present and prevent the future Those of others are 't is true instructing but they are easily forgot Our own leave in the Soul some Marks and Scars of the losses sustain'd as that which has once wounded the Imagination does fear Let not then contempt or forgetfulness ever erase them especially when having escapâ—d a Danger we fancy the same will never return or if it does will not annoy us for though some one Circumstance which is very unlikely to happen a second time may remove Dangers yet other succeeding new ones make them unavoidable EMBLEM XXXVIII FROM Nature this universal Commonwealth of things and Empire of mixt Bodies derive their Original the supreme Government of which she lays claim to and for the more firm establishment and more secure maintaining of it has made her self so loved by them that the Elements even in the midst of their contrariety with an admirable consent conspire to preserve it All things would be soon dissolv'd did they hate Nature their Princess and Sovereign who with mutual ties of Love and Benevolence as with the fastest knot unites them It is this Love which holds the Earth in Aequilibrio and makes the Orbs of Heaven whirl round it Let this Monarchy of things created founded in their first Being be a Lesson to defend their Persons and Subjects by affection the most faithfull guard they can have about them 1 Corporis custodiam tutissimam esse putatam in virtute amicorum tum in benevolentia civium esse collocatam Isocr ad Nic. Claud. Not Guards nor Groves of Pikes defend like Love This is the only impregnable Fort 2 Salvum Principem in aperto clementia praestabit vivum erit inexpugnabile monument â—n amor civium Sen. de Clem. lib. 1 ca. 19. For which reason the Bees elect a King without a Sting for he has no need of Arms who is beloved by his Subjects Nature would by no means have it in his power to hurt whose duty 't is to govern least he become odious and promote his own ruin The greatest and most absolute power a Prince can have says K. Alphonso is when he loves his People and they reciprocally love him The body defends the Head upon account of the Love it bears it in consideration that this directs and preserves it else would it not hold up its arm toward the threatning blow Who would expose himself to Hazards except he had a Love for his Prince Who protect and defend his Crown The whole Kingdom of Castile sided with the Infant Henry against K. Peter the Cruel because the one was beloved by all the other as universally hated The first Principle of the ruin of Kingdoms and all the Revolutions in States is Hatred The Kings Ordonno and Fruela the Second were so abominated by their Subjects that the very name of King became odious Castile was reduc'd into a Commonwealth and the Government divided between two Judges one of which administred affairs of Peace the other those of War †Mar. hist. Hisp. Portugal never took up Arms against its Kings nor revolted from its obedience the reason is it bears a sincere affection towards them and if at any time it has excluded one and admitted another 't was because one was belov'd the other for Male-administration hated It was the advice of Iames the First of Arragon to Alphonso the Wise to seek rather the Love than Fear of his Subjects and to ingratiate himself with the Clergy and Commons that he might be the better able to grapple with the Nobility which Counsel if he had follow'd he had never lost the Crown Nero no sooner ceas'd to be lov'd than Conspiracies were form'd against him a thing which Subrius Flavius upbraided him with to his face 3 Nec quisquam tibi fidelior militum â—uit dum amari meruisti odisse â—aepi postquam parricida Matris Uxoâ—is auriga histrio incendiarâ—us extitisti Tac. 15. ann A King's Power and Majesty consist not in his own Person but in the Affection and good Will of his Subjects If they be disaffected who will oppose his Enemies 'T is Preservation makes the people want a King but that can never be expected from one who makes himself hated The Arragonians prudently foresaw this when having call'd to the Crown Peter Altharez Lord of Borgia from whom the most ancient and illustrious Family of the Dukes of Gandia is descended they afterwards repented and would not have him for their King because they saw he us'd them with Austerity and Rigour even before his Election Contrary to what Ferdinand the First King of Arragon did who by Love and Benevolence engag'd the hearts of all in that Kingdom as also in Castile during his Reign there We have seen many Princes ruin'd by Fear none ever by Love If therefore a Prince would be formidable let it be to his Enemies but let him endeavour to be belov'd by his Subjects without which though he come victorious over them he will at last fall by the hands of these As it befell Bardanus King of Persia 4 Claritâ—â—ine paucos inter senatum Regum siperinde amorem inter populares quam metum apud hostes quaesivisset Tac. 11. ann Love and Respect may be joyned but not Love and servile Fear He who is fear'd is hated and he who is hated is by no means secure Quem metuunt oderunt Quem quisque odit periisse expedit Enn. He who is fear'd by many also fears many And what greater misfortune is there than to command those who obey through Fear and govern Bodies rather than Minds The difference between the just Prince and the Tyrant is That one uses Arms to maintain his Subjects in Peace the other to protect himself against them If the strength and power of a Prince hated be small he is much exposed to danger from his Subjects if great yet much more For the greater their fear is the more sollicitous are they to provide for their Security as apprehending his cruelty will encrease with his Grandeur as in Bardanus King of Persia whose Glory made him more severe and insupportable
scarce any one Attacks a State he thinks able to Defend it self If all that is lavishly squander'd away in Gaming Shows and Building were expended upon this Princes would live abundantly more Secure and the whole World enjoy more Peace and Tranquility The Emperors Dioclesian and Maximilian took it as a signal piece of Service of a certain Governor of a Province who laid out a Summ of Money design'd for the Structure of an Amphitheater upon the Repair of a Citadel 28 Ita enim tutelae civitatis instructae murorum praesidio providebitur instaurandi agonis voluptas confirmatis his qua ad securitatis cautionem spectant in secuti temporis circuitus circuitione repraesentabit L. Unica C. de Expen Publ. l. 11. EMBLEM LXXXIII THE very Ground whereon Fortresses are built is their greatest Enemy It is upon the Surface of that with the Shovel and Pick-Axe Weapons of this Age Trenches and Approaches are made to begin a Storm 'T is within the Bowels of the same that Mines are secretly sprung under the Foundations of the Walls and Bulwarks which taking Fire blow them all up That Castle only is Impregnable which situated in the midst of Waters is on all sides surrounded with the Fury of Foaming Billows which although they beat against it yet do at the same time also defend it by not admitting of a Naval Siege and all the Danger would be in a Calm if it should continue long Thus Governments while engaged in War are generally safe 1 Civitates magna ex parte bellum gerentes conservantur caedem Iâ—perâ—o potitae corrumpuntur Aristot. l. 7. Polit. c. 14. Then are they industriously Vigilant providently forewarn'd Glory animates Exercise redoubles their Courage Emulation prompts to great Enterprizes and Common Danger unites Mens Affections and purges off the State 's ill Humours Fear of an Enemy keeps a People Regular and under Laws 2 Metus hostilis in bonis artibus civitatem retinebat Salust The Romans were never more Valiant nor their Subjects more Quiet and Obedient to the Magistrates than when Pyrrhus first and after him Hannibal came up to the very Gates of their City A great Monarchy is in more Danger upon the account of its Power than others are from their Weakness for that through too much confidence in its Strength neglects to provide against future Casualties 3 Whose arrows are sharp and all their bows bent their horses hoofs shall be counted like â—lints Isai. 5. 28. whereas on the contrary Fear puts this always upon its Guard If Military Discipline cease and be not kept in continual Exercise Sloth effeminates Minds weakens and throws down Walls rusts Swords and gnaws the Straps of Shields Debaucheries by degrees encrease with it and Ambition reigns whence arise Dissentions and from them Civil Wars so that there is not one Intestine Malady or Infirmity ingender'd by Laziness but the whole State suffers by it Nothing grows or is preserved without Motion Q. Metellus upon the News of the Loss of Carthage said openly in the Senate That he now apprehended that of Rome would follow when he saw that Rival Republick destroyed Pub. Nasica hearing one say This Success put Affairs in a better Posture answer'd Nay rather they are now in greater Danger This wise Man well knew those Hostile Forces were like Surges which indeed shook the City but withal added Strength and Courage to it and therefore exhorts them to beware of their Ruine as knowing weak Minds to have no greater Enemy than Security and 〈◊〉 Fear was a necessary Tutor to this Pupil People 4 Timens infirmis animis hostem securitatem tanquam pupilli◠〈◊〉 idoneum tutorem necessarium videns eâ—se terrorem Mar. Hist. Hisp. â—â—inthila King of the Goths was great in Spain and â—â—quired Renown by his Atchievements while he was engag'd in War when that ceas'd he abandon'd himâ—elf to Luxury and was ruin'd King Alphonsus VI. reâ—lecting upon the Losses he had receiv'd from the Moors â—â—k'd the reason of it and was answer'd It was the Sloth and Looseness of his Men upon which he immediately forbad Bathing and all other Wantonnesses that impair Strength The Oscitancy and Drowsiness of the two Kings Roderick and Vitiza made almost all Spain fall a Prey to the Africans till the times of Pelagius and his Successors when Warfare beginning to flourish again Valour and the Glory of Arms encreased by constant Emulation and not only deliver'd Spain from that heavy Yoke but render'd it Head of a Puissant Monarchy The Emulation between the Military Orders of Castile produced abundance of Great Men who â—trove more to surpass each other in Military Glory than to conquer an Enemy The House of Austria had never ascended to this Pitch of Grandeur had it always been given up to Idleness The same means Envy takes to pull it down by strengthen and render it more glorious For they who live in Peace like Iron not used lose their Brightness and become rusty 5 Nam pacem agentes tanquam ferrum splendorem amittunt Arist. l. 7. Polit. c. 14. Lesser Powers may indeed be preserv'd without Arms but not great ones For it is not so difficult to keep Fortune equal in them as in these out of which if Arms be â—ot sent abroad War is kindled at Home As it befell the Roman Monarchy with whose Grandeur Ambition that old inbred Vice encreased and broke out For when Affairs were in a low Condition it was easie to keep an Equality but after the Conquest of the World when their Rival Cities and Kings were destroyed and they at leisure to share their Riches then it was that the Senators and Common People first began to fall out 6 Vetus 〈◊〉 jam pridem inâ—ita mortalibus potentiae cupido cum 〈◊〉 perâ—i magnitudine adolevit erupitque Nam rebus modicis aequalitas faâ—â—â— habebâ—tur sed ubi subacto orbe aemulis Vrbibus Regibusque excisiâ— sâ— cuâ—as opes concupiscere vacuum fuit prima inter Patres Plebemque 〈◊〉 mina exarsere Arist. l. 7. Pol. c. 14. The Emulation of Valour which is exercised against Enemies when there is any is usually inflamed between Country-men when there is none This the Germans had Experience of when upon the Romans leaving them and their being exempt from Foreign Fear out of Emulation turn'd their Arms upon one another 7 Decessu Romanorum 〈◊〉 vacui externo metu gentis assuetudine tum aemulatione gloriae arma in se verterant Tac. l. 2. Hist The Peace of the Roman Empire was very bloody it being the Source of all their Civil Wars 8 Pacem sine dubio post haec verum cruentâ—â— Tac. l. 1. Annal. Long Peace was agreeable to the Cherusci but of no advantage 9 Cherusci nimiam ac marcentem diu pacem illacessui nutrierunt idque juâ—undius quam tutius fuit Tac. de Mor. Roman The Wars of the Low-Countries put an
King is his People when they are well defended according to a saying of the Emperor Iustinian that the Kingdom was always rich and the Exchequer full when the Subjects were wealthy and the Land plentiful * Lib. 15. tit 5. p. 2. When therefore a Prince raises Taxes with this Moderation the Subjects ought chearfully to pay them nor can they without a sort of Rebellion refuse them for Sovereignty has no other Portion nor publick necessity any other Assistance there is no Peace without Soldiers no Soldier without Pay no Pay without Taxes 6 Neque quies gentium sine armis neque arma sine stipendiis neque stipendia sine tributis haberi queunt Tac. 4. Hist. For this Reason when Nero would have remitted the Taxes the Roman Senate oppos'd him saying that without them the Empire would be ruin'd 7 Dissâ—lutionâ—m Imperii docendo si fructus quibus Resp. sustinetur 〈◊〉 Tac. 13. ann Taxes are the Prince of Peace but if they are too heavy and the People not well satisfied of their necessity they soon rebel against their Prince 'T was for no other Reason that King Alphonso Sirnamed the Great grew so odious to the People that after many Troubles and Vexations he was oblig'd to quit his Crown for the same also Garcios King of Galicia lost both his Kingdom and Life too †Mar. Hist. Hisp. lib. 9. cap. 8. K. Henry III. consider'd this Danger when being advised by some to raise new Taxes to defray the Expence of War he answer'd I fear the Discontent of my People more than my Enemies Money collected from unjust Taxes is mingled with the Subjects Blood as was seen to drop from that piece which St. Francis of Padua broke in the Presence of Ferdinand King of Naples and this ever crys for Vengeance against the Prince Great Taxes therefore ought not to be rais'd till the People be well convinced of the Necessity oâ— them for when they are satisfied of that and of the Justice of the Cause they patiently bear the heaviest Impositions as we see in those which were rais'd by K. Ferdinand IVth and in the Grant which the Parliament of Toledo made of a Million in the times of Henry III. permitting him also to raise more of his own accord to carry on the Wars against the Moors For though 't is not for private Persons to examine into the Justice of Taxes though they cannot often apprehend the Causes of Expences nor can they be communicated to them without evident Danger 8 Tibi summum rerum judicium dii dedere nobis obsâ—quii glâ—â—ia relictâ— est Tac. 6. ann yet are there some general Reasons which they may without Damage be inform'd of and though Natural and Divine Reason do allow the Power of levying Impositions to the Prince without the Subjects Consent when they are just and necessary as King Alphonso us'd to say yet will a prudent Prince so manage the matter and dispose the Minds of his Subjects that it may seem to be done with their Approbation Taxes are according to the Scripture the Bridle of the People 9 2 Sam. 8. 1. Vide. they keep them in Obedience and uphold the Prince's Authority Those who are free from all Taxes are ungovernable yet this Bridle should be so easie as not to gall them too much as King Flavius Herwegiâ—s prudently consider'd in the Thirteenth Council of Toledo saying That that Government was best which neither oppress'd the People with too great Taxes nor made them remiss and negligent by too little * Ut nec incauta exactio populos gravet nec indiscreta râ—missio statum gentis fociat deperire Concil Tol xiii The Command which Princes have over the Lives of their Subjects is executed without Danger it being done by Law which punishes some as Examples to the rest but not so that Command which they have over their Goods and Estates for that comprehendâ— all in general and People are more sensible in what concerns their Estates than their Bodies especially when they are got by Sweat and Blood and are to be imployed to supply the Prince's Luxury In which that remarkable Action of K. David ought to be consider'd when he refus'd to drink the water which his three Soldiers brought him from amidst the Enemies Camp least he should seem to drink the Blood of those Men 10 2 Sam. 23. 17. 'T is no good Policy to impoverish the People by Taxes the better to keep them in Obedience for though Poverty whether Original or Accidental debases our Spirits which always rise and fall with our Condition yet does Oppression provoke our Minds and urge us to Rebellion 11 Ferocissimo quoque adsumpto aut quibus ob egestatem ac metum ex Flagitiis maxima peccandi necessitudo Tac. 3. ann All the Israelites that were in Distress and every one that was in Debt and every one that was discontented joyn'd David against Saul 12 1 Sam. 22. 2. The People are always most obedient when they are richest The plenty of Egypt made the People of God though very severely us'd forget their Liberty but afterwards when they came to want in the Wilderness they complain'd heavily of their Slavery and Bondage When a Kingdom is given upon Condition that no Taxes shall be levy'd without its Consent or if this be afterwards provided by some general Decree as was in the Parliament of Madrid in the time of King Alphonso XIth or when it has acquired this Privilege by long Prescription as in Spain and France in such Cases the Prince must wait the Consent of the Parliament least he should expose himself to the same Danger as Charles VIIth of France did formerly when he went to raise a certain Tax without communicating it to his Council 'T is also of great advantage to a Prince to be so well esâ—eem'd of his People that from their Opinion of his Zeal for their Good they may think whatever Taxes he imposes upon them are just and reasonable and blindly agree to whatever he proposes committing themselves wholly to his Prudence and Management as the Egyptians did to Ioseph's when he exacted the fifth part of their Estates 13 Gen. 47. 25. When the People have once this Confidence in the Prince he ought diligently to take Care not to burthen them without sufficient Cause and mature Deliberation But if necessity does require it let him at least take Care that the Taxes be well expended for the People take nothing more hainously than to see no advantage from their Oppressions and to see their Estates squander'd away to no purpose They are also very uneasie to see Taxes continued when the Occasion for which they were rais'd is over As 't was in Vespasian's time when the Taxes rais'd for the necessity of War were continued in time of Peace 14 Necissitate armâ—rum excusorta etiam in pace mauâ—erâ— Tac. 2. ann For afterwards Subjects dread them and grudge to pay
as St. Augustine explains it * St. August lib. 5. de Civ Dei cap. 12. stray'd from their first Institution in which private Persons were Poor but the Publick Rich. Of which Horace complains †Lib. 2. Ode 15. Non it a Romuli Praescriptum intonsi Catonis Auspiciis c. Great Princes relying too much upon their own Power lay aside all Care of laying up Treasure or of preserving what they already have not considering that if the Necessity of their Affairs should require Money they must be oblig'd to oppress their Subjects with Taxes to the great hazard of their Fidelity and the greater the Kingdom is there will be need of greater Expence and Charge Princes are Briareus's who what they receive with fifty Hands spend with a hundred nor is any Kingdom rich enough to supply the Extravagance of one Clouds in one Hour spend all the Vapours which they have been many Days in collecting Those Riches which Nature had for many Ages hoarded up in the close Treasury of the Earth were not sufficient for the extravagant Prodigality of some of the Roman Emperors And this Extravagance is usual to Successors who find the Treasury filled to their Hands For they spend that carelesly and lavishly which they never knew the trouble of acquiring they soon pull down the Banks of the Treasury and drown their State in Pleasure and Luxury In less than three Years time Caligula squander'd away Sixty Six Millions of Gold though then One Crown was as much as Two now Power is self-will'd and foolish and should therefore be corrected by Prudence for without that Empires would soon fall to Ruine that of Rome seem'd to decline from the Time that the Emperors began to squander away its Treasures The World is wholly ruled by Arms and Riches Which is represented in the present Emblem by a Sword and Golden Bough which a Hand holds over a Globe to intimate that by both these the World is govern'd alluding to Virgil's Story of Aeneas who by the help of both these conquer'd even Hell it self and subdued its Monsters and Furies The Sword wounds most whose edge is Gold and Valour without Conduct and Magazines without Treasuries are insignificant A Prince ought therefore to consider before he declares War whether he is sufficiently furnish'd with these Means to prosecute it For which Reason 't will be convenient that the President of the Treasury should be one of the Council that he may give an Account of the State of the Revenue and what Grounds they have to proceed upon Power ought to be cautious and circumspect and diligently consider of what it undertakes Prudence does the same in the Mind as the Eyes do in the Head without that Kingdoms and States would be blind And Polyphemus who having once lost his Eye by the Cunning of Vlysses in vain threw Stones about and storm'd for Revenge so will they vainly squander and throw away their Treasure and Riches What prodigious Summs have we seen spent in our Times upon some vain Fear in countermining Enemies Designs in raising Armies and making War which might have been avoided by a Friendly Composition or by Dissimulation How much in Subsidies and Taxes ill apply'd and in other Necessary Expences by which Princes thinking to make themselves Powerful have found the contrary The Ostentations and Menaces of Gold extravagantly and unseasonably squander'd away render themselves ineffectual and the second are less than the first for one weakens the other Strength lost is soon recruited but Riches once spent are hard to be recover'd They ought not to be us'd but upon absolute Necessity Aeneas did not first shew the Golden Bough but offer'd to force his Passage with his Sword The Chief unsheath'd his shinning Steel prepar'd Though seiz'd with sudden Fear to force the Guard But when he found that neither Force nor Fair Means could oblige Charon to waft him over the Golden Bough was produc'd which had been hitherto conceal'd 8 Prov. 21. 14. At the sight of which the angry God was pacified * Dryden ' s Virgil. If neither Piety nor Heaven's Command Can gain his Passage to the Stygian Strand This fatal Present shall prevail at least Then shew'd the Golden Bough conceal'd within her Vest. No more was needful for the Gloomy God Stood mute with Awe to see the Golden Rod c. Let Princes therefore take Care to keep those Eyes of Prudence upon their Scepters clear and quick-sighted not disdaining Oeconomy which is the Safety and Preservation thereof Princes being as 't were the Fathers of their People The Great Augustus condescended as we have said before for the Good of the Publick to take the Accompts of the Empire with his own Hand Spain had had long since the Universal Empire of the World if it had been less Extravagant in War and more Regular and Methodical in Peace but through a certain Negligence the usual Effect of Grandeur it has suffer'd those Riches which should have render'd it Invincible to be made use of by other Nations We purchase them of the simple Indians for Toys and Baubles and afterwards we our selves as silly as they permit other Nations to Export them leaving us Brass Lead or some such worthless Commodities in their stead 'T was the Kingdom of Castile which by its Valour and Prowess erected our Monarchy yet others triumph and that suffers not knowing how to make good Use of the vast Treasures which are brought to them So Divine Providence in a manner levels and equals States giving to the Great Ones Strength without Industry and to the Little Industry to acquire Strength But lest I should seem only to discover Wounds and not heal them I will prescribe some Remedies not drawn from the Quintessence and Nicety of Speculation which are approv'd at first when new but afterwards rejected by Experience but such as Natural Reason shall suggest and such as Ignorance slights as vulgar The chief Wealth and Riches of Nations are the Fruits of the Earth no Mines in the World being richer than Agriculture This the Aegyptians knew who made the lower End of their Scepters like a Plow-share to intimate that its Power and Grandeur was founded upon that The fertile Sides of Vesuviâ—s are richer than Potosus with all its Gold 'T is not by Chance that Nature has so liberally imparted the Fruits of the Earth to All and hid Gold and Silver in the very Bowels of the Earth It made those common and expos'd them upon the Superficies of the Earth on purpose for Man's Nourishment 9 Maxima pars hominum è terra vivit fructibus Aristor Polit. lib. 1. c. 5. and hid these in the Bowels thereof that they might not easily be dug out and refined knowing they would prove the Bane and Ruine of Mankind Spain was in former times so rich almost only from the Fruits of the Earth that Lewis King of France coming to Toledo in the time of