for their maner of life and for that which they spake did and taught In all which things Alexander approching next vnto them went also beyond them in this that they taught men of good vnderstandings namely such as were Graecians as well as themselues and that without great paine and trauell but this monark sustaining infinite labor and cheerefully sheading his bloud did change into a better estate and reformed the rude maners of innumerable sauage people euen of such as were brutish by nature Now let vs speake of Caesar the first Romaine Emperour Was it not prudence especially that prepared the way for him to so mightie an empire first by reconciling together Crassus and Pompey two of the greatest Romaine Senators by whose fauor he obtained afterwardes the dignitie of Consulship When he was placed therin being desirous to win the good wil of the people knowing that he was alreadie well vnder propped of the Senatours he preserred many lawes in their behalfe Besides he was very sumptuous and popular if euer any Romaine was not sparing any cost vpon plaies turneies feastes largesses and other baits to curry fauor with the meaner sort of the people and to gaine the honor and credire of a man that is gratious and charitable towards the poore And when he was sent to take vpon him the gouernment of the Gaules he warred there ten yeeres being guided by an vnspeakable prudence that was accompanied with diligence and forecast so that by vsing all occasions wisely to purpose he subdued there three hundred sundry nations tooke eight hundred townes in manie battel 's discomfited three millions of men The commentaries which he wrote himselfe declare sufficiently that his own vertue wrought more exploits than all his armie Of this also he gaue proofe enough in the beginning of the ciuill warre betweene him and Pompey wherein he vsed such diligence that comming out of Fraunce he made himselfe maister of all Italy in threescore daies without any effusion of bloud and droue away his enimy And Cicero who as some say conspired his death in an epistle calleth him a monster of prudence and of incredible diligence Was it not prudence whereby he noted two faults in Pompey which after were the cause of his ouerthrow The first in an incounter of their armies wherein Caesar being at that time the weaker had the woorst And when he perceiued that his enimy pursued him not but retired to his campe he said The victorie this day was in the power of our enimies but their captaine could not perceiue it The other fault which he noted was at the battel of Pharsalia where Pompey was quite ouerthrowne because he charged his souldiers being ranged in battell to stand still in their places and so to attend their enimies Then Caesar saide that in so dooing Pompey tooke from his souldiers the vehemencie and violence of giuing the onset which is as a spurre vnto them in their race besides the heate of courage which this speedie running forward worketh in theÌ„ We see then how necessarie this vertue of prudence is in feats of warre which caused Agesilaus king of Lacedemonia after great losses sustained by the violence of Epaminondas the generall captaine of the Thebanes to say to his men that they should not greatly care for the multitude of their enimies but bend all their force against Epaminondas onely bicause none but wise prudent men were valiant and the onely cause of victorie And therefore if they could beate him downe they should vndoubtedly haue the rest at their deuotion As indeed it came to passe in that battell which they fought togither wherein the Lacedemonians halfe discomfited one of those that fled being pursued by Epaminondas turned back and slew him wherupon the rest tooke such courage and the Thebans were so dismaied that the victorie remained with Agesilaus Now if in warfare prudence beareth such a stroake who doubteth but that in ciuil and politike gouernment she is as necessarie or rather more Diuine Plato in his booke of a common-wealth saith that if a man woulde do notable acts woorthy of perfect praise in the administration of the common-wealth he must haue prudence and iustice followed of power and fortune But we may further say that onely prudence hath set aloft and preserued many great estates from ruine and subuersion The Athenians being diuided and banded into three contrarie parts and factions Solon being very prudent and wise would not ioine himselfe to any of them but kept himselfe indifferent to all practising speaking whatsoeuer he could deuise to ioine reconcile them togither again Wherein he behaued himselfe so well that being chosen by them all for the onely pacisier and reformer of their estate he placed it in greater glorie than euer it was in before by his prudent and wise lawes which were receiued as inuiolable The prudence of Lycurgus the reformer and lawmaker of the Lacedemonians was the cause of the maintenance of their estate aboue fiue hundred yeeres so that it was the chiefest in all Graecia both for glorie and excellencie of gouernment from whence they fell not vntill such time as they wholy neglected those goodly ordinances and lawes which he left them A prudent man alwaies gineth good counsalle and vttereth the same freely being also a good and willing helpe to innocencie Phocion speaking his minde one day in the counsell chamber of the Athenians against the enterprising of a certain war and seeing that his aduise so greatly displeased them that they would not giue him leaue to vtter his minde he spake freely vnto them in this maner Ye may peradâ—â—nture O Athenians force me to do that which ought not to be done but ye can not constraine me to speake any thing contrary to my opinion that ought not to be spoken or counsailed Demosthenes knowing the innocencie of a poore woman drawne into iudgement with danger of being ouerthrowne saued hir by his great prudence For two strangers hauing giuen hir a good summe of money to keepe with this condition that she should not restore it to the one except the other were also present within a while after one of them came very sorrowfull faining that his companion was dead and bringing some counterfeit token therof with him Wherupon he so perswaded this poore woman who ment simply plainely that she restored the monie to him Afterwards the other came demanding the money also brought this woman before a iudge who being without hope of escaping Demosthencs answered for hir that she offred to giue him the money so that he brought his fellow bicause as himselfe confessed she ought not to giue it to the one without the other The profite which a prudent man draweth from his enimies is in this that he knoweth and taketh them for spies for enuiers at his life and ioint-labourers with him for honor and glory wherupon he is the more carefull that his dooings
to lay them vp in a sure place The dignitie of a Head of an armie is in truth greatly to be accounted of especially when it is ioyned with prowesse and experience the chief point whereof is to saue him that must saue all the rest Therefore Timotheus an Athenian captaine and Chares also an other captaine shewed one day openly vnto the Athenians the skarres of many woundes which he had receiued in his body and his shield also that was spoyled and thrust through with many pushes of a pike but now quoth he I am of another minde For when I besieged the citie of Samos I was very much ashamed that an arrowe shotte from the walles fell harde by me being then too venturous a yong man and hazarding my selfe more rashly than became the Head of so great an armie And yet when it greatly profiteth the whole enterprise and is a matter of no small importance that the Generall of the armie should put his life in daunger then he must yeeld and imploy his person not sparing himselfe or giuing place to their wordes who say that a good and wise captaine ought to die of age or at least to be olde But where small benefit ariseth if he prosper well and contrarywise an vniuersall losse and generall hurt to all if any thing but well betide him no wise man will require it or be of the opinion that he should venture himselfe as a common souldiour doth whereby he being the Generall should be in daunger of destruction And yet in the meane while he must not be lesse carefull ouer the safetie of those valiaunt men that follow him or thrust them into danger but very warily remembring the saying of that good emperor Antoninus that he had rather saue one citizen thā put a thousand enimies to death The answer of Scipio was very like it whē he was earnestly requested by the souldiours at the siege of Numantia to gine an assault I had rather quoth he haue the life of one Romane than the death of all the Numantines He vsed also to say that all things ought to be assaied in warre before the sword be taken in hand And in deed there is no greater victory than that which is gotten without sheding of bloud Sylla Tiberius Caligula and Nero had no skill but to commaund and to kill but that good Augustus Titus and Traian were always ready to sollicite to request and to agree by forgiuing Augustus also said that although a prince were mightie yet if hee were wise hee would neuer giue battell vnlesse there were more apparant profite in the victorie than losse if the enimie should ouercome And in deede he neuer gaue battell but vpon necessitie We reade of that great captaine Narses who subdued the Gothes vanquished the Bactrians and ouercame the Germaines that he neuer gaue his enimies battell but he wept in the Temple the night before Theodosius the Emperor suffred not his men to assault any towne nor to lay siege vnto it before tenne dayes were past causing this proclamation to be made vnto them that hee graunted these tenne daies to the ende they might accept and taste of his clemencie before they had experience of his power It is a common saying that it is not enough for a Captaine to know how to leade his men well to the fight vnlesse he foresee also the meanes to retire and to saue them in tyme of neede And it is no lesse fault in a Captaine to fall into an inconuenience vnlooked for than through too much mistrust to let slippe an occasion of doyng some great exploite when it is offred For want of experience breedeth rashnesse in the one and taketh away boldnesse from the other Neither must a good captaine onely vse present occasion well but hee must also iudge wisely of that which is to come distrusting alwayes the doubtfull issue of all enterprises of warre For this cause the ancient Generals of armies both Greekes and Latines neuer marched but in armour nor incamped although they were farre from their enimies but they closed their campe round about with a trench And when Leonidas was demanded the reason hereof he aunswered bicause as the sea hath his sandes gulfes and rocks so hath war his among which none is more perillous and hurtful than this of I had not thought it Among other things necessary in a captaine the knowledge of nature and of the situation of places is very requisite which is to know how the mountaines are lift vp how the valleis hang how the Champian fields are couched togither and to know the nature and course of riuers the bredth of marishes This is profitable in two respects First a man learneth thereby to know his owne countrey so to be more skilful to defend it Secondly hauing by that means had good practise of the seat of that countrey he may easily conceiue the situation of another place of which sometime he must necessarily consider So that if a General be wanting herein he is destitute of the chief vertue which a good captain ought to haue For it is that which teacheth him to find out the enimy to encamp himself to guide an host to set his men in aray for the battell and to take the aduauntage at the siege of a towne Among other great praises that authors giue to Philopaemenus prince of the Acheans they forget not this that in time of peace he studied diligētly how he might war more skilfully And when he was in the fields with his friends he would stand stil many times and conferre with them vsing such like speeches If the enimie were in this mountaine and we here with our campe who should haue the aduantage how might we seeke him out marching on in battell If we would retire how should we do If they retired how should we folow thē Thus in the way he set before them all the chances that might happen to a campe then he would heare their opinions and after set down his own confirming it with reasons This he did so well that by reason of these continual disputations and cogitations no hinderance could befall him when he guided an army which he could not redresse Xenophō sheweth in Cyrus his life that being ready to set forward in that voyage which he vndertooke against the king of Armenia he said familiarly to his men that this iourny was but one of those huntings which they had so often practised with him He willed those whom he sent to lye in ambush vpon the mountaines to remember when and how they went to pitch their nets vpon the small hils and to those that went to begin the skirmish he sayd that they resembled such as went to rouze a beast out of his denne to driue him to their nets This noble Prince shewed well that his exercise of hunting was not vnprofitable vnto him as in deede it is a true
desperate case Briefly to speake in a word Fortitude is the cause that neither for feare nor danger we turne aside from the path waie of vertue and iustice neither yet repent vs of well doing for any torment And thus it belongeth properly to this vertue to command chiefly ouer these two perturbations grounded vpon the opinion of euill namely Feare and Griefe as before we saw that Temperance exerciseth hir power ouer vnbrideled desire excessiue ioy Furthermore bicause they that naturally haue greater stomacks and more excellent spirits are desirous and greedie of honors power and glorie and seeing that an excessiue desire to rule and to excel others commonly groweth with the greatnes of the hart it is necessarie that this vnrulie affection should be moderated by the contempt of such things as are common to all men by nature And this also is a propertie belonging to this vertue of Fortitude which desiring the greatest and best things despiseth those that are base and abiect aspiring to celestiall and eternall things shunneth humane mortall things and iudgeth honors riches and worldlie goods an vnwoorthie recompence for his valiant acts Which is the who cause that whosoeuer hath this vertue of Fortitude perfectly if so great happines could be among mortall wights he remaineth free from all perturbations of the soule to enioy a blessed tranquillitie which togither with constancie procureth vnto him dignitie and reputation For this cause Cicero teacheth vs that they which giue themselues to the gouernment of affaires ought at least asmuch as Philosophers to make light account of temporall goods from whence proceedeth all the rest of our mindes yea they ought to striue to that end with greater care and labor than Philosophers do bicause it is easier for a Philosopher so to doe his life being lesse subiect to Fortune standing in lesse need of worldly Goods than doth that of Politicks And if any mishap befall them it toucheth the Philosopher a great deale lesse But whether it be in war or in ruling a Common-wealth or in the gouernment of a house there are alwaies means enough to exercise the works of Fortitude many times this vertue is most necessarie in things that seeme to be of smallest account Besides that honesty which we seeke after is perfected by the forces of the soule of which euery one hath great need not by those of the bodie I will not say that the firme knitting togither of the members and the good disposition of nature to sustaine manfully the iniuries of wether al kind of paine trauel without sicknes is not a good helpe towards the execution of noble enterprises only I say that it is not so necessarie but that many being troubled with a thousand ill dispositions in their persons especially such as were placed in offices of Captaines and Conductors of armies haue executed infinite great and glorious exploits surmounting all weakenes of their bodies through the magnanimitie of their hart Yea oftentimes they haue as it were constrained their bodies to change their nature that they might be made fit to execure whatsouer their wise spirite iudged to belong to dutie Was there euer any Captaine among the Romanes greater than Iulius Caesar Yet was he of a weake and tender complexion subiect to great head-aches and visited somtimes with the falling sicknes But in steed of vsing the weaknes of his bodie for a cloke to liue nicely and delicately he tooke the labors for warre for a fit medicine to cure the vntowardnes of his bodie fighting against his disease with continuall labor and exercise liuing soberly and lying for the most part in the open aire which made him to be so much the more admired and loued of his souldiers As it may appeere by that which is reported of him that being one daye by reason of great storme and tempest greatly vrged with want of lodging in a plaine where there was but one little cottage belonging to a Peasant which had but one chamber he commanded that Oppius one of his Captaines who was il at ease should be lodged there as for himselfe he laye abroad with the rest saying that the most honorable places were to be appointed for the greatest and the most necessarie for such as were most diseased What shall we say of those who being impotent in some part of their members did notwithstanding not diminish in any sort but augment the glorie of their doings Marcus Sergius a Romane Captaine hauing lost his right hand in a battell practised so well with the left hand that afterward in an armie he chalenged foure of his enimies one after another and ouercame them such force hath a good hart that it can doe more in one onely little member than a man well made and fashioned in all points that hath but a cowardly hart We might heere alleadge infinite examples whereof histories are full of all those effects which we said were brought foorth by the vertue of Fortitude in noble minds but we will content our selues to touch certaine generals that were of notable and politike prowes and valure and constant in their resolutions aswell for shortnes sake as also bicause heereafter we shall haue further occasion to bring others in sight when we handle more at large the parts and branches that proceed from this happie stalke of Fortitude Fabius the Greatest commeth first to my remembrance to prooue that the resolution of a courageous hart grounded vpon knowledge and the discourse of reason is firme and immutable This Captaine of the Romane armie being sent into the field to resist the furie and violence of Hannibal who being Captaine of the Carthaginians was entred into Italy with great force determined for the publike welfare and necessitie to delay and prolong the warre and not to hazard a battell but with great aduantage Whereupon certaine told him that his owne men called him Hannibals schoolemaister and that he was iested at with many other opprobrious speeches as one that had small valure and courage in him and therfore they counselled him to fight to the end he might not incurre any more such reprehensions and obloquies I should be quoth he againe to them a greater Coward than now I am thought to be if I should forsake my deliberation necessarie for the common welfare and safetie for feare of their girding speeches and bolts of mockerie and obey those to the ruine of my countrey whom I ought to command And in deed afterward he gaue great tokens of his vnspeakeable valure being sent with three hundred men onely to encounter with the said Hannibal and seeing that he must of necessitie fight for the safetie of the Common-wealth after all his men were slaine and himselfe hurt to death he rushed against Hannibal with so great violence and force of courage that he tooke from him the diademe or frontlet which he had about his head and died with that about him Pompey who by
seeing it lieth so heauy vpon them and the time seemeth vnto them ouer-long to stay for the naturall death of this poore old man whom they hate so extremely And yet Titus shall not obtaine a victory greatly honorable or woorthy the praise of the ancient Romanes who euen then when Pyrrhus their enimy warred against them and had wonne battels of them sent him word to beware of poison that was prepared for him Thus did this great vertuous captaine finish his daies being vtterly ouerthrowen and trode vnder foote by fortune which for a time had placed him in the highest degree of honor that could be Eumenes a Thracian one of Alexanders lieutenants and one that after Alexanders death had great wars and made his partie good against Antigonus king of Macedonia came to that greatnesse and authoritie from a poore Potters sonne afterwards being ouercome and taken prisoner he died of hunger But such preferments of fortune will not seeme very strange vnto vs if we consider how Pertinax came to the Empire ascending from a simple souldier to the degree of a captaine and afterward of Gouernour of Rome being borne of a poore countrywoman And hauing raigned only two moneths he was slaine by the souldiers of his gard Aurelianus from the same place obtained the selfe same dignitie Probus was the sonne of a gardiner and Maximianus of a black-smith Iustinus for his vertue surnamed the Great from a hogheard in Thracia attained to the empire Wil you haue a worthy exāple agreeable to that saying of Iuuenal which we alleaged euen now Gregory the 7. from a poore monke was lift vp to the dignitie of chief bishop of Rome Henry the 4. emperor was brought to that extreme miserie by wars that he asked the said Gregory forgiuenes cast him selfe down at his feete And yet before this miserable monarch could speake with him he stood 3. days fasting and barefoote at the popes palace gate as a poore suppliant waiting whē he might haue entrance accesse to his holynes Lewes the Meeke emperour king of France was constrained to giue ouer his estate to shut himself vp in a monasterie through the conspiracie of his own childrē Valerianus had a harder chaunge of his estate ending his days whilest he was prisoner in the hands of Sapor king of the Parthians who vsed the throte of this miserable emperor whensoeuer he mounted vpō his horse But was not that a wonderful effect of fortune which hapned not long since in Munster principal towne in the country of Westphalia wherin a sillie botcher of Holland being retired as a poore banished man from his country called Iohn of Leiden was proclaimed king was serued obeied of all the people a long time euen vntil the taking subuersion of the said town after he had born out the siege for the space of 3. yeeres Mahomet the first of that name of a very smal and abiect place being enriched by marying his mistres and seruing his own turne very fitly with a mutinie raised by the Sarrasins against Heracleus the emperor made himself their captain tooke Damascus spoiled Egypt finally subdued Arabia discomfited the Persians and became both a monarch a prophet Wil you see a most wōderful effect of fortune Look vpon the procedings of that great Tamburlane who being a pesants son keping cattel corrupted 500. sheepheards his companions These men selling their cattel betook them to armes robbed the merchants of that country watched the high ways Which when the king of Persia vnderstood of he sent a captaine with a 1000. horse to discomfit them But Tamburlane delt so with him that ioining both togither they wrought many incredible feates of armes And when ciuil warre grew betwixt the king and his brother Tamburlane entred into the brothers pay who obtained the victory by his means therupon made him his lieutenant general But he not long after spoiled the new king weakened subdued the whole kingdom of Persia And when he saw himselfe captain of an army of 400000. horsmen 600000. footmē he made warre with Baiazet emperor of the Turkes ouercame him in battel and tooke him prisoner He obtained also a great victorie against the Souldan of Egypt and the king of Arabia This good successe which is most to be maruelled at and very rare accompanied him always vntill his death in so much that he ended his days amongst his children as a peaceable gouernour of innumerable countries From him descended the great Sophy who raigneth at this day and is greatly feared and redoubted of the Turke But that miserable Baiazet who had conquered before so many peoples and subdued innumerable cities ended his dayes in an iron cage wherein being prisoner and ouercome with griefe to see his wife shamefully handled in waiting at Tamburlanes table with hir gowne cut downe to hir Nauell so that hir secrete partes were seene this vnfortunate Turke beate his head so often agaynst the Cage that he ended his lyfe But what neede we drawe out this discourse further to shewe the straunge dealinges and maruellous chaunges of fortune in the particular estates and conditions of men which are to be seene daily amongst vs seeing the soueraign Empires of Babylon of Persia of Graecia and of Rome which in mans iudgement seemed immutable and inexpugnable are fallen from all their glittering shew and greatnes into vtter ruine and subuersion so that of the last of them which surpassed the rest in power there remaineth onely a commandement limited and restrained within the confines of Almaigne which then was not the tenth part of the rich prouinces subiect to this Empire Is there any cause then why we should be astonished if litle kingdoms common-wealths and other ciuill gouernments end when they are come to the vtmost ful point of their greatnes And much lesse if it fal out so with mē who by nature are subiect to change and of themselues desire and seeke for nothing else but alteration Being assured therefore that there is such vncertaintie in all humane things let vs wisely prepare our selues and apply our will to all euents whose causes are altogither incomprehensible in respect of our vnderstandings and quite out of our power For he that is able to say I haue preuented thee O fortune I haue stopped all thy passages and closed vp all thy wayes of entrance that man putteth not all his assurance in barres or locked gates nor yet in high walles but staieth himselfe vpon Phylosophicall sentences and discourses of reason whereof all they are capable that imploy their wils trauell and studie thereupon Neither may we doubt of them or distrust our selues but rather admire and greatly esteeme of them beyng rauished with an affectionate spirite He that taketh least care for to morow saith Epicurus commeth thereunto with greatest ioy And as Plutarke saith riches glory
feates of Armes and then wee will looke into that great obedience and seuere rule of liuing that was obserued among the men of warre We shall not finde in all the Romayne Histories anye battayle of greater or more importaunce betweene the people of Rome and any other nation than that which they had with the Latines when Torquatus and Decius were Consuls For as the Latins by loosing the battel were brought into bondage so should the Romanes haue beene if they had not woonne it Titus Liuius is of this opinion who maketh both the armies in all respectes alike both for number vertue resolution and order and putteth the difference onely in the vertue of the Captaines which he supposeth was greater on the Romanes side so consequently cause of their victory The likenes equalitie of these two hosts proceeded of this bicause they had long time followed practised feates of armes togither vsing the same order language weapons keeping the selfe same maner of ordring their battels insomuch that both their orders their Captaines had the same names Now this was the order of the Romane army Their whole host was diuided into three principall parts whereof the first consisted of pike-men the second of the chiefe gentlemen Lordes the third was called the rereward euery part was chiefly compounded of foot-men being accompanied with a certaine number of horsemen Their battels being ordered in this sort they placed pike-men in the foreward right behind them were the noblemen and in the third place behind they appointed their rereward which they called by the name of TriariẠThey had also certaine troups of horsemen both on the right left side of euery part of their army whom they called wings in respect of the place which they had bicause they seemed to be the wings of that body They set the foreward close togither in the fore-front that it might both breake in vpon the enimy sustaine the on-set The battel bicause it was not to fight first but to succour the fore-ward when it was either put to the woorst or driuen backe was not ioined so close but kept their ranks wider asunder so that it might without disorder to it selfe receiue the foreward within it if by any mishap or breach of aray it should be constrained to retire The rereward had their ranks farther distant one from another than the battel that it might be able to receiue within it both the foreward and the battell when neede required Their battels then being thus ranged they began the skirmish and if their pikemen were driuen backe and vanquished they retired into the distances and void spaces of the noble-men Then both of them being knit togither in one made one bodie of two battels and so began the fight againe But if they both being ioined togither were put to the worst they gathered themselues togither in the wide and large rankes that were left for them in the rereward of the TriariẠAnd then these three parts ioined in one renued the fight and so either lost or woonne the battell being vnable to repaire them-selues againe Therefore when the rereward entered into the conflict the armie was in danger whereupon arose that prouerbe Res redacta est ad Triarios which is asmuch to say in English as the matter is brought to the Rereward to the extremitie Now the Captaines of these our times hauing forsaken all order of ancient discipline make no account of this ordinance of warre although if it be well considered it will be found a matter of great importance For he that ordreth his host so that he may repaire himself thrice in one battell must haue fortune his enimie three sundry times before he can loose it and be vtterly ouerthrowne Whereas he that trusteth onely to the first encounter as the most do at this day offereth himselfe rashly vnto danger and losse For one onely disorder one smal vertue may cary the victorie from him Now that which hindreth our armies from repairing themselues thrice is the lack of skil to gather one battel into another We also appoint onely a foreward and a maine battel for the most part lay the hope strength of the armie vpon the horsemen wheras the Ancients made most account of the footmen So that if the horse-men receiuing the onset should haue the repulse and their aray broken the rest were easie to be delt withall beside that commonly the foote-men are disordred by their owne horsemen being compelled to retire For this cause the Switzers called by some maisters of these late warres when they purpose to fight especially on the Frenchmens side are very carefull to haue the horsemen on the one side and not to followe next after them to the ende that being wide of them if by mishap they should be repulsed yet they might not ouer-runne and disorder them And this hath beene often-times noted that the Frenchmen according to the aduantage or discommoditie of the first brunt giuen by their foreward or battell haue been partakers of the like issue and euent afterward so that if they were put to the woorst in the first encounter their enimie was in a manner assured of the victorie This caused Titus Liuius to write in many places that Frenchmen in the beginning of a battell are more than men but in the ende lesse than women But that which causeth them to breake their order so quickly may be better knowne if we set downe heere two kindes of armies the one where there is furie and order as there was in the Romane armie in which according to the testimonie of all histories good order through continuance of time had planted such a warlike discipline that nothing was doone among them but by rule They did neither eate nor sleepe nor deale in any other warlike or priuate action without the appointment of the Consul or Head of the armie So that all vertue being thus setled amongst them they exercised their furie by meanes and as time and occasion serued neither could any difficultie arise that could quaile their resolution well begunne or cause them to be discouraged by reason of their good order which refreshed them and strengthened their courage that was nourished with the hope of victorie which is neuer wanting as long as good orders are truly obserued But in the other kind of armie where furie beareth sway and not order as it falleth out often in the French armies if victorie doth not followe their first assaie For their furie wherein their hope consisted is not succoured with setled vertue neither haue they any other confidence but in their furie so that as soone as they are somewhat cooled and see neuer so little disorder and breach of aray they are presently discomfited Contrariwise the Romanes being lesse afraid of perils bicause of their good order fought firmely and resolutely togither without any distrust of the victorie being as courageous
and vertuous in the ende as in the beginning yea the harder they were charged with weapons the more were they inflamed and set on fire Moreouer concerning their warlike discipline it may easily be knowne by that speech which Titus Liuius rehearseth of Papirius Cursor who complained of the corruption that began to growe in their armie for the which he would haue punished Fabius Generall of the horsemen No man saith he beareth any reuerence either to men or to the gods The Edicts of the Captaine of the Coronell and of the Soothsaiers are not obserued The souldiours goe wandering vppe and downe like vagabonds both in countries that are at peace with vs and also in our enimies lands they discharge themselues at their pleasure and forget their oath The Ensignes are desolate and not followed Besides they ioine not togither as they are commanded nor consider whether it be by day or by night whether in a place of aduantage or of disaduantage They fight without the Captaines commandement they keepe not their rankes and signes Briefly whereas war was woont to be solemne and sacred it is disordered inconsiderate and guided at all aduenture after the manner of theeury But as long as warlike discipline tooke place among the ancient Romanes their campe was a schole of honor of sobriety of chastity of iustice of all vertue so that no man might reuenge his owne iniuries or proceed of himself peremptorily They knew not what it was to liue at discretion much lesse to go a foraging to rob steale beate or murder as men do now a daies And as touching obedience towards their Captaines it was very wonderfull For they feared not to preferre it before the safetie of their owne liues and before all victorie At the battell of Cannas the Romane knights seeing the Consull alight and certaine others with him bicause he was hurt and thinking that he had commanded them all to doe so they presently left their horses which was the cause of their ouerthrow And this did Hannibal then declare with a loude voice saying I would not desire rather to haue them deliuered to me bound than as they be The executions that were shewed vpon the disobedient and offenders were ful of rigour and the qualitie of their punishments maruellous strange For the Heads of armies sometime sticked not to cause a whole legion to passe through the pikes which consisted of 6000. footemen 500. horsemen for some notable fault committed by them But among all their terrible executions the tithing of armies was most seuere when euery tenth man throughout a whole hoste was by lot put to death No kinde of punishment could be found that was more fearefull for the correcting of a multitude than this which they practised especially when the chiefe author and they that were the procurers of some notorious fact were not knowne For then it had beene too much to haue chasticed the whole companie and if some had beene corrected and others left vnpunished innocents peraduenture should haue suffered and the guiltie escaped scot-free Whereas by tithing they that were punished could not complaine but of the lot and the rest were kept in feare least the like faults should fall out againe amongst them Whereupon they obserued one another that as many as did not their dutie might bee knowne and chasticed The Captaines and Heads of armies were no lesse rigorously handeled by them that had the soueraigntie of the Estate if they did capitulate or make any agreement with the enimies to the detriment and disaduantage of the Common-wealth For they sent them backe againe naked and not the Heads onely but also all that had any charge in the armie and consented to the composition that the enimies might returne vpon their Heades all the sinne of breaking that oath which they had taken and that appointment which they had sworne to The Emperour Aurelius laboured earnestly to bring in againe the ancient discipline of warre and to cause it to be strictly obserued whereof his letter is a sufficient testimonie being written by him to a Tribune of warre in these words If thou wilt be a Tribune or rather if thou wilt liue restraine the souldiours hands that none steale another mans henne or touch his sheepe Let no man take a grape or spoyle and treade downe the corne Let no man exact of his Oast oyle salt or wood but let euery one be content with his allowance Let them inrich themselues with the praie of their enimies and not with the teares of our subiectes Let their armour be glazed and cleane their hose and shooes good and strong Let new apparell driue away the olde and let them keepe their wages in their purse and not spend it in tauernes Let them lay aside bracelets and rings Let euery one dresse his owne horse and one helpe another Let the Physitions and Chirurgions looke to them without money and let Sooth-sayers haue nothing giuen them Let them liue chastly in their Oasts houses and let such as are mutinous and giuen to quarelling be punished and corrected Let theÌ„ trench their campe euery day as if they were neere their enimy Behold surely an excellent forme of warlike discipline expressed in few words which is so farre from our behauiour that the people in these dayes would thinke they were fauourably delt withall if the souldiours tooke no more from them but that which this emperor forbiddeth his to take vpon paine of life And truely the vnmeasurable licence that is granted them causeth the souldior to enter into the field onely to spoile and rob and to eschew the â—ight And in stead of helping one another and taking care euery one of his owne horse there is not a souldiour so begger-like but will haue his foure Lackeis so that a thousand souldiors in these dayes will be more chargeable to the people than twentie thousand that are well ordered would be If a Romane souldiour had committed adulterie with his Oasts wife Aurelius caused him to be torne in sunder with two trees bowed downe one against another It was death also to take an egge If hee went out of his ranke whilest the armie marched he had the bastonnado Oftentimes for one simple fault a whole Legion was discharged and the captaine seuerely punished and yet for all this rigor the souldiors loued the Emperour as their father He also gaue them their pay well and truly and rewarded liberally such as did their duetie This is the way to redresse so many disorders and calamities as are seene in our armies and to restore in some sort that warrelike discipline which is abolished For souldiours alleage this as an excuse for all their wicked deedes that they are not payd and many would not bee payd that so they might cloke their robberies When the small taxe and since that the payment of fiftie thousand footemen was layed vpon the subiects the king promised to imploy that mony
paterne of warre but that it did helpe him greatly to iudge of the nature and seate of those places which he frequented in his countreys And bicause all landes are like in some things the perfect knowledge of one countrey which often vse of hunting bringeth may helpe one to iudge well of an other Publius Decius Tribune of the souldioures in the armie which Cornelius the Consull led against the Samnites beholding the Romane host brought into a valley where they might easily be enclosed of the enimies went to the Consull and sayd Doe you marke O Cornelius the toppe of this mountaine aboue our enimie It is the fortresse of our hope and safetie if we make haste to take it seeyng the blind Samnites haue forsaken it We see then how profitable yea how necessarie it is for a captaine to know the beyng and nature of countreys which helpeth a mā much in that principall point touched before by me namely to compel his enimies to fight when he perceiueth that he is the stronger and hath the aduantage of them if he be the weaker to keep himself from such places where he may be cōpelled therunto This is that wherby Caius Marius who was sixe times Consull got the renowne to be one of the greatest captains in his time For although he were Generall of many armies and fought three great battels yet was he so warie in all his enterprises that hee neuer gaue his enimies occasion to set vpon him and to force him to fight And that was a notable aunswere which he made to the Generall of his enimies who willed him to come out of his campe to battell if he were such a great captain as men reported him to be Not so quoth he but if thou art the great captaine compell me to it whether I will or no. This is one thing also wherein the Head of an armie must be very vigilant that all secrecies be closely kept among the captaines of his host For great affaires neuer haue good successe when they are discouered before they take effect To this purpose Suetonius saith that no man euer heard Iulius Caesar say To morrow we will do that and to day this thing but we will doe this nowe and as for to morrow we will consider what is then to be done And Plutarke saith in his treatise of Policie that Lucius Metellus beyng demaunded by a Captaine of his when hee would giue battell sayde If I were sure that my shirte knew the least thought in my hart I woulde presently burne it and neuer weare any other Therefore affaires of warre may be handled and debated of by many but the resolution of them must be done secretly and knowen of few men otherwise they would be sooner disclosed and published than concluded Notwithstanding it is very necessarie that the General should oftentymes call a councell so that it be of expert and ancient men and of such as are prudent and voyde of rashnesse But in all cases of necessitie a man must not stand long in seeking for reason but suddenly set vpon them For many tymes sundry captaines haue vndone themselues in warres vpon no other occasion but bicause they lingred in taking counsel when they should without losse of tyme haue wrought some notable enterprise Moreouer for the instruction and patterne of the dutie and office of a good Head and captaine of an armie we can alleage none more woorthy to be imitated than Cato of Vtica a Consul of Rome who had the guiding of a legion when he first tooke charge vpon him For from that tyme forward he thought that it was not roial or magnificall to be vertuous alone being but one body therfore he studied to make all that were vnder his charge like himselfe Which that he might bring to passe he took not frō them the feare of his authoritie but added reason thereunto shewing and teaching them their dutie in euery point and always ioyning to his exhortations reward for those that did well and punishment for such as did euill So that it was hard to say whether he had made them more apt for peace or for warre more valiant or more iust bicause they were so stout and eger against their enimies and so gentle and gracious to their friends so feareful to do euil and so ready to obtaine honor The vertue of Pompey is also worthy to be followed of euery great captain f or the temperance that was in him for his skil in armes eloquence in speech fidelitie in word as also bicause he was to be spoken with and so louingly entertained euery one And if with these things the example of the same Cato be followed in his prudent liberalitie and diuision of the spoils and riches of the enimies that captaine that so behaueth himself shal deserue eternal praise and please all those that follow him For when this vertuous captaine had taken many townes in Spaine he neuer reserued more for himselfe than what he did eate and drinke there He deliuered to euery one of his souldiors a pound waight of siluer saying that it was better that many should returne to their houses from the warre with siluer than a few with gold and as for the captains he sayd that during their charges and gouernements they should not grow and increase in any thing but in honor and glory For the conclusion therefore of our speech we note that a Generall of an army desirous to bee obeyed which is necessarie must behaue himselfe so that his souldiors may thinke him woorthy to prouide and care for their necessary affaires Which thing will come to passe when they see that he is courageous carefull that he keepeth his place and the maiestie of his degree well that he punisheth offenders and laboureth not his men in vaine but is liberall and performeth his promises made vnto them Of the choice of Souldiors of the maner how to exhort them to fight and how victory is to be vsed Chap. 70. ACHITOB A Gamemnon generall Captaine of the Graecians before Troy speaking of Achilles and being grieued bicause he refused to succour them hauing been offended by him sayd That a man beloued of God is in the place of many men in a campe and far better than a whole company that is vnruly and cannot be gouerned but with great paine and care This reason was the cause that good men heretofore were greatly honored in war and much sought after by great captaines bicause they were very religious and vndertooke nothing before they had prayed to their gods and offered sacrifices after the maner of their countrey Also after they had done some great exploite they were not slouthful to giue thē thanks by offrings and hymnes song to their praise But all these good considerations haue no more place amongst vs than the rest of their warlike discipline principally in that no regard is had what maner of men
the guiding of them be giuen to good vertuous and expert Captaines ledde onely with a desire to doe their dutie to their King and Countrie this kingdome will be feared of strangers and without feare it selfe of their assaults and enterprises Especially if in the Prince his absence the soueraigne authoritie of commanding absolutely in the armie be committed into the hands of a Captaine woorthy his charge as we haue discoursed who is able to win the harts of men and to prouoke them to their dutie by liuely and learned reasons as namely That all men must die and therefore that it were too great follie in a man to refuse to die for publike profit which bringeth vnto vs immortall glorie seeing he must once of necessitie yeeld vp his life that a glorious death is alwaies to be preferred before a shamefull life stained with reproch briefly if he can ground his exhortations vpon the occasion of taking armes of time place estate and condition of the enimies and of the good that will come to them if they obtaine the victorie But in all these things the iustice and equitie of the cause of war is that which most of all maketh good men courageous who otherwise neuer ought to fight We may read a million of goodly Orations made in time of warre set forth in one volume with which euery wise and prudent Captaine may helpe himselfe according as occasion is offred Now if that ancient order discipline of which we haue hitherto discoursed and which may be learned more at large in their excellent writings were renued imitated by our armies as the late vse and practise of Armes exercised at this day is apt and fit for the same being more terrible than that of the Ancients who had no gun-powder no doubt but great obedience of souldiors towards their Captaines would arise of it whereas now a daies in steede of commanding they haue nothing left but an humble request to be vsed towards their souldiours who neuertheles turne it into contempt and want of courage But if true obedience were ioined with good order the hope of prosperous successe in our enterprises would be farre greater Nowe when our affaires succeede happily so that wee haue our enimies at aduantage or haue gotten some victorie wee must beware least insolencie blind vs in such sort that trusting to our good happe we goe beyond our bounds and loose the occasion of a certaine and sure benefite through hope of some greater good as yet vncertaine Hannibal after the discomfiture of the Romanes at Cannas sent men to Carthage to carie newes of his victorie and withall to demand a newe supplie Whereupon the Senate was long in deliberating what was to be doone Hannon a prudent old man was of opinion that they were to vse the victorie wisely and to make peace with the Romanes which they might obtain of them with honest conditions and not to expect the hazard of another battell He said that the Carthaginians ought to bee satisfied with this declaration alreadie made to the Romanes that they were such men as could stand against them and therfore seeing they had woonne one victorie of them they should not venture the losse of it in hope of a greater This prudent counsell was not followed although afterwarde the Senate did acknowledge it for the best when that occasion was lost Alexander the Great had already conquered all the East when the Common-wealth of Tyrus being great and mightie bicause the Citie was situated in the water as Venice is and astonished at the greatnes fame of that Monarches power sent their Embassadors vnto him to offer what obedience subiection he would require vpon condition that neither he nor his men would enter into the Citie Alexander disdaining that one citie would shut their gates against him to whō the whole world was open sent them backe again without accepting their offer went thither to pitch his Campe against it After he had continued the siege 4. moneths he thought with himself that one onely Towne would shorten his glorie more than all his other conquests had done before wherupon he purposed to try an agreement by offering that vnto them which thēselues had required before But then the Tyrians were waxen so lustie and bold that they did not only refuse his proffers but also executed as many as came to conclude with them Whereupon Alexander being mooued with indignation caused an assault to be made with such heate and violence that he tooke and sacked the towne put some of the Inhabitants to the edge of the swoord and made the residue seruants and slaues Agreement and composition is alwaies to be preferred before continuance of warre And howsoeuer a man may seeme to be assured and as it were certaine of the victorie yet ought he to doubt the vncertaintie of humane things That courageous and valiant Hannibal being called out of Italy by his Countriemen to succour them against the Romaines by whome they were besieged when his armie was yet whole demanded peace of them before he would enter into battel bicause he saw that if he lost it he brought his Countrie into bondage What then ought another to do that hath lesse vertue and experience than he But men fall into the error of vnmeasurable hope vpon which staying them selues without further consideration they are ouerthrowne Sometimes when we contemne our enimie too much and bring him into a desperat estate we make him more venturous to vndertake and violent to execute any dangerous matter Despaire said Tubero is the last but the strongest assault and a most inuincible tower For this cause the ancient Romane Captaines were very diligent and carefull to lay all kind of necessitie to fight vpon their men and to take it from their enimies by opening vnto them passages to escape which they might haue shut vp against them K. Iohn bicause he would not make peace with the English host which desired to escape onely with life was taken and caried prisoner into England and his armie consisting of fortie or fiftie thousand men was discomfited by ten thousand Englishmen some say more some lesse Gaston de Foix hauing woonne the battell at Rauenna and following after a squadron of Spaniards that fled lost his life and made all that a praie vnto the enimie which he had conquered before in Italy Ancient histories are full of such examples and namely of small armies that ouercame those that were great and mightie Darius against Alexander Pompey against Casar Hannibal against Scipio Marcus Antonius against Augustus Mithridates against Sylla had greater forces without comparison than their enimies Therefore good Traian said that to accept of warre to gather a great number of men to put them in order to giue battell appertaineth to men but to giue victorie was the worke of God onely so that great armies preuaile but litle against the wrath of the Highest If
which did all intreat of vertue out of which men may reape infinite profite especially out of those that intreat of a common-wealth or of lawes In these books that he might not seeme vngratefull towarde his master Socrates who would neuer write any thing he bringeth him in rehearsing that which at other times he had heard him speake Stilpo the philosopher being in his citie of Megara when it was taken spoiled by Demetrius king of Macedonia who fauouring him asked if he had lost any thing that was his made this answer No sir quoth he for war cannot spoile vertue And indeede this is that riches wherwith we ought to furnish our selues which can swim with vs in a shipwrack and which caused Socrates to answere thus to one who asked him what his opinion was of the great king whether he did not thinke him very happy I cannot tell quoth he how he is prouided of knowledge vertue Who may iustly doubt whether vertue alone is able to make a man happie seeing it doth not onely make him wise prudent iust good both in his doings sayings but also commonly procureth vnto him honor glorie and authoritie It was through hir meanes that Alexander deserued the surname of Great by that experience which she gaue him in warre by his liberalitie in riches by his temperance in all his sumptuous magnificence by his hardines and constancy in fight by his continency in affections by his bountie and clemencie in victorie and by all other vertues wherein he surpassed all that liued in his time Yea the fame and renowme of his vertues procured a greater number of cities countries and men to submit themselues willingly vnto him without blowestriking than did the power of his armie Wherein this sentence of Socrates is found true that whole troupes of souldiers and heapes of riches are constrained oftentimes to obey vertue What said Darius monarche of the Persians when he vnderstoode both what continencie Alexander his enimie had vsed towards his wife who being exceeding beautifull was taken prisoner by him and what humanitie he shewed afterward in hir funerals when she was dead The Persians quoth he neede not be discouraged neither thinke themselues cowards and effeminate because they were vanquished of such an aduersarie Neither do I demand any victorie of the gods but to surmount Alexander in bountifulnes And if it be so that I must fall I beseech them to suffer none but him to sit in the royall throne and seat of Cyrus Will we haue testimonies of the inuicible force of vertue and of hir powerfull and praisewoorthy effects in most sinister and vntoward matters Histories declare vnto vs that amongst all the vertuous acts which procured praise and renowme to the men of old time those were the notablest most commended which they shewed foorth at such time as fortune seemed to haue wholy beaten them downe Pelopidas generall captaine of the Thebans who deliuered them from the bondage of the Lacedemonians is more praised and esteemed for the great and notable vertue which he shewed being prisoner in the hands of Alexander the tyrannous king of the Phereans then for all his victories gotten before For at that time his vertue was so farre from yeelding any iot to his calamitie that contrariwise with an vnspeakeable constancie he recomforted the inhabitants of the towne that came to visite him exhorting them to be of good courage seeing the houre was come wherin the tyrant should be at once punished for his wickednes And one day he sent him word that he was destitute of all iudgement and reason in that he vexed his poore citizens caused them to die in torments who neuer offended him and in the meane time suffered him to liue in rest of whom he could not be ignorant that escaping his hands he would be reuenged of him The tyrant maruelling at his great courage asked why he made such great haste to die To this end quoth he that thou being yet more hated of God and men than thou art mightest the sooner be destroied Philocles one of the most famous Athenian captaines of his time who caused this law to be made that the right thombe of all prisoners taken in war from that time forward should be cut off that they might not handle a pike any more but yet might serue to rowe with an oare being taken prisoner with three thousand Atheniens in one battell which Lysander admirall of the Lacedemonians obtained against him and al of them being condemned to die was demanded of Lysander what paine he iudged himselfe worthie of for counselling his country-men to so wicked and cruell a thing To whom he made this onely answere with an vnmoueable vertue Accuse not those who haue no iudge to hear know their cause But seeing the gods haue shewed thee this fauour to be conqueror deale with vs as we would haue done with thee if we had ouercome thee Which being said he went to wash and bath himselfe and then putting on a rich cloke as if he should haue gone to some feast he offered himselfe first to the slaughter shewing the way of true constancie to his fellow citizens Anaxarchus the philosopher being taken prisoner by the commandement of Nero that he might know of him who were the authors of a conspiracie that was made against his estate and being led towards him for the same cause he bit his toong in sunder with his teeth and did spit it in his face knowing well that otherwise the tyrant would haue compelled him by all sorts of tortures and torments to reueale disclose them Zeno missing his purpose which was to haue killed the tyrant Demylus did asmuch to him But what is more terrible than death Notwithstanding when did vertue better shew hir greatnes and power then when death laboured most to ouerthrow hir as being resolued of that saying of Cicero that all wise men die willingly and without care but that the vnwise ignorant are at their wits ende for feare of death If many who haue not knowne the true and perfect immortalitie of the soule and some onely led with a desire of praise worldly glorie others touched with duty and kindled with a loue towards their countrey haue shewed the increase of their vertue in the horrors and pangs of death what ought they to do who expect certainely an euerlasting life Phocion after he had beene chosen generall captaine of the Athenians foure and fortie times and done infinite seruices to the common-wealth being at length through certaine partakinges and diuisions ouercome with the weakest side which he had mainetained and being condemned to drinke poison was demaunded before he dranke whether he had no more to saye Whereupon speaking to his sonne he saide I commaunde thee to beare the Athenians no rancor and malice for my death And a little before this speech beholding one of those that were condemned to
woonderfull works continued in the memorie of men For this cause Zeno being demanded how a man might become happie answered if he drew neere vnto and haunted the dead meaning thereby if he read histories and endeuored to learne their good instructions that haue gone before vs. Ptolemie also asking one of the wise interpreters wherein a king ought to exercise himselfe In the knowledge quoth he of things which haue been done and in reading books of things which daily offer themselues or which are fit for present affaires and lastly in searching out whatsoeuer is written for the preseruation of kingdoms and correction of maners And truly they that are exercised in the vnderstanding of histories although they be but yoong yet in knowledge of worldly matters they become like to the aged and gray-headed as contrariwise they that are ignorant of things done and past before their being remaine alwaies children and euen within their owne countrie where they were borne they are in the same estate in respect of knowledge that forreners are If we yet desire more testimonies from amongst the ancients of the honor loue zeale and ardent affection which they bare towards the studie of good letters and how the chiefé glorie of all their heroicall and noble acts doth of dutie belong to science we read of Phillip king of Macedonia that when Alexander was borne to him he gaue thanks to God not so much bicause he had this sonne as bicause he was borne in the time of so wise a philosopher as Aristotle was whom he made his schoolmaister Of him Alexander learned many goodly sciences as well in philosophie as in physicke and namely those Acroamaticall sciences that is speculatiue and such as could not be learned but by hearing a teacher Of which Sciences this great Monark was iealous and taken with so greedie a desire that hearing how Aristotle had published certaine bookes he wrote a letter vnto him in this maner Alexander sendeth greeting to Aristotle Thou hast not done wel to publish these bookes of speculatiue sciences forasmuch as we shall haue nothing aboue others if that which thou hast taught vs priuately come to be published and communicated to all For I would thou shouldest know that I loue rather to excell others in the vnderstanding of high and notable things than in power How greatly this excellent prince alwaies loued knowledge appeereth sufficiently by the exceeding liberalitie and gifts wherewith he honoured the maisters and teachers thereof as we may somewhat touch it heerafter as also in that he alwaies caried Homers Iliads about him which vsually he laid vnder his pillow naming it the nourishment and preseruer of warlike vertue Caesar in the midst of his campe had his commentaries in his bosome and that time which he spared from fighting he bestowed in reading and writing holding a launce in the left hand and a pen in the right We see in these two mightie and sacred princes and in infinite other great personages both Greekes and Romanes the woonderfull effects of knowledge which conducted them to the top of all honor felicitie and prosperitie Xenophon the disciple of Socrates serueth for another witnes who being guided by an vnspeakable prudence and prouidence gotten in the studie of philosophie brought an armie of a thousand footmen out of Persia into Greece going ouer the foords of fiftie riuers and through the midst of a hundred thousand enimies pursuing him and yet his aray was neuer broken albeit he fought with them sundry times Besides if we are desirous of testimonies of the incredible delight which the studie of any science worketh in mens soules touched with the zeale of knowledge we read of Nicias the painter how he tooke such great delight in his works that oftentimes he inquired of his seruants whether he had dined or no. Archimedes drawing his geometricall figures vpon a table was as it were by force drawne away of his seruants that he might annoint himselfe with oile according to their custome before he did eate and during the time of his annointing he would trace new figures vpon his bodie Socrates was seene standing a whole summers day for the space of 24. houres continually in contemplation and discoursing in his mind which was when he drew this conclusion out of his thoughts that There was but one only God and that the soule was immortall The Emperor Charles the fourth going on a day to a College in Praga to heare the disputations of vertue that were there remained aboue fower howers on foote in hearing them And when his courtiers to whom he was wearisom told him that it was time to sup he answered that It was no more time for him and that he had supped Robert king of Ierusalem and Sicilia a very learned prince was so affectionated to letters that he oftentimes said that if he were to lose either his kingdoms or his learning he would choose rather to be depriued of them than of knowledge What greater testimonie of loue toward Science can one desire than that of Ptolemie Philadelphus that vertuous king of Egypt who with incredible charges gathered togither into his librarie fiue hundred thousand bookes and purposely caused seuentie and two of the most learned and religious men of Iudea to come and translate the holie Bible out of Hebrew into Greeke And surely we should be too vngratefull towards our princes if amongst so many famous men we should leaue no place for that great Emperor and king Charlemaine who was skilfull in the Greeke and Latine toongs and who in fauor of those toongs and of the louers of knowledge erected the Vniuersitie at Paris and that at Pauia according to the patterne of those places of learning which were at Athens Francis the first a prince of most famous memorie so loued and fauored letters and the professors of them that he deserued the name of the restorer of sciences and good arts sparing neither care nor meanes to assemble togither bookes and volumes of sundry sorts and of all languages for the beautifying of his so renowmed a librarie which was a worthy monument of such a magnificall monarke whose praise-worthy qualities we see reuiued in our king treading in the selfesame steps Now to conclude our present discourse we learne heereby to despise all earthly goods for the obtaining of knowledge which of it selfe is truly profitable delectable and honorable altogither and whereby we are taught how to liue and die well and happily And bicause that arts and sciences consist of many parts let vs apply our minds to the studie and contemplation of those which togither with delight do also draw vs to that which is our proper and peculiar good namely to the knowledge of truth and vertue which worke in vs alwaies an affection and zeale to follow them and cause all arts and sciences teaching other things to be esteemed base mechanicall and
accounted the more ignorant we shall remaine not vnlike to poore men who being desirous to seeme rich in the ende finde themselues poorer than before by reason of their vaine and foolish expenses But the ignorant man that searcheth for wisedome and inquireth after hir shall be in some sort esteemed wise and that inquirie ought to be taken for an argument of his wit and prudence as contrariwise he that taketh himselfe for a wiseman and presumeth too much of his skill falleth often into shame and dishonor being reprooued of many Therefore let vs daily accuse our selues of too much ignorance knowing that euen the sharpest sighted do see but through a cloud and mist I meane the instruments of our bodie from which we shall not be deliuered vntill we haue put of this mortall to be clothed with that which is immortall in the enioying of the blessed life So that it will be alwaies necessarie for vs during this life to learne and to profite in the knowledge of the truth which is an enimie to ignorance Of speech and speaking Chap. 12. AMANA HAuing spent all this day in discoursing of Prudence and of those vices that are contrarie vnto it I thinke that to finish this daies worke we shall do well to take in hand againe and to follow that which was too briefely handled cōcerning the commendable effects of this vertue of prudence in the soule of a wise man This appeareth no lesse in speech than in any other action thereof forasmuch as of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh But it is a great vertue to speake little and well The discourse of this matter I leaue to you my companions ARAM. Surely the speech of man is a diuine worke and of great admiration And therefore we ought to account it sacriledge to pollute and defile so holie a thing with filthy and vile talke A good man alwaies draweth good things out of the treasure of his hart and a wicked man euill things Therefore I greatly commend that saying of Plutark that speach is as it were the nourishment of the soule which is corrupted and becommeth odious through the wickednes of men ACHITOB. He that hath knowledge saith the wise man spareth his words euen a foole when he holdeth his peace is counted wise and he that stoppeth his lips prudent If any man long after life and to see good daies let him refraine his toong from euill and his lips that they speake no guile For euery one shall eate of the fruite of his mouth to saluation or to condemnation But we will heare Aser discoursing more at large vpon this matter ASER. In the writings of the learned we finde mention made of a double speech or reason the one internall or of the minde called the diuine guide the other vttered in speech which is the messenger of the conceits and thoughts of man The ende of the first is friendship towards a mans selfe For respecting onely the marke of vertue through the instructions of philosophie it maketh a man to agree alwaies with himselfe it causeth him to complaine neuer to repent him of nothing it maketh him full of peace full of loue and of contentation in his owne vertue it healeth him of euery rebellious passion that disobeieth reason of all contention betweene will and will and of the contrarietie of discourses O rare excellencie which floweth from wisedome into the soules of blessed men The ende of the other reason or vttered speech is friendship towards others which causeth vs to speake and teach whatsoeuer is fruitefull and profitable for euerie one and carieth with it great force to perswade Of this speech we purpose here to intreat as of that which occupieth no small place but euen verie great amongst the secrets of nature and which ought to rauish vs into an admiration of his works who is author thereof The philosophers diligent searchers out of the reason of all things said that speech is made by the aire beaten and framed with articulate and distinct sounde But howsoeuer it is framed the reason thereof is hard to be comprehended of humane sence And we ought to be so much the more desirous to know for what cause it was giuen vs and to feare least we make it vnprofitable or wickedly imploy so great woonderfull and diuine a thing Democritus saide that words were the shadowe of works Themistocles compared speech to a rich cloth of tapistrie figured set foorth with stories bicause that both in the one and the other those things that are fashioned and represented are then seene when they are opened and displaied and are not subiect to sight neither bring any delight or contentation when they are folded vp and hidden When a wise man openeth his lips saith Socrates we beholde as it were in a temple the goodly similitudes images of the soule Vertue saith Plutarke hath no instrument so gratious or familiar as speech which being followed of works is of great efficacie and force and woonderfully pricketh forward those that heare vs causing them to giue credite to our sayings and working in them a desire to resemble vs. And AEschines saide verie well that it is not so necessarie that the Orator and the Law should agree in one and the same thing as it is requisite that the life of a philosopher should be conformable and agreeable with this doctrine and speech Moreouer a wise man ought to take euery word he speaketh for a voluntarie and particuler lawe laide vpon himselfe seeing that philosophie is a profession of serious graue waighty matters not a play or prittle prattle vnconstanly vttered to obtaine honor onely Whereby we see that all talke ought to haue reason for a foundation and the loue of our neighbor for a marke to aime at This is that which Agapetus would teach vs when he saith That the toong is a slipperie instrument and bringeth great danger to those that neglect it but if we direct it with a religious vnderstanding it wil sing vs a song tuned with al the concords of a true harmony of vertue Plutark saith that speech ought to be like gold which is then of greatest price and value when it hath least drosse in it so a fewe words ought to comprehende great store of substantiall matter and instruction Such was the speech of the ancient Graecians as the sentences vttered by them do testifie namely Know thy selfe Nothing too much Nothing more than enough and other short speeches full of great and profitable doctrine Wherupon this prouerbe arose Laconical sayings that is short and sententious which resemble streams running through a narrow straight where the water is so pressed togither that one cannot see through it And so truely it was verie hard without skil and great labor to comprehende the deapth of the sence vnderstanding of their words which were full of sententious grauitie And when they were to answere any thing propounded on
And then how much more easie wil it be to restraine yea wholy to ouerthrow the foolish desires of vanitie Soüs a captaine of great renowne and king of Lacedemonia being besieged in a narrow straight very craggie place void of water after he had endured the necessitie of thirst to the vttermost he offred to the Clitorians his enemies to restore vnto them al their land which he had wonne of them so that he and all his companie might drinke of a fountaine neere vnto them Which being thus agreed vpon betweene them he led al his men thither and said vnto them that if any one would abstaine from drinking he would resigne his royaltie of Lacedemonia vnto him But none would accept thereof insomuch that all dranke except himselfe who going last downe into the fountaine did nothing but refresh himselfe and wet his mouth a little on the outside in the presence of his enemies not drinking one drop thereof By meanes whereof he maintained that he was not bound at all vnto his promise bicause all dranke not and so he continued the warre to the great honor aduantage of his country Lysimachus one of Alexanders successours in the empire had not so great power ouer the like passion For being compelled by thirst he diliuered himselfe and all his armie to the Getes his enemies After he had drunke being prisoner O God quoth he how faint-harted am I that for so short a pleasure haue depriued my selfe of so great a kingdome Cato the yoonger trauelling ouer the deserts of Lybia endured verie sore thirst And when a souldier offered him a little water in his morion he threw it vpon the ground in presence of them all to the end his armie might knowe that he would be in no better estate than they Truely a woorthy example for all captaines for by so doing that which would hardly haue quenched the thirst of one restrained it in a whole armie The emperor Rodolphus who of base estate attained to this dignitie by his vertue vpon the like occasion made an answere woorthy to be remembred For when a full cup of beere was brought vnto him in the warre which he had against Octocarus king of Bohemia at what time he was in a place where his whole army was greatly troubled with thirst he would not receiue it but said vnto the bearer thereof that his thirst was for all his armie and not onely for himselfe therfore that cup of beere was not sufficient to quench it We read of Socrates that whensoeuer he felt himselfe very thirsty he would not drinke before he had spilt and cast away the first pitcher of water which he drew for himselfe out of the well to this ende as he said that he might acquaint his sensuall appetite to expect the conuenient time of reason Seeing therefore by such examples and infinite others contained in histories we haue certaine and assured proofe of the force of temperance ouer naturall and necessarie passions how credible is it that she may haue farre greater power ouer those other passions that came from without vs after we fell from our first creation Let vs therefore conclude by our present discourse that the vertue of temperance is verie necessarie and profitable for a happie life as that which hath this propertie belonging vnto it to be skilfull in chasing a mediocritie in pleasures and greefes in keeping that which is honest vertuous and in shunning of vice especially of carnall pleasures although she serue also to moderate all the actions of our life And if a prudent man auoideth dishonest things in publike places a temperate man goeth farther eschewing them in solitarie and obscure corners If iustice suffereth no violence to be vsed or wrong offered to any temperance further permitteth none to offend any and therefore is verie well called of the philosophers the mother of all dutie and honestie Of Intemperance and of Stupiditie or blockishnes Chap. 18. ACHITOB BEing instructed in the vertue of temperance which as well as hir fellow vertues consisteth in mediocritie we are now to consider of hir extremities and vices that are in excesse and in defect Intemperance is cleane contrarie vnto it which as Cicero saith inflameth prouoketh and troubleth the tranquillitie of the spirit but concerning the defect I find no proper name giuen vnto it by the philosophers But I leaue the handling of this matter vnto you my Companions ASER. Intemperance saith Plato was so called of the ancients bicause that peruerse cruell great and variable beast Lust exerciseth therein more power than it ought as also disordered ioy doth the like Whereupon it commeth that intemperate men enioying the pleasure of their senses imagine falsely that true felicitie accompanieth them therein But truly whosoeuer obeieth bodilie pleasures serueth most cruell tyrants AMANA Nature said Architas hath giuen no plague more pernitious hurtful than the pleasure of the body For wheras God hath bestowed vpon man nothing more excellent than the soule and reason there is none so great an enimie to this heauenlie gift as voluptuousnes bicause where luxuriousnes and concupiscence raigne there temperance can haue no place yea all vertues are banished out of their kingdome But let vs heare ARAM discourse of these vices heere propounded vnto vs. ARAM. I red in Plato not long since that there were many sins which ought rather to be called punishments of other sins going before than sinnes According to the course and sequele of his speech if my memorie be good I thinke his meaning is that men suffering themselues to be ouertaken of vice in the beginning as it were in sport neuer take heed vnto themselues vntill they be wholie abandoned and giuen ouer as S. Paule saith to their vile affections and pleasures of their harts in all vncleannes and turbulent passions of ignominie and reproch Insomuch that after they haue opened the gate to their concupiscences and to the desires of the flesh of whooremongers couetous persons reuengers of their owne wrongs belly gods gluttons and from other lesse imperfections being notwithstanding foule and beastly they become Sodomites Church-robbers parricides Epicures Atheists and full of all execrable villanies which are comprehended vnder this word of intemperance Intemperance is very well defined of the philosophers to be an ouerflowing in voluptuousnes forcing and compelling all reason in such sort that no consideration of losse or hinderance is able to stay or keepe backe him that is through long custome infected with vice from betaking himselfe of set purpose and as a man would say willingly and desperately to the execution of all his desires and lusts as he that placeth his sole and soueraigne good therein seeking for no other contentation than in that thing which bringeth to him and to his senses delight and pleasure For this cause Aristotle distinguisheth betweene intemperance and incontinencie albeit many take them indifferently one for an other saying
not obey him The Indian going to execution told one of those that led him that he had been in deede heeretofore a very good Archer but bicause he had of long time intermitted that exercise he feared that he had forgotten it and therefore had rather die than loose the reputation which he had once obtained To this fellow we may compare those of whome we haue alreadie spoken who glorie in nothing but in this that they are taken of the greater sort for valiant men as they vse to say for such as make profession that they carie about them a sharpe swoord for their seruice These men had rather die in a naughtie quarrell with the danger of loosing their soule than to fal from this their reputation which they desire to carie with them But let vs follow our examples of the contempt of vaine-glorie and of certaine others ledde away with an ouerweening pride Pompey the Great shewed a notable argument that he was not touched with vaine-glorie or pride when after he had vtterly vanquished Tigranes king of Pontus and made him his prisoner he chose rather to set him againe in his kingdome and to make him an allie and confederate of the Romanes than to reserue and lead him in maner of a triumph into Rome according as they vsed then to deale with enimies and with their spoiles saying like a vertuous Monarch that he much more esteemed the glorie of a whole age than of one day The Great Tamberlane being puffed vp exceedingly bicause of a Peasants sonne he attained to so great a Monarchy vsed farre greater and more barbarous seueritie towards Baiazet Emperour of the Turks whome after he had ouercome him and made him his prisoner he caused to be ledde about with him in a cage wheresoeuer he went feeding him onely with the crums that fell vnder his table and whensoever he tooke horse he vsed his bodie for an aduauntage After the same maner Valerianus the emperor was handled by Saphor king of Persia by whom he was discomfited in a battell which this Barbarian had wonne of him He that trode vpon the emperor Friderike Barbarossa his necke and pusht him twise with his foote when he had him at his deuotion shewed himself more proud cruell and arrogant in that he vsed for a pretence and cloke of his pride wickednes that text of Scripture Thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe the yong Lion and the Dragon shalt thou tread vnder foote as if it had been spoken to him That heathen mā Agathocles king of Sicilia left behind him a farre more notable example of the contempt of glory that we should not be lift vp too much nor forget our selues by reason of the greatnes of our estate For being come to that estate by his vertue bicause he was borne of a poore Potter he caused himselfe to be serued ordinarilie at his table with earthen vessels intermingled with his cups of gold saying thus to those that came to see him thereby to inflame them with a desire of weldoing Behold what it is to perseuer in trauel in taking of pains to become vertuous and courageous Heretofore we made these pots of earth and now we make these of gold Further we must know that when fortune if it be lawful for vs vnder this word to vnderstand the ordināce of God lifteth vp men of low degree vnto great and honourable places through their valure and desert and exalteth also many men that are vnwoorthy letting vs see how proudly and wickedly these men behaue themselues in abusing their authoritie and contrarywise how the other sort vse it wel she doth thereby so much the more honor and recommend vertue vnto vs as the onely thing whereof all the greatnes glory and honor of men dependeth and not of the dignitie wherin they are placed Now how greatly hautinesse of mind is hated both of God and men among infinite testimonies which we haue that of Herode Agrippa king of the Iewes ought well to be marked For being gone vp into the pulpit appointed for Orations and reioycing bicause the people cried out to his praise That it was the voice of God and not of man he was suddenly stroken from heauen so that when he perceiued himself to consume away with Vermine he cried out to the people saying Behold how he dieth now with intollerable griefs whō not long since ye called God Dioclesianus the emperor was so puft vp with pride that he called himselfe brother to the Sunne and Moone and made an Edict whereby he would haue all men to kisse his feete whereas his predecessors gaue their hands to the Nobilitie and their knees to the simpler sort but God suffered him to die a mad man Moreouer we see daily that proud men become odious to euery one and are in the end contemned yea that oftentimes it costeth them their life The punishment that Philip king of Macedonia laid vpon Menecratus the Physition was more gentle yet pleasant and woorth the noting This fellow bicause he was excellent in his Arte caused himselfe to be called Iupiter the Sauior The good prince minding to correct him for his arrogancie inuited him to a feast and made a table to be prouided for him by himselfe whereof at first he seemed to be very glad But when he saw that in stead of meat they gaue him nothing but incense he was greatly ashamed and departed from the feast in great anger Now for the conclusion of our discourse we say with Solon that to name a presumptuous and glorious man in right termes is to call him a foole as contrarywise curtesie and meekenes is the foundation of wisedom and of a quiet life Whereunto that we may attaine let vs learne that whosoeuer beholdeth with the eyes of his mind the estate of mans nature and considereth the basenes of his condition together with the shortnes of this present life subiect to an infallible decree and marketh also the foule pollutions that are ioyned with the flesh he shall neuer fall in that headlong downfall of arrogancie and pride And thus detesting all presumption and loue of vanitie let vs seeke for honor by the means of Vertue onely which as Euripides saith is alwayes either followed or preuented with glory and praise And let vs not greatly care for the praises of men but onely do those things that are woorthie of commendation Let vs rather reioyce and glory that we excell and go beyond others in all good duties towards them than in any other aduantage either of worldly glory or of our priuate profit Lastly let vs rather loue to abide always as it were vnknowen to the world than by seruing vanities to turne aside from one onely iot of the duetie of goodnes and iustice which by the grace of God may procure vs a perpetuall praise among good men make vs acceptable before him who euermore lifteth vp
the renowme of his high enterprises got to himselfe the surname of Great being readie to saile by sea and to passe into Italy whether he was to cary a certaine quantitie of wheate to meete with a famine according to the commission giuen him of the Senate there arose a very great tempest insomuch that the mariners made great doubt to weigh vp their anchors But his resolution beeing well made before and grounded vpon the dutie of a noble hart he tooke shipping first of all and caused the sailes to be spread in the wind saying with a loud and cleare voice It is necessarie that I go but not necessarie that I liue Caius Marius who was six times Consul being in war against the Allies of the Romanes that were reuolted inclosed himselfe one day with trenches and suffered a thousand iniuries and vaunting speeches both of his enimies and of his owne men but yet cared nothing at all for them nor went from his deliberation which was that he would not fight at that time And when Publius Sillo one of the chiefe captaines of the enimie cried vnto him saying If thou art such a great Captaine Marius as men report of thee come out of thy campe to battell Nay doe thou quoth he againe vnto him if thou art a great Captaine compell me to come out to battell in despite of my teeth Afterward this Marius shewed himselfe to be one of the most valiant and courageous men of his time aswell in the discomfiture of the said enemies as in two other battels which he wan against the barbarous Cimbrians and Flemings who were entred into Italy to inhabite there in one of which battels about a hundred thousand fighting men were slaine in the field Agis king of Lacedemonia being resolued to fight his Councellors told him that there was no reason so to doe bicause his enemies were ten against one It must needs be quoth this courageous Prince that he which will command many must fight also against many We are enough to put naughtie men to flight The Lacedemonians vse not to aske what number there is of the enemies but onely where they are The answer which Dienecus made to one that told the Councell of Grecia that the multitude of the Barbarians was so great that their arrowes couered the sunne commeth neere to the courageous saying of king Agis For concluding with their opinion who perswaded to fight Dienecus made this answer Thou tellest vs very goodnewes For if the multitude of the Medes is such that they are able to hide the Sunne they will offer vs the meanes how to fight in the shadowe and not in the heate of the Sunne We may not heere passe ouer with silence the testimonie of inuincible Fortitude which alwaies findeth meanes to effect hir glorious purposes giuen by Themistocles when he saw the sundrie opinions of the Chieftaines of the Grecian armie vnder the leading of Euribiades the Lacedemonian touching the place where they should fight with Xerxes fleet The greatest part determined to forsake Salamis where they were at that time and to retire to Peloponnesus fearing the great force of their enimies who were about twelue hundred vessels whereas they themselues had but three hundred But Themistocles sent Sicinnus his childrens Schoolemaister secretly in a Sciffe towards the Persians aduertising them of the resolution which the Grecians had taken to flie faining as he made Xerxes beleeue that he fauored their side Vpon this watchword Xerxes sent part of his armie to the other side of Salamis Whereupon the Grecians considering that they were enuironed resolued and setled themselues as men constrained to fight and in deed the victorie remained on their side to the confusion ouerthrow of their enemies who departed out of Grecia which otherwise would haue been greatly shaken had not Themistocles vsed this notable stratageme thereby to staie the shamefull flight of his Countreymen It was this vertue of Fortitude which caused Damindas the Lacedemonian to make this answer to one who told him that the Lacedemonians were in danger to suffer much mischiefe if they agreed not with Philip who was armed against the Grecians O my friend quoth he that art halfe a woman what euill can he cause vs to suffer seeing we make no account of death it selfe Dercyllides being sent from Sparta towards king Pyrrhus to know wherefore he marched with his armie vpon their borders and vnderstanding of him that he commanded them to receiue againe their king Cleonymus whome they had banished or else he would let them know that they were not more valiant than others alreadie subdued by him made this answer If thou art a God we feare thee not bicause we haue not offended thee but if thou art a man thou art no better than we The answer which certaine Polonian Embassadors made to Alexander the Great who threatned their countrey sheweth also the excellencie of their courage We are afraid quoth they to him but of one only thing namely least the skie should fall vpon vs. Thunder as Plato saith terrifieth children and threatnings fooles Anaxarchus being likewise threatned by the same Monarke that he should be hauged Threaten this quoth he to thy Courtiers who feare death for my part I care not whether I rot in the ground or aboue ground Socrates also answered thus to one that asked him whether he were not ashamed to commit any thing that would procure his death My friend thou doest not well to thinke that a vertuous man ought to make any account either of danger or of death or to consider any other thing in all his actions than this whether they are iust or vniust good or bad If we desire to see farther what effects Fortitude bringeth foorth in the greatest and most sinister dangers Marcus Crassus shal serue vs for sufficient proofe When he was three skore yeeres of age albeit he had receiued the foile in a battell against the Parthians wherein the greatest part of his armie was destroied and his sonne being Captaine of a thousand men was slaine whose death seemed more to astonish the rest of his men than anye other danger yet he shewed himselfe in this mishap more vertuous than euer before went through all his bands crying aloud in this manner It is I alone my friends whome the sorow and griefe of this losse ought to touch But the greatnes of the fortune and glorie of Rome remaineth whole and inuincible as long as ye stand on your feete Notwithstanding if yee haue any compassion of mee seeing mee loose so valiant and vertuous a sonne I praye you shewe the same by changing it into wrath against your enemies to take vengeance of their crueltie and be not abashed for any mishap befallen vs for great thinges are not gotten without losse Patience in trauels and Constancie in aduersities haue brought the Romane Empire to that greatnes of power wherein it is now
he knoweth the one to be honest and the other vile and wicked Hauing now seene that vice which is cleane contrary to Fortitude and knowing that euery vertue hath a counterfeit follower thereof no doubt but rashnesse is that vice which falsly shrowdeth it selfe vnder the title of Fortitude and valure For this vertue easily ouerthroweth it selfe if it be not vnderpropped with good counsaile and the greater abilitie it supposeth to haue in it selfe the sooner it turneth aside to wickednesse if prudence gouerne it not This is that which Isocrates saith that Fortitude ioined with Prudence is auaileable but otherwise it procureth more euill than good to the possessors thereof If Fortitude saith Lactantius without necessarie constraint or for a dishonest matter hazardeth hir selfe into daungers she chaungeth into rashnesse He that doth anie thing at all aduentures saith Aristotle not considering how well he doth it ought not to be called vertuous but onely if he put it in execution after knowledge consultation and election Therefore as it is a noble acte to make such account of vertue as for the loue thereof not to feare the losse of life otherwise very deare so is it a point of rashnesse and follie to contemne life vpon a small and light occasion Rashnesse than is that which causeth a man with ioy of hart and for a vaine and friuolous matter to cast himselfe into certaine vndoubted daungers and to desire earnestly to fall into them to vndertake all things vnaduisedly and vnconstrained to expect those perils which he knoweth will fall vpon him The Elder Cato hearing certaine men to commend one openly who desperately hazarded himselfe and was bold without discretion in perils of warre said vnto them That there was great difference betweene much esteeming of vertue and little waighing of life as if he would haue said that it is a commendable thing to desire life to be vertuous And truely to liue and die are not of themselues good but to do both of them rightly and in a good matter So that to shunne death if it proceed not from a faint hart is not to be reprehended But rashnesse is especiallie to be condemned in Captaines and Heads of Armies as that which procureth great dammage to kingdomes and monarchies and to so manie as march vnder their conduct This is that which Iphicrates an Athenian captaine would haue vs learne who compared in an armie the Scoutes lightly armed to the handes the Horsemen to the Feete the battaile of Footemen to the Stomacke and breast and the Captaine to the Head of a Mans bodie For sayde he the Captaine that hazardeth himselfe too much and throweth himselfe into daunger without cause is not retchlesse of his own life onely but also of all those whose safetie dependeth vpon him and contrarywise in taking care for the safegard of his owne person he careth therewithall for all those that are vnder him Isadas the Lacedemonian seeyng Epaminondas with the Thebane armie at hand agaynst the Spartanes readie to force and take their Citie vnclothed himselfe starke naked puttyng off his Shirte and all and taking a Partisane in one hand and a sworde in the other he went with might and mayne agaynst his enemies where he shewed great prowesse and valure For which behauiour although he had a Crowne giuen him by the Seignorie according to the custome that was amongst them yet he was fined bicause he hazarded his lyfe so rashly We see daylie among vs but too manie examples of great mischiefes which befall men through their rashnesse led with ambition and desire of vayne-glorie Therefore to conclude and to drawe some profite out of our present discourse we say that we ought to feare the incurring of blame and dishonour for filthie and vnhonest matters and for euill deeds and are to shun all feare proceeding of want of courage of pusillanimitie and of a depraued and corrupted nature this last as proper and peculiar to the wicked and the other as that which maketh a man vnapt to all good and commendable thinges And as it is an acte of Prudence and Fortitude to prouide for a tempest and for stormes to come when the shippe is still in the Hauen and yet not to be afrayd in the middest of stormes so is it a point of rashnesse for a man to throw himselfe wittingly into an euident danger which might be auoyded without any breach of Vertue and Iustice Therefore Plato saith that timorous and rash men feare enterprise vnaduisedly whatsoeuer they take in hand but that noble minds do all things with prudence This also is that which Seneca saith thou maist be valiant if thou cast not thy selfe into perils nor desirest to fall into them as timorous men do neither abhorrest or standest in feare of them as being timorous But following the sage aduice of Cicero before we enterprise any thing we must not onely consider whether it be honest and commendable but also whether there be any like meane to execute it that neither throgh cowardlines we giue it ouer nor through greedie desire and presumption we purchase to our selues the reputation of rash men obseruing moreouer in euery matter of importance this Maxime of estate that before we begin any thing we must diligently prepare and foresee whatsoeuer is necessarie thereunto Of Magnanimitie and Generositie Chap. 27. ARAM. WHen that saying of Aristotle cōmeth to my remembrance that Fortitude isa mediocritie in fearing enterprising but that Magnanimitie consisteth in great things I am somewhat troubled in the vnderstāding of this sentēce bicause it semeth he would put a difference betweene Fortitude and Magnanimitie as if this latter had more excellencie and perfection in it than the other For this cause my Companions hauing intreated this morning of the vertue of Fortitude I propound now vnto you to discourse vnto vs what Magnanimitie is ACHITOB. Among mortall and perishing things there is nothing as the Philosophers say that ought to trouble the Magnanimitie of a noble hart But I find that they propound vnto vs in this word such a wisedome as cannot be in him that remaineth all his life time subiect to affections and perturbations For this they would not haue in true Magnanimitie which notwithstanding is wel able to bring foorth infinite wonderfull effects out of a noble mind causing it to be neuer vnprouided of a good resolution to be put in execution according to the ouerthwarts that happen vnto him ASER. The propertie of a noble spirit saith Cicero is not to be turned aside through ingratitude from the desire of doing good to all men euen to his enemies as also to leaue carking for that which is mortall that he may imbrace celestiall things But we shall vnderstand more at large of thee AMANA how these marueilous effects are works of true magnanimitie AMANA Although the vertue of Fortitude be neuer perfected without Magnanimitie which is as much to say as generositie or noblenes of
studie and contemplation to make a happie life so that otherwise it is as it were dead and idle what shall we say of that life that is void both of studie and action but that it is more beast-like than humane And how many millions of men are there in the world who liue in this sort and more in France than in any other nation Yea howe many are more idle and lesse carefull than brute beasts neglecting the prouision euen of things necessarie for this present life Amongst the obscure precepts which Pythagoras gaue to his Disciples this was one Take good heede that thou sit not vpon a bushell meaning that Idlenes and Sloth were especially to be eschewed Likewise when we shall enter into the consideration of those euils that issue from idlenes and sloth no doubt but we will flie from them as from the plague of our soules They are greatly to be feared in a Common-wealth bicause they open a gate to all iniustice and kindle the fire of sedition which setteth a floate all kind of impietie Furthermore they are the cause of the finding out of infinite false and pernitious inuentions for the releâ—uing of pouertie which for the most part floweth from the same fountaine of idlenes This mooued the wise and ancient kings of Egypt to imploy their idle people in digging of the earth and in the drawing foorth building of those Pyramides the chiefe of which is by the Historiographers placed among the seuen woonders of the world It could not be perfectly finished before the space of twentie yeeres albeit that three hundred and three score thousand men wrought about it continually The Captaines and Heades of the Romane armies fearing the dangerous effects of idlenes no lesse in their host than in their townes caused their souldiors to trauell in making of trenches when they were not vrged of their enemies as Marius did alongest the riuer of Rhone The Emperor Claudius enioying an assured peace caused the chanell Fucinus to be made that Rome might haue the commoditie of good waters about which work thirtie thousand men were daily imploied for the space of twelue yeeres Adrianus seeing a generall peace within his Empire continually vndertooke new and long iournies one while into Fraunce another while into Germanie sometime into Asia into other strange countries causing his men of warre to march with him saying that he did for feare least they being idle should be corrupted forget the discipline of warre and so be the cause of nouelties And it seemeth that this was the cause why a wise Romane councelled the Senate not to destroy Carthage least the Romanes being in safetie by the vtter subuersion thereof which onely at that time made head against them should become idle But now we may iustly say of them that through a lazie and cowardlie idlenes they haue lost the dignitie and vertue of their forefathers The Ephoryes who were Gouernors of the Lacedemonian estate being mooued with the same reason with which the Romane Scipio Nasica was touched after intelligence had of the taking sacking of a great towne into which their men were entred said that the armie of their youth was lost Whereupon they sent word to the Captaine of the armie that he should not after the same manner destroy another towne which he had besieged writing these words vnto him Take not away the pricke which stirreth forward the harts of our yoong men Gelon king of Syracusa led his people oftentimes into the fields aswell to labor the ground and to plant as to fight both that the earth might be better being well dressed as also bicause he feared least his people should waxe woorse for want of trauell So greatly did these ancient wise men feare the pernitious effects of idlenes and sloth which bring to nothing and corrupt the goodnes of nature whereas diligence exercise in good educatioÌ„ correcteth the naughtines thereof For as close waters saith Plutark putrifie quickly bicause they are couered shadowed standing so they that busie not themselues but remaine idle albeit they haue some good thing in them yet if they bring it not foorth neither exercise those naturall faculties that were borne with them they corrupt and destroy them vtterly And which is woorse as concupiscence saith Plato and luxuriousnes are quenched with great sharpe and continuall labor so are they kindled through idlenes Aretchles and slothfull man can find out nothing that is easie But there is nothing saith Seneca whereunto continuall labor is not able to attaine through care and vigilancie men come to the end of most difficult matters Fortune saith a Poet helpeth and fauoureth them that boldly set their hand to the worke but giueth the repulse to fearefull and base-minded men Let vs beleeue said Pythagoras that laborious and painefull things will sooner lead vs to vertue than those that are nice and delicate And as Hesiodus saith the Gods haue placed sweate before vertue and the way that leadeth vnto hir is long difficult and craggie A good Pilot seeing a tempest at hand calleth vpon the Gods that they would graunt him grace to escape it but in the meane while he taketh the helme into his hand he vaileth the foresaile and bringing about the maine saile laboureth to come out of the darke sea Hesiodus commaundeth the Husbandman to make his vowes to Iupiter and to Ceres before he either ploweth or soweth but he must do it with his hand vpon the plow taile Plato writing his lawes forbiddeth a man to fetch water at his neighbours house before he hath digged and delued in his owne ground euen to the clay and that it be perceiued that no water springeth there In like sort lawes must prouide for necessitie and not fauour sloth and idlenes By sloth we loose that which we haue alreadie well gotten but by diligence we attaine to that which we haue not and which may be necessarie for vs. I passed saith the wise man by the field of the slothfull and by the vineyard of the man destitute of vnderstanding and lo it was all growne ouer with thornes and nettles had couered the face thereof and the stone wall thereof was broken downe It is sloth and negligence that causeth a man through want of good vnderstanding and iudgement not to care for the getting of that which is needfull for him bicause he feareth least he should loose it Whereupon this would follow which is a very absurd thing that nothing how deare and precious soeuer it be ought to be sought for or desired seeing all things are subiect to chaunge yea knowledge through great diseases and other inconueniences may be lessened and lost Idlenesse and slouth doe not hurt the soule onely but impaire also the health of the bodie Yea that rest which a man taketh by negligence is much more hurtfull vnto him than painfull exercise And they which thinke that health needeth
Many saith he that are weakened with dispaire will not vndertake that thing which they feare they shall neuer be able to finish but they that would obtaine great things and such as are most to be desired must try euery way And if any man hath not this excellencie of spirite and greatnes of hart by nature neither yet the knowledge of euery good discipline let him take that course which he is able to attaine vnto For it is great praise to him that followeth after the excellentest best things to staie in the second and third place if he can doe no better Those things are great which are next to perfection It is our dutie therefore to abide firme and constant in that good and commendable kind of life which we haue chosen from the beginning so that the end therof be to liue well And let vs shun idlenes in such sort as to say with Cato that this is one thing whereof we ought to repent vs most if we know that we haue spent a whole day wherin we haue neither done nor learned some good thing Phocylides minding to instruct vs in this matter said that in the euening we ought not to sleep before we haue thrice called to our remembrance whatsoeuer we haue done the same day repenting vs of the euill and reioicing in our well doing Apelles the best painter that euer was would not suffer one day to passe without drawing of some line meaning thereby as he said to fight against idlenes as with an arrow Aeleas king of Scythia said that he seemed to himself to differ nothing from his horsekeeper when he was idle Dionysius the elder being demanded if he were neuer idle answered God keepe me from that for as a bowe according to the common prouerbe is marred and breaketh by being too much bent so is the soule through too much idlenes This is that which Masinissa the Aphrican would learnedly teach vs of whome Polybius writeth that he died when he was foure score and ten yeeres of age leauing behind him a sonne that was but foure yeeres old A little before he died after he had discomfited the Carthaginians in a maine battell he was seene the next day eating of course browne bread saying to some that maruelled thereat that as iron is bright and shineth so long as it is vsed by the hand of man whereas a house falleth into decay when no man dwelleth therein as Scphocles saith so fareth it with this brightnes and glistering light of the soule whereby we discourse vnderstand and remember The same reason mooued Xerxes father to say to Darius that in perillous times and dangerous affaires he increased in wisedome Likewise politicall knowledge which is such a prudence setled mind iustice and experience as knoweth full well how to make choice of and to take sit oportunitie in all things that happen cannot be maintained but by the practise and managing of affaires by discoursing iudging Now to conclude our present treatise seeing we know that we are borne to all vertuous actions let vs flie from idlenes and sloth the welsprings of all iniustice pouertie the stirrers vp of infinite passions in the soule and the procurers of sundrie diseases in the bodie euen to the vtter destruction of them And let vs imbrace diligence care trauell studie which are sure guides to lead vs to that end for which we ought to liue that is in glorifieng God to profit our selues in honest things and also all those with whome we liue wherein consisteth all the happines and contentation of the life of good men And let vs not doubt but that all time otherwise spent is lost time knowing that all times in respect of themseluns are alike but that which is imploied in vertue is good in regard of vs and that which is vnprofitably wasted and in vices is naught Further let vs learne neuer to giue ouer the effecting and finishing of that which we once know to belong to our dutie seeing that without perseuerance neither he that fighteth can obtaine the victorie neither the conqueror the garland but he that continueth to the end shall be saued Therefore let vs be carefull to make profit of that talent which is giuen vs to keepe that we be not found euill and vnprofitable seruants before him to whome we must yeeld an account euen of euery idle and vaine word Of an Enimie of Iniurie and of Reuenge Chap. 36. AMANA HAuing hitherto in three daies workes discoursed according to our iudgement of all the parts of the vertue of Fortitude and of those commendable effects that issue from it to the correcting of many vices imperfections which abound in mans nature I thinke that to end this afternoone we are yet to resume and to continue the speech already begun by vs as also we then promised of one principall point concerning true magnanimitie and greatnes of courage which respecteth our enimies thereby to know more particularly both our dutie towards them and also what good may come to vs from them if we sustaine and beare courageously their iniuries forsaking all desire and lust to reuenge ARAM. As industrious Bees gather the driest most pearcing honie of bitter time so a wise and vertuous man saith Xenophon knoweth how to drawe profite and commoditie from his enimies vpon whome we must beware of reuenging our selues least as Theophrastus saith we hurt our selues more than them ACHITOB. It is the propertie saith Cicero of famous personages and noble harts to contemne iniuries offered vnto them by knowen wicked men whose commendation of a man importeth some dishonestie in him Now then ASER teach vs somwhat of this matter wherein we haue so great neede of instruction ASER. The Cynick Philosopher said that if a man would be in safetie and partaker of happinesse he must of necessitie haue good friends or sharpe enimies that the first sort by good and wise admonitions and these by notable iniuries might withdraw him from doing of euill And truely if we consider the profite and commoditie which may come vnto vs from him that voluntarily without occasion giuen him as it is our dutie not to offend any is become our enimie by gouerning our selues therin with the reason of a true Academical prudence besides that we shall shew foorth the effects of that title which we beare and of the end of our being we must be so farre off from hating an enimie that we should rather thinke our selues beholding and bound vnto him for that great good which he procureth vnto vs. That this is so is not this one propertie of vice to make vs more ashamed before our enimies when we haue committed a fault than before our friends Do we not take our enimie for a spie and enuier of our life If any imperfection raigne in vs who wil more freely giue vs to vnderstand thereof than he that hateth vs who will not be slacke
peraduenture they will say that they knowe no other life but this that they liue onely for the world without beleefe or hope of a second and eternall life And albeit they confesse a second life with their mouth yet their deeds declare sufficiently that they are altogither ignorant of the nature and happines of the other life and that they care not greatly to come vnto it But let vs that are better instructed imitate Socrates who being counselled to reueng a wrong receiued made this answer What If a Mastie had bit me or an Asse giuen me a blow would you haue me serue writs vpon them So let vs behaue our selues towards them that are froward vitious making a great deale lesse account of their iniuries than of a blow that hurteth which they cannot do at all to our honour As for good men we shall neuer be hurt by them Now if we draw neere although neuer so little to the perfection of such a nature much lesse ought we to be prouoked stirred vp through any laughter or gibing which cannot touch or offend any but those that are troubled and caried away with passions Thus much did Socrates wisely giue one to vnderstand who told him that certaine mocked him I do not quoth he thinke that I am mocked Heereupon I remember a notable answer made by one Ptolemaeus king of Egypt who was counselled to punish a Grammarian The king demanding of him by way of gibing who was father to Peleus he made this answer that he desired first to knowe who was Lagus his father noting thereby that the king was borne of base parentage If it be vnseemly quoth Ptolemaeus to his friends for a king to be mocked it is also as vndecent for him to mocke another Now although it be our dutie to tread vnder foote all desire of reuenge to make no account of iniuries and mocks yet is it lawfull for vs sometime if we be disposed and no greater offence arise thereof to stop the mouths of such as are iniurious impudent with a little short replie not in wrath or choler but with a certaine meekenes and graue smiling and somewhat nippingly so that it passe not the bounds of modestie Cato knew well how to behaue himself after this sort who being iniuriously dealt with all by one that had alwaies liued wickedly said thus vnto him I am not able to deale with thee in this manner by contending with iniuries For thou hast throughly vsed thy selfe both to vtter reproches freely and to suffer with ease when any man offereth thee wrong or iniurie But as for me I delight neither in hearing nor in vttering them Likewise Demosthenes answered another in this sort I will not enter into this combat with thee wherein the vanquished is better than the vanquisher Plato also being touched with iniurious speeches said Go on to speake ill seeing thou didst neuer learne to speake well Lysander Admirall of the Lacedemonians being reuiled with many bitter speeches said to him that offered the iniurie Spue out boldly my friend spue out boldly and often and spare not to see if thou canst emptie thy soule of that euill and wickednes wherewith it is replenished Shall we thinke now that these famous men making so small account of iniuries wrongs had any other bound than right and iustice onely in the hatred of the vices of wicked men or that they would haue sought by any other way for the satisfieng of those wrongs which they receiued Let vs consider how Scaurus behaued himselfe towards his enimie Domitius against whome he was to put vp a complaint by way of iustice There was one of Domitius his seruants who before iudgment was giuen of their processe came to Scaurus and said that he would disclose vnto him a matter of great importance against his maister which vndoubtedly would cause him that was his aduerse partie to gaine his suit But he not minding to heare him any further tooke order that he should be straightly bound and so sent him to his maister The meanes which Agesilaus vsed to make his enimies his friends in steede of reuenging himselfe vpon them are woorthie of eternall praise and ought to mooue vs greatly to correct our naturall imperfections so much inclined to reuenge For when he could come to the knowledge of them without any further shew he thrust them into publike offices and charges And if it fell out so that they committed any offence wherby they were drawn into iudgement he holpe them as much as he could by that meanes winning the friendship of euery one For although we commonly say that as one and the same sunne softeneth the waxe and hardeneth the clay so good deeds win the harts of good men but prouoke the wicked yet there is no man of so peruerse a nature whome a man cannot make his friend by plying him often with benefits and when occasion is offered by binding him with some notable good turne For this cause Augustus after the conspiracie of Cinna was discouered notwithstanding that he had him in his power being conuicted by his owne letter yet he did not onely forgiue him but taking him also by the hand sware friendship with him and bestowed vpon him great estates and dignities wherein Cinna afterward serued him faithfully And it seemeth that for the same reason the Venetians hauing taken the Duke of Mantua their deadly enimie in steed of taking his estate from him they made him their Generall captaine so that euer after he abode their faithfull friend Pontinus also an ancient captaine of the Samnites said that they were either freely to set at libertie the Romane armie which was surprized in the straights of the mountaine Apenninus and so make them loyall friends through the bond of so great a good turne or else to put them all to death thereby to take from the enimie a great part of his strength Neither may we heere let go in silence the discretion of Dionysius the elder king of Syracusa in punishing an iniurie Which example ought to cause all them to blush who in furie and choler after an iniurie receiued or after some report therof seeke presently for some cruell reuenge This king being told that two yoong men as they were drinking togither had spoken many outragious words of him he inuited them both to supper And perceiuing that one of them after he had taken a little wine into his head vttered and committed much follie and that contrariwise the other was very staied and drunke but a little he punished this fellow as one that was malitious and had been his enimy of set purpose but forgaue the other as being drunken and mooued by the wine to speake ill of him Concluding therefore our present discourse let vs learne that it is the propertie of a great and noble mind to be mild gratious and readie to forgiue and that
it is a greater point of Magnanimitie to surmount the common nature of men by a woonderfull diuinitie of the soule than to follow after that which beasts are able to do better than we For many of them in this earthly generositie whereof many men make so great account excell surpasse the best of them all In all debates controuersies with our enimies let vs retaine as Cicero counsaileth vs grauitie constancie and chase awaye all choler bicause nothing that is done through perturbation can be done constantly or be approoued of any Let vs not be afraid said Antisthenes to wish all the good in the world to our enimies except valure which may make them rash to venture vpon our life and let vs giue ouer all will to procure them any hurt or displeasure or any maner of reuenge Let vs rather desire not to be spared of them in those things which are blame-woorthie in vs that so we may be more readie to amend and correct them Let vs loue our enimies blesse them that curse vs do good to them that hate and persecute vs ouercomming euill with good and leauing all vengeance to him that hath reserued it to himselfe who by his power directeth the nets swords hatchets instruments and scourges of his wrath all which are our enimies for the amendment of our life and then shall we shew foorth those true effects of the vertue of Fortitude Magnanimitie which our heauenly Father requireth of vs. The ende of the ninth daies worke THE TENTH DAIES WORKE Of Iustice. Chap. 37. ASER. TRue Philosophie saith Socrates is to know and to practise both priuately and publikely those things that are honest iust This is that Prudence which teacheth vs well and nobly to gouerne both domestical and ciuill affaires the name whereof is Temperance and Iustice. By which speech this wise Philosopher taught vs the straight and vnseparable coniunction and knot of the foure Morall vertues being neuerthelesse distinguished by their proper and particular effects Which hauing hitherto offred vs matter wherein to reioice our spirites about the three first riuers flowing out of the fountaine of Honestic there remaineth now for vs to consider of the last of them which although it be but one particular yet in truth it is the very perfection of all dutie and is called Iustice the precepts whereof if we keepe diligently we shall truly become images of God his essence be made according to his likenesse Let vs then begin my companions to intreat of this great and heauenly vertue AMANA Iustice saith Cicero is the mistresse of all the other vertues and as it were their Queene She is the ground-worke of euerlasting glory and renowme and without hir nothing can be praise-woorthie She putteth a difference between the good and the bad which being taken away saith Seneca nothing foloweth but confusion For to reward the wicked and not the good to afflict the vertuous and not to chastice the euill man is to make a gallimaufrey of vice and vertue ARAM. What is Iustice but godlinesse saith Lactantius and what is godlinesse but the knowledge of God our Father Notwithstanding in respect of vs Iustice is commonly taken for an equall distribution of right and of lawes But of thee ACHITOB we shall presently vnderstand the greatnesse and riches of this precious vertue and the vnspeakeable fruites which she distributeth liberally for the profit of all men ACHITOB. No kingdome common-wealth or citie saith Plato can be either well ruled or instituted in the beginning or preserued and kept in a happie estate without diuine or humane Iustice without the counsaile of the aged or without the fauor of the heauenly wisdome Now that is diuine iustice as Lactantius saith whereby we are ioyned to God by deuotion and good will and humane Iustice knitteth vs vnto men by mercie and humanitie Whereby we see that the foundation of all Iustice is grounded vpon that honor seruice which we owe to God whereupon we are induced to be dutifull to our neighbors according to charitie Therfore we must aboue all things loue Iustice and apply all our studie thereunto seeing it is the first and principal point that concerneth the direction of a Christian mans life yea mo are partakers of the fruit thereof than of any other vertue Iustice saith Seneca is the law of God and the bond of humane societie For auoiding therfore of confusion in this matter we say with Plato that Iustice obserued and kept towards God taketh vnto it the name of pietie But we will enter into the handling of that Iustice onely which hath respect to our dealings with men being by the same Plato called an equall distribution towards all the world according to the deserts of euery one and a sure foundation of cities and common-wealths He saith also that Iustice requireth vpright dealing throughout a mans calling and charge and that nothing is more like to the greatnes of God than a man perfectly iust Aristotle calleth Iustice a generall vertue bicause he that hath hir perfectly may boast that he hath within him all the other vertues For he could not know what were iust and vniust nor make choice of the one and flie from the other if he were not prudent to which vertue that thing doth properly belong Neither could he exercise the precepts of Iustice if by temperance he knew not how to moderate all his passions and priuate affections not suffering himselfe to be ouercome either with wine gluttonie lust couetousnes or with any other desires and motions which hinder the vse of reason Besides he could not practise one principall diuine point of iustice which is to succour with all his might the afflicted and oppressed and to prouide that no man be wronged if it lie in his power notwithstanding any danger whereinto he may fall although it be certaine losse of life and of all earthlie and transitorie goods I say he could not practise this if through Fortitude and Generositie he contemne not death the earth and whatsoeuer sauoreth of the world that he may be so farre foorth as his humane nature will suffer a follower of the diuinitie Iustice saith Cicero is a constant and perpetuall will and desire to giue to euery one his right She is the proper vertue of a noble minded man bicause she is profitable to others but to hir selfe fruitles laborious and perilous Yea that man onely may be called iust that profiteth as many as he can but hurteth none that is alwaies at agreement within himselfe and is a friend to God to men and to himselfe Iustice saith Diogenes worketh great tranquillitie and perfect felicitie in our soules For to be afraid of none and not to blush at the sight of any mans person bringeth with it great contentation and is as it were the perfection of life which is proper onely to a iust soule Iustice saith Hesiodus is a
the meane time we will heere note that the deniall of Iustice hath procured to many their death or vndoing Phillip the first king of Macedonia was slaine by Pausanias a meane Gentle-man bicause he would not let him haue Iustice against Antipater who had offered him wrong Demetrius the besieger hauing receiued many requests and supplications of his subiects threw them all into the water as he went ouer the bridge of a riuer whereupon his subiects conceiued such hatred against him that within a while after his army forsooke him and yeelded themselues to Pyrrhus his enimie who draue him out of his kingdome without battell In our time Henrie king of Sweathland striking with a dagger a Gentle-man that asked Iustice of him stirred vp the Nobilitie and people in such sort against him that putting him into prison where he is at this present they elected his yoonger brother to be their king who nowe raigneth But for a more woonderfull matter we might heere rehearse how God to shew vnto vs his detestation of Iniustice hath sometimes suffered his iudgement to fal out in that very howre and time which such as were vniustly condemned did assigne to their vniust Iudges In the liues of the kings of Castile we finde that Ferdinando the fourth of that name putting two knights to death more through anger than iustly one of them cried aloud in this sort O vniust king we cite thee to appeere within thirtie daies before the tribunall seate of Iesus Christ to receiue iudgement for thy Iniustice seing there is no other Iudge in earth to whome we can appeale from thy vniust sentence Vpon the last of which daies he died likewise True it is some man may say that death is so naturall and the hower thereof so vncertaine although determined that no other cause thereof ought to be supposed but onely necessitie But yet when it followeth so neerely some notable wickednes committed and some disquietnes and torment of mind is mingled therewith in the soule as it commonly falleth out we may take such a death for a testimonie and beginning of the Iustice of God who will not suffer the vniust man to rule any longer but exerciseth his iudgements diuersly in due time and season vpon those that are not to giue an account of their doings to men like themselues And as for such as are of meaner estate and lower in degree God suffreth also many times their punishment to be notorious and that sometime by such as are not much better than themselues Heereupon Apollonius that great Philosopher said that in his peregrination ouer three parts of the world he maruelled most at two thinges whereof the first was that he alwaies sawe the greater theeues hang the lesse and oftentimes the innocent And thus it fell out in the time of king Phillip the long wherein a Prouost of Paris named Henrie Lapperell caused a poore man that was prisoner in the Chastelet to be executed by giuing him the name of a rich man who being guiltie and condemned was set at libertie by him But his reward followed him hard at the heeles being for the same accused conuicted hanged and strangled Not long after a President of the Parliament named Hugues of Crecy met with the same fortune for a certaine corrupt iudgement giuen by him Therefore let euery one of vs learne to flie from this pernitious vice of Iniustice namely from euery action repugnant to the dutie of christian charitie and destroying the bond of humane societie through the vtter spoiling of the riuers that flow from the fountaine of honestie And let vs be afraid through such impietie to fal into the indignation and wrath of the Almightie to whome onely as to the author of Iustice and to whome all time is as nothing it belongeth to define and to determine thereof when after what sort and how farre it standeth with reason all which things are vnknowne to vs. If he deferre sometime the punishment of Iniustice let vs know that it is for their greater and more greeuous condemnation who multiplie and heape vp daily vpon their heads iniquitie vpō iniquitie And for an example which great men ought to follow and not suffer Iniustice to be practised according to euery mans fancie or vnder any other pretence whatsoeuer we wil propound vnto them the fact of a Pagan king who shall rise vp in iudgement against them if they do otherwise The Prince I meane is Artaxerxes surnamed Longhand and king of the Persians who being requested by a Chamberlaine of his whome he greatly fauoured to do some vniust thing hauing by his diligence found out that he vndertooke this suit for another who had promised him thirty thousand Crownes called of them Dariques he commanded his Treasurer to bring the like summe vnto him and then said vnto his Chamberlaine Take this mony which I giue thee For in giuing it vnto thee I shall be neuer the poorer whereas if I had done that which thou requiredst of me I should haue beene more vniust Alexander Seuerus the Emperour handeled after another fashion yea more iustly a seruant of his who vsed like a horse-leech of the court to sucke their bloud that had to deale with his master by thrusting himselfe forward and profering his means to fulfill their request for a good reward by reason of the fauour which he bare him which turned to the great dishonor of his imperiall maiestie bicause a Prince ought not to make greater account of any thing than of the grace and fauor of his gifts and benefites This monarch caused him to be tied to a post and choked with smoke making this proclamation by sound of trumpet That they which sell smoke should so perish with smoke Now to enter into the last point of that matter which is here propounded vnto vs we must diligently note that as it is the dutie of all Magistrates and of such as haue authoritie ouer others to chastice to punish euery malefactor so likewise they must beware lest vnder pretēce of exercising Iustice they fall into another kind of Iniustice through ouer-much rigor which is as hurtfull or rather more than that vice whereof we discoursed euen now namely into Seueritie which causeth them to be misliked for crueltie and belongeth rather to a beastly and sauage nature than to the nature of man For clemencie and compassiō neuer ought to be separated from a good iust sentence which is to hold smal faults excused or but lightly to punish thē prouided alwayes that Iustice be not violated Clemencie saith the wise man is the true preseruation of the roial throne And therefore one of the ancients said that it was ill to be subiect to a prince vnder whom nothing was tolerated but worse when all things were left at randon We may alleage here for an example of ouer-great seueritie the fact of Manlius Torquatus a Consull of Rome who caused his
reuenged or called in question after that peace and agreement togither is made otherwise there would neuer be any assurance of peace or end of periurie From the selfe same fountaine of the profanation of faith and custome in lying it being the propertie of vice to ingender another vice for a punishment of it selfe proceedeth that pernitious plague of kingdomes and Common-wealths I meane Treason hated of God and men wherewith periured persons being bewitched feare not to betray themselues so they may betray others also and their countrey Whereupon they become odious to euery one euen to those who vsed them to serue their owne turnes in disloyall and wicked actions and in the end they receiue the reward due to their execrable impieties For this is the common affection that men beare towards such people so to seeke them out which notwithstanding is not the propertie of a noble hart when they stande in feare of them as they that want gall or the poison of some venemous beasts afterward to giue them ouer and to reiect bicause of their wickednes If a man be called slothfull he may become diligent if talkatiue hold his peace if a glutton temperate himselfe if an adulterer abstaine if furious dissemble if ambitious stay himselfe if a sinner amend but he that is once called a traitor there is no water to washe him cleane nor meane to excuse himselfe Nowe let vs come to the examples of the Ancients and know what zeale they bare to fidelitie and hatred to periurie and treason as also what recompence commonly followed and accompanied such things and with what reward noble-minded men did requite those that were disloiall and traiterous Attilius Regulus a Romane of great credite being taken prisoner in the Carthaginian warre and sent to Rome vpon his faith to intreat about a peace and the exchange of captiues so soone as he arriued gaue cleane contrarie aduice in the Senate shewing that it was not for the profit of the Common-wealth to make such an agreement Afterward hauing resolued with himselfe to keepe faith with the enimie he returned to Carthage where he was put to death very cruelly For his eie-lids being cut off himselfe bound to an engine he died with the force of waking Demaratus king of Sparta being in Persia with the king against whome a great man of Persia had rebelled was the meanes of their reconciliation Afterward this barbarian king hauing his said Vassaile in his power would haue beene reuenged of him thinking to put him to death But the vertuous Lacedemonian turned him from it declaring vnto him that it would redound to his great shame not to know how to punish him for his rebellion when he was his enimie and now to put him to death being his seruant and friend A reason truly well woorthie to be marked but very slenderly put in vre at this day Augustus hauing made proclamation by sound of trumpet that he would giue 25000. Crownes to him that should take Crocotas ringleader of the theeues in Spaine he offered himselfe to the Emperor and required the summe promised by him which he caused to be paid him pardoned him withall to the end no man should thinke that he would take his life from him thereby to frustrate him of the promised recompence as also bicause he would haue publike faith and safetie kept to euery one that came according to order of Iustice although in truth he might haue proceeded and giuen out processe against him Cato the elder being in warre against the Spaniards was in great danger by reason of the multitude of enimies who sought to inclose him round about And not being then in possibilitie to be succored of any but of the Celtiberians who demanded of him 200. Talents which are 120000. Crownes in hand for their wages the Councell tolde him that it was not by anie meanes to be gotten presently but yet promised to furnish them with such a summe and that within any time which they would appoint otherwise that it was more expedient not to meddle with them But this wise and wel aduised captaine vsed this occasion to very good purpose by resoluing with himselfe and with his souldiers either to ouercome their enimies or else to die after they had agreed with the Celtiberians that the Romane glorie should not be stained by the falshood of their promises For quoth he to his souldiers if we get the battell we will pay them not of our owne but at the charges of our enimies but if we loose the victorie none will be left aliue either to pay or to demand any paiment There was no talke among the Councell of these noble Romanes how they might deceiue their enimies or those whose seruice they were vrged to vse but they determined rather to die than to be wanting in their promise Likewise we may note that as their enterprizes thus grounded had good successe so periurie and violating of right were through the vengeance of God pursued for the most part with vnhappie effects contrarie to the platformes and desires of periured and faithles men or at leastwife that themselues were speedily punished for their wickednes And therefore when Tissaphernes Lieutenāt to the king of Persia had broken a truce which he had made with the Grecians they gaue him thankes by his owne Herald bicause he had placed the Gods in whose name the truce was sworne on their side And in deede he smally prospered after that in his enterprizes Cleomenes king of Lacedemonia hauing taken a truce for seuen daies with the Argians assaulted them the third night after knowing that they were in a sound sleepe and discomfited them which he did vnder this craftie subtletie bicause forsooth in the foresaid truce mention was made of the day onely and not of the night Whereupon the Grecians noted this as a iust iudgement of his periurie and breach of faith in that he was miraculously frustrated of his principall intent which was by the meanes of that ouerthrow to haue suddenly taken the citie of Argos For the women being full of wrath and iust griefe for the losse of their husbands by the cowardly treacherie of this Lacedemonian tooke those weapons that were in the said towne and droue him from the wals not without great murder and losse of the greatest part of his armie Whereupon within a while after he became furious and taking a knife he ript his bodie in smiling manner and so died Caracalla the Emperor trauelling with his armie towardes the Parthians vnder pretence of marying the daughter of Artabanus their king who came for the same purpose to meete him he set vpon him contrary to his faith and put him to flight with an incredible murder of his men But within a little after being come downe from his horse to make water he was slaine of his owne men which was noted as a iust punishment sent from God for his vnfaithfulnes
side if we acquaint our selues and take delight in enuying the welfare of our enimies we shall do the like many times to our friends as we see experience thereof in many at this day who are so touched with this vice that they reioice at the euil which happeneth to their wel-willers and to such as are the occasion of their good preferment But if we be desirous to discharge our duetie towards our neighbours for whose profite we are borne let vs seeke to practise that sentence of Cicero that an honest man good citizen neuer ought to be moued with hatred or enuy vpō supposed crimes no not towards his enimy wishing to die rather thā to offend against Iustice which is an vtter enimie to that vice This also will be a good helpe and meane to keepe vs from backbiting if we eschew al kind of scoffing which as Theophrastus saith is nothing else but a close and coloured reproofe of some fault which by little and little inureth him that mocketh to back bite another openly and vntruly This great imperfection of gibing is very familiar amongst vs although it be as vnseemely for an honorable personage as some other more infamous vice But to the end we may haue better occasion to keepe vs from it let vs know that many times a man is more mooued with a gibing gird than with an iniurie bicause this latter proceedeth commonly from the vehemencie of sudden choler euen against his will that vttereth it but the other is more taken to hart as that which seemeth to come from a setled wil and purpose to offer wrong and from a voluntarie malitiousnes without any necessitie If we be disposed to be merie as sometimes opportunitie place and persons inuite vs thereunto let it be done with a good grace and without offence to any Now although enuie and backbiting by reason of their pernitious effects are so odious to all honorable and vertuous personages yet no other reuenge is to be sought or desired than that punishment which followeth and groweth with the vice it selfe which neuer suffereth him that is touched therewith to enioy any rest in his soule as we haue already learned Neither is there any great care to be had for the matter seeing enuious persons and backbiters are no waies able to bite the deserts of good men But if we would haue their punishment augmented and doubled there is no better way than to studie so much the more to do well as we see them labor more earnestly to enuie and to condemne our dealings For as the Sunne being directly ouer the top of any thing whatsoeuer if it leaue any shadow at all yet is it but short and little bicause the light thereof is dispersed round about the same so the excellencie of vertue glorie honor in the end constraineth the venemous toong to drinke and to swallow downe hir owne poison not daring to bring it againe in sight whereby enuie and blame are as it were wholy extinguished and vnable to hurt good men any more This reason caused Phillip king of Macedonia to make this answere to certaine who told him that the Graecians spake ill of him behind his backe notwithstanding he did them much good and therefore willed him to chastice them What would they do then quoth this noble and gentle Prince if we should doe them any harme But they make me become a better man For I striue dailie both in my wordes and deedes to prooue them lyars And another time as his friendes counselled him to put to death or to banish a Gentleman of Macedonia who continued in slandering him he would not doe either of both saying that it was no sufficient cause to condemne him to death and as for banishing him he sayd that it was a great deale better if he stirred not out of Macedonia where all men knewe that he lyed than if he went amongst strangers to speake ill of him who bicause they knewe him not well might peraduenture admit his slander as true Whereby this vertuous Prince at one tyme shewed foorth the effectes of three excellent vertues first of Clemencie in that hee would not put him to death of whome he had receiued great iniurie then of Magnanimitie in contemning iniurie and lastly of woonderfull Prudence in that he did not banish him And in deede he was of such a gentle nature that he would neuer punish them that gaue him an euill report but rather tooke away the occasion thereof as heeretofore we haue in part mentioned it And for a greater testimonie of the goodnes of this Monarch the answere he made to them that counselled him to destroy the citie of Athens deserueth well to be heere set downe I doe all thinges quoth he to them for glorie how then should I destroy Athens which by reason of learning is the Theater of glorie The example of Demetrius Phalerius a Prince of immortall renowne serueth fitly to teach vs what small account we are to make of the dealings of enuious men so farre ought we to be from caring either for their dooings or sayings When word was brought to this Prince that the Athenians mooued with enuie against him had broken downe those three hundred images which were before erected in their streete of Ariopagus to his honour and thereupon was prouoked by his Councel to be reuenged of them he said The Athenians may well throw downe my images but they are not able to abase my vertues for whose sake my images were heeretofore erected for a publike spectacle And truely those actes of Princes which being done in their life time are woorthie of memorie may serue them for an euerlasting monument and not Images Tombs made with mens hands which length of time besides a thousand other accidents may bring to pouder Neither are they depriued of the same glorie that liue vnder the gouernment of great men when according to their places and callings they direct their actions to the benefite and safetie of the Common-wealth For whensoeuer enuie laboureth to hurt them with supposed crimes their innocencie as Horace saith will be vnto them in place of an inexpugnable tower of brasse so that being assured of that they neede not stand in any feare of the cruell teeth of slanderers Therefore Socrates being reprooued by Hermogenes bicause he did not once dreame of defending himselfe when he was accused made this answere I haue dreamed of that all my life time by striuing to liue well To conclude then our present discourse let vs learne to vncloath our hartes of all enuie and hatred which procure so many turbulent and hurtfull passions in the soule and ouerthrowe all that charitie and loue which we ought to beare towards euery one Let vs feare this sentence pronounced by the holie spirite that whosoeuer hateth his brother is a man slayer And if we see that vice and imperfections raigne in our like let vs hate their
If prudence and reason are most necessary in all parts of house-keeping their effects are well woorth the nothing and to be desired in this part of which we will now intreate For power and authoritie are of themselues too surlie and imperious in him that knoweth not how to represse them wisely yea they are easily turned into intollerable arrogancie if the bridle of reason restraine them not Therfore seeing we liue in a free countrie wherin the ancient absolute power of life death ouer slaues hath no place they to whome God hath granted this fauour to excell and to goe before others whether it be in gifts of nature or in graces of the soule or otherwise in the goods of Fortune they I say must in no wise contemn those that seeme to haue beene forgotten and stripped of all these good things Besides a father of a familie must consider that he ruleth not slaues but free persons Therfore he must vse their seruice although not franckly for nothing yet as that which commeth from a willing and free mind not dealing roughly with them vpon euery occasion but rather handling them gently as the creatures of God made after his image seeing the poorest man is created for the selfe same principall ende that the mightiest and richest is Aristotle granteth this that although a Maister is not bound in anie respect to his Vassaile so farre foorth as he is a Vassaile yet bicause slaues are men he is of opinion that all lawes of humanitie ought to be kept with them What then ought we to doe to such as submit themselues freely vnto vs to whome also we are vnited and linked by christian charitie as to brethren and inheritours of the same goods and promises And yet we see that maisters fall into bitter anger crie out offer outrage vse violence and lay handes of their seruants vpon small or no occasion at all as if they were vnreasonable creatures yea handling them woorse than they doe their brute beastes That this is true we see not one of them but he hath great care that his horses be well fed dailie looked vnto harnessed and decked Besides he taketh great heede that they be not tyred nor ouer-laboured but as for their seruants they neither spare nor comfort them one whit nor haue any respect to their ease and rest For mine owne part I thinke that such maisters deserue rather to be seazed vpon as mad men than admonished as sociable persons I wish therefore that euery maister of a house had these two properties in him namely that with all clemencie and meekenes he would vse the seruice obedience of them that are vnder him by considering of them with reason and by looking rather to the good affection and desert of his seruant than to the great and profitable seruice which he draweth from him The other point is that the maister vsing the sweate and seruice of his should not seeme to be displeased teastie or hard to content but rather alwaies shewe foorth a gentle kinde of fauour and curtesie or at least a seuere familiaritie seasoned with a cheerefull and merrie countenance Whosoeuer shewe themselues to be such men besides the glorie which they shall obtaine by being taken generally for gentle and curteous men their houshold seruants will loue them the more and will reuerence them as their fathers not standing in such awe and feare of them as men commonly doe of intollerable tyrants Moreouer as this assembly of a maister and of seruants tendeth as euery other societie also vnto some good end the maister hauing regard to that which concerneth him and his house and his seruants to the hope of profite and commoditie order must be taken that they which haue with all carefulnes discharged their dutie and yeelded that fidelitie and diligence that is requisite to their superiour be not defrauded of the price reward hire and desert of their trauels For if we thinke it great villanie to rob another man let vs esteeme it nothing lesse to keepe backe the fruite of life and to defraud the labours perils watchings and excessiue cares of our seruants in not recompencing them Therefore concerning this part of a house called the Maisterlie part we will note this that as the Ancients made their slaues free thereby to drawe from them voluntarie and vnconstrained seruice and to deliuer themselues of that feare and distrust which they alwaies had of their slaues accounting that prouerbe true As many enimies as slaues so ought we to bring vp and to nourish our hired and mercenary seruants which serue vs in these daies with a free and liberall kind of loue by dealing gratiously with them by perswading them with reason and by rewarding them liberally and this will induce them to serue honour and esteeme vs as if our weale and woe were wholy common with them The last part of the house remaineth nowe to be intreated of which is the perfection thereof and is called the Parentall part comprehending vnder it the Father and Mother or one of them with the children The head of a familie saith Aristotle commandeth ouer wife and children but ouer both as free persons and yet not after one and the same manner of commanding but ouer the wife according to gouernment vsed in a popular state and ouer the children royally or Prince-like This commandement ouer children is called royall bicause he that begetteth commandeth by loue and by the prerogatiue of age which is a kind of kinglie commanding Therefore Homer calleth Iupiter the father of Men and of the Gods that is king of all For a king must excell by nature and must be of the same kind as it is with the aged in respect of the yoonger sort and with him that begetteth in regard of his child ouer whome he ought to be as carefull as a king is ouer his subiectes Vnto this part of the house a Father of a familie must haue a carefull eye bicause heereuppon chiefly dependeth the honour and quietnes of his house and the discharge of his dutie towardes God and his countrie namely by making his children honest and of good conditions As the desire and pricke of nature sayth Dion driueth vs forward to beget children so is it a testimonie of true loue and charitie to bring them vppe and to intreate them after a free manner and to instruct them well Therefore a Father of a familie shall satisfie his dutie concerning this parte of a house by the good education and instruction of his children and by exercising them in vertue For manners and conditions are qualities imprinted in vs by longe tracte of tyme and vertues are gotten by custome care and diligence Heereafter we are to consider more amply and particularly of the instruction of youth and therefore at this time we will content our selues with the giuing of certaine generall precepts woorthie to be diligently obserued of euery good father of a familie towards
partie that worketh the impression It was not then without good cause that the anciēts greatly esteemed the dignity of a General being ioined with prowes knowledge experience seeing the happy or vnhappy euents of warre ordinarily depend therof next to the chief cause proceeding frō God as we shewed yesterday what Titus Liuius wrote of the battel between the Romans the Latins For this reason Cimon a great mā of Athens said that he had rather haue an armie of Harts guided by a Lion than an armie of Lions hauing a Hart for their captaine Now if we desire to vnderstand in few words what maner of mē are most woorthy of such charges we may learne it by the answere that one of the wise Interpreters made to Ptolomie concerning this matter They said he that excell in prowesse and iustice and preferre the safetie of mens liues before victorie But to discourse more particularly of the dutie and office of the head of an armie Valerius Coruinus Generall of the Romans against the Samnites to whom he was redy to giue battell incouraged his souldiors to do well in few words and taught euery one how he should proceed to obtaine the place and degree of a captaine A man must consider well quoth he vnto them vnder whose conduction he entreth into battell whether vnder one that can cause himselfe to be heard as if hee were some goodly Oratour that hath a braue tongue but otherwise is a Nouice and vnskilfull in all points of warre or vnder such a one as hath skill himselfe to handle his weapon to marche first before the ensignes and to doe his duetie in the hottest of the fight I would not Souldiours that yee should follow my wordes but my deeds I set before you an example ioyned with instruction and discipline as he that hath gotten three Consulships with this arme not without exceeding prayse Hereby we learne that the ancient captaines and Heads of armies had this laudable custome to make Orations to their men of warre thereby to make them more courageous as appeereth in all histories both Greeke and Latin This fashion is now lost togither with the rest of warlike discipline at least wise there is no account made of it in France whereupon it commeth to passe that many great men are but badly followed and serued in warre For as he that standeth in neede of the faithfull seruice of men ought to winne them rather by gentlenesse and good turnes than by authoritie and rigour so he that would haue prompt and resolute souldiours for warre that hee may vse their seruice in tyme of neede must make much of them and allure them to his obedience by liberalitie and by good and gracious speeches For in truth they must be good friends and affectionate seruitours vnto a man that setting all excuses aside of which there is neuer any want are to fight for him they must neither be enuious at his prosperitie nor traiterous in his aduersitie And there is no doubt but that in a matter of great importaunce the graue exhortations of a Generall grounded vpon good reasons and examples greatly encourage and harten a whole armie in so much that it will make them as hardie as Lions that before were as fearefull as sheepe Moreouer if he that is esteemed and iudged to be valiaunt and noble-minded sheweth foorth effectes aunswerable thereunto he doubteth the courage and strength of his armie as contrarywise the least shew of cowardlinesse discouragement or astonishment shewed by him draweth after it the vtter ruine of his souldiours But to returne to the duetie and office of a good Captaine of an armie as the best worke that a man can doe is first to bee honest and vertuous and than to take order that himselfe and his familie may haue aboundantly all things necessarie for this life so euery wise and well aduised leader of men of warre must dispose and prepare himselfe to the same ende and foresee that nothing be wanting vnto them neither munitiōs of warre nor victuals He must not thinke to make new prouision when necessitie vrgeth him but euen than when he is best furnished he must bee carefull for the time to come Wherby taking away all occasiō of cōplaining from the souldior he shall be better beloued and obeyed and more feared and redoubted of his enimies To this purpose Cyrus said to his chiefe men of warre My friends I reioyce greatly that you and your men are contented that ye haue abundance of all things and that we haue wherewith to do good to euery one according to his vertue Notwithstanding we must consider what were the principall causes of these good things and if yee looke narowly ye shall find that watching trauell continuance in labor and diligence haue giuē vs these riches Therfore ye must shew your selues vertuous also hereafter holding this for certaine that ye shall obtaine great store of riches and contentation of mind by obedience constancie vertue sustaining of trauell and by courage in vertuous and perillous enterprises Moreouer a good captaine of an armie must be very carefull that he neuer suffer his host to be idle but cause his souldiors either to annoy the enimie or to doe themselues good It is a burthensome thing to nourish an idle body much more a whole family but especially an armie and not to keepe them occupied His meaning that warreth of necessitie or through ambition is to get or to keep that which is gotten and to proceed in such sort that he may in-rich and not impouerish his countrey Therfore both for conquering and for the maintenance and preseruation of that which is his owne already he must necessarily beware of vnprofitable expences and do all things for common commoditie So that who so euer would throughly put in practise these two points he had need to follow that custome which the ancient Romanes vsed namely at the beginning to make them short and terrible as we vse to say For entring into the field with great power and strength they dispatched their warre speedily within few dayes insomuch that all their iourneis made against the Latines Samnites Tuscans were ended some in six others in ten and the longest in twentie dayes And although afterward they were constrained to keep the fields a longer time by reason of the distance of places and countreys yet they did not therefore giue ouer the following of their first purpose but ended as soone as they could their enterprises of warre by quick battels according as place and time suffred True it is that a prudent captaine must be skilfull to take the enimie at aduantage but if it be so that he cannot the better and more vertuous man he thinks himselfe and those that follow him to be so much the more paines is required of him for his owne and their preseruation as men vse to keep safely those things which they account deerest and
but as soone as another stranger came they shewed what they were Heereuppon it came that Kinge Charles the eight easily ouer-ranne all Italy with chalke as we vse to speake that is to saye that without resistance he sent before to take vp his lodging bicause they that shoulde haue withstoode him and were called in to keepe the Countrie did of their owne accord take his parte But there is a further matter Strange hired Captaines either are excellent men or haue nothing in them If they be valiant the Prince is not to trust them For out of doubt they will seeke to make themselues great either by his ouerthrowe that is their Maister or by destroying others against his will And if the Captaines haue no valure in them he cannot hope for any thing but for the cause of his owne perdition Succour is moste hurtfull to an Estate when some Potentate is called in with his forces for aide and defence Those souldiours may well be good and profitable for themselues but are alwaies hurtfull to such as call them in For if a man loose the fielde he is ouer-throwne if he winne it he is their prisoner Such succour is a great deale more to bee feared than hired strength which obeieth the Prince that calleth them and requireth their helpe But when a man receiueth in an armie vnited and accustomed to obeye the Captaine that conducteth and bringeth them in his destruction is alreadie prepared and cannot be auoided who openeth the doore of his owne house to let in an enimie stronger than himselfe Therefore it were expedient for euerye Prince to trye all waies before he haue recourse to such men for helpe and succour And whosoeuer shall reade and consider well the times that are past and runne ouer the present state of things he shall see that whereas one prospered well an infinite number were deceiued and abused For a Common-wealth or an ambitious Prince coulde not wish to haue a better occasion whereby to get the possession of a Citie Seignorie or Prouince than when hee is required to send his armie to defende it But what The ambition desire of reuenge or some other affection of men is so great that to accomplish once their present will they forget all dutie and cast behind them the care of all danger and inconuenience whatsoeuer that may light vppon them The Herules Gothes and Lumbards by these meanes became Lordes of Italy the Frenchmen of the Gaules Countrye the Englishmen of greate Britaine the Scots of Scotland after they had driuen out the Britons and Picts who called them in for succour The Turks made themselues Lords of the East Empire and of the kingdom of Hungary being likewise required of help by the Emperours of Constantinople and by the States of Hungary Not long since Cairadin a Pirate being called by the Inhabitants of Alger to driue the Spaniards out of the fortresse after he had vanquished them he slew Selim Prince of the towne and made himselfe king leauing the Estate to his brother Arradin Barberossa And Saladine a Tartarian Captaine being called by the Calipha and Inhabitants of Caire to driue the Christians out of Soria after the victorie slew the Calipha and became absolute Lorde thereof The foresight which the Princes of Germany had of the perill and hurt that all strangers bring to an Estate caused them to bind the Emperour Charles the fift by the twelfth article of conditions vnto which he sware before he receiued the Imperiall crown that he should not bring in any forraine souldiors into Germany And yet through the great number of Spaniards Italians and Flemmings that came into the countrie beeing called in against the Protestants there wanted little of changing the Estate of Almaigne into an hereditarie kingdom Which had bene soone doone if king Henry the second had not staied it by his French power for which cause he was called by books published and arches erected in their country Protector of the Empire and deliuerer of the Princes who since haue concluded amonge themselues that they will neuer chuse a forraine Prince Charles the seuenth king of France hauing by his great good successe and vertue deliuered France of Englishmen and knowing well that it was necessarie for him to be furnished with his owne forces instituted the decrees of horsemen and of the companies of footemen After that king Lewes his sonne abolished his footemen and began to leauy Switzers which being likewise practised by other kings his successors many men haue noted that by countenancing the Switzers they haue caused their owne forces to degenerate and growe out of vse disanulled the footemen and tied their horsemen to other footemen insomuch that since they haue been vsed to fight in company of the Switzers they think that they cannot obtaine the victorie nor yet fight without them Therfore the prudence of king Francis the first must needes be honored with exceeding great praise in that he established seuen legions of footmen accounting 6000. men to a legion so that there could be no better deuice for the maintenance of warrelike discipline nor more necessary for the preseruation of this kingdome if those good ordinances that were made to this end be wel marked Neuertheles they were abolished in his raigne established againe by Henry the second his successor and after that abrogated I am of opinion that if these ancient institutions both of horsemen and footemen were reuined they would be a good mean whereby we might alwaies haue men of warre to defend this kingdom to conquer that which is taken from it and to helpe our friends whereas nowe we are faine to vse the seruice of vnskilfull men that are made Captaines before euer they were souldiors or else of necessitie compelled to begge and to buy very deare the succour offorraine nations My meaning is not that a Prince should neuer vse the helpe of others but alwaies take his own forces collected among his subiects Nay I say to the contrary that it must needs be profitable for him to vse the succors of his Allies so that they be ioined with him in league offensiue and defensiue For by this meanes he doth not onely make himselfe stronger but withall taketh away both that aide from his enimie which he might otherwise haue drawne from thence and occasion also from all men to make warre with the one except they will haue the other also their enimie But aboue all things let no Prince trust so much to the succours of his Allies except himselfe with his subiects be of greater strength And if Allies are to be feared when they are stronger in another countrie what assurance may a man haue of forraine souldiors that are at no league either offensiue or defensiue with vs Now if vpon the due consideration of these things souldiors be carefully trained vp in good discipline of warre which may be collected out of many institutions that are extant and if
labour by all meanes to end the contentions of their subiects They must not be parties in their subiects quarrels The thirteenth The fourteenth Fiue necessary things for the preseruation of euery common-wealth All liuing creatures loue the place of their birth It is the dutie of euery subiect to defend his countrey The nobilitie is the ornament of a Common-wealth Of the law prosapia To whom the defence of a countrey chiefly belongeth What order is The end of order What gouernment is Ignorance is no sufficient excuse for a magistrate What prudence is What a christian empire is We must spare no cost to help the common-wealth Ephe. 4. 5. 6. All things stand by proportion Six sundry callings of men necessary in euery good common-wealth No nation but adoreth some diuinitie The sacrifices of Christians Three sorts of sacrifices Of priests and pastors Wherein the office of true pastors consisteth Esa 56. 10. 11. Against dumbe dogs and couetous sheep-heards Tit. 1. 7. 8. 9. The qualities of a good pastor 1. Pet. 5. 2. 3. Vices to be auoided in a pastor The dutie of a good magistrate consisteth in foure things Iustice distributed into 7. parts Of armes and of the necessitie of them What nobilitie is Three kinds of nobilitie Which is right nobilitie Macrines letter to the Senate of Rome touching nobilitie Malach. 2. 10. When nobilitie of birth is to be esteemed Of riches and burgeises Riches are the sinewes of war They are necessary in a Common-wealth The exceeding riches that Dauid left to Salomon The number of workmen about Salomons temple Augustus maintained yeerely 44. legions of souldiors The limites of the Romane Empire in the time of Augustus Of Artes and Artificers What an Arte or occupatiō is Arte is an imitation of nature Three things necessary for the life of man The vse of Aliments The vse of houses The vse of garments The dutie of all artificers Artificers of one Science ought not to dwell all togither Of Aliments labourers The prayse of husbandry The antiquitie therof Men haue been always more inclined to husbandry than to any other vocation Princes haue forsaken their diademes to fall to husbandry Cyrus Dioclesian Profit and pleasure are ioyned togither in husbandry The countrey fitter for students than the citie The dutie of husband men Three things necessary for them Euery common-wealth must be always prouided against all euents both of peace warre Rom. 12. 18. Col. 3. 15. Leuit. 26. 3. 6. 14. 15. 25. Lycurgus referred all his lawes to warre appointing the Ilotes onely to deale with occupations Numa referred all his lawes to peace The keeping of Ianus Temple shut was a signe of peace among the Romanes The discommodities of a long peace Excellent comparisons betweene the composition of the world and of euery happy Common-wealth How the vertues are knit togither and depend one of another Peace is to be preferred before warre The effects of peace The effects of warre What kingdom is happie Warre maketh men cruell and peace gentle Archidamus letter to the Elians Cato misliked Caesar for breaking of peace Wherefore and when we must begin warre Phocion disswaded the Athenians from warre The fruits of vniust warre When a warre is lawfull Traian neuer vndertooke vniust warre Antigonus testimonie of the iniustice of warre Caesar Famine and the plague follow warre Malcontents are glad of war Causes why the exercise of arms must alwaies continue Augustus kept 40. legions in continuall exercise of warlike discipline Constantine the Great Good considerations for a Prince It is not the weapon that maketh a warriour From whence valure proceedeth Three things necessarily required in men of warre Good will commeth from good institution Reuerence from the wisedome and experience of Captaines Obedience is wrought in them by the diligence of the Heads The vertue of the Captaines is much in war The ancient order of the Romane armie The Romanes diuided their armie into three parts The benefite of this Romane order The wisedome of the Switzers fighting on the Frenchmens side Frenchmen loosing the first encounter loose also the victorie Some armies are furious and yet keepe good order Good order in armies is neuer without hope of victorie In the French armies is furie without order The ancient warlike discipline of the Romanes What manner of campe the ancient Romanes had Of the ancient obedience of souldiors to their captains Of the execution that was shewed vpon souldiors that offended The tithing of armies was most seuere How Captaines were punished if they offended Aurelius letter to a Tribune touching warlike discipline The corruption of warlike discipline in these dayes Aurelius punished adulterie and theft committed by his souldiors with death True payment of souldiors redresseth many disorders amongst them The vnrulines of the Pretorian souldiors The Sicilian Euensong Bellizarius The mild wane of Piemont The crueltie of these late French warres Time and occasion are diligently to be waighed in all matters The good or ill successe of an army dependeth of the captaine A captaine must not offend twise in warre Prudence gotten by vse must be hastened forward by knowledge No man ought to be generall before he haue obtained the renowne of a valiant man Cimon preferred an army of Harts before an army of Lions What captains are woorthiest of their charge Coruinus Oration to his souldiors Captains vsed in old time to make Orations to their souldiors Captains ought to make much of their souldiors The benefit of making Oratiōs to souldiors A good captain must be alwayes furnished with munitions and victuals Cyrus Oration to his captains A good captain must neuer suffer his army to be idle Warre ought to be speedily ended A good captain must not be ouer venturous A General must not rashly hazard himselfe When he ought to venture himselfe Antoninus preferred the life of one citizen before the death of a thousand enimies Scipio would haue all wayes tried before the sword were vsed in warre When Augustus would haue battell giuen Narses always wept the night before he gaue battell Two faults to be eschewed of euery captain A good General must alwayes seare the worst I had not thought it a dangerous speech in a captaine A good captain must haue skill to discerne the situation of places The benefit of Geometry in a General Philopaemenus in time of peace studied the discipline of war Cyrus resembleth his going to warre to hunting Hunting is an image of warre P. Decius C. Marius neuer gaue his enimies occasion to force him to fight The captains of an armie must be very secret I. Caesar very secret in tyme of warre L. Metellus Affaires of war must be debated by many but concluded by few Vrgent occasions in warre require short deliberation Cato a notable paterne for all captains to folow Pompey How Cato diuided the spoiles One godly man in a campe is in place of many Souldiors ought to begin their war with prayer and end with praise thanks-giuing Why a