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
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
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
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
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
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
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
a noble hart ought to labor but for one thing in this world namely to be great among his owne countreymen and to purchase fame renowne among strangers Which had been well spoken if he had added by Iustice and Vertue Was it not from the same fountaine of ambition that so hurtfull wars to both those Common-wealths of the Lacedemonians and Athenians the one being maisters of the sea and the other of the land tooke their beginning and thereby were both brought to ruine in the end Was it not the same cause of ambition in certaine particular men which procured the speedie returne of that good king Agesilaus to redresse the ciuill dissentions of Grecia when he was in Asia continuing those goodlie victories which he had against the Barbarians for the comfort and libertie of many Grecian cities O yee Grecians said that wise Prince being then verie sorowfull howe many more mischiefes doe yee procure to your selues than were procured vnto you by the Barbarians banded togither for your ouerthrow seeing yee are so vnhappie as to staye with your owne hands that good speede which conducted you to the top of felicitie and to turne backe into your owne entrailes those weapons which were so well guided against your enimies by calling backe the warre into your owne countrey from whence it was so happily banished The great and large scope of the Romane Empire ouer three partes of the world could not satisfie the ambition of Caesar and Pompey whilest the one could abide no equall and the other no superior insomuch that they omitted and forgat no meanes to increase their greatnes although it were with the charges of the Common-wealth As we may read among other things of Caesar who to ground vnderprop his power well for continuance gaue at one time to Paulus the Consul nine hundred thousand crownes for feare lest he should oppose himselfe against his enterprises and to Curio the Tribune he gaue fifteene hundred thousand crownes that he should take his part After the death of these two Princes that great dominion could no better content the Triumuirate namely Octauius Antonius and Lepidus who by force of armes ceased not to put their countrey to sword and fire vntill the soueraigne authoritie became resident in one alone But why should we seeke among the Ancients or amongst our neighbours for examples of the pernitious effects of this vice seing we haue so many at our owne gates Who kindled that fire in France which had taken hold of all the parts thereof and almost consumed it vtterly vnder the raigne of the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy who stroue togither for the gouernment of the kingdome Were there not vpon the same occasion more than foure thousand men slaine in one daye within Paris the most of them being men of name at the instigation and procurement of the Duke of Burgundy who had taken possession thereof But alas the continuall and present remembrance of our late and vnspeakeable miseries procured chiefly from the same fountaine of ambition and knowne to women and children staieth me from seeking farther for testimonies of this our present matter Yea I feare greatly that we shall shortly see I would to God I might be deceiued the finall and intire ruine of our Monarchie which hath flourished as long as euer any did and continued longer vnuanquished of strangers For we see hir owne children bathing their hands in hir bloud and seeking to plucke out hir hart and intrailes and to cast them as a pray before hir enimies O how would Princes chase farre from them all ambitious persons if they were well instructed in vertue and in the knowledge of those euils which such men procure seeing it is impossible that any good counsell should proceed from them but onely such as tendeth to the aduancement of their priuate greatnes Now if ambition be the mother of ciuill warres is it not the same also of all other warres which are daily bred betweene Kings Princes through the desire of increasing their bounds of seazing vpon other mens territories to the treading downe oppression and ruine of their poore subiects and oftentimes of their owne estats Is it not ambition which blindeth men so that they are not content to be chiefe among a million of others ouer whom they command vnles they be equal or superior to one or two of those whom they know to be greater than themselues The desire of hauing more saith Plutark is a vice common to Princes and great Lords which by reason of ambition and desire to rule bringeth foorth in them oftentimes an vnsociable cruell and beastly nature And as Ennius saith there is no faith or assured societie in kingdomes For they whose greedines neither sea nor mountaines nor inhabitable deserts can staie and whose insatiable desire of hauing cannot be limited with those bounds which separate Asia from Europe how will they content themselues with their owne and not seeke to vsurpe that which belongeth to another especially when their confines and borders touch one another and are ioined so neere togither that nothing is betweene them It is impossible And in truth how soeuer they dissemble they purposely warre one with another watching continually for meanes to surprize and ouerreach each other But in outward shew they vse these two words of Peace and Warre as a peece of monie according as it shall make best for their purpose not for duties sake or vpon reason and iustice but for their owne profite and aduantage wickedly disguising in that manner the intermission and surceasing from the execution of their ill will and purpose with the holie name of iustice and amitie Princes therfore must not thinke it strange if somtime priuate men howbeit that doth not excuse them find the like dealing profitable vnto them according as it falleth out for their purpose For in so doing they do but imitate and follow them that are their maisters in all disloialtie treason and infidelitie thinking that he bestirreth himselfe who least of all obserueth that which equitie and iustice require This did Dionides the pirat fitly giue Alexander the Great to vnderstand when he asked of him why he troubled the whole sea and robbed euery one Know quoth he to him that thou and I are of one disposition and calling except in this that I am called a Pirate for skouring the seas with a few men and thou a prince bicause thou inuadest and spoilest euery where with great mightie armies But if thou wert Dionides and I Alexander it may be I should be a better prince than thou a good pirate With which free speech Alexander was so delighted that in stead of a guiltie man brought before him to be punished as was Dionides he made him one of his great captains But to continue our matter if Right say Ambitious men may be violated it is to be violated for a kingdom O speech ful of all impietie yea
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
to publish it euery where For this reason Plutarke calleth an enimie a Schoole-master that costeth vs nothing of whom we learne that which may greatly profite vs and which we know not To this effect he maketh mention in his Apophthegmes of an Athenian captaine who complained to Aristo chief captain of the Lacedemonians that his souldiers blazed abroad the maners of the Athenians If the Athenians said Aristo vnto him did looke well to their doings they should not neede to care what the Spartanes could say of them These things being well considered by vs if we haue enimies they will be a meane to make vs more fearefull and restrained from offending and more earnest and diligent to order well our behauior to direct our doings and to correct our imperfections But let vs marke a litle how the noble and courageous youths of the world behaue themselues now adaies The reproofes and iniuries of an enimie may peraduenture be tolerated in some sort by the skilfuller sort of those that boast themselues to be so curious obseruers and ready defenders of their honor so that they be not vttred in their presence bicause they say that they cannot be offended at that which is spoken of them in their absence and that they which speake so will not auouch that slander before their faces which they raysed behind their backes According to these weake reasons they would haue other men iudge of reproch and iniurie either to credite or to discredite them according to their power and not as the truth of the fact it selfe requireth whereupon also they passe that ouer without profite and amendment of their life which they knew was misliked in them There are others who vpon a bare report made vnto them thinke themselues greatly misused harmed by those that spake ill of them so that presently they purpose to be auenged of them But herein they agree al that if any man voluntarily offereth iniurie to another they would haue the sword presently to decide the controuersie What say I for an iniurie Nay for a yea or a nay they forthwith thinke that the lie is giuen them and that they are out-faced so that nothing but the death of the one or of both together and oftentimes of their dearest and best friends is able as they thinke to repaire the preiudicate and supposed offence and all for this vaine honour of the world O detestable furie not to be found in most cruel beasts which spare the bloud of their sexe It is not conuenient that any time should be lost in reproouing the same being of it self so odious that it cannot so much as be once named but with shame trembling and horror For no man is so dull of vnderstanding but he knoweth that effusion of bloud is forbidden by God and that outrage being in no sort permitted much lesse may a christian forget himselfe so farre as to kill another except it be through necessitie in defending his owne body or in the seruice of his prince and country in a iust warre Amongst all the sententious sayings of Socrates the wise the wonderfull workes of Plato his scholer I find none more diuine or woorthie of greater praise than that sentence so often repeated by them That reuenge is not in any sort to be vsed It is not iust said the same Socrates to offend any although he had offred vs wrong For a good man neuer ought to do euil◠yea it is a great deale better to suffer than to offer contumelie to be slaine than to slay bicause the one bringeth no detriment to man who is the soule but the other procureth the vtter ruine and destruction therof This will sound very ill in many mens eares But if they will iudge without passion and had eies to see and eares to vnderstand the end of their being calling as also the reason of true prudence generositie taught vs in the studie of Philosophie no doubt but they would subscribe to the opiniō of these wise Philosophers agreeing very well with that which is taught vs by the spirite of God who condemneth the murderer and him that offereth wrong and iniurie to another but calleth himselfe the defender of innocencie and such a one as returneth a double reward and recompence to those that suffer for righteousnes and equitie Who may therfore doubt but that it is farre better to receiue than to do euil to be killed than to kill seeing by the one the good houre of our perpetuall rest and felicitie is hastened forward by the other we are vtterly frustrated thereof and throwen into a hell of eternall fire So that if we endeuor to shew forth the effects of true magnanimitie and greatnesse of hart there is no doubt but to beare and to endure with al modestie and patience the outrages and wrongs of our enimies is the marke of that vertue which is most absolute and perfect That it is so doth it not appeere in this that vertue consisteth in difficult things And that vertue that commeth neerest to the diuine nature which is hardest to be obtained and least familiar with men is it not more woorthie and beseeming a noble and valiant man than all the rest Vnto which may we attribute better this marke than to the vertue of patience whereof we haue alreadie intreated We see no man vpon earth of so base estate no woman so feeble and weake no liuing creature so litle but if they be striken they will reuenge themselues very willingly as wel as they can How greatly then ought this vertue to be accounted of which forceth this natural lust of reuenge bred in al liuing creatures and how noble must the mind of that man needs be which is able to master such a violent passion so common to all men thereby procuring to it selfe the name of a mild and gratious spirit and readie to forgiue which is proper and peculiar to the diuine nature Therfore that great monarch Alexander said That a man wronged had need of a more noble hart to forgiue his enimie thā to be reuēged of him to kil him Behold the saying of as noble a prince as euer the earth bare What can the Courtiers of these times say to the contrarie It is a great vertue saith Epictetus not to hurt him of whom thou art misused It is a very commendable thing to pardon him whom thou mightest hurt and it is a praise-woorthie kind of reuenge to let them go in peace that are ouercome Therefore Pittacus the Sage hauing one in his power that had dealt contumeliously with him he suffered him to depart vnharmed saying That pardon was better than reuenge the one being proper to the spirit of a man the other of a cruel beast But further although it were onely in respect of our own benefit during our life we ought to shunne all motions of iniurie and all desire of reuenge forasmuch as we cannot either determine
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
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
of their falling out otherwise so that a man may well say that such a thing came to him by Fortune which falleth out besides his thought when he vndertaketh any worke with deliberation Epicurus said that Fortune was such a cause as agreed neither to persons times or manners Theophrastus speaking of Fortune saith that she looketh not whereat she shooteth that oftentimes she delighteth in taking away that which is gotten with very great paine but especially in ouerturning those felicities which as men think are best staied and assured Iuuenal saith that when it pleaseth hir she maketh a Consul of a Rhetoritian likewise cleane contrary hauing this propertie in hir to reioice greatly in the varietie of chances to deride all the deuices of men oftener lifting vp into the place of soueraigne authoritie such as are vnwoorthy thereof than those that deserue the same Amongst the Ancients the Romanes honoured Fortune more than all the rest esteeming of hir saith Pindarus as of the patron nurse vpholder of the citie of Rome They builded for hir many sumptuous Temples wherein she was adored vnder sundry names honorable titles for a Goddesse of singular power insomuch that they thought themselues more beholding to hir for the greatnes prosperity of their Empire than to vertue Sylla hauing attained to the soueraigne authoritie of a Monarch and of Dictator yeelded himselfe all his actions to the fauor of Fortune saying that he reputed himselfe to be Fortunes child and thereupon tooke vnto him the surname of Happie Which opinion seemeth to haue preuailed greatly with him in causing him after he had committed infinite proscriptions murders cruelties voluntarily without feare to giue ouer the Dictatorship to lead the rest of his yeeres in all assurance quietnes as a priuate man to passe repasse through all Italy without any gard euen in the midst of them whome he had so much offended We read also that when Mithridates king of Pontus wrote vnto him concerning the war which he had vndertaken against him saying that he maruelled how Sylla durst buckle with his great fortune especially knowing that she had not deceiued him at any time whereas she neuer knew Sylla Consul he returned this answer For this selfe same reason thou shalt now see how Fortune doing hir dutie will take hir leaue of thee to come to mee Iulius Caesar gaue a certaine argument of the assurance he had in Fortune when entring vpon the sea in a little Fregate in a very tempestuous weather and the Pilot making some doubt of waighing vp the Anchor he sayde thus vnto him Be not afrayde my friende for thou cariest Caesar and his Fortune Augustus his successour sending his Nephew to the warre wished that he might be as valiant as Scipio as well beloued as Pompey and as fortunate as himselfe attributing to Fortune as a principall worke the honour of making him so great as he was To this purpose also it is reported that great acquaintance and familiaritie growing betweene Augustus and Antonius his Companion in the Empire they often passed away the time togither with sundrie sortes of plaies and pastimes wherein Antonius alwayes went away vanquished Whereupon one of his familiar friendes well seene in the arte of Diuination tooke occasion many tymes to vtter his mind vnto him in these or the like speeches Sir what do you so neere this yoong man Separate your selfe farre from him Your fame is greater than his you are elder than he you command moe men than he you are better exercised in feates of Armes you haue greater experience but your familiar spirite feareth his and your fortune which of it selfe is great flattereth his and if you sequester not your selfe farre from him she will forsake you and goe to him Thus we see what great estimation the Romanes had of Fortune yea they stood in so great awe of hir power that Paulus Aemilius that great Captaine sayd that amongst humane things he neuer feared any one of them but amongst diuine things he alwaies stoode in great feare of Fortune as of hir in whome there was small trust to be placed bicause of hir inconstancie and mutable varietie whereby she neuer vseth to gratifie men so liberally or to bestow such absolute prosperitie vpon them but that some enuie is mingled withall Oh deceitfull Fortune said Demetrius thou art easily found but hardly auoyded They that haue laboured most in painting out this fained Goddesse say that she hath a swift pace a loftie mind and a hawtie hope They giue hir light wings a globe vnder hir feete and in hir hand a horne of abundance full of all such heauenlie and earthlie things as are exquisite and pretious which she poureth foorth liberally when and where she pleaseth Some put a wheele into hir hands which she turneth about continually whereby that part which is aboue is presently turned downeward therby giuing vs to vnderstand that from hir highest preferment she throweth downe in one instant such as are most happy into the gulfe of miserie In a word we may well compare hir to a glasse which the brighter it is the sooner it is broken dasht in peeces Histories the treasurie of antiquitie set before our eies innumerable examples of common and contrary effects which are wrought by this inconstant Fortune and those oftentimes practised vpon the same persons whome of smal she hath made very great and after taken them downe lower yea made them more miserable if I may so speake than they were at their beginning Hannibal that renowmed Captaine of the Carthaginians that redouted enimy of the Romanes after notable victories obtained sundry times against thē was in the ende vtterly ouerthrowen and compelled to flie hither and thither and to haue recourse to forraine princes into whose armes he cast himselfe for the safetie of his person and after long wandring being old spent he setled himselfe with the king of Bithynia But Titus Flaminius whom the Romanes had sent embassador to that king required to haue him that he might put him to death For quoth he as long as he liueth he will be a fire for the Romane empire which wanteth but some one or other to kindle it When he was in the vigor and strength of his age neither his hand nor his body had procured so great damage to the Romanes as his good vnderstanding and sufficiencie in the arte of warre had done being ioined with the hatred he bare them Which is nothing diminished through old age neither yet through the alteration of his estate and fortune bicause the nature and qualitie of maners continueth alwaies Hannibal being aduertised of this request of Titus stieped poison in a cup of drinke which he had kept a long time against an extremitie But before he dranke thereof he vttred these wordes Go to let vs deliuer the people of Rome from this great care
their backes The third thing is that they must seeke their masters profite and commoditie more than their owne and take good heede that no harme losse or trouble come vnto them And if any goe about to procure any such thing they must vndertake the defence thereof diligently euen to the hazarding of their liues if neede bee The last point which good seruauntes are to keepe is to vse a double silence the first that they replie not againe to their masters commaundementes although sometymes they suppose that they know better what is to be done than they that commaund them The second that they reueale not to others their masters secretes nor sowe them out of his house To be short we cannot giue them better instruction than that of Saint Paule saying Seruauntes be obedient vnto them that are your masters according to the fleshe in all things not with eye-seruice as men-pleasers but in singlenes of hart fearing GOD. And whatsoeuer ye doe doe it hartilie as to the Lorde and not vnto men knowyng that of the Lord yee shall receiue the reward of the inheritaunce for yee serue the Lorde Christ. And else-where he exhorteth them againe to be subiect to their masters and to please them in all thinges not aunswering agayne neyther pickers but that they shewe all good faithfulnesse that they may adorne the doctrine of GOD our Sauiour in all thinges Nowe for examples to all seruauntes that are desirous to effect their dutie towards their masters we will propound two the one olde the other of late yeeres which giue sufficient testimonie of a sonne-like rather than of a seruile affection Antonius beyng ouercome of Augustus and dispairing of his safetie vrged the promise of Eros his seruant in whom he trusted bicause he had giuen his faith long before that hee would kill him when he required the same at his hands But the seruaunt drawyng his sword and holding it out as though hee would haue killed him turned his face on the one side and thrust it into himselfe cleane through his bodie Maurice duke of Saxonie beyng in Hungarie against the Turke and walking out of the campe onely with his seruaunt was set vpon by certaine Turkes and his horse being slaine he was throwen to the ground But his seruaunt cast himselfe vpon him couered and defended him with his bodie sustained and kept backe the enimies vntil certaine horsemen came and saued the Prince but died himselfe not long after beyng wounded on euery side Therefore to ende our present discourse let vs learne that it is a great and commendable vertue and beseeming euery good and gentle nature to know how to obey well and to giue honour and seruice to those that occupie the degree of fathers lordes and masters ouer vs as also to loue our brethren with an indissoluble loue to reuerence one an other the younger honouring the elder and the elder yeelding all dueties of sincere loue to the younger Let vs not be lesse afrayd of the curse repeated so often in the Scripture against disobedient children than the auncients were of that lawe which condemned them to be stoned to death when they would not obey the voyce of their Parents nor harken vnto them when they instructed them but let vs much more feare that punishment which will continue for euer where there will be weepyng and gnashing of teeth Of the education and instruction of Children Chap. 51. ARAM. WHen we intreated of the duetie of a father of a familie towards his children we sayd that the chief marke whereat he ought to aime was to make them honest and good of condition which was to be performed by instruction and good bringing vp in the knowledge and exercise of vertue Now bicause the chiefe foundation of a happy life is good instruction begun in youth so that if the infancie of any bee well brought vp as Plato saith the rest of his life cannot but be good we ought as I thinke my Companions to take this matter againe in hand to follow and handle it more at large to the ende to prouoke Fathers and all such as haue authoritie ouer the younger sort to bee carefull and diligent in the well ordering of the seede of youth which is the spring and roote of all prosperitie both publike and priuate ACHITOB. We must not saith Plato be more carefull of any thing whatsoeuer than of the good education of children For if vpon their good bringing vp they become moderate and stayed men they will easily discerne euerie thing that is good And if good wits haue like education they will growe from better to better euerie day ASER. The beginning middle and ending of a happie life saith Plutarke consisteth in good education and bringing vp But it belongeth to thee AMANA to instruct vs in this so excellent a matter AMANA As a man cannot reape good wheate if he hath not sowen good seede nor gather good fruit of his trees if he had no care at the beginning to dresse them well nor to graft them with good sciences afterward so the corruption of mans nature which of it selfe is more enclined to euill than to good hindreth vertue from taking sure footing and roote in the soules of men if they be not from their very youth well and diligently instructed stirred vp and pricked forward to that which is honest and decent And truely that common-wealth is most miserable wherein this tillage of infancie is neglected For from this fountaine proceede rebellions seditions open murders contempt of lawes and commandemeâ—ts of princes pollings briberies heresies and Atheisme Therefore nothing was more esteemed from time to time among the auncients than the institution of youth which Plato calleth Discipline whereby children are led to this reason not to follow any thing but that which the lawe commaundeth and alloweth for good The monarchie of the Persians the common-wealth of the Lacedemonians and since that also of the Romans had certaine lawes compelling fathers to prouide that their children might be instructed not suffering them to be cast away and corrupted to the detriment of the common-wealth Amongst other lawes there was one called Falcidia whereby it was enacted that the child should be admonished for the first offence chastised for the second and for the third hanged and his father banished as if he had been partaker in the fault for want of good education and instruction of his sonne Heretofore we heard many testimonies of the care and trauell which famous and woorthie men tooke to instruct their children themselues Traian the emperour and after him Adrian at their owne costes and charges caused fiue thousand noble mens children of Rome to be brought vp in learning vertue and feates of armes Our auncient kings knowyng how necessarie this education of youth was builded long agoe and caused to bee framed so many goodly Colledges as we see in the Vniuersities of France yea the monasteries
otherwise thou shalt not be accounted a king but a tyrant c. I leaue the rest of the clauses in his Testament Moreouer liberalitie wel vsed as we haue els-where handled the same is a very comely ornament for a Prince Socrates said that it was the dutie of a good king to be beneficiall to his friends and of his enemies to make good friends to which purpose nothing will helpe him more than liberalitie Neither must he be only liberal but magnifical also and sumptuous prouided alwaies that of magnifical he become not prodigal which would soone make him an exactor and in the end a tyrant But a soueraigne Prince must especially haue an eie to this that the rewards of vertue due to woorthy men be preferred before all his gifts and good turnes and that he recompence such as haue deserued any thing before he giue to them that haue deserued nothing For an vngratefull Prince will hardly retaine an honourable and vertuous man any long time in his seruice Neither is the estimation of a reward and of a good-turne all one bicause a reward is giuen for desert and a benefite by grace Besides a Prince must be alwaies true and as good as his promise that men may giue greater credite to his bare word than to another mans oath For it ought to bee as an Oracle which looseth his dignitie when men haue conceiued such an euill opinion of him that he may not be beleeued vnles he sweare And if he pawne his faith at any time he must account it sacred and inuiolable bicause faith is the foundation and staie of iustice vpon which the estate of great men is grounded as we discoursed else-where That saying of Theopompus King of Sparta is also to be well noted by the Prince When a friende of his asked him how a king might keepe his kingdome in safetie he answered By granting libertie to his friends freely to tell him the truth He must take their aduice in doubfull matters that he may gouern his estate more assuredly waighing and iudging of their opinions with great prudence Neither must he thinke them his best seruants that praise all his sayings and dooings but those that with modestie reprooue his faults he must discerne wisely betweene them that cunningly flatter him and those that loue and serue him faithfully that wicked men may not be in greater credite with him than good men For this cause also he must carefully enquire after his houshold seruants and familiar friends that he may knowe them well bicause all other men will take him to be such a one as they are with whome he conuerseth ordinarily Osiris King of Egypt had for his Armes a Scepter with an eye in the toppe of it noting thereby the wisedome that ought to be in a king namely that it belongeth not to one that wandereth out of his way to direct others that seeth not to guide that knoweth nothing to teach and that will not obeye reason to command Likewise in all his actions he must vse reason as a heauenlie guide hauing chased away the perturbations of his soule and esteeme it a greater and more royall matter to command himselfe than others He must thinke that it is the true and proper office of a king not to submit him-selfe to his pleasures but to containe his owne affections rather than his subiects Further he must vse to take pleasure in those exercises which may procure him honour and cause him to appeere better to the worlde He must not seeke for reputation in vile things which men of base estate and naughtie behauior commonly practise but follow after vertue onely wherein wicked persons haue no part Let him remember alwaies that he is a King and therefore that he must striue to doe nothing vnwoorthie so high a dignitie but continue his memorie by valiant and noble acts This is that wherein one of the wise Interpreters knew wel how to instruct K. Ptolemy who demanded of him how he might behaue himselfe that neither idlenes nor pleasures might distract him It is said he in thine owne power as long as thou commandest ouer a great kingdome and hast so many great affaires to manage continually which will not suffer thee to distract thy mind vpon other matters If priuate men borne to vertue are willing many times to die that they may purchase honour much more ought kinges to doe those thinges which will procure them honour feare and estimation euery where during their life also through their brightnes shine a great while after their death Moreouer a prince must be warlike and skilfull in warfare prouiding carefully all things necessarie for warre and yet he must loue peace and vsurpe nothing that belongeth to another man contrary to right nor enter into warre but to repell violence in extreame necessitie Aboue all things he must feare ciuill dissentions as most pernitious to his Estate and take aduice prudently concerning the meanes wherby all occasions of their entrance may be taken from his people Heerein learning will helpe him well and the knowledge of histories which set before his eies the aduentures that haue befallen both small and great and cal to his remembrance the times past whereby he may better prouide for the time to come Vnto which if he adde the counsell of wise men as we haue already touched he shall knowe more perfectly whatsoeuer concerneth the good of his estate But aboue all he must knowe howe to make choice of men and not thinke them wise that dispute curiously of small things but those that speake very aptly of great matters Neither let him account those men best and worthiest of credite that haue gotten most authoritie but trie and indge them by their profitable works namely if he see that they giue him wise and free counsell according as occasions concurre and affaires require and then let him alwaies with speed execute those things which by their counsell he findeth good and necessary For the conclusion therefore of our present discourse we will comprehend the office and dutie of a good Prince in fewe words namely if he serue God in sinceritie and puritie of hart if he inquire diligently after the truth of his word and cause his subiects to liue thereafter if he prouide for their profit redresse their miseries and ease them of oppression exaction and polling If he be pliable to heare the requests complaints of the lest indifferent and moderate in answering them ready to distribute right to euery one by propounding reward for vertue and punishment for vice If he be prudent in his enterprises bold in his exploits modest in prosperitie cōstant in aduersitie stedfast in word wise in counsail briefly if he gouerne in such sort and raigne so well that all his subiects may haue what to imitate and straungers to commend The ende of the fifteenth daies worke THE SIXTEENTH DAIES WORKE Of a Councell and
to vsurpe kingdomes empires This reason brought in the Ostracisme amongst the Atheniās which was a banishmēt for a time wherby they brought downe them that seemed to exceed in greatnes This they vsed as Plutarke reherseth against Themistocles Aristides and other excellent men fearing least their authoritie credite and good will of all men should procure them a kingly power with the chaunge of their popular gouernment Many kings and princes that had some of their friends and seruaunts too great were themselues or their children ouerthrowen by them afterward Tyberius making Seian too mightie Commodus Perennius Theodosius the second Eutropus Iustinian Bellisarius Xerxes Artaban were in danger of their estate The vnmeasurable authoritie of the Maiors of the palace and of the Constables chaunged the crowne of France from the race of Clouts to that of Charles Martel and vpon the same occasion it was afterward taken from that line and transferred to another Contempt also is another cause greatly to be feared in euery estate and Monarchie as that which oftentimes breedeth their change and ouerthrow It is very daungerous in two considerations especially first when some are contemned and excluded from publique offices and dignities which they deserue and yet see them wholy in the power and disposition of some particular men Whereupon both the one and the other are mooued to sedition the contemned persones through enuie and desire of reuenge they that haue the great charges in their handes through contempt of the others whome they seeke vtterly to exclude and to driue them further off from all publique honours and authorities Secondly contempt is verie pernitious when inferiours contemne their superiours They are commonly despised that haue neither vertue courage nor fortitude that are not able to profite themselues or others that are not laborious painfull nor any manner of way carefull Where contempt is there no obedience is to be had This maketh the sonne disobedient to the father the wife to the husband the learner to the teacher the seruant to the maister The opinion of prudence iustice constancie knowledge goodnes modestie and of other vertues nourisheth and preserueth the obedience of subiects towards their Princes and the contrarie vices prouoke them to rebellion Therefore as policies prosper when they are gouerned by prudent iust constant valiant and moderate men so they are troubled with seditions through the ignorance cowardlines and intemperancie of Princes or else when they are too familiar with their inferiors or when they are suddenly lift vp from base estate or seem too aged or too yong or poore or miserable all which things breede contempt Wherefore this is set downe as a good rule to preserue the estate of a Monarchy That the Prince must procure to himselfe loue without the contempt or hatred of any if it may be For the obtaining whereof there is no better way than the iust distribution of rewardes The Princes and Lords of France bicause they were contemned by king Lewes the 11. who had none about him nor fauoured any but men of lowe and base estate gaue him battell at Montlhery whereof the battel hath euer since retained the name to the great perill of the Estate and danger of the kings life if he had not appeased the indignation and furie of the said Princes and Lords by his great prudence and policie Moreouer too much encrease and vnproportionable growth is one cause that procureth the change and ruine of Common-wealths For as the bodie is made and compounded of parts and ought to grow by proportion that it may keep a iust measure so euery Common-wealth beeing compounded of orders or estates as it were of parts they must be maintained in concord one with another by equall and due proportion obserued betweene each of them For if one Estate be aduanced too much aboue another dissention ariseth As long as the three Orders and Estats at Rome namely the Senators the Knights the people were caried proportionably their policie flourished but after they dealt one against another through enuie ambition couetousnes diuisions and part-takings began This caused many to commend equalitie so much calling it the nursing mother of peace amitie betweene subiects and contrariwise inequalitie the beginning of all enmities factions hatred part-taking But seeing it is meete that in euery well established policie there should be a difference of rights and priuiledges betwixt euery estate equalitie may continue if carefull prouision be made that one Estate go not too much before the other The impunitie of offences is one cause also from whence seditions and ciuill warres proceede yea it is a matter of very great waight and yet men make least account therof We spake of it before but we must of necessitie often rub vp the remembrance thereof as the wise Hebrew doth by repeating so many times that admonition that we should not be suretie for another not that he forbiddeth charitie towardes the poore but that none should be a meanes to let the wicked escape vnles he will beare the punishment himselfe This is that word which God sent to king Achab after he had saued the life of Benhadad king of Syria that he made himselfe a pledge for another man by suffering the wicked to liue and therefore that it should cost him his life Hitherto we haue seene how the couetousnes of Princes the ambition or desire of honour in priuate men iniurie and reproch feare in the guiltie excesse of authoritie and wealth contempt ouer-great encrease or aduancement without proportion and lastly impunitie of offences procure commonly seditions in Estates and Monarchies Besides all these extreame pouertie and excesse of wealth idlenes and want of feare of the forraine enimie as we haue else-where declared change of Princes and lawes too great licence of seditious Orators and Preachers the naturall disposition of places where men are borne which maketh them more inclined to commotions and seditions as Historiographers haue noted of Genes Florence and Flanders with many other things may be said to be causes of ciuill warres of alterations changes and ruine of Estats and Policies Among which we note that shame is sometime a cause of change in the gouernment of Common-wealths but it is without tumult or sedition Thus it fell out in Herea a towne of Arcadia which was gouerned popularly where men of no account were elected Magistrates by others like themselues whereupon beeing mocked they changed their manner of election into chusing by lot that so they might haue a more lawefull excuse There was seene not long since in the Councell of France such a number of Maisters of Requests and of Secretaries of the Treasure that very shame caused them to be sent away bicause it was not meete to entreat of great and waightie matters before such a multitude Negligence likewise breedeth the change and ouerthrow of a politike Estate There
chosen thereunto The speedie punishment of wicked and condemned persons all delaie set aside is a good remedie to preserue policies For when they see that for their offences and mischieuous dealings they are daily taken examined put to the torture condemned and executed according to their deserts if before their execution they haue any leasure and respit through the negligence of Magistrates they seeke by all meanes to mooue sedition and trouble in the Common-wealth hoping thereby to saue their liues and to auoide that punishment vnto which their consciences iudge them to be indebted The equall proportion and measure of all and euery particular part in a Politike bodie according to the degrees of callings and persons is necessarie for the preseruation of Estates and Monarchies that there may be equalitie not of thinges but of proportions and that degrees may be kept As for example albeit the Diuine Lawyer Captaine Counsellor Treasurer differ one from another yet they must of necessitie agree and be made equall not in their calling but by a like proportion that euerie one may execute his office without the hinderaunce of another Therefore Plato saide that the publike Estate is in good case if it be instituted according to Geometricall proportion and all benefites bestowed accordingly If the Kinge giue the office of Chauncellourship to a wise and learned man that loueth iustice and publike quietnes the office of Constableshippe or of the Marshalshippe of Fraunce to good Captaines and such as are experienced in State affayres the gouernment of the Church to a Diuine of good life and manners and one that is well skild in Ecclesiasticall gouernement the office of iustice to an honest Lawyer the keeping of the treasure to a Treasurer of an vpright conscience Then if euerie one keepe his owne place and perfourmeth his dutie without encroching vppon another or hindering of him to the ende that publike conueniencie and agreement may not be troubled this order wil make an equalitie betweene vnlike persons For we find two sortes of equalitie namely equalitie of quantitie and of proportion Equalitie of quantitie is requisite in commutatiue iustice that euery one may take as much as he ought Equalitie of proportion is requisite in distributiue iustice and in rewarding men according to their desert This equalitie sayth Plato giueth the greatest honours to them that excell most in vertue and the lesser places of dignitie to such as are inferior in vertue and learning distributing to both that which belongeth vnto them by reason Besides the meanes alleadged alreadie by vs for the preseruation of Estates and Monarchies Aristotle setteth downe these that followe Let nothing sayth he be doone against the lawes and customes which as before we discoursed are the chaines and bondes of all Empires Powers and Common-wealthes Let remedie bee vsed against the beginning of an euill howe small soeuer it bee For often-times of a small occasion as it were of one sparkle a great fire of troubles is kindeled in the Common-wealth And as great stormes and tempestes proceede from exhalations and vapours that are not seene so seditions and ciuill warres beginne for the most part of verie light matters which a man woulde neuer thinke shoulde haue such an issue Let no credite be giuen to craftie and suttle deuices inuented to deceiue Common-wealthes withall These are meanes commonly practised by forraine and domesticall enimies to Estates who thereby disguise the truth of matters whereof we haue had good experience in France when in the Councell of our Princes information hath beene giuen cleane contrarie to the truth insomuch that we haue felt the cruell hand of strangers before euer we would haue beleeued that they had taken horse in their owne countrie And therefore amongest such nourishers of our miseries this prouerbe is rife That a lie is alwaies good how little a while soeuer it be beleeued Let those that are placed in the offices of Magistracie behaue themselues modestly both towards those that deale not at all in publike affaires and towards them that meddle therewith offering no iniurie to the one sort and liuing friendly with the other Let them that are to care for the safetie of the Estate watch alwaies and stand vpon their gard and often times propound causes of feare to make the subiects more attentiue and heedefull to that which they should doe Let there be no contentions or quarrels betweene the Nobles and let others be preuented that are not yet ioined to those dissentions before they enter into them This is the chiefest thing at this day whereunto our kings and Princes ought especially to looke For amongest their traines there is nothing but leagues and part-takings from which nothing will proceede in the end but trouble and hurt to their Estate Therefore they must take away all occasions of hatred and quarrelling remooue such farre from their Court that loue contentions bicause that as quarrellers of themselues tarye not long in seruice so by their meanes Princes loose other good seruants And if they will not or are afraid to put them from the Court at least-wise let them take knowledge of all their enmities factions and discontentments that are amongst them and labour to end them not in outward shew onely but by some good effect Let them content such as are not well pleased if they can iustly doe it let them grant meanes of safetie to them that say they haue cause to distrust others and let them reconcile professed enimies But aboue all things let not the Prince make himselfe a partie in the contentions of his subiects if the occasion of their strife be not grounded vpon the Estate For in steede of keeping to himselfe the place of soueraigne Iudge he shall be onely the chiefe of a faction and so bring his estate and life into danger The punishment of rebels is one meane also to preserue Estates and Common-wealths to preuent seditions whereby they are altered and changed But regard must be had according to the counsell of Hippocrates that medicines be not applied to incurable diseases For when all the people or the most of them are culpable to punish all is as much as to ouerthrow the common-wealth It is also a good mean and most vsuall for the auoiding of seditions to take from the people their armour and to haue fortresses fensed and furnished with all things necessarie for them For the neglecting of this giueth occasion to troublesome heads and to such as desire nouelties to execute their wicked purposes and to trouble the estate and the libertie of armour maketh them more fierce and insolent therein Moreouer we may comprehend that which is requisite and necessarie for the preseruation of euery good Common-wealth vnder fiue things namely let it be loued faithfully defended manfully adorned with nobilitie ordred profitably and gouerned prudently It is naturally ingrafted into
with infinite charges and costes all kinde of trade hindered briefly there is no calamitie or miserie that aboundeth not in the Common-wealth in time of warre We may iudge that kingdome happie wherein the Prince is obedient to the lawe of God and nature Magistrates to the Prince priuate men to Magistrates children to their fathers seruants to their maisters and subiects being linked in loue one with another all of them with their Prince enioy the sweetenes of peace and true quietnes of mind But warre is cleane contrary thereunto and souldiors are sworne enimies to that kind of life For war maketh men barbarous mutinous and cruell as peace maketh them curteous and tractable We read that Englishmen were in times past so seditious and vntameable that not onely their Princes could not do what they would but also the English merchants were of necessity lodged apart by them selues For so the towne of Antwarpe was constrained to do where there was one house common for all merchant strangers except Englishmen who had a house by themselues bicause they could not abide to be ioined with others The chiefe cause of that strang qualitie was bicause their countrie bordered vpon two Estates and Nations that were their enimies namely vpon the Frenchmen and Scots with whome they had continuall warre but since they concluded a peace and ioined in league with France and Scotland they became very mild and ciuill And contrariwise the Frenchmen who were inferiour to no nation whatsoeuer in curtesie humanitie are greatly changed from their naturall disposition and become sauage since the ciuill warres began The like as Plutarke saith happened to the Inhabitants of Sicilia who by meanes of continuall warre grew to be like brute beastes Archidamus king of Lacedemonia knowing well the effects of peace and warre heere briefly touched by vs and hearing that the Elians sent succors to the Archadians to warre against him tooke occasion to write vnto them after the Laconicall manner in steede of a long discourse Archidamus to the Elians Peace is a goodly thing And another time he gaue a notable testimonie how farre he preferred peace before warre when he made this answer to one that commended him bicause hee had obtained a battell against the fore-said Archadians It had beene better if we had ouercome them by prudence rather than by force The selfe same reason of louing peace and of abhorring the breakers thereof was the cause why Cato in a full Senate opposed himselfe against the request which Caesars friendes made that the people should offer sacrifices by way of thanks-giuing to the gods for the notable victories which he had gotten against the Germanes of whom he had surprized and discomfited 300000. I am said Cato rather of this opinion that he should be deliuered into their hands whome he hath wronged without cause by violating the peace which they had with the people of Rome that they may punish him as they thinke good to the ende that the whole fault of breaking faith and promise with them may be cast vpon him alone and not be laid vpon the citie which is no cause at all thereof And to say truth wise men are greatly to feare all beginnings of warre For being in the end growne to some ripenes after that some men wanting experience in worldly affaires haue rashly and vnskilfully sowne the seede thereof hardly can the greatest and wisest kings plucke it vp againe without great labour and perill Therefore they that are too desirous and hastie to begin warre peruert the order of reason bicause they beginne by execution and force which ought to be last after due consultation But he deserueth greater honour and praise that procureth peace and winneth the enimies harts by loue than he that obtaineth victorie by shedding their blood cruelly For this onely reason saith Cicero we must begin warre that we may liue in peace and not receiue wrong but this must be done after we haue required satisfaction for the iniurie offered It was for these considerations that Phocion that great Athenian Captaine laboured to stoppe the warre which the people of Athens had determined to make against the Macedonians at the perswasion of Leosthenes And being demanded when he would counsell the Athenians to make warre when I see quoth he that the yong men are fully resolued not to leaue their rankes that rich men contribute monie willingly and Oratours abstaine from robbing the Common-wealth Neuertheles the armie was leauied against his counsell and many woondering at the greatnes and beautie thereof asked him howe he liked that preparation It is faire for one brunt said Phocion but I feare the returne and continuance of the warre bicause I see not that the citie hath any other meanes to get monie or other Vessels and men of warre beside these And his foresight was approoued by the euent For although Leosthenes prospered in the beginning of his enterprise whereupon Phocion being demanded whether he woulde not gladly haue doone all those great and excellent things answered that he would but not haue omitted that counsell which he gaue yet in the end he was slaine in that voyage the Grecian armie ouerthrowne by Antipater and Craterus two Macedonians and the citie of Athens brought to that extremitie that it was constrained to sende a blanke for capitulations of peace and to receiue within it a garrison of strangers Thus it falleth out commonly to those that seeke for war by all meanes either by right or wrong Euerie Prince that desireth it in that manner stirreth vppe against himselfe both the hatred and weapons of his neighbours he vexeth and greeueth his subiects vnwoorthily seeking rather to rule ouer them by violence than to gaine their good will by iustice he quite ouer-throweth his Countrie preferring dominion and greatnes of his owne glorie before the benefite quietnes and safetie thereof and often-times he diminisheth his owne authoritie and is brought in subiection to his enimies whilst he laboreth to possesse another mans right by force Augustus the Emperour said that to haue a good and lawfull warre it must be commended by the Gods and iustified by the Philosophers And Aelius Spartianus affirmeth that Traian only of all the Romane Emperors was neuer ouercome in battell bicause he vndertooke no war except the cause therof was very iust But we may say that no warre betweene Christians is so iustified but that still there remaineth some cause of scruple The testimonie of Antigonus the elder wherein he accuseth himselfe is very notable to shewe what great wickednes and iniustice is in warre when he vsed this speech to a Philosopher that offered and dedicated vnto him a treatise which he had made of iustice Thou art a foole my friend to come and tel me of iustice when thou seest me beate downe other mens townes Caesar answered little lesse to Metellus a Tribune of the people who being desirous to keepe him
from taking the monie that was in the common treasurie alleadged vnto him the lawes that forbad it to whome this Monarch replied that the time of warre and the time of lawes were twaine Moreouer we see that famine and the pestilence commonly follow war For the abundance of all things being wasted want of victuals must of necessitie succeede whereupon many diseases grow Briefly it bringeth with it nothing but a heape of all euils and miseries and easily draweth and allureth the violence and euill disposition of many to followe the state of the time For they that desire a change are very glad of such an occasion to ground their plat-formes vpon which they could not doe in time of peace bicause men are then of a better iudgement and affection aswell in publike as in priuate matters But whatsoeuer we haue spoken of the miseries that followe warre warlike discipline must not be suffered to degenerate in a Common-wealth well established seeing there is neuer want of euill neighbours that are desirous to incroach vppon other mens borders and seeing the lawes iustice subiects and the whole state are vnder the protection of Armes as it were vnder a mightie buckler And forasmuch as the defence of our life pursuite of theeues is warranted both by the lawe of God of nature and of man it followeth that the subiects must needes be trained vp in feates of Armes both defensiue and offensiue that they may be a buckler to the good and a barre to the bad Wherein the example of Augustus is very notable who in time of an assured peace would not dissolue and dismisse the fortie legions but sent them to the Prouinces borders of those nations that were most barbarous to keepe them in warlike discipline and withall to take away as neere as he could all occasion of ciuill warre Whereof Constantine the Great had sorrowfull experience when he discharged his bands of souldiours whereby he opened the gates vnto his enimies who after that inuaded the Romane Empire on all sides For the conclusion therfore of our discourse let vs learn to desire peace rather than war the one being a certaine signe of the blessing of God vpon his people and the other of his wrath and malediction Let the Prince thinke with himselfe as Traian wrote to the Senate that he is called not to warre but to gouerne not to kill his enimies but to roote out vices not somuch to goe foorth to warre as to tarie in the Common-wealth not to take another mans goods from him but to doe iustice to euery one especially considering that in warre a Prince can fight but in the place of one at which time he is wanting to many in the Common-wealth And yet bicause the swoord is put into the Magistrates hand for the preseruation of publike peace he cannot imploie or vse it better than in resisting breaking and beating downe their attempts that tyrannically seeke to trouble it being ledde with ambition and desire to enlarge their bounds with other mens right Nowe bicause the greater part of Potentates and neighbour Princes direct their purposes to this marke it is very expedient and necessarie in euery well ordered Estate that the youth especially the Nobilitie should be trained vppe and exercised in feates of Armes to the ende that in time of necessitie and for common profite they may be apt and readie to serue their Prince and Country Of the ancient Discipline and order of Warre Chap. 68. AMANA BVt following our purpose which is to discourse of the state of warre according to the small experience that our age affoordeth and our studie hath gathered wee are nowe to speake my Companions of warlike discipline which for the excellent order thereof vsed in ancient time is so much the more woorthie to be noted as ours is to be contemned for the great disorder that is seene in it Therefore I leaue the handeling of this matter to you ARAM. Discipline among souldiors is the cause that order is kept in all matters of warre which procureth in armies obedience and victorie ACHITOB. The vnbrideled licence that is vsed nowe adaies amonge souldiours breedeth such boldnes in them that all warlike discipline is supplanted thereby But let vs heare ASER discourse of this matter ASER. If we appoint to euery one saith Socrates in Plato his seuerall arte whereunto he is aptest by nature and which he must vse all his life time forsaking all other trades to the ende that obseruing opportunities he may discharge it the better there is no doubt but that in warlike discipline which is great deale more excellent than any other trade greater leasure greater cunning and practise is necessarily required For if a man take a target or some other warrelike weapon and instrument in his hande he is not by and by fit to fight much lesse of sufficient courage to serue manfully if he be not long before prepared there-vnto by sound reasons and resolutions It is no woorke of an hower or of a daie to perswade men that if they will get praise they must settle them-selues to sustaine all trauels to assaie all perils and to holde this opinion constantly that it is more to bee desired to die fighting in a good and iust quarrell than to escape with life by flying away But that which breedeth and nourisheth such thoughts in mens harts is the good education and institution of youth in the discipline of vertue and in the knowledge of Fortitude and Magnanimitie which are inseparably followed of honor and immortall glorie whereby all feare of enimies is taken away and watching trauelling suffering obeying well liked of that they may bring to passe their noble enterprises The Assyrians Persians Grecians and Romanes whose deedes of Armes are almost incredible had alwaies in singular recommēdation the maintenance of warlike discipline but their chiefe desire was to imprint these three things in the hartes of their souldiours Willingnes Reuerence and Obedience of which things the happie conduct of all warre dependeth They that were well brought vp and instructed in vertue could not want good will to execute vertuous actions Those Heads and Leaders of armies that were well chosen and had wisedome and experience did by their woonderfull vertue prouoke euery one to reuerence them Moreouer this Maxime of warre was diligently practised of the Heads namely to make their souldiours more deuout and obedient to their commandemēts than affectionated to any other thing howe gainefull soeuer it were At this daie as the former education and instruction is wanting so the Heades and Captaines are insufficient And from thence proceedeth the disorder and disobedience of men of warre whereuppon losse of the battell and destruction of the armie followeth in steede of victorie But that we may beginne to consider of this ancient warrelike discipline wee will heere onely waigh the order of the Romane armies and battels who excelled all Nations in
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
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
be ioined with knowledge What want of prudence is The pernitious effects of ignorance All ignorant men are euill The effects of ignorance both in rich poore Common effects of ignorance The spring of all errors The reasons which mooued the heathen to beleeue that there was a diuinitie Nicias feared an eclipse of the moone Caligula and Domitian Otho 1. Anaxagoras saying against the superstitious feare of celestiall signes Cleander a traitor to Commodus his Lord. The hase mind of Perses being ouercome of Emilius What malice and craft are Vertuous men seeke after honest not secret things Satan the father of malice and subtiltie The malice of Nero. Tiberius Math. 10. 16. We must not denie or hide our ignorance Math. 12. 35. Pro. 17. 27. 28. 1. Per. 3. 10. A double speech or reason How speech is framed Words are the shadow of works The foundation and scope of all speech Of Laconicall speech A pretie saying of Pittacus Of graue and eloquent speech Against prating pleaders The toong is the best and woorst thing that is Isocrates appointed two times of speaking Apelles speech to a Persian lord How great men ought to speake Apelles speech to a shoomaker Alexander gaue money to a poet to hold his peace Nothing ought to be written without great deliberation Notable and pithy letters of ancient men A good precept for speaking The praise of silence Hyperides Examples of mischiefes caused by the intemperancie of the toong Of concealing a secret Examples of the commendable freedome of speech The constancie of Gordius Prudence requisite in a friend No outward thing is to be preferred before friendship Nothing more rare or excellent than a friend The principall cause and end of all true friendship What friendship is The difference betwixt friendship and loue What things are requisite in friendship The common practise of flatterers What maner of man we must choose for our friend How we must prooue a friend How we must shake off a false friend How Alcibiades tried his friends The meanes to keepe a friend Friendship must be free Phalereus How many waies we owe dutie to our friend How we must beare with the imperfections of our friend Against the plurality of friends He that hath neuer a fo hath neuer a friend The best and most excellent friendship is betweene one couple Pisistratus letter 〈◊〉 his nephew Titus Flaminius Nothing better than to liue with a vertuous man Three things necessarie in friendship Man is mutable One of the greatest fruits reaped in friendship A notable custome of the Lacedemonians A friend compared to a musitioÌ„ Agesilaus How we must vse reprehension Time bringeth as many things to good order as reason doth We must correct in our selues those faults which we reprehend in others Sundry instructions how to admonish wisely Reprehension is the beginning of good life Solons good aduice for counsailors to princes Philosophers ought to be conuersant with princes Solons counsell giuen to Craesus Why Plato went into Sicilia to Dionysius Arrogancie dwelleth in the end with solitarines Notable counsell for princes Demetrius Traians letter to Plutarke How Philoxenus corrected Dionysius tragedie The free gird of a peasant giuen to an Archbishop The like giuen to Pope Sixtus the 4. by a Frier Prou. 27.5 Gal. 6. r. Mediocritie must be vsed in all actions The difference of good and bad consisteth in mediocritie Against curiositie in knowledge A notable saying of Socrates The death of Aristotle and Plinie through too much curiositie The burning of Aetna Two generall kinds of curiositie Against the curiositie of seeing strange nations One euident cause of the ruin of Fraunce Lycurgus for-bad traffick with strangers Fiue vices brought out of Asia by the Romanes Why Fabius would neuer go on the water Plato and Apollonius were great trauellerâ— Of curiositie in seeking to know other mens imperfections The curious are more profitable to their enimies than to themselues Curiositie in princes affaires is perilous How we must cure curiositie Examples against curiositie Against lightnes of beleefe Faults whereinto curious men commonly fall Wittie answers made to curious questions Rom. 12. 3. Natural vertues according to the Philosophers who had no knowledge of mans fall The diuision of nature What nature is The propertie and light of nature The corruption of nature Three things neceâ—â—arie for the perfection of 〈◊〉 The difference between philosophers and the common people Three things coâ—curâ—e in perfect vertue The defect of nature is holpen by good education The weaknes of our naturall inclination to goodnes A similitude Lvcurgus example of two dogs Socrates and Themistocles were by nature vicious but by education vertuous The Germaines much changed by institution A mans naturall inclination may be espied in a small matter Great men ought especially to learne vertue The Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed by Pythagoras and translated of the Latins Mâ—ndus and of vs World signifieth a comely order No vertue can be without temperance The true marks and ornaments of a king What temperanceis What Decorum or comelines iâ— The definition of temperance What passions are ruled by temperance Fower parts of temperance The commendation of temperance Woonderfull examples of temperance Scipio Africanus Alexander Cyrus Architas Xenocrates Isaeus C. Gracchus Antigonus Pompeius F. Sforce The temperance of Pompey against ambition Pittacus Pedaretus Scipio Torquatus Fabritius Aimaeus Amurathes Charles 5. Soüs Lysimachus Cato Rodolphus Socrates Predominant passions in intemperance Some sinnes are punishments of other sinnes Rom. 1. What intemperance is The difference betweene an incontinent and an intemperate man A fit similitude The companions of intemperance Intemperate men resemble mad folks Heliogabalus Nero. Commodus Caligula Proculus Chilpericus 1. Xerxes Epicurus Sardanapalus Antonius Boleslaus 2. Adrian Iohannes a Casa The Temple of Diana was burnt by Erostratus Or Stupiditie Luke 13. 27. The cause of the long life of our Elders and of the shortnes of ours Dionysius a monster and why The sobrietie of old time and corruption of ours compared togither Sobrietie preserueth health There is more pleasure of the creatures in sobrietie than in superfluitie The belly is an vnthankfull beast The counsell of Epictetus concerning eating How wise men in old time feasted one another Against vaine delights in feasts The bellie a feeding beast When musicke is most conuenient The custome of the Egyptians at bankets The custome of the Lacedemonians The manner of drinking in old time The sobrietie of Alexander Against excessiue drinking Cyrus Porus. Phaotes Alphousus Agesilaus Good cheere keepeth baâ—e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on â—â—â—peius M. Cate. Epaminondas C. Fabritius Scipio Masinissa Mithridates Hannibal Vespasianus Daniel Iohn Baptist. Maxentius Socrates feast Darius in his thirst iudged puddle water to be good drinke Tokens of the wrath of God The chiefest cause of destruction to Common-wealths is excesse in delights Pleasure the end of superfluitie Of the delicate life The seed of diseases Of the shortnes of mans life The soule of gluttons
Demosthenes Plato Lysander The limits that are to be vsed in hating the wicked Scaurus How Agesilaus made his enimies his friends Augustus The Venetians Pontinus The prudence of Dionysius in punishing euill speakers Antisthene counsaile Math. 5. 44. Rom. 12. 19. What true Philosophie is The fruits and effects of Iustice What Iustice is Three things necessary in euery common-wealth The ground of all Iustice The distinction of Iustice Whosoeuer hath Iustice perfectly hath all the vertues The praise of Iustice Respect of persons is not to be vsed in the practise of Iustice The diuision of Iustice The difference between Commutatiue and Distributiue Iustice The end of Iustice The necessitie of Iustice Diuers names agree to Iustice in diuers respects Ierem. 21. 12. 22. 3. What Iustice and Iudgement are The Egyptians were zealous of Iustice How they painted Iudges The Grecians and Romans What citie is best gouerned Examples of the loue of Iustice Cleon. Aristides I. Brutus Phocion Alexander Augustus Agesilaus Prowes without Iustice is worth nothing The difference between a great and a little king Phillip Traianus â— â—am 8. 5. What causeth kingdoms to flourish God is the author of Iustice What maner of men magistrates ought to be One meane wherby the abuse of Iustice may be taken away The inconuenience that commeth by setting offices to sale Exod. 18. The saving of Alexander and Lewes the 12. Against buyers of offices Aurelianus A meane to preserue policies A pretie comparison Euerie vertue is in the midst of two vices How the thrones of kings may be established in iustice All men haue some knowledge of good and euill and some inward sence of a diuine nature The fruits of Iniustice in the wicked Vertue is to be preferred before all worldlie things Iniustice is a generall vice How many waies a man may be vniust The effects of Iniustice Pericles A notable example for euery ciuil Magistrate Why the life of the wicked cannot be happy A comparison A comparison The wrong conceit which men haue of the wicked that prosper The punishment of sinne is equall with it both for age and time All things are present with God A sure token of a desperate common-welth The miserable estate of France The deniall of Iustice dangerous Phillip Demetrius Henrie king of Sweathland A notable historic of the death of Ferdinando the 4. Notable Iniustice committed by a Prouost of Paris Hugues of Crecy Artaxerxes Alexander Seuerus The punishment of one who sold his masters fauor Of Seueritie Clemencie preserueth a prince his throne Prou. 20. 28. M. Torquatus Ausidius Most cruell seucritie of Piso Augustus Caesar Ier. 22. 3. 5. 2. Chr. 19. 6. Matth. 7. 2. Of the corruption of our age When vertue seemeth to be out of season What Faith and Fidelitie is Of the violating of faith Leuit. 19. 12. Deut. 5. 11. Matth. 5. 34. Whether a forced promise is to be kept A wise man must neuer promise any thing against dutie Psal 15. 4. Lysander a forsworne and deceitfull man We must keep promise with our enimie Of the neglect of fidelitie commeth a custom of lying It is wickednes to conceale the fault of that which a man selleth Lying in a prince is most odious The promise of a prince is tied with a double bond Of the word faith of a prince Of Treason Notable examples A. Regulus Demaratus Augustus Cato Periurie and faithles persons haue alwaies had ill successe Tissaphernes Cleomenes Caracalla The Corinthians Iustinianus the Emperor Rastrix Duke of Cleaueland The cause of the present miserie of France Examples of the entertainment which the ancients gaue to traitors Lasthenes Rymetalces Agis Pausanias Ariobarzanes Iustinian a Genâ—an cause of the taking of Constantinople A famous and heroicall fact of Sultan Solyman Cato commended for his truth Ephes 4. 25. Luk. 10. 37. The memorie of euill things is fruitfull but of good things barren Ingratitude the cause of the sin and death of man No mans life void of Ingratitude The life of the ignorance is vnthankfull God disposeth all thiâ—gs by Iustice The vapors wherwith the eyes of the mind are dimmed Of the ingratitude of great men Reward and honor nourisheth vertue Artes. Impudencie Ingratitude are companions The description of impudencie Dutie and profit are two distinct things A law against vnthankful persons The Storke a gracefull bird The fruits of ingratitude Examples against ingratitude Pyrrhus Circerius A notable historie of an Arabian Turke Baiazet A mean to keep vs from ingratitude Another meane for the same Artaxerxes thankfully accepted a litle water Vertue is a sufficient recompence to it selfe The sleepe of the spirite is woorse than death What Liberalitie is Riches 〈…〉 the waters How riches may be well vsed Aristotles opinion concerning a happie life destitute of bodilie and outward goods A poore man may be liberall Luke 16. 9. How princes passe the limites of liberalitie When the inferior sort passe the bounds of liberalitie About what we are to bestow the ouerplus of our wealth A notable law amongst the Romanes How Epaminondas compelled a rich man to be liberall CimoÌ„ a notable paterne of the true vse of riches Liberalitie most necessarie for princes and great men The lawes of liberalitie A common mischief which foloweth the greater sort The liberalitie of Alexander To the Macedonians To all debtors in his armie To Aristotle To Anaxarchus To Perillus. To an Egyptian Caesar a liberall Prince Antonius a magnificall Prince but voluptuous Archelaus gaue not to the vnwoorthy How Antigonus denied one that was importunate Titus a good liberall Prince A notable precept of Phocylides Ptolemaeus the Thebane Denys the elder Cyrus Pertinax Matth. 25. No wicked thing ought to be iudged profitable Couetousnes hath ouerflowen all Couetousnes will neuer be satisfied Conetousnes like to a dropsie Stratonicus derided the superfluitie of the Rhodians Couetous men compared to Mules The miserable life of couetous men 1. Tim. 6. 10. The fruits of couetousnes How prodigalitie and couetousnes may in some sort be linked togither in one subiect Couetous men compared to hogs Couetous men compared to rats and cundit pipes It is better to be the sheepe than the sonne of a couetous man Examples of the fruites of couetousnes and of prodigalitie Muleasses Polymester Caligula Nero. Against the superfluitie of sumptuous buildings An Italian Monke A cruell murder of a Gentlewoman and of hir houshold Mauritius depriued of the Empire for his couctousnes The Nobilitie of Switserland destroied for the same cause Lewes 11. Calipha How Dionysius punished a couetous wretch How Darius his couerousnesse was beguiled C. Licinius strangled himselfe to leaue his goods to his children Hermocrates bequeathed his goods to himselfe A ratte sold for 200. pence Couetousnes caused Crassus to play on both sides Wonderfull riches Pompey abhorred couetousnes The great couetousnes of a cardinall The cruel punishment of a couetous curate 1. Tim. 6. 10. What magistrates are best liked of couetous princes 1.
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
Clemencie examples of great clemencie in princes 324. c. it preserueth the thrones of Princes 411 Common-wealth a sure token of a desperate common-wealth 407. 600. 690. the spring of corruption in Common-wealths 550. the description of a mixt common-wealth 583. how a corrupt common-wealth must bee corrected 699. when common-wealths begin to alter 717 the causes therof 739 Commandement the 5. commaundement onely hath a special promise annexed vnto it 538. there is a shew of commanding and obeying in all things 575 Comparisons 33. 38. 46. 47. 55. 64. 70. 105. 150. 176. 191. 212. 286. 338. 339. 343. 360. 371. 378. 383. 4â—6 446. 448. 487. 513. 550. 589 641. 687. Communitie Plato established a communitie of all things in his common-wealth 490 the confutation therof 491 Concupiscence the fruites of concupiscence 238 Conscience the force of conscience in the wicked 68. examples of tormented consciences 68 Constancie the wonderfull constancie of Socrates 348 Correction nâ—â—â—ssarie for children 534. the lawe Falcidia touching the correction of children 551 Councell what a councell is with the profite of it 677. of the councell of sundrie countreys 679. c Counsellors qualities requisite in counsellors of estate 687 Counsell good counsell for counsellors 155. and for princes 157 Countrey examples of the loue of heathen men towards their countrey 60. 98. c Couetousnesse is neuer satisfied 445. the fruites of couetousnes 446. examples of coueiousnes 449. what magistrates are best liked of couetous princes 456 Coward Agamemnon dispensed with a rich coward for going to warre 284. what vices proceed of cowardlines 285 Creation the end of the creation of al things 92. Creatures all creatures are sociable by nature 594 Curiositie against curiositie in knowledge 161. two kindes of curiositie 162. against curious inquirie into other mens imperfections 166. curious persons profite their enimies more than themselues 167. wittie answeres made to cuâ—ioâ—â— questions 169. curiositie in princes affairs perilous 168 Custome a notable custome of the Lacedemonians 150. custome in sinning is dangerous 69 D Death the feare of death doth not astonish the vertuous 60. what death Cesar thoght best 262. no man ought to hasten forward his death 293. what it is to feare death 294. the comfort of euery true Christian against death 805. Definition the definition of ambition 224. of anger 312. of a body 20. of charitie 321. of a citie 595. of a Citizen 605. of comelines 181. of confidence 300. of duty 94. of enuie 458. of fortune 468. of friendship 138. of a house 490. 492. of iealousie 505. of iustice 390. 391. of intemperancie 190. of iudgement 691. of liberalitie 435. of the law 596. of malice and craft 123. of man 13. of meekenes 321. of nature 172. of Oeconomie 523. of policie 523. of passion 30. of Philosophy 40. 390. of prudence 104. of patience 310. of pleasure 236. of sedition 705. of societie 480. of the soule 23. of temperance 181. of vertue 52. of vice 65. of wedlocke 480 Democraty the description of a Democraty with the sundry kinds of it 528 Desire the effects of desire 36 Diseases the end cause and remedie of bodily diseases 29. the cause of the diseases of the soule 33. the seede of diseases 211 Discipline the ancient warlike discipline of the Romanes 769. the corruption thereof in these daies 769 Discord all things are preserued by agreeing discords 19 Diuision of Citizens 606. of a Common-wealth 579. 583. of dutie 94. of a house 492. of iustice 393. of the law 596. of nature 171. of Philosophy 40. of passions 31. of speech 127. of the soule 23. of sciences 76 Dowries why the dowries of women haue alwaies had great priuiledges 486. Lycurgus forbad all dowries 493 Drinke the manner of drinking in old time 203. against excessiue drinking 204 Drunkennes hurtfull effects of drunkennes and gluttony 213. examples of drunkennes 214 Duarchy what a Duarchy is 617 Dutie wherein the dutie of man consisteth 12. dutie and profite are distinct thinges 429. the duty of a wise man 12. what duty we owe to God and what to our neighbour 94. fower riuers issue out of the fountaine of duty 96 E Eclipse Nicias feared an eclipse of the Moone 120 Education helpeth the defect of nature 175. examples therof 177. naughtie education corrupteth a good nature 551. how Plato would haue children brought vp 552. of the education of daughters 554 Emperours there were 73. Emperours of Rome within 100. yeeres 223. what this word Emperour importeth 624 End the proper end of all things 477 Enimy how one may reape benefite by his enimies 112. 383. why men are beholding to their enimies 379. the common behauiour of men towards their enimies 380 Enuy is a note of an ambitious man 225. the nature of enuie 457. the fruits of it 458. it hurteth enuious persons most 459. a good way to be reuenged on the enuious 464 Ephoryes why the Ephoryes were appointed in Lacedemonia 581 Equality two sorts of equalitie 737 Equity is alwaies one and the same to all people 601. the equity of the Morall law ought to be the end and rule of all lawes 602 Error the spring of all error 119 Estate euery Estate and policie consisteth of three parts 578. the opinion of Politicks touching a mixt Estate 625. examples of mixt Estates 626. what it is to hold the Estates 685. a rule of Estate 723. choise custome of seuen flourishing Estates 732. meanes to preserue an Estate 734 c. it is dangerous to an Estate to call in forraine succours 785 Euent wee must not iudge of enterprises by the euent 305. we must be prepared against all euents 306. the euent of all things is to be referred to the prouidence of God 42 Euill what we ought to call euill 63 Exercise what bodily exercise is meete for youth 557 Expences a good law e to cut off the occasions of idle expences 221 F Fables who delight most in reading of fables 462 Family there must be but one Head in a family 509. the progresse of a family before it come to perfection 525 Father why many fathers set not their children to schoole 72. the storie of a father appointed to execute his owne child 535 Fauour the punishment of one who solde his maisters fauour 411 Feare two kinds of feare 278. the feare of neighbour enimies is the safetie of a Common-wealth 279. good feare is ioined with the loue of God 280. examples of wary feare 280. a strange effect of feare in one night 284. examples of feare which is the defect of fortitude 281 Feast how wise men feasted one another in old time 202. Socrates feast 208 Fidelitie a description of fidelitie 414 Flatterie the common practise of flatterers 139. good counsell for Princes against flatterers 462 Flesh the works of the flesh 20 Foe he that hath no foe hath no friend 145. Looke Enimie Fortitude the woorkes of fortitude must bee grounded vpon equitie and iustice 251. it is a good