THE PRACTICE OF POLICY Written by Lodowike Lloyd Esquire Qui foueam fodit incidet in eam qui laqueum ponit peribit in illo Eccle. 27. Qui dissipat sepem mordebit eum Coluber Imprinted at London by Simon Stafford dwelling in Hosier lane neere Smithfield 1604. ⧠To the most high and mighty Prince James by the grace of God King of England Scotland Fraunce and Ireland c. CRATERVS contending with Ephestion most gracious Prince which of them two loued Alexāder best appealed to the king for iudgement who iudged that Craterus loued the king and Ephestion loued Alexander but both alike loued Alexander the king So the Brytaynes and the English loue your Maiesty in like sort that you can hardly iudge which of them loues you best vnlesse you do as Alexander did to iudge the English as Craterus the Brytaynes as Ephestion but both Brytaines English with equall loue and loyalty loue King lames alike that all hauing the like cause of ioy all should so reioyce to enioy such a Iewell that in one day enriched England Ireland with a king and the whole Empire of Brytayne with a Prince to whome it was reserued and continued from Brutus the first King to your Maiesty the second King not as to a stranger but to a iust a lawfull king of the stocke and linage of Brutus to succeed and sit on Brutus seat 2800. yeeres after Brutus where your Maiesty may better say then Caesar Veni vidi vici for that you haue conquered Time came to your owne kingdomes and may see in your selfe such a succession that neyther the Macedonians who much bragged of their Hercules whose lyne ended in Alexander neyther the Romanes who much gloried of Gens Iulia whose stocke extincted in Nero nor any nation vnder heauen which can boast of their antiquities most can say so much The Scythians with their Acornes in their heads and the Athenians with their Grassehoppers in their haires may wel bragge of their Acornes and Grassehoppers but not of the like Empires for as Anaxagoras sayd to Pericles of the Empire of Greece so Cratippus spake to Pompey of the Romane Empire that periods of times are limited Embrace you therefore most mighty Prince the great blessings of God which so embraced your Maiesty elected you King to gouerne his people and to maintayne his lawes without which neither king nor kingdome can stand for that is the rich Tablet which Moses brought from Mount Sinay to set about Israels neck It is that long ladder which Iacob saw in his dreame at Bethel that reached frō the earth into heauen and it is that bright-shining Starre which guyded the kings from the East vnto Christ at Bethlehem The only Pearle that we should buy and the only Iewel that wee should weare not as gards on our garments or frontiers on our forheads as the Iewes wore Phylacterium but rather printed in our hearts where we ought to giue thanks for our King which for 50. yeeres haue bene without either King or Prince and now wee enioy a King a Queene a Prince and Princes with no lesse blessings by the comming of your Maiesty ouer the riuer Tweede from Scotland to England to incorporate both to the ancient name of great Brytaine then by the comming of Israel from Mesopotamia ouer the riuer Iordan to alter the name of Canaan into Iuda whose posterity as they were wrought on Aarons garment to remember Israel so your princely progeny may bee sure set on the vnseamed coate of Christ to remember the house of Iacob Your Maiesties most bounden and dutyfull seruant Lodowike Lloyd THE PRACTICE OF POLICY THeodoricus King of the Gothes began Theodoricus his letter to the Senators of Rome with a sentence of Plato That Nature might sooner erre then a Prince to frame a Common wealth vnlike to himselfe It is most true Imperium ostendit virum for such as the Magistrates are such are the people such as the Prince is so are his subiects and that was the cause why Cyrus King of Persia was Cyrus so much honoured among the Persians for his wise lawes graue gouernment and great policy in enlarging the Monarchy of Persia in so much that hee that resembled Cyrus if it were in any part of his body or had but a crooked nose like Cyrus hee was so esteemed and made much of in all Persia as hee should haue fauour Leuin li. 1 cap 15. shewed him in any place and in euery company And so hee that had but a long head like Pericles in Pericles Athens his cause should be heard before the Iudges of Areopagites or before any Magistrates in the Court Prytaneon free before other Such was the law and fauour of the people towardes Pericles in Athens and towardes Cyrus in Persia that the Midwiues and Nurses both in Asia and in Greece had in charge giuen them by the parents to do their best indeuor to frame and to mould their young infants like Cyrus in Persia and like Pericles in Athens yet few though the Nurses did their indeuours were found in Athēs like Pericles vnlesse it were with a long head and fewe or none were found in Persia like Cyrus vnlesse it were with a Cyrus Val. max. l. 9. ca. 14. Plin. li. 7. cap. 12. crooked nose This kind of likenesse is found in many So was Artenon like to Antiochus the great and Menagenis a Cooke like to Strabo Pomp. And therefore that noble Roman Pompey being yet but a very young man heating by common report that he much resembled Alexander the great in countenance gestures and outward behauiours but specially likened to Alexander for the growing of his hayres vpwardes vpon his forehead in which some write that Alexander Hector and Pompey much resembled Alex. Hect. and Pomp. Opisthocomae one the other this noble Captaine I say esteemed little to be like Alexander in externall forme and frame of his body but he exercised how he might imitate Alexander to be like to him in qualities and actions of the minde Non ex apparatu sed ex animo reges so that he imitated Alexander in valour and magnanimitie of minde and not in forme of his body By such meanes Pompey became afterward to bee compared and was called Pompey the Great after hee Pompey had subdued Sertorius in Affrica as Alexander the great was called in Persia after he had subdued Darius This was a more laudable imitation in Pompey then in the great men and Captaynes of Macedonia who would wish nothing more then to bee called Opisthocomae for so the Grecians called Alexander for that his haires vpon his forhead grew vpward but good Captaynes must not be like the Macedonian Captaynes following onely Alexander to be called Opisthocomae but like Pompey imitating Alexander in greatnesse and valour of minde There were many Opisthocomae in Macedonia yet not one like Alexander many crooked noses in Persia but not
giuing Achilles armour to Vlisses that wise and politike men might be estemed as well for counsell as valiant men for valour Augustus the Emperour was written vnto by his deare friend Maecenas that if hee would haue a quiet Empire and his subiects to loue him he should cut off faction the chiefe cause of sedition and that the name of factions or any other new name tending to moue quarrels and debate might be quite excluded out of Rome And so doth Aristotle exhort that Magistratuum potentum contentiones the beginning of brawles Arist pol. 5. and contentions should be stayed and stopt by lawes if not by lawes by the sword Adulta seditio melioribus consilijs flectetur sayth Cicero What slaughter came of the cynders and ashes of Pompey the great of Cato of Scipio and of others to reuenge their death vpon Caesar and his friends What murther what warre was to reuenge the murthering of Caesar vpon Brutus Cassius and others The Lawe of Thrasybulus which curbed the thirty Tyrants in Athens could doe no good in Rome though Cicero did what he could in perswading Thrasybulus law to take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 place with the people For then euery man in Rome seemed as a Serpent one to another ready in armes one to kill another Orosius hereupon induceth a Fable of Medea of a Serpent slayne of whose teeth set in Oros li. 6. cap. 17. the ground by Medea grew so many armed men who presently fought so within themselues that one destroied another Such was the slaughter by the ciuill warres at Rome Sectio 7. THeopompus being demaunded why did Sparta flourish Is it for that their kings gouerne their subiects wisely or that their subiects obey their kings faithfully Theopompus answered We practise in Sparta but to indure labour Theopom saying of Sparta No seditiō in Sparta to ouercome our enemies and to obey our kings howsoeuer kings gouerne the commaundement is giuen to subiects frō God to vse their shield not the sword The law in Sparta was therefore that the souldier that lost his shield in the field among the enemies should dye for it The sword is put into the hands of princes to punish offendors and to cut off disobedient and seditious subiects Chirurgians cut off rotten putrified members from the sound members which may be well likened to Gangraena which must of necessity be cut off lest the whole body perish God vsed to shew such seuerity to those factious Rebells the Iewes for their disobedience that fire came from heauen aboue and burned them and the earth belowe swallovved them for their factious disobedience which of all other Nations were most factious to Moses in the wildernesse to Iosua at Iericho and from time to time to the Iudges in Israel It was euer the wonted practice of policy among the seditious and factious people to taunt Magistrates or to speake some whispering speech against a prince to feele and to heare who will ioyne with them to moue seditiō These be the Vipers that bite men priuily these be the domesticall Serpents the secret brue-bates of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Commonwealths in whō there is no fayth found nor othes to be beleeued as Aristophanes sayth Augustus Caesar hearing that a slaunderous fellow one Elianus spake vnreuerent words of the Emperour the Magistrates willing to punish him Augustus commaunded Suet. in Aug. those that accused him to goe and tell Elianus Sciat Elianus Augustum habere linguam that Augustus had also a tongue both to punish and to pardon Philip of Macedon in like sort to his friends that perswaded him to banish the like lewd fellowes for their speach out of his court and countrey sayd God Plut. in Apotheg forbid lest they should speake of mee more in another Country then in Macedonia But these were dilatory plees to looke further vnto thē to find more fellowes of the like practice The example of Raymerus is much more commended which looked vnto the disposition of his Noble men and saw them vntractable little waying the care and loue the king had vnto them contemning despising both him and his lawes giuing eare to seditious men vntill the king saw their practice waxed angry perceiuing that they esteemed him not as their king caused 11. of these whom he saw most contentious to Lips lib. 3 be put to the sword in the City of Osca giuing them this taunt withall Nescit Vulpecula cum quo ludat A caueat not to pluck haires from Lions as the prouerb is Lecnem vellicare To serue a king saith Brasidas consisteth in three precepts Velle obedire vereri Brasida◠precepts A certayne king in Persia vsed in like sort as Raimerus did in Spayne but of meaner persons which for some reprochfull taunting wordes that they spake of the king he caused those scoffers nostrils quite on both sides to be cut off saying Ecce sigillum Regis in conuitiatores Behold the kings seale against scoffers This seuerity is more commended in these princes then the clemency of Philip or of Augustus What became of the taunt which the Egyptiās gaue to Ochus K. of Persia naming the K. the Asse of Persia King Ochus taunt to the Egyptians said Ochus Faciam vt hic asinus vestrū bouem depascat I wil make the Asse of Persia eate your Oxe of Egypt for the Egyptians worshipped an Oxe which they called Apis as one of their chiefe gods which within a while after Ochus surnamed Artaxerxes marched with a great Oros li. 3. cap. 7. army and subdued Egypt and sacrificed their Oxe and their god Apis according to his promise Cotis a Thracian K. answered one that said his seuere gouernmēt was rather fury then clemency towards his Cotis subiects Yea said Cotis hic furor meus sanos reddit subditós Clemency must be ioyned with seuerity This my seuerity said Cotis shall make my subiects both to loue me and to feare me Nimia clementia nocet Had Artabanus obserued the rule of Raymerus or the seuerity of Cotis he needed not to haue fled secretly Artabanus from Parthia to king Izetes beyond Armenia a far meaner king then himselfe neither to feare the snares and trappes of his subiects being so great a king called the king of kings for so the kings of Parthia are called but hee was restored to his kingdome by this meane king Izetes A thousand mishaps may happen to princes which subiects are free of Examples may be found of Iugurth king of Numidia and of Persius king of Persia who were taken Captiues in their owne kingdomes and dyed prisoners in Rome Charles surnamed sapiens the French king saw the king his father taken captiue in his owne kingdome and caried into England and the whole kingdome of Fraunce possest of Englishmen The Romane Histories are full of these horrible examples that by seditions and factions the whole Empire was welnigh destroyed that I
in Venatione Circensi at Rome or in hunting of Elephants Lyons Tigers and such other wilde beastes where the policy and stratagems of the Hunter as the force and courage of the soldiers must be Mithridates King of Pontus to auoyd the snares Iust li. 37. dangers of the enemy gaue himselfe so to hunting that hee neither vsed City Towne or any houses for seuen yeres together so that by such paynefull exercise he held tack with the Romanes for forty yeres That was the cause why Cato preferred hunters and laborers Cato de re rust lib. 1. fit for warres Ex venatoribus agricolis milites strenui gignuntur We read in Xenophon that young Gentlemen were brought vp first in hunting to make them more strong and more able to indure the warres Plato maketh mention of three kindes of hunting Pla. de leg Aquatilia volatilia ac terrestria but he much commendeth the last Quadrupedia venari This kind of hunting Adrian the Emperor so loued in his youth that hee could spare no time about his owne businesse vntill he was better perswaded by his counsell So lawdable was this excercise and very necessary to souldiers that Maximinus the Emperour vsed Romane Legions to hunting Domitianus a great Hunter is much praised in Suetonius and for nothing else but for hunting and yet he Suet. in Dom. ca. 4. hunted in Rome as Hastrubal did in Numidia that all Rome might be his Fermors Tenants and so to bee called Colonia Domitiana that was the secret practice of Domitianus hunting Probus the Emperour is reported to cause his soldiers to plucke vp yong Okes by the roote and to make the Theaters so large and wide set and compassed with branches and boughes that it seemed rather a Forrest or a Parke then a Theater that sometime a thousand Estriches a thousand Harts a thousand Lyons a hundred Stagges such other fierce beasts of Libia were there hunted so that such hunting was called Circences venationes often vsed of the Emperors of Romes Suet. in Oct. ca. 4. 5 insomuch as they made Theaters round before to see playes and afterward the Romans made them Amphitheaters long wyde to see hunting that by hunting with beasts they might the more bolder and with lesse feare fight with the enemy Xenophon wrote a whole Booke in praise of Hunting wherin he named the greatest Kings and warriers of the world as Achilles Cyrus Alexander and others But many of late practised the like policy not onely to hunt Elephants but Lions and Vnicornes In Mount Parthenius there was a Temple dedicated to Pan and therein was a place named Aula as it were a Sanctuary to all kinde of Beastes being hunted eyther by Lyons Beares or Wolues if they could recouer this place AVLA they were safe and no further might they be folowed by those Lyons Beares or Wolues Such credit had they in their god Pan that he could saue all Beastes that fled for succour thyther whether they came from Spaine Italy or from any where else In Aetolia there was a Wood consecrated to Diana Alex. lib. 4. cap. 2. that Dogges hunting after any Beast when they came ad lucum Dianae the sacred wood of Diana they staid and could hunt no further Aristotle writes of the lyke place in the Mountaine which the Greekes call Menalus to which place if any wilde Beastes were hunted by Dogges and could recouer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this moūtaine they were safe as though they were in Sanctuary the Dogges neyther could nor would follow any further Some kinde of Dogges there are more bloudy that will so follow their game that neither the Temple of Pan nor the sacred wood of Diana nor the mountayne Menalus nor yet Aula Regia can stop their eagernes like the Dogges of Actaeon that wil deuoure their owne Master These be the seede of Caligula that seeke not onely to cut off the necke of Rome at one blowe as Caligula wished but the necke and head of England Scotland and Ireland These be the broode of Centaures that dippe their weapons in the bloud of Nessus These are they that conceiue mischiefe and bring soorth iniquity These be they sayth the Prophet that hatch Cockatrice Esay 59. egges and hee that eateth of their egges dyeth and that which is trodden vpon breaketh out vnto a Serpent and becommeth a more deadly Serpent then the Serpents of Arabia or Affrica whatsoeuer is come from them is poyson and bringeth death These wicked ones are like the raging seas that can not rest whose waues cast vp nothing but myre and Esay 59. durt These wicked men be they that weaue the Spiders webbe and yet shall not they couer themselues with garments of their owne labour Their Lawes their peace their fayre words their fowle hearts are nothing els but Ius sine Iure in Armis and therfore it was the wish of Apollonius Thianaeus to know good men and to auoyde euyll men who can not change their accustomed wickednes no more then the Blacke-more can change his skynne or the Leopard his spottes Iorem. 13. Next Hunting is Swimming accounted for a Military exercise both to swymme to the enemy as also to escape from the enemy by swymming as Caesar did in Vig. lib. 1. cap. 10. Diodor. lib. 17. the Watres at Alexādria whē he followed after Pompey Alexander at the Riuer Acinases when there was no hope of helpe to saue his life put off his Armour vnto his shirt and made himselfe ready to saue his life by swymming Great ouerthrowes haue bene giuen to those that could not swymme as Niceas the Generall of the Athenians at the Riuer Asinarus where many of his souldiers for want of skill to swimme were slayne in the Ryuer by the Siracusans And this want of skill in swymming often hindered Cyrus and his souldiers in many enterprises as Xenophon sayth Sectio 3. PVBLIVS SCIPIO in Lidia after contynuall fowle weather day and night and Antiochus when he thought to relieue his wearied and wet souldiours were then set vpon and ouerthrowen by Scipio and his Army We read that Hanibal after that he was dryuen out Vid. Hanibal lib 1. cap 5. of Affrica vnto Asia by the Romanes taught the kings of Asia all policyes and stratagems and counsayled Antiochus the great in his Counselles against the Romanes to throw great vesselles full of quicke Vipers into the ships of the enemyes that the Romanes being frighted with these Vipers might be hindered of their fight and daunted of their courage So did Antiochus who imitated Hanibals counsel but to no effect So did Prusias king of Bythinia but to no effect for victory commeth from the Lord. I commend both Antiochus and Prusias in following Hanibals directions against the Romanes being their enemies for these were lawfull stratagems to bee vsed against enemies but to throw these Vipers into the faces of our friends yea into the faces of Kings Princes vnto the
need not declare of Tomoembeus the great Soldan of Egypt and Affricke king and Lord of so many Nations in his owne kingdome Tomoembeus Lip lib. 2. how cruelly and strangely he was both depriued of his kingdome and of his life And how the great king de nouo orbe Mexicanus after infinite good Mexicanus successe of great fame and fortune lost suddenly both fame and fortune I need not confirme these histories with authority as of Achab Zedechias other who felt the iust Iudgemēt of God neyther of Manasses and Nabuchadnezar one 2. Reg. 10 confessing the Lord to bee God being a king among beastes the other a captiue and a prisoner out of his owne kingdome of whom the Greeke Prouerbe is verified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Misery captiuity and want make kings to know thēselues It is a true saying Miseria bona mater prudētiae Augustus Caesar would know of his friend Asinius Pollio if he would come with him to the battell of Actium betweene Mar. Antonius and him He answered the Emperour In ciuil warre I wil take no part but Vell. 11. I will rest and be a pray to the Conquerour Tit. Atticus though Pompey by a Decree pronounced him a Rebel that would forsake his Senators the Consuls and the state of the Common-wealth in so troublesome a time yet Atticus was of the like opiniō as Q. Hortensius Hortensius saying was who often vsed to brag that he had neuer byn in any ciuill warres Cicero wrote his Epistle to them being his deere frends that scattered cattel wil come to their flocke how much more should such wise men be a cōfort Cic. ad Att. to their afflicted countrey and follow the best sort seing Cato himselfe Viua virtutis Imago was a Captaine in these warres Obserue the nature of factions in the best men Cicero and Cato went out of Rome as men determyned and resolute to take part with the best men and with the state of the Empyre to abide what so euer came of it Pomp. Atticus Q. Hortensius men of no lesse iudgement and credit in Rome then they were forsooke to be factious or to take part with eyther Pompey or Caesar at that time spake Cato to Pompey to strike the ground according to his promise yet Solon in Athens decreed a law that they which would be neuters in ciuil warres Gel. li. 11. cap. 12. and seperate themselues in their Countries calamities they should be banished igne aqua The Prophet Elizeus spake to Ioas king of Israel being in such distresse as Rome was and bade Ioas smite the ground with his foot and Ioas smote the ground three times and ceased Elizeus was angry and sayd Thou shouldest haue smitten fiue sixe or seuen times and so 4. Reg. 13. many victories shouldest thou haue had ouer the Assyrians as thou strookest the ground So Pompey also sayd to Cato If he should but strike the ground of Italy with his foot hee should want no men Plut. in Pomp. on his side to fight against Caesar But Pompey could not keepe promise with Cato as Elizeus did with Ioas. Many promise more then they can performe and doe deceiue themselues and others I could well compare these seditious people to Balaam who being sent for by king Balac promising him great rewardes to come and curse Israel as Balaam rode on his iorney an Angel with a drawen sword in his hand stood in his way which the Asse sawe and started but Balaam sawe not the Angell vntill his Asse spake to him and asked Balaam why he strake him These Asses cary some false Balaam or other not on their backs but in their bellyes that had rather go with Balaam to Balak to curse Israel and to conspire against their owne natiue countrey and if they can not preuaile Num. 22. by cursing banning they will practise another way by policy and counsell as Balaam did to deceiue Israel But these practisers doe as Benhadad did when hee was ouerthrowen in the mountaines he said that the The blasphemy of Benhadad 3. Reg. 20. Gods of the mountaynes were against him and therfore Benhadad would haue a battell in the Valley with the Israelites so these Balaams Asses euer haue done and will do if they faile of their practice in the mountaine they wil practize in the valley if they fayle in the valley they will practise their policy in Kings Courts Rebelles haue their snares layd downe how treason may be wrought and their places appointed where their treason may be performed and their time when to execute their treason So did Pausanias kill Philip of Pausanias Chaerea Macedon at a Marriage So did Chaerea kill Claudius the Emperour going to the Theaters So did the fryer of Fraunce murther the King at his confession What dare not practisers of policy do if they dare kill Emperours Kings and princes Claudius Nero sound no better way to feare Hannibal his great enemy then to throw Hasdrubals head into the Tent of his brother Hannibal which so amazed Hannibal and his army that they made haste from Carthage to Italy That Hanibal had nothing to comfort him but to nippe the Romanes of so many heads of Senators of Consuls of Praetors and of Romane Magistrates at the battell of Canna of Trebeia and of Thrasimena that requited his brothers head But these nippes were betweene Hanibal and Scipio For it was Sillaes practice to put Italy in fright and to make Rome amazed at his tyranny against his countrey that Cato wondred much to see so many heads of Magistrates and of Roman Citizens vpon poles hanged Plut. in Caton Oros li. 5. cap. 21. on euery gate at Rome about the Capitoll and in the market place and that no Romane for Romes sake had killed Silla When Golias head was caried by Dauid to Saul the Philistines fled and they were followed vnto Geth and vnto Acaron and the slaughter was great of the Philistians and their terrour was more to see their Captaine Golias without a head and therefore was the Sword of Golias hanged in the Temple at Ierusalē as a Trophey of victorie as the picture of the Sun 1. Reg. 17 was vpon Ioshuas Tombe for his victory at Gibeon When Holophernes head was brought frō the campe to Bethulia by Iudyth a womā the slaughter was great of the Assyrians and much more were they astonished Inaith 14 and ashamed to find their General Holophernes without a head and that by a woman It was great policy in Alexander the great to commaund all his souldiers to shoote their pieces and their arrowes together toward king Perus in India perceyuing Ore lib. 3. cap. 19. Dioder lib. 17. that the soldiers would fly if the king were slaine And therefore diuers great Captaines did practise such policy afterward to their soldiers as Leuinus the Consul perswaded his souldiers and shewed them a naked bloudy sword in his hand