That poverty hath many times been cause of great insurrections and civile warres We reade that at Rome Dion Halic lib. 5. 6. 7. there were many stirrs and seditions against usurers which eate up and impoverished the people and caused great faintnesse The like often happened in France for in the time of king Philip Augustus the conquerour in the time of S. Lewis in the time of king Iohn and many other times the Iewes and Italians which held bankes Annal. 3. and practised usuries in France whereby they ruinated the people were chased and bannished out of the kingdome The factions of Mailotins and of such as carried coules and hoods of divers coulours and other like popular inventions tending to seditions and civile warres were not founded upon any other foundation than that For poore people of base estate are alwaies the authors executioners of such factions and seditions In the time also that France was under the obedience of the Romane empire we reade that the Gaulois rose up often when they sought to impoverish Dion in Aug. them by undue exactions As in the time of Augustus there was in Gaul one Licinius a receiver of imposts who practised great and undue exactions upon the people unknowne to Augustus and because at that time part of Gaulois payed tributes each chiefe of every house a certaine summe by moneth this master deceiver made a weeke but sixe daies and a moneth but of twentie foure daies so that in the yeere were foureteene moneths and so two fell to his profit Augustus being advertised heereof was much grieved yet did no justice thereon Not long after Augustus sent for governour into Gaul Quintilius Varus who was a great lord and before had had the government of Siria where he had filled his hands Ariving in Gaul hee sought to doe there as hee had done in Siria and began to commit great exactions upon the people and to deale with them after the Sirian manner that is like slaves The Gaulois seeing this made a countenance voluntarily to accompanie Varus and his army against the high Almaines upon which hee made warre but after they had conducted him and his army into a straight whence hee could not save himselfe they set upon him defeated cut his army in pieces Varus the other great lords of his company slew themselves in dispaire And heereupon the Gaulois rebelled against the Romane emperours many times as under Nero under Galien under many others and at the last freed and cut off themselves altogether from the obedience of the empire Whereupon I conclude That to goe about to hould the people poore as Machiavell counselleth there can arise nothing but insurrections feditions and confusions in the commonwealth But the meanes that a prince ought to hould to inrich his subjects without weakening his owne power is first to take away all abuses which are committed upon Means how a pâ—ince may enrich his subjects on the people in the collection of ordinarie tributes For a prince most righteously may levie ancient accustomed tributes to sustaine publike charges otherwise his estate would dissolve And he ought not to follow the example of Nero who once would needes abolish all tributes and imposts and because the Senate shewed him that hee ought not to doe it hee imposed other new without number For a good wise prince will doe neither the one nor the other but without inventing any new tributes will maintaine himselfe in the exaction onely of the ancient which hee will cause to bee received the most graciouslie and without stirre of the people that can bee which to doe it seemes to bee requisite that such taxes imposts be duely laid without favour or respect of persons which in times of ould was a reformation that the king Tullius Hostilius made in his time at Rome whereupon hee was much praised and his poore people comforted Men must also imitate the ancient Romanes which excepted no person from patrimoniall tributes which are such reall burdens Titus Livin lib. 6. Dec. 3. lib. 3. Dec. 2 as are payed in regard of grounds whereunto they belong For there was neither Senator nor bishop but hee paied as well as they of the third estate There must also bee a provision made that the receivers and treasurers which are they which doe most hurt to the people may no more pill and spoile the world There must also an hand bee houlden that so excessive usuries be no more practised under the name of pensions and interests and that it bee permitted to deliver silver to a certaine moderate profit which upon great paines it may not bee lawfull to exceede for to forbid at once all profit is to give unto men occasions to seeke out palliations in contracts by sales of pensions by letting to hire fruits by selling to sell againe fained renumerations such like coulours There must be a provision made that strangers banquers nor others may no more make themselves bankrouts And here would bee brought in use a law made in the time of the emperour Tiberius whereby it was ordained that no man might hould a banque upon a great paine which had not two Sueton. in Tib. cap. 48. third parts of his goods in ground of inheritance moreover there must bee expressed the superfluities of apparell of banquets and other like whereby men doe so impoverish themselves this shall bee a cause that povertie or to have little shall bee the more tollerable For as Cato the elder said in an oration for the law Oppia against the great estates and luxuries of women It is a great evill and dangerous shame the shame of povertie parcimonie but when the law forbiddeth superfluities excesses of apparell and other vaine expences it covereth that shame with an honourable mantle of living after lawes seeing that it is a most praiseable thing and the contrary punishable and vituperable And assuredly saith hee it ordinarily commeth to passe that when wee are ashamed of that whereof wee should not wee will not be ashamed of that whereof wee ought to have shame Finally a prince must be a good justicer ever respective that the meaner poorer sort be not oppressed by the greatest neither by such men as are violent or evill livers All those things shall bee no charge to the prince to bring to passe yet by these meanes hee may greatly inrich his subjects which then will never spare any thing they have at their princes demand The people of the earledome of Foix are of their owne natures rude and stubborne enough yet wee reade That in the time of Gaston contie of Foix who was in the time of king Charles the sixt his subjects paied him so great tallies and imposts as hee held a kings estate though hee were but a counte Yea they payed him them very liberally without constraint and bore unto him great amitie and benevolence and whereupon came this but because hee
wee come to alledge For they said That men must not stay upon fishing for froggs but men must catch in their nets the great Salmons that one Salmons head was more worth than tenne thousand froggs and that when they had slaine the cheefetaines of pretended rebels that they should easily overthrow the rude and rascally multitude which without heads could enterprise nothing These venerable enterprisers should have considered that which here their Doctor Machiavell saith which also since they have seen by experience That a people cannot want heads which will alwayes rise up yea even those heads which bee slaine If they had so well noted practised this place of Machiavell as they do others so much blood would never have ben shed their tyrannie it may be had longer endured than it hath done For the great effusion of blood which they have made hath incontinent cried for vengeance to God who according to his accustomed justice hath heard the voice of that blood and for the crie of the orphant and widdow hath laid the axe to the root of all tyrannie and alreadie hath cut away many braunches thereof and if it please him will not tarry long to lay all on the ground and so establish Fraunce in his auncient government As for Fortresses in frontiers of countries they have been long time practised and are profitable to guard from incursions and invasions of enemies and to the end such as dwell upon the borders may the more peaceably enjoy their goods Wee reade That the emperour Alexander Severus gave his Fortresses upon frontiers to Lamprid. in Alex. Pomp. Laetus in Constant Magno good and approoved captaines with all the lands and revenewes belonging unto them to enjoy during their lives to the end saith Lampridius that they might be more vigilant and carefull to defend their owne And afterward the emperour Constantine the Great ordained That the said Fortresses with their grounds and revenewes should passe to the heires of the said captaines which held them as other manner of goods and heritages And hereupon some say have come such as the civile law call Feudi 34. Maxime A Prince ought to commit to another those affaires which are subiect to hatred and envie and reserve to himselfe such as depend upon his grace and favour A Prince vvhich vvill exercise some cruell and rigorous act saith cap. 7. 14. of a prince M. Nicholas he ought to give the commission thereof unto some other to the end he may not acquire evill vvill and enmitie by it And yet if he feare that such a delegation cannot bee vvholly exempted from blame to have consented to the execution which was made by his Commissarie he may cause the Commissarie to be slaine to shew that he consented not to his crueltie as did Caesar Borgia and Messire Remiro Dorco THis Maxime is a dependancie of that goodly doctrine which Machiavell learned of Caesar Borgia which although it was very cruell yet meaning to appeare soft and gentle following therein the Maxime which enjoyneth dissimulation committeth the execution of his crueltie to Messire Remiro Dorco as at large before wee have discoursed that hystorie And because we have fully shewed that all dissimulation and feignednesse is unworthie of a prince we will stay no longer upon this Maxime Well will I confesse that many things there be which seeme to be rigorous in execution although they be most equall and just which it is good a prince doe commit to others to give judgement and execution by justice as the case meriteth For as the emperour Marcus Antonine said It seemeth to the world that that which the prince doth hee doth it by his absolute authoritie and power rather than of his civile and reasonable power Therefore to shun that blame and suspition it is good that the prince delegate and set over such matters to Iudges which are good men not suspected nor passionate not doing as the emperour Valentinian did who would never heare nor receive accusations against Iudges and Magistrates which hee had established but constrained the recusators or refusers to end their cause before those Iudges only Whereby he was much blamed and his honor impeached and disgraced For truly the cheefe point which is required to cause good Passionate Iudges cannot judge well justice to be administred is That Iudges be not suspected nor passionat because the passions of the soule and heart doe obfuscate and trouble the judgement of the understanding and cause them to step aside and stray out of the way It is also a thing of very evill example when a prince with an appetite of revenge or to please the passions of revengefull great men dooth elect Iudges and Commissaries that bee passionate and which have their consciences at the command of such as employ them As was done in the time of king Lewis Hutin in the judgement of Messire Enguerrant de Marigni great master of Fraunce and in the time of king Charles the sixt in the judgement of the criminall processe of Messire Iean de Marests the kings Advocate in the parliament of Paris And a man may put to them the judgements given in our time against Amie du Bourg the kings Counsellor in the said parliament and against captaine Briquemand and M. Arnand de Cavagnes master of the Requests of the kings houshold and against the countie de Montgomerie and many others For the executions to death which followed manifested well That the Iudges were passionate men their consciences being at the command of strangers which governed them 35. Maxime To administer good Iustice a Prince ought to establish a great number of Judges TO have prompt and quicke expedition of good Iustice saith Machiavell many Iudges must be established for few can dispatch Discourse lib. 1. cap. 7. few causes and a small number is more easie to gaine and be corrupted than a great number And vvithall a great number is strong and firme in Iustice against all men EXperience hath made us wise in France that this Maxime of Machiavell is not true For since they multiplied the Officers of Iustice Multiplicitie of Officers cause of the corruption of â—ustice in Fraunce in the kingdome by the encrease of Counsellours in parliaments by erection of Presidents seats by creation of new or alternative Officers we have processes and law causes more multiplied longer and worse dispatched than before insomuch as by good right and by good reason the last Estates generall held at Orleance complained to king Charles the ninth of that multiplication and multitude of Officers which served not as it doth not yet but to multiplie law causes to ruinate and eat up the people and yet no better expedition of Iustice than before but rather worse and notoriously more long and of greater charges to the parties Vpon which complaint it was holily ordained That offices of Iustice which became vacant by death should bee suppressed and that none should come in their
acknowledgement of his faults and from thence forward he prospered so well that after he had ended his civile wars he also overcame his forrain wars against the English And this came of God who ordinarily exalteth the humble overthroweth the insolent proud For assuredly it doth not evill become a great prince to temperat his majestie by a gracious humility softnes affabilitie but saith Plutarch it is a very harmonious consonant temperation yea so excellent as there cannot be a more perfect than this But if the said king had then had such Counselors as many kings now adaies have what counsell would they hereupon have given him they would have said That thus to humiliate himselfe to his vassall as to ask him forgivenes to confesse his fault to acquitehim and his subjects of personall service these were things unworthy of a king and that a king ought never to make peace unlesse it be to his honor but such articles were to his dishonor and disadvantage and that he ought to have endured all extremities before he had made any peace whereby he should not remain altogether master to dispose of persons goods at his pleasure For how would not they say thus seeing they say at this day That it is no honorable peace for the king to accord his subjects any assurances with the exercises of their religion a reformation of justice yet you see that all K. Charles 7 his Counsell all the princes of his blood all the great lords of his kingdome all strange princes embassadors compelled the K. to passe more hard uneasie articles to digest for the good of peace Should we say that in so great a number of great personages ther was not any so wise and cleare sighted as the counsellors at this day as these Mesiers Machiavelists nay contrary they were al wise men of great experience in wordly affairs they were also of great knowlege as the delegates of the counsel of the universitie of Paris of the parliaments wheras at this day men know litle more than their Machiavell Likewise king Lewis the eleventh as soone as hee came to the crowne removed De Com. lib. 1. cap. 3. 5. others from charges and offices many great lords and good servants of the dead king Charles the seventh his father which had vertuously emploied themselves in chasing the English out of the kingdome of France and in lieu of such persons he placed and advanced men of meane and base condition Heereupon straight arose civile discention against the king which was called the warres of the common weale and these men complained that the kingdome was not politikelie governed because the king had put from him good men and of high calling to advance such as were of small estimation and of no vertue It was not long before the king acknowledged his great fault and confessed it not onely in generall but also in particular to every of them which he had recoyled and disapointed and to repaire this fault he got againe to him all the said lords and ancient servants of the dead king his father delivering them againe their estates or much greater and in somme he granted to these common wealth people all that they demanded as well for the generall as for the particular good of all people and all to obtaine peace with extinguishment of civile wars If he had had of his Counsell the Machiavellists of these daies they would not have counselled him thus to doe but rather would have told him That it became not a king to capitulate with his subjects nor so to unable himselfe unto them and that a prince ought never to trust to such as once were his enemies but much lesse ought hee to advance them to estates and that hee should diligentlie take heede of a reconciled enemie yet notwithstanding hee did all this and it fell out well with him for he was very well served of the pretended reconciled enemies and to this purpose Messier de Commines his chamberlaine saith That his humilitie and the acknowledgment of his faults saved his kingdome which was in great danger to bee lost if hee had stayed upon such impertinent and foolish reasons as those Machiavelists alledge for all things may not bee judged by the finall cause What dishonour then can it bee to a prince to use pettie and base meanes if so bee thereby hee make his countrey peaceable his estate assured and his subjects contented and obedient what makes it matter for him that is to ascend into an high place whether he mount by degrees and staires of wood or of stone so that hee ascend But this is not all to say That a prince ought to bee vigilant and carefull to make peace in his countrey for hee must after it is made well observe it otherwise it is to Peace ought to be well observed no purpose made unles men will say that one ought to make peace for after in breaking it to trap and ensnare them which trust therein But they which hold this opinion are people which make no account of the observation of faith as are the Machiavelists of whom wee will speake upon this point in another Maxime But indeede that a peace may bee well observed it must bee profitable and commodious to them with whom it is made to the ende by that meanes it may bee agreeable unto them and that they may observe it with a good will and without constraint for if it be domageable and disadvantageous making the condition of them to whom it is given worse than of other subjects and neighbours certaine it is it cannot long endure for people that have either heart or spirit in them cannot long endure to be handled like slaves Heereunto serveth the advice of that noble and sage companie of the ancient Senators of Rome There was a neighbour unto the Romanes which were called the Titus Livi. lib. 8. Dec. 1. Privernates upon which the Romanes made warre and many times vanquished them They seeing it was impossible any more to make head against the Romane forces sent embassadors to Rome for peace they were caused to enter into the place where the Senate did sit and because they had not well observed the precedent treatie of peace some Senators seemed hard to draw to give their cause any hearing thinking it a vaine thing to accord a peace unto such as would not keepe any notwithstanding some demanded of those embassadors what punishment they judged themselves to haue merited which had so often broken the precedent peace One of them speaking for all and remembring rather the condition of their birth than of their present estate answered That the Privernates merited the punishment that they deserve which esteeme themselves worthie of a free condition and which have a slavish condition This answere seemed to some Senators too hautie and unbeseeming vanquished people yet the president of the assembly who was a wise man benignly demanded
laythe precedent nights Which Curius being drunke to enjoy his courtizan discovered unto her that the former nights he had been in a company with whom he should make an enterprise which would make him rich for ever As soone as Fulvia knew all the conjuration shee discovered it to the Consull Cicero Cicero did what he could truly to open all the enterprise but all the conspirators held so well their horrible oth that not one of so great a number would ever reveale a word But yet Cicero found meanes to know all by the declaration which the Allobroges made which Catiline had appointed to furnish him with people for the execution But the end of Catiline was such that he was slain fighting with a great number of others and the cheefe of his complices were executed by justice Breefely all they which have practised that wicked doctrine of Machiavell to commit outragious acts to bee irreconcilable their ends and lives have alwayes proved very tragaedies 3. Maxime A Prince in a conquered countrey must place colonies and garrisons especially in the strongest places to chase away the naturall and old inbabitants thereof THe best remedie saith M. Nicholas to conserve a countrey or Cap. 3. of â— Prince a province newly conquered is to erect colonies placing straÌ„gers there and from thence banishing all the princes ancient and naturall inhabitants For by that meanes the prince should keepe that countrey vvith a small charge vvithout troubling the countrey vvith great garrisons onely iniuring such as hee expulseth those places to make roome for new inhabitants And as for them vvhich are chased away he need not feare them for they vvill be but some small portion of the inhabitants of that province vvhich remaining poore and exiled shall from thenceforth be little able to hurt and as for such as shall be left in peace it is likely that they vvill enterprise nothing fearing by their rebellion to procure a banishment also to themselves as the others have For men must be tamed by a certain kindnesse either in not foyling or altogether discouraging such as are left in the province or els ought he utterly to destroy and impoverish them all as in chasing away and exiling the inhabitants of those places vvhere he vvill establish colonies for iniuries done to a man ought to be executed in such sort as they may not bee subiect to feare of vengeance The Romans knew well how to observe this Maxime sending colonies to all the nations vvhich they vanquished by the means of vvhich Colonies they held the most feeble in their vveaknesse not suffering them to gather strength and they also vveakened the power of such as vvere great and most iminent THe distinction of the proprietie of the goods of this world wherby every man ought to be master and assured possessor of his owne hath been introduced by the law and right of nature which wils That to every man beyeelded that which belongeth unto him or els by the right of nations which comes all to one end This distinction of proprietie maintaineth the commerce and trafficke The proprietie of goods is from the right of nature amongst men it entertaineth buyings and sellings permutations loanes and such like which are the bonds of all humane societie and if the distinction of proprietie of goods be not maintained in the world all commerce is destroyed all consocietie decayed and resolved For although some poets and philosophers praise the communitie of goods remembring us of that old golden world of Saturne yet it is plainely evident to all people of judgement that communitie induceth and brings a carelesnesse idlenesse discord and confusion into the commonweale as learnedly Aristotle demonstrateth in his Pollitiques Therefore very necessary it is that the naturall right therein be observed and every man maintained in the enjoyance of his owne good and that to every man be rendered that which is his owne yea this right ought to bee so observed that it is not lawfull for the prince to breake or violate it because by reason of naturall right it is inviolable and none can derogate from it And hereunto agreeth the divine right whereby it is shewed unto us that Achab a king ought not to take away the vineyard from Naboth his subject and hereunto also accord the rules of civile right whereby it is said That the right naturall and the right of nations are inviolable in such sort as that right civile and positive neither can nor ought to derogate any thing from them Hereby therefore is seene the absurditie and manifest iniquitie of this Maxime of Machiavell who counselleth a prince as soone as hee hath conquered a new countrey to dispossesse the masters and right owners of their goods in townes and places where he shall know it to be expedient to make himselfe strong and to place there other new masters and possessors of his owne nation in their places who are dispossessed and banished For if the prince use this Maxime certaine it is first that he violateth the right and law of nature which hee ought not to doe secondly hee acquireth the enmitie of the inhabitants of that new conquered countrey which may be a meanes to deject him from all For in the love of subjects and in their voluntarie obedience lieth the firmenesse and assurance of a princes estate as wee shall speake in another place It is folly to alledge that there will bee no malecontents but only they which are driven away For such sayth Machiavell as remaine in the countrey will be satisfied because they abide still but as I say it is folly to thinke so For certainely alwaies every one feareth that which he seeth happen to his neighbours and further not onely our owne losses engender in us miscontentment but also others losses as of our parents friends allies yea of such as are not joyned unto us with other bond than to be of our countrey of our tongue or of our religion although that in all these there is a distinction of more and lesse Thirdly they whom the prince chaseth from their possessions and goods will ever be so deadly enemies that all their lives they will leave no stone to remove to have right and vengeance of such injustice done against the law of nature And the prince hath no cause to think they cannot hurt him because they are poore banished people for it is certain that there is no little enemie but will be hurtfull Of how small a beginning did Sertorius arise He was but a simple Romane gentleman without authoritie and meanes yet with certaine troupes of Barbarians trained as well as he could he possessed a good Plâ—â— in Sertorio Crassâ— Florus lib. 52 55 56. part of Spaine The Romanes sent against him Metellus with a great hoast which could do nothing to him insomuch as they were yet forced to send Pompeius with an armie whom Sertorius braved calling him the little prentice of Silla and it appeared
fained that he came to succour him unto whom hee answered that it was too late the last word that he spake was Voila la foy See what faith He died at the age of 30 yeares And it was an admirable thing that he which had caused so many others to be slaine in his time could never find a person that in a need would sley him but was forced to doe it himselfe A thing also worthie it is to be marked that at his last sigh hee complained that none kept faith with him with him I say that was full of all disloyaltie And wherfore should they do tyrants think that men will keepe faith with them seeing they themselves breake it with every one If they so thinke they are deceived For to abandon a tyrant and not any way to support him is to observe faith to his countrey and to the Commonweale We have before in another place discovered the cruelties and unhappie ends of Commodus of Bassianus Caracalla both which were faint-hearted cowardly princes never performing any warlike act or which tasted of any generositie or courage Wee may number with them Didius Iulianus Heliogabalus Gallienus Maxentius Philippus Phocas Carinus Zeno and many other sluggish and faint-hearted princes that never did any good thing which also by their crueltie have brought themselves to miserable ends for they died violent deaths and raigned not long We may also adde to those examples of princes or rather tyrants which were very cruell of litle generositie the example of Herodes crueltie towards his children whereof wee have spoken before The example also of the emperor Tiberius who constrained men to die by languishing in prison by no means willing to accelerate their deaths though Sueto in Tib. cap. 6. they praied him he tooke from them their sollace to studie reade or to talke with any person The examples also of the emperours Otho Vitellius Domitianus Macrinus and other like all which were very cruell and little generositie in them they all in small time finished their lives and by the sword But for as much as the death of Domitian is worthy the noting to shew That tyrants cannot shun the divine justice I will here recite how he was massacred First wee must understand that this cruell tyrant Sueto in Domitian cap. 10 13 14 15 16 17 c. caused many great lords to die which were the principall senators of Rome and even some which had had the consularie dignitie yet had they done nothing that merited so much as a reprehension as Cerecalis Salvidienus Glabrio which he caused to die saying that they were enterprisers of novelties without either proofe or vailable conjecture He made also to die Aelius Lamia whose wife Domitia Longina he had taken from him only because he spoke these words Alas I say not a word Salvius Cocceanus because he celebrated the day of the nativitie of the emperour Otho his uncle Metius Pomposianus because there was a brute that he was born in a royall constellation and going to a certaine place he caried with him a figure of the world and the orations of kings and captaines which he found in Titus Livius and because he imposed those names Mago and Anniball to certain his slaves He also caused to die Salustius Lucullus because he had invented a new forme of halberds which hee called Lucullienes and Iunin Rusticus because he had written the praises of two very good men deceased called Taetus Trasea and Elvidius Priscus whom Rusticus had called most holy persons and therefore were all philosophers banished both Rome and Italie He caused his cosin Flavius Sabinus to die because the trumpeter or common criet had according to custome openly proclaimed That he was chosen new emperour he should have said new consull he put to death also Flavius Clemens another cousin for a light matter of suspition many other great cruelties towards good people and men of qualitie which for prolixitie I rehearse not yet will I say that to make himselfe be the more feared and reverenced and to heape up his execrable wickednesse when his officers made any publicke crie or sent any command to the people the subscription was alwayes thus Your Lord and God commands it so to be done In the end seeing himselfe evill beloved of all the world he would needs Admirable meanes of Domitians death know of the divines and astrologers what should be his end hee sent for a very famous astrologer called Ascletarion of whom hee demaunded when and how hee should die Ascletarion answered him Sir not to hide any thing I know by art and I find that you shall be soone slaine And thou said Domitian of what death shalt thou die Sir answered he I find by art I shall be eaten with dogs Well replied Domitian I will keepe thee well from that adventure and straight to convince him of a lie he commanded him to be slain to be buried after his body to be burnt into ashes according as the Romanes used to burie their dead But it happened after hee was slaine as they thought to have burnt his bodie into ashes in a publicke place the fire being lighted to burne the body there suddenly arose a great tempest which ejected the bodie halfe burnt out of the fire which incontinent was torne in pieces and eaten of dogs This beeing reported to Domitian hee was much afraid of this hap So that as well for that Ascletarion had said unto him as for that other diviners had told him the day and houre he should be slaine he thought it good to stand upon his guard and the better to see them which came behind him he caused to floore all his gallerie where he most often walked with a kind of shining stone from which as in a glasse there proceeded such a brightnesse as hee might easily see whatsoever was behind him The foretold-day being come and the houre approching which was five he asked what of the clocke it was one expressely answered him that it was six of the clocke to assure him that the danger was past but about that houre of five there knocked at his chamber dore one Stephanus his chamberlaine who was one of the conspirators against him his left arme hanging in a scarfe as if it had been hurt signifying to him that he would declare the conjuration entended against him This was the cause that Domitian suffered him to enter who straight after his entry after reverence presented unto him a request containing the discourse of the conjuration whereof he let him reade a good part at which seeing him astonished he stabbed a poinard in his bellie wounded as he was he would faine have revenged himselfe but his other houshold servants entered to massacre him giving him seven mortall wounds Behold an admirable example to shew that there is no prudence nor humane foresight that can hinder that the judgements of God be not executed upon tyrants
that which Machiavell prescribeth for by oppressing and causing to die al the conjurators and enemies and all their friends and allies he made himselfe so feared and redoubted that there was not in Rome great or little but he trembled for feare only to heare the name of Nero Such great men whose friends and parents were put to death came and fell downe on their knees before him and thanked him for the good and honour he had done them to have purged and cleansed their parentage and alliance from so wicked men as those he had slaine Others in signe of joy for the death of their friends and parents caused their houses to be hung with lawrell and made sacrifices to the gods to give them thankes for so great a good as was happened unto them They celebrated also great feasts of joy as they had been mariages The Senate also for their part being also in a great terrour ordained there should be processions and publicke sacrifices to yeeld thankes to the gods that this conjuration was discovered yea they caused to be builded and consecrated a chappell to the Sunne in the house where the conjuration was made because it shined to the discoverie therof They builded also a temple to the goddesse Health Nero thinking that all these joyes were true and unfained yet were they but simulations exercised still more and more his butcherie and in the end made himselfe so assured by reason he was feared and redoubted of all the world that he was of opinion that he had obtained the upperhand of all his enemies but it was cleane contrarie For by this strange slaughter with so many other wickednesses whereof hee was full hee brought himselfe into a deadly hatred of all the world insomuch as the provinces of the empire revolted from his obedience one after another and in the end he was abandoned of every man unlesse it were of some foure or five of his meanest servants which kept him companie in his flight untill he had slaine himselfe as is said in another place therfore Nero needed to take no thought how to nourish enemies against himselfe as Machiavell teacheth in this Maxime for hee never wanted a great number as all tyrants have ordinarily And how should not tyrants have good store of enemies seeing even good De Com. lib. 1. cap. 107 108 109 100 111. and wise princes doe not want them To this purpose master Phillip de Comines makes a very good discourse saying That it pleased God to give to all princes kingdomes and common weales an opposit and contrary unto them that both the one and the other might the rather bee held in their duties as England hath Fraunce Scotland hath England Portugall hath Castile Grenado hath Portugall the princes and common weales of Italie are contrarie one to another and so it is of all God hath giveÌ„ to every seignorie his opposit countries and seignories of the earth For if there bee any prince or common-weale which wants his opposite to hould him in feare straight one shall see him fall to a tyrannie and luxuriousnesse Therefore God by his wise providence hath given to every seignorie and to every prince his opposit that one by the feare of an other might be stirred up to a modest and temperate carriage And there is indeed nothing saith hee that better holdeth a prince in his duetie nor which causeth him to walke more upright than the feare of his opposit and contrary For the feare of God nor the love of his neighbour nor reason whereof commonly hee hath no care nor justice for there is none above himselfe nor any other like thing can hold him in his duetie but onely the feare of his contrary After that Comines had dispatched this question hee entreth into another which dependeth heereof What is the cause saith hee that commonly princes and great lords have Princes have not the feare of God nor of charitie for want of Faith not the feare of God nor love to their neighbours He answereth the want of Faith for if a prince beleeved verely the paines of hell to bee such as indeed they are hee would doe no wrong to noe man nor retaine an others goods unjustly For if they beleeved assuredly as it is true and certaine that they are damned in hell and are never like to enter into paradise which retaine other mens goods without making satisfaction or that doe any wrong to any without amends unto him It is not likely there would bee found a prince or princesse in the world or any other person which would with-hold anothers goods were it of his subjects vassailes or neighbour in good earnest or would put any to death wrongfully no not to hold them in prison nor take from one to give to another nor procure any dishonest thing against any person If then they had a firme faith and beleeved the paines of hell to bee horrible and great without other end or remission for the damned knowing againe the shortnesse of this life they would not doe that they doe And for example saith hee when a king or a prince is a prisoner and that hee feareth to die in prison is there any thing so deere in the world which hee would not give to come out Certainely hee would give both his owne and his subjects goods altogether As wee have seene king Iohn of France being taken prisoner by the prince of Wales at the battaile of Poitiers who paied 3000000 of franks for his ransome and acquited to the English all Aquitane or at least as much as they then held and many other cities townes and places all which came to the third part of the kingdome which was thereby brought into great povertie that no coine was there currant but it was made of leather with a little naile of silver in the middest of it And all this gave king Iohn and Charles the sage his sonne for the said kings deliverance out of prison And if they would have given nothing yet the English would not have put him to death but at the worst have kept him in prison And yet if they had caused him to die the paine that hee had suffered had not beene comparable to the thousand part of the least paine in hell Why then did king Iohn give all that hath beene said and so overthrew his children and the subjects of his kingdome because hee beleeved that which hee saw and knew well that otherwise hee could hot bee delivered But you shall not finde a prince or else very few that if hee had a towne of his neighâ—ours would yeeld it for the feare of God or the paines of hell It is then the want of faith because princes beleeve not that God will punish the wrongs they doe to another and that they doe not also beleeve that the paines of hell are horrible and eternall as they are Yet is this certaine that god will punish them as well as other men though not
Lewis The good justice of Lewis which gave oedinarie audience to the complaints of their subjects and to doe them justice But it shall suffice to close up all this matter with the example of that good king S. Lewis who amongst other vertues wherewith he was endowed he was a very good and upright administer of justice This good king having a great zeale to establish a good Iustice in his kingdome first hee would and ordained That the good and auncient lawes and customes of the kingdome should be well and straitly observed upon the paine he would take of his Bayliffes Seneshals and other magistrates if they caused them not to bee well observed And to the end the said magistrates might carry themselves well in their offices he chose other officers the best that hee could find of which he secretly enquired of their vertues and vices And to the end they might administer good and breefe justice to the poore as to the rich without exception of persons he forbad them to take presents unlesse some present of victuall which may not exceed tenne shillings by the weeke nor any other benefites for them or their children neither of them which were in contention nor of any other person of their bailiwike and territorie and commaunded they should take nothing within their perfecture or jurisdiction For this good king considered that presents benefits and desire to gain are the means wherby magistrates may be corrupted and therfore to shun all corruption he must cut off the meanes therunto Moreover he very rigorously punished such officers of Iustice as abused their estates spared not even great lords themselves but punished them after their merits as happened to the lord de Coucy who caused to strangle two yong Flamins when he found them hunting in his woods For the king caused to be called before him the said lord who fearing to be handled as he had delt with the Flamins wold have taken the hearing of the cause from the king saying he was to be sent for before the peeres of France But the king forced him to abide his judgments indeed had made him die if great lords parents friends of the said lord de Coucy had not importuned so much the king for his pardon unto which the king accorded that he shold have his life but yet he condemned him to the warre against the Turks and Infidels in the holy land by the space of three yeares which was a kind of banishment and besides condemned him in a fine paiment of 10000 Paris pounds which were bestowed on the building of an Hostle Dieu at Ponthoise This king gave not easily any pardon nor without great deliberation And for a devise he had often in his mouth that verse of the Psalme of David Happie are they which doe iudgement and Iustice at all times He said also That this was no mercie but crueltie not to punish malefactors Moreover he was a king full of truth chast charitable and fearing God which are vertues exceeding woorthy for a good prince and which commonly accompanie good justice But the godly precepts hee The tenne commandemēts which the king S. Lewis at his disease gave to his eldest sonne gave being in extremitie of his life to king Philip the Hardie his sonne and successor doe well merit to be written in letters of gold upon the lintels of doores and the houses of all kings and Christian princes to have them alwaies before their eies My deare sonne saith he since it pleaseth God our Father and Creator to withdraw me now from this miserable world to carrie mee to a better life than this I would not depart from thee my sonne without giving you for my last blessing the doctrines and precepts which a good father ought to give to his sonne hoping you wil engrave in your heart these your fathers last words I command you then my deare sonne That above all things you have alwaies before your eies the feare of God our good Father for the feare of God is the beginning yea the accomplishment of all true wisedome if you feare him he will blesse you Secondly I exhort you to take all adversities patiently acknowledging that it is God which visiteth you for your sins not to wax proud in prosperitie accounting that it comes to you by Gods grace not by your merits Thirdly I recommend unto you charitie towards the poor for the good you doe unto them shall be yeelded unto you an hundred fold and Iesus Christ our Saviour shall account it done unto him After I recommend to you very straitly my deare sonne that you cause to keep well the good laws customes of the kingdome and to administer good justice to your subjects for happy are they which administer good justice at all times and to doe this I enjoine you that you be carefull to have good magistrates and command you them that they favor not your Procurators against equitie and that you rigorously punish such as abuse their Offices for when they make faults they are more punishable than others because they ought to govern other subjects and to serve them for an example Suffer not that in judgement there be acception of persons and so favour the poore onely as the truth of his fact doth appeare without favoring him as to the judgement of his cause Moreover I command you that you bee carefull to have a good Counsell about you of persons which be of staied good age which be secret peaceable not covetous for if you doe this you shall bee loved and honoured because the light of the servants makes their masters shine Also more I forbid you to take tallages or tributes upon your subjects but for urgent necessitie evident utilitie and just cause for otherwise you shall not bee held for a king but for a tyrant Further I command you that you be carefull to maintaine your subjects in good peace and tranquilitie and observe their franchises and priveledges which before they have enjoyed and take heede you moove no warre against any Christian without exceeding great occasion and reason Item I exhort you to give the benefices of your kingdome to men of good life and good conscience not to luxurious and covetous wretches My deere sonne if you observe these my commands you shall bee a good example to your subjects and you shall bee the cause that they will adict themselves to doe well because the people will alwaies give themselves to the imitation of their prince and God by his bountie maintaine you firme and assured in your estate and kingdome Thus finished this good king his last words full of holy zeale and correspondent to his life passed and yeelded his soule to his creator which had given it him His sonne king Philip third of that name called the Hardie because of his valiancie which he shewed against the infidels and against other enemies as well during the life as after the death of