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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A70329 The benefit of the ballot, with nature and use thereof particularly in the Republick of Venice. Harrington, James, 1611-1677. 1680 (1680) Wing H806A; ESTC R19369 6,026 6

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then to see others go before them in the Princes Favour who come behind them in Virtue and Worth The Kingdom being in this Distemper and the King incircled in so many Infelicities Vanly a Persian an excellent Person and a great friend to Galgee advis'd him not to Dissolve his great Council for in that Juncture it might hazard his Dominions and prove fatal to him it being the great Idol of the People but to continue them during his Life And the better to reconcile all Interests to cause 30 to be chosen out of the Conciliado to be of his Council Di Stado or Privy Council as we call it whereof 15 to be Lords and 15 to be Commons and all those to be Elected by themselves by the Ballot out of the most Virtuous and publick Spirited persons amongst them And every Year 10 of those to be remov'd out of the Council Di Stado and to return to the Conciliado or Great Council and by the Ballot to make choice of other 10 of the most Eminent amongst them for Integrity and Parts King Galgee gave an exact observance to his sober Council and by these means he united all Parties in his Council and there was such a due administration of Justice in his Dominions and such virtuous Persons were chosen for the management of Publick Affairs that in a short time King Galgee became so potent and belov'd of his People for that Prince who will gain their affections must give them ease and plenty that when Badurius King of C●mbaia invaded Mindao with an Army of 150000 Horse and 500000 Foot that Prince by the assistance of his own Subjects and of some mercenary Persians and Zagathay defeated and destroy'd that great Army Certainly as it was great wisdom in Vanly to give this Council so it was great prudence in King Galgee to follow it for the great Council consisting or at least presum'd to consist of the most wise and sufficient Persons of all his Dominions the Privy Council and others the great Officers of State being by the Ballot chosen out of the most eminent of them for Parts and Integrity there must needs be a rare felicity of Government There could be no complaints of the male-administration of the Ministers of State which usually makes the greatest noise they being virtuous and wise and chosen out of the Ballot by themselves neither were they who were advanc'd to honour envied which is ever an Attendant upon Greatness by any of the Conciliado because they themselves in time might attain to that dignity if their wisdom and integrity should in worthy them Which was a rare happiness for great men may secure themselves from guilt but not from envy And we have observ'd that the greatest in trust of Publick Affairs are ever shot at by the aspirings of those who deem themselves less in imployment than they are in merit Therefore it highly concerns great Ministers of State to keep Sentinel for every step they tread is pav'd with Fate and every misfortune of theirs commonly procures them as much dishonour as if they had been perfidious in their practice and their unhappiness is deem'd for a crime Therefore let those who are rais'd to the height of their greatness consider that Princes Favours are always perillous and that it 's a difficult thing to stand long firm upon Ice and that the Fall how gentle soever will never suffer them again to rise But King Galgee by his prudent Government had a peculiar felicity in his Reign and establish'd his Dominions upon the Center of a flourishing happiness yet we cannot but observe one great Soloecism in point of State in King Galgee's rewarding so many persons for being troublesome unto him for that Prince who does practise it shall find that no sooner he takes off one but presently another gets up and it will animate others to do so when they find such encouragement for being troublesome and at last if the Prince be notable to gratifie all which is impossible for him to do it may turn to the dissolution of the Government But certainly King Galgee could have no kindness for those persons he had so advanc'd Preferment being the reward of Virtue and not to gratifie disquiet Spirits and the People who are ever jealous of their Rights must look upon them as betrayers of their Liberties and the end of such persons if one well observe it is commonly very miserable And the Subjects never so much repine at their Contributions as when they observe them to be the rewards of persons to whom Fortune not Merit gives a growth It was a Remark of Henry the Fourth of France that such persons who made the greatest noise in the Parliament of Paris were men of the least sufficiency but they had soft tongues and hard faces they did not vent their own conceits but the projections and designs of others and they were like hollow singing Bullets which usually flew but half way to the Mark whereas the Designer doth execution but makes no report It was afterwards observ'd that the Successors of this great Galgee not imitating his excellent Arts of Government and neglecting the choice of the great Ministers of State by the Ballot by reason whereof men of no sufficiency were promoted to the highest Offices of State which gave discouragement to others of more desert and by their male-administration discontent to all Thereby their Countrey in a short time was overcome by Merhamed the Mogul Tartar Whereas if they had observ'd the prudentials of Galgee and us'd the Ballot which had been a Wall of Steel to them they had been invincible There is no Government but this of the Ballot may suit with if the Prince and his great Council please to make a Law for the practice of it neither is it any diminution to the Prince's Dignity to depart with the conferring of Offices when by the use of the Ballot all things will multiply to Honour and the aggrandizing of his Name For many times it 's as fatal to a Prince to have bad Officers under him as for himself not to be good The Revolt which was made from Richard the Second was more for the displeasure taken against Sir John Bushy Sir William Bagot and Sir Henry Green c. who manag'd the publick Offices under him than against the King himself For Princes in the Elections of their Officers do more respect their particular affections and to serve their turns than the sufficiency of the persons elected and more Kingdoms and Dominions have been overthrown by the ill management of Officers than by the severity of the greatest Tyrants and the Investiture of the meanest persons to great Commands hath often prov'd fatal to the greatest undertakings An Instance whereof is that of James the Fifth of Scotland who in the year 1542. invaded England with an Army of 60000 Horse and Foot and was met with the Lord Wharton then Warden of the North-West Marches the Battel being ready to joyn one Sir Oliver Synclere the Scottish King's Minion but of no great Extraction or Skill in Martial Affairs was by the King's Order proclaim'd General which the Scottish Nobility took in such indignation that they threw down their Arms and suffer'd themselves to be taken Prisoners there being not one man slain on either side Whereas if they had made choice of a Captain-General themselves by the Ballot one who had good skill in Martial Affairs and whom they would willingly have follow'd what Actions of Grandeur they might have effected we leave it to the judicious to consider The Practice and Method which the State of Venice useth in their Elections by the Ball may be read at large in Contarini Gianotti and Sansovinus but in case these Authors be wanting Mr. John Ray's Observations printed Anno 1673. will fully inform you who hath folio 157. exactly collected out of the said Authors all the Observables in their Elections which would be over-tedious to express here the same having been perform'd so particularly and excellently by that learned Gentleman We will here set down in a few lines somewhat of the Practick Part for it is us'd in some Cases with more nicety than in others in great Councils of State we will mention the most facile here The Electors being assembled in some convenient Place as a great Hall c. the doors are shut up and the Prime Officers who assemble or call together the Electors keep the Keys till the Election be over The Syndick or chief Officer for that purpose takes the Ballot-Box and opens it in the view of all the Company to see that it is empty and without secret Conveyances then placeth it on a Table for that purpose at one end of the Room and calls such of the Company as he thinks may make most dispatch gives to each a Ball in the fight of the People a little Ball made of fine Linnen as at Venice he puts into the Box either the Affirmative or Negative and so departs to one side from the rest and then he calls the next and does the like to him and so of the rest till all are call'd all who have voted stand apart by themselves The Box is somewhat long and hath a partition in the midst the which hath two holes to drop the Balls in which are Taper-wise broader at the top and narrower at the bottom the right-hand hole is for the Affirmative and the left for the Negative And because that no man shall know on which side a man puts his Ball who is giving his Vote there is a place roundish made in the Box to put in the Hand and Arm almost half way to the Elbow so as the Hand being in the Party may let his Ball drop as he pleaseth When all have done Ballotting the Box is open'd and what is in the Affirmative noted down Then the next Competitor is Ballotted for as the former and so of the rest and he who hath most Votes in the Affirmative is elected All very easily perform'd in a short time without noise without tumult without animofities and the most deserving always is elected FINIS * In some Places they use Beans * They may also be distinguished by the Colours black and white