with Samsons heyfar to their owne ouerthrow and some with Minoes Cowe to breed many monstrous Minotaures to deuoure their country And too many plow against the law of Moses with an Oxe and an Asse and all this to practise policy Sectio 6. IN Greece were two generall factions the Doreans and Ionians the Lacedemonians tooke part with the Doreans and the Athenians with the Ionians From these two Factions Two generall factiōs in Greece grew in Greece such seditions that the Boetians the Argiues Elians Mantineans and others some affecting the Doreans with the Lacedemonians some affecting the Ionians with the Athenians that it brake out into ciuil warres which continued 27. yeres to the destructiō of the Empire of Greece which somtyme gaue so many ouerthrowes to the Persians so many victories at Marathō at Artimesium at Salamina other-where that now by meanes of their factions seditions Philip of Macedon saw such oportunity to subdue the Graecians which hee long thirsted for that he ouercame Greece with Greekes for so it is written Graeci Graecorum manibus mactabantur by meanes chiefly of their ciuil seditions and factions he wan more townes in Greece by Greeks then by the Macedonians The like of the ciuill warres among the Romanes the Danes thought it the fittest time to winne Rome Front lib. 1. cap. 10 Scorylo in such a seditious time as Philip did Greece yet Scorylo their Generall at that time appoynted doubting much of this enterprise caused two great mastiue dogs to fight eagerly before the people that both were wel wearied then Scorylo brought in a Wolfe in the sight of these mastiue dogs straight wayes both the dogs left off fighting both of them ran fiercely fought egerly with the Wolfe The fierce ciuill warres and fighting of the Romanes at home sayd Scorylo will euen so do when they see a Wolfe I meane a forrayne enemy to commence warre against them There was also in Athens two factions Pericles being the authour of one and Cymon the sonne of Milciades Two factions in Athens the other Pericles affected the cōmon people and Cimon preferred the Nobility and fauoured their proceedings in such sort that Athens was neuer quiet but when it was disquieted with it selfe by meanes of factions which do nourish seditions hauing their busie-brayned Oratours to force the Athenians to fight with their tongues consilio calamis linguâ for it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Aristoph the disposition of that City neuer to consult as Demosthenes sayd but too late euery towne in Greece was so factious that the glory of Greece by meanes of factions and seditions continued but 50. yeeres and some odde in any greatnesse And in Sparta for all Lycurgus care and his lawes he could not free Sparta from factions and yet he deuided Two factions in Spartae Obas and Philas them all into 2. factions whom Lycurgus himselfe named Obas Philas which lawes decrees of Lycurgus were so kept for 500. yeres without violating them for none in Greece durst breake Lycurgus lawes but Agesilaus and that but once vpon great necessity to punish seditions In Carthage also they had two factions the one faction followed Hamilcar Hanibals father and after him his son Hanibals the other followed Hanno his friēds so that in kingdoms and coūtries factious men moued such sedition wherby no greater harmes happened to kingdomes and countries then by practising seditions and factions Hamilcar Hannibals father so hated the Romans that hauing 4. young youthes to his sonnes sayd that hee would haue 4. Lion whelps nourished brought vp with his 4. sonnes as mortall enemies to the Romanes and sware Hannibal his eldest son being of 9. yeres old Polib 2. to continue an enemy to the Romanes during his life and further to shew his malice enuy towards the Romanes he raised vp the dust frō the earth with his foot and said that then should be the end of the warres between Rome Carthage when one of both those Cities should be brought to nothing but such dust In Rome before Fab. Max. time they had but foure Foure factions in Rome factions which were deuided by Tullus Hostilius the third king of Rome and by him named Palatina Colina Exquilina and Suburrana after the name of the foure gates of Rome at that time being the Infancy of Rome But after it grew from foure factions to be fiue and thirty Tribes that euery Tribe was full of diuers factions and the Romane Empire waxed so mighty that Fabius Maximus when he was Censor in Rome for that he brought all forraine factions within Rome to be one of these foure which Seruius Tullus named Fab. named Max. Vrbanas factiones was so gratefull to the Citizens of Rome that they named him Fabius Maximus which was the first time that he was called Maximus for abridging the multitude of factions that then would haue growen in Rome vnto infinite numbers if Fabius had not brought them vnder one of these foure But in the time of Sylla and Marius factions began so to multiply in Rome as it did in Greece that likewise The ciuill wartes of the Romās it brake out into ciuill warres which continued from Sillaes time vnto the last ouerthrow of Mar. Antonius welnigh fourty yeeres to the destruction of the whole Empire some following the fury of Marius as Sertorius Cynna Carbo and others followers of Sylla as Metellus Pompey and others that none might dwell in Rome but those that eyther should bee on Marius side or on Syllaes Thus was the Empire deuided by factions from Sylla to Caesar from Caesar to Augustus sometime running from Caesar to Pompey and from Pompey to Caesar vntill they and their factions were slayn by the sword and their countrey welnigh destroyed Of all miseries ciuill warres is most miserable and a very Ocean sea of all miseries in which Nobilitas cum plebe perit wherof Homer exclaimed said Let him be cursed as an vnnatural monster no man that seeketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Iliad 1. Cic. Phil. 12. his countries harme And Cicero in like sort cryed out vpon him Quem caedes ciuium quem bellum ciuile delectat and wished such to be cast out of the society of men and to weed them out of the bounds of nature Factions among great men are more dangerous hard to be quenched for that these potentates draw the people and moue them which are compared to the sea vnmoueable vntill a tempest rise and therfore Plato thought good to ioyne Aristides surnamed the iust for his iustice trueth and constancy with Themistocles being haughty and somewhat ambitious And Lycurgus much commended the policy of Agamemnon Lycurgus to put Vlisses forward to clayme Achilles armour as wel as Aiax who iudged himselfe most worthy in respect of his valor to be next Achilles throughout al Greece This discord was tempred by Agamemnon by
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
shewed himselfe a wise man and gaue wise Iephtha counsel to his Captaines how they might find out the false Ephramites from the true Israelites by pronouncing of the letter Shiboleth and that before the Ephramites Iud. 12. should passe ouer Iorden lest they should gather head against the Israelites againe Great wisdome it is to looke in time to such and to cut off the heads of them that would willingly haue many heads like Hidra I wish there were no heads of Hidra yet lurking in any English Laerna Thus was Iephtha called from the land of Tob and Gedeon from the Barne-threshing to kill and destroy Gedeon these wicked Madianites and false Ephramites which were scattered and dispersed into all partes of the world Was not Dauid called frō a Shepheard to be anoynted Dauid a Shepheard king in Israel by Samuel while yet Saul liued for the sinnes of Saul and to ouerthrow the house of Saul for all the practice and policy of Saul to the contrary Was not Ieroboam the seruant of Salomon called Ieroboam a seruant anoynted king in Israel by the Prophet Ahias in the time of Salomon of his sonne Rehoboam and to take ten of the twelue Tribes from Salomon And was not Iehu from a soldier called and anoynted king by Elizeus Iehu a soldier seruant while Achab yet reigned in Israel to destroy Achab and all his posterity for the Idolatry of Achab The iust iudgement of God against wicked Princes And so in other like practisers that seek by policy to ouerthrow kingdomes Saul with all his policy with his sonnes his seruants and his daughter that he maried to Dauid onely to deceiue Dauid could not preuent Dauid of the kingdom It was the purpose of God Salomon for all his wisedome and royalty and his friends could not hinder Ieroboam his seruant from the kingdome It was so determined Achab with all his gods and Idols could not preuent Iehu nor take reuenge vpon Elizeus no more thē Benhadad king of Syria could feed his wrath vpon Elizeus no policy no practice no coūsel against the Lord. Elizeus looking in the face of Hazael said that hee should be king after Benhadad in Syria withall wept knowing how he would strangle his master Benhadad the king and how Tyrant-like he would plague Israel during the time of his cruell gouernment Many had cause to weepe if men knewe as Elizeus did what policies are practised in many mens hearts And therefore had olde Osiris king of Egypt the Osiris his scepter likenes of a mans eye in the vpper end of his Scepter to signifie that kings should be circumspect and wise to see vnto the policy and practice of wicked men for against such wise and godly Princes no policy can preuaile no more then a little cloud can darken the brightnes of the Sunne And as the Sunne with his brightnes lighteneth all the Sky so doth a vertuous Prince with his wisdome his subiects for so Aristotle sayth Vnica 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Polit. sola virtus Principis prudentia The only vertue of a Prince is to become wise to chuse such Wise Counsellers as Moyses did of graue godly wise men which counsell was called synadrion to help to ayd him in the gouernmēt of 600000. men that in a wildernes By counsel Commonwealths Kingdomes stand So in Salust it is sayd vnto Caesar Quò magis Imperium cò maior cura So long shal kingdoms prosper while good Counsel gouernes Dum apud eos vera consilia valuerūt For sayd Plato All good and godly Counsayles are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacred according to that which Christ sayd Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I among them It is neyther sayd Scipio to Micipsa strong armies treasures nor goldē Scepters that vphold kingdoms but truth wisedome and Counsayle So Aristotle Pro. 20. sayth vnto the great Alexander that Counsel is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. ad Alex. Suet. cap. 25. Augustus saying most diuine in matters of states for that hee was euer careful to haue Alexander gouerned by counsaile knowing well the greatnesse of his minde the conquest which he took in hand Many perish for want of counsayle and many more for not accepting of counsell Wise counsayle and the reward thereof was more giuen in Sparta to the Captayne that subdued the enemyes by policy and counsell then by the sword for that attempt sayd Augustus is not to bee enterprised where more feare is in losing then hope in getting the victory The Carthagineans so esteemed wise counsel that if any of their Captains had done any thing but by wise counsel though they had obteyned great victories the law in Carthage was that they should die Great Captaynes wanne more by counsaile then by the Sword Pluraconsilio quà m vi magnos Duces perfecisse Wise Princes must be like Ianus looking backward as well as Tacit. 11. Ann. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 forward It was Sertorius saying to Pompey the great Quod respicere magis quà m prospicere oporteat Ducem That a wise Gouernor looketh backward as well as forward But Ambition sayth Seneca neuer looketh backe but forward Plut. in Serto. how hee may enterteyne factious and seditious men to hold him vp They neuer thinke of their owne liues when they imagine to preuent others of their liues Sedition therfore is as dangerous to Kings in their kingdomes as to Commaunders in Field in the Army For so Seneca said Idem ius habet aduersus imperia atque aduersus imperantes Sectio 2. SERVIVS GALBA vnder pretence Oros lib. 5 cap. 21. of doing of some great good vnto the Lusitanians assēbled the chiefest men the gallantest Youths of three great Cities to the nomber of seuen thousand whome hee most trecherously and falsly slewe which mooued great Sedition and tumult in Spaine against the Romanes Hastrubal intending vnder the colour of hunting to inuade Numidia being resisted by the Numidians told them hee came but to hunt Elephants By the like policy of hunting Hanibal got Tarentū Such a hunter was Nymrod that hunted kings and kingdomes and therefore he was called The mighty Gen. 10. Hunter Ninus was a great hunter of kingdoms countries So may it be said of Cyrus and of Alexander so great hunters were they that they died in their hunting out of their kingdomes Hunting is a military exercise which made Sertorius Plut. in Serto. to vse hunting and to trauaile the hard rockes of Affrica and that he and his soldiers thereby might better indure labour and payne against the Romanes hee acquainted them so much with hunting that they were able to sustayne any hardnesse The cause therefore why Brasidas compared hunting to warre was for that the like stratagems are often inuented and executed in warres against soldiers as the Hunter doeth against diuers kindes of beasts specially
Traytour or the murtherer hide his practice wicked policy from the knowledge of God Adam could not hide it in Paradise nor Lucifer in Heauen nor Ionas in the bottome of the Sea Where shall a man flye from the presence of God that is of a guilty Conscience Gen. 4. 〈◊〉 1. It made Cain to say Omnis qui inuenerit me occidet me It made Ionas to say to the Saylers to Tharsis Tollite mittite me in mare And it made Iudas to say Tradidi sanguinem iustum and to hang himselfe It makes a number to hang to drowne and to kill thēselues prouoked therto by a tormented conscience For we reade both in Diuine and prophane Hystories that more lewd and wicked men come from good men then good men from the wicked So that of one Cateline being a wicked man in Rome became so many wicked Catelines that Rome had too many Catelines so full of spite and enuy vnto Rome that they were as Salust saith Impuri animi Dijs hominibusque infesti And so likewise in Athens of one hatefull Tymon surnamed Misantropos grew so many odious Tymons that there were too many Tymōs in Athēs But we leaue these Catelines in Rome these Tymons in Athens and we wish that there were neither Catelines nor Tymons in Englād There were at Rome in S. Ieromes time certayne S. Ieromes saying of Englishmen in Rome Englishmen of good constitution and faire complexion whom when S. Ierom saw he said Isti Angli Angeli dici possunt How strange is it that of that Nation then called in Rome Angels by St. Ierome there should be now some in England which might be called Deuils in whome are such wicked practices and such lewd polycies as neyther Philip of Macedon against the Graecians nor Hannibal of Carthage against the Romanes could exceede them with their Military stratagems which was lawfull against forreigne enemyes The cause sayth Lactantius of such rebellious minds in such men was Non nosce supremum numen Lact. lib. 3 lust li. 30. illud non venerari Therefore the chiefest care of a good Prince ought to bee first vigilant about Gods Seruice So could Aristotle the Heathen Phylosopher say Res 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist 5. Polit. c. 11 diuinas c. For as Cicero sayeth The Romans euer supposed the seruing of their gods to be rather the cause of their Victories and Tryumphes ouer Affrica and Asia then their strength and courage and therefore Maecenas wrote to Augustus the Emperor to keepe and defend the Romane Religion and the sacred Ceremonies of their countrey to their gods and not to imitate the Egyptians Qui variam et mixtam religionem coluerunt which accept of al kind of Religion and neuer cōsent in one for saith Cicero Maiorū instituta tueri c. It is wisedome to defend the Lawes and decrees of the Elders and the Religion of their Countrey which to neglect is sacrilege The Egyptians though most superstitious and idolatrous people yet had they in their Temples in Greek written vpon the walles Deus est quae sunt et quae non sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Her in Pom. 5. not much disagreeing with the saying of the Apostle * Rom. 11. that God was he by whom all things were done and in whome and from whom all good things proceed and without him nothing It is not the Iuory Maces of the Romanes nor the Ebony maces of the Indians nor the Lyons Beares of the Babylonian neyther the Dragons and Serpents of the Egyptian maces that hold vp a kingdome but the Scepter of Iustice Per me Reges regnant sayth the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ethiopian Kings had their Scepter made in ancient time in forme like a plough in signe of husbandry which ought to be maintayned by the king vnto his people for their kings were put in mind by their Scepters to be carefull of their subiects which are the strength of the king And so the old Persian kings had their maces made Diodor. li. 4. cap. 1. like a spade as the Ethiopians the plough to put their kings in memory that the plough the spade are the two onely Instruments most necessary in a common-wealth to enrich a king Some other Heathen kings had vpon the tops of their maces the figure of a Storke to signifie piety and lenity in a Prince to be necessary and vpon the nether end of the mace the likenesse of Hippopotamus that a Hippopotamus a Sea-horse Plut. in Alex. Prince should auoid fiercenes and wrath Which had Alexander lookt vnto as the History sayth Nec Lysimachus Leoni obiectus nec Clytus hasta traiectus nec Calisthenes mori iussus These three great murthers dimmed and obscured his three great victories ouer Asia Europe and Affricke not then thinking of Cassanders draught For when Alexander would know of Calanus the Indian Philosopher at his death what hee would haue Alexander to do for him Nothing sayd Calanus and answered him as the shaddow of Samuel answered Phetonissa for Saul I shall shortly see you So in Homer doth Hector say that Achilles should be the next of the Greeke Captains that should follow him To be ignorant therefore in things to come sayd Cicero is much better then to know them Alexander would haue bene most sorrowfull after he had wonne so many kingdomes if he had knowne that he should haue bene poysoned in Babylon before he had come to Macedonia Achilles had no cause to reioyce after his victories in Troy if he had knowne that he should dye in Troy and not in Greece Neyther Caesar after hee had subdued Pompey if hee had knowen that he should be slayne before the Image of Pompey in Rome Cicero being banished from Rome by M. Antonius Cicero his dreame De diui lib. 1. being very pensiue sad the Image of C. Marius with the Sergeants before him appeared as he was whē he was last Consull enquiring of Cicero why he was so sad how he did Cicero told Marius for that he was forced to forsake Rome by meanes of M. Antonius The Image tooke Cicero by the right hand deliuered him to one of the Sergeants and willed him to bring Cicero to his tombe sayd that there he should be comforted and relieued with great welcome These dreaming Practisers are often instructed by dreames visions and Idolatrous seruing of Images which some haue in their houses in England as Alexander Seuerus Alex. lib. 6. cap. 13 had in his gallery at Rome the Images of Orpheus of Apollonius of Abraham and of Christ and yet these Images profit nothing but to bring such men to Marius graue Tyberius perceiuing that the whole Empire of Rome was weary of his life hauing children of his owne fearing his tyranny by his conscience moued should be the cause that none of them should succeed him in the Empire consulted with auguratiō wherin himselfe
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