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law_n	father_n	king_n	son_n	7,892	5	5.4436	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69098	A most excellent hystorie, of the institution and firste beginning of Christian princes, and the originall of kingdomes wherunto is annexed a treatise of peace and warre, and another of the dignitie of mariage. Very necessarie to be red, not only of all nobilitie and gentlemen, but also of euery publike persone. First written in Latin by Chelidonius Tigurinus, after translated into French by Peter Bouaisteau of Naunts in Brittaine, and now englished by Iames Chillester, Londoner. Séen and allowed according to the order appointed.; Histoire de Chelidonius Tigurinus sur l'institution des princes chrestiens, & origine des royaumes. English	Chelidonius, Tigurinus.; Boaistuau, Pierre, d. 1566.; Chillester, James.	1571 (1571)	STC 5113; ESTC S104623	160,950	212

Sonnes doinges knowing that he which kept that place ought straightly to regarde the lawes and ceremonies obserued of olde custome to the Senate that incontinently after hée was out of that place with a ioyful countenance in the presence of the Senate went vnto him being as it were halfe deade and embraced hym in his armes saying vnto him My sonne I doe accept thée for my deare childe for I know and see thou art worthy to exercise the Consulship of Rome bicause thou hast so good knowledge to defende the maiestie of an Emperour which thou doest represent and also the auncient statutes of our predecessours which will that the Emperor himself shal obey the lawes made and ordained by his forefathers The memorie of Zeleucus King of the Locresians shal also be had in eternal memorie among al men who after he had made and instituted many good vertuous lawes for the gouernement of his common wealth among others he ordayned one that he who should bée bée taken in Aduoutrie shoulde lose both hys eyes His owne sonne by euill Fortune within certayne dayes after was taken offending in the same and being condemned for it according vnto the Lawe and ordinaunce made by his father was adiudged to lose both his eyes but the people hauing a regarde vnto the deserts of his good Father the King woulde haue dyspensed with the Sonne and made humble request vnto him that it would please him to remitte his offence This good olde man did all that he could by extremitie to resiste their request shewing them that according to his lawes he ought to haue both his eyes pulled out but in the ende being ouercome with the importunate desires of the people minding to satisfie them in some parte and yet to kepe his lawe inuiolate hée caused a Theatre to be erected in all their presence and him selfe and his sonne being mounted vpon it with an inuincible constancie firste pulled out one of his owne eyes and after incontinently pulled out one of his sonnes So in vsing this maruellous kind of equitie hée was mercifull to his sonne and very seuere to himselfe and all to the ende hée woulde giue a testimonie to those that should succéede him howe Princes ought firste to put to their owne hands to the worke and to obserue their lawes as thou mayst sée in these verses following Zeleucus gaue lawe to his Subiectes all That taken in aduoutrie who should be Should loose his eyes but loe such happe did fall The Kings owne sonne into that snare came he Zelencus bids that lawe be done straight way Without regarde The people pardon pray The King that woulde his lawe in force to ronne One eye from him another from his sonne He takes deseruing thus the rather Name of iust Iudge and pitifull Father And Licurgus the lawmaker to the Lacedemonians so much commended in the hystories neuer made any lawe wherevnto he did not first render himself obedient And Agesilaus king of the Lacedemonians likewise among his most cōmendable Sentences was accustomed to say that he desired no other commoditie of his kingdome but wholly the aduauncement of his cōmmon welth and that it séemed to his iudgement more profitable for the same to be ruled and gouerned by good and holesome lawes than by good Princes bycause Kings being ouercome by their affections may erre and goe astray as wel as others of whose doings the lawes wil take smal place And it is most certain as the deuine Plato saith that as the Prince is such is the people And also Ecclesiasticus sayth as the Iudge of the people is such are the Ministers And in the booke where Cicero doth interprets those Lawes which the .xij. tables doe containe there is one laws written that doth straightly commaunde all Magistrates to liue discretely without offence to the end they may be examples to guide and shewe the wayes to others where afterwardes he addeth to these woords Euen as sayth he by the viciousnesse and couetousnesse of Princes the city is infected so likewise by their continency it is reformed and amended after he concludeth If thou wouldest search sayeth hée the doing of the old world past thou shalt find that as the princes did always change their maners so did also the inhabitants of their prouinces Antigonus King of the Macedonians writing to Zeno as Laertius teacheth after many purposes alleged of doctrine and felicitie he brought in for his conclusion that like as the Pastor shal be brought vp and enriched with vertues euen so shall his flocke be And it is euen very so for Herodianus writeth that the citizens be but as the fignets of the Prince for they doe nothing but as they sée them do Agesilaus aforenamed the very mirrour and paterne of vertue although he was King of the Lacedemonians yet neuerthelesse he would be séen oftentimes in the mids of winter being olde and crooked go rounde about the towne without hauing any apparell vppon him and many one maruelling that he could endure it did demaund curteously of hym wherfore he did so to this ende sayd he that youth shoulde learne by mine example to harden themselues to labor and paciently abide all aduersities that shall happen vnto them We reade also in auncient histories that the same ambicious Monarch Alexander being in the farthest part of Afrike was constrayned to be thrée dayes togither himselfe and hys whole armie without anie thing to eate or drink afterward hauing gotten vittuailes he would sée that all his souldiours should first be satisfied before him self would once touch any meate His great frende Parmenio being astoonned at thys his great pacience in forbearing to eate demaunded of him the occasion why he did so to this end sayd he that my people seing a proufe of my pacience in so daungerous a place should bée sharpened hereafter the more pacientely to beare and endure the rigoures and extremities of the Warres But why doe we consume so muche time to rehearse the examples of the Ethnikes seing that Iesus Christ himselfe a witnesse irreproueable did first begin to put the ordinaunce of the lawe in exercise before he toke vpon him to teache others as he sayde he came not to breake the law but to fulfil it Hearken a litle to that which that zealous man of Iustice S. Paule hath written speaking to those that were the brekers of the lawes which they themselues had made and established thou sayth hée that teachest others doest not thou therin teach thy selfe and yet thou doest preache that a man shal not rob and thou thy self dost rob thou sayst that a man ought not to cōmit adultry and thou thy self dost break wedlock thou hatest Idols and yet thou committest sacrelege and glorifying thy self in obseruing the law thou dost dishonour God in breking the same Aristotle maketh none other d●fference betwéen a King and a Tyrant but that a King obeyeth the lawes leadeth the course

I dyd wishe in my heart my lyfe to haue bene lesse glorious so that my deathe mighte bée more honoured for a wicked deathe causeth greatly the lyfe to bée suspected and the happie ende and deathe dothe commonly excuse the wickednesse of the lyfe Nowe wée haue sufficiently manyfested and proued by many reasons and arguments and by sundrie Prophane Hystories how that Kings and Princes are subiect to all infirmities of nature and other accidents of fortune as heate colde hunger sickenesse sodayne death and such● like chaunces as well as the moste vilest and simplest of any of their Subiects and that also they are all vnder one GOD one Lorde and Creator who will exalte the humble and méeke and bring low the fearce and proude and before whom we shall appeare at the latter day to bee countable for our lyues to receiue equally the rewarde of our offences and deserts It resteth now for vs folowing the accustomed maner to confirme the same by the examples of the holy and sacred Scripture in the which we haue many maruellous testimonies how the Lorde did ouerthrow the arrogancie and presumption of proude and hauty Princes Saule who was by the election of God the firste king of the Israelites for his greate pride was ouerthrowen Ozias was in the beginning of his reigne a good and vertuouse man and walked in the wayes and commaundements of the Lorde but when he was in prosperitie and had al things that he could wish and desire became sodenly so infected with pride and blinded with ambition that he tooke vppon him the office of the Highe Priest but for a recompence of his offence he was caste into a Leprosie and taken away aswell from the felowship of his people as the administration of his kingdome Holofernes the proude trusting to muche to the strength of his men at Armes and souldiers would striue agaynst God who shewing by his mightinesse that with the twinkeling of an eye he coulde ouerthrow him suffered Iudith to execute his vengeance and to cut off his head Amon that was so well beloued of king Assuerus that he had the chéefe office of honour vnder him in his Realme through his pride and crueltie going about by all the meanes he could to exterminate and destroy the people of Israell was by the permission of God in the ende hanged vpon the same gallowes that he had prepared for the innocent Mardocheus such are the iudgements of God that when he beholdeth out of his celestiall Throne our humayne state and séeth our great pride and insolencie he doth so chasten vs and pul vs down to the grounde that he maketh vs to be contemned euen of the moste basest sorte That wise king Salomon béeing one of the richest Princes vppon the earth knowing the hurte and damage that presumption and Pride bringeth to them that are infected with all dothe exhorte vs to eschue it and saythe The Lorde will pull downe proude Princes oute of their seates and will set the humble in their places which thing also his father king Dauid did alwayes acknowledge amongs other things saying I haue séene the wicked exalted and lifted vp as the Ceder of Libanus but when I passed by againe they appeared not I searched for them but I could not finde the place where they were If the Kings and mightie Princes of the earth would marke wel this varietie of Fortune and how shée is appliable to mutation who at an instant dooth exalte and lift vp one euen vnto the heauens and at a sodein pulleth downe an other from Scepter and crowne euen into a stinking and pestilent prison they would not be moued to looke so high as they doe Ecclesiasticus doothe witnesse vnto vs that the wise and poore infant is more woorthe than the auncient and foolishe king that knoweth not how to foresée things to come Zedechias the King and his sonne being besieged in Ierusalem by Nabuchodonozar were taken prisoner the towne and the temple burned and had his eyes pulled out of his hed his sonne killed in his presence And in the end him selfe died prysoner in Babilon Nowe to the contrarie that holy Patriarke Ioseph being prisoner loking for none other thing for a comforte to all his miseries but a shamefull deathe was at a sodaine made and ordained Prince and gouernor of all Egipt but to the ende our discourse shall be well beautified with Examples we will set forthe before your eyes many Emperors Kings and Princes that were vnknowne bothe of linage armes force and beginning that haue bene by the fauoure of fortune exalted to the rule of Realmes Kingdomes and Empires And for that the Romaines amongs all other nations haue left vnto their posteritie moste ample testimonie of their noblenesse and vertue we will begin with Tarquinius Priscus a man of a seruile estate his Father being a poore marchante of Corinthe banished and exiled oute of his Countrey and his mother a seruaunte was elected king of the Romaines did ordaine them newe lawes greatly augmented their puissance and shewed him selfe so woorthy a man in his doings that the people thought themselues very happie they had chosen suche a personage to be their king Seruus Tullius king also of the Romaines who did triumph .iij. times for his good successe obtained maruellous victories was the sonne of a poore seruaunt in respecte wherof he did alwayes beare the name of a seruaunt Arsarces king of the Par●hians was of so base a condition and meane birth that his beginning was neuer knowne at any time to his posteritie who being retired from the subiection of Alexander was the first that began any kingdom amongs the Parthians a people muche feared of the Romaines who for a perpetuall testimonie of their king would néedes be called Arsarcidias Antipater that succeeded in the realme of Macedome after Alexander was the sonne of a Iugler as Seneca dothe witnesse vnto vs Cambises that great king of the Persians was descēded of a poore parentage And Darius the first king of the Persians was the sonne of a Carter Midas laboring and ●illing the earth was by the Greekes called from his husbandrie and made king Sostenes was made king of Macedonia although he was descended out of the most basest house of his prouince and notwithstanding many great Princes did couet the dominion therof yet neuerthelesse he was preferred before al others for his vertues Sibaris that was seruaunt to an Inne keeper had in maryage the sister of Cyrus and was made king of the Persians Thelophanes a Carter was chosen king of Lydia Tamberlen that great king of the Scyth●ans in our time who named himselfe the scourge and wrathe of God by whome he woulde execute his vengeance was the sonne of a swineheard Mahomet that firste did driue Camels for his liuing became in the ende king of Arabic All which things and others being wel weighed and considered by that diuine Plato sayd there were fewe

of Antioche to conuert them to their law And this thing was had in vse and obserued immediately after the beginning of the world by Abraham who did send into Mesopotamia the most auncient of his Seruauntes to entreate of the mariage of hys sonne Isaac as it is written in Genesis Balaac also Kyng of Moab sent the most sagest and eldest for Embassadors to séeke Balaam to cursse the people of Jsrael as it is written in the booke of Numbers And as Dennis Halicarnaseus wryteth likewise that Ethuriens willing to intreate of peace with Tarquine chose out of euerye towne one auncient man for the accomplishment of their Legation Abraham that good Patriarche knowing very well that wisdome and sagenesse did for the most part accompanie white heares ordayned for chiefe of his house the eldest and auncientes of his seruauntes The auncient Romaines in the election of their Magistrates did alwayes preferre the most eldest Solon the lawmaker of the Atheniens did forbid them to receiue any young men to the rule of their common wealth And Cicero in his booke De Senectute writeth that they did vse the like in Macedonia in the I le of Ta●rabanum they do not choose their kings of the ofspringes of Nobilitie as we do accustome but they choose him for their Prince that is most auncient wyse and sage The Arrabians likewise assoone as their King is dead they choose the most auncient men to rule and gouerne theyr Prouince as writeth Diodorus Siculus Iulius Frontinus writeth also that L. Paulus did wishe for the publike profite and cōmodite that Emperors and the chiefe of armies should be auncient men Philostrates in the life of Pelonius writeth that Vespasianus beyng of the age of .lvj. yeares did excuse himselfe when he was chosen to receiue the gouernment of the Empire and sayd he was euer yong thinking that his yeares were not sufficient to execute so great a charge And is it not written in the Ecclesi●stes that cursed is that lād that hath a Child to their king and amongest other threatnings that the Lord sendeth by Esay to his people he promiseth to giue them yong kings as though he would say I wyll sende you destruction ruine Fulconius Nicomachus made a continuall prayer to his Gods wherin he prayed them that they would defend the land frō a yong king And it is a maruelous and straunge thing to behold that brute beastes euen by the prouidence of Nature will rather obey to the old than to the yong as Pliny a great searcher of the properties of Beastes doth witnesse to vs when he sayth that amongest the Elelephantes that most auncient doo guide and leade the troupe and the other go after acknowledge them for their heades and chiefe Aelianus the Greeke Historian writeth likewyse that the little Antes going into the fieldes to make their prouisions for the winter suffer the moste auncient to go afore and are contented to be guided by their order and aduise Now the Prince being thus instructed by such a number of histories here before rehearsed in what reuerence and estimation the auncients had alwayes old age and that they haue happily bene ayded by their councels it is necessarye then that they do not determine of any waighty matter with out their aduise councell and assistance following therein the councell of the Prophet Iob which saith that wysedome and sagenesse doth remayn in the old and auncient men and in the pluralitie of yeares consisteth experience and sapience as contrarie in youthe lyghtnesse inconstancie euer prompt and enclyned to all euill who when they once goe astraye into wantonnesse and insolencie they do not only animate themselues but likewise they do infecte those that followe their aduice and counsell What happened to Roboam in reiecting ouer lyghtly the councell and aduice of the olde and aged men admitting yongmen but euen the losse of the better parte of his Realme and Kingdome we haue also an other example of two Kings of Juda the one Ieconias being counseled by Ierimie obeyed thereunto and found it verie profitable for him and the other Sedecheas verie obstinate woulde not beléeue him but béeing hardned in his malice was cause of the ruine of his Citie generally of al the people We could more easely alleage an infinit nūbre of examples by the which yée vnderstand of many subuertions straūge accidents that might haue falne vppon many Kingdomes and Empires bycause they did lyghtly and without good consideratiō commit themselues to be gouerned and ruled by the aduice and councell of youth But forasmuch as it is not our principal intent so highly to magnifie olde age that we should therby séeme to deface and cut off all hope from yong men to be called into Princes seruices and to cause them to loose therby the celestiall gyftes that the Lorde our God hath imparted to them I will aleage an infinte number of yong men as well out of the sacred scriptures as other prophane authors that haue painefully trauelled in the administration of the common wealth and which by their worthye and famous actes haue merited to be preferred before the aged is that yong Prophet Ieremie who was ordained by the Lord ouer people and kingdomes to pul vp by the rootes destroy make waste to build and plante and that yong infant Daniel which was in his yong years made a Iudge and Scipio Affricanus was not afraide in his yong yeares to demaund the dignitie of the Aedilicial to whome it was sayde his capacitie was not sufficient nor his yeares agréeable for the same who answered he had yeares sufficient if the Senate would dispence therwith as he made it very well to be knowne afterwards for where vertue is liuely imprinted and rooted the few numbre of yeares can not darken it Likewise Caesar made it to be vnderstanded that prudence was not to be measured by yeares who was sodeinly cut off by death before he coulde performe al his deuises and purposes And Rullius Decius Coruinus Sulinus Flaccus Manlius Torquatus Germanicus and an infinite numbre of other rulers of common wealths euen as obortiues and maugre their yeares were chosen and set vp in dignitie but with suche a testimonie and ornature of their vertues that they haue left good cause to their posteritie to iudge that the aduauncements of the common wealthes hath not consisted only in the white haires of olde and auncient men The Atheniens beare good witnesse thereof who were deliuered from the crueltie seruitude of the Lacedemonians by the worthinesse noblenesse of Iphicrates béeing but of the age of .xxv. yeres who aboue the hope that was loked for of one of his yeares did restore them to that state that many aged and valiant captaines loosing their trauayle and labour coulde not by any meanes accomplish And we leaue to speake of Alexander béeing but onely at the age of .xxxiij. yeares the

very periode of his age was Monarche of the whole worlde and not contented with such victorie as he had gotten but caused the earth to bée digged thinking that he shoulde fynde an other worlde to conquere Oh a greate noblenesse of a Prince that thinketh he hath doon nothing if there remaine yet any thing to bée doone It is not therefore now my purpose as you perceyue to exclude and banish yong men from the presence of Princes no more than I couet to speake euill of them but bicause I doo desire for the perfection of the Prince he should be without all faulte and blemishe euen so for that the counsel of olde and auncient men is more assured lesse suspect than the counsel of yong men I do wish in the respect that they would more frequēt the one than the others ¶ The seuenth Chapter Hovve that Kings and Princes ought chiefly and moste principally to haue the estate of christian Religion in great reuerence and estimation and to shevve themselues louers of the same and that they ought also to be very diligent and carefull to punishe the blasphemers and contemners therof and vvithal to purge their dominions and realmes of al heretikes and Sectaries for the vvhich there is shevved many examples of erronious sects together vvith the false doctrine of Mahomet his life and death and by vvhat means and suttletie hee hath suborned and seduced so many people and hovv many Emperors kings princes after they had persecuted the faithefull of the Churche of God did not escape the sharpe vengeance of his vvrath but dyed in the end of some shamefull and horrible death WE haue here in this laste Chapter intreated generally of such vertues as are méete and cōuenable for Princes for the worthy gouernments of their realmes and dominions and now we will speake of one speciall vertue without the vse and practize wherof all the others are but vayne and of no value and that is holynesse and pietie towards God with an ardente affection and zele to hys true religion which with Princes ought to be had in more greater recommendacion and estimation than their owne proper liues Iosias one of the most vertuous princes that euer did bear scepter after that the booke of the lawe was found in the temple and that he had heard it red he assembled al the most auncients of the people and being accompained with all the Prophets and priests went into the Church and there sitting in hys seate royall made an allyaunce before God to obey to his commaundements statutes and ordinances and made all his subiects to promise that they should accomplish all the words of the same allyaunce according to the couenant of the God of their fathers which they did obserue and keepe during all the time of the life of this king Iosias There is one notable lesson writtē in Deuteronomie for kings and princes where it is sayd You Princes and kings whiche are set vppon the throne of your kingdomes receiue the lawe and haue it alwayes with you and reade it all the days of your life to the end you may learne to feare the Lord your God and to kepe his lawes and commaundementes and sée that it do not depart your mouths but thinke of it day and night that you may accomplish all that is written therin and then your realmes and kingdomes shall prosper with al ioy felicitie open your eares you that iudge the costes of the earth and rule the multitude and take pleasure in numbers of people authoritie and power is giuen you of the Lorde and strength from the highest who as Daniell sayeth chaungeth times and ages putteth downe Princes setteth them vp and choseth them amongst the most humbliest sorte of men Receiue discipline and be learned you that iudge the earth serue the Lorde in feare least he be wroth for he will looke vpon your dooings and will searche your thoughts bycause that you being ministers of hys kingdome haue not iudged rightly and iustly nor haue not regarded the lawe of righteousenesse nor haue not walked in the pathes of the lord He shal therfore appeare to you in his rigorous iudgement when he will iudge seuerely them that haue sitten in the seate of iudgemēt and the mightie ones shal be mightely tormented and punished Enter into your selues therfore you Princes and dispoyle your selues of these humain affections that holde your eyes blind acknowlege the graces that the Lord hath bestowed vppon you whiche are comprised in the secret misteries of this heauenly philosophie The kingdomes of Israell did alwayes prosper very well as long as they were gouerned by good and vertuouse Princes as Dauid Iosaphat Ezechiel and Iosias who had alwayes the feare of God before their eyes but to the contrary vnder Achab Manasses Ammon and other such wicked idolaters and cōtemners of true religion they were always tormented and afflicted and in the ende vtterly ouerthrowne For during the tyme that Salomon walked in the wayes of the Lorde he possessed his kingdom in tranquillitie but after that he had buylded temples to Idols all the worlde was agaynst him It is mans duetie and most chiefly required at the handes of Princes to haue the house of the pure and sacred places in remembraunce And specially those that are without reliefe decayed and become almoste ruinate by continuaunce of tyme according to the example of that good prince Dauid who spdéeily and with al diligence reedified the tabernacle and his sonne Salomon with a maruellous magnificence the Temple of the lord Zorobabel was greatly commended bycause that after from the captiuitie of Babylon by the ayde of Esdras he reedified the temple of the Lorde As likewise Iudas Machabeus did restore the temple polluted and prophaned by Antiochus But what a gracious testimonie haue we in Esay of the allyance that kings haue made with the Churche Where he sayth The kings and princes shal giue thée milke and shall be thy nursses they shall doo honour and reuerence vnto thée with their faces flat vppon the earth kings shall walke in thy lyght and shall buylde thy walles they shall bring vnto thée golde and siluer and shall serue thée thou shalte sucke the milke of nations and thou shalte bée nourished of the breastes and teates of princes Oh Jerusalem thou holy Citie of God all the countreys vppon the earth shall woorshippe thée strange nations shall bring thée presents and shall worship the Lorde in thée and shall account the earth holy where thou standest they that shall contemne thée shall be accursed and they that shall blaspheme thée shal be condemned But those that shall buylde thée shall be blissed By the patterne of this churche is figured the Christian Churche And when Kings and Princes haue established and set in order all things that is necessary concerning true religion they oughte with greate discretion and policie to deuise and establish lawes to chastise

day against vs before God the iust iudge and searcher of all secretes FINIS ꝙ Iames Chillester Bookes bee Iudges without feare or affection Fearefull friendes Those that doo flatter Princes and lead them to wickednesse Th● des●ription of the arte and industrie of the flatterers of the court Many common weales haue bene made ruinat by adultery Philosophers are rebukers of wickednes Alexander for hys perfection desireth to bee like Diogenes The tyrans themselues doe honour learning Nero a murtherer of hys dere frends The cruell death of Seneca Zopyrus a deare friend to Darius Philosophers gouerners of Princes Ieremie 1. Esaie 58. The trueth ought freely with al libertie to be pronounced openly Ezechiel A medicine for such as do offende and wil not be reprehended openly Tom. 6. Ho. 15 vpon .5 Luke A maruelous puissaunce of the remorse of conscience Deuterono 28. Wicked men be vexte and troubled as the waues of the Seas Nero Caligula tormēted in the night w●th passions God causeth euen the very reprobate too taste of ●y● Iudgementes Iohn 3. The worm of the consciēce of the wicked neuer ceaseth gnawing and byting Esay 66. Epicurus patriarch of the Athiests Epicurus cōstrayned too confesse the remorse of conscience The conclusion of the woorke The reuerence due too Superiours Leuit. 19. Ecclesiast 18. Exodus 22. 1. Pet. 2. Jn reading the actes of the wicked men are called from doing wickednesse Luke 10. The d●finitiō of a King. Kings and Princes are the ●●nely Jmages of god Psalm 2. Kings and Princes are Gods Lieutenantes vpon the earth Similitudes of kingdomes and common wealthes appeare in al things The imperial Heauen is cheefe of all the others The Sun is the cheefest and Prince of al the lightes in heuen The Fire is more excellent than all the other Elementes although some be of contrarie opinion The East part is more noble than the others The temperat zone best Asia better and more noble thā other parts of the earth Golde is the Prince of all mettals Bees haue their King. Plin. lib 11. The king of the Bees exceedeth the other in gretnesse and in beauty The king of the Bees hath a Sting not to hurte but for defence A maruellous obediēce of Bees to their King. Funerals bee obserued amongs Bees Bees if they any way offend the king they kil them selues The Persiās kil thēselues after they haue offēded A maruellous affectiō of beastes that they wil die for their Kings Mapheus Vegeus Men may receiue instruct●●●● of Beas●es Man more ingrate vnto his Ruler than brute beasts Cranes haue their captens and leaders Genesis 25. The watche of the Cranes The first murder committed in the worlde The first citie that was builded Genesis 1. The beginning of kingdomes Narration What time the f●●ce of armour was first knowne Kings and Prince● w●re ordeined immediatly after the begīning of the worlde The firste cause why Kings and Princes were chosen and instituted Kings and Princes t●k● not the●● first beginning of glori● and ambition as some iudge The second cause Scipio Afrianus Rome deliuered from ●he conspiracie of Cateline by Cicero Iohn 6. The third cause Nothing is auncienter than Sinne. Testimonie of Scripture for obedience of kings and Princes Haue a good regard to the meaning of Paule for he is very obscure in th●se wordes I ha●e trans●ated this ●c●●●in● to the Gr ke word 1. Pet. ca. 8. Herodotus reprooued Reward promised giuē for vertue The fourth cause Iosua 13. Histories of the olde Testament 1. Reg. 17. 2. Reg. 5. God the first authour of Kings The Lorde himselfe dyd choose a king 1. Regum 9. Apoc. 19. Dani. 7. Math. 2. Christ payed toll Mat. 17. Mat. 22. Paule commaundeth to make prayer and supplications for kings and princes Baruch 1. Paule pleads his cause before Nero. The earthly kingdoms in many things doe accorde with the heauenly kingdome A notable question Monarchia is the gouernment executed by one Democratiā cōmonwelth Aristocratiā cōmonwelth The Aristocratian common wealth preferred by some opiniōs Solon Licurgus Demostenes Cicero Many common wealthes haue bene ouerthrowne by the Aristocratian Gouernement The excellencie of the cōmonwealth of Venice 1200. yeares since the Venetians begā their first gouernement The councell of Appolonius to Vespasianus The councell of the cōmon people is like to a brushe that is vnbound and throwen abrode or to a Riuer that is runne out of the chanel Such as haue bene euill enintreated in their owne Countries Socrates Metellus Hanibal Camillus Licurgus Valerius Solon Monarchia preferred before any other common wealth Homere Aristotle All things ruled by one The Prynce is the soule of the Citie A testimony of Nature The scepter and crowne accompanied with many thornes A King is a lampe which shineth and giueth light vnto all the worlde Saule a good man in the beginning of his kingdom The raigne of Salomon Caligula Nero. Methridates Of .22 kinges of Iuda there were but six good The Kings of Israel wer wicked men Good Emperors of Rome The Assiriās Persians Grekes Egiptians The entent of the au●or The doings of the publike members of the cōmon wealth are more notable and perillous than of the cōmon sorte Princes instituted chiefly for vertu 1. Kings 9. Plutarch in his Aposth The Gouerner ought alwayes to be better than his subiectes Kingdomes ought to be gottēly wis●●m and not by sauor and affe●tion Alexanders iudgement at his death Prouerb 26. Agesilaus king of the Lacede●● mans He that sinneth● 〈◊〉 a● bon●● 〈◊〉 Nero. Alexander a drunkarde Hercules ouercom with enuie and h●ordome Micheas 7. In his Economiques Our sinns be our ch●efe enimies Pet. cap. 2. Boetius Horace in his Odes Plutarch mayster to Traiane the Emperour Plutarch● epistle The Prince ought to obey the lawes Augustus Cesar an ernest obseruer of Law● A iust cause of anger of in Cesar A great loue of the Father towardes the Sonne Zeleucus Valerius Maximus Such Prince suche Subiect●● Antigonus writeth to Zeno. Herodianus A meruelous abstenence of Alexander Act. cap 1. Math. cap. ● Roma 2. Aristotle The Tyrant gouerneth none otherwayes but by his vnbrideled desire Aristotle in his politiques A vertuous aunswere of A exander in a Flatterer Sicknesse is the cause oftē times that mē do knew thēselues There is noth●ng that do the more stir and prouoke the common people to vertue thā to s●e the Prince the first to put it in execution Eccle. ●0 1. Kings cap. 13. Euil wicked Princes haue alwayes ouerthrowne their people 4 Kings cap 25. VVised 6 Knoweledge requisite for Princes Salomon The Prince is the eye of the common wealth Salomon VVised 6. The staye of the common wealth doth consiste in the wisdome of the Prince Prouerb 8. Cursed bee that Realme whose prince is a Child Deutre 17. Plato The law-makers Augustus Emperour and Iudge Sueto ca. 33 The Emperour ought to die with trauell Philostra●es li. 7. Suetonu● vpon his life Dion Cassius Emperors Judges

noble in his working So that wretched no way may thou bee Except foule lust and vice do conquere thee Thy rebellious hart therefore subdue Suppresse the vain passions of thy minde Pull vp vice by the roote thy harte renue So shalt thou great rest and quietnesse finde And let not that euill thought possesse thy minde Bicause thou arte a Prince and Gouernour That the Lawe of thee should haue no power Plutarch the most excellent Philosopher being Scholemaster to the Emperour of Rome Traianus borne in Spain in whose time the Romaine Empire was of greater possession than it had béen euer before or hath béen since fearing that the Emperor should fall into some vice and might therby something staine and blemishe the excellencie of his Empire vpon a time sent him a letter wherein was conteyned that which foloweth Forasmuch sayth hée as Rome can not endure a wicked and cruell Emperour and that the people are accustomed to attribute the offences of the Schollers to the Masters as we haue in example of Seneca against whō they did murmure for the iniquitie of Nero and of Quintilian that was reproued for the disorder and boldenesse of his Schollers I will frankely exhorte thée that the first thing that thou oughtest to do for the conseruation of thy Empire is to refourme thy selfe and to enter into the inner partes of thy soule and to pull out by the rootes the vices that are there remaining besieged and them by violence to euerthrowe and beate downe For if thou do not foresee the same in time in stead of commaunding thou shalt become a bonde man all the dayes of thy life for the victorie which we haue of our selues without all comparison is more worthy than that which is gotten of others and then after thou hast subdued and beaten downe thine owne affections and desires thou mayst fréely take vpon thee to commaunde others By which saying others before are manifestly declared that it is not the chiefe poynte that belongeth to a Prince onely to rule or commaunde men but it is requisite that if he will be obeyed of others firste to maister him selfe and ouercome and vanquishe his owne desires and affections otherwise of hee geue him selfe ouer as a pray vnto wickednesse he shal be thought as farre vnworthy the Scepter and Crowne as he in no poynte dothe merite to be called a man. ¶ The fifth Chapter Hovv that if the Prince desire to haue his Common vvelth to be vvel gouerned it is moste meetest and necessarie that he him selfe obey and obserue the lavves that by his good examples he may teache the vulgare and common people to do the like and liue in feare and obedience tovvardes him IF the Prince doe desire to haue the cōmon welth wel ruled and gouerned it is necessarie that he render himself obedient and subiect aswell to his owne propre lawes as to others ordayned and established by his auncestors and namely to such as do concerne the reformation of manners which shal no wayes derogate his dignitie Royall For there is nothing that doth further so much or better induce the people to make themselues obedient to the lawes as when they see their Prince first of all endeuour himselfe to obseruation of those things which he hath straightly commaunded And therefore Solon that great lawmaker of the Athenians being demaunded what was best for the gouernment of a city he answered redily That the Prince should obserue kepe his owne lawes Iesus Christ perceyuing the Scribes and Pharisies to burden the pore people with rigorous commandements of the which they them selues did not obey one did reproue them grieuously and sayd to them You bind heuie and vnsupportable burdens vpon other mens shoulders but you your selues will not once put to your finger And for as much as Cicero sayth that the heart that minde the oracle and answer of the common welth is placed in the lawes and ordinances which are made for the publike administration and do contayne as it were the seat and mansion house of the same it is most necessarie that the Prince do render himself obedient to the lawe for the authoritie and force of a Prince doth depend vpon the conseruation of Iustice and ther is nothing that doth more set forth the maiestie of a Prince than that hée do submit himselfe to the reason of the law written Augustus Cesar Emperor of Rome had the lawes in such estimation and reuerence that hauing on a time broken the same being ouercome with choller for a iuste cause was so sorrowful for the same that he thought he should haue died The same Augustus on a time made a very straite and rigorous lawe for the punishment of adulterie after which lawe made he had a daughter named Iulia whose chastitie was in suspition and in the ende for hir incontinencie exiled but afore hir offence might be well verified there was a Gentleman suspected to haue had the companie of hir in dyshonour which thing the emperour vnderstanding as well by the cōmon brute as by other coniectures that he had gathered was constrayned to dissemble the matter for auoiding the slander of his sayd daughter but as fortune gaue occasion the gentleman by chaunce encountred the Emperor and hauing no way to escape but must néeds méet him Cesar being pricked by iust indignatiō to sée before him the violator of his daughters honour toke him by the haire of his head saying thou vile traytour hast dishonored mée and my daughter but this bolde villaine knowing the honour and bountie of this good Prince sayd vnto him with a stoute countenaunce Cesar wherfore dost thou condemn mée thus execute Sentence without any manner of proces serued vpon mee as though I were condemned of the offence thou doest contrary to the lawes and ordinaunces made by thy selfe Then this good Emperor being amazed in himself and ashamed of this light faulte that he had committed against his lawes went home to his Pallace and continued two dayes without eating of any thing so that hee was neere deade for sorrow We haue also an other maruellous example which may seeme hard of disgestion to those who haue not knowledge to vnderstande what person he representeth that sitteth in the chiefe place of dignitie nor knoweth not what discretion and duetie oughte to be obserued towardes the superiours of Fabius that yong man who exercysing the Consulship seeing one daye his father comming on horsback approching nere the Consistorie commaunded sodaynly one of his officers that he should go and will him to lyght of his horse and go on foote which this good olde man did with muche payne for he was so olde and croked that he could scarcely hold himselfe vpryght whereat all the rest of the Councell were ashamed for the insolenly of this yong man that séemed to beare so small reuerence and honor to his aged father but the good olde man made so good an interpretation of this his