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master_n father_n king_n servant_n 3,226 4 6.7708 4 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A05575 Tvvo bookes of constancie. Written in Latine, by Iustus Lipsius. Containing, principallie, A comfortable conference, in common calamities. And will serue for a singular consolation to all that are priuately distressed, of afflicted, either in body or mind. Englished by Iohn Stradling, gentleman; Iusti Lipsi de constantia libri duo. Lipsius, Justus, 1547-1606.; Stradling, John, Sir, 1563-1637. 1595 (1595) STC 15695; ESTC S120692 104,130 145

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signe giuen killed them euery man vsing the like cruelty against all the residue whereby hee lefte vtterlie without an inhabitant that populous cittie kinge Mithridates by one letter caused to be murthred 4 score thousand citizens of Rome that were dispersed ab●oade throughout Asia about their marchandise and other affaires Volesus Messala being Proconsul of Asia slue with the sword 300. in one day then walking proudly among y e corpses with his hands cast abrod as though he had atchiued a worthy enterprise cried out Oh kingly deed I speake onely of prophane and wicked heathens But behold also among those that are in name consecrated to the true God Theodosius the prince most mischieuously and fraudulently calling together at Thessalonica 7000. innocent persons as it were to see plates sente in souldiors among them and slue them Then the which facte there is not any more impious among the impieties of the old tirants Goe to now my cuntry men of Belgica and complaine of the tyrannie and trechery of prin●es in this age CHAPT XXV The tyranny of our time is extenuated Shewing that the same is a thing incident either to the nature or malice of men And that both externall and internall oppressions haue benne in old time FInally thou dooest accuse moreouer the tyrannie of these times and the oppressions of body and minde It is not my purpose ambitiously to extoll this our age or to afflicte and grieue it For what good woulde come thereof I will speake of that that maketh for my purpose of comparison When were not these euills rife And where not Name me any age without some notable tirannie or any cuntry if thou canst doe so let me abide the danger of this hazarde I will confesse that we be the most wretched of all wretches Why houldest thou thy peace I see the old taunting by-word is true That all good princes may be written at large in the compasse of our ring For it is natu●ally geuen to mens dispositions to vse imperial authority insolently neither can they easily keep a meane in that thing which is aboue mediocritie Euen we our selues that thus complaine of tiranny do beare in our brestes some seede thereof and many of vs doe not want wil to performe it but ability The serpent being be nummed with cold hath yet his poyson within him but doth not cast it out So is it with vs whom only imbecility keepeth back from doing harme and a certain coldnes of Fortune Geue strēgth giue fit opportunity or instruments and I fear me that they which now are so querulous against mightie men will be most vnruly themselues Wee haue examples in the common course of our life See how this father tyrannizeth ouer his children That master ouer his seruants Another scoole-master ouer his schollers Euery one of these is a Phaleris in his kind And they do stirre vp waues as much within their riuers as kinges doe in their great Seas Neither are other liuing creatures free from this natural disposition Among whom many do exercise their cruelty vpon their like in kind both in the aire earth and water As it is wel said of Varo So little fish to great ones are a praie And sillie birdes the greedie hauke doth slay Thou replyest yet that all these are only oppressions of the body But now this passeth all the rest that we endure also seruile oppression of our mindes Is it so indeed Of our mindes Take heed this bee not spoken more enuiouslie than trulie Hee seemeth vnto mee to knowe neither himselfe nor the celestiall nature of the mind which thinketh it may be oppressed or constrained For no outwarde force can euer make thee to will what thou will not or to beleeue that thou beleeuest not A man may haue power vpon this bonde or fetter of the minde but not ouer the mind it self A tyrant hath power to loose it from the body but not vnloose the nature therof Such things as bee pure euerlasting and of fierie nature set nought by al external violent handling But saist thou it is not lawfull for mee to expresse my mind freely Be it so herein thy tongue alone is bridled not thy mind Thy iudgment is not restrained but thy acts But this is a strange course neuer before herd off Alas good man how art thou deceiued How many could I recount vnto thee who for their vnaduised tongues haue suffred punishment of al their senses vnder tyrantes Howe many of them haue indeuoured to force constraine mens iudgments yea their iudgments I say in matters of religion The kings of Persia and of the East made it an ordinary custome to be adored And we know that Alexander assumed to himselfe the same diuine honor his own plaine countrey men the Macedonians misliking it Among the Romanes that good and moderate prince Augustus had his Flamines Priests in al prouinces yea in priuat houses as a God Caligula cutting off the heades frō the images of their heathen gods caused the likenes of his own to be put in their steeds and with a ridiculous impietie he erected a temple instituted priests and most exquisit sacrifices in honor of his own maiesty Nero would needs be taken for Apollo and the principall citizens were by him put to death vnder this pretēce because they had neuer sacrificed before the heauenly voice As for Domitian he was commonly called our God and our Lord what vanity Lipsius or impietie wer it to speak ought at this day against any king I purpose not to sail nerer this gulf wherinto no stormy winds of ambition shal euer draw or driue me for the reward of silence is void of danger I wil alleadge only one testimony concerning all this matter of seruitude in old times that out of thy familiar writer which I wold haue thee well to mark Tacitus writing of Domitians time hath thus We read that it was made a matter of death whē Petus Thrasea was praised vnto Arulenus Iusticus or Priscus Heluidius to Herennius Senecio Neither extended this cruelty vnto those authors only but also to their books the Triumuiri hauing the charge committed vnto them to see the monuments of those excellent wittes burned in open viewe of the people and in the market place Forsooth they supposed by that fire vtterlie to abolish or suppresse the speaeh of the people of Rome the libertie of the Senate and the consciences of all mankind Expelling more ouer al professors of wisdom and banishing al good arts to the intent that no honest thing should remaine in vre Surely we haue giuen a notable experiment of patience And as the olde ages haue seene the verie highest degree in libertie so haue wee felt the vttermost extremitte in seruitude The verie societie of speaking and hearing being taken from vs by straight inquisitions We should also haue lost our memorie with our voice if so be it