imployment in Christian States therfore the best the best ablemen in kingdomes and States haue that prouident care assigned them being a wisdom aboue the reach of common capacity wherewith God is pleased his Church aduanced kingdomes continued in reputation and greatnes which without such prouidence would like vnrepiared building rotte and ruine in their decaye 10 But all the trickes of euill Policy like so many Traytors to God to his Church and to all Christian society ought to bee banished the confines of euery Christian place and to be excluded the consultations of reuerend honorable Senators and to haue place onely in their knowledge but neuer in their consent and practise In respect of the Prince of soueraigne of State CHAP. VI. T The Prince is the Soueraigne or principall of euery State by whom the lawes haue authority and the life of execution And therefore these respects are most considerable in his person on whose good or euill disposition the good or euill fortunes of a kingdome dependeth Euery Prince in his kingdome being the helme by which the whole body is moued and inforced to mooue as hee is moued For Princes are the precedents of God in respect of vniuersall power and generall obedience For as God the King of all the world doth moue all occasions in the world at his pleasure altering translating and establishing according to his diuine wisedome euen so kings here on earth the petite resemblances of God alter and confirme at their pleasure within their own liberty iurisdiction bineding their subiects to conformity and generall consent 2 And for this cause they are called Gods because like God they haue generall power ouer the States of all their subiects And as the dignity of a Prince doth worthily challenge a prerogatiue ouer all degrees of men so in them there is a naturall descent of noblenes and pregnancy of spirit whereby they are made fit to manage those weighty and great occasions which are common in the care of their gouernment 3 Therefore in them there is most soueraigne vse of Religion and Religious Policy without which they cannot discharge the duety of their kingly office to God supply the necessities of their kingdomes nor support their kingly reputations All which necessary seruice hath beene the practise and pleasure of all Religious Kings of former times wil be in the race of holy Kings for euer 4 If then I be demanded what is first and principally required in the person of a Prince I will answere Religion if what is next I will answere Religion if I be still further vrged I would still answere Religion for that must be the first the middle and the last of all his cares and that principall whereupon his kingly building can onely haue sure foundation 5 Religion then is the necessary in the person of euery Christian Prince all other cares being but seconds and subordinate to this one most absolute for therfore are kings Potentates and Superiours ordained of God and therfore haue they authority of superintendance ouer multitudes of people not for themselues or for their owne glory but for the seruice of their master and supreme soueraigne who hath giuen them these dignities for the seruice of holy Church that by their authority men may be forced to the obedience of holy Religion and that the disobedience of their people may be reduced vnder a Ciuill and a Christian gouernement and therefore are Kings and Queenes called the nurse-fathers and mothers of the Catholique Church because their National Church and euery child of grace in that Church liueth vnder their tuition and their protection for which they are countable before Gods tribunall 6 Againe Religion is not onely of necessity in the person of a Prince but of Religious Politique consequence also for that Prince or Potentate who is truely Religious hath not onely for his recompence the rewards of heauen which notwithstanding doeth abudantly satisfie more then any mans desert but also all other temporall blessings doe of necessity depend vpon the fortunes of him that is Religious And therefore peace plenty honour victory all these or as much of these as in the wisdome of God is thought conuenient for their happines are alwaies found in the fortunes of holy Princes to whom God doth apply himselfe and the largenes of his bounty when they apply themselues to God and to the seruice of Catholique Religion And this is conforme to that Iudgement of diuinity First seeke the kingdome of God and all other blessings shall be cast vpon thee 7 As Religion is most necessary so Religious Policy is much required in the person of a Prince because euery Christian kingdome consisteth of two States Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill the which like a body and a soule are vnited and made one State vnder the gouernment of one absolute Prince And as the naturall body and soule of a man liue not by one and the same meanes though both participate their seuerall blessings So in the State of Christian kingdomes the Church is the soule the State is the body whereof is compounded a Christian kingdome And therefore is it a speciall wisedome in the discretion of Princes to order this soule and this body of State by proper and peculiar directions For many things are needfull in the Church which are not in the State and many things lawful in the State which are not in the Church the State hauing by much a greater liberty in her directions 8 For the State then it is needefully required that the Prince bee Politique and haue vnderstanding in secrets of most curious search wherein he must bee moderated by his Christian iudgement that no vnlawfull Policy enter further then his knowledge whereby his Kingly reputation should bee stained with vngodly practise And therefore whatsoeuer is euill must be onely knowne and whatsoeuer is good must be onely practised especially with Kings whose seates are aboue all men because they ought to bee neerest God in sanctimonious life being neerest him in place and because all mens eyes are vpon them and euery mans desire is to fashion them 9 For me to aduise a Prince and to giue directions would assuredly be thought presumption because flattery and feare haue corrupted the writings of many men most men applauding the fortunes of the present times how vnfortunate so euer and flatering the Prince vnder whom they liue in the exercise of much vnlawfulnes Whereby such writers deny God deny their acknowledgement of Truth and deny that seruice to their King and Nation whereby both King and kingdome might be benefitted of which base feare I will euer be innocent And therefore I would boldly declare my iudgement euen in this particular but that the Christian labour of a Christian King hath preuented me whose learned iudgement and kingly experience hath made him better able to aduise in all such directions then my selfe or then any man I thinke this day liuing 10 These things ought a Prince to doe
Now what he ought not to doe must be considered which briefely is but this that his proceedings in the administration of his kingly office bee not vniustifiable before God and Conscience that in his consultations of State and in the exercise of Armes wherein ther is ineuitable necessity of Policy and stratagemes there be not admitted an vnlimited liberty of all Policie whereby the cause without the effect and the effect without the cause is barely considered but that God may bee still in the eye of all such busines and that the iudgement of Religion may determine all State consultations what is or what is not lawfull in euery worke of State 11 And therefore of antient it is that in the State counsells of Christian kingdomes Religious men either Archbishops or Bishops haue had and haue precedency in all such honorable assembly of States men because their iudgements might determine the lawfulnes or vnlawfulnes of such Policies as in that assembly of Senators were propounded Therefore in euery action and in euery consultation of State wherein there is necessary vse of Policy it is most needefull that the Prince declare himselfe Religious and that hee iudge euery practise and euery Policy by lawfulnes and not by conueniencie onely In respect of State Gouernours CHAP. VII IN this particular of State Gouernors it may seeme that not Religion but Policy is most considerable because in their common busines of State wherin they haue continuall trauell they commonlie incounter with many Politique and desperate designes in the secret practise of their State enemies Against which practise their wisedomes aduise vpon such Politique preuentions as may best frustrat the euill purpose of their enemies And therefore it may seeme that the seruice of their place doth challenge a liberty in the vse of all Policy being to incounter with polititians and practises of all Natures 2 To which I answere that there is no such necessitie of euill Policy in these worthy Senators of States for euill is not to be resisted with euill but with goodnesse neither is Religious Policy so defectiue as to be supplide with vngodly practise or not of it selfe to furnish the wisedomes of men with sufficient strength against al vnlawful attempts and all pestilent contriuements 3 And therefore as all men so States-men are bound within the limits of honesty and lawfull warrant beyond which there is no Policy or practise can be lawfull This strictnes of lawfull Policy is the square wherewith euery Religious States-man in the world doth fashion all his Policies in which conscionable consideration there is both pietie and Policy pietie in conforming obedience to holy rule and Policy in obseruing such order in their counsels as may make the practise fortunate assured because that God doth euer forward the lawfulnes of proceeding but doth often oppose his power against iniurious and vnlawful Policies 4 Neither is it of any perswasion that the great Polititians of the world not onely practise but publish vnlawfull Policies framing arguments of conueniency to conclud against the testimony of God and Religion because such men howsoeuer of Christian name were notwithstanding of heathenish iudgement and of diuellish disposition in whom in whose iudgement may be obserued this most grosse error that whereas all the trauels of State are onely seruices done for the State of Religion they would haue Religion with all other occasions serue for the aduancement of State By which most iniurious wicked iudgement they would depose the King to aduance the subiect and diuorce the wife to marry the maid but as themselues so their reason is wicked and senselesse for as the soule doth exceede the body in the dignity of their Natures so doth the Church the State and so doth Religion Policy 5 It is also very worthy of note that the antient Romanes a people most famous for ciuill gouernement in the time of their Aristocracie being gouerned by Consuls and Senators had in all their great affaires of State a precise regard to honesty and that no dishonourable practise might euer disgrace the trophy of their victories And this scruple they were taught by the wisedome of nature and by their great experience in ciuill gouernment And therfore in them it was strange and worthy that hauing no diuine law but the law of nature only to instruct them yeelded themselues notwithstanding to this obedience whereto they were not forced but onely by their owne election And this their naturall deuotion to the law of nature may iudge and condemne all dishonourable and dishonest practise in the Christian world 6 And though the Christian world be full of example which haue deuised and practised proiects of most fearefull remembrance and though many of these practisers haue beene men of State in Religious States yet is that of no perswasion to corrupt the noble and Religious affection of Religious gouernours of States because discreete men liue not by example but by rule for rule is euer constant and certaine but custome and examples are not but shift their fashion according to mens diuers dispositions And therefore such examples are like Sea-markes which allure not the prouident passengers to approch but to shunne them rather and by these euill examples of bad men are good men admonished and resolued in their honest and godly resolutions 7 Therefore in the strictnes of conscience euery Counsellor of State and euery politique instruction of euery Counsellor is bound with certaine limitations beyond which they cannot goe without offence For if the Policy he aduiseth respect the Church and the State of Religion such Policy must either directly or by necessary consequence intend the glory of God otherwise the Policy is bad practise and the Polititian wicked 8 Againe if the Counsellor aduise in matter of State and ciuill gouernement in such aduice there must be charity lest for some vngodly respect they aduise not the profit but the calamity of many thousands such was the Counsell Rehoboham had giuen him by his yong polititians 9 Lastly if the counsell we giue concerne our enemies yet there is a mercy euen in that respect for in euery man of godly disposition there is a gratious pity which will disswade not the dammage but the destruction of our enemies The want of this pity was punished in that diuellish politique counsell of Hammon who because his reuenge was bloody had therefore God for his enemy and his destruction 10 In respect of Gouernours of State then Religion and Policy are most considerable Religion being the vtmost end whereto they direct their lawfull Policies and good Policy the meanes whereby their Religious States stand and flourish in prosperous reputation And vndoubtedly the truth of Christian Religion in al christian States may be argued from the obseruation of their State practise and from the lawfull proceeding of Politique gouernment 11 For if the Politique State be found guilty of dishonourable practise it layeth an imputation and iealousie on the State of Religion
in the maine purpose of his calling which is the common good and not his owne good the prosperity of State and not the thriuing of his owne state 12 And herehence it is that such as by these meanes raise their base beginning to an extraordinary degree of fortune haue their conscionable dealing much suspected because the lawfull profits of their place cannot so speedily nor so highly raise them And therefore let euery man in such place be assured that as the conscionable discharge of his office is a matter of high merit a Religious care and a seruice very gratefull in the eyes of God so to be withdrawne with the perswasion of any by-respect from the true purpose of his office is a practise of euill Policy whereof the seruice of his place hath no need and whereof hee ought to bee altogether ignorant 13 And let no man encourage himselfe in these vanities with the hope of prosperous fortune or with the loue he hath to the glory profits of this life For at the instant of dying al the profits and al the pleasures in the world cannot giue a man that comfortable farewell as al such haue who die with the witnes of good conscience for good conscience sweetneth the sorrowes of death maketh the pangs of death pleasurable whereas oftentimes the hauing of much causeth the loue of much a loathnes and extream sorrow to leaue our heaped pleasures And therefore in the discharge of euery duty let a man loue conscience rather then profit and Religion rather then Policie In respect of Honour Military Courtly CHAP. IX THE names of Honor are the rewards of vertuous deedes or the gifts of princly fauour They are giuen men for distinction that by them may be knowne who are gratious vertuous or of honorable merit And therefore do all men greatly desire these titles of honour because they giue men speciall reputation and perswade the world that such honours could not bee had without speciall deseruing And among the honourable there are none more noble then such as aspire the degrees of honour by the steps of vertuous reputation because they persue not the name but the nature of honourable action hazarding themselues thorow many dangers and difficulties to attain so faire a name 2 And this was the cause that in the old world the most forward and valiant spirits howsoeuer of noble or princely birth thought themselues dishonourable and but of common worth before they wonne their honorable name by some braue aduenture neither would those tims inuest men with dignities of honor that were not either braue in action or graue in consultation either Senators or Souldiers because such men are the onely weapons and armour of a kingdome whereby the enemy is both resisted preuented and vanquished 3 And as those times so these times make it the generall ayme whereto they leuell al their honors though there is no King or State but doth often misse in many particulars And therefore in respect the Nobility are of best estimation and commonly of best merit these respects of Religion and Policy are very considerable in them their affection to good or bad being of great consequence in a kingdome hauing authority and interest in the hearts and estates of many 4 If we should reduce to memory the honourable and famous men of former times and should number vp their memorable victories what charge what care and what trauel they haue spent for the honor of Christendome and the Christian Religion it will appeare that neuer any had better zeale to fight Gods quarrell then they many of them vowing the whole seruice of their liues to those holy warres the which they maintained with so much resolution and valour that their renowne is like their happines eternall 5 Againe if we search the records of time and inquire after the most worthy and famous Stats-men we shall finde their names in the ranke of honourable personages who in their counsell chambers haue preuented conspiracies and ouerthrowne huge Armies of resolued enemies For besides their gifts of Nature they are extraordinarily fitted for these affaires by speciall and painefull education 6 And therefore the great Empires of all times haue had care to elect such choice particulars from among their nobility as were of best sufficiency vpon whose wisedomes the strength and State of the whole Empire reposed Such was Vlysses amomg the Geekes and Quintus Fabius among the Romans such hath our Nation had and yet hath many vpon whose vigilancie and trus◠the affaires of greatest State do principally depend 7 To vnderstand these titles of honour I will distinguish them They are either deriued or giuen deriued honours are such as descend by inheritance in a succession of vntainted blood Honor by gift is when any one for his honorable deseruing hath such command or place giuen him as for his owne life makes him of honorable estimation the which honour though it descend not like the former to posterity yet is it of very noble deseruing and doth conclude the worthinesse of him so honored 8 There is an honour also without name vnknowne and vnregarded which being hid in the darknes of aduersity and poore fortune cannot appeare to knowledge nor raise itselfe to deserued dignity For in many men who haue the formes of basenes and contemptible fortune there is a braue and noble disposition whereby they are fitted for all honourable exercise the which though it want the imployment of honorable action whereby their worth would be both knowne and honoured yet there is no power of fortune can depresse their generous spirits or disgrace them in their owne vnderstandings 9 And therefore some are honored by nature not fortune as these poore ones some are honored by Fortune and not Nature as many rich ones and some are honoured both by Nature and Fortune and such are both good and gratious in the eye of the world 10 To consider then how these import this purpose of Religion and Policy we must againe diuide the degrees of honor into Militarie and Courtly because their diuers imployments haue great dissimilitude And first for military honour the which in the Christian world hath had such noble exercise as that the prosperitie of Religion may seeme to haue marcht vnder the hope of their victorious colours 11 And this is euident in the view of former times when Religigious zeale did incense the noble spirits of generous and braue gentlemen to spend both their substance and liues in the seruice of Religious warres against all the prophane enemies of the name of Iesus both Turke and euery other mis·beleeuer by whose victorious hands the enemies of God were kept back from the spoile they intended on Christian Religion 12 And among these many may be specially remembred such as by speciall obligation did binde themselues to intend these holy warres onely and such were those knights of Rodes of Malta and Ierusalem and others who notwithstanding their knowledge