The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. The true uſe of Stratagems.
THE managing of war, according to the nature of war (as you know) is either Defenſiue or Offenſiue (taking the denomination from the chiefeſt part) otherwiſe a pure unmixt war, eſpecially if it be defenſiue, will proue but a poore one. It may likewiſe be diſtinguiſhed in regard of place, in field-fight, and oppugnation of holds. In both which ſervices, before I come to touch the particulars, let this poſition take place without controverſie, That ſtratagems are both lawfull and neceſſary; neither doe they (being lawfully uſed) deſerue the name of deceit. That they are as uſuall as war it ſelfe, there is no queſtion; Witneſſe all that hauehave written of war. Vegetius; Stuchus, Egnatius, Polyaenus; and Frontine who hath foure whole books of Stratagems. But becauſe the examples of men muſt rule us no further then they are ruled by the Word, you ſhall not onelyonly ſee the examples of Gods people in his warrs, warranted by the Word, but alſo Gods own expreſſe direction for Stratagems, for the deſtruction of Ai; though the Lord had decreed it, yet he giveth order for all neceſſary ſecundary means, that might ſerue for the overthrow of it. Ioſ 8.2. Cum justā bellum ſuſcipitur utrū appertè pugnet quis an ex inſidiis nihil ad juſticiam intereſt; dominus enim &c. Queſt. 10, in Ioſua. Dolus an virtus quis in hoſce requirit.Lay thou an ambuſhment (ſaith the Lord) for the Citie behind it. In which words Anſ… obſerveth very fitly, When a iuſt warre is undertaken, wh…ther one overcome by open force, or ſtratagem, it is all one in th… ballance of Iuſtice; for God (ſaith he) commanded Ioſhua th… to intrap the inhabitants of Ai. The very ſaying of the He… then is ſound enough in this point, ſo his termes be we… conſtrued; A Stratagem, or Force, all one to foes. Neither can a Stratagem be properly called by the nam… of deceit; becauſe deceit preſuppoſeth ſome truſt unde… parley, league, or kindneſſe; ſo that this being put upon a… enemy, is rather, as I may ſay, doins acceptus, then dolus d… tus; becauſe he ſhould hauehave looked better to it. The wo… Dolus, that the Poet uſeth abuſiuely (as A…ujnas ſaith) … taken in the better part: wherfore the Ancients when they took it in the worſer part, to make a difference, called it … lum malum. Homer likewiſe taketh it in the better part; ſo… commending Viſſes for his excellency of wit againſt his enemies, and that by juſt proceeding, ſetteth it down under th… very ſame name. It is ſaid of Phillip of Macedo, that he… prevailed more this way, then by all his forces.
But as the courſe is both lawfull and commendable; ſo you muſt look to uſe it lawfully; you muſt not ſhift in falſe deceit and couzenage, under the colour of a true Stratagem. There is as much difference betwixt theſe two, as is betwixt a Magiſtrate uſing the ſword of Iuſtice, and a man lying in wait to cut his neighbours throat.
In every Stratageme there be two things eſpecially to bee avoided, fa…ſe-deceit, and lying; the former hath relation to any league, or parley, or interim of truce, promiſed or proclaimed. VnderUnder theſe terms, to attempt any thing directly againſt the enemy; is on the doers part to deceiue. With this ſoule blemiſh, Lucullus that great Roman Warriour did ſtain all his honour. He being under termes of peace with the Portugals, whoſe forces lay in ſeverall places; deſired them ſo to remain, and he would ſhew every company where they ſhould build and ſeat themſelues moſt conveniently: He commeth to the firſt company, and under ſhew of friendſhip perſwadeth them to lay down their Armes; whereupon he cauſeth his Army to fall upon them, and kill them every man; yea, ſo quickly was it done, Appian in hist. bellor. Hiſpan. perfidiae & non ſtratagematis nomen meretur.that the laſt knew not of the murthering of the reſt. From this treacherous Maſſacre a very few with Viriatus eſcaped. One ſpeaking of this, giveth it the proper name; namely, Perfidie, and not a Stratagem. Likewiſe in a ſtratagem, the leaſt lye is to be avoyded. It is true, that the moſt of your memorable Stratagems, where ſpeeches hath paſt, hauehave been ſtrewed with untruths: but we muſt not uſe in the beſt preſidents, …he leaſt evill that is in them. Gen. 12.27We ſhould follow the Midwiues piety in ſaving the children; Exod. 1. Rev. 19.Abrahams charity in ſecuring of himſelfe, Rahabs mercy in ſaving the Spyes; Ia…obs induſtry in getting of the bleſſing, and Iohn his zeale and admiration of Gods good power, and of the glory of the Saints: but withall we muſt not follow Abraham his counterfeiting, Rachabs, and the Midwiues lye; Iacob his untruth, nor Iohn his do…ing on the Angell.
I know ſome will hold it much preciſeneſſe in Stratagems to be effected with ſpeech, not to allow an officious lye, ſince all ſuch Stratagems hath been ſo effected, and almoſt it is impoſſible without ſuch a lye to bring it to paſſe.
I anſwer. Firſt, what hath been done de facto will not ſerue; but what may be done, de jure, we muſt examine. Secondly, the Word is ſo preciſe both in the generall, and even in the very particular, that it will allow no lye at all. For the generall, this rule is without exception. We must not doe the least evill, that the greatest good may come of it. Rom. 3 8. Epeſ 4.25.As for the particular, put away lying, ſaith the Apoſtle, Lye not one to another. And leaſt men ſhould take theſe places with a Phariſaicall gloſſe; Lev. 19.11that the Spirit forbiddeth lying one to another, that is, to a brother, or neighbour; but to … enemy we may (eſpecially upon neceſſity;) the Spirit will hauehave no lye at all, upon whatſoever good intent, to come from the children of truth. … Ioh. 2.21No lye (ſaith S. Iohn) is of the truth; that is, no lye will ſort with the truth; let the ground or pretence ſeem what it will.
Heathens, that ſees no further then Owles, permits lye… upon ſome neceſſity; foreign. P…ſ…nder. De repub. lib. 3. Iob. 13.17.as a certain Poet, he is not to be blam… that maketh a lye for ſaving his life. Plato affirmeth, that Phyſitians upon neceſſitie, muſt hauehave leaue to lye, that they may comfort the ſick, and hold them up with hopes, although… there be none. But neither recovery of health, or ſaving o… life, is a ſufficient ground for a lye; becauſe we may not lye for the glory of God, which ſhould be deerer to us the… our own ſalvation. Will you ſpeak wickedly for God; and talk deceitfully for him? Hence it is that the defence of an officious lye fals to the ground. We hauehave examples indeed, both of pernitious, merry, and officious lyes, but in the book of God, Duo mendaciorum genera in qu…bus non eſt magna culpa, ſed tamen non ſine culpa in Pſal. 5. Ex ſi quis peccatum non putet ſeipſum decipit.every lye is condemned, and no lye warranted. Auſti… having ſpoken much of the divers kinds of lyes, upon good deliberation giveth this reſolution: There be two kinds of lies (ſaith he) that are leſſe faulty, yet are not voide of fauit… (for he who thinks any kind of lye not to be ſin, deceiveth himſelfe:) Neither is there any reaſon we ſhould uſe this lie, if we conſider it well. Firſt, by this we cannot effect anything; for it is not a lye that can ſaue life, nor gain advantage of the enemy. Secondly, we diſhonour God exceedingly, and ſhew our diſtruſt in the uſing of evil means: Thirdly, and laſtly, we provoke God to curſe his own work, for mixing that with it, which is an abomination in his ſight. We muſt not then imitate Sopyrus mangling of himſelfe, and lay it upon others, though it be to gain dominion to D… rius, glory and grace to himſelfe, and the good of hi… Countrey. Neither muſt Synons cogging craft be a warran… to doe ſo, though it were to gain Troy: Neither muſt we emulate, or imitate the new Synons of Rome; the croaking frogges, and other Papiſts, who are become their crafts-maſters in ſhameleſſe lying, and helliſh equivocation. They are apt ſchollers in Lyſanders ſchoole; tell them to their Thame, as ſome did to him, That by divelliſh lyes, they hauehave brought many maſſacres, treaſons, and outrages to paſſe. They laugh it off, and anſwer with their Maſter, That a man must put on the Fox skin, when the Lyons will not ſerue: that is (as Plutarch expounds it) that which cannot be done by fair deal…ing, muſt by fraud and diſhoneſt meanes be accompliſhed. But they need not goe ſo farre to ſchoole, their hollow fathers, fogged up with deceit, will teach them to caſt the keyes in Tyber, and the Sacrament in the fire, when plain dealing will not ſerue. Yea, old Leo the tenth, hath taught the yong Whelps a Text, which all of them hath by heart, and all the comments upon it: Flectere ſi nequeo ſuperos, &c.Fetch help from hell, if heaven deny you aid.
Neither, laſt of all, muſt we follow a multitude to doe evill: The whole world lyeth in wickedneſſe, and truth and faith hauehave left the world. Men are now grown naturall Cretians. It is a great peece of policy with great Ones, to lye as ordinarily as to ſpeak; but it is a great ſhame and diſgrace to them. Prov. 17.17.Excellent ſpeech becommeth not a foole, much leſſe doe lying lips a Prince. For this quality in great Ones I cannot paſſe a remarkeable paſſage in the Scottiſh Hiſtory. Yong Malcom King of Scots, fled into England from the cruelty of Macbeth, who had murthered his father, and uſurped the Kingdom: Macduff Earle of Fife eſcaped likewiſe from the Tyrant, and comming into England to the King, did ſolicite and incite him with arguments, to labour for the deliverance of his people from the tyrannie of a Traytor: Malcom fearing deceit, which Macbeth by ſundry means againſt him attempted, he deſired to be excuſed, becauſe he had two evill qualities incompatible to Kingly government, namely, avarice and luſt. Macduff anſwered, that theſe might be remedied by matrimony, and aboundance: The King replyed that he would be plain with him as a friend, leſt afterward he might be deceived; that hee had another fault intollerable in any man, much leſſe in a King; There was no truth in his words, no ſincerity in his heart; he truſted no body, neither was hee truſted by any. At which Macdu… brake forth in theſe ſpeeches: Away with thee (ſaith he) the diſhonour of the name of Kings, a monster rather to be abandoned ſociety, then to be called to rule a Kingdom: With which ſpeeches, going away in a great rage, the King got him by the hand and told him; hee put the caſe but to try him, for he was no ſuch man indeed: Hiſt. rer. Scoti. lib. 7.yea, there was not a more religious, faithfull, juſt and magnanimious King amongſt them all, then he was. Davids lie to Achimelech did more hurt then if twenty others had lyed; 1 Sam. 21.2.he ſaid, the King had commanded him ſome ſecret buſineſſe; which was not ſo indeed: And though he coyned upon neer neceſſity, yet cannot he be excuſed of infirmity, although he made no trade of it. This lye coſt the Prieſts their liues, as he ingenuouſly confeſſed, 2 Sam. 22.22.I hauehave occaſioned the death of all the perſons of thy fathers houſe. Beſides; this fault in great Ones, as Kings, Generals, and Councellours, makes inferiours of all ſorts, to count lying a grace. The Courteours of Meroe, a Kingdom of India counted themſelues highly graced with limping and halting, becauſe the King halted. Exemplary ſin in great Ones, maketh ſin common; and vice once common is counted novice, but vertue: though a lyar (as the Poet ſaith) is to bee hated to hell. Yet for all this, that hell is ſo hugely inlarged upon earth, that we are become like the Egiptians, who had no puniſhment for lying, Nullus modus mentiendi & ſumma mē tiendi impunitas. Alex. lib. 6 cap. 10.nor no meaſure in lying. Two ſinnes of all other, the Perſians moſt abhorred, lying and breaking; & theſe two of all others, bear now no little ſway. Yet it were our beſt to break off this ſin. For though we may lye by authority, and no man can call us to account; yet God will call us to an account for every idle word, much more for every lye: And though there be no penalty on earth; yet the Iudge of heaven and earth hath appointed hell hereafter for lyers, if they leaue not of and repent. Rev. 22.15Without ſhall be dogs (ſaith the Lord) and whoſoever loveth and maketh a …ye.
But ſome may reply, what would you hauehave a Spy to doe; how ſhall he accompliſh his buſineſſe, except he deliver ſome untruths? To which I anſwer, as his calling is lawfull, ſo he muſt uſe it lawfully, whatſoever he doth he muſt not ſin; God putteth ſin as a neceſsity upon no man; he may conceale the truth, or ſome part of the truth, change his habite, make ſhew of what he meaneth not to doe: In all which he muſt take heed that they be not in matter of Religion; for that will endure no part of diſsimulation. But ſome may inſtance that ſtratagem of Huſhai in ſubverting the counſell of Achitophel, wherein it ſeemeth he delivereth ſundry untruthes, 2 Sam. 16.16.and that againſt his knowledge; as firſt he ſaluteth Abſolom by the name of King, and that he would be his, and ſerue him. Verſ 18. Fuit officioſum mē dacium. Ambigue ſermone ludificatur.Oſiander anſwereth that it was an officious lye; but Iunius better, That he dallied with Abſolom in a doubtfull ſpeech. Peter Martyr pleadeth for warrant, Divine instinct, becauſe David ſo directed him, ch. 15. v. 34. But howſoever, if there were either untruth, or equivocation in it, it is no warrant for us.