A Looking Glass for Princes and Peoples Delivered, Book 1 · Part 3 · Part 2
Of Princes difficulties & dangers.
IT lyeth then on Princes to exercise their Gift, as they3 Kings hauehave great difficulties. would proue the liuelinesse of it: and this brings on them a world of difficulties: There is none in their Kingdome of a more laborious life. The Head that moveth all must hauehave action in it, and the heart is in a continuall motion, to furnish fresh Spirits to the bodie: Great is their taske to know the state of their Subjects, to heare the plaints of the poore, to represse the insolencies of theQui imperāt serv…nt eis quibus videntur imperare. Aug. Societati humanae dominando consulitur & consulendo servitur. proude, by causing minister Iustice to all. God hath set them aboue their Subiects, but that same exalting in some sort putteth them vnderunder, because they are servants to their Subiects, in that they watch for their weall and safty. I herefore the Apostle in that same place where hee calleth them supereminent powers, calleth them also the Ministers of God, to minister Iustice, for hee is the Minister of God to thee for thy good. They are Gods Ministers, attending continuallie vponupon this verie thing. They hauehaveRom. 13. 1. 4 supreme power, bowing downe to a Ministeriall worke, and a Ministerie cloathed with supreme power.
Many are quicke-sighted to see the defects of Governement, And great dangers.who will not see the difficulties and dangers of it: for beside the weight of such a Calling, the most lawfull vse of their coactiue power, beareth them on many dangers, either in punishing the vniust, or affraying them that would bee so: Every curbed humour by feare of punishment fretteth against them; God hath fenced them indeede against briares and thornes with their supreme authoritie, and yet sometime they feele their sharpnesse. It is impossible to them to please all, yea, not to curbe many in execu…ing Iustice, and their danger is not so much from open Enemies and secret male-contents, as from their friends and Attendants: The force of the one is not so fearefull as the treason of the other: Their guards are to keepe them safe, and yet are they often in greatest danger in the midst of them: So both solitarinesse and Societie are dangerous to Princes.
They reigne over the multitude, wherein are moe vniustIustice irritateth vnrighteous men. than iust, and moe that will bee offended than pleased: And in every Kingdome, the mightie and the people are as two factions▪ and Princes saile betwixt them as two extreames, but the vpright ministration of Iustice is the best wa…: Private men can hardlie please both parties, but Princes cled with authority neede not sticke in these strai…es, but to giuegive everie man his due. This is theCausa supplicis non est iusticia iudicis. &c Aug. de Trin. lib. 4 cap. 10. great benefite of Iustice, that beside the natiue & intrinsecall goodnesse, it hath also this accessorie good, to make a safe way for Princes, betwixt contrarie factions. When a Iudge inflicteth punishment, the cause of punishment is not the Iustice of the Iudge, but the merite of the Crime. (a)God guardeth Princes by a speciall providence.
Greatest Princes hauehave greatest cares; and the largenesse of their Dominion enlargeth their labour; as great hollow Statues overlayed with gold, are full of wormes, and Spiders, so the greatest Monarchs vnderunder show of worldly glorie are full of noysome cares: All these cares should indeere them in the hearts of their people, because they are not for themselues, but for their people: A good Princes wakerifenesse keepes the sleepe of his Subiects: His labour, their idlenesse: His businesse, their vacancie: and his care maketh them carelesse. The greatnesse of a Prince is as much for his peoples good, as it is aboue them. Great businesse with dangers and difficulties are their ordinarie dyet, vnderunder which they would succumbe, if God supported them not with as great a Spirit to dispatch businesse, contemne dangers, and expede difficulties: So that though their Crownes bee of Gold, yet they may bee called Crownes of thornes and their just …mbleme, is a man sitting in a Chaire of state with a naked Sword hinging by a small haire over his head: But God the King of kings hath a speciall care over them, and guardeth their persons by a particular providence, l…st his sacred image in supreme authoritie should bee violat by everie miscontent humour.Flatterres are a snare to Kings.
These are their seene dangers, but they hauehave another enemie lesse hated, but more hurtfull, and that is, Flatterie, (the bane of greatnesse) it followeth it as the shadow doth the bodie, and lookes not to truth but to acceptance, and putteth a visorne on the natiue face. Sathan durst thereby assault Christ though hee despaired of successe, how much more will he assault sinfull man where he is sure of victorie: Hee knoweth that even they who overcome vice are often corrupted with praise. Scarcelie is there one who giveth not patent cares to flattery, and as they will not patiently suffer evill to be spoken of them, so if they liue well, they would bee counted of: And who is hee whole vertues breaking foorth desireth not to bee commended? Or that contemneth the praise of men? Princes therefore are most exposed to the praises of mankind, both for their eminencie as an obiect, and for their power to requyte with reward: Flatterers hauehave suggested that poyson to Princes, as to make them thinke their will is a law, their power the measure of their will, and that supreme Reason and their pleasure are all one: They labour to possesse them with the opinion of compleate absolutenesse from dependance on any Author, from limitation by any Law, from errour in their doing, and from reckoning for their doings to God. All men by nature like to bee rubbed with this Combe, and with a deceiving delight admitte that praise which their Reason and Conscience refuseth: But the angrie countenance of a wise King will scatter these flies.
For expeding these difficulties, some Princes hauehaveIt is faintnes to lay down their Crownes. vsed the faint remeede to lay downe their Governement. Diocletian re signed his dignitie to Galer…us, and turned privat. It was not so much for sa…ietie of honour as impatiencieNicephor. Euseb. Ruffin. Diocletianus post cruentam …aedem in persecutione, &c Constan. apud Euseb. lib …. cap. 25. of disappointment: Hee had for eighteene yeares cruellie persecuted the Christians, and not beeing able to roote them out (as hee desired) hee satisfied his miscontentment by retirednesse and privacie: The Martyres courage made him a Coward, and hee brake his owne spirit in despite, because hee could not breake them, the Name of Iesus was more glorious by his persecution, andBar…n. Ann…. 304. nu…. …. in end hee dyed miserablie. This was the hand of God throwing him downe from the toppe of honour which he abused: Hee would bee worshipped as a god, but fell low from the Throne to a Garden; and from the Scepter to a Spade: & more from an affected Godhead to a male-contentment; but indeede that swelling conceate of a Godhead was a worse fall than when he turned private. Lotharius also resigned his Kingdome to his Sonnes, and beeing wearie of the imperiall Crowne, hee would take on him the Monkish shaven Crown, and render himselfe to a Monasterie. This last age also saw some of it in Charles the fist; so long as hee was zealous for God, and earnestlie sought Reformation, God blessed many great things in his hand. But when the Pope fedde his ambition with the baite of the Impyre of Germanie, and he had devoured it by hope (a conceate where with his house is drunke vntill this day) then heeBell. Smalea. persecuted the Protestants with an vniust and civill war. After that, never thing prospered in his hand, but God cast him in such disastures, as suffered him not to brooke the publicke; and therefore choosing retearednesse to digest them, hee was digested and overcome by them. Such a dispositiō in Princes is a deserting of their place, their gift, & themselues; and on Gods part a just desertion dryving them in the straits of a private spirit, who hauehave prevaricat in his publicke service: The largenesse of the heart is the vprightnesse of it When it dilateth it selfe on God by Faith and affection; but when men close their Heart vponupon God by seeking themselues, they are both separate from him and excluded from themselues in that selfe-respecting.
But the best remeede to overcome all these difficulties1 Pietie the first remeed of these difficulties. are Pietie and Prudence. Pietie directeth them in all actions towards God, & maks them in their adoes to depend on him, it holdeth them daylie with him to seeke both the gift, and the vse of it, in his assisting and blessing of their labours. Though hee be high, he must day lie doe homage to God, who is higher than the highest, as he wold hauehave his presence with his Governement. The more hee pray ardently and looke on God, he shall the more finde wisedome in that Fountaine, & hauehave a paterne to work himselfe to, in the vse of that Wisedome. The compleate furniture beginneth at the Spirit of the Lord, and is specified in Isa. 11. 2.the Spirit of counsell and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and closed with the feare of the Lord, or true pietie.
The hight of their place exempts them not from this dependance, but subiecteth them the more to it; the heavier their but then bee, the greater neede hauehave they to seeke Gods helpe: Their businesse seemeth to stay devotion, but the necessitie is a spurre to prayer: The more businesse, the more necessitie of helpe, and the more felt necessitie the greater earnestnes with God for a blessing: Davids a does made him not forget his devotion, but heePsal. 119. 164 keeped his day lie dyet thereof: Seven times a day doe I praise thee because of thy righteous Iudgements. God hath ever noted religious and devote Kings with excellentThe popes profainnesse in the Consistorie. Blessings in their Governement.
This makes mee remember a grosse impietie in the Consistorie of Rome. When the Pope is absent, the oldest CardinallPalaot. de consul. Consist. pag. 373. M…rum nemini esse debeb…t—quod prop… ter sactissim… Christs Vicarii praesentiam—sed ad secretioris my sterii significatione…. prayes vntounto God to blesse their adoes, but when hee is present, hee praves none at all: Let no man (sayeth their Cardinal) Think it strange if the Pope pray not for the assisting grace of Gods Spirit, because it is likelie he prayed before he came thither. Besides it hath beene observed that because of the presence of the most glorious Vicar of Christ, who is thought to bee assisted by the grace of the Spirit, that Ceremonie is not keeped as in other places, and that not to withdraw any thing from due devotion but to signifie a more holie and sacred mysterie: So that the imploring of Gods assistance is but a Ceremonie to them: That is a mysterie of iniquity to thinke any man exeemed from a necessity of praying vntounto God for a blessing to his a l…es: What is it, but to tell that the Pope is a god, and needeth not implore Gods ass… stance? As though Gods presence were superfluous, where that pretended god presideth: Or shall wee say, That God maketh him proclaime himselfe the man of sinne, by so profaine a misregard of God in his weightiest adoes.Dist. 40 cap. Convivia. Their Canon Law inioynes their Clergie to blesse their meate, and hath not their Consistorie affaires greater necessitie of a blessing? It was the height of Pelagius prideRecede a me non te …abe… necessarium. Hieron. advers …elag to bidde God adien, for hee had no neede of his helpe: And what other doeth the Pope? Hee contemneth the preaching of the Word as a base service, though it b…e indeede the most Apostolicke, and thinketh the Consistoriall affaires onelie worthie of his greatnesse: If therefore hee be so profaine in that hee counts most weighty? What devotion hath hee in lesser matters? Since they hauehave left off to preach, no wonder they cease to pray,Nullum tibi venenū, nullum gladium magis formido quam, &c. Bern de consid. lib. 3. Bellar. de officio Principis lib. 1. cap 22 Illius ergo …bis virtus quaerenda est, &c. Gregor. lib. 6. Epist. …. 9. and their style to Princes that was to blesse, request, exhort, is turned now in a mandamus & volumus to command and will. Bernard feared this pride in his Scholler Eugenius: and Bellarmine exponeth it rightlie, that the businesse of the Court of Rome would stay devotion in him: If hee condemnes that slacknesse in Eugenius, why reproved hee not that grosse Impietie in Paul the fift, whom hee saw act it in the Consistorie: But the older Popes had more devotion, and acknowledged that in their adoes his grace was to bee implored, without whom wee are no where without perrill and sinne.
The second necessar vertue is Prudence: There is no creature more vnrulie than man, and the more reasonable in nature, the more vnreasonable in his actions, turning the2. Prudence expedeth difficulties. quicknesse of vnderstanding to plot and practise wickednesse: Hee is more vntractable than the Beastes, impatient of equitie, but more of servitude, and in a naturall blind louelove of libertie, he hateth them that governe. As for the multitude, it is called a Beast of many heads, but voyde of Iudgement, they measure all things more by the events than causes, and the events by gaine or losse: Their knowledge is rather a guessing than Science; theThe multitude vntractable. vulgar opinion maketh all the Topicks of their Logicke, and the fashion of the world is all their morall wisedome; they know nothing but extremes Hosanna, or crucifie: extreme louelove or hatred without moderation. They are credu lous of all surmises, and expone all to the worst sense: They are so desirous of Novelties that Providence is counted Lazines, but headie-violence is taken for Courage. They are the basest part of the Kingdome, yet they craue greatest consideration: The terrour of Princes to hemme in their absolute power: And a raging sea that cannot be stilled by force, but must bee sailled by the Carde and Compasse of prudence if Princes would eschew ship wrack. Therefore there is no morall vertue more necessa… to Kings than Prudence, and that amongst other studies (to enable them to governe) they studie the disposition of their people, and speciallie of such as they trust with their affaires: Nations, Families, and Callings; hauehave their owne complexions as well as particular men, and will change with times and occasions, by prosperitie or adversitie, a peaceable or a severe governement: and it is a part of fatherlie prudence to know the temper of his Sonne: So David led his people in the integritie of his heart, and according Psal. 78. 72.to the discretion of his hands.
This Prudence leadeth Princes to Moderation a speciallModerat Governement is durable. piller of their Thrones: Extremities are onelie necessar in extreme cases, which cannot fall oft to them in respect of the eminencie of their power: If Rehoboam had followed the moderation of the Auncients, hee might hauehave keeped the ten Tribes to the house of David: Mans rashnesse2 King. 12. and peremptorie courses make way to a precipice, which hath no evasion but ruine. Moderat Governement hath ever proven durable, but violence is a degree to tyrannie, and overthrowes it selfe. Moderation is both Gods command, and ever followed with his blessing, and most powerfull to rule man, who is a reasonable creature, but violence is forbidden and abhorred of God, and punished with selfe-ruine. Wisedome then is as necessar to King as reason is to a man: It is his greatest habilitie inlarging his heart to conceiue, and direct things aright, as hee conceiveth them: Hee compasseth his affaires in his minde, and levels all to the best end: It is in him the Image of the Auncient of dayes, who hath all thinges ever present, and disposeth them sweetelie and powerfullie: Thereby things past are made present by remembrance: things to come are present by fore-sight, and present things by that vniversall view, are rightly ordered and applyed to their circumstances: And so the King by wisedome stablisheth the Land.Prov. 29. 4.