The Holy State, Book 5 · Chapter 17
Chap. 17. The Tyrant.
A Tyrant *He is two-fold, 1. In Titulo, (properly an Usurper. 2. In Exercitio, whom we onelyonly describe.is one whose list is his law, making his subjects his slaves. Yet that is but a tottering Kingdome which is founded on trembling people, which fear and hate their Sovereigne.
He gets all places of advantage into his own hands: yea he would disarm his subjects of all sythes and pruning hooks,Maxime 1. but for fear of a generall rebellion of weeds and thistles in the land.
He takes the Laws at the first, 2rather by undermining then assault: And therefore to do unjustly with the more justice, he counterfeits a legalitie in all his proceedings, and will not butcher a man without a Statute for it.
Afterwards he rageth freely in innocent bloud. 3Is any man vertuous? then he is a Traytour, and let him die for it, who durst presume to be good when his Prince is bad. Is he beloved? he is a rebell, hath proclaimed himself King, and reignes already in peoples affections, it must cost him his life. Is he of kinne to the Crown, though so farre off that his alliance is scarce to be derived? all the veins of his body must be dreined, and emptyed to find there and fetch thence that dangerous drop of royall bloud. And thus having taken the prime men away, the rest are easily subdued. In all these particulars Machiavell is his onelyonly Confessour, who in his Prince seems to him to resolve all these cases of conscience to be very lawfull.
Worst men are his greatest favourites. 4He keeps a constant kennel of bloud-hounds to accuse whom he pleaseth. These will depose more then any can suppose, not sticking to swear that they heard fishes speak, and saw through a mil-stone at mid-night: these fear not to forswear, but fear they shall not forswear enough, to cleave the pinne and do the deed. The lesse credit they have, the more they are believed, and their very accusation is held a proof.
5He leaves nothing that his poore subjects can call their own but their miseries. And as in the West-Indies thousands of kine are killed for their tallow alone, and their flesh cast away: so many men are murdered merely for their wealth, that other men may make mummey of the fat of their estates.
6He counts men in miserie the most melodious instruments: Especially if they be well tuned and play'd upon by cunning Musicians, who are artificiall in tormenting them, the more the merrier, and if he hath a set, and full consort of such tortur'd miserable souls, he danceth most cheerfully at the pleasant dittie of their dying grones. He loves not to be prodigall of mens lives, but thriftily improves the objects of his cruelty, spending them by degrees, and epicurizing on their pain: So that as Philoxenus wished a cranes throat, he could desire asses eares, the longer to entertain their hydeous and miserable roaring. Thus Nature had not racks enough for men (the Colick, Gout, Stone, &c.) but Art must adde to them, and devils in flesh antedate hell here in inventing torments; which when inflicted on malefactours, extort pitie fom mercifull beholders, (and make them give what is not due) but when used by Tyrants on innocent people, such tender hearts as stand by suffer what they see, and by the proxie of sympathy feel what they behold.
7He seeks to suppresse all memorialls and writings of his actions: And as wicked Tereus after he had ravished Philomela cut out her tongue; so when Tyrants have wronged and abused the times they live in, they endeavour to make them speechlesse to tell no tales to posterity. Herein their folly is more to be admired then their malice, for learning can never be dreined dry: though it may be dambd up for one Age, yet it will break over; and Historians pens, being long kept fasting, will afterwards feed more greedily on the memories of Tyrants, and describe them to the full. Yea, I believe their ink hath made some Tyrants blacker then they were in their true complexion.
At last he is haunted with the terrours of his own conscience. 7If any two do but whisper together (whatsoever the Propositions be) he conceives their discourse concludes against him. Company and solitarinesse are equally dreadfull unto him, being never safe; and he wants a Guard to guard him from his Guard, and so proceeds in infinitum. *Comineus Comment. lib. 1. juxta finemThe Scouts of Charles Duke of Burgundy brought him news that the French army was hard by, being nothing else but a field full of high thistles, whose tops they mistook for so many spears: On lesser ground this Tyrant conceives greater fears. Thus in vain doth he seek to fence himself from without, whose foe is within him.
He is glad to patch up a bad nights sleep, 8out of pieces of slumber. They seldome sleep soundly, who have bloud for their bolster. His phansie presents him with strange masques, wherein onelyonly Fiends and Furies are actours. The fright awakes him, and he is no sooner glad that it was a dream, but fears it is propheticall.
In vain he courts the friendship of forrein Princes. 9They defie his amity, and will not joyn their clean hands with his bloudy ones. Sometimes to ingratiate himself he doth some good acts, but virtue becomes him worse then vice, for all know he counterfeits it for his own ends.
10Having lived in other mens bloud, he dies commonly in his own. He had his will all his life, but seldome makes his Testament at his death, being suddenly taken away either by a private hand, or a publick insurrection. It is observed of the camell that it lies quietly down till it hath its full load, and then riseth up. But this Vulgus is a kind of beast, which riseth up soonest when it is overladen; immoderate cruelty causing it to rebell. Yet Fero is a fitter motto then Ferio for Christians in their carriage towards lawfull Authoritie, though unlawfully used.
We will give a double example of a Tyrant: the one an absolute Sovereigne, the other a Substitute or Vice-roy under an absolute Prince.