THE portrait OF THE politic Christian-Favourite.  
Originally drawn from some of the actions of the Lord DUKE of St. LUCAR.  
Written to the Catholic Majesty of PHILIP the Great, and the Fourth of that name.  
A Piece worthy to be read by all Gentlemen, who desire to know the secrets of State, and mysteries of Government.  
By marquess Virgilio Malvezzi.  
To this Translation is annexed; the chief State Maxims, Political and Historical observations, in a brief and sententious way, upon the same story of Count Olivares, Duke of St. Lucar.  
LONDON, Printed for M. Meighen, and G. Bedell, and are to be sold at their shop, at the Middle-Temple gate. 1647.   

To the Reader.  
Good Reader,  
A Little Gold is of more value than much Lead, and there is more excellency in a small Diamond, then in the greatest rocks or quarries of freestone,, there is a quantity of virtue, as well as of bigness; and it is the quality, not the quantity that for the most part sets price and esteem upon things. This book though small in bulk, yet is great in worth, and contains more wealth in a little room, than thou shalt find in more capacious buildings. I am confident had Alexander lighted upon this piece, he would have given it entertainment wit●Homers Iliads, in Darius hi●● rich Cabinet, here are briefly an● sententiously set down many excellent and rare State Maxime● and political observations upon some prime actions of the greates●Favourite, to the greatest Princ● of Christendom, the Author 〈◊〉 the marquess Virgilio Malvez Zi, a man so noble and eminent 〈◊〉 very way, that he needs not my pennicell to delineate him; I recommend this piece to thee, as 〈◊〉 gem of great value, and desir● thee to drink it down with no less● cheerfulness and delight, ther●Cleopatra did her rich jewel▪ when she entertained Mark Antony; and so I bid thee heartily farewell.   

An Introduction to the Reader.  
I Never (Reader writ a book, with greater haste, nor with greater danger; for the Enemies of that subject whereof I write, will call me enemy, the Corrivals flatterer, the friends weak, and he perhaps himself, will deem me rash; one will believe I have said more than is said, another will undertake to know I have said less; some will make me say, that which I would not say, and to conclude, it will be much lamented, that I have taken such a freedom and liberty of speech, I do humbly entreat the Lord Duke to excuse me, his friends to bear with me, his competitors to know, that I write not in flattery, and his enemies to believe, that I write not in hatred.  
I confess it an undertaking of no great discretion, to write the actions of any man, without knowing whether he will repute it, a hate, or a kindness; and I shall peradventure be discredited with thee my reader incredulous, that I can set down rules of policy, and cannot put them in practice; for that I could say, the Byt-maker cannot bit a horse; but I mean not to make that servile, which is architectonical, nor write myself a master, wherein I am but a scholar.  
I could say, that if a little house, and a great City, be not the same, that then likewise, the policies of Princes will not be the same with that of particulars; but there I expect no glory.  
I seek for no excuse, all my actions are without policies, for I myself am without interests; professing myself only, to be most affectionate to my friends, & most devoted to my Lords, and this is a known truth to such as know me.  
Nothing did more suspend my pen from writing this book, nor more retard my provocations to print it, than the being most assured, (the perverseness of the times make me speak it) that the world which is full of interests and flattery, will judge me too, to be full of interests and flattery; but now I return to your excellency (great Favourite) and here do publicly protest, that I have writ for truth's sake first of all, for so, nay more than so, do your great actions merit; then, after that ingratitude, for so much and much more, I am indebted to the noble offers, which so exceeding lovingly, you did make be made me, in times that were to me calamitous. And if I have not lighted upon any thing, that suits with your liking; I do humbly again entreat you to excuse me; but if you do happily, value my will to merit a reward; any reward whatsoever, that is not either your favour or your praise, should by me, be reputed for an insufferable injury, and I should be compelled by necessity, to call your Excellency by the name of ingrateful. My family hath never known, how to deserve rewards in Spain, with any other pen then with the Sword; nor with any other ink then with blood; and I am still likewise ready, both with the one and the other, if not to deserve, yet at least to serve.  
I am not of so poor a condition, as that I am forced to write for a reward, nor am I of so arrogant a disposition, as that I write to give instructions; but I am least of all so far from vain, as not to write for praise, which peradventure is my due, if not because I merit it, yet in regard I seek it; for though this affecting of praise be not to be commended, yet is it out of question to be tolerated, because it is borne with us; because it seldom times dies before us, and it many times makes us live longer than we do live.  
I entreat thee Reader, and I humbly entreat thee, (that if ever my writings have been of any merit with thee, either by unloading thee of idleness, or by withholding thee from drowsiness) to be willing to favour me with a belief, that in all my past & present books, I never have meant, nor do ever mean, to blame any living man, either particular Favourite, or private; the hearty devotion which I bear my Lords, nor the tender affection which I bear to my friends, never as yet hath, nor never shall have power, to make me forget that reverence, wherewith I am obliged unto Princes, or that respect whereof I am a debtor to all men. As for my writings they are not figuratively, but literally to be interpreted, nor have they any breath but what they breath; I write not after the Egyptian manner, nor have I said, but what I say; And since I am not willing to say, that which I have not said, be pleased not to make me say, what I say not. I seriously protest, that if any, for what cause soever, be moved to write against me; my purpose is to afford him no answer; for if he write against what I have said, either that I have said will defend itself, or else it will not merit a defence; and then if he write against what I have not said, it nothing belong unto me to defend it.  
For a Conclusion, be advertised Reader; that the book is not yet finished; nor indeed can I desire to finish it, if I do not desire to outlive him, who is worthy to outlive time, and to hold out with all eternity; the All that I write, is not the All that the Duke hath done, nor all that he will do, but it is only a little that I came to hear of, of the infinite of that which he hath performed; it shall be sufficient for me, that if my hand may not have a quill of Mercury's wing, that so I might fly this lofty pitch, that it may have but one of his fingers to point out all the way; and who can tell whether this my book, but only with the lifting up of the hand, may not beat time to a consort of sweet singing Swans, which fly in a more noble air, amidst his fortunate sky? but let the heavens forbid, it should beat time, unto the harsh and importunate discords, of such, who basely trouble, the crystal streams of wisdom and verity.   

State maxims, and political ohservations on the actions of Count Olivares.  
Angel's are the figures of God, Favourites are the figures of Angels.  
The glory of things past, is like the King of Bees without a sting and the vanity thereof.  
The relation of things past, is like the painting of a picture, and some odds there is, in relating things past, and present.  
Historians subject to divers censures.  
What is represented to the eye is more forcible, than what is read in papers.  
In marriage's worth is to be as well regarded as wealth.  
A man's Country is not where, but under which he is borne.  
Man is a tree inversed; whose hold is in Heaven, not in the ground.  
Trees bred on stormy hills prove stronger, than those which are planted in fruitful warm valleys.  
The lawgivers were politicians, & the Law political, but now professors of the Law are become empirics, and the Law itself made mechanical.  
The Stars have always the same influence, but they seem not still to be the same.  
Cyrus was first a King of boys, then of men.  
Why the first borne have the greatest fortunes, and the younger the greatest virtues.  
Riches preceding virtue hinder it, but if they follow, they help it.  
To be always amongst books, is to die amongst the living, and live amongst the dead.  
Nothing of old honourable but valour.  
Glory consists both in knowing and in doing.  
When study is not delightsome, it is a passion, not a labour.  
They that will serve Princes, must spend their youth first in their studies, before they become Courtiers.  
Man a movable world; when he goeth not forward, he returns back, and can no more stand still, then running water, which if stopped, will rather ascend against its nature, then stand still.  
The aspects of the firmament are not without some opposition, nor the greatest fortunes without some molestation.  
To be made governors of remote places is an honourable and ordinary exile of unfortunate worthy men.  
Distance thaws the actions of remote governors, that they seldom arrive to the Prince's ears; except by the Favourites means.  
The sun's splendour is so great, that the thickest Clouds, cannot totally intercept it; such are the beams of worth which cannot be hid.  
A little heat is soon extinguished by cold, but a great heat increaseth by antiperistasis or opposition; so it is with eminent worth.  
Agesilaus would not have his riding upon a stick amongst his boys be told to them who were not parents, lest they should think him too fond a father; neither will Favourites have their love to the Prince known to their enemies, for fear of misconstruction.  
Lovers do not only love, when they are beloveed, but also when they are hated; which love is in the heart, not in the head,  
Love is radicated in the soul, but diffused into the body, as the sun's light is extended where his Globe is not.  
He that cannot moderate the base affections of riches, cannot temper the urgent provocation of domination.  
A spotless Favourite admits of no companion, but he makes him his enemy; for though in ability in managing great affairs require it, yet ambition will not brook it.  
A Favourite that desires a companion seems to accuse the Prince of tyranny; as requiring help against his barbarousness.  
If Tiberius cannot wait upon the Prince's body, he will wait upon his carcase.  
Habit is not like nature, but is another nature; not a copy, but the original.  
The habit which is necessarily produced by actions, doth not necessarily produce actions.  
Love which is in habit, by a little disturbance receives no detriment.  
A rest in music, if short, its delightful, if long, it dislikes; so long expectation wearies the desire, and weakens love.  
The long absence of a Favourite from his Prince, may retain the reputation of profitable, but loseth the opinion of necessary.  
He that would have it believed that nothing can be done without him, must not give time that it may be done.  
It is wisdom sometimes to make show of refusing the favour presented.  
Discourse requires settled spirits, but love unsettles and troubles them.  
Agrippina● wise act in calling home Seneca from exile.  
It's ill when for the man's sake virtues are banished, but worse when for his virtue's sake, the man is exiled.  
The people punish worth, when they fear it, a popular Government then fears, but a tyrannical hates it, and an aristocracy both envies, hates, and fears it.  
Favourites cannot be tyrants over others, if they be not first so, over their Princes.  
The differences that are between a great counsellor, and a great Favourite.  
The favour of Princes comes partly ●y destiny of our birth, partly by our ●wne prudence.  
When a Favourite doth every thing, ●nd nothing done without him, hatred ●s begot.  
When the inferior heavens do not move with the first mover, they move by it.  
The primum mobile may cause contrary motions in the inferior orbs, as well as the souls of man, and of other creatures in their bodies.  
A true Favourite in the interest of the King, and in right of justice, knows no friends, and hath no parents.  
The Prince like the Sun is the equivocal and universal father of his subjects.  
A man hath blood for the foundation of his paternity, a Prince hath love.  
He that loves not the Prince more than others, makes himself no son, but a servant, and the Prince no father, but a Lord.  
In correcting of errors, many times errors are committed, either because they are believed as necessary, or because profitable.  
When Princes suffer men of worth to live retiredly, it's a sign, that either they know not, or else hate their worth.  
He that will not serve his Prince and yet knows how to serve, is more faulty than he that serves him ill, not knowing how to serve.  
Retiring is the reward of such as have wrought; he that retires and hath done nothing, will have his reward before his merit.  
Retiring is a recompense to them that have done enough, but a punishment to the idle.  
A man may rest, and yet not be at quiet, yet for the most part he is most unquiet, when he is most at rest.  
He that sells justice, sells his Prince.  
Gold blunts the edge of the sword and weighs down the balance of justice.  
The hunger of Gold is not natural, but sickly, therefore is never satisfied.  
Example is more powerful than the Law; because the law works by violence; example by love, that produceth fear, this affection.  
He that loves another better than his Prince, makes that man a Prince, if not of others, yet of himself.  
The Favourite that would reform the King's palace, must first reform his own house.  
The Favourite, that raiseth his own family, makes this the centre, and the King's house the circumference, which ought to be contrary.  
A wall that hath a good foundation needs no buttrasse, nor hath a Favourite who is founded on worth need of his kindred to support him.  
The Favourites of a Favourite serve him as little for a support, as the tree doth the Elephant, against which he leans.  
The end of tyrannical laws, is to ensnare, punish, and impoverish.  
Prince's honour those rich men most that have most, the people them only, that employ most; for they extol bounty and magnificence, because of the benefit they have by it.  
A Tyrant hath more reason to fear the money that is spent, then that which is hoarded.  
Favourites ought not to estrange Princes from all manner of business.  
Riches are not the pay of worth, but the wages of labour, honour is the reward of worth.  
If honours or titles grow common, they have no rewards of worth, nor are they, when they are sold.  
Needy Princes give more honour to the wealthy, than the worthy.  
States increase sometimes with money, but never without valour.  
When a league thrives its broken by jealousy, when it thrives not, by fear.  
Many Arts and Sciences have the same objects, but the same manner of considering them.  
Leagues are not always hurtful, and fearful, but always envied, and hated.  
To despise riches is a great virtue, but to distribute them is a greater; for moral virtue consisteth not in being poor, but in making one's self poor.  
He that will not be rich is unprofitable, he that flings it away is vain, but he that spends it commendably, is liberal and magnanimous.  
He that cancels wealth out of a wise man's heart, cancels liberality, one of the moral virtues, and to fly the means that make virtue, is to fly virtue.  
The spirits fly to the heart in fear, to the face in shame.  
Time lost in prosecuting of business is more precious, than the money that is consumed in feasting, apparel, and sumptuousness.  
The life of a good man is long, because it is a journey from earth to heaven; but of a wicked man short, because he missing this way, goeth quickly to hell.  
No time should abridge the reward of him that served for love, because though he cease to serve, he ceaseth not to love.  
Astrology false in all parts, but chiefly in marriages, which are made, not according to inclinations, but for some ends; hence are the change of tempers in Families.  
Men are eternised partly by generation of children, partly by the soul.  
It is the quality, not the quantity of subjects, that make commonwealths great.  
He that intends the greatness of his Family, is one that loves his own respects, and satisfieth not the obligation of a perfect Favourite.  
A Monarchy is but a Chaos, albeit there be many operative Officers in 〈◊〉 till there come one only architect, by whose direction it is ordered and disposed.  
As unity is the life of man, so it is of bodies politic.  
The scarcity of gold is the cause of its esteem, and it is scarce, because it is not produced without a great victory; nor obtained without great resistance.  
Quiet Favourites are the birth of the favourable beams of Jupiter and Venus; but those who delight in wars, as crows flocking to dead bodies, are begot of Mars and Saturn.  
Warlike and troublesome Favourites increase the water, but diminish the channel, because they increase the mud, but such Phaeton's are oftentimes thunder struck.  
There is a true prudence that hath a real good for its end, there is an other which seem.  
The brains of a witty man are like the waving Sea, still unquiet.  
A prudent man falls not from favour, if the Prince fall not into tyranny, and he doth not tumble, but go down.  
Witty men fly up suddenly like balls of earth, then fall down and break.  
Soldiers are not enriched by their pay, but by their plunderings, inroads, and victories.  
A Favourite that increaseth the Prince's means, increaseth also the estates of the people, for a rich Prince is not taking but giving, therefore a holding Prince is more desiderable, than a bountiful.  
The reason of State, and Religion are so conjoined in Christian Kings, that they are not to be disjoined.  
Lucifer's intention was not to exalt himself above God, but to withdraw his subjection from, that so of one, he might make two Gods.  
There are two reasons of State, one of God, the other of the devil; that is to come near to God, and to become great, this is to go from God, and to make himself great.  
Such as are inflexible in receiving, are so in giving, the same severity that they use against themselves, makes them uncharitable towards others.  
A Favourite is to esteem the service done to his Prince, as done to himself.  
He that receives every thing is too covetous, he that takes nothing is too severe, he that gives always is too prodigal, and he that never gives is too miserable.  
A magnanimous Favourite, will help by liberality, when he cannot by justice; and if he cannot intercede to the King for them, he will give like a King to them.  
Man is a reasonable creature, but when he lays aside his justice, he deprives himself of reason.  
Justice hath a Sword in one hand to punish, and a balance in the other hand to weigh men's merits.  
To pardon such whose natures are enemies to nature, may be magnanimity, but not to punish them is injustice.  
The man offended may pardon the offence, but the Judge must punish the offender; who is therefore called God, because he doth not punish as man, but as God.  
The Judge in punishing the malefactor, doth not render evil for evil, but good for evil, and justice for unjustice.  
Not plants but beasts are savage because of their sense, but man is most savage, when his reason is ill directed by the sense.  
All States yea Tyrannies are governed by an aristocracy; to wit, by Magistrates or Officers.  
If a Favourite doth nothing, he becomes nothing, if he do every thing, he savours of a Tyrant.  
Every science to be well learned, and every office to be well discharged, requires a particular quality of the brain.  
He that is employed in business of State, ought not to be superior to it, for so he will despise it; nor inferior, for so he will come short of it, but there must be a suitable equality of the affairs they are employed in, to their capacities.  
He that is more afraid to sin in the presence of the Prince, then of God; he doth as it were doubt of that which is certain, and is as it were certain of that which he doubts.  
All our errors proceed from our ignorance of God, for though we know that he is, yet we know not what he is, because we see him not as he is.  
Prince's can have no better masters and instructors, than the lives and actions of their progenitors, in whose stories they should be well versed.  
If men are desirous to know the learning of the Ancients, they should likewise desire to imitate their actions.  
Though men be not changed in their Species, yet they are changed in their actions, which follow the inidividuals, and the change of diet, hath altered the temperature, and this in part changed the manners.  
The Heavens and stars are not changed in their substance, and motions, but in their aspects, which is the cause of the diversity of sublunary effects.  
It's no wonder that there is not one man like another upon earth, seeing there is not one constellation like another in heaven.  
As in astrology, the observation that is nearest, is least false▪ so in policy, is that example, which is most modern.  
All ancient Medicines, and precepts for diet, are not now to be used; nor are all ancient laws now convenient.  
As in Sculpture men are not now shaped with the same habits they wore of old; so modern States are not now to be ruled, after the manner of the old Romans.  
The World is like an Instrument of many strings, alter one, and all are out of tune.  
As empirics are to be condemned in physic, so are Exemplaries to be abandoned in policy, for we are not to make use either of ancient or modern examples.  
Many examples are required to make a rule; many of them are dangerous, as being not from prudence, but from fortune, which is not to be presupposed in business, but to be desired.  
Meats which stay only in the stomach, do not nourish the body, so history which remain only in the memory, doth not inform the judgement.  
Politicians are not to operate according to the judgement that they have raised upon the reading of these examples.  
Princes are not by subjects to be satyrized against, but to be praised if past, followed if present, and to be wished for, if future.  
If Satyrs be false they move laughter, if true, they excite choler, they than that punish them, approve of them.  
To be blamed with a lie comforts, for it intimates a not being able to be blamed with a truth.  
Princes that find themselves galled with truth, fall into fury, because they perceive that known, which they did not believe to be known.  
Liberty of speech, and writing against a Prince, causeth him to lose his respect, which once lost, produceth rebellion.  
It is better timorously to avoid dangers, then confidently to encounter them.  
If beauty moves to love, it incites to compassion, which is formed either from the quality of the person, or of the business; this is produced from fear, that from love.  
Fear is of things future, love of things present; therefore though fear be more active, yet the person present moves more compassion, for that which is, hath much more vigour than that that may be.  
Woman was made not against the intention of nature, but for generation; from the assaults of whose beauty we are better preserved by distance, then by resistance.  
To blame competitors is either a sign of great good, or of weakness, and when it proceeds not from zeal, it proceeds from envy.  
Though an Artist at first, make some excellent Artificer his object; yet afterward he reflects more upon the greatness of the art, then of the Artist.  
To stand firm in a good opinion is constancy; in a bad, is obstinacy.  
He that is chief of the counsellors, is not always found to be chief in counsels.  
The object of the understanding is truth, if it be quieted with that which may be, and may not be, it is deceived.  
Monarchies are supported by two base Pillars, that is, by Executioners and Sergeants, as the sweetest gardens are by the basest excrements of beasts.  
The office of executioner, which was performed by Samuel and Eliah, is now for want of zeal to God's glory, left to the meanest people, as also that Princes might not seem terrible to the people, and so be more feared then loved.  
The most capital offence in conspiracy, is to conceal the conspirators, for he that knows a rebellion, and holds his peace, shows more fear than love.  
Tyrants by their wickedness, have made the revealing of conspiracies an infamy, and the plotting of them a glory.  
The Prince as a physician ought to use his subjects that are sick of infamy, roughly, not to kill but to cure them.  
Not only aught fortune to be pictured on a wheel, but also every thing else in this world.  
Cities that rebel against their Princes, though they overcome, yet fall into many inconveniencies, as the overthrow of their country, the destruction of the people, the consumption of their Exchequers, &c.  
The love of interest which is a client, doth easily overcome all other loves, which are but children.  
The space of an hundred years, is the breadth of the channel of the river of forgetfulness.  
Rebellions are unfruitful, vain, not without great danger, and extreme great loss.  
The Romans dealt courteously with the Grecians in beating down the walls of their Cities; for so they made them the more virtuous, and less rash.  
Men's good complexion is oftentimes their death, because being confident of it, they fall into disorders that kill them.  
Wars sprout out again, when conquerors know not how, or will not know, or are not able to make an end of their victories.  
Wars many times would not be, if the greatness amongst equals did not bring forth envy, and if there were not jealousies amongst inferiors.  
The covetousness of Princes to get large Dominions, is grounded upon the desire they have, to keep what they have got.  
Augustus by not dilating, but bounding the Confines of his Empire, both fortified the same, took away envy and fear, and made it known that his desire of domination was not infinite.  
Breach of Faith hath caused jealousy, and jealousy envy.   

Historical observations  
The Lord Jasper Guzman's pedigree.  
COunt Olivares was borne i●Rome, and for twelve years went up and down with his Father.  
Having entered into Spain he disposed himself to the study of the laws.  
Made Rector of the university of Salamanca.  
His elder Brother died.  
His Father also died about the same time.  
He went to the Court after he had got learning.  
He refused to go liege ambassador to Rome.  
He was twice like to be murdered.  
He was nominated for a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, to Philip the fourth.  
In the entry of the King's service he found many difficulties.  
He was accused by the King.  
The King tries his patience.  
He left the Court a while when Philip the third with the Prince went to Portugal.  
His Speech to the Prince, when the King was like to die.  
The first counsel be gave the King, was to call home from exile many worthy men.  
He bestowed upon his uncle the charge of State business, reserving to himself the care of the King's person, and charge of his house.  
He left the Duke of Ossuna his kinsman in the hands of justice, and Don Roderigo.  
He placed none of his kindred in the King's service, but such as were worthy.  
He bestowed the Lievetenantship of Castille upon an excellent man.  
He put away his servant for recommending a business to one of his Officers.  
He quickened the Law against Riots in Spain.  
He procured the King to join three men of excellent abilities with him, as assistants.  
He persuaded the King to forbear taxing the people, and to remember well deserving men with offices, honours, and titles.  
His advice to the King, when the Prince of Wales went into Spain.  
Pope Urbans Letter to Count Olivares.  
The Prince of Wales return to England discontented, and the effects thereof.  
By Guzman's care the Spaniards had good success in Brasil and else where.  
He refuseth the King's donative, and to transport a ship with merchandise to China.  
He accepts of the stipends belonging to his Offices.  
He provides a remedy against the delay in the promotions of counsels.  
He intercedes to the King for old officers, to be dismissed and rewarded.  
He had but one only Daughter.  
The King's answer to him, about the marriage of his Daughter.  
He marries his Daughter to the marquess of toral, she was brought to bed of a dead child, and died herself.  
His care of the King in his sickness.  
He spent 16. hours every day in the King's service, reserving only eight for himself.  
He advanceth the Cardinal of Tresco to be President of Castille against the opinion of his friends.  
He counsels the King to cry down the brass-money of Spain to half the worth.  
He prudently manages the business of the King's Revenues.  
He caused some rivers to be made navigable, and some veins of gold to be found in Spain,  
He counselled the King to assist the French with a Fleet against Rochel.  
He reserved the rewards of war bestowed upon him, to help deserving men in their necessities.  
He was very easy to pardon injuries against himself, as he showed in pardoning the man that would have pistolled him.  
When offices and dignities were to be distributed, he came seldom to the counsel.  
He caused a little window to be made in all places of counsels, to make counsellors the more wary.  
He entreated the King to read the stories of his predecessors, and told him that one of them did ill in depending too much upon his Favourite.  
He punished libelers and satirists against the King, but not against himself.  
He gave no audience to women, and assures maids and widows that few lines under their hand should prevail more with him, than the sight of their persons.  
He was no obstinate maintainer of his ●wne opinions.  
His Speech to Don Francisco of Con●reras.  
His carriage towards the Duke of Ascot, who was sent by the Infanta, in the ●roubles of Flanders into Spain.  
He convinced the Duke of Ascot by showing him the Infanta's Letter.  
He humbly desires the King to excuse the error of the Duke of Ascot.   

THE portrait OF THE politic Christian Favourite. Originally, Drawn from some of the actions of the Lord Duke of St. Lucar.  
Written to the Catholic majesty of PHILIP the Great, and the 4th of that name.  
I Write unto your Majesty, rather of your Majesty, I write of your Favourite; it is said that Moses spoke with God in the Mount, and yet there are that believe, that he spoke with an Angel: sometimes Angels are the figures of God with us, Favourites, the figures of Angels with Princes; Princes, of God with men: that magnanimous hero, whose stupendious victories did not violently take away, did give; when he saw the prostrate prisoner Queen at the foot of his chariot, did value himself able to make Alexander's an error in itself, glorious; which his greatness mounted already to so sublime a degree, did manifest.  
If amongst Authors of an admired Classis, there hath been any one found that reputed a Prince praiseworthy, because he had a minister worthy of praise, how much more is your majesty's due, who hath a servant of great condition, one that you have elected and made? What glorious action shall I recount, wherein thy great Favourite, may not acknowledge you the actor: either because you have concurred with your assistance, or because you have given an influence with your grace, or have dictated, nay animated it, by your wisdom and greatness. In this subject (great Potentate) I will figure out your image, not the true one, but the likest; God did not disdain to see himself shaped under the semblance of a man, and worshipped, not because man can be his Image, but because he made him after his Image.  
Laborious it is, but it is profitable to Register the egregious performances of men in being: They wound and they heal, and where they heal they also wound: Their resounding doth awaken, reprove, stir up, and leaves no place for sloathfulness, to pass the time idly away, in the laments of the time. If one man of value be borne, the fame of that one, produceth a thousand, for if she being fruitful should not bring forth, the world would be now one only man's, because he being sterile, would not have produced so much as one.  
The glory of those that are past, like the King of Bees, hath majesty, and greatness, but hath no sting: It wounds not, it inanimats not, disanimats, if it be examined, because it hath no soul, it makes human condition lamentable, that glory dispicable, which being neither enjoyed by the soul, nor perceived by the carcase, doth first remain vain with the body, and then without it vainest of all. It is an accident will accost a substance, and where the substance dies, if it be, it works not.  
The Actions of predecessors that they may be praised, require no more, then to be flourishingly related; it is with them as with pictures, for it is sufficient, if they be but master-like painted, no consideration is had, whether the Actions be true, or the Pictures be like; in as much as the Acts of the Ancients are not known, nor the originals of the draughts are not seen; but he that writes the deeds, or draws the picture of one that is alive, let him look for censure, and that from the weakest, since papers have no souls, and clothes no tongues.  
Men are sometimes without eyes; nay, though they have them, they see not colour, because they have them not without colour. Every one judgeth of every one that writes, according to his own affection; one shows himself a flatterer, and another malicious. I do profess (it is true) to be infinitely obliged to this exalted hero, but it shall never be discovered, that I rather sordidly defile, then faithfully satisfy that obligation, which as it is derived from the virtue of magnanimity, will not be paid with the viciousness of flattery. I should not much lament to incur that blemish from such as are his Emulours, so I might be quit from it in his conceit: For I hold it far more facile, to make the Duke blush, then to make them look pale, in the relating of his great Acts, I will expect more liberty from envy then from modesty, because there is more virtue in him, than there is defect in others.  
Your majesty then is humbly entreated, to bear with the weakness of my writings, too unequal for successes. I grant it to be more easy to speak then to do, when that which is spoken is to be done; but it is peradventure easier to do then to speak, when a man is to tell what hath been done: The dramatic that is represented in scenes, is more forcible than the epic, that is read in Papers, yet is that personated part much inferior in spirit, to that which is seen, for if it have a soul, yet it hath not that soul.  
Let that commendation nevertheless be granted to these writings, which is customarily given by him that loves, to the face that is pictured: For if pens be not inferior to pencils, and words to colours, it will be acceptable to your majesty, to behold exposed to view those Actions drawn, howsoever not to the life, which your majesty hath thought worthy of your generous affections. I know right well that this portrait should not have been adventured upon, but by an Appelles, and by an Appelles, who drawing from all the favourites, of all Kings and great Princes, all the beauties that did adorn them, being in him united, he should present him to the sight of Your majesty.  
The Lord Jasper Guzman, third Earl of Olivarez; was the son of Henry Guzman, who was the ambassador for his sacred majesty in Rome, and of the Lady Mary Pimentelli, a Lady of most worthy value.  
If the Imaginative faculty, be of force to imprint an impression in tender and plain conceits; and that it hath any part in the representing of shapes to the Formative power, what conceit may we presume it to form, or what shape to represent in that Imagination, which approved of no other discourse then of that of the King, nor conceited the forming of other conceits then of his service? I do not exclude the service of God, because that holy Kings, intent unto God's honour, cannot be well served, if God be not first served.  
If men would seek when they do seek for wives, to join themselves to worth as well as wealth; their rich estates would oftentimes be more hereditary, as being more secure from men's treachery, and less submitted to the insultings of fortune, which although it sometimes doth hinder the working, it takes not from them the being.  
He was not borne in Rome, and for twelve years' space went up and down with his Father, who was surrounded with troublesome negotiations; sometimes in Sicily, sometimes in Naples, in both which Provinces he sat in the throne of viceroy.  
That is not a man's Country where he was borne; but that under which he was borne. Man was esteemed by men of old a Tree reversed, because as the Country of a Tree is the soil wherein its roots are placed, so the Country of a man is that Heaven to which he is exposed: To stay in one's native Country, to vindicate himself amongst his own, is to become a true Tree, and a reversed man; such as these are for the most part are like to those plants, which being planted in the fatness of a fertile soil, do grow bulky oftentimes, but unfruitful: The Oaks, that are set and grow on the barren mountains, brought up among storms, winds, tempests, they fear not the impetuous furies, of the blustering Northern gusts; but if they grow fat in the calmness of delightful plains, and luxuriantly increase, they are but feeble, and endure no stronger gales, then warm refreshing breaths of Zephyrus, or else they are made leaflesse or blown down.  
He being returned into Spain, and having journied far in virtues, disposed himself to the study of the laws; not to defend causes, by cases of Titus and Sempronius, but o● defend States with the prudence of the laws Expoundors.  
The Law is a Book of politics, yet few Lawyers now are Politicians: They were that made it, but they are not that learn it; because they only learn that which is done, and not to what end it hath been done: Very few of those that know the laws understand them; he that seeks Authority without Reason, is reasonless. To deprive the Law of reason, is to take the soul from men and from themselves; this comes thus to pass, because that which is political, is in many become mechanical: And whereas Law was at first, the legitimate Daughter of Judgement; it is now made the adopted Daughter of Memory, and Legists of rationals are become empirics.  
This man was created rector of the university of Salamanca.  
He that could have Lyncaeus his eyes, would sometime know with little children in the cradle, that the stars do prattle, and show themselves by the matter, with the souls, if not hindered by it, for surely they are not helped; then are the nfluences more secure though then they be more impotent, and it may be that God would, that they have less force in that age, that is to predominate over their power.  
The influences of the stars are always the same, but they seem not so, because the men that receive them, are not always the same; the Actions of the Active search for a good disposition of the patient, that their issue may be prosperous. That star which would make Cyrus great, because it found him among Children made him King of Children: And certainly it was the self same star, which afterwards finding him amidst the Armies, made him the King of the Persians. That Aspect which made the Earl in Salamanca the first Rector of the university, is the self same Constellation, that finding him in the Court of the greatest Monarch, did make him one of the Princes of the universe.  
In this time died the Lord Jerosme his elder Brother; so that he who was the second birth was now become the first.  
The first borne because it is given by fortune to be the first. The gifts of fortune are oftentimes likewise given them by men: This custom peradventure is not in use to reward them, but to succour them; they that are begotten last doe sometimes become the valiantest; the seeing them to be borne more unfortunate, is an argument to us of their valour. Who knows whether men either by a motive of the soul, or by some other instigation have not known this truth, and have repaired thither with presents of gold, where the reparations of virtue were wanting.  
It is a greater good fortune to live a while a second and then become a first, then to be borne first; When riches precede virtue they oftentimes hinder it, and when they follow it, they help it; he that is borne first, believes he hath room to preserve the splendour of his progenitors with the splendour of his gold, as if riches were the leaven of ignorance; whence it is, that those goods which in times past were the rewards of industry, are oftentimes now become the servants of sluggishness; But such as are borne in the second place, to quit themselves of the outrages of fortune, cast themselves into the arms of toil, so that where they cannot equal in wealth, they exceed in virtue, and make it evident that it is a fortune to many to be borne unfortunate.  
At this time likewise his Father died, whereupon, he was compelled to make a journey from Contemplation to Action.  
Study is an idleness, and if it be a business, it is a business of idleness, it would be an unlawful appetite, if it were not an act of the understanding, it weakens minds, and wearies bodies, but it is a sweet kind of loss because it is insensible; to be always among Books, is a dying amongst the living, and a living among the dead, or indeed it is rather a dying to all, and peradventure not a living to one's self; The commonwealths of old time, did repute it most pernicious to p●ace a reputation, upon any other endeavours, than upon employments of valour; for they did know, that to withdraw the understanding from the effeminateness of Sciences, it was most necessary, that as they were without fruit, so to make them without glory. All worldly men aspire unto glory, if they be not foolish, and now that glory consists as well in knowing as in doing, and all men are ●apter to contemplation then to action; most ●men run that course to which they are most inclinable, and it may be all men would run it, if nature which hath made youth unable for operation, did not make it likewise discrepant from study. He that to avoid the title of stupid, entitles it laborious; either I deceive myself, on he deceives himself, or else he will deceive. Study is a delight, and when it is not a delight, it is no labour, but is a passion, that doth trouble, but not molest, because it is but little in the matter, and doth not dissolve the continuation.  
He went to the Court, and thither went he Learned, he went not thither ignorant.  
The Court is not a grammar school, it gives not the first Aliments, nor doth it teach the first Elements: the food of it is not milk, it seldom produceth, it refines; to study, and to serve well are incompatible, but yet to serve well it is necessary to have studied.  
Princes are oftentimes in a great dearth of wise men, because they make them not, and many would make themselves so, if study would render them as meritorious, as service, but in regard, that as soon as they begin to serve they merit; and not as soon as they begin to study; Men for the most part dedicate that youth to the Prince, which they should have disposed to Learnings; whereupon it comes to pass, that their merit is at the last numbered by years, and not weighed by actions, and they are sometimes in the number of years, out-vied by some piece of Arras, that was there before them.  
There was offered him an Embassage to Rome, with an assurance, that he should afterward obtain the honour of Grandee, a title merited by his Father, but denied him by death; but the Earl knowing that to be a leaguer ambassador was but an enclosure, would not accept of it, not being able to obtain that greatness, that should have advanced him.  
It is not the property of man to stand still, he is under a world, he is always movable, and he himself is a movable world; when he goeth not forward, be returns backward, if not to where he was, yet to where his desire was. He is a traveller and journeys on to felicity, he seeks it and finds it not, nor can he be quiet till he hath found it, nor can he find it, till he be dead; motion is so natural to man, that if he cannot advance, because he cannot stand still he returns; not that felicities are tedioas to him, but because he hath not found them; and being unable to proceed in their search, he fears he hath outgone them. The waters which naturally descends, if it meet with a resistance, because it cannot stay, ascends, and hopes that motion will convey it, to its end, for rather than to embrace a stillness that is out of its nature, it moves against its nature.  
Although the Earl gave not an occasion of offence to any, he ran notwithstanding the danger of death; one time by four murderers that waited, wailed him, at the going into his house; another time, by three of the same disposition, that did follow his Coach, when he was in it, all alone; yet was he always fortunately delivered, he not being aware of the peril.  
Those men are thinly served that enjoy an immaculate fortune, because those stars are very rare, that have an unmixed Ray. The greatest, and most benign Aspects of the Firmament, are not without their petty violence, whereupon it falls out that such as are most fortunate, have not an unperplexed felicity. Fortune cannot be sincere, in a world, that hath not an Element which is pure, nor a thing that is not mixed; Though I know not what of molestation, which is never wanting to the greatest fortunes, is borne of I know not what of Malignity, that is always found in the greatest stars.  
Occasion was offered to settle a Court for Philip the fourth the great, in regard of a marriage with France, and then was the Earl nominated for a Gentleman of his Chamber.  
He that in those times had the managing of the Monarchy (with all respect be it spoken) either did not care to eternize the favour he had, or did not know the value of the Earl, in closing of him to the Prince; to surround him with contraries was idle, the worth that is accompanied with Prudence, can by no contrary be extinguished but by death. It would have been better to have sent him far off from the Court, placing him in some Government, which is an honourable, and ordinary exile of unfortunate worthy men; no inkling of their Actions, although very great, doth ever come to the Prince; for distance thaws them, and if they do arrive to his ear, they are brought by the Favourites means, and so do seem rather his that brought them, than his that performed them.  
Worth is a Ray that cannot be hid, if it be not extinguished, nay rather it is a sun, which always shines where it is; Though some black clouds oppose it, it gives light, for such oppositions have not so much obscurity, as that hath splendour; either the breath of the Prince doth disperse them, or his Ray consumes them, that it may clearly appear; but when the sun is far off, when it is out of our Hemisphere, it shines not, or if it shine a little, that Ray is not known for his, which strikes not in a strait line, but reflects.  
The Earl being entered into the service of the Prince, did find himself among a world of contraries, that did stir up his Lord against him.  
The life of man is a warfare, so that he which fights not, or stands not ready to fight, either lives not or lives ill. Contraries that surround us, if they be not stifled, they increase, and they are not stifled, if they be not met with in the cradle. The heat that is little to maintain itself, stands in need of the like to maintain it, but great heat doth increase most, when the contrary doth most struggle with it. That power of Antiperistasis, which is granted to the Elements, is not to be denied to men.  
Amongst other disgraces the Prince did one day tell the Earl, that he was reputed a grievance; and he did humbly beseech him, that when he could destroy him, he would not do it, in the presence of his enemies.  
Agesilaus, being taken by an ambassador, riding upon a stick in the midst of his boys, entreated him not to tell it to any that had no Children, left of a tender, he should be reputed a weak Father.  
The Earl is mortified by the Prince, and entreats him not to tell it to any he doth not love, for they would have believed, that affectionate patience stupid, and that loving soul servile.  
He doth not labour to know the occasion, nor doth he persuade his Master with reason, because it is not the brain that loves but the heart; his Arguments are affection, his affection love; nor is the disgust likewise of not being beloved, without the thirst of the lovers: If we take pleasure to be beloved, when we are most beloved, we take most pleasure; nay when we are hated, if we love, we love most. It may be too that the present is not beloved, or that at the least there is hope in the future: And that not being beloved which makes him hope, makes him likewise merit: He that loves, hath the gain of love for his end, and love for his means; so that, he then that hath loved most deserves most to be beloved.  
When I speak of love, I speak of a virtuous not a venereal love: But yet to speak truth, they are but a little unlike; for both of them have their radication in the soul: If the lascivious be transmitted into the body, it is by accident; and like the sun, which defuseth its light where his Globe is not, otherwise violences would pacify lovers.  
The Earl did know that the words of the Prince were dictated, not said, and that howso're the voice did fell him, the eye did raise him; so that he did not remain without consolation, nor did the Prince leave him without love. The Favourites of that time were then aware they had erred, they did seek to amend their amiss, by endeavouring to bring in the Earl, into the service of the King; but he would not leave the rising sun, for the setting.  
It is a great good fortune to find a Prince disengaged; to take away a place from one that hath used it with virtue is hard, with wisdom is blame worthy, and is generally reputed malicious, but he that comes into a vacancy, doth easily get in: No machination could bat●● down this wall; they make the Prince try his patience, and he by suffering augments his merits: They tempt him with honours, and he by refusing justifies his affection. Finally, when they perceive, that they are not able to trample upon the ruins of this great man, they endeavour to surmount his heights, and to top them they lay hold upon the ladder of his affection, but all in vain, for that wall was built too high, to serve for a Basis.  
The Earl did remain in this instability, until there fell a division amongst the Favourites of those times.  
There is a Politician that affirms, that power and concord can hardly be found in the same place; and he says it in a time, when he pretends to have found it. He did not observe peradventure, that such as did appear most powerful were not so, except it were they that were nearest allied, and the nearest of blood of the veins, not of the Arteries. The self same Author, did likewise another time in the process of his writings, light upon two, that were equally, powerful and concordant; and this did not proceed from the morality of that one, because he that could not moderate the base affections of riches, it is not to be believed, that he could temper the urgent provocations of domination, and it was less occasioned by the diversity of their professions, the one being wholly intent to policy, and the other to war. If a Favourite will not exercise war in his own person, he may make it be exercised, and hath room enough to divide charges, without dividing his own Favour. I bear within reason, the being Favourites of a Tyrant, for when peradventure he did not love them, he did reverence them; there can be no discourse, that can set down a secure manner of carrying one's self with such men, who although they have, do not use it, but to become worse than other men. These did fear falling, now one, and now another trembled, that he that stood fast, upheld his staggering companion, and hardly did the one fall, that he drew not the other to the precipice: A spotless Favourite admits of no companion, but he makes him his enemy; he that desires one, seems to desire aid against he barbarousness of the Prince, and seems to accuse him for a Tyrant. It is true that the inability of a man, in the managing of great undertakings, would require company, but ambition will not brook● it, he hath recourse to the dependencies● fear indeed admits it, because he hath not the grace of the Prince, may be relieved in the burdens, but not in the dangers.  
Philip the third went into Portugal, and the Prince with him, the Earl took this occasion to attend the affairs of his own family, but long he stayed not, for he necessarily was to return to the Court.  
Tiberius did judge it so dangerous an hazard to be far away from the Prince, that he conceived it well done, when he could not wait upon the body to wait upon the carcase; he would have them be near then likewise when the Prince was not: But the Earl feared no distance of place; The love that the Prince bare him was become nature. They that say, habit is like nature are deceiveed, it is not a copy, it is an original, it is called another nature, not because it is not nature, but because it was not, it is borne with us, if not with us, in us: The Art that is believed to imitate nature, doth imitate it, and after likewise doth often times produce it, and often times surpass it. That love which is in Habits, receives no Detriment by a little distance, but it rather excites it to operation; because that habit which is necessarily produced by actions doth not necessarily produce actions. The subject whose abilities are of great importance to his Prince, cannot be absent for a small time, but it redounds to his great profit. A rest that is interposed in the composition of music, if it be alone, doth increase the delight, but if it hath company destroys it; the ear is in expectation of the following harmony, and when it comes quickly, embraceth it, but if it stay long, it dislikes it; the expectation that is short, inflames the desire, and desire, love; but that which is long doth weary the desire, and makes love be laid down, and he that once lays down his love, takes it not up again; love is a kind of slavery, that is sweet, when it is not known, and it is not known when it is not free: It is good to make the loss of a presence to appear, but it is not good to be so long absent, as that it be provided for; For in such a case, though a man may retain the reputation of profitable, yet may he lose the opinion of necessary: He that would have it believed, that nothing can be done without him, must not give time, that it may be done.  
Philip the third, being sick to death; the precedent day to the day of his death; the Earl in this sort spoke to the Prince.  
With bended knee I beg of Your highness, to grant me the liberty to go to Seville, and for so much time at the least, to leave the Court, until Your highness enter into possession, both of Your kingdom and Officers, which at this time govern.  
To whom the Prince answered. My father's sickness is at height enough, and if it please God to punish me with his death, I cannot trust any, more than you, in the new and troublesome Government; because I am confident of your affection and abilities. The King died, the Prince succeeded in the kingdom, and the Earl held the possession of his favour.  
There was a Prince and peradventure the wisest of any, who coming to the succession of the Empire, made a show of not desiring it, and the Earl who without peradventure is the wisest of Favourites that ever was borne, doth make a show to refuse the favour that was presented him; the one had a purpose to sift the mind of the Senate, the other to find out the heart of his King.  
This was the greatest testimony of temper and moderation, that it was possible for the Earl to manifest; not in that he had the heart to refuse a Kingly favour, but because he had the brain to discourse it.  
How is it possible, that any man, that is not this man, seeing himself arrived to one of the greatest fortunes of the world, could be able to struggle himself, out of the hands of joy, to cast himself into the paws of discourse. Discourse requires, quiet, ordered, and restrained spirits, whereas joy, like the wind breathes in the centre of a man, and sends forth spirits to the circumference, dilating, troubling, and confounding them.  
The first of the counsels that the Earl● gave his majesty, was to call out of Exile many of his subjects, of approved worth, of which was Doctor Pietro of Toledo, marquess of Villa-Franca, and one of the council of State.  
To repeal from banishment, such as are men of worth, is an act of so worthy fame, that Agrippina the wise, being scarce entered into the power of ruling, did think she did abolish a multitude of faults, by her calling home Seneca out of banishment.  
If worthy men demerit, the qualities merit: It is ill, when for the man's sake virtues are banished; but it is worse, when for his virtue's sake the man is exiled. In punishing there is something of pardoning to be considered for worth; for justice should be injustice, should her balances equal a pound of gold to a pound of dirt, for having equal weight. The people have worth in great esteem, and it is true too, that they have punished it, but it was only when they feared it. In Monarchy, where they do not fear it, they applaud it; and when they see a man of worth is punished, they grieve as if his worth, and not his errors suffered. In jealous commonwealths, and unsecured Principalities, he deserves great punishment when he doth ill, who did deserve a great reward when he did well, because they cannot run a greater hazard, than when the best becomes worst. A Tyrannous government, hates and fears worthy men: A popular arrives not to so much corruption as to hate them, it only fears them, but neither the one, nor the other doth enjoy them; in as much, as envy neither ascends, nor descends. It is only an Aristocracy, that envies, fears, and hates them: And sometimes when they do not fear them, they make as if they did: It would defend itself with the ●●ckler of weakness, from the blemish of ●●alice. Worth is in the most happy Estate, under firm, and confirmed Principalities: If, where the Princes are not Tyrants, there should not oftentimes be Favourites; they do not fear the loss of their governments, but Favourites fear the loss of their favour; They cannot be Tyrants over others, if they be not first so over their Princes. Whereupon it comes to pass, that Princes oftentimes, of an upright intention, have without tyrannising, tyranized, because they were tyranized upon.  
He divided the kingdom in two parts, bestowing upon Don Baltazar of Zuniga his uncle, the charge of the Consultations, and business of State, and reserved to himself, the charge of the house, and the care of the King's person.  
The He, that is greatest in council, is not therefore the greatest in favour. Favour is not the Daughter of the Interest of State, but of the affection of the mind; the one makes a man respected, the other makes him beloved: To arrive to the one instructions may be laid down, but none can come to the other, that is not borne to it; this confused distinction Tacitus did see, but he did not understand it, or I understand not him. He makes a question whether the favour of a Prince come by destiny of birth, or indeed by the counsels of our Prudence; I say it comes from both: The one hath all the part in that favour which makes us be loved, the other hath a great part in that which makes us dear. When a Favourite doth every thing it brings forth hatred, when nothing is done without him, it brings forth the same effect; Though that hatred be removed; the one is impossible, the other is necessary: The first mover, moves only itself, and all the other Heavens do follow it; when they do not follow it, nor move with it, they move by it. I undoubtedly hold that there's not any motion in Heaven, howsoever contrary to the primum mobile, that doth not depend upon that first motion, and that if that should stand still, all the rest would be at a stay; nor let any man tell me, that the ●rimum mobile, cannot occasion a contrary motion, in as much as we see, that man with all other creatures, by that power, which they have from the first mover, do oftentimes move, against the first mover. Who hath be●eved, that the motion from the West, to the East, is the proper motion of the sun? ●nd that therefore Joshuah spoke not pro●enly, (if I understand) but hath spoken im●operly.  
Where the interest of his King is in debate, and the right of justice, he hath no parents, nor he knows no friends, because the King is his chiefest Parent, and his greatest friend; and therefore although he were able by that way of his power, to have succoured Don Pietro of Giron, Duke of Ossuna, his Kinsman, yet did he leave him in the hands of justice, where he died in prison. And although he could have set at liberty Don Roderigo of Calderon yet he did it not, but did only manifest his friendship, to his posterity.  
The Prince like the sun, is the Father of all his subjects, if not univocal, equivocal, if not as a particular man, as an universal; but he cannot be a Father if his subjects be not sons, and love him not more than a Father. The paternity of a man hath blood for the foundation, the paternity of a Prince, love; this is to be greatest when it is most necessary, and it is most necessary where it constitutes, where it follows, and doth not always follow. He that loves not the Prince, more than he loves others, because he renounceth his sonship, he desires that paternity be denied unto him, and that the King of a Father do become a Lord, that he of 〈◊〉 son may become a servant. He that could constitute a Principality like this, wherein the subjects should be more zealous for their Princes good than their own; it would be needless for him to prohibit a proprium. Mine and thine, which form the particular, destroy the public, if the particular be not turned into the public. A wise man knew that necessaty well, and therefore in his commonwealth, he took away all kindred of blood, and knowledge of goods; he did not then offend in knowing the error, but in the correcting it, he took all the occasions of virtue away, putting man into the hands of necessity, and whereas he ought to have had recourse for a remedy, to establish the civil laws; he hasted to destroy the natural, and would rather desire a not desiderable, then seek for that which he thought impossible. In the correcting of great errors, there are always as it were great ones committed, yea, and sometimes greater, but they do not oftentimes seem so, because they are believed necessary, and sometimes they are not, because they are profitable; extreme mischiefs; call for extreme remedies, yet extremes are never good, but in comparison of worse.  
He did not place his kindred, but such as were worthy in the service of the King; nay rather he took away the lieutenancy of Castille, from a good subject, who for the name's sake of his marriage, would have been to him most faithful, and gave it to an excellent man, that had no kind of relation to him; and one who did undergo a kind of reluctation to accept it, being unwilling to relinquish that sweetness of repose, to which he had retired himself.  
It is a thing blame worthy in Princes, to suffer worth to be retired, for it is a sign, that either they do not know it, or that they hate it. If they send them not into exile, yet there they leave them, and to leave them there, and to send them thither, is all one. When cattle come home to their hovels before night, it is a sign of a tempest. Men do it, not that they may do ill, (for virtue is a beam of divinity that doth no ill) but because they are deprived of that good, that hinders the doing of ill: It is not only to be blamed in Princes, that they suffer worthy men to be retired, but it is likewise a fault in the men that they are willing to be so. he that serves not his Prince, and knows how to serve him, is worthy of a severer punishment, than he that serves him ill, not knowing how to serve. A negative occasion concurres as well to loss as a positive, when it is obliged to hinder it; nay the obligation hath a power to make the negative become positive: Retiring is only granted as a reward to such as have wrought: He that retires himself and hath done nothing, will have his reward, before his merit; but he is mightily deceived, in as much as this, which is reputed a plentiful recompense to men that have done enough; is certainly an excessive punishment to such as have been idle. The quiet which follows motion is the Rest of the movable, that which precedes motion is the weariness of the mover. He that is always in motion is without a body, he that is never in motion is without a soul. There is a strife in man between the soul and the body, the body is of its own nature immovable, and would not stir; the soul which is the beginning of motion, would move the body, that it might persuade it to motion, it doth promise it felicity, it is sometimes persuaded and consents, but after that the soul with the body is conducted, to whither it is able to be conducted, without lighting upon felicity; hopeless now to find it in motion, is likewise peradventure persuaded by the body, to find it in rest, and so deceived, suffers itself to be brought to rest, whether it voluntary goes either desperate or undeceived. It is a great deceit to believe to be able to be quiet and live; it is not true that rest is a reward, but it is always a most insupportable pain to him that hath laboured most, the world affords not quiet, he makes a journey to folly, that goes about to seek it, and he is come to his journeys end, that believes he hath found it. A man may indeed rest, and yet not be at quiet, nay for the most part, he is most unquiet when he is most at rest.  
The Lord Duke found the service of the King, puddled by his servants, and not being able to resist what was past, he made good orders to provide for what was to come, among the which the example of his own clear proceeding was not the least, which was confessed and admired by all, yea by such as could not abide him.  
Gold doth blunt the edge of the sword, and weighs down the balance of justice; He that sells justice, sells his Prince, when he can find a Chapman. The gold that holds not out at the test, was false and did deceive; the man that holds not out against gold, doth cozen.  
Some Princes have given money enough to their servants, that they should not sell themselves, nor sell them; but that hunger which is not natural, but sickly, admits not of satiety: That hunger is not in the man, it is in the gold, so that who so increaseth that body, increaseth its hunger; there is no cure for it, but to make them lose the love of it, and that cannot be made to be lost, if the Favourite be not the first that loseth it: The power of example is greater than that of the Law, because it hath no power; the Law works with violence, example operates with love; the one raiseth desire and produceth affection; the other without raising the desire, produceth fear; if the Favourite be not to be sold, than is he above all price, but the most part of them that bag up money, heap it up to buy the Favourite.  
The Lord Duke hath not a Favourite, nor knows he what friendship is, or Parentage, when the business of the King is in agitation: His servants have no power with him, they intrude not into business, they falter not; There may be a Simon like him that Lucian speaks of, that may have served a long time, as a helper to Audiences, but did never advance so far, as that Simon did, to raise a family of the Symoniades, but rather when he came to know, that one of his servants had recommended a business to one of his Officers, he put away the recommender, and took away the love recommended from him that had it.  
That Prince which loves his subject, gives him Principality, that subject that returns love to his Lord, gives it him again; but the subject, that loves another, takes it from him, is rebellious, making him, whom he loves, Prince, if not of others, yet of himself, and is ungrateful, though profitable, though faithful, though he love him.  
These are the obligations of a subject, but it is the obligation of a Favourite, that is more beloved than others, to be careful that he love more than others, and more than he loves any other.  
It would be an easy matter for Favourites to reform the palace of a King, if it were not a hard thing to order his own house; for the first is not reformed, if this be not first put in order. All the lines of a Favourite, yea those that reach from his own house, are to have, but one only centre, and that is, the palace of the Prince; He that raiseth to greatness, to Offices, to Honours, his servants, kindred, or friends, doth make his own house the Centre, and the King's house the Circumference. It is a rule among Favourites, to advance servants, kindred and friends, that they may have many supports to uphold them; but it may be, that that is no good rule, and without all question it is no good sign, that favour hath no good foundation, that is not fixed upon its own worth; a wall that hath a firm bottom, hath no need of a buttress, if ruin do not threat it, and then assistants of that necessity, do rather thrust down, then uphold favour, in as much as, they never lean to it, but they crowed it. The Hunter should vainly toil himself, to overthrow the Elephant, if he would not lean against something; but he doth lean to uphold himself, and often falls, because he leaned: Even so the Favourites of a Favourite, serve him as little for a support; but indeed it is he, that is of use to them for an upholder, and they do sometime bear so much upon him, that they lay him along. The Favourite is vigilant not to offend the Prince, because he hath none near to defend him; but his Favourites are bold, fearless of losing the favour they have not; and hope to be protected by the favour they have; whereupon it comes to pass, that the Prince oftentimes molested, is compelled to punish them, and then finding his Favourite in the crowed, in the overthrow of them he is destroyed.  
The Lord Duke, having made a discovery, that Riot, was the ruin of Spain; he gave life to the Law by practice, but he most of all quickened it by the example of the King, and of the Court, a course in admirable reputation, in the times of Vespasian, and so celebrated by Authors of venerable Authority.  
The practical law was shown to Tiberius, but he would none of it; wherein, if he did not dissemble, he showed great weakness, to conceal great wisdom; he made it believed that he conceived it odious, and it was in a Prince peradventure that was reputed a Tyrant; who knows whether indeed he did not think it hurtful, and that he did serve his turn with the defects of impossible, to hide those of his will.  
The laws of Tyrants, are suspected snares to punish, not advertisements for correction. The ends of Tyrants are to impoverish, and they are accustomed to propound occasions, for consuming of Patrimonies, then to give instructions, for the procuring of wealth. It may be Tacitus relished not my reason, because he thought it not a good one, and to speak truth it is not a good one. Store of money can procure particular friends, by the mediation of gifts: The purses of Favourites cannot raise Armies, but that which is spent can purchase a general applause. The common people love to ●ee magnificence, for they know by nature, that the virtue of magnanimity, consists in glorious actions; though they wink, they are not blind, though they see not the sun as it is, yet they see where it is. Princes do more often deceive themselves in applauding riches, than the people do; For Princes do sometimes honour them most, that have most, the people them only that employ most; they hate covetousness, and extol bounty, because they hope to have some benefit by that which is spent, but dream not of getting that which is hoarded: The people that are the dregs of the Commons, are not so ignorant as many would make them; they always have an eye upon virtue, and though they be not so foreseeing as Princes, and less understanding than the Nobility, yet have they less fears of the one, and less envy of the other; they draw not their swords upon virtue▪ nor do they pollute it with malice; always when it is great they know it, and always when they know it, they extol it, and reverence it: And therefore a Tyrant hath more reason to fear money that is spent, than many bags that are locked up, because it is an easier possibillity for Citizens to depose a Prince by applause, then by Armies.  
Don Baltazar of Zuniga died, and because the Lord Duke would not take upon him the whole weight of business, he procured the King to appoint as assistance, three men of excellent abilities, who were Don Agostina Missia, the marquess of Monticlare, and Don Ferdinando of Giron, who were to propound all businesses, to the end that his majesty might be able to elect what he pleased, when he heard them nominated, and so proceed to practise; to which he did persuade him with a disinteressed ingenuity (that which became his afforded favour) full of Learning, eloquence and love, representing to his majesty the duty of the best of Kings.  
This and many such like discourses, which for their exquisite politeness would enable my Relation, and make the infinite worth of the Duke more famous, are not by me recounted in this present work, because that I having written it (I call God to witness) without his consent, I reputed it not convenient to publish them to view, without authority from him that performed them, but it doth me good nevertheless to believe that he will one day be pleased that some more eminent pen then mine, shall divulge them to the world, not to defraud him of the glory, of being the first to inform Favourites, how to serve their Prince, and Princes how to govern their people.  
He that shall write as the Duke did, will discover a knowledge of the great good inclination in his Master, and declare himself to be a faithful Favourite.  
To with hold Princes from business, may be a laudable effect, but always of a blame-worthy occasion; if prudence produce it, it is an ill sign for the Prince, if sagaeity, it it is worse for the Favourite, because it always intimates the one wicked, the other unable.  
There have been some that have deemed it, an irrevocable maxim for Favourites to estrange Princes from all manner of business, but it may be that they peradventure have thought it ought to be so, because they have found it done so; they would have one draught serve to one species in a world, wherein nature hath not made any thing original that is not different; to give excellent precepts to one that never was excellent, and hath too too much strayed from the right, is a sure destroying of him he is not at the first capable of more than of an indifferent good; he must be first healed and then perfected; there is no doubt, but that a Favourite who fears not his Prince as he ought, doth utterly ruin himself, if he suffer his manner of proceeding to be corrected, or if he let his Prince come into action. The good old man of Chio, said, that when a physician met with a contagious distemper, he was not on the sudden to reduce it to what it should be, but to what it was at the first, because to that then it ought to come. Nature which does help to expel a worse distemper than its own, doth resist to bring in a better. It might peradventure be credible, that that Master would have inferred this, who did desire a Tyrant indifferently good, not that he should stay there, but because he imagined, that he could not at the first be reduced to a superlative, without his ruin.  
The examples of this most wise Favourite, would be of no use to the vigilant. Sound men's food is most dangerous for the sick.  
Necessity of state importuning Taxes, and the Duke knowing how much it grieved the people, to see their contributions given away; he writ a Discourse to his majesty, wherein he discovered the great error, that Princes ran into that proceeding, and that there was not wanting to his majesty, Habits, Orders, Honours, Offices, Degrees, and greatness, to satisfy the merits of the Worthy, without either distasting the subject, or impoverishing the Exchequer: This counsel was the occasion, that the King began ro remunerate his deserving subjects, or the deservings of his subjects, with honours and dignities.  
Riches are not the pay of worth, they are the wages of labour; he that buys it vilifies himself, he that sells it, is vile already: The operation of worth produceth its reward, for it produceth honours, and he that hath it, can pretend nothing more, than some marks that he hath it: Of this condition are greatness, Titles, Orders, Habits, and of this nature were the City crowns, the Collars, and the Triumphs of the Ancients. Such rewards if they grow common, give no honours, nay rather they lose that they have, when they are bestowed on such as have it not. There was a time when rewarding did not empty the King's Coffers, and it was a time fertile in worthy men; they were most rewarded, who were least rewarded. Honour was then a very great price, and the price of virtue only; But when that which was a price, began to be at a price, it lost value, and made men lose their courages, so that honour and worth became both mercenary, and men lusted rather after the wealths, that bought them, then after the qualities that got them. The original of so much error and confusion, was derived from such Princes, that were needy and poor, and thereupon gave more honour to the wealthy, than the worthy; but these would not have had need of riches, if they had not made them necessary, with taking away the reputatiou● of worth. The Spartans were a while without gold, and the first Romans if they had it, did not adore it: States have many times increased with money, but never without valour. It may be it did not concern Kings to keep it in credit, such are not the most valorous but the richest, they have given reputation, to what they always have, to assure them of that, which sometimes they have not.  
The Prince of Wales went into Spain, to get the Infanta Maria to wife, and for some other respects of the Palatine his Brother in law. When the Lord Duke stood firm upon this resolution, that when the King of England should in his kingdom, grant all that in favour of the Catholic Religion, without which there was no probability of a match; that then the Catholic Nation should accord to all that, that the conveniency of State required, nor would he ●ver depart from this Catholic vow, although he well enough understood, (that if the King of England, would not consent to this proposition, as he did manifestly declare he would not) the issue, that he insisted upon with a potent King to the enemies of the house of Austria, and that he did foresee wars, which would more load the Favourite, than any man else; because they take from him the commodity of enjoying the degree that he doth possess, and oppress him with turmoils, cares, and necessities, that attend them.  
This counsel was the counsel of the Duke, and the counsel and the Duke are worthy of the highest praise, hath no need of my pen. I do here lie down, with all reverence and humility, at the feet of Pope Vrban, our Lord, and as I have been confident to be able securely to go on in the way of commendations of the Duke, enlightened by his great splendour, which in many things cannot err, and in those he can, he will not. So likewise have I been willing to participate the Ray of it to others, to strengthen their sight that see, and to illuminate them that see not, and confound them that will not see. Then did his holiness write a Letter to the Lord Duke, the contents whereof translated into Italian, sounds, as you here may hear.  
To the beloved son and Noble Lord, the Earl of OLIVAREZ.  
Vrban the Pope 8.  
NOBLE Lord and beloved son, health and apostolical benediction: The Common report of the monarchy of Spain, drives such an applause to the counsels of your Nobility, that, that serves for Authority to your person, which is its felicity; in as much as fame the messenger of truth, conceals not the praises of the Lord Duke Olivarez, but by publishing your virtues fills all Europe, and comforts the Church of Rome.  
We truly who long before this have had notice of your nobleness, are hardly to express with what comfort of heart, we have now heard by our beloved son, Father Zachary, a Capuchin, how much more you esteem a good report then riches, believing that an affection for the propagation of the Faith, is the fortification of the power of Spain, and the greatest honour of the Catholic King. And he affirms that the counsels of your zeal are such, that they assure the patronage of Heaven to your family, and perpetual felicity to the kingdoms of Spain; in as much as it is published, that you have given such instructions of Christian piety in the business of the marriage with England, that foreign Princes may learn from you, with what great virtues the Catholic Religion adorns her sons withal, in whom the glory of the Name of God, hath a greater sway, than the increase of any human power. These praises thus confirmed by the testimony of so good a Priest, did give so much consolation to the cares of our dignity, that We have been pleased to notify it by our Apostolic Letters. Proceed on worthy Lord, take such pains, that the inseparable Nations of the Spanish Empire may know, the public welfare, the ecclesiastic jurisdiction, and the Authority of the nobleness upon which We bestow Our apostolical Benediction.  
From St Peter's in Rome, under the seal of the Piscator, the 27th. of Ap. in the year of our Pontificate the first, and of the Lord, 1624. Iohan. Champele.  
The Prince of Wales being but ill satisfied and returned into England, joined himself with other of the Emulours, and enemies of the King, in the League of Avignion, the Articles whereof were, that the Hollanders should set upon Brasile, that the Army of France, with the assistance of the Duke of Savoy, should fall upon the State of Genoa, and that the King of England, should go with a Fleet for a design upon Cales; that the King of Denmark with Protestant associates, should infest the Empire, that the Venetians should furnish the Duke of Savoy with money, and the Grizons with money and munition, to make an inroad upon the Valteline; that a peace should be procured between the Turks, and the Persian, that the Turk might enter by the way of Hungary, and Bethlem Gabor by Transilvania; that the Hollanders should send Cannons and cannoneers; to the moors of Africa, that they might beseige Mamora and Larachy. All these storms were dispersed, first by the breath of God, then by the prudence of the Catholic King, and by the counsel and providence of the Lord Duke; there was a Fleet supplied in Brasile, which recovered the Sconce, whereof the Hollanders were Masters, in the Bay of All Saints; two Armies relieved Genoa and the Valteline, the one set at large that which was at the last gasp, the other did maintain in the Valteline the Catholic Religion.  
The Englishmen were expected with so furnished a preparation, that after they of Cales had killed some five thousand of them, the rest returned home, weary and afflicted. The Hollanders did loose Breda. The King of Denmark was beaten in a battle, and betook himself to his trenches. The Africans were repulsed from Mamora, and Carachy, with a great loss. After which successes, there was a peace made, whereby the Church obtained great authority, the Catholic King great applause, and the Lord Duke no small reputation.  
When Leagues thrive, jealousy breaks them, when they do not thrive, fear breaks them, but they seldom overcome, if they do it not in an instant; they have large forces, but not long, in regard that they are for the most part composed of ordinary powers, and wars do quickly consume their treasures; but it is not so with Monarchs.  
A League is a body of a facile corruption, it often resolves into the first matter, and that abandoned, it remains but an empty power.  
Many Sciences, and Arts, have one and the same object, but never considered after one and the same manner, and howsoever they accord to move toward it; yet they agree not in the operation. The Tailor goes to the same body that the Philosopher doth, but when he hath clothed it, he leaves it, because it is not ever to be clothed. The physician goes likewise to the same body, and when he hath healed it, he goes his way, because it is not always to be cured: The Philosopher always stands fast there, because it is always movable. So in Leagues, all have power for the object, but by a diverse manner, some because they receive hurt by it, some because they fear it, some because they envy it: The first being quit from hurt, they go away because it is not always hurtful; the second secured from fear, they go away, because it is not always fearful; so that at the last, there remains none but the last, which do always envy it, because it is always to be envied.  
The King would have given the Lord Duke a great Donative, and would likewise have authorised him to have transported from new Spain into China, a ship laden with merchandise; an advantage, which would have been of great commodity to him, but of an answerable damage to the inhabitants of Spain: The Duke did accept of neither, because he would not transgress his established rule.  
I conceive this so necessary an action, and so concerning his reputation, that I should not commend it, if the ignorance of many, that have not so known it, did not proclaim it admirable; The act is so profitatable, that he who is not persuaded to it by prudence, is to suffer himself to be brought to it by prevision. To accept of what accepted, incurs blame, and what refused, merits glory, is a testimony either of baseness or foolishness. Worldly men that are not of this Alloy, walk to the Temple of glory, but the passage is so steep, that they have need of a wagon: Some have recourse the Chariot of worth, and some to the Cart of riches; whereupon it comes to pass, that as they are to be borne withal, who seek them, to make themselves glorious, so are they to be reprehended, who hunt after them, to make themselves be blamed.  
The Lord Duke forbears not to take the stipends belonging to his Offices, which he personally performs, not applauding, that dryness of the conceits of those moral men, that blame riches.  
Virtue (I speak now of moral virtue) doth not consist in being poor, but in making one's self poor. He doth not adore but despiseth money that spends it; he that would not be rich, is an un profitable poor man, and a cruel fool. He that casts riches into the sea, is a poor vain man, and an envious fool; He that possesseth wealth, and spends it commendably, is a rich, magnanimous, and a wise liberal man. I confess that the despising of riches is a great virtue, but it is a greater in him, who having them distributes them, then in him, who having them, throws them away, or not having them avoides them: These men do not despise them, but they either fear them or envy them; in the one, appears the greatness of a gallant mind, in the other baseness and vanity. he that cancels riches out of a wise man's heart, doth cancel out of the Catalogue of virtues, part of magnanimity, and all liberality; to fly the means that make virtue, is to fly virtue. That moral Philosopher, that did so much blame riches, had so much as made him blame-worthy; and whereas at other times, he was wont to contradict his sayings with his sayings, in this particular he did it with his doings; and gave us to understand, that he did despise them, because he had them not; and that then they are only to be despised, when they may be feared.  
The Lord Duke, perceiving a delay in the promotions of counsels in the tribunals for a long time, occasioned about disputes of precedency, he did cull one out of every bench, forming thereby a council, by whom there might be a provision made against all the difficulties that did arise; which proceeding of his brought an incredible commodity to the affairs of the King.  
The generals did take out some one soldier, out of every Company in the Armies, to make a squadron, calling it by the name of the squadron volant, as active, upon and in all occasions.  
Nature (if I be not deceived) hath given spirits to all the parts of man, that they may work; but then taking out some one from every one, makes a Globe, which must speedily relieve in business, and interpose themselves likewise in the offices of the other parts.  
These are the spirits that run to the heart in fear, that fly into the face in shame, that help the vital, and succour the animal spirits, and that they are taken out from the several parts will clearly appear, when we shall observe, that in the vehement operations of the spirits, in one place, the other spirits do remain feeble and weakened.  
He that is dexterous in business, merits great praise, and he lengthens our life, that shortens it. Man finds a kind of lust in it; the luxury of it are the ceremonies, the strifes of precedencies, and many other like accidents; which to his discommodity surround it. It would be more needsull to make a law against the dispatch of business, then against sumptuousness, feasting and apparel; For the time that is lost, is more precious than the money that is consumed. It grieves a man that his life is short, and yet he doth his business, as if it were of many ages: He complains of idleness, and makes his business so. Life is consumed in idlensse, and it is overplus of life, they call it short, and it is long, for that which advanceth, is more than that which operates. Man hath a rule to mourn by nature, so soon as he is borne, he should give thanks, and as soon as he is borne he mourns,; being arrived to the use of reason, he bewails his life as calamitous, come to years forgetting that he called it miserable, he is sorry it is so short: It is indeed too long, for it is a way that reacheth from the Earth to Heaven; he that desired to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, desired it should be shorter. They are to suppose it short, that by missing their way, go the right way to hell.  
He is a great intercessor to the King for good Officers; if any of them come to old age, and so cannot serve, he procures them rewards as if they did serve, as he did to Don Francisco of Contreras, President of Castille, and many others.  
Such servants as serve for respects, deserve to be rewarded with their respects, and that their reward may end, when that service is ended, because the profit of the one, doth terminate with the work of the other: But no time should abridge the reward of a servant that serves for love, for though to serve, he ceaseth not to love. There is no remuneration more fertile, nor of less bulk, then that which is bestowed upon the decrepitness of a servant: It fills the Court with servants, and empties no Exchequers; few arrive to it, few hold out to it, and all aspire to it, because, as fear makes us doubt, that all that may come to pass which is not impossible, so desire makes us hope.  
The Lord Duke had one only Daughter, and because he had no more, he conceived it necessary to marry her into his stock, and or this purpose he propounded to the King, four Subjects, that his majesty might make choice of one of them; the prudent answer of the King, worthy of the eminences of his understanding was, whatsoever shall be convenient for you, shall be acceptable to me: Be it your care to choose, and it shall be mine to enrich him as your son in Law.  
Astrology is in all parts falls, but false est of all in matters of marriages, because men are not married, nor do they marry according to their inclinations, but for some ends, and that is the cause of the change of tempers in families, because some by-respect hath its share in marriages. It is true, they are voluntary, otherwise they were of no value, but that will, was not that which was made with us, but that which we did make. Inclinations that belong unto manners, are not always to be followed, for the temper is surely exquisite, and if it be not good, they are not good; but inclinations to generation, may be prosecuted with more security, because, the constitution ordinarily desires, either the like that conserves it, or the contrary that corrects it,  
The Lord Duke would not have restrained his Election (nay certainly he ought not to have done it) to his own Family, if he had not found such a man in it, as he could not peradventure have found the like, in the whole kingdom, and it was the marquess of toral.  
If it were lawful for me to Print some few leaves, concerning the precepts, which the Duke gave to the marquess his son in Law, when he did elect him, I am confident, and it is a truth, that the great subjects of Princes would learn more by those advertisements how to regulate and govern themselves, then by all the Books, that I have written. His Daughter was married to this marquess, with a general joy of all; but that cheerfulness was soon turned into sadness, for when she had brought forth a dead daughter, she was a dead Mother.  
Philosophers do make a generation a natural instinct; for say they, in regard that man cannot eternize himself in the individual, he seeks to eternize himself in the species by children, but they are deceived, for that is not perpetuated, is so perpetuated, but it may be, man doth rather desire them for his consolation and love. Nature to eternal us, hath not been willing that we should seek for childeen, from anywhere else, then from the soul that she hath made eternal; or if they be desired to be loved; then are they not desiderable by the Duke, who hath so great a King to love, and so eminent an understanding to eternize him.  
The Duke remained hopeless of succession in his blood, being without sons.  
The desire of generation, which for the benefit of the world is to be only of the good, if it were not likewise among the bad, Cities would not be so great, and perdaventure would be better. I could be amazed that the Heathen lawmakers, who had no regard to religion, would be careless in this point, if there were not an impossibility of resisting, such an inconvenience, without running into greater; It is a weakness to believe that they forbear it, for the increase of the number of Cities; Since it is the quality and not the quantity of subjects, that makes commonwealths to be great. The condition of the world is lamentable, for nature as if she were covetous, or envious, makes those plants most fruitful, which are most unprofitable, and is rather a Mother in law, than a Mother; to such as are necessary, we should have reason to complain us of her, had not she had it first, to complain her of us. For sin, that did infest the generation of man, did likewise infest the generation of the Earth.  
The death of his Daughter, made the Duke abandon all intention of advancing his Family, if he ever had had such a purpose, and wholly betook himself to the service of God and the King.  
The Lord Duke (with pardon let me speak it) did not arrive to the true Idea of a Favourite, when his Daughter died. He that hath Children loves them, thinks how to make them great; and he that intends the greatness of his Family, is one that love his own respects, and doth not satisfy, the obligation of a perfect Favourite. The love, that is the due of a Prince, consists altogether of good affections; it is alone splendour, and infinite lights do form it; to it hath recourse the affections of tenderness, which is toward children, and the reverence due to a Father, the cordialness, wherewith we love a friend, the naturalness wherewith we love ourselves; and he that hath another Friend, another son, another Father, and who indeed is not himself transformed into his Lord, is not worthy to have his heart. That the Duke was such an one, was well discovered, in the sickness that the King had, upon the first of August, in the year 1627. for he did all that was possible for a servant to do that his Lord might live, and so far as was permitted to a Christian, to die if he died. And when he was advised by his friends at that time, to have some regard to the maintenance of his own health, he thrust them from him, with a furious choler.  
If the King die not, his privacy cannot die, and indeed he cannot desire it life, if he live not; if he could have been deprived of that affection wherewith he was bound to his Prince, whom he loved so much, and loved him so much, either he was not a true Private, or would not have been: For a Favourite is called a Private, because he is to be Private to his will, to all his affections, to all his passions, and transformed only into the service of God and of his Lord. They that sit musing upon what may happen, love not their Prince, but themselves, either they have not the service of their Lord for their end, or they think of beyond the end, when they think of something after the end. I do believe, that if the King had died, the Duke had died with him, and if not died in the world, yet to the world.  
The Duke perceiving, that God would form in him a servant, without affection, only destinated to the service of his King, did embrace it with all his soul, and all his body, digesting in his brain the Chaos of the whole Monarchy, wherein he spent sixteen hours of the day, reserving to himself, but only eight, for his sleep, his nourishment and his own business.  
The body of man consists of many parts, the body of a Monarchy, of many affairs; both which are divers; I was about to say contrary, but in the whole man, and the whole monarchy, there is one and the same consent & conspiracy: A thousand Artificers concur to the building of an house. A house as I may say doth consist of Wood, of Iron, of thorns, of lime, of Sand, but it is not enough, that all the materials be together that build it, to make it a house, nay that every piece by itself, were in its due order, yet would this gathering together be nothing more than a confusion; but here is required an Architect, who uniting them in his understanding, doth concoct, and regenerate them, who raising the form from the parts, may produce that from the mixture, that it may not be stone alone, nor lime alone, or only Wood or only Iron, nor all these things together, but an house, which doth consist in a certain harmony, that is the soul of these things, that have no soul, even so (as I take it) is the Chaos of a Monarchy, in the forming and upholding whereof, there is a concurrence of infinite Officers, and howsoever each of them might operate well enough, in his peculiar office, yet would it for all that be but a confusion, if there were not, one only Architect, by whose direction should be ordered and disposed; All the particulars, which otherwise would lose the proper form, and only have part of the All.  
Man consists of soul and body, but the soul and the body do not make a man, but it is necessary, that there be an union, which though it seem nothing, is a real Entitye: It seems as it were a prejudice to a Monarchy, which intimates one, that the first influences of it are received in more; as it, that it did produce, that more before the one, whereas it should produce, first the One, because from that One, and from him which are more, the more is produced.  
Who so will know, the sincerity and goodness of the Duke, let him consider how he did advance the Cardinal of Tresco to be President of Castille, although his friends persuaded the contrary, conceiving that he would run into some danger, by the Election, the Cardinal being the Creature of the Duke of Lerma, and of the marquess of the Seven Churches, the one being fall'n from being a Favourite, & the other put to death, in the time of the Duke; his well-willers did insist upon it, that there being no want of persons for so principal a place, it was lawful for him to have respect to his own safety, when he might do it, without damage to the King's service.  
The gross matter that makes the bow of policy, doth not bend sometimes, and the thin doth sometimes break; the way of the one is broader, but is longer, it seems more secure, because if it precipitate, it doth it leisurely, if it arrive, it arrives likewise slowly; the other is shorter but it is slippery, and sometimes precipitates speedily, and so likewise, comes sometimes to the end, this cannot be learned in books, it requires many circumstances, and who so wants one of them, wants a foot, if he slip, he falls: He that will perform it, must necessarily know, how to produce it of himself, because it requires a great power of the understanding, and a great strength of knowledge, of how much, is to be done, and when it is to be done. There is a rule in policy, that men cannot be brought into (howsoever otherwise very able) if they be not dependants; it is a gross kind of policy, which avoids present danger; but not blame, and that puts the future into a peradventure, if it happen, that a business shipwreck, which hath been taken out of the hand of some able man, to give it to a dependent, although fortune have all the share in it, yet is it given to Election, and the loss of credit & sometimes of favour is the consequent.  
There is another rule, which able men may come to, though they be not dependants, or friends, and this is a subtle policy, which assures against dangers, and produceth praise, but it requires a great eye to see it, and a greater to manage it.  
When he is not our friend, that is friend to another, that is not our friend, his not loving us is not to be hated, for where he loves not, he loves not because he loves; his not being a friend is accessary in him, he followeth the nature of the Principal; So soon as the one ceaseth to be, the other gives over loving, but where there is enmity, & enmity proceeds from a bad nature, it ought not to be benefitted with loss, and it may be given over without shame, because the malignity which would put the benefit in danger doth secure from blame, it is very odious to all, it brings not forth worth but destroys it, it would be likewise avoided of all, if it were not that many seek rather to beat down then to build.  
Spain which did enrich other Provinces with gold and silver, was grown so meanly poor, by the disorderly value of brass money, that trading was now in part given over among the Provincials, and wholly left of by strangers; which was occasioned, not by the moneys coined by the King, but by a mass of false money brought in by Enemies; when the Duke resolutely (though resisted with great obstinacy, by the most part of the Officers) did council the King, to cry it down, to half the worth, which put in practice to the benefit of the people made them hasten to erect a statue, to the providence of their most loving sovereign, not without honourable mention of the Lord Duke.  
The profit of the Prince in such an error, holds no proportion with the loss of the subject, it hinders traffic with strangers, and difficults it among his home merchants, where the profit is great, there will not be wanting some, that will adventure to falsify coin, whence it is, that afterward in the computation of the money he doth find, the loss greater than that which he hath made; there was a commonwealth, that lived a long time with leather money, but their laws did admit of no strangers, so that here they destroyed no traffic; they did tolerate no excess, and by these two they did hinder falsification of money. A State that could have no necessity of trading with strangers, and a Prince that could find means to assure himself from coiners, either in regard of some special material, or that he could find an indiscoverable, or inimitable form from others, he might be able without detriment to his subjects, either to that matter, or that form, or likewise to some other matter, that is far more vile than gold, give the value of gold; but because stamps are easily imitated, it is necessary to have recourse to such a material as is not easily found, and that which is everywhere dispersed, not to hinder commerce, and to be secured from counterfeiters.  
It is by accident, that gold is of such value, rare it is, because it is rare; crystal is likewise beautiful, clear and transparent; if Gold be like the Sun, crystal is like the sky, the brittleness of it doth not vilify the worth, nor take away the beauty, but rather increaseth the respect; the pearl which is more brittle than gold, and for its original, is not more noble, being the daughter of the moon and Water is more precious than gold; but if that Gold be like the Sun, and that the Sun be the principal Agent here below, and that the Agent endeavours always to make that, which it makes like itself, why doth it make the mettle so seldom? why doth it not produce more gold than lead? It may be the sun is not so powerful an Agent as man thinks it is, it is hindered by the obscure matter in which it works, it is resisted by the graveness, and coldness of the earth, against which it works; for if one of these Agents were always superior to the other, the Heaven● would either have become by this time wholly Earth, or the Earth wholly Heaven, or if they should be always, and in every place of equal strength, there would be no generation. It is therefore no wonder if gold be so scarce in the world, because it is not produced without a great victory, and that is not obtained without great resistance, because the Earth takes great care, that the Characters of her enemy may not be produced out of her bosom.  
Philip the fourth found his revenues at ●awne, and yet though he had greater wars, and greater expenses than his father, and his grandfather; the clear proceeding and order of the Duke, hath in such sort managed the business of his demeanes, that the Majesty of this great King, hath been able to oppress the Enemies of God, defend his Estates & reputation without greater impawning.  
I cannot in this place dissemble the knowing of what they say, that are ill affected, whilst they accuse the prudence of the most wise Catholic King, and the Counsels of his Favourite, because some Forts are lost in Flanders, because they have had so many wars with Italy and Germany, as if wisdom could overcome Envy, and the occasion of jealousy be separated from greatness.  
If Philip the second, to hinder France only from being heretical, may, as it were affirm that he lost Flanders: Why is Philip the fourth to be blamed, if he did leave the Armies in Flanders weak, to defend the Religion, and likewise the estates of the Princes of his blood, and that there are not rather some glorious enconiums published in his commendation, that may call him the disinteressed Defender of the Faith, the Sanctuary of the unjustly persecu●ted, Tutor of of the commonwealths, and Princes, the always magnanimous, and eve● glorious oppressor of heretics? How much treasure hath he spent, how many Ar●mies consumed in the service of God and o● men? How many Forts hath he take● and most liberally restored them all again from whom they were most unlawfull● compelled, or from whom he himself ha● justly taken them? What war hath he en●terpriz'd that hath not been, either to defend Religion from such as wounded it, o● to relieve justice when it was oppressed, or t● maintain his credit against such, as despise● him.  
But that, which is lost in Flanders, is not lost by the King's fault, or the Favourites, i● as much as there wanted no provision of men▪ or money: But it was lost, by other sufficiently known accidents: And in this is the Government, of the most glorious Philip the fourth, more worthy of praise, then that of his grandfather; whereas the one, has made war in other Provinces, without calling his Armies out of Flanders, and the other could not succour, the Catholic Faith ●n France, without abandoning Flanders.  
As little likewise is the Duke to be blamed, for the wars that have in these times ●eld the Austrian Monarchy in a tottering co●dition, but rather such, as having been se●itious have moved them. It is not very ●ikely that a Favourite of a quiet brain, the ●irth of the favourable beams of Jupiter ●nd Venus, doth meditate the topsy-turvy, ●urning of the world. If he be as wise as a ●ove, he brings an olive branch, and not a de●●ance of war: For he cannot order it, with●ut leaving his privacy, and he can hardly ●ake that be ordered without losing it. Victories make a too much rumour to be con●ealed, they are in the view of all the world; ●o hinder them is ●ith the danger of the Prince, to let them run on, is peradventure with the danger of the Favourite; he is an ●ble man, who in the time of war, loseth not is privacy, or makes not the kingdom be ●●st.  
I say not, but that Favourites may be found desirous of wars; who like crow's ●re always flocking to dead bodies, but those ●re ordinarily, the troublesome parts of the rays of Mars and Saturn, they wriggle ●hemselves into favour, by pernicious, but specious counsels, whence it is, that they afterwards send forth those sooty humours, tha● they have within them, and they do puddl● the waters, that they may not be a prey t● such as fish for the truth. Woe to the worl● when such a Favourite is borne (and let u● thank God, that we are none of them in ou● times) for he confounds it, lays it along▪ overturns it, ruins it, and is ruined troublesome. whithersoever they go, it seems tha● they increase the waters, but diminish the channel, because they increase the mud; no● go they much thither, for they go not thither. These Phaeton's when they come to touch that fire of Heaven, are for the most part thunder struck by Jove. It is very considerable, that howsoever, Prudence, be that, which is necessary to the maintenance of privacy, yet is not always the true practised, but for the most part the false. There is a Prudence that hath real good for its end, another that which seems so; the one is pure, the other puddle, both cry men up, and both greatly exult; the one with the greater security, because it is much more benign, the other with much more mirror, because it hath more eagerness. The brains of a witty man is as a waving sea, always unquiet, it neither hath rest, nor gives rest, it destroys, or will build, or will maintain: The foundations of its height, are the ruins of others; it procures a fear in the Prince to make itself necessary; it will make him a Tyrant, and sometimes makes itself so; it is an Art which imitates Prudence, like the Artist that imitates Nature; it takes no pleasure if it do not deceive, and is most pleased when it deceives most, leaving to be, when it leaves to cozen; it stands upon the very brink of a precipice, and because it cannot always deceive, there is one time when it headlong falls. The brain of the Prudent man is placide and and loving, breathing nothing but sweetness, nothing but quiet, it builds up what others ruin; and if it sometimes doth destroy, it destroys not to raise its own house, but to uphold it: It makes the King good, by showing him what is profitable; it makes him love, to make him be beloved. A prudent man falls not from favour, if the Prince falls not into tyranny; and if some casual accident doth thrust him from the Mountain of Grace, he goes but down, he tumbles not. Greatness of the Prudent, are influences from benevolent stars; and because they are increased by little and little, like high Towers, they are continued high, upon their own foundations. Witty men go high, but they grow not high, they are like balls of earth, which violently compelled, by some compulsion, do swiftly pass through all buildings, and when they are at the highest heights, they fall, and fall not but they break. If Tacitus had ascribed the fall from privacy, as well to sagacity, as he did to satiety, I would have borne with his other part of speech, where he shows it rarely sempiternal, because it is rare for men to have prudence, and such men are most rare, which placed on high, maintain it; and he that did attribute so much to the power of domination and enchantment of obsequiousness, might well think all constancy frail, all prudence fleeting.  
He hath made some Rivers in Spain to be made Navigable; he made some veins of gold to be found, not for covetousness of gain, but to be able to diminish the griveances of the subject, without being wanting to the business of the Monarchy.  
Gold is profitable to conserve and necessary to increase States. Some Politicians have made it inferior to reputation, when indeed reputation hath no other price, but the reward which gold gives it; they are deceived in this, because, they sometimes see men forsake a rich Prince, to go serve a Prince of reputation, this experience hath been true, but it came not so to pass, because reputation enticeth more than gold, but because the worth of one in reputation, gives more hope of gold, than the Exchequer of a rich man gives gold; those soldiers are ill apaid, that are always paid; and they are well pleased that are ill paid: the ordinary price of their lives hardly keeps them alive; Sackings, inroads, Rapines, Victories, are the advantages that every the soldiers, and they expect them most frequent, from such as they know most reputed.  
The Favourite that increaseth the Revenues of his master doth likewise increase the Estates of the people, one of whose great felicities is, to have the Prince rich, for when he takes not away, he gives, and when he gives he takes away, a holding Prince is more desiderable than a bountiful; Donatives every but few, but they empty the store, that must be restored by the impoverishness of all.  
The most Christian King of France had besieged Rochel, and suspecting that it would have been relieved by the King of England, he did, by the means of the marquess Ramboulle, his ambassador Extraordinary, demand a Navy from Philip the fourth, whereto the council of the Duke advising, it was consented him; and was an Act of great honour, by delivering France from so long an oppression, with so much commodity to the Catholic Faith.  
It was thought that the Duke erred in reason of state, in preferring the service of God, to that of the King, but he cannot err in the service of the Catholic King, that errs not in the service of God; if any impious man hath in his Instructions, separated the reason of State from that of God, yet are they so conjoined in the concernings of this King, that no distinction of any understanding can disjoin them. God who hath manifested unto us his Election of this Family, for the defence of his Religion, hath not left a place, that it may be taken away by the quickness of spirit; so that if some Officer, of small or no Religion, should by chance spring up, he could do no hurt but to himself with his wicked intention, finding himself thrust on, by a nimbleness of spirit to those actions, which clothed with the zeal of God, would be laudable parts of prudence; but in the examination of reason of State, I conclude it to be necessarily that of the devil, when it is separated from that of the Lord. I believe that Lucifer had no intention to raise himself to such a height, as to be above God, for than he would not have had an intention to dissolve the unity, but to betterit, which he by the natural gift only of science, did know to be impossible: He then had a thought to exalt himself, by withdrawing himself aside, and so going from one, to make the number of two, upon which afterward as upon a centre, he did design his Circumference diverse from that of God, nor could he go from the one, but that he must be bad, because all that is good is One. God drawing a line from his Circumference, did to make the number of three, create man: the devil likewise thrust out a line from his circumference, to make the number of four, and did seduce him. God who would not leave man in the hands of the devil, came to redeem him, and made the number of five, and although he did not take away from him the excitement that seduceth him towards the number of two, yet he gave him the grace that reduced him towards the One, whereupon man remained free (not being able to design a Circumference upon himself, because there is no other Circumference to be given, then of the One, and of the Two, nothing else being found but good or evil to determine it; Operating well upon the Centre of the one, and operating ill upon the Centre of the Two. As there are two Circumferences, so are there two reasons of State; the one of God the other of the devil, that of God, is to come near to God, to be great; that of the devil is to go far from God to make himself great, what discourse then of a religious understanding shall ever deter us from the spoiling the nest of the heretics, if we be able to do it? He that can do it, and doth it not, doth sin, and doth enlarge (as much as in him lies) the Circumference of the devil. He that can do it, and doth it, doth enlarge (by what is in his power,) the circumference of God. Have sins power to defend States, and merit's power to destroy them? Oh King! oh Grandee! oh Catholic! what thing think you, can defend your kingdoms, not your treasures, not the Armies, it is God defends them, because you have defended him, because you do defend him; and that you may defend him.  
Don Emanuel of Merveses, general of the Fleet of Lisbon, wanting sufficient means to maintain him at Court, & to defend him from some oppositions, advertised about the discharge of his trust, was resolved to be gone, & leave a Deputy; which the Duke perceiving by him, when he went to get leave of him did not consent that he should depart with damage to his reputation, and yet being unwilling to hinder the course of justice, did offer himself to his assistance, as he did in effect to his purse, so did this magnanimous favourite, reserve the rewards that were bestowed upon him to help deserving men upon their occasions.  
It is a more blessed thing to give then to receive, and peradventure the reason is, because he that hath the commodity of giving; is more happy, than he that hath the necessity of receiving, most happy then is he that gives and not receives. He that receives and gives, is not the man that gives, but he that gave it him; such as are inflexible in receiving, are so likewise in giving: the selfsame severity that they use against themselves, makes them little charitable towards others: the Lord Duke was able to have relieved an Officer of so great merit, with that, which was his, of whom he had well deserved, but he desired to do it with his own, because he was a well deserver of the King. A Favourite is to esteem the service done to his Prince, as done to him, and to repute himself obliged to whom the King is, if he gives to him that hath served well, he merits for those works, that he hath not done, but rewarded; he should prize his goods more than his life, more than his understanding, more than himself, that would wast himself, and not his Estate in the King's service; the part of giving is as hard as part of receiving; he that receives every thing is too covetous, he that takes nothing is too severe; he that gives always, is too prodigal, and he that never gives is too miserable.  
The Rhetorician that thought it a difficult thing, to persuade a Judge to give what was his own, and to be no hard matter to win him to give what was another man's, would have been upon a false ground with the Duke; Oh the gallant and true magnanimity of a Favourite, who helps by liberality where he cannot by justice; and will rather be a looser himself, that he may win who is to lose, than that justice should lose, who is always to overcome; the Subjects that have worth in them, may contend with certainty of reward, when they serve a Monarch, whose Favourite is such an one, that if he do not intercede to the King for them, he gives like a King to them; who will believe that a man will not be liberal of another man's purse, when he is frank of his own when he is to be so; I was about to say, when he needs not be so, I will say when he cannot be.  
Never was there a Favourite so courteous in Audiences, so loving to council, to assist, to comfort, and to harken, I would set down multitudes of glorious examples, but because they are many, I will let them all alone, because I would carry away the garland for brevity.  
There is nothing more desired or more dear to the people than audience, and there is no Officer, that can give it more, or aught to give it more, than he that is most just. Some there are, the which I know not whether through zeal of justice, or ruggedness of nature, do hear with little patience, and answer with little love, such as they will not listen unto; whereas indeed they should have been hearkened unto patienly, and sweetly comforted; it is necessary to show love to all, being merry with them that have what they would have; compassionating others that want of their riches; to the end that the gainers may ascribe the obligation of their gaining to their favours, and the losers may lay it only on necessity: They are no competent givers of audience, that do not do that which is just, for when they are assailed by the powerful reasons of such as are concerned, they are compelled to dismiss them with an, I will have it so: Whereupon afterwards the offended subjects call them, and by good reason call them, the Willers of wrong, because they will, in as much as because they would, they wronged them.  
But the Lord Duke, who doth hold in his hand the balances of Astraea, as well in matters of favour as of justice, doth easily pacify such as he accepts against, making them to know that they are either overcome by merit, or by law.  
I know not what to say of the Prince, I might happily say that of him, that I say of the Favourite, that he hath not only an uprightness in the administration of justice, but that he hath no less in the granting of courtesies. Man is of himself a reasonable creature, but when he deprives himself of justice, he lays aside his reason, and is but only a creature. The friends of the Favourite are to be such as merit, and such to be most his friends, that merit most; the friendship that is grounded without reason, may be said not to be without unlawful appetite, and because it is not without passion, it is not without reason; man hath not so much liberty to have as he thinks he hath. If we should not love God above all things, we should sin, and if we love such as merit little, we may err; it is a great matter certainly, that charges are unjustly given, to such sometimes that are to administer justice. I will not call this a liberty to do favours, but a licentiousness and an abuse, which makes a great confusion in the world; the greatest honour doth of justice belong to him which is of greatest worth, as the greatest punishment is his due by justice that is the greatest offendor, and questionless if there could be found balances which should weigh merits, as there are some to weigh transgressions, I should wonder why justice should be painted only with the sword in her right hand, and not likewise with Cities, kingdoms, and Monarchies, that she may as it were weigh them, not to the end, to reward merits, but to the end to punish offences.  
If all kingdoms could have such a Favourite as this, which would as diligently weigh deserts, as failings, and that he would take away that false liberty of granting favours, which doth so much harm, and procures so much hatred to the Prince, how would they be without confusion, without laments, and always full of worthy men and happy; but it may be this is not in use, because Princes would not be known to be necessitated, either to be of more value than others, or to hold the principality unjustly, or else to lay it down.  
The Lord Duke is so easy to pardon injuries, and so much an enemy to revenge himself, that many have thought it reason of state to be his Enemies; there was a principal man, who upon no occasion of his, nor for any just reason, had a pistol prepared to kill him, and having confessed this with many other faults deserving death, the Lord Duke did make his punishment to be changed into a long imprisonment, from thence he got means to get free, yet left he not the wickedness of his heart, but being discovered he was forced to haste him out of Spain to get into another kingdom, where he was imprisoned.  
The Lord Duke having notice of it, he dispatched a post, to the Officers of the King to let him remain there, for if he were remanded into Spain, he could not be able to save him from death.  
I do relate this, but (by the Duke's leave) I do not commend it; for he that hates without occasion, hates without reason, he hates by nature, nay rather against nature; he takes not away such a man's hatred, that takes not away his life, to pardon such whose natures are Enemies to nature, may be magnanimity, but not to punish them is injustice, it is the will of God, that man pardon man here in this world, but not so as he doth in heaven, if the offended pardon the offence, his purpose is, that the Judge should punish it; whereas if God pardon it in heaven, he cannot punish it; because he himself is the judge and the party offended, but in the world, although man may pardon, yet will he that the Judge punisheth, because He for his part is not the selfsame He, that punisheth in the world, that is offended in Heaven, and to the end that the same man in the behalf of man, may not be less, that is offended than he that punisheth, he calls the judge ●y the name of God, to the end peradventure to make us know, that he doth not punish as man, but as God.  
To return evil for good is a notable error, yet that is not it, which ruins the world; for it is very seldom done, it is too great injustice, it is odious, it is ingratitude, it is blamed of all, because the example of it, is prejudicial to all, it is reason of State, to hinder it, and to hate it. They that expect benefits (and all expect them) would lose the hope of receiving any, if by frequent ingratitudes the minds of such as do favours, should be abused.  
To render evil for evil, which seems ● less error, is oftentimes praised, is always as it were borne withal, and is that which hath brought in revenge, and revenge is that which ruins the world.  
The Judge cannot render evil for evil, when he cuts of a limb. or takes away life; he doth justice for injustice, he doth good for ill; Man sinneth in doing, either because he doth it, when he ought not, or because he doth it not as he ought, or that he doth more than he ought; Plants are not untamed, a savage; they are the beasts that are so, & they are so because they have a sensitive soul, men are more savage, because because besides the sensitive, they have a reasonable soul; Wild Beaits destroy, led on by their senses, but men do it guided indeed by their senses, & likewise by reason ill directed by the sense; amongst such things as are under the Circle of the moon, they always become the worst, that were the most perfect.  
In the distribution of offices and dignities, the Lord Duke, came seldom to the council, and oftentimes jumped with the people; in knowing who was to be elected, when he is to be elected; And this course doth not he only, but the King likewise strictly observes in ecclesiastical offices, laying that burden upon the shoulders of his confessors to choose such as are propounded by the council, though there be every month such a quantity of them provided, that it amounts to a hundred thousand crowns revenue.  
All states, yea Tyrannies, are governed by an Aristocracy, for if the Magistrates do it not, the Officers do, and they for mass are a commonwealth. The Favourite is the dictator, if he do nothing, he becomes nothing, if he do every thing, he savours of a Tyrant. What matter is it, or of what consequence, for him to choose Offices for all; it serves well enough that such as choose, have chosen, for then is he assured, that such shall be elected, as he himself would have chosen: He is quitted from the hatred of such as are left out, and loseth not the obligation of those that are elected, for they are sufficiently obliged to him, in that they were not hindered by him; and that which is best of all, he is safe from the danger, of not having well elected. It is very hard to know the ability of persons, thereby to rest confident in election. Experience deceives us, and reason cannot teach it. Every Science to be well learned, and every office to be well discharged requires a particular quality of the brain, and so as one man's being eminent in a Science, is rather a certain sign of weakness, then of ability in others; so the managing of one employment with prudence, doth not conclude the same fidelity in others, that are not the same. Nature when she makes one only thing, she makes it for one only end; she is not (as the Philosopher said) like the Delphic Smith, whose knife did cut, and saw, and bore. Either a witty Tyrant knew this, or a subtle Politician made him say it, when he left it written; That, many who are sent into commands appear diverse, from what was hoped, or feared; some of them are ●●eightned by the greatness of employment, and others disgraced; which doth not only proceed by a glancing quality of the brain, but likewise sometimes through the inequality of the business. A man of great abilities thrust upon an inferior business, despiseth it, regards it not, is careless of it; and that man brought to great affairs, makes it appear, he was less than the least, because he was greater. Others of a small Alloy, being employed in poor affairs, and therein wholly intent, come out with much applause, but advanced to greater, they do fall to ruin, and manifest that the felicity which they had in the small matters, was not the greatness of their parts, but the suitable equality to their capacities: That Tyrant did desire this part in his Officers, and that politician knew it for excellent when he did command a subject, not for his being superior, but because he was equal to business.  
The Lord Duke, to the end that the counsellors should always be wary and diligent in the well performing of their duties, made a little window, to be made in all the places of counsels, where though the King, could not sometimes be present, yet that they might always doubt he might be there.  
A Prince hath a similitude to God, though infinitely inferior, and yet man makes him as it were superior, whilst he is careful not to transgress, because it may be the Prince may be there, but takes no care at all, though the Lord is there, as if he did doubt of that which is certain, and were certain of that which he doubteth. He that durst not offend in the presence of Cato, did audaciously offend in the presence of God. I give not this as a sign of an annihilated faith, but an assuaged faith; it is a point that should be taught children, before they know sin, to the end they should not sin, because they should know they did it in the sight of God; it may be the having sinned without shame, would not take away the shame of sin. It is a great matter to consider that the quantity of offences, encreaset● the confidence of offending, whereas 〈◊〉 should increase the fear, because it increaseth the offences. But all our errors proceed from our ignorance: Man cannot see God alive; man knows that God is, what he is, but he knows not that, which he is, because in this world he doth not see him, as he is. I do not therefore wonder that the Prophet called his sins, by the name of ignorances.  
He did entreat his King, upon his knees, that he would increase his talon, not only by his experience, which by his continual practice in business he had gained, but by his reading of the stories of his predecessors; the King followed his counsel, and one day as he was reading, he fell into a large commendation of one King in especial, to whom the Duke replied, that he would have been much more worthy of praise, had he not suffered himself to be so much governed by his Favourite.  
It was given as an excellent counsel to Nero, to the end he might suppress Seneca, to show him who was his Master, that his predecessors were most powerful doctors to instruct him; the Lord Duke likewise, to the end that none should give the counsel against him, did blame that King to his Majesty, because he suffered himself to be led by his Favourite, as by a Master, making it appear to him, that his forefathers are fit to instruct him, and therefore entreats him to read the story of his Family.  
Nicholas Machiavelli, he would have men have recourse to Ancient rather than Modern Writers; he said, that if we make use of the learnings of the ancient, for physic, if of their laws for judgme●t, if of their Statutes for imitation, why should we not serve our turns likewise with them by imitation of their Actions, which is not a thing impossible to be done, in as much, as neither the Heavens, the Elements, nor men, have changed their motion, order or manners.  
I for my part (and I desire pardon) am of a contrary opinion, yet do not I say that men are changed, I rather say they are not changed in Specie, or the inidividuals, yet are the actions changed which are not of the Species, but of the inidividuals; the quality and quantity of meats, being now in our times altered and changed, have made them excusable, who have written aphorisms that once were true, but now are false; and this alteration hath had great power in the change of the Temperature, which being changed, hath in part changed the manners.  
I do not say, that the heavens are not the same, and that their motions are varied; The motions are not the givers of influence, but the Stars, nor the Stars neither without an Aspect; The selfsame Heavens then, the self same Stars, the selfsame motions do still remain; but not the selfsame Aspects, nor never shall, and then if the selfsame Aspects shall never be, no more (in as much as belongs to them) shall the same effects be. inferior things hath a connexion with the superior: He that would consider, that there is not one Constellation like another in the Heavens, would not marvel, that there is not one man like another on the Earth, and that one action is not like another; but as in astrology that observation that is nearest, is least false, so in policy is that example, that is most modern.  
If physicians go not from the reasons of the ancients, yet do they in a great part, go from their Medicines; The thin and spare diets, that are appointed and taught by Hippocrates, which are to give nothing, except the disease be resolved on, when the judgement is made on the fourth day, if all those times they help, all other times they hurt; some barley corns weight, that did serve them of old for a competent food, would starve us now. The Hellebores which then did work a purging Medicines, would now extinguish Patients, new diseases are now sprung up, new Medicines are now invented, and the old corrected and changed.  
The laws of times past, do serve these times, but they are such as judge between Titus and Sempronius, but not those that have respect to the countenance of States: Nay rather a great part belonging to manners are changed; Our Religion hath established a canonical Law diverse from the civil Law: laws of marriage are varied, those of divorce are taken away; nor is there any thing now spoken, of bond or freeman.  
The Agrarian and the Julian Law, besides a multitude of others, are muffled up in oblivion, nor there is the least City that is built, that hath not built peculiar Statutes.  
In Sculpture we imitate the Ancients to make a man, which is always the same, but not to make this man which is always divers, and as the Sculpture should be ridiculous that being desirous to make a strong man, should shape him out by the Statue of Alexander, so likewise that politician should be foolish, that would endeavour to teach the maintenance of our modern commonwealths, with the rules and manners of the Romans.  
He that believes that after he hath read a laudable example of our predecessors, that he is able by and by, to put it in practice, is deceived; he should have need first to change all the world: The world consists of order and harmony, and it is an Instrument of many strings, alter any one, of them never so little, and all are a great deal out of tune.  
Machiavelli was likewise deceived in believing, that the help of history did consist in the making use of example; and from this error, as from the Root, come all his failings in policy; As empirics are to be condemned in physic, so are Exemplaries to be abandoned in policy.  
We ought not, not only, not to make use of the Examples of the ancients, but likewise not of the modern; for they require too great circumstances to come to be themselves, and will ask a great many to make a rule; Many of them are very dangerous, in as much as they are not always the sons of prudence, but many times of fortune, and fortune is not to be presupposed in business, but to be desired. I blame not by this the reading of history, for I commend it, and resemble it to meats, because as meats, except they do more than stay in the stomach only, they do not nourish the body' so if history stay only in the memory, it doth not form the judgement, they are changed, digested, and animated: If all men had eminency of understanding, they would have no need to read histories, to become physicians, or trouble themselves to study Statues (I now insist against Machiavel's argument) to be Sculptoures: but because in few, and a few times this eminency is to be found, politicians dispose themselves to read Histories, and sculptors to imitate statues; and as Statues are of no use to sculptors, but for good, delineation, it being no commendation to copy the very same, but to make some varied with the manner deduced from them: So Histories are little helpful to politicians, but only for the settling of a good judgement. For they are not to operate according to the examples, but according to the judgement that they have raised upon the reading of the examples.  
Machiavelli is to be borne withal, if he be an Emprick in policy, because he is likewise an empiric in physic, whilst he doth say, that it is an experience made by the Ancients, whereupon the physicians of now a days, do ground their judgements; whereas he should have said, that it is a Science of wholesomeness, unwholsomensse and Neuters.  
I fall to my Centre, and commend the Duke, that commended the reading of Histories to the King, on purpose that from them he might frame his judgement, and that he should consider those of his forefathers, that he might serve his turn with example, and with less danger.  
If libels and Satyrs be only against him, he never punisheth, because he despiseth them; but if they be against the King, or any other Officer, he makes the Delinquent smart for it.  
A man that was a great Artist, said, that a subject ought not to satirise against one that commands, but is to praise him that is past, to follow him that is present, and is to desire good Princes, but to reverence them whatsoever they are.  
Tiberius began the law of high treason, for his beginnings were very good; he did not follow it, because they became bad.  
It was not Art, it was Nature; and rigour was not increased in that, till goodness was diminished in him, himself he altered, and it he altered, and because he ingraved it in the tree of malice, as that increased, it increased. They that punish Satyrs approve of them, if they be false, they move to laughter; if they be true, they excite to choler.  
To be blamed with a lie doth comfort, for it intimates, a not being able to be blamed with a truth. That which is, is not neglected to be said, when that which is not is said; but those Princes, that find themselves galled by truth, fall into fury, because they perceive that known, which they did not believe to be known, and it may be they did not know it themselves, being flattered by others, sometimes likewise flatterers of themselves, and since that they cannot hinder understanding, but that they understand them, they will restrain pens that they may not write, tongues that they may not speak, that if it be not lost in the memory of those that are, yet that nothing may come into the knowledge of those that shall be, and truly Princes would have a power in them to form forgetfulness, if it were in their power, as it is in ours to stop pens, and stay tongues.  
I do not consent to the coneeit of the Commons that Libels are good instructions of Princes, I hate them as unprofitable, I blame them as pernicious, I speak not to have them approved of, but I say, that they are not always to be punished, without any meaning, but that they should be sometimes corrected, Liberty of speech and writing against a Prince without danger, makes him lose his respect, and respect once lost produceth rebellion, to what few the advices and counsels of such, as not managing the business of state are never informed, upon what pin they turn? A Prince in my opinion should err in his affairs if he take not the opinion of many; I was about to say of all, if it could be had without the communicating of his interests to all. He that blames him and knows not his secrets, must remember, that so the God of Heaven, might sometimes be blamed by the rashness of men; if he that did know his secrets had not stopped his tongue, with the bridle of ignorance.  
The Lord Duke gives no audience to women, because he will not that married women shame their husbands, as if that they were the more able; and as for widdowoes and maids, he hath assured them, that a Letter under their hand, shall have more power to prevail, than the sight of their persons. He saith that the ceremonies which are to be considered about women, take up too much time, and that human weakness persuades him timorously to avoid dangers, rather than too confidently to encounter them.  
Beauty if it doth move to love, it incites to compassion, and the judge that hath compassion, is in passion, and not right: He falls from himself, and always declines that is compassionate, or loves; and for the most part he that takes pity, loves. Compassion is sometimes formed from the quality of the business, sometimes from the quality of the person; the one is produced from fear, the other from love, the one hath the future for object which is feared, the other the present, which is loved; and albeit fear is more active, yet doth the person move more compassion than the case, because that which is; doth move with more vigour, then that, that may be.  
They that believe that woman was not made against the intention of nature, that she is not an error or a Monster, must confess she is made for generation, and if she be made for this end, as indeed she is, it is necessary that she be endued with parts that move unto the end; for hence it comes to pass, that so soon as she is represented unto us, if there be not first a habit formed, or that at the very instant, there be not some great resistance made, man doth by nature hasten to contemplate her, for the end to which she was made by nature. Distance is a better Fort than Habit, and more secure than resistance. Man may always resist, but he doth not always resist; and extraordinary occasions which are rare, produce not those habits, which things that haunt us acquire, nay, rather the forms doth not admit them, because this is an inseparable natural, from a pep●aved nature, a man may overcome it, but not separate it.  
It was told the Duke, that a great Officer of the greatest Potentate, found fault with him; I cannot believe it, I will not believe it, replied the Duke; for it is not to be surmised of a man of so great worth. Though the Duke had reason to blame him, and to conceit but meanly of him, principally, if he compared him to himself, who is an Officer of so worthy fame, and worthy of so high renown.  
To blame competitors, is either a sign of great good, or of great weakness; for the most part, when it doth not proceed from zeal, it pro●eeds from envy, and envy in regard of its essence, is called inferiority. he that knows himself superior to others, praiseth his corrivals, to make them great to engreate● himself, for their deserving much, makes him merit more.  
He is not great, that is not so over inferiors; but he is great, that is greater than the greatest: The worst comparison doth diminish blame, but doth not form a praise, the best encraseth it. The Tyrant that did never desire other thing then to make his subject vile and base, was ashamed when he knew them base, because he knew that it made him base. Such as will learn an Art or a Science, the first object that they set before them, is not immediately that of the Art, or that of the Science; but an Artist, or a Scientiate, and that not the greatest neither, but the nearest. (Our desires are short sighted, they see but a little way off, and doubtless it is a great matter, that the very same man, that hath a mind so swollen, as not to be content with the greatest things in the world, can yet have it so little, as to believe he is to be content with small things: The one proceeds pradventure from the business of the matter, the other from the eminency of the form.) And afterward when the Artist or Scientiate hath arrived to the first object, he thrusts himself forward to another, never ceasing to have some one man for his object, till he hath passed all men; then is it in his nature, never to look back upon such as he hath out gone, and as one that is altogether intent, not to arrive to an eminency among professors, but of the profession; He reflects no more upon the quality of the Artificers, but only considers the greatness of the Art, whence it comes to pass, that when he speaks not of others, and when he considers not others, he manifests to have exceeded them, and if by chance some speak to him of any Artificer, he praiseth him, because he chose the Art that he did choose; he blames him not, because he considers him, not as an object not arrived unto, but as a companion to that object, to which he himself is not arrived,  
The Duke is not an obstinate defendor of his opinions, but if he doth meet with a better, which rarely falls out, he embraceth it.  
Some stand firm and settled in their opinions, because it is good, and then it is constancy, and some because they know not a better, and then it is weakness, some because they will not know another, and then it is obstinacy. It seems to be a very secure course for the Favourite, to be turned to the opinion that seems to him the best, for if it happen well, it is so where he accepts it, if it was not his, he shall avoid inexplicable dangers, that hath a purpose to make himself the head of a party, if after he hath spoken his opinion he doth not stand obstinately to maintain it. All opinions that seem best are not so, because a man doth not always negotiate with the best, irresolution is reputed weakness, and perhaps it is the nobleness of the understanding: the object of it is that which cannot be false, if it be quieted with that which may be, and may not be, it is deceived; the man that is the chief of the counsellors, is not for all that, found to be chiefest in Counsels, he that hath got a strong Fort, is not to adventure it upon the uncertainty of one issve; for the danger, and the gain are not equal in him; he ought always to propound business by way of doubt, without hearing a case beyond distinction, or knot to be untied, or evasion to be propounded, to that end that an opinion may not be held, that may not be framed by Arguments, and defended by the solutions which he hath propounded in his understanding, and in this case if they fall out well, he shall have the honour of it, because they were taken for the reasons that he had adopted, if they prove ill, he shall not be ashamed, for he shall meet with those difficulties, which he foresaw, and if by chance he hath sometimes a desire to apply them, more to one resolution then to another, he must provide to make some confident of his, the precedent of the business.  
True it is, that a subject of great worth, that is not known, and moves not in a large sphere, after having exquisitely pondered the reasons, may for once be the leader of an opinion, because it is doubtful whether the loss or the gain may be greater to him. It is necessary for a man to make himself famous in the opinion of him, to whom he should appear so, and to adventure himself to him that will make him famous.  
The first day that Do● Francisco of Contreras entered into his office, the Duke spoke to him after this manner:  
Many are the years that I have lived in Court, and in those years I have seen many Lords and Knights consume their Estates, been sent to prison and be banished, for having had brawls with representers of justice, as Notaries, Provost Marshals, Sergeants and such like; and yet I never saw any of those hanged; though it be impossible that such kind of people, which are of inferior condition should always have reason for what they do; and therefore it is to be believed, that these being such as hale men to prison, and such as form processes, do find means to unburthen themselves, to burden others.  
Your Excellency then, shall do a great service to his majesty, and a great good to the commonwealth, if you will rid the Court of this abuse; yet do I not mean that offenders of any condition should escape unpunished, (for that would diminish the respect that is due to justice) but that you should cause such Officers that abuse their Authority to be hanged. This advertisement that manifested the upright intention of the Duke, did likewise notably comfort all the Nobility.  
Monarchies, which are the great Colosses of the world, are kept up by two of the basest pillars that can be, that is by Executioners and sergeants; but what of that? Hath not likewise every garden that is full of sweetest herbs, rich in choicest flowers, fruitful in every plant, the basest excrements of bruit beasts for its foundation?  
If Monarchies were not degenerated into Tyrannies, if zeal for God would always administer justice, than would there be Samuels found, that would put agag's to death; Eliah's that would rip up the bellies of the false Prophets; But that zeal is lost, and instead of it we find, that subjects of great blood are ashamed to be Officers for such employments? So that it was necessary to have recourse, to the vilest of the vile people; and because the base fellows which undertake that charge, if they find it not vile, do make it so: Princes were as it were compelled, yea, the very wisest of them, to defend and uphold such kind of instruments: For should they likewise have had them in a base esteem, that weakness of the foundation would have drawn with it the ruin of Dominion into consequence; but it may be too, that it is a cunning in Princes, to put these charges into the hands of people of a vile condition, for such offices have in them something of terrible; so that if they should have joined reputation to such terribleness, I am not certain whether instead of making the subjects only stand in fear, they would not likewise have terrified Princes, whereas now they cannot offend with that reputation which the Prince giveth them, because he defends them; they think it an error to punish them, by whom they punish, they believe, that the Domination which relieth upon them in general, relieth upon every individual, as if that the neck of a rascal were the neck of the monarchy; but it is a too too ordinary a course, to make justice become impudent, that they may keep their government untouched.  
The Duke of Ascot of Flanders went into Spain, sent thither by the she, that is beyond all praise, the Infanta Elizabeth, who as she did assure the Catholic King of the integrity of that Duke, in the insurrection propounded by Count Henry, and some other Rebels, so likewise she writ to him, that by him he might be able to discover all the persons of the Confederacy, and all the designs that they had; Now in regard that the effects of it were begun to be felt in Flanders, the King questioned the Duke of As●ot about it, whose answer was, that he knew no more of any thing, than what he had revealed to the most renowned Infanta; such a Negation in so dangerous a business, looked, as if it deserved an imprisonment, but the Lord Duke, who knew, that it did not proceed from any ill mind in the Duke of Ascot, but from a certai● niceness of laying them open which had trusted him, taking upon himself, the assurance of his not flying away, did entreat his majesty to question him once again.  
Many there are, that believe that they are not bound to discover what they know; so that they do not, what they ought not, but they do that, they should not, when they tell not, that they know.  
It is the most capital offence in conspiracy to conceal the conspiracy, for if they be known they are hindered, he that doth not run himself into a rebellion, yet knows of it, and holds his peace shows more fear than love.  
I confidently believe, that the character of nobility of mind in the Duke of Ascot, which made him loyal to his Prince, was the very same thing that made him faithful to his friends; but what faith is to be observed with such an one, as keeps not his faith? with one that would make him unfaithful, (I was about to say, that had made him when he tempted him? what kind of friend call you him, that persuades his friend unto treason? he is doubtless an enemy, that toucheth a man's reputation, and i●rites him to infamy, this is not a conceit, but a truth that I write, and yet are men oftentimes deceived with it, running to what is false, under the appearance of what is good: Tyrants have been the occasion of that great error, who by means of their wickedness, have made the revealing of conspiracies an infamy, the plotting of them a glory. It may too, that Princes have cooperated in the work, by suffering them to come abroad embroidered with enconiums, therein publishing that Conspiracies are good, if Princes be bad; how much better had it been, to have made it utterly detestable, then to leave it in the breast of the passions of men, to judge first of the Prince, and then of the conspiracies; our religion hath in part provided for it, such as have impugned the Authority of the Pope, being unwilling to have it in his hands to declare who are friends, either have a desire to be, or would have a power to be, or else are already Tyrants, they know not certainly what the reason of State is, which (though Religion move them not, that ought to move them) should not only have a power to make them believe this infallible truth, but that they should likewise makeit be believed by the Subjects. to the end, that whereas there are now so many Tribunals of Subjects that judge of the Prince, and so answerable to that judgement, legitimate, or illegitimate conspiracy, it might be brought to one only just tribunal, which is the tribunal, of the Vicar of God.  
The King examined the Duke of Ascot twice more, rather like a Brother than a sovereign; and he still holding himself to his first tale, the Lord Duke was desirous to talk with him himself once again, in the presence of the Duke of Atra, and the precedent of Castille, to whom the Duke of Ascot answering, that he had told what he knew, and what the Infanta would have testified for a truth, had she been now alive; the Duke that he might convince him, showed him the letter of the Infanta, at which he was astonished, not being able to recover himself, the King hereupon was enforced to commit him into hold, with all the commodities that were possible; when the Duke of Ascot reflecting upon the Letter of the Infanta, and knowing the bounds of necessity, writ a letter to the Duke, as to the man whom he had always known well affected towards him, wherein he did unfold as much as was desired to be known: the Duke carried it to the King without opening it, and then upon his knees did humbly beseech him to excuse the error of the Duke of Ascot, as a thing that proceeded from a false opinion, & not from any ill will, and in the mean time he took the leave, to make his sword be restored him, that it might appear he was not restrained for his own fault, and he gave order that there should be an Edict of pardon published in Flanders for all such, as had not made themselves guilty by discovering themselves.  
The Scruples of honour, whereby Subjects do sometimes distaste Princes, are rather worthy of compassion than chastisement, what ill will be feared from an honourable man? the subject can do no harm to his Prince if he be not infamous, then ought the Prince as a physician to use the sick party roughly, not to kill him, but to heal him; when a man doth any thing for the honour of zeal only, he works not by his own will, less against his will, but out of his will, for that that persuades him, is not in him, but without him. To set upon which necessity, is not to do violence, but to remove it: Honour should be one of the most substantial foundations, that should uphold nature, if it were as well regulated by good laws, as it is worm-eaten with wicked opinions; but it cannot be ordered by good laws, if the opinion of swaggering be not first taken away, and this cannot be abolished, because it is a too necessary quality in Subjects, if Princes will either defend or enlarge their territories, the advantages that men get by stoutness, and the disadvantages that they receive by cowardliness, makes this be despised and that applauded; so that many have valued swaggerers, for men of greatest spirits, as if they had greater souls.  
The Lord Duke was likewise to be praised for the happy progress in Germany. He was the man that counselled the King to send, and did make the provision, that the Cardinal Infanta might go thither, a Prince of great Spirit and magnanimous, of a generous mind & undaunted heart, whose beams were scarcely discovered Oriental, but that they consumed the vapours, dispersed the clouds, and cleared the sky, It is questionless a great matter, but now adays not new, nay rather most usual, that three Princes, and they young ones, as the King of Hungaria, the Cardinal Infanta, and Duke Charles of Lorraine, have terrified and suppressed, the wisdom experience and fortune, of Captains of great reputation, bred up in the ways and knowledge of wars.  
All that are, and have been in the world, have ordinarily periods, which are the Beginnings, increase, Stay, Declination, and End. He that painted Fortune upon a wheel, if that wheel were not Heaven, if that Fortune were not the stars, he was in an horrible error to picture only one thing in this world upon a wheel, where every thing hath its several wheel. It is true that Fortune oftentimes grows grey-headed with a man; but that which did at one time raise him, is not that which dejected him, because it may turn. One hath a fortune, doth increase, another that throws down, and declines. I never wonder that foreign Princes to move Cities under Dominion to rebellion, but I am amazed to think, that Cities will be moved to it; for if they overcome they cannot do it, but they must first behold, their Countries destroyed, their countrymen spoiled, and their Exchequours consumed; so that when they have won, they have lost; they do not take away Authority, they do but change it; and the very same hatred they had towards their old governors, they will place upon the new. It is not against the man, it is against Dominion, which never dies, for the Princes be mortal, Principalities are immortal. They too much flatter themselves with hopes of melioration in mutation; if they trust in friendship, they are vain. The love of interest, which is a Giant, doth easily overcome all other loves, which are but Children.  
It may be peradventure believed, that there will be less desire of dominion in a new Lord, who is not a new Lord, but by too much covetous desire of rule, nay rather it is to be feared as most undoubted, that he will stop up the way by which he entered in himself, that other may not be brought by it. I will not particularize the mischiefs that their losses would bring forth, they see them that produce them, yet produce they not so many as their victories would; they are too too quickly fall'n under the gentleness of so courteous Princes.  
If our Lord God would have been pleased to show in a glass, to the Princes, and Cities, that have moved commotions in Germany, upon future condition, that, which such an Insurrection would have brought forth, this so horrible a Tragedy, had not now been to be seen; but he forbear not doubtless to present it to such eyes, as were willing to see it. What understanding could be so blockish as not to know it, did it but discourse it; What memory so slippery, that could not as it were lively represent the future success, which it had observed in the forepassed wars that which hath been, is that which shall be, particularly when that which was, is that which is.  
The space of an hundred years, is the breadth of the channel, that the River of forgetfulness hath, those men are now dead, who did know Rebellions to be unfruitful, vain, not without great danger, and extreme great los●e; there is now no relics to be disovered of burnt down towns, Trees burnt to ashes; Lands become barren; Cities laid defart, destroyed and demolished; the loss is not believed, or if it be not valued, because it is known reparable, and is seen to be repair●●.  
How ought it to be desiderable by many, to have no walls about their Cities. The Romans certainly were not more courteous to the Grecians in any one thing, then in beating down their walls; and that lawmaker, that would not have the Citizens repair them, had not only an opinion peradventure to make them more virtuous, but had a conceit likewise to make them less rash. The good complexion of men is oftentimes their death, because they being confident of it, fall into disorders that kill them.  
Power that is great in name, and not great in Authority, or at the least greater in forces, should not adventure (without security) to be beaten down by them, whose losses it may increase; because sometimes Princes are not moved to great purchases, either because they think them not necessary to be gotten, and so content themselves, or because they fear to lose, and so endanger not themselves, but if by chance some violence spur them on to take Arms, they begin to believe, that for to maintain their●reputation of not being afraid, it is necessary to take them up, and then they lay them not down, till they have enlarged their Dominions, or increased their Authority, but it is very true, that wars come again to sprout out, because conquerors either know not how, or will not know, or indeed are not able to make an end of their victories; sometimes being full of glory they are Satiate, sometimes afflicted by the charges, affrighted by the many slaughters, and desirous of quiet, they enjoy the present, recommending the future into the hands of Time and Fortune, and the valour of their successors; he deserves sufficiently in this world that can put danger a great way from him, because great ones may be defered, but not taken away; so many wars would not doubtless be, if a means could be found, that greatness amongst equals, should not bring forth Envy, and that they could take away jealousy from inferiors.  
I certainly hold that Princes (I speak of such as are past, after that they were come the Monarchs) had a regard only to the preservation of their states, and I believe likewise that they were oftentimes informed, they could not be able to keep them, without the taking in of some places, that might threaten a disturbance; and then, as soon as that was gained, they would begin to find out another that might be prejudicial to the last that was got, and so indeed go infinitely on, from whence peradventure it comes, that by this insensible deceit, they have made it be believed, that the desire to keep what they have, hath been a covetousness to get large Dominions.  
That Emperor always Augustus, that in his time saw the world in a calm; to keep it in that tranquillity which might have been disturbed by envy and fear, more than by any other thing whatsoever, had a purpose not to dilate, but to restrain, and likewise peradventure to fortify the Confines of the Empire, thereby to be able the better to keep, and more quietly to enjoy it, by his making it known that the desire of domination was not infinite, being terminated in a Prince that had bounded the imperial Confines: He that was the first that made faith violable, was the He that did ruin the world, for had not men been deceived by breach of faith, there would never have been jealousy, and without jealousy envy would have been of small account, because it would have been alone.  
FINIS.