A Seasonable ADVERTISEMENT To the People of England. Whether a Monarchy, or Free State, be better; in this juncture of time?  
THe Inhabitants of the famous iceland of Mi●ylene( whose natural Prince did not onely die lately himself, but, together with his life, left the whole royal Line extinguished) being without a Prince to Govern them, disputed in many of their Congregations, Whether it were better for them to live still under a Monarchy, and choose a new Prince; or put on that noble resolution, which had made so many People fortunate, of erecting a Free State. Great and dangerous contentions arose touching a business of this weight; and 'tis said, that one of the chiefest Citizens, in the last Congregation that was assembled to this purpose, spake thus:  
Beloved fellow-Citizens, Of all the felicities which men receive from God in this world, two are the greatest; That they are born Men, not Beasts; and Free, not Slaves. And surely there is good reason for this; for, what greater happiness can any man receive in this life, than to obey onely the Laws of God and Men? What jewel is to be compared to the rich Treasure, full of all the most precious oriental Stones, of securing life, means, and reputation, from the, will of one particular man, inclined to commit so many impertinent things? None that is here, acknowledgeth Liberty to be more lovely than myself, and that it is a precious gift, which immortal God bestows of mere grace on those whom he loves: He who knows not this, I pronounce him to be blind; him a fool, who doth not highly esteem it; and him an enemy to himself and Country, who doth not hearty endeavour it. But, my dear Friends, you must consider, that as those precious S●●●●s are most esteemed of, which are rareliest found amongst men; so we must grant, that perfect Liberty is a precious jewel, and much desired by mankind, because it is rarely found amongst men. And know, that as the Carbuncle and Diamond are created by an absolute heavenly virtue; and such counterfeit Stones are poor and base, which men make in imitation of the Divine Artificer; so Liberty may be rather said to be a Divine Manufacture, than any human work. If it were possible to institute a Free State so easily, as I perceive you imagine, there where Monarchy hath a long time reigned, since Liberty is a thing so much desired by all men, there would be no Monarchy left in the world: For people, to come by so great a happiness, would all of them lay claim to Liberty. And yet, since there are many Monarchies, and but few Common-wealths, we must needs see, that to erect Liberty in a Country, is rather an impossible than a difficult thing; and a gift which ought rather to be begged of God by prayer, than to be hoped for from any human wisdom. Nor be not moved by the example of so many Common-wealths, which, with so much happiness to those people, are lately instituted in Germany: For, examples square not, unless where the same circumstances agree. Too great is the disproportion between the Germans( who are born in a sort of middle Liberty, from which condition, passage is easily made to entire Liberty) and Us, who having always protection all servitude from our Princes, are so far from being able to purchase perfect Liberty, as we cannot pass from this into the other extreme, without exposing ourselves and Country to manifest ruin.  
I grant, that some Princes prove sometimes fantastical, insolent, very beasts; and that it is a species of great felicity to secure one's self from these evils. But say you with me, That there is not a more fantastical, insolent, or bestial Government in the world, than that of an ill-ordered commonwealth, of a free tumultuous State. All who have written, or reasoned of politic affairs, confess, that a People like us, born, bread up, and who have lived even to their decrepid age in servitude, are altogether uncable of living free. Common-wealths being more formed by the good condition of Citizens dispositions, proportioned to live free, than by Laws. For, as a new Vine soon grows dry, if it be planted by an aged three; and, on the contrary, does grow up prosperously, and bring forth fruit in great abundance, if it be placed near a Plant, which, as if it were her husband, is of like age with itself; So, the new Vine of Liberty scorns to take root, and to bring forth satisfactory fruit, if it be placed near an ancient three of a people, grown old in servitude. For the ambition of the Nobility, and sedition of the common people, who are capital enemies to living free, would for certain so suck up the radical moisture, which gives life to the new Vine, as they would in a short time make it wither and become dry.  
This truth which I relate, is evidently seen in the( as perspicuous as rare) example of all the past & present Liberties of the immortal Venetian commonwealth, which being planted whilst yet a young Vine, together with the little bush of the Venetian people, though born but a little before in those moorish and fennish grounds, takes such deep and strong root, as it now gives savoury fruits of secure liberty to its Citizens. It is folly for us to hope for alteration of Customs, which are not changed so easily as apparel. For mans genius affecting quietness in all its operations, a soul which saws how to submit itself to a Citizen, who, though his superior in being a Magistrate, is yet his inferior in all other respects; how being rich and young, to honour a poor old man with submission; to bestow all his love upon his Country,( next to his God) yea, rather than upon his children or wealth; to prefer the public good before private interest; to judge uprightly in civill and criminal affairs, between friends and parents; to tremble at the severity of the Laws in a Free State; to possess the wealth of a Prince, and have the mind of a private man; so far to mortify himself, as humbly to beg the favourable vote of his inferior; and finally to have the taciturnity in public affairs, and to possess all those habits worthy of a free-man, which are observed to be so exactly in every Noble Venetian; is a doctrine which is not learnt by Books, nor by the mouths of men, but which is brought from the womb, and sucked in with the mother's milk, by such as are born in free Countries.  
If( as I understand many of you are minded to do) you will sand to Venice, to receive the Laws of living free, from that excellent Common-wealth; doubtlessly rare ones will be given you: But Laws, no less then Habits, do not square with all men. God would be too gracious to men, if they were permitted, in the midst of July, when they are scorched by the Sun, to go into the Woods, and take from thence the greatest Plane-tree which they should find there, and carry it into their own Gardens, so to enjoy the shade thereof. Liberty, like a young three, planted amongst men, is very hard to rear up; for it must be continually watered with new Laws, according to occasions which every day arise; and pruned by severe Justice. Nor must men be impatient in these cases; for no man enjoys the noon-day-comfort of a great three, standing in his Court-yard, which was not first planted but a little sprig by his great great-grandfathers. And it hath been God's will, that Trees and Common-wealths should, with much difficulty, arrive at long life, and be long in bringing forth their fruits. And very exceeding great pains and labour was taken, to make that very Plant of the glorious Venetian Liberty, what the world sees it now to be; and those ancients who planted it partook of no good thereby, but onely pain and toil in bringing it up; whereas now their twentieth generation enjoy the verdure, the noon-day-comfort and freshness thereof. For though it be above 1100 years since it was planted in those Washes; yet it is not so long since it became so perfect, and so secure a Plant of true Liberty, as that it fears not the wind of foreign Princes pride, nor the frost of domestic seditions.  
Add to these things( my fellow-Citizens) that it is not so much the Laws, though they be very good ones, nor yet the other particulars which I have touched upon, which have maintained, do maintain, and will maintain the Venetian Common-wealth in perpetual greatness, as is the miraculous and singular situation of those Marish and Fenny grounds, which we cannot partake of. All that understand any thing in State-affairs, confess, that the Senate is the heart and fountain of life of every Free State. skilful Fencers, when they will over-throw their enemy with few blows, make a thrust at their heart; and Princes who have endeavoured to subdue Common-wealths, have made their first blow at the Metropolitan City of the Free-state, onely to dissipate the Senate; for these are the mortal wounds which kill all, even the most potent Liberties: For the Senate being routed, and consequently the heart of the Common-wealth struck through, it dies immediately. An imperfection which Monarchies have not, the greatness of whose Empire is always where the King's person is; as the Duke of Guise made proof of, who, by his taking of Paris, did rather accelerate his own death, than hasten on his own greatness. The dictatory caesar proved this which I affirm to be true, who, to tyramnize over his Country, made himself Master of Rome( which Pompey was very indiscreet in abandoning) onely that he might defeat the Senate. A thing which Hannibal, the true Master of Militia, and sole Honour of Africa, knew before him, and endeavoured it, but knew not how to effect it: And which, after him, the Emperour charles the fifth, that Founder of the gteatnesse of the Spanish Monarchy, knew very well how to do, and did practise it against the Florentines, and the Sanesi.  
This mortal wound could never be given to the State of Venice, whose Metropolis, where the Senate abides, is fortified, and armed with the proof-Armour of marshes and Washes. Wherefore I think I may conclude, that their consuls are good, who desire to bring in liberty of living free in our Country; but their wisdom is but hypocondriac: And that they who are for a Prince, intend well, & are excellently well advised; and in taking a resolution in this our so weighty business, I desire you all to remember, that the valentine Nobility which through the impertinency of the seditious people, could never bring in a perfect form of living free in their Country, not being able any longer to undergo the cruel and bloody insolences of the base Plebeians, were forced to call in a foreign Tyrant, the Duke of Atene, only that by extraordinary severity, he might afflict the common people of Florence, who did so abuse their liberty.  
Though these reasons were thought very efficacious by the writer sort, yet could they not make the people resolve upon choosing a new Prince. Wherefore the business was carried for living free, and that Ambassadors should be sent to Venice to receive the news of living free, from that Common-wealth: which was suddenly done. The Ambassadors were received & welcomed by the Venetian Common-wealth, with incredible magnificency; and the Venetian Government, Orders, and Laws were shown unto them, which the ambassadors caused to be exactly copied out, & registered, and so departed. And being returned to Mitylene, they made their report, and red in publick-Senate the Laws which they had brought with them, which gave very bad satisfaction to all the common people, and to the greatest part of the Nobility: For the people could by no means endure, that by the Venetian news they should be excluded from public Government, saying, That that Country merited not to be called free, where all did not command. And the wealthier Nobility being accustomend, under Monarchy, to purchase favours from the favourites, and to obtain places of Magistracy( which they did shamefully execute) from their Princes, stormed and said publicly, That that was a most unfortunate Country where men ●v●re inhibited the making free use of their moneys; which was purchased by industrious men at the cost of so much sweat, not onely to buy meat & clothes, but to purchase therewith such thin●● which increased reputation. And that it was much better for Citizens to be ruled over, by a Prince, whose good-will might be won by a thousand several ways, than to be governed by inexorable Laws, when they were administered by a numerous Senate; where a little not being sufficient, and enough not being always to be had, whereby to make so many prevaricate, and break the Laws, it might truly be said to be incorruptible. And that under Monarchies, the chiefest of the Nobility did from the first execute the prime places of the Principality; and that in Common-wealths it was sad for them to begin together with the meanest Senators, at the lowest employments, and come slowly by degrees to places of highest dignity. That it required more than the usual years of man, to arrive at the supremest preferments; and the rigour of bestowing place● of Magistracy onely according to mens mere merit, was a Precept first invented by Tyrants, to keep potent men low, and to exalt the mean.  
But amongst all these bad satisfactions, nothing distasted three parts of four of the Nobility more, than the severe Magistracy of the Censors, which they heard was used by the Venetians, who perpetually did severely and strictly examine all mens behaviours: wherefore they said freely, That if the Nobility were so severely proceeded with in the State of Venice, the noble Venetians were slaves amid their liberty, and the people of Mitylene free amid their servitude. For very dread of these things, all, with a loud voice, cried out, Monarchy, Monarchy: And that if any one would set up Liberty in Mitylene, let them burn all Laws and Statutes; for such understood that to be perfect Liberty, where none obeied; all commanded, and every one did what he list.   

London, printed ●●r T●o●as ●●t●hews, at the White Horse ●n ●t Pa●rl●s Church-●ard. 1659.