I CHAPTER lively nor life-like purtraiture of upright law and naturall justice: wee use but the shaddowes and Of profit and colours of them. So that wise Dandamys, hearing honesty the lives of Socrates, Pythagoras and Diogenes re- One I the heavy and dismall experience we have lately felt CHAPTER of it. Let who liste bee Pomponius Flaccus; and there are too-too many that will bee so. As for my part, of profit and both my word and faith, are as the rest; pieces of honesty this common body: their best effect is the publicke service: that's ever presupposed with mee. But as, if one should command mee to take the charge of the Rolles or Recordes of the Pallace, I would answere: I have no skill in them: or to bee a leader of Pioners, I would say; I am called to a worthier office: Even so, who would goe about to employ mee, not to murther or poyson, but to lye, betraye, and forsweare my selfe, I would tell him; If I have robbed or stolne any thing from any man, send mee rather to the Gallies. For, a Gentleman may lawfully speake as did the Lacedemonians, defeated by Antipater, upon the points of their agreement: You may impose as heavy burdens, and harmefull taxes upon us as you please; but you lose your time, to command us any shamefull or dishonest things. Every man should give himselfe the oath, which the Egyptian Kings, solemnly and usually presented to their judges; Not to swarve from their consciences, what command soever they should receive from themselves to the contrary. In such commissions there is an evident note of ignominie and condemnation. And whosoever gives them you, accuseth you; and if you conceive them right, gives you them as a trouble and burthen. As much as the publike affaires amend by your endevours, your owne empaireth: the better you do, so much the worse doe you. And it shall not bee newe, nor peradventure without shadowe of justice, that hee who setteth you a worke, becommeth your ruine. If treason bee in any case excusable, it is onely then, when t'is employed to punish and betray treason. Wee shall finde many treacheries, to have beene not refused, but punished by them, in whose I Of profit and honesty CHAPTER favour they were undertaken. Who knowes not the sentence of Fabritius, against Pyrrus his Physition? And the commaunder hath often severely revenged them on the partie hee employed in them, refusing so unbridled a credite and power, and disavowing so lewde and so vile an obedience. Jaropele Duke of Russia, sollicited an Hungarian Gentleman, to betraye Boleslaus King of Polonia, in contriving his death, or furnishing the Russians with meanes to work him some notable mischiefe. This gallant, presently bestirres him in it, and more then ever applying himselfe to the Kings service obtained to bee of his counsell, and of those hee most trusted. By which advantages, and with the opportunity of his masters absence, hee betrayed Vicilicia, a great and rich citie to the Russians: which was whollie sakt and burnt by them, with a generall slaughter, both of the inhabitans, of what sexe or age soever, and a great number of nobility thereabouts, whom to that purpose he had assembled. Jaropelc his anger thus asswaged with revenge, and his rage mitigated (which was not without pretext, for Boleslaus had mightily wronged and in like manner incensed him) and glutted with the fruite of treason, examining the uglinesse thereof, naked and alone, and with impartiall eyes beholding the same, not distempered by passion, conceived such a remorse, and tooke it so to heart, that hee forthwith caused the eyes of his instrumentall executioner to be pulled out, and his tongue and privy parts to be cut off. Antigonus perswaded the Argyraspides soldiers, to betray Eumenes their generall, and his adversarie, unto him, whom when they had delivered, and he had caused to be slaine; himselfe desired to be the Commissary of divinej ustice, for the punishment of so detestable a trecherie: and resigning them into the hands of the Governor of the Province, gave him expresse charge, in what I manner soever it were, to rid himselfe of them, and CHAPTER bring them to some mischievious end. Whereby, of that great number they were, not one ever after sawe of profit and the smoake of Macedon. The better they served his honesty turne, the more wicked hee judged them, and the more worthie of punishment. The slave that betraied the corner wherein his master P. Sulpicius lay hid, was set at liberty, according to the promise of Syllas proscription: But according to the promise of common reason, being freed, hee was throwne head-long from off the Tarpeyan rocke. And Clovis King of France, in liew of the golden armes he had promised the three servants of Cannacre, caused them to be hanged, after they had by his sollicitation betraide their maister unto him. They hang them up with the purse of their reward about their neckes. Having satisfied their second and speciall faith, they also satisfie the generall and first. Mahomet the second, desirous to rid himselfe of his brother (through jealousie of rule, and according to the stile of that race) employed one of his officers in it; who stifled him, by much water powred downe his throate all at once which done, in expiation of the fact, he delivered the murtherer into the hands of his brothers mother (for they were brethren but by the father's side) shee, in his presence, opened his bosome, and with hir owne revenging handes searching for his heart pluckt it out, and cast it unto dogges to eate. Even unto vile dispositions (having made use of a filthy action) it is so sweete and pleasing, if they may with security, as it were, in way of recompence and holy correction, sowe one sure stitch of goodnesse, and justice unto it. Besides; they respect the ministers of such horrible crimes, as people, that still upbraide them with them, and covet by their deaths to smother the knowledge, and cancell the testimony of their practises. Now if I honesty CHAPTER perhaps, not to frustrate the publike neede of that last and desperate remedy, one rewarde you for it: Of profit and yet, hee who doth it (if hee bee not as bad himselfe) will hould you a most accursed and execrable creature. And deemeth you a greater traytor, then he whom you have betrayed: for with your owne handes, hee touched the lewdnesse of your disposition, without disavowing, without object. But employeth you, as we do out-cast persons in the executions of justice: an office as profitable as little honest. Besides the basenesse of such commissions, there is in them a prostitution of conscience. The daughter of Sejanus, could not in Rome, by any true formall course of lawe, bee put to death, because shee was a virgine: that lawes might have their due course, shee was first deflowred by the common hangman, and then strangled. Not his hand onely, but his soule is a slave unto publike commodity. When Amurath the first, to agravate the punishment of his subjects, who had given support unto his sons unnaturall rebellion, appointed their neerest kinsmen to lend their hands unto this execution: I finde it verie honest in some of them, who rather chose unjustly to bee held guiltie of anothers parricide, then to serve justice with their owne. And whereas in some paltrie townes forced in my time, I have seene base varlets for savegarde of their owne lives, yeild to hang their friends and companions, I ever thought them of worse condition, then such as were hanged. It is reported, that Witoldus Prince of Lituania, introduced an order with that nation, which was that the party condemned to die, should with his owne handes make himselfe away; finding it strange, that a third man being guiltlesse of the fact, shoulde bee employed and charged to commit a murther. When an urgent circumstance, or any violent and unexpected accident, induceth a Prince |