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cessary to examine Affairs with so much Subtlety, and so deeply: A Man loses himself in the Confideration of fo many contrary Lustres, and various Forms. Volutantibus res inter se pugnantes, obtorpuerant animi': 'Whilft they • confidered of Things so inconsistent in themselves, they • were aftonished.' 'Tis what the Ancients say of Simonides, • That by reason his Imagination suggested to • him, upon the Question King Hiero had put to him (to • answer which, he had many Days to confider it) several * witty and subtle Arguments, whilst he doubted which ' was the most likely, he totally despaired of the Truth.' He that dives into, and in his Inquifition comprehends all Circumftances and Confequences, hinders his Choice : A little Engine, well handled, is sufficient for Executions of less or greater Weight and Moment: The best Managers are those who are least able to tell us why they are so; and the greatest Talkers, for the most part, do nothing to Purpose. I know one of this fort of Men, and a most excellent Manager in Theory, who has miferably let an hundred thousand Livres yearly Revenue flip through his Hands. I know another, who says, that he is able to give better Advice than any of his Council; and there is not, in the World, a fairer Shew of a Soul, and of a good Understanding, than he has; nevertheless, when he comes to the Tet, his Servants find him quite another Thing; not to bring his Misfortune into the Account.

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HE Emperor Vefpafian, being fick of the Disease whereof he died, did not, for all that, neglect to inquire after the State of the Empire; and, even in Bed, continually dispatched very many Affairs of great Consequence; for which,

In what Pofture a Prince

ought to die.

S

* Livy, lib. xxxii. c. 20.

being

King Hiero had defired him to define what God was. Cic. de Nat. Deor. lib. i. c. 22.

being reproved by his Physician, as a Thing prejudicial to his Health, An Emperor, said he, must die standing'. A fine Saying, in my Opinion, and worthy of a great Prince ". The Emperor Adrian afterwards made Use of one to the fame Purpose; and Kings should be often put in mind of it, to make them know, that the great Office conferred upon them, of the Command of so many Men, is not an idle Employment; and that there is nothing can so justly disgust a Subject, and make him unwilling to expose himfelf to Labour and Danger for the Service of his Prince, than to fee him, in the mean Time, devoted to his Eafe, and to vain and unmanly Amusements: Nor will the Subject be follicitous of his Prince's Preservation, who so much neglects that of his People.

Whoever offers to maintain, that 'tis better for a Prince to carry on his Wars by others, than in his He ought to own Person, Fortune will furnish him with command his Examples enough of those whose Lieute- Armies in PerJon. nants have brought great Enterprises to a happy Iffue, and of those also whose Prefence has done more Hurt than Good. But no virtuous and valiant Prince can bear to be tutored with fuch scandalous Lefsons; under Colour of faving his Head, like the Statue of a Saint, for the Happiness of his Kingdom, they degrade him from, and make him incapable of, his Office, which is Military throughout. I know one, who had much rather be beaten, than to fleep whilst another fights for him; and who never, without Envy, heard of any brave Thing done, even by his own Officers, in his Absence: And Selima the First said, with very good Reason, in my Opinion, That Victories, obtained without the Sovereigns, were never Complete. Much more readily would he have said, that that Sovereign ought to blush for Shame, to pretend to any Share in it, when he had contributed nothing to it, but his Voice and Thought; nor even fo much as those, confidering, that, in fuch Works as that, the Direction and Command that deserve Honour, are only fuch as are given upon the Place, and in the Heat

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Suetonius in Vefpafian. foct. xxiv.
Æl. Spartiani Ælius Verus, sect. xvi. Hist. August.

of

of the Business. No Pilot performs his Office by standing still. The Princes of the Ottoman Family, the chiefeft in the World in Military Fortune, have warmly embraced this Opinion; and Bajazet the Second, with his Son that swerved from it, spending their Time in the Sciences, and other Employments within Doors, gave great Blows to their Empire: And Amurath the Third, now reigning, following their Example, begins to do the fame. Was it not Edward the Third, King of England, who faid this of our King Charles the Fifth ? There ne

ver was King who so seldom put on his Arms, and yet • never King who cut me out so much Work.' He might well think it strange, as an Effect of Chance more than of Reason: And let those seek out some other Advocate for them than me, who will reckon the Kings of Caftile and Portugal amongst the warlike and magnanimous Conquerors, because, at the Distance of twelve hundred Leagues from their lazy Residence, by the Conduct of their Agents, they made themselves Masters of both Indies; of which, 'tis a Question, if they had but the Courage to go and enjoy them.

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The Emperor Julian faid yet further, That a PhilofoThe Activity pher, and a brave Man, ought not so much and Sobriety as to breathe'; that is to say, not to allow requifite in any more to bodily Neceffities, than what we Princes. cannot refuse; ' keeping the Soul and Body • still intent and busy about Things Honourable, Great, • and Virtuous:' He was ashamed, if any one in Public faw him fpit or sweat, (which is said by some also of the Lacedæmonian young Men, and which Xenophon says of the Persian) because he conceived, that Exercise, continual Labour, and Sobriety, ought to have dried up all those Superfluities. What Seneca says will not be unfit for this Place, which is, 'That the ancient Romans kept their Youth always standing, and taught them nothing that they were to learn, fitting "."

'Tis a generous Defire to wish to Die usefully, and like a Man; but the Effect lies not so much in our Resolu tion, as in our good Fortune. A thousand have proposed The Defire of making a useful Exit is laudable, the the Thing be

w Senes. Ep. 88;

६०

not in our
Power.

to themselves, in Battle, either to Conquer or Die, who have failed both in the one and the other : Wounds and Imprisonment croffing their Design, and compelling them to live against their Wills. There are Diseases that demolish even our Defires, and our Knowledge. For tune was not obliged to second the Vanity of the Roman Legions, who bound themselves, by Oath, either to Overcome, or Die.' Victor, Marce Fabi, revertar ex acie; fi fallo, Jovem patrem, Gradivumque Martem, aliofque iratos invoco Deos *. ' I will return (Marcus Fabius) a Conqueror from the Army; and, if • I fail, I wish the Indignation of Jove, Mars, and the ' other offended Gods, may light upon me.' The Portuguese fay, That, in a certain Place of their Conquest ' of the Indies, they met with Soldiers, who had damned themselves, with horrible Execrations, to enter into no Composition, but either to kill, or be killed; and had their Heads and Beards shaved in Token of this Vow.' 'Tis to much Purpose to hazard ourselves, and to be obstinate: It seems as if Blows avoid those that present themselves too briskly to Danger; and do not willingly fall upon those who too willingly feek them, and fo defeat their Design. There was one, who had tried all Ways, and could not obtain Dying by the Hand of the Enemy, was constrained, in order to make good his Refolution of bringing home Victory, or of lofing his Life, to kill himself, even in the Heat of Battle. Among other Examples, this is one : Philiftus, General of the Naval • Army of Dionyfius the Younger, against the Syracufans, $ presented them Battle, which was sharply disputed, their • Forces being equal. In which Engagement he had the • better at first, through his Valour: But, the Syracufans • surrounding his Gally, after he had, with great Feats of • Arms, tried to disengage himself, and hoping for no Relief, with his own Hand he took away that Life • he had fo liberally, but in vain, exposed to the E• nemy.'

6

• Muley

* Tit, Liv. lib. ii. c. 45. y Plutarch in the Life of Bion, c. 8.

The intrepid
Activity of
Muley Mo-
luck, King of

• Muley Moluck, King of Fez, who, Anno 1578, won ⚫ the Battle against Sebastian, King of Portugal, so famous for the Death of three Kings, ⚫ and the Tranflation of that great Kingdom to the Crown of Caftile, was extremely fick ' when the Portuguese entered, in an hoftile manner, into his Dominions; and, from

Fez, in a Bat

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tle, where he died Conqueror of the Portu- ' that Day forward, grew worse and worse, guefe. • still drawing nearer to, and foreseeing his • End: Yet never did Man imploy his own Sufficiency more vigorously and bravely, than he did upon ⚫ this Occafion. He found himself too weak to undergo • the Pomp and Ceremony of entering into this Camp, • which, after their manner, is very magnificent, and full • of Bustle; and therefore resigned that Honour to his • Brother: But the Office of a General was all that he

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resigned; all the rest, of Utility and Neceffity, he most • exactly and gloriously performed; his Body lying upon • a Couch, but his Judgment and Courage upright and $ firm to his last Gasp, and, in fome fort, beyond it: He ⚫ might have wasted his Enemy, who was indiscreetly • advanced into his Dominions without striking a Blow; ' and it was very grievous to his Heart, that, for Want ' of a little Life, or Some-body to substitute in the Con• duct of this War", and of the Affairs of a troubled • State, he found himself compelled to feek a doubtful • and bloody Victory, when he had another, better and * surer, already in his Power: Yet he wonderfully ma

naged the Continuance of his Sickness, in wasting the • Enemy, and in drawing them from the Naval Army, • and the Sea-Ports in the Coast of Africa, even till the • last Day of his Life, which he designedly reserved for ' this great Battle. He formed the main Battle in a Circle, environing the Portugal Army on every Side, which • Circle, coming to draw up close together, did not only hinder them in the Conflict, (which was very sharp, through the Valour of the young invading King) confidering they were, every Way, to make a Front; but • alfo

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2 Thuanus, Hift. lib. Ixv. p. 248. the Geneva Edition, in 1720.

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