A learned commendation of the politique lawes of Englande vvherin by moste pitthy reasons & euident demonstrations they are plainelye proued farre to excell aswell the ciuile lawes of the Empiere, as also all other lawes of the world, with a large discourse of the difference betwene the. ii. gouernements of kingdomes: whereof the one is onely regall, and the other consisteth of regall and polityque administration conioyned. written in latine aboue an hundred yeares past, by the learned and right honorable maister Fortescue knight ... And newly translated into Englishe by Robert Mulcaster.

¶First he moueth the Prince to the knowledge of the lawe. Chap. 1, (Book 1)

YOur singuler towarde∣nes most gracious prīce, maketh me right gladde, when I beholde how er∣nestlye you dooe embrace martiall feates. For it is conueniēt for youre grace to be thus delyted, not on¦lye for that you are a soul¦dyour, but muche rather for that you shalbe a kīg. For yt is the offyce and duytie of a Kyng to fight the batailes of his people, and also rightlye to iudge them, as in the viii. chapi∣ter of the firste booke of Kinges you are plainelye taught. Wherfore I wo∣uld wish your grace to be w^t as ernest zeal geuē to y^e studie of y^e lawz as you ar to y^e knowledge of arms,

because that like as war∣res by force of chiualrye are ended, euen so iudge∣mentes by the lawes are determined. which thing Iustinian the Emperour well and wisely and adui¦sedly pondering, in the be¦ginninge of the preface of his book saith thus. It be∣houeth the emperiall ma∣iesty not onli to be garded with armez, but also to be armed with lawes, to the end y^t he mai be able right¦ly to execute y^e gouernem̄t of bothe times, aswell of warre as of peace. How∣be it for youre more ear∣nest endeuoir to the study of the law, the exhortatiō of the chiefest lawmaker Moyses, sometyme capy∣taine of the Synagoge ought to be of much more force with you, then the

woordes of Iustinian, wheras in the xvii. chapi∣ter of the book of Deute∣ronomie hee doothe by the auctority of god strait∣lye charge the kinges of Israell to be readers of y^e lawe al the daies of theire lyfe sayeng thus. When the kyng shall sitte vppon the princelye seate of hys kingdome, hee shall write him out thys lawe in a booke, takynge the copye thereof of the priestes the Leuites: and he shal haue it with him, and hee shall read it al the dayes of hys life, that he may learne to feare the lorde his god, & to keepe his commaunde∣mentes and ordinaunces written in this lawe.

And Helynandus expoū∣dyng the same saith thus.

A Prince therefore must not be ignorant of y^e law, neither is it tollerable y^t hee vnder the pretence of warrefare shoulde be vn∣skilfull in the lawe. And a littel after he is cōmaū∣ded, sayeth hee, to receyue the coppye of the lawe of the priestes the Leuites, that is to saye, of catholik and learned men. Thus muche he: For the booke of Deuteronomie is the booke of the lawes, wher¦with the Kynges of Isra∣ell were bounde to rule and gouerne theyre Sub∣iectes. Thys booke doth Moyses commaunde kin∣ges too reade, that they may learne to feare God, and keepe his commaun∣dementes, which are wri∣ten in the lawe.

Beholde the effecte of the lawe is to feare God.

Whereunto man cannot attayne, onelesse he firste knowe the will of God, whiche is written in the lawe. For the principall poynte of all seruyce is to knowe the wyll and plea¦sure of the lord or maister to whome seruyce ys due. Howbeit the lawmaker Moyses first ī this charge mencioneth the effecte of the lawe, that is the feare of God: and nexte he allu∣reth vs to the keepinge of the cause thereof, that is to saye, of Goddes com∣maundementes. For in the mynde and intent of the exhorter the effect go∣ethe before the cause.

But what feare is thys whyche the lawes do pro∣poū to y^e obseruerz therof?

Surely it is not that fear, wherof it is written, that perfect charitie or loue ex∣pellethe feare. Yet thys same feare, thoughe it bee bond & seruile, oftentimes prouoketh kinges to the reading of the lawes: but it procedeth not out of the law. But that feare wher¦of Moyses here speaketh, whiche also procedeth out of the lawes is the selfe same feare, that the pro∣phet speaketh of saynge. The feare of the lorde is holy, & endureth for euer & euer. This is such a louīg feare as natural children beare to their deare parētz commenly termed the re∣uerence of y^e child toward his parents, Whereunto there is no punishement due, as a thinge wrought by loue. For this feare pro¦ceedeth out of the lawes,

which teach to do the wil of god, so that it deserueth no punishement. But the glorye of the Lorde is vp∣pon them that feare hym, and he doth glorify them. Yea thys feare is eeuen that same feare, whereof Iob after that he had dy∣uerslye searched for wise∣dome, sayeth thus. Bee∣holde the feare of the lord is perfecte wisedome, and to forsake euill is vnder∣standinge. That the for∣sakinge of euill is the vn∣derstandinge of the feare of god, this do the lawes teache, whereby it folow∣eth that the same fear pro∣cedeth out of them.

Gaudeo vero se renissime Prin¦ceps super nobi∣lissima indole tua: videns quanta a∣uiditate militares tu amplecteris ac¦tus, conuenit nā{que} tibi taliter delec∣tari, nedum quia miles es, sed am∣plius quia rex fu∣turus es. Regis nēpe officiū pug¦nare est bella po∣puli sui, et eos re∣ctissime iudicare, vt primo regum cap. viii. clarissime tu doceris. Quare vt armorum, vti∣nam et legum stu¦diis, simili zelo te deditū cōtēplarer

Cum vt armis bella, ita legibus iudicia peragan∣tur que Iustini∣anus Augustus e∣quissima librans mente in initio prohemii libri sui institutionum ait. Imperatoriā ma∣gestatem non so∣lum armis deco∣ratam, sed et legi∣bus oportet esse armatam, vt v∣trumque tempus bellorum et pa∣cis recte possit gu¦bernari. Tū vt ad legum studia seruide tu āheles, Maximus legis la∣tor ille Moyses olim Synagoge dux multo forci∣us Cesare te īuitat

dum regibus Is∣rael diuina auto∣ritate ipse preci∣piat, eorum leges legere omnibus diebus vite sue, sic dicens: Post∣quam sederit rex in solio regni sui describet sibi Deu¦teronomij Le∣ges in volumine, accipiens exēplar a sacerdotibus Le¦uitice tribus, & ha¦bebit secū leget{que} illud omnibus di∣ebus vite sue, vt discat timere dn̄m deū suū, & custo∣dire verba & cere¦monias eius que in lege scripta sūt. Deutero. ca. xvij. quod exponens Helynādus dicit.

Princeps ergo nō debet iuris igna∣rus esse, nec pre∣textu militiae legē permittitur igno∣rare. Et post pau∣ca, a sacerdotibus Leuitice tribus, as¦sumere iubetur ex¦emplar legis, id est a viris catho∣licis et litteratis. Hec ille: Liber quippe Deute. est liber legum, qui∣bus Reges Israell subditum sibi po∣pulum regere te∣nebantur. Hunc librum legere, iu∣bet Moyses Re∣ges, vt discant ti∣mere deū & cus∣todire mandata eius quae in lege scripta sunt.

Ecce timere deū effectus est legis, quem non conse∣qui valet homo, nisi prius sciat vo∣luntatem dei, quae in lege scripta est. Nam principium omnis famulatus, est scire volunta∣tem dn̄i cui serui∣tur. Legis tn̄ lator Moyses, primô in hoc edicto effec∣tum legis videli∣cet timorem Dei, cōmemorat. De∣inde ad custodiā causae eius videli∣cet mandatorum dei ipse inuitat.

Nā effectus prior est quā causa, in a∣nimo exhortātis. Sed quis est timor iste, quem pro∣mittunt leges ob∣seruatoribus suis?

vere non ē timor ille de quo scribi∣tur: Quod per∣fecta caritas fo∣ras mittit timo∣rem. Timor ta∣men ille licet ser∣uilis, sepe ad le∣gendum leges, reges concitat, sed non est ipse proles legis. Ti∣mor vero de quo hic loquitur Moi¦ses, quem et pari∣unt leges, est ille de quo dicit pro∣pheta: Timor do∣mini sanctus per∣manet in secu∣lum seculi. Hic filialis est et non nouit penam, vt ille qui per chari∣tatem expellitur. Nam iste a legi∣bus proficiscitur,

que docēt facere volūtatē dei, quo ipse penā nō me∣retur. Sed gloria dn̄i est super me∣tuentes eū, quos et ipse glorificat. Timor autē iste, timor ille est, de quo Iob postquā multifarie sapiē∣tiā inuestigat sic ait. Ecce timor do¦mini ipsa est sapi∣entia, & recedere a malo, intelligen∣tia. Iob ca. xxviij. Recedere a malo quôd intelligētia timoris dei est, le∣ges docent quo & timorē hunc ipse parturiunt.