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SAnctus Thomas in libro, quem Regi Cipri de regi∣mine principū scrip∣sit, dicit: quod Rex datur propter reg∣num, & non regnum propter Regem, quo omnis potestas re∣gia referri debet ad bonum regni sui, quod effectiue con sistit, in defensione
eiusdem ab exte∣rorum incursibus, & in tuitione reg∣nicolarum, & bo∣norum suorum ab indigenarum iniu∣rijs & rapinis. Qua∣re, Rex, qui haec peragere nequit, impotens est neces∣sario iudicandus. Sed si ipse, passi∣onibus propriis, aut penuria, ita op∣pressus est, quod manus suas cohi∣bere nequit à de∣pilatione subdito∣rum suorum, quo ipsemet eos depau∣perat, nec viuere sinit & sustenta∣ri proprijs substan∣tijs suis: quanto tunc impotentior
ille iudicandus est, quam si eos defen∣dere, ipse non suffi∣ceret erga aliorum iniurias? Reuera, Rex talis, nedum impotens, sed & ipsa impotentia, di∣cendus est: & non liber iudicari po∣test, tantis impotē∣tiae nexubus vin∣culatus. E regione, Rex liber & potens est, qui incolas suos erga exteros, & in∣digenas, eorum quoque bona & fa∣cultates, nedum erga vicinorum & conciuium rapinas defendere suffi∣cit, sed erga pro∣priam oppressio∣nem, & rapinam,
licet sibi passiones necessitatesque hu∣iusmodi reluctētur. Quis enim potenti∣or liberiorue esse po∣test, quam qui, non solum alios: sed & se ipsum sufficit de∣bellare? quod po∣test, & semper facit, Rex politice regens populum suum. Quare experientiae effectu tibi constat, princeps, progeni∣tores tuos, qui sic politicum regimen abijcere satagerunt, non solum in hoc non potuisse nan∣ciscipotentiā, quam optabant, videli∣cet ampliorem, sed & sui bonum, similiter & bonum Regni sui, per
hoc, ipsi discrimini exposuissent, & pe∣riculo grādiori. Ta∣men haec quae iā de experientiae effectu practicata, potenti∣am regis, regaliter tantum praesidētis, exprobrare vidētur non ex legis suae de∣fectu processerunt, sed ex incuria negli gētia{que} taliter prin∣cipantis. Quare, ip∣sa, dignitatem illam potentia non minu∣unt, a dignitate re∣gis politice regu∣lātis, quos paris esse potentiae, in praedi∣cto tractatu de Na∣tura legis Naturae, luculenter ostendi. Sed potentiam re∣gis regaliter tantum principantis diffici∣lioris
esse exercitij, ac minoris securita∣tis sibi & populo su∣o, illa clarissime iam demonstrant, quo optabile non for••t regi prudenti, regi∣men politicum pro tantum regali com∣mutare. Vnde & sanctus Thomas su∣pradict{us} optare cē∣setur, vt omnia mū∣di regna politice regerentur.
SAint Thomas in his booke which he wrote to the king of Cyprus, of the regiment of Princes, saith, that the King is giuen for the kingdome, and not the kingdome for the King, Whereupon it followeth, that all kingly power must bee apply∣ed to the wealth of his kingdome, Which thing in effect consisteth, in the
defence thereof from for∣reine inuations, and in the maintenance of his subiects, and their goods, from the iniuries and ex∣tortions of the inhabi∣tants of the same. Wher∣fore, that king, which is not able to performe these things, must of necessi∣tie bee iudged impotent and weake. But if he be so ouercome of his owne affections and lustes, or so oppressed with po∣uertie, that hee can not withhold his hands from the pilling of his sub∣iects, whereby himselfe impouerisheth them, and suffereth them not to liue and to be sustained vpon their owne substances: how much more weake or feeble is hee in this
respect to be iudged, then if he were not able to de∣fend them against the in∣iuries of others: True∣ly, such a King may well be called, not only feeble, but euen verie feeblenesse it selfe: nor is not to bee iudged free, being tied with so many bandes of feeblenesse. On the other side, that King is free and of might, that is a∣ble to defend his sub∣iectes, aswell against straungers, as against his owne people: and also their goods and pos∣sessions, not onely from the vyolent and vn∣lawfull inuasions of their owne countreymen and neighbours, but al∣so from his owne op∣pression and extortion,
though such wilfull lusts and necessities do mooue him to the contrarie. For who can bee more migh∣tie or more free, then hee, that is hable to conquer and subdue, not onely o∣thers, but also himselfe? Which thing a King, whose gouernance is po∣litique, can doe and euer doth. Thus, most wor∣thy Prince, it appeareth vnto you by the effecte of experience, that your pro∣genitours, which were thus minded to renounce their politique gouerne∣ment, could not thereby not onely not obtaine the might and power, which they wished, that is to say, increase thereof, but rather they should haue endaungered, and great∣ly hazarded, the wealth
as well of themselues, as also of their kingdome. Notwithstanding these thinges now practised, which, as touching the ef∣fect of experience, doe seeme to blemish the po∣wer of a king ruling al a∣lone regally, neuer procée∣ded of the default of their law, but of the careles de∣meanour, and negligent loosenes of such a Ruler. Wherfore, that dignitie is not heereby in power imbased, vnder the digni∣tie of a politique Gouer∣nour, which both, in my foresaid treatise of the Na∣ture of the Law of Nature, I haue plainely prooued to be in power equal. But the premises doe most euidently declare it to bee a matter of much more diffcultie for a king
whose rule is only regal, to exercise his power, and that both he and his peo∣ple, stand in much lesse se∣curitie, and therefore it were not to be wished of a wise king, to change a po∣litike regiment into that gouernement, which is onely regall. And accor∣ding to this, the foresaide Saint Thomas, wisheth that all the kingdomes of the world were ruled by politique gouernance.