CHAP. XXV.

Whether Honours, Offices, and Dignities, are to be conferr'd on those, that sue for them?

TO men of much Learning, Vertue, and Quality, and that haue beene of some vse and seruice to the State, some Mini∣sters doe, & haue sayd; why do you not sue (Sir) for such, or such a place? Espe∣cially seeing that Kings loue to be sued vnto; And that to sue, beg, and craue is so holy a thing, that God himselfe knowing our necessities,* wil•th vs to aske Petite, & accipie∣tis, Aske, and yee shall haue. Besides, it seemeth to bee a certaine kinde of pride, to be willing to receiue, without being desirous to sue. For to sue, is a signe of humilitie. Wherefore, to seeke to runne any other course, sauours of I know not what singularitie, rashnes and presumption. Hereunto I answer, that there is a great deale of difference betwixt sueing to God, and sueing to Men, and in the crauing of spirituall goods, and the crauing of Temporall. For, in sueing to God, we better our selues much, and those princi∣pall Vertues, Faith Hope, and Charitie, are much increased and augmented. For our Faith increaseth, when we petition God, by acknowledging him to be the vniuersall Lord of all things, who onely can fulfill our requests and desires According to that of Saint Paul; super abundanter quàm petimus aut intelligimus;* That is able to doe exceeding aboundantly aboue all that we aske, or thinke; &c. Like∣wise Hope, and Charitie, receiue thereby an Increase, be∣cause we hope, for a good end of our petition: And for this cause doe we likewise loue God, from whom wee hope to Page  225 receiue the good, we desire. And this hath the greater force and truth with it, when wee craue spirituall goods. And of these spake our Sauiour when hee sayd; Pettite, & accipietis.* And the Apostle S. Iames saith; if any of you lacke wisdome, let him aske of God, which giueth to all men liberally, and reprocheth no man, and it shall be giuen him. But it is conditionall, and bounded with a Nihil haesi∣tans; That he aske in faith, and wauer not. Which may likewise be vnderstood of Temporall goods, as they are or∣dayned to a spirituall, and super-naturall end. But to aske of men, produceth farre different effects. And therefore we are to consider, that for one of these two ends men may aske temporall things; Either for to raise themselues, or to reme∣die themselues. Of the latter of these, who demand their pay and satisfaction for their seruices, for the remedying and re∣lieuing of their necessities, wee haue already said, that they are not to bee blamed; but in conscience, and Iustice, wee are to helpe them, and make them due satisfaction, in that which of right belongeth vnto them. Of the former who seeke to rayse themselues, they stand crouching and knee∣ling with cap in hand to obtaine their purpose, being very dextrous and diligent in doing courtesies, obsequious in their outward behauiour, kissing the hand, and making Congies downe to the ground, and pro•trating themselues at the feet of those, who they thinke may doe them good, dawbing their Compliments with base and seruile flatteries. Of which kinde of men,* the Holy Ghost saith; Est qui nequiter humi∣liate se, & interiora eius plena sunt dolo. There is some, that being about wicked purposes, doe bow downe themselues, whose inward parts, burne altogether with deceit: Being like vnto your birdes of rapine, who though it be naturall vnto them to flye vp and downe in the ayre, yet are content to stoope and abase themselues, the better to seaze on their prey. Which is euen to a letter or (as they say) to a haire the very same,* that Kings Dauid sayd: Incli•auitse, & cadet, Page  226 cum dominatus fuerit pauperum: He crowcheth, and boweth• and therefore heapes of poore doe fall by his might. Or, as it is in the Originall: vt dominetur pauperum. He humbles himselfe, that thereby he may grow great, and come to do∣mineere and swagger ouer the poore▪ For all their reuerences and adorations, serue to no other end, but to raise themselues vpon the wings of their ambition, that when they are in a good place, they may stoope the freer to their pray: So that those, who but yesterday had them at their feete, see them now towring ouer their heads, and loose the sight of them; whom they adore thus raysed, as those before adored them, when but lately, l•ke poore snakes, they licked the dust with their tongue, and trayled their belly on the ground. And growing now warme in the bosome of greatnesse, sting those most, who did most foster and cherish them. And these men, though they negociate well with men, and get what they pretend, yet doe they not obtaine any thing at Gods hands, who neuer grants vnto them what they desire for such like ends.* According to that of Saint Iames; ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures. Howbeit sometimes it is granted vnto them for their further punishment and chasticement. For, as S. Austen affirmeth;* Multa Deus concedit iratus, quae nega∣ret propitius; God grant, many things in his wrath, which he denyes in his loue. And that, which is recounted of Augustus Caesar, is not much amisse from the purpose, who being importuned to bestow an Office vpon one, who with great instance begged it of him, would by no meanes giue it him, but conferr'd it on another that neuer sued for it, but did better deserue it. And he alleadging the perseuerance of his petitions, and complayning, that he hauing beene so long and earnest a suitor, he should bestow it vpon one that had neuer sought vnto him for it; Caesar made him this answer: T•n eras dignus qui peteres; ille, qui acciperet: Thou wast worthy, to sue for it; but hee, to haue it. There are Page  227 some things which may be receiued,* which may not so well be sued for, so saith Vlpian in a certaine Law of his; Quae∣dam enim, tametsi honestè accipiantur, inhoneste tamen pe∣tuntur: There are certaine things (sayth he) which albeit they may be honestly receiued, yet may they be vnhonestly desired. Kings are to bestow their fauours, but others must not sue for them. Hoc non peti, sed praestari solere, saith ano∣ther Law; it is fit, good turnes should be done, but not sued for to be done. And it was the same mans saying; Inuitum, non ambientem, esse ad rempublicam assumendum: That he, that was vnwilling to receiue honour, not he that did ambiti∣ously seek after it was to be preferred in the Common-wealth. And trust me, I cannot search into the reason, why it should become a Custome, not to giue, but to those that aske; For neither they, that giue, doe gaine thereby, nor they that aske, are bettred thereby. For to giue, is so much the more worthy prayse, and thankes, by how much the more liberally and freely it is giuen. And the Prouerb saith: Bis dat, qui citò dat: He doubles his gift, that giues quickly. Where∣as he, that stays looking and expecting to be sued vnto, see∣meth to giue with an ill will, and not so freely as he should. For (as Seneca truly saith) there is not any thing that costes a man dearer, then that which is bought by intreaties, and petitionings. And therefore, as often as either offices, or Rents, are bestow'd on those, which deserue them, without making suite for them, the whole body of the Common-wealth doth commend and indeare the rectitude, and iust dealing of the Doner. And all good and vertuous men take heart and incouragement thereby, and are fill'd with good hopes; and those, which are otherwise, ashamed and confounded; and becomes the meanes many times of ma∣king them turne ouer a new leafe, and leaue their former lewd course of life. But when this rigour and strictnesse is obserued, of not giuing to him that asketh not, though hee merit and deserue the same, it seemeth to be made a merito∣rious Page  228 cause, to sue, and to negociate; and occasion giuen, that more care should be placed in this, then in deseruing well, whereby mens mindes and courages, haue their edge abated, and are dishartened. For to aske, when it is not for the end aforesayd, it draweth on this inconuenience with it. Which is Aristotles opinion, and is made good in all true reason of Morall Philosophy. The Apostle S. Paul, quoteth a sentence, which our Sauiour Christ vsed often to repeate; Beatius est magis dare, quam accipere: Farre more excellent, and more prayse-worthy is it, to giue, then to take. And if not to take, be so good a thing, much better shall it be, not to aske, for that this is, the ordinary meanes to the other. And herein did the Saints of God glorie much, and Saint Paul saith of himselfe; That he would rather liue by the labour of his hands, then be importunate in crauing. And that great Prophet Samuel, that which he did most prize and iustifie himselfe of before the people, was, that hee had faithfully performed his function, without crauing or taking any thing. There was a time, wherein the Romane Senate did ordaine, that the Consullship, and other the chiefe Magistracies, should not be giuen to any, saue such as sued for them. This Law, at first was good; for then, none durst presume to sue for them, but those, who in the peoples opi∣nion did well deserue them, and tooke it for a great affront that they should receiue a deniall. So that by this meanes euery one did labour by his noble Actions to deserue that Dignitie, as also that all the people might thinke him worthy thereof. Afterwards, this proued to be a very pernicious Law; for, no• those, who by their vertues, and heroicall Acts, did deserue this Honour; but those, that were the most powerfull did sue for it, whilest others, for feare of these, durst not shew themselues in the busines, and so were vtterly excluded from those honourable Offices. This in∣conuenience, was taken notice of, and Publicola the Consull made a Law, vpon paine of death, wherewith he was to be Page  229 punished, who without approbation from the people of Rome, should sue for any of the said Offices. And likewise, for the curbing of this Vice, was the Calphurnian Law enacted. But now (for our finnes) hath crept in amongst vs that Greekish infection,* wherof I Socrates saith, that Am∣bition at that time, was growen to that extreamitie, and to that hight, that in stead of putting ambitious pretenders to death, those honourable places were not bestowed but vpon those, which did shame-fully sue for them, and could best negociate by their power, purse, or friends, whichis, was, and will be an occasion in all times and places, that with scan∣dalous corruption, and Simoniacall trading, Offices, and Benefices shall be giuen and solde, to him that will giue most. Not the better person, but the better purse shall carry it. The inconueniences, that follow the so much fauouring of suitors, and being vn-mindfull of those, who tend nothing else but to serue, and deserue well, are very great, and not vnknowen to all those that are Statists, and good Common-wealths men. And if the shortnesse, which I desire to obserue in this Discourse, did not hinder mee, a large field would here discouer it selfe vnto me, wherein to enter and expatiate my selfe, and might take occasion to treate of the false hoods, shiftes, deceits, and iniustices, which are dayly vsed in such like pretensions, and petitions, which haue beene the cause of the destruction and ruine not only of particular Common wealthes but of whole Kingdomes. And this which I speake, is of so much truth, that some of the Hebrew Doctors hold for certaine, that the Monarchie of the House royall of Dauid was ouerthrowne by giuing credit to the malice and deceit of a couetous pretender, and that of twelue Prouinces which his heyres possessed, of those twelue Tribes, two onely remayned intire vnto him: The case was this;* King Dauid, hauing (in performance of that oath and promise, which he had made vnto Ionathan) giuen vnto his sonne Mephibosheth, all those heredements, Page  230 messuage, and goods, which were King Sauls; And com∣manding Ziba, that hee, and his sonnes, and his seruants, should serue him, and till his land for him, and bring him in foode to eate; there entred into Ziba's minde a diuelish pretension,* to beg all Mephibosheths estate for himselfe. And thereupon, tooke hold of such an occasion, as seemed fittest vnto him to worke this his treacherie and deceite. When King Dauid fled from his sonne Absalon to the mountaines, Ziba the seruant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of Asses sadled, and vpon them two hundred cakes of bread, and an hundred bunches of Raysons, and an hundred of dryed Figgs, and a bottle of Wine, and o∣ther the like commodities for the refreshing of Dauid and his followers. And hauing a Lye ready at hand, which he had thought on before, hee castes himselfe downe at the Kings feete, and telling him a thousand leasings, raised false witnesse against Mephibosheth, informing his Maiestie, that Mephibosheth was in Ierusalem, and tolde him; This day shall the house of Israel restore mee the Kingdome of my father. Is it eu•n so, sayd the King? Behold, Thine are all, that pertained vnto Mephibosheth. And truly, this businesse was strangely carryed. For notable was the faci∣litie, where with the King gaue credit to the calumniation of this pretender, and the remissenesse which he shew'd in punishing so loud a lye, and so great a treason, when the truth of the matter, and the innocencie of Mephibosheth, was af∣terwards made knowne vnto him. And that, which I con∣ceiue concerning this point, is; That the cause why hee did not punish this so fowle a treacherie, was; Either for that he was conscious to himselfe of the fault, which he had committed in hauing giuen such easie beliefe there vnto: or, for that the rootes of this suspicion, and iealousie, did re∣maine still deepely grounded in his heart. For the calum∣nies, and cautelous suggestions of Pretenders, carry this mischiefe still with them, that they pierce euen to the very Page  231 heart, and are hardly remooued from the minde of him, that giues eare vnto them.* Verba susurronis, quasi simplicia, & ipsa perueniunt ad intima cordis: The words of a Tale∣bearer, are as flatterings, and they goe downe into the bowells of the belly. And therefore the Holy Ghost ad∣viseth vs, that when such men come to speake with vs in secret, and to whisper things in our eare, that wee should not hearken vnto them.* Quando submiserit vocem suam, ne credid eris, ei, quoniam septem nequitiae sunt in corde illius. Though hee speakes fauourably, beleeue him not, for there are seuen abhominations in his heart. Which in plainer language, speakes thus vnto vs; When a flatterer shall talke vnto thee in a low voyce, and whisper thee softely in thine eare, that hee may not be heard of the standers by, caste him out for an eare-wigg, and doe not giue credit vnto him; for there are seuen, nay seuenty malitious purposes in that mans heart. And it would be a great ioy and com∣fort vnto mee, that God would discouer vnto Kings, these persons and their diuelish practises, that such base and vn∣worthy people, might not vnder the colour and shew of good and worthy men, thus abuse and deceiue them. In a word, mens hearts, and their tongues, doe not alwayes go together. Nor is the speech, and the thought all one. Quia labia doloso in corde,* & corde locuti sunt. They speake deceitfully euery one with his neighbour, flattering with their lippes, and speake with a double heart. But God destroy such deceitfull and lying tongues, to the end that truth may finde entrance in the Courtes of Kings. O, how many inconueniences would be excused, if those persons, to whom the charge is committed of distributing Offices, and rewarding of seruices, would take the care, to conferre them on those that deserue them, and not on those that negociate and sue for them; then would there not be so much libertie, nor so many tricks vsed in petitioning, nor so many Orators in the Courte, in whom, by this suing vnto them, couetous∣nesse Page  232 increaseth, and the hungry appetite of taking; whilest in the meane while all modestie and shame is vtterly lost. And I am verily perswaded, that kings many times, streight∣ned by earnest intreaties, and the importunate prayers of such as are in neere places about them, doe vndeserued fa∣uours, rewarding vnworthy suitors, and leauing out those that are worthy, because they doe not offer to speake and sue vnto them. And that you may perceiue that I doe not speake this of mine owne head, or that it is a birde of mine owne hatching, I will relate that here vnto you, which Saint Luke reporteth of an importunate woman,* who finding her selfe wronged, came to a secular Iudge, that was an ill minded man, and vniust, and was very earnest with him, crying still vnto him; doe me Iustice against mine Aduer∣sary: Which he would not of long time, but afterwards he sayd with himselfe; Though I feare not God, nor re∣uerence man, yet because this woman troubleth me, I will doe her right, lest at the last shee come, and make mee weary. To begge, and sue, is an easiy office, especially, when pretenders know, that hearing breedes wearisomnesse, and that by this meanes they obtaine that which they sue for, it being the nature of many men, and more particularly of Kings that loue their ease, to be quicke in their grants, for the avoyding of further trouble. Our Sauiours Disciples, were much troubled, & their eares were euen tyred out, with hearing the clamourous voyce of the Cananitish woman, and intreated Christ, that he would dispatch her, that they might be rid of her. And we vsually see, that your importunate suitors, be it iust, or vniust, obtaine their purpose. And I know not, whether I may blame them most, or those that put them to it, to be importunate in this, or that, be it right, or be it wrong. God knowes where the fault lyes, and will reward euery one, as he deserues.