Solon his follie, or a politique discourse, touching the reformation of common-weales conquered, declined or corrupted. By Richard Beacon ...

CAP. 5. The readie waies and meanes to avoide these difficulties and daungers.

EPI:

Such Princes and governoures, which will avoide the difficulties and daungers, which commonly arise in establi∣shing of profitable lawes and ordinaunces; by reason of di∣versitie of humours, opinions, and factions, they must of neces∣sitie remove for a time, or otherwise imploy the leaders and heades of all such factions, as may giue any waies impediment vnto their proceedings; imitating herein Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, who purposely sent Cato vnto Cipres, knowing assuredly, that he would otherwise give impediment vnto their lawes and proceedings, es∣pecially for the proroging of Caesar his governement, and allow∣ance for his army; or otherwise with Caesar, they shalbe forced to suppresse them by authoritie, and to put Cato to silence by im∣prisonment, the which may fortune to displease as well the no∣bles, as the people.

Ep:

Or otherwise, we are to delude either facti∣on by faire promises and sweete wordes, the which subtletie you Solon sometimes vsed (as Phanias the Lesbian writeth) when as you secretly promised the poore to devide the lande againe, and the rich also to confirme their covenantes and bargaines; when as you vsed these wordes and sentences, namely that aequality did bre••de no strife; by which aequivocation of wordes, you did winne as well the poore as the rich, vnto a reformation of disorders; the one supposing, that all thinges shoulde bee measured according to the

quality of the men, and the other tooke it for their purpose, that you would measure thinges by the number, and by the poule on∣ly, whereby you did safely proceede, and mightily further your law called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and did therein overcome all difficulties, by the which, the mighty sedition, which was then entertained be∣twixt the poore and the rich, was appeased.

Sol:

You saie true∣lie: and for the better iustifiyng of this manner of proceeding herein, you shall vnderstande, that in a publike magistrate, the same is rightlie tearmed pollicie, but in private persons, the same is not vniustly condemned by the name of deceite.

Ep:

We have remembred the same, not as condemners, but as approvers of the fact, and therefore needelesse you have iustified your selfe here∣in.

Sol:

Be it so: proceede then further vnto other difficulties and daungers, which arise herein from the insolencie of the mul∣titude, whereof you made mention in this former treati••e but did not at large discourse thereof.

Ep:

Many daungers and difficul∣ties arise from the insolencie of the multitude, as I have saide, for that never with one consent of minde, they doe admit or obey a∣ny new lawes or ordinances, vntill they plainly vnderstande the same to bee necessarie; but the necessitie of lawes never appea∣reth without daunger to the common-weale, which often falleth to his last ruine, before the lawes can bee perfitly established, which might support the same. The Athenians first received the evill and mischiefe, even into the bosome of that common-weale, before they sought to withstand the same by profitable lawes, yea they suffred the sedition, & vproares, betwixt the issue of Mega∣cles & Cylon, still fighting & quarrelling, before they could be per∣swaded to chuse you Solon, as the reformer of there commonweale.

Sol:

You maie best witnesse the same, for they suffered the invasi∣on of the Megarians, they lost the haven of Nysea, and the Ile of Salamina, before they sent vnto you Epimenides into Creta, by whose advise they then reformed there common-weale, greatlie to your laude and praise.

Ep:

But more greatly Solon to your commendations, were the mighty factions long entertained be∣twixt the people of the mountaines, vally, & sea coasts, quenched and pacified to the great good of Athens.

Sol:

they suffered the

factions betwixt the poore and the rich, so long to fester in the bowels of the common-wealth, as the poorer sort did rise in armes with a purpose to chuse vnto themselves a captaine, and to sub∣vert the whole state of that common-weale, before they coulde be perswaded to make a generall reformation of their lawes and common-weale: they suffred many vproares and braules, before they condemned the excommunicantes. The state of Florence also may with their perill and danger witnes the same: which con∣tended not to suppresse the corruptions in the Aretines, before they well neere tasted of their rebellions. In like manner, the Athenians could not be induced, either by my auctoritie, or els by the vehement perswasions which then I vsed, to withstande the tyrannie of Pisistratus, before they endured the weight thereof so heavily, as they could neither cast the same from their shoul∣ders, neither yet endure the burden thereof.

Ep:

This did oc∣casion you sometimes to write and speake after this manner,

Ech one of you ô men in private actes, Can play the fox for slie and subtell craft: But when you come fore in all your factes, Then are you blinde, dull-witted and be daft, &c.

But if we suffer daungers and difficulties in the establishing of good and profitable lawes, how much greater shall these daun∣gers appeare vnto vs, when wee shall vse and apply the sharpe dis∣cipline of lawes? the same no doubt is great, and farre exceedeth the other; for at such time as Claudius vvas accused, and indited of high treason, by one of the Tribunes of the people, and by o∣thers of the nobilitie and Senate, the rude multitude and people, did so boldlie and stoutly maintaine his vnlawfull factes, as the Iudges for feare durst not proceede against him, vvhereby hee was discharged of his accusations: after the like manner did they compasse the Senate house, & called for Caesar, and willed the Se∣nate to let him out at such time, as he was to answere sundrie accu∣sations laid against him. But what waies and meanes are now left vnto vs, whereby we may overcome these difficulties and dangere?