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

CAP. 11. Perswasions extraordinary, and when or at what time they be requisite and necessarie.

EPI:

Such were they which Themistocles sometimes vsed, for (saith Plutarch) vvhen all other perswasions failed, and coulde not worke that publicke good which he then inten∣ded, hee did threaten the Athenians with signes from heaven, and with Oracles, and aunsweres; and when as he coulde not per∣swade the Citizens of Athens, no not for the safegarde of their lives, to departe the Citie at the comming of Xerxes, vvhose for∣ces they were not able to withstande, hee pollitiquely caused a brute to be spread abroade among the people, that the Goddesse Minerva, the protector and defender of the Citie of Athens, had

forsaken the Citie, pointing them the vvaie vnto the sea; and againe, he vvonne them with a prophesie, which commaunded them to save themselves in walles of woode, saying, that the walles of woode, did signifie nothing else but ships; and for this cause Apollo in his Oracle, called Salamina divine, not miserable and vnfortunate, because it shoulde give the name of a most hap∣pie victorie, vvhich the Graecians shoulde gette there; by vvhich extraordinarie perswasions, hee did induce them at the last to leave the Citie of Athens, and to betake themselves to the sea: by occasion vvhereof, they did not onely deliver themselves from the handes of their enemies, but became at the last conquerours, and victours over them. In like manner, when all ordinarie meanes of perswading failed to effect the re∣formation sometimes intended by Numa, he made his recourse to these extraordinarie helpes and meanes, laying before the peoples eies a terrour and feare of their Gods, bearing them in hande, that they had seene straunge visions, or that he had heard voices, by vvhich their Gods did threaten them with some great troubles and plagues: whereby hee did pull downe and humble their hearts (as Plutarch witnesseth) and made thereby a thorough chaunge and reformation, aswell of the common-weale, as of the manners of the people. Therefore Plutarch not without iudgment affirmeth, that the multitude in matters vvaightie, and difficult, rest satisfied and perswaded, rather by extraordinarie, then by or∣dinary meanes: all which he doeth lively manifest, vvhereas he induceth the multitude exclaiming vppon Themistocles, for not sacrificing the three young prisoners, in so much as Themistocles for∣ced by their rage and clamour, did sacrifice at the last the three pri∣soners; wherewith the people remained fully perswaded, that the victorie shoulde be given vnto them over their enemies. Againe, sometimes it fareth vvith the multitude, as with the sicke patient, vvhich being overcome with the greatnesse of his malady, is ther∣by become so impatient, as he refuseth all wholesome medicines, vvhich may breed his health and safety; the vvhich malady some∣times possessed the people of Athens, when as they reiected your counsell for the vvithstanding of the tyranny of Pisistratus, ha∣ving

then newly vvith his forces entered the castle, and forte of A∣thens, vvherewith the people stoode so amazed, as they shewed themselves more vvilling to suffer that evill, then able to pre∣vent the same by your counsell.

Sol:

This happeneth oftentimes, when the people with the suddennes or waightines of the matter, are found dulled, mazed, and oppressed, and thereby as with some great malady remaine overcome; or otherwise, when they finde themselves formerly deluded, by the like matter, or by the same persons, & dare not, or wil not nowe give confidence, though for the present he perswadeth nothing, but that which is expedient & profitable for thē: the which matters, the people of Rome obie∣cted sometimes against the Senators, when by the feare of forraine warres, they went about to frustrate the lawe of division: and in these cases as Danta reporteth in his Monarchie, even with open voice, they embrace their ruine, and abhorre their safetie and welfare. But now let vs proceede vnto the fourth way and means, namely, sufficient forces which in such cases are to bee prepared, whereby the Magistrate with greater safety and assurance may ef∣fect a reformation.