History.
IT is a great aduantage for Princes to haue read Histories in their youth,* 1.1 where they may plainely read of such assemblies, and of the great fraudes, deceipts and periuries, which some of the ancients haue vsed one against another, hauing taken and slaine them that haue relyed vpon such assurances. It is not said that all haue vsed it, but the example of one is sufficient to make many wise, and to giue them a will to stand vpon their gard: And in my opinion one of the greatest means to make a man wise is to haue read ancient Histories and to learne to gouerne himselfe wisely thereby, and by the exam∣ple of our predecessors. For our life is so short as it suffic••th not to haue experience of so many thinges. Besides we are decayed in age and the life of man is not so long as it was wont to be, nor their bo∣dies so strong,
All the Bookes that are written were to no vse, if it were not to reduce things past to memory, where we see more in one booke in three monthes, then twenty men liuing successiuely one after ano∣ther, can see by the eye or learne by experience. Although that ene∣mies nor Princes be not alwaies alike (notwithstanding that the sub∣iect be) yet is it good to be informed of thinges past.