AN ADVERTISEMENT.

ALthough that all Bookes which are presented vnto the King, proceed not from those excellent pens which haue taken life vnder his raigne, to aduance the French eloquence to the height of glory, no more then all Statues which were dedica∣ted to Apollo, in Creet, Rhodes and Cypres, were not made by the hands of Zeuxis or of Phidias, nor the wine which was offered to Iupiter, in his sacrifice, did not alwaies come out of the cup, nor grew in those Vines which he desired: yet this History, being but in her Infancy, hath merited the fa∣uour of his iudgement, and of the greatest of his Court, who haue taken delight to see, as in an Astro•ab, the rising and fall of those which are on earth as the Sunne is in Heauen. This is the rampier wherein shee fortifies her selfe against so many af∣fronts wherewith she hath been threatned, for curious spirits are not pleased with all kinds of writing, no more then the Planets feed vpon all sorts of vapours.

The most difficult to please will obiect against her, and mee thinkes I vnderstand these words proceeding out of their mouthes, or from their thoughts: why the History of Lewis the eleuenth more then of any other? can they giue vs a better then that of Philip de Commines? to all these exceptions she hath but one answere.

I haue not affected in this worke the glory of mine owne wit, I haue contented my selfe with that of obedience. I haue made it such as you see it, his commandement car∣ries his reasons, and staies the curiositie of such as desires others. This great Prince, who entertained himselfe and slept sometimes vpon the actions of this King, as Alex∣ander did vpon those of Achilles, and who made no lesse esteeme of Phil. de Com. then the Emperor Charles the fift had done, would haue his History beautified and il∣lustrated in the same manner that I present it vnto you, to the end that being com∣pared with his, Iudgement might make the difference, and that of two they might frame a liuely Image of that which might serue for the conduct of a Prince. The brightnes of truth appeares by the opposition of her contrary, and shadowes giue grace to liuely coulours, examples are of more force then precepts. Cowards instruct the Couragious, and lyars make Men speake the truth. He that turnes from vice en∣counters Page  [unnumbered] vertue. Ismenias mingled both good and bad Flute-players together, to the end that the diuersitie of their musick might be a lesson to imitate the one and leaue the other, and that comparison might make the difference. There is nothing so difficult as to paralel Princes; if there be any conformitie in their fortunes, it is found in their vertues, if they haue attained to one end, it hath not been by the same course, and therefore they say there are a hundreth yeares required to breed a great Prince or a great Captaine. Lewis hath carried, and Henry doth yet carry the glorious Title of the most renowned and magnanimous Princes of their ages: but they haue not purchased it by the selfe same meanes, the difference hath beene great in their humours, and in their kinde of gouernement: Both had one kinde of beginning, the one of the house of Valois, the other of that of Bourbon, two branches of S. Lewis. There was some conformitie in their first fortunes; being both retired from Court, and both instructed in patience in the schoole of necessitie: The beginning of their reignes had some resemblance, for both had seene a great and mighty faction raised against them, vnder two goodly pretexts, the one of the Common-weale, the other of Religion: both haue been in paine to expell forraine enemies, to pacifie domestique, and to diuide their humors; but what the one hath done by policie and force, the other hath effected by the iustnes of his armes, and the mildnes of his clemencie. Both were troubled to moderate those spirits, which had yet a feeling of ciuill diuisions: they haue tried the infidelitie of their seruants, and haue made themselues to bee feared and redoubted; but the one hath maintained the respect of his Maiestie by feare and seueritie, and the other by wisedome and loue. The raigne of the one was a Sea of sto•mes and tempest, the other a calme, milde, and cleare hauen. Lewis of much did little, Henry of nothing did wonders; Lewis thrust himselfe into apparant dangers to reap doubtfull fruits, Henry was neuer seene in any place but fortunate and vic∣torious Lewis medled with all things and would see and know all; Henry is a Prince of all howers and for all affaires: Lewis feared the fat of his people, Henry beleeues that the felicitie of the subiect is the glory of the Prince. Lewis the eleuenth had royall vertues, but they were not all pure; his wisedome had a touch of oun•ing, his iustice of seueritie, his valour of rashnes, his clemencie of feare, his liberaliti• of profusion, and his pietie of dissimulation: Henry takes delight to be what he appeares, and to appeare what he is, wise and fore-seeing without deceit, iust without rigor, cou∣ragious without feare or indiscretion, courteous, milde, magnanimous without pusil∣lanimitie, liber all with iudgement, and religious without hypocrisie.

Lewis the eleuenth contemned the Sciences, and learning, Henry fauours them, makes choise of the best wits to restore the exercises, peoples the Colledges, and labors to make the famous Academies of France to flourish, and the Vniuersitie of Paris, the eldest daughter of Kings, the Queene of the Academies of Christendome. Lewis was blamed for the little care he had in the breeding, and institution of his son: Henry considering how much it doth imp•rt that the generous inclinations of my Lord the Dauphin, should be seconded with good instruction, hath committed the care to a Noble-man, which abounds in wisedome, generositie, experience and fidelitie for the greatnes of that charge. Hee doth alwaies hold the minde of this Prince elleuated to things worthy of his birth and courage. France is bound vnto the King, who could make so good a choice; the election proues the dignitie of the person chosen, makes the excellencie of the choosers iudgement to bee seene, and shewes that heauen hath con∣spired with him to make so happy an accord of two such different ages. Lewis would not suffer his sonne to vnderstand aboue two words of Latin: Henry wils that his Page  [unnumbered] deare sonne should haue as much knowledge as a Prince ought to haue; he causeth his yonger yeeres to be instructed in learning, by the diligence of a great and excellent wit, who carefully and indiciously doth shew him vvhat he should know, and vvhat he should be ignorant of: he giues him the whole vvorld for a lesson; for companions, the study of Emperors and Kings; for a table, the image of glory; for Philosophy, the know∣ledge of humors and manners, and entertaining him sweetly in the varietie of Histo∣rie, vvhich is onely the Booke of Kings, frames his mind to a knowledge vvhich should shew it selfe more by actions then by discourse: for as he himselfe saies,

Lewis had more care then his predecessors to fortefie his frontiers, and forts. Hen∣ry hath made great workes for the beautifying of his royall houses, and for the com∣moditie of his people he makes his forts vnexpugnable, and hath freed his affaires from the outrages and violence of necessitie. Lewis was inconstant in his resoluti∣ons, and did sometime impaire them by change. Henry in his greatest affaires saies nothing but vvhat he does, and doth nothing without premeditation, calling vppon God in his thoughts. That vvhich is framed in his minde remaines firme. He hath so much foresight as he preuents all impediments, and hath so great power as nothing is impossible vnto him. Lewis loued a country ruined rather then lost, Henry, giuen from heauen for the generall good of the earth, hath saued, enricht and preserued the townes, which by the iustice of his armes he might haue spoiled and ruined. Lewis neuer left offences vnpunished, Henry hath lost no part of his memory but iniuries. Lewis tooke a delight to cut off the heads of poppy and eares of corne which doe ouer∣top the rest, the torrent of his iustice hath often carried away the innocent with the guiltie. Henry hath so vsed his clemencie towards his greatest enemies, as if the Iustice of God should demand of him the number, he would easily giue him an account. Lewis left France so weake, so ruinous and so deiected, as it had nothing remaining but the tongue to complaine: Henry hath chased ne•de, idlenes and pouerty out of France, and from the necessitie of his affaires: and to conclude the paralel, there is not any nation which doth not reuerence the name, admire the fortune, extoll the ver∣tues, enuie the triumphs, sing or vveepe for the victories, loue the gouernment, and feare and redoubt the power of this great and incomparable Prince.

This Historie doth truely show the diuersitie of the two portraits, and giues the King an incredible content, to see that the raigne of a great, mighty, redouted; and wise King, may not enter into comparion with his, by the difference which hee hath set in the order of his treasure, in the number of his forces, in the force of his armes, in the fortification of his frontiers, in the structures of his great buildings, and in the restablishment of the publike safety and felicitie. As for the other obiection which I haue made as done, it is true that Philip de Commines hath related the life of this Prince so exactly and iudiciously, as if Statius, who hath written the life of Achilles after Homer, did not maintaine my designe by his example, I should yeeld my selfe vanquished of indiscretion and presumption.

Iudgement must be the poulder of separation to reduce euery thing to his element, and will show that he hath not so reapt his field, but he hath left some eares to gather: In like manner I doe not thinke that I haue spoken all things so fully, and cleerely, af∣ter him, but there will yet remaine something to exercise others after me. The hunts∣man is commended that hunts and takes, but he is not blamed if hee hath not taken all: We must yeeld something to the curiositie and diligence of others. He teacheth not well that teacheth all. Another spirit will happily finde somethings wherewith to please himselfe in this goodly ample field of the life of this Prince. I confesse I ha•e drawne the principall pieces of this building from Philip de Commines, but the or∣der of the work, the Architecture, and the Ornaments are mine owne. He could not speake, of his owne knowledge, of the affaires of Lewis the eleuenth but from the yeare, 1472. when as he left the D. of Bourgundy to serue him; but this History speaketh of the infancy of this Prince, of his retreat into Flanders, and of all that had happened memorable throughout the world, during the three and twenty yeeres of his raigne, and, besides many manuscripts, I haue seene the forraine Histories of those times.

The ten bookes are extended vpon that which concernes his life, and the eleuenth vpon the obseruation of that which was done in those times, and of that which is done now, to show that Lewis hath been as much inferiour to Henry, as he was held superior to other Kings. If all things haue not bin exactly and curiously digested, if in many pla∣ces there be found defects, it sufficeth to say that the worke hath been made following the Court, and printed in my absence: To conclude, mens mindes should not be more difficult to please then the Gods of the ancients; Hee that had no milke gaue them wa∣ter, and he that found no wine offered milke, salt for incense, leaues and flowers for fruits, and fruits for beasts. He that giues what he hath, and doth what he can, is bound to no more. They that content not themselues with that which seemes good, trouble themselues to seeke for better. Whatsoeuer happen, all these disgraces shall ne∣uer tire nor daunt me: Wee doe not leaue to till and sow the ground, although the sea∣sons be bad and the haruest vnfruitfull. Hee that cannot content all the world must endeuour to content himselfe.