feet of those that carry the glad tydings of peace; yea,
the Angell from heaven proclaimed peace on earth,
and towards men good will: in a word, Beati pacifici,
Blessed are all peacemakers: yet it hath never beene
thought so gracious, but that a necessary warre was
to be preferred unto it, if it was dishonestly violated,
or shamefully agreed upon.
What then may be said to Bartoll one of the grea∣test
Lawyers of his age, who in the Law, Conventio∣num
codice de pactis, or at least in the Digestis maintai∣neth,
That faith is not to bee kept to particular ene∣mies;
which Cicero in his 3. lib. Officiorum, although
but a Heathen, contradicteth: and that of Vlpian, no
lesse in credit than he, That it is lawfull to circum∣vent
one another; and chiefly, seeing in all their wri∣tings
they esteeme more of the true keeping of our
promised faith in all our actions, than of strict and
precise justice; but so thought not the good Empe∣rour
Augustus Caesar, though he had promised a great
many Talents of gold to those who should bring him
the head of Crocotas a notable robber in his time,
which robber hearing of this reward, came of him∣selfe,
and layed downe his head at the Emperours
feet, and craved the reward conditioned; whereupon
the Emperour did appeare so farre from revenge, that
he forthwith granted him not onely his life, but the
promised Talents also.
Neither did the noble Iosua so, when he was decea∣ved
with the Gibeonites; for although those deceaving
Polititians, or rather hypocrites hold for truth that,
Frangenti fidem, fides frangatur eidem.
And worse than that, they doe violate likewise