To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
WHat therefore is his duetie? That which belongs to good Parents, who are wont sometime to admonish their children gently, some∣times to chastise them with threats, and sometimes with stripes. Doth any man of a setled iudgement disinherite his sonne vpon the first offence, except many and mightie iniuries ouercome his patience? except there be somewhat more that he feareth then that which hee condemneth, he will not blot him out of his Testament. Hee assayeth diuers
remedies before hand to reclaime him from his dissolute and inconstant dispo∣sition, but when he hath no more hope then assaieth hee his last remedies. No man commeth to practise his extremest chastisements, except hee hath consu∣med all his remedies. That which the Parent doth, the same ought a Prince to doe: whom wee haue called the Father of the Countrie not led thereunto by vaine adulation. For those other names are giuen for honour sake. We haue cal∣led them Great, Happie and Augusti, and haue heaped vp whatsoeuer titles wee could inuent for ambitious Majestie: attributing them vnto these. We haue cal∣led him the Father of the Country, to the end he might know, that he had a father∣ly power giuen him ouer his Countrie, and consequently very moderate, care∣full of his children, and prouiding for their good, rather then his own particular. If the father must cut of some one of his members it shal be as late as he can, and after he hath cut it of, he wil desire to reuiue it againe, and in cutting it of, he wil tigh and differ long time, and in diuers sorts. For he that condemneth too soone condemneth willingly also, He that chastiseth ouer seuerely, ordinarily chasti∣seth vniustly. In our memorie the people of Rome stabbed to death a Roman Knight called Erixo, with their bodkins, for whipping his sonne to death. Scarce could the authoritie of Augustus Caesar redeeme the same from the handes of displeased Fathers and children.
Another instru∣c••o•• for a ••rince, to teach ••im to keepe a measure in his mercie.