De republica Anglorum The maner of gouernement or policie of the realme of England, compiled by the honorable man Thomas Smyth, Doctor of the ciuil lawes, knight, and principall secretarie vnto the two most worthie princes, King Edwarde the sixt, and Queene Elizabeth. Seene and allowed.

The diuision of the parts and persons of the common wealth. CHAP. 16.

TO make all thinges yet cleare before, as we shal go, there ariseth another diuision of the partes of the common wealth. For it is not enough to say that it con∣sisteth

of a multitude of houses & families which make stretes & villages, & the multitude of the stretes & villa∣ges make townes, and the multitude of townes the realme, & that freemen be cōsidered only in this behalf, as subiects & citizēs of the cōmonwealth, & not bondmen who can beare no rule nor iurisdiction ouer freemen, as they who be taken but as instruments & the goods and possessions of others. In which consideration also we do reiect women, as those whom nature hath made to keepe home and to nourish their familie and children, and not to medle with matters abroade, nor to beare office in a citie or common wealth no more than chil∣dren and infantes: except it be in such cases as the au∣thoritie is annexed to the blood and progenie, as the crowne, a dutchie, or an erledome, for there the blood is respected, not the age nor y^e sexe. Whereby an absolute Quéene, an absolute Dutches or Countesse, those I call absolute, which haue the name, not by being maried to a king, duke, or erle, but by being the true, right & next successors in the dignitie, and vpon whom by right of the blood that title is descended: These I say haue the same authoritie although they be women or children in that kingdome, dutchie or earledome, as they shoulde haue had if they had bin men of full age. For the right and honour of the blood, and the quietnes and suertie of the realme, is more to be considered, than either the ten∣der age as yet impotent to rule, or the sexe not accusto∣med (otherwise) to intermeddle with publicke affaires, being by common intendment vnderstood, that such per∣sonages neuer do lacke the counsell of such graue and discreete men as be able to supplie all other defectes. This (as I sayde) is not enough. But the diuision of these which be participant of the common wealth is one way of them that beare office, the other of them that beare none: the first are called magistrates, the se∣cond priuate men. Another the like was among the

Romanes of Partricij & plebei, thone striuing with tho∣ther a long time, the patricij many yeares excluding the plebes from bearing rule, vntill at last all magistrates were made cōmon betweene thē: yet was there another diuision of the Romanes into senatores, equites and plebs: the Greekes had also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The Frēch haue also at this day, les nobles & la populare, or gen∣tils homes & villaines: we in England diuide our men commonly into foure fortes, gentlemen, citizens and yeomen artificers, and laborers. Of gentlemen the first and chiefe are the king, the prince, dukes, mar∣quises, earles, vicountes, barrons, and these are called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the nobility, and all these are called Lords and noblemen: next to these be knights, esquiers and sim∣ple gentlemen.