Nero Cæsar, or Monarchie depraued An historicall worke. Dedicated, with leaue, to the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Admirall. By the translator of Lucius Florus.

About this Item

Title
Nero Cæsar, or Monarchie depraued An historicall worke. Dedicated, with leaue, to the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Admirall. By the translator of Lucius Florus.
Author
Bolton, Edmund, 1575?-1633?
Publication
London :: Printed by T[homas] S[nodham and Bernard Alsop] for Thomas Walkley, at Britaines Bursse,
1624.
Rights/Permissions

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.

Subject terms
Nero, -- Emperor of Rome, 37-68 -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"Nero Cæsar, or Monarchie depraued An historicall worke. Dedicated, with leaue, to the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Admirall. By the translator of Lucius Florus." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A16309.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 15, 2024.

Pages

CHAP. XXIII. THE PRINCIPALL WONDER OF NERO'S TIME, AND OF PRINCEDOME.

THat sacred monarckie could preserue the people of ROME from finall ruine, not∣vvithstanding all the prophanations, blas∣phemies, & scandals of tyranous excesses, vvhere∣vvith NERO defiled & defamed it, is the vvon∣der vvhich no other forme of gouernement could performe, and is the principall both of his time, and of princedome it selfe. A vvonder of imperi∣all maiestie vvithin the vvonder of most extreame vnvvorthynesse. But the ioynts, and compactures of the empires fabricke vnder an head, vvere so supple, and solid that vvhat SENECA vvor∣thely praised in generall, as the prerogatiue of monarckie, is exemplified true in this. Neither is it basenesse, or madnesse (saith that famous

Page 70

Sage) for thousands to take weapon in hand for the defense of one person, or with many deaths to redeeme the single life of an olde per∣haps, and feeble man, for they tender their pro∣per safeguard, while they fight for their prin∣ces, in whose weale, or woe their owne is com∣prehended. To this purpose he, with a great deale more. But whereas the sentence points vpon CLAVDIVS, who was that olde, and feeble man, it holds good not only to olde, and feeble, but to all sorts of princes persons, whether olde, or young, tame or violent, ciuil, or sauage. The truth whereof appeared before in CALIGVLA, now in NERO, & after-wards in other wicked rulers. Therefore it vvas possible, that the empire should be kept together for the vses of the people of ROME, by permitting all power to one, though it was to that inhumane SYLLA, who first of mortalls taught his countrey to feele (saith Halicarnassian DIONYSIVS) that the Dictatorship was a tyrannie; it had not other∣wise beene possible. And if NERO, (in whom alone all the corruptions which had beene en∣gendred in ROME, from the birth of ROME till his owne dayes, seem'd drawne together into one apostem, or bile) could not putrifie those strengths which princedome gaue more vnto the state, then either the commons, or the nobles when they ruled all, who can enough admire, or reuerence that sacred institution which vertue crownes, and vice cannot dissolue? The excellen∣cies of it speake their author: for so diuine a good as the fast connection of mankinde together in one vnder one, could bee the guift of onely God, vvho in his gouernement of heauen, and earth,

Page 71

doth vse none other forme; himselfe a King and monarck.

THE END OF THE FIRST FIVE YEARES OF NE∣RO, HIS MOST COM∣MENDED TIME.
Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.