Magistrates to be Men of Understanding. [ 1511]
HEraclitus being sick,* 1.1 examined his Physitian concerning the cause of his sicknesse; but finding that he was ignorant thereof, he would take none of his Physick, saying; If he be not able to shew me the cause, he is lesse able to take away the cause of my disease: Thus there are many sores and sicknesses in a Com∣mon-wealth, mille nocendi artes,* 1.2 a thousand wayes of cheating, the generality of Men is (as Ovid said of Autolycus) furtum ingeniosus ad omne, witty in all kind of wickednesse; ••ay, mundus in maligno positus, the World is set upon Mis∣chief. And such is the subtilty too of Offenders,* 1.3 that Tertullus his trim tale for the Iews goes currant, till the Apostle comes after him and unstarcheth it;* 1.4 How easy is a fair glove drawn upon a foul hand? a bad cause smoothed over with goodly pretences? so cunning, so wary, and so wise are the Many, that (as Caesar said of the Scythians) difficilius invenire quàm interficere, it is harder to find them then to foil them;* 1.5 like the Fish Sepia, they can hide themselves in their own mud, cover themselves close in their own devices; The Magistrate then, that Physitian of the body-Politick, had need to be Wise and learned, to get and keep that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 one ear open for the defendant, to be a Man of great experi∣ence, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and judgement, to catch all such with the hooks of Iustice, who