The compleat courtier: or, The morals of the famous historian Cornelius Tacitus concerning flattery, &c. In above one hundred essays. Paraphras'd and illustrated with useful observations by the Sieur Amelo de la Houssaie and M. D'Ablancourt. Done out of French.

ESSAY V.

Valerius Messala added, That the Senators should every Year renew their Oaths of Fidelity to Tibe∣rius: And being ask'd by Tiberius, whi∣ther it was by his Order that he had given those hints to the Senate, he an∣swer'd of his own accord, That in those thinge which Concern'd the Commonweal, he was not wont to follow any other Counsels then his own, not caring whither others were offended or no. That only sort of Flattery then remain'd.

Says D'Ablancourt, When Tiberius had ask'd him, whither he had given him Orders to speak what he had said, he answer'd, That what concern'd the Republic, he never took

advice of any Person. Where he leaves out, Vel cum periculo Offensionis, Wherein chief∣ly consists undiscernable spurn of absolute Controul, and the disguis'd assertion of Li∣berty. And besides, he omits the follow∣ing Sentence, Ea sola species adulandi super∣erat, Which makes a most graceful and pleasing Epiphonema to what went be∣fore.

The Question which Tiberius put to Messala, plainly shews, that there are certain Flatteties, which are so far from being grateful to Princes, that they ra∣ther blush and are asham'd to hear 'em pronounc'd. But from one piece of servile Flattery, which had wounded Tiberius's Modesty, Messala drives on to another, which under the false appearance of a Bravado, and an undaunted Cou∣rage, concludes in the Absolute Annihi∣lation of Liberty. For while he feigns as if he thought Tiberius offended with his Advice, as one that really was resolv'd never to take upon him the Burthen of the Empire, he maintains by his Reply, That it was not the Power of the Empire to excuse Him, and by Consequence, that there was a compulsive necessity for Him to accept of the Sovereign Power

maugre his aversion to the Contrary protesting that he would rather incur the Princes Indignation, then be debarr'd from speaking freely whatever he thought might be for the Service of his Country.