The wonders of the little world, or, A general history of man in six books : wherein by many thousands of examples is shewed what man hath been from the first ages of the world to these times, in respect of his body, senses, passions, affections, his virtues and perfections, his vices and defects, his quality, vocation and profession, and many other particulars not reducible to any of the former heads : collected from the writings of the most approved historians, philosophers, physicians, philologists and others / by Nath. Wanley ...

CHAP. XLIV. Of the gross Flatteries of some men.

AS the Heliotrope is alwayes turning it self according to the course of the Sun, but shuts and closes up its leaves, as soon as that great Luminary hath forsaken the Hori∣zon: So the Flatterer is alwayes fawning up∣on the Prosperous, till their fortune begins to ••rown upon them; in this not unlike to other sorts of Vermine, that are observed to desert falling Houses, and the Carcases of the dying. Hope and fear have been the occasions that some persons (otherwise of great worth) have sometimes declined to so low a degree of base∣ness, as to bestow their Encomiums upon them who have merited the severest of their reproofs. Even Seneca himself was a broad flatterer of Ne∣ro, which may make us the less to wonder at that which,

1. Tacitus saith of Salvius Otho, that he did (adorare vulgus, projicere oscula, & omnia servili∣ter pro imperio) adore the people, scatter his kis∣ses and salutes, and crouch unto any servile ex∣pressions, to advance his ambitious designs in the attainment of the Empire.

2. The like unworthy Arts Menelaus objects to his Brother Agamemnon, in the Tragedian, thus,

You know how you the Rule o're Grecians got, In shew declining what in truth you sought; How low, how plausible you apprehended The hands of meanest men; how then you bended To all you met; how your Gates open flew, And spake large welcome to the pop'lar crew: What sweetned words you gave, ev'n unto those Who did decline, and hate to see you gloze. How thus with serpentine and guileful Arts, You screw'd and wound your self into the hearts O'••h' vulgar, and thus bought the poor, which now Makes you forget, how then you us'd to bow.

3. Tiridates, King of Armenia, when he was overcome by Corbulo (and brought prisoner to Nero at Rome) fal••••ng down on his knees, he said, I am Nephew to the great Lord Arsaces, Bro••her to the two great Kings Vologesus and Pacorus, and yet thy Servant, and I am come to worship thee no otherwise than I worship my God the Sun: Truly I will be such an one as thou shalt please to make me, for thou art my fate and fortune. Which Flattery so pleased Nero, that he restored him to his Kingdom, and gave him besides an hundred thousand pieces of Gold.

4. Publius Asfranius a notable Flatterer at Rome, hearing that Caligula the Emperour was sick, went to him, and professed that he would wil∣lingly dye, so that the Emperour might recover. The Emperour told him that he did not believe him, whereupon he confirmed it with an Oath. Caligula shortly after recovering, forced him to be as good as his word, and to undergo that in earnest, which he had only spoken out of base and false Fla••tery; for he caused him to be slain, and as he said, lest he should be ••orsworn.

5. Canutus King of England and Denmark, was told by a Court Parasite, that all things in his Realme were at his beck and will, and that his pleasure once known, none durst op∣pose it. The King therefore appointed his Chair of State to be set upon the Sands, when the Sea began to ••low; and in the presence of his Courtiers he said unto it, Thou art part of my Dominion, and the ground on which I sit is mine, neither was there ever any that durst disobey my commaud, that went away with im∣punity; wherefore I charge thee that thou come not upon my Land, neither that thou presume to wet the Clothes or Body of me thy Lord. But the Sea (according to its usual course) flowing more and more, wet his Feet. Where∣upon the King rising up, said, Let all the Inha∣bitants of the world know, that vain and fri∣volous is the power of Kings; and that none is worthy the name of a King, but he to whose command the Heaven, Earth and Sea, by the bond of an everlasting Law are subject and obe∣dient. After this it is said, that the King would never more wear his Crown.

6. Damocles was the Flatterer of Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse, crying up his Riches and Majesty, and the like, affirming that no man was ever more happy than himself; Wilt thou then, said the Tyrant, taste and make tryal of my fortune? Damocles said he was very desi∣rous of it. He caused him therefore to be pla∣ced upon a Bed of Gold, the most exquisite de∣lights to be presented to him, the Table cover∣ed with the most exquisite and far fetched dain∣ties. And now when Damocles thought himself very fortunate in the midst of all this prepara∣tion, he pointed him to a bright and drawn Sword that hanged from the top of the Room; directly over his head was the point of it, and it tyed only with a Hor••e hair. Damocles therefore not daring to put his hand to any of the Dishes, besought the Tyrant that he might have liberty to depart. By this he convicted this Flatterer, and shewed him that they were not happy, that lived in perpetual dangers and fears.

7. When Agrippa had raigned three whole years over all Iudea, in the City of Cesaria, which was formerly called the Tower of Straton; he set forth publick shews in honour of Caesar, to which resorted a multitude of the Nobles, and great Persons throughout the Realm. Up∣on the second day of this solemnity in the morn∣ing, Agrippa entred the Theatre, cloathed in a Garment all of Silver, framed with a wonder∣ful Art, which glanced upon by the Beams of the rising Sun, and sending forth a kind of di∣vine fulgor, begat a kind of veneration and honour in the beholders. Whereupon there were a sort of pernicious Flatterers that salu∣ted him as a god, humbly beseeching him that he would be propitious to them, saying that heretofore they had revered him as a man, but now they did confess that th••re was something in him more excellent than humane nature. This prophane kind of Flattery, he neither rejected nor reproved them for; soon after he beheld an Owl sitting upon a Rope (which before had been to him a presage of good, and of which it had been predicted, that when he saw the like sight again, it should be to him the sign of evil fortune) at which he was exceedingly perplex∣ed: immediately he was taken with extream

torments in his belly, and pressures at his heart; up∣on which he said to his Friends, Behold I that am your God (as you said) am now ready to depart this life, and he who you said was immortal is now haled away by death. While he was speak∣ing these things, spent with pain, he was carri∣ed into his Palace, where (having wrestled with his intolerable pains for ••ive dayes) he depart∣ed this life, aged fifty four, and having reign∣ed seven years, four under Cai••s, and three under Claudius.

8. The Athenians were the first that gave to Demetrius and Antigonus the title of Kings; they caused them to be set down in their pub∣lick records for Saviour Gods. They put down their ancient Magistracy of the Archontes, from whom they denominated the year, and yearly elected a Priest to these Saviours, whose name they prefixed to their decrees and contracts. In the place where Demetrius dismounted from his Chariot, they erected an Altar, which they dedicated to Demetrius the dismounter. They added two Tribes to the rest, which they called Demetrias and Antigonis. Above all that of Stra∣tocles is to be remembred, who was a known de∣signer of the grandest flattery; this man was au∣thor of a decree, that those who by the people were publickly sent unto Demetrius and Antigo∣nus should not be cal••ed Embassadors, but Theo∣roi, or Speakers to the gods.

9. Valerius Maximus in the dedication of his book of memorable examples to Tiberius the Em∣perour, thus flatteringly bespeaks him; Thee, O Caesar, do I invoke in this my undertaking, who art the most certain safety of our Country, in whose hands is the power of Sea and Land by an equal consent of gods and men, and by whose celesti∣al providence, all those virtues of which I am to speak are benignely cherished, and the vices se∣verely punished. For if the ancient Oratours did happily take their Exordiums from the great and best Iupiter, if the most excellent Poets did use to commence their Writings by the invoca∣tion of some one or other deity; by how much the more justice ought my meanness to have re∣course unto your favour; seeing that all other divinity is collected by opinion, but yours by present evidence appears equal unto your Grand∣fathers and Fathers Star; by the admirable bright∣ness of which there is an accession of a glori∣ous splendour to our Ceremonies. For as for all other gods we have indeed received them, but the Caesars are made and acknowledged by our selves.

10. Tiberius Caesar coming into the Senate, one of them stood up and said, that it was fit the words of free men should be free also, and that nothing which was pro••itable should be dis∣sembled or concealed. All men were attentive to an Oration with such a Preface, there was a deep silence and Tiberius himself listned, when the Flatterer proceeds thus; Hear, O Caesar, what it is that we are displeased with in thee, where∣of yet no man dare openly make mention; you neglect your self and have no regard to your own person, you wast your body with continu∣al cares and travails for our sakes, taking no rest or repose either day or night.

Notes

• ••••el. Antiq. lect. l. 11. c. 12. p. 498. Tacit. hist. l. 1. p. 315.
• Euripid. Iphig. in Aulid. p. 86. Bi••h. Rey∣nold. T••eat. on the Pas∣sions. c. 17. p. 189.
• ••iphil. Cla••k•• ••ir. c. 53. p. 211.
• Sueton. l. 4. c. p. Xip••il. Cla••ks mir. c. 53. p. 211.
• Polyd. Virg. l. 7. Lips. monit. l. 2. c. 14. p. 341. Baker. Chro. p. 23. Full. Chur. hist. l. 2. cent. 11. p. 140.
• Cicer. Tusc. Zuin. vol. 1. l. 1. p. 94. Pezel. melli. hist. tom. 2. p. 45.
• Ioseph. Ant. Iud. l. 19. c. 7. p. 510, 511. Camer. oper. subcis. cent. 3. c. 18. p. 61. Zonar. Ann. tom. 1. p. 48. Zuin. vol. 1. l. 1. p. 96.
• Plut. in De∣metrio, p. 893.
• Val. Max. in prolog. p. 1.
• Plut. de Adulat. & amic. disc. p. 194, 195.