A forme of Christian pollicie drawne out of French by Geffray Fenton. A worke very necessary to al sorts of people generally, as wherein is contayned doctrine, both vniuersall, and special touching the institution of al Christian profession: and also conuenient perticularly for all magistrates and gouernours of common weales, for their more happy regiment according to God.

¶ Gouernours chosen according to God, do make present proofe of their election to the pro∣fite of the common vveale. Let them knovve hovv to commaund, and subiectes hovve to obeye, the bet∣ter to make their common vveale florishe, as in∣feriour members obeye the more vvorthy: Magistrates ought to be as Fathers. Let the lavve be inuiolable, and speciallye one true amitie be∣tvveene the gouernour and the subiect. ❧ The .3. Chapter.

GOuernours, being thus chosen by the rule of the Scripture, knowe that it belongeth to their christian duetye to con∣secrate them selues whollye to the benefite, profite, honor, & quiet of that publike state wherein they are instituted: And not sparing any labour, care, expenses, or perplexitie of minde or bodye, no not the sacrifice of their lyfe, to rayse theyr common weale

into florishing felicitye, they geue alwayes more readye furtherance to common affayres, then ordinary fauour to their own, not sparing to restraine them selues from all priuate pleasure & profite, to consult in all necessarye meanes to raise t'haduauncement of the Publike weale: And as in good magistrates doth worke a continual care to erect & execute a sounde aucthority, so in all Citizens, subiectes, & publike multitudes, is great necessitye of re∣solute obedience & duty: Amongst whom if there be any, in whome is no suretye of allegeaunce, but suspition of rebellious practise or sedicious behauiour, let al the rest ioyne in common ayde to commit him to the censure of ciuill iustice: For it is sayde of auncient wise men and iustified in common experience, that by well commaun∣ding and ready obeying, a common weale is happely go∣uerned, as who saye, where the Magistrate erectes wholsome lawes, & the subiect yeldes duty in simplicity, it hapneth that to such regimentes belongeth happy suc∣cesse, and long continuance, euen as in a natural body is figured a forme of perfect gouernement, because the in∣feriour members obey such as bée more principal, which is the head & heart. A priuate house is replenished with good order, when seruantes yéeld obedience to their mai∣sters, & children humilitie to their parents, as also a ship is well guided when the marriners acknowledge power in the maister that mooueth the Helme: euen so is it in a common weale which being a body pollitike (as is sayd) ought according to God to holde comformetie with the quality mistical of the natural body: It is also as a gene∣rall familie or houshold wherin good gouernours do put on the same carefull affection to the aduauncement of theyr subiectes, which wise and deare fathers vse to their entierely beloued Children. And being lastly as a true & Spiritual shippe, seated in the middest of the stormes of this waspishe & moueable world, the two preseruatiues to kéepe it from perishing, are the wholsome commaun∣dementes

of the gouernour, and willing obedience of the inferiour: Let then the wisedome, loue, and zeale of ma∣gistrates to the common weale surmount theyr auctho∣ritye in commaunding. And let humilitye, franke o∣bedience, and perfect loue bée greater in the subiectes, thē theyr ciuyl subiection: For if Fathers geue to theyr chil∣dren doctrines and good lessons to eschewe vice, & learne to aspire to vertue, and by good examples aswell of them selues, as other their parentes and predecessours (true pattornes of vertue) doo sturre them vp to t'himitacion of goodnesse, and in respect of zeale, doo studye to enritche and aduaunce them: muche more belonges it to magi∣strates, as Fathers pollitike of the people, to expresse a zeale and fatherlye dutie in erecting good statutes, or∣ders and Customes, hollye, happy, and profitable, wher∣vnto they must geue the first honourable obedience, ser∣uing as reuerent examples to the rest to obserue the Lawes without violence, eyther for fauour, frendship, parentage, respecte of Person, or feare of corruption: suche good Lawes and iust iudgementes (sayeth Salo∣mon) are the strong Barres and boltes to the Gates of Cities,* 1.1 and inuinsible Trenches and Walles to the Vines of Esau, yea, they are the wayes of life, and the verye Soules of common weales. For euen as to the Gates of Cities and Townes, great and mas∣siue Barres of yron are as defences to withstande Violence and iniurye, which else myght happen with the perryll of Sacking, if also there were no coun∣tergarde by gouernours: euen so where wholsome and holye Constitutions bée seuerelye obserued, there is the Gate closed against al vices, sclaunders, sedicions, and factions, to enter into Cities and Kingdomes. But where is a negligent or partiall countenaunce geuen to the lawes and aucthority, as enclining sinisterly eyther for gossop, kinred, friend, feare, or gaine, or that they be but as spider webbes, wherein the small flies are taken

and sucke the blood, and great waspes do pearse and passe thorow at pleasure: of such a vaine and weake iustice, there can bée no other expectation, but an vniuersall re∣uersement of all pollecye, euen as when as vineyarde or garden being strongly fensed with hedge or ditche, there is great seueritye, that neyther the night théefe, nor the hungrye beast, can haue power to enter and commit it to praye, where, if there bee neyther wall nor closure, the negligence of the owner offereth occasion to the théefe or Beast, to inuade his ground, to the spoile of his com∣moditye and fruictes: The same resembling the com∣plaint of Dauid, al passingers (sayeth hée) at theyr plea∣sure haue power to hauocke the Vine, and the wilde Boore launsing out of the Forest, is entered to waste it: meaning that when there is sufferaunce to any one to breake the Lawes and statutes, it geues great perill of common ruine to al the common weale by an vnbridled libertye, for that the multitude, aspiring to maistership, eyther the most strong, or the most Ritche, or the most subtile,* 1.2 or the most bold, wil get the principality: where the wise man in the like sence resembleth the Lawes to a fountaine or waye of life, hée speaketh vnder the con∣struction, that as the lawe administreth & enterteyneth a life ciuill without debate, deuerse or daunger, so where the statutes are not wel enterteined and iustified, there is layde the occasion of strife, quarell, grudge, perciali∣ties, questions, murders, and general licence to doe al e∣uyll: So that in the discipline of the Lawe is wrought, the conuersation of quiet life, ciuyll securitye, and com∣mon conuersation: neyther was it without reason that wee resembled the Lawes to the Soule of the common weale, for euen as the Soule of man vniformelye rules his bodye, guides it, susteines it, entertaines it in being, instructes it in what is good for euery one of his mem∣bers, bringes prouision for his necessities, teacheth it touching the function of his naturall office in all his

members, enterteyning and reteyning them togeather, by such coniunction, that muche lesse there is amongest them any passion of enuye, hatered or debate, seeing of the contrary, shée makes the griefe of ••ne to bée felt of them all, and to complaine it no lesse, then if euerye one did perticipate in it, as if the foote bée gréeued, we sée the tongue speakes for it and expresseth sorrowe, the eye is readye to looke to it, the hande to touche it, to bée short they communicate all in common with the good and euil that happeneth, euery one imparting with another, and all with one, and one with all: Euen so, the law is a per∣fect vnion of all the partes & estates of publike weales, equall to all without exception of persons, and instruc∣ting them in their general and particular duty, defendes them all thinges contrary to the same, comprehending vnder her, aswell the great as the small, the noble men as the paisaunt, men of knowledge, as the ignoraunt, & meane artificer. Beside this, it makes the magistrate féele as his owne, the displeasure which happeneth euen to the meanest of the Citie, as afore wee haue sayde, the head hath his part in the hurt of the foote, enclining to helpe it as if it were to him selfe. And gréeuing thus in the euill of another, with no lesse compassion then if it were proper to him selfe, and seeing it common to all the body polletike, which ought to complaine and demaund remedy of him being his head, if hée giue that cure which is expedient, much more, the head being greeued wherin restes the vniuersall gouernment and prouidence of the whole body of the common weale, is required a cōmon and dutyfull diligence of all the members to do seuere iustice of him that had committed so daungerous a fault: for the which all auncient common weales haue well prouided by good statutes, and not forgot remedies for ciuill maladies, supplying euerye of the same with con∣uenient cure according to the qualitye of the hurt, wher∣in they obserued a forme of equall prouision, both to

heale the partye gréeued, and preserue the rest of the bo∣dye in his perfect integritie, sometimes applying the colde and sharpedged yron, and in an extreame remedye would cut of that part that would bée incurable, least the other neare partes, and consequentlye the whole bodye might fall into the infection of that contagious plague.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prou. 18.
• * 1.2

  Prou. 13.