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.

❧ Enumeration of sinnes wherof men make no conscience, and are oftentimes in the con∣dicion of greeuous sinnes: their qualetye and grauetye doo varye according to the matters and ob∣iectes, as lying dissembling, scoffes, flatteries. &c. ❧ The .1. Chapter.

MAny men for the most part, make no conscience of ray∣lings, Scoffes, Iestes, Dan∣ces, wanton Musicke, and dissolute Songes, nor of di∣uerse other kindes of Idle∣nesse, Pastimes, and special∣lye of the vaine losse of their tyme: Many also holde no reckoning of deceytes, Lyes, diuerse Ipocrisies, Flat∣teryes, with other lyke vices, which according to theyr diuerse vse (or rather abuse) are forbidden by sundry commaundementes of God: As if flatterye (for ex∣amples sake) bée practised, to this ende to drawe the goodes of any one,* 1.1 it apertaines to the defence of that cō∣maundement wherin wée are forbidden to steale: If it leade you to the acte of any dishonest pleasures, or pro∣cure it in others,* 1.2 it is within the cōpasse of this cōmaun∣dement, Thou shalt commit no whordom: If the flatte∣rer pretende, to stryke or cause to bée stroken any man, he shal find that forbidden in the precept which warnes vs to do no murder. And so of others, and many together maye bée forbidden by diuerse commaundementes, not

speaking heare of lying, which ordinarilye is accompa∣nyed with peruersitye of the minde and will.

But sith flatterie is first brought into example, wée can not tearme it more properly then a pleasant deceite,* 1.3 a swéete lye, a mortal poyson, and a sinne aboue al other most pernicious, cloaked with inuented speache, whiche as the wise man sayth, is the deceyte of fooles, A swéete and delitefull venim to the glorious, a destruction of Yong men, a consumer of the Ritche and noble rase, the abusor of great Princes, and absolute ruine of great houses:* 1.4 That was it that made Salomon saye, it were better to bée wel scooled and disciplined of wise men, then deceiued with the flattery of Fooles, who with publike signes wil not sticke to Iest at those whom they flatter, and speake as much euill behinde theyr backes, as theyr wordes bée pleasaunt afore their faces.* 1.5 For this cause Dauid sayeth, that their wordes were as swéete as the Oyle of Odour or smelling oyntment, and yet (being sharpe as dartes) they were notwithstanding very tray∣tours, who as Iudas betrayed Christ with a kisse, so doo they abuse the foolishe. Right Architophels and De∣chistes, wicked counsellours, and cariers of vntrue re∣portes, from whome, warres, controuersies, grudges, and murders doo flowe, yea, oftentimes they sowe grée∣uous diuorces betwéene deare friendes.

They are transformed into this trade, chiefly for coue∣tousnes, for seldome doo they flatter but with an entent to enritche them selues, folowing for the most suche as bée wealthye, and are disposed into bellichéere and pro∣digall expenses: I wishe that to these filthes, all men would doo as Dauid did to a flatterer, who, to obtaine the grace of Dauid, and bring great benefite to him selfe, brought to him the Diademe of Saul and his braflettes, saying, he had killed him, and was come with great dili∣gence to bring him those good newes, to whom, for recō∣pense of his dissembled tr••th, Dauid gaue present exe∣cution

of death.* 1.6 Dauid prophesied no lesse of the mise∣rable ende of Doech the flatterer of Saul, and wicked re∣porter of that which Dauid had done to Achimelech the great Priest, whiche was, that Dauid tooke Armes in the Tabernacle when hee fledde, and that Achimelech suffered him so to doo, and gaue him vittails to goo his waye, whereof grewe great murders: Architophel by the iust iudgement of God, hanged him selfe for that hée came not to the ende of his counsailes and flatteries, by the whiche hée had abused poore Absalon, indusing him to leauye warre against his Father.

Séeing also it is written that the detractour,* 1.7 and hée which (as the Cameleon) wil turne his tongue into ma∣ny Languages, sometimes saying one thing, sometimes holding another (as doe flatterers) bée cursed, for they trouble many people which haue peace togeather. And séeing withall, that they are so expreslye forbidden in the Scripture to bée such, the Magistrate hath no reason to geue sufferaunce, and much lesse grace of par∣don to people so abhominable to God, and hurtful to theyr countrey. Yea, and as gouernours them selues haue néede to take héede that they be not the first taken and enchaunted with these hurtful Serenes, so let them not suffer that the youth of theyr Citye bée seduced by such spiders, whose custome is to sucke the blood of great flies. Let them rather with the example of the good Heardsman, who pursueth the Rauens that folowe the weakest Beastes to picke out theyr eyes, and so kill them, to the ende they may féede vpon the Carkasse.

Let I saye, our polletike Pastors ouer kingdoms and common weales, thonder exemplary iustice vpon these deuouring Rauens, whose custome (as the Philosopher sayth) is to hunt after weake braines, and giue them so many pouders of glory, that at the last picking out their eyes, they make them so blinde, that by the perswasions of these wretches, they sée them selues to bée no more

men, but rather halfe Gods, when in déede, these mistes make theyr miserye the greater.

* 1.8The next waye not to bee beguiled with flatterers, is to geue them no eare: to him that knoweth them not, when they beginne to make way into his fauour by ex∣tolling his vertues, let him acknowledge al vertues to bée of God, and that for one vertue hée is infected with ten vices, and therefore hath more cause to humble him selfe, as in déede a man can not haue vertue, if with hu∣militye he bée not a condemnour of him selfe: Besides there is no iuste man, which oftentimes falles not into sinne, and hee that standes nowe vpright, maye stumble and fall in a moment,* 1.9 as was the case of Salomon: For which cause the wise man sayth: wée ought not to praise man in life, for that hée beareth on his backe a subiection to chaunge: If it bée forbidden to praise a man, it is no lesse defended to a man to heare his owne commenda∣tion: When the flatterer therefore goeth about to extol him, let him saye that as hée is forbidden to demaunde glory for his good déedes, so hath hée no power to geue it: but that it is his part to ascribe all glorye to God, who is the onelye aucthour of al good: And if hée magnify him in that which hée hath not, let him franklye saye that hée brookes no praise in Lyes: Hée can not beguile a wise man for that his conscience (which is the true witnes and iudge of all our doinges) impugneth the prayses of the flatterer. And so, who wil not bée abused by the flatterer, let him geue him no audience, and if hée wyll eschew the Poyson of his practise, let him stop his eares from the Charme of his wordes: Howe many flatte∣rers haue accesse to a mans person, euen so many spyes and enemyes doo enuyron his estate and life.

The Fowler counterfetteth the laye of the Birde, but it is to bring her to his Net: the Scorpion smiles with his countenaunce, but it is to strike with his Taile: The Panther sheweth her Beautye to the pleasure of

foolishe Beastes and scattereth a swéete Odour, but it is with this purpose to entrap and rauishe them: when the Crokodile puttes on a countenaunce of compassion to the poore wayfairing men, it is then shée prepareth her selfe to deuoure them: The glorious webbe of the Spider is stretched out to none other ende but to take the foolishe flye.

Let vs neuer thincke but that in the inuention of wordes, disguising of Tongues, artificiall strayning of speaches, with such like pleasant snares, is disgested eue∣rye sutteltye of a Foxe, with all other partes that may bée in a sophisticall poyson.

The trueth néedes no disguised speache, nor is decked with any goodlye apparaunce outwardly to please men, and much lesse is it set out with Flowres whose smell geues Poyson to the senses of men, as this deceytefull flatterye doeth: trueth cares not for the outward bew∣tye, being fraught within with incomparable or∣namentes and Ritches: It is a goodly treasure hidde, and couered without, with a vile stone or vncleane earth: Where the other is as a painted Se∣pulcher without, and con∣taines within nothing but stincke and vncleannes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prou. 7.
• * 1.2

  Mat. 22.
• * 1.3

  Prou. 7.
• * 1.4

  Eccle. 7.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 54.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 51.
• * 1.7

  Eccle. 28.
• * 1.8

  Luk 17.
• * 1.9

  Eccle. 2.