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.

¶ Heare flatterye is declared verye hurtfull to common weales and families: It makes yong People ryse into great Pride, to furnishe the vvhich they fall into fonde and vvastfull expenses: VVhat is to bee done for the remedye of the same.

❧ The .2. Chapter.

AND because flatterie carieth this nature, to raise light spi∣rites into vaine glory, whose swéetenes giues norriture to theyr delightes, not thinking it to bée a sinne of that gra∣uitye and importaunce it is: we wil adde to that wée haue already sayd, that as glory of Ritches, Noblenes, or of any other excellency aboue the rest is condemned of great contempt & ignominy in the Scripture, so there is no sort of people more miserable then such as vaunt vpon the quantety and value of theyr Ritches: If I should alleadge the direct texts & examples of theyr condemnation, it were to stand vpon infinites, and encomber the exercise of the Reader: onely they are warned of theyr presumptuous follie in this passage of the wise man: Let not the wise man (sayth hée) glorify him selfe in his wisedome, nor the strong man in his force, nor the Ritche man in his wealth.

But he that wil glorifie him selfe, let him doo it in God, who knoweth him, for according to Saint Paul, al the good that they haue is of God. Touching Ritches, (Salo∣mon sayth) that the blessing of the Lord makes men Ritche, and that it is hée which distributes glory, Lord∣ship, power, and kingdoms, to such as it pleaseth him: It is hée that geues wisdome and science: yea, all that is, is the gift of God,* 1.1 geuen to men of his pure liberalitye, to the ende hée onely may bée honoured for it: What wrong then doo wée vnto God, to attribute to our selues that which is the Lordes, and vsurpe the glorye which belonges to him? wée which haue no power, not so much as ouer the least haire of our head, as neyther to

turne it from white to blacke, and much lesse,* 1.2 to make it grow: yea euen we in whom is no power but to sinne, and heape to our selues proper damnation.* 1.3 That is the cause why S. Paul saith, That who glorifieth him selfe, ought to do it in the Lorde,* 1.4 to whom onely belonges all honour and glory.

That we liue, mooue, and are,* 1.5 procéedes of his grace and vertue. In him we are as we are,* 1.6 and out of him we are but sinne and damnation.

The Bishop of Laodice, thinking him selfe in his iudgement riche, wealthy, and happy, hearde the voyce of God, saying, Thou art a caytife, miserable, poore, blinde, and naked. The onely poore man, and he that beares with patience his pouertie and miserie of the worlde, yea also the riche man in goodes, but truely poore and humble in heart, geuing no estimacion to richesse, but disperseth them to those that haue néede: they onely are they who onely may glorifie them selues in their simple pouertie,* 1.7 from whence they shalbe raised into great wealth and glorie.

But let the riche man feare and humble him selfe for the miseries which are prepared for him: And let the great man thinke, that according to his greatnesse, hée shalbe seuerely punished.* 1.8 Let therfore the Magistrate pollitike, vnderstande Gods indignation against flatte∣rers, who lift vp light spirites into wéening, & boasters into vayne glory. Let them I say punishe the one, and humble the other, according to the rule and wyll of God expressed in many examples in the Scriptures: God embased so much the state of Nabuchodoniser, King of Babylon, that of a mighty King, he made him a poore in∣sensate creature, yea geuing him a condicion to eate Grasse with the terrible beastes of the fielde. And as he neuer suffered to prosper any long time, either king∣domes, regions, Cities, or priuate houses of the proude and hauty: so therefore let him stande in example afore

our Magistrate, to constraine such people to humilitye, and taking lowe courses, not to hoise vp Golden sailes, eyther in apparel, Iewels, Houses, or other pompes and vaine expenses. But rather according to theyr grosse reuenues, let them make a méere liberall reléefe to the poore, and cuttyng of their superfluous spending. Let them trauayle to deserue well of their common weale:

Here they can not say that they haue power to dispose their richesse as they thinke best, for séeing they are members of one common wealth, they must be gouer∣ned by the iudgement of the chiefest: wherein like as the members of one body, the more force they haue, the more seruice do they to it, aswell in generall, as to euery particuler member: euen so by all right of God, & na∣ture, it belonges to the most mighty in goodes & estates, to apply their wealth to the helpe of their Citie: which if they wyll not do liberally, they are subiect to constraint, as are also for their partes, the wisest, the noblest, & all other of better ability and meanes to reléeue their coun∣trey, who much more then the riche sort, ought to be pro∣strate in humility, because God hath indued them with more great & honourable graces, then are common and temporall riches. And because we haue touched in pas∣sing the pompe of apparell, we can say no lesse (with the opinion of the scripture) thē that in the vse of them now a dayes, is a true representacion & figure of sinne, being farre from the attyre of Adam & Eue, who ware onely a couer ouer their natures made of Figge leaues, deuised necessarily to shrowde the filthinesse of the body: God gaue them at last Skinnes of Beastes, teaching them therby (omitting here the opinion of the morall doctrine of mortification signified by the Skinne) how thei ought to vse garmentes, for necessity against the colde & iniury of the weather, and to couer the vilenesse of nature.

Who therfore vseth them for other purpose then these two respectes, (if the state and custome of the countrey

dispence not therewith) doth abuse the vse of garments.

So was the wicked riche man, beyng through pride and glory, clad euery day in Purple, partlie condemned for that excesse. The Iewe vsed an habite proper or sin∣guler, by the which he was discerned from other Nati∣ons, and so the Samarytane knewe Iesus Christ to bée a Iewe. And the prophete rebuked the Iewe that vsed a straunge attyre, as newe and to sumptuous, but (aboue other Nations) the Venetians haue neuer chan∣ged their fashion of garmentes, whose constancie that way remaynes to their perpetuall prayse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Daniel. 4. Prou. 2. 1. Cor. 4.
• * 1.2

  Matth. 5.
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 1.
• * 1.4

  2. Cor. 1.
• * 1.5

  Actes. 17.
• * 1.6

  Apocal. 3.
• * 1.7

  Iames. 1.
• * 1.8

  Iames. 5.