Politikos megas the grand politician, or, The secret art of state-policy discovered in evident demonstrations of unparalleled prudence, and confirmed with wonderful and successful adventures, stratagems and exploits of wisdom and subtility, both in peace and war, by the most remarkable witts of former ages : being a treatise both useful and necessary for all nobles, states-men, judges, lawyers, justices of peace, officers of wars, and all such as now are, or may happen to stand at the helm of publick affairs, whether in kingdom or commonwealth / written originally in Latin by Conradus Reinking, Chancellour ot His Electoral Highness the Duke of Brandenburg, and now done into English by a careful hand.

INTRIGUE XXXII. How to reprove one without giving Offence.

IF you would reprove anothers Vice, or would rather advise or admonish him not to fall into such an Error; do it not directly, for,

in so doing, you would seem to accuse him, as guilty of some act of Baseness, and to enter∣tain evil thoughts of him, whereby you may give Offence, and, instead of mending one Errour make two. Therefore behave your self as ignorant of his Faults, and as if you had not the least suspition of any such thing; but, after an indirect manner, seign to reprove ano∣ther before him, who hath committed, or is like to commit the same Error; then open to him how base and shameful a thing it is; and, if you can conveniently, perswade your Friend (whom you would reprove but dare not) to check him upon that account, with some re∣proachful Name, agreeing to the nature of his Errour: And so, by this means, he himself may come to know, loath and leave of his Er∣rour, and be glad that he was not found guil∣ty of so horrible a Crime, nor was directly re∣proved for his Fault.