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 LXXXV. How to Aspire to Promotion.

IT is no hard matter for them whose Noble Pedigree, their good Character, and great Employment do elevate, to come to be known by their Prince; and to lay out ways for a higher Preferment. But they who have no∣thing to commend them but their own parts and qualifications, and can shew no Coat of Arms of their Ancestors, cannot obtain the fa∣vour of their Prince, but by chance, or the Re∣commendation of some Noble Peer: And yet it commonly falls out, that the Promotion of the latter is more stable than that of the for∣mer, which appears, either because the former thinking that all is due upon the score of their Antient Nobility, never court the favour of

any Patron; whilst the latter do, with all in∣dustry, strive to obtain the favour of some great Person, which is like to continue their preferment: Or because Princes, in imitation of Nature, love generare & corrumpere, to pro∣mote the Inferiour, and cast down the Lofty. Therefore, to ward oft pinching necessity and poverty of one's Family, and to catch some high preferment, one must needs screw his In∣terest among some strong Faction, and procure for himself the favour of some great Patron, with all the duty, humble respects, and artifi∣cial shews imaginable: And the getting into the favour of the Female Sex hath often been very profitable in affairs of this Nature.