How abhominable assassination hath ever been, and that great men never ought to be drawn into it.
TO murther a Cardinal is a detestable sacriledge, not onely because it injureth a particular person, but the sacred Colledge of Cardinals, the Pope, and the whole Church. He who murdereth a Minister of State, is guilty of high Treason, as I have heretofore made appear, and generally of all others, it is the most hor∣rible Crime. Murderers among the Israelites were so much detested, that pri∣vate men were allowed to destroy them, if the Magistrate did not; nay, he who had killed another by accident was in such abhomination with them, that he was ba∣nished his Country as unworthy of their conversation and forced to retire to their Cities of refuge, under penalty of being slain, without punishment by him who had undertaken to revenge the death. All nations have chastised it with grievous pu∣nishments; those of Brasil in particular do so detest it, that if the murderer save himself by flight, yet his children, sisters and cousins are all made slaves to the kin∣dred of the party murthered. Hath not God declared himself an enemy unto it, when he saith, He who killeth his Brother shall dy by the sword. History is full of examples verifying his Divine justice to correspond with his threats. Plutarch though having the light of nature onely, writeth that a certain murderer of one Mitias a Grecian escaping scot free, the divine providence so ordered it, that his statue fell upon him in the publick place, and crushed him to death; but if mur∣der destroy those that are guilty thereof with shame, surely all Princes peccant in this particular are much more blame-worthy; because they do an act contrary to that mercy, justice, generosity, and greatnesse of power which they are obliged to have. Never would the Romans in the flourishing time of their Common-Wealth, permit their enemies to be thus kill'd; and Tacitus reporteth, that when the Senate read Algau destrius Prince of the Catti his Letters, in which he under∣took to poison Arminius the German Captain, provided they would send him poi∣son, return'd him this answer, that the people of Rome used to have satisfaction from their enemies, openly and not by treachery. That I may shew this true va∣lour hath not been unimitated in these latter ages, Dom Rogero Comte de Pallant, offered Alphonsus King of Naples, to kill the King of Castile his enemy with his own hands; whereunto Alphonsus answered, think not, I pray, upon such an acti∣on; because were it to put me in quiet possession not only of Castile, but of the whole world, yet would I never give my consent unto it.