Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2016 11:28:13 GMT
CHAP. LXIX.
Of Noble Courtiers.
THE Inhabitants of a Court are two-fold. The chief are the Peers and Nobles, those Huffing Thraso's, who are mad with Pride, Luxury, and Pomp; clad in Purple and Silk, with their Plumes of Feathers, and Garments lac'd with Gold and Vanity.
Whom Whoring pleases and affected Gouts,
Loose Hair, and strange new Names for gaudy Clouts.
For upon Whores they waste all the strength and heat of their Youth; nor is their Gluttony less active and
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ingenious, or their Palates less ingenious; and it is no small part of Honour which they look for, to be splen∣didly Invited, nobly Entertain'd, and gloriously Treat∣ed. And among them there are that count it no disho∣nour to be so prodigal at one Meal, as to be forc'd to be beholding to other mens Tables for a quarter of a Year after. To these great Entertainment-mongers resort your Fidlers of all sorts, Mimick Parasites, Play∣ers, Whores, Bawds, and Dancing-masters, Huntsmen, Faulkners, and such kind of Prodigies of Men. Dogs, Horses, Greyhounds, Hawks, Apes, Parrots must be kept; and for the greater state of the business, Bears, Lyons, Leopards and Tygres. Their common dis∣course is meer trifling Tittle-tattle, Detracting, Ac∣cusing, Giggling, Lying, and Bragging. Some are al∣ways twatling of their Dogs, of their Hunting, what close Woods they met with, how many faults their Dogs made, how they recover'd it, and what other casualties happen'd in the Chase. Others are always prating of their Horses, and what Races were late∣ly run; of the Wars, and what valiant Acts they themselves perform'd there. If any one has a mind to cross the other, he begins a Discourse quite con∣trary, to put the other out, though generally his Nar∣ratives prove as idle as the former; which another not brooking, undertakes to contradict him, and jee• him out of the Pit; which many times turns to Wrath and Anger, so that the Feast proves at length a Ban∣quet of the Lapithae, which seldom ended but in the drawing of Blood, as if the end of their Invitations had been according to the Distick:
Cherish your Bodies with your choice of Fare,
And then Pot-valiant for the Fight prepare.
Now the chiefest Lesson which they learn, is to ob∣serve
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the Princes times and seasons, for fear of Acting irregularly; wherein they do not advise either with Stars, Heaven, or Ephemerides, but consult the several Opportunities of the Princes Drinking, Eating, Ban∣queting, Hunting, Rising, and going to Bed; laying hold on his freedom of Humour, at which time Mirth yields a more easie Audience to discourse; and then beginning to tickle the Ears with some pleasing sto∣ry, they proceed by degrees to the sum of their Re∣quest. Observing the Counsel of Aristotle to Calisthe∣nes, That to a Prince a man should either discourse very wittily and pleasantly, or else be very silent; by silence either to keep himself secure, or by pleasing-Discourse to render him self more acceptable. Where∣fore if the Prince seem to be pleas'd with any one of 'um, to shew any liking of what they have spoken or done, if he trust him with any thing, or be plea'd to Discourse in private with any one, Then shall such a one be Magnifi'd in the Eyes of Men, he shall pre∣sume to do any thing, he shall revile all men, laugh at all men, slight all men, talk ill of 'um privately, rebuke 'um publickly; he shall speak great things, and all People shall fear him; he shall spurn at his Infe∣riors, contemn his Equals, disdain his Superiours, al∣together puft up, and seeking to enlarge his Power.
Freedom of doing ill is vertue thought,
And high command—
Whoever is not pleas'd, and applauds him not when he has done evil, is therefore guilty, for he shall be thought either to envy his Good Fortune, or not give him his due Honour. Nor are they only troublesome to their Equals and Inferiours, but also most pestilent to their Princes themselves, whom under pretence of severity, prudence, and giving wholesome Counsel, they perni∣ciously
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Flatter, and cause to commit most horrid Crimes; as in Lucan, Curio instigates Caesar.
What remiss Power withholds thy Potent Arms?
Is it mistrust of us thy Courage charms?
While in my breathing Veins warm Blood doth flow,
And brawny Arms the Massie Pile can throw,
Caesar shall never brook the Senates Reign,
Nor the Degenerate Gown.—
Such instigators had Alexander the Great, who being hot-headed enough of himself, when he was in his maddest humours, stir'd him up the more to Wars and Mischief: such advisers were the Councellors of Rehoboam the Son of Solomon, and such and too ma∣ny do the present Courts of our Princes abound with, who yielding and soothing 'um up in their Pleasures, obey and humour 'um to bring about their wicked Designs; and with such cunning they perswade or dis∣swade, that thereby with greater force they work 'um to their Ends; and where they would have things done, urging slender and impotent Reasons against the doing of it, that by seeming to be convinc'd, they may the better confirm the Error of the Prince: So deceiving, that they cannot be found out, but rather receive a Reward for their Perfidy. Such Councel∣lors Francis the King of France at this time makes use of; so prone to take all Evil Councel, that while they perswade him to act all sorts of Perfidie and Rigour against Caesar, are notwithstanding accompted Faith∣ful and Loyal Subjects. Thus far of Court-Nobi∣lity.
Of Noble Courtiers.
THE Inhabitants of a Court are two-fold. The chief are the Peers and Nobles, those Huffing Thraso's, who are mad with Pride, Luxury, and Pomp; clad in Purple and Silk, with their Plumes of Feathers, and Garments lac'd with Gold and Vanity.
Whom Whoring pleases and affected Gouts,
Loose Hair, and strange new Names for gaudy Clouts.
For upon Whores they waste all the strength and heat of their Youth; nor is their Gluttony less active and
Page 227
ingenious, or their Palates less ingenious; and it is no small part of Honour which they look for, to be splen∣didly Invited, nobly Entertain'd, and gloriously Treat∣ed. And among them there are that count it no disho∣nour to be so prodigal at one Meal, as to be forc'd to be beholding to other mens Tables for a quarter of a Year after. To these great Entertainment-mongers resort your Fidlers of all sorts, Mimick Parasites, Play∣ers, Whores, Bawds, and Dancing-masters, Huntsmen, Faulkners, and such kind of Prodigies of Men. Dogs, Horses, Greyhounds, Hawks, Apes, Parrots must be kept; and for the greater state of the business, Bears, Lyons, Leopards and Tygres. Their common dis∣course is meer trifling Tittle-tattle, Detracting, Ac∣cusing, Giggling, Lying, and Bragging. Some are al∣ways twatling of their Dogs, of their Hunting, what close Woods they met with, how many faults their Dogs made, how they recover'd it, and what other casualties happen'd in the Chase. Others are always prating of their Horses, and what Races were late∣ly run; of the Wars, and what valiant Acts they themselves perform'd there. If any one has a mind to cross the other, he begins a Discourse quite con∣trary, to put the other out, though generally his Nar∣ratives prove as idle as the former; which another not brooking, undertakes to contradict him, and jee• him out of the Pit; which many times turns to Wrath and Anger, so that the Feast proves at length a Ban∣quet of the Lapithae, which seldom ended but in the drawing of Blood, as if the end of their Invitations had been according to the Distick:
Cherish your Bodies with your choice of Fare,
And then Pot-valiant for the Fight prepare.
Now the chiefest Lesson which they learn, is to ob∣serve
Page 228
the Princes times and seasons, for fear of Acting irregularly; wherein they do not advise either with Stars, Heaven, or Ephemerides, but consult the several Opportunities of the Princes Drinking, Eating, Ban∣queting, Hunting, Rising, and going to Bed; laying hold on his freedom of Humour, at which time Mirth yields a more easie Audience to discourse; and then beginning to tickle the Ears with some pleasing sto∣ry, they proceed by degrees to the sum of their Re∣quest. Observing the Counsel of Aristotle to Calisthe∣nes, That to a Prince a man should either discourse very wittily and pleasantly, or else be very silent; by silence either to keep himself secure, or by pleasing-Discourse to render him self more acceptable. Where∣fore if the Prince seem to be pleas'd with any one of 'um, to shew any liking of what they have spoken or done, if he trust him with any thing, or be plea'd to Discourse in private with any one, Then shall such a one be Magnifi'd in the Eyes of Men, he shall pre∣sume to do any thing, he shall revile all men, laugh at all men, slight all men, talk ill of 'um privately, rebuke 'um publickly; he shall speak great things, and all People shall fear him; he shall spurn at his Infe∣riors, contemn his Equals, disdain his Superiours, al∣together puft up, and seeking to enlarge his Power.
Freedom of doing ill is vertue thought,
And high command—
Whoever is not pleas'd, and applauds him not when he has done evil, is therefore guilty, for he shall be thought either to envy his Good Fortune, or not give him his due Honour. Nor are they only troublesome to their Equals and Inferiours, but also most pestilent to their Princes themselves, whom under pretence of severity, prudence, and giving wholesome Counsel, they perni∣ciously
Page 229
Flatter, and cause to commit most horrid Crimes; as in Lucan, Curio instigates Caesar.
What remiss Power withholds thy Potent Arms?
Is it mistrust of us thy Courage charms?
While in my breathing Veins warm Blood doth flow,
And brawny Arms the Massie Pile can throw,
Caesar shall never brook the Senates Reign,
Nor the Degenerate Gown.—
Such instigators had Alexander the Great, who being hot-headed enough of himself, when he was in his maddest humours, stir'd him up the more to Wars and Mischief: such advisers were the Councellors of Rehoboam the Son of Solomon, and such and too ma∣ny do the present Courts of our Princes abound with, who yielding and soothing 'um up in their Pleasures, obey and humour 'um to bring about their wicked Designs; and with such cunning they perswade or dis∣swade, that thereby with greater force they work 'um to their Ends; and where they would have things done, urging slender and impotent Reasons against the doing of it, that by seeming to be convinc'd, they may the better confirm the Error of the Prince: So deceiving, that they cannot be found out, but rather receive a Reward for their Perfidy. Such Councel∣lors Francis the King of France at this time makes use of; so prone to take all Evil Councel, that while they perswade him to act all sorts of Perfidie and Rigour against Caesar, are notwithstanding accompted Faith∣ful and Loyal Subjects. Thus far of Court-Nobi∣lity.