An evil king : And so must fuch be still,
Who once hath got the habit to do ill.

· Fohnson on King James.
He knew, that those, who would with love command,
Must with a tender, yet a stedfast hand
Sustain the reins ; and in the check forbear
To offer cause of injury, or fear :
That kings, by their example, more do fway,
Than by their pow'r ; and men do more obey,
When they are led, than when they are compellid.

Ibid. Good princes foar above their fame ;

And in their worth

Come greater forth, Than in their name.

Johnson's Masques. Princes that would their people should do well, Mult at themselves begin, as at the head; For men, by their example, patttern out Their imitations, and regard of laws : A virtuous court a world to virtue draws.

Johnson's Cynthia's Revels. That prince doth high in virtue's reck’ning itand; That will intreat a vice, and not command.

Chapman's Bufey D'ambois. What monstrous humours feed a prince's blood ; Being bad to good men, and to bad men good.

Chapman's Firft Part of Byron's Conspiracy. Tell your king, that he neglects Old friends for new ; and lets his soothed ease Above his honour ; marshals his policy In rank before his justice ; and his profit Before his royalty : His humanity gone, To make me no repayment of mine own.

Ibido When sovereign princes dare Do injury to thofe that live beneath them, They turn worth pity, and their pray'rs; and 'tis

In the free pow'r of those whom they oppress
To pardon 'em : Each Soul has a prerogative,
And privilege royal, that was fign'd by heav'n.

Chapman and Shirley's Admiral of France.
For great men over grac’d, much rigour use ;
Presuming fav'rites discontentment bring;
And disproportions harmony do break:
Minions too great, argue a king too weak.

Daniel's Civil War. l'or tho' this bounty, and this lib'ralness,

A glorious virtue be; it better fits
Great men than kings : Who giving in excess,

Give not their own, but others benefits :
Which calls up many's hopes, but pleasures less ;

Deltroying far more love, than it begets.
Por justice is their virtue.------That alone
Makes them fit fure, and glorifies the throne.

Ibid.
We see, although the king be head,
The Itate will be the heart : This sov'reignty
Is but in place, not pow'r ; and governed
By th' equal fceptre of necesity:
And we have seen more princes ruined
By their immod'rate fav'ring privately,
Than by severity in general :
For best he's lik'd, that is alike to all.

ibid. Which, to himself, made him with grief inveigh

Againit diltemper'd kings; who often are Ill warrants for their own affairs ; and weigh

Their lults more than their dignity by far :
And what a misery they have, that sway

Their great dcligns ; what danger, and what care:
And often must be forc'd, b’ing at their becks,
To crack their reputation, or their necks?

How

How their high favours like as fig-trees are,

That grow upon the sides of rocks ; where they Who reach their fruit, adventure must so far,

As t'hazard their deep downfal and decay :
Their grace not fix'd; but as a blazing star,

Burns out the present matter, and away :
And how the world could too well witness bear,
That both their loves and hates like dangorous were.

Daniei's Civil War.
And while they live, we see their glorious actions
Oft wrested to the worst ; and all their life,
Is but a stage of endless toil and strife,
Of tumults, uproars, mutinies, and factions ;
They rise with fear, and lie with danger down:
Huge are the eares, that wait upon a crowo.

E. of Sterline's Darius. Oftormy state of kings, vain mortals choice,

The glorious height, whence greatness groans to fall! Ah! we, who courting fame, do hunt each voice,

To seem but sov'reign, must be slaves to all :
Yet blown like bladders, with ambition's wind,

On envy'd scepters weakly we rely;
And whilft swoln fancies do betray the mind,

Not only th' earth, but heav'ns themselves defy.
Whilft lofty thoughts tumultuous minds do toss,

Which are puťd up with popular applause ; A state extended by our neighbour's loss,

For further trouble, but procures a cause. I fortune's dark eclipse cloud glory's light, Then what avails that pomp, which pride doth

claim ? A mere illufion, made to mock the light,

Whose best was but the shadow of a dream. Of glasfy scepters, let frail greatness vaunt ;

Not fcepters, no, but reeds, which rais'd up, break; And let eye-flatt'ring shews our wits enchant, All perish'd are, ere of their pomp men speak.

Those

Those golden palaces, those gorgeous halls,

With.furniture superfluously fair ;
Those stately courts, those skie-encountring walls,

Do vanish all like vapours in the air.
O what affliction jealous greatness bears,

Which still must travel to hold others down; Whilst all our guards not guard us from our fears,

Such toil attends the glory of a crown! Our painted pleasures but apparel pain :

We spend our nights in fear, our days in dangers ; Sparks shot by stars, flaves bound to fortune's reign : Though known to all, yet to ourselves but ftrangers

. A Golden crown doth cover leaden cares ;

The scepter cannot lull their thoughts asleep, Whose fouls are drown'd with floods of cold despairs;

Of which, base vulgars cannot found the deep. The bramble grows, altho it be obscure,

Whilft lofty cedars feel the bluft'ring winds; And mild plebeian souls. may live secure,

Whilt mighty tempests toss imperial minds. What are our days but dreams ? our reign a glance ?

Whildt fortune's fever makes us rage and rave, Which with strange fits doth to a height advance ;

'Till, e're pain us, we first our life must leave. For glift'ring greatness by ambition lov'd,

I was the wonder of all gazing eyes ;
But free from shadows, real essence, 'prov’d,
States just proportion ruin only tries.

E. of Sterline's Darius Kings, govern people; over-rack them not :

Fleece us, but do not clip us to the quick;
Think not with good, and ill, to write, and blot :

The good doth vanish, where the ill doth stick :
Hope not with trifles to grow popular;
Wounds that are heal'd, for ever leave a scar.

Lord Brooke's Alaham.
Kings for their safety, muft not blame miftruft ;
Nor for surmises, sacrifice the jutt.

Lord Brooke's Muftapba.

Ah hum'rous kings ! how are you tofs'd, like waves,
With breaths, that from the earth beneath you move ;
Observed, and betray'd; known, and undone ;
By being nothing, unto all things won.
Frail man ! that woo'st misfortune in thy wit ;
By giving thy made idol leave to fashion
Thy ends to his. For mark, what comes of it :
Nature is lost, our being only chance,
Where grace alone, not merit, must advance.

Lord Brooke's Musapha.
Like as strong winds do work upon the sea,

Stirring, and tosling waves to war each other i
So princes do with peoples humours play:

As if confufion were the scepter's mother.
But crowns, take heed; when humble things mount high,
The winds oft calm, before those billows lie.

Lord Brooke's Alaham.
Oh happy men ! that know not, or else fear
This second flipp'ry place of honours tteep;
Which we with envy get, and danger keep.
Unhappy state of ours, wherein we live;
Where doubts give laws, which never can forgive:
Where rage of kings not only ruins be,
But where their very love works misery.
For princes humours, are not like the glass,
Which in it shews what shapes without

remain,
And with the body go, and come again :
But like the wax, which first bears but his own,
Till it the seal in-easy mould receive,
And by th' impreffion then, is only known,

Lord Brooke's Mustapha,
Let him account his bondage from that day,

That he is with a diadem invested ;
A glitt’ring crown hath made this hair fo gray,

Within whose circle he is but arrested :
To true content, this is no certain way;

With sweeter cates the mean eitate is feafted :

G 5.

For