yea, the sweat of anger washeth off their paint, and makes them appear in their true colours.

3. When accidentally they bolt-out speeches unawares to themselves.-More hold is then to be taken of a few words casually uttered, than of set, solemn speeches, which rather show men's arts than their natures, as indited rather from their brains than hearts. The drop of one word may show more than the stream of a whole oration; and our statesman, by examining such fugitive passages, (which have stolen on a sudden out of the party's mouth,) arrives at his best intelligence.

XIII.

In court-factions, he keeps himself in a free neutrality.-Otherwise, to engage himself needlessly, were both folly and danger. When Francis I., king of France, was consulting with his captains how to lead his army over the Alps into Italy, whether this way or that way, Amaril his fool sprung out of a corner, where he sat unseen, and bade them rather take care which way they should bring their army out of Italy back again.* Thus, it is easy for one to interest and embark himself in others' quarrels, but much difficulty it is to be disengaged from them afterwards. Nor will our statesman entitle himself a party in any feminine discords, knowing that "women's jars breed men's wars."

XIV.

Yet he counts neutrality profaneness in such matters wherein God, his prince, the church, or state are concerned.-Indeed, "he that meddleth with strife not belonging unto him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears." (Prov. xxvi. 17.) Yet, if the dog worrieth a sheep, we may, yea, ought, to rescue it from his teeth; and must be champions for innocence, when it is overborne with might. He that will stand neuter in such matters of moment, wherein his calling commands him to be a party, with Servilius in Rome, will please neither side of whom the historian says: P. Servilius, medium se gerendo, nec plebis vitavit odium, nec apud patres gratiam inivit.† And just it is with God, that they should be strained in the twist, who stride so wide as to set their legs in two opposite sides. Indeed, an upright shoe may fit both feet, but never saw I a glove that

• PERE DE LANCRE, "Of the Uncertainty of Things," lib. ii. disc. 4. "By steering a middle course, P. Servilius neither avoided popular odium, nor ingratiated himself into favour with the patricians."-EDIT.

would serve both hands. Neutrality in matters of an indifferent nature may fit well; but never suits well in important matters, of far different conditions.

XV.

He is the centre wherein lines of intelligence meet from all foreign countries. He is careful that his outlandish instructions be full, true, and speedy; not, with the sluggard, telling for news at noon, that the sun is risen. But more largely hereof

in the "Ambassador," hereafter.

XVI.

He refuseth all underhand pensions from foreign princes.Indeed, honorary rewards, received with the approbation of his sovereign, may be lawful and less dangerous. For, although even such gifts tacitly oblige him, by way of gratitude, to do all good offices to that foreign prince whose pensioner he is; yet his counsels pass not but with an open abatement, in regard of his known engagements; and so the State is armed against the advice of such who are well known to lean to one side. But secret pensions which flow from foreign princes, like the river Anas in Spain, under ground, not known or discerned, are most mischievous. The receivers of such will play under-board at the council-table; and the eating and digesting of such outlandish food will, by degrees, fill their veins with outlandish blood, even in their very hearts.

XVII.

His master-piece is in negotiating for his own master with foreign princes.-At Rhodes there was a contention betwixt Apelles and Protogenes, cor-rivals in the mystery of limning. Apelles with his pencil drew a very slender, even line; Protogenes drew another more small and slender in the midst thereof with another colour: Apelles again, with a third line of a different colour, drew through the midst of that Protogenes had made; nullum relinquens amplius subtilitati locum.† Thus our statesman traverseth matters, doubling and redoubling in his foreign negotiations with the politicians of other princes, winding and intrenching themselves mutually within the

• PLINII Nat. Hist., lib. xxxiv. cap. 10. space for any further refinement,"-EDIT.

+"And thus left no possible

thoughts each of other, till at last our statesman leaves no degrees of subtlety to go beyond him.

To conclude: Some plead that dissembling is lawful in statecraft, upon the presupposition that men must meet with others who dissemble. Yea, they hold, that thus to counterfeit, se defendendo against a crafty cor-rival, is no sin, but a just punishment on our adversary, who first began it. And therefore statesmen sometimes must use crooked shoes, to fit hurled feet. Besides, the honest politician would quickly be beggared, if, receiving black money from cheaters, he pays them in good silver, and not in their own coin back again. For my part, I confess that herein I rather see what than whither to fly: neither able to answer their arguments, nor willing to allow their practice. But what shall I say? They need to have steady heads who can dive into these gulfs of policy, and come out with a safe conscience. I will look no longer on those whirlpools of state, lest my pen turn giddy.

• By hurled feet is generally understood "mis-shapen and twisted feet," from the ancient meaning of the word, "turned about;" of which the old English word, hurtled, "wheeled round," and the provincial term, herpled feet, "feet with which a man is forced to waddle like a duck," are, if not cognates, varieties. But hurled seems to be here applied by Fuller to a person that is "club-footed," rather than to one "splay-footed."-EDIT.

CHAPTER VI.

THE LIFE OF WILLIAM CECIL, LORD BURLEIGH.

WILLIAM CECIL, born at Bourne in Lincolnshire, descended from the ancient and worshipful family of the Sitsilts or Cecils, of Alterynnis, in Herefordshire, on the confines of Wales; a name which a great antiquary thinks probably derived from the Roman CECILII.* No credit is to be given to their pens who tax him with meanness of birth, and whose malice is so general against all goodness, that it had been a slander if this worthy man had not been slandered by them. The servant is not above his master; and we know what aspersions their malice sought to cast on the queen herself.

He, being first bred in St. John's College in Cambridge, went thence to Gray's Inn, (and used it as an inn indeed, studying there in his passage to the court,) where he attained good learning in the laws. Yet his skill in fencing made him not daring to quarrel, who in all his life-time neither sued any, nor was sued himself. He was after Master of the Requests (the first that ever bare office) unto the duke of Somerset, LordProtector, and was knighted by king Edward VI.

One challengeth him to have been a main contriver of that Act, and unnatural will of king Edward VI., wherein the king, passing by his sisters Mary and Elizabeth, entailed the crown on queen Jane; and that he furnished that Act with reasons of state, as Judge Montague filled it with arguments of law.‡ Indeed, his hand wrote it, as Secretary of State, but his heart consented not thereto; yea, he openly opposed it, though at last yielding to the greatness of Northumberland, in an age wherein it was present drowning, not to swim along with the stream. But, as the philosopher tells us, that, though the planets be whirled about daily from east to west by the motion of the primum mobile, yet have they also a contrary proper motion of their own, from west to cast, which they slowly yet surely move at their leisures: || so Cecil had secret counter

+ CAMSIR JOHN HAYWARD, in his ARISTOTELES

⚫ VERSTEGAN, "Restitution of decayed Intelligence," p. 312. DEN'S "Elizabeth,” in anno 1598. "Edward VI.," p. 417.

§ CAMDEN ut prius.

De Cœlo, lib. ii. cap. 4, 10.

endeavours against the strain of the court herein, and privately advanced his rightful intentions against the foresaid duke's ambition; and we see that afterward queen Mary not only pardoned but employed him; so that, towards the end of her reign, he stood in some twilight of her favour.

As for sir Edward Montague, Lord Chief Justice, what he did was by command against his own will; as appears by his written protestation at his death, still in the hands of his honourable posterity. But whilst in this army of offenders, the nobility in the front made an escape for themselves, queen Mary's displeasure overtook the old Judge in the rear, the good old man being not able with such speed to provide for himself; yea, though he had done nothing but by general consent and command, the rest of the lords laid load on him, desirous that the queen's anger should send him on an errand to the prison, and thence to the scaffold, to excuse themselves from going on the same message. However, after some imprisonment, he was pardoned: a sufficient argument, that the queen conceived him to concur passively in that action.

In queen Elizabeth's days he was made Secretary of State, Master of the Wards, Lord Treasurer, and at last, after long service, baron of Burleigh. For the queen honoured her honours, in conferring them sparingly; thereby making titles more substantial, wherewith she paid many for their service. The best demonstration of his care in stewarding her treasure was this, that the queen, vying gold and silver with the king of Spain, had money or credit, when the other had neither; her exchequer, though but a pond in comparison, holding water, when his river, fed with a spring from the Indies, was drained dry.

In that grand faction betwixt Leicester and Sussex, he meddled not openly, though it is easy to tell whom he wished the best to. Indeed, this cunning wrestler would never catch hold to grapple openly with Leicester, as having somewhat the disadvantage of him both in height and strength; but, as they ran to their several goals, if they chanced to meet, Burleigh would fairly give him a trip, and be gone; and the earl had many a rub laid in his way, yet never saw who put it there.

It is true, the sword-men accused him as too cold in the queen's credit, and backward in fighting against foreign enemies. Indeed, he would never engage the State in a war, except necessity or her Majesty's honour sounded the alarm. But no reason he should be counted an enemy to the sparks of