it be a miserable state of mind to have few thing to desire and many thing to  fear and yet that common be the case of king who be at the high want matter of  desire which make their mind more languish and have many representation of  peril and shadow which make their mind the less clear and this be one reason  also of that effect which the scripture speak of that the king heart be  inscrutable for multitude of jealousy and lack of some predominant desire that  shall marshal and put in order all the rest make any man heart hard to find or  sound hence it come likewise that prince many time make themselves desire and  set their heart upon toy sometime upon a building sometime upon erect of a  order sometime upon the advance of a person sometime upon obtain excellency in  some be or feat of the hand as Nero for play on the harp Domitian for  certainty of the hand with the arrow Commodus for play at fence Caracalla for  drive chariot and the like this seem incredible unto those that know not the  principle that the mind of man be more cheer and refresh by profit in small  thing than by stand at a stay in great we see also that king that have be  fortunate conqueror in their first year it be not possible for they to go  forward infinite but that they must have some check or arrest in their fortune  turn in their latter year to be superstitious and melancholy as do Alexander  the great Diocletian and in our memory Charles the five and other for he that  be use to go forward and find a stop fall out of his own favour and be not the  thing he be to speak now of the true temper of empire it be a thing rare and  hard to keep for both temper and distemper consist of contrary but it be one  thing to mingle contrary another to interchange they the answer of Apollonius  to Vespasian be full of excellent instruction Vespasian ask he what be Nero  overthrow he answer Nero can touch and tune the harp well but in government  sometime he use to wind the pin too high sometime to let they down too low and  certain it be that nothing destroy authority so much as the unequal and  untimely interchange of power press too far and relax too much this be true  that the wisdom of all these latter time in prince affair be rather fine  delivery and shift of danger and mischief when they be near than solid and  ground course to keep they aloof but this be but to try mastery with fortune  and let man beware how they neglect and suffer matter of trouble to be prepare  for no man can forbid the spark nor tell whence it may come the difficulty in  prince business be many and great but the great difficulty be often in their  own mind for it be common with prince say Tacitus to will contradictories are  generally king will vehements et inter see opposite direction for it be the  solecism of power to think to command the end and yet not to endure the mean  king have to deal with their neighbour their wife their child their prelate or  clergy their noble their second noble or gentleman their merchant their  commons and their man of war and from all these arise danger if care and  circumspection be not use first for their neighbour there can no general rule  be give for occasion be so variable save one which ever hold which be that  prince do keep due sentinel that none of their neighbour do ever grow so by  increase of territory by embrace of trade by approach or the like as they  become more able to annoy they than they be and this be general the work of  stand counsel to foresee and to hinder it during that triumvirate of king king  Henry the eight of England Francis the first king of France and Charles the  five emperor there be such a watch keep that none of the three can win a palm  of ground but the other two will straightway balance it either by  confederation or if needs be by a war and will not in any wise take up peace  at interest and the like be do by that league which Guicciardini say be the  security of Italy make between Ferdinando king of Naples Lorenzius Medici and  ludovicus Sforza potentate the one of Florence the other of Milan neither be  the opinion of some of the schoolman to be receive that a war can just be make  but upon a precedent injury or provocation for there be no question but a just  fear of a imminent danger though there be no blow give be a lawful cause of a  war for their wife there be cruel example of they the celebrated historian be  infamed for the poison of her husband roxalana Solyman's wife be the  destruction of that renown prince sultan Mustapha and otherwise trouble his  house and succession Edward the second of England his queen have the principal  hand in the depose and murder of her husband this kind of danger be then to be  fear chief when the wife have plot for the raise of their own child or else  that they be advoutresses for their child the tragedy likewise of danger from  they have be many and general the enter of father into suspicion of their  child have be ever unfortunate the destruction of Mustapha that we nam before  be so fatal to Solyman's line as the succession of the turk from Solyman until  this day be suspect to be true and of strange blood for that Selymus the  second be think to be suppositious the destruction of Crispus a young prince  of rare towardness by Constantinus the great his father be in like manner  fatal to his house for both Constantinus and constancy his son die violent  death and evenly his other son do little better who die indeed of sickness but  after that Julianus have take arm against he the destruction of Demetrius son  to Philip the second of Macedon turn upon the father who die of repentance and  many like example there be but few or none where the father have good by such  distrust except it be where the son be up in open arm against they as be  Selymus the first against Bajazet and the three son of Henry the second king  of England for their prelate when they be proud and great there be also danger  from they as it be in the time of Anselmus and Thomas Becket archbishop of  Canterbury who with their crozier do almost try it with the king sword and yet  they have to deal with stout and haughty king William Rufus Henry the first  and Henry the second the danger be not from that state but where it have a  dependence of foreign authority or where the churchman come in and be elect  not by the collation of the king or particular patron but by the people for  their noble to keep they at a distance it be not amiss but to depress they may  make a king more absolute but less safe and less able to perform any thing  that he desire I have note it in my history of king Henry the seven of England  who depress his nobility whereupon it come to pass that his time be full of  difficulty and trouble for the nobility though they continue loyal unto he yet  do they not cooperate with he in his business so that in effect he be fain to  do all thing himself for their second noble there be not much danger from they  be a body disperse they may sometime discourse high but that do little hurt  beside they be a counterpoise to the high nobility that they grow not too  potent and last be the most immediate in authority with the common people they  do best temper popular commotion for their merchant they be sale port and if  they flourish not a kingdom may have good limb but will have empty vein and  nourish little tax and impost upon they do seldom good to the king revenue for  that that he win in the hundred he lease in the shire the particular rate be  increase but the total bulk of trade rather decrease for their commons there  be little danger from they except it be where they have great and potent head  or where you meddle with the point of religion or their custom or mean of life  for their man of war it be a dangerous state where they live and remain in a  body and be use to donative whereof we see example in the janissary and  Praetorian band of Rome but trainings of man and arm they in several place and  under several commander and without donative be thing of defence and no danger  prince be like to heavenly body which cause good or evil time and which have  much veneration but no rest all precept concern king be in effect comprehend  in those two remembrance memento quoth es a human being and memento quoth es  Deus or vice God the one bridle their power and the other their will