XXXVII. We come now to the quintessence of the venom of ambition, to
those pests of society, abandoned politicians; to those concealed
Atheists, those devils in disguise, who without the least scruple to
attain their base purposes, practise the most deformed vices; who to
lay their hands on benefits, set their feet on, and trample upon the
laws; who with the fine accomplishments, of perjury, ingratitude,
and treachery, are galanting fortune night and day. These, of all
politicians are the most blind, because the road by which they think to
arrive at happiness and honour, leads them directly to misfortune and
disgrace. Who, by such sort of means, was ever made happy? Machiavel
himself, the grand master of this infernal policy, passed the last
years of his life in extreme misery; and he would long before his
dissolution happened have died on a gibbet, if he had not denied in
the torture, his participation in the conspiracy against the family
of the Medicis. If one or two, have happened to raise themselves by
the dint of wicked practices, their elevation may be compared to that
of Simon Magus, who was lifted up, that his legs might be crushed to
pieces with his fall. Sejanus, in consequence of a similarity in their
habits and dispositions, gained such a degree of favour with Tiberius,
and came to have such an ascendant over him, that he directed and
control’d him with an absolute sway. And what did all these smiles of
fortune end in? Nothing more, than that no culprit was ever put to
death with greater ignominy. Petronius Arbiter, by flattering the
lascivious disposition of Nero, arrived at being superintendant of
his turpitudes, or regulator of his brutalities; so that in all which
related to criminal pleasures, the Prince obeyed his subject; nor would
he taste of any thing, but what Petronius prescribed; notwithstanding
which, the criterion arrived, when Nero condemned him to death; which
Petronius anticipated, by opening his veins. It is very remarkable that
out of all the people Nero most hated, Seneca was the last who died
by his order. The arm of the Prince, was restrained by the virtue of
the philosopher, notwithstanding that same virtue made the Prince’s
life unpleasant, and was an irksome monitor to him; and after all,
the philosopher did not die without a crime, for he was privy to the
conspiracy of Pison. If virtue enjoys these immunities under bad
Princes, what may it not expect from good ones?
XXXVIII. It would be strange delirium in him who is making war against
heaven, to expect, the stars should be favourable to his designs. A
Frenchman, reminding an Englishman of the time, when in the reign of
Henry the Sixth, the English were almost absolute masters of France,
said sneeringly to him, “When do you think you shall return again to be
Lords of our kingdom?” to which the Englishman made him this admirable
reply, _When your iniquities shall be greater than ours_. Little
different from this was the saying of Agislaus; who (when Tisaphernes
finding himself superior in force, in violation of the peace he had
sworn to observe, began hostilities,) spoke thus: _I am very happy at
this event, because Tisaphernes by his perfidy, has engaged the Gods
on my side._ The issue was, that Agislaus came off triumphant, and
Tisaphernes lost the battle and his life.
XXXIX. But to illustrate how much God takes part with the enemies of
him, who hopes to succeed in his undertakings, by violating the oaths
sworn by his holy name, there is not a more memorable instance in
history, than may be seen in the case of Ladislaus the fourth, king of
Hungary. This Prince, after gaining some victories, agreed upon a truce
with Amurat the Second; but in a short time afterwards, instigated by
the indiscreet zeal of the Pontifical legate, he began the war afresh:
Worldly policy taught him, that the opportunity was favourable, as the
Turks had not recovered from the consternation of their late defeats.
Ladislaus had excellent troops, and for his General, John Huniades, who
was esteemed the most skillful warrior the world knew in that age. They
came to a battle, which in the beginning, was much in favour of the
Hungarians. Amurat, when he saw his troops ready to betake themselves
to flight, drew out from his bosom the instrument containing the
truce, which Ladislaus had sworn to observe; and lifting his eyes
to heaven, in a loud voice, addressed our Saviour, in words to this
effect: _Jesus Christ, if thou art the true God, as the Christians
believe you to be, chastise the affront offered to you by these people,
in breaking a truce, which they have sworn by thy holy name to keep
sacred_; and wonderful to relate, at this instant the gale of fortune
veer’d about, the Mahometans defeated the Christians with a bloody
slaughter, and to compleat the whole, Ladislaus himself was among the
slain:
_Discite justitiam moniti, & non temnere Divos._