And in such wars to abstain as much as is possible from depopulations, burning of towns, massacring of infants, &c. For defensive wars, I will have forces still ready at a small warning, by land and sea, a prepared Navy, souldiers in procinctu, & quam Bonfinius apud Hungaros suos vult, virgam ferream, and money which is nervus belli, still in a readinesse,

and a sufficient revenue, a third part as in old Rome and Egypt, reserved for the Common-wealth; to avoid those heavy taxes and impositions, as well to defray this charge of wars, as also all other publike defalcations, expences, fees, pensions, reparations, chast sports, feasts, donaries, rewards, and entertainments.

All things in this nature especially I will have maturely done, and with great deliberation: ne quid temerè, ne quid remissè ac timidè fiat. Sed quò feror hospes? To prosecute the rest would require a volume. Manum de tabella, I have been overtedious in this subject; I could have here willingly ranged, but these straits wherein I am included will not permit.

From Common-wealths and cities, I will descend to Families, which have as many corsives & molestations, as frequent discontents as the rest. Great affinity there is betwixt a Political and Oeconomical body; they differ only in magnitude and proportion of businesse (so Scaliger writes) as they have both likely the same period, as Bodin and Peucer hold, out of Plato, six or seven hundred years, so many times they have the same means of their vexation and overthrows;

as namely, riot, a common ruine of both, riot in building, riot in profuse spending, riot in apparel, &c. be it in what kinde soever, it produceth the same effects. A Corographer of ours speaking obiter of ancient families, why they are so frequent in the North, continue so long, are so soon extinguished in the South, and so few; gives no other reason but this, luxus omnia dissipavit, riot hath consumed all,

fine cloaths and curious buildings came into this Iland, as he notes in his Annals, not so many years since; non sine dispendio hospitalitatis, to the decay of hospitality. Howbeit many times that word is mistaken, and under the name of bounty and hospitality, is shrowded riot and prodigality and that which is commendable in it self well used, hath been mistaken heretofore, is become by his abuse, the bane & utter ruin of many a noble family.

For some men live like the rich glutton, consuming themselves and their substance by continual feasting and invitations, with Axilon in Homer, keep open house for all comers, giving entertainment to such as visit them, keeping a table beyond their means, and a company of idle servants (though not so frequent as of old) are blown up on a sudden; and as Actæon was by his hounds, devoured by their kinsmen, friends, and multitude of followers.

It is a wonder that Paulus Jovius relates of our Northern Countreys, what an infinite deal of meat we consume on our tables: that I may truly say, tis not bounty, not hospitality, as it is often abused, but riot in excesse, gluttony and prodigality; a meer vice; it brings in debt, want and beggery, hereditary diseases, consumes their fortunes, and overthrows the good temperature of their bodies.

To this I might here well add their inordinate expence in building, those phantastical houses, turrets, walks, parks, &c. gaming, excesse of pleasure, and that Prodigious riot in apparel, by which means they are compelled to break up house, and creep into holes.

Sesellius in his common-wealth of France, gives three reasons why the French Nobility were so frequently bankrupts: First because they had so many law-suits and contentions, one upon another, which were tedious and costly: by which means it came to passe, that commonly lawyers bought them out of their possessions.

A second cause was their riot, they lived beyond their means, and were therefore swallowed up by merchants. (La-Nove a French writer, yeelds five reasons of his countrey-mens poverty, to the same effect almost, and thinks verily if the Gentry of France were divided into ten parts, eight of them would be found much impaired, by sales, morgages, and debts, or wholly sunk in their estates.)

The last was immoderate excesse in apparel, which consumed their revenues. How this concerns and agrees with our present state, look you. But of this elsewhere. As it is in a mans body, if either head, hart, stomack, liver, spleen, or any one part be misaffected, all the rest suffer with it: so is it with this Oeconomical body.

If the head be naught, a spendthrift, a drunkard, a whore-master, a gamester, how shall the family live at ease? Ipsa si capiat salus servare, prorsus non potest hanc familiam, as Demea said in the Comedy, safety her self cannot save it.

A good, honest, painful man many times hath a shrew to his wife, a sickly, dishonest, slothful, foolish, carelesse woman to his mate, a proud, peevish flirt, a liquorish, prodigal quean, and by that means all goes to ruine:

or if they differ in nature, he is thrifty, she spends all, he wise, she sottish and soft; what agreement can there be? what friendship? Like that of the Thrush and Swallow in Æsop, in stead of mutual love, kind compellations, whore and thief is heard, they fling stools at one anothers heads. Quæ intemperies vexat hanc familiam?

All enforced marriages commonly produce such effects, or if on their behalfs it be well, as to live and agree lovingly together, they may have disobedient & unruly children, that take ill courses to disquiet them, their son is a thief, a spend-thrift, their daughter a whore; a step mother, or a daughter in law distempers all;