So are cities by reason of wars, fires, plagues, inundations, wilde beasts, decay of trades, barred havens, the seas violence, as Antwerp may witnes of late, Syracuse of old, Brundusium in Italy, Rhye and Dover with us, and many that at this day suspect the seas fury and rage, and labor against it as the Venetians to their inestimable charge.

But the most frequent maladies are such as proceed from themselves, as first when religion and Gods service is neglected, innovated or altered, where they do not fear God, obey their prince, where Atheism, Epicurism, Sacriledg, Simony, &c. And all such impieties are freely committed, that countrey cannot prosper. When Abraham came to Gerar, and saw a bad land, he said, sure the fear of God was not in that place.

Cyprian Echovius a Spanish Chorographer, above all other Cities of Spain, commends Borcino, in which there was no begger, no man poor, &c. but all rich & in good estate, and he gives the reason, because they were more religious then their neighbors: why was Israel so often spoiled by their enemies, led into captivity, &c. but for their idolatry, neglect of Gods word, for sacriledge, even for one Achans fault? And what shall we expect that have such multitudes of Achans, church robbers, simoniacal Patrons, how can they hope to flourish, that neglect divine duties, that live most part like Epicures?

Other common grievances are generally noxious to a body politick; alteration of laws and customs, breaking priviledges, generall oppressions, seditions, &c. observed by Aristotle, Bodin, Boterus, Iunius, Arniscus, &c. I will only point at some of the chiefest. Impotentia gubernandi, ataxia, confusion, ill government, which proceeds from unskilful, slothful, griping, covetous, unjust, rash, or tyrannizing magistrates, when they are fools, idiots, children, proud, wilful, partial, indiscreet, oppressors, giddy heads, tyrants, not able or unfit to mannage such offices:

many noble cities and flourishing kingdoms by that means are desolate, the whole body grones under such heads, and all the members must needs be misaffected; as at this day those goodly provinces in Asia Minor, &c. grone under the burthen of a Turkish government; and those vast kingdoms of Muscovia, Russia, under a tyrannizing Duke.

Who ever heard of more civil and rich populous countreys then those of Greece, Asia Minor, abounding with all wealth, multitude of inhabitants, force, power, splendor and magnificence? and that miracle of countrys, the Holy land, that in so small a compass of ground could maintain so many Towns, Cities, produce so many fighting men? Egypt another Paradise, now barbarous and desart, and almost waste, by the despotical government of an imperious Turk, intolerabili servitutis jugo premitur (one saith)

not only fire and water, goods or lands, sed ipse spiritus ab insolentissimi victoris pendet nutu, such is their slavery, their lives and souls depend upon his insolent will and command. A tyrant that spoyls all wheresoever he comes, insomuch that an Historian complains, if an old inhabitant should now see them, he would not know them, if a traveller, or stranger, it would grieve his heart to behold them.

Whereas Aristotle notes, Novæ exactiones, nova onera imposita, new burdens and exactions daily come upon them, like those of which Zosimus lib. 2. so grievous, ut viri uxores, patres filios prostituerent ut exactoribus è quæstu, &c. they must needs be discontent, hinc civitatum gemitus & ploratus, as Tully holds, hence come those complaints and tears of Cities, poor, miserable, rebellious, and desperate subjects, as Hippolitus adds:

& as a judicious countrey-man of ours observed not long since in a survay of that great Dutchy of Tuscany, the people lived much grieved and discontent, as appeared by their manifold and manifest complainings in that kinde. That the State was like a sick body which had lately taken physick, whose humors are not yet well setled, and weakened so much by purging, that nothing was left but melancholy.

Whereas the Princes and Potentates are immoderate in lust, Hypocrites, Epicures, of no religion, but in shew: Quid hypocrisi fragilius? what so brittle and unsure? what sooner subverts their estates then wandring & raging lusts, on their subjects wives, daughters? to say no worse. They that should facem præferre, lead the way to all vertuous actions, are the ringleaders oftentimes of all mischief and dissolute courses, and by that means their countries are plagued,

and they themselves often ruined, banished or murdered by conspiracy of their subjects, as Sardanapalus was, Dionysius Junior, Heliogabalus, Periander, Pisistratus, Tarquinius, Timocrates, Childericus, Appius Claudius, Andronicus, Galeacius Sforsia, Alexander Medices, &c.

Whereas the Princes or great men are malicious, envious, factious, ambitious, emulators, they tear a Common-wealth asunder, as so many Guelfes and Gebellines disturb the quietnesse of it, and with mutuall murders let it bleed to death; our histories are too full of such barbarous inhumanities, and the miseries that arise from them.

Whereas they be like so many horse-leeches, hungry, griping, corrupt, covetous, avaritiæ mancipia, ravenous as wolves, for as Tully writes; qui præest prodest, & qui pecudibus præest, debet eorum utilitati inservire: or such as prefer their private before the publick good. For as he said long since, res privatæ publicis semper officere.