How happy then those Servants of yours, whose fidelity and Industry is known to your Majesty, not from the interpretation and reports of others, but your own experience! So as you Reward as well with Judgment, as Bounty; and verily that is true Beneficence to place your Recompense as well equally as freely: Most other Virtues are competent to the rest of Men; Beneficence only to a Prince, as his most Essential property, and the noblest ingredient of his Elogy. Hence that great Saint, as well as Courtier and Prelate has directed, Si quis Principem laudare vellet, nihil illi adeo decorum adscriberet quam Magnificentiam; S. Chrysost. and Criticks observe, that where the wise King Solomon sayes, Multi colunt personam Principis, the Hebrew version reads it, personam Benefici, as importing both; and in that of his Who was greater then Solomon, Qui dominantur eorum Benefici vocantur, the Chaldy turnes, Principes vocantur, as if by a convertible figure, He could not be a Prince who were not Beneficent; nor he that is truly Beneficent, unworthy of that Title. I remember ’tis somewhere said of Saul that he Reign’d but two years; because he was so long it seems good to his people, and reigned in their hearts; For as the Sun himself should not be the Sun, if he did not shine; no more should a Prince be worthy of his dignity, if he unjustly Ecclips’d his influence, or abused his Magnificency. But as we said, this virtue is added to your Majesties also; who know so well to adjust its Definition by your constant practice, rendering it (as indeed it ought) productive of your will for glorious and honest ends only; But I now proceed with the rest.
There is such a Majesty in your Countenance, such Lenity in your Eyes, gravity in your speech, as that for your gracefull presence that may be truly affirm’d of you what was once appli’d to a great Prince resembling you, Jam firmitas, Jam proceritas corporis, jam honor Capitis & dignitas oris, ad hoc ætatis indeflexa maturitas, nonne longe lateque principem ostentant? since even all these assemble in your Majesties personage; Nor has fortune chang’d you after all your Travels and Adventures abroad; but brought you back to us not so much as tinged in the percolations through which you have been forc’d to run, like the Fountain Arethusa through the River Alpheus without commixture of their waters. None having more constantly retained his vertue then your Majesty, nor guarded it with more caution.
And now in all this height of glory, you receive all Men with so much humility, that the difference of your change seems to be only this; that you are now beloved of more, and love more, treating every man, as if every man were your proper care, and as becomes the Father of so great a Family; Sometimes you are pleased to lay more aside the beams of Majesty, that you may descend to do mutual offices of Friendship; as considering that these Virtues were not concredited to you by God, for your self only, but for others also: In short, you are so perfect a Prince, that those who come after you, will fear to be compared to you, Experti quam sit onerosum succedere bono Principi; since to possess your Virtues, they must support your sufferings; nor can every head know how to sustain the weight of such a Crown as yours, where the thornes have so long perplext the Lillies and the Roses of it.
I might here mention Your Heroic and masculine Spirit in dangers, and yet Your foresight of them; Your tenderness to compassionate, Your Constancie in suffering, Your Modestie in Prosperitie, Equalitie in Adversitie, and that sweetness of access which attracts both love and veneration from all that converse with You; but these have already adorn’d your Character by that excellent Hand who did lately describe it. Col. Tuke.
You are frequent at Councels, Patient in hearing, pertinent in answering, judicious in Determining, and so skilfull in the several Languages, that You many times transact by Your self, what others do by Interpreters; affecting rather expedition in Your affairs, then insignificant State, which these acquired parts of Your Majesties do yet augment so much the more.
You are curious of brave and Laudable things; You love shipping, Buildings, Gardens (having exceeded Cyrus already in Your Plantations) Piscinas, Statues, Pictures, Intaglias, Music: You have already amass’d very many rare collections of all kinds, and there is nothing worthy and great which can escape Your research.
Nor must I here forget the honour You have done our Society at Greshham Colledge by Your curious enquiries about the Load-Stone, and other particulars which concern Philosophy; since it is not to be doubted [but that] so Magnanimous a Prince, will still proceed to encourage that Illustrious Assembly; and which will celebrate and eternize Your memory to the future Ages, beyond Your Majesties Predecessors, and indeed all the Monarchs on the Earth, when for You is reserv’d the being Founder of some thing that may improve practical and Experimental knowledg, beyond all that has been hitherto attempted, for the Augmentation of Science, and universal good of Man-kind, and which alone will consummate Your Fame and render it immortal.
What shall I superadd to all these? That You rise early, that You are alwaies employ’d, that You love Hunting, Riding, swimming, manly Robust and Princely Exercises, not so much for delight, as health and relaxation. Et vitæ pars nulla perit.
O best Idea of Princes, sit to me yet one moment, that I may add this last touch to Your fair Table; nor wonder that I should attempt so bold an enterprise; since he that would take the height of Olympus, must stand below in the plain: Subjects can best describe their Princes Virtues; Princes best know their Subjects, and therefore most fit to rule them. And long may You live to rule us great Sir. We wish that all you do, or may do, be propitious to you, to us, to the public; or in a word, to your Majesty alone, in which both we and the public are mutually concern’d. Time was (and too long alas it was!) that what was fortunate to the Tyrant, was unhappy to your Subjects: now they are common to both and reciprocal; nor can we more be happy without you, then you without us; and truly all Princes have known, that they are seldom beloved of God, who are hated of their People; nor can they be long secure. Vox Populi, vox Dei est. But you have seen the Effects of our Prayers against an Usurper; hear now, O Heaven our Vowes for a just Prince. Not for peace, not for Riches, not Honours, or new conquests do we supplicate; but for all these in one, The Safety of CHARLES. You alone snatch’d him out of those cruel hands, now preserve him from them: Render him fortunate to us, to our Children, succeeding Generations give him a late Successor, and when You do it, let it be such a one as himself.
Let your Majestie now proceed in his Triumph, and hear the Acclamations of his people; what can they more expresse who are ready to pave the very streets with their bodies, in testimonie of their zeal? behold all about You, the Gratulating old Fathers, the exulting Youths, the glad mothers; And why should it not be so? Here’s no goods publicated, none restrain’d or mulcted of their Libertie, none diminish’d of dignitie, none molested, or exil’d; all are again return’d [into] their houses, Relations and Properties, and which is yet more then all, to their antient [innocencie] and mutual charitie.