Aristotle.
What is a cō-
mon wealth. Aristotle the Philosopher doeth saie, that a cōmon welth
is a multitude gathered together in one Citée, or Region, in
state and condicion of life differing, poore and riche, high and
low, wise and foolishe, in inequalitee of minde and bodies dif-
feryng, for els it can not bée a common wealthe. There must
be nobles and peres, kyng and subiect: a multitude inferiour
and more populous, in office, maners, worthines alteryng.
A liuely exā-
ple of commō
wealthe. Manne needeth no better example, or paterne of a common
wealthe, to frame hymself, to serue in his state and callyng,
then to ponder his owne bodie. There is but one hedde, and
many partes, handes, feete, fingers, toes, ioyntes, veines, si-
newes, belie, and so forthe: and so likewise in a cōmon welth
there muste be a diuersitee of states.
¶ The reasonyng of the thynges
conteined in this Fable.
Hus might the Wolues reason with them sel-
ues, of their Embassage: The Wolues dailie
molested and wearied, with the fearce ragyng
Masties, and ouercome in fight, of their power
and might: one emong the reste, more politike
and wise then the other, called an assemble and counsaill of
The counsail
of Wolues. Wolues, and thus he beganne his oracion. My felowes and
compaignions, sithe nature hath from the beginnyng, made
vs vnsaciable, cruell, liuyng alwaies by praies murthered,
and bloodie spoiles, yet enemies wée haue, that séeke to kepe
vnder, and tame our Woluishe natures, by greate mightie
Bandogges, and Shepeherdes Curres. But nature at the
firste, did so depely frame and set this his peruerse, cruell, and
bloodie moulde in vs, that will thei, nill thei, our nature wil
bruste out, and run to his owne course. I muse moche, wai-
yng the line of our firste progenitour, from whence we came
firste: for of a man wee came, yet men as a pestiferous poison
doe exile vs, and abandon vs, and by Dogges and other sub-
Lycaon. till meanes doe dailie destroie vs. Lycaon, as the Poetes doe
faine, excedyng in all crueltées and murthers horrible, by the
murther of straungers, that had accesse to his land: for he was
king and gouernor ouer the Molossians, and in this we maie
worthilie glorie of our firste blood and long auncientrée, that
The firste
progenie of
Wolues. he was not onelie a man, but a kyng, a chief pere and gouer-
nour: by his chaunge and transubstanciacion of bodie, wée
loste by him the honour and dignitee due to him, but his ver-
tues wée kepe, and daily practise to followe them. The fame
The inuen-
cion of the
Poet Ouide
to compare a
wicked man,
to a Wolue. of Lycaons horrible life, ascended before Iupiter, Iupiter the
mightie God, moued with so horrible a facte, left his heauen-
lie palace, came doune like an other mortall man, and passed
doune by the high mountaine Minalus, by twilighte, and
so to Licaons house, our firste auncestoure, to proue, if this
Lycaon. thing was true. Lycaon receiued this straunger, as it semed
doubtyng whether he were a God, or a manne, forthwith he
feasted him with mannes fleshe baked, Iupiter as he can doe
Lycaon chaū-
ged into a
Wolue. what he will, brought a ruine on his house, and transubstan-
ciated hym, into this our shape & figure, wherein we are, and
so sens that time, Wolues were firste generated, and that of
manne, by the chaunge of Lycaon, although our shape is
chaunged from the figure of other men, and men knoweth
Wolue.
Manne. vs not well, yet thesame maners that made Wolues, remai-
neth vntill this daie, and perpetuallie in men: for thei robbe,
thei steale, and liue by iniurious catching, we also robbe, al-
so wée steale, and catche to our praie, what wee maie with
murther come to. Thei murther, and wee also murther, and
so in all poinctes like vnto wicked menne, doe we imitate the
like fashion of life, and rather thei in shape of men, are Wol-
ues, and wee in the shape of Wolues menne: Of all these
thynges hauyng consideracion, I haue inuented a pollicie,
whereby we maie woorke a slauter, and perpetuall ruine on
the Shepe, by the murther of the Bandogges. And so wée
shall haue free accesse to our bloodie praie, thus we will doe,
wee will sende a Embassage to the Shepeherdes for peace,
The counsail
of Wolues. saiyng, that wee minde to ceasse of all bloodie spoile, so that
thei will giue ouer to vs, the custodie of the Bandogges, for
otherwise the Embassage sent, is in vaine: for their Dogges
being in our handes, and murthered one by one, the daunger
and enemie taken awaie, we maie the better obtain and en-
ioye our bloodie life. This counsaill pleased well the assem-
ble of the Wolues, and the pollicie moche liked theim, and
with one voice thei houled thus, thus. Immediatlie cōmuni-
cacion was had with the Shepeherdes of peace, and of the gi-
uyng ouer of their Bandogges, this offer pleased theim, thei
cōcluded the peace, and gaue ouer their Bandogges, as pled-
ges of thesame. The dogges one by one murthered, thei dis-
solued the peace, and wearied the Shepe, then the Shepeher-
des repented them of their rashe graunt, and foly committed:
The counsail
of wicked mē
to mischief. So of like sorte it alwaies chaunceth, tyrauntes and bloodie
menne, dooe seke alwaies a meane, and practise pollicies to
destroye all soche as are godlie affected, and by wisedome and
godlie life, doe seke to subuerte and destroie, the mischeuous
The cogita-
cions of wic-
ked men, and
their kyngdō
bloodie. enterprise of the wicked. For, by crueltie their Woluishe na-
tures are knowen, their glorie, strength, kyngdome and re-
nowne, cometh of blood, of murthers, and beastlie dealynges
and by might so violent, it continueth not: for by violence and
blooddie dealyng, their kyngdome at the last falleth by blood
and bloodilie perisheth. The noble, wise, graue, and goodlie
counsailes, are with all fidelitée, humblenes and sincere har-
The state of
counsailours
worthie chief
honour and
veneracion. tes to be obeied, in worthines of their state and wisedome, to
be embraced in chief honour and veneracion to bee taken, by
whose industrie, knowledge and experience, the whole bodie
of the common wealth and kyngdome, is supported and sa-
ued. The state of euery one vniuersallie would come to par-
dicion, if the inuasion of foraine Princes, by the wisedom and
pollicie of counsailers, were not repelled. The horrible actes
of wicked men would burste out, and a confusion ensue in al
states, if the wisedom of politike gouernors, if good lawes if
the power and sword of the magistrate, could [uot] take place.
The peres and nobles, with the chief gouernour, standeth as
Plato. Shepherds ouer the people: for so Plato alledgeth that name
well and properlie giuen, to Princes and Gouernours, the
Homere. which Homere the Poete attributeth, to Agamemnon king
of Grece: to Menelaus, Ulisses, Nestor, Achillas, Diomedes,
The Shepe-
herdes name
giuē to the of-
fice of kyngs. Aiax, and al other. For, bothe the name and care of that state
of office, can be titeled by no better name in all pointes, for di-
ligent kepyng, for aide, succoryng, and with all equitie tem-
peryng the multitude: thei are as Shepeherdes els the selie
poore multitude, would by an oppression of pestiferous men.
The commonaltee or base multitude, liueth more quietlie
The state [or]
good counsai-
lers, trou-
blous. then the state of soche as daily seke, to vpholde and maintaine
the common wealthe, by counsaill and politike deliberacion,
how troublous hath their state alwaies been: how vnquiete
from time to time, whose heddes in verie deede, doeth seke for
a publike wealth. Therefore, though their honor bée greater,
and state aboue the reste, yet what care, what pensiuenesse of
minde are thei driuen vnto, on whose heddes aucthoritée and
regiment, the sauegard of innumerable people doeth depend.
A comparison
from a lesse,
to a greater. If in our domesticall businesse, of matters pertainyng to our
housholde, euery man by nature, for hym and his, is pensiue,
moche more in so vaste, and infinite a bodie of cōmon wealth,
greater must the care be, and more daungerous deliberacion.
We desire peace, we reioyce of a tranquilitée, and quietnesse
to ensue, we wishe, to consist in a hauen of securitée: our hou-
ses not to be spoiled, our wiues and children, not to bee mur-
The worthie
state of Prin-
ces and coun-
sailours. thered. This the Prince and counsailours, by wisedome fore-
sée, to kéepe of, all these calamitées, daungers, miseries, the
whole multitude, and bodie of the Common wealthe, is
without them maimed, weake and feable, a readie confusion
to the enemie. Therefore, the state of peeres and nobles, is
with all humilitée to be obaied, serued and honored, not with-
out greate cause, the Athenians were drawen backe, by the
wisedome of Demosthenes, when thei sawe thē selues a slau-
ter and praie, to the enemie.
¶ A [comparson] of thynges.
Hat can bée more rashly and foolishly doen, then the
Shepeherdes, to giue ouer their Dogges, by whose
might and strength, the Shepe were saued: on the o-
ther side, what can be more subtlie doen and craftely, then the
Wolues, vnder a colour of frendship and amitee, to séeke the
The amitie
of wicked
menne. blood of the shepe, as all pestiferous men, vnder a fained pro-
fer of amitée, profered to seeke their owne profite, commoditee
and wealthe, though it be with ruine, calamitie, miserie, de-
struccion of one, or many, toune, or citée, region and countree,
whiche sort of men, are moste detestable and execrable.
¶ The contrarie.
S to moche simplicitie & lacke of discrecion, is a fur-
theraunce to perill and daunger: so oftētimes, he ta-
To beleue
lightly, afur-
theraunce to
perill. steth of smarte and woe, who lightly beleueth: so con-
trariwise, disimulaciō in mischeuous practises begon w[ith] frēd-
ly wordes, in the conclusion doeth frame & ende pernisiouslie.