Omere the Poete, signified by this one sentence, no
kyngdome or common wealthe can prospere, or flo-
rishe to continue, where many holde gouernement
as kynges. For, the mindes of many rulers and princes, doe
moste affecte a priuate wealthe, commoditie and glorie: and
where, many doe beare soche swaie and dominion, the com-
mon wealth can not be good. For, thei priuatly to theim sel-
ues, doe beare that regiment, and alwaie with the slaughter
of many, do seke to attain and clime, to the whole [gouermēt][.]
¶ The cause.
The state of
many kinges
in one lande.
Any occasions dooe rise, whereby many princes, and
gouernours in a common wealth, be diuerslie affec-
ted, so that the gouernmēt of many, can not prosper.
For, bothe in quiete state, their counsailes must bee diuerse,
and vncertaine: and where thei so differ, the kyngdome stan-
deth in great ieopardy and daunger. Isocrates intreatyng of
Athenes. a Monarchie, sheweth that the common wealth of Athenes,
whiche detested and refused, that forme and state, after the
ruine and fall of their citee: beyng vnder the thraldome of the
Lacedemoniās, bothe in their externall chiualrie and feates,
bothe by sea and by lande, and also in regimente otherwise,
their citee grewe mightie, and state stedfast.
Carthage in
a monarchie. The Carthagineans also, gouerned by one, had their go-
uernment stedfaste, and kyngdome roiall: who in puisaunte
actes, might compare with the noble Romaines. As the obe-
dience to one ruler and chief gouernour, sekyng a common
wealth, is in the hartes of the subiectes: feruent and maruei-
lous with loue embraced, so the Maiestie of hym is dreade,
with loue serued, and with sincere harte, and fidelitie obeied,
The state of
many kinges
in one lande. his maners folowed, his lawes imitated. Many gouernours
bearyng regiment, as their maners be diuers, and fashion of
life: euen so the people bee like affected, to the diuersitie of di-
uers princes. And if we weigh the reuolucion of the heauens
and the marueiles of God therein, the maker of thesame, who
A monarchie
in heauen. beyng one God, ruleth heauen and yearth, and all thynges
cōtained in thesame. The heauen also adorned with many a
One Sunne[.] starre, and cleare light, haue but one Sunne to gouerne thē:
who being of a singulare vertue aboue the rest, by his vertue
and power, giueth vertue to the reste. Also in small thynges
The Ante.
The Bee. the Ante and the Bee, who for prouidence and wisedome, ar
moche commended: haue as it were a common wealth, and a
king to gouerne thē, so in all thinges as a confusion, the state
of many kings is abhorred in gouernmēt. After the death of
Constancius[.]
Licinius[.]
Marabodius[.] Constantinus the greate, Constancius his sonne was made
Emperour, and Licinius with him, partaker in felowship of
the Empire. But forthwith, what blood was shed in Italie,
with all crueltie, vntill Constancius had slaine Licinius,
partaker of the Empire, and Marabodius was slaine also,
whom Licinius did associate with hym in the gouernment.
So moche princes and chief gouernours, doe hate equalitie,
Pompey.
Cesar.
Marius.
Silla. or felowship in kingdomes. After thesame sort, in this migh-
tie Monarchie of Rome, diuerse haue attempted at one and
sondrie tymes, to beare the scepter and regiment therein, but
that mightie Monarchie, could not suffer but one gouernor.
The kyngdome of Thebes, was in miserable state, the twoo
sonnes of Oedipus, Eteocles, and Polunices: striuing bothe
Assiria the
first monar-
chie. to be Monarche, and onely kyng. The kyngdome of Assiria,
whiche was the golden kyngdome, and the first Monarchie:
hauyng .36. kynges by succession, continued .1239. yeres, this
kyngdome for all nobilitie and roialnes excelled, and all in
a Monarchie. The kyngdome of the Medes, in a Monarchie
florished in wealthe and glorie and all felicitie: who in domi-
nion had gouernmente .300. lackyng .8. yeres. After that, the
The monar-
chie of the
Medes.
The Persiā.
Macedonia. monarchie of the Medes ceased, the Persiā people rose migh-
tie, bothe in people and Princes, and continued in that state
236 and 7 monethes. Macedonia rose from a base and meane
people, to beare the whole regiment, and power ouer all king[-]
domes. So God disposeth the state and seate of princes, ouer-
throwyng often tymes mightier kyngdomes at his will: the
continuaunce of this Monarchie was .157. and eight mone-
Asia[.]
Siria[.] thes, ten kynges linealie descendyng. Asia and Siria, was
gouerned by one succedyng in a sole gouernement. Nicanor
gouerned Siria .32. yeres. In the other Antigonus raigned,
Demetrius Poliorchetes one yere, Antiochus Soter also, the
scepter of gouernment, left to the succession of an other, then
Antiochus Soter, ruled all Asia and Siria, hauyng .16. kin-
Egipte in a
Monarchie[.] ges whiche in a monarchie, cōtinued 189 yeres. The Egipci-
ans, had famous, wise, and noble princes, whose kyngdome
and large dominion, in all felicitée prospered: whiche was in
the tyme of Ninus, the first king of the Assiriās, who hauing
10. princes, one by one succedyng, Cleopatra their Quéene,
gouerning, stoode in a monarchie .288. This one thyng she-
weth, that kinde of gouernmente to bee roiall, and moste fa-
mous, not onely for the felicitée and glory therof: but also for
the permanent and stedfast state thereof. Aristotle and Plato
setteth forthe, thother formes of gouernmēt. But in all those,
no long cōtinuaunce of felicitee, nor of happy state can appere
Tirannis[.]
Nero[.]
Domicianus[.]
Caligula. in them, as for the contrarie to a Monarchie, is tirannis, pe-
stiferous, and to be detested, where one man gouerneth to his
priuate gaine, pillyng and polyng his subiectes, murderyng
with all crueltie, neither Lawe nor reason, leadyng thereto:
but will bearyng regiment ouer lawe, Iustice and equitee,
whiche princes often tymes see not. How the wilfull rashe-
nes, or tirannicall minde doeth abase them, and make them,
though in vtter porte thesame princes, yet in verie déede, thei
What doeth
beautifie the
throne of a
Prince[.] bee thrall and slaue to beastlie affeccion. Nothyng dooeth so
moche adorne and beautifie, the seate and throne of a prince,
as not onely to beare dominion, ouer mightie people and re-
Aristocratia. gions, then to be lorde ouer hymself. The state of a fewe pée-
res or nobles, to holde the chief and whole gouernment, who
bothe in vertue, learnyng, and experience dooe excelle, is a
goodlie state of common wealth. But the profe of that com-
mon wealthe and ende sheweth, and the maner of Princes:
who, although thei be, of life godlie, wise, graue, expert and
politike. For, these vertues or ornamentes, ought to be repo-
sed in soche noble personages, thei doe marueilously chaunge
and alter: So honour and preeminente state, puffeth theim
vp, and blindeth theim, that euery one in the ende, seeketh to
climbe ouer all, as hed and gouernour. Shewe me one kinde
of this state, and forme of gouernmente, whiche either longe
prospered, or without bloodshed, and destruccion of the rest of
the nobles and peres, haue not caught the whole regimente.
Seyng that in all common wealthes and kingdomes, equa-
litée or felowshippe, will not be suffred in gouernmente: for,
it can not bee, that this forme of common wealthe maie bée
The ende of
Aristocratia. good, as Aristotle and Plato sheweth: The ende of this go-
uernemente, fell euer to one, with a ruine of the kingdome
[Politcia]. and people. The multitude to beare dominion, and though a
publike wealth bée sought for a tyme, moche lesse thei conti-
nue in any good state: for in the ende, their rule and gouerne-
ment, will be without rule, order, reason, modestie, and their
lawe must bee will. The other three states, are the refuse of
good common wealthes, not to bée tollerated in any region.
Tirannis. The one of them is a tyraunte, to bée gouernour onely to his
owne glorie, with crueltie tormented his subiectes, onelie to
Oligarthia. haue his will and lust, ouer all lawe, order, and reason. The
nobilitée rulyng to them selues, euery one for his owne time[.]
Democratia. The third, the base and rude multitude, euery one for hym-
self, and at his will. This troublous state, all Regions and
common wealthes, haue felte in open sedicions and tumul-
tes, raised by theim, it is a plagued and pestiferous kinde of
gouernemente. The example of a good Monarchie, is of
greate force, to confounde the state of al other common weal-
thes, and formes of Regimente.
A monarchie
preferred of
the Persians[.] The nobilitée of Persia hauyng no kyng, linially des-
cendyng, to rule that mightie dominion of Persia, Cambises
beyng dedde, the vsurper murthered, thei tooke counsaill in
their assemble, what state of gouernment was beste, thei ha-
uyng the profe of a Monarchie: in their longe counsaill, thei
knewe the felicitie of that state, thei knewe as it seemed, the
perilous state of the other gouernmentes. If these noble and
peres had been ambicious, and that eche of them would haue
had felowshippe, or participacion in kyngdomes: thei would
not haue preferred a Monarchie aboue the reste. The anti-
quitie of that tyme sheweth, their personages, wisedome,
grauitie, and maiestie was soche, that eche one of theim was
mete for his vertues, to haue a whole kyngdome. If Aristo-
cratia would haue contented them, then was tyme and occa-
sion offered, no kyng remainyng to haue preferred that state.
The duetie of
al noble peres[.] But thei as vpright nobles, sincere and faithfull, hauyng al-
together respecte to a publique wealthe: to a permanent state
and felicitie of kingdome, sought no participacion by priuate
wealthe, to dissolue this Monarchie. But thei beyng moste
godlie, eche were content to proue, whose chaunce might be,
to set vp againe that Monarchie. The kyngdome at the laste
Darius. came to the handes of Darius, who was after kyng of the
Persians. This is a goodly example, to shewe the worthines
of a Monarchie, the Persian kingdome after many yeres de-
clinyng, from his power and state, not for any faulte of go-
Kyngdomes
rise and fall. uernment, but God as he seeth tyme, raiseth vp kyngdomes
and plucketh them doune. Afterward Darius the kyng, not
able to make his parte good with Alexander the Greate: of-
fered to hym the greatest parte of his kyngdome, euen to the
flood of Euphrates, and offred his daughter to wife: Alexan-
der was content to take the offer of Darius, so that he would
bee seconde to hym, and not equall with hym in kyngdome.
The answer
of Alexander
to Darius,
as cōcernyng
a monarchie. For, Alexander saied, that as the worlde can not bee gouer-
ned with twoo Sunnes, neither the worlde can suffer twoo
mightie kingdomes: wherupon it is manifest, that no king-
dome will suffer equalitie or felowship, but that if the will &
minde of Princes might brust out, the state of all the worlde,
would bee in one mightie gouernours handes. For, alwaies
Alexāder the
great prefar-
red a Mo-
narchie. Princes dooe seke to a sole regimente. Alexander the greate
cōquerour also, preferring for worthines a Monarchie, at the
tyme of his death, demaunded whō he would haue to succede
him in his mightie dominiōs, he by one signifiyng a Monar-
chie, saiyng: Dignissimus, that is to saie, the worthiest. After
Alexanders
monarchie fel
by many kin-
ges.
Antipater.
Crates.
Meliagrus.
Perdiccas.
Ptolomeus.
Learcus.
Cassander.
Menander.
Leonatus.
Lusimacus.
Eumenes[.]
Seleucus. the death of Alexander, Antipater caught the gouernmente
of Macedonia and Grece, and Crates was Treasurer. Me-
leagrus and Perdiccas caught other of his dominions, then
Ptolemeus possessed Egipte, Africa and a parte of Arabia,
Learcus, Cassander, Menāder, Leonatus, Lusimachus, Eu-
menes, Seleucus and manie other, who were for their wor-
thines in honor and estimacion with Alexander, caught in-
to their handes other partes of his dominions, euerie one se-
kyng for his time, his owne priuate glorie, dignitie, and ad-
uauncemente, but not a publike wealthe, and so in fine, am-
bicion broiled in their loftie stomackes, eche to attaine to o-
thers honor. Whereupon bloodshed, destruction of the peo-
ple and countries, the fall of these Princes ensued. So moche
kingdomes hate equalitie or felowship: let vs laie before our
Fraunce.
Spaine.
Germanie.
Britaine. iyes, the kyngdomes nere at hand. Fraunce, from the tymes
of Faramundus vntill this daie haue stoode, and did florishe
in a Monarchie. The state of Spaine, from the tyme of the
firste kyng, vntill this daie, hath florished continually in a
Monarchie. The great seigniories of Germanie, by one suc-
cedyng in gouernment, haue been permanent in that good-
lie state. Our noble Isle of Britain from Brutus, hath stoode
by a Monarchie: onely in those daies, the state of gouernmēt
chaunged, at the commyng of Iulius Cesar, Emperour of
Rome. The lande beyng at diuision, and discorde, through
the diuersitie of diuerse kynges: so moche the state of diuerse
kynges in one lande, is to be expelled, or the gouernment of
the base multitude, to haue vniuersally power of dominion,
or the state of peres, to bee chief in regiment, no kyng lefte to
commaunde ouer the people, and nobles, or els there can not
be but discorde in thende, whiche pulleth doune moste migh-
tie Regions and dominions, so that the beste state, the moste
stedfaste and fortunate, is in all tymes, in all ages, in all la-
wes, and common wealthes, where one king sekyng the ad-
uauncement, wealthe, glorie, of hym and his people.
¶ The contrarie.
