He chifest cause that moued gouernours and ma-
gistrates, to cutte of the race of theues, and violēte
robbers, and of all other mischeuous persons, was
that by them a confusion would ensue in al states.
What Citee could stande in prosperous state, yea, or what
house priuatlie inhabited, where lawes and aucthoritee were
exiled: where violence, will, luste, and appetite of pestiferous
men, might without terrour bee practised. If the labour and
industrie of the godlie, should be alwaie a praie to ye wicked,
and eche mannes violence and iniurious dealyng, his owne
lawe, the beaste in his state, would bee lesse brutishe and in-
iurious. Who so seketh to caste doune this societée, he is not
méete to be of any societée, whiche he dissolueth. Who so rob-
beth or stealeth, to liue by the gooddes of an other manne, as
his possession, is by violence and againste Nature: so by vio-
A due rewar[-]
des for thie-
ues and mur-
therers. lence and against nature, their pestiferous doinges do frame
their confusion: their execrable & [destetable] purpose, do make
theim a outcaste from all good people, and as no members
thereof, cut of from all societée, their euill life rooteth perpetu-
al ignomie and shame. And thus is the tragicall ende of their
enterprise.
¶ The contrarie.
Democratia.
Erein the lose and dissolute state of gouernmente
called of the Grekes Democratia, haue conten-
ted the wilfull heddes of pestiferous men: where-
in euery man must bee a ruler. Their owne will
is their Lawe: there luste setteth order, no Magistrate, but
euery one to hymself a Magistrate. All thynges in common,
as long as that state doeth remain emong the wicked, a most
happie state coumpted, a wished state to idell persones, but it
The thiefe.
The mur-
therer. continueth not. Herein the murtherer, the thiefe were meete
to be placed. The greater thiefe, the better manne: the moste
execrable murtherer, a moste mete persone, for soche state of
gouernemente. There is no nacion vnder the Sunne, but
that one tyme or other, this troublous state hath molested
theim: and many haue sought to sette vp soche a monsterous
state of regiment, a plagued common wealthe, and to be de-
tested. Soche was the order of men, when thei liued without
lawes. When the whole multitude were scattered, no citee,
Toune, or house builded or inhabited, but through beastlie
maners, beastlie dispersed, liued wilde and beastlie. But
the wise, sage, and politike heddes reduced by wisedome, into
Houses.
Families.
Tounes.
Citees. a societie of life, nature leadyng thereto: Houses and habita-
cions, were then for necessitie made, families multiplied, vil-
lages and Tounes populouslie increased, and Citees raised
emong so infinite people. Nature by God inuented and sta-
blished Lawe, and the sage and wise persones, pronounced
and gaue sentence vpon Lawes. Whereupon, by the obedi-
ence of lawes, and preeminente aucthoritie of Magistrates:
The state of mightie Kyngdomes and Common wealthes,
haue growen to soche a roialnesse and loftie state, many fa-
mous kingdomes haue been on the face of the yearth: many
noble Princes from tyme to tyme succedyng, whiche with-
Obedience of
Lawes did
stablishe the
mightie mo-
narchies. out a order of godlie lawes, could not haue continued. What
was the cause that the mightie Monarchies, continued many
hundred yeres: did the losse of dissolute life of subiectes and
Princes, cause thesame but good lawes, and obedience to or-
ders. Therefore, where Magistrates, bothe in life and office,
The life of
the Magi-
strate, a lawe[.] liue in the obedience of Lawes: the multitude inferiour, by
example of the Magistrates singularitie, incensed dooe place
before them, their example of life, as a strong lawe.
The Epistle
of [Theodosi-
uus] Empe-
ror of Rome[.] Theodosius Emperor of Rome, writyng to Uolusianus
his chief Pretor, as concernyng his office, in these woordes,
saieth: Digna vox est maiestate regnantis legibus alligatum se
principem profiteri. Adeo de autoritate Iuris nostra pendet
autoritas et reuera maius imperio est submittere legibus prin[-]
cipatum & oraculo presentis edicti quod nobis licere non pa-
timur alijs indicamus. It is a worthie saiyng, and meete for
the Maiestie of a Prince, to acknowledge hymself vnder his
lawe. For, our aucthoritie, power, and sworde, doeth depende
vpon the force, might, and aucthoritie of Lawes, and it pas-
seth all power and aucthoritie, his gouernemente and kyng-
dome to be tempered by lawe, as a moste inuiolable Oracle
and decrée, so to doe as we [prouulgate] to other. Whereupon
it is manifeste, what force godlie lawes gaue to the Prince,
what aucthoritie. Take lawes awaie, all order of states fai-
Princes
Lawe. leth, the Prince by Lawe, is a terrour to the malefactour: his
Maiestie is with all humblenesse serued, feared, and obeied.
By lawes, his state maketh hym as a God, emong menne, at
whose handes the preseruacion of eche one, of house, citee and
countrie is sought. Seing bothe lawes and the Prince, [hane]
that honour and strength, that without them, a Chaos a con-
fusion would followe, in the bodie of all common wealthes
and kyngdomes. Let them by aucthoritie and lawe bee con-
founded, that practise to subuerte aucthoritie, to neclecte the
Prince, and his godlie lawes.
¶ The exposicion.
Theiues and
all iniurious
persones.
