He theife, or any other iniurious persone, doeth seke
to bée aboue all lawes, exempted from all order, vn-
der no obedience, their pestiferous dealyng, dooe vt-
Demosthe-
nes in Ari-
stogiton. ter thesame: For, as Demosthenes the famous Orator of A-
thenes doeth saie. If that wicked men cease not their violēce
if that good men in all quietnes and securitie, can not enioye
their owne [goddes], while lawe and aucthoritie of the magi-
strate, seuerelie and sharply vseth his aucthoritie and sword.
If dailie the heddes of wicked men, cease not to subuerte la-
wes, orders, and decrees godlie appoincted. Whiles that in
all Citees and common wealthes, the Princes and gouer-
The force of
lawes. nours, are by lawes a terror to them. Lawes then ceasyng,
the dreadfull sentēce of the Iudge and Magistrate wanting.
The sworde vndrawen, all order confounded, what a con-
fusion would followe: yea, what an open passage would bee
lefte open to all wickednesse. The terrour of Lawes, the
sworde and aucthoritie of the Magestrate, depresseth and put[-]
teth doune, the bloodie cogitacions of the wicked, and so hin-
dereth and cutteth of, many horrible and bloodie enterprises.
Els there would bee neither Prince, Lawe, nor subiecte, no
hedde or Magistrate: but euery manne his owne hedde, his
owne lawe and Magistrate, oppression and violence should
bee lawe, and reason, and wilfull luste would bee in place of
reason, might, force, and power, should ende the case. Where-
fore, soche as no lawe, no order, nor reason, will driue [lo] liue
as members in a common wealthe, to serue in their functiō.
Wicked men
burdeins of
the yearth. Thei are as Homere calleth [the:m], burdeins to the yearth,
for thei are of no societie linked with Nature, who through
wickednesse are disseuered, abhorryng concorde of life, socie-
tie and felowship. Whom sinister and bitter stormes of for-
tune, doe daiely vexe and moleste, who in the defence of their
Maimed sol-
diours muste
be prouided
for. countrie are maimed, and thereby their arte and science, for,
imbecilitie not practised, all art otherwise wantyng, extreme
pouertee fallyng on them, reason muste moue, and induce all
hartes, to pitée chieflie their state: who in defence and main-
teinaunce of our Countrie, Prince, and to the vpholdyng of
our priuate wealthe at home, are become debilitated, defor-
med and maimed, els their miseries will driue them to soche
hedlesse aduentures, that it maie bee saied, as it was saied to
The saiyng
of a souldiour
to Alexander
the greate. Alexander the Greate. Thy warres, O Prince, maketh ma-
ny theues, and peace will one daie hang them vp. Wherein
the Grecians, as Thusidides noteth, had a carefull proui-
dence, for all soche as in the defence of their Countrie were
maimed, yea, euen for their wiues, and children of all soche,
as died in warre, to be mainteined of the commō charge and
threasure of Grece. Reade his Oracion in the seconde booke,
made vpon the funerall of the dedde soldiours.
¶ A comparison of vices.
The drūkard[.]
The proude
persone.
The prodigal[.]
The couei-
teous.
The robber.
He dronkarde in his state is beastlie, the proude
and arrogante persone odious, the riotous and
prodigall persone to be contempned, the couei-
tous and nigardlie manne to bee reiected. But
who so by violence, taketh awaie the goodes of
an other man, or by any subtill meanes, iniustlie possesseth
thesame, is detestable, with all seueritée to be punished. The
The adul-
terer.
The harlot. adulterer and the harlotte, who by brutishe behauiour, leude
affection, not godlines leadyng thereto: who by their vnchast
behauior, and wanton life doe pollute, and cōtaminate their
bodie, in whom a pure minde ought to be reposed. Who tho-
rowe beastly affeccion, are by euill maners transformed to
beastes: and as moche as in theim lieth, multipliyng a bru-
The homi-
cide. tishe societie. The homicide in his state more horrible, accor-
dyng to his outragious and bloodie life, is to bee tormented,
in like sort all other vices, accordyng to their mischiues, rea-
son, Lawe and Iustice, must temper and aggrauate due re-
ward, and sentence to them.
¶ The sentence.
Thefte horri[-]
ble amōg the
Scitheans.
O vice was more greuous, and horrible emong
the Scithians then thefte, for this was their sai-
yng: Quid saluum esse poterit si licet furari, what
can be safe, if thefte bee lefull or tolerated. Herein
A sentence a-
genst thefte. the vniuersalle societée of life is caste doune, hereby a confu-
sion groweth, and a subuersion in all states immediatlie fol-
loweth, equitee, iustice, and all sincere dealyng is abaundo-
ned, violence extirpateth vertue, and aucthoritie is cutte of.
¶ The digression.