may convince us, that the Respect and Affection of the Subjects increase according as the royal Virtues, and heroick Actions fpring up in their great Souls. Nothing is more constant and inexhaustible than a good and virtuous Education, it bears up and strengthens the Prince's Authority, if it does not increase his Power. Wherefore, fince God does not allow Princes any other Pre-eminence in their Birth,than the Command of fo many Millions of Men, it is reasonable they fhould learn how to Govern them, being the most important Employ. ment God himself, by his infinite Wisdom, has affigned them. I grant they may receive from bounteous Heaven particular Gifts, and fpecial Favours, but the fame divine Providence requires we should fet our Hands to work to concur with it; and if a young Prince was fuffered to live according to his natural Inclinations, he would doubtless be guilty of Imprudences, and Mifmanagements in his Administration, because howsoever happy and innocent his Inclinations may be, they are capable of being corrupted.

For that Reafon Parents, in Educating young Princes, ought to take a more particular Care, and quite different from that of private Perfons. 'Tis fufficient for a Plow-Man to know when to Reap, and when to Sow. A Merchant should not be a Stranger to any Thing relating to his Commerce. A well-bred Gentleman ought to know how to make use of his Sword. But the Prince must know how to Rule and Govern, the Husband-Man, the Merchant, and the Gentleman. He ought to fet a Pattern to all others, and by his good Example direct all their Actions; as for Inftance, 'tis his Duty to banish from their Minds Violence, and Injustice, by his Moderation, and Equity. He muft know how to maintain them in Peace,making B

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them Wife, Good, and Happy; and boldly to de fend them in War, at the Head of their Army, if there be Occafion for it. But efpecially, he must not forget the Means how to infufe into the People the Refpect which is due to him, left he fhould infenfibly fall into the Contempt of his Subjects, and by that Impair his Authority.

I would not be understood, that he must continually appear at Court, holding a golden Scepter in his Hand like Herod, or turn his whole Body at once, as the Emperor Conftantius; left he should lofe any Thing of his Gravity, it concerns him more than his Subjects, fometimes to put off that fevere and threatning Look, and affume a fmiling Countenance, to fhew his Eafiness of Accefs, and entice and allure by the foftnefs of his Words, those whom he ftands in need of to fupport his own Authority. No one ever did it more apropos than Frederick King of Denmark; that young Prince, who had attain'd to a full Maturity in Knowledge and Understanding, at the Age of Twenty, and was more Prudent than the most accomplish'd in Politicks, admitted into his Clofet, by Way of Relaxation, thofe Courtiers whofe Humour, and Converfation he liked beft, and inviting them to a Freedom of Difcourfe, Come, faid he, let us be Merry and Free whilst the King is abfent. Then behaving himself like a private Perfon, he fuffer'd, nay he defir'd, that every one should put in his Jeft, as he did Himfelf. But as foon as the Time for Bufinefs was come, I hear, fays he, the King a coming, let us quickly retire, left he fhould Jurprize us. Then changing immediately his Countenance, and Behaviour, and refuming his becoming Gravity, and his unfeigned majestick Air, he infenfibly reviv'd Refpect and Veneration in thofe Perfons he had been fo prudently Merry with.

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In order to render a Prince of that Humour, we ought to employ all our Wit, Ingenuity, and Diligence; and above all, throughly to convince him, that as he is, or is to be a King, he ought never to be guilty of the Indifcretion of offending any One defignedly, either in the Administration of publick Affairs, or in private Converfation, or less still of doing any Injustice, for the main Support of Power is Equity.

'Tis faid of Mammea, a prudent and virtuous Princess,Mother to the Emperor Alexander Severus, that he was fo careful of the Tuition of that young Prince, that fhe fent, all the World over, in fearch of the most Virtuous, and most Learned Men, to take Care of his Education; in order that he might improve, by the Example of their good Manners, Morals, and exquifite Learning; and because he was only Adopted by an Emperor, drown'd in Pleafures, and all forts of Vices, the order'd it so, as to keep him at fuch a Distance from him, that he very feldom appear'd in his Prefence, left he fhould discover by his Eyes, Ears, or otherwise, the Filthinefs of his Wickedness; and her Diligence was followed with a happy Succefs, for fcarce could one find any of his Subjects poffeffed with a more Noble, more Generous, and more Courageous Soul, than he had. He fhew'd a mortal Averfion to Vice, and could not bear with the Prefence of those Monsters, who have neither Efteem for Virtue, nor Love for Juftice; he put out Proclamations, fignifying to the Wicked, not to be fo Bold to appear in his Prefence, left he fhould be oblig'd to enquire into their Way of Living; and he was fo Merciful, that there was not One Gibbet erected in his Reign, which was Thirteen Years, Three Months and Seven Days. Such were the Effects of the Diligence and Care of his virtuous

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virtuous Mother's Inftructions, who might have more confidently made the Anfwer a certain Lady of Lacedemon made to one of her intimate Friends, who fhew'd her a Piece of Tapestry, curiously wrought with the Needle, faying, This is my Work; There is Mine, reply'd the Lady, pointing to Four of her Children, in whofe Education fhe employ'd her whole Time.

A Timely Discipline is no lefs requifite to Youth than Nourishment, and a good fuitable Education in a Young Prince is the Work of Works, especi ally when he is to have the Government, and put the Laws in Execution over a whole Nation: Therefore there are none but Mules, I mean wicked, impious, and selfish Men, who can find Fault with the Time, and Care employ'd in the Training of him up, or thofe very Perfons, who have no greater Defire, than to make their Advantage from his Weaknefs, after they have Poifon'd his good natural Difpofitions by their Flattery: I have faid Time, for the Education of a Prince is not the Work of a Day, whole Years are required for it, which occafion'd Demofthenes formerly to fay, that Alexander the Great was an Infant in Macedonia, a young Man, when he paffed into Sclavonia; but a perfect Man, and an incomparable General, before the Walls of Athens.

CHAP.

CHAPTER III.

That young Lords, especially Princes, should not Undertake any thing without Counsel.

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HERE was a Caft of Eagles in an Airy, and the Fledger of the Two was ftill preffing. the Dam to let her take her Liberty in the World, as other Eagles did. The old One told her, that she had neither Wings, Strength, nor Practice for fuch an Adventure, and that fhe was too Young to be trusted abroad upon the Ramble. The Dam went on in this difcouraging Way, till the found that she would take no Denial, and fo took her at laft into a gentle flowery Meadow, where the might fall foft, in cafe of any Miscarriage, and there for Quiet fake, fhe gave her Leave to make her firft Experiment. She was no fooner upon. the Wing, but down fhe came fluttering into the Grafs, crying out all the Way fhe fell, That no Body fhould ever take her at that Sport again, till. her Feathers were better grown; but yet within a few Days, fhe was at her Mother again, only to lead the Way, and give her Leave to follow. The Dam put her off for the prefent, and went out a Forraging, charging her young One upon her Bleffing, not to ftir abroad till fhe return'd. She was no fooner gone, but up comes a Vulture to the young Eagle, and fets her fo desperately agog upon Roving, that without any more ado, the fprings into the Air, and after a fhort Struggle with an infuperable Difficulty, down the drops Screaming upon the Sand. The old Eagle polts away to her upon the Cry, and finding the Vulture