The Excellency of Monarchy compared with Democracy. SECT. XIV.

NOw, if the best, and choicest Government
Of many heads, be in her nature this;
How can the Democratical content,
Where that blind multitude chief Master is?
And where besides all these forespoken fates,
The most, and worst sort govern all estates?

Since as those persons usually do haunt
The Market places, which at home have least;
So here those spirits most intrude and vaunt
To do the business of this common beast,
That have no other means to vent their ill,
Then by transforming real things to will.

Besides, this equal stil'd Democracy
Lets fall mens minds, and makes their manners base;
Learning and all Arts of Civility;
Which add both unto nature, and to place,
It doth Ecclipse, as death to that estate;
Wherein not worth, but idle wealth gives fate.

Nay, where Religion, God, and humane Laws,
No other use, or honor, can expect
Then to serve idle Liberties applause,
As painted toys, which multitudes affect;
Who judging all things, while they nothing know,
Lawless, and Godless are, and would live so.

Therefore if any to protect this State,
Alledge, Imperial Rome grew great by it;
And Athens likewise far more fortunate,
As raising Types up both of worth and wit;
Such as no Monarchy can parallel,
In the rare ways of greatnes doing well;

Or if again, to make good this position,
Any averr that Romes first Monarchy,
For lack of courage, soon chang'd her condition
Of Union, into multiplicity;
Whence Germans over France, and Goths in Spain,
In Africk Saracens, and Turks in Asia Raign.

I answer first, that those subduing prides
(Whereof the people boast) were to the hand
Form'd, by the three preceding Monarch tides,
And what succeeded (if exactly scan'd)
But imitation was of their brave deeds,
Who, but their own worth no example needs.

For did not their Tarquinus, ere he fell,
Conquer the Latine and the Sabine nation,
Making their Martial discipline excel,
And so increase their strength by reputation?
Out of which active Legionary worth,
That City brought her after Conquests forth.

But be this as it may be, I deny
Either the Empires growth or consummation
To be the work of Romes Democracy;
Since between her first Caesars Domination,
And Tarquin, her Soveraignity was mixt,
Of one, few, many, waving, never fixt.

As Consuls, Senate, or the Peoples Might;
The first a pow'r which Rome did conquer by,
The Second set her publick Councils right,
The last approve, increase or qualifie
Pain, and Rewards of good or evil deeds;
Two beams of Justice, weighing out good speed.

Whence you may easily pregnant reasons draw,
To attribute the Glory of old Rome
Unto the Monarch part, which held in awe
The conquer'd world; and not the peoples doome,
Proportion from the great world to the small,
Shewing, with many limbs, one head rules all.

What but the peoples mutinous Conventions
Under the factious Tribunes, scattered
Romes publick patrimonie? and with dissentions
Her wise opposing Senate threatned,
By their Agrarian Laws, Engines of wrong,
Dispersing laws which to the state belong?

Besides, as who at home ill Husbands be,
Seldome make dainty to stretch out their hand
Into their neighbors harmless Treasury,
So did it with these Bankrupt people stand;
Who sent their armies out by force, & stealth,
To bring them home the King of Cyprus wealth.

Allur'd by no pretence of wrong, or right
But only that he must not be their friend,
Whose wealth was reckoned so indefinite;
Not caring how they get or what they spend;
But making good their ill by confidence,
A worth of more use there, then Innocence.

Lastly, where they had many times proclaim'd
Against the Mamertines their just offence;
Yet came they to their succor, and disclaim'd
With Carthage their long liv'd intelligence;
Whence the first Punick quarrel did proceed,
And had the fates been just, with far worse speed

Wherein the Senate Nobly did oppose
This heady peoples incivility,
As besides faith, in wisdom loath to loose
The rich returns of that affinity:
Publick respect, and shame wrought in the one,
Who saw that ill deeds seldom pass alone.

Whereas the People, which no notice take
Of these small Minutes of humanity,
But ways above these thin-lin'd duties make,
Thinking they rule not, that restrained be;
With ravening and irregular excess,
Stain good and ill to serve their wantonness.

Now for the Empires final overthrow,
Falsly imputed to the Monarchy;
Who doth not by the course of nature know,
That periods in the growth of all States be
Ordain'd? Which no Republick can exceed;
For making each form self-diseases breed.

Or if too abstract this reply appears;
Forget not how the Monarchy preserv'd
Rome for a thousand and seaven hundred years,
Part of her Glory her first Kings deserv'd:
The rest by Caesars in successive Raign,
Till Mahomet the second made her wain.
He took Constantinople
Anno Dom. 1453.

Where on the other side Democracy
Did in few ages rise and fall again;
There being but four hundred sixty three
Years, between Caesars and Tarquinius Raign;
In which time Rome corrupted her self so,
As change she must or suffer overthrow.

But that indeed which brake the Empires frame
Was floating swarms, and mighty inundations
Of rude Barbarians, which from Seythia came,
To traffick vices with all civil Nations;
Nor can that be peculiar stain to Rome,
Which of all other Empires was the doom.

Attyla, Alarick, Omar, Tamerlane
Being in Mártial worth rais'd up as high,
As he that most unto the Empire wan,
And against whom old Romes Democracy
Even in her pride must have made such retreat,
As would have shew'd at home she was not great.

Such as she did at Allia of old,
When naked Gauls both took and burnt the Town
Or Italy from Spartacus the bold;
When by a slave their Eagles were thrown down,
So that the Monarch fell by outward fate,
Whereas the peoples own faults shak't their state.

Nor do I doubt but that the Roman frame
Of Monarchy might have outlasted all
The Governments of whatsoever name,
But that excess did make her old age fall
Into a Gulf, whose two streams soon devour
The Rights and Majesty of real Pow'r.

The first was, their tumultuous election
Of Caesars, which did many times make way
To civil broils, disorder, and defection,
Whence she became to forreiners a prey:
This pow'r of choice making the soldiers know,
Their head above had yet a head below.

The second was their lack of Crown demesne,
By which the Emperours still forced were
In publick and self-Indigence to strain
Laws, by mens voices; men by hope, and fear;
Who saw their wealths and freedom both in one
By this course of exactions overthrown.

And yet, in this disease of Monarchs state,
I dare avow their breed of home born spirits
To have been active, worthy, fortunate
Above Democracies in every merit,
For instance, whom can that State parallel
With Trajan in the pow'r of doing well?
It was a proverb amongst them
Felicior Augusto, melior Trajano.

Who with Augustus in felicity?
With Constantine in true Magnificence?
With Marcus can in wisdom ballanc't be?
Or with good Anthony in Innocence?
Julian in Learning? Julius in Worth?
That ever yet Democracy brought forth.

For Tribunes be the Champions they can boast,
An Hetoroclite Magistrate, devis'd
Without Rule, to have all Rules by him lost,
Religion scorn'd, Laws duty tyrannis'd,
A fiery spark which lacking forrain stuff,
At home finds Fuel to make blaze enough.

So as if Chilo truly call'd those States
The best, which most unto their Laws do give,
And kept their Demagogues at humblest rates,
Then this Conclusion ratified must live,
Democracies are most unnatural,
Where real things with humours rise and fall.

Whence I conclude, that since Democracy
In her craz'd moulds great Empires cannot cast,
Of force, these frail confused policies,
Which cannot breed states, can make no state last;
But as the viper doth, must tear the womb
Of Monarchy, whence her foundations come.