themselves in vain Enterprises; nor on the other fide, by undervaluing them, they defcend to fearful and pufillanimous Counfels.

The Greatness of an Estate, in Bulk and Territory, doth fall under Measure; and the Greatness of Finances and Revenue doth fall under Computation. The Population may appear by Mufters; and the Number and Greatness of Cities and Towns, by Cards and Maps; but yet there is not any thing amongst civil Affairs more fubject to Error than the right Valuation and true Judgement concerning the Power and Forces of an Eftate. The Kingdom of Heaven is compared, not to any great Kernel or Nut, but to a Grain of Mustard-feed;3 which is one of the leaft grains, but hath in it a Property and Spirit haftily to get up and spread. So are there States great in Territory, and yet not apt to enlarge or command; and some that have but a finall Dimension of Stem, and yet apt to be the Foundations of great Monarchies.

Walled Towns, stored Arfenals and Armories, goodly Races of Horse, Chariots of War, Elephants, Ordnance, Artillery, and the like: all this is but a Sheep in a Lion's Skin, except the Breed and Difpofition of the People be stout and warlike. Nay, Number itself in Armies importeth not much, where the People is of weak Courage; for (as Virgil faith) It never troubles a Wolf how many the Sheep be. The Army of the Perfians, in

3 Matth. xiii. 31.

4 Virg. Ecl. vii. 51.

The fenfe of the paffage in Virgil seems

to be: After the fhepherd has counted the sheep, the wolf is care

lefs about deranging the reckoning.

the Plains of Arbela, was fuch a vaft Sea of People as it did fomewhat astonish the Commanders in Alexander's Army, who came to him, therefore, and wished him to fet upon them by Night; but he answered, He would not pilfer the Victory and the Defeat was eafy.5 When Tigranes the Armenian, being encamped upon a Hill with four hundred thousand Men, difcovered the Army of the Romans, being not above fourteen thousand, marching towards him, he made himself merry with it and faid; Yonder Men, are too Many for an Ambaffage, and too few for a Fight. But before the Sun fet, he found them enow to give him the Chase with infinite Slaughter. Many are the examples of the great odds between Number and Courage: so that a Man may truly make a Judgement, that the principal Point of Greatness, in any State, is to have a Race of Military Men. Neither is Money the Sinews of War (as it is trivially faid) where the Sinews of Men's Arms in base and effeminate People are failing. For Solon faid well to Crofus (when in Oftentation he fhewed him his Gold), Sir, if any other come that hath better Iron than you, he will be Mafter of all this Gold. Therefore let any Prince or State think foberly of his Forces, except his Militia of Natives be of good and valiant Soldiers. And let Princes, on the other fide, that have Subjects of martial Difpofition, know

5 Comp. Adv. of L. 1. vii. II. See Arrian. Exp. Alex. iii. 19. Plut. Vit. Alex. 31. Q. Curt. iv. 13.

6 Plut. Vit. Lucil. 27.

7 Cicero (Phil. v. 2), fays, "Nervi belli pecunia infinita.” Macchiavelli Discorsi, ii. 20, also questions the truth of the dictum.

their own Strength, unless they be otherwise wanting unto themselves. As for mercenary Forces (which is the Help in this Cafe), all Examples fhew that, whatsoever Eftate or Prince doth reft upon them, He may spread his Feathers for a time, but he will mew them foon after.

8

The Blessing of Judah and Ifachar will never meet; That the fame People or Nation should be both the Lion's Whelp and the Afs between Burthens neither will it be that a People overlaid with Taxes fhould ever become valiant and martial. It is true, that Taxes, levied by Consent of the Eftate, do abate Men's Courage lefs; as it hath been seen notably in the Excifes of the Low Countries; and, in some degree, in the Subfidies of England. For, you must note that we speak now of the Heart, and not of the Purse: so that, although the fame Tribute and Tax, laid by Confent or by Impofing, be all one to the Purse, yet it works diverfly upon the Courage. So that you may conclude, That no People over-charged with Tribute is fit for Empire.

Let States that aim at Greatness take heed how their Nobility and Gentlemen do multiply too fast; for that maketh the common Subject grow to be a Peasant and base Swain, driven out of Heart, and, in effect, but the Gentleman's Labourer. Even as you may fee in Coppice Woods; If you leave your ftaddles too thick, you shall never have clean Underwood, but Shrubs and Bushes.9 So in Coun

8 Gen. xlix. 9, 14.

9 He repeats this fimile in the Life of K. Henry VII. Staddles,

tries, if the Gentlemen be too many, the Commons will be bafe; and you will bring it to that, that not the hundred poll will be fit for an Helmet; especially as to the Infantry, which is the Nerve of an Army and so there will be great Population and little Strength. This which I speak of hath been no where better seen than by comparing of England and France; whereof England, though far less in Territory and Population, hath been (nevertheless) an Overmatch; in regard the Middle People of England make good Soldiers, which the Peasants of France do not. And herein, the device of King Henry the Seventh (whereof I have spoken largely in the Hiftory of his Life), was profound and admirable; in making Farms and houses of Husbandry of a Standard; that is, maintained with fuch a Proportion of Land unto them as may breed a Subject to live in convenient Plenty, and no fervile Condition; and to keep the Plough in the Hands of the Owners, and not mere Hirelings. And thus indeed, you shall attain to Virgil's Character, which he gives to Ancient Italy.

Terra potens Armis, atque ubere Gleba.10 Neither is that State (which, for any thing I know, is almoft peculiar to England, and hardly to be found any where else, except it be, perhaps, in Poland) to be paffed over; I mean the State of free Servants and Attendants upon Noblemen and Gentlemen, which are no ways inferior unto the are young trees left ftanding in a copfe when the underwood is cut. In a statute of the 35 Hen. VIII. they are termed ftandils.

10 Virg. Æn. i. 535.

I

Yeomanry for Arms. And, therefore, out of all Question, the Splendour, and Magnificence, and great Retinues, and Hospitality of Noblemen and Gentlemen received into Cuftom, doth much conduce unto Martial Greatness: whereas, contrariwife, the close and referved living of Noblemen and Gentlemen caufeth a Penury of Military Forces.

By all means, it is to be procured, that the Trunk of Nebuchadnezzar's Tree of Monarchy 12 be great enough to bear the Branches and the Boughs; that is, that the natural Subjects of the Crown or State bear a fufficient Proportion to the ftranger Subjects that they govern. Therefore all States, that are liberal of Naturalization towards Strangers are fit for Empire. For to think that an Handful of People can, with the greatest Courage and Policy in the World, embrace too large Extent of Dominion, it may hold for a time, but it will fail fuddenly. The Spartans were a nice 13 People in Point of Naturalization; whereby, while they kept their Compass, they stood firm; but when they did spread, and their Boughs were becoming too great for their Stem, they became a Windfall upon the fudden. Never any State was, in this Point, so open to receive Strangers into their Body as were the Romans; therefore it forted with them accordingly, for they grew to the greatest Monarchy. Their manner was to grant Naturalization (which they called Jus Civitatis), and to grant it in the highest Degree, that is, not only 11 Mr. Montagu alters this to Material.

12 Dan. iv. 10. fq. 13 Nice here fignifies carefully cautious.