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To the moft Illuftrious and Potent Prince FREDERICK, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, &c. First Elector of the Roman Empire, His most Gracious Lord, Francis Hotoman, wishes all Health and Profperity.

'T

IS an old Saying, of which Teucer the Son of Telamon is the fuppofed Author, and which has been approved of thefe many Ages, A Man's Country is, Patria eft ubicunq; eft where-ever he lives at Eafe. For to bear even bene. Banishment it felf with an unconcern'd Temper of Mind like other Misfortunes and Inconveniences; and to defpife the Injuries of an ungrateful Country, which ufes one more like a Stepmother than a true Mother, Seems to be the Indication of a great Soul. But I am of a quite different Opinion: For if it be a great Crime, and almost an Impiety not to live under and fuffer patiently the Humours and harsh USage of our Natural Parents; 'tis fure a much greater, not to endure thofe of our Countrey, which wife Men have unanimously preferr'd to their Parents. 'Tis indeed the Property of a wary Self-interested Man, to measure his Kindnefs for his Countrey by his own particular Ad vantages; But Such a fort of Carelefness and

Me mor

Pereant

Indifferency feems a part of that Barbarity which was attributed to the Cynicks and Epicureans; whence that deteftable Saying protuo terra ceeded; When I am dead let the whole World mifceatur be a Fire. Which is not unlike the OldTyrannical incendio. Axiom; Let my Friends perish, fo my Eneamici dum mies fall along with them. But in gentle una inimici Difpofitions, there is a certain inbred Love of their Countrey, which they can no more divest themselves of, than of Humanity itself. Such a Love as Homerdefcribes in Ulyffes,who preferred Ithaca,tho' no better than aBird's Neft f'd to a Craggy Rock in the Sea, to all the Delights of the Kingdom which Calypfo offer'd him.

interci

dant.

Nefcio quâ natale Solum dulcedine cunctos Ducit, & immemores non finit effe fui: Was very truly faid by the Ancient Poet; When we think of that Air we first fuck'd in, that Earth we first trod on, thofe Relations, Neighbours and Acquaintance to whofe Converfation we have been accustomed.

But a Man may fometimes fay, My Countrey is grown mad or foolish, (as Plato fai d of his), fometimes that it rages and cruelly tears out its own Bowels. We are to take care in the first Place, that we do not ascribe other Folks Faults to our innocent Countrey. There have been many cruel Tyrants in Rome and in other Places; thefe not only tormented innocent good Men, but even the best deferving Citizens, with all manner of Severities: Does it therefore follow, that the Madness of thefe Tyrants must be imputed to their Country? The

Cruelty

Cruelty of the Emperor Macrinus is particularly memorable; who as Julius Capitolinus writes, was nicknamed Macellinus, because his House was ftained with the Blood of Men, as a Shambles is with that of Beasts. Many fuch others are mention'd by Hiftorians, who for the like Cruelty (as the fame Capitolinus tells us) were stil'd, one Cyclops, another Bufiris, a 3d Sciron, a 4th Typhon, a 5th Gyges. Thefe were firmly perfwaded, that Kingdoms and Empires cou'd not be fecur'dwithout Cruelty: Wou'd it be therefore reafonable, that good Patriots fhou'd lay afide all Care and Solicitude for their Countrey? Certainly they ought rather to fuccour her, when like a miferable oppreffed Mother, fhe implores her Childrens Help, and to feek all proper Remedies for the Mischiefs that afflict her.

But how fortunate are thofe Countries that have good and mild Princes! how happy are thofe Subjects, who, thro' the Benignity of their Rulers may quietly grow old on their Paternal Seats, in the fweet Society of their Wives and Children! For very often it happens, that the Remedies which are made ufe of prove worse than the Evils themselves. 'Tis now, Moft Illuftrious Prince, about Sixteen Tears fince God Almighty has committed to your Rule and Government a confiderable part of Germany fituate on the Rhine. During which time 'tis fcarce conceivable what a general Tranquility, what a Calm (as in a fmooth Sea) has reigned in the whole Palatinate; how peaceable and quiet all things have continued:

How

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How piously and religiously they have been go-
verned: Go on most Gracious Prince in the
fame Meeknefs of Spirit, which I to the ut-
most of my Power must always extol.
ceed in the fame Courfe of gentle and peace-
able Virtue; Macte virtute; not in the Senfe
which Seneca tells us the Romans used this
Exclamation in, to falute their Generals when
they return'd all stain'd with Gore Blood from
the Field of Battel, who were rather true
Macellinus's: But do you proceed in that Mo-
deration of Mind, Clemency, Piety, Justice,
Affability, which have occafion'd the Tranqui-
lity of your Territories. And because the
prefent Condition of your Germany is fuch as
we fee it, Men now-a-days run away from Coun-
tries infefted with Plunderers and Oppressors,
to take Sanctuary in thofe that are quiet and pea-
ceable ; as Mariners, who undertake a Voyage,
forecast to avoid Streights, &c. and Rocky
Seas, and chufe to fail a calm and open Courfe.

There was indeed a time, when young Gentlemen, defirous of Improvement, flock'd from all Parts to the Schools and Academies of our Francogallia, as to the publick Marts of good Literature. Now they dread them as Men do Seas infested with Pyrates, and deteft their Tyranous Barbarity. The remembrance of this wounds me to the very Soul; when I confider my unfortunate miserable Country has been for almost twelve Years, burning in the Flames of Civil War. But much more am Igried, when I reflect that fo many bave

not

not only been idle Spectators of these dreadful Fires (as Nero was of flaming Rome) but have endeavour'd by their wicked Speeches and Libels to blow the Bellows, whilst few or none have contributed their Affiftance towards the extinguishing them.

I am not ignorant how mean and inconfiderable a Man I am; nevertheless as in a general Conflagration every Man's help is acceptable, who is able to fling on but a Bucket of Water, fo I hope the Endeavours of any PerSon that offers at a Remedy will be well taken. by every Lover of his Country. Being very intent for feveral Months paft on the Thoughts of thefe great Calamities, I have perused all the old French and German Hiftorians that treat of our Francogallia, and collected out of their Works a true State of our Commonwealth; in the Condition (wherein they agree) it flourished for above a Thousand Tears. And indeed the great Wisdom of our Ancestors in the firft framing of our Conftitution, is almoft incredible; fo that I no longer doubted that the most certain Remedy for fo great Evils, must be deduced from their Maxims.

For as I more attentively enquired into the Source of thefe Calamities, it seemed to me, that even as Humane Bodies decay and perish, either by fome outward Violence, or fome inward Corruption of Humours, or laftly thro' Old Age: fo Commonwealths are brought to their Period, Sometimes by Foreign Force, fometimes by Civil Diffentions, at other Times by being worn

out

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