Page 66 of 68
t is not
unknown unto me, how that many have held opinion, and still hold
it, that the affaires of the world are so governd by fortune, and
by God, that men by their wisdome cannot amend or alter them; or
rather that there is no remedy for them: and hereupon they would
think that it were of no availe to take much paines in any thing,
but leave all to be governd by chance. This opinion hath gain'd the
more credit in our dayes, by reason of the great alteration of
things, which we have of late seen, and do every day see, beyond
all humane conjecture: upon which, I sometimes thinking, am in some
parte inclind to their opinion: neverthelesse not to extinguish
quite our owne free will, I think it may be true, that Fortune is
the mistrisse of one halfe of our actions; but yet that she lets us
have rule of the other half, or little lesse. And I liken her to a
precipitous torrent, which when it rages, over-flows the plaines,
overthrowes the trees, and buildings, removes the earth from one
side, and laies it on another, every one flyes before it, every one
yeelds to the fury thereof, as unable to {350} withstand
it; and yet however it be thus, when the times are calmer, men are
able to make provision against these excesses, with banks and
fences so, that afterwards when it swels again, it shall all passe
smoothly along, within its channell, or else the violence thereof
shall not prove so licentious and hurtfull. In like manner befals
it us with fortune, which there shewes her power where vertue is
not ordeind to resist her, and thither turnes she all her forces,
where she perceives that no provisions nor resistances are made to
uphold her. And if you shall consider Italy, which is the seat of
these changes, and that which hath given them their motions, you
shall see it to be a plaine field, without any trench or bank;
which had it been fenc'd with convenient vertue as was Germany,
Spain or France; this inundation would never have causd these great
alterations it hath, or else would it not have reach'd to us: and
this shall suffice to have said, touching the opposing of fortune
in generall. But restraining my selfe more to particulars, I say
that to day we see a Prince prosper and flourish and to morrow
utterly go to ruine; not seeing that he hath alterd any condition
or quality; which I beleeve arises first from the causes which we
have long since run over, that is because that Prince that relies
wholly upon fortune, runnes as her wheele turnes. I beleeve also,
that he proves the fortunate man, whose manner of proceeding meets
with the quality of the time; and so likewise he unfortunate from
whose course of proceeding the times differ: for we see that men,
in the things that induce them to the end, (which every one
propounds to himselfe, as glory and riches) proceed therein
diversly; some with respects, others more bold, and rashly; one
with violence, and th'other with cunning; the one with patience,
th'other with its contrary; and every one of severall wayes may
attaine thereto; we see also two very respective and wary men, the
one come to his purpose, and th'other not; and in like maner two
equally prosper, taking divers course; the one being wary the other
head-strong; which proceeds from nothing else, but from the quality
of the times, which agree, or not, with their proceedings.
{351} From hence arises that which I said,
that two working diversly, produce the same effect: and two equaly
working, the one attains his end, the other not. Hereupon depends
the alteration of the good; for if to one that behaves himself with
warinesse and patience, times and affaires turne so favourably,
that the carriage of his businesse prove well, he prospers; but if
the times and affaires chance, he is ruind, because he changes not
his manner of proceeding: nor is there any man so wise, that can
frame himselfe hereunto; as well because he cannot go out of the
way, from that whereunto Nature inclines him: as also, for that one
having alwayes prosperd, walking such a way, cannot be perswaded to
leave it; and therefore the respective and wary man, when it is fit
time for him to use violence and force, knows not how to put it in
practice, whereupon he is ruind: but if he could change his
disposition with the times and the affaires, he should not change
his fortune. Pope Julius the second proceeded in all his actions
with very great violence, and found the times and things so
conformable to that his manner of proceeding that in all of them he
had happy successe. Consider the first exploit he did at Bolonia,
even while John Bentivolio lived: the Venetians were not well
contented therewith; the King of Spaine likewise with the French,
had treated of that enterprise; and notwithstanding al this, he
stirrd up by his own rage and fiercenesse, personally undertook
that expedition: which action of his put in suspence and stopt
Spaine and the Venetians; those for feare, and the others for
desire to recover the Kingdome of Naples; and on the other part
drew after him the King of France; for that King seeing him already
in motion, and desiring to hold him his friend, whereby to humble
the Venetians, thought he could no way deny him his souldiers,
without doing him an open injury. Julius then effected that with
his violent and heady motion, which no other Pope with all humane
wisdome could ever have done; for if he had expected to part from
Rome with his conclusions settled, and all his affaires ordered
before hand, as any other Pope would have done, he had never
brought it to passe: {352} For the King of France would have
devised a thousand excuses, and others would have put him in as
many feares. I will let passe his other actions, for all of them
were alike, and all of them prov'd lucky to him; and the brevity of
his life never sufferd him to feele the contrary: for had he litt
upon such times afterwards, that it had been necessary for him to
proceed with respects, there had been his utter ruine; for he would
never have left those wayes, to which he had been naturally
inclind. I conclude then, fortune varying, and men continuing still
obstinate to their own wayes, prove happy, while these accord
together: and as they disagree, prove unhappy: and I think it true,
that it is better to be heady than wary; because Fortune is a
mistresse; and it is necessary, to keep her in obedience to ruffle
and force her: and we see, that she suffers her self rather to be
masterd by those, than by others that proceed coldly. And
therefore, as a mistresse, shee is a friend to young men, because
they are lesse respective, more rough, and command her with more
boldnesse.
I have considered the 25 Chapter, as representing me a full view
of humane policy and cunning: yet me thinks it cannot satisfie a
Christian in the causes of the good and bad successe of things. The
life of man is like a game at Tables; skill availes much I grant,
but that's not all: play thy game well, but that will not winne:
the chance thou throwest must accord with thy play. Examine this;
play never so surely, play never so probably, unlesse the chance
thou castest, lead thee forward to advantage, all hazards are
losses, and thy sure play leaves thee in the lurch. The sum of this
is set down in Ecclesiastes chap. 9. v. 11. The race is not to the
swift, nor the battell to the strong: neither yet bread to the
wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men
of skill; but time and chance hapeneth to them all. Our cunning
Author for all his exact rules he delivere in his books, could not
fence against the despight of Fortune, as he complaines in his
Epistle to this booke. Nor that great example of policy, Duke
Valentine, whome our Author commends to Princes for his
crafts-master, could so ruffle or force his mistresse Fortune, that
he could keep her in obedience. Man can contribute no more to his
actions than vertue and wisdome: but the successe depends upon a
power above. Surely there is the {353} finger of god; or as Prov.
16. v. 33. 'The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing
thereof is of the Lord.' It was not Josephs wisdome made all things
thrive under his hand; but because the Lord was with him; and that
which he did, the Lord made it to prosper, Gen. 39. Surely this is
a blessing proceeding from the divine providence, which beyond
humane capacity so cooperateth with the causes, as that their
effects prove answerable, and sometimes (that we may know there is
something above the ordinary causes) the success returns with such
a supereminency of worth, that it far exceeds the vertue of the
ordinary causes.
An Exhortation to free Italy from the Barbarians.
