Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T25: feare, kings, power, princes, lawes, loue, state, downe, honor, men.
An Art by which Man seemes, but is not free; Crownes keeping all their specious guiding reynes, Fast in the hand of strong Authority; So to relax, or winde vp Passions chaines, As before humble people know their griefe, Their states are vs'd to looke for no reliefe. Yet if by parts we trauaile to compare, What differences 'twixt these two Empires are: We buildno Cittadells, our Strengths are Men, And hold Retreit to be the Losers denne: They, by their Forts, mowe their owne People downe; A way perchance to keepe, not spread a Crowne. Of bondage we leaue our Succession free; Office, and Action, are our libertie. They may inherit Land; we hope for Place: They giue the Wealthy; we the Actiue grace. We heare the fault, and so demand that Head, Which hath in Martiall duties beene mislead: Their processe is to answere, and appeare; But vnder Lawes, which hold the Scepter deare. Our Law is Martiall, suddaine, and seuere; For Fact can rarely intricatenesse beare: Their Lawes take life from Soueraigntie, Thanklesse to which, Power will not let them be. So that the Mussell -man sends home his head; The Christian keeps his owne, till he be dead. Our trade is Taxe, comprising Men, and Things: And draw not they Mankindes wealth vnder Kings? Soothing the Tyrant, till by his excesse, Want makes the Maiestie of Thrones grow lesse, By taxing Peoples Vice at such a rate, As to fill vp a Siue, exhausts a State: Lastly; so shuffling Trade, Law, Doctrine, Will, As no soule shall finde peace in good, or ill; Both being Trappes alike vs'd, to entice The weake, and humble into preiudice. Our Sultans rule their charge by Prophets Sawes, And leaue the Mufti Iudge of all their Lawes: The Christians take, and change Faith with their Kings, Which vnder Miters oft the Scepter brings. We make the Church our Sultans instrument: They with their Kings will make their Church content. They wrangle with themselues, and by dispute In questions, thinke to make the one side mute: If not, then sacrifice the weaker part; As if, in Thrones, blood were Religions Art; Forcing the will, which is to catch the winde, As if mans Nature were more than his minde: We in subduing Christians conquer both, And to lose vse of either part are loth. So that we suffer their fond zeale to pray, That it may well our conquering armies pay. And where we are, there Christians faine would be, If lacke of Power were not their modestie. Thus doe all Great States safely manage things, Which danger seemes to Thrones of pettie Kings. For though the Sicke haue sense of euery breath, And shunne all what they feele, for feare of death: Yet in strong States, those stormes they feele giue health, And by their Purgings spoyle Infections stealth; A play of Sunne-motes, from mans small World come, Vpon the great World to worke heauy doome.
seed 43: T25 · seed 44: T6 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
An Art by which Man seemes, but is not free; Crownes keeping all their specious guiding reynes, Fast in the hand of strong Authority; So to relax, or winde vp Passions chaines, As before humble people know their griefe, Their states are vs'd to looke for no reliefe. Yet if by parts we trauaile to compare, What differences 'twixt these two Empires are: We buildno Cittadells, our Strengths are Men, And hold Retreit to be the Losers denne: They, by their Forts, mowe their owne People downe; A way perchance to keepe, not spread a Crowne. Of bondage we leaue our Succession free; Office, and Action, are our libertie. They may inherit Land; we hope for Place: They giue the Wealthy; we the Actiue grace. We heare the fault, and so demand that Head, Which hath in Martiall duties beene mislead: Their processe is to answere, and appeare; But vnder Lawes, which hold the Scepter deare. Our Law is Martiall, suddaine, and seuere; For Fact can rarely intricatenesse beare: Their Lawes take life from Soueraigntie, Thanklesse to which, Power will not let them be. So that the Mussell-man sends home his head; The Christian keeps his owne, till he be dead. Our trade is Taxe, comprising Men, and Things: And draw not they Mankindes wealth vnder Kings? Soothing the Tyrant, till by his excesse, Want makes the Maiestie of Thrones grow lesse, By taxing Peoples Vice at such a rate, As to fill vp a Siue, exhausts a State: Lastly; so shuffling Trade, Law, Doctrine, Will, As no soule shall finde peace in good, or ill; Both being Trappes alike vs'd, to entice The weake, and humble into preiudice. Our Sultans rule their charge by Prophets Sawes, And leaue the Mufti Iudge of all their Lawes: The Christians take, and change Faith with their Kings, Which vnder Miters oft the Scepter brings. We make the Church our Sultans instrument: They with their Kings will make their Church content. They wrangle with themselues, and by dispute In questions, thinke to make the one side mute: If not, then sacrifice the weaker part; As if, in Thrones, blood were Religions Art; Forcing the will, which is to catch the winde, As if mans Nature were more than his minde: We in subduing Christians conquer both, And to lose vse of either part are loth. So that we suffer their fond zeale to pray, That it may well our conquering armies pay. And where we are, there Christians faine would be, If lacke of Power were not their modestie. Thus doe all Great States safely manage things, Which danger seemes to Thrones of pettie Kings. For though the Sicke haue sense of euery breath, And shunne all what they feele, for feare of death: Yet in strong States, those stormes they feele giue health, And by their Purgings spoyle Infections stealth; A play of Sunne-motes, from mans small World come, Vpon the great World to worke heauy doome.