The latter was the better Man, the other the better Subject. By which Parallel it is apparent, that Prudence has a great share in the Conduct of Human Affairs, and that the Favour and Aversion of Princes, are not always the Effects of their Fancies.
SOme things he had added more Contumaciously, then safe to be gather'd in by haughty Ears, and prone to be Captious. The Contumacy of Inferiours, causes the Superiours to lay aside his Clemency. He that upbraids him with his Services, destroys the Fortune and Grandeur of a Prince; and generally such Reproaches are the fore-runners of Rebellion.
And afterwards he adds, That he was not afraid least Trajan should think, that while he discours'd of the Mildness, the Frugality, the Munificence, the Clemency, and Vigilancy of a Prince, he had any design to upbraid those Vices, which were their Opposites. The one deludes, the other informs and disabuses Princes. For to burn Books, is but to kindle in others a Curiosity to read 'em, whereas the taking little or no notice at all of 'em, renders 'em less priz'd by those that have already read 'em, and cures that Itch in others, to be prying into a subject little regarded.
The only Honour which we can pretend to pay Thee is, not to decree Thee any; so well assur'd we are of thy Modesty and Bashfulness. And therefore Cardinal Richlieu, tho' Page 70 he lov'd Applause, yet would not accept of Balzac 's Praises, alledging, 'Twas no Honour to be extoll'd by a Person that equally prais'd all Men alike; so prone that Authour was to Hyperboles. Tiberius had receiv'd a Bloody Affront. And this was that which oblig'd him to protest with so much Violence, and be so earnest to clear himself of what was laid to his Charge.
And this it was which the younger Pliny intended, when speaking to Trajan. Then thou would'st know the full extent of our Love Page 74 and Admiration of thy Vertues, and how we power forth our Prayers continually for thy long and prosperous Reign.
On the other side, he could not chuse but be highly satisfi'd, to see the Senate make a Construction so different from that of the People, who laid the Fire to his Charge, and all the other Calamities that had befallen the City, as having left it a little before, in spight of the unlucky Signs and Omens that appear'd upon the Augur 's Consultations.
Let the Accidents that happen, be ne're so meerly Casual, they Page 76 are taken for assur'd Omens of their Grandeur, and are of great importance to improve that Veneration which Men pretend to be their due.
An inward Consternation had possess'd their Spirits, for which the only remedy they could provide was Flattery. Especially those Persons that live at Court, or else have high Employments to lose; in regard their Advancement, exposes them to greater Dangers then others. Junius Gallio, says D'Ablancourt, was severely handl'd, for having propos'd, that the Soldiers of the Guard, might sit upon the Fourteen first Rows of Benches in the Theatre, after they had serv'd their time in the Wars.
But Tiberius was offended, that he should take upon him to meddle with rewarding the Soldiers. Does he believe he has found out an Expedient which Augustus never dream't of? He that stands in fear of his Life, Flatters to preserve it; and he that is warm in the Favour of his Prince, betakes himself to Adulation, that he may not lose it.
And thus, were it not for Self-interest, there would be no Flattery. They brought News, says D'Ablancourt, that the River Euphrates was swell'd, and yet no Showres had fallen, and seem'd to curle its Waters in the shape of a Diadem. Flattery interprets all things to the Advantage of Princes, and particularly at the beginning of their Reigns. BUT the Seleusences were they, who out did the rest in Flattery. Seleucia, tho' she were then a free Republic, would needs be so Obsequious, as to surpass in Servitude all the other Cities through which Tiridates had March'd.
Such is the eager desire that Subjects have to Gratifie a new Prince, not so much out of any love to his Person, as the Novelty of the Government. Says D'Ablancourt, They publicly debas'd the glory of his Enemy. Whereas Artabanus setting aside his Cruelty, was a Heroic Prince, who had put a happy and successful end to several Wars with his Neighbours.
Says D'Ablancourt, Vitellius in few words related the first beginning of their Friendship, and running over cursorily all the past Services which Asiaticus had done the Public, and particularly mentioning his last Enterprise against Brittain, he propos'd to permit him to make choice of his own Death; to which the Emperour consented, as a particular favour done him.
Sosibius, Tutor to Britanicus the Son of Claudius, was made use of as an Evidence against Asiaticus; and for this piece of of Service it was, that Vitellius would needs vote him a Reward so considerable, under the fair and specious pretence of Merit and Desert.
And thus it is, that Flattery adorns and beautifies deformed Villany, with honourable and graceful Titles. Of their Parts, as if they thought their Prince not able to discern the Vanity of such Hyperboles. Witness that Senator Thrasea, whose silence was Page 92 laid to his Charge by his Accusers, as a sufficient mark of his dislike of the Princes Government. Says D'Ablancourt, Vitellius to gain the good will of Agrippina, who, as he saw was mounting into Favour.
And thus are Flatterers no less Ungrateful then Cruel, as having no other aim then their own Interest. For Acknowledgment can only proceed from Love, and consequently is never to be expected from the Breasts of Flatterers, who are incapable of real Affection. And thus we see how Flatterers mislead unsteady Princes, and embolden 'em to do those things, which of themselves they dread.
Then Claudius without farther Hesitation enter'd the Senate, and demanded a Decree, declaring all Marriages for the future Legitimate, between Uncles and Neeces. Says D'Ablancourt, There were some so Insolent, as to rise from their Seats, and rush out of the Senate, as it were to constrain the Emperour if he made any Difficulties; and the Multitude cry'd out in the Streets, that it was the Will of the Roman People. They reap all the Pleasure, and their Subjects all the Infamy. A certain Proof, that Subjects think quite otherwise then they speak.
However notwithstanding the Decree, which was a sufficient shelter from Punishment or Infamy; yet there was but one single Person who follow'd his President. Nor did he neither marry his Wife out of any true persuasion that his Marriage was Just and Lawful, but out of a desire to please the Empress, and to raise his Fortune by an Act, of which there was no Body car'd to share the Reward.
But whether Princes do well or ill, they are always applauded, and have always Thanks return'd 'em for what they do, and never more then when they least deserve either the one or the other. And this is an easie and certain Rule, by which to know a Sycophant.
Scipio added, Says D'Ablancourt, that Thanks should be given to Pallas, for that being descended from the Arcadian Kings, he preferr'd the Interest of the Empire when his Grandeur was so Sublime, and chose rather to be counted one of the Emperours Ministers. Page Thus we find what comes to pass, when the Ministers are more Powerful then the Prince; or at least, when the Prince suffers himself to be Govern'd by his Ministers, as Claudius did.
Flatterers who adore the Favour only, will not allow the Prince to honour the Minister, but will have the Minister to be an honour to the Prince. Pallas was no more then one of Claudius 's Bondmen, by him made Free, and for this a Noble Senator has the confidence to applaud him in a full Senate, for contenting himself with the Quality of a Chief Minister. The younger Pliny makes mention of this Decree in two of his Letters, in such Terms as will serve in this place, for a most excellent Commentary.
More especially this Inscription taught me a new Lesson, what a strange Impertinency those Men were guilty of, who decreed Honour to d Scoundrel; and what an unusual Impudence possess'd that Rascally Fellow to accept the one, and refuse the other; and to transfer these refusals to Posterity, for an Example of Modesty.
But to what purpose doe I seem to be offended at it? I omit to tell ye, that the Pretorian Ornaments were offer'd to a Slave, because they were Slaves themselves that offer'd 'em: And that it was Decreed, not only to beseech him, but also to force him to wear the Rings of Page Gold.
The conclusion will be, that it requir'd no less then all the Modesty of Pallas, and all the Complaisance of the Senate, to excuse Pallas from accepting a whole Million of the Public Treasure. To which the Senate would never have consented, but that they thought it contrary to their Duty to disobey the Emperour.
Now do you believe that this is all? It was their care, Page that all the Honours offer'd to an Insolent Slave, should be Engrav'd in Brass; what he had refus'd, and what he had accepted. Such of the Prince, such of the Senate, such of Pallas himself, was that I know not what to call it.
Certainly the Roman Flattery far out-did the Adulation of the Greeks. Many People Flatter, but few are Masters of the Art. Which last words come far short of the sense of Tacitus. For there is a sort of Adulation allowable and wholesome, which infuses into Princes and great Personages a love of Vertue, wherein consists their chiefest Glory. Of all the sorts of Flatterers, there are none so bad as those that are forc'd to stoop, in hopes to regain the favour of a Prince, whom they have disoblig'd either by their Severity, or over sawcy Freedom.
For being then to repair the Faults of their Ingratitude, they spare for no submission to recover what they have lost, either by their Moroseness, or their unwary Zeal.
For there is a far greater mixture of Vanity then Integrity in that same Hardiness, which many Men assume in reprimanding Princes.
Who are never to be contradicted, but when we are assur'd, that our Arguments are Page such as will not offend their Ears; and that it may prove the more Successful, the Admonition must be such as may seem to relish of Commendation.
So that if Paterculus observ'd of Caesar, That his Atchievements were so great, that he who durst attempt and bring to pass such wondrous Enterprises, could hardly be other then some Deity: What would he have said of a Prince, that in a few days won those Cities, which Caesar could not take in many Months?
Page Flattery is a Contagion that spreads it self from Man to Man. Nero had but just embru'd his Hands in a most inhuman Parricide, and the People stood gazing one upon another with Fear and Astonishment. Nero himself was almost at his Wits end. Horrid Thanksgivings, more Impious then the Parricide it self. So true it is, that never greater Honours are decreed to Princes, then when they are extreamly hated. Ill done in Seneca, tho' seasonably perhaps, who after he had been beholding to Agrippina for all his Fortune, had the grace to lay to her charge all the Mischiefs, and all the acts of Injustice, that had been committed in Claudius 's Reign.
Behold the Effects of Flattery. Thus when Princes once have laid aside all Fear and Bashfulness, small are the hopes of any farther good from Them. For after he had spent his time one while in playing the Charioteer in an enclos'd piece of Ground, where no body had liberty to enter; he would needs have Spectators afterwards, whose Applauses did but serve to encourage him in the continuance of that Exercise, which his Governours were in hopes would soon have tir'd him. Says D'Ablancourt; One day that he was ill, his Courtiers, in Flattery, told him that the Empire would expire with him.
Page This piece of Flattery is a certain proof of the Impertinency of Flatterers. For, for a Man to tell such a Prince as Nero, who made it his chiefest Glory, to be an excellent Charioteer, a good Musician, and an elegant Poet, as much as to say, Eminent in every thing that was beneath a Prince, that the Welfare of the Empire depended wholly upon him, and that expiring with his Life, it was never to rise again, was either to laugh at the Emperor, or make himself ridiculous.
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