tences concernyng the government of a common weale hath this: Wel is that realme governed, in whiche the ambicious desyre not to beare offyce. Wherby you may perceive, right honorable, what offices are, where they be duely executed: not gaynful spoyles for the greedy to hunt for, but paineful toyles for the heedy to be charged with. You may perceive also by this sentence, that there is nothing more necessarye in a common weale, then that officers be diligent and trusty in theyr charges. And sure in whatsoever realme such provision is made, that officers be forced to do their duties, there is it as hard a matter to get an officer, as it is in other places to shift of, and putby those, that with flattery, bribes, and other shiftes, sue and preace for offices. For the ambicious, that is to say prollers for power or gayne, seeke not for offices to helpe other, for which cause offices are ordayned, but with the undoing of other to pranke up themselves. And therfore bar them once of this bayte, and force them to do their duties, and they will geve more to be rid fro their charges, than they did at the first to bye them: for they seke only their commodity and ease. And therfore where the ambicious seeke no office, there, no doubt, offices are duly ministered: and where offices are duly ministerd, it cannot be chosen, but the people are good, whereof must nedes folow a good commonweale. For if the officers be good, the people cannot be yll. Thus the goodnes or badnes of any realme lieth in the

f

e

< Officers.

• Private profite.

goodnes

m

goodnes or badnes of the rulers. And therfore not without great cause do the holy Apostles so ernestly charge us to pray for the Magistrates: for in dede the welth and quiet of every common weale, the disorder also and miseries of the same cum specially through them. I nede not go eyther to the Romans or Greekes for the proofe hereof, neyther yet to the Jewes, or other nacyons: whose common weales have alway florished while their officersi wer good, and decayed and ranne to ruyne, when noughtyei men had the regiment.* Our owne1 countrey stories, if we reade and marke them, wil shewe us examples ynow, would God we had not sene mo than ynowe. I purpose not to stand here upon the particulers, because they be in part set furth in the tragedies. Yet, by the waye, this I note, wishinge all other to do the like, namely, that as good governers have never lacked their deserved renowne, " so have not the bad escaped infamy, besides such plages as are horrible to heare of. For God, the ordeyner of offices, although he suffer them for punishment of the people to be often occupied of such, as are rather spoylers and Judasses, than toylers or Justices, whom the Scripture therfore calleth hippocrites, yet suffreth he them not to scape unpunished, because they dishonour him: for it is God's own office, yea his chiefe office, whyche they bear and abuse. For as Justice is the chiefe vertue, so is the ministracion therof the chiefest office: and therfore hath God established it with the chiefest name, honoring and calling Kinges, and al officers under them by his owne name;-Gods.

Ye be all Gods, as many as have in your charge any ministracion of Justice. What a fowle shame were it

for any nowe to take of God, and in theyr devils? God cannot, shameles presumpcion and hipocrisie, and that wyth shameful death, diseases, or infamye. Howe he hath plagued evell rulers from time to time, in other nacions, you may see gathered in Boccas booke intituled the Fall of Princes, translated into Englyshe by Lydgate. P

upon them the name and office doynges to shew themselves of justice, but plague suche

How he hath delte wyth sum of our countreymen your auncestors, for sundry vyces not yet left, thys booke named, A Mirrour for Magistrates, can shewe; ? which therfore I humbly offer unto your honors, beseeching you to accept it favorably.

For here, as in a 'looking glas, you shal se, (if any vice be in you) how the like hath bene punished in other heretofore, whereby admonished, I trust it wyl be a good occasion to move" to the sooner amendment. This is the chiefest ende, whye it is set furth, whych God graunt it may attayne. w

W

The wurke was begun and parte of it prynted in Queen Marie's tyme, but hyndred by the Lorde Chauncellour that then was; nevertheles, through the meanes of my Lord Stafford, the fyrst parte was licenced, and imprynted the fyrst yeare of the raygne

P Add "a Monke of the Abbey of Bury in Suff."

9 Shall in parte plalinye set forth before your eyes.

of this our most noble and vertuous Queene, and dedicate then to your honours wyth this Preface.

Since whych time, although I have bene called to an other trade of lyfe, yet my good Lorde Stafforde hath not ceased to call upon me to publyshe so much & as I had gotten at other mens hands, so that, through his Lordshyppes earnest meanes I have nowe also set furth an other parte, † conteynyng as little of myne owne, as the fyrst part doth of other mens. Which, in the name of al the authors, I humbly dedicate to your honours, instantly wishyng, that it may so like and delite your myndes, that your cheareful receyving thereof, maye encourage wurthy wittes to enterpryse and perfourme the rest. Which as soone as I may procure, I entende through God's leave, and your favourable allowaunce, to publyshe with al expedicion. In the meane whyle my Lords and Gods, (for so I may call you) I moste humbly beseeche your honours favourablye to accepte this rude Myrrour,s and diligentlie to read and consider it. And although you shall fynde in it, that sum have for theyr vertue bene envyed and murdered, yet cease not you to be vertuous, but do your offices to the uttermoste; sup

y Dedicated.

z Omit "then."
The said.

k

b Wanted such help as before. d Add "thereof."

f As much as I could obtaine at the hands of my frends.
i Office.

& Worke.

Brought unto misery.

k Add" embrace Vertue, and."

* He was an ecclesiastic, and schoolmaster. This new trade probably relates to the latter.

I have never seen the first edition of 1559-but by this it seems clear, notwithstanding Warton's insinuation, that the Contents of the Second Part, which include Sackville's Induction and Legend, were not inserted in that first edition.

pres

pres sinne boldly, bothe in your selves and other, soo shal God (whose officers you are) either so maintayne you, that no malice shall prevayle; or if it do, it shall be for your good, and to your eternall glory both here and in heaven, whych I beseche God you maye both covet and attayn. Amen.

Yours most humble,

WILLIAM BALDWIN."

A BRIEFE MEMORIALL OF SUNDRIE UNFORTUNATE ENGLISHMEN.

Willyam Baldwin to the Reader.

Whan the Printer had purposed with himselfe to printe Lidgate's booke" of the Fall of Princes, and had made pryvye thereto, many both honourable and worshipfull, he was counsailed by dyvers of them to procure to have the storye contynewed from where as Bochas left, unto this present time, chiefly of such as Fortune had dalyed with here in this ylande: which might be as a myrrour for al mens as well nobles as others, to shewe' the slyppery deceytes of the waveryng lady, and the due rewarde of al kind of vices. Which advyse lyked him so well, that he requyred me to take paines therin but because it was a matter passyng my wit and skyll, and more thankles than gaineful to

: