address to their king, desiring him to choose which of the two kingdoms
he had the greatest mind to keep, since he could not hold both; for they
were too great a people to be governed by a divided king, since no man
would willingly have a groom that should be in common between him and
another. Upon which the good prince was forced to quit his new kingdom
to one of his friends (who was not long after dethroned), and to be
contented with his old one. To this I would add, that after all those
warlike attempts, the vast confusions, and the consumption both of
treasure and of people that must follow them; perhaps upon some
misfortune, they might be forced to throw up all at last; therefore it
seemed much more eligible that the king should improve his ancient
kingdom all he could, and make it flourish as much as possible; that he
should love his people, and be beloved of them; that he should live
among them, govern them gently, and let other kingdoms alone, since that
which had fallen to his share was big enough, if not too big for him.
Pray how do you think would such a speech as this be heard?"--"I
confess," said I, "I think not very well."

"But what," said he, "if I should sort with another kind of ministers,
whose chief contrivances and consultations were, by what art the
prince's treasures might be increased. Where one proposes raising the
value of specie when the king's debts are large, and lowering it when
his revenues were to come in, that so he might both pay much with a
little, and in a little receive a great deal: another proposes a
pretence of a war, that money might be raised in order to carry it on,
and that a peace be concluded as soon as that was done; and this with
such appearances of religion as might work on the people, and make them
impute it to the piety of their prince, and to his tenderness for the
lives of his subjects. A third offers some old musty laws, that have
been antiquated by a long disuse; and which, as they had been forgotten