THE WORKES OF THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE , IAMES

BY THE GRACE OF GOD , KING OF GREAT BRITAINE , FRANCE AND IRELAND , DEFENDER of the FAITH , &c.

PVBLISHED BY IAMES , BISHOP of Winton , and Deane of his MAIESTIES CHAPPEL ROYALL .

LONDON PRINTED BY ROBERT BARKER AND IOHN BILL , PRINTERS TO THE KINGS most Excellent MAIESTIE . ANNO 1616.

¶ Cum Priuilegio .

I Haue humbly sought leaue of his most Excellent MAIESTIE , to present your Highnesse with this Volume of his MAIESTIES WORKES . I durst not but make the Suite ; and his MAIESTIE could not well deny it . I will not say , that it had beene a peece of Iniustice in the KING to haue denyed you this right : But I dare say , it had beene a point of Sacriledge in a Churchman to haue stolne from you such a portion of your Inheritance , which consists as much in the WORKES of his Royall Vertues , as in the wealth of his mighty Kingdomes . Basilius wrote de Jnstitutione Principis to his Sonne Leo ; Constantinus to his Sonne Romanus ; Manuell to his Sonne Iohannes ; and Charles the fift , to his Sonne Philip : The workes of the three former are extant both in Greeke and Latine . His Maiestie , after the Example of those Emperours , and sundry other Kings , wrote his ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ-ΔΩΡΟΝ to Prince Henry , your Highnesse most worthy Brother : His part , by GOD his Prouidence , is falne to your Lot ; and who may iustly detaine from you the rest ? The rule in Scripture is ; that if the first fruits be holy , so is the whole lumpe ; and to whom the first was giuen , to him all the rest was due : To your Highnes therefore are these offered , as to the trew Heire and Inheritor of them . And that I may make you the better accompt of them ; May it please your Highnesse to vnderstand , that of these Workes , some were out before ; some other of them neuer saw light before ; and others were almost lost and gone , or at least abused by false copies , to their owne disgrace and his Maiesties great dishonour . Now it being the duetie of all Deanes in their Churches , Dispersa colligere ; I thought it might sort well with the nature of my place in the Chappel , wherein I haue had the Honour so many yeeres to serue his Maiestie , to gather these things that were scattered , and to bring to light those that too long had lien in darkenes , and to preserue in one body , what might easily haue bin lost in parts . In this Presentment , I must humbly craue of your Highnes , not to be mistaken in the trew meaning and maner of it : For these Workes come not to you , as vsually Bookes doe to men of great Dignitie , for Patronage and Protection ; for Protection is properly from iniurie ; and that the Royall Author of them is best able to right : But to you they come partly for preseruation , and for that the Disposition of Nature hath made you more apt , and more principally for a Patterne , and that not vnfitly ; since the Samplar is euer more ancient then the Exemplification : And as in the preseruation , the Sonne hath his aduantage by succeeding ; so in the Patterne , the Father by preceding hath his Prerogatiue . Let these Workes therefore , most Gracious Prince , lie before you as a Patterne ; you cannot haue a better : Neither doeth the Honour of a good Sonne consist in any thing more , then in immitating the good Presidents of a good Father ; as we may very well perceiue by the Scripture phrase , where the vsuall Encomium of good Kings is , that they walked in the wayes of their Fathers . Al men see , how like the Patterne GOD and Nature haue framed the outward Lineaments : and who knowes your Highnes wel , knowes also , that the inward Abilliments hold in the like proportion . The Philosophers say , that Imitation proceeds from Inclination ; And trewly , if your future Imitation be answerable to your forward Inclination , in Religion , Learning and Vertue ; your Highnesse cannot come farre short of your Patterne , nor yet of any of your Predecessors that euer went before you : Which GOD grant together with the length of many good and happy Dayes .

AMongst the infinite number of great Volumes wherewith the world seemes , as it were , to bee wayed downe , there bee few of them that were written at once , or were at first published together . Writings as they consist of sundry natures ; so they will beare a diuers maner of Edition . To set foorth an Art by pieces , is to shew you a body dismembred ; the one is no more vncomely , then the other is vnproper . To publish a History before it be at an end , is to turne the Hower-glasse before it bee runne out ; neither of both will giue you a trew taste of the time . But writings of other Natures , Common places and Controuersies , Meditations and Commentaries , as they are for the most part , accidentally taken vp , so they are as occasionally set out : They craue no other birth into the world , then they had conceptions in our braines , singly by vs conceiued , and singly by themselues set out .

The different maner of GOD his setting foorth of his owne Workes , may instruct vs in this point . His diuine Wisedome held one course in his Naturall Workes , an other in his Ceremonialls , Politicalls and Moralls . Jn his Naturalls he made a masse at once , which speedily he diuersified into diuers formes . Hee gaue a kinde of potentiall delineation of all things in that vniuersall matter , which presently hee distinguished into diuers Species in perfection : But in his Ceremonialls , hee takes another course , he brings not them out of a Masse , but into a Masse : He doeth not out of a Totum produce the parts , but out of the parts make vp the whole . For example ; Jn the Ceremonialls , first he beginnes with Sacrifice , long after he followes with Circumcision , then hee filleth a Tabernacle with them ; at last makes them full vp in a Temple . Jn his Politicalls , hee beginnes with a paternall Gouernment in a family , proceeds to an Election of a Captaine in an Armie , as in Iosuah and the Judges , perfects it by way of Succession in a setled Kingdome , as in Solomon and his Successors . Jn his Moralls , hee beginnes with the word out of his owne mouth , proceeds with the Tables written by his owne fingers , followes on with the fiue Bookes penned by Moses , till hee make vp the Canon perfect by a number of succeeding Prophets .

What we haue from GOD in a president , it may wel beseeme vs to practise ; and since his Bookes came out so farre asunder , it is no reproach to any man , though his Workes come not foorth together : for there is a reason for it in vs answerable in some proportion to that of the Workes of GOD , for workes of Nature haue their roote from within vs , and bring with them a radicall kinde of vertue , that neuer suffers them to rest , till they haue produced their fruite to perfect forme and perfection : Workes of deliberation and Art , haue their foundation from without vs , and giue vs occasion to worke vpon them , as our phantasies thinke fittest for the present time : Hence proceeds it , that the workes of Nature haue so few errors in them , those of Art so many ; They of Nature so constant , they of Arte so variable ; they of Nature so permanent , they of Art so soone perish ; they of Nature so well accepted and approued of all , they of Art accepted or reiected , as it pleaseth the seuerall apprehensions of men to conceiue of them .

Now , albeit the workes of men be of Errors so full , of nature so different , subiect to so many Jnterpretations , published at so diuers times ; Yet hath it bene euer esteemed a matter commendable to collect them together , and incorporate them into one Body , that we may behold at once , what diuers Off-springs haue proceeded from one braine , and how various Conceptions the wit of man is able to afford the world . To instance in a few of them beginning a little higher then the writings of ordinarie Men. The seruants of Hezekiah are commended in Scripture for collecting together the Sentences of Solomon . Iesus the sonne of Sirach is praised for searching out the Copies of his Grandfathers workes : But principally Ezra is had in great honour for setting in order the whole Bookes of the Old Testament , and deuiding them into Chapters and Verses , which before were caried along in a scroule , by a continuall Series , without any distinction at all . S. Iohn is reported to haue searched out the Copies of the three former Euangelists , and to haue added his owne for the fourth in that order , as now they are extant . And the Primitiue Church was curious to gather together the Epistles of the Holy Apostles ; which , they being not able by reason of persecution perfectly to performe in euery place , gaue occasion to after-times , to call the authority of so many of them into question .

But to descend ; How are we bound to those , who haue laboured in setting out the Counsells , and Works of the Fathers together ? Jnsomuch , that we thinke our selues as much bound to Eusebius and Hierom , and of later times to Peter Crab and Erasmus and diuers others , who haue laboured in that kinde , as wee doe almost to the Authors themselues . Traian commended Plutark for gathering the Apothegmes of wise men together . Constantinus the sonne of Leo , collected out of all Histories , both in the East and West , one Corpus Historicum , which they counted an inestimable Treasure . Iustinian by the helpe of Tribonianus did the like in the Lawes . Gratian compiled the Decrees out of the Epistles of Popes , Councells and Fathers . Damascen collected into one body of Diuinitie , the Sentences of the Greeke Fathers ; And Peter Lumbard 400. yeeres after him by his example did the like in the Latine Fathers . And how doe wee labour to recouer Bookes that are lost ? The Bookes of Origen that amounted to sixe thousand , as Epiphanius witnesseth , were much laboured for by Eusebius and others . The Bookes of Cicero de Repub. were much sought for by Cardinall Poole ; and great summes of money haue bene spent to recouer the lost Decades of Liuie . Wherefore since it hath beene heretofore the practise of all aages , to collect the workes of Men of worth , and preserue them from perishing ; to labour much in recouering those that haue bene lost ; to giue to euery childe the owne Father ; to euery Booke the trew Author : ( for there neuer had bene halfe so many birds to haue flowen about the world with false feathers , if euery Author had set out his owne workes together in his owne time , ) J hope then it shall not be now a matter of reproofe in a Seruant , to trauaile in the setting foorth of the Works of his Master ; and for giuing you that together , which before yee could hardly get asunder ; and for preseruing that in a Masse from perishing , that might easily be lost in a Mite .

But while I am collecting workes one way , I heare others scattering wordes as fast an other way , affirming , it had beene better his Maiestie had neuer written any Bookes at all ; and being written , better they had perished with the present , like Proclamations , then haue remayned to Posterity : For say these Men , Little it befitts the Maiesty of a King to turne Clerke , and to make a warre with the penne , that were fitter to be fought with the Pike ; to spend the powers of his so exquisite an vnderstanding vpon paper , which had they beene spent on powder , could not but haue preuayled ere this , for the Conquest of a Kingdome . For a King , say they , to enter a Controuersie with a Scholler , is , as if he should fight a Combate with a Kerne ; he doth no more descend from his Honour in the one , then he bringes vpon himselfe Disgrace by the other . And since that Booke-writing is growen into a Trade ; It is as dishonorable for a King to write bookes ; as it is for him to be a Practitioner in a Profession . Jf a King will needs write ; Let him write like a King , euery Lyne a Law , euery Word a Precept , euery Letter a Mandate . Jn good trewth , I haue had my eares so oft dung through with these Obiections and the like , as I know not whether I conceiued amisse of my selfe or no , thinking I had more ability to answere these Calumnyes , then I had patience to heare them : And therefore hauing so fit opportunity , J shall not let to deliuer my opinion ; Whether it may sorte with the Maiestie of a King , to be a writer of Bookes , or no. First I could neuer reade , that there was any Law against it ; and where we haue no Law , the best is to follow good Examples : And many Diuines are of opinion , that examples that are not contrary to any Precept , doe binde vs in practise , at least so farre ; that though they doe not inforce vs to the doing , yet they warrant the deede when it is done ; And if Examples will serue the turne , wee haue Examples enough .

First to beginne with the King of Kings God himselfe , who as he doth all things for our good ; So doeth he many things for our Jmitation . Jt pleased his Diuine wisedome to bee the first in this Rancke , that we read of , that did euer write . Hee wrote , and the writing was the writing , saith Moses , of God ; the maner was after the maner of engrauing ; the matter was in Stone cut into two Tables , and the Tables were the worke of God written on both sides . Diuines hold , that the Heart is the principall Seate of the Soule ; which Soule of ours is the immediate worke of God , as these Tables were the immediate worke of his owne fingers . The Stone , the expresse represent of the hardnesse of our heart ; the engrauing the worke of God so deepely impressed , that it can neuer be blotted out ; the writing , the writing of the Law in our hearts ; In two Tables , for our double duty to God and Man ; on both sides to take vp our heart so wholly , that nothing contrary to those Precepts should euer haue any place in our Soules . And certainely from this little Library , that God hath erected within vs , is the foundation of all our Learning layd ; So that people Ciuillized doe account themselues depriued of one of the best abilities of nature , if they be not somewhat inabled by writing , to expresse their mindes : And there is no Nation so brutish or Barbarous , that haue not inuented one kinde of Character or other , whereby to conuey to others their inward Conceptions . From these Tables of God , wee may come to the writing of our Blessed Sauiour , which we may put in the next place , though not for order yet for Honour . His Diuine Maiestie left behinde him no Monument of writing , written by his owne hand in any externall Booke ; for he was to induce and bring in an other maner of the writing of the Law of Loue ; not in Tables of stone ; written not with incke and paper , but in the Tables of our fleshly hearts written by the Spirit of the Liuing God : Yet did he once with his owne finger , write on the Pauement of the Temple of Ierusalem . What he writ , J will not now discusse . S. Ambrose saith he wrote this Sentence : Festucam in oculo fratris cernis , trabem in tuo non vides . Beda thinkes , he wrote that Sentence that he spake : He that is without sinne , let him cast the first stone at her . Haymo hath a pretty Conceit : He thinketh , he wrote certaine Characters in the Pauement , which the Accusers beholding might see , as in a glasse , their owne wickednesse ; and so blushing at it went their wayes . What euer it was , sure we are , our Sauiour would haue false accusations written in dust , to bee troden vnder foote of them that passe by . But howsoeuer , I say , our Blessed Sauiour did leaue behind him no writing of his owne hand ; Yet we may not deny , but that God in the old Testament and our Sauiour in the New , haue left vs many bookes of their owne inditements : For all the Bookes of holy Scripture were written by inspiration ; and the Prophets and Apostles were but their Amanuenses , and writ onely as they were led and actuated by the Spirit of God : So that we may not make the Author of any of those Bookes any other then God Himselfe .

The old world before the flood wil afford vs no writings , neither did that aage require them ; for the liues of Men of that aage were liuing Libraries , and lasted longer then the labors of Men doe in this aage : Yet S. Iude doeth insinuate somewhat of the writings of Enoch , who though he were not in Stile a King , Yet there is no reason to contend with him for that Title ; for his Dominion would beare it , standing Heire-Apparent to the greater part of the world . Origen , Tertullian and Augustine report many things out of the supposititous writings that went vnder his name : And Iosephus and that Berosus , that wee haue , tell vs , that hee erected two pillars , the one of Stone , the other of Bricke , wherein he wrote of the two-fold destructions of the world , the one by Water , the other by Fire : But howsoeuer that be trew , it is very probable , he wrote something of that matter , which though it perished with that world ; yet doubtlesse the memory thereof was preserued by Tradition vnto the dayes of the Apostles .

J will not here insist vpon the writings of Moses , who was not onely a Priest , and a Prophet , but was , as himselfe records , amongst the people a King , and was the first that euer receiued authoritie from GOD to write in Diuinitie : Neither will J insist vpon the Example of King Dauid , in whose Psalmes and Himnes , are resounded out the praises of GOD in all the Churches ; for that J finde nothing that these men writ , but what they writ as the Scribes of GOD , acted , as I said euen now , by GOD his Spirit , and not guided by their owne . Yet I suppose wee may safely collect thus much from them , that if GOD had thought it a matter derogatory to the Maiestie of a King to bee a Writer , he would not haue made choice of those , as his chiefe Instruments in this kinde , who were principalls in that other Order . J would easily beleeue , that such men as haue had the honour to be GOD his Pen-men , should neuer vouchsafe to write any thing of their owne : for as we hold in a pious opinion , that the blessed Virgine , hauing once conceiued by the holy Ghost , would neuer after conceiue by man ; So surely men , that had deliuered nothing but the conceptions of that Spirit , should hardly be drawne euer to set out any of their owne labours . But we see the flat contrary both in Samuel and Solomon , the one the greatest Iudge , the other the most glorious King , that euer that Kingdome had . Samuel , who writ by GODS appointment , the greatest part of those two Bookes , that beare his name , writ also by his owne accord , a Booke contayning the Law of a King , or Institution of a Prince , whereby hee laboured to keepe the King as well from declining to Tyrannie , as the people from running into Libertie . Solomon , besides the Bookes of Scripture , which remaine , writ many likewise of his owne accord , which are lost : For to say nothing of his 3000. Parables , his 5000. Songes , that ingens opus , as the Hebrues call it , of the nature of all things , Birds and Beasts , Fowles and fishes , Trees and plants , from the Hysop to the Cedar : All these were rather workes to manifest humane wisedome , then Diuine knowledge ; written rather for the recreation of his owne spirit , then for the edification of the Church : For I cannot conceiue , but those Bookes would rather haue taught vs the learning of Nature ; ( for which GOD hath left vs to the writings of men ) then edified vs in the gifts of Grace ; for which hee hath giuen vs his owne Booke . Neither let any man suggest , that these writings , that are lost , and , as they say , were destroyed in the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians , were of the same authoritie , as those that doe remaine : for J can hardly be induced to beleeue , that the writings , that were indited by the Spirit of GOD , layed vp in the Arke , receiued into the Canon , read publikely in the Church , are vtterly perished . Jt is a desperate thing to call , either the prouidence of GOD , or the fidelity of the Church in question in this point : For if those , that haue bene , are perished ; then , why may not these that remaine as well be lost ? which is contrary to our Sauiours assertion , that one Iota shall not perish till all bee fulfilled : Therefore J rather incline to thinke ; that what euer was Scripture , still is , then that any is lost : Neither is this opinion so curious to hold , as the other is dangerous to beleeue ; Better it is euer , to argue our selues of ignorance , then to accuse GOD of improuidence : But if so much Scripture be lost , as is alleadged , farewell GOD his prouidence , farewell the fidelitie of the Church , to whose care was concredited the Oracles of GOD. Let vs come to the writings of Kings , where we shall not incurre any danger of this controuersie ; that were so farre from being acted by GOD his Spirit ; that they were more like those Disciples of Iohn , that had not heard whether there were an Holy-Ghost , or no ; that knew nothing of GOD , though they felt neuer so much of his Goodnesse ; that neuer beleeued his Omnipotencie , though they had neuer so much experience of his Power .

To beginne with the Assyrians , whose first Monarch was Nimrod , and his chiefe Citie Babel : from his time to Sardanapalus the last of that Monarchie , there was no King amongst them , that gaue himselfe to Letters : for as their Kingdome was founded in Tyrannie , so they laboured to keepe it in Barbaritie ; neither must we euer looke to see Learning flourish , where Tyrannie beareth the Standerd ; for Learning hath no more a facultie to bring the minde to vnderstanding , then it hath with it a power , that workes the will to libertie ; neither of which , can euer consist with Tyrannie : And therefore it is no wonder , that this aage affoorded no learned Kings : for in that State , which continued thirteene or foureteene hundred yeeres , yee can scarce reade of a learned man : Therefore let either Histories or Poets paint that out for a Golden aage , as they please , there was neuer any aage , that hath left so little memory of the Golden tincture of their Witts .

After the time of Sardanapalus , in the dayes of Phull , Tiglath-Philasar and Salmanasar , of whom mention is made in Scripture , and to whom , as it is thought , Ionas preached , and with whom some of the Prophets were conuersant , when as these Kings came into the land of Israel , as they did in the dayes of Menahem , who gaue to Phul-Belochus a thousand Talents of Siluer for a Tribute ; And in the dayes of Hezechiah came Salmanasar and besieged Samaria three yeeres , and caried away a great part of the people of the Kingdome of Israel : From that time forward , their Kings gaue themselues to Letters ; insomuch as in the dayes of Nabucodonolor , who set vp the Monarchy of the Babylonians , within one hundred yeeres of Salmanasar King of the Assyrians , learning was in great estimation , and the Kings Court was a Schoole for the best witts of the Kingdome to be bred in , that they might bee able to stand before the King furnished with all learning and vnderstanding . And if Stories do not intollerably deceiue vs ; Daniel and his companions instructed fiue great Monarches , as in the trew knowledge of GOD , so in the vnderstanding of all excellent Arts and Sciences ; Namely Nabuchodonosor , Euilmerodack , Baltazar , Darius of the Medes , and Cyrus of the Persians : And it were no hard matter to proue the trewth of this out of Daniel himselfe .

Come to the Persians , who conuersed more with the Prophets , as with Ezra , Nehemiah , Zachary , Malachy and the people that were in captiuitie ; we shall finde them giuen much to Letters . Cyrus the first Monarch is recorded to haue written large Commentaries of all his diurnall Actions : amongst those Books are found , saith Esdras , the Edicts of reducing of the Iewes to their Countrey : He wrote diuers Letters for the same purpose to all the chiefe Cities of Asia ; some whereof , we haue in the 11. of Iosephus , Chap. the first . Many things likewise are reported to haue bene written of Artaxerxes , Darius , and some others of those Monarches , as wee may partly conceiue by the Canonicall Bookes of Ezra and Nehemiah , and more by the Apocriphal - Esdras , who reports it to haue bene a custome of those Kings , so much to delight in learning , and in the sayings of wise men , that they vsed for an exercise in their greatest Solemnities , to haue solemne Orations made in the presence of the King and State , of sundry purposes , which , whoso performed to the liking of the King , was rewarded with the highest Preferments , that so mighty a Monarch could aduance them vnto .

Come we to the Graecians ; and there we shall finde Learning in the Tropicke of Cancer at such a height , as it neuer was before , nor euer , that we read of , since . And surely it is worth the obseruing , that when that extarordinary Diuine Light went out , humane Learning came in ; and the ende of the Prophets was the beginning of the Poets : The last of the diuinity of the one , the first of the Philosophy of the other : for from the end of the Captiuity till the Comming of our Sauiour Christ , the space of foure hundreth yeares and more , in which there was no Prophet , that euer J reade of , there were so many Orators , Poets and Philosophers of such singular giftes in all kindes ; as wee are onely their Schollers since , and can neuer attaine to the Excellency of our Master . Jn this time Alexander the Great was as famous for his Learning and writings , as he was for his Victories : He wrote to Antipater of all his owne Actions in Asia and in India , as Plutark reports in his Life . S. Ciprian in his Tractate of the vanitie of Jdoles , saith , that Alexander the Great wrote Insigne Volumen to his Mother ; wherein he signifies vnto her , how it was tolde him by a certaine Egyptian-Priest , that all the Gods of the Gentiles had bene but men . And S. Augustine also in his twelft Booke De ciuitate Dei makes mention of other of the writings of Alexander to Olimpias his Mother about the Succession of the Monarchies .

Amongst the Kings of Syria , Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes , writ many Bookes , and sent them into Iudea , about changing the Rites and Ceremonies of the Iewes into the Religion of the Grecians ; The principall heades of his Bookes may be found in the Bookes of Machabes and in Iosephus . Amongst the Romans , which of their Emperours did not aduance his fame by Letters ? Iulius Caesar , besides many other things , writ his Commentaries after the example of Cyrus . Octauius , as Suetonius reportes , writ many Volumes , The historie of his owne life , Exhortations to Philosophie , Heroick Verses , Epigrams , Tragedies and diuers other things ; of whom I will only relate two Stories not impertinent to my purpose . He is reported to haue bene a very diligent searcher out of all such Bookes , as appertayned to the Roman-Ethnick-Religion . All the Bookes Fatidicorum , of Fortune-tellers , that proceeded not from approued Authors both of Greeke and Latin , he cast in the fire , to the number of two thousand : Onely he reserued the writings of the Sibills , but with that choise , as hee burnt all such of them as he thought to bee counterfeit . J relate this Story the rather , for that J thinke it were a good President for our Augustus to follow , to make a diligent search of all good and profitable Authors ; As for all Hereticall Pamphlets , slaunderous Libells and impertinent writings , to commit them to Vulcane : for one of the maine meanes of corrupting this people in point of Religion , proceeds from the free vse of reading of all kinde of writings without any restraint .