76 tTbc (Barren 



their lives, till their empire fell to the Medes. 

 Thus the Caliphs of Egypt, till deposed by their 

 Mamelukes. Thus passed the latter parts of 

 those great lives of Scipio, I/ucullus, Augustus, 

 Diocletian. Thus turned the great thoughts 

 of Henry II. of France, after the end of his wars 

 with Spain. Thus the present king of Moroc- 

 co, after having subdued all his competitors, 

 passes his life in a country villa, gives audience 

 in a grove of orange-trees planted among purling 

 streams. And thus the king of France, after 

 all the successes of his councils or arms, and in 

 the mighty elevation of his present greatness 

 and power, when he gives himself leisure from 

 such designs or pursuits, passes the softer and 

 easier parts of his time in country-houses or 

 gardens, in building, planting, or adorning the 

 scenes, or in the common sports and entertain- 

 ments of such kind of lives. And those mighty 

 emperors, who contented not themselves with 

 these pleasures of common humanity, fell into 

 the fanatic or the extravagant ; they pretended 

 to be gods or turned to be devils, as Caligula 

 and Nero, and too many others known enough 

 in story. 



Whilst mankind is thus generally busied or 

 amused, that part of them, who have had either 

 the justice or the luck to pass in common 

 opinion for the wisest and the best part among 



