6 THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



being done accordingly, they became so painful and 

 industrious, as that day and night they continued 

 hammering out in laborious diligence thunder-bolts 

 and other instruments of terror. In process of time 

 Jupiter having conceived a displeasure against 

 /Esculapius, the son of Apollo, for restoring a dead 

 man to life by physic, and concealing his dislike 

 because there was no just cause of anger, the deed 

 being pious and famous, secretly incensed the Cyclops 

 against him, who without delay slew him with a 

 thunder-bolt; in revenge of which act, Apollo, 

 Jupiter not prohibiting it, shot them to death with 

 his arrows. 



This fable may be applied to the projects of 

 kings, who having cruel, bloody, and exacting 

 officers, do first punish and displace them : after 

 wards, by the counsel of Tellus, that is of some base 

 and ignoble person, and by the prevailing respect of 

 profit, they admit them into their places again, that 

 they may have instruments in a readiness, if at any 

 time there should need either severity of execution 

 or acerbity of exaction. These servile creatures be 

 ing by nature cruel, and by their former fortune 

 exasperated, and perceiving well what is expected at 

 their hands, do shew themselves wonderful officious 

 in such kind of employments; but being too rash 

 and precipitate in seeking countenance and creeping 

 into favour, do sometimes take occasion, from the 

 secret beckonings and ambiguous commands of their 

 prince, to perform some hateful execution. But 

 princes abhorring the fact, and knowing well that 



