ADVICE TO SIR GEORGE VILL1ERS. 429 



and providence for war is the best prevention of it 

 from abroad. 



4. Wars are either foreign or civil ; for the fo 

 reign war by the king upon some neighbour nation, 

 I hope we are secure ; the king in his pious and just 

 disposition is not inclinable thereunto ; his empire 

 is long enough, bounded with the ocean, as if the 

 very situation thereof had taught the king and peo 

 ple to set up their rests, and say, Ne plus ultra.&quot; 



5. And for a war of invasion from abroad ; only 

 we must not be over-secure : that is the way to in 

 vite it. 



6. But if we be always prepared to receive an 

 enemy, if the ambition or malice of any should in 

 cite him, we may be very confident we shall long 

 live in peace and quietness, without any attempts 

 upon us. 



7. To make the preparations hereunto the more 

 assured : in the first place, I will recommend unto 

 you the care of our out-works, the navy royal and 

 shipping of our kingdom, which are the walls thereof: 

 and every great ship is as an impregnable fort ; and 

 our many safe and commodious ports and havens, in 

 every of these kingdoms, are as the redoubts to se 

 cure them. 



8. For the body of the ships, no nation of the 

 world doth equal England for the oaken timber 

 wherewith to build them ; and we need not borrow 

 of any other iron for spikes, or nails, to fasten them 

 together ; but there must be a great deal of provi- 



