1&amp;lt;34 OF AN HOLY WAR. 



of men to him by an unjust war. The justice of 

 every action consisteth in the merits of the cause, 

 the&amp;gt; warrant of the jurisdiction, and the form of the 

 prosecution. As for the inward intention, I leave it 

 to the court of heaven. Of these things severally, 

 as they may have relation to the present subject of 

 a war against infidels ; and namely, against the most 

 potent and most dangerous enemy of the faith, the 

 Turk. I hold, and I doubt not but I shall make it 

 plain, as far as a sum or brief can make a cause 

 plain, that a war against the Turk is lawful, both by 

 the laws of nature and nations, and by the law 

 divine, which is the perfection of the other two. As 

 for the laws positive and civil of the Romans, or 

 others whatsoever, they are two small engines to 

 move the weight of this question. And therefore, 

 in my judgment, many of the late schoolmen, though 

 excellent men, take not the right way in disputing 

 this question ; except they had the gift of Navius, 

 that they could, &quot; cotem novacula scindere,&quot; hew 

 stones with pen-knives. First, for the law of nature. 

 The philosopher Aristotle is no ill interpreter thereof 

 He hath set many men on work with a witty speech 

 of &quot; natura dominus,&quot; and &quot; natura servus ;&quot; affirm 

 ing expressly and positively, that from the very 

 nativity some things are born to rule, and some things 

 to obey : which oracle hath been taken in divers 

 senses. Some have taken it for a speech of osten 

 tation, to intitle the Grecians to an empire over the 

 barbarians ; which indeed was better maintained by 

 his scholar Alexander. Some have taken it for a 



