OF EMPIRE 47 



but a just fear of an imminent danger, though there be no 

 blow given, is a lawful cause of a war. 



For their Wives; there are cruel evnmples of them. 

 Livia is infamed for the poisoning of her husband ; Roxa- 

 lana, Solyman's wife, was the destruction of that renowned 

 prince Sultan Mustapha, and otherwise troubled his house 

 and succession ; Edward the Second of England his queen 

 had the principal hand in the deposing and murther of her 

 husband. This kind of danger is then to be feared chiefly, 

 when the wives have plots for the raising of their own 

 children ; or else that they be advoutresses. 



For their Children ; the tragedies likewise of dangers 

 from them have been many. And generally, the entering 

 of fathers into suspicion of their children hath been ever 

 unfortunate. The destruction of Mustapha (that we 

 named before) was so fatal to Solyman's line, as the 

 succession of the Turks from Solyman until this day is 

 suspected to be untrue, and of strange blood; for that 

 Selymus the Second was thought to be supposititious. The 

 destruction of Crispus, a young prince of rare towardness, 

 by Constantinus the Great, his father, was in like manner 

 fatal to his house ; for both Constantinus and Constance, 

 his sons, died violent deaths ; and Constantius, his other 

 son, did little better ; who died indeed of sickness, but 

 after that Julianus had taken arms against him. The 

 destruction of Demetrius, son to Philip the Second of 

 Macedon, turned upon the father, who died of repentance. 

 And many like examples there are ; but few or none where 

 the fathers had good by such distrust ; except it were where 

 the sons were up in open arms against them ; as was 

 Selymus the First against Bajazet ; and the three sons 

 of Henry the Second, King of England. 



For their Prelates ; when they are proud and great, 

 there is also danger from them ; as it was in the times of 

 Anselmus and Thomas Becket, Archbishops of Canterbury; 

 who with their crosiers did almost try it with the king's 

 sword ; and yet they had to deal with stout and haughty 

 kings ; William Rufus, Henry the First, and Henry the 

 Second. The danger is not from that state, but where it 



