Peripeteia

From lecture notes by Dr Charles Moseley

1. Humanism

The great intellectual movement known as humanism developed in Renaissance Italy and spread all over Europe. The humanists stressed the moral value of the Greek and Latin classics, which, despite their being written in a pagan culture, contained both all the lessons one needed to lead a moral and effective life and the best models for a powerful Latin style – and the use of words mattered, for from words came persuasion, and from persuasion, power and the political life. They developed a new, rigorous kind of classical scholarship, which they applied to Greek and Roman works, some long know, some recently rediscovered. Both the republican elites of Florence and Venice and the ruling families of Milan, Ferrara, and Urbino hired humanists to teach their children classics and to write elegant, classical letters, histories - and propaganda.

During the fifteenth century, the humanists also convinced most of the popes that the papacy needed their skills – some popes were themselves notable scholars. Sophisticated classical scholars were hired to write official correspondence and propaganda; to create an image of the popes as powerful, enlightened, modern rulers of the Church; and to apply their scholarly tools to the church's needs, including writing a more classical form of the Mass. The relation between popes and scholars was never simple, for the humanists evolved their own views on theology. Some argued that pagan philosophers like Plato basically agreed with Christian revelation. Others criticized important Church doctrines or institutions that lacked biblical or historical support. Some even seemed in danger of becoming pagans.

The humanists laid great stress on the value of the human, on the importance of individuals, and on education. Many stressed the folly of many political actions (especially war), the inequity of women’s position, and their right to education as much as men. They also saw the end of education as the pursuit of virtue, and the end of virtue as virtuous action in the community

2. Education of a Prince; Basilikon Doron

In 1598, King James VI & I wrote Basilikon Doron – ‘the Kingly Gift’ - to instruct his young son, Prince Henry (born 1593), in manners, morals and the ways of kingship. Prince Henry did not live to reign: he died in 1612. When he wrote it, King James had no intention of publishing Basilikon Doron. He bound his printer, Robert Waldegrave, to secrecy, and ordered an edition of only seven copies for his own private use.

The opening pages:
BASILIKON DORON.
or,
HIS MAIESTIES INTRVCTIONS TO HIS
DEAREST SONNE,
HENRY THE PRINCE.

THE ARGVMENT.

SONNET.
GOD giues not Kings the stile of Gods in vaine,
For on his throne his sceptre doe they swey:
And as their subiects ought them to obey,
So Kings should feare and serue their God againe.
If then ye would enioy a happie raigne,
Obserue the statutes of your heauenly King,
And from his Law, make all your Lawes to spring:
Since his Lieutenant here ye should remaine,
Reward the iust, be steadfast, true, and plaine,
Represse the proud, maintaining aye the right,
Walk alwaies so, as euer in his sight,
Who guards the godly, plaguing the prophane:
And so ye shall in Princely vertue shine,
Resembling right your mightie King Diuine.

TO HENRY, MY DEARET SONNE AND NATURALL SUCCESSOR.
WHOM-TO can so rightlie appertaine this booke of instructions to a Prince in all the points of his calling, as well generall, as a Christian towards God; as particular, as a king towards his people? Whom-to, I say, can it so iustly appertaine, as vnto you my dearest Sonne? Since I the Authour thereof as your naturall Father, must be carefull for your godly and vertuous education, as my eldest Sonne, and the first fruits of Gods blessing towards me in my posteritie: and as a King must timouslie prouide for your training vp in all the points of a Kings office; since yee are my naturall and lawfull successor therein: that being rightlie informed hereby, of the weight of your burthen, ye may in time begin to consider, that being borne to be a King, ye are rather borne to onus, then honos: not excelling all your people so farre in ranke and honour, as in daily care and hazardous paines-taking, for the dutifull administration of that great office, that God hath laid vpon your shoulders. Laying so a iust symmetrie and proportion, betwixt the height of your honourable place, and the heauie weight of your great charge: and consequentlie, in case of failing, which God forbid, of the sadnesse of your fall, according to the proportion of that height. I haue therefore for the greater ease to your memorie, and that ye may at the first, cast vp any part that ye haue to do with, deuided this treatise in three parts. The first teacheth you your dutie towards God as a Christian: the next, your dutie in your office as a King: and the third informeth you how to behaue your selfe in indifferent things, which of themselues are neither right nor wrong, but according as they are rightlie or wrong vsed, and yet will serue according to your behauiour therein, to augment or empaire your fame & authoritie at the hands of your people. Receiue and welcome this booke then, as a faithfull Preceptour and counsellor vnto you: which, because my affairs will not permit me euer to be present with you, I ordaine to be a resident faithfull admonisher of you. And because the hovvre of death is uncertaine to me, as vnto all flesh, I leaue it as a Testament and latter will vnto you. Charging you in the presence of GOD, and by the fatherlie authoritie I haue over you, that yee keepe it euer with you, as carefullie, as Alexander did the Ilaids of Homer. Ye will finde it a iust and impartiall counsellor; neither flattering you in anie vice, nor importuning you at vnmeete times. It will not come vncalled, neither speake vnspeered at: and yet conferring with it when yee are at quiet, yee shall say with Scipio, that yee are nunquam minus solus, quam cum solus. To conclude then, I charge you, as euer ye thinke to deserue my fatherlie blessing, to follovve and put in practice, as farre as lieth in you, the precepts hereafter following. And if yee followe the contrarie course, I take the great God to record, that this booke shall one day be a witnesse betwixt me and you; and shall procure to bee ratified in heauen, the curse that in that case here I giue vnto you. For I protest before that great God, I had rather not bee a father and childlesse, then be a father of wicked children. But hoping, yea euen promising vnto my selfe, that God, who in his blessing sent you vnto me; shall in the same blessing, as he hath giuen me a Sonne; so make him a good and a godlie Sonne; not repenting him of his mercie shewed vnto me: I end, with my earnest prayer to God, to worke effectualie into you, the fruites of that blessing, which here from my hart I bestow vpon you.
Your louing Father,
I. R.

TO THE READER.
CHARITABLE Reader, it is one of the golden sentences which Christ our Saviour vttred to his Apostles, that there "is nothing so couered, that shal not be reuealed, neither so hid, that shall not be knowne: and whatsoeuer they haue spoken in darknesse, should bee heard in the light: and that which they had spoken in the eare in secret place, should be publiklie preached on the tops of the houses." And since he hath said it, most true must it bee, since the authour thereof is the fountaine and very being of truth. Which should moue all godlie and honest men, to bee very warie in all their secretest actions, and whatsoeuer middesses they vse for attaining to their most wished ends: least otherwaise how avowable soeuer the mark be, where-at they aime, the middesses being discouered to be shamefull, whereby they climbe; it may turne to the digrace both of the good work it selfe, and of the authour thereof: since the deepest of our secrets cannot be hid from that al-seeing eye, and penetrant light, pearcing through the bowels of verie darknesse it selfe.

But as this is generallie true in the actions of all men, so is it more speciallie true in the affaires of Kings. For Kings being publike persons, by reason of their office and authoritie, are as it were set (as it was sayd of old) vpon a publique stage, in the sight of all the people; where all the beholders eyes are attentiuelie bent, to looke and pry in the least circumstance of their secretest driftes. Which should make Kings the more carefull, not to harbour the secretest thought in their minde, but such as in the owne time they shall not be ashamed openlie to avouch: assuring themselues, that time the mother of verity, will in the dewe season bring her owne daughter to perfection…