X. Alexander Severus having tasted both of a private life, and the state of an emperor, had this censure; "Emperors," says he, "are ill managers of the public revenue to feed so many unuseful mouths;" wherefore he retrenched his family from pompous to serviceable. He would not employ persons of quality in his domestic service, thinking it too mean for them and too costly for him: adding, "That personal service was the work of the lowest order of the people." He would never suffer offices of justice to be sold; "For," saith he, "it is not strange that men should sell what they buy;" meaning justice. He was impartial in correction: "My friends," says he, "are dear to me; but the commonwealth is dearer." Yet he would say, "That sweetening power to the people made it lasting. That we ought to gain our enemies as we keep our friends:" that is, by kindness. He said, "That we ought to desire happiness and to bear afflictions; that those which are desirable may be pleasant; but the troubles we avoid may have most profit in the end." He did not like pomp in religion: for it is not gold that recommends the sacrifice, but the piety of him that offers it. A house being in contest betwixt some Christians and keepers of taverns, the one to perform religion, the other to sell drink therein, he decided the matter thus: "That it were much better that it were any way employed to worship God than to make a tavern of it." Behold! by this we may see the wisdom and virtue that shined among the heathens. XI. Dioclesian would say, that there was nothing more difficult than to reign well: and the reason he gave was, that those who had the ears of princes do so continually lay ambushes to surprise them to their interests, that they can hardly make one right step. XII. Theodosius the younger was so merciful in his nature, that instead of putting people to death, he wished it were in his power to call the dead to life again. These were the sentiments of the ancient grandees of the world, to wit, emperors, kings, princes, captains, statesmen, &c. not unworthy of the thoughts of persons of the same figure and quality now in being: and for that end they are here collected, that such may with more ease and brevity behold the true statutes of the ancients, not lost or lessened by the decays of time. III. _I will now proceed to report the virtuous doctrines and sayings of men of more retirement; such as philosophers and writers, both Greeks and Romans, who in their respective times were masters in the civility, knowledge, and virtue that were among the Gentiles, being most of them many ages before the coming of Christ_, _viz._