disaster overtook the Romans entirely from their disregard of
justice. For their envoys, who had violated the law of nations, and had
therefore deserved punishment, they had on the contrary treated with
honour. And this should make us reflect, how carefully all princes and
commonwealths ought to refrain from committing like wrongs, not only
against communities, but also against particular men. For if a man be
deeply wronged, either by a private hand or by a public officer, and be
not avenged to his satisfaction, if he live in a republic, he will seek
to avenge himself, though in doing so he bring ruin on his country; or
if he live under a prince, and be of a resolute and haughty spirit, he
will never rest until he has wreaked his resentment against the prince,
though he knows it may cost him dear. Whereof we have no finer or truer
example than in the death of Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander.
For Pausanias, a handsome and high-born youth belonging to Philip's
court, having been most foully and cruelly dishonoured by Attalus, one
of the foremost men of the royal household, repeatedly complained to
Philip of the outrage; who for a while put him off with promises of
vengeance, but in the end, so far from avenging him, promoted Attalus to
be governor of the province of Greece. Whereupon, Pausanias, seeing his
enemy honoured and not punished, turned all his resentment from him who
had outraged, against him who had not avenged him, and on the morning
of the day fixed for the marriage of Philip's daughter to Alexander of
Epirus, while Philip walked between the two Alexanders, his son and his
son-in-law, towards the temple to celebrate the nuptials, he slew him.

This instance nearly resembles that of the Roman envoys; and offers
a warning to all rulers never to think so lightly of any man as to
suppose, that when wrong upon wrong has been done him, he will not
bethink himself of revenge, however great the danger he runs, or the
punishment he thereby brings upon himself.

CHAPTER XXIX.--_That Fortune obscures the minds of Men when she would
not have them hinder her Designs._

If we note well the course of human affairs, we shall often find things
come about and accidents befall, against which it seems to be the will
of Heaven that men should not provide. And if this were the case even in
Rome, so renowned for her valour, religion, and wise ordinances, we
need not wonder if it be far more common in other cities a