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God held twelve years, without relaxing, without any consolation from men, our unfortunate Queen (let us loudly call her by this title, which she made a cause for thanksgiving), making her learn under his hand such hard but useful lessons.  At last, softened by her prayers and her humble patience, he restored the royal house; Charles II. is recognized and the injury of the kings is avenged.  Those whom arms could not conquer, nor reasoning convince, came back suddenly of their own accord:  disappointed in their freedom, they at last came to detest its excesses, ashamed that they had had so much power, and horrified at their own success.  We know that this magnanimous prince might have hastened things by making use of the hands of those who offered to destroy tyranny at one blow:  but his great soul disdained these low agencies; he believed that whatever were the conditions of kings, it behoved their majesty to act only by the laws or by arms.  These laws, which he defended, restored him almost by themselves; he reigns, peaceful and glorious, on his ancestors’ throne, and with and through him also reign justice, wisdom, and mercy.

FROM THE ‘DISCOURSE UPON UNIVERSAL HISTORY’

INTRODUCTION

Even were history useless to other men, it would still be necessary to have it read by princes.  There is no better way of making them discover what can be brought about by passions and interests, by times and circumstances, by good and bad advice.  The books of historians are filled with the actions that occupy them, and everything therein seems to have been done for their use.  If experience is necessary to them for acquiring that prudence which enables them to become good rulers, nothing is more useful to their instruction than to add to the example of past centuries the experiences with which they meet every day.  While usually they learn to judge of the dangerous circumstances that surround them, only at the expense of their subjects and of their own glory, by the help of history they form their judgment upon the events of the past without risking anything.  When they see even the most completely hidden vices of princes exposed to the eyes of all men, in spite of the insincere praise which they received while alive, they feel ashamed of the empty joy which flattery gives them, and they acknowledge that true glory cannot obtain without real merit.

Moreover, it would be disgraceful,—­I do not say for a prince, but in general for any educated man,—­not to know the human kind and the memorable changes which took place in the world through the lapse of ages.  If we do not learn from history to distinguish the times, we shall represent men under the law of nature, or under the civil law, the same as under the sway of the gospel; we shall speak of the Persians conquered under Alexander in the same