The best and the worst magistrate

I have in the next place a word to say unto him, whosoever Use 2 he may be, on whom the lot may fall to be (this day) chosen chief Magistrate for this City.

I have in the next place a word to say unto him, whosoever Ʋse 2 he may be, on whom the lot may fall to be (this day) chosen chief Magistrate for this City.

Sir, As your choice, so your work is likely to be in a troublesome time; you well know how divided, how broken, how shivered our public condition is; and when the Ship is in broken Seas, the danger is the greater, and the Pilot hath reason to be the more careful and circumspect: Assuredly, your Piety, your Sincerity, your Fidelity, your Wisdom, your Meekness, your Zeal, all the Abilities which you can possibly ascend unto, will meet with occasions sufficient for their trial and improvement.

Sir, As your choyce, so your work is likely to be in a troublesome time; you well know how divided, how broken, how shivered our publique condition is; and when the Ship is in broken Seas, the danger is the greater, and the Pilot hath reason to be the more careful and circumspect: Assuredly, your Piety, your Sincerity, your Fidelity, your Wisdom, your Meekness, your Zeal, all the Abilities which you can possibly ascend unto, will meet with occasions sufficient for their tryal and improvement.

But, Sir, though it be some part of your unhappiness, to appear upon the Stage in divided and distempered times, yet it will be the more for your honour, if you can with your singular wisdom, and expedient meekness, calm our seas, quench our fires, steal into joint our broken bones, bind all of us up into an Unity and Love, who are started asunder so much through our own frailties, and (I fear) the more through other mens subtleties. It was the work of Jesus Christ to harmonize God and man, and it will be your praise as well as duty, to close up Christians and Brethren; But I shall spare further discourse for this. One reports of Hippocrates, That he gave an Oath unto his Scholars to look well to his children: An Oath is beyond me to impose on you, nevertheless, I would (with all humble and dutiful respect) commend (and that from God) unto your choicest care, two Children, and both of them belong to God; the mentioning of their Relation, hath raised in you already both a Reverence and a Resolution: But what are these two Children? Sir, As you have but two farthings to commend unto God (Bernard calls the one of them your Soul, and the other of them your Body) so God puts the care but of two of his Children unto you, to Nurse them for one year; the one is Religion, and the other is Justice: If you be