Now, forasmuch as princes are not only powerful but rich, according to a number of people (hands being the Father as lands are the Mother or Womb of Wealth), it is no wonder why states by encouraging marriage, advance their own interests.

Without the knowledge of the true number of the people, as a principle, the whole scope and use of keeping bills of birth and burials is impaired; wherefore by laborious conjectures and calculations to deduce the number of people from the births and burials, may be ingenious, but very preposterous.

Not marble, nor the gilded monumentsOf princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme.

It were good to know the geometrical content, figure and situation of all the lands of a kingdom, especially according to its most natural bounds.

I make this question, whether, since they do all live by begging... it were not better for the state to keep them.

Great princes have great playthings.