Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury

Whosoever doth not maintain the plough destroys the kingdom.

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1 June 1563? – 24 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his skilful direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Salisbury served as the Secretary of State of England (1596–1612) and Lord High Treasurer (1608–12), succeeding his father as Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Privy Seal and remaining in power during the first nine years of King James I's reign. He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley.

Quotes

• I do not dwell in the country, nor am I acquainted with the plough, but I think that whosoever doth not maintain the plough destroys the kingdom ... Excepting Sir Thomas More's Utopia...you shall never find but the ploughman is chiefly provided for.
  • Speech in the House of Commons (9 December 1601).