whereby they may beare and suffre quietly suche great troubles For at this daye there is no husbande so louing nor so vertuous in whom the wife shall not finde some euill conditions First of al wiues ought to endeuour them selues to loue their husbandes vnfainedly if they desire their husbandes should loue them without dissimulation for as we see by experience mariage is seldome broken through pouertie nor yet continued with riches For the euill maried folkes through debate and strife be separated in on week where as by good and true loue they are preserued all the dayes of their life To eate drie and vnsauory meates they vse to take salte for to amende it I meane that the burdens of matrimonie are many and troublesome the whiche all with loue onely maye be endured For as Plato the deuine philosopher sayeth one thinge oughte not to be called more painefull then an other for the labour we thereunto employ but for the great or small loue that thereunto we haue Though some sondry thyngs be troublesome and tedious yet when with loue it is begonne it is easely folowed and ioyefully achieued for that trauayle is nothyng noysome where loue is the mediatour I knowe right well and doe confesse that the counsell whiche I geue to women is sharpe that is for an honest woman to loue a dissolute man for a sage wyfe to loue a foolishe husbande for a vertuous wyfe to loue a vitious husbande For as dayly experience sheweth there are some men of so foolish conditions other women of so noble conuersation that by reason apparant they ought to take them for mistresses rather then they should accepte them for husbandes Although this in some particuler cases is true I saye and affirme that generally all women are bounde to loue their husbandes since that willingly and not by compulsion they were not enforced to take them for in like manner if the mariage pleased not the woman she hath not so much cause to complaine of her husbande for asking her as she hath reason to complayne of her owne selfe that accepted hym For the misfortunes that by our folly doe chaunce though we haue cause to lamente them we ought also to haue reason to dissemble them Be the man neuer so wylde and euill brought vp it is impossible if the wife loue him but he must nedes loue her againe And though perchaunce he can not force his euill condition to loue her yet at the leaste he shall haue no occasion to hate her The whiche ought not to be litle estemed for there are many wyues not onely of the Plebeians but also of the noble dames that coulde be content to forgeue their husbandes all the pleasure they should doe them and also all the loue that they ought to shewe if they would refraine their tongues from speaking iniurious wordes and kepe their handes from dealinge lothsome stripes We haue many notable examples in histories of manye noble and stoute Ladies as well Grekes as Romaines whiche after they were maried had so great faithfulnes and bare suche loyaltie to their husbandes that they not onely folowed them in their trauailes but also deliuered them in their daungers Plutarche in the booke of noble women declareth that the Lacedemonians keping many nobles of the Athenians prisoners whiche at that tyme were their cruell and mortall enemies and beinge iudged to die their wyues concluded to goe to the pryson where they laye and in the ende they obtayned of the Gayler thereof that they myght goe in and talke with their husbandes for in dede the teares were many that before them were shed the giftes were not fewe whiche vnto them were offered The wiues therefore entring into the pryson did not onely chaunge their apparell with their husbandes but also the libertie of their personnes for they went out as women and the women in their steades remained there as men And when they brought out these innocent wyues from pryson to execute iustice supposing they were men the Lacedemonians vnderstandinge the faithfulnes of the women determined that they should not only be pardoned but also that they should be greatly rewarded and honoured for the good examples of other women to whom they were maried The auncient and great renowmed Panthea when newes was brought her that her husbande was dead in the battayle she her owne selfe determined to goe seke him out with hope that as yet he was not vtterly dead and fynding him dead with the bloud of him she washed all her body and likewyse her face stryking with a knife her selfe to the harte and imbracing her husbande she yelded vp the ghost so togethers they were caried to the graue Porcia the doughter of Marcus Porcia the great when she hearde that her husband Brutus was taken and slayn she felte for that newes so great sorowe that all her frendes seinge her take the matter so greuously hidde from her all Irone where with she might kill her selfe and did laboure to kepe and preserue her from daungers wherein she might fall and shorten her life For she was so excellent a Romaine and so necessary to the common wealth that if they had lamented the death of Brutus her husband with teares of their eies they ought to bewayle the losse of his wife Porcia with droppes of bloud in their hartes Porcia therefore feeling in her selfe a wofull and afflicted harte for the death of her entierly beloued husband to declare that that whiche she did was not fained nor for to please the people but to satisfie her great marueilous loue since she founde neither sworde nor knife to kill her selfe nor corde to hange her selfe neither welle to drowne her in she went to the fire and with as great pleasure did eate the hote firie coales as an other would haue eaten any delicate meates We may say that such kinde of death was very straunge and newe whiche the Romaine founde to encrease augmente and manifest her loue Yet we can not denie but that she wanne to the posteritie of her name a perpetuall memorie For as a noble dame she would quenche with coles of fire her burning harte that enflamed was with firie brondes of loue As Diodorus Siculus saith it was a lawe custome amongest the Lidians to mary them selues with many wiues and whan by chaunce their husbande 's died the wiues which they had met together and fought in some plaine place And the women which remained only aliue and of the conflict had the victory cast them selues into the graue of their husbande so that those women then fought for to die as men nowe fight for to liue ¶ Of the reuenge a woman of Grece toke of him that had killed her husband in hope to haue her in mariage Cap. v. PLutarche in the booke that he made of the noble and worthy women declareth a thing worthy of rehersall and to be had in memory In the citie of Galacia were two renowmed citezens whose names
armies ioyned together and fought betwene Verona Trento wher king Syndual was conquered and taken aliue and the same day without any delay was hanged openly And because that Narsetes was not accustomed to vse such cruelty against those that were ouercome especially against kings and worthie Knightes he commaunded his title to be set on the gibbet wheron the kinge hanged which said this ¶ A simple corde here stopt king Synduals breath By fautles doome of hye Narsetes hest Not that he sought by warlike deedes his death But that in peace he dyd a Traitor rest Such and many other battailes and victories had this aduenturous and good captaine not only in the borders of Italye but also in Asia where for many yeres he had the gouernement of the country And as he was a good christian so almighty god in all his affaires did prosper him After all these warres past Iustinian the younger sent him to the kyngdome of constantinople to be chiefe gouernour of al those prouinces and although he dyd wel in warlike affaires yet he did much better in the administracion of the common wealth For men that are accustomed to trauaile in warres haue a good lerning howe to gouerne the people in peace For this occasion amongest all mortall men Narsetes was praysed and estemed that is for his valyauntnes in the batailes which he ouercame for his riches through the spoyles that he toke and for the iustice he ministred to all men where he ruled Narsetes because he was a Gretian borne was enuied of the Romaines chiefly because he dayly encreased both his honour and riches For truly vertue honour riches in a mā are but a brond to light enuy to al the world And thus was the case One daye ther came many noble Romaines to the emperour Iustinian to the Empresse Sophia Augusta to complaine of Narsetes and of his behauiour gouerning said these words vnto them We let you to wete most noble prince soueraigne lady that we had rather of the two to serue the Gothes then to obey the Greekes we speake this because that the Eunuch comaunded vs more to his owne seruice then hee dooth to that of yours and the worst is that you know it not if you know it at the lest you do not remedie it Chose therfore one of these two things whether you wil deliuer vs frō the gouernment of the greke or suffer that we put Rome our selues into the hands of the Gothes For it is lesse griefe for the Romaines to be subiect to a puisant king then to an effeminate Eunuch a tiraunt Narsetes being present hearing these quarelles as they say said thus O noble prince if I haue committed any euil it is vnpossible for me to find one that wil do me good but if I haue done wel no man shal be able to do me wrōg The empresse Sophia of long time before had hated Narsetes some saide it was because he was an Eunuch other thinke it was because he was rich some other iudge because he was in greater authoritie in the empire then shee Wherfore perceuing she had good occasion oportunitie for the same she spake a word much to his reproche which was this Sith thou art an Eunuch Narsetes not a man it is not fit for the to haue a mans office therfore I cōmaund the to worke with my handmaidens and ther thou shalt serue to spin and weaue clothes Narsetes toke this word heauily truly it was with great spight spoken Wherfore he stoutly couragiously spake vnto the Empresse Sophia these words said I had rather most excellent Princesse thou haddest chastised me as a noble dame then to haue reproued me with a word as a simple womā but since it is so that you haue liberty authoritie to comaund me know you also that I haue the selfe same to obey you and therfore I take my leaue now I go to weaue my webbe which perhappes your self whilest you liue shal neuer vntwine Narsetes immediatly went his way came into Italye into the citye of Naples chiefe and head of Campagnia and from thense he depeached his imbassadours immediatly to the king of Hungarie wher the Lumbardes at the time had their mansion place coūsailing them to forsake that land so euyl tilled so barren cold and litle that they shold come enhabite Italye which was a plaine countrie fartile ample temperat very riche and that now or neuer they should conquere it And Narsetes therwith not contented but to prouoke his frends the more make them the more couetous sente theym part of euery good thing that was in Italy that is to wete lyght horses riche armour swete pleasant dainty fruits fine mettailes many kinds of oyntments very odiferous silkes marchaūdises of many diuers sortes The embassadors ariued in Panony which now is called Hungarie were honorably receiued the Lumbardes seing that ther wer suche so many goodly things in Italie determined to leaue Pannonia go spoile conquere Italy although it belōged to Rome were at the season frends with the Romaines yet notwithstanding they had litle respect to this And hereat no man ought to merueile for in the place ther is neuer perfite frendshippe wher he that commaundeth is cōstrained to demaund helpe of others The Lumbards determined to passe into Italy at the time ther was sene of the Italians visibly in the ayer sondry armies of fire the one cruelly killing the other Whiche thinges greatly feared the hartes of the people For by this they knew that with in a short space much of their bloud of their enemies also should be shed For it is an old auncient custome that when any great matter doth chaunce to anye Realme first the planetes elements do declare the same by secret tokens The ingratitude of the Emperour Iustinian against Narsetes his captaine the euyll words which Sophia spake vnto him wer thoccasiō that the Lumbardes inuaded destroyed al Italy which thing valiant Princes ought wel to note to kepe them selues from ingratitude towards their seruauntes who hath don them great seruice For it is a general rule that the ingratitude of a great benefit maketh the seruaunts dispaire of recompence or of a faithfull seruaunt maketh him become a cruel mortal enemy And let not Princes trust men because they be natife of their realmes brought vp nourished in their palaces alwaies haue bene faithful in their seruices that therfore they wil not of good subiectes be turned to euill nor yet of faithful become disloyall For suche imaginacion is vaine For the Prince that in his doings is vnthankefull cannot keape nor reteyne anye honest man longe in his seruice One thynge the noble Iustinian did with Narsetes whereof all noble and sage Princes ought to beware that is to know he did not onely giue eare vnto his enemyes and beleued them
I doe appeale thee if thou hast dreamed that thou hast wrytten I saye beleue not in dreames and if thou wylt not it shoulde auayle to glorifie me as a frende yet thou mightest wryte it aduertising and repreuing me as the father to the sonne younge vertuous persones are bounde to honour auncient wyse men and no lesse olde wyse men ought to endoctrine the younge people and very young as I am A iust thing it is that the new forces of youth supplie and serue them that are worne by age For their longe experience instructeth our tender age and naturall ignoraunce Youthe is euill applied when it aboundeth in force of the body wanteth the vertues of the mind and age is honoured wherein the force dieth outwarde whereby vertues quickeneth the more inwarde We may see the tree when the fruite is gathered the leaues fall and when flowers drie then more grene and perfecte are the rootes I meane that when the first season of youth is passed whiche is the Sommer time then commeth age called Wynter and purifieth the fruite of the fleshe and the leaues of fauour fal the flowers of delite wither and the vynes of hope drye outwarde then it is ryght that much better are the rootes of good workes within They that be olde and auncient ought to prayse their good workes rather then their white heares For honoure ought to be geuen for the good life and not for the whyte head Glorious is that common wealth and fortunate is that prince that is lord of young men to trauaile and auncient persones to councell As to regarde the sustaininge of the naturalitie of the lyfe in likewyse ought to be considered the policy of gouernaunce the whiche is that al the fruites come nor drye not al at once but when one beginneth another faileth And in this maner ye that be auncient teaching vs and we be obedient as olde fathers and young pullettes being in the neste of the Senate Of some their fethers fallinge and other younge fethered and where as the olde fathers can not flie their trauayles are mainteined by their tender children Frende Catullus I purposed not to wryte one lyne this yeare because my penne was troubled with thy slouthe but the weakenes of my spirite and the great peril of myne offices alwayes called on me to demaunde thy councell This priuiledge the olde wyse men holde in their houses where they dwell They are alwayes lordes ouer them that be simple and are sclaues to them that be wyse I thinke thou hast forgotten me thinking that sithe the death of my dere sonne Verissimus the time hath bene so long that I should forget it Thou hast occasion to thinke so for many thinges are cured in time which reason can not helpe But in this case I can not tell which is the greatest thy trūpery or my dolour I sweare to thee by the gods immortall that the hungry wormes are not so puissaunt in the entrales of the vnhappy chylde as the bitter sorowes are in the heauy hart of the wofull father And it is no comparison for the sonne is dead but one tyme and the heauy father dieth euery momente What wylt thou more that I should saye But that one ought to haue enuy of his death and compassion of my lyfe because in dyeng he lyueth and in the lyuing I dye In the mischaunces of lyfe and in the great vnconstancie of fortune whereas her gyles profiteth but litle and her strengthe lesse I thinke the best remedy is to fele it as a man and dissimule it as discrete and wyse If all things as they be felt at heart should be shewed outward with the tongue I thynke that the wyndes shoulde breake the hearte with syghinges and water all the earth with weping O if the corporal eyes sawe the sorowe of the heart I sweare to thee they should see more of a drop of bloud sweatinge within then all the wepyng that appeareth without There is no comparyson of the great dolours of the body to the least greife of the mynde For all trauayle of the body men may finde some remedy but if the heauy heart speake it is not heard if it wepe it is not sene if it complaine it is not beleued What shal the poore harte doe Abhorre the lyfe wherwith it dieth and desire death wherwith it liueth The highe vertues among noble vertuous people consiste not all onely to suffer the passions of the body but also to dissimule them of the soule They be suche that alter the humours and shewe it not outward they brynge a feuer without altering of the poulce they alter the stomacke they make vs to knele to the earth to suffer the water vp to the mouthe and to take death without leauing of the lyfe and finally they length our life to the intente that we should haue no more trauayle and denieth vs our graue to the intent that we should not reste But considering as I am troubled with sorowes so am I voyde of consolations for when I haue either desire of the one or werynes of the other I vse alwayes this remedy to dissimule with the tongue to wepe with the eyes and to fele it with my heart I passe my lyfe as he that hoped to lese all that he hath neuer to recouer that that is loste I saye this though ye see me not nowe make funeral wepinges and waylinges as I did at the death of my sonne yet thinke not but it doeth bren my heart so that with the great heate inward is consumed the humiditie of the eyes for it brenneth al my spirites within Thou mayest knowe what an honorable father suffereth to lese a good childe in all thinges the gods be liberal except in geuing vs vertuous children Where there is aboūdaunce of great estates there is greatest scarsitie of good inheritours It is a dolefull thing to heare and greater pitie to see howe these fathers clime to haue rychesse and to see their children descende to haue viciousnes To see the fathers honoure their children and the children to infame their fathers yea and the fathers to geue reste to the chyldren and the chyldren to geue trouble to their fathers yea and sometyme the fathers die for sorowe that their children die so sone and we see their childrē wepe because their fathers die so late What should I saye more but that the honoure and ryches that the fathers haue procured with great thought the chyldren consume with litle care I am certayne of one thing that the fathers may gather ryches with strengthe and crafte to susteyne their children but the Gods wyll not haue durable that that is begonne with euyll intention as that is whiche is wonne to the preiudice of other and possessed with an euyll heyre And though the heauy destinies of the father permit that the ryches be lefte to their children to serue them in all their vyces for their pastime at last yet according to their merites the
I am sory they know so much only for that they subtilly disceiue and by vsury abuse their neighbours and kepe that they haue vniustly gotten and dayly getting more inuenting new trades Finally I say if they haue any knowledge it is not to amend their life but rather to encrease their goods If the diuil could slepe as men do he might safely slepe for wheras he waketh to deceiue vs we wake to vndoe our selues wel suppose that al these heretofore I haue sayd is true Let vs now leue aside craft take in hand knowledge The knowledge which we attaine to is smal that whych we shold attaine to so great that al that we know is the least part of that we are ignoraunt Euen as in things natural the elamentes haue their operacions accordyng to the variety of time so moral doctrines as the aged haue succeded and sciences were discouered Truly al fruites come not together but when one faileth another commeth in season I meane that neyther al the Doctours among the Christians nor al the phylosophers among the gentyles were concurrant at one time but after the death of one good ther came another better The chiefe wysedome whych measureth al thyngs by iustyce and disparseth them accordyng to his bounty wyl not that at one time they should be al wyse men and at an other time al simple For it had not ben reason the one should haue had the fruite and the other the leaues The old world that ran in Saturnes dayes otherwyse called the golden world was of a truth muche estemed of them that saw it and greatly commended of them that wrote of it That is to say it was not gilded by the Sages whych did gilde it but because there was no euyl men whych dyd vngild it For as thexperience of the meane estate nobility teacheth vs of one only parson dependeth aswel the fame and renoume as the infamy of a hole house and parentage That age was called golden that is to saye of gold and this our age is called yronne that is to say of yron This dyfference was not for that gold then was found now yron nor for that in this our age ther is want of theym that be sage but because the number of them surmounteth that be at this day malicious I confesse one thing and suppose many wil fauour me in the same Phauorin the philosopher which was maister to Aulus Gellius and his especial frend sayde ofttimes that the phylosophers in old time were holden in reputacion bycause ther were few teachers and many learners We now a daies se the contrary for infinite are they whych presume to be maysters but few are they whych humble theym selues to be scholers A man maye know how litle wise men are estemed at this houre by the greate veneracion that the phylosophers had in the old tyme. What a matter is it to se Homere amongest the Grecians Salomon amongest the Hebrues Lycurgus amongest the Lacedomoniens Phoromeus also amongest the Grekes Ptolomeus amongeste the Egiptians Liui amongeste the Romaynes and Cicero lykewyse amongeste the Latines Appolonius among the Indians and Secundus amongest the Assirians How happy were those philosophers to be as they were in those dayes when the world was so ful of simple personnes and so destitute of sage men that there flocked greate nombers out of dyuers contries and straung nacions not only to here their doctrine but also to se their persons The glorious saint Hierome in the prologue to the bible sayth When Rome was in her prosperitie thenne wrote Titus Liuius his decades yet notwithstaÌ„ding men came to Rome more to speake with Titus Liuius then to se Rome or the high capitol therof Marcus Aurelius writing to his frend Pulio said these words Thou shalt vnderstand my frend I was not chosen Emperour for the noble bloude of my predecessours nor for the fauoure I had amongest them now present for ther were in Rome of greater bloud and riches then I but the Emperour Adrian my maister set his eyes vpon me and the emperour Anthony my father in law chose me for his sonne in law for no other cause but for that they saw me a frend of the sages an enemy of the ignoraunt Happie was Rome to chose so wise an emperoure and no lesse happye was he to attaine to so great an empire Not for that he was heire to his predecessoure but for that he gaue his mynd to study Truly if that age then were happie to enioye hys person no lesse happie shal ours be now at this present to enioy his doctrine Salust sayth they deserued great glory whych did worthy feates and no lesser renowme merited they whych wrote them in high stile What had Alexander the great ben if Quintus Curtius had not writen of him what of Vlisses if Homere hadde not bene borne what had Alcibiades bene if Zenophon had not exalted him what of Cirus if the philosopher Chilo had not put his actes in memory what had bene of Pirrus kinge of the Epirotes if Hermicles cronicles were not what had bene of Scipio the great Affricane if it had not bene for the decades of Tâ—tus Liuius what had ben of Traiane if the renowmed Plutarche had not bene his frend what of Nerua and Anthonius the meke if Phocion the Greke had not made mencion of them how should we haue knowen the stout courage of Cesar and the great prowesse of Pompeius if Lucanus had not writen them what of the twelue Cesars if Suetonius tranquillus hadde not compiled a booke of their lyues and how should we haue knowen the antiquityes of the Hebrues if the vpright Iosephe had not ben who could haue knowen the commyng of the Lombardes into Italy if Paulus Diaconus had not writ it how could we haue knowen the comming in the going out and end of the Gothes in Spayne if the curious Rodericus had not shewed it vnto vs By these things that we haue spoken of before the readers may perceyue what is dew vnto the Historiographers who in my opinion haue left as great memorye of theym for that they wrote with their pennes as the prynces haue done for that they dyd with their swordes I confesse I deserue not to be named amongest the sages neyther for that I haue wryten and translated nor yet for that I haue composed Therfore the sacred and deuyne letters set a side ther is nothing in the world so curiouslye wryten but neadeth correction as I say of the one so wil I say of the other and that is as I wyth my wyl do renounce the glorye which the good for my learning woulde gyue me so in like maner euyl men shal not want that agaynst my wil wil seke to defame it We other writers smally esteme the labour and paynes we haue to wryte although in dede we are not ignoraunt of a thousand enuyous tongues that wyl backbite it Many now a dayes are so euil taught
declared that Asa being king of Iudea and prophecieng in Hierusalem at that time Omri was king of Israel and after him succeded Ahab his sonne beyng of the age of .xxii. yeares This Ahab was not only young of yeares but yonger of vnderstanding and was nombred among the wicked kings not onely euil but to euil for the scriptures vse to cal them by names infamed whose liues deserued no memorie The vices of this kyng Ahab were sondry and diuerse whereof I wyll declare some as hereafter foloweth First of all he followed altogether the life and steppes of the kyng Iheroboam who was the first that entised the children of Israel to committe Idolatrie whiche thing turned to his great reproche and infamie For the Prince erreth not in immitinge the pathes of the good but offendeth in folowyng the wayes of the euyll Secondarily this kyng Ahab maried the daughter of the kynge of the Idumeans whose name was Iesabel whiche was of the stocke of the Gentyls and he of the Hebrues And for a trouth the mariage was vnaduisedly considered For sage Princes shoulde take wifes conformable to their lawes and condicions vnlesse they wyll repent them selues afterwardes Thirdly he buylt againe the citie of Hierico whiche by the commaundement of God was destroyed and commaunded that vppon greauous paynes it should not be reedified againe because the offences that were therein committed were so great that the inhabitantes did not onely deserue to loase their lyues but also that in Hierico there should not one stone remayne vpon an other Fourthly kyng Ahab buylte a sumptuous temple to the Idol Baall in the citie of Samaria and consecrate a wood vnto him whiche he had very pleasaunt and set in the temple his image of fyne gold so that in the reigne of this cursed kynge Baal the wicked Idoll was so highly estemed that not onely secretly but also openly they blasphemed the true and lyuing God The case was suche That one daye Ahab going against the kyng of Siria to take him and his citie called Ramoth Galaath being in battayle was shot into the breaste with an arrowe wherewith he not onely loste his lyfe but also the dogges did lappe vp his bloud that fell to the earth O Princes and great Lordes if you wyll geue credite vnto me you shal haue nothing more in recommendation then to be good Christians Syth ye see that as this Prince in his life did serue straunge Idols so it was reason that after his death his bloud should be buried in the intrelles of rauenous dogges ¶ Why kyng Manasses was punished THE king Manasses was the sonne of Ezechias and father of Amon which were all kynges And truly they differed so muche in maners that a man could scarcely iudge whether the vertues and prowesses of the father were more to be desired or the vice and wickednes of the children to be abhorred This Manasses was a wicked Prince for as muche as he builte new temples to Baal and in the cities made heremitages for the Idols and in the mountaines repayred all the aulters that heretofore were consecrated to the deuyll He consecrated many forestes and woodes to the Idols he honoured the starres as the gods and did sacrifice to the planets elementes For the man that is abandoned by the hand of God there is no wickednes that his obstinate harte doth not enterprise So that he had in his Palace al maner of false prophetes as southsaiers prophesiers witches sorcerers enchaunters coniurers the which daily he caused to giue sacrifice to the idols gaue such credit to sorcerers enchaunters that his seruauntes were all for the most part sorcerers and in them was his chiefe delight and pleasure And lykewise he was skilful in all kinde of mischiefe and ignoraunte in all vertues He was so cruel spilt somuch innocent bloud that if it had bene water put together and the bodyes of them that he slewe layde on heapes it would both haue couered their carcases and also haue drowned the liuing Yet he not contented with that I haue spoken of set in the Temple of oure Lorde an old idoll that stode in the woode for the punishmente of whiche facte God suffred his seruauntes to kill his eldest sonne Afterwarde God would not suffer these such sondrye myscheues of mans malice but of hys deuine iustice caused these wordes to be proclamed in Hierusalem Sithe the king Manasses hath bene so bold to contemne me himselfe alone to commit thoffences of al I wil chastice him alone withe the same correction that he hath shewed vnto others By these wordes let Princes note here howe the deuine vengeaunce extendeth no further then our offences deserue soo that if our fault be lytle the punishment which he giueth vs is very temperate but if the prince be stubburne and obstinate in his wyckednes let hym be sure that the punishment shal be extreme ¶ Why Iulyus Pompeius Xerxes Catilina Germanicus and Brennus were punyshed WHen pompeius the great passed into the Orrient with all the hoste of the Romaine people and after he had subdued al Sirie Mesopotamia Damasco Arabia he passed into the realme of Palestin which otherwise was called Iudea wher he committed diuerse and sondrye euilles so that many of the Romaines and Hebrues dyed ther. Finally by force of armes he toke the puisant citye of Hierusalem whych as Plynie sayth was the best of al Asia And Strabo saith of the situacion of the world that Rome was the chiefe of al Italy of Affrike the principal was Carthage of Spaine Numantia of Germanie Argentine of Caldea Babilone of Egipt Thebes of Grece Athens of Phenice Tira of Cappadocea Cesarea of Thrace Constantinople and of palestine Hierusalem Pompeius therfore not contented to kil al the auncientes in that warre to impryson the youth to behead the elders to force the mothers to defile the virgines to teare in peces the children to beate downe buildinges and to robbe the tresours but encreasing euyl vpon euyll and putting all the people to destruction he made of the Temple a stable for hys horses which before god was abhominable that wher alwayes heretofore he had bene a conqueroure had triumphed ouer 22. kynges euer after he was vnluckye and ouercome in battayle The famous rebell Catilina as Saluste affirmeth had neuer bene ouercome if it had not bene for the robbing destroying of the Temples which were consecrated to the gods The noble Marcus Marcellus to whom no Romaine is to be compared in vertues the same day that he caused the Temple of the goddesse Februa to be burnt was himselfe slaine in battayle The noble Romaine captaine Drusius Germanicus that was so wel wylled and beloued because he gaue a calfe meat to eate which was the god of the Caldeans being prohybited forbidden within a moneth after dyed whose death was greatlye lamented in Rome Suetonius saythe that after Iulius Cesar had robbed the Temple of the Gawles the gods alwaies made
After the thre daies are past and eche thing according to my saiynges before accomplished in euery point as behoueth then let god dispose thinges as he shall see good for nowe I am fully determined to aduenture my life in battaile Wherfore my valiaunt and stout warriers doubt not at all for this day I must either vanquishe mine enemies or els suffer death and if I die I doe that whiche nedes I must Wherfore I will now cease to exhorte you any more desiring you to consider that wherunto your dutie leadeth you remembring that you are come as knightes and in the defence of your countrey you wage battayle for nowe we are come to that pinche that dedes must more auayle vs then wordes For peace ought to be mainteyned by the tongue but warres ought to be atchieued by the sworde All these wordes then ended and the three dayes past the emperour Gracian in parsone gaue the battayle where the conflicte and slaughter on both sides was marueilous terrible yet in the end the emperour Gracian had the victory ouer his enemies and there died in that conflicte .xxx. thousande Gothes and Almaines and of the Romaines there were not slaine but fiue thousande For that army onely is preserued whiche to the deuine will is conformable Let all other princes take example by this noble prince let thē consider howe muche it auayleth them to be good Christians and that in great warres conflictes they nede not feare the great nombre of their enemies but they ought greatly to se that the wrath of god be pacified For the harte is more dismayde with the secrete sinnes then it is feared with the opē enemies ¶ That the captaine Theodosius which was father of the great Emperour Theodosius died a good Christian And of the king Hismarus and the bishop Siluanus and of a councell that was celebrated with the lawes whiche they made and established in the same Cap. xxvii THe two brethren being emperours that is to wete Valentinian Valent in the costes of Affryke and the realme of Mauritania a tyraunt vsurped the place of a kinge against the Romains Who was named Thyrmus a man hardy in trauailes in daungers stout For the aduenturous hartes oftimes doe commit many tyrannyes This tyran Thyrmus by much crueltie came possessed of the realme of Mauritania not contented therwith but also by tyrāny possessed a great part of Affrike prepared as Hānibal did an huge army to passe into Italy to die in chalēging the empire of Rome This was a renowmed tyraunt that neuer toke pleasure in any other thing so muche as to spoyle robbe others of their goodes The Romaines that in all their doinges were very sage of the tyranny of tyrauntes sufficiently monished immediatly prepared a great army to passe into Affryke to spoyle the realme and to destroy the tyrante by the cōmaundement and decre of the Senate and that for no pacte or couenaunt the tyraunt shoulde lyue And without doubte this commaundement was iust For to him that is a destroyer of the common wealth it is not punishement enough to take awaye his lyfe At that tyme there was a knyghte in Rome whose name was Theodosius a man well stryken in yeares and yet better approued in warres but he was not the richest howbeit he vaūted him self as truth was to be of the bloud of Traian the great Emperour vpon which occasion he was greatly honoured and feared in Rome for the commons were so noble and gracious towards their princes that all those whiche from the good and vertuous Emperour descended were of the whole common wealth greatly estemed This noble Theodosius was of yeares so auncient and so honoured in his olde age for his graye heares so noble of linage and so approued in warres that he was by the authoritie of the Emperour Valentinian by the consent of all the Senate and by the good wylles of the whole people chosen to goe to the conquest of Afrike and truly their reason was good For Theodosius desired much to fight against that tyraunt Thirmus and all the people were glad that such a captaine led the armie So this Theodosius imbarked with his armie departed from Rome and in fewe dayes arryued at Bona whiche was a citie greatly replenished with people situated in a hauen of the sea in Afrike And as he and his armie were landed the tyran Thirmus forthwith encamped his armie in the fielde in the face of the Romaines and so all beinge planted in the plaine the one to assaulte and the others to defend immediatly the two armies ioyned and the one assaulting the other fiercely on bothe sydes was great slaughter So that those whiche to daye were conquered to morowe did conquere and those whiche yesterday were conquerours afterward remained conquered For in long warres fortune chaungeth In the prouince of Mauritania there was a strong citie called Obelista and as the captaine Theodosius by his force occupied all the field the tyran Thirmus fortified him selfe in that citie the which valiauntly being assaulted of the captaine Theodosius almost with his men entring into the same the tyranne Thirmus because he would not commit hym selfe vnto the faith of other men slew him self with his proper handes For the propertie of proude and disdainfull hertes is rather to die in libertie then to liue in captiuitie At that tyme the Emperour Valent by the arte of Nigromancie wrought secretly to knowe what lucke should succede in the Romaine Empire And by chaunce a woman being an enchauntresse had aunswere of the deuill that the name whiche with these letters should be wrytten should be successour to the Empire and the letters were these T.E.O.D. The Emperour Valent diligently enquired of all the names which with these foure letters could be named and they found that those signified the Theodotes the Theodores and the Theodoses wherfore Valent furthwith put all those to the sworde that were of that name Suche was the wickednes of the Emperour Valent supposing thei would haue taken the Empire from him being alyue For the tyranous Prince lyueth euer in gelousie and suspition The excellent captaine Theodosius the tyranne Thirmus being dead and hauing subdued all Affrike to the Romaine Empire was burdened that he was a secret traytour to the Empyre and that he compassed to wynne the same by tyrannie for this cause therefore the Emperour Valent gaue sentence he shoulde be beheaded And this was done he neuer hearyng of it and muche lesse culpable thereof for all Prynces that be wylfull in their doynges are very absolute of their sentence This come to the eares of Theodosius and seyng that he was condemned to be beheaded he sent incontinent for the Byshoppe of Carthage to whome he demaunded the water of the holy Baptisme and so being baptised and in the fayth of Christ instructed was by the hangeman put to execution Of this so greuous outtragious and detestable facte euery man iudged this Theodosius to suffer
that now a daies the vicious and vices reigneth so as they doe ¶ Of the Philosopher Eschilus ARtabanus being the sixte king of Persians and Quintus Cincinatus the husbandman being onely dictatour of the Romaines in the prouince of Tharse there was a philosopher named Aeschylus who was euil fauoured of countenaunce defourmed of body fierce in his lookes and of a verye grosse vnderstandinge but he was fortunate of credite for he had no lesse credite amongest the Tharses then Homere had amonge the Greekes They saye that though this philosopher was of a rude knowledge yet otherwyse he had a very good natural wytte and was very diligent in harde thinges and very paciente with those that dyd hym wrong he was exceading couragious in aduersities and moderate in prosperities And the thyng that I moste delighted in hym was that he was curteous and gentyll in his conuersation and bothe pithie and eloquente in his communication For that man onely is happie where all men prayse his lyfe and no man reproueth his tongue The auncient Greekes declare in their histories that this phylosopher Aeschylus was the first that inuented Tragedies and that gotte money to represente them and sythe the inuention was newe and pleasaunt many dyd not onely folowe hym but they gaue hym muche of their goods And marueyle not thereat my frende Pulio for the lightnes of the common people is suche that to see vayne thinges all wyll ronne and to heare the excellencie of vertues there is not one that wyll goe After this phylosopher Aeschylus had wrytten many bookes specially of tragedies and that he had afterwarde trauayled through many countreys and realmes at the last he ended the residue of his lyfe nere the Iles whiche are adioyning to the lake of Meatis For as the deuine Plato saieth when the auncient philosophers were younge they studied when they came to be men they traueyled and then when they were olde they retyred home In myne opinion this phylosopher was wyse to doe as he did and no lesse shall men nowe a dayes be that wyll imitate hym For the fathers of wysedome are science and experience and in this consisteth true knowledge when the man at the laste returneth home from the troubles of the worlde Tell me my frende Pulio I praye thee what doth it profite hym that hath learned much that hath heard muche that hath knowen much that hath seene muche that hath bene farre that hath bought much that hath suffred much that hath proued much that had much if after great trauaile he doth not retire to repose him selfe a litle truly he can not be counted wyse but a foole that willingly offreth him selfe to trauaile and hath not the witte to procure him selfe reste For in myne opinion the lyfe withoute reste is a longe death By chaunce as this auncient phylosopher was sleaping by the lake Meotis a hunter had a hare with him in a cage of woode to take other hares by wheron the egle seased which toke the cage with the hare on hig and seing that he could not eate it he cast it downe againe which fell on the head of this phylosopher and killed him This phylosopher Aeschylus was demaunded in his life tyme wherin the felicitie of this life consisted whereunto he aunswered that in his opinion it consisted in steaping and his reason was this that when we sleape the entisementes of the fleshe doe not prouoke vs nor the enemy persecute vs neither the frendes doe importune vs nor the colde wynter oppresse vs nor the heate of the longe Sommer doth annoye vs ne yet we are not angry for any thing we see nor we take any care for any thing we heare Finally when we sleape we fele not the anguishes of the body neyther suffer the passion of the mynd to come To this end ye must vnderstande that when they were troubled he gaue them drinkes which caused them immediatly to sleape so that so sone as the man did drinke it so sone he was a slepe Finally al the study wherin the Epicurians exercised thē selues was in eating seking meates and the chiefe study of this Aeschilus was in sleaping hauing softe beddes ¶ Of the philosopher Pindarus IN the yeare of the foundation of Rome .262 Darius the seconde of that name kinge of Persia who was the sonne of Histapsie and in the image of kinges the fourth king of Persia Iunius Brutus and Lucius Collatinus being cōsulles in Rome which were the firste consulles that were in Rome There was in the great citie of Thebes in Egipt a philosopher named Pindarus who was prince of that realme They write of this philosopher that in philosophy he excelled al those of his time and also in touching singing and plaiyng of musike he was more excellent then any of all his predecessours for the Thebanes affirmed that there was neuer any sene of suche aptenes in speaking so excellent deliuering of his fingers in playing as Pindarus was and more ouer he was a great moral philosopher but not so excellent in naturall philosophie For he was a quiet and vertuous man and could better worke than teache which thing is contrary now a daies in our sages of Rome For they know litle and speake much and worst of all in their wordes they are circumspect and in their deedes very negligent The deuine Plato in his booke that he made of lawes mencioneth this philosopher Iunius Rusticus in his Thebaide shewed one thing of him and that is that an Embassadour of Lides being in Thebes seing Pindarus to be of a vertuous life very disagreable in his wordes he spake vnto him such wordes O Pindarus if thy wordes were so limed before men as thy workes are pure before the gods I sweare vnto thee by those gods thē selues that are immortal that thou shouldest be as much estemed in life as Promotheus was shouldest leaue as much memory of thee after thy death in Egipt as the great Homere left of his life in Grece They demaunded of this Pindarus wherin felicitie consisted he answered in such sorte ye ought to knowe that the in warde soule foloweth in many thinges for the moste parte the outward body the which thing presupposed I say that he that feleth no griefe in his body may well be called happy For truly if the flesh be not wel the harte can haue no rest Therefore according to the counsaile of Pindarus the Thebanes were aboue all other nations and people moste diligent to cure the diseases of their bodyes Annius Seuerus sayth that they were let bloude euery moneth for the great aboundance of bloude in their bodyes They vsed euery weeke vomitacions for the full stomackes They continued the bathes for to auoide opilacions They caried swete sauours aboute them against the euyll and infected ayres And finally they studied nought els in Thebes but to preserue and kepe their bodyes as diliciously as they could inuent Of the philosopher Zeno. IN the Olimpiade .133 Cneus
gladsome mynde he trained was to spend Synce that his youth which slippeth loe by stelth To waite on me he freely did commend Since he such heapes of lingring harmes did wast Aye to contente my wanton youthly wil And that his breath to fade did passe so fast To glut their thrust that thus his bloud did spill Though great the dutie be which that I owe Vnto his graued ghost and â—indred moulde Yet loe me seames my duetie well I showe Perfourming that my feble power coulde For since for me vntwined was his threede Of giltles life that ought to purchase breath Can reasons doome conclude I ought to dreede For his decaye to clyme the steppes of death In wretched earth my father graued lyes My deere mother hath ronne her rase of life The pride of loue no more can dawnt mine eies My wasted goodes ar shronke by fortunes strife My honours sone eclipsed is by fate My yong delight is loe fordone by chaunce My broken life these passed happes so hate As can my graued hart no more aduaunce And nowe remaines to duetie with my phere No more but refuse loe my yrkesome life With willing mynde followed eke with drere Whiche I resigne as sitteth for a wife And thou Sinoris whiche Iunos yoke doest craue To presse my corps to feede thy liking lust The route of Homers gods the graunt to haue In steade of roiall feates a throne of dust In chaunge of costlie robes and riche araie A simple winding sheete they deigne the giue And eke in stede of honest wedlockes staie They singe thy dirge and not vouchsaue the liue In place of himens hie vnfiled bedde They laie thée vp in closure of thy graue In steed with precious meates for to be fedde They make the wormes for fitter praie thee haue In steed of songe and musikes tuned sowne They waite on thée with loude lamenting voice In chaunge of ioyfull life and hie renowne Thy cruell death may sprede with wretched noise For you great gods that stalled be on hie Should not be iust ne yet suche titles clame Vnles this wretche ye ruthles cause to die That liueth nowe to sclaunder of your name And thou Dian that haunted courtes doost shonne Knowst with what great delight this life I leaue And when the race of spending breath is donne Will perse the soile that did my phere receaue ¶ And if perchaunce the paled ghostes despise Suche fatall fine with grudge of thankeles minde Yet at the least the shamefast liuing eies Shall haue a glasse rare wysely giftes to finde Wherein I will that Lucres secte shall gase But none that lyue like Helens line in blase AND when the praier was ended that this faire and vertuous Camma made she dranke and gaue to drynke to Sinoris of this cuppe of poyson who thought to drynke no other but good wyne and water and the case was suche that he died at noone daies and she likewyse in the eueninge after And truly her death of all Grece with as great sorowe was lamented as her life of all men was desired Princesses and great Ladies may moste euidently perceiue by the examples herein conteyned howe honest and honourable it is for them to loue and endeuoure them selues to be beloued of their husbandes and that not onely in their lyfe but also after their deathe For the wyfe to serue her husbande in his life seameth oft tymes to proceade of feare but to loue and honour him in his graue proceadeth of loue Princesses and great Ladies ought not to doe that which many other women of the common people doe that is to wete to seke some drinkes and inuente some shamefull sorceries to be beloued of their husbandes for albeit it is a great burden of conscience and lacke of shame in lyke maner to vse such superstitions yet it should be a thing to vniust and very slaunderous that for to be beloued of their husbandes they should procure to bee hated of God Truly to loue to serue and contente God it is not hurtefull to the woman for that she should be the better beloued of her husbande but yet God hathe suffered and doth permitte oftetymes that the women beinge feble deformed poore and negligent should be better beloued of their husbandes then the diligent faire and ryche And this is not for the seruices they doe to their husbandes but for the good intention they haue to serue loue God whiche sheweth them this especiall fauour for otherwyse God doth not suffer that he being with her displeased she should lyue with her husbande contented If women would take this councell that I geue them in this case I wil teache them furthermore a notable enchauntement to obteine the loue of their husbandes whiche is that they be quiet meke pacient solitary and honest with which fiue herbes they may make a confection the which neither seene nor tasted of their husbands shal not onely cause them to be beloued but also honoured For women ought to knowe that for their beautie they are desyred but for their vertue onely they are beloued ¶ That Princesses and great Ladies ought to be obedient to their husbandes and that it is a great shame to the husbande that his wyfe should commaunde him Cap. vi MAny auncient historiographers trauailed greatly and consumed long tyme in wryting to declare what authoritie the man ought to haue ouer the woman and what seruitude the woman oweth to the man and some for to auaunce the dignitie of the man and others to excuse the frailtie of the woman alleged such vayne thinges that it had bene more honour for them not to haue written at all then in suche sorte as they did For it is not possible but the wryters should erre whiche wryte not as reason teacheth but rather as their fantasie leadeth Those that defende the frailtie of the women saied that the woman hath a body as a man she hath a soule as a man she hath reason as a man dieth as a man and was as necessarie for generation as man she liueth as a man and therefore they thought it not mete that she should be more subiect to man then man to her for it is not reason that that whiche nature hath made free should by any lawes of man be made bond They saide furthermore that God created not the creatours but to augmente the generation of mankinde and that in this case the woman was more necessary then the man for the man engendreth without payne or trauayle but the woman is deliuered with perill and daunger and with payne and trauayle norysheth vp the childe Wherfore it seameth great vnkindnes and crueltie that the women whiche are deliuered with peryll and daunger of their lyues and brynge vp their chyldren with laboure and toyle of their bodyes should be vsed of their husbandes as sclaues They sayed further that men are those that cursse that moue seditions that make warres that mayntayne enmytie that weare weapons that sheade mans bloude
watche narrowly to know wheÌ„ and how much the nources doe eate whiche doe nourish their children For the child is so tender and the milke so delicate that with eatyng of sondrye meates they become corrupte and with eatyng muche they waxe fat If the children suck those which are fatte and grosse they are commonly sicke and if they sucke milke corrupted they ofte tymes go to bed hole and in the mornyng be found dead Isodore in his etimologies saieth that menne of the prouince of Thrace were so cruell that the one dyd eate the other and they dyd not onely this but also furder to shew more their immanitie in the sculles of those that were deade they dranke the bloud of him that was lately alyue Thoughe men were so cruell to eate mennes flesh and to drynk the bloud of the vaines yet the women â—hich nourished their children wer so temperat and moderat in eatyng thaâ—â—hey dyd eate nothyng but nettelles sodden and boyled in goates milke And â—â—ause the women of Thrace were so moderate in eatinge the philosopher Solon Solynon brought some to Athens for the auncientes sought no lesse to haue good women in the commen wealthe then to haue hardy and valiant captaines in the warre The auctoure addeth .iii. other conditions to a good nourse that giueth sucke that they drinke no wine that she be honest and chiefly that she be well conditioned Chap. xxi THe Princesses and great ladies may know by this example what difference there is betwene the women of Thrace which are fed with nettelles only and haue brought forth suche fierce men and the women of our tyme whiche through their delicate and excessiue eatyng bryng forthe suche weake and feable children Fiftly the Ladies ought to be very circumspecte not onely that nources eate not much that they be not gready but also that they be in drinkynge wine temperat the which in old time was not called wine but â—enym The reason hereof is apparant and manifest ynough for if we doe forbyd the fat meates which lieth in the stomacke we should then much more forbidde the moyst wine whyche washeth all the vaines of the body And further I say that as the child hath no other nourishement but the milke only that the milke proceadeth of bloud that bloud is nourished of the wine and that wine is naturally whot from the first to the last I say the woman whyche drinketh wine and geueth the child sucke doth as she that maketh a greate fire vnder the panne wher ther is but a litle milke so that the panne burneth and the milke runneth ouer I will not denaye but that some times it maye chaunce that the child shal be of a strong complexioÌ„ and the nource of a feable and weake nature and theÌ„ the child would more substanciall milke wheÌ„ the womeÌ„ is not able to geue it him In such a case though with other thinges milke may be conferred I allow that the nource drink a litel wine but it ought to be so litel and so well watered that it should rather be to take awaye the vnsauorines of the water then for to tast of any sauour of the wine I do not speake this without a cause for the nource being sicke and feable of her selfe and her milke not substancial it ofte times moueth her to eate more then necessitie requireth and to drinke wine which is somewhat nutritiue so that they supposyng to giue the nource triacle do giue her poyson to destroy her child Those excellent auncient Romaines if they had bene in our time and that we had deserued to haue bene in their time thoughe our time for beyng Christians is better they had saued vs from this trauaile for they were so temperat in eatyng meates and so abstinent in drynkyng wynes that they dyd not only refrayne the drinkyng therof but also they would not abyde to smell it For it was a greater shame vnto a Romayne woman to drynke wyne then to be deuorced from her husbande Dionisius Alicarnaseus in his boke of the lawes of the Romaynes sayed that Romulus was the fyrste founder of Rome and that he occupyed hym selfe more in buildyng houses to amplifie Rome then in constituting lawes for the gouernement of the commen wealth But emongest .xv. lawes which he made the seuenth therof was that no Romaine woman on paine of death shold be so hardy to drinke wine within the walles of Rome The same Historian saieth that by the occasion of this law the custome was in Rome that when any Romain Ladye would drinke wine or make any solempne feast she must nedes goe oute of Rome where euery one hadde their gardens and dwellyng place because the smell also of wine was prohibited and forhidden women within the circuite of Rome If Plinie do not deceyue vs in his .xxiiii. booke of his naturall history It was an auncient custome in Rome that at eche time that parentes met both men and women they did kisse the one the other in the face in token of peace and this ceremony began first for that they would smel whether the woman hadde dronke any wine And if perchaunce she sauored of wine the Censor mighte haue banished her from Rome And if her kinseman found her without Rome he might frely and without any daunger of lawe put her to death because within the circuite and walles of Rome no pryuat man by Iustice could put any Romaine to death As aboue is rehersed Romulus was he which ordeined the paine for dronkardes and Ruptilius was he which ordeined the paine for adulterers And betwene Romulus and Ruptilius there was .xxxii. yeares so that they ordeyned this strayght lawe for dronckardes a long time before they dyd the law for adulterers For if a woman be a dronckarde or harlot truly they are both great faultes and I can not tell whether of them is worst for beyng a harlot the woman loseth her name and for being a dronckard she loseth her fame and the husbande hys goods Then if women for the honestie of their personnes only are bound to be temperat in eating and drincking the woman which nourisheth giueth the child sucke ought to be much more corrected and sober in this case For in her is concurrante not only the grauitie of their personnes but the health and lyfe also of the creature whiche she nourisheth Therfore it is mete that the nource be kepte from wine since the honour of the one and the lyfe of the other is in peryll Sixtly the princesses and great Ladies ought to take hede that their nources be not gotten with child And the reason herof is that in that time wheÌ„ the woman is with child her natural course is stopped and that corruption is mingled with the pure bloud so that she thinking to giue the child mylke to nourish it geueth it poison to destroye it And nothyng can be more vniuste then to put the childe whiche is alredy borne and aliue in daunger for that which
doth not amend hys lyfe that the father do disinherit him When good wil doth want and vicious pleasures abounde the children oft times by peruerse fortune come to nought So this Marcus Aurelius being .52 yeres old by chaunce this chylde Verissimus which was the glory of Rome the hope of the father at that gate of Hostia of a sodayne sicknes dyed The death of whom was as vniuersallye lamented as his lyfe of al men was desired It was a pitiful thynge to see how wofully the father toke the death of his intierly beloued son no lesse lamētable to behold how the senat toke the death of their prince beinge the heire For the aged father for sorow did not go to the Senate and the senat for few daies enclosed themselues in the high Capitol And let no man meruaile though the death of this yong prince was so taken through Rome For if men knew what they lose when they lose a vertuous Prince they would neuer cease to bewaile and lament hys death When a knight a gentleman a squyre an offycer or when any of the people dyeth ther dyeth but one but when a prince dieth which was good for all and that he lyued to the profit of al then they ought to make account that al do dye they ought al greatly to lament it For oft times it chaunseth that after ii or iii. good Princes a foule flocke of tyraunts succedeth Therfore Marcus Aurelius the Emperour as a man of great vnderstanding and of a princely parsonne though the inward sorow from the rootes of the hart could not be plucked yet he determined to dissemble outwardly and to burie his greues inwardly For to say the truth none ought for any thing to shew extreame sorow vnlesse it be that he hath lost his honour or that his conscience is burdened The good prince as one that hath his vineyard frosen wherin was al hys hope contented with him selfe with that whych remaineth his so derely beloued sonne being dead comaunded the prince Comodus to be brought into his pallace being his only heyre Iulius Capitolinus whych was one of those that wrote of the tyme of Marcus Aurelius sayd vpon this matter that when the father saw the disordinate fraylenes and lightnes and also the litle shame whych the prince Comodus his sonne brought with him the aged man began to weape and shed teares from his eyes And it was bycause the symplenes and vertues of his deare beloued sonne Verissimus came into hys mynd Though this Emperour Marcus for the death of hys sonne was very sorowful yet notwithstanding this he prouided how his other sonne Comodus should be gouerned this before that eyther of age or body he wer greater For we cānot deny but when Princes are mē they wil be such as in their youth they haue bene brought vp The good father therfore knowing that the euil inclinacions of his sonne should do him domage the empire in like maner he sent throughout al Italy for the most sagest expert men to be gouernours Tutors of Comodus the prince He made them seke for the most profoundest in learning the most renowmed of good fame the most vertuous in dedes and the most depest in vnderstandyng for as the dust is not swept with fyne cloth but with dry bromes so the lightnes follies of yong mē are not remedied but by the hard disciplyne of the aged Thys commaundement being published and proclaimed in Rome the bruit scattered through Italye there came and ranne thither dyuerse kinde of sages whom he commaunded to be examyned He being informed of the bloud of thier predicessours of the age of their persones of the gouernment of their houses of the spendyng of their goodes of their credit amongest their neighbours of the sciences they knew aboue al they were no lesse examined of the purenes of their lyues then of the grauitie of their personnes for ther are many men whych are graue in open wordes very light in secret works Speakyng therfore more particularly he commaunded they should examyne the Astronomers of Astronomy the phylosophers in philosophie the musitines in musike the Orators in oracions And so forth of other sciences in order wherin euery one sayd he was instructed The good emperour was not so contented to do this once but sondry times not al in one day but in many not only by an other man but also by him selfe Finally they were al examyned as if they had bene al one and that the same one shold haue remayned bene kept for al to be only master tutor of the young child and prince Comodus To acquire a perfect knowledge and to be sure not to erre in choyce of thinges in my opinion is not onely required experience of him selfe and a cleare vnderstanding but also the aduyse of an other For the knowledge of thinges wholly together is easy but the choyce of them particularly is harde This thing is spoken because the good Emperour sent and commaunded to chose gouernours and maisters of his children Of many he choose fewe and of fewe the most wysest of the most wysest the most expert of the most expert the best learned of the best learned the most temperate of the most temperate the most auncient and of the most auncient the moste noble Certainely such election is worthy prayse because they be true maisters and teachers of princes which are noble of bloud auncient in yeares honeste in life men of litle folly and of great experience According to the seuen liberal sciences two maisters of euery one were chosen so that the prince was but one and the others were .xiiii. but this notwithstanding the workes of this prince Comodus were contrary to the expectation of his father Marcus Aurelius because the intention of the good father was to teache his sonne all sciences and the study of the sonne was to learne all vices At the bruite of so great a thing as this was that the Emperour sought to prouide tutors for the prince Comodus and that they should not be those which were best fauoured but those whiche were found the most wysest in shorte space there came so many philosophers to Rome as if the deuine Plato had bene reuiued againe in Grece Let vs not marueile at all if the sages desired the acquaintaunce familiaritie of this good Emperour For in the ende there is no man so sage nor so vertuous in this life but sometime wyll seke after the fauours of the world Since there were many sages and that of those he chose but fourtene It was necessary he should honestly and wisely dispatche and geue the others leaue as did behoue him And herein the good emperour shewed him selfe so wyse that shewing to some a mery coūtenaunce to others speaking gently and to others by a certaine hope to others by giftes presentes al the good company of the sages departed the good emperour dispatched them not
feuer which I haue I sawe this villaine standing boldely a whole houre on his feete al we beholdinge the earthe as amazed coulde not aunswere him one word For in dede this villaine confuted vs with his purpose astonied vs to se the litle regarde he had of his life The senate afterwardes being al agreed the next day folowing we prouided new iudges for the ryuer of Danuby cōmaunded the villaine to deliuer vs by writing all that he had saide by mouth to the end it might be registred in the booke of good saiyng of straungers which were in the senate And further it was agreed that the saide villaine for the wise wordes he spake should be chosen senatour and of the free men of Rome he should be one and that for euer he should be sustayned with the cōmon treasour For our mother Rome hath alwaies bene praysed estemed not only to acquite the seruices which hath bene done vnto her but also the good wordes which were spoken in the Senate ¶ That princes noble men oughte to be very circumspect in chosinge iudges and offycers for therein consistethe the profyte of the publike weale Cap. vi ALexander the great as the historiographers say in his youth vsed hūting very much specially of the mountains that which is to be marueiled at he would not hunt Deare goats hares nor partriges but Tigers Lyberdes elephants cocodrilles and Lyons So that this mighty prince did not onely shewe the excellency of his courage in conqueringe proude princes but also in chasing of cruel sauage beasts Plutarche in his Apothegmes saiethe that the greate Alexander had a familiar seruaunt named Crotherus to whom often times he spake these words I let the to know Crotherus that the valyāt princes ought not only to be vpright in their realmes which they gouern but also to be circumspect in pastimes which they vse that the auctoritie whiche in the one they haue wonne in the other they do not lose When Alexander spake these wordes truely he was of more auctoritie then of yeares But in the ende he gaue this example more to be folowed cōmanded then to be reproued or blamed I saye to be folowed not in the huntinge that he exercysed but in the great courage which he shewed To the Plebeyans men of base condicion it is a litle thing that in one matter they shew their might in other things they re small power is knowen but to princes greate lordes it is a discommendable thing that in earnest matters any man should accuse them of pryde in thinges of sport they should count them for light For the noble valiaunt Prince in thinges of importaunce ought to shew great wisedome in meane things great stoutnes The case was such that Alexander the great hunting on the wilde mountaines by chaunce met with a cruel Lion as the good Prince would wyn his honor with the Lion also the Lion preserue his own life they were in griepes the one of the other so faste that bothe fell to the earthe where they striued almoste halfe an houre but in the ende the lyon remained there deade and the hardye Alexander escaped all bloudye This huntynge of Alexander and the Lyon thoroughe all Grece was greatlye renowmed I say gretly renowmed because the grauers painters drew a pourtrait forthwith in stone worke of this huntinge the grauers hereof were Lisippus and Leocarcus marueilous grauers of anuk workes which they made of mettall where they liuely set forth Alexander the Lion fighting also a familiar seruant of his named Crotherus being among the dogges beholding thē So that the worke semed not onely to represent an aūcient thing but that the Lyon Alexander Crotherus the dogges semed also to be aliue in the same chase Whē Alexander fought with the Lyon ther came an Embassatour from Sparthes to Macedonia who spake to Alexander these wordes Woulde to god immortall prince that the force you haue vsed with the Lyon in the mountain you had imployed against some prince for to be Lorde of the earth By the wordes of the Embassatour the deedes of Alexander may easely by gathered that as it is comly for Princes to be honest valiaunt and stout so to the contrary it is vnsemely for them to be bolde and rashe For thoughe princes of their goodes be lyberall yet of their lyfe they oughte not to be prodigall The diuine Plato in the tenth booke of his laws saieth that the .2 renowmed Philosophers of Thebes whose names were Adon Clinias fell at variaunce withe them selues to know in what thing the prince is bound to aduenture his life Clinias said that he ought to dye for any thing touching his honour Adon saide the contrarye That he should not hazarde his life vnles it were for maters touching the affaires of the common wealth Plato saieth those .2 philosophers had reason in that they saide but admit that occasion to dye shoulde be offred the prince for the one or the other he ought rather to dye for that thing touching iustice then for the thinge touchinge his honour For there is no great difference to dye more for the one then for the other Applying that we haue spoken to that we will speake I say that we do not desire nor we wil not that princes and greate lordes doe destroy them selues with Lions in the chase neither aduenture their persones in the warres nor that they put their liues in peril for the common weale but we only require them that they take some paines and care to prouide for thinges belonging to iustice For it is a more naturall hunting for princes to hunt out the vicious of their common weales then for to hunt the wilde bores in the thicke woodes To the end princes accomplish this which we haue spoken we wil not aske them time when they ought to eat slepe hunt sport recreate thē selues but that of the foure and twenty houres that be in the daye and nyghte theye take it for a pleasure and commoditie one houre to talke of iustice The gouernement of the commonweale consisteth not in that they should trauaile vntil they sweate and molest theire bodies shed theire bloude shorten theire lyues and lose theire pastimes but all consistethe in that they shoulde be dylygent to forsee the domages of their common wealth and likewise to prouyde for good mynysters of iustice We doe not demaunde Prynces and greate lordes to geue vs theire goodes nor we forbydde them not to eate to forsake slepe to sporte to hunte nor to putte theire lyues in daunger but we desyre and beseeche them that theye prouyde good mynysters of iustice for the common wealthe Firste they oughte to be very dyligente to serche them oute and afterwards to be more circūspect to examine thē for if we sighe withe teares to haue good Prynces we oughte muche more to praye that wee haue not euill offycers What profytethe it
perteineth to the gods and they being offended wil bee called pitifull wee others borowe iustice and not being offended do glorifie our selues to be called cruell I knowe not what manne wil hurte an other since we see that the gods forgeuing theire proper iniuries haue attained the renowme of mercifull and we others punishinge the iniuries done vnto an other doe remaine with the name of tyrauntes If the punishment of the gods were so seuere as our sinnes are filthye that they shoulde measure vs wyth this measure the onely desert of one offence is sufficient to take life from vs. With reason he cannot be called a manne amongest menne but a sauage amongest the sauages that forgetting to be of feble flesh tormenteth the flesh of his brother If a man beholde him selfe from toppe to toe he shal finde not one thinge in him to moue him to crueltie but he shall see in him many instrumentes to exercise mercye For he hath his eyes wherewith hee ought to beholde the neady and indigent he hath feete to goe to the church and sermons hee hath handes to helpe all he hath his tongue to fauoure the Orphane hee hath a harte to loue god and to conclude he hath vnderstanding to know the euyll and discretion to followe the good If menne owe much to the goddes for geuinge them these instrumentes to bee pitifull truelye they are bounde no lesse vnto them for takinge frō them all occasions to be cruell For he hath not geuen them hornes as to bulles neither nayles as to the catte nor yet he hath geuen them poyson as to the serpent Fynallye he hath not geeuen them so perilous feete as to a horse to strike nor he hath geeuen them such bloudye teethe as to the Lyon to byte Then sith the gods be pitefull and haue created vs pitifull and cōmaunded vs to be pitifull why do our iudges desire then to bee cruell O howe manye cruell and seuere iudges are there at this daye in the Romayne empire whiche vnder the coloure of good zeale to iustice aduenture to vndoe the common welth For not for the zeal of iustice but for the desire to attaine to renowne they haue bene ouercome with malyce and denied theire owne proper nature I do not meruaile that a Romaine censour shoulde enuye my house will euyll to my fryndes fauour myne enemies dispise my children with euyll eyes beholde my doughters couet my goods speke euyll of my parsone But that whiche I am ashamed of is that dyuers iudges are so gredye to teare mennes fleshe as if they were beares and mans fleshe were noynted with honye ¶ The Emperour continueth still his letter speakinge againste cruell iudges and reciteth two examples the one of a pitifull kinge of Cipres the other of a cruell iudge of Rome Cap. viii BY the faith of a good manne I swere vnto thee frende Antigonus that I being yong knewe a iudge in Rome whose name was Lycaronicus a mā of hygh stature his flesh neither to fatte nor to leane his eyes were some what bloudye and redde he was of the lynage of the Senatours and on hys face he had but a little bearde and on his heade he had manye whyte heares This Licaronicus of long tyme was iudge in Rome in the romaine lawes he was well learned and in customes and policies very experte of his owne nature he spake lyttle and in the aunswers he gaue he was verye resolute Amongest all those which were in Rome in his tyme he hadde this excellencye whiche was that to all he ministred equall iustice and to suters with greate speede he gaue briefe expedition and dispatched them immediatlye They coulde neuer withdrawe him by requestes neuer corrupt him with giftes nor begyle him with wordes nor feare him with threatninges neither would he receiue a brybe of anye that did offer it him And besydes this hee was verye seuere in condicion churlyshe in wordes vnflectible in requestes cruell in punishementes suspitious in affaires and aboue all he was hated of many and feared of all How muche this Lycaronicus was hated it cannot bee reported and of howe manye he was feared no man can thinke For in Rome when anye man was iniuried hee saide I praye god that Licaronicus may liue lōg When the children did crye the mothers immediatlye saide vnto them Take heede of Lycaronicus and streight waye they helde theire peace so that wyth the onelye name of Lycaronicus menne were astonied and chyldren kepte sylence Thou oughtest also to knowe Antigonus that when anye commotyon dyd aryse in a citye or in anye other prouince or that anye sclaunder rose and encreased therein they were wel assured and they saide that no other shoulde goe thither but onelye Lycaronicus And to saye the truthe when hee was arryued at that citie or prouynce the rebelles were not onelye fledde but also dyuers innocentes were for feare of his crueltye hyd For Lycaronicus was so resolute a parsonne that some for yll factes others for consentinge some for that they fauoured not the good right others for that they kept them secrete none escaped to be tormented of his parsonne or punyshed in goodes Thinkest thou Antigonus that they haue beene fewe whom this Iudge hath caused to bee whipte and carted cast into welles beheaded taken banished and put in the stockes during the tyme that the Romaines hadde him with them By the immortall gods I swere vnto thee and as Genius the god of nature maye helpe mee that the gallouses and gibbets were so furnished with feete handes and heades of menne as the shambles were with oxen sheepe and kyddes This Lycaronicus was so fleshely to shed humain bloud that he was neuer so conuersant nor had so merye a countenaunce as the same daye hee shoulde cause any manne to be drowned in Tyber hanged in mount Celio be headed in the strete Salario tormented or cast into the prison Marmortina O cruell o fyerse and vnspeakable condition that this iudge Lycaronicus hadde For it was not possible that he shoulde bee brought vp betweene the delicate armes of the Romaines but in the vile intrailes of you venemous serpents I retourne ones more to saye that it is vnpossible he shoulde be norished with the delicate milke of women but with the cruell bloude of Tigres If thys Licaronicus were cruell why did they geue him suche aucthoritie I curse suche auctoritie If he did it for that he had greate zeale to iustyce I curse such zeale of iustice If hee did it to winne more honour I curse that honour for that mā shal be cursed of the gods and hated of menne which taketh life from others thoughe it bee by iustice onelye to encrease his renowne The gods are muche offended and the people greatly domaged where the Senate of Rome calleth that Iudge gentle whiche is corrupted and him that is cruell iuste So that nowe amongest the Romayne people those whiche heale with oyle are not credited but those onelye whiche cure with
fyre If any man thinke it at the leaste I doe not thynk it that when Licaronicus died all the cruell iudges dyd ende with hym For throughe all the Romayne Empire there was no more but one Licaronicus and at thys presente there is aboue .iii. or .iiii. in euerye common wealth Notwithout teares I speake that whiche I will speake whiche is that in those daies as all the iudges that ministred were pitifull so was this Lycaronicus renowmed for cruell But nowe synce all are cruell we hope in a iudge which is pitefull In the .xii. yere of the foundacion of our mother Rome the first king therof was Romulus who sent a commaundement to al the neighbours and inhabitants there aboutes to the end that all banished menne all those whiche were afflicted all those which were persecuted all those whiche were in necessitie shoulde come to Rome for they shoulde bee defended from their enemies and succoured in theire necessities The fame being spred thoroughout Italy of the pitie and clemency whiche Romulus shewed in Rome if the Anualles of the auncientes do not deceiue vs Rome was more peopled with inhabitauntes in .x. yeares then Babilon or Carthage in a hundred O noble harte of Romulus which such thinges inuented blessed be that tong which commaunded that the famouse Rome with clemency and pitie should be founded In the originall bookes whiche were in the high capitoll once I founde dyuers letters written to the sacred senate and romayne people and in the beginning of the letters the wordes saide thus We the king of Parthes in Asya to the fathers conscripte of Rome and to the happye romaine people of Italie and to all those whiche with the Romayne senate are confederate whyche haue the name of Romaynes and the renoume of clemencye health and tranquillitie to your personnes we doe sende you and desyre the same of the gods for our selues Beholde therefore Antigonus what tytles of clemencye had our fyrst Romaines and what example of clemencye dyd the Emperour leaue for them to come so that synce the barbarous straungers called them pitifull it is not to be beleued that to theire subiects or natural countrey menne they were cruell As the auncientes haue trauailed of al to be beloued so they at this present throughe theire cruelties seeke nothing but to be feared If the gods perhaps should reuyue the dead and should compare the lyuinge before them in iudgement I suppose they would say these are not their children but theire enemies not encresers of the common wealth but destroyers of the people I being xxxvii yeres of age laye in winter season in an yle called Chetyn whiche nowe is called Cipres wherin is a lytle mountaine as yet ful of wood whiche is called mounte of Archady where groweth an herbe called Ilabia whiche the auncientes saye that if it be cut it droppeth bloude and the nature of it is that if one rubbe any manne with the bloud therof hoate although he woulde not yet he shal loue him and if they annoynt him with the bloud that is colde he shall hate him Of this herbe we neede not doubte any thinge at all for I dyd proue it and noynted one with that bloud who sooner lost his lyfe then the loue whiche he bare me There was a kynge in that I le of greate example of lyfe and gretlye renowmed of clemencye though indeede neither by writing nor by wordes I coulde neuer knowe his name but that he was buryed vnder .iiii. pillers in a tombe of marble and about the tombe were engraued these greeke and auncient letters where amongest other thynges these wordes were engrauen THe mighty gods whiles they drew out the leÌ„gth Of my weake yeres to passe the flud of lyfe This rule I had my common wealth to strenght To norishe peace and stint vaine blastes of strife ¶ By vertues waye if ought I could obtaine by vyces pathe I neuer sought to get by dredles peace if I could right attaine by clatering armes blynd hasard could not let ¶ By curteis meanes if I could ouercome By raging threates I heaped vp no dread By secrete shiftes if I might guyde my dome by open force I nowlde the payne were spread ¶ By gentle read if I coulde chastice eke by shaâ—pe waies no further proofe I sought In out warde sight I neuer thought to streeke before I had to couerte chekes them brought ¶ My free consent could neuer vainly beare my tong to tell one swete entysinglye Nor yet my hollow eares would euer heare Theire crooked tales that flatter oft awrye ¶ My schooled harte was alwaies taught to staye From egre luste of others heaped good I forst my selfe his proper wealth to way And stand content as fortunes iudgement stood ¶ My frendes decaye I alwaies watche to aidâ— And recked not for bent of enuies bowe In huge expence I neuer lauish paide my glittering golde nor spared yet to lowe ¶ For greeuous fautes I neuer punisht wight with mynde appeasde but erst I would forgiue my griefe did growe when iust reuenge did highâ— And eke I ioyed to pardon men to lyue ¶ A mortall man amongest blynde heapes of men Nature my mother produced me here And therefore loo enclosed in this den The egre wormes my senseles carcas tere ¶ Amongest the wights that vertue did enhaunce A vertuous life I freely passed on And since that death his kingdome did aduauÌ„ce my heauenly spirite to haunt the gods is gone HOw thinkest thow Antigonus what epitaph was this and what prince ought he to be of whome I shoulde saye his lyfe ought to be glorious and his memory eternall I swere vnto the by the law of a good man and as the gods maye prosper me I tooke not so muche pleasure in Pompey with his Hierusalem in Semiramis with her India in kynge Cirus wyth hys Babilon in Caius Cesar wyth hys Gawles in Scippio with his Affrike as I haue in the kynge of Cipres in his graue For more glory hath that king there in that sharpe mountaine being deade then others haue had in proud Rome being alyue ¶ Marcus Aurelius continueth his letter againste cruell iudges Of the woordes whiche themperour Nero spake concerning iustice and of the instruccion themperour Augustus gaue to a iudge which he sent into Dacya Cap. ix NEyther for that which I write in this letter nor yet for that which king Cirus had in his graue my entencion is not to defende the euill to the ende that for theire euyll deedes and outragiousnes they should not be punished For by this meanes it shoulde be worse for me to fauour them then for them to be euill For they through debilitie do offende and I by malyce do erre But in this case it semeth vnto mee and to all others whiche are of good iudgement that since frailtie in men is natural and the punishement whiche they geeue is voluntarye Let iudges therefore in ministring iustice shewe that they do it for the zeale of the
not geeuen thee nor neuer will geeue thee For the goddes are so iuste in deuydynge theire giftes that to them to whom theye geue contentacion theye take from them ryches and to those whom theye geeue riches they take their contentacion Plutarche in the fyrste of hys pollytike puttethe this example and he declareth not the name of thys phylosopher O howe greate a benefyte is that whiche the goddes geeue to prynces and greate lordes in geeuinge them theire healthe in geeuynge them ryches and in geuinge them honour but if besides those hee geueth them not contentacion I saye that in geeuynge them the goodes hee geuethe them trauaile and daunger For if the trauaile of the poore bee greater thenne the trauayle of the riche wytheoute comparison the discontentacion of the ryche is greater then the discontentacion of the poore Menne lytle regardynge theire healthe beecome sicke lytle esteeminge theire riches beecome poore and beecause theye knowe not what honoure is theye become dishonoured I meane that the rashe prynces vntill suche time as theye haue benne well beaten in the warres will alwayes lytle regarde peace The daye that yowe prynces proclayme warres agaynste youre enemies you set at lybertye all vyces to your subiectes Yet yowe saye youre meanynge is not theye shoulde bee euyll I saye it is true Yet all thys ioyned togethers ye geeue them occasion that theye bee not good Let vs knowe what thynge warre is and then we shall see whyther it bee good or euill to followe it In warres theye doe noughte els but kyll menne robbe the temples spoyle the people destroye the innocentes geeue lybertie to theeues seperate friendes and rayse stryfe all the whiche thynges cannot bee done wytheoute greate hurte of iustyce and scrupulosytie of conscyence The sedycious manne hym selfe canne not denaye vs that if twoe Prynces take vppon them warres beetweene them and that bothe of them seeme to haue ryghte yet the one of them onelye hathe reason So that the prynce whyche shall fyghte agaynste iustice or defende the vniuste cause shall not escape oute of that warre iustifyed Not issuynge oute iustifyed hee shall remayne condempned and the condemnation shall be that all the losses murders burnynges hangynges and robberies whiche were done in the one or other common wealthe shall remayne vppon the account of hym whyche tooke vppon hym the vniuste warre Allthoughe hee dothe not fynde an other prynce that will demaunde an accoumpte of hym heare in thys lyfe yet hee shall haue a iuste iudge that will in another place laye it to hys charge The prince whiche is vertuous and presumethe to be a christian beefore hee beeginne the warre oughte to considre what losse or profyte will ensue thereof Wherein if the ende bee not prosperous hee loseth his goodes and honoure and if hee perchaunce attaine to that he desyred peraduenture his desire was to the domage of the common wealthe and then hee oughte not to desire it For the desire of one should not hurte the profite of all When GOD oure lorde dyd create prynces for prynces and people accepted them for their lordes it is to beleue that the goddes neuer commaunded suche things nor the men would euer haue excepted such if they had thought the princes would not haue done that they were boūd but rather that whereunto they were enclined For if men follow that whereunto theire sensualitie enclinethe them they do alwaies erre Therefore if they suffer them selues to bee gouerned by reason they are always sure And besides that princes should not take vppon them warres for the burdening of theire conscience the mispendinge of their goodes and the losse of their honour they ought also to remember the dutie that they owe to the common wealth the which they are bounde to kepe in peace and iustice For we others nede not gouernours to search vs enemies but princes which may defend vs from the wicked The diuine Plato in his .4 booke de legibus sayeth that one demaunded him why he did exalt the Lidians so much and so muche dispraise the Lacedemonians Plato aunswered If I cōmend the Lidians it is for that they neuer were occupied but in tilling the field and if I do reproue here the Lacedemonians it is because theye neuer knewe nothinge els but to conquere realmes And therefore I saye that more happie is that realme where men haue their handes with labouring full of blysters then where theire armes in fightinge are wounded withe sweordes These wordes whiche Plato spake are verye true and woulde to god that in the gates and hartes of princes they were written Plinius in an epistle sayethe that it was a prouerbe muche vsed amongest the Grekes that he was kyng whiche neuer sawe kynge The lyke maye we saye that he onelye maye enioye peace whiche neuer knewe what warre meant For simple innocent though a man be there is none but will iudge him more happye whiche occupyeth his handekerchiefe to drye the sweate of his browes then he that breakethe it to wipe the bloude of his heade The princes and greate lordes which are louers of warre ought to consider that they do not onelye hurte in generall all men but also specially the good and the reason is that allthoughe they of their own willes do abstaine from battaile doe not spoile do not rebell nor sleye yet it is necessarie for them to endure the iniuries and to suffer theire owne losse and damages For none are meete for the warre but those whiche litle esteeme theire life and muche lesse theire consciences If the warre weare onely with the euill againste the euill and to the hurte and hinderaunce of the euill litle shoulde theye fele whiche presume to be good But I am sory the good are persecuted the good are robbed and the good are slaine For if it were otherwyse as I haue sayde the euill againste the euill we would take litle thought both for the vanquishinge of the one and muche lesse for the destruccion of the other I aske nowe what fame what honoure what glorye what victorie or what riches in that warre can be wonne wherein so manye good vertuous wyse men are loste There is suche penurye of the good in the worlde and such nede of them in the common wealthe that if it weare in oure power wee wythe oure teares oughte to plucke them oute of theire graues and geeue them lyfe and not to leade them into the warres as to a shambles to be put toe deathe Plinie in one epistle and Seneca in an other saye that when theye desyred a Romayne captain that with his army he should enter into a greate daunger whereof greate honoure shoulde ensue vnto hym and lytle profyte to the cōmon wealthe He aunswered For nothynge woulde I enter into that daunger if it were not to geue life to a romayn citizē For I desire rather to go enuironed with the good in Rome then to go loden with treasures into my coūtreye Comparinge prince to prince and lawe
to lawe and the christian wyth the pagan without comparison the soule of a christian oughte more to be estemed then the lyfe of a Romayne For the good Romaine obseruethe it as a lawe to dye in the warre but the good christian hathe this precepte to lyue in peace Suetonius Tranquillus in the seconde booke of Cesars sayethe That amonge all the Romayne prynces there was noe prynce so wellbeloued nor yet in the warres so fortunate as Augustus was And the reason hereof is beecause that prynce neuer beganne anye warre vnlesse by greate occasyon he was thereunto prouoked O of how many prynces not ethnicks but christians we haue hearde and reade all contrarye to thys whyche is that were of suche large conscience that theye neuer tooke vppon them anye warre that was iuste to whom I sweare and promyse that since the warre which they in thys worlde beeganne was vniuste the punishemente whiche in an other theye shall haue is moste righteous Xerxes kynge of the Perses beynge one dayeat dynner one broughte vnto hym verye faire and sauourye fygges of the prouince of Athens the whyche beeinge sette at the table he sweare by the immortal goddes and by the bones of his predecessours that he would neuer eate fygges of hys countreye but of Athens whych were the beste of all Greece And that whyche by woorde of mouthe kynge Xerxes sweare by valiaunt dedes withe force and shielde he accomplished and wente foorthwith to conquere Gretia for noe other cause but for to syll him selfe wythe the sygges of that countreye so that he beganne that warre not onelye as a lyghte prynce but also as a vicious man Titus Liuius sayethe that when the Frenche men did cast of the wine of Italy immediately they put them selues in armes and went to conquere the countreye witheout hauinge anye other occasion to make warre againste them So that the Frenchemen for the lycorousnes of the pleasaunt wynes loste the deare bloude of theire owne hartes Kyng Antigonus dreamed one nighte that he sawe kinge Methridates withe a fyeth in hys hande who lyke a mower dyd cut all Italy And there fell suche feare to kynge Antigonus that he determined to kyll kynge Methridates so that this wicked prince for credytinge a lighte dreame set all the worlde in an vprore The Lumberdes beeinge in Pannonia herde saye that there was in Italy sweete fruites sauowry fleshe odoriferous wynes faire women good fish litle colde and temperate heate the whyche newes moued them not onelye to desire them but also theye toke weapons to goe conquere Italye So that the Lombardes came not into Italye to reuenge them of theire enemies but to bee there more vicious and riotous The Romaynes and the Carthagiens were friendes of longe time but after they knew there was in Spaine great mynes of golde and of siluer immediatelye arose betweene them exceadynge cruell warres so that those twoe puissaunt realmes for to take eche from other their goods destroyed their own proper dominions The authors of the aboue said were Plutarchus Paulus Diaconus Berosus Titus Liuius O secret iudgements of god which suffreth such thyngs O mercyful goodnes of thee my Lord that ê‘mitteth such things that through the dreame of on price in his chaÌ„ber another for to robbe the treasures of Spayne another to fly the colde of Hungary another to drinke the wines of Italy another to eat figges of Grece shoulde put al the countrey to fire bloud Let not my pen be cruel against al princes which haue vniust warres For as Traianus said Iust warre is more worthe then fayned peace I commend approue and exalt princes whiche are carefull stout to kepe and defende that which their predecessours lefte them For admit that for dispossessing them hereof cometh all the breache with other Princes Loke how much his enemy offendeth his conscience for taking it so much offendeth he his common wealth for not defending it The wordes whiche the diuine Plato spake in the first booke of his laws dyd satisfye me greatly which were these It is not mete we should be to extreme in coÌ„mending those which haue peace nor let vs be to vehement in reprouing those whiche haue warre For it may be now that if one haue warre it is to the end to attaine peace And for the contrary if one haue peace it shal be to the ende to make warre In deede Plato sayde verye true For it is more worthe to desire shorte warre for longe peace then short peace for longe warre The philosopher Chilo being demauÌ„ded whereby a good or euil gouernour might be knowen he auÌ„swered There is nothing wherby a good and euill man maye be better knowen then in that for the which they striue For the tyranous Prince offrethe him selfe to dye to take from an other but the vertuous prince trauaileth to defend his own WheÌ„ the redemer of this worlde departed from this worlde he sayde not I geue ye my warre or leaue ye my warre but I leaue ye my peace and geeue you mye peace Thereof ensuethe that the good christian is bounde to keepe the peace which Christ so muche commaunded then to inuent warre to reuenge his proper iniurye which god so much hated If princes dyd that they oughte to doe and in this case woulde beleue me for no temporall thing they shoulde condescend to shed mans bloud if nothinge els yet at the leaste the loue of hym whiche on the crosse shed hys precious bloude for vs shoulde from that cleane disswade vs. For the good Christians are commaunded to bewaile theire owne sinnes but they haue no licence to shed the bloude of their enemies Fynally I desire exhorte and further admonishe al princes and great lordes that for his sake that is prince of peace they loue peace procure peace kepe peace and liue in peace For in peace they shal be rich their people happye ¶ Themperour Marcus Aurelius writeth to his friend Cornelius wherein he dyscribeth the discomodyties of warre and the vanitie of tryumphe Cap. xiiij MArcus Emperoure wysheth to thee Cornelius hys faithful frend helth to thye person and good lucke against all euill fortune Withein fiftene daies after I came from the warre of Asia whereof I haue triumphed here in Rome remembrynge that in times paste thou weare a companyon of my trauaile I sent immedyatly to certyfy thee of my triuÌ„phes For the noble harts do more reioice of their friÌ„ds ioy theÌ„ they do of their own proê‘ delights If thou wilt take pains to come wheÌ„ I seÌ„d to cal thee be thou assured that on the one part thou shalt haue much plesure to se the great abuÌ„daÌ„s of riches that I haue brought out of Asia to beeholde mye receiuinge into Rome on the other thou canst not kepe thy selfe from weepinge to se suche a sorte of captiues the which entred in before the triuÌ„phant chariotes bounde naked to augment to the coÌ„querours most glory also to them vanquished to be a greater
ignominy Seldome times we se the sunne shine bright al the day long but first in the sommer there hath ben a mist or if it be in the winter thâ—t hath ben a frost By this parable I meane that one of the miseries of this worlde is that we shall se fewe in this worlde which nowe bee prosperous but beefore haue had fortune in some cases very malitious For we see by experience some come to be very poore and other chaunce to atteine to greate riches so that thoroughe the impouerishing of those the other become riche and prosperous The weping of the one causeth the other to laugh so that if the bucket that is emptye aboue doth not go downe the other whiche is full beneathe can not come vp Speaking therefore according to sensuallyty thou wouldest haue bene glad that day to haue sene our triuÌ„phe with the abundance of riches the great nomber of captiues the dyuersitie of beasts the valiantnes of the captaines the sharpnes of wittes which we brought from Asia eÌ„tred into Rome wherby thou mightest wel know the dauÌ„gers that we escaped in that warre Wherefore speakynge the truth the matter betwene vs our enemies was so debated that those of vs that escaped best had their bodies sore wounded their vaines also almost with out bloud I let thee wete my Cornelius that the Parthes are warlike men in daungerous enterprises verye hardy bolde And when theye are at home in their couÌ„trey euery one with a stout hart defendeth his house surely they do yt like good men valiaunt captaines For if we other romaines without reasoÌ„ through ambition do go to take another mans it is mete iuste that theye by force do defend their own Let no man through the abundaunce of malice or want of wisedome enuy the Romaine Captaine for any triumphe that is geuen him by his mother Rome for surely to get this only one daies honor he adueÌ„tureth his life a M. times in the fielde I wil not speak al that I myght say of them that we lede forth to the warres nor of them which we leaue here at home in Rome which be al cruell iudges of our fame for theire iudgement is not vpright accordinge to equitye but rather procedethe of malice and enuye Though they take me for a pacient man not farre out of order yet I let thee know my Cornelius that there is no pacience can suffer nor hart dissemble to see many romains to haue such great enuy which thorough their malicious tongues passe not to backebite other mens triumphes For it is a olde disease of euil men through malice to backebite that with their tong which through their cowardnes they neuer durst enterprise with their hands Notwithstanding al this ye must know that in the warre you must first ofteÌ„ hazard your life afterwardes to the discrecion of suche tonges commit your honour Our follye is so folishe the desires of men so vaine that more for one vaine worde then for any profyte we desire rather to get vaine glorye withe trauaile then to seeke a good life withe reste And therefore willinglye wee offer oure liues nowe to great trauaile and payne onelye that amonge vaine men hereafter we maye haue a name I sweare by the immortall gods vnto thee mye Cornelius that the daye of mye triumphe where as to the seemynge of all those of this worlde I went triumphinge in the chariote opeÌ„ly yet I ensure thee my hart wepte secreatly Such is the vanitie of men that though of reason we be admonished called and compelled yet we flye froÌ„ her and contrary though we be â—â—â—ked euil handled despised of the worlde yet we will serue it If I be not deceiued it is the prosperitie of foolishe men wante of good iudgementes that cause the men to enter into others houses by force rather then to be desiroâ—â—â— be quiet in their owne with a good will I meane that we shoulde in folowinge vertue soner be vertuous then in haunting vices be vicious For speaking the troth men which in all and for all desire to please the worlde must nedes offer them selues to great trauaile and care O Rome Rome cursed be thy folly and cursed be he that in thee brought vp so muche pryde and bâ— he cursed of men and hated of gods which in thee haâ—â—uented this pompeâ— For verye fewe are they that worthely vnto it haue aâ—â—â—â—d but infinite are they which thorough it haue perished What greater vnâ—â—â—or what equall lightnes can be then that a Romaine captaine because he â—â—h conquered realmes troubled quiet men destroied cities beaten downe castels robbed the poore enriched tiraunts caried away treasours shed much bloud made infinite widdowes takeÌ„ manye noble mens liues should be afterwardes with great triumphe of Rome receiued in recompence of al this domage Wilt thou now that I tel thee a greater follye which aboue al other is greatest I let thee wete infinite are theye that dye in the warres and one onely carieth away the glorye thereof so that these wofull miserable men though for their carcase they haue not a graue yet one captaine goeth triumphing alone thorough Rome By the immortall gods I sweare vnto thee let this pas secretly as betwene frindes that the day of my triumphe when I was in my triumphaunt chariot beholdinge the miserable captiues loden with yrons and other men cariynge infinite treasures which we had euill gotten and to se the carefull widdowes weepe for the death of their husbandes and remeÌ„bred so many noble Romaines whych lost their liues in Affrike though I semed to reioice outwardly yet I eÌ„sure thee I did wepe droppes of bloud inwardly For he is no maÌ„ borne in the world but rather a fury bred vp in hel among the furies that ran at the sorow of another take any pleasure I knowe not in this case what reputacion the prince or captayn should make of him selfe that commeth from the warre and desireth to enter into Rome for if he thinke as it is reason on the woundes he hath in his body or the tresures which he hathe wasted on the places that he hath burnt on the perils that he hath escaped on the iniuries which he hath receiued the multitude of men which vniustlye are slaine the frindes whiche he hath lost the enemies that he hath gotten the litle rest that he hathe enioied and the greate trauaile that he hath suffred in such case I say that such a one with sorowful sighs ought to lament and with bitter teares oughte to be receiued In this case of triumphinge I neither commende the Assirians nor enuy the Persians nor am content with the Macedonians nor allowe the Caldians or content mee with Grekes I curse the Troians and condempne the Carthagiens because that they proceded not according to the zeale of iustice but rather of the rage of pride to set vp triumphes endomaged their countreys and lefte an occasion
they make ten thousand blots in their honor O how many haue I known in Rome to whom it hath chaunced that all that they haue gotten in Rome to leaue vnto their best beeloued child an other heir with litle care of whom they thought not hath enioyed it Ther can bee nothing more iust then that al those which haue beegyled others with disceits in their life shoold bee found disceiued in their vayn immaginacions after their death Iniurious shoold the gods bee if in all the euil that the euill propound to doo they shoold geeue them tyme place conuenient to accomplish the same But the gods are so iust and wyse that they dissemble wyth the euill to th end they shoold beegin and folow the things according to their own willes and fantasies and afterwards at the best time they cut of their lyues to leaue them in greter torment The gods shoold bee very cruell and to them it shoold bee great greefe to suffer that that which the euill haue gathered to the preiudice of many good they shoold enioy in peace for many yeres Mee thinketh it is great folly to know that wee are borne weeping and to see that wee dysighing and yet for all this that wee dare liue laughing I woold ask the world and his worldlyngs sithens that wee enter into the world weeping and go out of the world sighing why wee shoold lyue laughing for the rule to measure all parts ought to bee equall O Cincinnatus who hath beegyled thee to the end that for one bottel of water of the Sea of this world for thy pleasure thou wilt blister thy hand with the rope of cares and broose thy body in thanker of troubles and aboue all to aduenture thyne own honor for a glasse of water of an other man By the faith of a good man I swere vnto thee that for all the great quantitie of water thou drawest for the great deal of money thou hast thou remainest asmuch dead for thrist drinking of that water as when thou were without water in the cup. Consider now thy yeres if my counsel thou wilt accept thou shalt demaund death of the gods to rest thee as a vertuous man and not riches to lyue as a foole With the teares of my eyes I haue beewayled many in Rome when I saw them depart out of this world and thee I haue beewayled and doo beewaile my frend Cincinnatus with drops of blood to see thee retorn into the world The credit thou hadst in the senate the blood of thy predecessors my frenship the aucthority of thy parson the honor of thy parentage the sclaunder of thy comonwealth ought to withdraw thee from so great couetousnes O poore Cincinnatus consider the white honored hears which doo fall ought to bee occupied in the noble armies sitheÌ„s thou art noble of blood valyant in parson auncient of yeres and not euil willed in the common wealth For thou oughtest to consider that more woorth is reason for the path way of men whych are good then the common opinion which is the large high way of the euyll For if it bee narrow to go on the one side ther is no dust wherwith the eyes bee blynded as in the other I will geeue thee a counsell and if thou feelest thy self euel neuer count thou mee for frend Lust no more after the greasy fatt of temporall goods sins thou hast short lyfe for wee see dayly many beefore they come to thy age dye but wee see few after thy age lyue After this counsell I will geeue thee an aduise that thou neuer trust present prosperitie for then alway thou art in danger of some euill fortune If thou art mounted into such pricking thorns as a foole mee thinketh thou oughts to descend as a sage And in this sort all wil say amongst the people that Cincinnatus is descended but not fallen My letter I will conclude and the conclusion therof see well thou note that is to weete that thou and thy trade shal bee cursed wher you other marchants wil liue poore to dy rich Once again I retorn to curse you for that the couetousnes of an euill man is alwais accomplished to the preiudice of many good My wife Faustinc doth salute thee and shee was not a little troubled when shee knew thou were a marchaunt and that thou keepest a shop in Capua I send thee a horse to ryde vpon one of the most richest arras of Tripoli to haÌ„g thy house withall a precious ring and a pommel of a swoord of Alexandrie and all these things I doo not send thee for that I know thou hast neede therof but rather not to forget the good custom I haue to geeue Pamphilâ— thy aunt and my neighbor is dead And I can tell thee that in Rome dyed not a woman of long time which of her left such renowm for so much as shee forgot all enmities shee succored the poore shee visited the banished shee entertained frends and also I heard say that shee alone did lyght all the temples Prestilla thy cosin hath the health of body though for the death of her mother her hart is heauy And without doubt shee had reason for the only sorows which the mothers suffer to bring vs foorth though with drops of blood wee shoold beewayl them yet wee cannot recompence them The gods bee in thy custody and preserue mee with my wife Faustine from all euill fortune Marke of mount Celio with his owne hand ¶ The aucthor perswadeth princes and great Lords to fly couetousnes and auarice and to beecome bowntifull and liberall which vertue is euer pertinent to the roiall parson Cap. xxviii PIsistratus the renowmed tyraunt among the Atheniens sins his frends coold not endure the cruelties that hee committed eche one retorned to his own house and vtterly forsook him The which when the tyraunt saw hee layd all his treasure and garments on a heap togethers and went to visite his frends to whom with bitter tears hee spake these woords All my apparell and money heere I bring you with determination that if you will vse my company wee will go all to my house and if you will not come into my company I am determined to dwell in yours For if you bee weary to folow mee I haue great desire to serue you sithens you know that they cannot bee called faithfull frends where the one cannot bear with the other Plutarchê° in his Apothegmes saith that this tyrant Pisistratus was very rych and extream couetous so that they write of him that the gold siluer which once came into his possession neuer man saw it afterward but if hee had necessity to buy any thing if they woold not present it vnto him willingly hee woold haue it by force When hee was dead the Atheniens determined to wey him and his treasure the case was meruelous that the gold and siluer hee had weyd more then his dead body .6 tymes At that tyme in Athens there was a philosopher called
thou canst geeue mee to redeeme thy parson for I let thee to weete that I am not contented any phlosopher shoold perysh in my countrey because you other philosophers say that yow wyll willyngly renounce the goods of the world syth yow can not haue it The phylosopher Silenus aunswered hym Mee thinketh kyng Mydas that thou canst better execut tyrāny then to talk of phylosophy for wee make no accompt that our bodies bee taken but that our willes bee at lyberty Thy demaund is very symple to demaund raunsome of mee for my parson whether thow takest mee for a phylosopher or no. If I bee not a phylosopher what mooueth thee to feare to keepe mee in thy realme for sooner shooldst thow make mee a tyrant then I thee a phylosopher If thou takest mee for a phylosopher why doost thow demaund money of mee sins thow knowst I am a phylosopher I am a craftesman I am a poet and also a musicion So that the time that thow in heapyng vp riches hast consumed the selfsame tyme haue I in learning sciences spent Of a phylosopher to demaund eyther gold or siluer for raunsome of hys parson is either a woord in mockery or els an inuention of tyranny For sithens I was borne in the world riches neuer came into my hands nor after them hath my hart lusted If thou kyng Mydas wooldst geeue mee audience and in the fayth of a prynce beeleeue mee I woold tell thee what is the greatest thyng and next vnto that the second that the gods may geeue in this life and it may bee that it shal bee so pleasaunt vnto thee to here and so profytable for thy lyfe that thou wilt pluck mee from my enemies and I may diswade thee from tirannies When king Mydas hard these woords hee gaue him lycence to say these two things swearing vnto him to heare him wyth as much pacyence as was possible The phylosopher Silenus hauyng lycence to speak freely taking an instrument in his hands beeganne to play and syng in thys wyse The senate of the gods when they forethought On earthly wights to still some ryall grace the chiefest gyft the heauenly powers had wrought had bene to sow his seede in barrayne place But when by steps of such diuine constraint they forced man perforce to fyxe his line The highest good to help his bootles plaint had been to slyp his race of slender twine For then the tender babes both want to know the deare delight that lyfe doth after hale And eke the dread that griefly death dooth shew Er Charons bote to Stigeanshore dooth sal◠THese two thinges the philosopher proued with so high and naturall reasons that it was a marueylous matter to see with what vehemency Sylenas the philosopher sang them and with what bitternes Mydas the tirant wept Without doubt the sentences were marueilous profound which the philosopher spake and great reason had that king to esteeme it so much For if wee doo prepare our selues to consider whereof wee are and what wee shall bee that is to weete that wee are of earth and that wee shall retourn to earth Wee woold not cease to weepe nor sygh One of the greatest vanities which I fynd among the children of vanity is that they imploy them selues to consyder the influences of the starres the nature of the planets the motion of the heauens and they wil not consider them selues of which consyderacion they shoold take some profyt For man geeuing his minde to think on straunge things commeth to forget his own propre O if wee woold consider the corruption whereof wee are made the fylth whereof wee are ingendred the infinit trauaile wherew t wee are borne the long tediousnes wherew t wee are norished the great necessities and suspicions wherein wee liue and aboue all the great peryll where in wee dye I sweare and affirme that in such consideracion wee fynd a thousand occasions to wysh death and not one to desire life The children of vanyty are occupyed many years in the schools to learn rethoryk they excercise them selues in philosophy they here Aristottel they learn Homere without booke they study Cicero they are occupied in Xenophon they herken Titus Liuius they forget not Aulus Gelius and they know Ouide yet for all this I say that wee can not say that the man knoweth lytell which doth know him self Eschines the philosopher sayd well that it is not the least but the chiefest part of phylosophy to know man and wherefore hee was made for if man woold deepely consyder what man is hee shoold fynd mo things in him which woold moue him to humble him self then to stirre him to bee proud If wee doo beeholdyt without passion and if wee doo examin it with reasō I know not what there is in man O miserable and fraile nature of man the which taken by it self is littel woorth and compared with an other thing is much lesse For man seeth in brute beasts many things which hee doth ēuy and the beasts doo see much more in mē whereō yf they had reason they woold haue cōpassion The excellency of the soule layd asyde and the hope which wee haue of eternall lyfe yf man doo compare the captyuyty of men to the lyberty of beasts wyth reason wee may see that the beasts doo liue a peacible life and that which men doo lead is but a long death If wee prepare our selues to consyder from the tyme that both man and beast come into this world vntill such time as they both dy and in how many things the beasts are better then men with reason wee may say that nature lyke a pitifull mother hath shewed her self to beasts that shee doth handle vs as an iniust stepmother Let vs beeginne therefore to declare more particularly the original of the one and the beginning of the other wee shall see how much better the brute beasts are endowed how the myserable men are disherited ¶ The auctour followeth his purpose excellently compareth the mysery of men with the lyberty of beasts Cap. xxxiij WE ought deepely to consyder that no wilde nor tame beast is so long beefore hee come to his shape as the myserable man is who wyth corruption of blood vile matter is nine moneths hyd in the womb of his mother Wee see the beast when shee is great if neede require doth labor all exercises of husbandry so that shee is as ready to labor when shee is great as if shee were empty The contrary happeneth to women which whē they are bigge with childe are weary with going troubled to bee layd they ryde in chariots through the market places they eat lytle they brooke not that they haue eaten they hate that which is profytable loue that which doth thē harm Fynally a woman with childe is contented with nothing and shee fretteth and vexeth with her self Sithens therefore it is true that wee are noysome and troublesome to our mothers when they beare vs in theire wombs why
doo not wee geeue them some safe conduct when they are in their deliuering O myserable state of man since the brute beasts are borne wtout destroying their mothers but the miserable men beefore they are born are troublesome and carefull and in the time of their birth are both perillous to them selues and daungerous to their mothers Which seemeth to bee very manyfest for the preparacion that man maketh when hee will dy that self same aught the woman to doo when shee is ready to bee delyuered Wee must also consider that though a beast hath but two feete as the birds haue hee can go moue and runne immediatly when it commeth foorth but when mā is born hee can not go nor moue much lesse ronne So that a popingey ought more to bee esteemed which hath no hands then the man which hath both hands and feete That which they doo to the lytle babe is not but a prognostication of that which hee ought to suffer in the progresse of hys lyfe that is to weete That as they are not contented to put the euil dooer in prison but they lode his hands with yrons set his feete in the stocks so in like maner to the miserable man when hee entreth into the charter of his life immediatly they bind both his hands his feete lay him in the cradel So that the innocent babe is first bound rolled beefore hee bee imbraced or haue suck of the mother Wee must note also that the hour wherein the beast is brought foorth though it know not the Sier which begat it at the least it knoweth the damme which brought it foorth which is apparant for so much as if the mother haue milk the yongling foorth with dooth suck her teats if perchaūce she haue no milk they go afterwards to hide thē selues vnder her wings Of the miserable man it is not so but the day that hee is born hee knoweth not the nurse that geeueth him suck neyther the father which hath beegotten him the mother which hath born him nor yet the midwife which hath receiued him moreouer hee can not see with his eies heare with his eares nor iudge with the tast and knoweth neither what it is to touch or smel so that wee see him to whom the seygnory ouer al brute beasts and other things that are created parteineth to bee born the most vnable of all other creatures Wee must also consyder that though the beast bee neuer so litle yet it can seeke for the teates of his mother to suck or to wāder in the fields to feede or to scrape the dūghilles to eat or els it goeth to the foūtayns riuers to drink that he lerneth not by the discours of time or that any other beast hath taught it but as soon as it is born so sone doth it know what thing is necessary for it The myserable man is not borne wyth so many present commodities hee can not eat drynk nor go make hym self ready ask nor yet complayn and that which is more hee knoweth not scarcely how to suck for the mothers oft tymes woold geeue to their children if they could the blood of their hart and yet they can not cause them to take the mylk of their breasts O great mysery of mans nature forsomuch as the brute beasts as soone as they are come foorth of theire mothers womb can know and seeke but when yt is offered vnto man hee can not know it Wee must note also that to brute beasts nature hath geeuen clothing wherewyth they may keepe them selues from the heat of Sommer and defend them selues from the cold of winter which is manyfest for that to lambs and sheepe shee hath geeuen wooll to byrds feathers to hoggs bristels to horses heare to fysh scales to snayles shells Fynally I say there is no beast which hath neede with his hands to make any garment nor yet to borow it of another Of all this the myserable man is depryued who is borne all naked and dyeth all naked not carying wyth him one only garment and if in the tyme of his lyfe hee will vse any garment hee must demaund of the beasts both leather and wooll and therunto hee must also put his whole labor and industry I woold ask princes and great lords if when they are borne they bryng wyth them any apparel and when they dy if they cary wyth them any treasour To this I aunswere no but they die as they are borne as well the rych as the poore and the poore as the rich And admit that in this life fortune doth make difference beetweene vs in estates yet nature in time of our birth and death doth make vs all equall Wee must also think and consider that forsomuch as nature hath prouyded the beasts of garments shee hath also taken from them the care of what they ought to eat for there is no beast that doth eyther plow sow or labor but doth content her selfe and passeth her lyfe eyther with the lytle flyes of the ayre with the corne that shee fyndeth in the high-ways with the herbs in the fyelds with the ants of the earth with the grapes of the vyne or with the fruits which are fallen Finally I say that without care all beasts take their rest as if the next day followyng they shoold haue no neede to eat O what a great benefit shoold god doo to the myserable man yf hee had taken from hym the trauaile to apparel him self and the care to search for things to eat But what shal the poore miserable man do that beefore hee eateth hee must till sow hee must reap and thresh the corne hee must clense it griend it paste it and bake it and it can not bee prouyded without care of mynd nor bee doon without the propre swet of the brows And yf perchaunce any man did prouide for him self with the swet of others yet shal hee liue with his owne offences Also in other things the beasts do excell vs for in the flowers in the leaues in the hearbs in the straw in the otes in the bread in the flesh or in the fruit whych they eat or in the water which they drink they feele no pain although it bee not sweete nor take any displeasure though their meates bee not sauory Fynally such as nature hath prouided them without disgysing or makyng them selues better they are contented to eat Man coold lose nothing if in this poynt hee agreed with beasts but I am very sory that there are many vicious proud men to whō nothing wanteth either to apparail or eat but they haue to much to maintein them selues and here with not contended they are such dronkardes to tast of diuers wines and such Epicures to eat of sundry sorts of meates that oft times they spend more to dresse them then they did cost the bying Now when the beastes are brought foorth they haue knowledge both of that that is profitable and also of that
was shed surmounted the wine that was drunk For as thou now knowest the Citezins are come to so great folly that hee which was on that day most drunk they sayd that hee had offred vnto the Gods greatest sacrifyces I am yet afrayd to remember the crueltyes which that day I saw with my owne eyes but I am much more ashamed of that which they talk of vs in straunge realms For the noble and woorthy harts doo not count it so much to receiue a great wound as to take it of a cowardly man There is great dyfference beetweene the netts wher with they take brydes and no lesse is there beetwene the hooks wherwith they take fysh I meane that the knife which cutteth the flesh dyffereth much from the knife which hurteth the hart For the hurts of the body with surgions may bee healed but the gods onely are the phisicions of the peryls of the hart I saw Rome which was neuer vanquyshed by valyaunt men at that day ouercome by loyterers Rome which could neuer bee wonn by those of Carthage is now wonn by iesters players vacabonds Rome which triūphed of all the realmes is now vanquished of the loyterers iesters idel persons Finally wee saw that Rome which in times past gaue laws to the Barbarous is now beecome the slaue of fooles in this case I haue beene so troubled that I cannot tell what to say and lesse what I wryte vnto thee One thing cōforteth mee that since Rome her Romayns doo not reioyce them selues but with fooles that shee and her children bee not punyshed but by the hands of fooles I think not that in this case the Gods doo any wrong if Rome which laughed through mockry at the players doo weepe one day with the loyterers in good earnest Thou mightst demaund mee Lambert since wee other Princes are boūd to maintayne equal iustice with al wherfore wee doo dissemble many offences which others haue doon in earnest and yet wee wyll not pardon those iesters since al that they haue inuented was for mirth and pastyme I promise thee thoughe their offences were great in deed yet I doo not banish them so much for the blood they haue shed as for the good orders which they haue peruerted Once agayne I retourn to say vnto thee that I haue not banyshed them so much for beecause they were occasion of murders as to bee teachers of all lyes Without cōparyson greater is the offēce to the gods and greater is the domage to the common wealth to take away as these loyterers haue doon the senses of wyse men then that which the murtherers doo to take life from their enemies The end of these iesters scoffers iuglers idell men and those kind of rascalles is always to perswade men that they speak continually in mockries treat continually in mockries and to ridde them of their sorows and al this is but to deceyue them of their goods In the which case I say and so pleased it the gods that they shoold content them selues with the goods without robbing vs of our wisedom Whē Scipio the Affrican had ended the warres of Affrike hee went through Rome accōpanied not with valiaunt captaines but with the plaiers iesters and iuglers The which a philosopher seeing sayd vnto hym these words O Scipio according to the much they haue talked of thee the litle I see in thee it had been better thou hadst dyed in Affricke then to come to Rome For thy high actes in thy absence did astony vs and thy light nesse in thy presence dooth offend vs. To thee it is great infamy and to the sacred senat litle honesty that thou hauing cōquered so mighty princes in affricke shouldst go accompanyed with fooles and madd men in Rome I let thee weete Scipio that thy life had not then so much perill among thy enemyes as thy honour hath at this present among fooles These woords were very good though they were euell receyued of humayne malice For by reason of these woords the poore aged philosopher was banished by the frends of Scipio out of Italy and sent to the I le of Helesponte ¶ The Emperor endeth his letter sheweth the cause and tyme why and when these iesters and iuglers were admitted into Rome Cap. xlvii AFter that these loyterers and vacabounds shal lād in thy Ile thou shalt let theim go at liberty shalt take none of their goods but thou shalt aduertise theym that they bee not so hardy to exercise their crafts nor feats For if they doo the contrary thou mayst make them lose their life in thy Ile which I haue condicionally pardoned here in Rome One thing I commaund thee and I beesech thee forget it not that is to wete that thou compell them to labour and that in no means thou suffer them to bee idle For Idlenes is the mother of al vices in the parson and the causer of al sclaūders which arise in the cōmon wealth Since wee know not but to labor and the loyterers know not but to loyter I would say that with more reason they might say that wee were not sage then wee might say that they are fooles For wrongfully are they called fooles which by craft eat the swette of others Seeing the litle regard wee haue to these loyterers and considering how much wee presume by the fayth of a good mā I sweare vnto thee Lamberte that with greater reason they should mock our woorks then wee others should laugh at their woords For they profite more with our goods then wee doo of their folly In the CCxli of the foundacion of Rome a sore plague came into Italy The which beeing ended they determined to tel not the thousands of menn that were dead but the small nomber of those which remained aliue Rome afterwards beeing so solitary and Italy so desolate onely to reioyce the people and to the end the cities should not remayn vnhabited the first theathers were inuented and then first were these players receiued For vntill that time the Romayns knew no other thing but to offer sacrifice to their gods in the temples and to fight against their enemies in the feeldes O lamentable thing to heare that this plague lasted only .xxiiii. moneths and the rage and folly of these players and idel men hath endured more then .iiii. yeres Would to the immortal gods that that plague had ended those few which remayn beefore this cursed generation had brought so abhominable customes into Rome For much better had it been for our mother Rome that shee had wanted inhabiters than such raskals should haue come and dwelled therein I know well Lambert that these parsons doo greatly complaine of mee and that the complaynts which they doo in the beeginning shal not haue an end there but I care not much for the complaints of the euel which doo serue for no other thing but to reproue the iustices which are ministred vnto them by the good The princes in that they commaund and the iudges
hee speak not with his head aswell as wyth hys tongue nor that hee play not wyth his hands nor his feete nor that hee stroke hys beard nor wynk with his eyes for such fond countenaunces and gestures doo rather beecome a foole or iester then a ciuill or honest courtier And in his discourse with the Prince that hee exceede not in superfluous woords more then shall onely bee needefull and touching his matter and not to seeme in his presence to depraue or detract any man Hee may honestly allege and that without reproch the seruyce hee hath doon him but not to lay beefore him others faults and imperfections For at such a tyme it is not lawfull for him to speak yll of any man but onely to communicate wyth hym of his own affayrs And hee may not goe so farre also as to remēber him with too great affection the blood spent by his auncestors in hys seruyce nor the great acts of his parents for this onely woord sayd to the prince I did this better pleaseth and lyketh the Prince then to tell him a hundred other woords of that that hys predecessors had doone It pertayneth onely to women and they may iustly craue recompence of the prince for the lyues of their husbands lost in the princes warres but the valyaunt and woorthy courtier ought not to demaund recompence but for that hee only hath doon by persyng launce and bloody swoord Hee must beeware also that hee shew no countenaunce to the king of insatisfaccion neither to bee passioned in casting his seruice in the princes teeth saying all others haue been recompenced saue only him whom the Prince hath clean forgotten For princes will not that wee only serue them but that wee also at their willes and pleasures tary for recompence and not to haue it when wee gape or are importune for yt Howbeeit it is lawfull notwithstandyng humbly and lowly wythout cholor or passion to put the Prince in remembraunce of all that wee haue doone for him and of the long tyme wee haue spent in seruyng him Also the curious courtier shall not shew him self to dyslike at all of the prince neither by heaping of many woords to induce him to bere hym the better good will For mens harts are so prone to yll that for one only vnpleasaunt or ouerthwart woord spoken to them they lyghtly forgeat a thowsand seruyces doone them Socrates beeing one day demanded what hee thought of the princes of Greece aunswered There is no other difference beetwene the names and properties of the gods and that of princes but that the Gods were immortall and these mortall For these mortall princes vse in maner the lyke aucthority here in earth that the gods immortall doo in heauen aboue Saying further also that I alwayes was am and wil bee of that mynd that my mother Greece remayn a common weal. But since it is determined to bee gouerned by princely monarchie I wish them in all and for all to acknowledge their obedyence and allegeance to their king and soueraigne For when they woold otherwise vse it they may bee assured they shall not only goe against mortall princes but also against the eternall god Suetonius Tranquillus sayeth that Titus the emperor being aduertised that the consuls woold kill him and vsurp his empire aunswered thus wisely Euen as without the diuine will and prouidence I coold neuer haue possessed the imperiall crown so without their permission and sufferaunce it lyeth in no mans power to depriue mee of it For to vs men it pertaineth only to keepe the imperiall iurisdiccion and to the gods alone to geeue and defend it Which wee haue spoken to thend no man presume to bee reuenged of his prince neither in woord nor deede for to speak yll of hym wee shoold rather purchase vs their high indignation and displeasure then procure vs any cause or suggestion to bee reuenged of him Let the good courtier bee also aduysed that in talking with the prince hee bee not to obstinate to contend with the prince or any other in the princes presence For this name of arrogant and self willed beecommeth not the person of a wise courtier For wee know that in sport and argument euery man desireth to ouercome how tryfling so euer the matter bee And therefore wee read in the lyfe of the emperor Seuerus that Publius the consull iested one day with Fabritius his compagnion and told him hee was in loue Whom Fabritius aunswered I confesse it is a fault to bee in loue but yet it is a greater fault for thee to bee so obstinate as thou art For loue proceedeth of witt and discretion but obstinacy commeth of folly and great ygnoraunce Yf perchaunce the kyng ask the courtiers opinion in those matters they discoursed if hee know his opiniō to agree wyth the princes let him tell it him hardely but if it bee contrary let hym hold hys peace and not contend against him framyng some honest excuse to concele hys oppinon But if perhaps the king were obstinate and bent to his oppinion in any thing and that through his self will and obstinacy hee woold doo any thing vnreasonable or preiudiciall to his common wealth and that great detryment might come thereby yet for all this in such case the beeloued courtier shoold not at that instant bee to playn with hym to let hym vnderstand his error neyther yet shoold hee suffer him altogeether to passe hys way vntouched but in some fyne maner and proper woords as may beecome the place best to geeue him to vnderstand the troth But to vse it with more discretion hee shall not neede beefore them all to open hys whole mynd but to keepe his oppynion secrete expecting a more apter tyme when the kyng shall bee apart in his priuy chamber and then frankly to tell hym his hole mynd with all humylity and reuerence and to shew him the plaine troth wythout keeping any one thing from his knowledge For otherwyse in tellyng the kyng openly hee shoold make him ashamed and in dyssemblyng his fault also priuily hee shoold not bee admonished of hys error committed Now therefore let our conclusion bee that the courtier that proceeds in his matters rather with oppinion and obstinacy then discretion and iudgement shall neuer bee in fauor with the Prince nor yet beeloued in the court For it is as necessary for the courtier that will seeke the fauor of the prince and loue of the court to impose his tongue to sylence as it is to dyspose his body to all maner of seruyce I know there are some such rash vndiscreete and arrogant fooles that as much doo bost and reioice to haue spoken vndiscreetly to the king and without respect of his princely maiesty as if they had doon some maruelous thankfull seruice with whom truely no man ought to bee greatly offended for such fond bostes and vaunts as they make and much lesse also with that that happens to them afterward The courtier also must bee
what ill so euer hee heareth spokeÌ„ of him I woold wish him not seeme to know it much lesse to be aÌ„gry with al nor once to geue a dishonest woord to the reporters therof For his choller ouer past the euel woords hee hath spoken to them in his anger may tourn hym to more displeasure then hee hath doone him hurt that caused him speak these woords And therefore surely to bridel the tongue is rather a diuine then humayn vertue and cheefely in that instant when the hart is mastered and subdued with cholorick passions For afterwards yt happeneth many times that beeing quyet agayn in our mynds wee are sory for that wee haue spoken in our anger yea agaynst them that haue angred vs. If the courtier should way euery woord that is spoken agaynst him and esteeme euery thing that is doon to him hee should purchace him self a continuall and sorowfull life yea and out of measure a troblesome and vnpleasant syth princes courts are euer full of serpent tongues and venomous harts and that it lyeth not in mans power to let that the harts of men hate vs not and that their tongues speak not ill of vs I would aduise the courtier to take all the ill that is spoken of him in sport and myrth and not in anger Seneca sayd and that wysely spoken that there is no greater reuenge to punish an iniurious woord then to seeme to laugh at yt For it is a thing more naturall and proper to weomen then men to desire to take reuenge of woords wyth the lyke woords agayn syth the noble hart that esteeme hys honor must not haue his hands in his tongue but his tongue in his hands O how many haue wee seen both out of court and in court the which for no other respect but to reuenge one onely seely woord that touched them not much would put theÌ„ selues their goods and fame in perill and yet in the end had not that reuenge neyther they desyred but rather redoubled it gaynst them selues in losyng their fond and vayn attempt Therefore to conclude those that wylbee great in fauor and estimacion in the prynces court and those also that are now in fauor and credit with the prynce and that desire to contynue and perseuer in his fauor still must not make account of any woords spoken to hym or offences doone hym for all that are in fauor haue neede to suffer and no occasion to reuenge Tyll this present day I neuer saw any that receyued any hurt or detriment by beeing pacient but beeyng impacient I haue seene numbers cast them selues away you must also know that in all places wheare troupe and company of people bee there is always euer discord and diuersities in oppynions and iudgements of men So that it happeneth many tymes in a common weale yea and yt meeteth sometimes in one house that all shall bee of one blood and kynred yet in pryuat willes and affections mortall enemies And therefore suer yt is a thing woorthy to bee noted and no lesse to be wondered at to see the father with the sonnes the vncles with the neuews the graundfathers with the children the sonne in lawes with their father in lawes and brothers with their brothers and systers the one to bee as farre different from the other as white and black and as much frends as the dogge and the catte And all this is caused onely for that they are rather wedded to a self wyll and oppinion they haue then they are addicted to loue and affect that that nature byndeth them to Wee see also many yong courtiers that though they bee vertuous and noble hauing inherited and succeeded in nobility of blood their auncestors by means whereof they are honored and reuerenced and possessyng also the greatnes and aboundaunce of their goods and ryches whych makes them wealthy and mayntayns them honorably enioying the noble parentage for whych they are regarded hauyng many frends and seruaunts that doo them great seruyce and pleasure And all in respect of their noble auncetors and yet notwithstanding all these great thyngs wee haue spoken they follow their own inuentions and imaginations which their auncetors knowing would haue fled and hate and myslyke that that they doubtles beeing alyue woold haue followed And therefore it is rather a token of lightnesse then of good wyll for one to leaue to help and releeue his own frends and kynsfolks to succour and doo good to straungers or others whom hee neuer knew nor can tell what they are For I assure you that one of the greatst losses and myshaps that can come to a noble house is to haue new frendshyp and partialyty with straungers and men vnknowen That gentelman that geeueth him self to follow such one as pleaseth hys fantasy best and that leaueth to lean to those whom hys auncestors heretofore both loued and lyked shall see those old frends not onely leaue and forsake hym but clean geeue hym ouer to hys wyll and shortly after shall fynd his substaunce and faculty consume and wast away beesydes the honor of hys house to bee brought to vtter decay and oblyuion And this wee haue spoken onely to aduise the prynces officers and such as haue credyt and aucthority that they doo not wyth fauor support and ayd any partiall sect namely that that concerneth the state and body of common weale For the esteemed of the prince more easly and with lesse occasion doo vndoe them selues and lose the credyt they haue woone by reason of their partialities and factions they mayntayn then they doo for the dayly benefyts and suyts they importune the prince in Wherefore the seruaunts and officers of the kyngs house although they bee in good fauor with the prince and that it please him to lyke well of them yet they may not so hardyly support any to doo hurt to others and so absolutly as if they were the lords and princes them selues For albeeyt yt pleaseth the kyng to call them to honor and to enrych them with goods and possessyons yet the kyng can not nor wyll not lyke that they shall bee suborners of factions and quarells amongst their subiects in the common wealth And yet neuerthelesse it happeneth many tymes that those that see them selues onely in fauor aboue others will presume to doo vyolence and wrong to others trustyng to their great credyt and fauor they are in that that shall suffice to cloke and hide any fault they shall commyt which they neuer ought to think nor yet for any respect in the world to doo For such vnhaply myght bee the cryme they commyt that although it bee in the prynces power to doo great thyngs for them yet hee could not at that tyme with his honor excuse their offence nor seeme to protect theÌ„ in their lewdnes wtout great murmur and discontentacion of his subiects I know very well that in court the mindes affections and oppynions of courtiers are so dyuers and vaâ—iable that notwithstandyng the beloued of the
to breake the good auncient customes We ordeine and commaund that the gouernour of the Prienenses do worship and honour the gods and that he be a louer of the sacred temples For otherwise he that honoreth not god wil neuer mynister equal iustice vnto men We ordeine commaund that the prince of Prienenses be contented with the warres which his auncetours lefte him and that he do not forge new matters to inuade any other straunge countreis and if perchaunce he would that no man in this case be bounde neyther with money nor in person to follow or serue him For the god Apollo tolde me that that man whiche will take another mans goods from hym by force shall lose his owne by iustice We ordeine and commaunde that the gouernor of the Prienenses go to pray and worship the gods twise in the weeke and lykewise to visite them in the temples and if he do the contrarie he shal not only be depriued of the gouerment but also after his death he shal not be buried For the prince that honoreth not god in time of his lyfe deserueth not his bones should be honored with sepulture after his death ¶ How god from the beginning punished men by his iustyce and speciallye those Princes that dispise his Churche and howe all wicked Christians are parishioners of hell Cap. xxii WHen the eternall creator who measureth the thinges by his Omnipotencye and wayeth them by his effectuall wisedome created al things aswel celestiall as terrestial vysible as inuisible corporate as incorporate not only promised to the good whyche serued him but also threatened the euyll with plagues whych offended hym For the iustice and mercy of god go alwayes together to thintent the one should encourage the good and the other threaten the euyl This thinge semeth to be true for that we haue but one god which hath created but one word wherin he made but one gardeine in the whiche garden ther was but one fountaine and neare to that fountayne he appointed only one man one woman and one serpente nere vnto which was also one tre only forbidden which is a thinge meruelous to speake and no lesse feareful to see how god dyd put into the terrestial paradyse the same daye that the creacion of the worlde was finyshed booth a sword and gibet The gibet was the tree forbidden wherof they dyd eate wherfore our fathers were condemned And the sword was the punishment wherwyth we al as miserable chyldren at this day are beheaded For truly they dyd eate the bytternes of their fault and we do feele the griefe of the paine I meane not to shewe howe our God by hys power doothe raise vppe that whyche is beaten downe howe wyth his wysedome he guideth those which are blind how by his wyl he dissembleth wyth the euyll doers neyther wil I tel how he through his clemency pardoneth the offences and through his light lyghtneth the darknes nor how through his ryghteousnes he amendeth that whych is broken and through hys liberality paieth more then we deserue But I wyll here declare at large howe our omnipotente God through his iustice chastiseth those whiche walke not in his pathes O Lorde god howe sure may thy faithfull seruauntes be for their small seruices to receiue great rewardes and contrary the euill ought alwayes to lyue in as great feare lest for their heynous offences thou shouldest geue them cruel punishmentes For though god of his bounty will not leaue any seruice vnrewarded nor of his iustice will omitte any euill vnpunished yet for all that we ought to knowe that aboue all and more than all he wil rigorously chastise those which maliciously despise the holy catholyke faith For Christe thinketh him selfe as much iniuried of those whiche persecute his church as of those that laide handes on his persone to put him to death We rede that in times past god shewed sondry greuous and cruel punishmentes to diuerse high lordes and princes besides other famous and renowmed men But rigour had neuer such power in his hande as it had against those whiche honoured the infamed Idoll and violated the sacred temples For to god this is the most heinous offence to forsake the holy catholike faith in his life and to dispaire in his mercy at the houre of his death Woulde to god we had so much grace to acknowledge our offences as god hath reason to punishe our sinnes For if it were so thē we would amend in time to come god would graunt vs a generall pardon for al that is past I see one thing wherin as I thinke I am not deceiued which is this that the frailnes miseries which we commit we thinke them naturall and in the satisfaction and amendement of the same we say they are straunge so that we admit the fault condemne the paine which therby we do deserue The secret iudgements of god do suffer it and our offences do deserue it I do not deny but that the euyll may hold possesse this life at their pleasour but I sweare vnto them when they shal lest thinke of it they shal lose their life to their great displeasour for the pleasurs of this life are so vnconstant that we scarce begin to taste thē when they vade out of their sight It is a rule infallible whiche bothe of the good euill hath bene proued that all naturally desire rather to abound than to want and all that which greatly is desired with great diligēce is serched and through great trauaile is obteined and that thing which by trauaile is attained with loue is possessed that which by loue is possessed with much sorow is lost bewailed lamented For in th end we can not deny but that the watry eies do manifestly shewe the sorowfull hartes To the fine wittes and stout harts this is a continuall torment and endlesse paine a worme that alway gnaweth to cal to mind that he must lose the ioyfull life whiche so entierly he loued and taste the fearfull death whiche so greatly he abhorred Therfore to proue this matter which I haue spoken of before it is but reason that princes know if they do not know that euen as the diuine prouidence exalteth them to high estates they not deseruing thē so likewise his rigorous iustice will bring them to nought if they be vnthankeful for his benefites For the ingratitude of benefittes receiued maketh the man not worthy to receiue any mo The more a man through benefits is bound the more greuous punishment if he be vnthankefull he deserueth Al wyse men shuld finde if thei apply their mindes therunto that in chastising god calleth those offences first to his mind which are furthest from the thoughtes of men For before the tribunal of god our secret faultes are alwaies casting out bloud to th end he should execute of our persons open iustice And further I saie that in this case I doe not see that the prince is exempted more though he liue
in great felicitie than the poore labourer who liueth in extreme misery And also we see it eftsones by experience that the sodaine lightning tempestes and the terrible thonder forsaketh the small lowe cotages battereth forthwith the great sumptuous buildinges Gods wil determination is that for as much as he hath exalted them aboue al others somuch the more they should acknowledge him for lorde aboue all others For god did neuer create high estates because they should worke wickednes but he placed them in that degree to th end they should therby haue more occasion to do him seruice Euery prince that is not a good Christian a feruente louer of the catholike faith nor will haue any respect to the deuine seruice let him be assured that in this world he shall loase his renowme and in the other he shall hazarde his soule For that all euill Christians are the parishioners of hell ¶ The authour proueth by twelue examples that princes are sharply punished when they vsurpe boldly vpon the churches and violate the tēples Cap. xxiii ¶ Why the children of Aaron were punished IT is now time that we leaue to perswade with wordes reasons and to begin to proue that which we haue said by some excellēt histories notable examples For in th end the hartes of mē are stirred more through some litle examples then with a great multitude of words In the first booke of the Leuitici the .x. chap is declared how in the time of Moyses the sonne in law of Iethro priest that was of Media who was chiefe prince of all the image of Seph with whom the brother of Mary the Iepre had charge of the high priesthod For among al the lawes where god at any time put his handes vnto he prouided always that some had the gouernement of ciuile affaires and others thadministration of the deuine misteries This high priest had then two children whose names were Nadab Abihu which two were yonge beautiful stout sage during their infancy serued their father helped him to do sacrifice For in the old law they suffred that priestes should not onely haue wiues children but also that their children should succede thē in their temples and inherite their benefices There came a great mischaunce for the two childrē being apparailed in whyte their bodies bound with stoels their handes naked in one hand holding a torche in thother the senser being negligent to light the new fyre contrary to that the law had ordeined taking coles which were prohibited a marueilous thing was sene in the sight of the people which was that sodainly these two children fel flat on the earth dead al their sacrifice burned Truly the sentēce was marueilous but it was iust enough For they wel deserued to lose their liues sithen they durst sacrifice the coles of an other This thing semed to be true for those yonge children saued their soules made satisfaction of the fault with their liues but other wicked men god permitteth to liue a short time because they shal loose their soules for euer ¶ The cause why the Azotes were punished THe realme of Palestine being destitute of a kyng at that time an honourable old man gouerned the realme whiche was father to two knightes named Albino and Phinides for at that tyme the children of Israell were not gouerned by kinges that did moleste them by iniuries but by sage men whiche did mainteine theym by iustice It chaunced that the Azotes made warre against the Palestines and were a kynde of the Arabians stoute and warrelyke the whiche fought so couragiously that the Palestines and Hebrues were constrayned to bringe their Arke into the middes of the battaile whiche was a relicke as a man should haue put the holy sacrament to deuide a great multitude of people But fortune shewed her countenaunce vnto them so frowningly that they were not onely ouercome but also were spoyled of the Arke whiche was their chiefe relicke And besides that there were .400 Palestines slayne The Azotes caried awaye the Arke ful of relicks vnto their temple in the citie of Nazote and set it by Dagon their cursed Idol The true God whiche wyll not suffer any to be coequall with him in comparison or in any thing that he representeth caused this Idoll to be shaken throwen downe and broken in pieces no man touching it For our god is of suche power that to execute his iustice he nedeth not worldly helpe God not contented thus though the Idoll was broken in pieces caused those to be punished likewyse whiche worshipped it in suche sorte that all the people of Azote Ascalon Geth Acharon and of Gaza whiche were fiue auncient and renowmed cities were plaged both man and woman inwardly with the disease of the Emerodes so that they could not eate sitting nor ryde by the wayes on horsebacke And to th ende that al men might see that their offences were greauous for the punishment they receiued by the deuine iustice he replenished their houses places gardeins seedes and fieldes full of rattes And as they had erred in honouring the false Idoll and forsaken the true god so he would chastise them with two plagues sending them the Emerodes to torment their bodies and the rattes to destroye their goodes For to him that willingly geueth his soule to the deuill it is but a small matter that god against his wyll depriue him of his goodes This then being thus I would nowe gladly knowe whether of them committed moste offence eyther the Azotes whiche set the Arke in the temple whiche as they thought was the moste holiest or the Christians whiche without the feare of God robbe and pylle the Churche goodes to their owne priuate commoditie in this worlde Truly the lawe of the Azotes differed as muche from the Christians as the offence of the one differeth from the other For the Azotes erred not beleuing that this Arke was the figure of the true God but we beleue it and cōfesse it and without shame committe against it infinite vices By this so rare sodaine a punishement me thinkes that Princes and great Lordes should not onely therfore acknowledge the true god but also reuerence and honour those thinges which to him are dedicated For mans lawes speaking of the reuerence of a Prince doe no lesse condemne him to die that robbeth his house then him whiche violently layeth handes on his persone ¶ The cause why Prince Oza was punished IN the booke whiche the sonne of Helcana wrote that is the seconde booke of the kynges and the sixt Chapter he saieth that the Arke of Israell with his relikes which was Manna the rodde and two stones stode in the house of Aminadab whiche was the next neighbour to the citie of Gibeah the sonne of Esaye who at that tyme was kyng of the Israelites determined to transpose the relickes into his citie and house for it semed to him a great infamy that to a mortall
eyther to iesters minstrels parasites flaterers loiterers or fooles First mee seemeth that a man ought not to think that fooles are capable to geeue counsayle since they haue it not for them selues for it should bee great foly to vse men as sages which of their owne will haue made them selues fooles The second mee seemeth that it is a vaine thinge to think that the iesters should serue as seruants for these vnhappy people to fly trauayle onely haue taken vpon them this office so sclaunderous Thirdly it semeth to bee a shamefast thing and of great inconuenyence that any noble and sage man should determine to haue any flatterer or iester for his famylyar frend for such ought not nor cannot bee counted among the true frends since they loue vs not for the vertue wee possesse but for the goods which wee haue Fourthly mee thinketh it a vayne thing to think that vnder the colour of pouerty it should bee iust to geeue meat to iesters or loyterers for wee cannot say the such are poore for that they want ryches but that folly aboundeth in them Since therefore a man is defamed to haue such iesters flatterers and loyterers for frends and that for beeing seruants they are vnhable and with out witt to ask them counsayle mee thynketh it is a great folly to spend hys goods on such loyterers For as their intencions to the gods onely are manifest and to men secret so their is nothing wherin the good doo approue and manyfest their intencions to bee good or euyl more then in the woordes which they speake in the companies which they keepe ¶ Marcus Aurelius goeth forward with his letter and declareth how hee found the sepulchres of many learned Philosophers in Helespont whereunto hee sent all these loyterers Cap. xlvi I will thou know Lambert that thy Ile is consecrated with the bones of many excellent men the which were banyshed by sundry tirannous Princes of Rome The auncients greatly commend that I le beecause there are therein stones caled Amatistes tame deere faire womeÌ„ familiar wolfes swift dogges of foote and pleasaunt fountaines Yet notwithstanding I will not cease to commend these things which reioyce those that bee presente and also comfort those that bee to come For I esteeme more the bones which the earth doo couer then the riches which groweth theron If thou hast not lost the sence of smelling as that I le doth sauoure vnto mee of sages so doth Rome stynk of fooles For for the time it is lesse payne to endure the stink of the beast then to heare the woordes of a foole When the warres of Asia were ended I returned home by that yle wherin I visited al the lyuing people and al the graues of the dead philosophers And for a trueth I tel thee Lambert the that iourney was veri trublesome vnto mee for here in my person endured much payne on the land I suffered dyuers daungers and on the sea I saw my selfe in sondry perils In the city of Corinthe where thou art resident at this present in the middest of the market place thou shalt finde the graue of the philosopher Panimio to whom the streight frendship auayled litel which hee had with Ouide but the enmity greatly endomaged him which hee had with Augustus the emperor Two miles from Theadfonte at the foote of the mountains Arpines thou shalt finde the graue of the famous orator Armeno who was by the coÌ„sul Scilla vniustly banished And of troth as here was much blood lost beecause Scilla should not enter into Rome so there were not few tears shed in Italye for the banishment of this philosopher In the gate of Argonata hard by the water in the top of a high rock thou shalt finde the bones of Celliodorus the Philosopher who obserued all the auncient laws and was a great enemy of those which brought in new customes and statutes This good Philosopher was banyshed in the prosperitye fury of the Marians nor for the euils they found in him but for the vyces hee reproued in them In the fyldes Heliny there was a great tomb within the which were the bones of Selleno the philosopher who was aswel learned in the .vii. lyberall artes as if hee himselfe had first inuented them And hee was banished by the Emperor Nero for beecause hee perswaded this cruel Emperor to bee merciful pyteful In the same fyeldes Heliny out of the woods towards the west part thou shalt find the graue of the philosopher Vulturnê° a man in Astrology profoundly learned which litle auayled him in his banishmeÌ„t For hee was banished by Marcus Antonius not for that Marcus Antonius would haue banished hym for hee was not offended by him but beecause his loue Cleopatra hated him as her mortal enemy For women of an euyll lyfe reuenge commonly their angry harts with the death of their especiall frends Diuers other tombs in that I le I saw the names wherof though in writing I haue them yet at this present I cannot cal them to memory Wel by the faith of an honest maÌ„ I swere vnto thee that thou shalt fynde al true which I haue told thee Now I tell thee Lambert that I visiting those graues their disciples did not beare them greater obedience when they were alyue then I dyd reuerence now they are dead And it is true also that in all that time my eyes were as much wet with water as their bones were couered with earth These philosophers were not banyshed for myscheues by their persons committed nor for sclaunders they had doon in the common wealths but beecause the deeds of our fathers deserued that they shoold bee taken from their company and wee their chyldren were not woorthy to haue the bones of so famous and renowmed sages in our custody I cannot tell if the enuy I haue to that I le bee greater or the pyty I haue of this miserable Rome for the one is immortall by the graues of the dead and the other is defamed with the lyfe of the lyuing I desire thee hartely as a frend and doo commaund thee as a seruaunt that thou keepe the pryuyleges which I geeue to that I le without breakyng any one For it is very iust that such cyties peopled with such dead should bee priuileged of the lyuing By this Centurion thou shalt know al things which are chaunced amongst the prisoners For if I should wryte al the whole matter vnto thee as it was doon I eÌ„sure thee vnto mee it would bee much paine to write it to thee great trouble to rede it It suffyceth presently to say that the day of the great solempnitie of the mother Berecinthe a sclaunderer arose in Rome by the occasion of these iesters scoffers and loyterers and by the fayth of a good man I sweare vnto thee that the blood which was shed through the places surmounted the wine which was drunk at the feast And think not that which I say to bee lytel that the blood which