multitude Be not draweÌ„ to an yuel opinion neither with the ensample of popis cardinalles and priestes nor with y e ensaÌ„ple of princes lordes knightes gentilmen and marchaÌ„tes nor yet with y e ensaÌ„pe of moÌ„kes friers You may by your self know what is the right path folowe you coragiously y e same forsake the coÌ„moÌ„ hie way of siÌ„ners Yet before I leue this .iii. care I wyll shew you my mind what is chiefly in this ê‘te to be cared fore as the best portion of worldely ryches Surely I reken no possession of londes nor yet no substaÌ„ce of marchaÌ„dise nor yet no abuÌ„dance of money to be coÌ„parable to a good freÌ„d Therfore aboue all things in this worlde procure to haue pleÌ„tie of freÌ„des make of them your coÌ„pte as of your best most pÌ„cious goodes Alweys your frende shall be more profitable to you then any tresure or power beside can be Nowe you shall know them y t be worthy to be your frendis by what menes what wey frendes be both gotten also kept ye shall best lerne in Ciceros littell boke De amicitia I caÌ„ not say in this thing any point that is left of him wherfore I remit you to y t worke An other point touching this care of worldly goodes is to vse accordingly your wife wheÌ„ y e time shall come that you shall haue one For to opteyne substance of goodes it lieth as moche in the wife to kepe that you bringe home as in your trauayle to bryng home And surely onelesse she be the keper and sparer the husbande shal littel go forwarde in his labour of gettynge And the very trouth is that there is noo yuelle houswyfe but for hir fautes the good man is to be blamed For I am vtterly of this opinioÌ„ that the maÌ„ may make shape and forme the womaÌ„ as he wil. I wolde go farther with you in this thing shew somwhat of y e wey to order your householde if I sawe not this matter so largelye intreatedde of dyuers phylosothers of whome ye shall here as moche as may be said in this thing Specially I wolde you redde with most diligence the propre boke y t Xenophon writeth herof it is called oeconomia that is to say the craft to order and kepe an howse where this auctour geueth suche counsell for all the course of an honeste mans lyfe in this worlde to growe in ryches vnder the meanes of discretion and wisedome that noo man in my mynde can sey more therin or better the whiche iudgemente of myne I doubt not but you wyll approue whenne you haue redde the sayde worke it is translated out of greke in to latine by one Raphaelle but in his translation the worke leseth a greatte parte of the grace that hit hath in the greke tonge and also his translation in many places is false and it playnly appereth that Raphaell vnderstode not wel what XenophoÌ„ wrot in greke I haue therfore for dyuers of my frendes sake translated the same worke out of greke tonge in to englyshe and you shall haue the same with my good wyl when your pleasure is to rede it ¶ I wolde also for some parte of this thirde care haue you rede the vii the .viii. boke of Aristot. politikes for to here his counsel concernynge the bryngyng vp of children and the vse of other certayne thinges ¶ This is the effecte some myn owne good Edmond of my couÌ„cell touching the .iii. said thinges in y e which I reken to rest the hole course of your lyfe and if you obserue kepe them in theyr degrees order accordingly you shall surely content god nexte please your selfe thyrdly satisfie the worlde On y e coÌ„trary parte misorder these caris you shal ruÌ„ne in to the vengeaÌ„ce of god into the hate of your selfe and in to the indignation of al men Be holde I pray you these hungrie and gredy wretches that make of the thyrde thynge theyr fyrste thought and care what life lead they in the sclander of al their acqueintaÌ„ce what deth haue they in the sight of theyr priuy coÌ„scieÌ„ce whan they remembre their false swearinges their deceitful bargaines their playne robberies theyr pollinges their cruelle exactions their oppressinges of y e poore men what hope haue they of goddes fauor whaÌ„ they remeÌ„bre al their care thought hath beÌ„ for the welth of this world y e which wheÌ„ they leue forsake they despeire of al other welthines in as moch their miÌ„des neuer ernestly cared for that welth the whiche euer endureth This remembraunce of theyr misorder is an heuy burthen to their conscieÌ„ce It can not be otherwise CoÌ„syder nowe agayne how clere and lyght his mynde is that in all his lyfe hath euer chiefely studied for the soules welth that remembreth euer howe his care hath ben for the rewarde of vertue Of this man howe well doth euery manne speake what ioy and comforte enbraceth the conscieÌ„ce of this man wheÌ„ the hande of god calleth him frome his shorte lyfe to that perpetualle lyfe for the whiche he hath so moche labored The tother be he neuer so rich is called a false felowe a wretched knaue This man be he neuer so pore is called an honest person a good man for whome the heueÌ„ gatis standeth open whilste the tother falleth to endles turmentes This is th end of misorder this is th eÌ„d of good order in breaking and kepyng the degres of the forsaid thre thinges Wherfore I can not warne you to often to take hede of this councel and you can not to often here the same The ieoperdie is not small if you shoulde forgette this tale hit is no lesse perill then vtter shame in this worlde with deathe euerlastyng where so euer is sclaÌ„der there is shame greater sclander there can be none than foloweth on all sydes the vniuste riche man And he euer where some euer he be gathereth uniustely ryches that careth chiefely for these worldely promotions the whiche man hath I saye bothe in his life extreme shame also after this life extreme punishement You be not forboden to get riches but the vnordinate desire of geting riches is abominable both in y e sight of god maÌ„ your desire is vnordinate if it be not ordred vnder the degre of your chif care as now ofteÌ„ inough hath beÌ„ repeted I wolde now leue you make an end of these .3 cares studies apê‘teiniÌ„g to your soule body goodes sauinge y t bicause I somwhat know your dispositioÌ„ wil particularly touch one thing or two that you muste most ernestly beware of bicause you be moch naturallye inclyned otherwyse to falle in to certayne poyntes that sore disquieteth the minde hurteth the body and hindreth the profites of this lyfe so that frendly I wyll admonishe you of one or two thinges that perteyne to all your three charges ¶ Take hede
AN EXHORTATION TO YONGE men perswadinge them to walke in the pathe way that leadeth to honeste and goodnes writen to a frend of his by Thomas Lupsete Londoner ⧠1534 To my vvithipol IT happeneth atte this tyme my harty beloued Edmonde that I am in such place wher I haue no maner of bokes with me to passe the tyme after my maner and custome And thoughe I had here with me plenty of bokes yet the place suffrethe me not to spende in them any study For you shal vnderstand that I lye waytynge on my lorde Cardinal whose houres I muste obserue to be alwaye at hande lest I be called whan I am not bye the whiche shuld be streight taken for a faute of gret negligence Wherfore nowe that I am well satiated with the beholdynge of these gaye hangynges that garnissheth here euery wall I wyll turne me and talke with you For you muste knowe that my mynde hath longe coueted to shewe what affecte I beare to warde you the which hytherto parauenture I neuer vttered vnto yon soo playnelye that you might take therof any perfect knowlege And that I so dyd kepe in suche outwarde tokyns wherof when you were with me you shoulde haue perceyued my loue the cause was none other but that in dede I loued you For longe I haue ben taught that the mayster neuer hurtethe his scholer more than whan he vttereth shewethe by cheryshyng and cokerynge the loue that he bearethe to his scholers I thinke you lacked with me no cheryshinge but of cokerynge you hadde very lyttel bycause I was loth to hurt you the whiche lothnesse cam I saye of that I loued you But nowe in as moche you be of age and also by the common borde of houselynge admytted into the nombre of men to be no more in the company of chyldren and speciallye for as moche as my rule ouer you is cessed I wyl not deferre any longer the expressynge of myne harte that no lesse louethe and fauourethe you than yf nature had made you eyther my sonne or my brother For this alway is my mynde if I haue a frende in whom I fynde suche feythe honestie that I inwardly ioy in harte with hym I reken streyght that al his be myne with out any exception So that in very dede I take to my care as myn owne all thynges that be in my frendes care This mynde had I to my frende Andrewe Smythe whose son Christofer your felow I euer toke for my sonne nowe I thynke playnely that he is so in very dede This strengthe hathe true loue in frendshyp the whiche hath likewyse ioyned your father in suche maner to my harte that one thynke you shulde be no more his sonne then you be myne And thoughe I can suffre your father to take the rule of you more then I do Yet I can not suffre that he shulde care more for your profyte then I do For as I desire wishe that you neuer haue nede of me so surely if you euer shulde haue it shulde well then appere that as nature hath giuen you one father so your fathers frendshyppe hathe prouided for you an other father Wherfore good Edmonde reken noo lesse affecte in me to doo you good than is in your owne father whose only study and care is to se you growe prosper towarde the state of an honeste man and I to further you to the same am as desyrous as he is and as moche as I can I wyl helpe you both with my counsayle and power suche as I haue ¶ If you wyll call to your minde all the frayes that haue benne betwene you and me or betwene me and Smythe you shall fynde the causes euer depended of a care I had for your and his maniers When I sawe certayne phantasies in you or him that iarred frō true opinions the which true opinions aboue al lernyng I wolde haue masters euer tech theyr scholers But nowe that you be of better habilite to take coūseyll I wyl begynne to shewe you my mynde in stayinge you for the hole course of your lyfe that you may in time lerne what is to be done to be a good an honest man You be yet in the first entree of your lyfe and nowe is the tyme to haue a guyde that may faithfully conducte you in the ryght way For there be so many by pathes and for the most parte all by pathes be more worne with the steppes of your fore goers thā is the very true path of liuing that if you go alone you may paraduenture long wandre out of the streyghte way Wherfore as nere as I can I wylle in fewe wordes appoynte vnto you certayne markes vppon the whiche if you dilygentlye loke you canne not erre nor fayle of the waye that leadeth to the rewarde of an honeste good man whose vertue sauoureth plesantly to heuen pleseth the world and nourisheth hym selfe with an incomperable delite and gladnes that continually reygneth in his clene pure consciēce With these markes tokēs the which I wold you loked stil vpon I wil assigne you certaine auctors in whose workes I wold you shuld bestow your lesure when you may haue time to rede y t by them you may at the full be instructed in al thinges apperteining to vertu in al your life I wold you medled not greatly with any other bokes then with these y t I shal name vnto you it is not the reding of many bokes that getteth increace of knowlege iudgement for the most parte of them that redeth al indifferētly confoūd their wittes and memorie without any notable fruite of their redyng It muste be a diligent reder that shal take the profyte of his labour and diligence No man specially of them that haue other occupations can vse redinge but in verye fewe workes the whiche I wolde shuld be piked out of the best sorte that the fruite of the reders diligence maye be the greatter I se many lose theyr tyme when they thinke to bestowe their time beste bicause they lacke iudgemente or knowelege to pyke oute the bokes the whiche be worthye to be studied And in euerye thynge an order wel obserued bringeth more profitte then any labour or peine besyde Wherfore my good Withipolle take hede to my lesson I am in doubte whether you haue anye other louer that canne and wylle shewe you a lyke tale but welle I am assured that you haue none that can thus teache you with a better will to haue you take profite by him then I do of me howe longe you shall haue this vse it is in goddes wil to determyne As moche as lyeth in me I wyl nowe procure and prouide that these letters shal kepe to your vse the summe of my councell by the whiche if you order your will I putte noo doubte but fyrste the grace of god shal be rooted in you and next you shal liue with a mery harte and finally
to the soule Lyke wise if ye be occupied about the body remembre it is the warke of the seconde care the which also must be ordered vnder the fyrste the whiche fyrst must alwey sticke in your mynde sturred vp and led in all desires appetites by the sayde feare loue of god Do neuer that thynge wherin you feare goddis displeasure ¶ More partycularlye in wrytinges you shall lerne this lesson if you wold somtyme take in your handes the newe testamente and rede it with a dewe reuerence For I wold not haue you in that boke forgette with whome you talke hit is god that there speakethe hit is you a poore creature of god that redeth Consider the matche and meke downe your wittes Presume not in no case to thynke that there you vnderstonde ought leue deuisinge thervpon submit your selfe to the expositiōs of holy doctours and euer conforme your cōsent to agre with Christes church This is the surest way that you cā take both before god man Your obediēce to the vniuersal faith shal excuse you before god although it might be in a false belefe y e same obediēce shal also kepe you out of trouble in this worlde where you se howe folishe medlars be daylie sore punyshed both to theyr owne vndoing also to their gret sorow lamenting of their louers frendes Surely the trouthe is as I haue sayd that it is your parte to obey and to folowe the church so that both for your soules sake and for your bodily quietnes with the cōforte of your frendes I exhorte you to meddel in no point of your faith other wise then the churche shal instruct teache you In the whiche obedience rede for your increase in vertue the storie of oure mayster Christe that liuely expressethe the hole course of a vertuous lyfe And there you shall here the holye gooste commande you to seeke fyrste afore all thynges the kingedome of heuen than saith the spirite of god al other thinges apperteyninge to the bodye and worlde shall by them selfe folowe withoute your care ¶ In reding the gospels I wold you had at hande Chrysostome Ierom by whom you might surely be brought to a perfecte vnderstanding of the text And hereafter at leysure I wolde you redde the Ethikes of Aristotell eyther vnder some expert philosopher orels with comment of Futtiratius And lette Plato be familiar with you specially in the bokes that he wryteth De re publica Also you shall fynde moch for your knowelege in the moral philosophie of Cic. as in his bokes De officiis de senectute de fato de finibus de Achademicis questio de Thust Specially rede with diligēce the workes of Seneca of whom ye shall lerne as moche of vertue as mans wit can teche you These workes I thinke sufficiēt to shew you what is vertue and what is vice and by redynge of these you shall growe in to a highe corage to ryse in a iudgemente aboue the commen sorte to esteme this world accordynge to his worthines that is farre vnder the dignitie of the vertues the whiche the mynde of men conceyueth and reioycethe in these bokes shal lyft you vp from the claye of this erthe and set you in a hill of highe contemplacion from whence you shal loke downe and dispise the vanite that folishe men take in the deceyteful pompe of this shorte wretched life Mobokes I wyll not aduyse you for your soules study to rede thanne these excepte hit be Enchiridion that Erasmus wrytethe a worke doubtles that in fewe leaues conteynethe an infynite knowlege of goodnes Thynke not my good Edmond that I ouer charge you For I knowe what pleasure you haue in redinge in better bokes you can not bestowe your plesure than in these the whiche be in nōbre but fewe and yet they shall do you more good thā the reding here there of many other I wolde to Iesus I had in your age folowed lyke coūseil in redinge onely these workes the whiche nowe at laste by a great losse of tyme in redyng of other I haue chosen out for my purpose to refreshe with them the reste of my lyfe And I councel you nowe to begynnne to doo the same when tyme and conueniente leyser shall be giuen you to rede any boke ¶ The second care is for the body the which you must cherish as moche as may stande with the seruice of your former thought and study for your chief treasure Haue a resspecte to kepe your bodye in good helth the whiche resteth in the aier and in your diete Abide not where ruption or infection is Eate not nor drīk not out of time or mesure nor yet of suche meates drynkes as be more delicate and pleasant then holsome Knowe the measure of your stomacke before you ouerlade your bealye Choke not your appetite but fede your honger Drowne not your lust but quench your thirst euer for your soules sake kepe you frō glottony Faste sometime boothe for deuotion and also for your helth Slepe rather to lyttell then to moche as moche as you take from slepe soo moche you adde to your lyfe For slepe is deth for the tyme. Exercise you continually for in labor your bodye shall fynde strengthe and lustynesse is gotten by the vse of your lymmes Lette neuer the sonne ryse before you you shall haue to all your affaires the lenger day And euer for your soules sake flee from ydlenes the whiche is not onely in hym that dothe nothynge but also in hym that doth not well and ydell you be when you be not well occupied Be temperate in your lustes touching the bodyly pleasure the tyme shal not belonge tyll your frendes by goddis grace wyll prouide you of an honeste mate In the meane season let the feare loue of god kepe you in chastitie the whiche apperteyneth to your chiefe care for nedes you must so do seinge y t other wise lecherie shal sore defoyle your soule y e which you must regard be fore y e bodis appetite For this part I wolde you redde as your leiser shal be a littel worke of Galen De bona valetudine tuenda And in the workes afore named you shal find many thynges that shall instruct you well for this parte also and lyke wise for the third the whiche thyrd euer hath occupied mens stomackes more thē eyther the first or the seconde Wherfore as wel in holy scripture as in the other philosophers specially in Seneca you shal finde many lessons that apperteine to the thirde care This third care is for the goodes in this world In this part I can giue you smal aduyse of my selfe bycause I haue had but smal experience here in yet euer I se that you may not in the study of gettyng these goodes leue or slake the chief care
goodes that be only the goodes of the mynde Other goodes be not called proprely goodes you se howe these praty commodities of the bodye also these small gyftes of fortune mawgree our heed be taken from vs as I caÌ„ not escape alway sykenes I caÌ„ not escape misfortunes I can not flee frome the cruel handes of tyraÌ„tes I may be cast into tortures I may rotte in fetters I may lose al my substance by water by fyer by theues or by other violent robberye Agaynst these chances no man caÌ„ resist no care nor thought preuayleth to assure vs eyther of our bodyes or of suche goodes Wherfore lerne you that I say before god we haue no goodes but onely the goodes of the spirite and mynde the whiche goodes as I haue sayde be so sure ours y t they can not be takeÌ„ from vs but with our owne wyll consentynge to the losse of them In this spirytualle possession euery man is an inuincible emperour We may dispise al violence of princis al worldly chaÌ„ces touching the kepyng of vertu maugre the holle power of the diuel all his retinue Here of lerne and marke myn Edmonde wherin you maye be hurted that your care may the better be bestowed For to care wher you haue no hurt it is nedeles or not to care where you be hurted is a blind ignoraÌ„ce ¶ We be hurted whaÌ„ we lose any parte of goddis fauour we lose goddis fauour when we lose any goodes of the mynde we lose the goodes of the mind wheÌ„ we either reioice of y e hauing bodily worldly goodes or make sorowe of the lackynge the same we be not hurted whaÌ„ god coÌ„tinueth his fauor wheÌ„ we decay not in the streÌ„gthis of minde we decay not in the streÌ„gthes of minde wheÌ„ we be not ouercome neyther with the gladnes of the bodis and worldes prosperite nor with bewaylynge of theyr aduersite Thus you se nother in the goodes of the body nor in the goodes of the world you caÌ„ other take or escape hurte it is only the vertu of your minde wherin you muste serch wheder you be safe or hurted ¶ Now wheÌ„ you knowe the place of your hurte knowe also what may do you hurte that you maye be more charie of your hurter You se ones the place wherin you maye be hurted is your secrete mynde a very sure place For it is not fyre nor water nor thefe that can come there it is no princis sworde that caÌ„ perce into this place it is no misslucke of fortune that can lyght vpon your spirite finally there is no diuel of hel that can fasten a stroke vpon you to do you in this place any hurte This shulde be a greatter gladnes vnto you to considre in howe stronge a tower you be from all hurte but se thenne agayne who hit is that maye hurte you For surelye you caÌ„ not be hurted but of one in whoÌ„ is power to do hurte this is your owne free wyl This wyl of yours nothing els hath power to hurt you Se shortely in ensaÌ„ple howe your laÌ„des be takeÌ„ froÌ„ you you be spoyled of your goodes fire burneth vp your house you be haled to prisoÌ„ you be beateÌ„ you be torne with whips you be draweÌ„ vpon y e rackes you lie in chaynes you coÌ„e forth to opeÌ„ shame you suffre cold you be gnawen with hunger and thyrste finallye you be putte to death what of al this yet I can not saye that you be hurted I se that with al this the fauor grace of good may coÌ„tinue with you as it did with the holy martyrs And also before Christis passion holye Iob suffred al this was not hurted This is a great coÌ„fort for you to se that nothing caÌ„ hurt you but only your owne selfe This is the hyghe grace of god that so hathe made man to be ouer al a myghty conquerour that can take no hurt but of hym selfe Wherfore I trust you will lyue euer safe and sownd For I wyll not thynke that euer you wil be so mad as to hurt your selfe Than for these trifles of the body and worlde take no care it it is neyther the seconde thyng nor the thirde thynge that canne be so vnto you that in eyther of theym you can de hurted Marie take hede lest by the displeasures done in the second and in the thyrd you of madnes take occasion to be hurted and wyllyngelye hurte your selfe in the fyrste thinge the which onely is the place where you may be hurted And none besyde your owne wyl hath power to hurt you there as if in the tyme of the losse of worldly goodes you wil fret in anger you wil dispise god you wil curse and ban you wyl enforce to be aueÌ„ged you crye out in furie madnes now take you thought care for surely you be hurted and your chief iewel hath a great losse For god withdraweth from your soule a great part of his grace so that this hurt you do to your own selfe by this frowardenes Lykewyse whylste your body is turmeÌ„ted eyther with sykenes or otherwise if you therfor forsake pacieÌ„ce and swelle in wrothe you be than hurted in dede but of noone other person besyde your selfe onely Thus you may take froÌ„ the secoÌ„d and the thyrde in the whiche two you can not be hurted an occasion to hurte your selfe to haue therof a greatte cause of a sore and an erneste care for the peril that your soule therby falleth in ¶ To confirme you the faster in these ryghte opinions I wolde you redde the lyttell boke of Epictetus intitled his Enchiridion well translated into latyne by Angelus Politiane But to saye the trouth the worke is so briefely and darkely written that without a coment or a good mayster you shall not perceyue the fruite of the texte I am in mynde if I maye haue therto leysure to translate the coÌ„ment of Simplicius vppon the sayd worke and then shal you finde suche swetenes in that boke that I beleue hit will rauishe you in to an hygher contemplation than a greatte sorte of our religious men come to And one thinge beleue me my good withipol that in redynge of these olde substanciall workes the whiche I haue named vnto you shal besyde the perfection of knowlege gender a certayne iudgement in you that you shal neuer take delite nor pleasure in the trifles and vayne inuentions that men nowe daies write to the inquietinge of all good order by reason that the moste parte of men that rede these new flittering workes lacke perfecte iudgement to dyscryue a weyghtye sentence fro me a lyghte clause the whiche iudgemente can not be gotten but by a longe exercysynge of our wittes with the best sorte of writers And to me it is a pitiful thynge to beholde the folishe dremes of these yonge clerkes in mens handes to se these noble olde workes of the holy fathers and philosophers lye vntouched Where if these newe wryters speke any thynge well it is piked out of this aunciente bokes But what so euer these petye clarkes pike out nowe a dayes for the mooste parte it is defaced and broughte out of good fashioÌ„ with theyr yuel handelynge ¶ I wyl nowe make an ende it is sufficient to a wyllynge mynde suche as I truste is in you to haue with a frendes fynger the way appoynted where you must walke if you wil procede in vertu the whiche is onely the thynge that maketh a man boothe happye in this worlde and also blessed in the worlde to come Beleue you my counsayle and vse the same orels hereafter you will paraduenture bewayle your negligence Fare ye wel At More a place of my lorde cardinals in the feaste of saynte Bartholomew 1529. LONDINI IN AEDIBVS THOMAE BERTHELET ANNO. M.D.XXXV CVM PRIVILEGIO How masters hurt their scholars most Trewe frendshyp True opinions Reding of many bokes Soule Body Goodes of this worlde scholers Feare of god Loue of god Newe testamente Mat. 6. Luc. 12. Redynge y e gospels Chrysost. Ierom Ethica Arist. Plato Cicero Seneca Bodilye helth Corrupte aier Diete Faste Slepe Exercise Ydlenes Temperance Gale De bona bale tud tuen Seneca Almes dede Slepe Bargyne Similitudes Diuel Mat. 20. et 22. A good frende Cicero de amicitia House wife Xenoph. oeconomi Aristot. Politic. wrath ire anger Furrie Pacience Plato Seneca â–ª Vntrewe tonge Obedience malapert presumption false goodes Epicteê°