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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21003	The moral philosophie of the Stoicks. Written in French, and englished for the benefit of them which are ignorant of that tongue. By T.I. fellow of New-Colledge in Oxford; Philosophie morale des stoïques. English	Du Vair, Guillaume, 1556-1621.; Epictetus. Manual.; James, Thomas, 1573?-1629.	1598 (1598)	STC 7374; ESTC S100004	56,994	220

THE MORAL PHILOSOphie of the Stoicks Written in French and englished for the benefit of them which are ignorant of that tongue By T. I. Fellow of New-Colledge in Oxford Non quaero quod mihi vtile est sed quod multis AT LONDON Printed by Felix Kingston for Thomas Man 1598. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR Charles Blunt Lord Mountioy Knight of the most noble order of the Garter Captaine of Portsmouth and one of her Maiesties Lieutenants for the Countie of South T. I. wisheth increase and continuance of honour and vertue IF Christians in these daies were as religious in dedicating of their books as Heathen men in former time were superstitious in dedicating of their Churches I doubt not but men would bee as farre from writing of bookes as they are from building of Churches In dedication of their Temples they were as it is reported too curious in dedicating of our bookes we are as it appeareth too negligent They regarded time place circumstance and person we neither respect time place circumstance nor person Indeede the three former doe not much concerne vs at all but as for the last it should be the first thing which is to bee considered in euery booke for it sufficeth not that the booke be well written vnlesse the person to whom it is written bee fitting and agreeable with the booke For as the Heathens neuer or seldome ●imes dedicated their Temples to men touched with the same infirmities that they were but either ●nto the person of some great god or goddesse who might if neede were be able to defend them so should not wee commit our labours and workes vnto their patronage and protection which are but simply men scarce able for to helpe themselues but vnto such as either for their vertues sakes are better then men as Aristotle saith orels by reason of their places and offices in the Common-wealth are farre aboue all other men in dignitie and equall vnto GOD himselfe as the Scripture testifieth in name This respectiue care Right Honorable hath not somwhat but altogether perswaded me to offer vp this small booke of Morall Philosophie which I translated as well vpon iust commendations of the author as also vpon intreatie of my kind friend a learned Doctor of Diuinitie into your Honors hands not as if I meant to interprete the same vnto your Lordship which better knoweth the French tongue and other languages then my self or most men doe but for as much as this small booke had great neede of some worthie Patron and none more worthie then your Honor was to be found whether your rare vertues bee to bee regarded or the place which you hold with honor in this Common-w●alth it seemed good therefore vnto mee to vse your Lordships name aboue all others for patronage of this booke if it shall neede defence as doubtles it will though it were neuer so well written as it is most excellently compiled in French such is the priuate malice of certaine euill men and common de●tinie of al good writers For who is he that will regard a booke if it be little so little doe men consider the goodnes of things when they measure all things by greatnes as if Dauid were not little when he slew Goliah the giant the clowde little which threatned all Israel with raine the oyle little in the pitcher which filled all the emptie vessels of the widow And as that oyle was little vntill the time that it was powred foorth so small bookes when they come abroad into mens hands if they be furnished with doctrine are of great power to conuert men vnto p●etie and godlines The title of this booke is The Morall Philosophie of the Sto●cks Let it not seeme strange vnto vs that Philosophie should be a meanes to help Diuinitie or that Christians may profit by the Stoicks Indeede the licentious loosenes of our times cannot well brooke the stri●●nes of this sect The Stoicks are as odious vnto some men as they themselues are hated of others they call the professors hereof in their gibing manner stockes and not Stoicks because of the affinitie of their names And I pray why may not wee call them wisards as well as wise men by the same reason Philosophie in generall is profitable vnto a Christian man if it be well and rightly vsed but no kinde of philosophie is more profitable and neerer approching vnto Christianitie as S. Hierome saith then the philosophie of the Stoicks Let vs then that are Christians follow them as farre ●oorth as they haue followed the trueth for truth as a learned writer saith Vndecung est à spiritu sancto est from whence or whom so euer it ●ommeth commeth from the holie Ghost The Israelites when they departed from the Egyptians stole away their iewels wee are permitted to vse the wordes and sentences of the Heathen writers to our purpose in case of doctrine and exhortation but as it were by stealth very warilie and sparingly as S. Pa●l vsed for to do This libertie Master Caluin in his Commentarie vpon those places liberally granteth vs and I suppose it cannot lawfully bee denyed for gold and ●iluer and pretious iewels were euer vsed as ornamēts in the old law to decke and garnish the Temple withall As for the wordes of the Apostle which biddeth vs to beware of philosophie least they beguile vs they are most profitabl● for our instruction to teach vs not to attribute more vnto philosophie then philosophie or the Arts deserue Abraham was married vnto Sarah Hagar was but his handmaid or at the most but his concubine yet both liued with him in the same house and lay with him in the same bed Euery Christian must endeuour to be as Abraham was married vnto Sarah that is vnto Diuinitie for Sarah signifieth a Ladie and mistresse and who fitter to be Ladie and mistresse then Diuinit●e which must be attended on with Philosophie which is in stead of Hagar her handmaide which must be vsed no otherwise then as a concubine or as a stranger as her name in the original betokeneth If Philosophie with her yong sonne Ismael the Ar●s begin to despise Diuinitie as Hagar despised Sarah shee must bee cast ●oorth to be taught her obedience abroad which she might as well ●aue learned at home But where●ore need all these words why do I goe about to perswade your Honor vnto the embracing of this kind of Heathen diuinitie which is better knowne together with the right vse thereof vnto your godly wisedome then my foolish ignorāce can informe you Doth not the temperance of your wel-gouerned life and sober discipline in manners shew that you are a perfect Philosopher not in word onely but in deede also There be many which are Stoickes in the schooles as Arrian vpon Epictetus noteth but are Epicures at home that speake well in publike but liue ill in priuate your Honor is right well knowne to be ●one of these For your life in priu●te is answerable vnto your life in

publike and your words agreeable with your deeds And whence proceedeth al this if a man should search the fountaine of all your actions but from the fountaine and liuely source of all true learning which is so vnited and ingra●ted into your stocke that few haue been of your kind which haue not been either greatly learned or great louers embracers of learning● so that learning commeth vnto your Honour as the Priesthood did vnto the Leuits by ●●ght of succession from the father vnto the sonne Continue therefore Right Honorable continually to cherish the Artes and loue learning and learned men as you haue done and amongst the rest let the worthie work of this noble Ge●tleman of France whose name is not as yet knowne in England haue a small roume among your other bookes till such time as the French copie be to be had which now is hardly to be gotten and so as there is ioy in your Honors name in this life so shall you most assuredly in the next world your name being written in the booke of life haue ioyes without end which God grant to whom I leaue your Lordship humbly crauing pardon of the same for my boldnes Your Honors in duti● euer to command TH. IAMES To the French Reader MEn that are thankfull vnto vs for former benefites doe binde vs as it were by waie of obligation to followe them with second curtesies euen God himselfe which hath no other subiect to giue vnto vs but for exercising of his bountie asketh nothing for recompence of all his fauours but a dutifull and heartie acknowledgement of the same For as he seeth we make account of his fauours so doth he multipli● the same vpon vs what then ought man to do for man and one citizen for another seeing that he cannot do so much good for him but hee must needes owe him a great deale more Wherfore seeing the Manuell of Epictetus which I lately sent vnto you so generally well esteemed and liked I haue been encouraged againe the second time to offer vp vnto you this small Treatise which is of the same stuffe but a little better laboured And sending the whole treatise vnto you I haue thought good to send these letters of aduertisement along with it for feare least if it chaunce to light into certaine malicio●s persons hāds such as there are too many now adaies in this world the booke might happen to bee iniuried before it were fullie read or perused These shall bee therefore to aduertise you and as many as shall happen to reade this booke that it is nothing els but the selfe same Manuell of Epictetus owne making which I haue taken in peeces and transp●sed according to that method and order which I haue thought most conuenient hauing gathered together certaine precepts sentences and examples of diuers others which haue been of the same sect and bound them vp together in certaine small and short discourses which I haue thought most fit and proper to giue light vnto that which was before in their doctrine somewhat darke and obscure in such sort that it may serue for the present in stead of a summarie treatise or short abridgement of all the morall doctrine of the Stoicks Now I doe not present you their opinions as if J could warrant them for good and least of all so recommending them vnto you as if vpon the sight and view of them you should wholly betake your selfe vnto this prophane and puddle water leauing the cleere and sacred fountaine of Gods word from whence all holi● and wholesome precepts of manners discipline must be drawne but onely to let you vnderstand that they haue been and will be a repr●ch vnto vs Christians who being borne and bred in the true light of the Gospel shal see and percei●e how many there be that ha●e been louers and earnest embracers of vertue euen ●midst the times of darknesse and ignorance Now as concerning this small labour of mine which hath been employed onely in disposing of the matter and finding out of words I present it vnto you as Appelles and Policletus did their tables and Images with the pencill and caruing knife in my hande readie to reforme whatsoeuer men of more profound and delicate iudgements shall thinke good to be amended neuer thinking that my labour is throughly ended till such time as it shall please all them which are accounted m●n of good iudgemēt Peraduenture they shall finde in this treatise many things worthie to bee corrected yet notwithstanding I hope they shall haue cause to thanke me if their bringing vp bee not altogether rusticall and vnciuill for striuing to enrich my natiue tongue with the spoyles of straungers and making the hard and sharpe thornes of this kind of Philosophie tractable and able to bee h●●ndled and touched of the most daintie and tender hands of my countrimen And this fauour if I may be so happie as to obtaine at their hands I shall not thinke my labour and watchings ill imployed for I shall haue g●tten the greatest h●nor whereunto my ambitious thoughts may aspir● which is to be knowne to bee a louer of my countrie and seeker of her good And being not able otherwise to my great griefe and sorrow I speake it to testifie my loue vnto her I comfort her as well as I may in her calamitie c●asing not to ●ake my daily prayers vnto GOD for her good and welfare God almightie to whose fatherlie protection I no● leaue her make her as happie and fortunate as she is honest and wel-meaning The Morall Philosophie of the Stoicks THere is nothing in the worlde which tendeth not to one end or other yea euen thinges insensible doe aduance themselues as it seemeth and make themselues fit for that vse vnto y e which they doe properlie belong and being applied thereunto doe shew forth a kind of ioy and seeme to haue a feeling of the perfection and happines of their estates Things that haue action in them mooue of themselues in such sort as we see all creatures in generall and euery one seuerally in his kinde with great vehemencie contention followeth and pursueth after that for which they are borne bred and doe most certainlie reioyce and exult in the fruition of that which they seeke when they haue found it out What then ought man to doe vpon whom nature besides this inclination and motion which dead things doe partake with him hath endued with sence and ouer and besides sence which is common to him and other creatures hath giuen the benefit of discourse and reason to be able to discerne and chuse the best things of all thinges which present themselues vnto his consideration and that which is most fit and proper to his vse May we not safely conclude that man also hath his ende as well as all other creatures which is set before him as the furthermost marke and butte whereto all his actiōs shuld be directed and sithence that the happines of all