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A02806
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The line of liberalitie dulie directinge the wel bestowing of benefites and reprehending the comonly vsed vice of ingratitude. Anno. 1569.; De beneficiis. Book 1-3. English
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Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D.; Haward, Nicholas.
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1569
(1569)
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STC 12939; ESTC S103875
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92,810
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272
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THE LINE of Liberalitie dulie directinge the wel bestowing of benefites and reprehending the comonly vsed vice of Ingratitude Anno. 1569 Imprinted at London in Fletestrete neare to S. Dunstones Church by Thomas Marshe To the right woorshipfull Sir Christopher Heydon knight his â—ost courteouse Creditour of many his bounties and benefites IN requiting courtesies good turnes and benefites receyued at others handes ryght worshipful heedily ought we to folovv the fertile and frutâ—ful grouÌ„des which yeld in profit the manifold doubled gayne of the labour cost and traueile that their tyller and husbandly maÌ„ employed vpon theÌ„ and charyly fle the sovver and naughty nature of barren soyle whyche after many tillinges great charge bestovved of payne and costes in fine aunsvvere scarsely or not at all the ovvne seed agayne worthie to be resembled to insaciable svvalovving goulfes deuoriÌ„g stil vvithout shevv of any recept And forsomuch as according to thaduise of Cato it behoueth him that presumeth to geue precepts and to aduertise others vvarily to take regard he deserue not reprehension himself for that he rebuketh others for I thougt it more theÌ„ high tyme after so many benefits and courtesies so muche traueyle and costes sondrye vvayes at diuers tymes abundantly receiued by me and had of your vvorshypps greate bountye ioyned vvith courtesie to shevv novv at length some profe of the nature of the soyle vvhervpon so franckly you haue employed the same Concerninge vvhiche point of gratitude and thankfull nature coÌ„sisting in requiting benefits courtesies and plesours receyued at your vvorships haÌ„des although in habilitie manye doe in goodvvill yet vvell meaning and thankfulnes no one shall surmount ne passe me For albeit that blind Fortune through vvant of eysight povvring out or pinching in blindly her giftes vvithout regard graunteth to some habilitie to surcharg by geuing and againe pincheth others some by abridging their povver to be able to aunsvvere lyke for lyke receyued yet sith that as Tullye sayth the best and principal part of requyting benefites and yeelding condigne thankes for benefites and courtesyes receiued resteth in the minde vvhiche vvhen it hath vnfaynedly declared it self to be vvillinge to requite vvhat hath bene receiued is to be thought to haue made recompeÌ„se abouÌ„dantly As one thorough eased herevvith of the heauy charge vvhervvith the huge burthen of your bounties and Fortunes pinching parcialitie oppressed me amyd this narovv streyte of my disabilitie not fainting but triumphing ouer Fortunes blinde despyte I present your goodnes loe vvith a mind vvelmeaning and thankfull hart supplyeng that defect vvith the certein riches of the mind vvhich the frayle and flâ—tting vvelth of the body vvill not permit me to do A simple present for your vvorthie personage and inferiour in valevv far to any of yours receiued yet suche as shall suffyse to discharge me of Ingratitude In vviâ—he self same seking to requite your benefit passed I must of force yeeld me your double dettour Touching my self â—or your gentle aâ—ceptaunce of my pore goodvvill touching this my pore preseÌ„t for your grauÌ„ted patronage vvhiche simple gift of mine vvithout al regard had to your passed desertes which on my part notvvithstaÌ„diÌ„g may in no vvyse be vvrapt vp in obliuion of very devv for titles sake may challenge to be dedicated to your vvorship For vvhy to speke frely and yet voyd of all suspicion of flatterie the verity vvherof I referre to the report and iudgement of infinite vvellnigh and those credible vvho is he to vvhome the report of your vvorshippes name hath come but vvith the same report hath lykevvyse heard your vvorthie renoume and verteues vvelnigh of al sortes suche as may challeng and claime your deserued crovvne of immortalitie Amonge vvhiche vvhat shall I recompt your rare sobryetie greate lenytie paslyng familiaritie commendable policie gentle grauitie pregnant vvisedome deepe discrecion large liberalitie paynefulnes to plesour all honest persones ample hospitalitie to the admiration and vvellnigh astonnyeng of all that see suche rare gyftes so plentifullye placed in your ovvne person vvith an infinite nomber vvelnigh of vertues besides in the lest of vvhiche resteth trevv vvoorshyppe For vvhyche causes vvith one voyce as if they had conspired together all Norfolke soundeth eche vvhere your immortal praise In nomber of vvhyche company simplest I yet depest bounden acknovvledge amonge the rest my vovved devvtie vvith happy acclamacions and vvellvvyshynges testifieng my conceyued perfitte ioyeng at your haypie estate and desyrous vvhat in my sclender povver doth consyst for vvitnes of my assured vvell meanynge mynde dedicated to your vvoorshyp altogether to record by my simple skil confirmed vvith aÌ„ple testimonie of vvellnigh infinite your vvelldeserued prayse vnto posteritie wherein for your vvonted goodnes and beneuoleÌ„ce accept in good part my well vvillinge hart and seclude me not from your fauour passed Thus I leaue troubling your vvorshippe vvhom to the great vvelthe and earnest contentacion of all your contrey vvith many others confyâ—es God of his goodnes preserue and increase in prefit helthe vvith abundaunce and felicitie to his plesour Your vvorships depe dettour Nicolas Havvard THE LINE OF Liberalitie ☞ The first Booke Chapter 1. AMonge the nomber and those great vices with raygne among men that lyue discorderly are not guyded with the rule of Honestie I dare well saye there is no one that bréedeth so muche hurt as this That we knowe not dewly how to bestow vppon others nor to receyue at others handes suche benefites and plesures as eyther we doo our selues or els by others are done to vs. By meane wherof it foloweth that benefittes euilly bestowed are in lyke maner euilly repaied and of such ouer late we complain when we find theÌ„ not as we would wish them recompensed For those benefits accoÌ„pt I as loste whiche are so bestowed without dew regard And certes it is no whit to be merueiled at though amonge all the faultes of men which in déed are excedinge great and welnigh innumerable there is not to be founde any one ryfer and more in vse then vnthankfulnes whiche vndowtedly I sée doth happen through diuers causes The first and chefest is for that wee haue no respect on whom we bestow our benefites But if we wer to lend money to any one doutles we would enquere diligently before hand what maner of man he were of what credyt habilitie Neyther is any plowmaÌ„ so vnwise we se to sow his corn on ground which he knoweth to be barren But our benefites which far excell any other thynge that we can geue we bestow héere and there without any consideracion before had whether they are dewly employed and vpon suche as deserued thesame or not And verely I can not say whether is more discortesie to be thought in him that is to be plesured if he refuse a benefit when it is profered or in him that doth the pleasour to requier recompense for that which he hath done But if we mynd to benefitte any man we ought before haÌ„d to coÌ„ceiue this
hath done it But he that doth perseuer still heaping afresh new benefites vpon them whiche he hath already done shall enforce the receiuer to acknowledge the same at one time or an other wer he neuer so hard harted or currish of nature For who that shalbe so ouerlayed wâ—th benefites shall not haue the hart to lyft vp his eyes agaynst thée but he shal forthwith condemne himself of Inâ—gratitude if he haue not delt with thée accordyngly as he ought which way soeuer he woulde turne him thy benefites shalbe so rife before his eyes that by no meanes he shalbe able to shake them out of minde By thy good desertes and heaping on of benefites geue him cause to thinke that he is thoroughly bound vnto thée Which benefites of what force and effect they are to make good nature in any man I shall herafter declare so sone as I haue shewed my faÌ„tasy in one point or two somewhat different froÌ„ our matter in hand That is to wit For what cause it is said that ther are thre Graces wherfore thy are called sisters why they go linked haÌ„d in hand what is the cause why they are allwayes smylinge and of mery countenaunce what is the Reason why they are euer yong Finally wherfore they are virgins attired with their garmeÌ„tes louse and vngyrt about them and the same so thin that a man may sée through them Of these thrée Ladyes called Graces thopinion of some is that the first of them bestoweth benefites the seconde receyueth the same and then third confesseth the recept and requiteth them Others some there are that by these thrée Graces would signifie thrée kind of benefytes Namely the benefites whych are geuen the benefites whiche are receiued and the benefits which are receiued and repayed togethers But whether of these two opinions is worthiest to be allowed it is not muche materiall to examin and for that I will leue it at large vndiscust Let vs then sée why these thrée Ladyes whom I called Graces do still beholde thone the other and make a ring as it wer eche holding other by the hand Uerely it is for thys cause The gyft that passeth from the geuer yf it keepe dew order from the one to the other it retorneth againe from hym that receiued it vnto the geuer by dew ordely course Which order if it be broken or anye whit discontinued forthwith thereby shoulde it lose all the worthy commendacion whiche the said benefit should requier like as wee sée yf any of these Ladyes should louse hands the facion of the King were broken and streight shoulde lose that name They are alwayes smyling and merye countenaunced for that they should represent to vs thereby that those that are of good natures ought when they bestow benefytes whyche maye sound to the furtheraunce of others no lesse to reioyce and shew themselues wellapaid therat then they should doo who are by them in such sort pleasured They are alwayes yong for this that the remembraunce of benefites ought in no wyse to waxe olde or fade forth of fresh memorye Uirgins they are for this that benefites ought to be pure incorrupted not stayned and to be done without constraint or enforcement They were their garments louse whyche are so clere and thin that a man may sée through to declare that benefites would be also séen and not hidden With those Ladyes Mercury is also by some associated as companion not for that eloquence is anye whyt requisyt to commend the benefyt that is done or the order of doing thesame but only for that it so lyked the paynter to deuise thesame Chrisippus to whom for his great subtilitie of wit diuers attribute no small praise for that he so exquisitely accustometh to sift out the truth of thinges applieng al his whole talke to the matter he treateth of and that with no longer proces of wordes then is requisite for y e thoroughvnderstandyng therof hath yet stuffed his whole booke full of these and suche lyke table so that he speketh hymselâ—e verye litle or nothing at all touchinge themployeng receiuing and rendring of benefites In whyche his booke he doth not onely now and then vse these tales but he doth so thoroughly store it with them that it sauoreth almost of nothing elles but of suche trifles For besides that whych he wryteth of Hecates he reporteth also that these thrée Graces wer Iupiters daughters begotten vpon Eurinome in youth comelines of countenaunce and beawty most excellent and for this cause were they all thrée apointed to haue the keping of Heauen gates and to be attendant on the Lady Uenus Moreouer Chrisippus in his sayde booke noteth also that not without good cause their mother whome I shewed you of was called Eurinome whoÌ„ for that thinterpretacion of her name sheweth her to be riche of great habilitie he feigneth therfore to distribute benefits and freÌ„dly plesures As though the mother of force muste be named after the qualities and condicions of her daughters or ells what name soeuer the Poetes plesed to attribute to any thyng was the very name of the thyng indéed Chap. 4. BUt least I myself offend in that whyche before I obiected against Chrisippus I will ouerpasse thâ—se thynges which as they vary froÌ„ our matter in hande so concerne they it no whytt at all For we haue taken in hande to spéeke of benefytes and to geue preceptes of that whyche aboue all other thynges knytteth and conioigneth the society of mankynd together Wée are I saye to prescribe rules and preceptes for menne to frame their lyues by least that vnder collour of courtesye some fall into excessiue prodigalitie and least that others some by ouernere scauuing and héed takynge in bestowinge of benefites shoulde happen cleane to extinct and lose the ryght waye of liberalitie Whyche as indéed it ought not to excéed so neyther should it be ouermuch skanted but to obserue a iust dew and lawdable meane Touching which matter these are thinstructioÌ„s that we geue That men accept thankfully such benefites as are done vnto them and that gladlye in lykemaner they requite the same We are moreouer to propose vnto them a great contencion which ought to be betwen the geuer and the receiuer of benefites Whiche is that we should not content our selues to render the lyke only of that which we haue receiued at the handes of those that haue pleasured vs but that we should stryue to excell them farre in well meaning and minde to plesour them againe And impossible it is that any man can requite a good tourne except before hand he haue found it For which cause they that do any plesures or employ any benefites are to be aduertised that they make none account of their benefit after they haue ones bestowed it and they that haue receiued thesame to thinke themselues somuch the more endetted to them for so doing Of whyche honest and commendable coÌ„tention this is the whole and thonly end