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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02300	A dispraise of the life of a courtier, and a commendacion of the life of the labouryng man	Guevara, Antonio de, Bp., d. 1545?; Allègre, Antoine.; Bryan, Francis, Sir, d. 1550.	1548 (1548)	STC 12431; ESTC S109583	53,989	226

❧ A DISpraise of the life of a Courtier and a commendacion of the life of the labouryng man M.DXLVIII CVM PRIVILEGIO AD IMPRIMENDVM SOLVM ¶ Vnto the right noble William Marques of Northhamton Earle of Essex lorde Par your assured louyng frēd Fraunces Briant knight one of the kynges most honorable preuy Chamber desireth to you perpetuall health and honor IT IS not lōg agone my verye synguler good lord that I foūd you loking in a lytell boke called in the Frenche language Mesprise de la court et lalouāge de la vie rustique whiche is to saye in Englishe the Dispraise of the Courte the laude of the rustical life And when I demaūded of you what boke it was after your accustomed gentlenes you were cōtented that I should for y e tyme haue it and loke on it and I so doyng after that I had in part ouersene it I do ensure you I toke great pleasure therin and not without good reason forasmuche as the matter was not onely pleasaunt and fruitfull but also full in euery where of olde auncient stories and wyse saiynges of the noble and notable Philosophers clerkes And at our nexte metyng together partly at your request I promised to turne thesame out of Frenche into our maternall tong whiche you right wel accepted And so at conuenient laysure as ye may see I haue finished thesame praiyng your good lordship to take my pore labor in gre y t not only in suche a trifle as this is but in any thyng els that I may do you seruice and pleasure in ye shal fynde me as moost bounden euer prest and redy aswel for the great goodnes shewed vnto me by your moost wise father duryng his dayes whom I toke as a special patron But further hauyng respecte to your most noble sister my most good and gracious lady the Quene I thynke me fortunate to employ my poore engyn to that y t to her highnes or to your good lordship should seme either acceptable or agreable This litle boke then lette it come into light vnder your proteccion And in suche wyse that if that ye thynke I haue erred in the translacion not to impute it to bee so dooen for lacke of good wyll and louyng heart that I owe vnto you but for lacke of knowlage of the stories which I do professe is hard for to vnderstand for one of no greatter litterature then I professe me to be Thus almightie God sende you well to fare and to prospere in honor more more to y e cōforte of al your frendes and me that to my power ye may assuredly nomber me among that sorte To the right reuerende and worthy Prelate my lorde Willyam de Prat bishop of Cleremoūte Antony Alaygre sendeth gretyng IT IS not many daies past sithēs I beyng retyred for a tyme my good lord into y e village and there takyng the commoditie and pleasure of the fayre swete fieldes a certaine frende of myne sent vnto me a worke in the Castilian rong of the lorde Antony of Gueuera bishop of Mondouent Chronicler of the Emperour in readyng whereof I founde great pleasure and profite The title of the boke is the Disprailyng of the Court and the Praise of the life rusticall dedicate vnto the kyng of Portingal in suche sort that the better to kepe and to hold the wise sentence erudicions therin cōteined I employed certaine houres after supper to trāslate thesame into Frenche not thinkyng among mine other simple workes euer to put it abrode but after that I had cōmunicat y e same with some of my frendes that haue knowledge of the Spanishe tong to leaue it in a corner to make it meate for Rattes and Mise Now for trueth the first exempler was so euil deuided and the leaues so out of order that I gaue charge to y e Scriuener that was my nye neighbour to copye them as who should say to write it faire and in order the whiche so euil went about it a●●●ough by ignorāce he could not ensue y e originall yet for to gette a litle money he solde where his pleasure was y e copies so vncumly set together that I was sory and repentant that euer I consumed the tyme to trāslate it till at the last moued by the persuasiō of Annas Regyn Vicar generall and by Peter Cister your aduocate by them twaine my great frendes I thought it better to presente to the eyes of all men this euil translated then to suffre lenger those euil exemplers so corrupted to my blame in y e hādes of those that haue no right iudgement to know from whom the faute came wherfore my good lorde vnder your prudent fauor correccion I do aduēture herein my name and fame accordyng to my knowlege trustyng assuredly that your only name shal suffise to vanquishe and set aside this slaunder the whiche slaunder as enemie to learned men sease not to withdraw those that haue good wil and minde to studie I say this that as me semeth it is well worthie that worke of the wyse bishop of Spayne be presēted to his semblable or superior in learnyng in Fraunce or rather aboue him in knowlege vertuous maners I will adde to to this that the graue sentēces persuasion to vertuous life conteined in this boke deserue to be offred to you that are accustomed to vse thē after suche sorte y e euery man haue plaine opinion of you that ye are sent of God to be protector and patron of vertue troubled dispised Therfore my singuler good lorde as one of y e chiefest of the best sorte I dedicate to you this my litle laboure not that I thinke it worthy to cum into your handes but for to be a perpetuall witnes that I do owe vnto you my seruice with all reuerēce to the whiche most humbly I recommende me From your cytie of Cleremonte this first day of Maye Anno. M.D.xlii A dispraise of the life of the Courtier and a cōmendacion of the life of the husbandman composed in the Castilian toungue by the reuerēd father in God the lord Antony of Gueuera bishop of Mondouent and Chronicler to the Emperour Charles And out of Castilian drawen into Frenche by Antony Alaygre and now out of the Frenche toungue into our maternal lāguage by sir Fraunces Bryant knight one of the kynges most honorable chambre The first Chapiter ¶ Of certaine courtiers whiche ought to complaine of none but of them selues AFter that the noble prince Philippe of Macedony had ouerrunne the Athenience on a tyme he beyng at supper amonges certaine of his Philosophers asked theim whiche was the greattest thyng in the worlde One of them answered that to his thinking it was the water because there was more of that onely then of any other thyng vnder the skye Another sayd it was the Sunne seyng his only brightnes doeth suffise to geue light to the yearth to the starres and to the water Another sayd it was

that he sayd of Helene Plutarch in that he spake of Cleopatra Virgil of y e quene Dydo Theophrast of Pollysene Zantippe of Cammilla Assenarius of Clodia All these ladies excellent princes neuer founde them selfes so deceiued by their louers as thei wer by beleuing their owne proper coūsels and lightly consenting to the same If to Suetone Zantippe and Plutarch we will geue credite beleue those thynges that they declare of Pompe Pyrrhus Hannyball the Consull Marius of the Dictator Caesar of Marke Antony many others we shall finde they blamed not fortune so muche to be vāquished by others as in their prosperitie they wer ruled by their owne aduise and counselles It is true that often tymes the opinion of our kinne frendes maketh vs to enter into busynes out of the waye of reason not caryng but for a folishe auauncement of goodes and riches And at the ende when by their settyng forth one hath enterprised a certaine busynes of importaunce whiche doeth require ayd and helpe those same be the laste that sheweth theim selues helping frendes whiche is y e occasion many tymes that men cānot returne frō enterprisyng suche thinges as neither shall growe to their honor nor profite Many men say that they haue enemies recountyng theim often without findyng nūber Although it be true if it be well noted that none haue oftener or agreater enemy then him self And the most greatest daunger that I see is that vnder the shadowe to preferre make better my selfe my selfe is the cause of my destruccion The Philosopher Neotidas on a tyme beyng asked which was the beste counsell that a manne might take He answered the counsell of others with the dispraisyng of his owne and he sheweth the cause for that the corrupcion of mā is suche that often he searcheth in him self with great pain that whiche in the head of another he fyndeth w t great ease then it foloweth that in the best tyme of our life our owne life deceiueth vs the euil cōmeth furth on euery side heuy thoughtes ouertaketh vs our frendes leaueth vs persecutors tormenteth vs troubles maketh an ende of vs and ambicion burieth vs. If we beholde this thyng what we be wherof we be and wherfore we be we shall fynde that our beginnyng is obliuion our middle age trauail the ende sorow and altogether an open errour Then se how heuy is the courtiers life as also how daungerous the waye is where as bee stoones to stumble at myer to sticke fast in yse for to falle on pathe wayes for to lose him in water for to passe thorow thefes for to be afrayde on great affaires and busynes to do so that harde it is for any to goe there as they would and more harder to ariue there as they desire All these thynges haue we sayd to the entent that the Courtiers may vnderstād that neither I nor they can chose y e good waye and leaue the euill voide that that hurtes vs and conserue that whiche profiteth vs folowe reason and plucke awaye the occasion but if by chaūse some good fall to vs we thanke fortune and if euil come to vs then we do put the fault in her The .ii. Chapiter ¶ How that none ought to counsel another to go to the court nor when he is there to come from it but euery man to chose the life that best he liketh ARistarch the great Philosopher of Theban sayd that tyme and mā was so diuers that hard it was for the most wisest to chuse that to them was good and to kepe them from that to them is euil There is nothing more true for we see dayly with the same that one is healed another falleth sicke with that that one waxeth better another waxeth worse with that that one is amended another is put doune and to conclude with that litle thing that one is cōtent withal another is in dispaire The lerned Alchymus was by his Moecoenas kyng Demetrius asked wherein specially did consist y e greatest trauail of the worlde He answered there is few thinges but in them there is either trauail or suspicion but aboue all the mooste excessiue trauail that a man may haue is neuer to be satisfied And that this is true we perceiue that when a litle thing cōtenteth vs how lytle soeuer it be we make it our paradice with y e rest of our life whiche seldome chaunseth to fewe mē because that liuyng as we liue not beyng cōtented would assaie knowe if it wer good to be a kyng a prince a knight a maried man a religious or a marchaunt a laborer a shepeherd or of some other estate And at the ende when al is proued it shall be harde to fynde where we would rest so vnconstaunt is the lightnes of menne The wise determineth y ● to chose the best is the meane A simple creature is lightly contented with a small thyng but he that hath a great harte thinkes that pouertie is a greuous life like as they that be of high estate feare y e fall of fortune Plato was in his yong yeres very worldely as he that had sene muche aswell in the warres as in offices in whiche he was vsed and also in handy craftes On a tyme it was asked him wherin he had founde most quietnes and rest He answered there is no estate of life wherin is not mutabilitie ther is no honor where is perill no riches where is no trauail no ꝓsperitie but it endeth nor also pleasure but faileth but when all is sayd I neuer founde so muche quietnes of mynde as since I left myne offices in Cities withdrawyng me to my bokes signifiyng that as long as we liue seruauntes of the worlde we desire all we proue all we procure al then al thinges well sene tasted all thinges do anoye vs the greatest parte of our disquietnes commeth hereof that the aboundaunce we haue semeth to vs lytle and the lytle of others semeth to vs muche We saye that our wealth is trauail and that the euil happe of others is rest we condemne others actes and we allowe our owne we watche to gette somewhat and sodenly we slepe to lese it again we immagyn that al men liues content we alone nedy And yet the worst is we beleue that that we dreame and put not our trust in that that we se before our iyen What waye one ought to folowe or what estate he ought to chose none can well knowe nor counsell because y ● thyng is so troublesome and without good iudgement by whiche many is deceiued If the sailyng on the sea be daungerous so is the walking on the yearth troubleous As touchyng our life we see that he that is whole daily falleth sicke the sicke dyeth some other scapeth deadly daūgers and some others lyngers forth to death As touching the walfaryng men assone commeth he to his lodgyng that goeth foftly as he that goeth hastely and loseth his way He that is in fauor liuyng in

deceiued by fortune In the court men employe the tyme so euil that from the tyme the courtier doeth arise tyl he go to bed he occupieth him self aboute nothing but in askyng of newes iettyng aboute the stretes write letters speake of the warres entertein them that be in fauor counsell with baudes make as he were in loue and lese alwayes the tyme. In the court more then in any other place the thinges are slow For one rises late and worst of all amendes his life late All thynges there is variable and chaungeable and inconstaunt The estates chaunge The litle assende the great fall The widowes there be marde The maried be defamed The maydens be shamed The good spirites be dulled The valiaunt becommes cowardes The prelates waxe worse worse The sciēces are forgotten The yōg leese their tyme The olde vndone This is y e courtiers life He is not worthy to be a courtier onlesse he be in debte and oweth to the draper for clothe to the Merser for silke to the taylor for the makyng of his apparell to the goldsmyth for iewels for my lorde y e courtiers lady to the Iudges for the disputyng of processes to the seruauntes for wages to their hostes for their spence There is to muche euill counsail euen suche as is more then the halfe way ledyng to damnacion The .x. Chapiter ¶ That a man cannot liue in the court without to trouble him selfe or some other A Courtier doeth many thinges more for to say I do as other men do then for any neede he hath so to do He bankettes with euery man because he will not be called an hypocrite Playes because he would not be named a nigard companyes with many because he wil not be named a solitarymā and geues to rascall naughtie persons because he would not be euil sayd of them A mā in y e court is full of pensiuenes and passions For it is trueth that it is appropried to theim of nature that folowes y e court to be incessantly tormented He muste praise his felowes dispraise straungers loke vnto therin that do well and blame them that do euil and spend at large with his felowes and against y e enemeys spare not his owne proper life And all this must he do because he will not be dispraised In the court cōmonly one professeth to wayte of one maister but for all that he must serue at the taile of dyuers others lordes O broken heart of the poore courtier that must nedes serue suche as knoweth him not and make reuerence to theim that deserue not to haue it and must saye to my maister the officer an hundreth tymes a day sir and if it please you And he shall answere when I am at leyser tary a whyle at the doore And yet we must call him maister that deserues it no more then the hāg man that strangles a man with a halter O what pitie is it to se a poore suiter in his nedy busynes folowe the kyng from toune to toune euil norished worse lodged The kyng hath busynes the counseler is defe the Almoner hath no hande he that thou knowest hath no eyes And without money and extreme pain the fiue wittes of nature be laine In the court albeit that one hath no enemies whiche is seldome seene yet is it trueth that many tymes his owne frendes putte him out of quiet forasmuche as if the courtier will take rest in his lodgyng they grunt at him because he wyll not go see his frendes and prouoke him to go folowe y e princes in the court saiyng that the rascall and the varlettes mocke at him that he goeth not thether and shewe himselfe free and liberal and when he is ariued at the court whiche is a naturall enemye to rest and a desire of nouelles then must he chaunge as doeth the Egipcian whiche euery day seketh a newe countrey a new lodging newe apparell and conuersacions busynes and fashions of menne Lo my frende and the reader of this This is the life of the courtier as it is here discribed and also of him that liueth in the village the whiche sayd life of the peysauntes shal be muche praised of many and chosen of a fewe because that euery man readeth bookes enough the more he readeth y e lesse he chaungeth of his euil customes And to cal to reason why it is so it foloweth that the court of prīces is good but for two maner of menne for theim that be in fauor for the yong whiche be yet of a weake iudgement And those that be in fauor doeth waite dayly se thēselfes so riche so feared and so wel accompanied that thei fele not the paine of the court And the pleasure they gette thereby makes them for cōclusion forget themselues yet notwithstādyng for all this it is impossible but that their braines must be troubled because they be to much occupied for their houses are to ful of people their eares full of lyes their toungues to much troubled w t answering of euery mā their heartes to much pressed to ayde and helpe them that they would helpe other And finally y e greater in auctoritie credite they be ye shal se them y e more pensiue the more astonyed and for the most part sooner complaine then reioyce but cōmaunde who cōmaunde will haue credite who will the truth is none can take pleasure of his goodes w tout honest rest Beside this those which be sayd to be in fauor are euer in feare to be put doune frō their auctoritie And by that meanes are in cōtinual drede and torment the whiche is an enemy mortal to quiet and rest And the yong in like case as I haue sayd y t be without iudgement blynded in vices do not knowe nor see the incōmodities of y e court nor care neither for fauor nor honor but boūden drounde in volupteousnes and vices passe the better parte of their daies in the schoole that is nothing worth vnder the maister of pardicion The .xi. Chapiter ¶ That in the court those that be graue are praised and well estemed and the other that doeth the contrary not regarded THe courtier shuld not aquaint himself with vaine and ydle persons that he be not reputed to be suche as he companieth withall For it had not been enough for him to saye he must nedes do there asother do and dissemble as other dissembles Neither behoueth it him not to cloke his naughtie doyng in goyng secretely to suche as be naught for why the wittes of the courtiers are so fine that they knowe not onely what one sayeth but what he thinketh There is neither litle nor great but menne spye him whether he goeth frō whence he cōmeth where he abideth with whom he talketh in whō he trusteth and what he wil do so wel that y e curtens may hide a person but to hide y e vices of the courters is impossible The courtier also ought not