the welth of other and finally lese them selfes And therfore they aduenture them selfe into the gulfes inflame theyr lordes that haue gyuen them suche offices to gyue them to suche as haue deserued them Thou mayst know that the beginning of them is pryde and ambition and theyr middell is enuye and malyce and their ende is death and distruction And if my counsell were taken suche shulde haue no credence with princis or gouernours but as sclaundred men to be seperate not all onely fro the common welthe but fro theyr lyues Surely great is the couetyse of them that be shamelesse which without shame demaunde offices of the senate or princis but it is a more boldenes of malyce for the pryncis to gyue them In this and in the other thinges these are so dampnable that neyther the feare of the goddis doth withdrawe them nor the prince doth not refrayne them nor vengeaunce dothe not lette them nor the common welth dothe not accuse theym and aboue all other reason doth not commaund them nor the lawe subdue them ¶ O my frende Antygonus note this worde that I write in the ende of my letter In the yere of the foundation of Rome .vi. C.xlii. the Romaynes as thanne in the worlde hadde dyuers warres as Gayus Celius ageynst them of Trace and Gneo Cordon his brother agaynst Sardyne Iunius Sylla agaynst the Vmbres Minutius Ruffus ageynst the Macidoniens Seruilio Scipio ageynste the Lusitayns and Marius consull ageinst Iugurtha kyng of the Numidiens It befell so that Boco kynge of Mauritayne fauoured Iugurtha and vppon them triumphed Marius and they laded with chaines were led afore his chariot not without great compassion of them that sawe it After this triumph done incontinent the same daye by counsell of the senate Iugurtha was beheeded in prison and his companion Bocus had pardon of his life and the cause was It was a custome none to be putte to Iustice but firste the auncient bokes shulde be serched to se if any of his predecessours had done before any seruice to Rome wherdy the captiue shulde meryte to haue pardone of his lyfe and than it was found that the grauntfather of Bocus came to Rome and made great orations before the senate by whose wordes and sentences his sayd neuew merited to haue pardon of his lyfe and amonge other of his sayinges he rehersed these verses that sayd what is that realme where is no good amonge the yll nor yll amonge the good what is that realme that hath theyr houses full of good simple persons and banysheth away al wisedom Or what is that realme that suche as be good are cowardes and the yl hardy or what is the realme where al peasible are displeased and the sedycious praysed What is that realme that sleeth them that wolde theyr welth and are angry with them that wolde helpe theyr yl or what is that realme that permytteth the proude poore folkes and the ryche tyrantes or what is that realme where they all know the euyl and none procureth any goodnes or what is that realme where suche vices are openly commytted that other realmes feare to doo secretely or what is that realme where as all that they desyre they procure and al that they do procure they attayne and all that is yll they thinke and al that they thinke they say al that they say they may do and all that they may doo they dare doo and put in operation that they dare do and worst of all there is none so good to resyst it In suche a realme there shulde be none inhabitaunte For within short space the yll men shall be chaunged or elles dispeopled of good men or the goddis wyll confounde them or the tirantis shal take thē Dyuers thinges were said the which I passe ouer at this tyme. Howe thynkest thou Antigone I swere by the immortal goddis that my hart breketh to thinke of the great shame that was laid vpon Rome by such wryting as was lefte to theym by the grauntefather of this kynge Bocus This my letter I wolde thou shuldest rede in secrete to the pretours if they amende not we shall fynde the meanes to chastise them openly And as touchyng thy banishemēt I promyse the to be thy good frende to the senate that we may ioy our auncient amitie to gether And to get the out of that yle certainely I shal do my diligence I haue written to my secretarie Panutius to delyuer the .ii. M. sexters to releue thy pouertie and thus I sende the my letter to comfort thy heuy hart I say no more but the goddis giue the contentacion of that thou woldest haue ioy and rest to thy person And al corporall euyls cruel enmies and fatal destenies be seperate fro me Marke For the behalf of my wife Faustine I salute the and thy wyfe Ruffa She is thyn and I am thyn With visitation of ioy I haue receiued thy letter and thankefully I send the myn I shal not reste to desire to se thy persone in Italy and there in Sicyle to leue my feuer quartayne ¶ A letter sent by Marcus to Lambert gouernour of the yle of Helespont whan he did banishe the vacabundis fro Rome The .xi. letter MArke emperour of Rome lorde of Asie confederate with theym of Europe frende of theym of Affrike ennemye of the Maures To the Lambert gouernour of the ile of Helesponte sendethe of his parte contentation and suretie fro the sacrate senate I am furred with y e furres that thou haste sent me am clothed with thy mātel am right well pleased with thy greyhoundes If I hadde thought that thin absence fro Rome shuld haue procured so moche fruit in that yle longe ago I shulde haue determyned as well for thy profyte as for my seruice I sente to the in demaundynge but small thinges in my sporte and thou hast sent me many thynges in ernest In good sothe thou hast better proporcioned thy seruyce with noblenes than I to commaunde with my couetise For if thou remēbre I sent to the for a doseyne skynnes of furre and thou hast sent me .xii. doseyns and I dyd send but for .vi. greihoundes and thou hast sent me .xii. Truly in this case my pleasure is double For here in Rome thy great largesse is publyshed and my smal couetise there in Helesponte And bycause I am sure thou hast great thankes of me I praie to gōd to sende the salute and helthe And that fortune be not denied the at a good houre I sende the .iii. barkes of mayster foles yet I haue not sent the al. For if I had banyshed all the foles in Rome we shoulde haue peopled vs with a newe people These mayster foles haue ben so wily to teche foly the Romayn youth so apt to lerne thoughe they be but in .iii. barkes theyr disciples wold lade .iii. M. Carrakes I haue great meruayle of one thynge and my hart sclaundreth the goddis for I se wel that erthquakes
chylde the great Alexander Philip her husbande and father to the yonge chylde wrote a letter to Arestotle wherin he sayde I gyue greate graces to the goddes not all onely that they haue gyuen vnto me a sonne but bycause they haue gyuen him to me in the tyme that thou mayste be his mayster and he thy disciple Marc Aurele the emperour of whom this presente boke entreatethe he speakynge of hym selfe wrote to Polion these wordes Frende I wyl thou knowe that I am not made emperour by reason of the bloude of my predecessours nor yet for the fauour of my lynage nowe present but it was bycause I haue ben always a frende and louer of the sage people and enmy to them that haue noo good knowlege Ryght happy was Rome to chose so valyant an emperour and ryghte fortunate was that emperour to come to suche an empire not by patrimonye but by sagenes And if that aege was glorious in ioyinge of his persone no lesse it is to vs to ioye of his doctrines I wyll intitle this boke the Golden boke It maye be called golden bycause in so high estimation it holdethe the vertuous discoueringe in theyr tyme this boke with the sentences as these princes holdethe their myndes of golde in theyr Indes But I saye that at this houre there be moo hartes banyshed into the Indes of golde than to employ them to rede the werkes of this boke Salust saythe that there ought great glory be gyuen to them that haue done there hygh and great actes And that there oughte no les fame and renowme be gyuen to those that in a good style haue written them In this case I confesse to deserue noo merites for my traduction or any fame but I demaunde pardon of all them that be sage for the fawtes that they shall fynde therin For excepte the diuine letters there is nothynge soo well written but that there maye be founde necessitie of correction lyne and sensure Semed this to to be trewe by that Socrates was reproued of Plato and Plato of Aristotle Aristotle of Abenruyz Scilio of Sulpice Lelie of Varro Marinê° of Tome Enio of Horace Senec of Aule Gele Estratocles of Strabo Tesato of Galene Hermagore of Cicero Origen of saint Ierom saynt Ierome of Ruffyn and Ruffyn of Donate Sythe that in them and in theyr werkes there hath ben correctyon who were men of hyghe knowlege it is no reason that I shulde be in their fraternitie seinge that I knowe so lytel as I do to the examynation of wise and vertuous men To them I submyt this present warke and to theym that haue ben suche I them require to be contente to be the reders and not iuges therof It were no pacience to suffre nor lawe to permytte that a thynge that a sage personne with great maturite and delyberation hath written to be dispraysed by a symple persone For ones redynge oftentymes the auctours and wryters are dyspraysed not of them that can traduce and compose werkes but of them that can not vnderstande them and yet lesse rede theym I saye further of aduantage that dyuers haue written of the tyme of the sayde Marke Aureleo emperour as Herodian wrote lyttel Eutropio lesse Lampridio yet lesse Iulius Capitolyn some what more The writinges of them and of other semeth rather epitomes than histories There is difference betwene this writynge and that they wrote by herynge saye but they by whome I haue composed this present warke they were wytnesse by syghte and not by herynge of other but they wrote what they sawe them selfe That is to say among the maysters who lerned the said emperour their scieÌ„ces there were thre that is to say Iunto Rastico Cina Catule and Sexto Cheronense neue we to the greatte Plutarke These bene they that haue written this present historie Sexto Cheronense in greke and the other two in latyne I thinke of this historie is but small notice bycause vnto this houre it hath not be seene imprinted Whan I departed from the college of my study and wente to preache in the palays where I sawe soo many newe nouelties in the courtes I delybered my selfe with greatte desyre to knowe thynges and gaue my selfe to serche and knowe thinges aunciente And the case fortuned on a day redynge an historie I founde therin matter to be noted in a pistel and it semed to me so good that I put all myne humayne forces to serche farther And after in reuoluyng dyuers bokes serchyng in dyuers libraries and also speakynge with diuers sages of dyuers realmes finally I founde this tretise in Florence amonge the bokes left there by Cosme de Medicis a man of good memory I haue vsed in this writinge the whiche is humayne that that dyuers tymes hath ben vsed in diuinitie that is to reduce not worde for word but sentence for sentence We other interpretours are not bounde to gyue for the meane the wordes it suffiseth to gyue for the weyghte the sentence As the historiographes of whom there were dyuers and the historie that they made was all but one thing I wyl not deny but I haue left out some wordes which were not mete nor well sittynge rude and leaste of valure and I haue medled it with outher more swete and profitable I thynke that euery wyse man after he hathe redde this boke wyll not saye that I am the principal auctour of this warke nor yet to iuge me so ignorant to exclude me clene from it for so hygh sentences are not found at this presente tyme nor to so hygh a style they of tyme past neuer atteyned ⧠Here endeth the prologue ¶ Here begynneth the boke of the lyfe of the noble and eloquent Marke Aurely emperour ¶ Of the byrth and lyguage of Marke Aurele Anthony emperour cap. primo IN the yere of the foundation of Rome .vi. C. lxxxxv in the Olimpiade a. C.lxiii Anthony the meke beinge deed than consules Fuluie Caton and Gnee Patrocle in the hygh capytol the .iiii. daye of Octobre at the demaunde of all the people Romayn and consent of the sacred Senate was declared for emperour vniuersall of all the monarche of Rome Marc Aurely Antony This excellente baron was naturally of Rome borne in the mounte Celye And accordyng as Iulius Capitolyne sayth he was born the .vi. kalendes of May the whiche accordynge to the accompt of the latyns was the xxvi daye of the monethe of Apryll passed His father was named Anio Vero. For the occasion whereof the histories dyuers tymes calle hym Marc Anthony Vero. True it is that Adriane the emperour called hym Verissimus bycause in hym was neuer founde no lyes nor neuer fayled the trouth These Anius Veres was a lignage that auaunced them to be desceÌ„ded of Numa Pompilio and of Quintê° Curtius the famous Romayn whiche for to delyuer the towne of Rome from perylle and to gyue his persone perpetualle memorye of his owne good free wylle he yelded hym selfe to the same vorage that as than was sene in
they may praye for her vnto the goddis Vnto the Claudine Faustyne my wyfe sendeth a coffre but by the goddis I doo not knowe what there is within it Nowe that ye be aged I beseche the goddis to sende you and me and my wyfe for to ende the reste of our dayes in a good lyfe Marke your neyghbour and frende hath writen this with his owne hande A letter sent fro Mark themperour to Labinia a Romain widowe for to comfort her for the deth of her husbande The .vi. letter MArc of mounte Celio first Consule Romaine sent ageinst the Daces to y e Labinia Romain lady wife to my good frend Claudine salute to the and consolation of the goddis consolatours I think wel thou hast suspect that I haue so lytel set by the sith in thy profounde and greuous hurtes my consolation hath ben sloutheful But I remembre thy noblenes which can neuer faile and my good wil the which hath neuer desired to serue the. I am in suretie that thy great vertue shulde put awaye the suspecte For thoughe I am the laste to comforte the yet I am the firste that feleth thy dolours and shal not be the last to remedye thy troubles And in case that ignorance is the ende of all vertues esperance for al vices as well somtime great plesure taketh away rest from the wyse folkes and sclandreth the innocentes moche better amonge vs latyns we fynde with ignorance of vices more than the grekes do with the knowelege of vertues If that we be ignorant we haue no peyne to abide it nor sorowe to take it I say it bicause I haue knowen that I wold not knowe and that is the trauayles are at an ende of Claudine thy husband and nowe beginnethe the sorowe of Labinia I haue knowen it certain days and wold not discouer it to the for it shuld haue ben crueltie She that hath ben in trouble so long a space with absence that I shulde haue gyuen knowlege of the deth of suche an entierly desired husbande and it had ben no reson that she of whom I haue receyued so many good dedis shuld haue of me so yll newes And syth the houre y t I knewe that ye wyste therof my peyne hath ben double I fele his dethe and nowe I fele in his deathe my solytarines and thy desolation Thou haste reason to wepe not for that he is with the goddis in reste but for vs myserable persons lyuinge in the power of soo many ylles therfore we shulde not cesse to take peyne and sorowe O Labinia oftentymes I haue thoughte for what thynge I myght fyrste wepe for the yll that lyuethe or for the good that dieth For as moche hurteth the yll that is found as the good that is loste It is great peyne to see these innocentes dye and surely it is no lesse peyne to see the malicious people lyue But of that that necessitie muste nedes come whan it cometh we ought not to sclaundre hit Shewe me Labinia doste thou not knowe of howe good conuersation the goddes be to whom we hope to go and howe yll the men be with whom we are conuersaunt that as the yll are borne to dye in lyke wyse the good dyethe to lyue For a good man alway lyueth in dyenge and the yll alwayes dyeth in lyuynge And than sith the goddis haue caused him to come to theym it is noo greatte thyng that they haue taken fro the. I am in certayne thy desyred husban Claudyn and my true frende seing where he is and remembrynge what he hath scaped had rather to be stylle there as he is than to returne agayn to the. Of trouth the remedyes for widowes is not to thynke of any company passed nor of the solytarines present but to thynke of the rest that they hope to come to If hither vnto thou hast ben in peine abidinge in thy house nowe reioyce the bycause he abideth for the in his for thou shalt be moche better entreated amonge the goddis than here amonge men nor consent not to thynke that thou haste loste hym all onely For syth we all reioyced of his lyfe we are than bounde to wepe for his dethe The greatteste sorowe to a sycke harte amonge all other sorowes ▪ is to se other reioyce at his dolours and contrarye wyse the greattest ease amonge all greues of fortune is to see that other feeleth their sorowe All that my frende wepeth for me with his eies and al that he feeleth of my sorowe dischargeth somewhat myne inwarde peyne The bokes in the tyme of Auguste the emperour sheweth howe as he was nere to the ryuer of Danubius he founde a maner of people hauynge this custome The same houre whan a husbande taketh a wyfe or a louer they wold swere by their goddis neuer to wepe nor sorowe for any maner of infortune but to forget theyr owne propre troubles and to dye to remedye theyr louer so in lykewise eche to do with other O glorious worlde O right happy age O people of eternall memorie wherin the men were so humble and their louers soo true that wolde forgette their owne sorowe and wepe for others O Rome beinge Rome O tyme yll spente O lyfe ylle applied O small thoughte rechelesse in these dayes the hartes presente seperate frome welthe and assured withoute remedy in euyll that men forgettynge that they be menne tourne them selfe to be beastes I desire to gyue the lyfe thou dyest to take awaye my lyfe Thou wepest to see me laugh and I laugh to se the wepe And thus without profite of any of vs we lese and we reioyce in lesynge of our selfe By the lawe of an honest man I swere to the Labynia yf thy remedy lay in my handes as thy sorowe dothe at my harte thy pytiefulle wepynges shoulde not hurte me nor thy heuy and wofull solitarynes of thy husbande but syth thy remedy and my desyre can not be accomplysshed and that with deathe nor with them that be deed we haue no power than remyt it into the handes of the goddis who can moche better delyuer vs than we can chuse We see by experience naturall that some syckenesse is healed by wordes that be sayde to vs and somme by wordes that be layde to vs and some with wordes do leaue other medicines I say this bycause the hartes that be in peyne make a see of thoughtes somtyme comforted with benefites done to the persone more than with wordes spoken in their eares an other tyme the sorowfull harte is more cōforted with wordes of a frende than with all other seruyces of the worlde O how sorowfull am I for in all these am I fauty consyderynge the hyghnes of the honourable lady Romayn and the small abilitie of me Marc of moūt Celio I see my selfe so vnable to comforte the and to remedy the I lacke substance I haue made the a sore woūd the whiche wolde be taken in worthe I wyll not paye the with
Soo all these thynges tyme acheueth and burieth but onely trouthe the whiche of the tyme and of all thynge that is in the tyme triumpheth Neyther to be fauoured of the good nor to be persecuted of the yll may be but that somtyme trouth may be stopped and hydde but whan it is displeased and wyl displease than at the laste she commeth to a good porte and taketh londe The fruites in the spryngyng tyme haue not the vertue to gyue sustenaunce nor perfyte swetenesse to satisfie the taste of them that eatetth therof but thanne passeth the season of sommer and haruest comethe whiche tyme dothe better rype them and thanne that that we doo eate dothe profyte vs the profe therof is ryghte sauerynesse and gyuethe the more force and vertue and the greatter is the taste I wyll in these fyrste wordes saye that in the fyrste aeges menne were more estemed by theyr meke customes and delycatenes than they were after reproued by their grosse and rude vnderstandynges Certaynely somme of the aunciente philisophers I speake of the mooste aunciente as welle Caldees as Grekes who fyrste lyfted theym selues to regarde the sterres of the heuen and surmounted the hyghe mounte of Olympius there to contemplate and regarde the influences of the planettes in the heuen I dare well saye that they haue rather merited pardon by theyr ignoraunces than praysynge or grace by their wysedome These were the fyrste that wolde serch the trouthe of the elementes of the heuen and yet they were the fyrste that dyd so we errours in thinges natural of the erthe Homere in his Illiade said these wordes in speakynge of philosophers I prayse nothyng the knowlege of myn auncesters but I can them greatte thanke and prayse in that they desyred knowlege This was welle sayde of Homer For if amonge the aunciente men had not rayned suche ignoraunce there had not ben soo many sectes and parcialities in euery schole He that hath redde the auncient antiquities of the philosophers shall not denay me the presumption of the knowledge and ignorance of that they desired to knowe the whiche is chiefe cause that science is not all one There is greatte nombre of parcialities Cynitiens Catoniens Peripaticiens Academyens and Epicuriens who were as contrary in their opinions as dyuers in their naturalities I wil not that my penne be so dismeasured to reproue soo moche the auncient men that the glorie all onely shoulde abyde with them that be present Truely if he merite guardon and prayse that sheweth me the way wherby I thynke to passe yet no lesse meriteth he that sheweth and aduisethe me of the waye wherby I maye fayle The ignoraunce of the auncient men hath ben but as a guyde to aduyse and aduertise all other and bycause they erred we haue foūd sith the waye to their great prayse and to our gret shame I say that if we that be no we present had benne than wo had knowen lesse than they dydde And if they that were than were nowe at this houre they shoulde surmounte vs in knowlege And that this is trewe tt appereth wel For the auncient sages with their diligēce to know the trouth by their close and ferme made the wayes But we by our slouthe folowe not the open wayes Than to the purpose that I wyll saye we that be nowe present canne not complayne of them that haue bene but that the trouthe the which accordynge to Aule Gel. is doughter of the tyme In this tyme of the worlde declarethe to vs the errours that we oughte to flee and the trouthe of the doctrine that we ought to folowe But as nowe the humayne malyce is so experte and the vnderstandynge of mortall menne is so dulle that in tyme of nede in goodnes of wyt we fayle and in all yll we knowe more than we ought to knowe In suche wyse that some with one parte of the more and some with lesse al presume to wyn the game And though this be true yet it is but a smalle thynge to that we abyde fore There is so moche that we oughte to knowe For the moste that we knowe is the least parte of that we be ignorant of as the thynges natural accordyng to the varietie of the tyme lyke maner dothe the operations of the elementes In semblable wise in thynges mortall as the ages hath succeded so are discouered the sciences For certayne all the fruites cometh not together Whan one fayleth an other begynneth to entre in reason I wylle saye that neyther all doctours amonge christen menne nor all the philosophers amonge the gentylles were concurrante in one tyme but after the deathe of one good an other came better The hygh and supreme wysedome the whiche all meane thynges gouerneth by Iustice and departeth it accordynge to his bountie wyll not that at oone tyme the worlde shulde want or be destitute of sage men nor at an other tyme want of symple personnes some desyringe the fruite and some the leaues In such sort that they shulde haue enuy of that other were impeched This auncient world that ranne in Saturnus dayes the whiche other wyse was called the golden worlde the whiche was so estemed of them that sawe it and soo moche praysed of theym that harde the writynge therof and soo moche desired of them that felt no parte therof was not gold by the sages that dyd gylte it but bycause that there was none yll that did vngylt it This our age nowe is of iron yet it is not called of yron for faute of sages but bycause the malycious people surmounte I confesse one thynge and I thynke I shall haue manye wyll fauour me in the same that there was neuer in the worlde so moche people teachynge vertue and soo fewe folowynge the same Aul. Gele sayth in his boke that the ancient sages were holden in reputation bycause there were fewe teachers and many lerners at this houre it is contrary there be but fewe lerners and many teachers The small esteme that the sages be in at this tyme maye be sene by greatte veneration that the philosophers were holden in as than the whiche thynge was trewe Homer among the grekes Salomom amonge the Hebrewes Lygurge amonge the Lacedemonyens Lyuie amonge the Romayns Cicero amonge the Latines Apolonius Thianeus amonge all the barbarike nations I desyre to haue ben in all these ages whan the worlde was so ryche of sage persons and so poore of symple persons whan they assembled out of ferre countreys and of dyuers realmes and strange nations not all onely to haue hard their doctrines but also to haue sene their persones I thynke I am not begyled in the histories for whan Rome in his moste prosperitie was hyghest in tryumphe Titus Liuius dothe write it in his histories and the glorious saynt Ierome affirmethe it in the prologe of the byble that mo people came to Rome to se the eloquences of the bokes more than to ioy any Romayne trumph Whan Olympias was delyuered of her
to goo by the stretes as vacabundes Nor it shulde not be suffered by the Censure who gouerned Rome dayely toke hede to the forfaytes doone therin to suffre a chylde no lengar than .x. yeres of his age to play the chylde But fro thense forthe the father of the chylde shulde be bounde to noryshe hym out of the circuite of Rome or to laye a pledge that his sonne shulde doo no folyes Whan Rome tryumphed and by theyr policie gouerned all the worlde it was certaynly a meruaylous and monstruous thing to se it then and no lesse fearefull vnto vs nowe to here therof There was at that tyme in Rome .iiii. hūdred M inhabitantes amonge whom there was .ii. hundred M. yonge people that were refreyned and brydled from their yonge pleasures The sonne of Cato was chastysed bycause he was wylfull and presumptuous And also the brother of good Cyna was banyshed bycause he wente ydelly as a vacabounde Without that Cicero begyleth vs in his bokes of the Romayne lawes no Romayne ought to straye abrode in the stretes of Rome but if he bare in his hand the signe or token of the offyce wherby he lyued To thentente that euery man shuld knowe that he lyued by his trauayl and not by the sweate of other men This lawe was kepte of euery persone The emperour hadde borne before hym a brennynge brande The consulle an axe of armes the priestes a hat in maner of a coyfe the senatours a tongue in maner of a crusyble on their armes the Censure a lyttelle table the tribunes a mace the centuryons a sygne or baner the oratours a boke the gladiatours a swerde the tayllours sheres the smethes a hammer and in lyke wyse of all the other offices and craftes We maye knowe than by this that is sayde that after that Marke Aurelye was borne at Rome his father in his youthe had taughte hym good norture And though it so were that the beginnynge of his yonge aege shulde be hydde from vs at the least way we are certayne that the myddell aege and ende of hym was ryght glorious His father Anio Vero wolde that his sonne Marcus Aurelius shoulde leaue feates of armes and folowe study And surely it is to be thoughte that it was done more by the valyauntenes of the father than the cowardenes of the sonne excepte the dedes of them that be deed begyle vs that ben alyue and the cause iudged by clere vnderstandynge and that we fynde moo sentences of dyuers sadde persons that there hath benne but fewe that ben loste by writinges and lernynge ye and a great meynye fewer that haue had auantage by armes Reuolue all bokes and serche throughe all realmes and finally they shewe vs that very few in theyr realmes haue ben happy in armes but there haue bene many famous renowmed by scripture and lernynge Take here example and se if it be true or not that I saye Had the Assiriens mo than one kynge that was Ninus one Lygurge amonge the Lacedemonians the Egyptiens one Ptholome the Hebrewes one Machabee the Grekes one Hercules the Macedoniens one Alexāder the Epirotiens one Pirrhe one Hanyball the Carthageniens and one Iulius Cesar amonge the Romayns It is not thus of lerned men for if the Grekes had one Homer noo lesse the Grekes vaunteth theym of the .vii. sages whome we beleue more in their philosophy than Homer in the warres of Troy For as difficile it is to fynde a trouthe in Homere as a lye in these sages Semblably the Romaynes hadde not onely Cycero as ryght eloquent but also they had Salust Lucan Titus Liuius with a great company of noble men and well approued who haue left ryght great credence in their scriptures in the sayinge of trouthe What lost Cicero in the senate for vsyng of inuectiues And as we saye of so small a nombre of Grekes and latynes we may saye of the Assitiens Persians Medes Argiues Acayens Peniens Frenchemen Britons Englyshemen and Spanyardes All the whiche nations withoute comparyson haue of theym selfe lefte more memorye and haue honoured theyr londes and countreyes more by writing thanne they that haue lefte signes by armes Than lette vs leaue these straunge histories and retourne to the pythe of our emperour Marcus Aurelius as Eutrope recountethe According as this excellent baron lerned diuers sciences so he had dyuers maysters to teche hym He studied grammer with a mayster named Euphorion musyke with an other named Gemino Comode eloquence with Alexander a greke In naturalle philosophy he had to his maysters Comode Calcedonien an auncient baron whiche expounded to hym Homer and Sexto Cheronense neuewe to the great Plutarche Also he studied in the lawes and Volusie Meciano was his mayster This emperour estemed to haue the knowlege of payntinge and to graue in wood and metall in erthe and other sculptures in whiche arte his maister was Diogenito in his tyme a famous and renowmed paynter He trauayled also to knowe and serche what extended to the arte of Nygromancye By accasion wherof he wente openly to here Apolonio And to thentēt that there shulde be nothynge vnlerned of hym he aboue all sciences sette his mynde to Cosmography in the whyche for his maysters he toke Iunio Rostyco that sythe wrote his lyfe and Cina Catule the whiche wrote of his deathe and the lyfe of Comode his sonne Of these noble and excellent barons that flourysshed in those dayes he was taughte in vertues and sciences Cicero lamentethe the auncient policie of Rome bycause that he sawe great losse in the common welthe than presente sayinge in his Retorike that the auncient Romayns had alway regarde to that parte where they thoughte mooste domage and peryll shulde growe There were .v. thynges amonge all other in Rome whervnto they hadde euer a vigilante respecte the whiche the senate neded not to care for nor no lawe dispensed for them and these bene they the pryestes were honest and the virgines vestales ryghte chaste the penalties right iuste the capitaynes full valiant They that taught yonge chyldren were vertuous It was not permytted in Rome that he that was a mayster in scyences shulde be disciple of vices ¶ What sciences Marcus the emperour lerned And of a meruayllous letter that he sent to Polyon cap. iii. PHilostrate saythe that it was demaunded of Polion who was the rycheste manne of the worlde He aunswered It was he that had moste wysedome He was demaunded agayne who was mooste poore He aunswered he that had least wytte Of trouth it was a worthy sentence of suche a personne The effecte therof we se dayly by experience the wyse slydynge in dyuers chances of fortune releueth hym selfe The vnwytty persone in very small thynges thouchynge his lyuyng not greatly decayed fallethe downe There is nothynge that is so lost but that there is hope of recoueryng if it be in the handes of a wise man And cōtrary wise there is no thynge so assured but the recouerance therof oughte to be
done they retourned all into the temple that they came out of and there offred echeone as they myght And in the sayde processions it was of custome that the emperours went accompanied with the senatours but this good emperour was soo famylier that he wolde honour and accompany euery man It was accustomed in Rome that the sayde day themperour shulde weare on his robe and mantelle unperiall And all prisoners and captiues that myght touch hym with their hāde were deliuered al trespassours were pardoned and banished folke were forgiuen and called agayn And this emperour to vse his clemency and to leaue after hym perpetuall memorie lefte the procession of senatours and without any gard went the procession with prisoners and captiues The whiche doinge was occasion to leaue behynde hym perpetuall memory of hym selfe and greate example of clemencie and lowlynes to princes for to come Howe be it there is nothynge so well done of them that be good but forthwith it shalbe contraried of them that be yl And therfore this example was soo moche dispraysed of theym that were yll as praysed and allowed of theym that were good And in likewise as among them that be good there is one noted to be pure good so amonge them that be yll there is one noted to be right ylle And that worse is that the vertuous person estemeth not the glorie his vertue so great as the malitious person by his malice is shamid This is sayde bycause there was a senatour in the senate named Fuluius whiche was as blacke by his malyce as whyte by his heares He laboured soore in the dayes of Adrian to haue ben emperour and had Marcus always as competitour And as it is a naturall thyng to theym that haue yll hartes to shewe theyr malyce in smal thynges so this emperour dyd neuer no good thynge openly but this Fuluius wolde grudge therat secretely And though this emperour was greatly praysed for the delyuerynge of prisoners yet the sayd senatour coude not haue the prudence for to suffre it and so part in mockery and part in erneste he sayd these wordes to the emperour in the senate Why gyuest thou thy selfe to all men ¶ Howe Marcus the emperour aunswered a senatour in the senate Cap. xvi THe emperour Marcus Aur̄hering what the senator had said to him in the p̄sence of the senators y t is to wite Wherfore he gaue him to all men He aunswered Frende I giue me to all men bycause all men giue them to me and ar glad of me Beleue me that ouer great rigour in a prince causeth hatred of the people The goddis wyll not nor the lawes permit not nor the agreement of the cōmon welthe wyll not suffre y e princis be lordes ouer many to accompany but with a fewe I haue redde in bokes haue proued it by my selfe that the loue of subiectes the suretie of the prince the dignitie of thempire and the honour of the Senate do conserue the prince not with rigour but with gentyll conuersation The fysher goth not to take dyuers fyshes of the riuer with one baite nor y e mariner with one nette entreth into the see I promyse you the depenesse of good wylles ought to be wonne with the depenesse of the harte some with gyftes some with wordes some with promyses and some with fauours The insaciate couetous men are neuer content nor wyll open their affection but locke vp their treasours And such as serueth for loue ar lesse content with openyng of their treasure than locking vp their wylles It is an olde prouerbe of Pythagoras Loue is payd with other loue O how yl fortune it is to a prince how vnhappy it is to a cōmon welth whā y e people serue not their lordes but for rewardes the lordes to kepe mayntayne them but for their seruice With diuers stones and one ciment buyldynge is reysed and of diuers men and one lord is composed a common welthe And if geometrie begile me not the morter that ioyneth one stone with an other ought to be medled with sande and slecked lyme by reson Separate the stones and the wal openeth and let the cyment fayle and the edifice falleth He that is wyse may well vnderstande me Loue betwene neybours suffereth to be mitigate with water but hit is requysite that the loue of the prince and his people be pure Dyuers trowbles and acte dyuers tymes I haue seene among the common people of Rome in one day moued and appeased but one discorde reysed betwene the lorde and the common welthe vnto the death is neuer accorded It is a difficile thinge to make appoyntment of many with many and more difficile to accorde one with an nother But without comparison more harder it is to appoynt diuers with one than one with dyuers And in this case I wyl not saue the prince nor leue the people vncondēpned Fro whens as ye thynk cometh it now adays that lordis with annoyance commaunde vniuste thinges and in iust thinges the subiectes are vnobediente Nowe here me I shall tell you The prince doinge a thynge in dede and not of righte wyl confounde the wyl of euery manne and beleue his owne vnderstandynge and drawe of hym selfe and all other his onely wyl Contrary wise the multitude of the people dispraysynge theyr lordes vnderstandynge do as they will not as all wyll but as euery manne desireth hym selfe Of trouth it is a greuous thing although it be greately accustomed to wyll that all gounes shulde be mete fore one man and that one mans harneis shuld be mete to arme all men Than what shall we do that our fathers haue lefte thus in the worlde also we hold that we be theyr chyldren and that worse is we leaue the same to our heires O howe many princis of my predecessours I haue redde of that haue bene loste in shewynge theym selfe ouer straunge and beloued of none I wyll tell you of somme of them for exaumples that I haue redde in my bokes to thintent that pryncis maye se what they wynne by amiable conuersation and what they lose by ouermoch straungenes In the realme of Assiens greatter in armes than the Caldeens and lesse in aduantage and antiquitie than the Assiriens One maner forme of kynges endured amonge them CC. and .xx. yeres by reason they were of lowable conuersation And an nother fourme and maner as Homer sayth lasted but .xl. yeres bicause their kinges were of an yll condition And the .ix. Epiphanes of the Egiptiens was vnnombred and put down bycause there was a lawe that eche one shulde be bare legged in the temples vpon the holy dayes And this kynge on a day riding came before the god Apis god of the Egiptiens the whiche thyng was not suffred for besyde that he was put out of his realme he was chastised Also the .vi. Arfacidauel the inuincible kynge of Parthes not onely was depriued but also banyshed out of his realme bycause he dyned
at a knyghtes bridale and wolde not eate at the bridale of a cōmuner Yet also though the realme of Italy was scant theyr hartes were greatte for bycause one of their Marranes for so were their kynges called had shette his gates by nyghte for to slepe the surelyer he was depriued of his realme bycause a lawe was made that noo prynce shulde shette his gates nyght nor day for they saide they had made him kynge for to dryue awaye their ennemyes and not to be daintily nourished Tarquine the last kyng of the Romayns was vnkynde to his father in lawe diffamed his blod and kynrede was a traytour to his countrey cruell of his persone and aduoutrer with Luctece but for all that he was not called vngentyll nor infamed nor traytour nor cruell nor aduoutrer but he was named Tarquine the prowde bycause he was of ylle condicions and complexions And yet by the lawe of good menne I swere to you that if the sayd vnhappy Tarquine had had good wyll in Rome for the aduoutry of Lucrece he hadde not be put out of his realme for as moche as other greatter and more greuous harmes hadde benne doone before his tyme and also moche wors sithen by aged emperours in the empire the whyche crymes by theym commytted were suche that the offence of this frayle yonge man was but small in estimation For thynge certayne these prynces holde that if they gyue dyuers occasions for their yll wyll yet a lyttell thing suffiseth if he shewe that the hate that he hath is for none yll wyll but the hate that the subiecte hath to the lorde is bycause he hath no power ¶ Iulius Cesar the laste dictatour and firste emperour bycause he forgate to be a man among men but thinking to be a god amonge goddis beynge a lawdable custome that the senate shulde salute the emperour on their knees and the emperour to ryse courteysly agaynste theym bycause of a presumptuous mind he wold not kepe the seremonie he merited to lese his lyfe with .xxiii. strokes of pen kniues And as I saye of these so fewe a nombre I maye saye of many other The phisitions with a lyttel Rubarbe purge many humours of the body and the emperor with a littel beneuolence taketh many greues fro the stomakes of his subiectes The people owe obedience to the prynce and to do his persone great reuerence and fulfyll his cōmaundementes and the prince oweth egall iustice to euery man and meke conuersation to all men ¶ Marcus Portius sayde dyuers tymes in Rome That the publycke welthe is there perpetuall and without any sodayne falle where the prynce fyndethe obedience and all the people fyndethe loue with the prynce For of the loue of the lorde bredethe the good obedience of the subiecte and of the obedience of the subiecte bredeth the good loue of the lorde The emperour in Rome is lyke to a spider that is in the myddes of her webbe For if the sayde coppe webbe be touched with the poynte of a nedell forthwith the spider feleth hit I meane that all the werkes of the emperour in Rome benne streyghte waye knowen in all the erthe I beleue that this daye I haue bene iudged of humayne malyce for accompanyenge the processyon of the captiues and that I suffredde theym to towche me that they myghte enioy the priuilege of lybertie I yelde and gyue great graces to my goddis of my good happe bycause they haue made me pitifull for to delyuer prisoners and not cruell as a tyraunte for to make theym bonde that be free The prouerbe sayth One snare maye take two byrdes So it hath ben this daye for that benefyte rebounded onely to the myserable prisoners but the fauour to all theyr nations And doo ye not knowe that by the takyng away of their yrons I haue drawen to me the hartes of all theyr realmes and countreys Fynally hit is more sure to a prince to be serued with free hartes and loue of them that be at libertie than of subiectes constreyned with feare ¶ Howe themperour Marcus deuided the howres of the day for the busynesses of thempire Ca. xviii HEre before we haue shewid how this good emperour had great hatrede of men that were of yll lyuynge and that passed their tyme in ylle exercyse It suffiseth not the philosopher to repreue the vice of other by wordes but it is necessary that he do the werkis that he requireth other to do It is reason nowe to shewe howe this Emperour by his great prudēce compassed dispatched the great and huge busynesses of the empire the particularities of his householde the recreation of his persone thexercyse of his studies the infinite reasonynge with one and other with suche peyne takyng and in so shorte tyme. He was soo apte and wel aduysed that by hym there was no tyme yl spent Nor neuer fayled to dispatche the besynes of the empire And bycause the tyme is glorious of hym that gloriously spendeth it and the tyme is accursed that to our domage and without profyte to other passeth leauing vs ignorant as brute beastes He departed the tyme by times the order wherof was thus Seuen howres he slepte in the nyght and rested one howre in the daye At dyner and supper he wasted but onely two howres he deputed two howres for the matters of Asie Other two howres for the busynesse of Europe and Affrike and in conuersation of his house and with his wife and children seruantes and frēdes that came to see him he spente other two howres And for the outwarde besynesse as to here the complayntes of theym that were greued The suites of poore men wantynge iustyce the wydowes the robberies of pyckers of mychers and vacaboundes he deputed an other houre All the rest of the day and nyght in reding of bokes to write workes to make metres to studye antyquities to practyse with wise men to dispute amonge philosophers he passed thus ordinately in wynter And in sommer if cruel warres letted hym not or that he were troubled with great and hainous matters he went euer to bed at .ix. of the clocke and awoke at .iiii. It was of custome that emperours hadde euerlyghtes brennynge in their chaumbre And therfore whan he awoke bycause he wolde not be ydel he had euer a boke at his beddes heed And thus in redynge he spente the rest of the nyght tyll it was day He rose at .vi. of the clocke and made hym redy openly not angrely but merily he wolde demaunde of them that were presente howe they had spent all the nyght tyme. And there he wolde reherse what he had redde that nyght Whan he was redye he wolde washe his handes with very well smellynge waters for he was a great louer of al swete odours He had a good and a quycke smellynge Than in the mornynge before euery man he wolde take .iii. or .iiii. morselles of electuarie of sticados and two draughtes of Aqua vite After that in sommer he wold go forthwith
that though he scaped the pestylence yet he was vexed with hote feuers Wherfore he was fayn to leue Rome and went into Champayne and fynally in the citie of Naples he made his abode durynge the tyme that the pestilence was in Rome ¶ How Mar. answered his phisitions that wold haue him leaue his studie Cap. xxix THe emperour beinge in the sayde citie of Naples where as other soughte pastyme to conserue their lyues this emperour occupied him selfe in his bokes to augment science A man coude do hym no better seruice than to seke to gette hym a newe boke not suche as was written in his tyme but suche as were forgotten for age This emperour was not onely a louer of olde and antike bookes but also of auncient stories and set very great stoore by theym And he thus beinge in the cytie sycke and very yll at ease there was brought to hym out of a citie of Asia called Helia by certayne Hebrewes a boke writen in Hebrew he toke suche pleasure in that boke that ofte tymes he wolde leaue his meate and goo to study and for all that he was in his hote feuer he wolde not leaue to reede for all that his phisitiens warned him and his frendes prayde hym and they that were about hym counsaylled hym and demanded hym why he lefte to procure the helth of his persone in so moche redynge He aunswered By the goddis that we honour I coniure you and for the frendshyp that is betwene vs I pray you lette me alone Ye knowe well that suche as are of a delycate bloode haue not soo moche solicytude as the rusticall people that haue hard synewes and be of a more harder complexion Lyke maner they of clere vnderstandynge haue nede of other medicynes and to be heled with other syropes thā they of grosse vnderstādyng This is the differēce that I haue of eyther of them The ydeote kepeth dyete from bookes and resteth on his meate and the wyse man abhorreth meate and draweth hym to his bokes If they knewe that knowe not what thynge knowlege is I sweare to you they shuld see what auayleth more the lyttell knowlege that a wyse man hath than the greatte ryches of the ryche man For the myserable ryche persone the more that he encreaseth in rychesse the more he diminisheth in frendes and groweth in ennemyes to his domage And he that is wyttie the wiser that he is the better he is beloued of theym that be good and feared of them that be yll for his profite One of the thinges wherin I holde my selfe moste bounde to the goddis is this that they haue caused me to compas the tyme as I haue done the whiche is no lyttel gift for a man to lyue in this worlde I say it is bycause I haue had great compassion of the poore that be verye poore of wydowes of them that be sorowfull and vnhappy and of Orphelins But without comparison I haue had greattest compassiō of them that lacke knowlege For the goddis making menne ignoraunt by naturalitie myghte haue made them goddis by connynge and knowledge and as the slouthefull men are tamed and made lesse than men by their negligence so certainly blessed he is that is not contente to be a man but if he procure to be more than a man by his vertue And cursed is that man that knoweth not to be a man but maketh hym selfe lesse than a man by his vyce By the iugement of al philosophers there is but one that is the fyrste cause which is one god immortal and if there be dyuers goddis in the heuens it is bycause there are diuers vertues in the erthe And in the worlde that is paste whan the symple men were seruauntes and bonde menne and the good men rulers and gouernours they were then so estemed bycause they were knowen and renowmed for theyr good werkes in theyr lyfe Soo that they were holden and reputed as goddis after theyr deathe This is the ryghte rewarde that commeth of vertue It is a thynge consonaunt to reason that they that be good amonge soo many yll in this lyfe shulde be greattely honoured among the goddis after theyr deathe Ye are not wel content with me bycause I am alwaye redynge ▪ but I am worse content with you bycause I neuer se boke in your handes ye thynke it great trauayle to a sycke man to rede and I repute it a very peryllous thynge for a hole manne to reste and be idell Ye say my redyng is cause of my feuer quartayne in my flesshe and I saye that ydelnes engendreth great pestilence Syth I may profite by my bokes let no man haue compassion of my trauayle For I desire rather to dye as a wise person amonge wise men than to lyue ignorantly amonge men I demaunde one thynge of you A man presuming to be a man and is not lerned what difference is betwene hym and other beastes Certaynly the beastes are more profitable to labour the erthe than symple persons be to serue the common welthe A pore oxe giueth his skynne to make shone his fleshe to be eaten and his strength to labour and a poore symple shepe doth profite his flece and wol to make clothe his mylke to make chese But what profiteth a folishe ideote man Nothing but offendeth the goddis sclaundereth innocentes eateth the breade of other and is chiefe heed of vacabundes Of trouth if it lay in my handes to do I had rather giue lyfe to a simple oxe than to a malycious ideot For the beast liueth for the vtilitie of dyuers without doing domage to any other and the simple ideot man liueth to the domage of all other and without profite to any person Therfore thinke well why I am not pleased with theym that be ignoraunt and loue them that be lerned Harke syrs what I shall shewe you That man semeth good that is meke and gentyll of condition softe in wordes and restefull in his persone and gracious in conuersation And contrary wise that personne soore displeaseth me that is sharpe of wordes soore moued in his warkes riottous in his condicion and double of his promys and harde harted Also I say that if any thing wante in a wise man by nature he supplyeth it by science and he that is ignorant and folyshe if he want discretion he supplyethe it with his malice And trust surely that a worthy vertuous man therby becomethe wise and he is to be trusted and he that is of an other maner beware of hym for he goeth aboute to sell his malice He that wyll begile an other the first thing that he doth is he sheweth hym selfe to be symple and ignoraunt For a man beinge in credence may soone sprede abrode his malyce The mothes and softe wormes freete freate the clothe and the canker worme perseth the bone and flatterynge men begyle all the worlde ¶ Howe science ought to be in princis Cap. xxx THe said emperour folowing his purpose said Frendes
and yet without comparison my greattest grefe is whan my losse may be remedied and he that may wyll not and he that wyll can not remedy it O ye cruell Romaynes if the sorowes all onely shulde be reduced to memory that we suffre my tonge shulde be wery and all my membres faynte and myne eyes shoulde wepe bluddy teares my fleshe wold consume This in my laÌ„de maye be sene with eies harde with eares and felte in propre persone Certaynly my harte departeth and my soule is troubled myn entrayles breake And I beleue yet the goddis wyll haue compassiion I wylle desire you to take my wordes for sclaunder For ye Romaynes if ye be Romayns ye may well see that the trouble that we haue cometh by men and amonge men and with men and by the handes of men Than it is no meruayle though men fele it as men One thynge comforteth me and dyuers tymes amonge other that be vnfortunate it cometh to such purpose the whiche is I thinke the goddis be so ryghtwise that their fierce and cruell chastisementes come not but by our owne cruell shrewdnes our secrete sinnes awaketh vs so that we haue open iustyce But of one thynge I am sore troubled bicause the goddis can not be conteÌ„ted For a good person for a lyttel faut is greatly chastised and he that is yl for many fautes is not punished at al. So thus the goddis forbeare some some haue no mercy Thus it semeth that the goddis wyl turment vs by the handes of suche men as greue vs extremely So that if there were any iustyce in the worlde whan they chastise vs with their handes we shoulde not merite to haue our heedes on the shulders Therfore I say to you ye Romayns and swere by the immortal goddis that in .xv. days that I haue ben in Rome I haue seene suche dedes done in your senate y t if the leest dede of them had ben done at Danubie the galowes gibettes had ben hanged thycker of theues than the vineyard with grapes and reysons And sith y t my desire hath sene that it desireth my harte is at reste in spredynge abrode the poyson that was in it If my tonge hath offended you in any thing I am here redy to make recoÌ„pence with my throte For in good sothe I had rather to wynne honour offerynge my selfe to the deathe thanne ye shuld haue it in takynge my lyfe fro me Thus this vilain ended his purpose Than the emperour sayd How thinke ye my frendes what kernel of a nut What golde of filth what grayne of strawe what rose of thornes What marowe of bones dyd he vncouer what reason so hie what wordes so wel sette what trouth so true and what malice opened he soo He discouered the duetie of a good manne And I swere to you as I may be deliuered from this euill feuer that I haue that I saw this vilayn standing a hole houre on the erth boldly we holdinge downe our hedes abashed coude not answere him a word The next day it was accorded in the senat to send new iuges to Danubie And we coÌ„manded the vilaine to delyuer vs in writing al that he had sayd that it might be regestred in the boke of good sayinges of strangers And the saide vilayne for his wise wordes was made patricien so taried styl at Rome and for euer was susteyned of the common treasure ¶ Howe the emperour desired the welth of his people and the people his welthe ca. xxxiii IN the seconde yere that Mar. was chosen emperour the .xlv. yere of his aege as he retourned fro the warres that he had in conqueryng the Germains and the Aragons whereby he got glory riches for the Romaynes empire he lay at Salon to reste him and to appointe his armye and to the entent that the Romaynes shulde apparell his triumph in Rome right glorious and rychly There was one thynge done that was neuer sene before in Rome For the day of his triumph by al the people and consent of the senate the prince Comodus sonne to Marcê° Au. was chosen after the dethe of his father to be emperour vniuersall of thempire He was not chosen by the petition of his father for he was agaynste hit with all his power sayinge that the empire oughte not to be gyuen for the lawde of them that be deed but he shoulde be chosen for his owne good warkes Often tymes this emperour wolde saye Rome shall be loste whan the election shal be taken frome the Senate and the Emperour to enheryte the empire by Patrimonie ¶ Nowe to returne where as we lefte This emperour beynge at Salon studied sore to entre into Rome in good order and Rome studied soore howe to receyue hym as it appertained triumphantly for suche a warre He was sore desyred of thempire and euer he imagined howe to do plesure to the people and the people were redy to dye in his seruice Dyuers tymes was moued a pleasant purpose in the senate which of these thynges was moste to be loued The emperour to loue the people of the empire or the people of thempire themperour On a daye hit was determyned to sette iuges in that case There were chosen the ambassadours of the Parthes and Roodes and vppon that effecte they hadde writynge It was layde for the emperour the good dedes that he had done in his absence and the tokens of loue that they hadde alwayes shewed in his presence And on an other day the emperour moued an other question before the senate saying that it was a greatter glorie to haue such subiectes than the glorie of the senate to haue suche an emperour Than the Senate sayde nay Affirming that it is a greatter glorie that they had of hym than he coude haue of them And in this maner the emperour gaue the glorie to the people and the people to the emperour Thus in sporte and play they toke iudges agayn It was a merueylous thyng to se the ioy that they al had to proue their intentes And the good emperour for a memorye gaue the laude to the people bycause of theyr great obedience and seruice and extreme loue that he had founde in them And the happy people recounted the gret clemencie and mercy that was in the emperour and his vertue and worthynes in gouernynge his honestie of lyuynge and his force and valiantnes in conqueringe It was a great thing to se the honour that the people gaue to themperour and the good renoume that themperour gaue to the people The writinges were gyuen to the straunge ambassadours to thentent that the people myght lerne to obey theyr princes and princes to loue theyr people To the ende that by such examples as it was reason the good people shuld enforce them selfes and the yl to withdrawe Thus this emperour adressed his entre with his capitaynes and captiues and Rome apparayled theym with all their senatours and people to receyue hym
of good inhabitauntes oughte to be praysed and not the great edifices Our predecessours haue triūphed on strangers as weake and feeble and nowe they may triumphe on vs also as menne that be more vanquysshed with vyces than any of the other By the myghtynes and prowesses of our predecessours we that be nowe are greattely honoured and exalted and by the smalle estimation of vs that be now they that come after vs shall be greatly ashamed Of a very trouthe it is a great shame to saye and no lesse infamy to doo that the goodnesse and trauayle of the auncientes shuld nowe be tourned and conuerted to folies and presumption My sonne loke wel on thy selfe that the reyne of thy youthe and lybertie of the empire cause the nor to commytte vyce He is not called onely free that is free borne but he that dieth within the same O how well are the sclaues borne that after their deth are free by their goodnes howe many haue died sclaues by their noughtynes that were borne free There is fredome where noblenes abydeth The prowes of thy persone shal gyue the more hardines and libertie than thauctoritie of thempire It is a generall rule that euery vertuous man of necessitie is to be holden hardye and euery vicious man of necessitie is to be reputed a cowarde Nowe boldely they be chastised that be noted with any vice and coldely they be chastised that deserue chastisement Let the prince be in a certayn that the loue of his people and the lybertie of his offyce hath not wherwith to vpholde hym in armes spred abrode on the erth without the dyuers vertues assembled in his person ¶ Certaynly Octauius Cesar subdewed mo nations by the renoume of his vertues than dydde Gaius his vncle with his army of many men All the worlde ioy of a vertuous prince and it semeth that al the world ryseth ageinst a vicious prince Vertue is a strong castell and can neuer be wonne it is a riuer where nedeth no rowing a see that moueth not a fire that quencheth not a treasure that neuer hath ende an army neuer ouercome a burden that neuer werieth a spie that euer retourneth a sygne that neuer deceyueth a playne waye that neuer fayleth a syrope that healeth forthwith and a renoume that neuer peryssheth O my sonne if thou knewest what thyng it is to be good and what a man thou shuldest be if thou were vertuous thou woldest doo seruyce to the goddes good renoume to thy selfe pleasure to thy frendes and engender loue of straungers and finally all the worlde shulde feare and loue the. I remembre that in the boke of yeres of the battayle of Tarentyne I founde that the renoumed Pyrrhus king of the Epyrothiens bare in a rynge grauen these wordes To a vertuous man is but a smalle rewarde to be lorde of all the erthe and it is but a small chastisement to take a vicious mans lyfe fro hym ¶ Truly it was a worthy sentence of such a prince What thinge is it be it neuer so difficile begonne by a vertuous man but there is hope to haue a good ende therof Sothly I haue sene in dyuers parties of myn empyre dyuers men very darke of good fame very lowe in goodes and vnknowen of their kynne and bloud vndertake so great thynges that to my semyng it was a feareful audacitie to begynne And yet by the wynges of vertue all onely they haue had good renoume at the last By the immortal goddis and as the god Iupiter bryng me in his mancion and stablyshe the in all that is myne There were ones a gardyner and a potter dwellynge in Rome whyche only by their vertues caused to put tenne vycious senatours out of the senate and the fyrste occasyon was for makynge a hedge of thorne and a potte for the workemanshyp and labour whereof the Senatours wolde not paye theym I tell it the my sonne bycause that vyce maketh a bolde personne thoughtefulle and vertue causeth hym that is in thought to take strengthe and boldenes I was wel ware of two thinges in my lyfe not to pleade agaynst the clerenes of iustyce nor to take part ageynst a vertuous person For with vertue god susteyneth vs and with Iustyce the people are well gouerned and ruled ¶ Of other more partycular counsaylles gyuen by the emperour to his sonne Cap. xlvi NOwe to come to thinges more particular Seinge sonne that thou arte yonge and that nature can not denye the And as in all dyfficile thinges ripe counselle is necessarie no lesse to comfort thestate of our lyuing we desire some recreations For thy youth I leue y e with gret lordis children with whom thou mayst passe the tyme And to teache the I leue olde Romains that haue nouryshed the serued me of whom thou shalt take counsell The inuention of interludes of theatres to fyshe in pōdes to hunt wilde beastes to course in the fieldes to hauke for byrdes and to exercise dedes of armes are the thynges that thy youthe desyreth And youth with youth ought to kepe companye in doinge the same But behold my son that in orderyng of armies to apply the warres to pursue vyctories to accepte truce to confyrme peace to reyse tributes to make lawes to promote some and dismisse other to chastyse the yll and recompence the good in all these thinges that be so chargeable they that be of clere mynde redy broken and trauayled of their bodies whyt heared ought to be takē to coūsel the. And sith thou art yōge lusty of body reioyce sport with them that be yong whan thou art emperor than touching thy secrete affaires take coūsel of them y t be old Beware my son of all extremities For as yll may the prince be vnder the colour of grauitie to be rulyd by the ancient persones as vnder the colour of pastyme to kepe cōpany with yonge folkes It is no generall rule that all yonge persons shall alwayes be yonge and lyght nor that all olde persons shulde be always wyse I am sure of one thynge that if the yonge man be borne with foly the olde man lyueth and dieth with couetyse Therfore my sonne beware be not extreme in extremities For the yonge people wyll corrupte the with their lyghtnes and olde folkes wil depriue thy mind with theyr couetousnes What thing can be more monstrous than a prince that commaundeth euery man to be commaunded of one Sothely the gouernyng of diuers can not be gouerned wel by the opinion of one alone Than the prince that gouernethe many oughte to haue the intention and opinion of dyuers ¶ In the annales of the Pompeyens I founde a lyttell boke of remembrance the which great Pompeie bare alway with hym wherin were dyuers good counselles and aduertisementes the which were gyuen in diuers parties of the worlde Amonge the whiche I founde these wordes He that gouerneth the common welthe and putteth the gouernance to them that are old sheweth hym selfe vnable and he
malady of enuy wyll not suffre theym to scape fro dethe and the medicine that is applyed to them wyll not assure their lyfe I can not determine me whiche is the beste or to saye more properly the worste extreme myserie without the danger of fortune or extreme prosperitie that is always thretened to falle In this case to be so extreme I wyl not determin me sith in the one is a perillous lyfe and in the other renoume is sure ¶ I shall tell the what wise Cicero sayde whan he was pursued with many at Rome Beholde you Romaines I holde you not for so good nor my selfe so ylle to saye the trouth always nor always to make lyes I am certayne that ye bere me none enuie for that I am not as ye be but it is bycause ye can not be as I am In this case I had rather that my ennemies had enuye at my prosperitie than my frendes at my pouertie ¶ This oratour spake after the appetite of them that be in prosperitie leuynge to gyue remedy to them that be sorowfull And after this Cicero had sene the feldes of Farsalye he toke other councell and remedy suche as pleased hym in Rome For if Cesar had granted him his goodes yet y t turned not his credence and renoume Surely frend PyramoÌ„ I know no remedy to gyue the ageinst enuy sith thou seest al the world ful therof we se how we be the sons of enuy and we liue with enuy die with enuy he that leueth most ryches leaueth the greatest enuy The ancient wise men couÌ„sailed rich men that they shuld not haue pore folkes nere them and they admonished the pore that they shuld nat dwell nere to the rych And truly it is good reason For the richesse of riche men is the sede of enuy to the poore And bycause the pore maÌ„ lacketh and the riche hath to moche causeth discorde among the people I swere by y e goddis immortal freÌ„de Pyramon though they that be yl wolde that I shuld swere falsely as moche as riches with thought norisheth couetise so moch the enuious norisheth enuy therby I tell the one thynge and that is that it is no good counsell to flee enuy and to auoyde the vertu coÌ„trarye to the same Homer saithe y t in his tyme there were two Grekes extreme in all extremities The one was extreme in riches therfore he was ê‘secuted by enuy that was Achilles the other was sore noted of malice but no man had enuy at hym and that was Thiestes Certaynly I had leuer be Achilles with his enuy thaÌ„ Thiestes without it Thou knowest well that we Romaynes serche not but for reste in our lyfe and for honour after deathe And sithe it is so it is not possible but the man that euery man enuieth his renoume ought to be exalted in the rest of his lyfe And sithe I see these two thynges in the suche as be thy frendes taketh lyttell thought for that thyn ennemies murmure ageinste the. Thou wrytest to me howe they of Lyons doo well and are mery excepte thy selfe that arte heuy and full of pensyuenesse And sith they shewe not to haue pleasure at thy displeasure shewe not thy selfe dyspleased with their pleasure For it maye chaunce one day they shall be sorowfull whan that thou art merye Than thou shalt be quite with them In an euyll persone there can be no greatter yll nor in a good man a greatter faute than to be displeased with an other mans welthe and to take pleasure at an other mans harme And in case that al do vs domage with enuy yet moche more a frende than the enemy For of myn enmy I wyl beware and for feare he wyll withdrawe but a frende with his amitie may begyle me and I by my fidelitie shal not perceyue Amonge all mortall ennemies there is none wors than a frend that is enuyous of my felicitie Pyramon my frende I wylle conclude if thou wylt withdrawe thy selfe fro ennemies than kepe company with thyn owne familiar frendes I wote not what to write more to the but with all my harte I lamente thy heuynesse Thou knowest howe thy nyece Brusia was slayne with a dagger by her owne husbande I had great compassion for her deth and for the renoume that she lefte behynde her Flauius Priscus thyn vncle is newely made Censure The processe betwene thy brother Fornion and Britio is determyned by the senate and hit pleaseth me ryghte well that they be frendes and euerye man well content The boke intytuled the consolation of heuynes I haue ended and layde it in the capitol I haue writen it in Greke and that is the cause that I sent it not to the. But I do sende the a ryche swerde and a fayre gyrdell Faustine my wyfe dothe salute the and sendethe thy wyfe two sclaues The goddis be my kepers and comfort the in thy present heuynesse Marke the man fortunate to Pyramon sore discomforted ¶ A letter sent by Marcus the emperour to Cornelius of the trauayle of warre and vanitie of triumph ¶ The seconde Letter MArcke emperour of Rome to the Cornelius my faythfulle frende salutation to thy person and good fortune to thy desired lyfe As thou in tyme passed haste bene partener of my trauayles I haue sente to calle the to gyue the pleasure of my tryumphes By the haboundance of rychesse diuersitie of captiues fiersnes of capitayns that we haue brought to Rome thou mayst perceyue what peryls we haue suffred in this warre The parthes are good men of warre as euery man findeth in their own lande defendeth their houses with stronge hart and surely they do lyke good men For without reason we dye of affection to take other mens goodes they with reason do labour to defende that is their owne Lette no man take enuy at the Romayn capitayn for any triumph that is gyuen him by his mother Rome For one day of honour he is a. M. dayes in dispaire of his lyfe I wylle not speake that I myght say of them that be in warre and dwell in Rome ben cruell iuges of their owne fame And sith that the ê“pre renome of a man lyeth in other folkes tonges it is not sayde bycause his persone hath meryted but bycause that they doo shewe theyr enuye But our foolyshenes is so folyshe and the reputation of men soo vayne that for one vayne worde more than for our profytte we put our lyfe in daunger and lay our honour to gauge with trauayle rather than to lyue and to assure our renoume with reste I swere by the goddis immortall that the daye of my tryumph being in the chariot I was as pensiue as I myght be O Rome cursed be thy foly wo be to hym that hath brought vp in the soo moche pride And cursed be he that hath inuented so great pompe in the. What greatter or more vnegall lyghtnes can be than that a Romayne capitayn bicause he hath
of his mother syde was so enamored of a woman of Thebes that he taught her al his coūnynge and whan he was sycke in his bedde she redde in the schole for hym Epimenides of Crete that slepte .xv. yeres without waking and though he was .x. yere a great worshypper of the goddis yet he was banysshed frome Athenes for the loue of women Archyta Tarentyn mayster of Plato and disciple of Pythagoras occupied his mynde more to inuente the kindes of loue than his forces in doctrines of vertues Gorgio Cleontino borne in Sycyll kepte rather concubines in his chambre than bokes in the scholes All these were wyse men and yet we maye se howe at the laste they were ouercome with the flesshe Than blame not me alone for as I haue tolde of so fewe in noumbre so I coude recyte of other a holle armye Of trouth he ought to haue many thynges that wylle be taken as curious in loue He muste haue his eien displayed on her that he loueth his vnderstandynge fore altered in that he thinketh his tonge troubled in that he shulde say So that in seinge he be blynded in thoughtes wandring and in speakynge troubled O lady Libia the louynge in mockerie passeth by mockerie but where as the true hart is there is the grefe and no mockerie Loue shedeth her poysone and cruell Cupydo fyxeth his arowes vppe to the fethers Than the eien wepe the harte syghethe the flesshe trymbleth the synewes shrynke the vnderstandynge waxeth grosse reason fayleth and so all falleth to the erthe so that fynally the heuy louer abydynge in hym selfe holdeth lyttell or nothynge of hym selfe All this I say bicause that knowlege to loue fayleth in me yet be ye sure that the workes faile me not to worke in thy seruice And syth it was myn aduenture to see the nowe it is my chaunce to knowe the I demaunde nothyng elles of the but that thou wylte loue me truely syth I loue the withoute feynynge And if thou haste harde that I am sycke at my harte I desyre the to do me some good for sythe it is all onely in the it is reason that thou all onely seke for remedy I was greatly comforted whan Fabius Carlynus desyred me in thy behalfe to be a prisoner and I dyd incontinent all that thou dyddest desyre to thentente that thou on some day shuldest do that I desyre And beholde lady Lybia the woman that is serued with seruyces it is reasonne that she receyue some prayers And though my strengthes haue no power to open the gates of thy pourpose as not to agree to thy demaunde yet all my labours be bycause of thy renoume I praye the discouer not the one nor begyle me nat with the other For now thou seest that in grauntynge is remedy and in truste is comforte but promesse is deceyuable the delayenge is peryllous and the entreatynge byndeth I see verye welle that the hasty demaunde deserueth a longe aunswere but I wold not that thou shuldest do soo but as I desyre the soo desyre me I saye agayne I am all thyne and not myne owne And as for my selfe in al thynges I wyll serue the. And lady Libia regard that it were as moche honour for the as profytable for me to tourne thy disordinate desyres and pourposes For thou seest well it is moch better to heale shortly than to late with faylynge of thy pourpose All women kepe one daungerous opynyon that is they wyll neuer receyue counsell that is gyuen them in a great cause and if it be so as I thynke syth thou arte praysed and estemed of great beautie than be estemed to receyue good counsell And in this maner in case that my domage be very great and thy pacience very lyttell I shalbe called wise to gyue the suche counsell and thou ryghte gratious to folowe it One thynge I saye and pardone me though I shewe it to the howe that women be greatly infamed that wyll take no counsell and suche as wylle assure their renoume by the opinion of other as moche as though they were determyned so to doo their selfe Wherfore I wolde ye shuld do one thyng for an other as I coūsayle you And if thou fyndest any ylle therby withdrawe thy hande I wyll say no more to the but that I doo present to the al my vnhappy troubles my desperate syghes and my seruyces as thy seruaunt My troubled dolours my wordes of philosophy and my amorous teares Also I sende the a gyrdelle of golde and I gyue it the on the condition that thou sette thyn eies theron and apply thy harte to me I pray the goddis to gyue me to the and the to me Marcus Aurelius the philosopher writeth this in very great secrete ¶ THVS ENDETH THIS GOLDEN Boke of the eloquent Marc Aurelie emperour who so euer be reder therof may take it by reason for a ryche and a newe labour and specially pryncis and gouernours of the common welth and mynisters of iustyce with other Also the common people eche of theym may fynde the labour conueniente to their estate And therin is conteyned certayne right hygh and profounde sentences and holsom counselles and meruaylous deuyses ageynst thencumbraunce of fortune and ryght swete cōsolations for them that are ouerthrowen by fortune Finally it is good to them that digeste it and thanke god that hath gyuen suche grace to a paynym in gyuynge vs exaumple of vertuous lyuynge with hye and salutary doctrines and meruaylous instructions of perfectnes Certainly as great prayse as ought to be gyuen to the auctour is to be gyuen to the translatours that haue laboriously reduced this treatyse oute of Greke into latyn and out of latyn into Castilian and out of Castilyan into frenche and out of frēche into englishe writen in high and swete styles O ryght happy trauayle sythe that suche fruyte is issued therof And also blessyd be the handes that haue wrytten hit A ryghte precyous meate is the sentences of this boke But finally the sauce of the sayd swete style moueth the appetite Many bokes there be of substancial meates but they be so rude and so vnsauery and the style of so smal grace that the fyrste morsell is lothesome and noyful And of suche bokes foloweth to lye hole and sounde in Lybraries but I truste this wylle not Of trouthe great prayse is due to the auctour of his trauayle And syth there can be no grace equipolent in erthe lette vs pray to god to gyue hym grace rewarde in heuen Amen Graces to god FINIS ⧠Thus endeth the volume of Marke Aurelie emperour otherwise called the golden boke translated out of Frenche into englyshe by Iohn̄ Bourchier knyghte lorde Barners deputie generall of the kynges towne of Caleis and marches of the same at the instant desyre of his neuewe syr Francis Bryan knyghte ended at Caleys the tenth day of Marche in the yere of the Reygne of our souerayn lorde kynge HENRY the VIII the XXIII LONDINI IN AEDIBVS THOMAE BERTHELETI REGII IMPRESSORIS ANNO M.D.XXXVII CVM PRIVILEGIO LUCRECIA ROMANA THOMAS BETHELETVS