vpon him to suffer most cruel death for our saluation And to pay as Esay saith The price of our redemption Also by the Scriptures wee know what other benifites soeuer the Lord hath doone for vs Beside the scripture teacheth vs how we ought to loue God with al our hart with all our minde with all our forces that we ought rather to die a glorious death then to offend him with a sinfull life this he meaneth when he saith The dreame is forgottē quite that soone thou shalt forgoe For our life is compared to a sleepe which we shal leaue before we be aware as Innocentius saith in a booke that he wrote of the wretchednes of the state of man where he hath these words Tel me my brother what goodnesse doest thou finde in these worldly delights What doeth thy glory profite thee What doeth thy pleasures auaile thee These be not they that can deliuer thee from death nor defend thee from the wormes For he that late was lustie and glorious in his Pallace lieth nowe dead and stinking in his Sepulchre he that late was tickled with the delightes of the bed lyeth nowe torne a sunder with the wormes in his graue What meanest thou to be proude being but wormes meate and ashes Why moylest thou for riches that shall shortly be distributed to the poore As the Prophet saith They slept their sleepe those that were lately riche haue nowe nothing in their handes There true wisdome knowledge of God and skill in the scripture bringeth vs to this vnderstandyng by this a man knoweth how to serue God not regarding this transitorie life which passeth as a sleepe or a dreame 14. To Gentlemen it doeth belong To knowe the artes diuine Where knowledge chiefly floorisheth And learning best doeth shine Assuredly he well deserues To haue the vpper seate That garnished with wisedome is And deckt with learning great IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth what maner of men ought to seeke for learning and vnderstanding and for the better vnderstanding hereof we must consider that there be artes Mechanicall and arts Liberal Artes Mechanical are those that are vsed by men of base condition as Shoemakers Taylours Carpenters Smithes and all other that are handicraftesmen Arts Liberal are those learnings and sciences wherunto liberal or free men that is noble men or Gentlemen applie them selues as the seuen Liberal sciences therfore they are called liberal or free that bestow their time in these knowledges because they be not of base minde nor estate neither are they subiect or bounde to anie vyle occupation And therefore in the olde time there were none brought vp in learning but onely the children of noblemen and Gentlemen and therefore saith the Prouerbe To Gentlemen it doeth belong to know the artes diuine That is to say to suche men as are of good estate and condition Traian as Policrates in his sixth booke writeth who was a Spaniarde and Emperour of Rome in a letter that he writeth to the Frenche king perswadeth him to bring vp his children in the knoweledge of the liberall artes saying that a kinge without learning is like an Asse with a crowne therefore the kinges and Emperours in the olde time did commit their children to the best learned men that they coulde get Traian was brought vp with Policrates The emperor Nero with Seneca great Alexander with Aristotle To whom as Policartes in the forsaid booke saith King Phillip vppon the birth of his sonne Alexander wrote his letters in this sort Phillip the king sendeth greeting to Aristotle the Philosopher I vnderstande that I haue a sonne borne for which I geue thankes to the Gods not so much for his birth as that he hapned to be borne in thy time by whom I trust to haue him so brought vp that he shal be woorthie to succeede me in my kingdome and dominions The Prouerb saith further That he deserueth preheminence that is garnished with wisdome and learning And assuredly looke what difference there is betwixt perfection and imperfection and betwixt darknesse and light so great is the diuersity betwixt a learned man and an ignorant because we should vnderstande what great honour he deserueth that is beautified with learning and wisedome both Daniel in his seconde vision and S. Ierome in his preface to the Bible doe witnesse that the learned and the wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and those that haue instructed many in godlynesse shall glister like the starres for euer and euer And therfore great preheminence doeth he deserue that is garnished with wisedome and learning 15 The head and spring of goodnesse al Is wisedome that doeth shewe The meanes for to discerne the trueth And vertue pure to knowe Who so beginneth in his youth In vertue to delight No doubt but when he comes to age Will leade his life aright The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth that one of the principall causes of wisedome and knowledge is to feare God as Salomon in his prouerbes saith The beginning of wisdome is the feare of God and wisedome knowledge the foolish doe abhorre and therfore he saith That wisedome is more woorth then the weapons of the mightie of greater value then precious stones more fine thē pure gold For by wisedome we are able to discerne betwixt good and euill betwixt vertue and vice to which ende leauing to speake of the doctrine and rules of the holy Scripture whereby we are taught to flee from all sinne and wickednesse and to embrace and followe vertuousnesse Aristotle hath written three bookes In the one of them he entreateth of the rules and orders that are requisite for the guiding of a countrey and citie which booke is called the Politiques In the other he sheweth howe a man ought to gouerne his house his wife and his children this booke is called the Aeconomikes The thirde teacheth how a man shoulde gouerne him selfe wherein there is a medlie of rules obseruations by which a man may knowe the vertuous and discerne and seuere them from the vices And specially in this booke he sheweth that all maner of vertues are gotten by vse and custome and that a man by vsing a long time to liue vertuously it commeth at length to bee naturall vnto him and although a man be naturally enclined to vice yet yf he accustome him selfe to vertue he shall leaue his euill inclination and become vertuous And this is it that the Prouerbe sayeth Who so beginneth to liue well in his youth it is a signe that he shall not doe amisse in his age But it is not one vertuous act alone that can be called a beginning as Aristot saith no more then can one swallow shew a spring And the greatest presumption by which we may cōiecture as Aristotle in the second of his Ethickes sayeth whether a man shall proue vertuous or no is the pleasure or the heauinesse that he taketh in his
a great goddesse vnder whose gouernment and at whose dispositioÌ„ are all the treasures and riches of the world farther they say that shee hath all maner of persons in the worlde vpon a wheele that her condition and nature for she is a woman is neuer to be long of one minde but somtime of great and honourable personages to make poore and miserable creatures againe of poore miserable caitiues to make hye mightie Princes stil whirling about her vnstedfast wheele as pleaseth her Aristotle hath also the like maner of speach in his Booke Of good Fortune where he affirmeth that there are diuerse and sundry opinions aboute Fortune But all their opinions are farre differing from our Christian faith For as Boetius in his firste Booke Of Consolation And Saint Augustine in the fourth Booke Of the Citie of God doe vnite this Fortune destinie are no other things then the prouidence of God therfore to speake like a good Christian that which the Prouerbe heere saith When as it pleaseth Fortune c. is as much to say as when it pleaseth the prouidence of God the thinges that bee hurtfull vnto vs shall turne to our profit and such things as are profitable to our hurt and destruction Whereof there is a very good example in the holie Scriptures in the first Booke of Moses where it is written that the Children of Iacob for the malice that they bare to Ioseph their brother threw him into a deepe pitte and after solde him to certaine Merchants who solde him to an officer of King Pharaoes that vpon the vnfull accusation of his wife kepte him a long time in Prison from whence hee was sent for by King Pharao and after that hee had declared the meaning of his dreame and foreshewed the comming of the deare and the barren yeares he was made the greatest man aboute him which was the cause that the patriarch Iacob with all his house escaped the great famine came to liue honourably in Aegypt and thus did it please fortune that is to say God that the hurtfull things that is the imprisonment of Ioseph and all the other harmes and miseries that he sustained should turne to the profite of himself his father and his brethren So likewise doe the things that appeare good and profitable many times fall out to bee hurtfull and euill vnto vs as to haue great store of monie is a profitable thing and yet it often falleth that their throates are cut for it that haue it and so doeth a profitable thing become hurtefull 22. My sonne the wiseman and his life still set before thy face And speake no euill of thy Prince in anie secret place Looke that thy toung iudgement both such nets do warily shun For why the very walles them selues Will witnes what is doone The Paraphrase THE Marques in this Prouerbe sheweth that if a man be not able of him selfe to rule and order his life hee should seeke out and set before his eyes same wise and notable man according to whose doings he shuld in euery point frame his life as Seneca writeth to Lucilius it is one of the chiefest lessons that hee could deuise to giue him for the framing of his life aright He willeth him that he shuld alwaies imagine him selfe to bee in the presence of some good man for example sake either Cato or Lelius for ether of them were both vertuous wise and that he should frame al his thoughts and direct all his deedes according to the life and vertues of them and so should he neuer do amisse and this is it that is ment in the prouerbe Follow the wise man and his lawe The law of the wiseman is his discretion for as Aristotle saieth The iust and the vertuous man is a lawe vnto him selfe for hee measureth the times disposeth his things according as the time and reason doth require And the Prouerbe saith more Speake thou no euill of thy Prince according to the doctrine of the Apostle Sainct Paule We are bound to feare God and to honour the King. We ought to serue the King as our naturall Lorde and wee offende God grieuouâ—ly in dissobeying of him In so much as some Doctors of law are of opinion that whosoeuer obeyeth not the Kinges commaundement findeth deadly according to that is written in the second of the Kings Hee that obeyeth not the Prince shall dye for it And therefore as it is a grieuous and greate sacriledge to blaspheme the name of God so is it a damnable and horrible offence to speake euill of the King and against such as shall so offende it is very well prouided bothe by the constitutions of the Emperours and by the lawes and statutes of Spaine And the Marques sayth That wee ought not onely to forbeare to speake euill of the Prince abroade and in company whereby it may come to his eare but also wee ought not to do it in secrete For Solomon sayth in his Prouerbs Speake no euill of the Prince iu any wise for if thou doest be sure the verie birdes of the ayre will disclose it The Byrdes of the ayre as some Doctoures teache are the Spyrtes and Diuelles according to the saying of our Lorde and Sauiour in the Gospel where hee telleth the parable of the seede that fell by the highe waye and the Byrdes of the ayre deuoured it The The birdes of the Aire saith our Sauiour are the lewde and wicked spirits that take out of the heart of man the worde of god And in this sorte is the aforesaide allegation to be vnderstoode that the birdes of the aire will discouer it that is to say the wicked spirites who shall reueale the treason that thou haste spoken in secret and this is it that the Prouerb meaneth when it saith The very walles will witnes beare The third Chapter of Iustice 23. From Iustice see thou varrie not for duetie loue nor feare Let no good turne at any time procure thee to forbeare Or for to swarue in any point from sentence iust and right In giuing dewe correction to the faithlesse fautie wight The Paraphrase AS Aristotle in the first Booke of his Ethicks affirmeth that the cleerest most bewtifull vertue of all others is Iustice whose brightnesse doth farre exceede either the day starre or the euening starre and therefore he saith That Iustice comprehendeth in it self all other vertues And Saint Augustine saith in his fourth Booke Of the Citie of God that Iustice beeing taken away the kingdomes of the earth are nothing else but greate companyes of theeues nor the companyes of theeues any other then small kingdomes And therefore saith the wise man in his Ecclesiastes Follow iustice all you that are Iudges on the earth Whosoeuer is a Iudge ought to bee as a Balance and iust weight in all his doinges and neither for feare friendship nor any other respect to forbeare the executing of vpright Iustice And therefore Valerius sheweth in
shew mercie to such as offend we are stirred vp both by the lawe of nature the holie Scriptures and the gracious admonition of our Sauiour The lawe of nature doeth moue vs to bee mercifull as Seneca in his firste booke of Mercie writeth and hereof we haue a naturall example in the king of Bees whom nature hath framed without a sting hauing taken away his weapon to the ende hee shoulde be neither fierre nor cruell nor a reuenger of iniuries and that men might take examples of these little poore creatures The Scripture mooueth vs to mercie as it appeareth in the Epistle of Saint Iames where he saith that iudgement shal◠be geuen without mercie to such as shewe no mercie Our Sauiour exhorteth vs to mercie where hee saieth Blessed are all those that are mercifull for they shal obteine mercie The Prouerbe saith That the punishment of the sword is misliked for if it bee once done it is past all redresse And therefore Salust in the Conspiracie of Catiline sayeth that wee ough◠to trie euery way that may be before we come to the sworde euen as the Phisitions doe who vseth all the medicines that may be before they cut of the member And if so be that Princes may geue sufficient correction without the death of the offendour they ought to doe it For if it be once done it is to late to say I woulde it were not 32. I do not meane that lothsome crimes and hainous pardon craue Or that the wholsome lawes or good decrees restraint shoulde haue For such a man ought not to liue as murdereth wilfully True iustice alwaies doth commaund that he that killes shal die The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe are limited and interpreted the Prouerbes that goe before For such as ought to forgeue are either priuate persons or officers in the common wealth As they be priuat persons they are boūd to release the extremity but not the iniurie for they may require a recompence at the law But if they doe not their reward shal be the greater According to the saying of our Sauiour in his Gospel Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen And touching the examples that are in the prouerbs that goe before if they be officers and in authoritie they cannot pardon an offence that is doone against a common wealth nor trespasse that is done betwixt neighbours But they may vse a moderation and discretion according to the circumstances of the matter as if the partie grieued be a slaue or free born if he be a gentleman or a cōmon person if the offence were in words or vpō proposed malice or ignorātly not wilfully done if he murdered with poyson or with the swoord In such cases the Iudges and those that be in authoritie are woont to haue great consideration for he that killeth with poyson by treason or secretly his offence is more horrible thē his that killeth by chācemedlie And therefore it is prouided by the lawes of Spaine that if the Prince vppon speciall consideration doeth pardon a man that hath killed suche cases are alwayes excepted for hee that murdereth after anie of the aforesaide manners is not to be suffered nor pardoned and this is the effect of the Prouerbe 33. To pardon such a kinde of man were verie crueltie And quite contrary to the rule of all humanitie Nor name of pitie doeth deserue that suffers vilannie But is the ouerthrowe of lawes and all authoritie The Paraphrase THe meaning of this Prouerbe is declared in the Prouerbe that goeth before For it is a greate crueltie and contrarie to al humanitie to pardon such a one as murdereth by treason or villanously and it woulde be the decay and destruction of all iustice and authoritie For as S. Augustine in his booke Of the citie of God saith Iustice is of such an excellencie as the lewdest people that be cannot liue without it much lesse those that be good vertuous Likewise Saint Augustine as hath been alleaged before sayth Take iustice away and your kingdomes are nothing else but greate companies of theeues and therefore it is ordayned in the statutes of Spaine that if there be in anie Prouince or Countrie great numbers of euill disposed persons and if they happen to take one of them though the partie deserue not to die yet it shall bee lawfull for the Iustice to hang him for a terrour and example to the others And if he otherwise do it deserues not the name of pittie But of euill sufferance and the hinderance and ouerthrowe of lawes and authoritie The fifth Chapter of Temperance 34. As much as it deserueth praise with temperance to feed Which doth our mortall life sustaine and serueth for our need So much abhorred ought to be the greedy glutton great That thinkes there is no other life but for to drinke and eate The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe and certaine others that followe the Marques sheweth the order that we ought to obserue in eaeating and drinking and these two being the chiefest sustainers of our life a man hath as much a doe as may bee to vse a moderation and temperance in them For as Aristotle in the second boke of his Ethicks saith These two do onely sustaine our mortall life and are alwayes desired as things of moste pleasure and because wee haue so great delight in them as the things wherewith wee haue been accustomed from our birth it is very hard and painefull to be restrained of them But those that exceede and obserue no measure therein are counted of Aristotle in the first of his Ethickes to liue like Dogges and to choose the life of monsters The same Aristotle in his Ethicks telleth vs of a great glutton that was called Philoxenus who put all his felicitie in eating and drinking and the earnest request that hee made to the Gods was that they would make his neck as long as a Cranes necke to the ende his delight might be the greater in the long goyng downe of his meate and his drinke For he tooke that for the chiefest pleasure that was 35 Great honour doth this temperance deserue at all assayes Sith it a vertue alwayes is of great and speciall praise For heate and furie great it doeth by honestie asswage And stayes the frantike flame that in the youthfull yeares doth rage The Paraphrase VVE do read that many haue greatly offended more by excesse in eating drinking then for any other offence For example sake let vs looke vppon our first Father Adam who for a gluttonous desire of eating brought both himselfe and al his posterity to destructiō Lot the brother to Abraham by too much drinking as it is writtē in Genesis shamed not to lye with two of his daughters And therfore is Temperance sobrietie worthie of greate honour being a vertue of greatest commēdation The maides of Rome that were appointed to attend vpon their Gods to the ende they shoulde be sober temperate did neuer eat more thē three meales in a weeke and
his time To these foure and to the two others Don Iohn and Don Hurtado he left such Lordshippes rents reuenewes as made fiue great houses besides his owne principall house FINIS ⧠The first Chapter of Loue and Feare 1. My sonne whom I doe dearly loue Vnto my wordes geue eare ▪ Seeke not by rigour for to rule Nor gouerne men by feare ▪ Loue and thou shalt beloued be And by the same shalt doe Such worthie things as hated thou shalt neuer attaine vnto The Paraphrase EVery wyse Oratour as Tullie in his booke de Oratore teacheth ought principally ▪ in whatsoeuer matter he dealeth to consider three things That is to make all those that shall eyther heare his speach or reade his workes to be well willing vnderstanding and mindefull The speaker shall make his audience well willing when he laboureth to obteyne their fauour and good wil towardes him For no man wil gladly geue eare to such a man as he is afore euil perswaded of he maketh his hearers to vnderstād when he declareth the matter that hee meaneth to entreate off in shewing that it shal be profitable commodious he causeth them to be attentiue or mindeful when he mooueth or stirreth them vp by good meanes inductions to be readie to heare not hauing their minds caried away with anie other matters All these points hath this learned gentleman folowing this inscription obserued in al his discourse But especially in this first Prouerbe he hath obserued the first in making him that shal reade him wel minded towardes him procuring his fauour goodwil in calling him by the name of his sōne beloued For as the Ciuil law sayth we can name no man by a more sweet or better name thē to call him our sonne He maketh him to vnderstand in shewing him howe to direct or order his life amōgst the people he maketh him attētiue in these wordes where he saith Geue eare And the meaning and matter of this Prouerbe is the most sweet gracious behauiour that men of all degrees ought to vse in their conuersation And if so be that men of gret estate calling ought to vse this gētle behauiour much more ought they that are of meane degree to do it And therfore Seneca in the speach that he hath with the Emperour Nero as he bringeth in in his 9. Tragedie when the Emperour did striue to gouerne rather by feare then by loue and commaunded sundrie things to be done by force and disorder to the ende the people should feare him because Seneca did therefore greately blame him the Emperour tolde him that whatsoeuer he did he ought by reasō for to do for the sword was it that defēded the Prince Seneca answeared that the faith and true allegiance of his subiects would better defend him The Emperour replied That it is good that the Prince bee feared Seneca answeareth it is better that he be beloued The naked sword saith Nero shal make them doe what I wil haue thē Beware saieth Seneca you neuer fall into suche an errour The Emperour answereth I wil force the people to feare mee Surely saith Seneca that which you force and compell the people to doe they will verie hardly suffer And therefore it is not meete that anie person as is sayde especially suche gouernours as are vertuous and iust should vrge or force any thing agaynst the good will of the people much lesse that priuat persons should in their conuersation one with an other doe it For as Seneca in his thirde Epistle sayeth whereas hee sheweth the deliberation that a man ought to haue in the getting and keeping of his friende If thou wilt be beloued loue or as the Prouerbe sayeth By loue thou shalt doe that hated thou shalt neuer attayne vnto For there is nothing in the world that is sought with loue either by the prince of his subiecte the Lorde of his tenant or the friend of his familiar but it is easily obteined For as Virgill saith in his Bucolikes Loue ouercōmeth al thinges insomuch is for the great loue that the Almightie bare vnto mankinde hee sent his only begottē sonne to take our flesh vppon him and to die for vs that he might beare our faults and infirmities as Esai saith and suffer for our offences And therefore if loue coulde cause God to abase himselfe to be conuersant with man and to doe that which might chiefly auayle vs being euerlasting and most perfect and we mortall and imperfecte what shall it not doe in the companie and conuersation of one man with an other Whereuppon Valerius in his thirde booke in the title of Loue and delight writeth that Damon and Pithias two of Pythagoras his schollers bare so great loue and affection one to the other as when Dionisius of Sarragos would haue put one of them to death he seeyng that there was no remedie but needes he must dye required that hee might haue libertie to goe home to dispose set in order suche thinges as hee had promising to put in sureties for his returne at what day soeuer he woulde appoint him Dionisius supposing that none so faithfull a friēd could be found that in such a case woulde become suretie to the hazard of his life and all that he had aunsweared that he was content to giue him leaue time to goe to his house so that he put in such suretie as hee promised whereuppon he left him for suretie his other friende And as the last day was now come wherein the condemned person was bound to returne to suffer his determined death all those that were present did count a great follie in him that woulde in suche a case become suretie hazard his life for an other how great soeuer the friendship was betwixt them But the partie that was suretie did no whitte distrust the fidelitie of his friende nor repent him any whitte of his suretyshippe Nowe as they were all gaping and gasing to see the ende of the matter at the last day and euen in the last houre commeth the condemned man wherat Dionisius was greatly astonished and for the great faithfulnes loue that he saw betweene them pardoned the partie that he had condemned and desired them both that they woulde vouchsafe him for a third into their friendship Wherby it is euident that loue is of so greate a force that it forceth such men as be true friends to venter giue their liues the one for the other So that very well saith the Prouerbe Loue and thou shalte beloued bee For Seneca in his thirde Epistle affirmeth that nothing doeth more trouble a man in his prosperitie and wealth then to thinke that they can neuer bee to him good and faithfull friendes to whom he himselfe hath neuer been good Howe manie kindes of Friendshippes there bee and howe some bee friendes for Commoditie sake others for pleasure and delight others for vertue and honestie howe some bee sworne friendes and what difference there
Valerius writeth in his first booke that the women of Rome to keepe themselues chast and sober did neuer drinke wine Of such sobernes temperance was the greate Alexander as Vegetius writeth in his booke Of the art of warres that he was so farre from setting his delight in eating drinking that he neuer vsed to eate but as he trauailed We likewise reade that hard by the campe of Hanniball there grew an appletree being as ful of apples as it might hang And so great was the continence and temperance of the souldiers that the tree after their departure remained as full of fruite as it was when they firste encamped For they counted it a greate shame and dishonour to eate any thing that was deyntie while they were in the fielde And of Iulius Caesar the Emperour wee reade that his dyet was grosse and common as herringes sprattes cheese and greene figges that he did eate at all times and in all places whensoeuer he was hungry and with this temperance and modestie he bridled the furie and disorder that followeth of to much eating and drinking For the bellie being stuffed with good meates and wines doeth presently yeeld to the rage of riot and Lecherie And therefore sayeth Solomon in his Prouerbes That wine ought not to be geuen to Princes For where drunkennesse hath place no secrete can bee kept And therefore the Prouerbe sayeth Temperance stayeth the raging lust of youth and of small and temperate feeding there ariseth neither disordinate lust nor other euill Saint Augustine did euer vse to saie that he liued not to eate but did eate for to liue and this is the Temperance which as the Prouerbe sayeth is woorthie of honour 36. But seeldome pouertie is seene such persons to molest As are of heedfull gouernement aud slouthfulnesse detest But idlenes and gluttonie where once they doe infect No vertue euer doe regarde nor honour doe respect The Paraphrase SAint Bernarde in an Epistle that hee writeth of the ordering and gouerning of a house to one Raimond a gentleman doth specially amongst other things exhort him to haue a careful eye to his liuing and to his expenses and to take heede that his receits be greater then his charges For if his expenses and his reuenues be one as much as the other hee shall bee sure to bee ouershoes and vndone before he be aware and therefore his counsell is that he that is wise shoulde alwayes set his bellie and his purse at discorde and vppon their strife be taught to knowe whose parte he shoulde take The belly proueth his purpose by the present delight that he feeleth and the purse prooueth his by the trial of the present harme and the miserie to come and farre better is it for a man to prouide and be carefull before hee come in neede then to seeke for helpe when hee is in miserie And this is it that is meant by the Prouerbe That pouertie is seeldome knowne to come to a person of good gouernement And gluttonie and sloth where they once come haue neuer regarde to Nobilitie For as Sainte Bernarde saieth The negligence and pouertie of the Maister of the house is as it were a burning and consuming fire in the toppe of it 37 His time he may not idlely spend that seeketh for to gaine For knowledge is not gotten but by industrie and payne So oughtest thou for to rule thy life and order such to keepe As thou preferre a gaineful watche before a harmefull sleepe The Paraphrase SOlomon in his Prouerbes willeth the slugard the loyterer that he go to the Emoth and consider her order and her tratrauayls which hauing neyther Captaine nor gouernour seeketh and prouideth in Sommer for her liuing and gathereth and layeth vp in the Haruest time as much as shall suffise hee to liue by in the winter And sayth that if a man will take paynes be diligent his haruest shal flow like a foūtayne and pouertie shal presently flie from him and therefore doth the Prouerbe bid To preferre a gaynefull watche before a harmeful sleepe For learning is not to be got without trauell for all men haue not knowledge by the inspiration of the holy Ghost But he that will atteine to knowledge must seeke and take paines for it and he that will come to be able to liue must as the Prouerbe saith preferre a good watching before an euil sleepe 38. For procreation onely and encrease of mortall kinde Forsake the chast virginitie with wise and sober minde Consider that this vaine delight was once the wofull fall Of Solomon for which he lost both wit and grace and al. The Paraphrase of the Marques THe perfection and profoundnesse of Solomon the king of Israel as wel in natural iudgement as in knowledge of the lawe is both at this day sufficiently knowne and shal be alwaies hereafter manifest who in his latter age being waxen effeminate and altogether ruled by women laied aside his obedience to GOD and became an idolatour as may be seene at large in the booke of the kinges The Doctour THe Marques hauing in his Prouerbs before declared the inconueniences that men fall into by gluttonie and excesse in eating and drinking doeth shewe vs in this Prouerbe and a fewe that folowe the inconueuiences and harmes that proceede of carnall and fleshly lust For where as men cannot liue for euer nor alwaies continue and that it is incident and common to them that some be borne and some die it is therefore of necessitie prouided by nature that men should haue the company and vse of women and so breake the bondes of virginitie And this ought to be doone with great modestie and consideration as the Prouerbe heere sheweth For a man to lie with any other then his owne wife though it be with intent of encreasing the worlde is hainous and deadly sinne Yea yf a man lie with his owne wife vpon a fleshly desire and not for procreation hee doeth offend For a man ought not to haue the vse of a woman for any other end then for the encreasing of posteritie Or for auoiding of whoredome he may vse his own wife And those that doe otherwise doe fal into that filthie sensualitie that brought Solomon to all his miserie wherof the Marques hath partly spoken aboue 39. And for the selfesame greeuous sinne Was Dauid brought full lowe And in the midst of mortall plagues was taught his fault to knowe ▪ The loftie Tarquin in his pride Was punished therfore And from the stately gates of Rome Was thrust for euermore The Paraphrase of the Marques DAuid that most holy Prophete and king of Israel after Saul was a man that did many woorthie and notable acts and a man of great wisedome hee doeth greatly set foorth the glory and Maiestie of GOD in his Booke of Psalmes Notwithstanding hee dyd greeuously fall and offende in fleshly and beastly affection committyng moste horrible adulterie howbeit hee afterwardes turned to GOD with great repentance and with
in And therefore the Prouerbe saieth that the woman is not vnprofitable nor vnperfect Neither ought we to thinke that because some women haue been to blame therefore they are all to be condemned For as the nurse sayth to Hippolytus as Seneca in his fourth Tragedie sheweth where Hippolitus saith that if there had neuer been other euill woman but Medea the wife of Aegeus her onely villanies were sufficient to cause all other women to be abhorred Wherto the nurse answereth that it were greatly against reason that the offence of one or two should be the blame of all the rest And therefore sayeth the Prouerbe that notwithstanding the faultes of a fewe the vertues of women haue been highly commended and set out with the pen. 47. For setting here aside that sweete and blessed worthie rose That ouer all the rest doth shine and farre beyonde them goes The daughter of the thundring God and spouse vnto the hiest The light and lampe of women all who bare our sauiour Christ 48. Manie Ladies of renowne and beautifull there bee That are both chast and vertuous and famous for degree Amongst the blessed holy saintes full many a one we find That in this cōpasse may be brought for liues that brightly shinde 49. What should I of Saint Katheren that blessed martyr tell Among the rest of Virgins all a flowre of preecious smell Well worthy of remembrance is her beawty and her youth And eke no lesse deserueth praise her knowledge in the trueth The Marques SAint Katherin was a virgin and a holy Martyr and among the whole company of Saintes of speciall commendation touching whose life and death beeing a thing so commonly knowne I refer the Reader to the booke called The Flower of Saints 50. We finde that Hester wanted neither beawtie great nor grace Whose noble minde was ioyned with the fauour of her face Of Iudith likewise doe we reade the bewtie great to bee And how she vertuously behaude her selfe in eche degree The Paraphrase of the Marques HEster the Queene was the wife of King Assuerus of whom it shall not bee needefull to speake much considering that in the Paraphrase to the prouerbe of Assuerus in the beginning of the Booke there hath been enough saide It is sufficient to knowe that she was a holy woman and a deuout seruaunte of God as appeared by her vertuous life and by the earnest Prayers that shee made vnto God in the case of Hamon and Mardocheus Iudith as her Booke testifieth which is one of the 24 bookes of the Bible was reputed among the Iewes for a woman of singular wisdom and of great honestie in life who slewe the great Holofernes that being sent by the King Nabuchodonosor with a great and puisant Campe had besieged the Citie of Ierusalem as her Booke at large declareth where it also appeareth by what great policicie after shee had slaine him shee conueyed his hed passing thorowe the watch of the Camp to the aforesaid Citie This only fact renowmed Prince strake such a feare and terrour to the harts of the enemies as they speedily and without order to their great losse brake vppe their siege So as shee is greatly commended in the Scripture for her beautie and for her noble and valiant stomacke 51. The famous worthy women that among the heathen warre No reason that of good reporte among the rest we barre For why their valure and renoume was woundrous in their dayes And therefore not to be depriude of due deserued praise 52. In Athens and in Thebes too wer Ladyes great of fame The Troians Sabynes Greeks Arge had many a worthy dame The Laurentines the Amasons may triumph for the same And Rome of vertuous women can remember many a name 53. No fairer creatures coulde be seene then Vagnes and Diana Daphnes Dido Anna and the vertuous Lucretia Nor vnrembred let wee passe Virginia the same Whose passing chastitie procurde her euerlasting fame The Paraphrase VAgnes as Statius in his Booke of the Warres betwixt the Thebanes and the Argians reporteth was the cheefe among the Argian Ladies that went altogether to King Creon with humble petition for the deliuery of the dead bodyes of their husbandes and kinsemen that were slaine at the battaile of Thebes fighting against Ethiocles the Sonne of Oedippus and nephew to King Layus who was of the linage and stock of Cadmus Who hauing receiued a flat denyal went altogither to Theseus that then was Duke of Athens declaring vnto him with great exclamation the great crueltie and extremitie that was showed vnto them Theseus who was then newly come from the warres of the Amasons as Iohn Boccace the poet of Florence in his Booke of Theseus at large discribeth vowed that before he entred the Citie he would go out of hand with his whole forces against Creon requiring him yet before by his Embassadours to graunt vnto the poore Ladyes this their so iust and reasonable request which when he disdainfully refused to doe hee made warres vpon him and slew him wherby the gentlemen of Argos by the industrie and diligence of the vertuous Vagnes came in the ende to bee honourably buryed At the ende of this battaile wherin Creon was slaine by the handes of Theseus beginneth the story of Arcyt and Palemon the seruants and great louers of Emilia the sister of Hypolitus which because of the tediousnes and that the matter maketh nothing to our purpose I heere passe ouer Diana was counted the goddesse of Chastitie a Lady that set all her delight vpon the feeld in the chase and hunting of wilde beastes Lucretia and other the famous Ladies of Rome are sufficiently mencioned as wel by Lyuy and Valerius in their storyes as by Saint August a man of more credit in his Boke Of the Citie of God and Iohn Boccace in the fall of Princes and commendation of woorthy women where it is shewed how she beeing the wife of Collatinus was violently forced by Sextus Tarquinius wherevpon with a knife or a swoord shee slewe her selfe saying I free my selfe from the faulte but not from punishement which I heere but briefely touch because I haue writen thereof before in the story of Sextus Tarquinius Daphnis was daughter to Peneus a Virgin dedicated to Diana the Lady of Chastitie who as Ouid writeth beeing greatly desired of Phebus and not consenting nor able to withstande the force of her furious louer commending her selfe to all the gods but specially to Diana whom shee serued was as the Poets faine transformed into the Laurell a tree of continuall greenenesse sweete of sauour and of a delectable shadowe The morall whereof beeing declared by diuers Authors as Fryer Thomas of Capua in his Moralls vpon the Metamorphosis Iohn Boccace in his Genealogie of the heathen gods and Maister Iohn the Englishman commenting vppon the same Booke I heere leaue to declare as a thing to long to entreate off It may suffice that shee was counted among the heathen for a mayden of singular beawtie Anna was