Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	law_n	life_n	write_v	2,944	5	5.7098	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06078	The praise of solitarinesse set down in the forme of a dialogue, wherein is conteyned, a discourse philosophical, of the lyfe actiue, and contemplatiue.	Baynes Roger, 1546-1623.	1577 (1577)	STC 1651; ESTC S101586	64,469	96

this verie way the end thereof may vndoubtedly be attained from the which we must vnfainedly confesse that happines of life conioyned with safetie and perpetual tranquilitie doth onely procéede LIS. I cannot a little marueyle Eudoxus since there is nothing among vs here that may be termed happie howe and in what sorte it may so come to passe y possible in this worlde we may come to inioy y happinesse of life which you speak off EVDO. What néede you thereof to maruel at all if willingly you wil allowe but so much vnto man as Plotinus thought good to impart vnto beastes LISIP. If that shuld be so that a Man maie be happie hauing no more allowed him than is allowed vnto beasts then haue we in my opinion a greate deale more cause of meruaile than before EVDOXVS His verie wordes my frende if thou doe marke shall giue thée thereof to vnderstande as hée spake them Thus therefore in the bookes whiche he wrote of the happinesse of life he doeth saye Synce well to liue and to bée happie are accounted as one then whether doe wee also allowe the same vnto beastes if so it bée giuen to them by Nature to passe their liues without impedimente according to the lawe in whiche they were created what then shoulde lette them also to liue well that is to saye happyly For whether wée accompte this liuing well to consiste in the well behauing of youre selues or in the due performing of oure naturall duetie wée muste also be contented to imparte the same vnto beastes To whō it is both as possible to behaue themselues wel and also to performe that speciall worke of nature as it is vnto vs For example let vs firste consider of musicall birdes Wherein it cannot I thinke be denyed but that they among the rest do behaue themselues well for as naturallie they are taught so duely they sing and thereby it séemeth they maye rightly be sayde to followe a wished and well behaued kinde of life But if farther it be sayed that there is also required a happie ende to be made which ought to consist in the last closing vp and conclusion of nature By the same very waye we must likewise confesse they may be counted happie For when by course of kynde they drawe to theyr ende the ordinarye motion of Nature doth ceasse in them whereby she endeth that harmelesse life of theirs whiche from the firste beginning to the departure of the same shée throughlye performed And therefore if eyther in the naturall endyng of theyr lyues or in the due performaunce of the duetie whervnto they were created there remaine anye happinesse The● doubtlesse may beastes be sayde to be both happye and blessed All whiche if it be true Lisippus according as Plotinus hath sette downe the same what then shoulde hinder man who hath all his affections subiecte vnto reason and hath chosen hir to guide him in his actions that he also shoulde not here enioye that happinesse of life For when the minde of manne shall firmelye despise all the casuall aduentures of thys transitorie estate and shall haue broughte all hir familiar causes to depende vppon hir selfe supposing also all worldlye affaires to bée inferiour vnto Vertue duelye searching for that than the whiche there maye nothing be wished for better that is to saye Goodnesse perfectnesse and Justice It is necessarye then that it bee voyde of perturbation féeling in it selfe the fruite of tranquilitie and also of quietnesse by meane whereof it becommeth happie Notwithstanding it bée still abiding within that frayle and mortall bodie LISIPPVS I thinke it altogither inconueniente for mée to answere at this time to the saying of Plotinus synce the matter he helde is in effecte so absurde that there is scarse anye one to be founde that will togyther assente with hym in the lyke For verilye for my owne part I am yet to learne in what causes he woulde haue well behauiour to be placed But let vs suppose that beastes for the purpose doe behaue them selues well according to his saying yet howe maye they by this reason be accounted happie who do not only not know the goodnesse of theyr felicytie but also are ignoraunt of their owne estate Or if they doe vnderstande it yet do they as the Philosophers affirme but grosely vnperfectly and obscurely vnderstande the same For although it be common to them togither with vs to loue to hate to desire to feare to sorrow and other such like yet to foresée which nature hath only giuen vnto man to discourse to finde out or to remember any thing they possibly can not Onely that whiche soone passeth ouer hath nature allowed them that is to saye the imagination of thyngs presente But for things that are paste shée hath giuen them a memorye altogither confused whiche neuer calleth any thing agayne to remembraunce except by the viewe of things y are present So also for things that are to come she hath likewise allowed thē no knowledge at al. By what meanes then if I may aske may they be counted happie whose case is such that they knowe not their owne estate neyther yet are able to make any difference betwéene good and euil But nowe on the other side as touching the state and condition of man who liueth I pray you so orderly that at no time féeleth anye trouble of minde what man so perfect that neuer yéeldeth to his passion who so singular but if he auoyde pride couetousnesse possesseth his hart If he shunne couetousnesse anger disquieteth his patience if he suppresse anger gluttony delighteth his tast if he eschewe gluttony enuie consumeth his carcas if he repulse enuie slouthfulnes ouerwhelmeth both soule and body Whereby it commeth stil to passe that no man may be vtterly found deuoide of fault for as the Poet sayth Eche man that is by nature fed is by his priuate pleasure led Which since it is so I sée not my friendes how any man in this life may be accounted happie vnlesse perhappes we shold recken happinesse to consist in wordes that are wisely vttered vnder honest eloquēt termes The which if so it were it wold then come to passe that such as haue most learnedly discoursed of Vertue shoulde therefore be accounted more happy than others But that this is not so not only experience but also Cicero himself in his Tusculans questions auoucheth How many Philosophers cā you shew me saith he so honest in maners so staied in iudgement order of life as reason requireth Who is he y obeyeth his own rules or putteth his owne precepts in practise Some of them shall you ●ée so ful of boasting and vaunting y it had bene better for them to haue neuer learned the name of a letter other couetous of money other desirous of glorie and others made subiect to their owne luste so as their liuing and teaching are commonlye contrarie whiche thing in my iudgement is most vntollerable For as he that professeth himselfe a Gramarian if