he hath fetched in the night Truely I thinke and in my thought I am nothing deceiued that if a prince would declare vnto vs his whole life and that hee would particularly shewe vs euery thing wee would both wonder at that bodie which had so much suffered and also we would be offended with that heart which had so greatly dissembled It is a troublesome thing a dangerous thing and an insolent and proud enterprise for a man to take vpon him with a penne to gouerne the Common-wealth and with a Prince to reason of his life For in deed men are not perswaded to liue well by faire words but by vertuous deedes And therefore not without cause I say that hee is not wise but very arrogant that dare presume vnasked to giue a Prince counsell For princes in many things haue their mindes occupyed and haughtely bent and som of them also are affectionate and whereas wee peraduenture thinke to haue them mercifull wee finde them more angrie and heauie against vs. For counsell doeth more harme then profite if the giuer thereof be not very wise and hee also which receyueth it very pacient I haue not bin a Prince for to know the trauels of Princes nor am as president to counsell Princes and yet I was so bolde to compile this Booke it was not vpon presumption to counsell a Prince so much as by an humble sort to giue mine aduise For to giue counsell I confesse I haue no credite but to giue them aduise it sufficeth mee to bee a subiect What the order is in that I haue taken in this Booke how profitable it is to all men and how vnpleasaunt to no man how wholsom and profound doctrine in it is contayned and how the Historyes bee heerein applyed I will not that my pen doe write but they themselues shall judge which shall read this worke We see it oft come to passe that diuers Bookes doe loose their estimation not for that they are not very good and excellent but because the Authour hath been too presumptuous and vaine-glorious For in mine opinion for a man to praise his owne wrytings much is nothing else but to giue men occasion to speake euill both of him and of his workes Now let no man thinke that I haue written this which is written without great aduisement and examination I doe confesse before the Redeemer of the whole world that I haue consumed so many yeares to seeke what I should write that these two yeares one day hath scarcely escaped me wherein my Pen hath not done his dutie to write or correct in this worke I confesse that I tooke great paines in writing it for of truth it hath been written twice with mine owne hand and thrice with another mans hand I confesse I haue read and searched in diuers and sundrie partes manie good and straunge books to the end I might finde good and pleasaunt doctrine and besides that I trauelled much to set and apply the Hystories to the purpose For it is an vnseemely thing to applie an hystorie without a purpose I had great respect in that I was not so briefe in my wrytings that a man might note mee to bee obscure nor yet in anie thing so long that any man should slaunder mee with too much talke For all the excellencie of Wryting consisteth where many and goodly Sentences are declared in fewest and aptest words For oft times the long stile is loathsome and tedious both to the Hearers and Readers Nero the Emperour was in loue with a Ladie in Rome named Pompeia the which in beautie to his fantasie exceeded all others In the ende partly with intreatie partly with Money and presents he obtained of her that hee desired For in this case of loue where prayers and importunities bee paciently heard resistance doth lacke The inordinate loue that Nero bare to Pompeia proceeded of the yealow haires she had which were of the colour of Amber and in praise of her he compiled diuers and sundry songs in Heroicall-Meeter and with an instrument sang them himselfe in her presence Nero was a sage Prince wise and excellently well learned in the Latine tongue and also a good Musitian yet Plutarch in his book of the jests of noble women to declare the vanitie and lightnes of Nero reciteth this history and describing Pompeia that her bodie was small her fingers long her mouth proper her eyelids thin her nose somwhat sharpe her teeth small her lips red her necke white her fore-head broad and finally her eyes great and rowling her brest large well proportioned What think you would Nero haue done if hee had so affectionately set his fantasie vpon al other her beautiful properties since that for the loue only of her yellow locks he was depriued both of his wisdom also senses For vaine light men loue commonly not that which reason commandeth but that which their appetite desireth The loue of the Emperour increased with folly so much that not onely he counted seuerally al the haires that his louer Pompeia had on her head but also gaue to euery hayre a proper name and in prayse of euery one of them made a song insomuch that this effeminate Prince spent more time in banqueting and playing with his louer Pompeia then he did to reform and amend the faults of the common wealth yea his folly so much surmoūted all reason that he commaunded a combe of golde to bee made and therewith hee himselfe combed her yellow locks And if it chaunced that any one hayre in combing fell off hee by and by caused it to be set in golde offered it vp in the Temple to the Goddesse Iuno For it was an ancient custome among the Romanes that the thinges which they entirely loued whether it were good or euill should bee offered vp to their gods And when it was once knowne that Nero was so in loue with those haires of Pompeia which were of the color of amber all the Ladies endeauoured themselues not onely to make artificially theyr hayre of that colour but also to weare their garments and other attires of the same colour in somuch that both men and women did vse collers of amber brooches and ringes set with amber and all their other iewels were of amber For alwayes it hath beene seene and euer shall be that those things whereunto the Prince is most addicted the people follow and aboue all other couet the same Before this Emperour Nero plaied this light part in Rome the amber stones was had in little estimation after that hee set so much by it there was no precious stone in Rome so much esteemed Yea and furthermore the Marchant gained nothing so much whether it were in golde or silke as he did in the amber stones nor brought any kind of marchandize to Rome more precious or more vendible then that was I do maruell at this vanitie foras-much as the children of the world do loue desire and labour more to
although it forsaketh them in deedes yet they will not forsake it in their desires And I durst sweare that if the World could grant them perpetuall life they would promise it alwayes to remaine in their customable folly O what a number of vaine men are aliue which haue neyther remembrance of God to serue him nor of his glorie to obey him nor of their conscience to make it cleane but like bruit beasts fellow and runne after their voluptuous pleasures The bruit beast is angry if a man keepe him too much in awe if he bee weary hee taketh his rest hee sleepeth when hee lifteth he eateth and drinketh when hee commeth vnto it and vnlesse hee be compelled hee doth nothing hee taketh no care for the common-wealth for he neither knoweth how to follow reason nor yet how to resist sensuality Therefore if a man at all times should eate when hee desireth reuenge himselfe when he is moued commit adulterie when hee is tempted drinke when he is thirsty sleep when he is drousie wee might more properly call such a one a beast nourished in the mountaines then a man brought vp in the common-wealth For him properly wee may call a mā that gouerneth himselfe like a man that is to say conformable vnto such things as reason willeth not where sensuality leadeth Let vs leaue these vaine men which are aliue and talke of them that bee dead against whom wee dare say that whiles they were in the world they followed the world and liued according to the same It is not to be maruelled at that since they were liuing in the world they were noted of some world point But seeing their vnhappy and wicked life is ended why will they then smell of the vanities of the World in their graues It is a great shame and dishonour for men of noble and stout hearts to see in one moment the end of our life and neuer to see the end of our solly Wee neyther reade heare nor see any thing more common then such men as bee most vnprofitable in the Common wealth and of life most reprobate to take vpon them most honour whiles they liue and to leaue behind them the greatest memory at their death What vanity can bee greater in the world then to esteeme the world which esteemeth no man to make no account of God who so greatly regardeth all men What greater folly can there bee in man then by much trauell to encrease his goods with vaine pleasures to loose his soule It is an olde plague in mans nature that many or the most part of men leaue the amendement of their life farre behind to set their honour the more before Suetonius Tranquillus in the first booke of the Emperours sayth that Iulius Caesar no further then in Spaine in the City of Cales now called Calis saw in the Temple the triumphes of Alexāder the great painted the which when hee had well viewed he sighed maruellous sore and being asked why hee did so hee answered What a wofull case am I in that am now of the age of thirty yeares and Alexander at the same yeeres had subdued the whole world and rested him in Babylon And I being as I am a Romane neuer did yet thing worthy of prayse in my life nor shall leaue any renowne of mee after my death Dion the Grecian in the second booke De audacia sayeth that the noble Drusius the Almaine vsed to visite the graues and tombes of the famous and renowmed which were buryed in Italie and did this alwayes especially at his going to warfare And it was asked why hee did so Hee answered I visit the sepulchers of Scipio and of diuers others which are dead before whom all the Earth trembled when they were aliue For in beholding their prosperous successe I did recouer both strength and stoutnesse He saith furthermore that it encourageth a man to fight against his enemyes remembring hee shall leaue of him a memory in time to come Cicero saith in his Rhethorike and also Plynie maketh mention of the same in an Epistle that there came from Thebes in Egipt a knight to Rome for no other purpose but only to see whether it were true or no that was reported of the notable things of Rome Whom Moecenas demanded what he perceyued of the Romaines and what he thought of Rome He answered The memory of the absent doth more content me then the glory of the present doth satisfie me And the reason of this is The desire which men haue to extoll the liuing to be equall vnto the dead maketh things so straunge in their life that they deserue immortal fame after their death The Romaines reioyced not a little to heare such wordes of a straungers mouth wherby he praised them which were departed and exalted them which yet liued Oh what a thing it is to consider the auncient heathens which neyther feared Hell nor hoped for Heauen and yet by remembrance of weaknes they tooke vnto them strength by cowardnes they were boldened throgh feare they became hardy of dangers they tooke encouragement of enemyes they made friends of pouertie they tooke patience of malice they learned experience Finally I say they denyed their owne willes and followed the'opinions of others only to leaue behind them a memorie with the dead and to haue a little honour with the dead Oh how many are they that trust the vnconstantnesse of Fortune onely to leaue some notable memorie behinde them Let vs call to minde some worthie examples whereby they may see that to be true which I haue spokē What made king Ninus to inuent such warres Queene Semiramis to make such buildings Vlisses the Grecian to sulke so many Seas king Alexander to conquere so many Lands Hercules the Thebane to set vp his Pillars where hee did Caius Casar the Romaine to giue 52. battells at his pleasure Cyrus King of Persia to ouercome both the Asiaes Hanniball the Carthaginian to make so cruell warres against the Romaines Pyrrhus king of the Epirotes to come down into Italie Attila King of the Hunnes to defie all Europe Truely they would not haue taken vpon them such daungerous enterprises onely vpon the wordes of them which were in those dayes present but because we should so esteem them that should come after Seeing then that wee bee men and the children of men it is not a little to bee maruelled at to see the diuersitie betweene the one and the other and what cowardnes there is in the hearts of some and contrarywise what courage in the stomackes of others For we see commonly now-adayes that if there bee tenne of stoute courages which are desirous with honour to dye there are ten thousands cowards which through shamefull pleasures seeke to prolong their life The man that is ambitious thinking him most happie who with much estimation can keepe his renowm and with little care regard his life And on the other side hee that will set by his life
yea and surmount and surpasse many but yet I doe aduise thē not to employ their force but to follow one For often times it chanceth that many which suppose themselues in their life to excell all when they are dead are scarcelie found equall vnto any Though man hath done much and blazed what he can yet in the end he is but one one mind one power one birth one life and one death Then sithence hee is but one let no man presume to know more then one Of all these good Princes which I haue named in the rowle of iustice the last was Marcus Aurelius to the intent that he should weaue his webbe For suppose we reade of many Princes that haue compiled notable things the which are to bee reade and knowne but all that Marcus Aurelius sayde or did is worthy for to be knowne and necessary to bee followed I doe not meane this Prince in his Heathen law but in his vertuous deedes Let vs not stay at his beleefe but let vs embrace the good that hee did For compare many Christians with some of the Heathen and looke how farre we leaue them behind in faith so farre they excell vs in good and vertuous works All the olde Princes in times past had some Philosophers to their familiars as Alexander Aristotle King Darius Herodorus Augustus Pisto Pompeius Plauto Titus Plinie Adrian Secundus Traion Plutarchus Anthonius Apolonius Theodotius Claudinus Seuerus Fabatus Finally I say that Phylosophers then had such aucthoritie in Princes pallaces that children acknowledged them for Fathers and Fathers reuerenced them as masters These Wise and Sage men were aliue in the company of Princes but the good and vertuous Marcus Aurelius whose doctrine is before your Maiesty is not aliue but dead Yet therefore that is no cause why his Doctrine should not bee admitted For it may bee peraduenture that this shall profite vs more which hee wrote with his handes then that which others spake with their tōgus Plutarch sayeth in the time of Alexander the great Aristotle was aliue and Homer was dead But let vs see how hee loued the one and reuerenced the other for of truth he slept alwayes with Homers booke in his hands and waking he read the same with his eyes and alwayes kept the doctrine thereof in his memory and layde when he rested the booke vnder his head The which priuiledge Aristotle had not who at all times could not be heard and much lesse at all seasons be beleeued so that Alexander had Homer for his friend and Aristotle for a master Other of these Philosophers were but simple men but our Marcus Aurelius was both a wise Philosopher and a very valiant Prince and therfore reason would hee should be credited before others For as a prince hee will declare the troubles and as a Philosopher hee will redresse them Take you therefore Puisaunt Prince this wise Philosopher and Noble Emperour for a Teacher in your youth for a Father in your gouernment for a Captaine generall in your Warres for a guide in your iourneyes for a friend in your affayres for an example in your vertues for a Master in your sciences for a pure white in your desires and for equall match in your deedes I will declare vnto you the Life of an other beeing a Heathen and not the life of an other beeing a Christian For looke how much glory this Heathen Prince had in this world beeing good and vertuous so much paines your Maiesty shall haue in the other if you shall bee wicked and vicious Beholde behold most Noble and illustrious Prince the Life of this Emperour and you shal plainly see and perceyue how cleare hee was in his iudgement how vpright hee was in his iustice how circumspect in the course of his life how louing to his friends how patient in his troubles and aduersities how hee dissembled with his enemies how seuere against Tirants how quiet among the quiet how great a friēd vnto the Sage and louer of the simple how aduenturous in his warres and amiable in peace and chiefly and aboue all things how high in wordes and prosound in sentences Many and sundry times I haue beene in doubt with my selfe whether the heauenly and eternall Maiesty which giueth vnto you Princes the Temporall Maiesty for to rule aboue all other in power and authoritie did exempt you that are earthly Princes more from humane fraylety then hee did vs that be but Subiects and at the last I know hee did not For I see euen as you are children of the World so you doe liue according to the World I see euen as you trauell in the Worlde so you can know nothing but things of the world I see because you liue in the Flesh that you are subiect to the miseries of the flesh I see though for a time you doe prolong your life yet at the last you are brought vnto your graue I see your trauel is great and that within your Gates there dwelleth no rest I see you are colde in the winter and hote in the Summer I see that hunger feeleth you and thirst troubleth you I see your friendes forsake you and your enemies assault you I say that you are sadde and do lacke ioy I see that you are sicke and bee not well serued I see you haue much and yet that which you lacke is more What will you see more seeing that Princes dye O noble Princes and great Lords since you must dye and become wormes meate why doe you not in your life time search for good counsell If the Princes and noble men commit an errour no man dare chastice them wherefore they stand in greater need of aduise and counsell For the traueller who is out of his way the more he goeth forward the more hee erreth If the people doe amisse they ought to be punished but if the Prince erre he should be admonished And as the Prince will the people should at his hands haue punishment so it is reason that he at their hands should receyue counsell For as the wealth of the one dependeth on the wealth of the other so truly if the Prince bee vitious the people cannot be vertuous If your Maiesty will punish your people with words commaund them to print this present worke in their hearts And if your people would serue your Highnesse with their aduise let them likewise beseech you to reade ouer this booke For therin the Subiects shall finde how they may amend and you Lords shall see all that you ought to doe whether this present Worke be profitable or no I will not that my pen shall declare but they which do reade it shall iudge For wee Authours take pains to make and translate and others for vs to giue iudgement and sentence From my tender yeares vntill this present time I haue liued in the World occupying my selfe in reading and studying humane and diuine Bookes and although I confesse my debility to bee such that I haue not read so
resisted if it be not by wise men and graue counsells The sixt was What thing that is wherein men are praised to be negligent and that is in choosing of Friendes Hee answered In one thing onely men haue licence to be negligent Slowly ought thy Friends to bee chosen and they neuer after for any thing ought to be forsaken The seuenth was What is that which the afflicted man doth most desire Byas answered It is the chaunce of Fortune and the thing which the prosperous man doth most abhorre is to thinke that Fortune is somutable For the vnfortunate man hopeth for euery chaunge of Fortune to be made better and the wealthy man feareth through euery change to be depriued of his bouse These were the Questions which the Philosophers demaunded of Byas in the Playes of the Mount Olympus in the 60. Olympiade The Phylosopher Byas liued about 95. yeares and as he drewe neere his death the Prienenses shewing themselues to be maruellous sorrowfull for the losse of such a famous man desired him earnestly to ordayne some lawes whereby they might know how to choose Captaines or some Prince which after him might guide and gouerne the Realme The Phylosopher Byas vnderstanding their honest and iust requests he with his best counsell and aduisement gaue them certaine wholsome Lawes in fewe wordes which followe And of these Lawes the diuine Plato maketh mention in his Booke De Legibus and likewise Aristotle in the booke of Oecenomices The Lawes which BIAS gvue to the Prienenses WEe ordayne and command that no man bee chosen to bee Prince among the people vnlesse hee bee at least forty yeares of age For gouernours ought to be of such age that neyther youth nor small experience should cause them to erre in their affayres nor weakenesse thorow ouermuch age should hinder them from taking paines Wee ordayne and commaund that none bee chosen amongst the Prienenses Gouernour if hee bee not well learned in the Greeke Letters For there is no greater plague in the publike weale then for him to lacke wisedome which gouerneth the same Wee ordayne and commaund that there bee none amongst the Prienenses chosen Gouernour vnlesse hee hath beene brought vp in the warres ten yeares at the least for hee alone doth know how precious a thing peace is which by experience hath felt the extreame miseries of warre Wee ordayne and commaund that if any haue beene noted to bee cruell that hee bee not chosen for Gouernour of the people for that man which is cruell is likely to be a Tyrant Wee ordaine and commaund that if the Gouernor of the Prienenses bee so hardy or dare presume to breake the auncient lawes of the people that in such case hee be depriued from the office of the Gouernour and likewise exiled from the people For there is nothing that destroyeth sooner a publike-Weale then to ordaine new and fond lawes to breake the good auncient Customes Wee ordaine and commaund that the Gouernour of the Prienenses doe worship and honour the Gods and that hee bee a louer of the sacred Temples For otherwise hee that honoureth not God will neuer minister equall iustice vnto men Wee ordaine and command that the Prince of Prienenses bee contented with the warres which his Auncesters left him and that he doe not forget newe matters to inuade any other strange Countries and if perchance he would that no man in this case bee bound neyther with money nor in person to follow or serue him For the God Apollo told mee that that man which wil take another mans goods from him by force shall loose his owne Iustice Wee ordaine and command that the Gouernour of the Prienenses go to pray and worship the Gods twice in the weeke and likewise to visite them in the Temples and if hee doe the contrary he shall not onely bee depriued of the gouernement but also after his death he shall not bee buried For the Prince that honoreth not God in time of his life deserueth not his bones should bee honoured with sepnlture after his death CHAP XXII How God from the beginning punished men by his iustice and especially those Princes that despise his Church and how all wicked Christians are Parishioners of Hell WHen the Eternall Creatour who measureth all the things by his Omnipotency and weigheth them by his effectuall wisedome created all things aswell celestiall as terrestriall visible as inuisible corporate as incorporate not onely promised to the good which serued him but also threatned the euil with plagues which offended him For the iustice and mercy of GOD goe alwayes together to the intent the one should encourage the good and the other threaten the euill This thing seemeth to bee true for that wee haue but one GOD which hath created but one World wherein hee made but one Garden in the which Garden there was but one Fountaine and neere to that Fountaine he appointed onely one man one woman and one Serpent neere vnto which was also one tree only forbidden which is a thing maruellous to speake and no lesse fearefull to see how God did put into the terrestriall Paradise the same day that the creation of the World was finished both a sword and a gybet The gybet was the tree forbidden whereof they did eate Wherefore our Fathers were condemned And the sword was the penishment wherwith wee all as miserable children at this day are beheaded for truely they did eate the bitternesse of theyr fault and we doe feele the griefe of their paine I meane to shew how our God by his power doth rayse vp that which is beaten downe how with his wisedome he guideth those which are blind how by his will hee dissembleth with the euill doers neyther wil I tell how hee through his clemency pardoneth the offences and through his light lightneth the darkenesse nor how through his righteousnesse hee amendeth that which is broken and through his liberality payeth more then wee deserue But I will here declare at large how our omnipotent God through his iustice chastiseth those which walke not in his pathes O Lord God how sure may thy faithfull seruants be for their small seruices to receyue great rewards and contrary the euill ought alwayes to liue in as great feare lest for their hainous offences thou shouldest giue them cruell punishments for though God of his bounty will not leaue any seruice vnrewarded nor of his iustice will omit any euill vnpunished yet for all that wee ought to know that aboue all and more then all hee will rigorously chastice those which maliciously despise the Catholike faith For Christ thinketh himselfe as much iniured of those which persecute his Church as of those that layd handes on his person to put him to death We reade that in times past God shewed sundry grieuous and cruell punishments to diuers high Lords and Princes besides other famous renowned men But rigour had neuer such power in his hand as it had against those which honored
no sporte nor lightnes inuented in Rome but first it is registred in your house And finally they say that you giue your selues so vnto pleasures as though you neuer thought to receyue displeasures O Claude and Claudine by the God Iupiter I sweare vnto you that I am ashamed of your vnshamefastnes and am greatly abashed of your manners and aboue all I am exceedingly grieued for your offence For at that time that you ought to lift your hands you are returned againe into the filth of the world Manie things men commit which though they seeme graue yet by moderation of the person that cōmitteth them they are made light but speaking according to the truth I finde one reason whereby I might excuse your lightes but to the contrarie I see tenne whereby I may condemne your follies Solon the Phylosopher in his Lawes said to the Athenians that if the young offended hee should be gently admonished and grieuously punished because he was strong and if the olde erre hee should bee lightly punished and sharply admonished sith hee was weake and feeble To this Lycurgus in his lawes to the Lacedemonians sayd contrarie That if the young did offend hee should be lightly punished and grieuously admonished since through ignorance he did erre and the olde man which did euill should bee lightly admonished and sharply punished since thorough malice hee did offend These two phylosophers beeing as they haue bin of such authority in the worlde that is past and considering that their lawes and sentences were of such weight it should bee much rashnes in not admitting the one of them Now not receiuing the one nor rereprouing the other Mee thinketh that there is no great excuse to the young for their ignorance and great condemnation to the aged for their experience Once againe I returne to say that you pardon me my friends and you ought not greatly to weigh it thogh I am somewhat sharpe in condemnation since you others are so dissolute in your liues for of your blacke life my penne doth take inke I remember wel that I haue heard of thee Claude that thou hast beene lusty and couragious in thy youth so that thy strength of all was enuyed and the beauty of Claudine of all men was desired I will not write vnto you in this letter my friends and neighbours nether reduce to memory how thou Claude hast employed thy forces in the seruice of the comonwealth and thou Claudine hast won much honor of thy beauty for sundry times it chāced that men of many goodly giftes are noted of grieuous offences Those which striued with thee are all dead those whom thou desirest are deade those which serued thee Claudine are dead those which before thee Claudine sighed are dead those which for thee dyed are now dead and since all those are deade with theyr lightnesse doe not you others thinke to die and your follies also I doe demand now of thy youth one thing and of thy beauty another thing what do you receiue of these pastims of these good entertainements of these aboundances of these great contentations of the pleasures of the world of the vanitie that is past and what hope you of all these to carry into the narrow graue O simple simple and ignoraunt persons how our life consumeth and wee perceiue not how wee liue therein For it is no felicitie to enioy a short or long life but to know to employ the same eyther well or euill O children of the earth and Disciples of vanitie now you know that Time flyeth without mouing his wings the life goeth without lifting vp his feete the World dispatcheth vs not telling vs the cause men doe beguile vs not mouing their lippes our flesh consumeth to vs vnawares the heart dyeth hauing no remedie and finally our glorie decaieth as it it had neuer beene and death oppresseth vs without knocking at the dore Though a man be neuer so simple or so very a foole yet hee cannot deny but it is impossible for to make a fire in the bottome of the sea to make a way in the ayre of the thinne bloud to make rough sinewes and of the soft veines to make hard bones I meane that it is vnpossible that the greene flower of youth be not one day withered by age CHAP. XX. The Emperour followeth his Letter and perswadeth Claudius and Claudinus being now olde to giue no more credite to the World nor to any of his deceitfull flatteryes THat which I haue spoken now tendeth more to aduertise the young then to teach the olde For you others haue now passed the prime time of childhood the summer of youth and the haruest of adolescency and are in the winter of age where it seemeth an vncomely thing that those your hoary haires should bee accompanied with such vaine follies Sithens young men know not that they haue to end their youth it is no maruell that they follow the world but the olde men which see themselues fall into this guile why will they runne after vices againe O world for that thou art the world so smal is our force so great our debilitie that thou willing it and we not resisting it thou dost swallow vs vp in the most perillous gulfe and in the thornes most sharpe thou dost pricke vs by the priuiest wayes thou leadest vs by the most stony waies thou carriest vs. I meane that thou bringest vs to the highest fauours to the end that afterwards with a push of thy pike thou mightest ouerthrow vs. O world wherein all is worldly two and fifty yeeares haue passed since in thee I was first borne during which time thou neuer toldest mee one truth but I haue taken thee with ten thousand lyes I neuer demanded the thing but thou diddest promise it me and yet it is nothing at all that euer thou diddest perform I neuer put my trust in thee but euer thou beguiledst me I neuer came to thee but thou diddest vndoo me finally neuer saw I ought in thee wherby thou deseruest loue but alwayes hatred This presupposed I know not what is in thee O world or what we worldlings want for if thou hatest vs we cannot hate thee if thou doest vs iniury we can dissemble it if thou spurne vs with thy feet wee wil suffer it if thou beatest vs with a staffe wee wil hold our peace also though thou persecutest vs we will not complain though thou take ours wee will not demand it of thee though thou dost beguile vs we will not call ourselues beguiled and the worst of all is that thou doest chase vs from thy house yet we will not depart from thence I know not what this meaneth I know not from whence this commeth I know not who ought to prayse this same that wee couet to follow the world which wil none of vs and hate the gods which loue vs oft times I make account of my yeares past somtimes also I turne and tosse my booke to see what
follow the straunge follie of another then to furnish and supplie their owne proper necessitie Therefore returning againe to my purpose most excellent Prince by this example you may coniecture what I would say that is that if this writing were accepted vnto Princes I am assured it would be refused of no man And if any man would slanderously talke of it hee durst not remeÌ„bring that your Maiesty hath receyued it For those things which Princes take to their custody wee are bound to defend and it is not lawfull for vs to diminish their credite Suppose that this my worke were not so profound as it might be of this matter nor with such eloquence set out as many other bookes are yet I dare bee bolde to say that the Prince shall take more profit by reading of this worke then Nero did by his loue Pompeia For in the end by reading and studying good bookes men turn and become sage and wise and by keeping ill company they are counted fooles and vitious My meaning is not nor I am not so importunate and vnreasonable to perswade Princes that they should so fauour my doctrine that it should be in like estimation now in these parts â—a the amber was there in Rome But that onely which I require and demaund is that the time which Nero spent in singing and telling the hayres of his loue Pompeia should now bee employed to redresse the wrongs faults of the common wealth For the noble and worthy Prince ought to employ the least part of the day in the recreation of his person After hee hath giuen audience to his Counsellours to the Ambassadours to the great Lords and Prelates to the rich and poore to his own countrey men strangers and after that he be com into his Priuy Chamber then my desire is that hee would reade this Treatise or som other better then this for in Princes chambers oftentimes those of the Priuie Chamber and other their familiars lose great time in reciting vaine and trifling matters and of small profit the which might better bee spent in reading some good good booke In all worldly affayres that wee do and in all our bookes which we compile it is a great matter to bee fortunate For to a man that fortune doth not fauour diligence without doubt can little auaile Admit that fortune were against mee in that this my worke should bee acceptable vnto your Maiesty without comparison it should be a great griefe and dishonour vnto mee to tel you what should be good to reade for your pastime if on the other part you would not profite by my counsell and aduise For my mind was not onely to make this booke to the end Princes should reade it for a pastime but to that end in recreating themselues sometimes they might thereby also take profit Aulus Gelius in the 12. Chapter of his third booke entituled De nocte attica sayde that amongst all the Schollers which the diuine Plato had one was named Demostenes a man among the Greekes most highly esteemed of the Romanes greatly desired Because hee was in his liuing seuere and in his tongue and doctrine a very Satyre If Demosthenes had come in the time of Phalaris the tyrant when Grecia was peopled with tirants and that hee had not beene in Platoes time when it was replenished with Philosophers truely Demosthenes had been as cleare a lanterne in Asia as Cicero the great was in Europe Great good hap hath a notable man to bee born in one age more then in another I meane that if a valiant Knight come in the time of a couragious and stout Prince such a one truly shall bee esteemed and set in great authority But if hee come in the time of an other effeminate and couetous Prince bee shall not bee regarded at all For hee will rather esteeme one that wel augment his treasure at home then him that can vanquish his enemies abroad So likewise it chanceth to wise and vertuous men which if they come in the time of vertuous and learned princes are esteemed and honoured but if they come in time of vaine and vicious Princes they make small account of them For it is an auncient custom among vanities children not to honour him which to the Common wealth is most profitable but him which to the Prince is most acceptable The end why this is spoken Most puissant Prince is because the two renowmed Philosophers were in Greece both at one time and because the diuine Philosopher Plato was so much esteemed and made of they did not greatly esteeme the Philosopher Demosthenes For the eminent high renowne of one alone diminisheth the fame and estimation among the people of many Although Demosthenes was such a one indeed as wee haue sayde that is to witte eloquent of tongue ready of memory sharpe and quicke of witte in liuing seuere sure and profitable in giuing of counsell in renowne excellent in yeares very auncient and in Philosophy a man right well learned yet hee refused not to goe to the Schooles of Plato to heare morall Philosophie He that shall reade this thing or heare it ought not to maruel but to follow it and to profit likewise in the same that is to vnderstand that one Philosopher learned of another and one wise man suffred himself to be taught of another For knowledge is of such a quality that the more a man knoweth dayly there encreaseth in him a desire to know more All things of this life after they haue beene tasted and possessed cloyeth a man wearieth and troubleth him true science onely excepted which neuer doth cloy weary nor trouble them And if it happen wee weary any it is but the eyes which are wearied with looking and reading and not the spirite with seeling and tasting Many Lords and my familiar friends doe aske mee how it is possible I should liue with so much study And I also demaund of them how it is possible they should liue in such continuall idlenes For considering the prouocation and assaults of the flesh the daungers of the world the temptations of the deuil the treasons of enemies importunity of friends what hart can suffer so great and continuall trauell but onely in reading and comforting himselfe in bookes Truely a man ought to haue more compassion of a simple ignorant man then of a poore man For thereis no greater pouerty vnto a man then for to lacke wisedom whereby he should know how to gouerne himselfe Therefore following our matter the case was such one day Demosthenes going to the schoole of Plato saw in the market place of Athens a great assembly of people which were hearing a Philosopher newly come vnto that place and hee spake not this without a cause that there was a great company of people assembled For that naturally the common people are desirous to heare new and strange things Demosthenes asked what Philosopher hee was after whom so many people went and when it was
to peruert the senses and iudgements of all and all not able to represse the lightnesse and vanity of one Things that are new and not accustomed neyther Princes ought to allow nor yet the people to vse For a newe thing ought no lesse to bee examined and considered before it be brought into the cōmon wealth then the great doubts which arise in mens mindes Ruffinus in the Prologue of his secōd Booke of his Apologie reprooueth greatly the Egyptians because they were too full of deuises and blamed much the Grecians because they were too curious in speaking fine wordes and aboue all other hee greatly prayseth the Romanes for that they were very hard of beleefe and that they scarcely alwayes credited the sayings of the Greekes and because they were discreete in admitting the inuentions of the Egyptians The Author hath reason to prayse the one and disprayse the other For it proceedeth of a light iudgement to credit all the thinges that a man heareth and to doe all that he seeth Returning therefore now to our matter Marcus Varro sayde that there were fiue things in the Worlde very hard to bring in whereof none after they were commonly accepted were euer lost or forgotten for euen as things vainely begunne are easily left of so thinges with great feare accepted are with much care and diligence to bee kept and obserued The first thing that chiefly throghout all the World was accepted was all men for to liue together that is for to say that they should make places Towns Villages Citties and Common wealthes For according to the saying of Plato the first best inuentors of the common-wealth were the Antes which according to to the experience wee see do liue together trauell together do go together also for the winter they make prouision together and furthermore none of these Antes doe giue themselues to any priuate thing but all theirs is brought into their common wealth It is a maruellous thing to behold the common wealth of the ants how nearely they trim their hils to behold how they sweepe away the graine when it is wette and how they drye it when they feele any moysture to behold how they come from their work and how the one doth not hurt the other and to behold also how they do reioyce the one in the others trauell and that which is to our greatest confusion is that if it comes so to passe 50000. Ants wil liue in a litle hillocke together and two men onely cannot liue in peace and concord in a common wealth Would to God the wisedome of men were so great to keep themselus as the prudence of the ants is to liue When the world came to a certaine age and mens wits waxed more fine then tirants sprang vp which oppressed the poore theeues that robbed the rich rebels that robbed the quiet murderers that slew the patient the idle that eate the swet of other mens browes all the which things considered by them which were vertuous they agreed to assemble and liue together that thereby they might preserue the good and withstand the wicked Macrobius affirmeth this in the second booke of Scipions dreame saying That couetousnes ond auarice was the greatest cause why men inuented the commonwealth Plinie in the seuenth booke 56. Chapter sayth the first that made small assemblies were the Athenians and the first that built great Cities were the Egyptians The second thing that was accepted throughout al the world were the letters which wee read whereby wee take profite in writing According whereunto Marcus Varro sayth the Egyptians prayse themselues and say that they did inuent them and the Assyrians affirme the contrary and sweare that they were shewed first of all amongst them Plinie in the 7. booke sayth that in the first age there was in the alphabet no more then 16. letters that great Palamedes at the siege of Troy ladded other 4. and Aristotle saith that immediatly after the beginning there were found 18. letters And that afterwards Palamedes did add but 2. and so there were 20. and that the Philosopher Epicarmus did adde other 2. which were 22. it is no great matter whether the Egyptians or the Assyrians first foūd the letters But I say and affirme that it was a thing necessary for a common wealth and also for the encrease of mans knowledge For if wee had wanted letters and writings wee could haue had no knowledge of the time past nor yet our posterity could haue bin aduertised what was done in our daies Plutarch in the second booke entituled De viris illustribus and Pliny in the seuenth booke and 56. Chapter doe greatly praise Pirotas because hee first found the fire in a flint stone They greatly commended Protheus because he inuented barneyes and they highly extolled Panthasuea because she inuented the hatchet They praysed Citheus because hee inuented the bowe and the arrowes they greatly praysed Phenisius because hee inuented the Crossebow and the sling They highly praised the Lacedemonians because they inuented the Helmet the Speare and the Sworde and moreouer they commende those of Thessalie because they inuented the combat on hors-back and they commend those of Affrike because they inuented the fight by Sea But I doe praise and continually will magnifie not those which found the Art of fighting and inuented weapons to procure warres for to kill his neighbour but those which found Letters for to learne Science and to make peace betweene two Princes What difference there is to wet the Penne with inke and to paint the Speare with bloud to be enuironed with bookes or to be laden with weapons To studie how euery man ought to liue or else to goe priuily and robbe in the Warres and to kill his Neighbour There is none of so vaine a iudgement but will praise more the Speculation of the Sciences then the practise of the warres Because that in the ende he that learneth sciences learneth nought else but how he and others ought to liue And he that learneth warlike feats learneth none other thing then how to slay his Neighbour and to destroy others The third thing that equally of all was accepted were lawes For admit that all men now liued together in common if they would not be subiect one to another there would contention arise amongst them for that according to the saying of Plato That there is no greater token of the destruction of a Common-weale then when many rulers are chosen therein Plinie in his seuenth booke 56. chap sayth that a Queene called Ceres was the first that taught them to sowe in the fields to grinde in Milles to paste and bake in Ouens and also shee was the first that taught the people to liue according to the Law And by the meanes of these things our Fore-fathers called her a Goddesse Since the time we neuer haue seene heard nor read of any realme or other nation as well strange as barbarous whatsoeuer they were but haue had Lawes
whereby the good were fauoured and also institutions of grieuous paines wherewith the wicked were punished Although truely I had rather and it were better that the good should loue reason then feare the law I speake of those which leaue to doe euill workes for feare onely of falling into the punishments appoynted for euill doers For although men approue that which they do for the present yet God condemaeth that which they desire Seneca in an epistle hee wrote vnto his friende Lucille saide these wordes Thou writest vnto mee Lucille that those of Scicile haue carryed a great quantitie of Corne into Spaine and into Affrike the which was forbidden by a Romaine law and therefore they haue deserued most grieuous punishment Now because thou art vertuous Thou mayest teache mee to doe well and I that am olde will teach thee to say well and this is because that amongst wise and vertuous men it is enough to say that the Law commaundeth appoynteth and suffereth this thing but in as much as it is agreeing with reason For the crowne of the good is reason and the scourge of the wicked is the law The fourth thing that commonly through the worlde amongst all men was accepted was the Barbers And let no man take this thing in mockery For if they doe reade Plinie in the 59. chapter and the seuenth booke there they shall finde for a Trueth that in those former times the Romaines were in Rome 454. yeares without eyther powling or shauing the hâ—ires off the bearde of anie man Marcus Varro said that Publius 〈◊〉 was the first that brought the barbers from Scicilie to Rome But admit it were so or otherwise yet notwithstanding there was a great contention among the Romaines For they sayd they thought it a rash thing for a man to commit his life vnto the curtesie of another Dyonisius the Syracusian neuer trusted his Beard with any barbor but when his Daughters were very little they clipped his beard with sisers but after they became great hee would not put his trust in them to trimme his beard but hee himselfe did burne it with the shales of nuttes This Dyonisius Syracusan was demaunded why hee would not trust any Barbours with his beard He aunswered Because I know that there bee some which will giue more to the Barbor to take away my life then I will giue to trimme my beard Plinie in the seuenth booke sayeth that the great Scipio called Affrican and the Emperour Augustus were the first that caused them in Rome to shaue their beards And I thinke the end why Plinie spake these things was to exalt these two Princes which had as great courage to suffer the rasours to touch their throats as the one for to fight against Hanniball in Affricke and the other against Sextus Pompeius in Scicilie The fifte thing which commonly throgh the world was accepted were the Dyalls and clockes which the Romains wanted a long time For as Plinie and Marcus Varro say the Romaines were without clockes in Rome for the space of 595. yeares The curious Hystoriographers declare three manner of dyalls that were in old time that is to say Dyalls of the houres Dyalls of the Sunne and Dyalls of the Water The dyall of the Sunne Aneximenides Millesius inuented who was great Animandraes scholler The dyall of the water Scipio Nasica inuented the dyall of houres one of the Schollers of Thales the phylosopher inuented Now of all these Antiquities which were brought into Rome none of them were so acceptable to the Romaines as the Dyalls were whereby they measured the day by the houre For before they could not say we will rise at seuen of the clocke wee will dine at ten we will see one the other at twelue at one wee will doe that wee ought to doe But before they sayde after the Sunne is vp wee wil doe such a thing and before it goe downe wee will do that wee ought to doe The occasion of declaring vnto you these fiue antiquities in this preamble was to no other entent but to call my Booke the Diall of Princes The name of the Booke beeing new as it is may make the learning that is therin greatly to be esteemed God forbid that I should bee so bolde to say they haue been so long time in Spaine without dayes of learning as they were in Rome without the Diall of the Sunne the water and of the houres For that in Spaine haue beene alwaies men well learned in Sciences and very expert in the warres By great reason and of greater occasion the Princes ought to bee commended the knights the people their wits and the fertility of their Countrey but yet to all these goodnesse I haue seen many vnlearned bookes in Spaine which as broken Dials deserue to bee cast into the fire to bee forged anew I doe not speake it without a cause that many bookes deserue to bee broken and burnt For there are so many that without shame and honesty doe set forth bookes of loue of the world at this day as boldlie as if they taught them to despise and speake euill of the world It is pitty to see how many dayes and nights be consumed in reading vaine bookes that is to say Orson and Valentine the Court of Venus and the foure sonnes of Amon and diuers other vaine bookes by whose doctrine I dare boldly say they passe not the time but in perdition for they learne not how they ought to flye vice but rather what way they may with more pleasure embrace it This Diall of Princes is not of sand nor of the Sunne nor of the houres nor of the water but it is the Diall of Life For the other Dials serue to know what houre it is in the night and what houre it is of the day but this sheweth and teacheth vs how wee ought to occupie our minds and how to order our life The property of other Dials is to order things publike but the Nature of this dyal of Princes is to teach vs how to occupie our selues euerie houre and how to amend our life euery moment It little auaileth to keepe the dyalls well and to see thy Subiects dissolutely without any order to range in routes and dayly rayse debate and contention among themselues The End of the generall Prologue THE AVTHOVRS PROLOGVE SPEAKETH PARTICVLARLIE of the Booke called MARCVS AVRELIVS which he translated and dedicated to the Emperour CHARLES the fift THe greatest vanity that I finde in the world is that vaine men are not onely content to be vaine in their life but also procure to leaue a memory of their vanity after their death For it is so thought good vnto vaine and light men which serue the world in vain works that at the houre of death when they perceyue they can do no more and that they can no longer preuaile they offer themselues vnto death which now they see approch vpon them Many of the World are so fleshed in the World that
much as I might nor studyed so much as I ought yet notwithstanding all that I haue read hath not caused me to muse so much as the doctrine of Marcus Aurelius hath sith that in the mouth of an heathen God hath put such a great treasure The greatest part of all his works were in Greeke yet hee wrote also many in Latine I haue drawn this out of Greeke through the helpe of my friends and afterwards out of latine into our vulgar toung by the trauell of my hands Let all men iudge what I haue suffered in drawing it out of Greeke into Latine out of the Latine into the vulgar and out of a plaine vulgar into a sweete and pleasant Stile For that banquet is not counted sumptuous vnlesse there be both pleasant meates and sauoury sauces To call sentences to minde to place the wordes to examine languages to correct sillables What swet I haue suffered in the hote summer what bitter colde in the sharpe winter what abstinence from meats when I desired for to eate what watching in the night when I would haue slept What cares I haue suffered in stead of rest that I might haue enioyed Let other proue if mee they will not credit The intention of my painefull trauels I offer vnto the diuine Maiesty vpon my knees and to your Highnesse most Noble Prince I present this my worke and do most humbly beseech the omnipotent and eternall GOD that the Doctrine of this Booke may bee as profitable vnto you and to the common wealth in your Life as it hath beene vnto me tedious and hinderance to my health I haue thought it very good to offer to your Maiestie the effect of my labours though you peraduenture will little regarde my paines for the requiring of my travell and rewarde of my good will I require nought else of your Highnesse but that the rudenesse of my vnderstanding the basenesse of my Stile the smalnesse of my eloquence the euill order of my sentences the vanity of my words bee no occasion why so excellent and goodly worke should bee little regarded For it is not reason that a good Horse should bee the lesse esteemed for that the Rider knoweth not how to make him runne his carrere I haue done what I could doe do you now that you ought to doe in giuing to this present worke grauity and to mee the Interpretor thereof authority I say no more but humbly doe beseech God to maintaine your estimation and power in earth and that you may afterward enioy the fruition of his Diuine presence in Heauen The End of the Authors Prologue THE ARGVMENT OF THE BOOKE CALled THE DIALL OF PRINCES Wherein the Authour declareth his Intention and manner of proceeding ARchimenedes the great and famous Philosopher to whom Marcus Marcellus for his knowledge sake granted life and after vsing Nigromancy deserued death being demanded what time was sayde That Time was the inuentor of all nouelies and a Register certaine of Antiquities which seeth of it selfe the beginning the middest the ending of all things And finally time is he that endeth all No man can deny but the definition of this Philosopher is true for if Time could speake he would certifie vs of sundry things wherin we doubt and declare them as a witnes of sight Admit all things perish and haue an end yet one thing is exempted and neuer hath end which is truth that amongst all things is priuiledged in such wise that shee triumpheth of time and not time of her For according to the diuine saying It shal bee more easie to see heauen and earth fall then once truth to perish There is nothing so entier but may bee diminished nothing so healthfull but may bee diseased nothing so strong but may bee broken neyther any thing so wel kept but may be corrupted And finally I say There is nothing but by time is ruled gouerned saue onely truth which is subiect to none The fruits of the Spring time haue no force to giue sustenance nor perfect sweetnesse to giue any fauour but after that the Summer is past and haruest commeth they ripe and then all that wee e ate nourisheth more giueth a better taste I meane by this when the world began to haue wise men the more Philosophers were esteemed for their good manners the more they deserued to bee reproued for their euill vnderstanding Plato in his second booke of the Common-wealth sayde That the auncient Philosophers as well Greekes as Egyptians and Caldees which first began to behold the starres of heauen and ascended to the toppe of the mount Olimpus to view the influences and motions of the Planets of the earth deserued rather pardon of their ignorance then prayse for theyr knowledge Plato sayde further that the Philosophers which were before vs were the first that gaue themselus to search out the truth of the Elements in the Heauen and the first which sowed errors in thinges naturall of the earth Homer in his Ilyades agreeing with Plato saieth I condemne all that the auncient phylosophers knewe but I greatly commend them for that they desired to know Certes Homer saide well and Plato saide not amisse for if amongst the first Phylosophers this ignorance had not raigned there had not beene such contrary Sects in euery Schoole He that hath read not the books which are lost but the opinions which the auncient Phylosophers had will graunt mee though the knowledge were one yet their sects were diuerse that is to say Cinici Stoyci Academici Platonici and Epicurei which were as variable the one from the other in their opinions as they were repugnant in their conditions I will not neither reason requireth that my Pen should bee so dismeasured as to reprooue those which are dead for to giue the glory all onely to them that are aliue For the one of them knew not all neyther were the other ignorant of all If hee deserue thanks that sheweth mee the way whereby I ought to goe no lesse then meriteth hee which warneth mee of that place wherein wee may erre The ignorance of our fore-Fathers was but a guide to keepe vs from erring for the errour of them shewed vs the Trueth to their much praise and to our great shame Therefore I dare boldly say If wee that are now had been then wee had knowne lesse then they knewe And if those were now which were then they would haue knowne more then we know And that this is true it appeareth well for that the auncient Phylosophers through the great desire they had to knowe the Truth of small and large wayes the which wee now will not see nor yet walke therein Wherefore wee haue not so much cause to be wayle their ignoraunce as they had reason to complaine of our negligence For truth which is as Aulus Gellius saith the daughter of Time hath reuealed vnto vs the errours which wee ought to eschewe and the true doctrines which wee ought to follow
vs By these things we haue spoken of before the Readers may perceyue what is due vnto the Hystoriographers who in my opinion haue left as great memorie of them for that they wrote with their pennes as the Princes haue done for that they did with their swords I confesse I deserue nor to be named amongst the Sages neyther for that I haue written and Translated nor yet for that I haue composed Therefore the Sacred and diuine letters set aside there is nothing in the world so curiously written but needeth correction and as I say of the one so will I say of the other and that is as I with my will doe renounce the glory which the good for my learning would giue mee so in like manner euill men shall not want that against my will seeke to defame it Wee other writers smally esteeme that labour and paines wee haue to write although indeede wee are not ignorant of a thousaund enuious tongues that will backbite it Many now adayes are so euil taught or to say better so enuious that when the Author laboreth in his study they play in the streetes when he awaketh they sleepe when he fasteth they eate when hee sitteth turning the leaues of the booke they goe hunting after vices abroade yet for all that they will presume to iudge depraue and condemne an other mans doctrine as if they had the authoritie that Plato had in Greece or the eloquence that Cicero had in Rome When I finde a man in the Latine tongue well seene his vulgar tongue well pâ—lished in hystories well grounded in Greeke-letters very expert and desirous to spend his time with good bookes this so Heroicall and noble a personage I would desire him to put my doctrine vnder his feete For it is no shame for a vertuous and wise man to be corrected of an other wise man Yet I would gladly know what patieÌ„ce can suffer or heart can dissemble when two or three bee assembled together at meate and after at the table or otherwise one of them taketh a booke at aduenture in his handes against that which another will say it is too long and another will say it speaketh not to the purpose another it is very obscure another the words are not well couched another will say all that is spoken is fayned One will say hee speaketh nothing of profite another hee is too curious and the other hee is too malicious So that in speaking thus the doctrine remaineth suspitious and the Authour scapeth not scot-free Suppose them to be therefore such that speake it as I haue spoken of that at the Table do finde such faults sure they deserue pardon for they speake not according to the Bookes which they haue read but according to the cups of wine which they haue drunke For that Hee that taketh not in iest which is spoken at the Table knoweth not what iesting meaneth It is an olde custom to murmure at vertuous deedes and into this rule entreth not onely those that make them but also those which writethem afterwards Which thing seemeth to be true for that Socrates was reproued of Plato Plato of Aristotle Aristotle of Auerois Sicilius of Vulpitius Lelius of Varro Marinus of Ptolomeus Ennius of Horace Seneca of Aulus Gelius Crastonestes of Strabo Thessale of Gellian Hermagoras of Cicero Cicero of Salust Origines of Saint Hierome Hierome of Rufinus Rufinus of Donatus Donatus of Prosper and Prosper of Lupus Then sith that in these men and in their workes hath beene such need of correction which were men of great knowledge and Lanternes of the World It is no maruell at all that I haue such fortune since I know so little as I doe Hee may worthily bee counted vaine and light which at the first sight as for onely once reading will rashly iudge that which a wise man with much diligence study hath written The Authors and Writers are oft times reproued not of them which can translate and compile workes but of those which cannot reade and yet lesse vnderstand them to the entent simple folkes should count them wise and take their parts in condemning this worke and esteeme him for a great wise man I take God to witnesse who can iudge whether my intention were good or ill to compile this worke and also I lay this my doctrine at the feet of wise and vertuous men to the end they may be protectors and defendours of the same For I trust in God though som would come to blame as diuers do the simple words which I spake yet others would not fayle to relate the good intention that I meant And to declare further I say that diuers have written of the time of the sayde Marcus Aurelius as Herodian wrote little Eutropius lesse Lampridius not so much and Iulius Capitolinus somewhat more Likewise yee ought to know that the Masters which taught Marcus Aurelius sciences were Iunius Rusticus Cinna Catullus Sextus Cheronensis which was nephew to the great Plutarke These three were those that principally as witnesses of sight wrote the most part of his life and doctrine Many may maruel to heare tell of the doctrine of Marcus Aurelius saying it hath beene kept hidde and secret a great while and that of mine owne head I haue inuented it And that there neuer was any Marcus Aurelius in the world I know not what to say now vnto them for it is euident to all those which haue read any thing that Marcus Aurelius was husband to Faustine father to Comodus brother to Anntus Verus and sonne in Law to Antoninus Pius the seuenth of Rome Emperour Those which say I only haue made this doctrine truly I thanke them for so saying but not for their so meaning For truly the Romanes would haue set my Image in Rome for perpetuall renowne if so graue sentences should haue proceeded froÌ„ my head Wee see that in our time which was neuer seene before and heare that we neuer heard before VVe practise not in a new world and yet wee maruell that there is at this present a newe booke Not for that I was curious to discouer Marcus Aurelius or studious to translate him For truely it is worthy he bee noted of wise persons and not accused of enuious tongues For it chaunceth oftentimes in Hunting that the most simplest man killeth the Deare The last thing which the Romaines conquered in Spayne was Cantabria which was a citie in Nauarre ouer against La-grogne and scituated in a high Countrey where there is now a vaine of Vines And the Emperour Augustus which destroyed it made tenne bookes De Bello Cantabrico wherein are many thinges worthie of noting and no lesse pleasaunt in reading which happened vnto him in the same conquest As Marcus Aurelius was brought mee from Florence so was this other booke Of the warres of Cantabria brought mee from Colleyne If perhaps I tooke paines to Translate this booke as few haue done which haue seene it they would
is no other then gold amongst the rust a rose amongst the thorns come amongst the chaffe mary amongst the bones Margarites amongest the peble-stones a holy soule amongst the rotten flesh a Phoenix in the Cage a shippe rocking in the raging Seas which the more shee is beaten the faster shee sayleth And there is no Realme so little nor no man of so little fauour but when other doe persecute him hee is by his friends parents and defendors fauoured and succoured so that many times those which thinke to destroy are destroyed and those which seeme to take their part were their chiefest enemies Doth not that proceede of the great secret of God For though God suffered the wicked to be wicked a while God will not therefore suffer that one euill man procure another to doe euill The Palestines and those of Hierusalem had not for their principall enemies but the Chaldeans and the Chaldeans had for their enemies the Idumeans the Idumeans the Assyrians the Assyrians the Persians the Persians the Ariginians the Ariginians the Athenians the Athenians had for their principall enemies the Lacedemonians and the Lacedemonians the Sydonians the Sidonians the Rhodians and the Rhodians the Scythians the Scythians the Hunnes the Hunnes had the Alaines the Alaines the Sweuians the Sweuians the Vandales the Vandales the Valerians the Valerians the Sardinians the Sardinians the Africanes the Africanes the Romanes the Romans the Dacians the Dacians the Gothes the Gothes the Frenchmen the Frenchmen the Spaniards and the Spaniards the Mores And of all these Realmes the one hath persecuted the other And not all one but our holy mother the Church hath alwayes been oppressed and persecuted with those realms and hath beene succoured of none but of Iesu Christ onely and he hath euer succoured and defended it well For the things that God taketh charge of although all the world were against thē in the end it is impossible for them to perish CHAP. X. How there is but one true God and how happy these Realmes are which haue a good Christian to their King and how the Gentiles affirme that good Princes after their death were changed into Gods and the wicked into Diuels which the Authour proueth by sundry examples ALthough the common opinion of the simple people was that there was many gods yet notwithstanding al the Philosophers affirmed that there was but one God who of some was named Iupiter the which was chiefe aboue all other Gods Others called him the first intelligence for that hee had created all the World Others called him the first cause because hee was the beginner of all things It seemeth that Aristotle vnderstood this thing and was of this opinion forasmuch as he sayth in his 12. booke of his Metaphysickes All superiour and inferiour things would bee well ordered and many things much better by the arbitrement of one then by the aduise of many Marcus Varro in his booke De Theologia mistica and Cicero in his booke De natura Deorum although these were Gentiles and curious enough of the Temples yet they doe mocke the Gentiles which beleeued there were many Gods and that Mars and Mercury and likewise Iupiter and the whole flocke of Gods which the Gentiles set vp were all mortall men as we are But because they knew not that there were good bad Angells nor knew not that there was any Paradise to reward the good nor Hell to torment the euill They held this opinion that good men after their death were Gods and euill men deuils And not contented with these foolish abuses the Deuill brought them into such an errour that they thought it consisted in the Senates power to make some Gods and other Deuils For when there dyed at Rome any Emperour if he had been well affected of the Senate immediately hee was honoured for a God and if hee dyed in displeasure of the Senate hee was condemned for a Deuill And to the end we doe not speake by fauour but by writing Herodian saith that Faustine was the daughter of Antoninus Pius and wife of Marcus Aurelius which were Emperours the one after the other And truely there were few eyther of their Predecessors or of their Successors which were so good as they were and in mine opinion none more better And therefore was shee made a Goddesse and her father a God An Emperour that coueteth perpetuall memory must note 5. things which he should haue in his life That is to say pure in life vpright in iustice aduenturous in feates of Armes excellent in knowledge and welbeloued in his Prouinces which vertues were in these two excellent Emperours This Empresse Faustine was passing fayre and Writers prayse her beauty in such sort that they sayd it was impossible for her to bee so beautiful but that the Gods had placed some diuine matter in her Yet notwithstanding this added thereunto it is doubtfull whether the beauty of her face was more praysed or the dishonesty of her life discommended For her beauty maruelously amased those that saw her and her dishonesty offended them much that knew her Yet after the Emperour Marcus Aurelius had triumphed ouer the Parthians as he went visiting the Prouinces of Asia that goodly Faustine in foure dayes dyed at the mount Taurus by occasion of a burning Feuer and so annealed was caryed to Rome And since shee was the daughter of so good a Father and wife of so dearly beloued an Emperour amongst the Goddesses shee was canonized but considering her vnconstant or rather incontinent life it was neuer thought that the Romaines would haue done her so much honour Wherefore the Emperour reioyced so much that he neuer ceased to render thankes vnto the Senate For truely a benefit ought to be acceptable to him that receyueth it especially when it commeth vnlooked for The contrarie came to the death of Tiberius third Emperour of Rome which was not onely killed drawne through the streetes by the Romaines but also the Priests of all the temples assembled together and openly prayed vnto the gods that they would not receyue him to them and prayed to the Infernall Furies that greeuouslie they would torment him saying It is iustly required that the Tyrant which disprayseth the life of the good in this Life should haue no place amongst the good after his death Leauing the common Opinion of the rude people which in the old time had no knowledge of the true GOD and declaring the opinion of Aristotle who called God the first cause the opinion of the Stoyckes which called him the first Intelligence and the opinion of Cicero who vnder the colour of Iupiter putteth none other God but him I say and confesse according to the religion of Christian Faith there is but one onely GOD which is the Creatour of Heauen and Earth whose excellency and puissant Maiestie is little to that our tongue cā speake For our vnderstanding can not vnderstand nor our iudgement can determine
done but well ordained For in the end sith man is man in few things hee can be eyther certaine or assured and sith God is God it is vnpossible that in any thing hee should erre It is a great benefite of the Creator to bee willing to reforme and correct the words of the Creatures For if God would suffer vs to doe after our owne mindes wee should bee quite contrary to his pleasure God without a great mistery did not ordayne that in one family there should bee but one Father among one people there should be but one Cittizen that should commaund in one Prouince there should be but one Gouernour alone and also that one King alone should gouerne a prowde Realme and also that by one onely Captaine a puissant Armie should be ledde And furthermore and aboue all he willeth that there bee but one Monarchiall King and Lord of the Worlde Truely all these things are such that wee with our eyes doe see them and know them not wee heare them with our eares and vnderstand them not we speake them with our tongues and knowe not what wee say For truely mans vnderstanding is so dull that without doubt he is ignorant of more then he knoweth Appolonius Thyaneus compassing the most part of Asia Affrike and Europe That is to say from the bridge of Nilus where Alexander was vnto Gades where the pillers of Hercules were hee beeing one day in Ephese in the Temple of Diana the Priestes asked him what thing hee wondered at most in all the world For it is a general rule that men which haue seene much alwayes doe note one thing aboue another Although the Phylosopher Appolonius greatlyer esteemed the workes then the speaking of them that demanded the question yet foorthwith hee made them this answere I let you know Priests of Diana that I haue bin throughout France England Spayne Germanie through the Laces and Lydians Hebrues Greeks Parthes Medes Phrygians and Corinthiās and so with the Persians aboue in all the great Realme of India For that alone is more woorth then all these Realms together I will you vnderstand that all these Realmes in many and sundry things doe differ as in languages persons beasts mettals waters flesh customs Lawes Lands buildings in Apparell and Forts and aboue all diuers in their Gods and Temples For the Language of the one differeth not so much from the language of the other as the Gods of Europe differ from the Gods of Asia and the Temples and Gods of Asia and Europe differ from them of Affricke Amongst all things which I haue seene of two onely I did maruell which is that in all the parts of the world wherein I haue trauailed I haue seene quiet men troubled by seditious persons the humble subiect to the proude the iust obedient to the Tyrant I haue seene the cruell commaunding the mercifull the coward ruling the hardie the ignorant teaching the wise and aboue all I saw that the most Thieues did hang the innocent on the gallowes The other thing whereat I maruelled was this That in all the places and where I haue bene I knowe not neyther could I finde any man that was euerlasting but that all are mortall and in the end both high and low haue an ende For manie are layd too night in theyr graue which the next Day following thought to bè aliue Leaue aside the diuine iudgement in that hee spake hee said highly and like a Philosopher for it seemeth to bee a pleasant thing to see how men gouerne the World Therefore now to the matter It is but reason we know the cause of this so ancient a noueltie which is That God willeth and ordayneth that one onely command all and that all together obey one For there is nothing that God doeth although the cause thereof bee vnknowne vnto vs that wanteth reason in his Eternall wisedome In this case speaking like a Christian I say that if our Father Adam had obeyed one onely Commaundement of Almightie GOD which was forbidden in the Terrestriall Paradise we had remained in liberty vpō the earth and should haue bin Lords and maisters ouer all But sith hee would not then obey the LORD wee are now become the abiects and slaues of so many Lords Oh wicked sinne accursed be thou sith by thee onely the Worlde is brought into such a bondage without teares I cannot speake that which I would that through our first Fathers which submitted themselues to sinne we their childrē haue lost the Seignoric of the world For sith they were prisoners vnto sinne in their soules little auaileth the libertie of their bodies There was great diuersitie betwixt the opinions of Pythagoras and the opinions of Socrates for so much as those of Socrates schoole said That it were better all things should be common and all men equall The other of Pythagoras schole saide the contrarie And that the Common-wealth were better wherein each one had his owne proper and all should obey one so that the one of them did admitte and graunt the name of seruants and the others did despise the name of Lords As Laertius in his first booke of the lise of Phylosophers saide that the Phylosopher Demosthenes was also of the same opinion that to the ende the people should be well gouerned hee would two names should be vtterly abolished and taken away That is to say Lords and subiects Maisters and seruants For the one desirous to rule by fiercenesse and the others not willing to obey to tyrannie would shed the bloud of the innocent and would be violent against the poore They would destroy the renowmed and famous people and Tyrannie would waxe stoute the which things should be taken away if there were no seignorie nor seruitude in the world But notwithstanding these things the Philosopher in his first booke of his Pollitiques saith That by foure naturall reasons wee may prooue it to be very necessarie that Princes doe commaund and the people obey The first reason is of the parts of the Elements simple and mixt For wee see by experience that the Elements doe suffer to the ende they would be ioyned together the one to haue more power then all the which is shewed by experience Forasmuch as the Element of the Fire the Element of the Ayre and the Element of the Water doe obey the Element of the Earth doth commaund For against their nature he bringeth them all to the Earth But if all the noble and chiefest Elements were obedient to the most vile Element only to forme a bodie mixt it is a greater reason that all obey to one vertuous person that the Common-wealth might therby the better be gouerned The second reason is of the bodie and the soule in the harmonie wherof the Soule is the mistresse which commaundeth and the bodie the seruant which obeyeth For the bodie neyther seeth heareth nor vnderstandeth without the bodie The sage Philosopher by this inferreth that the
Secondarily it is necessary that the Nurse which nourisheth the child be not onely good in behauiour of her life but also it is necessary that she be whole as touching the bodily health For it is a rule vnfallible that of the milke which we do sucke in our infancie dependeth all the corporal health of our life A childe giuen to the Nurse to nourish is as a Tree remoued from one place to another And if it be so as in deed it is it behoueth in all points that if the Earth wherein it shall be newe put were no better that at the least it be not worse For this should bee a great crueltie that the Mother beeing whole strong and well disposed should giue her Childe to a leane woman to nurse which is feeble sore and diseased Princesses and great Ladyes doe chose leane women weake and sicke for to nourish their Infants And in that they doe faile it is not for that they would erre But it is because that such feeble and weake Nurses by a vaine desire they haue to be Nurses in a Gentlemans house on the one part they say they will little money and on the other part they doe make great suites What thing it is when a Princesse or a Noble-woman is deliuered of a Childe to see the deuises of other women among themselues who shall be the Nurse and how those which neuer nourished their owne children doe preserue the milke to nourish the children of others To procure this thing for women me thinketh it proceedeth of aboundance of follie and to condescend to their requests mee thinketh it is for want of wisedome They looke not alwayes to the manners and abilitie of the Nurse how apt shee is to nurse their childe but how diligent shee is to haue to nourish They eare not greatly whether they be good or no For if the first be not good they wil take the second and if the second pleaseth them not they will haue the third and so vpwards vntil they haue found a good Nurse But I let you to know you Princesses and great Ladyes that it is more daunger for the Children to chaunge diuers milkes then vnto the olde men to eate diuers meates Wee see daily by experience that without comparison there dyeth more children of Noble-women thē children of women of the meaner estate And wee will not say that it is for that they do flatter their children more nor for that the wiues of labourers doe eate fine meates but that it chaunceth oft times that the children of a poore woman doth neither eate nor drinke but of one kinde of meat or milke in two yeares and the child of a Ladie shal change and alter three Nurses in two moneths If Princesses and great Ladyes were circumspect in choosing their nurses and that they did looke whether they were whole without diseases and honest in their manners and would not regarde so much the importunitie of their suites the Mothers should excuse themselues from many sorrowes and the children likewise should bee deliuered from many diseases One of the most renowmed Princes in times past was Titus the Sonne of Vespasian and Brother of Domitian Lampriains saieth that this good Emperour Titus the most part of his life was subiect to grieuous diseases infirmities of his person and the cause was for that when hee was young he was giue to a sicke Nurse to be nourished So that this good Emperour sucking her Dugge but a while was constrayned to passe all his life after in paine Thirdly Princesses and great Ladyes ought to know and vnderstand the complexion of their children to the ende that according to the same they might seeke pitifull Nurses that is to say if the childe were Cholerick Flegmatcke Sanguine or Melancholie For looke what humor the childe is of of the same qualitie the milke of the Nurse should be If vnto an old corrupted man they minister medicins conformable to his diseases for to cure him why then should not the Mother seeke a wholesome Nurse to the tender Babe agreable to his complexion to nourish him And if thou sayest it is iust that the flesh olde and corrupted bee sustained I tell thee likewise that it is much more necessary that the Children should bee curiously and well nourished to multiplie the world For in the ende wee doe not say it is time that the Young leaue the bread for the Aged but contrarie it is time that the olde leaue the bread for the young Aristotle in the booke De secretis secretorum and Iunius Rusticus in the tenth booke De gestis Persarum say that the vnfortunate king Darius who was ouercom by Alexander the great had a Daughter of a maruellous beauty And they say that the Nurse which gaue suck to this daughter all the time that shee did nourish it did neyther eate nor drinke any thing but poyson and at the ende of three yeares when the Childe was weyned and plucked from the dugge she did eate nothing but Colubers and other venomous wormes I haue hearde say many times that the Emperors had a custome to nourish their Heyres and Children with poisons when they were young to the intent that they should not be hurt by poyson afterwarde when they were old And this error cometh of those which presume much and know little And therefore I say that I haue heard say without saying I haue read it For some declare hystories more for that they haue hearde say of others then for that they haue read themselues The truth in this case is that as wee vselat this present to weare chaines of golde about our neckes or iewells on our fingers so did the gentils in times past a Ring on their fingers or some iewell in theyr bosome replenished with poyson And because the Paynims did neither feare hell nor hoped for heauen they had that custome for if at any times in Battell they should finde themselues in distresse they had rather ende their liues with poyson then to receyue any iniurie of theyr enemyes Then if it were true that those Princes had bin nourished with that Poyson they would not haue carryed it about them to haue ended their liues Further I say that the Princes of Persia did vse when they had any child borne to giue him milke to sucke agreable to the Complexion hee had Since this daughter of Darius was of melancholy humor they determined to bring her vp with venom and poyson because all those which are pure melancholie do liue with sorrow and die with pleasure Ignatius the Venetian in the life of the fiue Emperours Palleolus which were valiant Emperours in Constantinople sayeth that the second of that name called Palleolus the hardie was after the xl yeares of his age so troubled with infirmities and diseases that alwayes of the twelue moneths of the yeare he was in his bed sick nine moneths and being so sicke as he was the affayres and businesse of the
and suspition By this comparison I mean that since I haue much perswaded that the Fathers do learne and teach their children to speake well it is but reason that they doe seeke them some good Masters For the counsell hath no authority if hee which giueth it seeketh not speedily to execute the same It is much for a man to bee of a good nature or else to bee of an euill inclination to bee rude in vnderstanding or else to bee liuely in spirit and this not onely for that a man ought to doe but also for that hee ought to say For it is no small thing but a great good benefite when the man is of a good nature of a good vnderstanding and of a cleare iudgement This notwithstanding I say that all the good and cleare iudgements are not alwayes eloquent nor all the eloquentest of liuely spirites and vnderstanding Wee see many men which of a small matter can make much and for the contrarie wee see many men which haue great knowledge and yet no mean s to vtter it So that nature hath giuen them high vnderstanding and through negligence of bringing vp it is hid Oftentimes I doe maruell that the soule of the Babe when it is borne for the one part is of no lesse excellencie then the soule of the olde man when hee dyeth And on the other side I muse at the babe which hath the members so tender wherewith the soule doth worke his operations that they little seeme to participate with reasonable creatures For where the soule doth not shewe her selfe mistresse it wanteth little but that the man remaineth a beast It is a wonder to see the Children that as yet being two yeares of Age they lifte heir feete for to goe they holde themselues by the walls for falling they wil open their eyes to know and they fourme a defuzed voyce to speake So that in that age a creature is none otherwise then as a tree at the first spring For the Tree two moneths beeing past beareth leaues immediatly and the childe after ij years beginneth to frame his words This thing is spoken for that the Fathers which are wise should begin to teache their children at that Age For about that time the Vynes beare grapes and other trees their fruite For the perils of this life are such that if it were possible the Father before he see his Sonne borne ought to admonish him how he should liue In mine opinion as they conueigh the water about to turne the Mill So from the tender youth of the Infant they ought to shewe and teach him to bee eloquent and affable For truely the Childe learneth distinctly to pronounce his words when he doth sucke the milke of his Nurse We cannot denie but that the children beeing but two or three yeares olde it is too soone to giue them maisters or correcters For at that Age a Nurse to keepe them cleane is more necessarie then a maister to correct their speech On the one part the children are very tender for to learne to speake well and on the other part it is necessarie that when they are very young and little they should be well taught and instructed I am of that opinion that Princesses and great Ladyes should take such Nurses to giue theyr Children sucke that they should bee sound to giue them their milke and sage for to teach them to speake For in so young and tender Age they doe not suffer but that shee which giueth them sucke doth teach them to speake their first words As Sextus Cheroner sis in the booke of the diuersitie of the Languages saith That the Toscanes were the first which called the natural tongue of the countrey the Mother tongue which is to say the tongue of our Mother to the ende we should take it of the Mother which bringeth vs forth and of the Nurse which giueth vs sucke And in this case we haue lesse neede of the Mother then of the Nurse For the children before they know their Mothers which brought them into the world doe call the Nurse mother that gaue them sucke Plutarche in the second booke of the Regiment of Princes saith that one of the greatest thinges the Romaines had in their Commonweale was that of all the Languages and manners which they spake thoroughout the whole earth they had Colledges and Scholes in Rome so that were he neuer so barbarous that entered into Rome immediately hee found that vnderstood him The Romaines vsed that craft and subtiltie to the ende that when Rome sent Embassadors into strange Countreys or that some strange Countreys came to Rome they would that the Entâ—rpretours and brokers should be of theyr owne Nation and not of a strange tongue or Countrey And truely the Romaines had reason for the affaires of great importance are oftentimes craftely compassed by a straungetongue A man will maruell greatly to read or heare this that I speake which is that the Women which nourish the children of Princes be eloquent And truly he that at this doth maruell hath seen little and read lesse For I cannot tell which was greater the glory that the Ancients had to enjoy so excellent women or the infamy of them that are present to suffer dishonest Harlots I will not denie when I drew neere this matter that my spirits were not in great perplexitie First to see in this my writing of what women my Pen should write that is to say the dissolute vices of Women which I haue sâ—â—n or else the prowesses and vertues of women whereof I haue read Finally I am determined to intreate of our Graine and Corne and to leaue the rotten strawe on the Earth as without profite For the tongue which is noble ought to publish the goodnes of the good and honest women to the ende that all know it for the contrarie the frailenesse of the wicked ought to bee dissembled and kept secret to the ende that no man follow it Men which are sage and noble treating of Women are bound to visite them to preserue them and to defend them but in no wise they haue licence to slaunder them For the man which speaketh of the frailenes of women is like vnto him that taketh a sworde to kill a flie Therefore touching the matter Princesses and great Ladies ought not to cease to teach their young children all that they can sonnes or daughters And they ought not to deceyue themselues saying that foras much as their daughters are Women they are vnable to learne sciences for it is not a generall rule that all men children are of cleane vnderstanding nor that all the daughters are of rude spirite and wit for if they and the others did learne together I thinke there would bee as many wise women as there are foolish men Though the world in times past did enioy excellent women there was neuer any Nation had such as the Greekes had For though the Romanes were glorious in weapons the Greekes
remaine diseased and their vnderstanding blinded their memory dulled their sense corrupted their will hurted their reason subuerted and their good fame lost and worst of all the flesh remaineth alwayes flesh O how many young men are deceyued thinking that for to satisfie and by once engaging themselues to vices that from that time forwarde they shall cease to bee vicious the which thing not onely doth not profite them but also is very hurtfull vnto them For fire is not quenched with drye wood but with cold water But O God what shall wee doe since that now a dayes the Fathers doe as much esteeme their children for being fine and bolde minions among women as if they were verie profound in science or hardie in feates of Armes and that which is worst they oft times make more of their bastards gotten in adulterie then of their legitimate childe conceiued in matrimony What shall wee say then of mothers Truely I am ashamed for to speake it but they should bee more ashamed to doe it which is because they would not displease their husbands they hide the wickednesse of their children they put the children of their harlots to the Nurse they redeeme their gages they giue them money to play at dice they reconcile them to their fathers when they haue offended they borrow them money to redeeme them when they are indebted Finally they are makers of their bodies and vndoers of their soules I speake this insidently for that the masters would correct the children but the Fathers and mothers forbid them For it little auayleth for one to pricke the horse with the spurre when hee that sitteth vpon him holdeth him back with the bridle Therfore to our matter what shall we do to remedy this ill in the young man which in his flesh is vicious Truely I see no other remedie but with the moist earth to quench the flaming fire and to keepe him from the occasions of vice For in the warre honour by tarrying is obtained but in the vice of the flesh the victory by flying is obtayned The end of the second Booke THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE DIALL OF PRINCES WITH THE FAMOVS BOOKE OF MARCVS AVRELIVS WHERE HEE entreateth of the vertues which Princes ought to haue as Iustice Peace and Magnificence CHAP. I. How Princes and great Lordes ought to trauell to administer to all equall iustice EGidius Frigulus one of the most famous and renowmed Philosophers of Rome sayde that that betweene two of the Zodaicall signes Leo and Libra is a Virgine named Iustice the which in times past dwelled among men in earth and after that shee was of them neglected shee ascended vp to Heauen This Philosopher would let vs vnderstand that Iustice is so excellent a vertue that she passeth al mens capacitie since shee made heauen her mansion place and could finde no man in the whole earth that wold entertaine her in his house During the time they were chaste gentle pittifull patient embracers of vertue honest and true Iustice remayning in the earth with them but since they are conuerted vnto adulterers tyrants giuen to be proud vnpatient lyers and blasphemers shee determined to forsake them and to ascend vp into heauen So that this Philosopher concluded that for the wickednesse that men commit on earth Iustice hath leapt from them into Heauen Though this seeme to bee a Poeticall fiction yet it comprehendeth in it high and profound doctrine the which seemeth to be very cleare for where wee see iustice there are few theeues few murderers few tirants and few blasphemers Finally I say that in the house or Common wealth where Iustice remaineth a man can not committe vice and much lesse dissemble with the vicious Homer desirous to exalt justice could not tell what to say more but to call Kings the children of the great God Iupiter and that not for that naturalty they haue but for the office of iustice which they minister So that Homer concludeth that a man ought not to call iust Princes other but the children of God The diuiue Plato in the fourth booke of his common-wealth saieth that the chiefest gift God gaue to men is that they being as they be of such vile clay should bee gouerned by justice I would to GOD all those which reade this wryting vnderstoode right well that which Plato said For if men were not indued with reason and gouerned by iustice amongst all beasts none were so vnprofitable Let reason be taken from man wherwith he is indued and iustice whereby he is gouerned then shall men easily perceyue in what sort he will leade his life He cannot fight as the Elephant nor defend himselfe as the Tygre nor he can hunte as the Lyon neither labour as the Oxe and that wherby he should profite as I thinke is that he should eate Beares and Lyons in his life as now he shall be eaten of worms after his death All the Poets that inuented fictions all the Oratours which made Orations all the Philosophers which wrote books all the Sages which left vs their doctrines and all the Princes which instituted Lawes meant nothing else but to perswade vs to think how briefe and vnprofitable this life is and how necessary a thing iustice is therin For the filth and corruption which the bodie hath without the soule the selfe same hath the common-wealth without iustice Wee cannot denye but that the Romaines haue been prowde enuious adulterers shamelesse and ambicious but yet with all these faultes they haue beene great obseruers of iustice So that if God gaue them so manie Triumphs beeing loaden and enuironed with so many vices it was not for the vertues they had but for the great iustice which they did administer Plinie in his second booke saith that Democrites affirmed there were two gods which gouerned the vniuersall world that is to say Reward and Punishment Whereby wee may gather that nothing is more necessarie then true and right iustice For the one rewardeth the good and the other leaueth not vnpunished the euill Saint Austine in the first Booke De Ciuitate Dei saieth these words Iustice taken away what are Realmes but dennes of Theeues Truely hee had great reason For if there were no whips for vagabonds gags for blasphemers fines for periurie fires for heretiques sword for murderers galowes for theeues nor prisons for Rebells we may boldly say there would not bee so many Beasts on the mountains as there would be thieues in the Common-wealth In many things or in the greatest parte of the commonwealth wee see that Bread Wine Corn Fish Wool and other things necessary for the life of the people wanteth but we neuer saw but malicious men in euery place did abound Therefore I sweare vnto you that it were a good bargaine to chaunge all the wicked men in the commonwealth for one onely poore sheepe in the fielde In the Common-wealth wee see nought else but whipping daylie beheading slaying drowning hanging but notwithstanding this
but he that spendeth it in Apparel not requisite to seeke delitious Wines and to eate delicate meates To such a one I would say that the pouertie which he suffereth is not sufficient for his deserts For of all troubles there is none so great as to see a man suffer the euil whereof hee himselfe hath bin the occasion Also according to the counsell of Seneca the Auncients ought to be wel aduertised in that they should not only be temperate in eating but likewise they should be sober in drinking and this both for the preseruation of theyr health as also for the reputation of their honestie For if the olde physitians doe not deceyue vs humaine bodyes doe drye and corrupt because they drinke superfluously and eate more then Nature requireth If I should say vnto the olde men that they should drinke no wine they might tell mee that it is not the counsell of a Christian But presuppose they ought to drinke and that for no opinion they should leaue it yet I admonish exhorte and desire them that they drinke little and that they drinke very temperate For the disordinate and immeasurate drinking causeth the young men to be drunke and the olde men both drunke and foolish Oh howe much authoritie lost they and what grauitie doe honorable and ancient men lose which in drinking are not sober Which seemeth to be true forasmuch as the man being loden with wine although he were the wisest in the world he should bee a very foole that would take counsel of such one in his affaires Plutarche in a booke which he made of the Fortunes of the Romaines saied that in the Senate of Rome there was an Auncient man who made great exclametions that a certaine young man hadde in such heinous sort dishonoured him that for the iniuryes hee had spoken he deserued death And when the yong man was called for to answere to that he had said vnto him he answered Fathers conscript though I seeme young vnto you yet I am not so young but that I knew the Father of this olde man who was a vertuous and noble Romane and somewhat a kinne to mee And I seeing that his Father had gotten much goods fighting in the warres and also seeing this oldeman spending them in eating and drinking I sayde vnto him one day I am very sorry my Lord and vncle for that I heare of thy honour in the market place and am the more sorry for that I see done in thy house wherein we saw fifty men armed before in our houre and now wee see a hundred knaues made drunke And worse then that as thy Father shewed to all those that entered into his house the Ensignes hee had wonne in the Warres so now to those that enter into thy house thou shewest them diuers sorts of Wines My vncle complayned of mee but in this case I make the Plaintife iudge against mee the defendant And I would by the immortall Gods hee deserued no more paine for his workes then I deserue by my words For if hee had been wise he would haue accepted the correction which secretely I gaue him and had not come openly to declare his faults in the Senate The complaint of the old man being heard by the Senate and the excuse in like manner of the yong-man they gaue iudgement that they should take all the goods from the olde man and prouide him of a Tutour which should gouerne him and his house And they commaunded the Tutour That from hence forward hee should not giue him one cuppe of Wine since hee was noted of drunkennesse Of truth the sentence which the Senate gaue was very iust For the olde man which giueth himselfe to wine hath as much neede to haue a Gouernour as an Infant or a foole Laertius made a booke of the Feasts of Philosophers and declareth sundry auncient banquets among the which hee putteth one where were assembled many great Philosophers And admit that the meates were meane and simple yet the bidden guests were sage And the cause why they did assemble was not to eate but to dispute of some graue doctrines whereof the Philosophers did somewhat doubt For in those dayes the greater the Stoyckes and the Peripatetikes were in number so much the more were the Philosophers diuided amongst themselues When they were so assembled truly they did not eate nor drinke out of measure but some pleasant matter was moued betweene the masters and the schollers betweene the young and the olde that is to say which of them could declare any secret of Philosophy or any profounde sentence O happy were such feasts and no lesse happy were they that thether were bidden But I am sorry that those which now bidde and those that are bidden for a truth are not as those Ancients were For there are no feastes now a dayes of Philosophers but of gluttons not to dispute but for to murmure not to open doubtfull things but to talke of the vices of others not to confirme auncient amities but to beginne new dissentions not to learne any doctrines but to approue some nouelty And that which worst of all is the old striue at the table with the yong not on him which hath spoken the most grauest sentence but of him which hath drunke most wine and hath rinsed most cups Paulus Diaconus in the history of the Lumbards declareth that foure olde Lumbards made a banquet in the which the one dranke to the others yeares and it was in this manner They made defyance to drinke two to two and after each man had declared how many yeares olde hee was the one dranke as many times as the other was yeeres olde and likewise his companion pledged him And one of these foure companions had at the least 58. yeares the second 63 the third 87. the fourth 92. so that a man knoweth not what they did eate in this banquet eyther little or much but wee know that hee that dranke least dranke 58. cups of wine Of this so euill custome came the Gothes to make this Law which of many is read and of a few vnderstood where it sayeth We ordaine and commaund on paine of death that no olde man drinke to the others yeares being at the table That was made because they were so much giuen to Wine that they dranke more oft then they did eate morsels The Princes and great lords which now are old ought to be very sober in drinking since they ought greatly to be regarded honoured of the yong For speaking the truth and with liberty when the olde man shall be ouercome with wine hee hath more necessity that the young man leade him by the arme to his house then that hee should take off his cappe vnto him with reuerence Also Princes and great Lordes ought to bee very circumspect that when they become aged they bee not noted for young in the apparrel which they weare For although hat for wearing a fine and riche garment the Prince
doth not enrich or empouerish his Common-wealth yet wee cannot deny but that it doth much for the reputation of his person For the vanity and curiosity of garments dooth shew great lightnes of mind According to the variety of ages so ought the diuersity of apparrell to bee which seemeth to be very cleare in that the young maides are attired in one sort the married women of an other sort the widdowes of an other And likewise I would say that the apparrell of children ought to be of one sort those of young men of an other and those of olde men of an other which ought to be more honester then all For men of hoary heades ought not to be adorned with precious garments but with vertuous workes To goe cleanely to bee well apparrelled and to bee well accompanied wee doe not forbidde the olde especially those which are noble and valiant men but to goe fine to go with great traines and to go very curious wee doe not allow Let the old men pardon mee for it is not the office but of yong fooles for the one sheweth honesty and the other lightnesse It is a confusion to tell it but it is greater shame to do it that is to say that many olde men of our time take no smal felicity to put caules on their heads euery man to weare iewels on their necks to lay their caps with agglets of gold to seeke out diuers inuētions of mettall to loade their fingers with rich rings to go perfumed with odoriferous sauors to weare new fashioned apparrell and finally I say that thogh their face be ful of wrinckles they cannot suffer one wrinckle to be in their gowne All the ancient histories accuse Quint. Hortensius the Romane for that euery time when he made himselfe ready hee had a glasse before him and as much space and time had hee to streighten the pleytes of his gowne as a Woman hadde to trimme the haires of her head This Quintus Hortensius being Consull going by chance one day through Rome in a narrow streete met with the other Consull where thorough the streightnes of the passage the pleights of his Gowne were vndone vppon which occasion hee complained vnto the Senate of the other Consull that he had deserued to loose his life The Author of all this is Macrobius in the third book of the Saturnales I can not tell if I be deceyued but we may say that all the curiositie that olde men haue to goe fine well apparrelled and cleane is for no other thing but to shake off Age and to pretende right to youth What a griefe is it to see diuers auncient men the which as ripe Figges do fall and on the other side it is a wonder to see how in theyr age they make themselues young In this case I say would to God wee might see them hate vices and not to complaine of their yeares which they haue I pray and exhort all Princes and great Lordes whome our soueraigne Lord hath permitted to come to age that they doe not despise to bee aged For speaking the truth the man which hath enuie to seeme olde doth delight to liue in the lightnes of youth Also men of honor ought to be very circumspect for so much as after they are become aged they bee not suspected of their friends but that both vnto their friends and foes they be counted faithfull For a Lye in a young mans mouth is esteemed but a lye but in the mouth of an auncient or aged old man it is counted as a haynous blasphemie Noble Princes and great Lordes after they are become aged of one sort they ought to vse themselues to giue and of the other to speake For good Princes ought to sell theyr wordes by weight and giue rewardes without measure The Auncient do oftentimes complaine saying That the young will not bee conuersant with them and truely if there be any faulte therein it is of themselues And the reason is that if sometimes they doe assemble together to passe away the time if the old man set a talking he neuer maketh an ende So that a discrete man had rather goe a dozen miles on foot then to heare an olde man talke three houres If with such efficacie we perswade olde men that they be honest in theyr apparrell for a truth we will not giue them licence to bee dissolute in theyr words since there is a great difference to note some man in his Apparrell or to accuse him to bee malitious or a babler For to weare rich and costly Apparell iniurieth fewe but iniurious words hurt manie Macrobius in his first booke of the dreames of Scipio declareth of a Phylosopher named Crito who liued an hundred and fiue yeares and till fiftie yeares hee was farre out of course But after hee came to be aged he was so well measured in his eating and drinking and so warie in his speeche that they neuer saw him do any thing worthy reprehension nor heard him speake word but was worthie of noting On this condition wee would giue licence to manie that till fiftie yeares they should bee young So that from thenceforth they would be clothed as old men speake as old men and they should esteeme themselues to be olde But I am sorrie that all the Spring time doth passe in flower and afterwardes they fall into the graue as rotten before they finde any time to pull them out The olde doe complaine that the young doe not take their aduise and their excuse herein is that in their words they are too long For if a man doe demaund an olde man his opinion in a case immediately hee will beginne to say that in the life of such and such Kings and Lords of good memory this was done this was prouided so that when a young man asketh them counsel how hee shall be haue himselfe with the liuing the olde man beginneth to declare vnto him the life of those which be dead The reason why the olde men desire to speake so long is that since for their age they cannot see nor go nor eate nor sleepe they would that all the time their members were occupied to doe their duties all that time their tongue should bee occupied to declare of their times past All this being spoken what more is to say I know not but that wee should content our selues that the olde men should haue their flesh as much punished as they haue their tong with talke martyred Though it bee very vile for a young man to speake and slaunder to a young man not to say the truth yet this vice is much more to be abhorred in old Princes and other noble and worshipfull men which ought not onely to thinke it their duty to speake truth but also to punish the enemies thereof For otherwise the noble and valiant Knights should not lose a litle of their authority if a man saw on their heads but white haires and in their mouthes found
a perpetuall memorie What contempt of world what forgetfulnesse of himselfe what stroke of fortune what whippe for the flesh what little regard of life O what bridle for the vertuous O what confusion for those that loue life O how great example haue they left vs not to feare death Sithens those here haue willingly despised their owne liues it is not to be thought that they dyed to take the goods of others neither yet to thinke that our life should neuer haue end nor our couetousnesse in like manner O glorious people and ten thousand fold happy that the proper sensuality being forsaken haue ouercom the naturall appetite to desire to liue not beleeuing in that they saw and that hauing faith in that they neuer saw they striued with the fatall Destenies By the way they assaulted fortune they changed life for death they offered the body to death and aboue all haue wonne honour with the Gods not for that they shoulde hasten death but because they should take away that which is superfluous of life Archagent a Surgeon of Rome and Anthonius Musus a Physition of the Emperour Augustus and Esculapius father of the Phisicke should get little money in that Countrie Hee that then should haue sent to the barbarous to haue done as the Romanes at that time did that is to say to take sirrops in the mornings pils at night to drinke milke in the morning to annoint themselues with gromeâ—seed to bee let bloud to day and purged to morrow to eate of one thing and to abstaine from many a man ought to thinke that hee which willingly seeketh death will not giue money to lengthen life CHAP. XXII The Emperour concludeth his letter and shewed what perils those olde men liue in which dissolutely like young children passe their dayes and giueth vnto them wholesome counsell for the remedy thereof BVt returning to thee Claude and to thee Claudine me thinketh that these barbarous men beeing fifty yeares of age and you others hauing aboue threescore and tenne it should be iust that sithence you were elder in yeares you were equall in vertue and though as they you wil not accept death patiently yet at the least you ought to amend your euill liues willingly I doe remember that it is many yeares sithens that Fabritius the young sonne of Fabritius the olde had ordayned to haue deceiued mee of the which if you had not told me great inconueniences had happned and sithens that you did me so great a benefite I would now requite you the same with another the like For amongst friends there is no equal benefite then to deceiue the deceyuer I let you know if you do not know it that you are poore aged folks your eyes are sunke into your heads the nostrels are shut the haires are white the hearing is lost the tongue faultereth the teeth fall the face is wrinkled the feete swolne and the stomacke cold Finally I say that if the graue could speake as vnto his Subiects by iustice he might commaund you to inhabite his house It is great pitty of the yong men and of their youthfull ignorance for then vnto such their eies are not opened to know the mishaps of this miserable life when cruell death doth end their dayes and adiorneth them to the graue Plato in his booke of the Common wealth sayde that in vaine wee giue good counsels to fond and light young men for youth is without experience of that it knoweth suspitious of that it heareth incredible of that is tolde him despising the counsell of an other and very poore of his own For so much as this is true that I tell you Claude and Claudine that without comparison the ignorance which the young haue of the good is not so much but the obstination which the olde hath in the euill is more For the mortall Gods many times doe dissemble with a thousand offences commited by ignorance but they neuer forgiue the offence perpetrated by malice O Claude and Claudine I doe not maruell that you doe forget the gods as you doe which created you and your Fathers which begot you and your parents which haue loued you and your friends which haue honoured you but that which I most maruell at is that you forget your selues For you neuer consider what you ought to bee vntill such time as you bee there where you would not bee and that without power to returne backe againe Awake awake since you are drowned in your dreames open your eyes since you sleepe so much accustome your selues to trauels sithence you are vagabonds learne that which behoueth you since now you are olde I meane that in time conuenient you agree with death before he make execution of life Fifty two yeeres haue I knowne the things of the world and yet I neuer saw a Woman so aged thorough yeares nor old man with members so feeble that for want of strength could not if they list doe good nor yet for the same occasion should leaue to bee euill if they list to be euill It is a maruellous thing to see and worthy to note that all the corporall members of Man waxeth old but the inward hart and the outward tongue For the heart is alwayes giuen to inuent euills and the tongue is alwayes able to tell Lyes Mine opinion is that the pleasaunt Summer beeing past you should prepare your selues for the vntemperate winter which is at hand And if you haue but fewe dayes to continue you should make hast to take vp your lodging I meane that sith you haue passed the dayes of your life with trauell you should prepare your selues against the night of death to be in the hauen of rest Let mockeryes passe as mockeries and accept trueth as truth that is to say that it were a very iust thing and also for your honour necessarie that all shose which in times past haue seen you young and foolish should now in your age see you graue and sage For there is nothing that so much forgetteth the lightnesse and follyes of youth as doth grauity and constancie in Age. When the Knight runneth his carriere they blame him not for that the Horses mane is not finely combed but at the end of his race he shold see his horse amended and looked vnto What greater confusion can be to any person or greater slaunder to our mother Rome then to see that which now a dayes therein we see That is to say that the old which can scarcely creepe through the streetes to beholde the playes and games as young men which search for nought else but onely pompe and vanitie It grieueth mee to speake it but I am much more ashamed to see that the olde Romaines do daylie cause the white haires to be plucked out of their heads because they would not seeme old to make their beard small to seem yong wearing their hosen very close their shyrts open before the gowne of the Senatour embrodered the Romane signe richly enamelled the
be so many couetous men in the common wealth for nothing can bee more vniust then one rich man heape vp that which wold suffice 10000. to liue with all we cannot deny but that cursed auarice to al sorts of men is as preiudicial as the moth which eateth all garments Therefore speaking the truth there is no house that it doth not defile for it is more perillous to haue a clod of earth fall into a mans eye then a beame vpon his foote Agesilaus the renowmed king of the Lacedemonians beeing asked of a man of Thebes what word was most odible to be spoken to a King and what word was that that could honor him most hee aunswered The Prince with nothing so much ought to bee annoyed as to say vnto him that hee is rich and of nothing hee ought so much to reioyce as to be called poore For the glory of the good Prince consisteth not in that hee hath great treasures but in that hee hath giuen great recompences This word without doubt of all the world was one of the most royallest and worthyest to be committed vnto me morie Alexander Pyrrhus Nicanor Ptholomeius Pompeius Iulius Caesar Scipto Hanniball Marcus Porlius Augustus Cato Traian Theodose Marcus Aurelius c. All these Princes haue bin very valiaunt and vertuous but adding hereunto also the Writers which had written the deeds that they did in their liues haue mentioned also the pouertie which they had at their death So that they are no lesse exalted for the riches they haue spent then for the prowesses they haue done Admit that men of meane estate be auaritious and Princes great Lords also couetous the fault of the one is not equall with the vice of the other though in the ende all are culpable For if the poore man keepe it is for that hee would not want but if the knight hoord it is because he hath too much And in this case I would say that cursed bee the Knight which trauelleth to the end that goods abound and doth not care that betweene two bowes his renowm fall to the ground Sithens Princes and great Lordes will that men doe count them Noble vertuous and valiaunt I would fayne know what occasion they haue to be niggards and hard If they say that that which they keepe is to eate herein there is no reason for in the end where the rich eateth least at his table there are many that had rather haue that which remaineth then that which they prouide to eate in their houses If they say that that which they keepe is to apparrell them herein also they haue as little reason for the greatnes of Lordes consisteth not in that they should bee sumptuously apparrelled but that they prouide that their seruants goe not rent not torne If they say it is to haue in their chambers precious iewels in their hals rich Tapestry as little would I admit this answere for all those which enter into Princes Pallaces doe behold more if those that haunt their chambers bee vertuous then that the Tapestries be rich If they say it is to compasse their Cities with walles or to make fortresses on their frontiers so likewise is this answere among the others very cold For good Princes ought not to trauell but to be well willed and if in their realms they be welbeloued in the world they can haue no walles so strong as in the hearts of their Subiects If they tell vs that that they keepe is to marry their children as little reason is that for sithence Princes and great Lords haue great inheritances they need not heape much For if their children bee good they shall encrease that shall be left them and if by mishappe they be euill they shall as well lose that which shall bee giuen them If they say vnto vs that which they heape is for the wartes in like manner that is no iust excuse For if such warre bee not iust the Prince ought not to take it in hand nor the people thereunto to condiscend but if it be iust the common-wealth then and not the Prince shall beare the charges thereof For in iust warres it is not sufficient that they giue vnto the Prince all their goods but also they must themselues in person hazzard theyr liues If they tell vs that they keepe it to giue and dispose for theyr soules at their dying day I say it is not onely for want of wisedome but extreame sollie For at the houre of death princes ought more to reioyce for that they haue giuen then for that at that time they giue Oh how Princes and great Lordes are euill counselled since they suffer themselues to be slaundered for being couetous onely to heape a little cursed treasure For experience teacheth vs no man can be couetous of goods but needs he must be prodigall of honour and abandon libertie Plutarche in the Booke which hee made of the fortunes of Alexander saith That Alexander the great had a priuate seruant called Perdicas the which seeing that Alexander liberally gaue all that which by great trauell hee attained on a day he said vnto him Tell mee most Noble Prince sithens thou giuest all that thou hast vnto others what wilt thou haue for thy selfe Alexander answered The glorie remaineth vnto mee of that I haue wonne and gotten and the hope of that which I will giue and winne And further he said vnto him I will tell thee Perdicas If I knew that men thought that all that which I take were for couetousnes I sweare vnto thee by the God Mars that I would not beate downe one corner in a Towne and to winne all the world I would not go one dayes iourney My intention is to take the glorie vnto my selfe and to diuide the goods amongst others These words so high were worthy of a valiant and vertuous Prince as of Alexander which spake them If that which I haue read in books doe not beguile mee and that which with these eyes I haue seen to become rich it is necessarie that a man giue For that Princes and great lords who naturally are giuen to bee liberall are alwayes fortunate to haue It chaunceth oft times that some man giuing a little is counted liberal and another giuing much is counted a niggard the which proceedeth of this that they know not that liberalitie and niggardnesse consisteth not in giuing much or little but to knowe well how to giue For the rewardes and recompences which out of time are distributed doe neyther profite them which receyue them neyther agree to him which giueth them A couetous man giueth more at one time then a noble and free heart doeth in twentie thus saith the prouerbe It is good comming to a niggardes feast The difference betweene the liberality of the one and the misery of the other is that the noble and vertuous doth giue that he giueth to many but the niggard giueth that hee giueth to one onely Of the which vnaduisement
necessity they must be subiects to the diuell The pride the auarice the enuie the blasphemie the pleasures the leachery the negligēce the gluttony the ire the malice the vanity the follie This is the worlde against which wee fight all our life and there the good are princes of vices and the vices are Lordes of the vicious Let vs compare the trauels which we suffer of the Elements with those which wee endure of the vices and wee shall see that little is the perill wee haue on the sea and the land in respect of that which encreaseth our euill life Is not he in more danger that falleth throgh malice into pride then hee which by chaunce falleth from a high rocke Is not hee who with enuie is persecuted in more danger then he that with a stone is wounded Are not they in more perill that liue among vitious men then others that liue among brute and cruell beasts Doe not those which are tormented with the fire of couetousnes suffer greater danger thē those which liue vnder the mount Ethna Finally I say that they be in greater perils which with high imaginations are blinded thē the trees which with the importunate winds are shaken And afterwards this world is our cruell enemy it is a deceitfull friend it is that which alwayes keepeth vs in trauell it is that which taketh from vs our rest it is that that robbeth vs of our treasure it is that which maketh himselfe to bee feared of the good and that which is greatly beloued of the euill It is that which of the goods of other is prodigall and of his own very miserable Hee is the inuentor of all vices the scourge of all vertues It is hee which entertaineth all his in flatterie and sayre speech This is hee which bringeth men to dissention that robbeth the renowme of those that bee dead and putteth to sacke the good name of those that bee aliue Finally I say that this cursed World is hee which to all ought to render account and of whom none dare aske account Oh vanitie of vanities where all walke in vanitie where all thinke vanitie where all cleaue to vanitie where all seemeth vanity and yet this is little to seeme vanitie but that indeede it is vanitie For as false witnesse should he beare that would say That in this Worlde there is any thing Assured Healthfull and True as hee that would say that in Heauen there is any vnconstant variable or false thing Let therefore vaine Princes see how vaine their thoughts bee and let vs desire a vaine Prince to tell vs how he hath gouerned with him the vanityes of the world For if hee belieue not that which my pen writeth let him be leeue that which his person proueth The words written in the booke of Ecclesiastes are such I Dauids Sonne that swayes the Kingly seate With hungrie thyrst haue throwne amid my brest A vaine desire to proue what pleasures great In fleeting Lise haue stable foote to rest To taste the sweete that might suffise my will With rayned course to shunne the deeper way Whose streames of high delight should so distill As might content my restlesse thoughts to stay For loe Queene Follyes Impes through vaine beleefe So proudly shape their search of tickle reatch That though desert auayles the waue of griefe To Science toppe their clymbing will doth stretch And so to drawe some nice delighting ende Of Fancyes toyle that feasted thus my thought I largely waighed my wasted boundes to bende To swelling Realmes as Wisedomes Dyall wrought I Royall Courtes haue reached from the soyle To serue to lodge my huge attending traine Each pleasaunt house that might be heapt with toyle I reared vp to weelde my wanton rayne I causde to plante the long vnused vines To smooth my taste with treasure of the Grape I sipped haue the sweete inflaming Wines Olde rust of care by hidde delight to scape Fresh Arbours I had closed to the skyes A shrowded space to vse my fickle Feete Rich Gardeins I had dazling still mine Eyes A pleasaunt plot when dayntie Foode was meete High shaking-trees by Arte I stroue to sette To fraight desire with Fruits of liking taste When boyling flame of Summers-Sunne did heate The blossom'de Boughes his shooting beames did waste From Rocky hilles I forced to be brought Colde siluer Springs to bayne my fruitfull grounde Large throwne-out Ponds I laboured to be wrought Where numbers huge of swimming Fish were found Great compast Parkes I gloryed long to plant And wylde Forrests where swarmed Heards of Deere Thousands of Sheepe ne Cattell could not want With new encrease to store the wasted yeere Whole rowtes I kept of seruile wights to serue Defaultes of Princely Courtes with yrke some toyle Whose skilfull hand from cunning could not swarue Their sway was most to decke my dayntie soyle The learned weights of Musickes curious art I trayned vp to please mee with their play Whose sugred tunes so sayled to my heart As flowing griefe agreed to eble away The tender Maydes whose stalke of growing yeares Yet reached not to age his second rayne Whose royall am s were swallowed in no cares But burnt by loue as Beautyes lotte doth gaine Loe I enioyde to feede my dulled spirite With strained voyce of sweete alluring song But yet to mount the Stage of more delight I ioyed to see theyr comely Daunces long The hilles of massie Golde that I vp heapt So hugie were by hoord of long excesse That clottered clay with prouder price was kept In sundry Realmes when ruthfull neede did presse In some I say my bodyes rowling guyde Did gaze for nought but subiect lay to sight My iudge of sounds wisht nothing to abyde But was instild to kindle more delight The clother of my corps yet neuer felt That pleasde him ought but aye it toucht againe My sicher of sauours if ought be smelt That might content his would was neuer vaine The greedy sighes of my deuoured brest Trauelled in thought to conquere no delight But yeelded streight as wyer to the wrest To office such as wanton will be hight But when the doore of by abused eyen Where hoysed vp with lookes and lookes againe And that my eager hands did aye encline To touch the sweete that season still their paine When wanton tast was fed with each conceyt That strange deuise brought forth from flowing wit When restlesse will was ballast with the weight Of princely reach that did my compasse fit I saw by search the sory vnstable bloome The blasted fruit the flitting still delight The fickle ioy the oft abused doome The slipper stay the short contented sight Of such as set their heauen of singing life In pleasures lappe that laugh at their abuse Whose froward wheele with frowning turne is ryse To drowne their blisse that blindely slept with vse For loe the course of my delighting yeares That was embraste in armes of Fancies past When wisedomes Sunne through follies clowds appeares Doth
no lesse doe they trauell which goe alwayes in the plaine way then those which mount on the sharpe craggy mountaine According to that I haue gathered of thy letter mee seemeth that when we hope most rest greatest trauel hath succeeded to thee And hereof I doe not maruell nor thou oughtest not be offended for as experience teacheth vs when the trees haue the blossoms then they are most subiect to the frost and when glasses are drawne out of the furnace they breake The Captaines hauing won the victorie doe die When they will put the key in the dore the house doth fall The Pirates perish within the kenning of land By that I haue spoken I meane that when wee thinke to haue made peace with fortune then shee hath a new demaund ready forged All new changes of Fortune causeth all wayes new paine to the person but often times it is cause of more great fortresse for the tree beareth not so much fruit where it first grew as there where againe it is planted and the sauours are more odoriferous when they are most chafed I meane that men of high thoughts the more they are wrapped in the frownings of Fortune the more valiant and stout they shew themselues The man vtterly is foolish or hath great want of vnderstanding who hopeth at any time to haue perfect rest imagining that the World will giue no assault vpon him but that the time shall come wherein hee shall bee without care and feare This miserable life is of such condition that dayly our yeares doe diminish and our troubles encrease O Torquatus by the immortall Gods I doe desire thee and in the faith of a friend I doe require thee thou being borne in the world nourishing thy selfe in the world liuing in the world being conuersant in the world being a child of the world and following the world what didst thou hope of the world but things of the world Peraduenture thou alone wilt eate the flesh without bones giue battell without perill trauell without paine and sayle by the sea without daunger I meane that â—s vnpossible for mortall men to liue in the world vnlesse they will become subiect to the sorrowes of the world The world hath alwayes been the world and now the world shall be after vs and as a world shall handle the worldlings The wise men and those which of their estates are carefull are not contented to see nor superficialy to know the things but rather waigh them profoundly I say this because if thou knewest thy debelity and knewest fortune and her chaunge if thou knewest the men and their malices if thou knewest the world and his flatteries thou shouldest winne no little honour where as otherwise thou mayes chance to get infamie Wee are now come to so great folly that wee will not serue the Gods which haue created vs nor abstaine from the World which persecuteth vs And the best is that hee not willing vs but rather reiecting vs we say that of our owne willes wee will loue and serue him and yet knowing that those which longest haue serued the world do goe out of his house most bitterly lamenting Oftentimes I stay for to thinke that according to the multitude of men which follow the world beeing alwayes euill handled of the World if the World did pray them as hee doth annoye them if hee did comfort them as he doth torment them if he kept them as he banisheth them if he exalted them as he abuseth them of he receyued them as he expelleth them if he did continue them as he consumeth them I thinke that the Gods should not be honoured in heauen nor the temples worshipped in the earth O Torquatus my friend that which I will now say of thee thou mayest say of mee that is to say how much wee put our confidence in fortune how lewdly wee passe our dayes and how much wee are â—inded in the world yet for all that we credite his word as much as though hee had neuer mocked any CHAP. XLII Marcus Aurelius goeth on with his Letter and by strong and high reasons perswadeth all that line in the world not to trust the world nor any thing therein TEl l mee I pray thee Torquatus what wilt thou hear more What wilt thou see more and what wilt thou know more to know the world seeing how vntill this present thou hast beene handled of the world thou demaundest rest and he hath giuen thee trouble thou demaundest honour and he hath giuen thee infamie Thou demaundest riches and he hath giuen thee pouerty thou demaundest ioy and hee hath giuen thee sorrow Thou demaundest to be his and hee hath giuen thee his hand Thou demandest life and hee hath giuen thee death Therefore if it be true that the world hath handled thee in this wise why doest thou weepe to returne againe to his wicked house O filthy worlde how farre art thou from iust and how farre ought they to bee from thee which desire to be iust For naturally thou art a friend of nouelties and enemie of vertues One of the Lessons which the world readeth to his children is this that to be true worldlings they should not bee very true The which experience plainely sheweth vs for the man which medleth much with the world leaueth alwayes suspition of him that hee is not true The World is an Ambassadour of the euill a scourge of the good chiefest of vices a tyrant of the vertuous a breaker of peace a friend of warre a sweete water of vices the gawle of the vertuous a defendor of lyes an inuentor of nouelties a trauellour of the ignorant a hammer for the malitious a table of gluttons and a furnace of concupiscence Finally it is the perill of Charibdes where the harts doe perish and the danger of Scylla where the thoughts doe waste Presuppose that these he the conditions of the world The truth is that if there bee any worldling who complayneth to be euill content with the world shall he therefore chaunge his stile Truly no and the reason is that if perchaunce one worldling should goe out the house of the world there are x. thousand vanityes at his Gate I know not what wise man will liue in the World with such conditions since the vices wherewith wee doe reioyce our selues are very fewe in respect of the torments which we suffer I say not that we doe heare it by heare-say and reade them in bookes but wee see with our owne eyes the one to consume and wast the goods others by misfortune to fall and lose their credite others to fall and loose their honour and others to loose their life and all these miseryes seene yet neuertheles euery man thinketh to be free by priuiledge where there is none priuiledged Oh my deare Friend Torquatus of one thing I assure thee which is that the men which are born of women are so euill a generation and so cruell is the world wherein we liue and Fortune
those that contrary your opinion Be not proud and seuere vnto those you doe commaund neyther doe any thing without good aduisement and consideration For albeit in Princes Courts euery man doth admire and beholde the excellencie and worthines of the person yet are those alwayes that are most in fauour of the Prince more noted regarded and sooner accused then others 10 If you will not erre in the counselles you shall giue nor fayle in those things you shall enterprise Embrace those that tell you the truth and reiect and hate those whom you know to be Flatterers and dissemblers For you should rather desire to bee admonished of the thing present then to be counselled after the dammage receyued Although wee suppose assuredly that all these things aboue-written are not likely to happen nor yet come euen so to passe as I haue spoken yet if it may please you Syr to remember they are not therefore impossible For spitefull Fortune permitteth oftentimes that the Sayles which in stormie weather the Lightnings and boystrous Tempests could not breake and teare in piecâ—â— are afterwardes vpon a sudden euen in the sweete of the mornings sleepe each man taking his rest leauing the Seas before in quiet calme all to shiuered and torne a sunder He that meaneth to giue another a blowe also the more he draweth backe his arme with greater force hee striketh And euen so neyther more nor lesse sayeth Fortune with those on whom for a time shee smyleth For the longer a man remayneth in her loue and fauor the more cruell and bitter she sheweth herselfe to him in the ende And therefore I would aduise euery wise and Sage person that when Fortune seemeth best of all to fauour him and to doe most for him that then hee should stand most in feare of her and least of all to trust her deceits Therefore Syr nake no small account of this my Booke little though it bee For you know that doubtlesse as experience teacheth vs of greater price and value is a little sparke of a Dyamond then a greater ballast It forceth little that the Booke bee of small or great volume sith the excellencie thereof consisteth not in the number of leaues more or lesse but only in the good and graue sentences that are amply written therein For euery Authour that writeth to make his booke of great price and shew ought to be briefe in his words and sweete and pleasaunt in his matter hee treateth of the better to satisfie the minde of the Reader and also not to growe tedious to the hearer And Syr I speake not without cause that you should not a little esteeme this smal treatise of mine since you are most assured that with time all your things shall haue ende your Friendes shall leaue you your goods shall bee diuided your selfe shall dye your fauour and credit shall diminish and those that succeede you shall forget you you not knowing to whome your Goods and Patrimonie shall come and aboue all you shall not knowe what conditions your heyres and children shall be of But for this I wryte in your royall Historic and Chronicle of your laudable vertues and perfections and for that also I serue you as I doe with this my present worke the memorie of you shall remaine eternized to your Successors for euer Chilo the Phylosopher beeing demanded whether there were anything in the world that Fortune had not power to bring to nought aunswered in this sort Two things only there are which neither Time can consume nor Fortune destroy And that is the renowne of man written in bookes and the veritie that is hidden For though truth for a time lye interred yet it resurgeth againe and receiueth life appearing manifestly to all And euen so in like case the vertues we find written of a man doe cause vs at this present to haue him in as great veneration as those had in his time that best knewe him Reade therefore Syr at times I beseech you these writings of mine albeit I feare me you can scant borrow a moment of Time with leysure once to looke vpon it beeing as I knowe you are alwayes occupyed in affayres of great importance wherin me thinketh you should not so surcharge your selfe but that you might for your commodity and recreation of your spirits reserue some priuate houres to your selfe For sage and wise men should so burden themselues with care of others toyle that they shold not spend one houre of the day at the least at their pleasure to looke on their estate and condition As recounteth Suetonius Tranquillus of Iulius Caesar who notwithstanding his quotidian warres he had neuer let slip one day but that he reade or wrote some thing So that being in his Pauillion in the Campe in the one hand hee held his lance to assault his enemie and in the other the penne he wrote withall with which he wrote his worthy CoÌ„mentaries The resonable man therfore calling to mind the straight account that he must render of himselfe and of the time he hath lost shall alwayes be more carefull that hee lose not his time then he shall be to keepe his treasure For the well imployed time is a meane and helpe to his sal saluation and the euill gotten good a cause of his eternall damnation Moreouer yet what toyle and trauell is it to the body of the man and how much more perill to the liuing soule when hee consumeth his whole dayes and life in worldly broyles and yet seely man hee cannot absent himselfe from that vile drudgery til death doth summon him to yeelde vp his account of his life and doings And now to conclude my Prologue I say this booke is diuided into two parts that is to say in the first tenne Chapters is declared how the new-come Courtier shall behaue himselfe in the Princes Court to winne fauour and credit with the Prince and the surplus of the work treateth when hee hath atchieued to his Princes fauour and acquired the credite of a worthy Courtier how he shall then continue the same to his further aduancement And I doubt not but that the Lords and Gentlemen of Court will take pleasure to reade it and namely such as are Princes familiars and beloued of Court shall most of all reape profite thereby putting the good lessons and aduertisements they finde heretofore written in execution For to the young Courtiers it sheweth them what they haue to do and putteth in remembrance also the olde fauoured Courtyer liuing in his princes grace of that he hath to be circumspect of And finally I conclude Syr that of all the Treasures riches gifts fauours prosperities pleasures seruices greatnesse and power that you haue and possesse in this mortall and transitorie life and by the Faith of a true Christian I sweare vnto you also that you shal carrie no more with you then that onely Time which you haue well and vertuously employed during this your Pilgrimage THE ARGVMENT OF THE BOOKE
bēt to bloudy wars went to see speake with Diogines the Phylosopher offring him great presents discoursing with him of diuers matters So that wee may iustly say This good Prince of himselfe tooke paines to seeke out wise men to accompanie him electing by others choyce and aduise all such as hee made his Captaines to serue him in the warres It is manifest to all that Dyonisius the Syracusan was the greatest Tyrant in the worlde and yet notwithstanding his Tiranny it is a wonder to see what sage and wise men he had continually in his Courte with him And that which makes vs yet more to wonder of him is that hee had them not about him to serue him or to profite one jote by their doctrines and counsell but onely for his honour and their profite which enforceth mee to say concurring with this example that sith Tyrants did glorie to haue about them Sages wise and worthie men Much more should those reioice that their works deeds are noble freeharted And this they ought to do not onely to bee honoured with them openly but also to be holpen with their doctrine and counsells secretly And if to some this should seeme a hard thing to follow we will say that worthy men not being of abilitie and power to maintayne such Wise-men ought yet at least to vse to reade at times good and vertuous books For by reading of vertuous Bookes they may reape infinite profite As for example By reading as I say these Good Authours the desire is satisfied their iudgement is quickned ydlenesse is put away the heart is disburdened the Time is well employed and they lead their liues vertuously not being bound to render account of so manie faults as in that time they might haue committed And to conclude it is so good an exercise as it giueth good example to the Neighbour profite to himselfe and health to the soule We see by experience after a man taketh vppon him once the Studie of holie Scriptures and that hee frameth himselfe to bee a Diuine hee will neuer willingly thenceforth deale in any other studyes and all because he will not forgoe the great comfort and pleasure he receyueth to reade those holy sayings And that causeth that we see so manie learned wise men for the more part subiect to diuers diseases and full of Melancholike humours For so sweete is the delight they take in theyr Bookes that they forget and leaue all other bodily pleasure And therefore Plutarche writeth that certaine phylosophers being one day met at the lodging of Plato to see him demanding what exercise he had at that time Plato answered thē thus Truely my brethren I let you know that euen now my onely exercise was to see what the great Poete Homer said And this he tolde them because that they took him euen then reading of some of Homers bookes and to say truely his aunswere was such as they should all looke for of him For to reade a good booke in effect is nothing else but to heare a wise man speake And if this our iudgement and aduise seeme good vnto you we would yet say more that you should profite more to reade one of these bookes then you should to heare speake or to haue conference with the Author him selfe that made it For it is without doubt that all Writers haue more care and respect in that their penne doth write then they haue in that their tongue doth vtter And to the end you should not thinke we cannot proue that true that we haue spoken I giue you to vnderstand that euerie Author that will write to publish his doing in print to lay it to the shew and iudgement of the world and that desireth thereby to acquire honour fame and to eternize the memory of him turneth many bookes conferreth with other wise and lerned men addicteth himselfe wholy to his book endeauoureth to vnderstand well oft refuseth sleepe meat and drinke quicneth his spirites doing that he putteth in writing exactly with long aduise and consideration which he doth not when hee doth but onely speake and vtter them though oft in deede by reason of his great knowledge in speech vnawares there falleth out of his mouth many godly and wise sentences And therefore God hath giuen him a goodly gift that can reade and him much more that hath a desire to study knowing how to chuse the good bookes from the euill For to say the truth there is not in this world any state or exercise more honourable and profitable then the study of good books And we are much bound to those that read more to those that study and much more to those that write any thing but most doubtlesse to those that make compile goodly books and those of great and high doctrine for there are many vaine and fond bookes that rather deserue to be throwne into the fire then once to be read or looked on for they do not only shew vs the way to mocke them but also the ready meane to offend vs to see them occupie their braines and best wittes they haue to write foolish and vaine things of no good subiect or erudition And that which is worst of all yet they are occasion that diuers others spend as much time in reading their iests and mockeries as they would otherwise haue imploied in doctrine of great profit and edifying the which to excuse and defend their error say they did not write them for men to take profite thereby but only to delight and please the Readers to passe the time away merily whom we may rightly answer thus That the reading of ill and vaine bookes cannot bee called a pastime but aptly a very losse of time And therefore Aulus Gelius in the fifteenth of his booke writeth that after the Romanes vnderstood the Orators and Poets of Rome did giue themselues to write vain voluptuous and dishonest bookes causing Enterludes and Poeticall Comedies to be played they did not only banish them from Rome but also out all the parts of Italy for it beseemed not the Romane grauity neyther was it decent for the Weale publike to suffer such naughty bookes among them and much lesse for to beare with vicious and lasciuious gouernours And if the Romane Panims left vs this for example how much more ought wee that are Christians to continue and follow it since that they had no other Bookes for to reade saue onely Histories and we now a dayes haue both Histories and holy Scriptures to read which were graūted vs by the church to the end that by the one we might take some honest pleasure and recreation and with the other procure the health of oursoules Oh how farre is the Common-wealth nowe-adayes digressed from that wee wryte and counsell since we see plainely that men occupie themselues at this present in reading a nūber of Books the which only to name I am ashamed And therfore said Aulus Gelius in his 14. book That there
I haue read and another time I desire my friends to giue mee good counsell and for no other end I doe it then to attaine to that I haue spoken and to know that I will say I reading Rethorike in Rhodes Adrian my lord maintaining me there knowing that I was two and thirty years of age it hapned in the Spring time I found my selfe solitarily and soluarinesse with liberty smelled the world and smelling it I knew it and know-it I followed it and following it I attained it attayning vnto it therunto I ioyned my selfe and ioyning my selfe therewith I proued it and in prouing it I tasted it and in tasting it mee thought it bitter and in finding it bitter I hated it and hating it I left it and leauing it is returned and being returned I receyued it againe Finally the world inuiting mee and I not resisting it two and fiftie yeares wee did eate our bread together and in one house wee haue alwayes remayned wilt thou know after what sort the world and I doe liue in one house together or better for to say in one heart remayne Harken then and in one word I will tell it thee When I saw the world braue I serued him when hee saw me sad hee flattered mee when I saw him wealthy I asked him when hee saw mee merry hee begulled mee when I desired any thing hee holpe me to attaine to it and afterwards when the same I best enioyed then hee tooke it from me when hee saw me not pleased he visited me when hee saw mee he forgot me when he saw mee ouerthrowne hee gaue mee his hand to releeue mee when he saw me exalted hee tripped me againe to ouerthrow me Finally when I thinke that I haue somewhat in the world I finde that all that I haue is a burthen If this which I haue spoken of the world bee any thing more is that a great deale which yet of my selfe I will say which is that without doubt my folly is greater then his malice since I am beguiled so oft and yet alwayes I follow the deceyuer O world world thou hast such moods and fashions in thy proceeding that thou leadest vs all to perdition Of one thing I maruell much whereof I cannot bee satisfied Which is since that we may go vpon the bridge and yet without any gaine wee doe wade through the water and where as the shallow is sure wee seeke to runne into the gulfe and where the way is drie wee goe into the plash where wee may eate wholesome meates to nourish the life wee receyue poyson to hasten death we seeke to destroy our selues whereas wee may bee without danger Finally I say without profite wee commit a fault though wee see with our eyes the paine to follow Wise men ought circumspectly to see what they do to examine that they speake to proue that they take in hand for to beware whose company they vse and aboue all to know whom they trust For our iudgement is so corrupt that to beguile vs one is inough and to make vs not to bee deceyued tenne thousand would not suffice They haue so great care of vs I doe meane the world to be guile vs and the flesh to flatter vs that the high way being as it is narrow the pathway daungerous and full of prickes the iourney is long and the life short our bodies are neuer but loden with vices and our hearts are full of sorrows and cares I haue wondered at diuers things in this World but that which astonieth mee most is that those which be good we make them beleeue they are euill and those which are euill wee perswade others to beleeue that they are good So that wee shoote at the white of vertues and hit the butte of vices I will confesse one thing the which beeing disclosed I know that infamy will follow mee but peraduenture some vertuous man will maruell at it that is that in those two and fifty yeeres of my life I haue proued al the vices of this world for no other entent but for to proue if there bee any thing where in mans malice might be satisfied And afterwards all well considered all examined and all proued I finde that the more I eate the more I dye for hunger the more I drinke the greater thirst I haue the more I rest the more I am broken the more I sleepe the more drousier I am the more I haue the more I couet the more I desire the more I am tormented the more I procure the lesse I attaine Finally I neuer had so greate paine through want but afterwards I had more trouble with excesse it is a great folly to thinke that as long as a man liueth in this flesh that he can satisfie the flesh for at the last cast shee may take from vs our life but wee others cannot take from her her disordinate couetousnesse if men did speake with the Gods or that the Gods were conuersant with men the first thing that I would aske them should bee why they haue appointed an end to our wofull dayes and will not giue vs an end of our wicked desires O cruell Gods what is it you doe or what doe you suffer vs it is certaine that wee shall not passe one good day of life onely but in tasting this and that life consumeth O intollerable life of man wherein there are such malices from the which wee ought to beware and such perils to fall in and also so many things to consider that then both shee and wee doe ende to know our selues when the houre of death approcheth Let those know that know not that the World taketh our will and wee others like ignorants cannot deny it him and afterwardes hauing power of our will doth constraine vs to that which wee would not so that many times wee would doe vertuous workes and for that wee are now put into the Worlds hands wee dare not do it The World vseth another subtilty with vs and to the end we should not striue with it it prayseth the times past because wee should liue according to the time present And the World sayeth further that if wee others employ our forces in his vices he giueth vs licence that wee haue a good desire of vertue O would to God in my dayes I might see that the care which the Worlde hath to preserue vs the Worldlings would take it to withdraw them from his vices I sweare that the Gods should then haue more seruants and the World and the flesh should not haue so many slaues CHAP. XXI The Emperour proceedeth in his Letter and proueth by good reasons that sith the aged persons will bee serued and honoured of the young they ought to be more vertuous and honest then the young I Haue spoken all this before rehearsed for occasion of you Claude and Claudine the which at 60 and 10 yeeres will not keepe out the prison of the world You I say which haue