the Lacedemonians and the Thracians people though they were much giuen to warres seuere in dealing hardie in all trauayles and in learning most rude yet woulde they acquaint themselues with musicke vntill they were thirtie yeres olde The people of Créete brought vp their youth in all kinde of melodye and harmony The most part of the worlde dyd learne musicke saue in Egypt as Diodorus in his second booke affirmeth that musicke was forbidden least the tender and soft mindes of their youth shoulde bée intised to too much pleasure And though some contemne musicke with Diogines and saye that it were more profitable to mende maners than to learne musicke And some that will with Alcibiades taunt musicke who was woont to say that the Thebans were méete men to learne musicke for that they coulde not speake but that the Athenians should hate such wanton tunes for that thei spake without instrument Likewise King Pirrhus being demaunded which was the best musition Python or Charisius he despising them and their musicke preferred a great warrior according to his owne mind named Polysperches Though these I say with diuers others despised musicke sometime yet wée reade againe as wise as they as stout as they vsed much musick as Achilles Alexander the great Nero Silla M. Cato Socrates Cimon To many might I repeate that were as wise as they were merie as learned Ioppas whose songues in Virgill are expressed as Salij whose pleasaunt pamphletes Rome a long while embraced and much estéemed For as musicke is dolefull pleasaunt full of harmony and melodie so is musick terrible and fearefull full of life and courage For wée reade in the olde age while yet the worlde was rawe that Aliates King of Lidia â–ª in his warres against the Milesios hadde musitions for his Trumpetters Pipers and Fidlers as Herodotê° in his first booke affirmeth to mooue the people with musicke vnto warres The people of Créete as Gellius writeth had Gitternes and Cithrones playing before them as they went vnto the fielde to fight The Parthians vsed as Plutarchus in the life of Crassus reporteth the ringing of belles at theyr going vnto field The Ethiopians vsed songes of diuers tunes and dauncing before they went to warres The Sirians before they mette their enimies woulde sing Balades to honour the same with all kind of dauncing to solace them selues The Cimbrians did make melodye with drie skinnes beating the skinnes with stickes at the very entraunce vnto the enimies Cirus the great King dyd with his souldiours sing vnto Castor and Pollux before he tooke his voyage to the enimies The Athenians woulde sing Hymnes vnto Iupiter before they woulde go to the féelde The first noyse and sounde that the Lacedemonians had as Thucidides saith in stéede of TruÌ„pettes were Flutes vntil by an oracle they were warned of Apollo that if they thought to haue victory euer Messena they should appoynt a man of Athens for their Capitaine the Athenians being right glad of the oracle for that the Lacedemonians Athenians were alwayes enimies one vnto another they sent vnto Athens for a Captaine where they appointed vnto them a lame and a deformed man named Dircaeus in reproche a mock of the Lacedemonians This Dircaeus being appointed and made a Capitaine ouer all the people of Sparta he first then inuented the trumpe and taught all the Lacedemonians to sounde the trumpe which was such a terror vnto the enemies the people of Messaena that at the first sounde of the trumpets they fledde and so the Lacedemonians got the victory Thus was the auncient musicke in the beginning so necessary that euery countrey endeuoured to haue skyll in musicke then Mars claimed musicke in the féelde nowe Venus occupieth musicke in Chaumbers that kinde of gentle and softe musicke the Egyptians forbad the youth to bée taught therein lest from men they woulde become againe women But shall wée ioyne the olde auncient games the mirth the solace and the playes that they vsed in those dayes together with their musicke to prooue the agilitie of that time and the actiuities of that age to bée much estéemed amoÌ„gst the Gréekes and Gentiles The Gréekes at some time had foure great games appointed the first in mount Olimpia in Arcadia harde by the Citie Pisa which Hercules inuented first to honour Iupiter This was so famous amonst the Gréekes that euen as the Romanes vsed to accompt the â—ime by their Consuls so did the Gréekes vse to number by the games of Olimpia which was appointed euerye first yere Unto this game came all the youth of the worlde both on horsebacke and on foote to do maisteries the reward was appointed for the victors a Garland made of Oliue leaues for they came not there for money but for mirth and exercise in so much that when Tigranes King Artabanus sonne harde of the fame therof and of the Garlandes of Oliue hée sayde Well worthy were the Gréekes to be spoken of that so litle estéemed money that Oliue was preferred for the chéefe reward in Olimpia This same mooued first King Zerxes to warre against the Gréekes to his losse and decaye The seconde games were called Pithij and inuented of Apollo in memory that hée killed the great Serpent Python which was of Iuno sent to kyll Latona Apollo his mother Here was appointed for the victories eyther a foote or a horsebacke a Garlande made of Oken leaues Here likewise all the youth of Gréece exercised feates practized policies vsed maisteries and prooued them selues in any thing that they felt them apt to do as in running leaping wrastling riding swimming or such like as then wée vsed The thirde was called Isthmia inuented of Theseus in the honour of Neptune In this play was appointed for y e victors certen garlands made of Pine leaues hauyng the name of Isthmos a place in Achaia where Neptune is worshipped where the Temple of Neptune is compassed The fourth game is called Nemea which the Argiues make in memory of Hercules for that hée killed a great and a fearce Lion in the woods of Nemea according vnto the name of the play Here do likewise the Argiues come to exercise youth practize feates as the rest do These foure playes were long in Gréece obserued as causes and occasions for men to come together to shewe feates and to trye qualities The first in Olimpus for Iupiter the seconde in Delos for Apollo the thirde in Isthmos a place in Achaia for Neptune the fourth amongst the Argiues to Hercules In the first play the Garlande of victory was of Oliue in the seconde play the Garlande of victory was of Oke in the thirde play they had their Garlandes of Pine the fourth play of Poply and thus then they triumphed in their mirth they bragged of their victories they gloried in their garlandes while yet Lawrel as Ouid sayde was not knowen Besides these foure famous playes there were diuers others as Pirrhus play which hée
Testament that Adam our first father liued nine hundred and thirtie yeres and Eua his wife as many Seth nine hundred and twelue yeres Seth his sonne called Enos nine hundred and fiue Cainan the sonne of Enos nine hundred and tenne Malalehell the sonne of Cainan right hundred fourscore and fiftéene So Enoch the son of Iared liued nine hundred théescore and fiue yeres Enoch his sonne named Mathusalem liued nine hundred thréescore and nine with diuers of the first age I meane vntill Noahs time which began the seconde world after the floode and liued as we reade nine hundred and fiue yeres His sonne Sem sixe hundred yeres and so lineally from father vnto son as from Sem vnto Arphaxad froÌ„ Arphaxad vnto Sala from Sala vnto Heber the least liued aboue thrée hundred yeres This I thought for better credite and greater proofe of olde age to drawe out of the olde testameÌ„t that other prophane autorities might be beléeued as Tithonius whom the Poetes faine that he was so oulde that he desired to become a Grashopper But bicause age hath no pleasure in the worlde frequenteth no banquets abhorreth lust loueth no wantonnes which sayth Plato is the only bayte that deceyue young men so much the happier age is that age doth loath that in tyme which young men neyther with knowledge with wit nor yet with councell can auoyde What harme hath happened from time to time by young men ouer whom lust so ruled that euersion of common wealthes treason of Princes friends betrayed countries ouerthrowne kingdomes vanquished all y e world almost through pleasure perished Therfore Cicero sayth in his booke entituled of olde age at what time he was in the citie of Tarâ—ntuÌ„ being a young man with F. Maximê° that hée bare one lesson from TarentuÌ„ vnto the youth of Rome where Architas the Tarentine saide that nature bestowed nothing vpon man so hurtfull vnto him selfe so dangerous vnto his countrie as luste or pleasure For when C. Fabritius was sent as an Embassador from Rome vnto Pirrhê° king of Epire being then the Gouerner of the citie Tarentum a certaine man named Cineas a ThessaliaÌ„ borne being in disputation with Fabritius about pleasure saying that he heard a Philosopher of Athens affirming that all which we doe is to be referred vnto pleasure which when M. Curius and Titus Coruncanus hearde they desired Cineas to perswade the King Pirrhus in that to yéelde vnto pleasure and make the Samnits beléeue that pleasure ought to be estéemed whereby they knew if that King Pirrhus or the Samnites being then great enimies vnto the Romanes were adicted vnto lust or pleasure that then soone they myght be subdued and destroyed For that nothing hindereth magnanimitie or resisteth vertuous enterprises so much as pleasure as in the treatise of pleasure it shall at large more appeare Why then how happie is olde age to dispise and contemne that which youth by no meanes can auoyde yea to loath and abhor that which is most hurtfull vnto it selfe For Cecellius contemned Caesar with all his force saying vnto the Emperour that two thinges made him nothing to estéeme the power of the Emperour Age and witte Castritius wayed nothing at al the threatning of C. Carbo being then Consull at Rome which though hée sayd hée had many friendes at commaundement yet Castritius aunswered and sayde that he had likewise many yeres which his friendes might not feare Therfore a wiseman sometime wept for that man dieth within fewe yeres and hauing but little experience in his olde age he is then depriued thereof For the Crowe liueth thrise as long as the man doth The Harte liueth foure times longer than the Crow The Rauen thrise againe liueth longer than the Hart. The Phaenix nine times longer than the Rauen And therefore bicause birdes doe liue longer time than man doth in whome there is no vnderstanding of their yeres But man vnto whom reason is ioyned before he commeth vnto any grounde of experience when hée beginneth to haue knowledge in thinges hée dieth and thus endeth hée his toyling pilgrimages and trauayle in fewer yeres than diuers beastes or birdes doe ¶ Of the maners of sundrie people and of their strange life THe sundrie fashion and varitie of maners the straunge lyfe of people euerye where through the worlde dispersed are so depainted and set foorth amongst the writers that in shewing the same by naming eche countrey and the people therof orderly their custome their maners their kinde of liuing something to signifie howe diuers the maners of men bée Therefore I thought briefely to touch and to note euery countrey in their due order of liuing and to beginne with the Egyptians people most auncient and most expert in all sciences that Macrobius the writer calleth the countrey of Egypt the nourse and mother of all Artes for all the learned Gréekes haue had their beginning from Egypt euen as Rome had from Gréece This people obserue their dayes by accouÌ„t of houres from midnight vnto midnight They honour the Sunne and the moone for theyr Goddes for they name the Sunne Osiris and the Moone Isis Their féeding was of fishe broyled in the heate of the Sunne with hearbes and with certaine foules of the ayre They lyue a thousande yeares but it is to be vnderstanded that they number their yeares by the Moone The men beare burthens vppon theyr heades and the women vpon their breastes and shoulders The men make water sitting the women standing The Crocodill is that beast which they moste estéeme that being deade they burie him A Sowe is that beast which they most detest that if anye part of their clothes touche a Sowe they straight will pull of their clothes and washe them ouer They are blacke people most commonly slender and very hastie Curtius call them sedicious vaine very subtill in inuention of thinges and much giuen to wine The Aethiopians people that liue without lawes and reason seruauntes and slaues vnto al men selling their children vnto merchauntes for corne their héere long with knottes and curled The Indians people of two muche libertie as Herodot sayth accompanying their women in open sight neyther sowe they nor builde neyther kill they any liuing beast but féede of barly breade and hearbes They hange at their eares small pearles and they decke their armes wrestes and neckes with golde Kinges of India are much honoured when they come abroade their wayes set and deckt with fresh flowers swéete odours and men in armes folowing their Chariots made of Margarits stones and men méeting with frankinsence And when their king goeth to bed their harlottes bring them with songues and mirth making their prayers vnto their Goddes of darckenesse for the good rising of their King Againe the children kill theyr parentes when they waxe olde Their maydes and young damoselles of India are brought abroade amongst the young men to choose them their husbandes When any man dieth his wife wil dresse hir selfe most brauest for
Hectors harnesse quite was of supposing none so nie When great Achilles watcht in place in Hectors face to flie And with his speare hée thrust him through from Hectors side to side Thus famous man and Phrigian Prince thus Troyan Hector died ¶ Thimistocles death THat noble Gréeke Themistocles by Artaxerxes forcde To fight agaynst his natiue soyle in harnesse braue was horsde But marke a valiaunt minde beholde a famous déede To hurt his soyle this noble Gréeke did féele his heart to bléede To voyde this wrath of Perseans Prince hée bloode with poyson dranke And so to die that so did liue hée gladly God did thanke ¶ Marcellus death MArcellus in his glorie great triumphant Uictor oft The Spurre of Rome and Romane guyde in state aduaunced loft Who by the Senate sage was sent to Massinissa King And charged that from Africk fieldes an aunswere he shoulde bring On surging Seas of wambling waues vnto his busines bent Dame Fortune doth with flattering feates such loftie mates preuent ¶ Nero his death IN lust who leadeth life with Tyraunt Nero here Must with Nero ende his life as did in Rome appere Who slue his Mayster Seneca who did his mother kill Who spoyled all who spared none who last him selfe did spill Whose death as ioyfull was to Rome as Rome his life detest That into Tiber he being deade the Romans threwe this beast ¶ Hercules death WHich Dragons Lions Tigers wilde which beastes so fierce did tame Which Castles Countries Townes and Towres loe death subdued the same What Hercules hadde at Nessus hande the same with flames did frie Wherein that ofspring great of Goddes and impe of Ioue did die ¶ Herods death WHen Herode raigned in Iuda King his lothsome life to ledde On sucking babes and infantes bloode this cruell tyraunt fedde To séeke our Sauiour Christ he kilde the babes of Iuda lande And thought our God coulde not escape his fomie blodie hande Of Wormes this Herode was deuourde of vermin loe and mise His bones his fleshe was all consumde and eaten vp of Life Seleucus king of Siria his death SEleucus King of Siria lo Antiochus sonne the great To whome in middest of ioyfull state did fortune vse this feate That mounted high on stately stéede with princely port to ride From pompe from pride from horse he fell and there Seleucus died That earst in Siria had such fame and liued long in mirth With crawling créeping wormes hée lieth starcke naked in the earth Traians death WHen twentie yeares had Traian rainde in Romane Empire lo In Citie called Seleucia died from Persea comming fro Whose noble dayes and happy yeres while yet in Rome hée dwelt Both Rome and Romanes then reioycde no griefe in Rome was felt He rightly ruled Rome by lawe he Romane safegarde sought To punish vice and hate eche sinne Plutarchus him hath taught King Anceus death WHo thinkes to ioye shall hap to wo who thinkes to liue shall die Who thinkes to spéede shall often misse thus fortune friendes doth trie As Anceus King of Samos sought to slea a sauage Bore Was by the Bore he thought to kill constraynde to die before ¶ Heliogabalus Emperour of Rome his death BEholde another Gorgon grim a monster Cyclop lo Whose lothsome life and wicked wayes all Rome did feare I know The sincke of sinne the shape of shame the beast of Rome was calde The cruelst scourge the sorest plague that euer Rome haue stalde This monster murthered in a iakes and halde through Rome in stéetes And after throwne to Tibers streames shut in his shrowding shéetes FINIS ¶ Of Memorie and Obliuion SOme hold that opinion that in the auncient tyme whiles yet the worlde florished not in learnyng that memorie then was moste sette by and esteamed for what so euer was seen or heard was then committed vnto Memorie and not recorded in bookes whiche Socrates saied after the vse of letters were had the vertue of Memorie decaied for the care whiche then was in harte and memorie with feare and diligence to obserue is of all now put in bookes that now our memorie is put in writyng and then was it fixed in minde in so muche that noble Athenian Themistocles passyng by Simonides schoole who as some suppose taught firste the arte of Memorie beyng demaunded whether he would learne the arte and facultie of Memorie answered that he had rather learne how to forgette thynges then to keepe thynges in Memorie for I can not saied he forgette what I would and I haue thynges in Memorie whiche faine I would thei were out of Memorie Seneca doeth so report of hymself that he was of suche perfect Memorie that he could reherse after one by hearing twoo huÌ„dred verses yea a greater maruaile of Memorie he could recite twoo thousande names of men beyng repeated once before hym with as good a Memorie as he that firste named them The like we read of Aelius Adrianus a capitain that hauing a greate armie vnder hym of soldiours if any were absent in any place about any businesse he had in Memorie the name of the persone the name of the place and the cause of his businesse Of this excellent Memorie to their perpetuall fame was kyng Cirus and Scipio the one a Persian the other a Romain whiche had this fame by Memorie that either of theim could seuerally call their soldiours by name euery one after an other whiche is moste rare yea moste maruailous hauyng so many alwaies vnder them as both Rome and Persia were chiefly in their daies by them defended to be able to name so many soldiours as either of them both had in armie Their Memorie was suche thâ—n that thei maie not be forgotten now Iulius Caesar was as muche renowmed for that Plinie reported that he could dooe suche thynges by Memorie as in readyng in talkyng in hearyng and in aunsweryng at one tyme that no fault could be founde in either of these fower qualities at one tyme practised whereby he deserueth no lesse praise by his Memorie then fame by his actes Diuers excelled in tyme paste in Memorie as Horâ—ensius a noble Oratour of Rome was able to speake in any place any thing which he premidated priuatly without studie openly he had more truste in his Memorie then in bookes Carmides of Grece was so famous for this facultie that he neuer heard any readyng but he could repeate it worde by worde without writyng were the writyng or readyng neuer so long he would not misse a sillable Cyneas a noble and a famous Oratour one of the counsailours of kyng Pirrhus beyng sente from Epire vnto the Senatours of Rome as an Ambassadour he but once hearyng the names of the Senates before he came vnto the Senate house where when he came he named them orderly by name euery one after an other that all the Senatours were in a greate admiration of his Memorie in repeatyng so many names in openyng so many matters in coÌ„cludyng so
that comparisons bee odious emongeste equalles and certaine more odious is it emongst vnequalles as betwene the riche and the poore But sithe the state of man is so diuers that some is contented with little and some neuer with muche Some toilyng and tramplyng hauing all thinges as though thei had nothing And some againe quiete and carelesse hauyng nothyng as though thei had all thynges consideryng that contentation of mynde and quietnesse of harte is the chief felicitie and soueraigne good of the worlde waiyng beside that pouertie is sure and saufe euery where and riches vnsure and dangerous at all tymes And that pouertie is carelesse and wealthe carefull I see not but by comparyng of the liues of Emperours Kynges and Princes of the worlde vnto selie poore menne But the state of the poore is better then the state of the riche as by Apollos Oracle proued of one Aglaus a poore manne in Arcadia preferred for his contentation before Kyng Cressus of Lidia whiche tooke hym self the happiest manne in the worlde for his wealth What profited kyng Darius to vanquishe the Persians and to be Kyng of Babilon and to haue out of Asia fiue hundred thre score and fiftene thousande Talentes yerely paied of tribute for he loste not onely all his wealthe but also his life for his wealthes sake by Alexander the great What profited Alexander again after that to haue the wealth of Persia the substaunce of Macedonia yea to haue all India and Asia and almoste the whole worlde in subiection and yet to bée poisoned of Antipater and lefte vnburied without regarde thirtie daies in Babilon for wealth was the chief cause of his death Was not poore Plautus and simple Cleanthes more happie in life then these two famous Kynges thei quietely with bakyng and bruing and appliyng their bokes liued a long tyme saufe and sounde These Princes were neuer at reste vntill one destroied an other in their youth and prime tyme. Kyng Xerxeâ— and Cirus gotte suche aboundance of wealthe by warres suche substaunce suche treasures that beeyng thereby disquietted and puffed vnto Pride to take enterprises in hande through perswasion of wealthe that the one after he thoughte to spoile and robbe all Grece was slaine by Artabanus the other thinkyng to subdue all Scithia was vanquished by Tomiris Queene of Scithia a woman and so bothe these proude Princes of wealth loste wealthe life and gooddes Was not Philemon and poore Acaetes which liued vnto the laste course of Nature quiete at reste more wise happie then thei If quietnesse of mynde if longe yeres if sauftie and soundnesse of life if perpetuall healthe maie perswade felicitie of life â–ª If poore Faustulus a Shepherd whiche somtyme founde in Romulus lefte of all men forsaken of his parentes hated of his freindes and nourished hym This Faustulus liued more mery yeres in keping of his Shepe a Shepherd then Iulius Caesar did in rulyng of Rome an Emperor For this Shepherde ended his life in old age this Emperour was murthered in the Senate house within fower yeres after he was elected Emperoure Was not Codrus a poore Poete and his wife Procula more luckie and happie to ende their daies after long life quietly then kyng Ninus and his wealthie Quene Semiramis that killed her housebande for the kyngdome of Assiria and after she likewise was slaine by her owne soonne Ninus for the obtainyng of the wealthe and substaunce thei had lefte was loste Examples are to many for the proofe hereof Solon a wiseman of Grece did preferre before riche and wealthie kyng Cressus Biton and Cleobis brethren twoo poore menne of Argiâ—e The poore familie of one Aelius in Rome where there were seuentene brethren hauyng but one poore fielde for their heritage liued longer proued happier and died more godly and liued more coÌ„tentiuely then the familie of Caesar. What was the cause that the Indians Babilonians Arabians and Lidians were spoiled destroied and murthered their greate substauÌ„ce â–ª treasures and wealthes of the Countreis If we examine well the doubtes and daungers of wealthe and waigh likewise the sauftie and surenesse of pouertie we must nedes preferre the quiete state of poore menne if thei be wise before the state and Fortune of Princes The worste lucke that can happen vnto a poore manne is to become riche for then he commeth from sure life to hasarde him with death And the beste that can happen vnto a riche manne is to become poore thereby is his life saued though his wealthe bee spoiled Howe Fortune dealeth in this poincte it is in diuers places of this booke mencioned The worst thyng that could happen vnto Demosthenes and Cicero was that they were aduaunced from their sounde state vnto honour and dignitie Wherby their liues wer lost the one beyng a consul of Rome the other the patron of Athens The worst thyng that could happen vnto Tullius Hostilius and vnto Torquinius Priscus was that thei wer aduaunced the one from a Sheparde the other from a banished straunger to be kynges of Rome If I should rehearse in this place howe many poore menne by callyng theim vnto wealth and honour haue been banished afterward slaine and imprisoned both in Rome in Gréece and in all the world I might séeme well vnto the reader more tedious then delectable If on the other side I should repeate how many Princes haue escaped death by loosing their Crownes and Scepters I were no lesse werie then fruictlesse Therfore I saie there is care and daunger in wealth and ther is quietnesse and safetie in pouertie The pleasure that Lucanus had in this worlde was nothyng elles but a poore Garden wher alwaies in his life he vsed to solace him selfe and when he died he commaunded his Graue to be made there where beyng dead he was buried Mecoenas had suche a Garden in Rome where all his feli-Citie was the Emperour Octauius might in no wise allure Mecoenas out of his Garden no more then Alexander the greate could moue Diogenes to forsake his Tunne to become wealthy here againe might bee brought those wise men that refused wealth and substaunce fled from honour and dignitie to liue quietly in pouertie but bicause I meane to be brief in all thinges I will omitte prolixitie Plinie doeth reporte that Protogenes a poore Painter was content to liue al the daies of his life in a little cottage that he made hym in his garden Plutarche likewise in the lief of Nicia doth write that Lamachus was so poore that when the people of Athens would make hym their king he wanted I saie Shues on his feete and yet had rather be poore Lamachus in safetie then to be kyng of Athens in danger For when a poore man named Hilarion met with certen Robbers and Theues and being demaunded of the Theues how chaunced that he feared not to walke alone in the night bicause saied hee I am