occasiōs to sin giue him grace to serue him When the son of god would reueil any secret mistery to any of his dear disciples he vsed to lead thē into solitary places separate frō the brute of the world therby to signifie to al posterities that by how much more god loueth a man by so much more doth he estraung deuide him from the felowship of the world Ducam illum in solitudinem et loquar ad cor eius The soule that is beloued of me saith god by his prophet Osee and which I haue predestinated I wil draw out of the troubles of the worlde and leade him into solitarie places and pryuately reueale vnto his harte my secretes Right happie is that soule whom the Lorde calleth to the desert of Religion there to serue him with greater deuotion follow him with more constancie of hart God hath spoken to many by signes and hath communicated with many by writinges wordes yea to some he hath whispered in their eare But he spekes onely to the hartes of those whom he loueth with his harte And little serues it that God spake to vs in the eare to heare him to our eyes to beholde him and to our tongue to exalt him if with all he spake not to the hart to loue him For it is impossible that he should loue God with his harte who hath him not imprinted in his hart And then doth GOD speake to the hart of a Christian when he drawes him out of the stormes of this worlde and leades him into the solitarinesse of a Monasterie where he may his body in puritie and his minde in contemplation For the trée that standes by the high waye geues more shaddow to the passenger then fruite to the owner that prunes it God doth not onely say J will draw him from the worlde and leade him into the desert But he sayde he would speake to his hart meaning that little doth it auayle to be led into the desert of Religion if with a good harte we doe not abandon the thinges of the worlde For more doth it hurt then good if our Surgion draw from vs a grosse tooth and leaue behinde some corrupt rote to infect the gumes And therefore who forsakes the world with good hart and entreth into Religion with holy intention it is he with whose harte God doth communicate and loues him with his harte God hath promised that wheresoeuer two be gathered together in his name he would be the third therefore it is good Religion to beléeue that he is in all houses well corrected and in euery vertuous congregation compounded vpon religious persones magnifying and seruing him both daye and night So that such as are admitted to a vertuous assemblie can not haue in this Worlde a more great felicitie And therefore not without great misterie God commaunded Abraham to abandon the house which he had builded and the inheritance which he had established thereby to instruct all professors of religion that in all temporall thinges are impediments to be good Christians and hinder the science of perfection in religion Declina a malo et fac bonum thou oughtest to flee darkenesse if thou wilt enioy the light thou must folow the right way if thou wilt not erre auoyd the mire and durt if thou wilt be with out spot and cleane yea thou must first forbeare to be euill if thou wilt begin to be good so shalt thou which the councell of Dauid eschew the vice and follow vertue This discourse was vttered in the presence of a Noble Lady at her Churching SInt lumbi vestri praecincti et lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris Oh thou that commest or meanest to come to the house of the Lorde sayth Christ it behoueth thée to be straightly girt afore the Candle the Candlesticke be giuen thée in thy hande For amongest the Seruantes of God if we sée any goe heauely sadly and discomforted it is a good argument to say that he is negligent not well girt The Scripture beares witnesse that Elias in the Desert S. Iohn in the Wildernesse S. Peter in Prison S. Paule in Ephesus and Christ vppon the Pinacle although they were thinly cloathed yet were they well girt By which is gathered this instruction that notwithstanding the troubles and persecutions happening to perfect men they ought not for all that to giue ouer that they haue begon nor be colde or negligent in that they haue taken in hande The gowne that is well girt kéepes the body warme and gathereth lesse wynd Euenso the man that professeth a religiō to serue God being girt with puretie and holy intentions is the better armed against the winde of vanities of this world and no lesse prepared for the heate of deuotion and seruice of god So that then wée may say a man is well girt when we sée him in the way to be holy and iust For so abstinent and continent ought we to be in religion that both the worlde may behold our vertue and many made better by our example And therefore where the LORDE saith it behoueth vs to haue our gownes girt afore wée take the candels in our handes it is to aduise vs that in such sorte should wée leaue bound trodden out and naked the vanities and ryches of this world that they haue no power to followe vs and wée lesse desier too goe séeke them The lighted candelles which wée should haue in our handes be the good and holy works we ought to doe and as he is one that holdes the candell and he an other that pertakes in the vse and light of it so the good worke of the holy man is not onely profitable to himselfe alone but it also serueth to edifie an other that séeth him do it with all like as he is not exempt from sinne who to an other giues occasion to sinne in like sorte that man can not be without meritte whose vertue is the cause that an other doth any good action the same agreeing with the interpretation of this text of the Prophet Particeps sum omnium timentium te when we are the cause that other men serue God wée do communicate and pertake saith he with the merit of such good thinges as they do in his seruice It sufficeth not saith Iesus Christ to holde one onely candell in our handes but it is requisite to the office and pietie of Christians to haue many For as the true christian and man of perfect deuotion to GOD receiues of the plentifull hand of the Lorde many graces and benefites So it is necessary that he do him many seruices and kéepe his spirit in continuall exercise of thankesgiuing For as this is common in the office and frendshippe of men that by how much lesse we are raised to benefites aboue our merit so much more are bounde to owe al those due respectes of recompence and ciuility as may hold vs acquited and leaue our frend satisfied Euen so with God this
deserue to be chastised and matters that ought to be dissembled So it can not but happen to the furious man that in place to appease and couer iniuries he will of himselfe thunder reproches agaynst the parties But now after the daungers and domages that come by Anger it apperteynes to reason and congruencie to exhibite a fewe remedies to Cure or qualifie those moodes In all our affayres and actions it is good to fore sée both what may happen to vs and what may be sayde of vs For so shall we be Armed that albeit men geue vs cause to be Angrye yet they shall haue no power to make our passion furious And therfore the same néede that the poore man hath of Riches and the Foole of Wisedome the same necessitie hath the harte of patience For béeing Subiect to many Afflictions and the troubles no lesse that assayle him together wyth the daungers that depende on them wthout comparison many mo be the thinges which he ought to suffer in patience then that are Lawfull for him to reuenge wyth his Tongue And if of euery wronge that is done to vs and of euery aduersitie that is naturall to our condition we should reteyne special accompt and reckoning our hands would neuer cease to reuenge our Tongue weary with complayning and our hart wasted and broken with sighing For what man béeing a member of this miserable lyfe to whom is not one equall desire that his dayes and troubles might dissolue together Men béeing so ouergrowne wyth vices and so deuoured wyth affayres and businesses it is maruell that since they are so slow to cutte of their cares and troubles that the waues of their proper aduersities doe not rise and swallowe them vp And if the Phisitions ordeined to cure infirmities of the body would binde themselues to heale the sorows of the hart they should in particuler haue more patients mustering afore their gates then in times past were inhabitantes in Rome when it was best replenished For so naturall is the sickenesse of trouble and vexation that though many eschew it yet few haue power to liue long exempt frō it What is he either past present or to come who in his body hath not felt some paine and in his hart some passion hath not suffered some losse or spoile of his goodes or infamye to his person or at least who can walke so vpryghtlye to whome is not done some Iniurye or some Scorne or Reproache spoken But he that is Vexed wyth all these Aduersities and wyll make Headde agaynste them and Remedye them Let hym bée assured that euen then shall he laye the plotte of the ende and dispatch of his life when he begins to put order to these incurable harmes For as there is no Sea without working no Warre without daunger nor Iourney without trauell Euen so that there is no worldly lyfe voyde of troubles nor any estate without stombling blockes it is most apparant in this that there liues no man so happie which hath not wherin to be greued and wherupon to complaine For how many doe we sée whom Pryde makes fal Enuie consumes Anger torments Pouertie wasteth and Ambicion endeth their dayes so that for the most part such is the miscontentment of our mindes that our aduersities traueling our spirites in Martirdome driue vs to wishe rather an honest death then to languishe in so troblesome a lyfe And so if we will accomplishe this commaundement To be angrie and sinne not let vs in accidentes which the world fortune and nature bring vpon vs dissemble some suffer some conceale some and remedie the rest and in all thinges let vs follow reason and flée opinion For such as enter into Religion SVch as be Religious or aspire to the office and ministerie of the Church ought to haue alwaies afore their eyes the wordes which God spake to Abraham saying Depart out of thy Countrey and from amongest thy frendes and goe into the lande which I shall shewe thée and abyde where I commaunde thée For vnder these wordes shall they finde comprehended all that God doth for them and lykewise that which they are bounde to doe for the seruice of god Abraham being in the house of Tara his father and Aran and Achor his Bretherne Chaldees and Idolators God appeared vnto him and bad him leaue his Countrey and Parentes and goe where he would guide him and rest where he would commaund him and in recompence of this obedience sayth God I will make thée Lord ouer great nombers of people and will so geue thée my blessing as thou shalt for euer remaine blessed Out of these wordes may be gathered foure things which God commaunded Abraham and other foure things which God promised him So that as a Lorde he teacheth him in what he ought to serue him and withall tels him what rewarde he will geue him for his seruice Afore God called Abraham it was not founde that there was any vertue in him and much lesse that he had done any seruice to God only the scriptures make mencion that he was of the generation of Saruth and sonne af Tara and had to his Brother Aran which all were Gentils and Idolators Cassianus sayth that of thrée sorts be called those that come to the perfection of Religion One sort God calles by holy inspirations an other sort is chozen of men by good councels The thirde sort is constreyned to enter into Religion by some necessitie or misaduenture happened to them So that albeit the perfection of Religion be alwayes one yet the meanes to come thereunto are many The first function or estate is called deuine and consistes as is sayd in this when the great goodnes of God so toucheth the hart of a man that he leaueth that which he doth and doth that which he ought estraunging his minde from worldly thinges and raysing it to deuine and heauenly contemplations The seconde is called humaine or worldly as when any wicked liuer is tourned to God by the councell of some good man as Hippolito was conuerted to the Fayth by the instructions of S. Laurence The thirde vocation may be called constrayned or by necessitie as when a man of dissolute conuersation and falling into aduersitie is conuerted to God And as these be the thrée manners of calling and meanes to enter into Religion so if they be wel considered I sée not how the first oftentimes eyther doth much profite nor the last much hinder for more or lesse to serue God in religion For there haue bene many of those which God hath called to Religion condemned and many others which came to serue him by force haue ben saued Christ called and chused to the Colleadge of his Disciples the cursed Judas and the Apostle S. Paule being reuersed and falne from his Horse necessitie compelled him to know Iesus Christ So that Judas being exalted fell and S. Paule being falne was exalted This I bring in this place to the ende that none estéeme much or
hatred contentment and displeasure prosperitie and aduersitie consent and deniall and hope and dispaire So that we trust our selues to much baing of our selues deceiued We are made gréeuous to our selues since aswell daye as night we are vnresolute what we ought to chuze or refuze what we should loue or hate what we are bounde to flee or folow what belonges to vs to giue or to kepe wherein we ought to speake or to holde our peace and whether we should suffer or reuenge wherein in the ende we finde our selues vnhappie in all thinges sauing that euen in our infelicities we are happie We are gréeuous to our selues since all the delights of this lyfe displease vs wearye vs and tourne to our discontentment and yet being wearie to liue we would in no wise die Yea though we absteine somtine from sinne it is not for want of will but because we cannot as men that are tyred haue no facultie to goe further We are made gréeuous against our selues for that if we be sicke it coms thorow our owne surfeit disorder If we be pore it is because we liue idly And if we be punished by the maiestrate it is for that we haue offended the lawes So that in none is so iust cause of complaint against any as in man against himselfe for that al the trauels perplexities infirmities that trauellour fraile bodies our selues doe bréede them and for the most part we goe out and search them For in geuing libertie to our eyes to beholde thinges vaine in suffering our tongue to tell vntruthes in yéelding our eares to heare flatteryes and our hart to loue thinges that we ought not I saye if there be in vs any member that absteines from sinne it is not through any resistance that we make but for feare of some punishement Then if it be true that we rayse war against our selues wyth whom shall we haue true peace If we worke our owne afflictions in whom shall we finde comfort to whom shall we not be hurtfull if we be enemies to our selues And against whom may we make complaint seing of our selues we receiue the iniuries There is in vs no hope or expectation of profite to others when we are hurtful instruments against our selues Oh wretched infelicitie of man to whom there are none so furious and raging enemies as his proper desires who on the one side holde him in feare and on the other giue him courage and hart Sure we ought to be gréeuous against our selues when wée remember the great welth we haue and the little good we doe with it when we conferre our time lost with the euill example we haue expressed Yea when we measure the benefites we haue receiued with our ingratitude our readinesse to sinne with our slownesse to amende the ill that we haue done with the good we might haue done we ought I say in true conference and consideratien of these thinges to be ashamed to liue and haue great feare to die PLVTARKE writeth to the Emperour TRAIAN being lately his Disciple and now raysed to the Empire A Letter tending to instruct Princes newly raysed to principalities RIght excellent Prince Albeit the long experience I haue had of the moderation of your will together with what disposition you haue alwayes affected estates and dignities Yet I haue neuer knowne you subiect to those desires which for the most part gouerne most mē that is to aspire to kingdoms and principallities A man to forbeare to winne and purchase honor is out of the limittes of wisedome but not to giue libertie to the hart to desire it is sure a vertue more diuine then huntaine For that man doth enough who restraineth the action that his handes haue power to execute and maketh his desires equall with thinges honest indifferent and reasonable Wherein with iust cause may I say thy Empire is happie since thou hast done Actes to deserue it and vsed no corrupt industrie to purchase it For dignities apperteining properlie to vertue vertue of her selfe transferreth them to those men to whom her selfe is conioyned There haue bene many Emperours who haue not bene so much honored for the estates they haue had as for the merite of their vertues by the which they haue bene raysed vnto them For the honor of a man consistes not so much in the present office he hath as in the vertues and merittes which followed his lyfe afore So that it is to offices that men geue new honor where to the personage belonges nothing but paine and charge And therefore remembring for mine owne part that I haue gouerned thy youth and instructed thy witte with good learning I cannot but reioyce as much in thy excellent vertues as in thy supreame Fortune alluding to my selfe no small happinesse that in my time Rome hath a Lorde euen he that hath bene my Disciple Principalities of tiranie are got by force susteyned by Arms which as I haue always knowne to be far from thy nature cōdition so hast thou now to remēber that thou oughtest to doe nothing to bring thée into the opinion suspition of men For as the Empire is discended vnto thée with the voyce and consent of all men so it belonges to thée to enterteyne it with due iustice towardes all sortes Wherein if thou béest thankefull to the great God patient in chaunces and fortunes carefull in daungers mylde to thy People and affable to straungers not gréedie of riches nor a louer of thy proper desires the burden of thy place will be easie thy renoume perpetuall and all common weales and Posterities made happie by thy example I aduize thée with great reason not to be a follower of thy proper desires for that there can be no worse gouernement then that which is managed by Opinion onely Since he that Administreth in a Common Weale ought to liue in Feare of all but much more of himselfe for that much more is he Subiect to fayle and Erre following his will and fancie then if hée Followed the Direction of his well aduized Councell assuring thée that too auoyde Infamie too thy selfe and preiudice to thy People thou oughtest first to applie Correction to thy selfe afore thou Minister Discipline to others Therefore it were good that now that thou commaundest thou shouldest expresse thy selfe such one as when thou wast commaunded For other wayes little would it serue thée by thy vertues to haue deserued the Empire if afterwardes thy want of gouernement made thée vnworthie to vse it since it is more worthy to deserue honor thē to possesse it To atteine to honor is a worke humaine but to preserue it is a grace diuine And therefore thou hast to take héede that though thou art a Souereigne Prince yet thou hast no priueleadge to be in all thinges an absolute Lorde For amongst men there is no authoritie so supreame which hath not God to be iudge ouer them and men to be beholders of what they doe In which respect now
what necessitie and profite to the lyfe of man. What meritte or estimation can be due to the impatient man what wealth hath he that hath not the riches of patience and how doth that man liue that liueth without patience The conuersation and lyfe of man hath often times néede of all the morrall vertues but the vertue of patience aboue all others and at all houres and momentes is most necessarie For that so many be the infelicities which surprise and trauell our humaine lyfe that if we make not as good custome to beare and suffer them as we doe to eate drinke we liue in vaine and shall assuredly fynde trouble in stead of true tranquiletie All which I applie to my selfe and there with all doe let you know that if it were not familiar with me to suffer dissemble with such as you are I had eare this in publyke sort defyed your malice and ministred reuenge to the iniurie you haue offered me The determination of enterprises of warre belongs to the Prince the affaires of the cōmon weale are referred to the Lawes al causes of controuersie are managed by iustice but quarrelles that impeach honor are tryed by the Sworde béeing albeit no lesse iust to chastice the corrupte Testimonies against our name and reputation then to wéepe and vse contrition for our proper sinnes yet in regarde I am Christian and no Pagan and that I professe religion and am a Gentleman I holde it more tollerable to forget this wrong then to reuenge it alowing the opinion of Alexāder the great that to him that is iniuried is more néede of vertue and courage to pardon his enemie then to kill him If you hadde charged me to haue taken away any trifle tending to recreation of pastime I would not haue denyed it for that I know how farre in all thinges stretcheth the office of frends but to say that I was so impudent to take your Pomander or so vaine to weare it you doe great wrong for that the one had bene against my Conscience and in the other had bene offence to my modestie and shame And therefore I saye that if to weare swéete smelles be no great sinne at least it cannot but encline to voluptuousnesse and partake wyth vanitie Such a young and valiant Knight as you are ought more to rayse his merit and renoume by actions of Chieualrie in forreine Warres then wearing Muske in the seames of his Garmentes at home To Women reteyning by nature many ordinarie infirmities which without the helpe of swéete smelles would often times appeare loathsome it is more tollerable to be perfumed then men and yet the good woman will rather labor to haue her vertues to shine then her Garmentes to smell of Muske Yea they are all bounde rather to liue well then to smell swéet A Pomander how well so euer it be tempered and how swéete so euer it smelles yet can it cast his sauour no further then the length of a streat Where a good renoume wil ring ouer a whole kingdome and the fume of a wicked lyfe will smoake ouer a whole Worlde So that whether she be maried or Wydow whether she be a Mayde or a Wyfe let her alwayes liue in feare of slaunder and thinke that the fame report of honor is the swéetest Insence to make her acceptable to all men being a thing most foule loathsome that her Garmentes should be perfumed with swéete odors and her lyfe putrifyed with euil conditions I neuer read that any Woman hath remained vnmaried for lacke of being well perfumed but many and many doe I sée refused for want of vertue for that the man inquiring of the conditions of his Wyfe will not so much care whether she smell swéete as examine if shée be of good Lyfe But let vs also speake of men to whom generally the Philosophers haue forbidden to weare perfumes or smelles By which occasion Rome remained almost thrée Hundreth yeares without eyther Spice to eate or perfumes to smell but after the Warres began to discontinue vices forgot not to réenter into custome By which we may inferre that if there were no idle men in the world there would be no such reckoning made of vanities and vice Cicero sayth that the fiue vices To erect Tombes to weare Golde ringes to vse Spice in Meates to allay VVine with VVater and to beare sweete Smelles The men of Asia sent as presentes to the Romanes in reuenge of the Cities and bloud that they had takē from them By which I gather that greater was the domage which Rome receiued by Asia then Asia by Rome For that the landes and Prouinces which the Romanes Conquered of the Asians were eftsoones reconquered and restored but the vices of them of Asia remayned as a perpetuall inheritance amongest the Posterities of the Romanes He that followeth the Warres to fight and he that laboreth the earth to liue by it hath more care to succéede his businesse then to smell to swéete odoures Yea it is familiar to vaine men to séeke to smell swéete and forget to liue well In Rome it was forbidden that neyther Mayd nor Wyfe should drinke Wine nor Man buye Muske Aumber or other perfuming smels And it was as ordinarie with the Magestrates to chastise men that boare perfumes as to punishe women that were founde Dronkardes The same being verifyed by the vertuous Emperour Vespatian who hauing the Penne in his hande readie to signe a dispatch which he had geuen to a Romane Knight and féeling him smell of perfume he did not onely reuoke his graunt but with many threates banished him forthwith his presence The Romanes persecuting Plutus a Conspirator with the Triumuirie founde him hid in a sellor by no other espiall or intelligence then by a swéete smel which he had scattered as he went Haniball a valiant and happie Captaine in his youth suffered his olde age to be seduced by the Dames of Capua and swéet oyntments of Asia who so effeminated the forces of his minde and body that he did neuer afterwardes any thing worthie of report The Romanes being in debate to chuse a Captaine to sende into the warres of Pannonia referred the resolution to Cato Censorius who of two that stoode in that adoption refused one of them béeing his nearkinsman for that saith he I neuer knewe him to retourne wounded from warres but I haue alwayes séene him go perfumed in the streates The great Numantia in Spaine could neuer be wonne notwithstanding fourtéen yeres séege of the Romanes till Scipio purged his Camp of loyterers perfumers and whores Licurgus a notable law reader amongst the Lacedemonians erected and institution vppon grieuous paines that no man should buie or sel any odiferous or swéete oyntments vnlesse it were to offer in the temples or to make medcines for the sicke By these examples may appeare how intollerable perfumes haue bene too wel ordered countreys and how hurtfull to many perticular personages it is a vice that slaundereth
when it is violent If we prayse the earth for her fruite we murmure against her when she is barraine If we haue commoditie by riuers for the stay of our thirst and to bréede fishes for our noriture they are intollerable on the other side when they ouerflow their channels and drowne our fieldes and cattell Too much meate bréedes indigestion and too little makes the stomak weake wāt of exercise brings sicknes too much labour is hurtfull solitarinesse makes vs encline to melancholy and too much conuersation is importunate Riches are accompanied with care and pouertie subiect to sorwe But let vs exchange these customes with the actions of auncient noble men in times past in whom if there were causes of many merites they boare also matter no lesse worthy of blame For the Gretians praised Hercules for his force but they accuse him of tirannies The Lacedemonians attribute much to Licurgus for the zeale he bare to his common weale but they note him for a most seuere and rigorous iudge With the Egyptians Isis is famous for his patience but they stayne him for his vnchastetie The Athenians extoll Plato for his doctrine but they accuse his great couetousnes The Romanes make Caesar to be mercifull and withall reapport him to be hautie and proud So that if in men of so great accompt haue bene found imputation of vice and fault you and I sir may well conclude that there is no bread without branne no Nut without shell no trée without barke no corne without chaffe nor any man without fault All my life long I haue heard men complaine of women and women murmure against men in both which I thinke is one equall and common reason For since there resteth betwene man and woman such difference in their creation they must of congruent necessitie be contrarie in condicion And therefore except in Iesus Christ it is Blasphemie to thinke that any person is dispensed with all from erring or acquited from falling This discourse sir haue I vsed the better to bring into your remembraunce the mariage betwene you and my néece which was accomplished rather by ioynt will and consent then by necessitie eyther of you being in state well hable and sufficient to preferre you And seeing you cannot denie that when you made choyse of her you promised to serue her and with great importunities disauowed your self from all others to cleaue vnto her It is neyther reasonable nor iust that you now bequeath your selfe to the seruice of an other séeing by no equitie you can be due to none other but to her only If there be infirmities in her I hope they are not so desperate but the office of a good husband may either reforme or suffer them and for imperfections I sée not how she can be charged with any hauing beautie riches linage and vertue Oh how many wiues be there now a dayes who if they be riche they lacke beautie if they be faire they want linage if they haue high birth they are voyd of vertue If they be vertuous they are not young And being young they may perhappes want discretion and gouernement by meanes whereof as their husbandes haue wherevppon to repent and their parents no small cause of sorrowe So let all men esteme it no small felicitie to receiue in mariage a wife well borne young fayre riche and vertuous to whom he is bound as the soule to the bodie and if he exchange deuide himselfe to straungers he stands guiltie of no small offence and is subiect to no little daunger I heare sir that you vse the seruice of other houses then your owne in the night that you delite to walke the stréetes and behold the starres that you visite Curtisanes and haue familiaritie with bawdes exercises truly to decay your substance and bring daunger to your person And I cannot maruaile a little that hauing alreadie trauelled most regions in Christendome which ought to suffice to establish the race of your youth that now you will not séeke to put your mind in rest the oportunitie so seruing together wyth the commoditie of so good a wife and large liuing The vanities or follies which follow young men are for the most part referred to the gréennes of their youth but if wee haūt lightnes after we be maried much lesse that we can be excused séeing all the world standes vp to condemne vs And therefore to make pilgrimage to such saintes as you worship or visit shaded houses wherein dwell no bodie but curtisanes with paynted faces or to bee a straunger to your owne house wherein you find nothing but vertue and vertuous delites it can not but bring preiudice to your honour hazard to your soule slaunder to your posteritie and spoyle to your patrimonie For that being so possest by straunge women where they haue no possibilitie to marie with you they will labour to plumbe vppon you till they haue left you neither fether nor flesh If you haue no regard to your soule at least looke back to the safetie of your goods séeing that from the day you enter mariage and haue children as touching your goods you are no more Lord but only a tutor and kéeper of them And therefore no lesse guiltie is he that loaseth his own goods then he that robbeth an other But if you haue no respect to your goods at least beare care to your honour to the end you may more easely aspire to publike charge in the common weale which being not distributed to young men full of libertie but to men of setled stay and grauetie It behoueth you to remayne no longer as you are but to be such one as you esteme your selfe to be If you beare no respect to your honour at least vse consideration of your soule For so delicate is the lawe of Iesus Christ and so straite the cōmaundements of God that they do not onely forbid men conuersation with straunge women but also condemne all desires that waye It behoueth you also to haue care ouer the securitie of your person and health since it commonly hapneth to the man that emboldneth himselfe to drinke of all Waters and carieth a key to open other mennnes Lockes that in séeking to dishonor his neighbour he shall suggest perill to his owne lyfe Your Wyfe will endure harde Fare many frownings restraint of libertie all reproches yea though they be thundred with stripes with all other perplexities vpon condition onely that you loue her alone and séeke no knowlege with others For there is no greater dispaire to a Maried woman then when her Husband dischargeth vpon her backe all his Iars Quarrels and passions and reserueth his pleasures ioyes and companie for an other Yea it is harde in whether of the two resteth the greater harte eyther as touching the Husbande to doe so or in respect of the Wyfe to endure it Oh it is intollerable to the Wyfe to heare her husband merie abroade and finde him frowarde at home
guided by the hand of God that besides the large great testimonies annexed to the gospel it selfe yet the aduersaries beare with it such witnesse and authority to the dishonour of sathan his errours that by their owne confessions we sée that the cause why they remaine in their hardnes of hart without receiuing the light way that leades to eternal life hath proceded of their sinnes and blindnes making them subiect to the subtill suggestions and pollecies of the deuil wherein for a proofe I shal not so much néede to infer authorities of scripture and olde christian authors who notwithstanding are sufficient to verifie and confirme our faith as to take to my ayde the weapons of our enemies to the ende that by the testimony of their proper consciences wée may remaine absolued and they condemned The firste testimony I will produce shal be Tertulian a writer in the time of the primatiue church a man of greate knowledge maintayning the cause of the Christians against the Pagans and pleading and writinge publykely on the christians side And hauing as it were but sipped and tasted of christianity Hee had more fully surfeyted of the Pagan faith to whom he bare a resolute zeale hee was in the times of the Emperours Seuerus and Caracalla being about two hundred thrée score and ten yeares after the death of Christ All the argumentes which he inferreth against the Pagans he deriueth from their proper historyes and of thinges that were done in that tyme showing the reason why Christ was not worshipped at Rome The Romaines had this custome not to Canonize any newe God although the Emperour woulde haue it so without the approbation and consent of the Senate the same well appearinge in all the Romaine Edictes and histories wherein is defended to receiue any Straunge GOD wythout the authoritie of the Senate and that by reason of the great inconuenyences happening by the lybertie that euerie one tooke to patronise himselfe with one GOD a part as may be séene in the times of the Bachanales and other seasons It happened that Pilat who had giuen sentence of death against Christ notwithstanding he was stubburne in hys opinion yet being conuinced both by his conscience and the certainty he had of the restitution of him whom he had condemned to death Aduertised Tiberius the Emperour of all that had passed touchinge the death and resurrection of our Lorde The Emperour obseruing with this report the opinions and great renoune that went of his passion wrote to the Senate that it were good to canonize Iesus Christe for a God But the Senate whether it was for that they were not called to the first consult of this matter or that they would not make thinges so easie to the Emperour specially in a case of so great importance fearing it woulde growe to example and consequence helde opinion contrary to the Emperour and would not suffer that CHRISTE should be worshipped as god Whervpon the Emperour published an Edicte againste such as woulde accuse christians the deuill hauinge then stirred vp the Iewes and Gentilles to persecute those that had receiued the gospell by which it came to passe that in the time of Tiberius the christian church was somwhat in rest the gospell fructifiinge greatly amongest the gentiles Thus much for Tertulian who durste not haue written so in his time if thinges had passed otherwayes For then was Rome in her estate and statutes of the Senate were diligently preserued by registers where vnto Tertulian sendes the gentiles referringe them to their proper actes and ordinaunces wherein they may finde that the first persecution againste the christians was in the raigne of Nero In all these are ministred many thinges of consideration declaring that the affaires of the gospell haue bene managed by a special prouidence of God For firste GOD so wrought that Poncius Pilate who had passed CHRIST to execution bare witnesse to his Father of the greatnesse of him whom he had condemned Secondly the lawes of the Senate and contention that was betwéen the Emperour and the magistrates make good fayth and proofe that the refusing to canonize christ at Rome was not by any default that was founde in him but by reason of the vaine ordinances obserued there by the libertie of which they had power to accept for GODS such as they woulde and reiecte whom they helde not acceptable Besides the greate prouidence of GOD is knowne in this that the diuinitie of Iesus Christe being sufficiently iustefied as wel by his workes as by hys holy doctrine yea by the testymonyes of his enemyes yet he would not suffer him to receiue this dishonour to be accepted of the people of Rome for god and much lesse to be compared and placed amongest theyr false gods whom they worshipped he which was true God and had preached that there was but one God and that al others were nothing els but abusers and spirites of the Deuill This prouidence also shewed it selfe great in this that albeit the Emperour was no christian yet he forbad vppon great paines to trouble persecute or to accuse the christians the same being the cause that the gospell was published in his first age and that the gentilles and Pagans gaue eare to it to the end that when the great persecutions should happen the church might be found to haue some foundation and certaine troupes of christians vnited by the holy word of the gospell And therefore we haue to conclude that all these things and accidentes haue ben guided gouerned by the wisedome of God séeing they serue to the approbation of so high a mistery For our seconde testimony we will vse Plutarke a Pagan borne and of no small authoritie amongst them and at no time well disposed to the christians He thinking to set downe a reason why the Oracles of the gentilles had taken ende aledging many thinges according to his blindnes and without any knowledge in the affaires of God recites an historie by the relation of a frende of his of no small authoritie and knowledge as is suggested To this was referred so much the more stabilitie of faith and credit by howe muche he makes it to happen in hys time He saith that sailing into Italy and being in a shippe accompanied with his said frend and many others about the euening they fel with the coast of certain Ilandes now called Cuzolares confining vppon Italy There the winde failed them and by that necessitie were driuen to go on shoare in one of those Ilandes called Paff 〈…〉 e. Before the mariners had supped the Sea being at a softe and still calme they hard a voice comming out of the Iland which called one of the patrons of their ships beinge an Egiptian and had to name Tamus which was vnknowne to many of the company suffisinge to see him a Captaine and Gouernour amongst them This voice calling him thrée tymes he aunswered but to the thirde as kinge what it would to whom the voyce replyed aloude
hurts we haue by our enemies are causes to decrease our goodes the vices of our children bring losse and spoyle to our honour And where it may happen that an honest man may not receyne a blowe of his ennemie once in his lyfe the enormities of his owne children are sufficient to make him dye euery hower So that the perplexities wée haue sometimes by straungers are disgested as thinges happeninge by straungers as the wound that is outwarde may gréeue but not perishe the intrales But the displeasures passing in our house pearse déeper and as a martyr languishe the harte euen to death And therefore by howe much the Father beareth pittie to hys wicked Sonne by so much hee vseth extreame cruelty againste himselfe yea that day wherein he ministreth not correction to his Sonne that daye doth he iustice of hys proper person and sendes his renowne to question The Romaynes had a Lawe called Faelcidia by which the first offence of the Childe was pardoned the Seconde punnished and for the third he was banished which Law if it were eftsones reduced to practise in these tymes wée should not sée so many youth runne hedlong into vices nor so many Fathers suffer blame for their negligence But because Fathers doe not chastise and mothers too muche suffer the childe takes boldnesse in vice leauinge to the Parentes occasion to lament but no lybertye of remedie Where you wryte to me that you are old that your infirmityes make you weary as though you liued to longe I wishe you not to reckon your age so much by the nomber of yeares you haue lyued as by the many trauelles you haue endured For that to sensuallitie to liue a hundred yeares séemes but a short time and to the harte that is heauie and sorrowfull the lyfe of a hundreth momentes is too long and wearie It must not suffize you to séeme to bée olde but you must bée so in déede séeing he onely may bée called olde who puttes ende to his olde vices For little doth it profite to haue your head Graye and your Face Wrinckled if your lyfe follow younge customes and your minde Féede vppon Greene desyres the same béeing the cause why Olde men weakened wyth vice and Sinne are Subiecte to feare Death and to dye soone béeing wyth nothing so ill contented as to bée deuided from their vices The Author writeth to his Sister seruing in Court Partly hée instructes her how to liue in Court and partly satisfyeth her request vnder a short Discription of Loue. WEighing wyth the nature of the place where you are the qualetie of the affection I beare to you I dout whether it were better to vse playnesse according to good meaning or dissemble and so leaue you better contented For by the office of nature I cannot but warne you and yet to the place where you are nothing is lesse acceptable then to be instructed the Court béeing a place that sometimes couereth or séeth not the faultes in their frendes or else takes all thinges to blame and findes nothing in their foes that they may lyke But béeing my Sister I will vse my authoritie though not to please you yet to perswade you and acquite my selfe béeing farre from my profession to deale in matters of loue I that haue vndertaken the direction of consciences And albeit my other trauels priuat exercise make me very insufficiēt to debate with you to your ful satisfactiō yet taking the opportunity as it is I had rather put my imperfectiō vpōiudgment then leaue you not instructed hoping you wil no lesse answer for mine honor then for your sake you sée mée readie to hazarde it to Question Where you write to me that he that presented you wyth your laste Iewell was your frende and Louer I denye it since there is difference béetwéene him that Loues and one that is a Friende For a friende doth alwayes Loue but he that Loues is not alwayes a friende Which may bée well prooued in your Ladyes of the court For that in Seruice and Amarous deuotion you haue many that Serue you Follow you and desire you who may rather bée called your Louers then your Friendes since they intende no other thing then the practise of pleasure being as voyde of intent of mariage as they are of vertue Yea hauing not the Spirite to iudge of honest Loue nor true intention to follow it they bring oftentimes dishonor to their Ladyes whose simplicitie for the most parte falles into Slaunder by the Sutletie and malice of their Seruauntes Suche one I feare is hée that hath béestowed the Iewell vppon you which then you may best discerne when you finde him to Promise much and perfourme little assuring you that then hée vseth the Sleyght of the Fowler who wyth a Swéete Call bringes the Byrde to his Nette and deceaues her to her Destruction Consider therefore the place where you are the Race that you come of and what you pretende The Courte giues you Libertie to doe muche ill and little Instruction too Follow that is good And if you Stande not Faste vppon those Vertues you Learned in the House of your father the place it selfe will infect and change you since frequentation drawes into one felowship societie of Estate things that of themselues are different remēber also that to such as desire to be vertuous the house of the Prince is a schole house for their better instruction and a place helping to their aduauncement Wherein if any miscarie the falt may be more in their proper negligence then in the will of the Prince since to maydes of honor seruing in Court it is a greater aduauncement to be maried by the fauor consent of the Prince then by the patrimonies or portion which their parentes can leaue them I haue oftentimes written vnto you that if deuotion and conscience leade some women into Religion vertue and good name rayse others to preferment in court Therefore I aduise you lay not vp great confidence in your beautie much lesse presume vpon the greatnesse of your race For in Court for one Gentleman that makes loue to your persones you shall find twenty that spend the whole day to iudge of your liues since beautie without vertue and high kindred wythout good conditions is no other thing then as a goodly gréene Trée that florisheth with leaues and blossomes and brings forth no fruite or as a stately carued Image which men take great pleasure to beholde but are gréeued when they finde it dead and without qualitie You and the other Ladies your companions would haue me write what loue is wherein it consistes and what be the fignes and tokens of true loue estéeming me a man of studie and an auncient Courtier This office I might better tourne vppon your selues for that your beauties standing in the eyes of men leading them to sue to serue to solicit and to loue you mée thinkes it belonges to you to set downe the discription of loue and to me
discretion of the doers for that according to Aristotle all the operations and mocions of man procéede of the vnderstanding and will. And therefore it is hard to iudge of the workes and dispositions of litle children till by encrease of yeares they enter into the vse of reason a time when they haue habilitie to do well or ill The same béeing the cause why the Cannon speakes not indistinctly of all children but onely of such as are somewhat raysed into yeares and age For it impugnes nothing the opinion of such as saye that litle children are without sinne but meanes expressely of such as are ten or twelue yeares of age who in déede are not exempted from sinne Mans estate which is the third age begins at fiftene yeares and continueth till eight and twentie according to Isidores opinion This age the Latines call Adolescentia for two reasons the one for their possibilitie and nearenesse to engender the other for that they encrease and rise into strength Touching the first it is referred to the beginning of this age wherein young men approch the power of procreation which was further from them in their childhode as hath bene sayed The second consideration beholdes chiefely the end of that age according to the opinion of many who holde that man encreaseth till twentie or two and twentie yeares which is the end of Mans estate But Jsidorus sayth that Adolescentia lasteth till eight and twentie yeres notwithstanding man doth not alwayes rise in increasing till then and yet it séemes that that age tooke his name directly of encrease for that then man comes to his perfect growth In the ages afore rehearsed Jnfancie and Puerilitie man groweth still yea and in one part of the third age which is Adoloscentia But in the ages following he groweth nothing for that he hath taken his perfection afore And therefore seeing all growing endes in Adoloscentia for after that age man encreaseth nothing the name of encrease or growing doth most properly appertaine to him Youth which is the fourth age entreth at nine and twentie and endeth at fiftie as Isidore affirmeth The Latines call it Inuentus by reason of the helpes and aides that the world hath of men of that age as in deede that title is most proper to him by reason of the force and vertue which men of that age haue In the former ages men are not knit nor haue their forces accomplished But in this age they haue their full strength and are well hable to endure all impositions of paine burdens or trauell In this is discerned the difference of the two opinions the one establishing seuen ages and Isidore reckoning but sixe Such as make a nomber of seuen deuide youth adioyning vnto him an other part which they call Virilitie But according to Isidore there is but one age and that is called Youth which me thinkes is not to begin at the end of Mans estate at eight and twentie yeres as Isidore holdeth But it were better to determine Mans estate at one and twentie yeres a time wherein he hath taken his groath and thereto establish the beginning of youth which is to last vntill thirtie yeres or there about and after it may succéede Virilitie which may endure vntill L where Jsidore establisheth the end of youth According to this order the names of the ages may go properly with them For Junentus takes his name of this Latine Verbe iunare signifying to aide or helpe and in that age men are most conuenient to be employed and of most habilitie to giue aide And Virilitie deriueth from this Latine Noune Vires signifying strength as an age wherein men being compleate are in there greatest force And so as the youngman is good to minister aide and helpe so in the man accomplished is good habilitie to do things of himselfe For to haue necessitie of aide is referred to the forces yet weake and not accomplished but to do any thing of our selues is a true signe of strength fully furnished Besides it is of common proofe that a man comes not to his full strength till he be thirtie yeres olde and therefore by good reason that estate of age may be called Virilitie But Jsidorus thinking not to seperate virilitie from youth sets downe other termes and limits to ages establishing the end of Mans state at eight and twentie yeres and not at one and twentie and appoynting the begining of youth at nine and twentie a season that best makes perfect the strength of men he puts no difference betwene virilitie and youth The fifth age is called Grauetie or Vnweldinesse Touching this age the two opinions aforesayd do differ in name only Jsidore calling it vnweldinesse and the other giuing it no title at all They both séene to take the commoditie of the Latine word the one calling it senectus and the other seniam notwithstanding it concerne diuerse ages This age of vnweldinesse begins at fiftie yeres and ends at thréescore and ten as Jsidore holdeth who calleth it vnweldinesse because the qualitie of heauines or waight makes fall all things lower And as in the other foure ages afore men grow either in stature or in force so in this age their strength séemes to determine and their bodies and partes begin to decaye decline to debilitie For vntil fiftie yeres man mayntaines alwayes his strength and stature but after he begins to feint as one that had runne his course and doth nothing but heape infirmities and weaknesse euen vntill death According to the opinion of such as establish seuen ages this estate of yeres is called old age wherunto Isidore consents not but calles that old age which begins at thréescore and ten and continueth til death though man liue neuer so long So that all the other ages are restrained to certaine limits of yeares but this last age is subiect to no terme for that the day and houre of mans death are not knowne Jsidore speaking of this age sayth that old age béeing the sixth age can not bée limitted nor made subiect to terme for that there is attributed vnto it the residue of the life of man which passeth the first fiue ages But touching all that hath bene sayd heretofore that euery age of the life of man hath his certaine termes and limits except the last It is to be vnderstand that al is spoken of the ages of men of our time and not of such as were afore the floud since in those seasons the age of men were a thousand yeres Neither do we meane the men of the second age which begonne from the floud vntill Abraham for that in that age there were men that liued sixe hundreth yeares and some foure hundreth as appeareth by the Doctrine of Genesis And yet those men sayth Jsidore had no more age then we and all their yeares limitted to a certaine time and terme except the last age whereunto could bée ascribed no certaintie of terme for that as it is found in Genesis
them his eares are open to heare them if they appeale to him in their aduersities and he accompanieth them wyth his holy Aungell to the end they erre not he beholdeth the calamities they endure and yéeldes compassion to the complayntes they make accordinh to the comfort of the Psalme O culi domini super iustos et aures eius ad praeces eorum Still touching the discourse of Religion and of the professors of the same ANd albeit these words of our Lord That who perseuereth not to the ende shall not be saued are generall to all Christians yet they concerne most chiefly such as be of the ministerie who being called to an estate so holy by how muche they are chosen as men most necessary and worthy by so much more doe they offend the maiesty of God if they renounce or leaue it Redite domino deo vestro sayth God by his prophet If you promise any thing to your God looke to offer it giue it For a man hauing once past his promise must consider that to doe any thing is an office and action of the will but the accomplishment therof is of necessitie The Church compelleth no man to take baptisme but after we be once receiued she hath power to constraine vs to liue like Christians Euenso there neyther is nor ought to be authority to enforce one an other to chaunge habyte or enter the ministery but being once possest of the orders we are bounde to kéepe our profession Yea it belonges to the ministers of the Church to know that the perfection of religion consists not onely to take the habyt to forsake the worlde and to be enclosed within the precinct of his vycarage and Churchyarde But with all to him appertaynes the passion of paines troubles and iniuries and to striue to resist his affections and lastely to be constant with his brethren For that to liue in order is a thing easie but to perseuer to the end is entangled with great hardnes Non cessamus pro vobis orare vt dignos vos faciat vocatione sua we pray to the Lord cōtinually saith the apostle to the end you may be made worthy of his ministery that is that you be thought méete to be called by him and that he call you as he is wont to call those whom he loueth God inuiteth all God calleth all and entreateth them to serue and follow him But amongest all others those whom hée calleth particulerlye those doth hée holde vp wyth hys hande and if hée suffer them to slyde hée is readie to helpe them vppe agayne Suche as bée called of God perseuere to the ende but those whom the Ennemie leadeth retourne eftsoones to the Worlde Great is the comfort of suche as are come into Religion guyded by the hande of God séeing it is aduouched in the Scriptures that the holy Ghost led Iesus into the Desart and the wicked spirite caried him vp to the Temple not with intention that hée should Preache but rather to throw himselfe headlong from the place There were many other places in Jerusalem more high then that which the Diuell led Christ vnto but he desired nothing more then to make Iesus Christ fal from the pinacle of the temple by that which we are instructed that greater vaunt doth the Diuell make to make one of those fal which are consecrated to Christ thē a hundreth of suche as Prophane and wander in the Worlde And therwithall we are taught that the fall which the seruant of God makes in the ministery is dangerous to the soule doubtfull to his conscience and most slaunderous to the common weale It is written in the discourse of the liues of the fathers of Egipt that one of those holy ancients saw in a vision the assemblie of Diuels and hearing euery one report the diuersitie of illusions wherewyth they had be guiled the worlde hée saw their Prince make greater gratulation and recompence to one of those ill spirits that had deceiued a vertuous man of the Church then to al the rest sturring thousands to transgression sinne two of the childrē of the great sacrificator Aarō were burned for no other occasion then for that they had transgressed in one Cerimony of the Temple And albeit in the congregation there were no doubt greater sinners then those two Children yet God saw cause to punish them and dissemble wyth the others the better to make vs to know that the estate of the ministers is of such perfection that that which to the world is estéemed ceremony the same to men of the Church is rule and precept and the breache of it a sinne mortal So that vntil the Church militant be ended and that we go to enioy the Church triumphant of necessity drosse will be mingled with gold chaffgo with corne the thorne grow with the Roase marrow ioyned to the bones and good men be consociat with the wicked yea and this is no small wretchednes that many times it is more hard to endure a wicked man in the ministery then all the temptations which the illuding spirit can sturre vp there Vtinam recedant qui conturbant nos Would to God sayth S. Paule such as trouble our common weale were deuided from our company the man of the Church being wicked doth this hurt in the congregation either to prouok others to sinne by his example or at least to sturre them to murmure by his vile perswasions séeing the pot that boileth to much casteth out his fatnes the troublesom sea reuerseth the ships the vyolent winde renteth vp trées by the rootes and fluddes ouer flowing their chanels spoile the corne Euen so the minister which is not studious or géeueth not himself to praier or lastly occupieth not his mind with some exercise of the hand much lesse that he preuayleth in his function but is an instrument of euil to such as he can make like to himselfe the first curse that God gaue in the world was to the enuious Cayne saying Quia occidisti fratrem tuum eris vagus et profugus super terram Séeing I haue bestowed thée vppon the earth and thou hast there defyled thy selfe with the bloud of thy Brother thou shalt haue my curse to goe as a vagabounde in the worlde and lyue discontented according to which wordes of God to Cayne I say that for a man of order it is an other Paradise the tranquillitie that he findes in the exercise of the ministery But to him that hath a will corrupted it is a Hell to be subiect in that place Sewer in good consideration there is not vnder Heauen the lyke tranquillity as to be in companie of good men and to pray to God in societie of such as be vertuous And as Christ would neuer haue giuen to Cayne so great a curse if he had not committed so vyle a Treason agaynst his brother So the Lorde neuer suffereth that any minister or man of the Church wander or go as a vagabound through the world but for