liue well Like as in a payre of tables nothing may be well written before the blots and blurs be wiped out so vertue and noblenesse can neuer be seene in a man except hee first put away his vices Mar. Aur. Measure thy pathes and marke what vvay thou walkest so shalt thou be sure to passe in safetie Si vis ab omnibus cognosci da operam vt á nemine cognoscaris Nulli te facias nimis sâ—dalem Gaude bis minus et minus dolebis Of Consideration Defi. Consideration or iudgement is that which properly ought to be in euery Magistrate obseruing the tenor of the law it is the distinguisher of controuersies and bringer foorth of happy counsailes and agreements COnsideration is the enemie to vntimelie attempts Actions well meant ought alwayes to bee well taken There is no needles poynt so small but it hath his compasse neither is there any haire so slender but it hath his shadow Hee is not to be accounted rich vvho is neuer satis-fied nor happie vvhose stedfast minde in quyet possession of vertue is not established It is better to practise doe aduisedly then to thinke and imagine neuer so wisely The consideration of pleasures past greatly augments the paines present No man doth so much reioyce at his prosperity present as he that calleth to minde his miseries past Chilo It is farre better for a man to be absent then present at perrils It is a benefit to denie such thinges as will hurt him that asketh them The pardon may well be granted where he that hath offended is ashamed of his fault VVise men will alwaies consider what they ought to do before they conclude any thing As we haue the audacity to commit a fault so if wee list wee may inforce our selues to worke amends August In any affaires whatsoeuer there can be no greater danger or else no greater safety then soundly to consider into vvhose hands men commit their causes Not so hard is the inuention in getting as the disposition in keeping when it is gotten Men loose many thinges not because they cannot attaine them but because they dare not attempt them Pythag. As a vessell sauoureth alwayes of the same liquor wherewith it was first seasoned so the minde retaineth those qualities in age wherin it was trained vp in youth CoÌ„sideration is the root of all noble things for by her we doe attaine to the end of all our hopes True consideration is the tutor both to action and speaking The haters of consideration neuer prosper in their actions Consideration is an honour to the meanest and improuidence a shame in princes Good consideration ought to be laide before we giue credit for faire tongs oft-times worke great mischiefes Circumspect heed is an espetiall care of the minde to bring those things which wee take in hand to some good purpose Circumspect heede in warre is the cause of scaping many dangers in peace Circumspect peace doth all things to the increase of vnity amongst men The causes bringing circumspection are feare care necessity and affection Feare afflicteth care compelleth necessity bindeth affection woundeth Bee circumspect to shevve a good countenaunce to all yet enter not into familiaritie with any but onely such whose conuersation is honest and vvhose truth by triall is made trusty Archim Suddaine trust brings suddaine repentance Qui sua metitur pondera ferre potest versate diu quid ferre recusent Quid valeant humeri Of Office Defi. Office or dutie is the knowledge of man concerning his owne nature contemplation of diuine nature and a labour to benefit our selues and all other men it is also taken for authority or rule MAns life may not bee destitute of office because in it honesty consisteth Office is the ende where-vnto vertue aymeth and chiefely when vve obserue things comely Office marrieth the soule to respect maketh it principally acquainted with piety The first office of dutie is to acknowledge the Diuinity Office is strenthened by zeale and zeale makes opinion inuinsible VVee must feare a dissembling officer because he delights in a tyrannous office A busie officer doth best become a troublesome office The office of a wise-man prefers euer consideration before conclusion Office without profit brings a man to pouerty and profit without office looseth his best reward Men to rule mens desires is the greatest authority In dooing nothing but what we ought wee deserue no greater reward but what we beare about vs. Chris. To know euill is an office of profit but to vse euill is a sinne of indignity Vpon the Anuile of vpbrayding is forged the office of vnthankfulnes It is an office of pitty to giue a speedy death to a miserable and condemned creature It is also an office of charitable loue to doe good vnto euery man that needeth and to refraine from seeking reuenge for our owne iniuries Loue sufficiency and exercise are the three beauties which adorne offices Old men well experienced in lawes and customs ought chiefly to be chosen Officers It is not meete that man should beare anie authoritie which with his money seeketh to buy another mans office The buiers of offices sell by retaile as deerâ— as they can that which they buy in grosse No poynt of philosophy is more excellent then office in publique affaires if officers doe practise that which Philosophers teach VVhere offices are vendible there the best monied ignorants beare the greatest rule They which sell offices sell the most sacred thing in the vvorld euen iustice it selfe the Common-wealth subiects and the lawes It is as hard an office to gouern an Empire as to conquer an Empire He is only fit to rule beare office which comes to it by constraint against his will The office of a Monarke is continually to looke vpon the Law of God to engraue it in his soule and to meditate vpon his word Officers must rule by good lawes good examples iudge by prouidence wisedome and iustice and defend by prowesse care vigilancie Agesil Pericula labores dolores etiam optimus quisque suscipere mauult quaÌ„ deserere vllam officij partem Cicero Sigismundus Romanorum Imperator dicere solitus est nulla nobis militia opus esset si suas quique ciuitates praetores caeterique magistratus moderaté iustequé gubernarent Of Auncestors Defi. Auncestors are our fore-fathers the reputed first beginners of our names and dignities from whom we challenge a line all desent of honour proouing our selues of theyr selfe substance TRue nobility desending from auncestry prooues base if present life continue not the dignity VVhat can the vertue of our ancestors profit vs if we doe not imitate theÌ„ in their godly actions Great merrits aske great rewards great auncestors vertuous issues As it is more coÌ„mon to reuenge then to reward so it is easier to be borne great then to continue great Stobaeus VVhere the perrill is great and the redresse doubtfull men are content to leaue right auncestrie in distresse It is miserable
fight is continuall and the victory rare A chast eare cannot abide to heare that which is dishonest nullâ reparabilis arte Laese pudicitia est deperit illa semel Lis est cum formá magna pudicitiae Of Content Defi. Content is a quiet and setled resolution in the minde free from ambition and enuie ayming no further then at those things alreadie possessed COntent is great riches and patient pouertie is the enemy to Fortune Better it is for a time with content to preuent danger then to buy fayned pleasures with repentance He that cannot haue what hee would must be content with what he can get Content is a sweet sauce to euery dish and pleasantnesse a singuler potion to preuent a mischiefe A merry countenaunce is a signe of a contented minde but froward words are messengers of mellancholie Content is more woorth then a kingdome and loue no lesse worth then life The ende of calamitie is the beginning of content after misery alwayes ensues most happy felicitie Plut. A vvise man preferreth content before riches and a cleere minde before great promotion Misery teacheth happy content VVhat can be sweeter then content where mans life is assured in nothing more then in wretchednes Content makes men Angels but pride makes them deuils Many men loose by desire but are crowned by content Plato To couet much is misery to liue content with sufficient is earthly felicitie To will much is folly where abilitie vvanteth to desire nothing is content that despiseth all things The riches that men gather in tyme may fayle friends may waxe false hope may deceiue vaine-glory may tempt but content can neuer be conquerd By desire we loose time by content wee redeeme time Solon Content is the blessing of nature the salue of pouertie the maister of sorrow the end of misery To lyue nature affoordeth to liue content wisedome teacheth Displeasures are in our owne handes to moderate and content is the procurer of peace Content though it loose much of the world it pertakes much of God To liue to God to despise the worlde to feare no misery and to flye flatterie are the ensignes of content VVhat wee haue by the worlde is miserie what we haue by content is wisedom Aur. The eyes quiet the thoughts medicine and the desires methridate is content To bee content kills aduersitie if it assault dryes teares if they flowe stayes wrath if it vrge winnes heauen if it continue He is perfectly content which in extreames can subdue his owne affections No riches is comparable to a contented minde Plut. Hee that is patient and content in his troubles preuenteth the poyson of euill tongues in theyr lauish talkings Content and patience are the tvvo vertues which conquer and ouerthrow all anger malice wrath and backbiting To liue content with our estate is the best meanes to preuent ambitious desires Nemo quam sibi sortem Seu ratio dederit seu sors obiecerit illa Contentus viuit Horac Viuitur paruo bené Of Constancie Defi. Constancie is the true and immouable strength of the mind not puffed vp in prosperitie nor depressed in aduersitie it is sometimes called stabilitie and perseueranâ—e sometimes pertinacie the last of the parts of fortitude IT is the part of constancie to resist the dolors of the minde and to perseuer in a wel deliberated action Arist. Constancie is the health of the minde by which is vnderstood the whole force and efficacie of wisedome Cicero Constancie except it be in truth and in a good cause is impudencie He that hath an inconstant minde is either blinde or deafe Constancie is the daughter of patience and humilitie Constancie is the meane betweene elation and abiection of the minde guided by reason Plato Constancie is onely the Nepenthes vvhich who so drinketh of forgetteth all care and griefe Constancie euer accompanieth the other vertues and therefore iustice is defined to be a constant will to render to euery one what is right Nothing in the world sooner remedieth sorowes then constancie and patience vvhich endureth aduersitie violence without making any shew or semblance Agrippa It is the lightnesse of the wit rashly to promise what a man will not nor is not able to performe Cassiodorus It is not enough to say what shoulde bee done or what should not be doone but it behoueth to put it in practise The blessed life is in heauen but it is to bee attained vnto by perseuerance It is a great shame to bee weary of seeking that which is most precious Plato Many begin well but fewe continue to the end Ierom. Perseuerance is the onely daughter of the great King the end and confirmation of all vertues and the vertue without the vvhich no man shall see God Bern. Perseuerance is the sister of patience the daughter of constancie the friende of peace and the bond of friendshyp Not to goe forward in the way of God is to goe backward The constant man in aduersitie mourneth not in prosperity insulteth not and in troubles pineth not away In vaine he runneth that fainteth before he come to the goale Greg. The constant man is not like Alcibiades tables fayre without and foule within Constancie hath two enemies false good things and false euill false good things are riches honours power health long life false euill are pouerty infamy diseases death The only way to constancie is by wisdome A constant minded man is free from care griefe despising death and is so resolued to endure it that he remembreth all sorrowes to be ended by it Cic. Constancie is the ornament of all vertues Cato rather then hee would submit himselfe to the Tyrant Caesar hauing read Plato of the immortalitie of the soule slew himselfe Pomponius Atticus was much renowned for his constancie Marcus Regulus Fabricius Marius Zeno Anaxarchus and Epichatius Laeena for theyr rare and wonderfull constancie are woorthy to be recorded in bookes of brasse leaues of endlesse tymes Hee is not to bee reputed constant whose minde taketh not fresh courage in the midst of extreamities Bern. Rarae faelicitatis est celeritas et magnitudo rarioris diuturnitas et constantia Demost. Tardé aggredere et quod aggressurus sis perseueranter prosequere Of Religion Defi. Religion is a iustice of men towards God or a diuine honouring of him in the perfect true knowledge of his word peculiar onely to man it is the ground of all other vertues and the onely meanes to vnite and reconcile man vnto God for his saluation NO error is so dangerous as that which is committed in Religion forasmuch as our saluation quiet happinesse consisteth thereon Man was created for the seruice of GOD who ought aboue all things to make account of Religion If it bee a lewde part to turne the trauailer out of his right way and so to hinder him in his iourney then are such as teach false doctrine much more to bee detested because through such a mischiefe they leade men to destruction August
of pleasure and reward wherefore such as suffer in it aduersity shall in another world be recompenced with ioy Hermes He which delighteth in the world must eyther lacke what he desireth or els loose what he hath wonne with great paine He that is enamoured of the worlde is like one that entereth into the Sea for if hee escape perrils men will say he is fortunate but if he perrish they will say hee is vvilfully deceiued He that fixeth his minde wholy vppon the world looseth hys soule but he that desireth the safetie of his soule little or nothing regardeth the world After the olde Chaos vvas brought into forme the Poets faine that the vvorld vvas deuided into foure ages the first vvas the golden age the second vvas the siluer age the thyrd the brazen age and the fourth the yron age all which may bee more largelie read of in the first booke of Ouids Metamorphosis The worlde in the foure ages thereof may bee compared vnto the foure seasons of the yeere the first resembling the spring-tyme the second sommer the third autumne and the fourth winter Perdicas Hee that yeeldeth himselfe to the vvorlde ought to dispose himselfe to 3. things which hee cannot auoyde First to pouerty for hee shall neuer attaine to the riches that hee desireth secondly to suffer great paine trouble thirdly to much businesse without expedition Solon Mundus regitur numine deorum estque quasi communis vrbs et ciuitas omnium Cicero Mundus magnus homo homo paruus mundus esse dicitur Of Beginning Defi. Beginning is the first appearance of any thing and there can be nothing without beginning but onely that Almightie power which first created all things of nothing EVill beginnings haue most commonlie wretched endings In euery thing the greatest beauty is to make the beginning plausible and good It is better in the beginning to preuent thē in the exigent to worke reuenge That thing neuer seemeth false that dooth begin with truth The preface in the beginning makes the whole booke the better to be conceiued Nature is counted the beginning of all things death the end Quintil. To beginne in truth and continue in goodnesse is to gette praise on earth and glorie in heauen The beginning of superstition was the subtiltie of sathan the beginning of true religion the seruice of God There is nothing wisely begunne if the end be not prouidently thought vpon Infants beginne lyse with teares continue it with trauailes and end it with impatience A foolish man beginneth many things and endeth nothing The beginning of thinges is in our owne power but the end thereof resteth at Gods disposing Stobaeus Neuer attempt any wicked beginning in hope of a good ending The most glorious and mightie beginner is GOD who in the beginning created the world of nothing Small faults not hindered in the beginning amount to mighty errors ere they be ended A worke well begun is halfe ended Plato In all workes the beginning is the chiefest and the end most hardest to attaine The beginning the meane and the end is a legacie which euery one enioyeth Sodaine changes haue no beginning Nothing is more auncient then beginning That which is betweene the beginning and the end is short Greg. The feare of God is the beginning of wisedome Sirach The beginning of all thinges are small but gather strength in continuaunce The beginning once knovvne vvith more ease the euent is vnderstood Begin nothing before thou first call for the helpe of God for God whose power is in all things gyueth most prosperous furtherance and happy successe vnto all such acts as vvee doe begin in his name Take good aduisement ere thou begin any thing but being once begun be careful speedily to dispatch it He that preuenteth an euill before it begin hath more cause to reioyce then to repent Take good heede at the beginning to what thou grauntest for after one inconuenience another will follow Begin to end and ending so beginne As entrance to good life be end of sinne Principijs obsta seró medicina paratur Cum malaper longas inualuere moras Principij nulla est origo nam ex principio oriuntur omnia ipsum autem nulla ex re alia nasci potest Of Ending Defi. The ende is that whereto all thinges are created by GOD which is the glory of his Name and saluation of his Elect albeit the order which hee obserueth the cause reason and necessitie of them are hid in his secrete counsaile and cannot bee comprehended by the sence of man THE end of thys worlde is a good mans meditation for by thinking thereon hee preuenteth sinne Basil. The end of trouble bringeth ioy the end of a good life euerlasting felicitie VVhat thing soeuer in this world hath a beginning must certainly in thys world haue also an ending The last day hath not the least distresse Felicitie is the end and ayme of our worldlie actions which may in this life be described in shadowes but neuer truly attained but in heauen onely Nothing is doone but it is doone to some end Arist. The end of labour is rest the end of foolish loue repentance The end is not onely the last but the best of euery thing Arist. The end of euery thing is doubtfull Ouid. The end of warre is a iust Iudge Liuius As there is no ende of the ioyes of the blessed so is there no end of the torments of the wicked Greg. The end of this present life ought to haue respect to the beginning of the life to come Bernard The end we hope for is euer lesse then our hopes VVhat was doubtfull in the beginning is made certaine by the end therof Hugo Seeing the euent of things doe not aunswer to our wils we ought to apply our wils to the end of them Arist. The end of a dissolute life is most cōmonly a desperate death Bion. Our life is giuen to vse and to possesse but the end is most vncertaine and doubtfull The end of sorrow is the beginning of ioy At the end of the worke the cunning of the work-man is made manifest Good respect to the ende preserueth both body and soule in safety Before any fact be by man committed the end therof is first in cogitation Many things seeme good in the beginning which prooue bad in the end Exitus acta probat careat successibus opto Quisquis ab euentu facta notanda putat Multi laudantur in principio sed qui ad finem prefeuerat beatus est Of Day or Light Defi. The word Dies which signifieth day is so called quod sit diuini operis it is Gods faire creature and the cheerefull comfort of man who by his word made the light thereof to beautifie it to the worlds end THose children which are borne betweene the foure and twenty houres of midnight and midnight with the Romans are said to be borne in one day Numa Pompilius as hee deuided the yeere into Moneths so hee deuided the
worst God did not couer nor hide the truth vnder a Mountaine to the ende that none but such as toyled for her might finde her but as with the heauens hee hath enuironed the earth and the hells so hath hee couered the truth with the vaile of his charitie which whosoeuer will knock at the heauenly dore might enter in The end of Grammer is to speake aptly and agreeably and the ende of speach society of Rethorick to carry all mens minds to one opinion of Logicke to finde a truth amidst many falshoods all other Arts doe likewise tend to truth Speech is but the shadow of effect which as Euripides sayeth agreeing with the truth is single plaine without colour or counterfait Pharamonde the first King of Fraunce was named VVarmond which signifieth truth Truth feareth nothing more then to be hid shee careth for no shadowing but is content with her owne light Truth is a vertue that scaleth the heauens illumineth the earth maintaineth iustice gouerneth common-weales kils hate nourisheth loue and discouereth secrets Truth is a sure pledge not impaired a shield neuer pierced a flower that neuer dyeth a state that feares not fortune and a port that yeelds no danger Cicero Truth is health that is neuer sick a life that hath neuer end a salue that healeth all sores a sunne that neuer setteth a moone that is neuer eclipsed an hearb that is neuer withered a gate that is neuer lockt and a voyage that neuer breeds wearines Truth is such a vertue that without it our strength is weakenes our iustice tyrannous our humility trayterous our patience dissembled our chastity vaine our liberty captiue and our piety superfluous Truth is the Center wherein all things repose the card whereby we sayle the wisedom whereby we are cured the rock whereon we rest the lampe that guideth vs and the shield which defendeth vs. Truth is the ground of Science the scale to Charity the tipe of eternity and the fountaine of grace By truth the innocent smyleth before the Iudge and the traytor is discouered before he is suspected Truth is a good cause and needs no help of oratory and the least speach deserues the best credite Qui veritatem occultat et qui mendacium prodit vterque reus est ille quia prodesse non vult iste quia nocere desider at August Non boue mactato coelestia numina gaudent Sed quae praestanda est et sine teste fides Of Conscience Defi. Conscience generally is the certaine and assured testimony which our soules carry about with them bearing witnesse of what we speake thinke wish or doe it is to the wicked an accuser a Iudge a hangman and a rope to the godly a comfort reward and ayde against all aduersities A Guilty conscience is a worme that biteth and neuer ceaseth The conscience once stained with innocent blood is alwayes tyed to a guilty remorse Conscience is a worme that fretteth like the Seres vvooll secretly and deepely easily gotten and hardly worne out VVhere the conscience is drowned vvith worldly pompe and riches their wisedome is turned to foolishnes He that frameth himselfe outwardly to doe that which his conscience reproueth inwardly wilfully resisteth the law of God Plato writeth that many when they are in health doe thinke all but toyes which is spoken of hell but at the point of death when their conscience pricketh thē they are troubled and vexed out of measure calling their former life into minde The conscience is wasted where shipwrack is made of faith A good conscience is the onely liberty The conscience is a booke wherein our daylie sinnes are written A good conscience is a continuall quietnes Although the consciences of many seeme to be seared with an hote yron as if it were voyde from all feeling of sinne yet at the point of death it is awakened yea and it driueth the miserable soule to desperation VVe shall carry nothing with vs out of this life but either a good or a bad conscience Discerne discreetly and practise reuerently those thinges that are good that thine owne conscience may be cleere and others by thy dooings not offended A cleere conscience needeth no excuse nor feareth any accusation None is more guilty then hee whose conscience forceth him to accuse himselfe To excuse ones selfe before he is accused is to finde a foule crack in a false conscience Conscience beareth little or no sway where coyne brings in his plea. The conscience loaden with the burthen of sinne is his owne Iudge and his own accuser VVhereas any offence is cōmitted through ignorance or any other violent motion the causes that increase the same beeing cut off penitence and remorse of conscience presently followeth The Philosophers account those men incurable whose consciences are not touched with repentance for those sinnes which they haue committed There is no greater damnation then the doome of a mans owne conscience The conscience of the wicked shall tremble lyke the leafe of a tree shaken vvith euerie wind but the conscience of a good man shall make him bold and confident The violence of conscience commeth from God who maketh it so great that man cannot abide it but is forst to condemn himselfe The Furies which Poets faine to reuenge euils figure the torments of euil consciences A wicked conscience pursueth his Maister at the heeles and knoweth how to take vengeance in due time Nulla paena grauior paena conscientiae vis autem nunquam esse tristis bene vire Isodorus Heu quantum paenae mens conscia donat Sua quemque premit terroris imago Of Prayer Defi. Prayer as some Diuines affirme is talke with God crauing by intercession and humble petition eyther those things necessarie for the maintenaunce of this lyfe or forgiuenesse of those things which through frailety we daily commit THe iust mans prayer appeaseth the wrath of GOD. Prayer must be freely giuen neuer sold. Prayer is the oblation of a thankful hart the token of a contrite and penitent mind Prayer is not to be attempted with force violence of heart but with simplicity and meekenes of spirit Augustine Happy is that man whom worldly pleasures cannot draw from the cōtemplation of God and whose life is a continuall prayer Prayer kindeleth inflameth and lifteth vp the hart vnto God and the incense of meditation is pleasing in his eyes The prayer of the poore afflicted pierceth the clouds Prayer is the wing wherewith the soule flyeth to heauen and meditation the eye wherby we see God Prayer is a vertue that preuaileth against temptation and against all cruell assaults of infernall spirits against the delights of thys lingering life and against the motions of the flesh Bernard Praier engendereth confidence in the soule confidence engendereth peace and tranquility of conscience Fayth ioyned with prayer maketh it more forcible but humility coupled with it maketh it benificiall and effectuall Vertuous and godly disposed people doe daily pray vnto God for the clensing of the
the armed power doth eyther finde right or make right for what may he not that may what he will The impious-neglecting admirers vveigh lightly what others feare heauily Our knowledge must be terror our skill fearefulnes to admire the work of him which made all things Admiratio peperit philosophiam Admiratio quae magna est non parit verba sed silentium Of Schoole Defi. A Schoole is a nursery of learning or the store-house from whence the minde fetcheth instructions and riches adorning the soule with mentall vertues and diuine knowledge TYrannie is vilde in a Schoolemaister for youth should rather be trained with curtesie then compulsion Because youth by nature is wilde therefore shoulde Schoole-maisters breake them by gentlenes That chylde is grosse witted which beeing throughly schoole-taught continues stil barbarous VVomen ought to haue as great interest in Schooles as men though not so soone as men because their wits beeing more perfit they woulde make mens reputations lesse persit VVomen proue the best Schoolemaisters vvhen they place theyr best delights in instructions Two things are to be regarded in Schooles and schoole-maisters first wherein chyldren must be taught the next how they should be taught Danger teacheth silence in her schoole A schoole should containe foure principall rudiments that is Grammer Exercise Musicke and Paynting Grammer is the doore to Sciences whereby we learne to speake well and exactly Education is a second nature and the principles lernt in schooles is the best education The nature of man is lyke a payre of ballance guided by schoole-rules custome If the royallest borne creature haue not his nature reâ—ined with schoole rudiments it is grosse and barbarous Nature not manured with knowledge bringeth forth nothing but thistles brambles As traynings makes dogs fit for hunting so Schooles and learning makes nature profitable The best wisedome is to know a mans selfe and learning and Schooles first bring that knowledge VVee haue iustice from our byrths but knowledge from Schooles Mans nature being the instinke and inclination of the spirit is bettered by schoole rudiments Nature in some sort is a Schoole of decencie and teacheth rules of honest ciuilitie The vildest whosoeuer is sometimes touched with honesty and the worst hath the light of nature without schooling The want of schoole doctrine is the first corruption of nature Lyons are tamer then men if doctrine dyd not bridle them Schooles tame nature and tamed nature is perfit vertue Euery good beginning coÌ„meth by nature but the progresse by Schoole education Courage greatnes is as much aspired to in schooles as from nature Educatio est prima secunda tertia pars vitae sine qua omnis dostrina est veluti armata iniustitia Nunc adhibe puro Pectore verba puer nunc te melioribus offer Quo semel est imbuta recens seruabit odorem Testa diu Horac Of Ignorance Defi. Ignorance is that defect which causeth a man to iudge euill of thinges to deliberate worse not to know how to take the aduantage of present good thinges but to conceiue ill of what euer is good in mans lyfe IGnorance hath euer the boldest face It proceedeth of a light iudgement to credite all things that a man heareth and to doe all things that he seeth Socrates To abound in all things and not to knowe the vse of them is plaine penurie Vnhappy is he that desireth vnhappier that offendeth and vnhappiest that knoweth not himselfe As the light of godly knowledge increaseth vertue so the darknesse of ignorance is a hinderance to all goodnes There is nothing worse then to liue beastlie and out of honest order and the greatest and most euident cause thereof is the sinne of ignorance vvhich is an vtter enemy to knowledge Plato It is great shame for an old man to be ignorant in the knowledge of Gods law Idlenes ingendereth ignorance and ignorance ingendereth error An ignorant man may be knowne by three poynts he cannot rule himselfe because hee lacketh reason he cannot resist his lusts because he wanteth wit neyther can hee doe what he woulde because hee is in bondage to a vvoman Through want of wit coÌ„meth much harme and by meanes of ignorance much good is left vndone VVhere there is no capacitie there perswasions are in vaine Socrat. It is better teaching the ignorant by experience then the learned by wisedom To rule without regarde to vrge without reason and to laugh immoderatlie are manifest signes of ignorance Ignorance in aduersity is a blessing in prossperitie a scorne in science a plague Hee that knoweth not how much hee seeketh doth not know when to find that which he lacketh There can bee no greater ignorance then presumption Ignorance is no excuse for faults sith wee haue power of knowledge It is better to bee vnborne then vntaught for ignorance is the roote of misfortune Pla. Ignorance is neuer known to be ignorance till it be married with knowledge There is no greater vengeance to be imagined then when valure ignorance are coupled together The ignorant man hath no greater foe then his owne ignorance for it destroyeth where it lyueth He is an ignorant Musitian that can sing but one song but he is more accursed that knoweth no vertue The onely ill in thys worlde is ignorance the onely good knowledge the latter leadeth the way to heauen the former openeth the gate to destruction Ignorance is a dangerous and spirituall lying which all men ought warily to shun Gre. Ignorance is a sicknes of the minde and the occasion of all error The soule of man receiuing and comprehending the diuine vnderstanding conducteth all things rightly and happily but if she be once ioyned with ignorance she worketh cleane contrary the vnderstanding is vnto the soule as the sight to the body From theyr lewde mother ignorance issue two daughters â—alshood and Doubt It is recorded that Pope Coelestine the fift deposed himselfe by reason of his ignorance Ignorance beleeueth not what it seeth He thaâ— is ignoraâ—t in the truth and ledde about with opinions must needs erre The Poets described one Tiphon an enemie to knowledge as a man puffed vp proude scattering all things by ignorance for there is great difference betweene the iudgement câ—ntentment sight and feeling of a learned mâ—n and one that is ignorant Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune Chilo Ignorance is the mother of errors The harder wee receiue our health because â—â— were ignorant that we were sick 〈…〉 l errors not let at the beginning â—â—â—â—ngeth oft times great and mightie mis 〈…〉 es The chiefest cause beginning of error is whâ— men imagin those things to please God which please themselues and those things to displease God whereat they themselues are discontented An error begun is not to be ouercome with violence but with truth Custome though neuer so auntient with out truth is but an old error Cyprian Hee that erreth before he knowe the truth ought the sooner to be forgiuen Cyprian A
property of a Seruant to feare his Maister with hatred but a Sonne feareth his Father for loue Ambrose Neyther strength nor bignesse are of anie value in a fearefull body They that desire to be feared needes must they dread them of whom they be feared VVhom many feare they doe hate and euery man whom he hateth he desireth to see him perrish Feare is the companion of a guiltie conscience A Maister that feareth his Seruant is more seruile then the Seruant himselfe It is a deadly feare to liue in continuall danger of death It is meere folly for a man to feare that which he cannot shunne It is a naturall thing in al men to leaue their liues vvith sorrow and to take theyr deaths with feare It is better to suffer that vvhich wee feare then by feare to liue in coÌ„tinuall martirdom To demaund how many and not where the enemies be is a signe of cowardly feare Feare followeth hope wherefore if thou wilt not feare hope not Aâ—sculapius It many times happens that the parties not willing to ioyne in loue doe consent agree together in feare It is farre better to feare thy choice then to rue thy chaunce He that feareth euery tempest is not fit to be a trauailer The sword dispatcheth quicklie but feare tormenteth continually Feare standeth at the gates of the eares and putteth back all perswasions Plato The more a man feares the sooner he shall be hurt Too much feare opens the doore to desperation He that through his cruelty is much feared of other men vvalketh in small assurance of his owne life The feare of death to a wicked person is of greater force to trouble him then the stroke it selfe Cic. A fearefull man neuer thinks so well of any mans opinion as hee dooth of his owne conceite and yet he will be ready to aske counsell vpon euery trifling cause It is a lamentable thing to be old with feare when a man is but young in yeares It becoÌ„meth nor a Commaunder in Armes to be a man of a fearefull disposition Hee is woorthy to be counted a valiant and couragious minded man in whom the feare of an honest death can strike no signe of terror It is the property of a wise man with a quiet minde patiently to beare all things neuer dreading more then he need in aduersity nor fearing thinges not to be feared in time of prosperity but those things which he hath he honestly inioyeth and those things which he possesseth not he doth not greatly couet It becommeth a wise-man to be heedefull but not to be feareful for base feare bringeth double danger It is requisite for all men to knowe God and to liue in his feare But such as worship God for feare least any harme should happen vnto them are like them that hate Tyrants in their harts and yet study to please them because they would in quiet keep that they possesse Multos in summa periculamisit Venturi timor ipse mali fortissimus ille est Qui proÌ„ptus metuenda pati sicoÌ„minus instent Et differre potest Nos an xius omnia cogit Quae possunt fieri facta putare timor Of Famine Defi. Famine is a vehement hungrie desire of eating as thirst is of drinking which as Galen saith in his third booke of naturall Faculties stifleth and châ—aketh the stomacke with euill and noy some humors and dissolueth destroyeth the strength thereof it begetteth lothsomnes filleth all the body full of outragious and filthy diseases BArraine Scithia is Famines Country and the place of her aboade the sterill fruitlesse top of mount Caucasus Famine and dearth doe thus differ dearth is that vvhen all those things that belong to the life of man for example meate drinke apparrell lodging other things are rated at a high price Famine is when all these necessaries before named are not to be got for money though there be store of money God is the efficient cause of famine and sinnes the impulsiue or forcing causes which the holy Scripture setteth downe to be these Atheisme Idolatry coÌ„tempt of Gods word priuate gaine periury and oppression couetousnes cruelty pride drunkennes and surfetting aud neglect of tyth-paying There was a generall dearth throughout all the world in the dayes of Claudius Caesar according to the prophecie of Agabus because the world was then like vnto the Emperour giuen ouer to all impiety drunkennes and ryot Famine and the pestilence are such fellow-like companions that the Grecians distinguish them but by one letter calling the pestilence Loimos and the famine Limos Famine is more intollerable then the pestilence or the sword therefore when God gaue Dauid his choice of these three euils he chose the pestilence as the easiest to bee endured After famine commeth the pestilence In the yeere 1438. Thuringia was oppressed with so great a famine that throughout al the Region the streetes in Citties and Villages lay full of deadbodies through putrefaction of which a plague followed whereby many thousands perished Eusebius in his ecclesiasticall history vvriteth that vvicked Herod King of the Iewes ended his wretched life as well by famine as the lousie euill Erisicthon for his impious sacriledge vvas plagued with such miserable extreame famine that hee vvas constrained to eate his owne flesh In the time of famine mice dogs horses asses chaâ—â—e pels hides sawdust haue beene vsed for good sustenance at the last mans flesh yea that which is not to bee spoken without trembling the mothers haue beene constrained through hunger to eate theyr owne children as in the siege of Samaria in the first siege of Ierusalem vnder Nabuchadnezzer and in the last vnder the Emperour Vespasian and his sonne Titus Famine caused Abraham to flie from Canaan into Egipt from Gerar to Abimeleck It caused Iacob in his old age to flye to his son Ioseph in Egypt It caused Elimelech with his wife and children to leaue Israell and to flie into Moab and the Sunanitesse vvoman to leaue her owne Country The people of Egipt in Pharaobs time wheÌ„ the great samine was were vrged to offer vp themselues in bondage and all that they had for Corne. Vrspergensis writeth that the great famine which befell in the yeere eyght hundred and ninety-eyght made men to eate and deuour one another Pliny sayth in his eight booke chapter 57. that when as Hanniball besieged Cassilinum a Citty in Italy in the Citty by reason of extreame scarsitie a mouse vvas solde for two hundred peeces of money and yet hee that sold it dyed for hunger and the buier liued Calagmiam a Citty in Spayne where Quintilian vvas borne beeing besieged of Cneus Pompeius endured such a samine that when there was no other liuing creature left in the Citty the inhabitants eate theyr owne wiues and children Fate for biddeth famine to abide wher plenty dwelleth Famine is like to the eating and deuouring Vlâ—er called Estiomenus called of Courtiers who commonly more then others are subiect thereunto the VVoolfe