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A13401 The second booke of the Garden of wysedome wherin are conteyned wytty, pleasaunt, and nette sayenges of renowmed personages collected by Rycharde Tauerner anno. M.D.XXXIX. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.; Garden of wysdom. Book 2 Taverner, Richard, 1505?-1575.; Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536. Apophthegmata. 1542 (1542) STC 23713; ESTC S111350 25,134 97

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is no doubt but that kynge Cambyses was at the begynnynge in his youth brought vp in moost honest maners And albeit this drōkarde was not ignoraūt of the feate of shotyng yet in the meane season he could not vse the ryght coūsaylles of reason but lacked those vertues whych be wonte to allure men vnto gentle sobriete to the studye of honest renowne Such maner exemples must be propowned vnto yonge men whych for y e most part be geuē to the foule vice of dronkēnes for what ende folowed of these maners a lytell herafter shalbe dedared He murdered also hys owne brother smerdis whō he priuely caused to be put to deth lest he might at any tyme be king Furthermore he toke to wife hys owne suster germayne wheras nature abhorreth from such kynde of copulation Nowe it befell so that when kynge Cambyses sat at a feast wyth hys syster the quene for theyr sporte and pleasure he set a yonge lyon and a very eger dogge togither by the eares so whē the lyon in strength and fyercenes had preuayled an other dogge no les fyerce brastyng his bandes wherwyth he was boūd dyd helpe the dogge hys brother vaynquyshed the lyon The kinge was excedyngly delyted with thys syght for the faythfulnes of y e dogges betwene themselues But by the same facte the quene beynge moued began very largelye to wepe and poure oute teares and to water her tender chekes The kynge toke this her wepynge very heuely and demaunded of her the cause of her sorowe she aunswered in this wyse Certes my dere husbande and brother euen so great a feythfulnes might haue chaunced vnto vs of our brother as we se here betwene these two dogges that be of all one lytter The kyng greuously taking this aunswere cōmaūded she shuld forthwith be taken out of hys syght and put to deathe But such maners coulde not long haue successe For God speaketh in the scripture Blowdy men and wylye shall not fynyshe halfe theyr dayes vpon the erthe Wherfore not long after wyth a greuouse vengeaunce God plaged him For as he was comming out of Egypte in to Persia when he shulde mownt on horsbacke his swerd felle out of the skaberd and sore wounded hym in suche wyse that he dyed of it This exēple testifyeth that god woll not longe suffre tyrantes to reygne For not lōge after y e deathe of Cyrus aboue y e space of one yere lyued Cambyses neither lefte he any heyre of his kyngdome ¶ Of Darius kynge of the Persians After the death of Cambyses the chief lordes assembled togither and began to consulte whome they might beste make theyr hed kynge Seuen were appointed to deliberat vpon thys moste weyghtye matter Fyrst stode vp Otanes coūsayled that no mo kynges shulde be chosen but that by leage and sure cōfederacie made betwene them all the lordes myght rule alyke so shuld libertie be maynteyned and kept one euery syde and euery mā at fredom For before it was wel proued by examples that where one man is Lorde of so many and so great thynges he maye easyly be to proude and hawtye and sone growe out of kynde and degendre vnto tyrannye euen as nowe of late it was seen of Cambyses After hym stode vp Megabysus whyche disalowynge thys counsayle of Otanes affyrmed that suche lybertie was moche more hurtfull and pestiferous to the comon weale then tyrannye shuld be For noble men and cities yf they lacke a lorde and hedde they can not but abuse thys libertye vnto priuate offection and lust But to thentent no suche thynge shulde ensue his counsayle and aduise was not to chose some one Kynge but to appointe certayne noble men wyth whom mighte alwayes remayne the tytle prerogatyue and ryght of the Imperiall power The sentences of these bothe the thyrd lord named Darius disalowed coūsayled to chouse one kynge For albeit in thys kynde of gouernaunce lyke as in al other humane thynges many and greate incōmodities maye chaunce yet no rule no gouernaunce is so stable so sure as is a monarchie that is to saye where one ruleth in whose handes is put the charge of the hole kyngdom Uerily albeit these thre counsayles be all bothe honeste and good yet yf they be compared togyther sure it is that nothynge can be founde eyther fayrer or more profytable then the gouernaunce of one person called a Monarchie for as moche as it moste resembleth the diuine and heuenly kyngdome of God Furthermore it can not be that concorde can longe be kepte amonges free prynces cities or there where to the administration of a moste ample and myghty empyre be a sorte of lordes chosen in lieu of one Kynge and that bycause of the diuersitie of moste graue and wyghtye affayres which euer amonge in so large a dominion shulde chaunce vpon whych y e princes shulde not euer agree within them selfes Besydes all thys there shulde not want also amonges these selfe princes an inordinat studie and desyre of dignitie dominion aboue the reste ouer whom some one wold labour to haue power as ouer hys subiectes or iferiours And these were in effecte the causes whyche Darius brought forthe for the proue of hys purpose vnto whych the other foure prynces subscribed and so at laste it was determyned after the olde vsage to chouse a kynge But least any dissentiō might aryse betwen y e seuē princes they thought it best to committe the lotte of the election vnto God It was a greed vpon that vpon a mornynge very erly the prynces on horsbacke shulde mete togyther at a certaine place that he whose horse first neyghed shuld be forthwith proclaymed king The princes retourned euery one to hys home Darius shewed the counsayle and determination of the princes vnto the Stuard of hys howse who forthwith toke the mater vpon hym to brynge hys lordes purpose to good passe Wherfore the euenynge before the daye appoynted he bryngeth hys lordes horse and a mare vnto the place appoynted and there commytted the horse and mare togyther to thentent that the nexte mornynge the place knowē the horse myghte for desyre of the mare which then shulde be absent neyghe accordynge to hys propertie The mornynge ensuynge accordyng to thappoyntmēt at the howre prescribed y t sayd princes do marche forward on horsbacke vnto the sayd place They were not soner there but loo forthwith Darius horse begynneth to neyghe and that they shulde not doubt but it was the diuine prouidence of God to haue Darius to theyr kynge incontinent in an open and clere wether without any maner tempest it both lyghtened and thondered whyle the horse neyghed By and by the other princes leapynge of from theyr horses exhibited vnto Darius kyngly honours and saluted hym kynge Thus by thys accasyon was Darius auaunced to the kyngdome and empyre of the Perssans whyche he afterwarde wyth hyghe prayse administred Kyng Darius was wont in prayse of hym selfe to saye that by warres aduersities he was made
the wyser and more prudent Certeynlye though this be comōly true for experiēce is mother of prudence yet suche prudence wysedom cost the comon weale moch Warres for defence of y e coūtrey be necessary moch to be preferred afore cowardly peax quiete And agayne I graunte suche troubles and stormes do engendre wysdome and experience of thynges But doubtles out of the case of necessitie farre better it were and also moche more godly to fetche wisedom out of wyse mens bookes then to gather wretched prudence wyth experimentes and suche hasardes as putte the hole countrey in daunger The same Darius whē he had imposed layd a tribute vpō his subiectes he sent sodeynly for hys collectours and asked them whether the trybute whyche he had assesed semed to greuouse and ouerchargeable to the commons When they aunswered that it semed meane and indyfferent he cōmaunded they shulde demaunde but the half of y t which was assessed The prudent kyng in dede intended at the begynning to haue had nomore But yf he shuld haue taxed thē forthwyth at nomore he perceyued they shulde not haue bene so wel wylling to haue payde it as they were now when he assesed them at the double and after released them of the one halfe When thys kynge had cut a very great pome granate one asked hym of what thynge he wolde wyshe to haue so greate a nōbre as there were graynes or kernels he aunswered of zopyres Thys zopyre was the sonne of Megabyses which was one of the sayd seuen princes a very good man a ryght trusty and assured frend to kyng Darius Signifyeng by thys that to a kyng nothynge ought to be dearer nor more preciouse thē good faithful frendes This zopire dyd cut of hys owne nose eares so not be yng aknowen whom he was fledde away like a fugitiue person vnto the Babiloniās which at y t time were at mortal warre w t kyng Darius faynynge that he was most cruelly hand led of Darius The Babiloniās beleuyng hym beyng persuaded by his colorable wordes that hys tale was true espyeng him a very wyse hardye mā made him one of theyr chiefe captaynes He sekyng his occasion delyuered vp y e hole cytie of Babylō vnto Darius After which feate Darius was accustomed oftētimes to say y t he had rather haue one zopyre hole soūde thē to cōquere an hūdred Babylones Babylon at that tyme was a cytie moste floryshyng flowynge full of all richesse yet preferred he one frende afore an hundred Babylones ¶ Of quene Semiramis SEmiramis quene of y e Cariās which is cronicled to haue buylded Babylon caused to be wrytten vpō her tōbe this saynge What kynge so euer shall haue nede of money let hym open my graue take so moche as he woll desyre Darius after he had wonne the citie gyuynge credite to the tytle wyth moch ado at last remouyug awaye y e great stone wherwyth the graue was couered money he foūde none at all but on the other syde of y e stone he founde thys inscripciou Onles thou haddest bene an euell man wyth money vnsatisfyable thou woldest neuer haue moued the graues of the deade ¶ Of kynge Xerxes BEtwene Xerxes y e sōne of Darius and Arimenes hys elder brother but borne afore Darius was chosen kynge was great stryfe who shulde be kyng So whē Xerxes had knowlege that hys brother was cōmynge from the countrey of the Bactrians he sente vnto hym ryche presentes and to them that bare them he gaue in cōmaundement that they shuld say in hys name thus vnto hys brother Wyth these rewardes thy brother Xerxes at this time honoreth the but yf he may be onesproclaimed kyng thou shalt be w t hym y e chyfest of all other Arimenes assuaged with thys excedyng humanite left hys cōtention his brother beyng now pro claimed kyng forthwith he saluted honored hym as kyng and moreouer dyd sette the crowne vpon hys hedde Agayne Xerxes y e kynge for hys part gaue hym the nexte place vnto hym Ye shal rede a lyke thynge of Jacob Esau in the boke of Genesis Thys kynge beynge sore agreued w t the Babiloniās bycause they traytorously shronke frō him renoūced hym for theyr lord after he ones had brought them vnder agayne forbad them to beare any more weapēs and further cōmaunded they shulde synge at the lute shalmes kepe harlottes haunt tauernes alehouses and vse wyde longe garmentes to thintent that beynge molifyed made effeminate wyth pleasures they moughte nomore studye to fal awaye frō theyr lord By this prudēt facte of a panim hethen prince we be taughte what is the successe of delicate and voluptuouse lyuynge When he sawe al Hellesponte full of shyppes and all the see coostes and playnes of Abydon fylled wyth men he boasted hymselfe to be blessed and fortunate y t he had so greate power at hys commaundemente and anone he wepte a good pace Artabamus y e kynges vncle wōderyng at so sodayn chaunge asked the cause Then xerxes the kynge thus answereth Oh vncle a right depe thought entreth my mynde how short mās lyfe is syth of so passynge greate a multitude of men that I nowe see w tin an hundred yeares not one shalbe lefte a lyue Undoubtedly yf mā wold thus consydre y e shortnes of hys tyme and in what state God hath set hym here in earth he wolde not runne so headlonge to all kyndes of myschyefes Thys Xerxes what tyme he purposed to gyue battell to Grece called to gether all the prynces of Asya thus said vnto them Lest I mough● seme to enterpryse this thinge of my owne priuate counsayle I haue gathered you together but I woll ye remēber that ye muste obeye me rather then counsayle me Thys oratiō of Xerxes is not here recounted to thintente it shuld be folowed For without doubt it is tyrannicall and that two maner wayes fyrste bycause he abused the assemblie of hys lordes for a coloure to cast a myste before mens eyes makyng them beleue that al he dyd was done by thaduyse and counsayl of his lordes second that he wolde venture vpon a matter so daungerouse to the hole people beynge inforced rather of hys owne sensual lust then induced by sage and wyse counsayle When thys kinge was vexed and almost put to the worse but of iii. hū●● Lacedemonians where as he hymselfe had wyth hym a very great multytuue of souldiours He cōfessed himself deceyued in thys that he toke with hym many mē but fewe souldiours He perceiued wel that it forceth not so much howe many there be as howe well assayed pyked and tryed men there be When the espyes of the Grekes were taken in hys hoste he wolde do thē no maner harme at al but moreouer bad them marke and viewe diligētly hys hole armye whych thyng when they had done he licenced them to departe wythout hurte of any persone An example of a synguler
and vnstablenes of mens thynges in the worlde vttered these wordes to such as stode about hym O frendes take hede of the brykylnes and slyppery chaūge offortune trust not the flatterye of the worlde name ly of the courte For lyke as the fyngers of auditours when they cast accomptes can lay otherwhyles an in fynite nombre otherwhyles agayn but one euen so the frendes of kinges now can do all and nowe nothynge Here ye shall note that in old tyme they made theyr accomptes w t theyr fyngers as now with counters ¶ Duke Memnon WHat tyme the valyaunt capitayn Memnon held warres agaynst y e great Alexander on the behalfe of Darius kynge of Persia it chaunced that a certayne hyred sowldiour in the armie of Memnon made very moche raylynge vpon kynge Alexander Memnon hearynge hym layde hym on the pate with hys speare and thus rebuketh hym I gyue the wages syr knaue and meate and drynke to fyghte wyth Alexander and not to rayle vpon hym Let Chrysten men at lest waye take example herby to leaue theyr fowle and detestable raylynges farre vnworthye for suche as professe Chrystes doctryne that forbyddeth vs to calle oure brother but fole Some we call Pharisees we beknaue we defye as naughtye papistes w t other lyke opprobriouse wordes vnmete for Chrysten mens eares but as for to fyght agaynste theym and to confounde them wyth pure doctryne and good lyuyng that we woll not Agayne other some we beheretike we call Lutheranes and all that naught is but to shew them charitably where they erre rightly to instructe them we woll not ¶ The Egyptians THe Kynges of Egypte according to the custome of theyr countreye were wont to take an othe of suche as were made iudges that althoughe the kynge hym self wold cōmaunde thē to iudge any thyng that shulde be agaynst right equytie they shulde not iudge it So greatly they thought it expedient for the common wealthe that the people shulde haue iuste iudges But howe can that people haue iuste and incorrupte iuges where as is reported y e prince selleth the offyce and power of iugyng for a great some of money In Englande thanked be God in the iuges of the lawe there is as litle corruption as in any other regyon And yf any default in this behalfe be it is soner in inferiour courtes where the iuges be appointed not by y e Kynges Maiestye but by others amonges whom if any corruption were found I wold wyshe for y e terrible exemple of other they myght be serued as a certayn iuge of whome I shall nowe make relation ¶ Of Cambyses CAmbyses Kynge of Persia was otherwyse a verye wycked and cruell tyraunte Yet there is no prynce of so disperat an hope of so naughtye a lyfe but that at the lest waye otherwhyles doth some ho nest acte For gods propertye is to garnyshe exornate the offyce of the magistrat rulers he causeth that for the cōseruatiō of ciuil gouernaūce in the common weale sometyme excellente and profytable workes be of necessitie done of thē that beare rule But to my purpose Cambyses in al hystories is cōmended for this one facte for whyche no doubte he deserueth prayse In the former parte of Asia he had a deputie named Sisam nes now he was credibly infourmed that thys Sisamnes beynge corrupted wyth brybes rewardes had falsly iudged agaynst the kynges lawes agaynst good ryght cōsciēce The mater beyng examined foūde true sorthwyth he cōmaūded he shulde be put to death and y t the skynne of hys body shuld be plucked of layd ouer the iudgemēt seat where he gaue the false iudgemente in hys rowme he dyd set Dtane the sayde iudges sonne to succede hys father in office whyche was admonished by cōtemplacion of his fathers skinne y t he shuld succede hym also in lyke kynde of punyshmēt yf he folowed his fathers steppes Thys exemple teacheth them y t beare offyce rule to remēber y t god suffereth not iniustice nor iniury vnreuenged But for asmuche as I haue entred to speake of Cambyses which otherwyse as I haue sayd lyued a very tyrānouse wycked lyfe I thynke it here good to report certayne his notoriouse crymes and his ende to thyntent all rulers what so euer they be maye take exemple at hym to feare God to preserue the common weale to execute iustice and iudgemēt to vse theyr subiectes as men and not as beastes This Cambyses beganne to raygne after that Cyrus hys father had made his viage agaynst the Scithians And albeit at the begynnynge he subdued conquered Egypte yet anone he forgatte all goodnes and degendred quyte cleane frō the renowmed excellent vertues of hys father Wherfore when Prexaspes one of hys chosen counsaylours aduertysed hym very freely and sayde vnto hym that the Persians praysed hym very much but thys one thyng dyspleased them that he was so subiecte to the vyce of dronkēnes anone he cōmaunded the chyefe estates lordes of thēpyre to be called together and asked of thē whether in any thyng he were worthy to be reprehēded They espyeng how thankful plausible a thing flattery is aūswered no but y t in vertue prowesse he also excelleth his father Cyrus forasmuche as vnto hys empyre and dominion he had gotten by way of conquest the kyngdome of Egypt But contrary wyse Cresus a worthy lord vnto whose cure and gouernaunce Cyrus had tōmytted hys sonne Cambyses to be instructed and brought vp in honestie and vertue by cause he wolde merylye as muche as myghte be borne abate the kynges pryde aunswered sayd that Cambyses myght not be yet compared to hys father Cyrus forasmuche as there is not yet begotten such a sonne of hym as Cyrus lefte Cambyses Thys thynge then as featly spoken pleased the kynge welynough Thus the coūsayle beyng parted whē none of the lordes had blamed any thynge in him he cōmaūded Prexaspes to be called afore him bad him bryng vnto hym hys yonger son For he wold declare how wel he coulde seme sobre euen when he had most of al dronken for he sayd he wold euē whē he were dronkē with hys bowe shote at Prexaspes sonne yf he myght wyth hys arowe stryke through hys herte thē it myght be iudged that in the myddes of hys cuppes he wāteth not the practyse of coūsaylle iudgement of reason Yf not y t he were worthye to be called a drōkard To be short whē Cāhyses had throughly washed hys braynes wyth wyne he shotte at the chyld as at an appointed marke and strykynge hym through the herte he cōmaūnded it shuld be cut out and so he shewed it to y e father Prexaspes sayenge that the chyldes herte was well hit wherfore he mought esteme full well herby y t he was no drōkard So barbarouse so sauage and so tyrannicall maners doeth dronkennes brynge vpon the myndes of men although they were before ryghtly institute and broughte vp lyke as it