religion What shall we thinke of so manye and so notable men in thys our comen wealth whiche willinglye toke theyr deathe for theyr countreyes sake Did they think you suppose that their memorye shoulde be extended no lenger then the terme of theyr lyfe Trulye no man at anye time was so madde as without hope of immortalitie to offer him selfe to deathe for his countrey For otherwise it had bene lawefull for Themistocles to haue lyued in ease it had bene lawefull for Epaminundas It had bene also that we enquire no farder of old and forren matters lawfull for me But I knowe not howe there sticketh in mens mindes a certayne gesse of life to come yea and that doth most commōly happen in the most stoute and harty courages and in them appeares most lightlye Whiche hope taken away who is there so mad that would continually liue in laboure and daunger and hitherto we haue spokē of princes But do we not se the like of Poetes will not they be remembred after theyr death Uppon what cause then was this writen Behold ye Citisens here the shape of Ennius image old Who hathe descriued youre fathers factes eke their gestes hath told Lo he requireth the report of fame and renowne at theyr handes whose forefathers he had caused by his writynge to be famous And the same Ennius wryteth in another place thus Let no man me bemoane nor wayle me when I dye For whye aliue my good reporte in mouthes of men shal flye But what doubte we of Poetes yea suche as liue by handcraftes desyre after death to be remembred For what other cause dydde Phydias graue hys shape in the tergat of Minerua where it was not lawefull for him to wryte What the Philosophers thēselues do they not in those bookes whych they write of the despising of glory imprint their owne names Certes if the consent of all men be the voice of nature al men in al places do agree that there is some thing that doth pertaine to thē which are departed out of this life we also must nedes thīke y e same And since we know y e they whose mind passeth either in wit or vertue because their wit is best do se most clearely the power of nature It is most likely forasmuch as euery good man taketh care for his posterity that he supposeth that there is some thing the sense and feeling of the which he shal haue after death But as we knowe by nature that there be gods But what they be we gather by wyt and reason so we thinke because of the consent and agrement of all nations that our soules do remayne after death But in what place they be or what maner thinges they are we must gather by reason The ignoraūce of the whiche hath fayned and inuented hell and such terroures as you seemed somewhat afore not without iuste cause to despyse For our bodyes being layd in the grounde and couered wyth earth whereof also suche as are buryed are sayd to be earthed they thought the reste of our life should be led vnder the ground Which opinion hath bene the cause of great errours Whyche haue bene augmented and encreased by Poetes For the thicke companye of the Theater in the which there are many women and children is muche moued hearing so terrible a verse as this I here am come from hell by wayes full hye and steepe By dennes ybuylte with stoanes by caues ful darke and deepe Where lothly darknes dwels where cralling furies creepe Yea and that errour was of such force which nowe I truste is nye extinguished that whereas they sawe mennes bodyes burne afore yet neuerthelesse they would fayne them doing such thinges in hell as withoute bodyes coulde neyther be done in deede neyther yet ymagined For they could not wel conceyue howe the soule might liue withoute the bodye and for that cause they ymagined that they liued vnder some certayne shape and figure Uppon this occasion Homere wrote his booke whiche he entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hereof spronge that Necromancie whiche my friende Appius was wont to use For this cause also was the lake that standeth not farre from mi house called the lake of hell Whence soules are stireed vp in darke and grisely shapes Whyche when hell gates are opened once out at the doores escapes Yet neuerthelesse these shapes and shadowes they fayne to speake Whyche can not be wythout the tounge iawes sydes and lyghtes For they conceyued very litle in theyr mindes but referred all to theyr bodelye eyes But it is a great point of wyt for a man to reuoke his minde from the iudgement of his outward senses and to withdrawe the consent of his thoughtes from thinges that haue bene alowed by custome And I beleue trulye that there haue bene manye other whiche in all ages haue reasoned of the immortalitye of the soules But of those whyche haue left any writinges behinde them Pherecides a Sirian taught firste that the soules of men were euerlasting A man surely of great antiquitye For he liued in the time of my kinsman Tullus Hostilius This opinion his scoler Pythagoras did chiefely confyrme who when he came into Italye in the raygne of Tarquinius the proude amased all great Greece with his estimation learning and authoritye Yea and manye yeares after the name of the Pythagoreans was so highely esteemed that in comparyson of them no other Philosophers seemed to be learned But let vs retourne to those aunciente Philosophers Commenly they would geue no reason of anye thinge that they spake vnlesse it were same such thing as they should declare by numbers or descriptions It is sayde that Plato to thintent that he myghte knowe the Pythagoreans came into Italye and there was acquaynted both with manye other but chyefelye wyth Archytas and Timeus of whome he learned all the opinion of Pithagoras and that at the fyrst he not onelye thought as Pythagoras did as concerninge the eternitye of the soule but also confyrmed the same wyth reason Whych vnlesse you be otherwyse minded let vs ouerpasse and leaue of all this reasonynge of the immortalytye of the soules He. What wil you now leaue me wh◠you haue broughte me into so great expectacion I had rather to erre wyth Plato whom I knowe howe much you esteeme and I wonder at the more because of your prayse then to thinke wel wyth other Mar. Worthelye spoken For I my selfe assuredly would not be aggrieued to erre with him And is there anye doubte but that as he hathe handled al other thinges very learnedlie and profoundly so he hath done this also although this hathe leaste nede of cunning handeling For the Mathematicians do well proue it sayeng that the earthe whiche is placed in the middest of the world in comparison of the whole heauen hath but the proportion of a small poynt whych they call a centre And such is the nature of those four bodyes of the whyche all thinges take theyr beginning that they haue
¶ Those fyue QVESTIONS which Marke Tullye Cicero disputed in his Manor of Tusculanum Written afterwardes by him in as manye bookes to his frende and familiar Brutus in the Latine tounge And nowe oute of the same translated englished by Iohn Dolman Studente and felowe of the Inner Temple 1561. ¶ Imprinted at Londō in Fletestrete nere to S. Dunstons church by Thomas Marshe ⧠TO THE RYGHTE reuerende father in God Iohn Bishoppe of Sarum Iohn Dolman his dayly oratour wysheth continuaunce of health with encrease of honour RIght honourable when as partly by the counsel of them that might commaund me and partlye by mine owne consent I left the vniuersity and began to apply my selfe to the studye of the common lawes of this realme I felt my selfe chiefelye hindred therein with the entermedlīg of those studies the which not without great delight I had afore time vsed The whych because I was lothe to continue to the defrauding of the expectation of those with whom to trifle it had bene impietie I minded to take my farewell of some such part of philosophye as both might be most profitable to the quiete leading of my life to whatsoeuer trade I should giue my selfe and also should be so pleasaunt that it might euen cloy me with delight Whiche my desyre to satisfye when I sought many bookes yet found I none more meete thē this Which whiles I redde I must needes confesse that I was neuer more delighted with any worke except it were the sacred volume of the holye Scriptures Wherfore when I had perused it ouer and founde suche profyte and pleasure therein as it were not possible to finde the like in anye Ethnike wryter I wyshed all men the lyke delyght as the reading of it brought vnto me And because I coulde not mysdoubt but the learned had already tried into thintente that the vnlearned also might haue some fruicion therof and that our coūtrey might at length flowe with the workes of philosophye I endeuoured my selfe althoughe not eloquentlye yet playnely to translate the same into our englishe tounge And considering that there was none more meete to haue the protection of so graue and learned a worke thē your honour remembring also that the first attempte of the same parte of philosophye translated by maister Grimoald passed forth vnder the protectiō of one of that honourable vocation to the whiche also it hath pleased god after sondry troubles to call you I thought it my dutye in respecte of manye benefites by your lordship on me bestowed to dedicate vnto you this my simple trauayle Thinking y t nothinge coulde be vnwelcome to your honour that sauoured Tullie Whom I am not ignoraunt howe much you were wonte to esteeme Wherfore I hope that lykeas your lordshippe was wont to be delyghted with the Romane Tullye euē so this englishe Tullie although not adourned with like eloquence by the translator yet varieng nothing in sēse you wil not disdayne Knowynge that this simple scolers gyfte contayneth the signifyeng of as hearty good will towardes your honoure as those greater presentes to whyche craue requyting Thus lothe to trouble your lordshippe any longer wyth a vayne number of wordes because manye wordes ofte cause many trippes I commende vnto your lordeshippe the fauourable iudgemente of this my simple trauayle to be perused at such time as it shall seeme best both for your leasure and pleasure Written frō the inner temple the .xiiii. of Iuly The preface to the Reader IF thankefulnes for so simple desert may cause the to requite him wyth any part of the like gentlenes who toke vpon him this trauayle suche as it is onely for thy commoditie gentle reader then staye a while from the reading of Tullie and hearken fauourablie to this litle cōmunication that I craue at thy handes I minde onely to excuse my selfe briefeli vnto the and so to dismisse the. The matters which I thinke colourablie may and will be obiected vnto me are these Firste the lacke of yeares and eloquence to attempt the translation of so weyghtye a booke as the very sages of the vniuersitie haue let lye still euen from the time that it was first writtē vnto this daye Then the prophaning of the secretes of Philosophy whiche are esteemed onelye of the learned and neglected of the multitude And therfore vnmeete to be made commen for euerye man First as for mine owne vnablenes for yeares I aunswere by Plato and this mine authour that I knowe nothinge but that whiche my soule nowe setled in my body recounteth as thinges learned before And the soule shal neuer haue the body more apte to whatsoeuer thinge it listeth to dispose him then in his youthe whyche is in maner the greenenesse of the same Since therfore the bodye whych hath no knoweledge but by reason of the soule is in youth most apte and able to execute the inuentions of the same what cause is there whye the wit beinge one of the principall partes of the soule should not chiefelye in this nimblenes of the bodye vtter her force and vertue Then as for lacke of eloquēce First this I thinke they wil al graūt That it is not possible for any man to expresse the writinges of Tullie in Englishe so eloquently as he hath vttered the same in latine Then for mine owne translation forasmuche as it must of necessity be either more simple then the stile of Tullie or els more foolishe and ful of croked termes for Tullies meane none can attaine I had rather to be partener of the fauour due to simplicity and plainenes then with foolyshe and farre fet wordes to make my translatiō seeme more darke to the vnlearned more foolishe to the wise By which my playnenes withoute counterfaite eloquence if I haue gotten no other commoditye yet thus muche I am sure of that I haue thereby escaped the iust reproofe that they deserue whiche thinke to cloke their ignoraunce wyth inkehorne termes For vnlesse it were in such thinges as the Lodgicians terme names of arte for the whych we haue no proper Englyshe words I haue vsed none but the playne and accustomed termes Now as touching the second obiection which containeth the vnprofitable disclosing of the miseries of lady Philosophye as mayster Grymoalde termeth her I thynke that suffycientlye satysfyed yf they consyder that besydes the raskall multitude and the learned sages there is a meane sort of men which although they be not learned yet by the quicknes of their wits can conceiue al such poyntes of arte as nature coulde giue To those I saye there is nothing in this book to darke Especially inasmuche as the reading of one booke will open an other And thus in my opinion I am discharged of vnprofitable reuealinge of the secretes of philosophye Inasmuche as both I hope it shall do muche good to this sort of men afore mencioned and also I am sure it can be nothing hurtful to the learned But shal much more enflame all liberall wittes wyth the
equallye diuided motions So that all earthly and watery bodyes do naturally fall downe into the earth and sea and all other namelye fierye and aerye lyke as the fyrste .ii. because of the heauines of theyr weyghte do tende to the middest place of the world so these by righte lynes flye vpwardes into the heauenlye region eyther because they them selues naturallye do moue vpwardes or els because they being light bodyes are by force dryuen from the other whiche are grosse and heauy Whiche sayenges forasmuch as they are certayne it must nedes folowe that our soules wheÌ„ thei are departed from oure bodies yf they be of fyerye or aery nature must of necessitie ascende into the higher regions But if the soule be some number whiche was spoken more wittelye then playnely or if it be that fifte principle as well the name as the nature of the which no man can vnderstand vndoubtedlye eyther of theym are so pure and perfect thinges that at theyr departure they can not abyde on the ground And truly some one of these is the soule For so quycke a spyryte lyeth not drenched in the heart brayne or bloude as Empedocles saieth But as for Dicearchus with his scoole felowe Aristorenus learned men both we will nowe ouerpasse of the whyche the one seemes neuer to haue felt ani griefe who thinkes that he hathe no soule and the other is so delighted with his notes and tunes that he assayeth to allude them to these earnest matters But a harmonye is made of the diuersitye of tunes the sun dry settinge of the whyche maye make many sweete harmonyes but the conformitye of a mannes lymmes and the whole shape of his bodye withoute a soule what harmonye it maye make I can by no meanes vnderstande But he be learned may in this matter geus place to his mayster Aristotle and he himselfe practise singiÌ„g For it is wiselye counsayled of the Greekes in a certayne prouerbe in this sort In what Arte eche man skilfull is and most profoundly seene The same alway to exercise it doth him best beseeme But that foolyshe opinion of the fallinge together of certayne indiuisible lyght and rounde bodyes let vs vtterlye roote out which neuerthelesse Democritus ymagineth to be whole and breathing that is to saye of an aery nature So the soule whych if it be of any of those .iiii. bodyes whereof all thinges are made doth vndoubtedly consist of fyer whiche opinion Panetius also liketh best must nedes flie to the higher regions For those .ii. elementes namelye fyer and aer haue no fallynge but go alwayes vpwardes So it comes to passe that whether they are scattered farre from the earth or els do abide and alwayes kepe theyr owne nature by all these reasons it must necessarilye folowe y â— our soules ascend vnto heaueÌ„ deuiding thys grosse compound aer which is next to y e earth For our soule is more whote or rather more fyerye then this aer which I termed whilome grosse and compound And that hereby we may wel perceiue because our dumpishe earthly bodies do ware whote w t the heate of our mindes Furthermore it must nedes be y e the soule must lightly passe through this aer whiche I doe often terme grosse because there is nothinge more swifte then it neyther anye suche quickenesse as may by anne meanes be compared with the quickenes of the same Whiche if he remayne vnwasted and like to his former being he muste needes so moue that he shall pearce and cut all this lower aer in the which cloudes wyndes and showers are gathered Which is both moist and cloudye with the exhalracions of the earth Which region after it hath once passed and attayned to a nature like to it selfe being there stayed amiddes the lighte aer and temperate heate of the sonne he resteth vppon the fyer and there maketh an ende of ascending any higher For when it hath gotten heate and lyghtnes congruent to his nature then as a thing equallye paysed it moneth neyther vpwardes nor downewardes And there at the last is his naturall seate when it hath once pearced to thinges in nature like to it selfe In the whiche wythoute the want or lacke of any thinge it shalbe nouryshed and sustayned with suche foode as the sterres theym selues are fed and nouryshed wythal And whereas here the prickes of the fleshe are wont commonly to enflame vs to all ill motions as we are so muche the more kindled by them as we enuy those that haue the same thinges that we desyre to haue then trulye we shal be happy when our bodyes being ones dissolued we shall be rid from all yil desyres and emulations And that whiche we nowe do when we are voyde of eare I meane the giuinge of oure selues to the consideration and weyghing of some thing perteyning to knoweledge that shall we then do with much more libertie and setle oure selues wholy to the contemplation and viewinge of nature both because naturallye there is graffed in oure mindes an insatiable desyre to know the trouth and also because the place it selfe to the whiche we shall come because it wyll shewe vnto vs a more easie knowledge of those thinges whyche we desyre to knowe muste nedes encrease in vs the desyre and loue of knowledge the beautye of the which place hathe in this filthie earth stirred vp that auncient and heauenly philosophy as Theophrastus sayeth kyndled fyrst wyth the desyre of knoweledge But that heauenly pleasure they chiefely shal enioy whiche although when they dwelte in this lowe earthe they hadde their senses cloked with the cloudes of erroure yet in minde did still r newe the memorye of that heauenlye place frome whence they fyrste came for if they here thynke them selues great trauaylers whyche haue sene the crickes of y e sea Eurinus and those strayghtes by the whych the ship passed which was called Argo Because in her some chosen men of Greece To Colchos sayled to winne the golden Fleece Or those whyche haue seene the greate Oceane seas and eke that place where The surginge waues with suryous force Europe and Afrike part What syght may we thinke that shall be when we shall beholde the whole earthe the situation forme and description of the same the places inhabyted and suche againe as eyther because of parchinge heate or fresynge colde doe lacke inhabiâ—auntes For nowe trulye se not so much as those thinges whyche we se with our bodelye eyes neyther is there any sense in our bodye But as not onelye the naturall Philosophers but also the Phisicians do saye who haue seene the same opened and disclosed certayne wayes and holes there be bound frome the inner vaute of oure minde to our eyes eares and nosethrilles And for this cause sometyme it hapneth that we are so blynded eyther wyth some sadde thought or vehemente disease that oure eyes and eares beynge both hole and open yet we can neyther heare nor see So that we may well perceyue that it is oure mynde
you desyre then to agree to it But I praye you what are those greater thynges whych you mind to do Mar. To teache if I can that death is not onelye no euell but also a good thing Hea. I do not necessarily requyre so much but I greatlye desyre to heare it For albeit you bryng not to passe that whiche you minde yet you shall surely perswade me that death is no euell But I will not trouble you in your talke I had rather heare you speake alone Mar. What if I shall aske you any thinge will you not aunswere me Hea. Then I might be counted verye statelye But except you had nede I woulde rather you shoulde not also Mar. I am contented to folowe your minde therein And those thynges which you willed me to shewe as well as I can I will declare Neuerthelesse I would not you should take my wordes as the Oracles of the god Apollo Or to thinke that whatsoeuer I shall speake is sure and certayne but as the sayenges of some simple man foloweinge that whiche is probable by coniecture For farder then likelyhoode I can not go It is enough for theym to tell certayne and sure thinges which saye that such thinges may be knowen and also professe them selues to be wyse Hea. Kepe you what order you please I am ready to heare you Mar. Death it selfe which euery man semes so well to knowe we must fyrst see what it is For some thinke that it is the deparparting of the soule from the body There be other some whiche thinke there is no departure but that the bodye and soule do dye together But of them which thinke that the soule doth departe some saye that he is strayght-wayes scattered other thinke that he remayneth longe some for euer But what the soule is or where or frome whence there is great dissensioÌ„ Some thinke the hearte to be the soule of the which some men are called faynt hearted madde hearted and ioyned wyth heartes in frendshippe And the wyse Nasica who was twise Consull was called a litle heart and A stoute harted man Catus Aelius the syxt Empedocles thinketh the soule to be a certayne bloud about the heart Other some take a certayne part of the braine to be the soule Other like none of these opinions but place the soule partelye in the heart and partly in the brayne And againe the soule some men thinke to be the life as oure countreymen call it For we commonlye saye to laboure for lyfe to ende his life and to be longe lyued But to Zeno the Stoyke the soule seemes to be fier And these opinions whiche we haue recyted of the hearte brayne lyfe and fyer are commonlye reported But euerye pryuate man hath other inuentions As manye auncyente Philosophers afore tyme and of late Aristâ—xenus a Musicyan and a Philosopher lykewyse sayd that it was a certayne consonaunce of the bodye like as we see in certaine songes and instrumentes a certayne pleasaunt concente and agreemente euen so that in the nature and shape of the whole bodye there were diuers motions stirred as in songes soundes and noyses He lefte not his arte and yet he sayde somewhat whyche verye thynge was afore opened and declared by Plato Xenocrates denyed that the soule had anye shape or bodye sayeng that it was a thinge consysting onely of members the power of y t whiche as Pythagoras had afore time declared is of no small force in the constitucion of mans body His mayster Plato deuided the soule in to thre partes The chiefe of the which namely reason he placed in the heade as in a forte from whiche he seperated the two other partes namelye angre desyre whiche he placed in diuers roames Anger in the brest and desyre vnder those places whiche are aboute the hearte But Dicearchus in his bookes whiche he wrytes of the reasonynge of learned men kepte at Corinthe in the fyrst bringes in manye speakers in the other two he bringeth in a certayne old man of Phthios whoÌ„ he calleth Pherecrates sayes that he came of Deucalion reasoninge that the soule is nothing And that it is but a vaine name neither thinketh he that there is either minde or soule in man or beast otherwise then a certayne motion by the whyche we both do and suffer spred in all liuing creatures alike Neyther wil he that it should be anye other thynge theÌ„ the body so shaped that by the force of Nature it may haue life and sense Aristotle who farre passed all the reste in wyt and diligence alwayes exceptinge Plato after he hadde treated of those foure kind of principles out of the which al thinges take their beginning thought that there was a certayne fift nature of the whiche the soule minde did consist For to thinke to foresee to learne to teache to inuente and diuers such other propertyes as to remember to loue to hate to desyre to feare to be vexed to be mery these and suche like he thought were in none of these foure kynd of causes Therfore he addeth to them the fyft kynde without anye propre name and calleth the soule mind by a newe name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche signifieth a certayne continuall and euerlasting motion Except perchaunce a fewe whiche I remember not these are the opinions of al the philosophers touchinge the soule For as for Democrytus a worthye man but yet compounding the soule of the chaungeable meetinge of certayne lighte round and indiuisible bodyes we will nowe ouerpasse For there is nothinge whiche a company of Butterflyes wil not lightlye make with him Of all these opinions whiche is moste true let some god iudge but whiche is moste likely to be true there is great doubte Whether wil you therfore that we trye oute the truest of them or els that we retourne to our purpose Hea. I woulde verye fayne heare both if it might be But it were very hard to confound them togither Wherfore if wythoute the searching of these opinions we may be deliuered from the feare of deathe I pray you do that whych we haue in hande if not do that nowe and this at some other time Mar. That whiche I perceiue you would rather haue done that also I thinke is more commodious For whych soeuer of those opinions be true I shall lightlye perswade you by reason that deathe is not euell but rather good For if the hearte bloude or brayne be the soule trulye because eyther of them is a bodie it shal dye with the rest of the bodye If it beaer it shall be dispersed if it be fyre it shall be quenched if it be Aristoxenus musicall concent it shalbe dissolued What shall I saye of Dicearchus who sayeth that the soule is nothing at all By all these opinions there can nothing after death pertayne to anye man For euen with our life our sense is lost and he that feeleth nothinge neede not to passe what chaunce betides him Yet the opinions of y â— other Philosophers
put vs in good hope if that delight you that our soules may after this life passe into the heuens as a place appoynted for them Hea. Truly it delyghteth me greatlye And assuredly y ◠it so is I wil alwayes perswade my selfe Mar. What nede you in this case to requyre my labour am I able in eloquence to excell Plato reade diligently that booke whyche he wrote of the soule so shal you lacke nothinge concerninge the knoweledge of this questiō Hea. I haue done so truly yea and that very often But I knowe not how whiles I reade him I am fully perswaded But after I haue layd asyde the booke begin to thinke with my selfe of the immortality of our soules all my perswasion sodaynelye slips away Mar. Wel sir graunte you that the soules abyde after death or els saye you that they dye with the reste of the body Hea. I graunt that thei remaine Mar. What if they remayne Hea. I graunt they be blessed Mar. What if they dye Hea. Then they be not wretched because they be not For that being therunto costrayned by you I haue already graunted Mar. How then or for what cause do you saye that deathe is euell which eyther shal make vs happy our soules remayninge or els not wretched our sense beinge paste Hea. Shewe therfore fyrste vnlesse it be to paynefull for you that our soules remayne after this life But yf you can not proue that for it is very harde you shall shewe that there is no harme in death For I feare muche leaste it be a griefe I do not meane to lacke sense but that I must lacke sense Mar. To proue this matter which you desyre we may vse as good authoures as may be which in all causes both ought and also is wont to be of great importaunce and fyrst we may confyrme it by all antiquity which the nigher it was to the beginning of the worlde and progenye of the gods so much the better peraduenture did see those thinges whyche were true For emonges those auncyent fathers whō Ennius calleth Cascos this one thinge was comen that there is in death feling and that a man by departing of his life is not so vtterly extinguished that he should altogether peryshe And this may you gather both by many other thinges but chiefly by the lawe of the byshops and ceremonies of burials whiche they beynge most wittye men would neyther with so great care haue obserued neither yet being irreuerently or vnhonestly vsed would so sharpely haue punished except this had bene faste fixed in theyr mindes that death is no destruction vtterly marring and blemishing al thinges but onelye a certayne departure and chaunge of lyfe the whiche to worthye men women is wont to be a guyde into heauen and vicious and il disposed persons did cause to tary on the groūd and neuerthelesse to remayne stil. By this opinion also and by the iudgemēt of our countreymen Romulus in heauens with gods doth passe his time As Ennius the Poete agreeing to comen fame hath writen And frō thence flyeng to vs and so to the West Occeane Hercules is counted so great and so mightye a god For this cause Bacchus the sonne of Semele is so muche reported And in like maner famous were the .ii. sonnes of Tindareus who not onely in field were helpers of victory to the Romans but also messengers of the same Also Ino the doughter of Cadmus is she not of the Greekes by the name of Leucothea and of our countreymen by the name of Matuta worshipped What the whole heauen to thintent I make no longer discourse is it not replenished with mankinde for if I should assaye to searche auncyente monumentes and put in writing such thinges as be in olde Greeke bookes thē should you wel perceyue that such as we count to be the greatest goddes haue departed out of y e earth into those places of heauen But ignoraunt men that knewe not naturall philosophye whych of late came into vse perswaded them selues so much as they could gather by naturall reason The order and causes of thinges they knewe not They were oftē moued by visions and those chiefelye in the nighte to thinke that such as were dead did liue againe Wherfore like as we se it a very strōg argumēt to beleue that there are gods because there is no nation so cruel neyther yet anye man so beastlye in whose mind there is not fixed some opinion of God Many neuerthelesse haue conceaued diuers foolishe fancies of the gods but yet they graunte all that there is a diuine power and nature Neyther yet doth the communication or agreement of men cause this consent the opinion is cōfirmed by no decrees by no lawes but in euery thing the argement of all nations is taken for the law of nature So likewise in asmuch as all nations haue worshipped their benefactors as gods after theyr death although some more foolyshe then other it is euident that nature hath engraffed in the heartes of all men a natural opinion without perswasiō that our soules are immortall and remayne after this life But who is there that would not bewayle the death of his friend when he thinkes that he is depriued the commodities of this life Take away his fansye and you shall take awaye all mourning For no man mourneth but for his discommodity For we sorowe and are vexed and all our wofull lamentation and sad mourning ryseth hereof that him whom so entirelye we loued we suppose to lacke the commodities of this life and that to feele And these thinges we ymagine onely by the conducting of nature wythout eyther reason or learninge And hereof we wyll talke hereafter But the greatest argument by the whych we may gather that nature it selfe doth priuily thinke of the immortality of our soules is that moste wise men take greatest care for thinges to come after their death Some one sets trees whiche may profyte in an other age as Statius sayeth in his bookes entituled Synephebi to what other ende but for that he knewe that the time to come did also pertayne vnto him for the same cause diuers diligente husbandemen graffe trees whose encrease they shall neuer see And likewyse manye noble men make lawes orders and customes the obseruatiōs of the which they shall neuer beholde What the begettinge of children the spreading of fame the adoptions of children the diligent obseruinge of testamentes the very monumentes Epitaphes of graues what other thing do they signify then that we haue al a respect to y e time to come Besydes this There is no doubte but the tryall of nature oughte to be taken of the best nature But what mens nature is better thē theyrs which thinke theym selues borne to helpe saue and comfort men Hercules is departed frō hence to the gods To them he shoulde neuer haue gone vnlesse whiles he was emonges men he had prepared him selfe a way thither But these are old matters and nowe also sanctifyed by
that seeth and heareth and not those partes whiche are but the casementes of the same Without the whyche neuerthelesse the minde it selfe can perceyue nothinge vnlesse it be earnestlye bent thereon Besydes all this what a thinge is it that the minde onelye can coÌ„taine thinges of most diuers nature as colours tastes feelynges smels and soundes which by the .v. seÌ„ses only the mind could neuer discerne were it not that al thinges comming to it by them it onely is iudge of all And then truly these thinges shall be more playne and clearely sene wheÌ„ as the soule is come to his owne naturall libertye For now in deede althoughe nature hathe verye suttely wrought certayne passages froÌ„ the soule to the body yet neuerthelesse the same are compassed and in maner stopped vp wyth certayne grosse and earthlye bodyes But when there shall be nothinge but the soule it selfe then there shal be no let but that it may wel discerne and iudge what eche maner of thinge is I could here describe if my matter so requyred howe manye and howe sundrye delectable syghtes the soule shall haue in those heauenlye regions The whych sometimes when I do remember I can not but wonder at the vanitye of certayne Philosophers whiche haue the secrete knoweledge of naturall philosophye in great admyratian and therefore thanke and prayse wyth all theyr hartes the inuenter and finder of the same and worship him as God sayeng that by this his benefyte they are deliuered of ryght heauy maysters that is to wite continuall terror and dayly and nightly feare For what so doating a foole is there that woulde feare those thinges whiche you if you had not the knoweledge of natural philosophy would haue feared The Temples low of Acheron with palenes all bespred And dennes ful depe of doleful death with darkenes al beset Is it not a shame for Philosophers to boaste that nowe they feare not these thinges but knowe theym to be false Maye not a man thinke theym quicke witted whiche woulde haue credited these thinges had not learning perswaded theÌ„ to the contrarye But they haue gotten knoweledge enoughe whyche haue perswaded theÌ„ selues that at the time of theyr death they should wholye peryshe which if we graunt to be true for I wil not at this time muche contend with them what haue they therein eyther to be glad or proude of neyther yet can I see anye cause why the opinion of Pithagoras Plato should not be true For were it so that Piato brought no reason see in what estimation I haue that man his verye authoritye should moue me But he hath confirmed his opinion wyth so manye proofes that it appeareth that both he was willing to perswade and also hath perswaded But there be many against him whyche thinke our soules coÌ„demned to death neyther is there any other cause why they will not beleue the eternitye â—f the same then because they can not well ymagine or thinke what maner thing the soule should be without the bodye As though they coulde vnderstande what maner thinge it is whiles it is in the bodye what shape it hathe what quantitye or what place But if it were possible that they might see all the inwarde partes enclosed in mannes bodye whyche nowe are seperate frome oure syghte whether they should see the soule or whether it is of suche subtill nature that they could by no meanes discerne it that let theym weyghe whyche denye that they can ymagine any soule wythout the bodye they must fyrst see what maner thinge they will thinke him to be whyles he is in the bodye For to me assuredly dyuers times when I ponder with my selfe the nature of the soule it seemes a farre darker and deeper consideration to thinke what and howe the soule coulde be in the bodye as in a straunge habitation then what it shall be when it shall depart from thence and flye into the open heauens as to his propre and appoynted place For if it be not possible for vs to comprehende in oure mindes such thinges as we neuer sawe then neyther god him selfe neither yet oure soule that came from God what it shalbe when it is departed from our bodyes can we well ymagine Dicearchus and Aristoxenus for that it was a deepe and a weyghty matter to consyder what the soule might be said that there was no soule at all And surelye it is the chyefest poynt of wytte wyth the soule to knowe the soule and that is the wyse meanynge of that sage precept of Apollo whyche willeth vs to knowe our selues For I can not think that it shoulde bidde vs to knowe oure lymmes stature or shape For we are not bodyes neyther when I speake to you do I talke to your body Therfore when he sayeth knowe thy selfe he sayeth as muche in effecte as knowe thy selfe For thy bodye is but the vassayle and dongeon of thy minde Whatsoeuer thy soule dothe that is thine owne deede And vnlesse it had bene thought an heauenly thing to knowe the soule that precepte had neuer bene taken to haue bene of such excellency as to haue bene imputed to God But if he know not what maner thinge his soule is howe shall he knowe that he him selfe eyther lyueth or moueth And hereuppon is grounded that reason of Plato whiche is declared by Socrates in the booke called Phedrus and rehearsed of me in my syrt booke of a comeÌ„ welth That which alwayes moueth is euerlastinge But aswell that whiche moueth other thinges as also that whiche is moued by other whan it ceasseth to moue ceasseth also to liue Onelye that therefore which moues it selfe because it can neuer forsake it selfe can not but moue It also is a fountayne and beginninge of motion to other thinges whych are moued Nowe of a principle there can be no beginninge For of a principle all thinges are made and it takes his beginning of no other for it were no principle if it toke beginninge of any other thing Then if it hath no beginning neither hath it any ending For a principle being ones extynct can neyther it selfe at any time be reuyued neyther yet create or make anye other thing wheras al thinges take theyr beginning of a principle So we see that the beginning of al motions procedeth of that which is moued of it selfe But that can neyther haue beginning nor ending not though the skie should fal all thinges stande at a staye neyther yet any outward force by the which it should be moued Wherfore inasmuch it appeareth that that is euerlastyng whych moueth it selfe and no man will denye that our soules are of that sorte for whatsoeuer is moued by anye outward motioÌ„ and not of it selfe is without life it must nedes folowe that since it is the onelye propertye and nature of the soule amonges so manye sundrye thinges to be moued of it selfe it neyther at any time heretofore had begynnynge nor at anye time hereafter shall haue endinge Let all the raskall Phylosophers
the Moone the Sonne and the other fyue Planettes in the artificiall Spheare he didde as muche as God whome Plato bringeth in in his booke entituled Tymcus makyng the world when he made the turninge of one Spheare to rule seuerall motions differynge bothe in slowenes and swyftenes Whiche if in the motion of the whole worlde it can not be done wythout the hand of god neither coulde Archymedes in his materyall Spheare haue imitated the same with out an heauenlye wyt Neyther yet can I see howe these accustomed thynges with the whych we are dayly acquaynted can be done wythout an heauenlye power As that a Poete shoulde wryte a graue and full verse wythoute some heauenlye influence or that a man should be eloquent with pleasaunt wordes and weyghty sentences wythoute some greater inuention then the witte of man But philosophy the mother of all artes what other thynge is it then as Plato sayeth the gyfte and as I thinke the inuention of the gods She fyrst taught vs the worshippe of them and secondarelye to vse right towards all men and then afterwardes modestye stoutenes of stomake She draue away all darkenes from the soule whiles it is in the prison of the bodye that it might see all thinges as well highe and lowe as farre and neare And sure lye this seemes to me to be a heauenly thynge whyche dothe so manye and so wonderfull thinges For what is the remembraunce of wordes and deedes what is inuention assuredly such thinges they are as a man can not imagine greater in god him selfe For I do not think that the gods are delighted with the foode whyche the Poetes call Ambrosia or wyth the heauenlye drynke whych they call Nectari neyther can I thinke that they haue yonge boyes waytynge at theyr tables neyther do I beleue Homere whyche wryteth that Ganimedes was taken vp into heauen to be cupbearer to Iupiter It is no sufficient cause why he should do Laomedon so much iniury Homere fayned it and applied the qualities of men to the gods I had rather that he had deriued the properties of y e gods vnto vs namely to be wyse to inuent and to remember The soule nowe whych as I saye is a heauenly thing as Euripides feareth not to saye is god him selfe And truly if god be either aer or fyer he is the soule of man For as the heauenlye nature is voyde bothe of earthlye substance and also wateryshe moysture so in lykewyse is the soule of man compounded of none of them bothe But if it be a certayne fyft nature as Aristotle first inuented assuredlye as well the gods as our soules do consyste of the same substaunce Which opinioÌ„ we folowing haue thus expressed in our bookes which we entituled of consolation there can be fouÌ„d no original nor beginning of our soules in the earthe sith in them nothinge is mixt or coÌ„pound nothing made or framed of earth nothing moyst or aâ—rye ne yet of fyerie nature for in these foure natures there is nothinge that hath the power to remember inuent or ymagine that can either beare in memory thinges paste foresee such as are to come or rightly weyghe such as are preseÌ„t Which propertyes giftes as they are heauenly so no man can imagine howe they maye come to man but from God Whereby it seemeth that the nature of the soule is other then these foure seperated from these accustomed commen natures So whatsoeuer it is that can discernâ— by the senses can iudge by discrecyon or can wil or not will that must nedes be of an heauenly force and power and for that selfe same cause euerlastynge For god him selfe whome we can not conceyue but by the force of oure vnderstandinge we can ymagine to be no other thing then a loose and free soule seperate frome all mortall concretion seenge and mouing all thinges it selfe beinge moued of nothinge and of this selfe same force and nature is the mind of man Where then or what is thy soule canst thou tel me where or what maner thinge it is But if I haue not so manye helpes to the knoweledge of my soule as I woulde wyshe to haue wilte thou therfore let me to vse those thinges which I haue to the vnderstandinge of my soule the soule is not able in this bodye to see him selfe No more is the eye whyche although he seeth all other thinges yet that whiche is one of the leaste can not discerne his owne shape But admit that the soule can not consider him selfe howebeit perhaps he may His operacions as quyckenes of inuention sure remembraunce continuance and swiftnes of motion it doth well ynoughe perceyue And these be greate yea heauenlye yea euerlastinge thinges But of what shape it is or where it resteth we oughte not to enquyre As when we see the forme and beautye of the heauens furthermore suche quyckenes of motion as we can scarce conceyue also the continual courses of day and nyght the foure chaunges of the yeare conuenieÌ„t both for the rypening of fruytes and also for the teÌ„perate disposicion of our bodyes Besydes this when we see the sonne the causer and worker of all encrease and the moone whose encrease and decrease of lyght doth in steede of Calender descrybe vnto vs the chaunges of euerye daye when we beholde the other fyue planettes whych most constantly continue one set course vnder that Circle whiche is deuided into .xii. equall partes with vnequal motions and the faces of the skyes by nyghte on all sydes set with starres and the globe of the earthe saued from the sea and fyxed in the middest of the whole world in some places habitable and wel tilled of the which one part whych we inhabite is placed vnder the North starre where The blousteringe Northerne blastes congeale the frosen snowe And the other farre in the south which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas the other partes be not inhabited eyther because they are frosen with cold or parched with heate But here where we dwell at appoynted seasons The Sunne doth shyne the trees doth burgen greene The mery Uynes wyth clusters are bespred The bindynge trees wyth fruyte a ioye to seene The corne doth spring thinges that erst were dead As nowe reuiued their olde shape of do cast The fountayns flowe and grasse waxe greene a newe When Somers heate hath chauÌ„ged the Wynters hue Furthermore wheÌ„ we se the multitude of beastes ordained partly for our foode partly for y e tillage of our grouÌ„d partly to cary vs partly to clothe vs man amonges al these thinges a beholder of the heauens gods a worshipper of the same furthermore all thinges as wel in land as in sea prouided for the profite of mankind these other innumerable workes of god as oft as we do behold must we not nedes acknowlege that if these thinges were at any time made there must be some worker maker of theÌ„ Or els if they haue bene for
euer from the beginning as Arystotle thinkes y â— at the least there is some ruler gouerner of so greate a worke So likewise although thou canst not se the soule of maÌ„ no more theÌ„ thou canst god him selfe yet neuerthelesse as y u dost acknoweledge god by his workes so likewise seing the infinite remeÌ„braunce of thinges the quickenes of inuentioÌ„ the swiftnes of motioÌ„ in the same finally all the beautie of vertue y â— must nedes confesse the diuyne heauenlye power of the same In what place is it then I thinke truly in the heade And whye I so thinke I can bryng many reasons But that we will referre to an other time And now dispute where the soule is In thee he is assuredlye What nature hathe it a nature properlye belonging to it selfe as I thinke But admit that it had the nature eyther of fyer or aer For that is nothinge to oure purpose This onely consyder that as you knowe God althoughe his place and shape you knowe not so likewyse you ought to conceyue your soule although you knowe neyther his mansion place nor forme And trulye as concernynge the soule we can not doubt vnlesse we will confesse oure selues wholye ignoraunt in naturall philosophy but that there is no motion in the same no composition no concretion no copulation nor coagmentacion Which if it be so assuredlye it can neuer be seperated departed disseuered or sundred and for that cause neyther can it die For death is the departing seperatynge and loosynge of those partes whiche before death were conioyned Wyth this reason and suche like Socrates being moued did neyther desyre anye patrone to pleade for him when the iudges gaue him dome of death neyther yet became he an humble sutor to theym for the lengthning of his lyfe But vttered alwayes a stoute stubbernes procedinge not of pryde but of a hautye courage Yea and the very last daye of his lyfe he reasoned much of this selfe same question and a fewe dayes afore when he might easely haue bene conueyed oute of pryson he would not and finallye at the time of his deathe holdinge in hys hand the cuppe that should poysoÌ„ him spake in such sort that he seemed not to be compelled to dye but wyth a ferueÌ„t desyre to clyme vp to heauen For thus he thought and so he taught that ther were .ii. wayes and courses of our soules when they departe oute of oure bodyes For such as had defyled them selues with sinne and had geuen theym selues ouer to lust and pleasure wherwyth they beinge blynded had stayned the nobilitye of theyr soules wyth walowynge in vyce or otherwyse fraudulently gouerninge the commen welth such he thought wente by a path seperated from the counsell of the gods but suche as had kepte theÌ„ selues pure and holye and were leaste defyled with the fylth of theyâ— bodyes but had alwayes called them selues froÌ„ the filthy lustes of the same and whyles they lyued in theyr bodyes â—ad â—mitated the lyfe of the gods such he thought had an easye retourne to the place froÌ„ whence they first came And for that cause he saieth that aâ— the swannes which not wâ—thout cause are dedicated to Apollo but because they seeme to haue of him the gift of naturall prophecye foreseeynge what pleasure is in deathe do dye singinge with greate delyght so ought al good and learned men to do Neyther truly could any man doubte hereof but that as ofte as we muse muche of the nature of our foule we are in such case as they are wonte to be who when they haue a long space beheld the sonne are made in maner blynde with the bryghtnes thereof And so likewyse the eyes of our minde beholdyng it selfe do often ware dimme and by that meanes we lose the diligence of contemplation of the same So the indgemente of our opinions doubtynge wauerynge staggering poÌ„dering many doubtes is driuen as a waueryng shyppe in the mayne sea But these exaÌ„ples are couÌ„ted state come froÌ„ the Grecians But Cato our countreymaÌ„ so departed out of thys life as one that was glad that he had gotten iust occasion to dye For that god that ruleth wythin vs forbiddeth vs to departe hence withoute his leaue But when soeuer he shall gyue vs a iust cause as he did to Socrates now of late to Cato often heretofore to manye other then truly euery wise man wil gladly depart froÌ„ this darkenes into that light Neither yet oughte he to breake y e bandes of his prison for that the lawes of god do forbid but to depart froÌ„ thence when he is deliuered called by God as an officer or other lawfull power For all the life of wise men as he in like wise sayeth is y e practise of death For what other thing do we wheÌ„ we cal our mind froÌ„ pleasure that is the body froÌ„ the cares of welth richesse which is the minister hand maid of y e body to coÌ„clude wheÌ„ we separate our selues froÌ„ all sâ—irre in y â— coÌ„men wealth and from all other businesse what do we then I saye but call oure soule to it selfe compellinge it to retourne to it selfe and to wythdrawe it selfe as muche as may be froÌ„ the coniunction of the bodye and to separate the soule from the body is nothing els then to dye Wherfore let vs practyse thys to seuer oure selues from our bodyes that is as much to saye let vs accustome oure selues to dye For that both whyles we lyue here in the earth shal be lyke to that heauenlye lyfe and also when we beinge loosed from the bandes of our bodye shal wend towardes the heaueÌ„s so much the lesse flowe shall we fynde our course thyther wardes For they whych haue alwayes liued in the fetters and gyues of theyr body yea when they are loosed go some what more slowelye as those whyche many yeares haue bene laden wyth yrons For truly this lyfe is but deathe whyche I could lament more at large if I lysted Hea. You haue done that sufficiently in your boooke whyche you entituled of comforte Which when I reade I desyre nothynge more then to leaue this body But now whiles I heare this muche more Mar. Youre tyme wyll come and that shortly whether you drawe backe from it or hasteÌ„ towardes it for swyfte wynged tyme flyes a pace but so much it lackes that deathe is an euyll as you whylome thought that I feare me there is scarse any other thyng to be accompted good that may happen to man Since it shall eyther make vs gods our selues or els place vs wyth the gods Hea. Yet neuerthelesse there be some that think not so Mar. But or euer I haue finished my talke I wyll proue vnto you that there is no reasoÌ„ why death ought to seeme an euell thinge Hea. Howe can it seeme an euell thinge vnto me nowe I knowe thus much Mar. How can it aske you there are great companyes of Philosophers agaynst this opinion and those trulye
not onlye Epycures whom neuerthelesse I do not despyse but I knowe not howe eche learned man sets at nought But also mine owne dearlig Dicearchus hath sharplye writen agaynst this immortality of our soules For he wrote three bookes which are called the bookes of Lesâ—os because the same disputacion was kept at Mitylena in the which he assayes to proue that our soules are mortall And the Stoâ—kes do but lende vs the vsing of the lyfe of our soules for a space to make vs as longe liued as dawes For they saye that our soules shall abyde a great space but not 〈◊〉 Wil you therfore heare me proue that if it be so yet death is not to be counted an euell Hea. That do as you thinke good but no man shall remoue me from my opinion as concerning the immortalitye of our soules Mar. I coÌ„mend you therfore howebeit I woulde not haue you to be to rashe in allowyng opinions For we are lightly moued with a wittie reason and stagger chaunge oure opinion yea thoughe the matters be somewhat playâ—e Yet neuertheles in these there is some darkenes But if any such thing should happen we ought to be armed with witty conclusyons Hea. Wel spoken but I doubt not but I wyll foresee that no such thing shall chaunce Mar. Is there any cause then why we should not ouerpasse our frendes the Stoikes them I meane which saie that oure soules abide for a while after that they are departed out of our bodyes but not euer Who inasmuch as they do graunt that whiche semeth to be hardest in all this matter namelye that the soule may abyde beyng froÌ„ the body â—â—â—ruayle muche that they will deny that which is not onely easy to be beliâ—ued but also that being â—rauÌ„ted which they do graâ—nt doâ—◠〈◊〉 in maner of necessity namely that wheÌ„ they haue abiden a great whyle they can not dye Heaâ— You reprehend them worthelye for it is euen so as you say Mar. Should we then beleue Panetius who in this poynte dysseuâ—eth from his mayster Plato For him whom in al other pointes he calleth diuine most wyse moste holye to conclude the Homere of all philosophers his this onlye opinion of the immortalitye of the soules he doth not allowe For he sayeth that which no man denyeth that whatsoeuer hath hadde beginning shall aâ—â—â— haue endynge And that our soules had beginninge which he declares by theyâ—â— that are daylye borne 〈◊〉 whom there doth appeare as well grenenes oâ—â—â—yt as of yeares He bryngeth also this other reason that whatsoeuer maye feele gryefe may be sicke and â—â—at soeuer may be sick shal dyâ—iour souâ—â—s quod â—e do feele griefe wherfore they shal also die These thinges may lightly be refuâ—ed For hereby it semeth that he was ignoraunt that when we talke of the eternitye of the soule we do therin compryse the minde whiche is alwayes voyde of anye troublous motion or affection and do not talke of those partes in the whych sorow anger and lustes are Which he against whom I nowe reason thinkes to be sundred and seuered froÌ„ the mind For the likelynes of nature doth more appeare in beastes which haue no reason but the outwarde gesse of the soule of man doth much consyst in the shape of his bodye For it is much materiall in what sortes of bodyes the soules be placed For there be manye thinges in the bodye that quycken the minde and manye thinges whiche dulle the same Aristotle sayes that all wittye men be of melancholie complexion by the whiche reason it greueth me not at al to acknoweledge my selfe to be blunt witted He reckens vp manie thinges to proue y e same as if it were certaine shewes the reason of it Then yf there be a great force of those thynges that are in the bodye as concerning the disposition of the mynde there is no necessitye why the workes of the soule should be alyke in euerye bodye But I let this passe I woulde to god Panetius might be here present He lyued in the time of Africanus I woulde fayne knowe of him to whome of his kinsemen Africanus brothers cosen was like who beinge fauoured muche like his father yet in his lyfe did so muche refemble euery vnthryfte that he was commonlye counted the worste that myghte be Also to whom was the nephewe of Publius Crasius a righte wyse and eloquente man like and so likewyse of dyuers other notable mens children and other theyr kynsefolkes whych I nede not here to remember But wherof do I nowe intreate haue I forgotten that this is my purpose after I had spoken sufficiently of the eternity of our soules to shew also that yf they did dye there could be no euel in death Hearer I remembred it well ynoughe but whyles you talked of the eternitye of the soule I suffered you wyth a good wyll to staye in the same Marcus I perceyue that your minde is on hygh thinges and that you wyll euen clyme into heauen Hear I hope so But admit as these men will haue it that oure soules remayne not after deathe then I perceyue that we haue loste the hope of immortall life in heauen Mar. What harme I praye you doth that opynion brynge admyt that our soule shall dye as our body is there then anye gryefe or anye sence at all in our bodye no man sayeth so albeit Epicurus layeth it to Democritus charge But his scolers denye it Then if there be no feelynge in the bodye after deathe neyther doth there remaine anye sense in the soule For it is in no place Where then is the euell But perchaunce they will saye that the departynge of the bodye from the soule is not wythoute griefe Admyt that there be some howe litle is it howebeit I thynke there is none at all For it happens commonlye wythoute anye sence yea and some times wyth pleasure yea and it is but lyghte what so euer it be For it is done in a mynute of tyme. But this it is that gryeueth vs or rather vexeth vs the departynge from all those thinges whyche we counte commodityes in oure lyfe But I feare me that they may be more trulye called euels What shoulde I here bewaile the lyfe of man although I well maye and that vppon iusts and good occasyon But what neede I inasmuche as I do intreate whether after deathe we shall be wretches to make our lyfe in bewaylynge to seeme more miserable we haue done that sufficientlye in that booke in the whiche as muche as we might we haue comforted oure selues Deathe therfore deliuereth vs from euels and not froÌ„ goodes if we speake the truthe And that truly is so largely reasoned of Egesyas the Cyreman that he was forbidden of the king Ptolomeus to teache the same in scooles for that many after his doctrine dydde wyllingly kyll theÌ„ selues There is an Epigramme of Callimachus vppon Cleombrotus the Ambrocian whome he sayes after that he had perused Platos booke of the immortalitye of the soules foorth
commendation of the people seeme to me more prayseworthy then the contrarye Not for that I woulde haue suche thinges done out of the face of the people for al honest deedes loue to be placed in the light But because there is no greater prayse that vertue requyreth then the good iudgement of a sounde and vndefiled conscience And let vs chiefelye thinke that this sufferaunce of griefe whiche we haue sayd often heretofore ought to be strengthened with the earnest desyre of the minde oughte to be equally and indifferentlye shewed and applyed in all cases For many whyche eyther for desyre of conqueste and dictorye or couetyse of glory haue stoutelye abyden manye cruell strokes yet neuerthelesse sometimes the selfe same men are not able to abyde the paynes of a dissease For the cause is for that that payne whiche they suffred afore they suffred not learned by the guyde and conductynge of reason or wysedome but onelye for desyre of glorye And for that cause many rude and barbarous people can stoutely weld theyr weapons and yet neuerthelesse can not behaue theym selues manlye in theyr disease But the Grecians being men not verye stoute but wyse inough as the wyttes of men are diuerse can not behaue them selues stoutly against theyr enemyes and yet neuerthelesse can beare disseases pacientlye and as it becometh men And the Cimbrians and Celtiberians are stoute in the field and playne women in their sickenes For nothing can haue any equalitye or measure in it whych dothe not proceede of reason And when you see them whom eyther earneste desyre or els a vayne opinion moueth to coueyte anye thynge in folowynge and attayninge the same not to be wearyed of gryefe then oughte you to thinke that gryefe is eyther no euell at all or els if there be anye hardenes in it or anye thinge contrary to nature and for that cause it may please you to call it euell yet neuerthelesse that it is so litle and so muche ouercome of vertue that it can not appeare at all Whiche I beseche you ponder wyth your selfe For this reason wyll serue you to manye more vses then to auoyde gryefe For if we must referre all oure doynges to the auoydinge of dishonâ—stye then we shall not onelye neede to despyse the pryckes of sorowe but y â— thunderboltes of flatterynge fortune also Speciallye inasmuch as at our laste ende there is that hauen and porte prepared for vs of the whyche we reasoned the daye before namelye death For lyke as yf God woulde saye to a sayler persecuted wyth Pyrates cast thy selfe ouer the shyp borde for there is a Dolphine which will beare the as he did Arion or els the horse whiche drawe Neptunus chaire vpon the seas shal be ready to receyue the carye the whether so euer thou list Woulde not then this mariner thinke you abandone feare So when the sharpenes of gryefe doth vexe vs if it be suche that we can not beare it you see where is our refuge Thus much I thought good to speake at this presente But I thinke you do still persist in your former opinion Hea. No trulye for by these two dayes reasoninges I hope that I am eased of those two thinges which I did chiefelye of all other feare Mar. To morowe we wyll measure our talke by the clock But I thinke that you can not be at leasure Hea. Yes trulye euen before diner this selfe same time Mar. So we wil do satisfy as I trust your earnest desyre Finis THE THYRD BOOKE contayning the third Question disputed by Marke Tully Cicero in his thyrd daies reasoning in his manour of Tusculanum treatinge howe a wise man ought to behaue him selfe in sorowe and griefe of mynde WHat might I thinke the cause to be deare frende Brutus that whereas we consiste both of soule and bodye there is an arte inuented for the preseruation and health of the bodye and it also so muche esteemed that the inuention thereof â–ª is fathered on the immortall goddes But the cure of the soule was neyther so much desyred afore it was founde nor greatly frequeÌ„ted after it was knoweÌ„ neyther scarse wel accepted nor alowed of some men but rather suspected and hated of the moste maye this be the cause for that the griefe and disease of the bodye we may iudge by our mind but the gryefe of oure minde we can not discerne by our body and so it hapneth that oure minde then iudgeth of it selfe when y e â–ª wherewyth it iudgeth is sicke For trulye if nature had made vs suche at the fyrste that we mighte playnâ—ly behold and perceyue her force and vnder her most sure guide and conduite passe the course of oure life then needed we not to requyre the helpe eyther of reasoÌ„ or learning But she hath geuen vs onelye certayne small sparâ—les which with noughtye fashions â— erronious opinions we doe lyghtelye quenche in such wise that not so much as any glymse of the lyghte of nature can appeare For ther are sowen within vs the seedes of vertue whyche iâ— they might encrease and growe to ripenes would of theyr owne nature with out any other aide bring vs to the blessed immortall life but nowe as soone as we are borne brought foorth into this light we are forthwith continuallye trayned in al noughtinesse and peruerse opinions so that it maye well be sayd that euen with the milke of oure nurses we do sucke errour And when from theym we are committed to oure second pareÌ„tes our maisters I meane we are then seasoneâ— wyth so manye lyes that truth yeldeth to vanitie and the enstructioÌ„s of nature to y â— strength of false opinions Hereunto also are poetes adioyned who for y â— they haue an outward shewe of learning wisedome are heard read learned and so are fullye fastened in our mindes But when to this same we ioyne the people also as a wise teacher and the commeÌ„ voice of the multitude the confirmer of al vice then are we altogither infected with erronious opinions swarâ—â— wholy froÌ„ the rule of nature So y â— those whych teache vs that nothing is more necessary more to be desired or coueted then honour empire the praise of the coÌ„mon people seeme in teaching vs so coÌ„trary doctrines to y e enstructioÌ„s of nature to haue enuied vs y e fruictoÌ„ of those most excellente principles whyche she at the fyrst had engraffed in vs. Al men neuerthelesse do greedelye desyre the prayse of the commen sorte and suinge therein after true and vnfayned honesty which onely nature in al her workes doth propose as an ende are foulye deluded and mocked For they do not obtayne any perfect picture of vertue but y e shaded image of glorye For true glorye is a sounde and perfect thynge and no coloured shadowe And that is the incorrupted and vniuersall prayse of al good men proceeding of the right report of the excellencie of vertue Whyche trulye is in maner the eccho of vertue For
truly may anger But if this griefe of the minde wherof we talk might happeÌ„ to a wise man then should anger also which inas it maye not no more trulye maye not gryefe For if a wise man myghte feele griefe then mighte he feele also pitie and enuyenge For pitye and enuie go together For who so euer is sorye for some mans aduersitye he may likewyse enuye some others prosperitie As Theophrastus lamentynge the death of Calisthenes his felowe is vexed and grieued with the prosperitye of Alexander And therfore he saieth that Calisthenes chauÌ„ced on a man of great power notable felicitie but nothyng skylfull howe to vse his prosperity So as pitye is a gryefe conceyued of other mens aduersitie so is enuie a sorowe for other mens prosperitye Who so euer therfore is subiecte to pitye he is also someâ—ines troubled wyth with enuye But to enuye is no point of a wise man wherfore neyther to pitye But yf a wise man shoulde take greuouslye any mans aduersitye he must needes be subiect to pitie All gryefe therefore is farre absent from a wise man These are the reasons of the Stoykes and theyr crooked conclusions which sometime hereafter we will expresse more largely also more playnely and theyr reasons we must nedes â—olowe because they ground theyr foundation vpon the stoutest and manlyest opinion For oure familiar frendes 〈◊〉 Perepatetikes then the whyche we philosophers can be eyther more eloquente more learned or more sage can not well perswade me that there is a mediocritie of the perturbations or diseases of the mind For euery euell thing though it be but meane yet neuerthelesse is to muche And we intende to shewe that there can be no such griefe in a wyse man For as the bodye if it be but meetely sicke yet neuerthelesse is farre from healthe so trulye if the mind be but meanely troubled it wanteth health Therfore oure countreymen as they haue well geuen manye proper and meete names to other thinges so haue they verye well termed gryefe care and anguishe of the minde for the likenes that it hathe to the diseases of the bodye sickenesse Wyth the like worde do the Grecians terme all perturbations For they cal al troublesome motions of the minde â—athos whyche is as much in effecte as diseases For the sickenes of the minde doth muche resemble the diseases of the bodye But lust is not like to a disease Nor immodâ—â—â—te ioye which is the merye moode of the minde Neyther is feare it selfe any thinge lyke a disease although it is verye nygh vnto griefe But that whyche is called a disease in the bodye is commonly called a griefe in the mind We must therfore shewe the originall beginning of this gryefe I meane the thing that worketh griefe in oure mindes as some other thynge doth disease in the bodye For as the phisicians when they haue once found out the cause of any disease thinke the cure thereof to be but lyght so we wheÌ„ we haue once founde the cause of thys gryefe shall lyghtlye fynde some helpe for the same Al the cause therefore consisteth in our owne opinion I meane not only of gryefe of the minde but of all other perturbations also which are but foure generallye But there are more branches and partes of the same For inasmuch as euery motion of the minde is eyther voyde of reason or a despyser of reason or disobedieÌ„t to reason and that motioÌ„ is stirred with the opinion eyther of good or euell within these .ii. partes all the foure perturbations are equally contayned For .ii. proceede of the opinion of good of the whyche the one is called immoderate ioye whych ryseth of some marueilous goodnes beyng atchieued and gotten and the other is named desyre whyche is an immoderate lust after some thing of the whiche we haue once conceyued a great opinion of goodnes not obeyenge to reason And as these two are moued with the opinion of goodnes so are the other .ii. raysed of the opinioÌ„ of some euell For feare comes of y e opinion of some great euel which is at haÌ„d sorowe is the opinion of some euell already chaunced and that some suche euel y â— it seemes but right that a man should veâ—e him selfe about it so y â— he whoÌ„ it grieues thinketh y â— he ought of righte to be grieued with it These perturbatioÌ„s which only folly sendeth emonges men as certayne furyes we must wythstand wyth all oure might and power yf we mind to passe this litle space of our life quietely and pleasauntlye But of the rest we wyll talke at other times But nowe let vs vanquyshe gryefe if we may For that is our purpose inasmuche as you sayde that you thought it myghte chaunce to a wyse man whyche I can by no meanes thynke For it is a beastlye wretched and detestable thynge and suche as we oughte to flye wyth myghte and maine as a man might say Howe like you then the neuewe of Tantalus the sonne of Pelops whych heretofore by force rauished Hippodamia frome his father in lawe Oenomaus Doeth he seeme nowe to be the kynseman of Iupiter lamentinge and vexinge him selfe like an abiect Take hede ye straungers al quod he that none to me drawe nie Least my disease maye you infecte or shadowe you annoye This hatefull plague is rooted in my fleshe so greuouslye Wylt thou O Thyestes condemne thy selfe to death for an other mannes faulte But nowe as for the sonne of Phebus do you not thynke hym worthye to behold his fathers lyghte who lamenteth in this wyse Myne eyes wythin my heade are shronke my bodye loe consumes The skyn is freated from mine eyes by my continuall teares My bed in driuelinges is ydrownd my mouth hath stinkyng fumes And so my breast lookes hoare lyke fowle y e whited plumes aye beares These euels thou thy selfe O foolishe Aeta wast the causer of for they were not amonges those thinges whyche chaunce cast vppon the. For all sorowe as I will hereafter shewe proceedeth of the opinion of some euell that is present But thou mournest trulye for the lacke of thy kyngdome and not of thy doughter For her thou didst hate and that perchaunce not wythoute a cause But it grieued the greatly to lacke thy kyngdome Trulye it is a shameles sorowe to mourne for that thou mayst not keepe free men in seruitude Dionisius the tiranne when he was banished from Siracusa taught children at Corinthe So great desire he had to beare rule But who could be more impudent then Tarquinius Who waged warre wyth them that would not suffer his pride He at the laste when neyther the armyes of the Ueientes neyther yet the Latines coulde restore him into his kyngdome wente to the citye of Cume in Italye and therewyth age and anguyshe pyned awaye And thinke you that the lyke maye chaunce to anye wyse man I meane to be wasted wyth thoughte which is no better than meere miserye For whereas euerye perturbation is a
tâ— be sicke But it in good thinges because some are more apte to goodnes â–ª than other may be termed aptenes And in euell thinges it may signifye a â—â—adines tâ—â—all And in such thynges â—s are neyther good nor bad it maye â—aue his former name But as there â—re diseases and sickenesses in the 〈◊〉 so like wise there are in the minde A disease they call the infection of the whole bodyâ— but a syckenes they name â— faynte disease A faulte is when the limmes of the bodye are not â—quallye proporcâ—oâ—â—ed but some missâ— placed and yll fauoured to see So a disease and sickenesse are when the whole bâ—â—dye is disquiete or out of tempeâ— â–ª 〈…〉 maye be oftentimes perâ—â—yue◠〈◊〉 â—odye beyng of perfect health But in the â—â—nde we can not separaâ—â—e ◠〈◊〉 from a disease but onelyâ— by thoughte And in it that whiche we 〈◊〉 a faulte in the bodye maye well 〈◊〉 called viciousnes Whyche is an inâ—â—staunt and waueringe dssposition 〈◊〉 all the life tyme. So it 〈◊〉 to passe that the corrupâ—â—on 〈◊〉 maners â–ª breedeth a syckenesse and disease and the other causeth inconstancy â—nd repugnaunce Neyther yet doth eâ—â—ry imperfection cause discordaunce in the mind As they who are not farre from wisedome yet whiles they are in that imperfectioÌ„ haue some iarring in thâ—yr mindes but no such contrarietye or repugnance But syckenesses and diseases are partes of viciousnes But whether perturbations be partes of the same it is in doubt For vices be permanente affectionâ— but perturbations are continuallye in motion so that they can be no partes of suche affections as vse to coÌ„tinue in the mind â—nd as in the proportion of euels the minde maye well be resembled to the body so it maye likewyse in good thinges For the chyefe partes in the body are beautye myght health and swiftnes The same likewyse there are in the minde The bodye is in healthe when those principles of the which we consist agree among them selues and iarre not So the mynde is sayde to be in good healthe when it agreeth in ryght iudgemeÌ„tes and true opinions â—nd that is that vertue of the mynde whyche some â—all temperaunce â–ª And other some name 〈◊〉 be a vertue folowing and obeyeng temperauncâ— â–ª hauing no certayne name But whyche of them so euer it be they do all agree that it is in a wyse man onely But there is a certayne healthe of minde whyche a â—oole also maye haue Which is when by the helpe of philosophye the perturbations of his minde are cured And is there is a certayne proportion of the â—â—â—mes of the bodye wyth a pleasaunt shape whych is called beautye so likewyse teh equalitye and consente of the mynde in opinions and iudgementes â–ª with a certayne stoutenes and coâ—â—tanâ—ye folowynge vertue or rather conâ—â—ynyng the whole power and force of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 named the beautye of the minde Nowe as for the strengthe â—â—yntes and styffenes of the bodye there are like partes also in the minde But whereas there is a certaine quickâ—esse in the body otherwise called swiftnes neither doth the mynd want that prayse also whyche in shorte tyme can runne ouer the remembraunce of thinges in number infinite But these differences there are betwyxte the bodyâ— and the mynde that the mynde beynge in good health maye in no parte feele anye griefe but the bodye maye Also the diseases of the body may sometime come wythout oure faulte But so can not the diseases of the minde The lyghtest troubles of the whyche can not happen wythout the despysyng of râ—â—son And for that cause they be in meâ— onâ—lye For beastes maye haue some such like chaunces â–ª but they haue no â—â—rturbations and betwixt quicke and dulle witted men this difference there is â–ª that wyse men like as the brasse 〈◊〉 Coriâ—â—he will â—eeldoâ—◠〈◊〉 rowsâ—ye so will they likewyse eyther hardly fall into aâ—ye disease or els yâ— they chaunce to fall into anye lightlyâ—â—e cured And so it is not with dul witted men Besides that the minde of â— wyse man is not subiect to euerye perturbation For he doth none of those thinges whych are beastlye and cruell Yea and those perturbations whyche sometimes chaunce vnto him haue a certayne shewe of gentlenes as pitye sorowe and feare But those sickenesses and diseases of the minde are more harde to be rooted oute then those extreme vices whyche are contrarye to vertues For those olde rooted dyseases remayning vices can not be taken awaye Because they are not so lyghtlye healed as the other rooted out And thus you haue so much as the Stoikes subtelye reason of perturbations Which they call logicall because they are profoundlye wrytten From the which since our talke is now escaped as it were from cragged rockes nowe let vs go to the other part of our disputations if you thynke that we haue spoken playnely ynoughe respectinge the darkenesse of the matter Hea. Yea truly playnely ynough Therfore now we looke that you shoulde spreade the sayles of your talke whyche whyâ—ome you spake of Mar. Forasmuche as â—â—th at other times hertofore we haue spoken muche of vertue and must also hereafter do the same In manye othâ—r places for moste of those questions whych pertayne to the trade of life and maners are grounded vppon vertue for that cause we wil nowe define vertue Whych is a constante and laudable affection of the minde bothe makynge them in whom it is commendable and also it selfe euen wythoute the name of profyte worthy of prayse From it do procede all honest desyres wordes and deedes And to be shorte the whole rule of reason Howebeit vertue it selfe may in the bryefest maner well be termed the rule of reason To this vertue vyce is contrarye for so I thinke better to terme it then malyce whych the Greekes call Kakiâ— For malice is the name of some one certayne vyce But vice is the name of all From whiche also proceede al perturbations Whiche be as I sayde afore the troubled and stirred motions of the minde strayed from reason enemyes of the mynde and also of a quyete lyfe For they brynge wyth theyâ— carefull and bitter gryeues they afflycte and weaken the minde wyth feare They inflame it also wyth a greedy appetite Whych we terme eyther desyre or luste Whiche is an impotencye of the minde swaruing from temperaunce and moderatioÌ„ Whiche if it chaunce to obtayne that whyche it did desyre then it falleth into excessiâ—e myrth So that then nothynge whyche he dothe is to anye purpose at all Lyke as he whyche thynketh ioyâ— and pleasure of the minde to be thâ— chyefest erroure The helpe of all these euels consysteth in vertue onely But what is there not onelye more miserable but also more fylthye or yll â—auoured then to see a man afflycted or ouercome wyth gryefe To whyche â—iserye he trulye is verye nyghe who â—eareth anye euell when it it is comming and standes coÌ„tinually in dread of the same The power whereof the Poetes myndinge to
his face had reckened vp a great number of vices in the presence of some of the frendes of Socrates who knewe that he was not faulty in theym they laughed him to scorne But Socrates defended him Sayeng that those sygnes and coniectures were in him in deede But that he did ouercome them wyth reason Wherefore as men beinge in good health may seeme yet some more then other to be giuen to this or that disease so likewyse some mans mynde is more prone to vice then some others But their vices who are not of nature but onely be theyr owne fault vicious consiste of the false opinions of those thinges which they count eyther good or euell And a disease once rooted like as in the bodye so in the minde also is hardly holpen For easier it is to heale a sodayne swellinge of the eyes then a continuall blearynesse So the cause of al perturbations being once knowen whyche take theyr beginninge of the sundrye iudgementes of opinions we will here finishe this dayes disputation For the endes of good and euell beynge knowen as muche as a man may knowe them nothynge more profitable maye be wyshed or desyred of all Philosophye then those thynges which in these foure daies we haue discussed For to the despysynge of death and bearynge of all bodilye payne we ioyned the ease of sorowe Then the whiche there is nothinge more troublous to man For although euerye perturbation be greuous vnto vs and doth not muche differ frome madnes yet when men are in anye of the other perturbations as feare myrth or desyre we saye that they are but troubled or disquieted But those that are subiecte vnto sorowe we terme wretched afflycted and full of calamitye And for that cause it was not by chaunce but well and aduisedlyâ— appoynted by you that we made a seuerall discourse of sorowe from all the other perturbations For in it is the sprynge and fountayne of all miserye But there is one waye to helpe bothe it and also al the other diseases of the minde Namely by the shewynge that they are caused onelye by oure owne fond opinion and will because we thinke it ryght and dutye to take them on vs. This erroure as the roote of all euell philosophye promiseth to pull vppe euen by the rootes Let vs therefore yelde our selues to it and suffer it to heale vs. For as long as these â—uels are wythin vs we shall neyther be happye nor whole Eyther let vs therefore playnelye denye that reason can do any thing whereas in dede nothynge can well be done without it or els inasmuch as philosophie consisteth of the conference of reasons of her yf we wil be eyther good or blessed let vs learne the helpes to attayne to a happye and a blessed lyfe Finis THE FYFT AND LAST booke of M. Tullie Cicero contayning his reasoninge of the last and fifte question which he disputed in his manor of Tusculanum being this in effecte whether vertue onely be sufficient to make a man leade a happye lyfe THis fyfte daye fryende Brutus shal make an ende of our disputations holden in our manor or TusculanuÌ„ in the whiche we reasoned of that Question which you most of all others are wont to allowe For I perceiued both by y â— boke which you wrote vnto me also bi your talk at manye other times that you like this opinion very well Namelye that vertue is sufficiente of it selfe to the mayntayning of a happy and a blessed life Which although it be verye harde to proue because of so manye and sundrye strokes of fortune yet neuerthelesse suche it is that we oughte to trauayle and take paynes for the proofe thereof For there is nothing in al philosophye more grauely or more wisely spoken For inasmuch as it moued all those that first gaue them selues to the studye of philosophye despysynge all other thinges to setle theÌ„ selues wholye to the searchinge of the happyest state of lyfe trulye they tooke so great trauayle and paynes onely in hope to attayne a blessed life And truly if such men haue eyther found out or accomplyshed vertue and if they found sufficient ayde in onelye vertue for the attayninge of a blessed lyfe who woulde not iudge that well and worthelye both they did fyrst inuent and we also haue folowed the studie of philosophy But if vertue beinge subiecte to sundrye and vncertayne chaunces is the slaue of fortune and not of sufficiente ability to mayntayne her selfe I feare muche then least it be all one to truste to the ayde of vertue for the obtaining of a blessed life to sit still aâ—d wishe after the same In deede remembring manye times the chaunces wyth the whyche fortune hath galled me I beginne to mistruste this opinion and to feare the weakenes and frayletye of mankynde For I am wonte to feare least inasmuch as nature hath geuen vs weake bodyes to the whyche also she hath fastned sundrye sortes of incurable diseases intollerable grieues least she I say hath likewise geuen vs mindes agreable to the diseases greues of our body And also of theÌ„ selues wrapped in other seuerall cares troubles But in this poynct I correct my selfe For that I iudge of the strength of vertue according to the wantonnes and weakenes of other yea and perchaunce of my selfe and not by vertue it selfe For vertue trulye if there be anye such thing at all whyche doubt if there were any your fathers brother O Brutus hath already taken away hath vndoubtedly all chaunces whych may happen to man in subiection vnder it and despysyng theym contempneth all worldly casualtye and beyng it selfe voyde of all blame thinketh that nothing besides it it selfe is requisite vnto it But we encreasing all aduersitie while it is comminge wyth feare and wheÌ„ it comes wyth sorowe will condemne rather those thinges whyche naturalâ—ye are good then oure owne pernicious erroure But as well of this faulte as also of all the rest we must seeke the redresse in philosophye Into whose bosome beinge in the very beginninge of my age led by myne owne will and earneste desyre nowe after that I was tost wyth most troublesome stormes I haue euen fled to the same as to the hauen from the whych I once departed O philosophy the guyde of our lyfe the searcher of vertue the expeller of vice what were not we onely but generally all the life of man able to do wythout thee Thou foundedst cityes thou reclaymedst men whiles they were yet wylde and wanderers to a commen societye and feloweshippe of life thou bredst loue betwyxt theym fyrste by neyghbourhoode nexte by mariage and laste of all by communicatinge of talke and wrytinge Thou wast the inuenter of lawes the mistres of maners and of all good order To the we flye of the we aske succour To the euen as afore for some part so nowe I geue my selfe wholye to be ruled and gouerned For one daye wel spent accordinge to thy preceptes is to be preferred wel night
set at nought The other philosophers sticke more And with more payne swimme oute of the myer I meane Epicurus and Hieronimus all the rest whiche a say to defend the eloquent Carneades For there is none of them whiche thinketh that the minde oughte to be the iudge of all goods or that doth accustome the same to despise those thinges whych onely haue the apparaunce eyther of good or euell For what soeuer thou thinke O Epicure the same wil both Hieronimus and Carneades and also all the rest saye Yet who of them is there not sufficiently prouided agaynst death or gryefe Let vs begin of him if you please whom we call so wanton and full of pleasure Doth not he thinke you despyse death and paine who counteth that daye in the whyche he shall dye happy and blessed And thinketh that suche as are in the greatest panges of payne may comfort theÌ„ selues with the remembraunce of pleasures past Neyther yet doth he speake that as if he did rashely blabbe it out For his reason why death oughte not to be feared is this Because when the life is gone al sense is past And when we are once withoute sence or feelinge there is no maner chaunce that maye greue vs. Also he hath certayne remedies for griefe For if it be greate he comforteth him selfe with the shortnes of the time that it shall endure And if it be long then he thinketh that space of time wil make it waxe lyghter and lyghter I praye you in what better case are al the graue philosophers against these two most dreadful â—uels then Epicurus Also agaynst all the other which are counted euels are not Epicurus and all the other philosophers sufficieÌ„tly armed Who is there that doth not feare pouertye And yet what philosopher is there yea or Epicurus him selfe wyth howe litle is he content No man hath spoken or written more of a spare and bare life For inasmuch as he doth so muche auâ—yde all those thinges which necessarily requyre money Namely loue ambition and such like Whatâ— cause might ther be why he should eyther desyre or care for money Coulde Anacharses a Scithian despyse money and shall not our philosophers be able to do the same There is an epistle of his writeÌ„ in this maner Anacharses to Hanno sendeth greeting My clothing is a beastes skin â—f Scithia My shoes are the harde brawne in the sooles of my feete My bed is the ground My sauce is honger My meate is milke butter and fleshe Wherefore you may wel come quietly vnto me But as for those gyftes with the which you thinke you should pleasure me I pray you geue theym eyther to your owne citesins or els to the immortall gods Truly all philosophers of whatsoeuer secte they were vnlesse they be suche as a vicious nature hath turned from the rule of reason maye well be of the same minde Socrates when there was a great plenty of gold and siluer brought vnto him now lord quod he howe litle do I passe for such store Xenocrates when the messengers whych came to him from Alexander had brought him twenty talentes whiche was counted at that tyme at Athenes inespeciallye a great summe of money he brought the ambassadors into that place where Plato once kept his scoole and there made them a supper onely of so muche as was sufficient without any great cost And when they asked him on the morowe to whoÌ„ he would haue theym tell the money Why quod he did you not vnderstand by the supper I made you y e laste night that I lacke no money But when he sawe them very sadde at that sayenge he toke thirty poundes least he should seeme to despise the kinges liberalitie But Diogenes wheÌ„ Alexander asked what he lacked aunswered more like a currishe philosopher Sayenge stande out of the sonne For he stoode betwixt the sonne and him And he was wonte to dispute how much he did surmount the king of Persia in a happy lyfe and good lucke Sayeng that he lacked nothing and the other would neuer hauâ— enough And that he desyred not pleasures wyth the which the other could not be satisfyed And y t those pleasures which he felt the other might neuer attayne You remember I thinke howe Epicurus deriued the sondry sortes of desyres although not ouer suttelly yet commodiously enough Sayenge that they are partly naturall and necessary and partly neyther naturall nor necessary And that suche as are necessary may be contented and suffised wel nie with nothing For sufficieÌ„t for nature may lightly be gotten But the seconde sort he thinkes it neyther harde to obtayne neyther yet to lacke And the thrd because they were vtterly vaine and fonde and were requisite neyther for necessity nor nature he said ought vtterlye to be rooted out Hereabout the folowers of Epicurus reasoÌ„ much and do debase and despise in their talk these pleasures very much Which neuerthelesse they do not despyse but seeke to haue plentye of For both they saye that filthy pleasures of the which they haue great talke are easy coÌ„mon and riâ—e to be gotteÌ„ and also if nature do require theÌ„ they thinke they oughte to be measured by beautye age and hansomnes And that it is nothinge harde to abstayne from them if eyther our health duty or fame do so requireâ— And that this kind of pleasure is then best when it hurteth not For it neuer profyteth And all these preceptes of pleasures he gaue to y â— ende he would shewe that pleasure for it selfe onely because it is pleasure is to be wyshed and desyred And contrarywise that payne onely because it is payne ought to be hated and auoyded And this moderatioÌ„ he thinketh a wise man ought to vse Namelye to flye pleasure if he think that it wil bring a greater paine And to suffer payne if he thinke it wil cause a greater pleasure And that all pleasure although it be iudged by the senses of the bodye yet neuerthelesse â—ught to be referred to the minde And that for that cause the bodye doth reioyce onelye so longe as it doth feele the pleasure present But the mind do both ioye with the bodye and also wheÌ„â—t foresâ—es anye pleasure comming or remembreth that which is paste So that a wyse man must needes haue a continual and an euerlasting pleasure Inasmuche as to the hope of suche as are comming he did ioyne also the remembraunce of such as are past Such like also is theyr talke as concerninge moderation of fare They disprayse all magnificence and cost in bankets Sayeng that nature is coÌ„tented with a litle For trulye who knowes not that the best sauce is lacke or want Darius when in his flyght he dranke muddye and stinking water sayd that he neuer dranke a sweter draught For truly he was neuer afore thirsty when he dranke No â—dre had Pâ—olomeus eaten at any time wyth honger To whom when as he rode his progresse in Egipte and strayed from his garde a certaine old
in complayning his blyndenes But Homere fayniÌ„g Poliphemus to haue bene a rude and a huge gyant maketh him talking wyth a ramme commending his good chauÌ„ce for that he could see to go where he woulde and touche what he listed And trulye that talke was well applyed to such a person For he was no wiser then the ramme wyth whom he talked But in deafenes what euell is there Marcus Crassus was somewhat deafe But there was one thing worse than that belonging to him Namelye that he had an euell reporte Although that trulye in my opinion was wythout cause Our Epicures can not vnderstande nor speake Greeke Neyther the Greeke Epicures latine They therefore were deafe in these mens language And likewise these men in theyrs And all men in those languages whiche they vnderstand not are no better thaÌ„ deafe But some man will say They can not heare the sweete noyse of any instrument No more can they the gratinge or iarring of a sawe when he is wheâ—ted neyther the squeakynge of a pigge when he is sticked neyther when they are disposed to take theyr rest the roaringe of the mayne sea And if they 〈◊〉 so greatly delyghted wyth songes and instrumentes they oughte to consider that afore anye suche thinges were inuented there were manye wyse men that ledde a happye lyfe And also that there may be farre greater pleasure taken in readinge then hearings suche toyes Furthermore as we did afore commende vnto blynde men the pleasures of the eares so we maye vnto deafe men commende the pleasures of the eyes And furthermore who soeuer can commen secretelye with his owne conscience he shall not neede the talke of another Nowe let all these miseries be put together So that some maÌ„ lacke both his syght and hearinge and furthermore be payned wyth extreame gryefe in his body whych both of themselues are able at the first to kil a man or els if they tary any thinge longe do pricke a man more vehementlye then that he should haue occasion to abide theÌ„ yet what neede we to trouble oure selues Inasmuch as there is alwayes a hauen baye readye for vs. Death I meane the euerlastinge home of oure body when it is once past sence Theodorus wheÌ„ Lisimacus threatned him that he would put him to death sayde Surely youre power is great if you be able to do asmuche as a Cantarides Paulus wheÌ„ Perses desired him that he might not be led in his triumph answered That is in your choyce Of death we spake much the first day wheÌ„ we disputed purposely of it sumwhat also the next day wheÌ„ we entreated of gryefe we sayd thereof which who soeuer doth remember there is no doubt but he wil either wishe for death or at the least wise not feare it I thinke that herein we ought to kepe that custome which the Grecians vse in their feastes for they haue such a terme Eyther let him drink or els depart And but right For eyther let him wyth other kepe feloweship in drinkinge or els least he being sober should be in the companye of dronkardes he must departe before So likewise the iniuries of fortune which we caÌ„ not abide we ought to auoyde by flight The same that Epicurus sayeth Hieronimus also affirmeth almost with the selfe same wordes Therfore if these philosophers which think vertue of it selfe to be of no force that al that which we cal honest and laudable is but a vaine thing only coloured with a fayre name if these men neuerthelesse thinke that a wyse man is alwayes happy what theÌ„ should we looke for of Socrates Plato other more excelleÌ„t philosophers Of y t whiche some saye that the goodes of the minde are of such excellencie that they blemishe all the goodes of the bodye of fortune And some other count these to be no goods at al but place al things in y â— minde only Whose controuersie Carneades was wonte to finishe like an honourable iudge For he said that there was no cause of controuersie betwixt theÌ„ although those things which the peripatetikeâ— did cal goods y t Stoikes did count but coÌ„modities so y â— the Peripatetikes did attribute no more to ryches good health and other suche like then the Stoikes when it comes to the pdndering of the thinge it selfe and not of the word And as for the philosophers of other sectes howe they can haue any place in this opinion let them selues see Yet I am glad that they professe some thinge worthye the name of philosophers of the ablenes of a wise man to liue well But inasmuch as in the morninge we must go from heÌ„ce let vs nowe penne out these our fyue dayes disputations I trust that I shall at the laste haue some leasure to set theym abrode For wherein may I better employe this litle leasure that I haue And to my frende Brutus we will sende these fiue bookes by whom I was not onely moued but also prouoked to wryte of philosophy Wherein howe much we shal profyte other men I can not well say But for mine owne sharpest sorowes and sondry troubles that on all sides compassed me I could finde no better remedye FINIS ¶ Faultes escaped in printing In the fyrst booke fol.  page line 3 2 7 for vnto read till 8 2 2 for Hea. reade Mar. 9 1 8 for also reade aske 10 1 23 for members read numbers 12 2 20 for maye read any 13 2 8 for where read are 14 2 4 for his read this 14 1 23 for foolishe read foolishely 15 2 16 for hearty read hauty 18 2 1 for which read when 20 2 8 for exhaltacions read exhaâ—â— 21 1 1 for as read and lations 22 2 8 for bound reade boared 24 2 9 for selfe reade soule 29 2 12 for Nectari read Nectar 31 2 17 for nowe read newe 32 2 17 for motion read mixtion â—6 2 8 for Aecus read Aeacus In the second booke fol.  pa. li. 2 2 12 for wits read which â— 2 16 for which reade wittes  2 22 for Peripatician and Academians read Peripateâ—â—kes and academikes In the third booke fol. pa. li.  5 2 22 for as read are 8 12 9 for excutue read execute 11 1 7 for we reade no 12 1 11 for bed read beard 20 2 14 for goodnes read goodes 34 2 1 for delayed read deluded 37 1 9 for countenaunce read continuaunce 39 1 6 for beare read minister 39 1 20 for confirme read conforme 40 2 11 for mourne read mourning In the fourth booke fol. pa. li.  2 2 1 for lined read lyued 4 2 1 for cunning read liuing 10 1 10 for feare read ioye 10 1 23 for sonoe read soone 17 1 21 for for read or 28 2 19 for valiunt read valiaunt ⧠In the fift booke fol. pa. li.  8 2 16 for so read also 12 2 7 for line read liâ—e 27 2 3 for thitherto read hitherto Wordes left out ⧠In the first booke 16. leafe first page 11. line betwixt for and what bring in for 19. fol. 2. pa. 13. li. betwixt but and he bring in he thought 23. foli 1. pa. 4. line betwixte feare and for bring in What terroure I pray you or what feare 43. fol. 1. pa. 19. line betwixt such and as bringe in that In the second booke 4. fol. 2. pa. 2. li. betwixt me and inasmuch bring in for 4. fol. 2. pa. 22. li. betwixt custome and Peripatetikes bring in of the In the third booke 6. fol. 1. pa. 26. li. betwixt is and written bring in not .16 fol. 2. pa. 24. line betwixt in and thinkinge bringe in two poyntes the one in withdrawyng our minde from the. 27. fol. 2. pa. 12. li. betwixt kinde that bringe in is 35. fol. 1. pa. 16. lin betwixt that is bryng in it In the fourth booke 11. fol. 2. page .17 li betwixt minde to bring in they defyne 13. fol. 2. page 22. line betwixt comparison maye bring in of diseases of the body 34. fo 1. pa. 1. line betwixt that therabout bringe in there is anye loue of whoredome And. In the fyft booke 18. fol. 2 page 6. line betwixte voyde and feare bryng in of ¶ Imprinted at LondoÌ„ in Fletestrete nere to S. Dunstons church by Thomas Marshe