otherwhile after all this to be vanquished When thou haste considered all these things if thou be willing go and fight otherwyse thou shalt be like the little boyes which are now wrastlers nowe swordplayers nowe trumpetters forthwith players in tragedies So thou also now a fighter now a swordplayer afterward an Oratour at length a Philosopher but throughly nothing at al but as an Ape thou doest counterfait and resemble al things and nowe one thing shall lyke thée now an other for thou hast not done thy enterprise aduisedly in foreséeyng the circumstances but aduenturouslie following a lighte and colde desire So the greater number when they sée a Philosopher or when they heare say that Socrates speaketh wel but who can speake so well as he they will incontinentlie dispute and reason of Philosophie and searche the causes and nature of things Man first consider the thing the qualitie therof and then enterprise it Afterwarde trie whether thy nature be able to endure that whiche may happen Wilte thou be a wrastler behold thy armes thy thighes and thy loines For nature mother of all things hath framed euery man to some particular thing Doest thou thinke that endeuouring thy selfe about these things y u mayest liue as thou hast bene accustomed As to drinke so much as thou wer wont to be angrie so muche as thou were wont Thou must be vigilante thou must trauell thou muste set aside thy proper affaires thou muste be mocked of boyes dispised of all the world and in all things to haue leste authoritie be it in honoure in office or in iudgement and in all other affaires Then consider al these things and loke whether in their stéede thou haddest leiuer to haue rest and libertie without any perturbation But if thou haddest not leiuer to haue it sée that thou take not in hande many things to the ende that as I haue tolde thée like little boyes thou be not now a philosopher now a lawyer afterward an aduocate lastlie the Proctor of Cesar All which things knitte in one can in no wise agree for it must néedes be that thou be either a good or an ill man that thou addict thy selfe to interiour or exteriour thinges that thou possesse the place of a Philosopher and well aduised man or of a Foole and Ideote Annotations At the playes Olympia Olympia were playes as running wrestling and suche other faictes of actiuitie accustomablie kepte in the honour of Iupiter Olympicus at Pisa Helides Cities in Greece Man firste consider He signifieth as to wrastling to leaping and rūning al are not meete so neither to Philosophie both haue neede of pacience of bodie minde Of which things whoso is destitute he shal be rather a counterfayt then a very wrastler Philosopher Thou must be mocked of little boyes Verely Philosophers were wonte of al men to be dispised but great stoute champions were in admiration Cap. 36. ¶ That dueties do arise of nature and that they are considered howe a man shoulde behaue him selfe towardes any man nexte of the dueties towards men DVtie is measured by mutual affections If thou haue a father thou must regarde and honoure him giue place to him in all things and if he chide or beate thée indure it He is a naughtie father thou wilt say Nature hath enioyned vs the obedience of the father without mention of good Arte thou not ioyned by nature with a good father No but with a father Wherfore do thy dutie towards him and consider not what he doth but do such things whereby thou maiest kepe thy purpose agreable to nature No man will hurte thée excepte thou wilte Thou shalte be then hurted when thou shalte thinke thy selfe hurt So thou shalt do the dutie of neyghbour to neyghbour of Citizen to Citizen of lord to lord if thou accustome thy selfe to consider the mutuall affections Annotations By mutuall affections Affections are vsed as a certaine rule to measure dueties by Cap. 37. ¶ What our dueties are towards GOD and how to behaue vs in his doings THe principall point of honoring God is to thinke well of him to beleue that he is that he hath created all things and that well and iustly he gouerneth them afterward to obey him accepting al things that he doth as procéeding of a very good intent In so doing thou shalte not blaspheme God neither shalt thou accuse him of negligence Thou arte not able to do this otherwise excepte thou withdraw thy self frō the things which are not in vs and placing good and ill in them which are in vs. But if thou estéeme any of the things which are not in vs to be good or ill thou must of necessity when thou doest not attaine to that whiche thou wouldest or when thou doest fal into that which thou doest shunne blame and hate the cause of such an accidēt which is good All liuing creatures haue this by nature that they flée and eschewe suche things and séeme vnto them noysome and their causes but contrarywise they search maruell at these things which séeme to bring profite and the causes of them He then which thinketh himselfe hurte can take no delite in that which vnto him séemeth hurtefull So it is impossible that a man hurte may reioyce And hereof it commeth to passe that the son doth checke the father when the father maketh him not partaker of the things which séeme good vnto him This is that which made discorde betwene Polinix and Eteocles bycause they estéemed rule good For this cause the husbandman for this cause the Mariner for this cause the Marchant for this cause they which loose their wife and childrē do oftentimes defile and detest God for wheras vtilitie is there is also pietie Wherfore he that doth endeuor to desire and flée that euen as he ought by the same meanes he obserueth and kéepeth pietie As touching offerings and oblations let euery man doe them according to the guise of his countrey purely without superfluitie according to his abilitie without negligence or nigardshippe Annotations Whereas vtilitie is there is pietie O wonderfull sentence and also wicked to see to but so applied that it vncouereth the dissimulation of mans minde and can scarce be nothing more agreeable to religion Guise of his countrey Forasmuche as pietie consisteth in the mind he thinketh that we should not much regarde ceremonies Which if it mighte be perswaded to some men which are in these dayes we should liue more quietlie It mighte be perswaded if we woulde rather endeuoure to lyue according to religion than to dispute of religiō if we were rather desirers of the veritie than of vanitie that is of ambition of emulation of couetousnesse of reuengemente and of suche like confusions and destructions of the minde if there be any other Cap. 38. ¶ What maner of man he ought to be that cōmeth to a Diuinour and how to vse diuinations wherin resteth our duetie towardes God and
waye that is the contempte of such things as are not in vs. Annotations For if the substaūce of goodnesse c. The vnderstanding of this sentence is vttered stoicallie in darke wordes He which seeketh all good things of himselfe is of a quiet mind who so is of a quiet minde he doeth neither enuie nor emulate For seing that lack of paine called in Latin Indolentia excludeth all perturbations verely it excludeth enuie and emulation But if these affections do rule in any it is manifestlie gathered thereof that he is farre from the tranquilitie of the minde and doth not obey the preceptes of Philosophie Cap. 26. ¶ A solution of them which seme to let the things before mentioned how a man should not be angrie REmember that he which taunteth or beateth is not y e author of reproch but the opinion conceiued of y e same as reprocheful Then when any doeth kindle thée to wrath vnderstande that thou art moued to anger thorow thine opinion Wherefore especiallie endeuoure thy selfe that imaginations plucke not cōsente from thée for if thou shalte once suppresse it for a certaine time thou shalt more easilie be thy own Miaster Cap. 27. ¶ How to learne and set our minde in highe thinges SEt before thy eyes deathe banishment and all things which séeme terrible but especially death in so doing thou shalt not thinke vpō base and vile things and shalte neuer be excéeding couetous Annotations And shalt neuer be exceding couetous Syracides affirmeth that the imagination of death and God his iudgemente doth feare vs frō sinne Which if it do we are taught to suffer aduersitie much more paciently to despise prosperitie bicause of their sorrow and profit which endureth for a little space So Cicero All pleasure sayth he is to be estemed as nothing which when it is paste it is as if there had ben none at all But in great griefe of the bodie and anguish of the minde one houre seemeth longer than a whole yeare Cap. 28. ¶ The seconde part wherein he doeth pointe him out which hath already profited And doth first dissolue such things as come in vre to the students of Philosophie AS soone as thou haste determined to leade a perfect lyfe prepare and addresse thy self to be scorned and mocked of many and to heare what they speake of thée wherof commeth this sodain sagenesse and grauitie whereof commeth this sadnesse laye aparte thy sadde sowre countenance But yet reteine kepe these things which séeme best to thée in such sorte as if this were the front where God hath ordained and placed thée to fight And if thou persist in the same things they whiche before haue mocked thée will haue thée in admiration but if like one fléeing awaye thou gyue ouer thy enterprise thou shalte be double as much mocked and scorned Annotations Lay apart thy sad sowre coūtenāce That is a musing countenance sad grauitie and hautinesse of minde And it appeareth by this shorte and quicke sentence of Menander that this was the countenance of Philosophers They which loke stately say that Solitarinesse is mete for meditation Cap. 29. ¶ That bosting destroyeth the state of a Philosopher in shewyng wherevnto he oughte to leane IF it chaunce at any time that thou giue thy self to the things which are not in vs and that thou dost desire to please any man vnderstand that at the same present thou art fallen frō thy state Wherefore in all things let this suffise thée to bée a Philosopher But if thou dost couet to séeme to any a Philosopher let it be to thy self and that shall be sufficient Annotations If it chaunce at any tyme that thou giue thy self c. He forbiddeth the desire of glorie seeking for ostentation which affectiō it will be long before it take place in good and learned men He woulde haue a Philosopher to kepe him self within the limittes of his conscience as an oyster within his shell and to iudge that the most noble shew of his vertue Thou art fallen from thy state That is to saye thou arte vanquished Cap. 30. ¶ How to aunswere to such stayes as woulde hinder a man from wisedome LEtte not these cogitations torment thée I shall not be in honor nor in place where I shall be regarded for if to bée without honour is an ill thing thou canst not be in euill for an other thing no more than in a dishonest thing Is it in thée to beare rule or to be bidden to a banket No. What is this then but to be without honour and howe sayest thou that thou shalte not be estemed whom it behoueth to to medle in those things onely which are in our power in which thou mayst beare a great sway and stroke But thou wilt say I can not profit my friends What doest thou call to profite shall they haue no mony of thée neither wilt thou make them citizens of Rome But who told thée that these things be in vs other mens workes Who can gyue to an other that he himself hath not Get it say they that we may haue it also If I may get it kéeping my selfe modest faithful and valiant shew me the way and I will get it If ye thinke it méete that I should lose my goods that you should get such thinges as are not good sée your selues haue vnreasonable and vngratefull you are But if thou preferre a faithfull and sincere friende before money herein help me and thinke it not méete that I shoulde doe the things whereby I should loose modestie and fidelitie But I can not succoure nor ayde my coūtrey What doest thou call succoure aide That it shall not haue of thée nor by thy meanes faire sumptuous buildings nor baines What then hath it not shooes by the Shoemaker and Armour by the Armorer It is sufficient when euery vocation doth his work If thou get it a faithfull and modest member doest thou thinke that thou bringest it but a little profit very great doubtlesse In so doing thou arte not vnprofitable to it In what state shall I be in my coūtry in that thou maist keping alwayes fidelitie and modestie But if supposing to aide it thou loose modesty and fidelitie what profit shalt thou do to it which arte become impudent and disloyall Annotations Thou canst not be in euil for an other thing This sentence dependeth vpon the opinion of the stoicks that only honesty is good onely vice is naught The contempt and despising of me if I do my duety is not my vice therfore neither my euill but theyr vice and euyll who of a peruerse iudgement naughty mind do contemne dispise and misuse mee without cause Shewe mée the way He signifieth that ryches and dignitie is gotten by nothyng else but by deceit and for that cause a good man ought to despise them Neither doth he speake of them which shewe themselues vnworthy of
honoure and they are the cause that they are not regarded A faithfull and sincere friend Nowe a daies most men had leiffer to haue money Neither do they thinke that a poore friend may help vs in any thing So are endowed maidens preferred before them who are chaste and well brought vp if perhaps there be any suche and doe so continue Wherefore the wowers peraduenture are to be pardoned who in so vncertayne a hazarde of chastitie honestie had rather to abyde the vnquietnesse of riche than of poore wiues Neither hath it Shooes by the Shooemaker nor Armour by the Armourer The sence is sumptuous buildings bains and the citie of Rome is no more to be required of a Philosopher than weapons of the Shooemaker or Shooes of the Smyth seyng that it is the duety of a Philosopher to traine vp his countrey men in vertue as it is the Shoemakers duetie to make Shooes and the Smithes Weapons Cap. 31. ¶ A continuation of the solution of suche things as do hinder him which doth beginne to studye philosophie and wisedome in shewing that a man should not moue himselfe for that which chaūceth to an other that he hath nothing of an other without giuing of his owne IS there any placed before thée at a feast or was reuerēce done to him before it was done to thée or is he preferred before thée in coūsaile If these things be good thou must reioyce that thy neighbour hath them if they be ill then be not sorrowfull bicause they chāced not to thée Then remember in giuing thy minde to nothing else but to the things which are in vs thou canst not attaine to the like things which other doe in them which are not in vs. Howe may it bée done that a man frequentyng not thy house shall haue like thynges as hée whiche haunteth thy house or he that seketh not friendship and fauoure as he which doth or he which doth not please and praise the as he which doth please and praise thée Thou shalte be vniust and vnsaciable if thou haue not payde for suche thinges as thou haste bought but doest require to haue them for nothing Admit the case I could not buye lectuce for a halfe penny if any then buy a half peny worth of lectuce and thou dost buy none think not thy self in worsser case to haue lesse then he which hath bought lectuce for as he hath bought so thou hast not giuen thy halfpenny Euen so it fareth thou art not bidden to a mans feast because thou haste not giuen him asmuche as his feaste coste him He selleth it for praise he selleth it for seruice Giue him then if thou thinke it good the pryce for the whiche he solde it thée But if thou wilte not performe that and take these things thou arte vnsatiable and foolish Hast thou giuen nothing in steade of the feast Yes mary for thou hast not praised him whome thou wouldest and haste not suffered him in his portly going Annotations If these thinges be good Bycause they are good they are sorrowfull that they coulde not attaine to them bicause they be euill they are glad that they are chaunced to other And hast not suffered c. Pride and ambitious salutations of riche men do seeme to be vnderstoode in this place very troublous to a simple and learned man in like maner salutations retinues praises But perhaps rich men giuen to pleasures going in their pompe were wonte on euery side to leane and cleaue to Parasites Cap. 32. ¶ What thinges are common euen according to the will of nature THe purpose and will of nature may be iudged by these things in which we differ not one from an other as for exaumple if a mans seruaunt breake his Maisters cuppe or any other thing incontinently it is saide this is a thing which oftētimes chaūceth remember then when thine is broken that thou be the same maner of man as thou were when the other mans cuppe was broken And so do in greater thyngs If a mans child or wife chaunce to dye there is no mā but will saye incontinently this is naturall Notwithstanding euery man when any of his is dead he doth lamēt and bewaile pitifully But we muste remember how we are disposed when we haue hearde any suche thing of others Cap. 33. ¶ Howe one ought to vnderstande the nature of yll EVen as the white whereat Archers shoote is not set ther wher it may not be stricken so it is of the nature of ill in this worlde for it is not set out to be embraced but to be eschued as if goodnesse were sette for the white and euill were all that wher the white were not besides the white the Archer hath an ample and large space to shoote frō the white so without the onely marke of goodnesse on euery side is placed euil which is as easy to be done and committed as it is difficill to hitte the white or to doe good Cap. 34. ¶ We ought not abandon our minde to wrath for iniuries done and how to take in hand our enterprises IF any deliuer thy body to the firste he meteth it wil greue thée excedingly but when thou doest yelde thy minde to the first that commeth as when thou arte wronged thy mynde is troubled and heauy arte not thou ashamed Before thou take any thing in hande consider first the beginning and the sequele then take it in hand If thou do not so thou shalte neuer be certaine and sure in thy enterprises not regarding that which may befall but after when any dishonest thinges chaunce thou shalte be ashamed Annotations If any deliuer thy bodie to the first he meteth He argueth from a lesse thing to a more after this sort thou wilt be angrie with them which gaue power to any to violate thy bodie such is the condition of them whiche are banished how much more oughtest thou to be angrie with thy selfe whiche art wont to giue power to euerie man to hurte thy minde wheras it lieth in thee not to be hurt of any man at all Cap. 35. ¶ An effectuall example to consider what may befall in euerie thing which we shall take in hande WIlt thou cōquere at y e playes Olimpia And I by y e faith of my bodie for it is a verie honourable thing but consider wel the beginning and the sequele and then take the matter in hande Thou must order well thy selfe vse necessarie meats abstaine frō delicate and daintie things and exercising thy selfe according as it is expediente for the time and houre appointed be it hote or colde not drinking water or wine if occasiō so require And briefly thou must commit thy selfe whollie to the chiefe of the games as to the Phisicion in doing that whiche he shal appoint thée Afterward enter into fight and sometime to haue thy hand hurt thy foote out of ioynte to swallowe downe much dust to receiue gréeuous strokes and