Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A18805
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The booke of freendeship of Marcus Tullie Cicero; Laelius de amicitia. English
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Cicero, Marcus Tullius.; Harington, John, d. 1582.
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1550
(1550)
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STC 5276; ESTC S111226
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36,865
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162
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our fathers and that they wer twise Consulles to gether and felowes in office of the Censureshippe And we reade also in stories that in that time Marcus Curius and Titus Coruncanus were great freendê with them and dearest one to thother also among them selues Therfore we can not so muche as suspecte or deeme that any of these would haue earnestly required any thing of their freÌ„d that should haue been against their faith against their othe or against the common welth For to what purpose were it to say that these euils were in suche men For if they had ernestlie required any thyng in that maner I know thei could not haue obteigned for asmuche as these we spake of were very godlie men But let it be of a lyke euill to graunt as to make an vnhonest suite Yet Caius Carbo coÌ„sented to Tiberius Graccus and so did C. Cato who at that tyme was neuer awhit his brother Caius ennemy but at this present is his earnest aduersarie Let this then bee the firste lawe enacted in freendship that neither we require vnhonest thinges nor beyng desired do any For it is a fowle excuse and in no wise to be alowed when a man shall either in priuate faultes other elles in faultes against the comon wealth coÌ„fesse he did it for his freendes sake For we are nowe O Fannius and Scaeuola sette in such place that it behoueth vs longe afore to foresee the chaunces that maie happen to the comon wealthâ— For the old custome of our fathers al readie is somwhat swarued from hir course and race Tiberius Eraceus went about to haue gotten the kyngdome and ruled as a kyng to for certaine monethes did euer the people of Rome heare or see the lyke And his frendes and kinsfolke also after his death did folow the exaumple of hym What partes they plaied against P. Scipio Nasica I can not without teares reporte For as for Carbo whoÌ„ we spake of earwhile we did suffer and beare with because of Tiberius Graccus new punishment But what I looke to folowe of Tiberius Graccê° Tribuneship I luste not to prophecie for from thence comâ—th al matiers whiche be ready for mischiefe and after they once beginne they folowe headlong on Ye see alreadie afore hand in the tables of the lawes howe great a decaie hath happened first by the lawe called Gabinia and theÌ„ within two yeres after by the lawe called Cassia And me thinkê I doe alredie see the communaltee of Rome deuided from the Senate and that the greatâ—st matiers be ordered after the will of the people For mo men shal learne howe suche thyngê may be doen then howe they maie be withstanded But to what ende speake I all this verely because no man goâ—th about any suche thyng without fellowship The honest sort therfore muste bee warned if vnwares they lyght by any aduenture in suche a kynde of freendshippe that they thinke not them selues so bounde but that thei mai forsake their freende if in any great matter thei conspire against the common wealth And for naughty men a punishment must bee deâ—ised and no lesse for suche as followe others then for those whiche bee the verie capitaines and ryngeleaders theym selues of all wickednesse Who was nobler who was of more power in al Grece thâ— Themistocles who beyng capitayne in the warre againste the Persians when he had deliuered Greece from bondage and afterward was banished for enuie coulde not beare the same enuie of his vnthankful countrey which his part was to haue borne He plaied the like part that Coriolanus did with vs twentie yeares a goe These twayne found no ayde agaynste their countrey and therfore thâ—y kylled theÌ„sâ—lfes Wherfore suche naughtie meÌ„nes conspiracie is not to bee cloked with any excuse of freÌ„dship but rather punished with all extremitee that no manne maie thinke it lawefull to folowe his freende that makes warre against his countreie Whiche thyng as the worlde beginneth to goe I wote not whether one daie it will be so or not But truely I for my parte haue no lesse care what the state of the common welth shalbe after my deathe then what it is at this day Let this therfore be agreed to bee the fyrst rule of freendshippe that we aske of our freendes thynges that be lawfull and dooe for our freendes sakes thyngê that be honest And that we looke not vpon our freend till he desire vs but that good wil bee alwaies readie and that â—â—ackenesse be not vsed Let vs be glad in dede to geue faithfull counsaill Let theim be of great accompt in freendeship whiche counsaill well And let vs geue theim a rule ouer vs to warne vs not only plainely but also if neade be sharpely and suche authoritie geuen must be obeied For I suppose some wonderfull wonders pleased some of theim whom I heare saie were taken for wise in Greece But there is nothing but that thei can descant theron with their quiditiues as for example we shuld auoide frendship with to many for that one man thereby must nedes be carefull for many and that it is enough to doe euery man to care for his owne Also to be ouermuche combred with other mennes mattiers they saie is vnweldie and to haue the raines of freendshippe at length to plucke straiter or make slacker as one will they thynke it a pleasure For they say quietnesse is the chiefe poincte of happines which the minde can not enioye if one musts beare the burdeine or as it were trauaile with childe for many Another sort of them thei saie speake muche more beastelie yet then this whiche place a littell aboue I briefely touched and that was that freendeshippe ought to bee desired for an healpe and staies sake and not for good will and fauour to anie body And therfore as euery manne hath little staie and little succour so he shoulde the more seeke after freendship And for this cause they saie it is that women seeke more the helpe of freendship then men and the poore more then the riche and the wretched more theÌ„ the fortunate ¶ O gaye and goodlye wisedome For they goe aboute to take the soÌ„ne out of the world that would take frendship out of it then the whiâ—he we haue of God nothyng better ne nothyng pleasaunter For what maner of quietenesse is this truely to see to pleasaunt but in verie deede at many tymes to be refusedâ— For it is no reason either not to take in hand or to leaue of beyng taken in hande anie honest cause or deede because thou wouldest not be troubâ—ed But if we wil refuse paine we must also refuse verâ—ue whiche must of necessitee with a certeine painfulnesse dispise and hate his contraries as for example the good must hate the euill the chast the lecherouse the hardie the cowardly Therfore you see the ryghte moste of all greued with vnrightuousenesse the mightie with