to this The third is a man that wyll stande in the thing that is good and lightely depart from a thing that is euell But generally the man that is constante is better then the manne that is mutable for the mutable moueth with euerye winde but the constante mouethe not for anye stronge desire but somtime by his noble delectacion mouethe frome his falce credence and consenteth to the trewthe It is impossible that a man be wise and incontinent to geather For prudence is but onelye in the worke ofte tymes incontinence and wylynes be together and so subteltie is deuided from prudence And prudence is in those thiges which be good But subteltee is both in the good and in the euil And the wise man that worketh not according to his science is lyke to hym that slepeth and is droncke The lighte and wantō man is the pit of carnal desyres afflict and swalowed in the workes of reason and is as a drunckard which hath bound his wit and is smothered in his brayne by the vapours of wyne for to much wine peruerteth the ryght iudgement The frendful man is he that wronges other by councell prepensed and by I re maketh election without reason which is euel withoute remedy ¶ Of Amitee cha xxxix AMitee is one of the vertues of almightie God and of mā and is much nedeful to thelife of mā and a man hath nede of frēdship in this life as of other thynges And the mighty riche princes of the earth haue nede of frendes to whom thei may be beneficial and of whom they may receaue thankes honors and seruices A gret suretie it is to a mā to haue frendes for so much as aman is in the degre of gretnes the more egal he is to fal and his fal most perillous Then frendes are mooste nedefull in the tyme of stryffe and aduersitee And therfore it is a good and a sure refuge For a manne that hath no frende is alone in his dedes And when he is with his frend he hathe companye and helpe to brynge his worke to passe For why of two perfytte personnes commeth perfite worke and vnderstandyng The makers of the lawe put their Citizens in comfort to haue Charitee together with Justice For why yf euery man were iuste yet Charitee should be nedefull But yf euery man wer frendly to other Justice shuld not nede for whi frendshippe destroyeth al strife and euery discorde that may be ¶ Of the kindes of Amitee Chapiter .xl. THE kyndes of Amitee bee knowen by the thīges that a man loueth whiche be thre that is to saie Good Profytable and delectable And he that is suche one accordyng to the truthe loueth hym that is like hym The kindes of amite ben thre the one is loued for good another for gaines and the other for delectaciōs and to euery one it is nedefull to manifest tribulaciō For they that loue bereth good will commonly one to another and verely loue the thinges by the which they be frendes that is to say delectacion profit whence the amitee indureth so longe as indureth the delectaciō and the perfite and therfore they be frēdes and enemies The frēdshyp is in olde folkes but the frendship of delectacion is amongest them that be yonge howbeit the perfite Amite is in them that be good and that be like in vertue and beare good wil one to another because they be like in their vertues And this frendshyp is a way that conteyneth al goodnes and amongest themthere is no delectaciō nor euil And therfore this frendship cannot be be twene the good man the euell but onely amongest theim that be good But the amitee that is by delectacion or for profit may be amongest good euel howbe it it contyne weth not longe Amite is a laudable adornement to them that company together and is a fayre lyfe by the which they liue together in tranquillitee and the tranquillttee that is amongest them doth not depart by the diuersitee of places and shoulde not stande yf they were farre of this maye bee a departyng goyng out of the myndfulfrendship and therfore it is a prouerbe that long viages depart frendshippe A welbeloued thynge hathe some noble goodnes and therefore frendes loue together not because of fode or repaste but because of habit and euery frend loueth his welthe and rendereth one to another accordynge to equalitee Howe that the substance of the good shuld be cōmen Chapiter .xli. THe participacion of theim that be parteners together in good and euell in marchandise and in conuersacion together is euer a beginning of frēd ship and according to the quan titee of the thynges soo is the quantitee of frendshyppe and they that haue frendes oughte to common amongest them For amitee is a thing of commente and euery commontie desyreth lyke concupiscence And therefore is made the solempnitee of Pasch oblacions and offerynges so that of thes thinges mai growe company and loue amōgest neighboures of the whiche thing procedeth honour and exaltacion of almighty God And in olde tyme they kept their solempnitees after Corne Haruest because at that time menne were mooste able to helpe their frendes and to geue thankes to God for his benefites receiued ¶ Of Principalitees Chapiter .xlii. THere be thre principalitees the fyrste of the Kyng another of the Commonalte and the thirde of the Father vppon his children and echone of these hathe his conntrary For the King inforceth his subiectes to goodnes and is studious to procure theyr good estate as the Herdemanne is studyous vppon his stocke It is a differēce betwene the Lordshippe of the king and other in this For the kinge is Lorde vniuersall of the people the father is the cause of the generacyon of hys chyldren and of the brynging vp of theym Then the father is natural lord of his chyldren and their loue is greate Therefore the father oughte to be honoured with the honoure dewe vnto hym The Justice of euerye manne is accordyng to the quantitee of his vertue then whosoeuer is greateste oughte to bee mooste loued and honoured The loue of brothers is as the loue of fellowes because they come together and hathe one symylitude when there commeth aduersytee ⧠The Lorde and the subiectc haue one Relygyon togyther Lyke as the craftes manne and his instrumente and as the bodye and the solle And he that vseth the Instruemente profyteth thereby and therfore he loueth it but the Instrument loueth not hym that wearethe it ⧠And lykewyse the bodye loueth not the solle The Instrument is as the bonde man whyche loueth not his Lorde The father loueth the sonne and the sonne the father because the one is made of the other but the loue of the father is more stronger than the loue of the sonne the reason is for that the father knoweth his sonne to be of hym in shorte tyme after his byrthe But the sonne knoweth not the father of longe after that is when his
wittes be come to him and discression coÌ„forteth More ouer the father loueth the soÌ„ne as hymself But the soÌ„ne loueth the father as a thyng made of him Brothers loue together as beeyng of one beginnyng For thei be one thing although thei be departed And this that conforteth loue emonges brethern is that thei bee nourished and brought vp together ¶ The .xliij. Chapter ¶ The loue that a man hath with GOD. THe loue that aman hath with god and the loue that a maÌ„ hath to his father is of one nature For why Eche one of their loues is by a recordacioÌ„ of grace But the loue of God oughte to bee preferred before the loue of the father For y e benefites that a maÌ„ receiueth of God be more greate and more noble then thei whiche be receiued of the father The amite of kyndred frendes neighbours and straungers is more and lesse accordyng to the diuersite of the causes by y â— whiche one beareth good will vnto another Therefore thei that be brought vp together beeyng of long tyme conuersant together be of great frendship The loue that is betwene a man and his wife is loue naturall a more auncieÌ„t loue then is y e loue of citezeÌ„s emongest theÌ„ and in this loue is great profite For why the workes of the maÌ„ is diuerse from the workes of the woman And that whyche the one canne not dooe the other dothe and so they fulfyll theyr busynesse The chyldren be bondes whiche bynde the womanne to the husbande in loue because the chyldren bee the common wealth of them bothe How that loue is increased by coÌ„municacion of frendes Chapyter .xliiii. COmmunicacioÌ„ ioineth theym that be good togyther in one loue by occacion of vertues whiche verily be louing together in theym selues for there is not amongest them any strife or contencion nor will to haue victory the one of the other but only to serue and please for why It is a great pleasure when a man hath dooen seruice to his frendes There bee frendships whiche be called questionalles and those frendshippes bee in men whiche receiue one of another wherof commeth greate accusacions as when the one saieth I haue dooen thee pleasure and thou hast doen me none Suche frendship cannot long indure ⧠Amitee is like vnto Justice and accordyng to iustice in two sortes that is to saie Naturall and legall So is frendship in two sortes naturall and legall And the legall is called amitee and the perticular is a market of change as she that standeth in geuyng and receiuyng naturally froÌ„ hand to hande There are diuerse men that be pleased with that thyng whiche is well and conuenient but notwithstaÌ„dyng thei leaue the good take the profitable A good thyng it is to do good to other without any hope of gaynes But profitable is when a manne thynketh to haue a greater power This seruice is it that a manne dooth to hym that is mightie and able to geue rewardes and chaunge for seruice dooen ¶ The .xlv. Chapiter Of the loue that ought to bee emongest menne LOue is the pryce of vertue and thankes or benefites receiued Gaynes or wynnyng is seuerally of nede the greater man ought to geue vnto the lesse winnyng the lesse ought to geue vnto the greater honor and reuerence And this ought to bee accordyng to the deseruyng of theim bothe In these waies is conserued frendeship The honor that a manne ought to doo to almightie God and to his father is not like other honors for no man can geue sufficiente honores and thankes to God to his father Although he inforce himself to do what he can the commendable equalnes is to equall the kindes of amite that bee diuerse as it is in the orderyng of citees that the shomaker selleth his shooes as he will and likewise other craftes men emongest them One thing is loued by the whiche all marchaundise bee made equall and confirmed this is Gold and siluer When the louer loueth his loue for delectacion she loueth him for profite thei loue not the one the other right wel therfore suche loue is sone loste Euery loue y â— is for light thinges doth shortly departe But the reasoÌ„s that be strong and stedfast causeth frendship and loue to continue that is by vertue for the good is long laster For why Uertue cannot be remoued but profite departeth when profitable is taken awaie A man that syngeth for gaynes if a manne should syng one song for another he would not be coÌ„tent because he loketh for another reward Then there shalbe no concord in marchandise if there be not concord of willes and that is wheÌ„ a man receiueth for that that he geueth that he would haue And sometymes it is for that for y â— whiche he geueth nothing but honor reuerence as did Pithagoras the which would haue nothyng of hys Scholers for his doctryne but honoure and reuerence And somtime for doctryne a man will haue mony as the Mechaniques but it is not so in Philosophie for he that teacheth other knowledge ought to receiue of his disciple honor and subieccion as a lord and father It is nedefull for a manne to knowe the dignitie of men So that euery man maie geue honoure accordyng to his dutie For a man oweth one honor to his father another to the people another to the Lorde of the hoste another to the felowe another to the neighbor and another to the straÌ„ger He that vseth fraude in freÌ„dship is worse theÌ„ he that vseth fraude in gold and siluer eueÌ„ somuche as frenship is more precious then gold and siluer so muche the wourse is he that fraudeth amitie then he that deceiueth in Golde and siluer And like as false money is shortly broken so false frenship shortely departeth ¶ The .xlvi. Chapiter ¶ How almightie God departeth all goodnesse THE equall parte of goodnes is almighty God whiche geueth too euery one accordyng as their nature is apte to receiue The man that is good delighteth in hymself hauyng ioye of the good woorkes and if he bee good reioyseth hym muche with his frende whiche he taketh as himself But the euill manne flieth from the good and noble operacions and if he be very euill he flieth from hymself For when he standeth alone he is rebuked in hymself in rememberyng the euill woorkes whiche he hath dooen and neither loueth hymself nor other because the nature of goodnesse is mortified in hym in the depenesse of iniquite â—e delighteth not fully in y â— euill that he doth For the nature of goodnes draweth vnto delectacion and deuâ— deth in hymself And therfore he is in perpetuall troble paines full of bitternesse and dronken in filthinesse and of diuersitee Then to suche a man no man caÌ„ bee afrende For a frende ought to haue in hym a thyng to be loued and suche one hath in hymself so muche misery that there is no remedy that he may come to felicite Then let no man fall in
so hygh but that it preaseth downe agayne The nature of the Fyer is to gooe vp and can not bee dryuen so farre downe but that it preaseth vpwarde And vniuersally nothyng naturall can naturalli worke against nature Thē these vertues be not in vs by nature the power to receaue them is in vs by nature the accomplisshynge is in vs by vse Thē these vertues be not put in to vs by nature but the rootes and fulfillyng of the recepte of thē is in vs by nature and the fulnes and perfection of the uncōmeth to vs by vse Eueri thīg that is in vs by nature is in vs first bi power and after cōmeth to the acte as it commeth to the senses of man For firste a man hath power to see to here and after by this power he heareth and seeth and a man seeth not nor hereth before he haue the power to heare and see then nowe we see that in these thynges of nature the power goeth before the acte and in thynges moral all contrary for the acte and the worke goeth before the power ¶ Example A man hathe the vertue that is called Justice be cause he hathe dooen ofttymes the workes of Justice Also the vertue of Chastitie for that he hath diuerse times wrought the workes of Chastitie And so it is of Artificers a man is called a Carpenter because he hathe wrought lōg in that art craft Art wil not be had without lōg tyme bestowed therin Like as the Minstrel by the long vse of Instrumēts bereth the name of that arte and the good man is good by his good workes and euel for doynge eiuell one selfe thyng ingendreth in vs vertues corrupteth If this thing be done diuersly it is by vertue as it is by healthe for one selfe thīg done in diuers fashions is both cause of helth corrupciō ¶ Example labour temperate is helth to mā and if it be little it corrupteth to much or to litel corrupteth to kepe the meane conserueth ¶ Example feare folyshe hardinesse corrupteth the valiantnes of man for whi the fearefull fleeth from euerye thyng And the hardye assaileth euery thyng beleuing in hīselfe to bring it to passe nother in the one nor in the other there is no doutinesse for prudence is in keping the meane betwene fear and folyshe hardynes For a mā ought to sle assail there where it is to assail And so it is to bee vnderstād in al vertues as it is to be vnderstande in prudence that vertue is gotten kept by holdyng of the meane How a man is vertuous Chapyter .ix. NOwe it is nedefull to make distinctiō and put a differēce betwene habite which are without vertue by grefe or by ioie whiche be done in their workes ¶ Exāple he y e sustaineth carnal wils of the abstainīg frō thē reioiseth is called chast he that sustaineth carnal will and morneth is called lecherus specially he that sustaineth terrible thīges not trobled therwith is called prudēt and strōg and he that sustaineth perillous thynges and troubled with them is called fearful Euery operacion and euery fashion foloweth ple asure or displeasure Then euerye vertue is wyth delyghte or with grefe and therfore the gouernours of Cities do honor delectacions and plesures dewely taken and scourge with dyuers tormentes delectacions not dewely taken ¶ The thre desires of Man Chapiter .x. THe thinges that man willeth desireth bee thre one is profitable the other delectable the third good The thinges cōtrary be also three nether profitable delectable nor yet good He that vseth reasō in these thinges is good And he that vseth not reason in these thynges is euell And speciallye in delectacion for why it is noryshed with vs frō our natiuitie And therfore it is a great thing for a mā to haue ryght measure in delectacion Then al the vnderstandyng of this oure boke is to haue delectacion with reason and to haue reason in harde thīges it behoueth to haue art Then the vnderstanding of artes was out of the science Ciuill So that it geueth delight vnto his citiesens in thīges which be cōueniēt as where whan how muche and who that vsethe of these thīges wel is called good he that doth contrary is euell ¶ Howe a man is vertuous Chapi .xi. TO demaūd how a man is iust according to the works of iustice and how he is temperat doing the workes of tēperaunce a mā might say that it is like vnto these two vertues As of grā mer and to that man that is called a Gramarion that speaketh according to Grammer but in trothe it is not like from the art to vertues for why in art that a man be good it nedeth not but to knowe but in vertue knoweledge sufficeth not withoute worke for to knowe withoute worke it auaileth not Like vnto this is the sicke which vnder standeth al the commandement of the Phisician and dothe not thereafter Such sicknes is far from health so be men farre frō Beatitude if they haue vertues and worke them not How vertues ar inhabit Chapyter .xii. IN the solle of man are three thynges habite power and passions Passiōs be these Joye desire loue enuy and hate the powers be natural by the whyche we may do the foresaid thinges Habyte is where a man is praised or dispraysed thē I say that vertue is no power nor passyon but habite for nother by passiō nor power man is praysed nor dyspraysed but rather by habitee standyng and permanent in the solle of man ¶ What vertue is Chapiter .xiii. VErtues be founde in thynges that haue a mean betwene extremities which are ether to muche or to littel and this meane is in ii sortes one accordig to nature thother by cōparison is called meane accordynge to nature this in al thing is one self thing ¶ Example if .x. be to muche vi is to litell then .ii. is to be a meane for why vi be so muche more then .ii. as they be les then x. the meane by comparison to vs is this nether to muche nor to littell ¶ Example yf takyng a great quantitie of foode be to muche and a litel quantitie to litel the meane maye be vnderstande in our handelyng nether to much nor to littel Euerie artificer in his art inforseth himself to kepe the meane from thextremitees Thē the moral vertues be those workes in the whiche to muche and to litellbe aduoyded and abolyshed and the meane to bee praised Then vertue is one willing habite that standeth in the midward to vs from whēce the reason is determinate ¶ There is but one wate onely to do wel and mani waies to do euil therfore it is a hard thing and a laborus to be good and a light and easy thing to be euell ther be mo of the euel sort then of the good There be thiges in the which there can no mean be founde because they be naught at all as thette
to this pitte of Iniquite but rather enforce hym to come to goodnes by the whiche he maie haue delectaciō and ioye in him self Comforte is not frendship althoughe it bee like vnto it The beginnyng of frendship is pleasure had in tymes past As the loue of a woman of the whiche a manne hath had pleasure and delectacion and is a bonde of loue and foloweth it inseperable the desperaciō of the whiche procedeth Comforte maie bee frendship by similitude till it bee growē by custome of time and the office of comfort apperteigneth vnto hym that hath in hym grace and grauite and excercised in vertue knitte of loue and concorde for discorde in opinions is to bee drawen oute of a noble congregacion so that it maie remaigne in vnitee and peace and in concord of willes Those thynges that geue other verite and dignitee to rule bee vertuous their woorkes And the vnite of opinions be found in good menne bycause thei bee firme and stable emōgest theim self in outwarde thynges for thei beare good will continually but seldome men agre in one opinion And to fulfill their desires thei sustaine greate strife and muche businesse but not because of vertue And bee solicitous to deceiue them with whō thei haue to doo and euer be in strief and in contenciō The benefactors loue their beneficiates more then thei bee loued of them For the benefactor loueth with pure liberalite but the beneficiates louen their benefaccores by debte of thankes And moreouer the benefactor loueth the beneficiate as creditor But the beneficiate loueth as a debtor y ◠creditor reioyseth against his debitor The debitor is trobled bicause he feareth his debitor then the beneficiates fain to loue their benefactours bycause thei would not bee rebuked of vnkindnesse And yet the receite of the benefite is factor and in speciall if he haue mynd For why The vttermoste perfecciō of man is in his operaciō ¶ The .xlvij. Chapiter ¶ How man delighteth hym in many thynges A Manne delighteth in three thynges that is to say in thynges present in vsyng of them In thynges past in remēbryng of them and in thinges to come in trustyng of them The woorkes good and noble contine we long and be delectable to remēbrance But the delectable and profitable satisfie but litle and the memory shortly past Euery manne loueth more the thinges that he getteth with paine then the thyng that he getteth without pain as it is of money whiche whē it is gotten with great labor it is kept with great studie and moderatly spente And who y ◠getteth it without labor spendeth it without moderaciō And this is the cause wherefore the mother loueth y ◠childe more then dooth the father For why She suffreth great trauail and anguishe in the birthe Now in somuche that it is a light thing to receiue benefites and a hard thyng to geue theim the benefactor loueth better his benefactor then the benificiator loueth his benefactor There bee men that loue themself to much and that is called a filthy loue The euill man doth euery thyng vpon will but the good and verteons manne dooth the workes whiche bee good and verteous for the loue of vertue and good nes And there bee other menne that by y ◠nobilitee of their mindes be good to their frendes in leuyng them their goodes So that their workes maie remain in perpetuall memorye My frend is another This is a prouerbe By a prouerbe it is saied Frendes haue one life and one bloud and all their thynges be bee equally comen as the nose to the face the knee to the legge and the fynger to the hande A manne ought to loue his frend for in louing him he loueth him self and should not be loued for honor or corporall delectacion but rather for the very loue of vertue And the manne that loueth his frend in this sorte is a very frende he helpeth and supporteth with body and goodes and with his life if nede be The full felicitee of mankynde is in the obteignyng of frendes for no man would haue al the goodes of the worlde to liue alone Then a man hath nede of frendes to whom he maie bee benificiall and with whom he maie comenly vse felicite It is a natural thyng to man to liue citezenly and a necessary thyng to a manne to accomplishe his busines of necessitee by his neighbores and frendes whiche cannot bee doen by hymself To do well it is a noble and delectable thyng and the vertues electe in good deedes bee fewe But the profitable delectable be many The frendes of pleasure should not bee many for thei be but for disgestion of meate There can bee but one verteous frend As a man can haue but one louer that he loueth intierly For whi That loue is of aboundaunce the whiche is but to one alone But counsaill honest and conueniente ought to bee to euery man by dutie of vertue A man hath nede of frendes in tyme of aduersitee and prosperitec to be comen with hym in his goodes and liuyng in ioye and plesure so that menne maie become the better one by another And in aduersitee so that a man maie haue helpe and counsaill of his frende ¶ The .xlviij. Chapiter ¶ How Delectacion is naturall DElectaciō is borne and norished with vs from the beginnyng of oure nature therfore children should bee taughte at the beginnyng to delight themselfes in thynges conuenient and likewise against that to mislike the contraries And this is the foundacions of vertue morall and in processe growethe and is knowen the beatitude of the life For when a manne delighteth in a thyng it is his choyse and when it greueth he flieth it And there bee menne whiche be seruauntes to the delectacions wherfore their delectacions bee destroyed against God of this that thei owe. Those mē whiche claime delectacions and folowe them saie against their mindes and saie not euill of theim concerning the vertue For the true woorde dooth euer helpe and amendeth the maners of the life better but the operacion woorketh more then doth the worde And therefore the good man informeth his life with good wordes good workes The thyng that is desired for it self is beste and the griefe is euil For why It is contrary to delectacion also euery thyng that is good helpeth vnto another thyng to make it good And delectacion helpeth other thynges and maketh theim better Then she is good Plato saieth That delectacion was not good paraduenture he saith not truth For why In euery thyng is naturally some thyng that is good then in delectaciō is some thing that is good It is a thyng vnpossible that one good thyng be contrary to the other And it is impossible that one euill be not contrary to another and bothe two are to be fled But two goodes are not contrary together but rather be like and both two are to bee electe and chosen but yet the one maie bee better then the other As