God neyther themselues nor their Realms can prosper For the Felicitie or miserie of Realms proceedeth not of the paines and trauells that the Kings and people doe take but of the merits which the Kings Realms deserue In great perill liueth that Realm whose Prince is an euill Christian Happie sure is that cōmonwealth wherof the Prince hath a good conscience For the man that is of a good conscience will not do any euil thing to the cōmonwelth CHAP. XI Of sundry Gods which the ancients worshipped Of the office of those Gods how they were reuenged of them when they displeased them and of the twentie elect Gods THough to men of cleare iudgement the works of God are great of themselues without any comparison to others yet that the white may be better knowne from the blacke I will satisfie somwhat the curious reader in reckoning vp a flocke of false Gods that by them and theyr power men shall see how much the Princes are bound to the true God The ancient Painyms had gods of diuers sortes howbeit the chiefe of all were these which they called Diis electi They would haue said gods of heauen which gods as they thought sometime descended from Heauen to earth These gods were xx in number as Ianus Saturnus Iupiter Genius Mercurius Apollo Mars Vulcanus Neptunus Sol Orcus Vibar Tellus Ceres Iuno Minerna Luna Diana Venus Vesta These viii last rehearsed were goddesses and xii of the first were gods No man might take any of those as his owne god but as common and indifferēt to al. Their office was to profit all I mean al of any one Realm one Prouince singular or one noble citie And first note they had one god whō they called Candus whom they honoured much and offred vnto him manie sacrifices to the ende that God might giue them wise children And this if they had demanded of the True GOD they should haue had reason For the impostumation of humane malice is swelled in such wise that that man is in great jeopardie whome God hath not indued with wise iudgement They had also an other Goddesse whom they named Lucina to whom they did commend women quicke and great with Childe to sende them safe deliuery And without the walles of Rome in a streete called Salaria she had a great Church wherein all the Romane women conceiued with childe did sacrifice to their goddesse Lucina and as Fronten declareth De veneratione Deorum there they remayned nine dayes and nine nightes making their vowe Numa Pompilius built the church of this Goddesse which was plucked downe by the Consull Rutilius because a Daughter of his great with childe made her vow kept her nine vigilles and vpon more deuotion was desirous to bee deliuered in the saide Temple Such was her mishap that her deliueric was not onely euill but her death worse Whervpon Rutilius in his rage caused the tēple secretly to be burned For we read many times that whē the Gentiles saw they were distressed and in great necessity they recommended themselues to their Gods and if they did not then succour them in their necessitie immediately they tooke from them their sacrifice beate downe their temples or chaunged their Gods And further the Gentiles had another God called Opis which was called the God of the Babe-newborne euen as Lucina was Goddesse of the Mother which bare it The custome was that during all the nine monethes that the Woman was quicke with childe shee carryed the image of the God Opis hanging vpon her belly tyed to her gyrdle or sowed to her Garments and at the houre of her deliuerie the Mid-wife tooke in her handes the layde Image and euen in the very byrth before herselfe layde handes vpon it shee first of all touched the Childe with the Idoll If the childe were well borne the parents that day made great Oblations to the Idoll but if it were euill or dead borne straight-wayes the Parents of the Childe did beate the Image of the poore God Opis to powder or else burned it or drowned it in the riuer Also the Gentiles worshipped an other God called Vaginatus and vnto him they did great Sacrifice because theyr Children should not weepe much and therefore they carryed the image of this god Vaginatus hanged about their neckes for the Gentiles thought it an euil signe and token when the Babe wept much in his infancie he should haue very euill fortune in his Age. They had also another God called God Guninus him they honoured with Sacrifices to the ende that hee should be their Patrone for the safetie of theyr Children in their cradels And those which were poore had the God Guninus hanged vpon the cradels but the Rich had very sumptuous cradels wherein were painted manie Gods Gunini Herodian and Pulio declareth in the life of Seuerus how that when the Emperour Seuerus was in the warre against the Gaules his wife whose name was Iulia was deliuered of a Daughter which was his first And it happened that a Sister of this Iulia named Mesa natiue of Persia and of the Cittie of Mesa sent vnto her Sister at Rome a Cradell all of an Vnicorns horne and fine gold and about the same was paynted many images of the God Cuninus The cradle was of so great value that many yeares after it was kept in the treasurie of Rome Though indeed the Romanes kept those things more for the desire of memorie then for the loue of riches The Romaines had likewise an other god whome they called god Ruminus which was as much to say as god of sucking-babes and to him the Matrones of Rome offred diuers sacrifices to the end he would keepe their breasts frō corruption and giue them milke enough for their little children And all the while they gaue the child sucke they had the image of this God about their necks hanging downe to their breasts And euery morning before she gaue the child sucke the mother sent a dishful of milk to offer the god Ruminus and if she happened to bee in such place where there was no Church dedicated to the god Ruminus then she bathed her god Ruminus which she daily carryed with her in milke They had also another God whom they called god Stellinus and him they impropered to their Children when they began to goe To this god the matrones offred many gifts that their children might not be lame dwarfes nor impotent or decrepite but that they might be able to goe well For among the Romanes those that were criples or dwarfs were had in such cōtempt that they could neyther beare office in the Senate nor be admitted Priests in the Temples Hercules in his third Booke De repub saith that Cornelia that worthy woman and Mother of the Gracchi had her two first sonnes the one Lame and the other a Dwarfe Wherevpon supposing the God Stellinus had beene wrath with her shee built him a temple in the twelfth region neere to the fieldes Gaditanus
danger Plato saith in his booke of Lawes that the children are neuer so wel beloued of their mothers as when they are nourished with their proper brests that their fathers danceth them on their knees The which thing is true for the first loue in all things is the truest loue I was willing to shew the bringing vp of bruit beasts to shew the women with childe how pittifull parents they are in nourishing their younglings with their owne brests and how cruell Mothers Women are in committing their children to strangers It is a maruellous thing to heare the mothers say that they loue their children and on the contrary side to see how they hate them In this case I cannot tell whether they loue more eyther the childe or the money for I see that they couet greatly to hourd vp riches into their Chests and likewise they desire as much to cast out their children out of their houses There are diuers reasons whereby the mothers ought to bee moued to nourish their children which they bare in ther wombs with their owne proper brests The first reason is that the mother ought to haue respect how the yong babe was borne alone how little hee was how poore delicate naked tender and without vnderstanding and since that the mother brought it forth so weake and feeble it is neither meet nor conuenient that in time of such necessitie shee should forsake it and commit it into the hands of a strange Nurse Let women pardon me whether they bee Ladyes brought vp in pleasures or other of meaner estate accustomed with trauels I force not but I say that those which forsake their children in such extremities are not pittifull mothers but cruell enemies If it bee crueltie not to cloath him that is naked who is more naked then the childe new borne if it bee crueltie not to comfort the sad who is more sad desolate and sorrowfull then the childe which is borne weeping If it be vngentlenes not to succour the poore needy who is more needy or more poore then the innocent childe newly borne that knoweth not as yet neyther to goe nor to speake If it bee crueltie to doe euill to the innocent that cannot speake who is more innocent then the infant that cannot complaine of that which is done vnto him The mother that casteth out of her house the children borne of her owne body how can we beleeue that she will receiue in any other of strangers when the infant is now great when hee is strong when he can speake when he can goe when hee can profite himselfe and get his meate the mother maketh much of him and leadeth him about with her but is little thanke vnto her for then the mother hath more neede of the childe to bee serued then the childe hath of the mother to be cherished If the children were born of the nailes of the fingers of the feete or of the hands it were a small matter though their mothers sent them forth to nourish but I cannot tell what heart can endure to suffer this since the child is borne of their proper intrailes that they do cōmit it to be broght vp into the hands of a stranger Is there peraduenture at this day in the world any Lady that hath so great cōfidence in any of her friends parents or neighbours that she durst trust any of them with the key of her coffer wherin her lewels money and riches lyeth truely I thinke none O vnkind mothers my pen had almost called you cruell stepmothers since you lay vp in your heart the cursed mucke of the ground and send out of your houses that which sprang of your bloud And if women should say vnto mee that they are weake feeble and tender and that now they haue found a good Nurse to this I answere that the Nurse hath smal loue to the child which she nourisheth when she seeth the vngentlenesse of the mother that bare it for truly she alone doth nourish the childe with loue that heeretofore hath borne it with paine The second reason is that it is a thing very iust that women should nourish their children to the ende they may bee like vnto their conditions for otherwise they are no children but are enemies for the childe that doeth not reuerence his mother that bare him cannot enioy a prosperous life Since the intention of the parents in bringing vp their children is for none other purpose but to bee serued of them when they are olde they shall vnderstand that for this purpose there is nothing more necessary then the milke of the proper mother for where the childe sucketh the milke of a stranger it is vnlikely that it should haue the conditions of the mother If a Kid sucke a Sheepe they shall perceiue it shall haue the wooll more faire the nature more gentle then if he had sucked the Goat which hath the wooll more hard and of nature is more wilde wherein the Prouerbe is verified Not from whence thou commest but whereof thou feedest It auayleth a man much to haue a good inclination but it helpeth him much more from his infancy to bee well taught for in the end we profite more with the customes wherewith we liue then we doe by nature from whence we came The third reason is that women ought to nourish their owne children because they should bee whole mothers and not vnperfect for the woman is counted but halfe a mother that beareth it and likewise halfe a mother that nourisheth it but she is the whole mother that both beareth it and nourisheth it After the duetie considered vnto the Father that hath created vs and vnto the Sonne that hath redeemed vs mee thinketh next we owe the greatest dutie vnto the Mother that hath borne vs in her bodie and much more it is that wee should beare vnto her if she had nourished vs with her owne brests for when the good child shall behold his mother hee ought more to loue her because shee nourished him with her milke then because shee hath borne him in her body CHAP. XIX The Authour still perswadeth women to giue their owne children sucke IN the yeere of the foundation of Rome fiue hundred two after the obstinate and cruell warre betweene Rome and Carthage where the renowmed Captaines were Hanibal for the Carthaginians and Scipio for the Romanes Soone after that warre followed the warre of Macedonia against King Philip. The which when it was ended that of Syria began against Antiochus King of Syria for in sixe hundred and thirty yeeres the Romanes had alwaies continuall warres in Asia in Affrick or in Europe The noble Romanes sent the Consull Cornelius Scipio brother to the great Scipio the Affrican for Captaine of that warre And after many battailes Fortune shewed her force in a Citie called Sepila the which is in Asia the great where King Antiochus was ouercome and all his Realme discomfited for trees that haue their roots plucked vp must
proper pappes and when thou diddest cast mee from thee out of thy sight shee receiued mee and nourished mee in her proper armes Fifthly Women ought to enforce themselues to nourish their children to the end they may keepe them the better and that in their cradles they be not changed for others Aristotle sayth that the Cuckow commêth to the nest of another bird when she hath laid her eggs and sucketh them and layeth in the same place her owne egges so that the other birde thinking that they are her owne hatcheth and nourisheth them vp as her owne vntill such time as they are able to flye then the Cuckow killeth and eateth the silly bird that hath nourished her through the which occasiō the males of those birds are at so great contention that they haue beene so deceiued that the one of them killeth the other the which they might let if euery bird did nourish her owne In the same time that Philip raigned in Macedonia which was the father of Alexander the great Arthebanus was King of the Epirotes who in his age had a child borne the which was stolne out of the Cradle and another put in his stead The Nurse which did nourish it through couetousnes of mony consented to that treason for the heart that is with couerousnes ouercome will not feare to commit any treason It chanced not long after that King Arthebanus dyed and left as hee thought his owne sonne for his heire but within few dayes after the Nurse her selfe which had consented vnto the robberie discouered the theft and sayd that shee could tell where the lawfull childe of the good King Arthebanus was and that that child which now was Heire was but the sonne of a meane Knight but indeed it had beene better for those of the miserable Realme that the woman had neuer discouered the secret for it chanceth oft times that a man maketh such haste off his horse that he hurteth his leg and through that occasion afterwards falleth and breaketh his necke But what shall we say to the Plebeicall women of base and meane estate I doe not meane the Noble Gentle and vertuous Ladies whereof they are many that though in great secret their chiefest friend telleth them any thing yet before they drinke they will vtter it to another Thus when the treason was discouered cruell warres betweene these two Princes beganne so that in the end in a great battaile they were both slayne the one in defending and the other in assaulting At that time Olimpias raigned who was the fayre and worthy wife of Philip and mother of Alexander Shee had a Brother named Alexander who was both pollitike hardy and hearing the Epirotes were in conrouersie and that two Kings were slaine in the field he placed himself in the Realme more of wil then of right And let no man maruell that this King occupyed the Realme for in the old time all the tyrrannous Princes thought that all that which they could obtaine without resistance did vnto them belong by Iustice This King Alexander was he which came into Italy in the fauour of the Tarentines when they rebelled against the Romanes who afterward was slaine in battel at Capua where his body was vnburied And truly it was a iust sentence that the tirant which beteaueth many of their liues should himselfe taste some shamefull death I haue declared this Historie to this end that Princesses and great Ladies should see that if the wife of King Arthehanus had nourished his sonne they could not haue robbed it in the Cradle nor these two Princes had not beene slayne in battaile nor the Common-wealth had not beene destroyed nor Alexander had not entred into the Land of another nor had not come to conquer the Country of Italy nor the dead corps had not wanted his graue for oft times it chanceth for not quenching a little coale of fire a whole Forrest and house is burned The diuine Plato among the Greeks and Licurgus among the Lacedemonians commanded and ordayned in all their lawes That all the Plebeica women and those of mean estate should nourish all their children and that those which were Princesses great Ladyes should at the least nourish their eldest and first begotten Plutarch in the booke of The raigne of Princes saith That the sixth King of the Lacedemonians was Thomistes the which when hee dyed left two children of which the second inherited the Realme because the Queene her selfe had brought it vp and the first did not inherite becaue a strange Nurse had giuen it sucke and brought it vp And hereof remained a custome in the most part of the Realmes of Asia that the childe which was not nourished with the papps of his mother should inherite none of his mothers goods There was neuer nor neuer shall be a mother that had such a Sonne as the Mother of God which had Iesus Christ nor there was neuer nor neuer shall be a sonne which had such a mother in the world But the Infant would neuer sucke other milke because hee would not bee bound to call any other mother nor the mother did giue him to nourish to any other mother because that no other woman should call him sonne I do not maruell at all that Princesses and great Ladies doe giue their children foorth to nourish but that which most I maruell at is that shee which hath conceiued and brought foorth a childe is ashamed to giue it sucke and to nourish it I suppose that the Ladies do think that they deserue to conceiue them in their wombs that they sinne in nourishing them in their armes I cannot tell how to write and much lesse how to vtter that which I would say which is that women are now adayes come into such folly that they thinke esteeme it a state to haue in their armes some little dogs and they are ashamed to nourish and giue their children sucke with their owne brests O cruell mothers I cannot thinke that your harts can bee so stony to endure to see and keepe fantastic all Birds in cages vnhappy Monkeys in the windowes fisting Spaniels betweene your armes and so neglect and despise the sweete Babes casting them out of your houses where they were borne and to put them into a strange place where they are vnknowne It is a thing which cannot be in nature neither that honestie can endure conscience permit nor yet consonant either to diuine or humane lawes that those which GOD hath made Mothers of children should make themselues Nurses of dogges Iunius Rusticus in the third booke of the sayings of the Ancients saith that Marcus Porcio whose life and doctrine was a lanthorne and example to the Romane people as a man much offended said on a day to the Senate O Fathers conscript O cursed Rome I cannot tel what now I should say sith I haue seene in Rome such monstrous things that is to say to see women carry Parrots on their fists to see
womē to nourish dogs giuing them Milke from theyr owne breasts They replyed in the Senate and saide Tell vs Marcus Porcia What wouldest thou wee should doe which liue now to resemble our Fathers which are dead Marcus Portio aunswered them The woman that presumeth to be a Romain Matrone ought to be found weauing in her house and out of that to bee found in the Temple praying to God and the Noble and stoute Romaine ought to be found in his House reading Bookes and out of his house fighting in the plaine Field for the honor of his countrey And surely these were wordes worthie of such a man Annius Minutius was a Noble Romaine and captaine of great Pompeius who was a great friend to Iulius Caesar after the battell of Farsalie For hee was an Auncient and one that could giue good counsell wherfore hee neuer scaped but that hee was chosen in Rome for Senatour Consull or Censor euery yeare For Iulius Caesar was so mercifull to them that hee pardoned those which had been his most enemies in the warres were of him in peace best beloued This Annius Minutius then beeing chosen Censour within Rome which was an Office hauing charge of Iustice by chaunce as hee went to visite the wife of another Friend of his the which lay in Child-bed because she had great aboundance of milke hee found that a little prettie Bitche did sucke her Vpon the which occasion they say hee saide these wordes to the Senate Fathers conscript a present mischiefe is now at hand according to the token I haue seen this day that is to say I haue seene a Romaine woman denie her owne Children her milke and gaue suck to a filthy bitche And truly this Annius had reason to esteeme this case as a wonder For the truest and sweetest loues are not but betweene the Fathers and Children and where the mother embraceth the brute beast and forsaketh her natural child which she hath brought forth it cannot bee otherwise but there either wisdome wanteth or follie aboundeth for the Foole loueth that hee ought to despise and despiseth that which he ought to loue Yet though the mothers will not giue their children sucke they ought to do it for the danger which may come to the health of their persons ' for as the women which bring forth Children doe liue more healthfull then those which beare none so these which doe nourish them haue more health then those which doe not nourish them For although the bringing vp of children be troublesome to women yet it is profitable for their health I am ashamed to tell it but it is more shame for Ladyes to do it to see what plaisters they put to theyr Breasts to drie vp their milke and hereof commeth the iust iudgements of God that in that place ofte times where they seeke to stoppe their milke in the selfe same place they themselues pocure theyr sudden death I aske now if women do not enioy their children being young what pleasure hope they to haue of them when they be olde What a great comfort is it for the Parents to see the young Babe when hee will laugh how hee twinckleth his little eyes when he will weepe how he will hang the pretie lippe when he would speake how he will make signes with his litle fingers when hee would goe how hee casteth forward his feete and aboue all when he beginneth to babble how he doubleth his words What thing is more pleasant to the Father then to see them and to the mother to agree to it when the children doe sucke they plucke forth the Breasts with the one hand and with the other they plucke their cradle and further they beat their feete together and with their wanton eyes they cast on theyr Parents a thousand louing lookes what is it to see them when they are vexed and angrie how they will not be taken of the Fathers how they strike their Mother they cast away things of gold and immediately they are appeased with a little apple or rushe What a thing is it to see the innocents how they answere when a man asketh them what follies they speake when they speak to them how they play with the dogges and runne after the Catts How they dresse them in wallowing in the dust how they make litle houses of Earth in the streetes how they weepe after the birdes when they flie away All the which things are not to the Eyes of the Fathers and Mothers but as nightingales to sing and as Bread and meate to eate The Mothers peraduenture will say that they will not bring vp their children because when they are young they are troublesome but that after they shold be nourished and brought vppe they would be glad To this I answer them that the mothers shal not deny me but that some of these things must needes meete in their children that when they be olde they shal be eyther proud enuious couetous or negligent that they shal be Lecherous or else Theeues that they shal be Blasphemers or else gluttons that they shal be rebells or fooles and disobedient vnto their Fathers I belieue that at this day there are manie Mothers in the world which did hope to be honoured and serued with the Children which they hadde brought vp and afterwards perceyuing their manners would willingly forgoe the pleasures which they hoped for so that they might also be deliuered from the troubles which for their euill demeanours are like to ensue For that time which the Parents hoped to passe with their Children in pleasures they consume seeing their vnthriftie life in sorrowfull sobbes and sighes I counsell admonish and humbly require Princesses and great Ladyes to nourish and enioy their Children when they are young and tender for after that they are great a man shall bring them newes euery day of diuers sorts and māners they vse for asmuch as the one shall say that her sonne is in prison and another shall say that hee is sore wounded another that he is hid others that hee hath played his cloke others that hee is slaundered with a common harlot another that he stealeth his goods from him another that his enemies doe seeke him another thet hee accompanieth with vnthrifts And finally they are so slurdie vnhappie and so farre from that which is good that oftentimes the fathers would reioyce to see them die rather then to see them liue so euill a life Mee thinketh that the knot of loue between the mother and the childe is so great that not onely she ought not to suffer them to be nourished out of the house one whole yeare but also she ought not to suffer them to be out of her presence one onely day For in seeing him shee seeth that which is borne of her entrailes she seeth that which shee hath with so great paines deliuered she seeth him who ought to inherite all her goods shee seeth him in whome the memorie of their Auncestors remaineth and
our time and that wee hadde deserued to haue beene in their time although our time for being Christians is better they had saued vs from this trauell For they were so temperate in eating meates and so abstinent in drinking wines that they did not only refraine the drinking thereof but also they would not abide to smell it For it was counted a greater shame vnto a Romane Woman to drinke wine then to be diuorced from her Husband Dyonisius Alicarnaseus in his booke of the lawes of the Romaines said that Romulus was the first founder of Rome and that hee occupyed himselfe more in buylding faire Houses to amplifye Rome then in constituting Lawes for the gouernement of the Common-wealth But amongst fifteene Lawes which hee made the seuenth thereof was that no Romaine woman on paine of death should be so hardie to drinke wine within the walls of Rome The same Hystorian sayth that by the occasion of this Law the custome was in Rome that when any Romane Ladie would drinke wine or make any solemne feast she must needs goe out of Rome where euery one had theyr Gardens and dwelling place because the smel also of Wine was prohibited and forbidden women within the circuit of Rome If Plinie do not deceiue vs in his 24. booke of his natural historie it was an ancient custom in Rome that at each time that Parents met both men and women they did kisse the one the other in the face in token of peace and this ceremonie beganne first for that they would smell whether the woman had drunke any wine And if perchance she sauored of wine the Censor might haue bannished her from Rome And if her kinsman found her without Rome hee might freely without any daunger of law put her to death because within the Circuit and walles of Rome no priuate man by Iustice could put any Romaine to death as aboue is rehearsed Romulus was he which ordained the paine for Drunkardes and Ruptilius was hee which ordained the penaltie for Adulterers And betweene Romulus and Ruptilius there was xxxii yeares So that they ordyaned this streight Law for Drunkardes a long time before they did the law for adulterers For if a woman be a drunkard or Harlot truely they are both great faultes and I cannot tell whether of them is worst For being a harlot the woman loseth her name and for being a drunkarde shee loseth her fame and the Husband his goods Then if women for the honestie of their pesons onely are bound to bee temperate in eating and drinking the woman which nourisheth and giueth the Childe sucke ought to bee much more corrected and sober in this case For in her is concurrant not only the grauity of their own persons but the health and life also of the Creature which she nourisheth Therefore it is meete that the Nurse bee kept from wine since the honor of the one and the life of the other is in perill Sixtly the Princesses and great Ladyes ought to take heede that theyr Nurses be not gotten with child And the reason hereof is that in that time when the woman is with Childe her naturall course is stopped and that corruption is mingled with the pure bloud So that shee thinking to giue the childe milke to nourish it giueth it poyson to destroy it And nothing can bee more vniust then to put the childe which is alreadie borne and aliue in danger for that which is as yet vnborne and dead It is a wonderfull thing for a man that will curiously note and mark things to see the brute beasts that all the time they bring vp theyr little ones they will not consent to accompanie with the Males nor the males will follow the females And that which is most to hee noted it is to see what passeth betweene the Byrds for the she Sparrow will not suffer the Male in any wise to touch nor to come neere her vntill her little ones be great able to flie and much lesse to sit vpon any Egges to hatche them till the other be fled and gone Plutarch in the seuenth of his Regiment of Princes saith that Gneus Fuluius Couzin germaine of Pompeyus beeing Consull in Rome fell in loue with a young maidē of Capua being an orphā whether he fled for the plague This Mayden was called Sabina and when she was great with child by this Consull shee brought forth a daughter whom they called faire Drusia truely she was more commended for her beautie then shee was for her honestie For oft times it happeneth that the fayre and dishonest women leaue their Children so euill taught that of their Mothers they inherite little goods and much dishonour This Sabina therefore beeing deliuered as it was the custome of Rome she did with her own breasts nourish her daughter Drusia During the which time shee was gotten with childe by one of the Knights of this Consul to whome as to his Seruant hee had giuen her to keepe Wherefore when the Consull was heereof aduertised and that notwithstanding she gaue her daughter suck he commanded that the knight shold be immediatly beheaded his louer Sabina forthwith to be cast into a wel The day of Execution came that both these parties should suffer wherfore the wofull Sabina sent to beseech the Consull that it would please him before her death to giue her audience of one sole worde that shee would speake vnto him the which beeing come in the presence of them all shee said vnto him O Gneus Fuluius know thou that I did not call thee to the ende thou shouldest graunt me life but because I would not die before I had seene thy face though thou of thy selfe shouldest remember that as I am a frayle Woman and fell into sinne with thee in Capua so I might fall now as I haue done with another here in Rome For wee Women are so fraile in this case during the time of this our miserable life that none can keepe herselfe sure from the assaultes of the weake Flesh The Consull Gneus Fuluius to these words answered The Gods immortall know Sabina what griefe it is to my wofull hart that I of my secret offence should be an open scourge For greater honestie it is for men to hyde your frailnesse then openly to punish your offences But what wilt thou I should doe in this case considering the offence thou hast committed By the immortall Gods I sweare vnto thee and again I sweare that I had rather thou shouldest secretly haue procured the death of some man thē that openly in this wise thou shouldst haue slaunderd my house For thou knowest the true meaning of the common prouerbe in Rome It is better to die in honour then to liue in infamie And think not Sabina that I do condemne thee to die because thou forgotest thy Faith vnto my person and that thou gauest thy selfe vnto him which kept thee For since thou wert not my wife the liberty thou haddest
first and best Masters of Fence the which the Romanes kept alwaies for their Playes for as Trogus Pompeius sayth the Romanes found it by experience that there were no better men in waightie affayres then those of Spaine nor no people apter to playes and pastimes then those of Arcadia As those Siconians were ancient so they were maruellously addicted to follies and superstitious in their vsages and customes for among other they honoured for their God the Moone and during the time that shee was seene they gaue their children sucke imagining that the Moone shined vpon the brests of the mother it would doe much good vnto the childe The Authous hereof is Sinna Catullus in the booke De edicandis pueris and as the same Historian sayth the Aegyptians were great enemies to the Siconians so that all that which the one did allow the others did repoue as it appeareth for as much as the Siconians loued Oliues and Akorns they were cloathed with linnen and worshipped the Moone for their God The Aegyptians for the contrary had no Oliues neyther nourished they any Okes they did weare no linnen they worshipped the Sunne for their God and aboue all as the Siconians did giue their children sucke whiles the Moone did shine so the Aegyptians gaue their children sucke whiles the Sunne did shine Among other follies of the Caldeans this was one that they honoured the Fier for their God so that hee that was not marryed could not light Fier in his house because they sayd the custodie of Gods should be committed to none but to married and ancient men They had in Mariages such order that the day when any children did marry the Priests came into his house to light new Fire the which neuer ought to bee put out vntill the houre of his death and if perchance during the life of the husband and of the wife they should finde the fire dead and put out the marriage betweene them was dead and vndone yea though they had beene fortie yeeres together before in such sort and of this occasion came the prouerbe which of many is read and of few vnderstood that is to say Pronoke me not so much that I throwe water into the fire The Caldeans vsed such wordes when they would diuorce and separate the marriage for if the woman were ill contented with her husband in casting a little water on the fire immedately she might marry with an others and if the husband in like manner did put out the fire hee might with another woman contract marriage I haue not beene marryed as yet but I suppose there are many Christians which wish to haue at this present the libertie of the Caldes for I am well assured there are many men which would cast water on the fire to escape from their wiues also I sweare that there would be a number of women which would not onely put out their fire but also the ashes imbers and coales to make themselues free and to bee dispatched of their husbands and in especially from those which are iealous Therefore returning to our matter The Caldeans made before the fire all notable things in their lawe as before their God for they did eate before the fire they slept before the fire they did contract before the fire and the mothers did neuer giue the children sucke but before the fire for the milke as they imagined did profite the childe when it sucked before the fire which was their God The Author of this that is spoken is Cinna Catuilus The Mauritanians which at this present are called the realms of 〈◊〉 were in times past warlike men of whom the Romans had great victories and the more valiant the men were in the warres so much the more superstitious their wiues were in soceries charmes and enchantments 〈◊〉 the husband that is long abâ—â—nt from his wife ought not to maruell though in her bee founde some 〈◊〉 Cicero in the booke De Natura Deorum and much more at large Boccâ—s sayeth That as many men and women as were in that Realme 〈◊〉 many gods there were among the people for euery one had one particular God to himselfe so that the god of the one was not the god of the other And this was to bee vnderstood in the weeke dayes for in the holy and festiuall dayes they had no other gods the which altogether they did honour The manner that they had in choosing gods when a woman was with child was this Shee went to the Sacrificer of the Idoll and tolde him that shee was great with childe and besought him to giue her a God for her child And the sacrificer gaue her a little idoll of stone gold siluer or of wood the which the mother hanged at the necke of the child And as often as the childe did sucke the dugge so oft the mother putteth the Idoll on his face for otherwise shee had not giuen him a droppe of milke to sucke vnlesse first shee had consecrated to the god the milke of her brest That which I haue spoken is little in respect of that I will speake which is that if perchance the child dyed before the time or that any young man by some perilous mishap dyed before hee was somewhat ages the Fathers and kinsmen of the dead did assemble and came to the Idoll of him and eyther stoned it â—â—ng it drew it burnt it or else they cast it into the deepe well saying that sith the gods did kill man without reason that they might lawfully kill them by iustice The same Bocchas in the second booke De Natura Deorum sayth that the Allobroges had a custome that those which were Priests of the gods should from the wombe of their mothers bee chosen vnto that dignitie And as soone as the childe was born before he tasted the milke of the brest they earned it into a Priestes house for they had a custome that the man which had tasted the thinges of the world merited not to serue the Gods in the Temples One of the lawes that they sayde Priests had was that not onely they could not by violence shedde any bloud nor yet see it neyther touch it so that immediately as the Priest should by chance touch mansbloud euen so soone he lost his Priesthood This law afterwards was so narrowly looked vnto that the Priests of the Allobroges did not onely not shedde drinke nor touch mans bloud when they were now men but also when they were little infants those that should bee Priests they gaue them no milke of the brest at all And this was their reason That to sucke milke was no other but to drinke white bloud for white milke is but sodden bloud and redde bloud is but raw milke Pulio in the booke de educandis pueris sayeth That the Auncients had a certaine kinde of reedes that breaking it in sunder there issued white milke wherewith they accustomed to nourish their children but let it bee as it is that this law
How Cresus King of Lidia was a great friend and louer of Wise men Of a letter which the same Cresus wrote to the Philosopher Anacharsis and an other letter of the Philosophers answer to him chap. 45 162 Of the wisdome and sentences of Phalaris the tyrant And how hee put an artezan to death for deuising new torments chap. 46 166 The letter of Phalaris the tirant which was sent to Popharco the Philosopher 169 Of seuerall great and powerfull Kinges who were all of them true friends and louers of the Sages chap. 47. 170 The letter of King Philip to Aristotle the Philosopher 172 The second Booke Of what excellency marriage is and whereas common people marry of free-will Princes and noble men ought to marry vpon necessity and vrgencie chap. 1 177 How the Author prosecuting his purpose of marriage declareth that by means thereof many mortall enemies haue been made good and perfect friends c. 2. f. 180 Of diuers and sundry lawes which the Ancients had in contracting matrimony not onely in the choyce of women but also in the manner of celebrating marriage chap. 3 183 How princesses and great Ladies ought to loue their husbands and that loue ought not to be procured by coniurations and enchantments but by wisedom honesty and vertue desired ch 4. 187 Of the reuenge which a woman of Greece tooke on him that had killed her husband as hoping to enioy her in marriage chap. 5. 189 That Princesses and great Ladies ought to be obedient to their husbands and how great shame it is to the husband that his wife should command him ch 6. 194 That women especially princesses great Ladies should be very circumspect in going abroad out of their houses and that they should not deserue to be ill spoken of by such as resort to their houses chap. 4 198 Of the commodities and discommodities which follow princes and great Ladies that go abroad to visite or abide in their houses chap. 8 200 That women great with child especially princesses and great Ladies ought to be circumspect for the danger of creatures wherin is shown many misfortunes happening to women with child in olde time chap. 9 202 Of other inconueniences and vnluckie mischances which haue happened to women with child chap. 10 207 That women great with child especially princesses and great Ladies ought to be gently vsed of their husbands c. 11. 209 What the philosopher Pisto was and of the rules hee gaue concerning women with child chap. 12 212 Of three counsels which Lucius Seneca gaue vnto a Secretary his friend who serued the Emperour Nero And how the Emp. M. Aurelius spent the houres of the day chap. 13 214 The importunity of the Empresse Faustine to the Emperour concerning the keye of his closet chap. 14 219 The answere of the Emperour to Faustine concerning her demaund for the key of his study chap. 15 223 Of great dangers ensuing to men by excessiue haunting the company of women And of certaine rules for married men which if they obserue may cause them to liue in peace with their wiues chap. 16 228 A more particular answer of the Emperour to Faustine concerning the key of his study chap. 17 235 That Princesses and noble women ought not to be ashamed to giue their children sucke with their owne breasts chap. 18 239 A further continued perswasion of the Author that women should giue their owne children sucke chap. 19 242 That Princesses and great Ladies ought to be very circumspect in choice of theyr Nurses and of seuen especiall properties which a good Nurse should haue cha 20 249 Of three other especiall conditions which a good Nurse ought to haue that giueth sucke chap. 21 254 Of the disputations before Alexander the Great concerning the time of the sucking of babes chap. 22 259 Of sundry kinds of Sorceries charmes and witchcrafts which they in old time vsed in giuing their children suck which in Christians ought to be auoided ch 23. fol. 260 Of a letter which Marcus Aurelius sent to his friend Dedalus inueighing against such women as vse to cure children by sorceries charms enchantments ch 24 264 How excellent a thing it is for gentlemē to haue an eloquent tong ch 25 270 Of a letter which the Athenians sent to the Lacedemonians chap. 26 273 That Nurses which giue sucke to the childrē of Princes ought to bee discreete and sage women chap. 27 275 That women may be no lesse wise then men though they be not it is not thorow the defect of nature but rather for want of good bringing vp chap. 28. 279 Of a letter which Pythagoras sent to his sister Theoclea he being in Rhodes and she in Samcthrace both studying Philosophy chap. 29 281 A further perswasion of the Authour to Princesses and other great Ladies to endeauour themselues to be wise like as the women in elder times were c. 30. 282 Of the worthines of the Lady Cornelia and of a notable Epistle which she wrote to her two sons seruing in the warres Tiberius and Caius disswading them from the pleasurs of Rome exhorting them to endure the trauels of war chap. 31. 288 The Letter of Cornelia to her two sons Tiberius and Caius 289 Of the education and doctrine of children while they are young with a declaratiō of many notable histories c. 32. 294 Princes ought to take heede that their children bee not brought vp in pleasures and vaine delights because oftentimes they are so wicked that the fathers would not onely haue them with sharpe discipline corrected but also with bitter teares buried chap. 33 302 How Princes and great Lords ought to be careful in seeking wise men to bring vp their children Of ten conditions which good Schoolmasters ought to haue chap. 34. 309 Of the two children of Marcus Aurelius the best wherof dyed And of the masters he prouided for the other chap. 35. 317 Of the words which Marcus Aurelius spake to 5. of the 14. masters which hee had chosen for the education of his son And how he dismissed them from his pallace because they behaued thēselus lightly at the feast of their god Genius c. 36. 322 That Princes and noble men ought to ouersee the tutors of their children least they should conceale the secrete faultes of their scholler chap. 37. 326 Of the determination of the Emperour when he committed his childe to the tutors chap. 38 331 Tutors of Princes and noble mens children ought to bee very circumspect that their schollers do not accustom themselus in vices while they be yong but especially to be kept frō 4. vices chap. 39 343 Of two other vices perillous in youth which their masters ought to keepe them from chap. 40 348 The third Booke How Princes and great Lords ought to trauell in administring iustice to all men equally chap. 1 353 The way that Princes ought to vse for choyse of Iudges and Officers in theyr Countreyes chap. 2 fol 357 A villaine argueth in an Oration
many was lamented for it was a long time that Rome had neuer heard of so honest and vertuous a Romane wherefore at the petition of all the Romane people and by the commaundement of all the sacred Senate they set on her Tombe these verses The worthy Macrine resteth here in graue Whom wise Torquatus lodg'd in Iunos bed Who reckoned not a happy life to haue So that for aye her honest name was spred BEhold therefore Faustine In my opinion the law was not made to remedie the death of this Noble Romane since she was already dead but to the end that you Princesses should take example of her life and that through all Rome there should bee a memory of her death It is reason since the law was ordayned for those women which are honest that it should be obserued in none but vpon those that are vertuous let the women with childe marke the words of the lawe which commaund them to aske things honest Wherefore I let thee know Faustine that in the seuenth Table of our lawes are written these words We will that where there is corruption of manners the man shall not be bound to obserue their liberties CHAP. XVIII That Princesses and Noble Women ought not to bee ashamed to giue their children sucke with their owne brests ALl Noble men that are of hauty courage watch continually to bring that to effect which they couet and to keepe that which they haue for by slrength one commeth to honour and by wisedome Honour and life are both preserued By these words I meane That she that hath born nine months through trauaile the creature in her wombe with so much paine and that afterwards is deliuered with so great peril and by the grace of God from so many dangers escaped me thinks it is not well that in this point which for the nourishment of the babe is most expedient the Mothers should shew them so negligent for that wanteth no folly that by extreame labour is procured and with much lightnesse afterwards despised The things that women naturally desire are infinite among the which these are foure chiefely The first thing that women desire is to be very fayre for they had rather bee poore and fayre then to be rich and foule The second thing which they desire ◠is to see themselues marryed for vntil such time as the woman doe see her selfe marryed from the bottome of her heart she alwayes sigheth The third thing that women desire is to see themselues great with childe and herein they haue reason for vntill such time as the woman hath had a childe it seemeth that shee taketh him more for a Louer then for a Husband The fourth thing that they desire is to see themselues deliuered and in this case more then all the rest they haue reason for it is great pittie to see in the prime time a young tree loaden with blossomes and afterward the fruit to bee destroyed through the abundance of Caterpillers Then since God sussereth that they are borne fayre that they see themselues marryed that they bee with childe and that they are deliuered why be they so vnkinde as to send them out of their houses to bee nourished in other rude Cottages In my opinion the woman that is vertuous ought as soone as she is deliuered to lift vp her eyes and with her heart to giue God thankes for her fruit for the woman that from her deliuery is escaped ought to acount her selfe as one newly borne The woman likewise seeing her selfe deliuered of her creature ought to giue it sucke with her owne brests for it is a monstrous thing that she that hath brought forth the creature out of her owne proper wombe should giue it to bee nourished of a strange dugge In speaking more plainely it is all one to mee whether she be a Noble woman or a woman of meane condition I say and affirme that GOD hath deliuered her of all her trauaile shee her selfe ought with her owne pappes to nourish and giue sucke to their babes for nature did not onely make women able to beare men but also besides that prouided milke in their brests to nourish their children We haue neither read vntill this present nor seene that any beasts wilde or tame after they had young would commit them to any other to be nourished This which I haue spoken is not so worthy of noting as that which I will speake and it is That many beasts new borne before they open their eyes to know their fathers haue now already taken nourishment in the teates of their mothers and more then that to see some of those little beasts haue tenne little whelpes the which without the ayde of any others nourished them all with the substance of their owne teates and the woman that hath but one childe disdayneth to giue it sucke All that shall reade this writing shall find it true and if they will they may see as I haue seene it by experience that after the she Ape hath had her yonglings she alwaies hath them in her armes so long as they sucke so that ofentimes there is such strife betweene the male the female which of them shall haue the younglings in their armes that the beholders are enforced to part them with bats Let vs leaue the Beasts that are in the Fields and talke of the Birds that are in the nests the which doe lay egges to haue young yet haue they no milke to bring them vp What thing is so strange to see as a small Bird that hath vnder her wings fiue or sixe little naked Birds the which when he hath hatched she hath neither milk to nourish thē nor corne to giue them they haue neyther wings to flye fethers to couer them nor any other thing to defend them yet in all this weakenesse and pouertie their mother forsaketh them not nor committeth them to any other but bringeth them vp all her selfe That which nature prouided for the Swannes is no lesse maruellous in especially when they nourish their young Signets in the water for as much as during the time that they cannot swimme the mothers alwaies in the day are with their yong Signets in theis nests and in the night the fathers carry them vnder their proper wings to refresh them vnto the water It is therefore to be thought since these Swannes so louingly beare their younglings vnder their wings that they would carry them in their armes if they were men and also giue them sucke with their owne brests if they were women Aristotle sayeth in his fift booke De animalibus that the Lyons the Beares the Wolues the Eagles and Griffins and generally all Beasts neuer are were nor shall be seene so fierce nor so cruell as when they haue younglings and this thing seemeth to bee true for at that time we see that many beasts might escape the hunters yet to saue their younglings they turne backe and put their proper liues in
needes within short time lose their fruites After that King Antiochus was ouercome and his Land spoyled Cornelius Scipio came into Rome triumphing for the victory that hee had of Asia so that his brother for the victory that hee had of Affrica was called Affricane so hee was called Scipio the Asian because he vanquished Asia The Captaines of Rome loued honor so much that they would no other reward nor recompence of their trauel but that they should giue them the renowme of the Realme which they had ouercome Truely they had reason for the noble hearts ought little to esteem the encrease of their riches and ought greatly to esteeme the perpetuity of their good name As Sextus Cheronensis saith in his third booke De ambigua iustitia that Cornelius Scipio had a long time the gouernment of the people for as much as hee was Consul Censor Dictator of Rome for he was not onely hardy and couragious but also he was sage and wise which thing ought greatly to bee esteemed in a man for Aristotle doeth not determine it which of these two is most excellent either stoutnes to fight in the warres or pollicy to rule in peace Scipio therfore being Dictator which was an office then as the Emperour is now it chanced that the ten Captaines which had beene with him in the warres violently fought to haue entred into the Monastery of the Virgins Vestals wherfore the Dictator commanded their heads to be cut off for the Romanes punished more cruelly those that onely required the Virgins vestalls then those that forced the marryed Matrons Cornelius Scipio was besought of many in Rome that hee would moderate and change his so cruell sentence And hee which most in this case did importune him was his brother Scipio the Affrican whose prayer was not accepted Howbeit in the end the sayd Captaines were pardoned by the request of a Sister of the sayde Dictator Scipio the Affrican And because hee blamed his brother Scipio that he had done more for the daughter of his Nurse then for the sonne of his proper mother he answered I let thee know brother that I take her more for my Mother that brought me vp and did not beare me then shee which hath borne me and in my infancy hath forsaken me And since I haue had her for my true mother it is but reason that I haue this for my deare and well beloued sister These were the words which passed betweene these two brethren I haue diligently read in holy and prophane Writings that many Tyrants haue caused their owne mothers to bee killed which bare them but I could neuer find that they haue done any discourtesie or disobedience to the Nurses which gaue them milke For the cruell Tyrants doe thirst after the bloud of others but they feare them whose milke they sucke The fourth reason that bindeth Women to nourish their children is to keepe them in more obedience for if the Fathers liue a long time they must of force come into the hands of their children And let not old Fathers make their accounts saying that during the time that they shall haue the gouernment of the house their children shall be kept in obedience for in so doing they might abuse themselues for young men in their youth feele not the trauailes of this life not know not as yet what it meaneth to make prouision for household for to the stomacke that is full and cloyed with eating all meates seeme both vnsauory and noysome It may well bee that since the children are not nourished in the house that they know not their seruants that they loue not their Parents that they come not neere their brethren nor talke with their sisters that they are ignorant of their fathers and doe disobey their mothers wherefore since little feare doth abound and good will fayle one day they commit some mischieuous offence wherby they doe lose their life worthily and the fathers lose the riches and likewise their honour deseruedly to the intent that the fathers alwaies keepe their proper children vnder obedience there is no better meane then to bring them vp in their owne houses the mother to giue them sucke and the father to teach them for when the mother desireth any thing of her childe shee should not shew him the belly from whence hee came but the dugges which hee did sucke for all that which is asked vs by the milke which we did sucke truely there is no heart so hard that can deny her The Historiographers say that Antipater among all the Grecians was the most renowmed tyrant among the Romanes Nero. And these two wicked Princes were not great tirants because they had committed many tyrannies but because they did commit one which was most grieuous of al others for they do not call a man a Glutton or Cormorant because hee eateth euery houre but because hee deuoureth more at one paste then others doe in one day The case was that Antipater in Greece and Nero in Rome determined to kill their owne Mothers And the Historiographers say that when Nero commanded his mother to be killed she sent to aske of him why he would put her to death whereunto he answered That hee was cloyed to behold the armes wherein hee was nourished and therefore he caused her to be killed to see the intrailes out of the which he came This case was so horrible that it seemed to many not to speake it but cōcluding I say as vniustly as the mothers lost the mortall life so iustly did the children get for them immortall infamy Nothing can be more wieked and detestable to the children then to kill their mothers which did beare them with paine and did nourish them with loue but notwithstanding all this we doe not read that euer they did kill dishonour or yet disobey their nurses which gaue them milke Iunius Rusticus in the fift booke of the bringing vp of children sayth that the two Gracchi renowmed famous Romanes had a third brother being a Bastard who shewed himselfe as valiant and hardy in the warres of Asia as the other two did in the wars of Affrica The which as he came one day to Rome to visite his house hee found therein his Mother which bare him and the Nurse which gaue him sucke to the which Nurse hee gaue a Girdle of gold and to his owne Mother he gaue a Iewell of siluer Of the which things the mother being ashamed considering what her son had done she asked him why hee had giuen the nurse the gold which did but only giue him suck that he had not giuen the girdle of gold to her as well as the Iewell of siluer since shee had born brought him into the world Whereunto he answered in this manner Maruell not thereat mother why I doe this thing for thou didst beare me but nine moneths in thy wombe and shee hath giuen mee sucke and nourished mee these three yeeres with her owne
to come with me from Capua to Rome the selfesame thou hadst to goe with another from Rome to Capua It is an euill thing for vicious â—eâ— to reprooue the vices of others wherein themselues are faulty The cause why I condemn thee to dye is onely for the remembrance of the old Law the which commandeth that no nurse or woman giuing sucke should on paine of death be begotten with childe truly the Law is very iust For honest women do not suffer that in giuing her child sucke at her breast she shold hide another in her entrails These words passed between Gneus Fuluius the Consul and the Ladie Sabina of Capua Howbeit as Plutarche saith in that place the Consull had pitie vpon her and shewed her fauour banishing her vpon condition neuer to returne to Rome againe Cinna Catullus in the fourth booke of the xxij Consulls saith that Caius Fabricius was one of the most notable Consulles that euer was in Rome and was sore afflicted with diseases in his life onely because hee was nourished foure moneths with the milke of a Nurse being great with Childe and for feare of this they locked the nurse with the Childe in the Temple of the Vestall virgines where for the space of iij. yeares they were kept They demaunded the Consul why he did not nourish his children in his house He answered that children being nourished in the house it might bee an occasion that the Nurse should begotteÌ„ with child and so she should destroy the children with her corrupt milke and further giue me occasion to do iustice vpon her person wherefore keeping them so shut vp wee are occasion to preserue their life and also our children from perill Dyodorus Siculus in his librairy and Sextus Cheronensis saith in the life of Marc. Aurelius that in the Isles of Baleares there was a custom that the nurses of young children whether they were their owne or others should be seuered from their Husbands for the space of two yeares And the woman which at that time though it were by her husband were with child though they did not chasten her as an adulteresse yet euery man spake euill of her as of an offender During the time of these two yeares to the ende that the Husband should take no other wife they commanded that hee should take a concubine or that hee should buye a Slaue whose companie hee might vse as his wife for amongst these barbarous hee was honoured most that had two Wiues the one with child and the other not By these Examples aboue recited Princesses and great Ladyes may see what watch care they ought to take in choosing their Nurses that they be honest since of them dependeth not onely the health of their children but also the good fame of their houses The seueÌ„th condition is that Princesses and great ladies ought to see their nurses haue good conditions so that they be not troublesome proud harlots liars malicious nor flatterers for the viper hath not so much poyson as the woman which is euil coÌ„ditioned It little auaileth a man to take wine from a woman to entreate her to eate little and to withdrawe her from her husband if of her owne nature she be hatefull and euill mannered for it is not so great daÌ„ger vnto the child that the nurse be a drunkard or a glutton as it is if she be harmfull malitious If perchaunce the Nurse that nourisheth the child be euil conditioned truly she is euill troubled the house wherin she dwelleth euil coÌ„bred For such one doth importune the Lorde troubleth the Lady putteth in hazard the childe aboue all is not contented with her selfe Finally Fathers for giuing too much libertie to their nurses oft times are the causes of manie practises which they doe wherewith in the ende they are grieued with the death of their childreÌ„ which foloweth Amongst all these which I haue read I say that of the ancient Roman Princes of so good a Father as Drusius Germanicus was neuer came so wicked a son as Caligula was being the iiij Emp of Rome for the Hystoriographers were not satisfied to enrich the praise the excellencies of his Father neyther ceased they to blame and reprehend the infamies of his Sonne And they say that his naughtines proceedeth not of the mother which bare him but of the nurse which gaue him sucke For often times it chaunceth that the tree is green and good when it is planted and afterwardes it becometh drie and withered onely for being carryed into another place Dyon the Greeke in the second book of Caesars saieth that a cursed woman of Campania called Pressilla nourished and gaue suck vnto this wicked child Shee had against all nature of women her breasts as hayrie as the beardes of men and besides that in running a Horse handling her staffe shooting in the Crosse-bowe fewe young men in Rome were to bee compared vnto her It chaunced on a time that as shee was giuing sucke to Caligula for that shee was angrie shee tore in pieces a young child and with the bloud therof annoynted her breasts and so she made Caligula the young Childe to sucke together both bloud and milke The saide Dyon in his booke of the life of the Emperour Caligula saieth that the women of Campania whereof the saide Pressilla was had this custom that wheÌ„ they would giue their Teat to the childe first they did annointe the nipple with the bloud of a hedge-hog to the ende their children might be more fierce and cruell And so was this Caligula for hee was not contented to kill a man onely but also hee sucked the bloud that remained on his Sworde and licked it off with his tongue The excellent Poet Homer meaning to speake plainely of the crueltyes of Pyrrus saide in his Odisse of him such wordes Pyrrus was borne in Greece nourished in Archadie and brought vp with Tygers milke which is a cruell beast as if more plainely he had saide Pyrrus for being borne in Greece was Sage for that hee was brought vp in Archadie he was strong and couragious for to haue sucked Tygars milke he was very proud and cruell Hereof may be gathered that the great Grecian Pyrrus for wanting of good milke was ouercome with euill conditions The selfe same Hystorian Dyon saith in the life of Tiberius that hee was a great Drunkard And the cause hereof was that the Nurse did not onely drinke wine but also she weyned the childe with soppes dipped in Wine And without doubt the cursed Woman had done lesse euill if in the stead of milke she had giuen the child poyson without teaching it to drinke wine wherefore afterwardes he lost his renowne For truely the Romane Empire had lost little if Tiberius had dyed being a childe and it had wonne much if he had neuer knowne what drinking of Wine had meant I haue declared all that which before is mentioned to the intent that Princesses and great Ladyes might
be aduertised that since in not nourishing their children they shew themselues cruel yet at the least in prouiding for thē good Nurses they shold shew themselues pittifull for the children oft times follow more the condition of the milke which they sucke then the condition of their mothers which brought them forth or of their fathers which begot them Therefore they ought to vse much circumspection herein for in them consisteth the fame of the wiues the honour of the husband and the wealth of their children CHAP. XXII Of the Disputations before Alexander the great concerning the time of the sucking of Babes OVintus Curtins saith that after the great Alexander which which was the last King of the Macedonians and first Emperour of the Greekes had ouercome King Darius and that he saw himselfe onely Lord of all Asia he went to rest in Babylon for among men of warre there was a custome that after they had beene long in the warres euery one should retire to his owne house King Philip which was father of King Alexander alwayes counselled his sonne that he should leade with him to the warres valiant Captaines to conquere the World and that out of his Realmes and Dominions hee should take and chuse the wisest men and best experimented to gouerne the Empire Hee had reason in such wise to counsell his sonne for by the counsell of Sages that is kept and maintained which by the strength of valiant men is gotten and wonne Alexander the great therefore being in Babylon after hee had conquered all the Countrey since all the Citie was vicious and his Armie so long without warres some of his owne men began to robbe one another others to play their own some to force women and others to make banquets and feasts when some wee drunk others raysed quarrels strifes and discentions so that a man could not tell whether was greater the rust in their Armours or the corruptions in their customes For the propertie of mans malice is that when the gate is open to idlenesse infinite vices enter into the house Alexander the great seeing the dissolution which was in his Armie and the losse which might ensue heereof vnto his great Empire commanded straightly that they should make a shew and iust thorow Babylon to the end that the men of warre should exercise their forces thereby And as Aristotle saith in the book of the Questions of Babylon the Turney was so much vsed amongst them that sometimes they carryed away more dead and wounded men then of a bloudie battaile of the enemie Speaking according to the lawe of the Gentiles which looked not glory for their vertues nor feared hell to dye at the Turney the commandement of Alexander was very iust for that doing as he did to the Armie he defaced the vice which did waste it and for himselfe he got perpetuall memory and also it was cause of much suertie in the Common-weale This good Prince not contented to exercise his army so but ordayned that daily in his presence the Philosophers should dispute and the question wherein they should dispute Alexander himselfe would propound whereof followed that the great Alexander was made certaine of that wherein hee doubted and so by his wisedome all men exercised their crafts and wits For in this time of idlenesse the bookes were no lesse marred with dust because they were not opened then the weapons were with rust which were not occupyed There is a booke of Aristotle intituled The Questions of Babilon where he sayd that Alexander propounded the Philosophers disputed the Principalles of Persia replyed and Aristotle determined and so continued in disputations as long as Alexander did eate for at the Table of Alexan der one day the Captaines reasoned of matters of warre and another day the Philosophers disputed of their Philosophie Blundus saieth in the booke intituled Italia Illustrata that among the Princes of Persia there was a custome that none could sit downe at the Table vnlesse hee were a King that had ouercome another King in battaile and none could speake at their table but a Philosopher And truely the custome was very notable and worthy to be noted for there is no greater folly then for any man to desire that a Prince should reward him vnlesse hee know that by his works hee had deserued the same King Alexander did eate but one meale in the day and therefore the first question that he propounded vnto them was That the man which did not eate but once in the day at what houre it was best to eate for the health of his person and whether it should be in the morning noone dayes or night This question was debated among the Philosophers whereof euery one to defend his opinion alleadged many foundations For no lesse care haue the Sages in their mindes to issue out of them disputations victorious then the valiant Captaines haue in aduenturing their persons to vanquish their enemies It was determined as Aristotle maketh mention in his Probleames that the man which eateth but once in the day should eate a little before night for it auayleth greatly to the health of the body that when the digestion beginneth in the stomacke a man taketh his first sleepe The second question that Alexander propounded was What age the childe should haue when hee should be weyned from the dugge And the occasion of this question was for that he had begotten a young daughter of a Queene of the Amazous the which at that time did sucke and for to know whether it were time or not to weyne her there was great dispurations for the childe was now great to sucke and weake to weyne I haue declared this History for no other purpose but to shew how in Babylon this question was disputed before King Alexander that is to say how many yeeres the childe ought to haue before it were weyned from the teate for at that time they are so ignorant that they cannot demand that that is good nor complaine of that that is naught In that case a man ought to know as the times are variable and the regions and prouince diuers so likewise haue they sundry wayes of bringing vp and nourishing their children for there is as much difference betweene the Countreys of one from the Countries of others in dying and burying the dead bodies as there hath beene varieties in the world by way of nourishing bringing vp of children CHAP. XXIII Of sundry kindes of Sorceries Charmes and Witchcrafts which they in olde time vsed in giuing their children sucke the which Christians ought to eschew IT is not much from our purpose if I declare here some old examples of those which are past Strabo in his booke De situ Orbis saith that after the Assirians which were the first that raigned in the world the Siconians had signorie which long time after were called Arcades which were great and famous wrastlers and Schoolemasters at the Fence from whom came the
and suspition By this comparison I mean that since I haue much perswaded that the Fathers do learne and teach their children to speake well it is but reason that they doe seeke them some good Masters For the counsell hath no authority if hee which giueth it seeketh not speedily to execute the same It is much for a man to bee of a good nature or else to bee of an euill inclination to bee rude in vnderstanding or else to bee liuely in spirit and this not onely for that a man ought to doe but also for that hee ought to say For it is no small thing but a great good benefite when the man is of a good nature of a good vnderstanding and of a cleare iudgement This notwithstanding I say that all the good and cleare iudgements are not alwayes eloquent nor all the eloquentest of liuely spirites and vnderstanding Wee see many men which of a small matter can make much and for the contrarie wee see many men which haue great knowledge and yet no mean s to vtter it So that nature hath giuen them high vnderstanding and through negligence of bringing vp it is hid Oftentimes I doe maruell that the soule of the Babe when it is borne for the one part is of no lesse excellencie then the soule of the olde man when hee dyeth And on the other side I muse at the babe which hath the members so tender wherewith the soule doth worke his operations that they little seeme to participate with reasonable creatures For where the soule doth not shewe her selfe mistresse it wanteth little but that the man remaineth a beast It is a wonder to see the Children that as yet being two yeares of Age they lifte heir feete for to goe they holde themselues by the walls for falling they wil open their eyes to know and they fourme a defuzed voyce to speake So that in that age a creature is none otherwise then as a tree at the first spring For the Tree two moneths beeing past beareth leaues immediatly and the childe after ij years beginneth to frame his words This thing is spoken for that the Fathers which are wise should begin to teache their children at that Age For about that time the Vynes beare grapes and other trees their fruite For the perils of this life are such that if it were possible the Father before he see his Sonne borne ought to admonish him how he should liue In mine opinion as they conueigh the water about to turne the Mill So from the tender youth of the Infant they ought to shewe and teach him to bee eloquent and affable For truely the Childe learneth distinctly to pronounce his words when he doth sucke the milke of his Nurse We cannot denie but that the children beeing but two or three yeares olde it is too soone to giue them maisters or correcters For at that Age a Nurse to keepe them cleane is more necessarie then a maister to correct their speech On the one part the children are very tender for to learne to speake well and on the other part it is necessarie that when they are very young and little they should be well taught and instructed I am of that opinion that Princesses and great Ladyes should take such Nurses to giue theyr Children sucke that they should bee sound to giue them their milke and sage for to teach them to speake For in so young and tender Age they doe not suffer but that shee which giueth them sucke doth teach them to speake their first words As Sextus Cheroner sis in the booke of the diuersitie of the Languages saith That the Toscanes were the first which called the natural tongue of the countrey the Mother tongue which is to say the tongue of our Mother to the ende we should take it of the Mother which bringeth vs forth and of the Nurse which giueth vs sucke And in this case we haue lesse neede of the Mother then of the Nurse For the children before they know their Mothers which brought them into the world doe call the Nurse mother that gaue them sucke Plutarche in the second booke of the Regiment of Princes saith that one of the greatest thinges the Romaines had in their Commonweale was that of all the Languages and manners which they spake thoroughout the whole earth they had Colledges and Scholes in Rome so that were he neuer so barbarous that entered into Rome immediately hee found that vnderstood him The Romaines vsed that craft and subtiltie to the ende that when Rome sent Embassadors into strange Countreys or that some strange Countreys came to Rome they would that the Entâ—rpretours and brokers should be of theyr owne Nation and not of a strange tongue or Countrey And truely the Romaines had reason for the affaires of great importance are oftentimes craftely compassed by a straungetongue A man will maruell greatly to read or heare this that I speake which is that the Women which nourish the children of Princes be eloquent And truly he that at this doth maruell hath seen little and read lesse For I cannot tell which was greater the glory that the Ancients had to enjoy so excellent women or the infamy of them that are present to suffer dishonest Harlots I will not denie when I drew neere this matter that my spirits were not in great perplexitie First to see in this my writing of what women my Pen should write that is to say the dissolute vices of Women which I haue sâ—â—n or else the prowesses and vertues of women whereof I haue read Finally I am determined to intreate of our Graine and Corne and to leaue the rotten strawe on the Earth as without profite For the tongue which is noble ought to publish the goodnes of the good and honest women to the ende that all know it for the contrarie the frailenesse of the wicked ought to bee dissembled and kept secret to the ende that no man follow it Men which are sage and noble treating of Women are bound to visite them to preserue them and to defend them but in no wise they haue licence to slaunder them For the man which speaketh of the frailenes of women is like vnto him that taketh a sworde to kill a flie Therefore touching the matter Princesses and great Ladies ought not to cease to teach their young children all that they can sonnes or daughters And they ought not to deceyue themselues saying that foras much as their daughters are Women they are vnable to learne sciences for it is not a generall rule that all men children are of cleane vnderstanding nor that all the daughters are of rude spirite and wit for if they and the others did learne together I thinke there would bee as many wise women as there are foolish men Though the world in times past did enioy excellent women there was neuer any Nation had such as the Greekes had For though the Romanes were glorious in weapons the Greekes
your Bookes full of lawes and the common wealth full of vices Wherefore I sweare vnto you that there are more Thebaines which follow the delitiousnesse of Denis the tyrant then there are vertuous men that follow the lawes of Lycurgus If you Thebaines doe desire greatly to know with what lawes the Lacedemonians doe preserue their Common-wealth I will tell you them all by word and if you will reade them I will shew you them in writing but it shall bee vpon condition that you shall sweare al openly that once a day you shall employ your eyes to reade them and your persons to obserue them for the Prince hath greater honour to see one onely law to be obserued in deed then to ordaine a thousand by writing You ought not to esteeme much to be vertuous in heart nor to enquire of the vertue by the mouth nor to seeke it by labour and trauell of the feet but that which you ought greatly to esteeme is to know what a vertuous law meaneth and that knowne immediately to execute it and afterwards to keepe it For the chiefe vertue is not to doe one vertuous worke but in a swet and trauell to continue in it These therfore were the words that this Philosopher Phetonius sayde to the Thebaines the which as Plato sayeth esteemed more his words that hee spake then they did the Lawes which he brought Truly in mine opinion those of Thebes are to bee praysed and commended and the Philosopher for his word is worthy to be honoured For the ende of those was to search lawes to liue well and the end of the Philosopher was to seeke good meanes for to keepe them in vertue And therefore he thoght it good to shew them and put before their eyes the gibbet and the sword with the other Instruments and torments for the euill do refraine from vice more for feare of punishment then for any desire they haue of amendment I was willing to bring in this history to the end that all curious and vertuous men may see and know how little the Ancients did esteeme the beginning the meane and the end of vertuous works in respect of the perseuerance and preseruation of them Comming therefore to my matter which my penne doth tosse and seeke I aske now presently what it profiteth Princesses and great Ladies that God doe giue them great estates that they be fortunate in marriages that they bee all reuerenced and honoured that they haue great treasures for their inheritances and aboue all that they see their wines great with Childe and that afterward in ioy they see them deliuered that they see their mothers giuing their children sucke and finally they see themselues happy in that they haue found them good nurses health full and honest Truly all this auayleth little if to their children when they are young they doe do not giue masters to instruct them in vertues and they also if they doe not recommend them to good guides to exercise them in feates of Chiualry The Fathers which by sighes penetrate the heauen by praiers importune the liuing God onelie for to haue children ought first to thinke why they will haue children for that iustly to a man may be denied which to an euill end is procured In mine opinion the Father ought to desire to haue a child for that in his age he may sustaine his life in honour and that after his death hee may cause his fame to liue And if a Father desireth not a sonne for this cause at the least he ought to desire him to the end in his age hee may honour his hoary head and that after his death hee may enherite his goods but we see few children do these thinges to their fathers in their age if the fathers haue not taught them in their youth For the fruit doth neuer grow in the haruest vnlesse the tree did beare blosoms in the spring I see oftentimes many Fathers complaine of their children saying that they are disobedient and proude vnto them and they do not consider that they themselues are the cause of all those euils For too much abundance and liberty of youth is no other but a prophesie and manifest token of disobedience in age I know not why Princes and great Lords do toyle oppresse so much scratch to leaue their children great estates and on the other side wee see that in teaching them they are and shewe themselues too negligent for Princes and great Lordes ought to make account that all that which they leaue of their substance to a wicked heyre is vtterly lost The wise men and those which in their consciences are vpright and of their honours carefull ought to bee very diligent to bring vppe their children and chiefly that they consider whether they bee meete to inherite their estates And if perchance the fathers see that their children bee more giuen to folly then to noblenes and wisdome then should I bee ashamed to see a father that is wise trauell all the dayes of his life to leaue much substance to an euill brought vp childe after his death It is a griefe to declare and a monstrous thing to see the cates which the Fathers take to gather riches and the diligence that children haue to spend them And in this case I say the sonne is fortunate for that hee doth enherite and the Father a foole for that he doth bequeath In my opinion Fathers are bound to instruct their children well for two causes the one for that they are nearest to them and also because they ought to be their heyres For truly with great griefe and sorrow I suppose hee doth take his death which leaueth to a foole or an vnthrift the toyle of all his life Hyzearchus the Greeke Hystorian in the booke of his Antiquities Sabellicus in his generall hystory sayeth that a father and a sonne came to complain to the famous Philosopher and ancient Solon Solinon the Sonne complained of the father and the father of the sonne First the sonne informed the quarrell to the Philosopher saying these words I complaine of my Father because hee being rich hath disinherited mee and made me poore and in my steade hath adopted another heyre the which thing my father ought not nor cannot doe for since he gaue me so frayle flesh it is reason hee giue me his goods to maintaine my seeblenes To these wordes answered the father I complaine of my sonne because hee hath not beene as a gentle sonne but rather as a cruell enemie for in all things since hee was borne hee hath beene disobedient to my will wherefore I thought it good to disinherite him before my death I would I were quit of all my substance so that the gods had quit him of his life for the earth is very cruell that swalloweth not the child aliue which to his father is disobedient In that he sayeth I haue adopted another child for mine heyre I confesse it is true and for so much
of Cresus The liberal mind of Cresus The answer of the Philosopher Anacharsis Wherein consisteth true phylosophy How little the phylosophers desire riches Certaine points required to be performed by the physopher The description of Phalaris The speech 〈…〉 The frailtie of the flesh Couetousnes the ouer throw of Iustice What princes ought to doe Two things requisite in euery man The letter of Phalaris Cruelty wel rewarded The praise of Alexander the great The prayse of Alexander the Great The saying of Diogines The saying of Alexander Two notable things of K. Philip of Macedonie The prayse of Ptolome Alexander vnhappy in his death Pholosophers onely reioyce in pouertie A custome among the Egyptians The miserable death of Euripdes The worthy saying of Archelaus A saying worthy obseruation Sentences of Cinna No loue comparable to that of man and wife Fiue things follow marriage The loue of the Father to the child The saying of Solon A third coÌ„modity of Marriage What inconenience so loueth them that are not maryed in the feare of the Lord. The fourth commodity belonging to mariage The worthie sayings of Lycurgus The prayse of marriage The cares incident to maâ—â—age No man content with his owne estate Marriage the cause of loue and amitie Mariage a meanes of Peace betweene God and man What is required of euery vertuous Prince A law among the Tharentines A law among the Athenians A worthie saying of Socrates The spech of Cimonius A beastly custome in old time in England An ancient custome among the Romains A law among the Cymbrians The law of the Armenians A custome among the Hungarians The custom of the Scythians Good counsell for all sorts of women Women bound to loue their Husbands The tongue cause of debate The loue of women towards theyr Husbands The praise of Women The Law amongst the Lidians The loue of Sinoris Comma How good women ought to behaue themselues The death of Sinoris and Camma Good couÌ„sell for women The great dangers women sustaine The custome of the Achaians The Law of the Parthians The Law of the Lideans Women weake of nature The foolish opinion of some women A propertie of a wise discreete Husband Good counsell for Women The saying of 〈…〉 The office of the Husband and dutie of the wife The law of Lycurgus The propertie of good Houswifes What inconuenience coÌ„meth by gadding abroad The commendations of Lucretia The praises of the wiues of Numidia Where loue wanteth discord resteth A propertie of a good woman The quality of naughty House-wiues The Follie of man How the man childe ought to be brought vp How womeÌ„ ought to carry themselues in the time they goe with childe The desire of Women Tibullus de casibus triumphi The first Dictator in Rome The first rebell in Rome An auncient custome vsed by the Ladyes in Rome The first victorie the Romaines obtained by Sea The death of Sophia Titus Liuius The mutabilitie of Fortune The death of Ypolita The dangsâ— of women with childe A good warning for women with childe Aristotle de Animalibus The propertie of a good Husband Reasonable Creatures may take example by the vnreasonable A custome among the Mauritanians A custome in Hungary The false opinion of the Heathen The Commendation of the Emperour Octauian The saying of Pisto How good counsell ought to be regarded What is required of women with child Pulio de moribus antiq Lucius Seneca his counsell How vertuous Princes ought to be How the Emperour Marcus Aurclius spent his time A custome among the Romanes The speech of Marcus Aurelius at his death Rome destroyed by the Gothes The importunity of the Empresse A law a-among the Romane What euill commeth by the tong What is required in a Woman The Emperours answere What is required of euery Man What hurt commeth by not gouerning the tongue Crosses incident to Marriage What women naturally are inclined vnto Women can not endure to haue superiours Annales of Pompeyus A Law among the Barbarians The frailty of man The cause why men ought to endeauor to be vertuous How wee ought to to spend our time Reason leadeth to vertue Sensualitie to vice What dangers are incident to men by following women Women neuer contented Women coÌ„pared to golden pilles The speech of Drusio What inconuenience follow those that are discontented in marriage How euery man woman ought to behaue themselues What hurte cometh by misgouerning the tongue How marryed folkes ought to carry themselues Rules for euery man to followe that meanes to liue in peace Women extreame in their demands A froward Woman described Rome in ancient times rich in vertues Fiue things granted to the Matrones of Rome The commendation of a vertuous woman The Epitaph of Macrine Foure things which women naturally desire Women bound by Gods Law to giue her children sucke The example of dumb creatures may teach women to bring vp their owne children Arist de Animal The description of children in their infancie What loue women ought to beare their children The reward of the Roman Captain The speech of Scipio the AffricaÌ„ What dutie is required betweene the Parents and the childe The eruelty of Nero towards his Mother The reason that may moue women to giue their children sucke A custome of Asia The saying of Iunius Rustious How men and women ought to be stow theyr time What profit cometh to Women by giuing their childreÌ„ suck How women ought to spend the time about theyr children Pleasures that women may take in their children The lawes of the Auncients What care Women ought to haue of their children A good example for women A good example for all sorts of women What inconuenieÌ„ce cometh by changing Nurses Arist de secret secretorum How children ought to be nourished and brought vp Good counsell for one that would liue long Aristot De Animalib What Dyet Nurses ought to vse An example of the women of Thrace Women giuing sucke ought to abstaine from wine WomeÌ„ prohibited to drink wine in former times 〈…〉 The speech of Sabina The answer of the Consull Fuluius Wherefore the Consull would not haue his children nourished in his house What is required in euery good Nurse The description of Pressilla What is required of a Nurse for bringing vp of children What is required of a good Captaine How Alexander gouerned his armie A custome among the Persians What time it requisite for a man to eate Strabo de situ Orbis What order the Auncients vsed concerning marriage The custome of the Chaldeans How long women ought to giue their children sucke Questions demanded by the Philosopher Arethus When Rome flourished How circumspect a man ought to bee to speake the truth What property belongeth to the goute What inconuenieÌ„ce commeth by eating too much fruit What hurt commeth by Iugglers and players Titus Liuius The pollicy of the auncient Romaines God the onely Physitian The mutabilitie of mans life What difference there is betweene man and beast Ioseph de bello
paine answere thy demand For the doings of youth in a yong man were neuer so vpright honest but it were more honest to amend them then to declare them Annius Verus my father shewing vnto me his fatherly loue not accomplishing yet fully 13. years drew me frō the vices of Rome and sent mee to Rhodes to learn science howbeit better accompanied with books then loden with money where I vsed such diligence and fortune so fauored me that at the age of 26. years I read openly natural and moral Philosophy and also Rhetoricke and there was nothing gaue mee such occasion to study and reade books as the want of money For pouerty causeth good mens children to be vertuous so that they attaine to that by vertue which others com vnto by riches Truely friend Pulio I found great want of the pleasures of Rome especially at my first comming into the Isle but after I had read Philosophy x. yeares at Rhodes I tooke my selfe as one born in the countrey And I think my conuersation among them caused it seeme no lesse For it is a rule that neuer faileth That vertue maketh a stranger grow naturall in a strange country and vice maketh the naturall a stranger in his owne countrey Thou knowest well how my Father Annius Verus was 15. years a Captain in the Frontiers against the barbarous by the commandement of Adrian my Lord and Master and Antoninus Pius my Father in Law both of them Princes of famous memory which recommended mee there to their olde friends who with fatherly counsell exhorted me to forgette the vices of Rome and to accustome my selfe to the vertues of Rhodes And truely it was but needfull for mee For the naturall loue of the country oft times bringeth damage to him that is borne therein leading his desire still to returne home Thou shalt vnderstand that the Rhodians are men of much courtesie and requiting benenolences which chanceth in few Isles because that naturally they are persons deceitfull subtill vnthankefull and full of suspition I speake this because my Fathers friends alwaies succored me with counsel mony which 2 things were so necessary that I could not tell which of them I had most need of For the stranger maketh his profite with money to withstand disdainefull pouerty profiteth himself with counsel to forget the sweet loue of his country I desired then to reade Philosophie in Rhodes so long as my Father continued there Captaine But that could not bee for Adrian my Lord sent for me to return to Rome which pleased me not a litle albeit as I haue said they vsed me as if I had beene borne in that Iland for in the end Although the eyes bee fedde with delight to see strange things yet therefore the heart is not satisfied And this is all that touched the Rhodians I will now tell thee also how before my going thither I was borne and brought vp in mount Celio in Rome with my father from mine infancie In the common wealth of Rome there was a law vsed and by custome well obserued that no Citizen which enioyed any liberty of Rome after their sonnes had accomplished tenne yeares should bee so bold or hardy to suffer them to walke the streetes like vacabonds For it was a custome in Rome that the children of the Senators should sucke till two yeares of age till foure they should liue at their own willes till sixe they should reade till eight they should write til ten they should study Grammer and ten years accomplished they should then take some craft or occupation or giue themselues to study or goe to the warres so that throughout Rome no man was idle In one of the lawes of the twelue Tables were written these words Wee ordaine and commaund that euery Citizen that dwelleth within the circuite of Rome or Liberties of the same from ten yeares vpwards to keepe his son well ordered And if perchance the child being idle or that no man teaching him any craft or science should thereby peraduenture fall to vice or commit some wicked offence that then the Father no lesse then the Sonne should bee punished For there is nothing so much breedeth vice amongst the people as when the Fathers are too negligent and the children bee too bold And furthermore another Law sayde Wee ordaine and commaund that after tenne yeares bee past for the first offence that the child shall commit in Rome that the Father shall bee bound to send him forth some where else or to bee bound surety for the good demeanour of his Sonne For it is not reason that the fond loue of the Father to the Sonne should bee an occasion why the multitude should bee slaunred Because all the wealth of the Empire consisteth in keeping and maintaining quiet men and in banishing and expelling seditious persons I will tell thee one thing my Pulio and I am sure thou wilt maruell at it and it is this When Rome triumphed and by good wisdome gouerned all the world the inhabitants in the same surmounted the number of two hundred thousand persons which was a maruellous matter Amongst whom as a man may iudge there was a hundred thousand children But they which had the charge of them kept them in such awe and doctrine that they banished from Rome one of the sonnes of Cato Vticensis for breaking an earthen pot in a Maydens hands which went to fetch water In like manner they banished the sonne of good Cinna only for entring into a garden to gather fruit And none of these two were as yet fifteene yeeres old For at that time they chastised them more for the offences done in iest then they do now for those which are don in good earnest Our Cicero sayth in his booke De Legibus That the Romanes neuer tooke in any thing more pains then to restrain the children as well olde as the young from idlenes And so long endured the feare of their Law and honour of their common wealth as they suffered not their children like vagabonds idlely to wander the streetes For that country may aboue all other bee counted happy where each one enioyeth his owne labour and no man liueth by the sweate of another I let thee know my Pulio that when I was a child although I am not yet very old none durst bee so hardy to goe commonly through Rome without a token about him of the craft and occupation hee exercised and wherby hee liued And if any man had beene taken contrary the children did not onely crie out of him in the streets as of a foole but also the Censour afterwards condemned him to trauell with the captiues in common workes For in Rome they esteemed it not lesse shame to the child which was idle then they did in Greece to the Philosopher which was ignorant And to the end thou mayest see this I write vnto thee to be no new thing thou oughtest to know that the Emperour caused
shee represented her selfe before me remembring that she liued I was sorry to remember her death Life was so grieuous vnto me that I would haue reioyced to haue beene put in the graue with her For truly hee feeleth assuredly the death of another which alway is sorrowfull and lamenting his owne life Remembring therefore the great loue which my sister Milena bare vnto me in her life and thinking wherein I might requite the same after her death I imagined that I could not by any meanes doe any thing that was more acceptable for her then to bring thee vp thou which art her childe and left an Orphane so yong For of all trauells to a woman this is the chiefest to leaue behinde her children to bring vp My sister being dead the first thing I did was that I came to Rome and then sent thee to Capua to be brought vp there in the which place hard at my nose they gaue thee sucke two yeares For thou knowest right well that the mony which by reading Rethorike I gate scarcely satisfied for thy dayly feeding but that in the night I reade some extraordinare lecture and with that I payed for the milke which thou suckedst on the dugge so that thy bringing vp depended vpon the labour of my life After that thou wert weined and and brought from the teate I sent thee to Bietro to a friend and kinsman of mine named Lucius Valerius with whom thou remainedst vntill fiue yeares were fully accomplished where I found both him and thee all things necessary For he was in great pouertie and a great blabber of his tongue in such sort that he troubled all men and angred me much For truely a man should as willingly giue mony to cause him to be silent which is talkatiue as to giue a wise man to heare him to speake The fiue yeares accomplished I sent thee to Toringue a citie of Campaignia to a Maister which taught children there called Emilius Torquates of whom to the end hee should teach thee to reade and to write three yeares I tooke a sonne of his whom hee gaue mee to reade to him Greeke foure yeares so that thou couldest not haue any profite in thee without the increase of great trauell and augmenting paine to my heart And after thou wert seuen yeares old that thou couldest reade and write wel I sent thee to study in the famous city of Tareth where I kept thee foure yeares paying to the masters a great summe of money Because now a dayes through our euill fortunes there is none that will teach without great stipend Without lamenting I doe not tell thee that in the time that Cincinos which were after the death of Quintus Cincinatus vntill Cyna and Catulus the phylosopher and maisters were by the sacred Senate payde and none ceased to study for lacke of money For in those dayes they which would apply themselues to vertue and sciences were by the common treasure maintained As our fathers were well ordered in their things so they did not deuide offices by order onely but also by order they payed their money in such sort that they paide first with the common treasure the priests of the Temples Secondly the maisters of schooles and studies Thirdly the poore widowes and Orphanes Fourthly the strange knights which of their owne free wills voluntarily were made citizens of Rome Fiftly all the old souldiesr which had serued 35. yeares continually in the warres For those which were retired home to their owne houses were honourably found of the common-wealth The twelue yeares past I my selfe was in Tarenthe and carryed thee to Rome where I read vnto thee Rhetorike Logike and phylosophy and also the Mathematicall sciences keeping thee in my house in my company at my table and in my bed and further more I had the in my heart and in my minde The which thing thou shouldest esteeme more then if I gaue thee my house and al my goods For the true benefites is that onely which is done without any respect of profite or interest I kept thee with meanes in this sort in Laurence in Rhodes in Naples and in Capua vntill such time as the gods created me Emperor of Rome And then I determined to send thee to Greece because thou shouldest learne the Greeke tongue and also to the end thou shouldest accustome thy selfe to worke that which true phylosophy requireth For the true and vertuous phylosophers ought to conforme their workes to that they say and publish their words with their deeds There is nothing more infamous then to presume to be sage and to be desirous to be counted vertuous principally for him that speaketh much and worketh little For the man of a pleasant tongue and euill life is hee which with impostumes vndoeth the commonwealth When I sent thee to Greece and withdrew thee from Rome it was not to exile thee out of my company so that thou hauing tasted of my pouertie shouldest not reioyce at my prosperitie but it was that considering thy youthfull disposition and lightnesse I was afrayde to vndoe thee in the pallace chiefely least thou wouldest haue presumed to haue bin too bold and familiar because thou wert my nephew For truely Princes which take pleasure that their children be familiar with them they giue occasion that men shall not count them wise and cause also the young men to bee esteemed for light I haue tolde thee that I did for thee in Italie I will now let thee know what thou hast done and doest in Greece so that I will shew thee to bee notorious that is to know that thou taking and esteeming thy selfe to bee well disposed in thy youth thou hast forsaken thy study and despised my counsayles thou art accompanyed with vaine and light men and hast most viciously employed the money which I had sent thee to buy books All the which things to thee being hurtfull are to me no lesse dishonor shame For it is a generall rule when the childe is foolish and ill taught and the blame and fault is layd on the masters necke who hath taught him and brought him vp It greeueth me not for that he brought thee vp neither for that I haue taught thee to reade and cause thee to study neither likewise to haue kept thee in my house to haue set thee at my table nor also to haue suffered thee to lie with me in my bed neither it greeueth mee to haue consumed so much on thee but with all my heart it greeueth me that thou hast not giuen me occasion to do thee good For there is nothing that greeueth a noble Prince more then not to find persons able of capacity to do them any good They tell me that thou art well made of thy body and faire in countenance and that thou presumest also in those things wherefore to enioy the pleasures of thy person thou hast forsaken Phylosophy wherewith I am not contentented For in the end the corporall beautie carely or
she seeth him who after her death ought to haue the charge of her affayres and businesse Concluding therefore that which aboue is spoken I say that which the great Plutarch saide from whom I haue drawn the most part of this chapter that the mother to bee a good Mother ought to haue and keepe her Childe in her armes to nourish him and afterwards when he shal be great she ought to haue him in her hart to helpe him For we see oft times great euills ensue to the Mother and to the Childe because she did not bring him vp her selfe and to put him to nourish to a straunge breast there commeth neither honour nor profite CHAP. XX. ¶ That Princesses great Ladyes ought to bee very circumspect in choosing of their Nurses Of seuen propertyes which a good Nurse should haue THose which ordayned Lawes for the people to liue were these Promotheans which gaue lawes to the Egyptians Solon Solinon to the Greekes Moyses to the Iewes Lycurgus to the Lacedemonians and Numa Pompilius to the Romains for before these Princes came their people were not gouerned by written lawes but by good auncient customes The intention of these Excellent Princes was not to giue lawes to their predecessors for they were now dead neyther they gaue theÌ„ onely for those which liued in their time being wicked but also for those which were to come whome they did prestippose would not be good For the more the World increaseth in yeares so much the more it is loaden with vices By this that I haue spoken I meane that if the Princesses and great Ladies euery one of them would Nourish their owne childe I neede not to giue them counsell But since I haue supposed that the women which shall be deliuered hereafter will be as proude and vaine-glorious as those which were in times past We will not let to declare here some Lawes and aduises how the Ladie ought to behaue her selfe with her Nurce and how the Nurce ought to content her selfe with the creature For it is but iust that if the mother be cruell and hardie to forsake the creature that she be sage pitifull and aduised to chose her Nurce If a man finde great treasure and afterwards care not how to keepe it but doeth commit into the hands of suspected persons truly we would call him a foole For that which naturally is beloued is alwayes of all best kept The Woman ought more wisely to keepe the treasure of her own bodie then the treasure of all the Earth if she had it And the Mother which doth the contrarie and that committeth her Childe to the custodie of a straunge Nurce not to her whome shee thinketh best but whom she findeth best cheape we will not call her a foolish beast for that name is too vnseemly out we will call her a sotte which is somewhat more honester One of the things that doth make vs most belieue that the ende of the world is at hand is to see the little loue which the mother doth beare to the childe being young and to see the want of loue which the Childe hath beare to his Mother being aged That which the childe doeth to the Father and Mother is the iust iudgement of God that euen as the Father would not nourish the child in his house being young so likewise that the sonne should not suffer the Father in his house he being olde Returning therefore to the matter that sith the woman doth determine to drie and shut vp the fountaines of milke which Nature hath giuen her shee ought to bee very diligent to search out a good nurse the which ought not only to content herselfe to haue her milke whole but also that shee be good of life For otherwise the childe shal not haue so much profite by the which hee sucketh as the nurse shall doe it harme if shee bee a woman of an euill life I doe aduise Princesses and great Dames that they watch diligently to knowe what their Nurses are before they commit their children to them for if such Nurses be euill and slaundered they are as Serpents which doe byte the Mother with their mouth and do sting the childe with her taile In my opinion it were lesse euill the Mother should suffer that her Childe should perish in deliuering it then for to keepe in her house an euill woman For the sorrow of the death of the Childe is forgotten and brought to nought in time but the slaunder of her house shall endure as long as shee liueth Sextus Cheronensis sayeth that the Emperor Marcus Aurelius commanded his Sonne to be brought vp of a woman the which was more faire theÌ„ vertuous And when the good Emperour was aduertised thereof he did not onely send her from his Pallace but also hee banished and exiled her from Rome swearing that if she had not nourished his Sonne with her pappes he would haue commaunded her to haue been torne in pieces with Beasts For the woman of an euill renowme may iustly bee condemned and put to death Princesses and great Ladyes ought not greatly to passe whether the nurses be faire or fowle For if the milke be sweete white and tender it little skilleth though the face of the Nurse be white or blacke Sextus Cheronensis saith in the booke of the nurture of children that euen as the black Earth is more fertile then is the white earth So likewise the Woman which is browne in countenance hath alwayes the most substantiall milke Paulus Dyaconus in his greatest Hystorie saieth that the Emperour Adocerus did Marrie himselfe with the daughter of another Emperour his predecessor called Zeno and the Empresse was called Arielna The which in bringing forth a Sonne had a woman of Hungarie maruellous faire to nourish it and the case succeeded in such sort that the Nurse for beeing faire had by the Emperor iij. children the one after the other and his wofull Wife neuer had any but the first alone A man ought to belieue that the Empresse Arielna did not only repent her selfe for taking into her house so faire a Nurse but also was sorry that euer shee had any at all sith the Ribalde thereby was Mistresse in the house and she remained without husband all her life I doe not say it for that there are not many foule women vicious nor yet because there are not many faire women vertuous but that Princesses and great Ladyes according to the qualities of their Husbands ought to bee profitable and tender Nurses to bring vp their Children For in this case there are some men of so weake a complexion that in seeing a little cleane water immediately they die to drinke thereof Let therefore this be the first counsell in choosing Nurses that the Nurse before shee enter into the house be examined if shee be honest and vertuous For it is a trysâ—e whether the Nurse be faire or foule but that she be of a good life and of an honest behauiour
Secondarily it is necessary that the Nurse which nourisheth the child be not onely good in behauiour of her life but also it is necessary that she be whole as touching the bodily health For it is a rule vnfallible that of the milke which we do sucke in our infancie dependeth all the corporal health of our life A childe giuen to the Nurse to nourish is as a Tree remoued from one place to another And if it be so as in deed it is it behoueth in all points that if the Earth wherein it shall be newe put were no better that at the least it be not worse For this should bee a great crueltie that the Mother beeing whole strong and well disposed should giue her Childe to a leane woman to nurse which is feeble sore and diseased Princesses and great Ladyes doe chose leane women weake and sicke for to nourish their Infants And in that they doe faile it is not for that they would erre But it is because that such feeble and weake Nurses by a vaine desire they haue to be Nurses in a Gentlemans house on the one part they say they will little money and on the other part they doe make great suites What thing it is when a Princesse or a Noble-woman is deliuered of a Childe to see the deuises of other women among themselues who shall be the Nurse and how those which neuer nourished their owne children doe preserue the milke to nourish the children of others To procure this thing for women me thinketh it proceedeth of aboundance of follie and to condescend to their requests mee thinketh it is for want of wisedome They looke not alwayes to the manners and abilitie of the Nurse how apt shee is to nurse their childe but how diligent shee is to haue to nourish They eare not greatly whether they be good or no For if the first be not good they wil take the second and if the second pleaseth them not they will haue the third and so vpwards vntil they haue found a good Nurse But I let you to know you Princesses and great Ladyes that it is more daunger for the Children to chaunge diuers milkes then vnto the olde men to eate diuers meates Wee see daily by experience that without comparison there dyeth more children of Noble-women thē children of women of the meaner estate And wee will not say that it is for that they do flatter their children more nor for that the wiues of labourers doe eate fine meates but that it chaunceth oft times that the children of a poore woman doth neither eate nor drinke but of one kinde of meat or milke in two yeares and the child of a Ladie shal change and alter three Nurses in two moneths If Princesses and great Ladyes were circumspect in choosing their nurses and that they did looke whether they were whole without diseases and honest in their manners and would not regarde so much the importunitie of their suites the Mothers should excuse themselues from many sorrowes and the children likewise should bee deliuered from many diseases One of the most renowmed Princes in times past was Titus the Sonne of Vespasian and Brother of Domitian Lampriains saieth that this good Emperour Titus the most part of his life was subiect to grieuous diseases infirmities of his person and the cause was for that when hee was young he was giue to a sicke Nurse to be nourished So that this good Emperour sucking her Dugge but a while was constrayned to passe all his life after in paine Thirdly Princesses and great Ladyes ought to know and vnderstand the complexion of their children to the ende that according to the same they might seeke pitifull Nurses that is to say if the childe were Cholerick Flegmatcke Sanguine or Melancholie For looke what humor the childe is of of the same qualitie the milke of the Nurse should be If vnto an old corrupted man they minister medicins conformable to his diseases for to cure him why then should not the Mother seeke a wholesome Nurse to the tender Babe agreable to his complexion to nourish him And if thou sayest it is iust that the flesh olde and corrupted bee sustained I tell thee likewise that it is much more necessary that the Children should bee curiously and well nourished to multiplie the world For in the ende wee doe not say it is time that the Young leaue the bread for the Aged but contrarie it is time that the olde leaue the bread for the young Aristotle in the booke De secretis secretorum and Iunius Rusticus in the tenth booke De gestis Persarum say that the vnfortunate king Darius who was ouercom by Alexander the great had a Daughter of a maruellous beauty And they say that the Nurse which gaue suck to this daughter all the time that shee did nourish it did neyther eate nor drinke any thing but poyson and at the ende of three yeares when the Childe was weyned and plucked from the dugge she did eate nothing but Colubers and other venomous wormes I haue hearde say many times that the Emperors had a custome to nourish their Heyres and Children with poisons when they were young to the intent that they should not be hurt by poyson afterwarde when they were old And this error cometh of those which presume much and know little And therefore I say that I haue heard say without saying I haue read it For some declare hystories more for that they haue hearde say of others then for that they haue read themselues The truth in this case is that as wee vselat this present to weare chaines of golde about our neckes or iewells on our fingers so did the gentils in times past a Ring on their fingers or some iewell in theyr bosome replenished with poyson And because the Paynims did neither feare hell nor hoped for heauen they had that custome for if at any times in Battell they should finde themselues in distresse they had rather ende their liues with poyson then to receyue any iniurie of theyr enemyes Then if it were true that those Princes had bin nourished with that Poyson they would not haue carryed it about them to haue ended their liues Further I say that the Princes of Persia did vse when they had any child borne to giue him milke to sucke agreable to the Complexion hee had Since this daughter of Darius was of melancholy humor they determined to bring her vp with venom and poyson because all those which are pure melancholie do liue with sorrow and die with pleasure Ignatius the Venetian in the life of the fiue Emperours Palleolus which were valiant Emperours in Constantinople sayeth that the second of that name called Palleolus the hardie was after the xl yeares of his age so troubled with infirmities and diseases that alwayes of the twelue moneths of the yeare he was in his bed sick nine moneths and being so sicke as he was the affayres and businesse of the
Empire were but slenderly done and looked vnto For the Prince cannot haue so small a Feuer but the people in the common-wealth must haue it double This Emperour Palleolus had a wife whose name was Huldonina the which after she had brought all the Physitions of Asia vnto her Husband and that shee had ministred vnto him all the medicines shee could learne to helpe him and in the end seeing nothing auaile there came by chaunce an old woman a Grecian borne who presumed to haue great knowledge in hearbes and sayd vnto the Empresse Noble Empresse Huldouina If thou wilt that the Emperour thy husband liue long see that thou chafe anger and vexe him euery weeke at the least twise for hee is of a pure melancholy humour and therefore hee that doth him pleasure augmenteth his disease and hee that vexeth him shall prolong his life The Empresse Huldouina followed the counsell of this Greeke woman which was occasion that the Emperour liued afterwardes sound and whole many yeeres so that of the nine monethes which hee was accustomed to be sicke euery yeere in twenty yeeres afterwards he was not sicke three monethes For where as this Greeke woman commaunded the Empresse to anger her husband but twice in the week she accustomably angred him iiii times in the day Fourthly the good mother ought to take heede that the nurse be very temperat in eating so that she should eate little of diuers meates and of those few dishes she should not eate too much To vnderstand the thing yee must know that the white milke is no other then bloud which is sodden that which causeth the good or euill bloud commeth oft times of an other thing but that eyther the person in temperate or else a glutton inâ—ating and therefore it is a thing both healthful and necessary that the nurse that nourisheth the child doe eate good meates for among men and women it is a generall rule that in litle eating there is no danger and of too much eating there is no profite As all the Phylosophers say the wolfe is one of the beasts that denoureth most and is most greedyest and therefore hee is most feared of all the Shepheards But Aristotle in his third booke De Animalibus saith That wheÌ„ the wolfe doeth once feele her selfe great with young in all her life after shee neuer suffereth herselfe to bee coupled with the wolfe againe For otherwise if the wolfe shold yearely bring forth vij or viij whelps as commonly she doth and the Sheepe but one lambe there would be in short space more wolues theÌ„ sheepe Beside all this the wolfe hath an other propertie which is that although she be a Beast most deuouring and greedie yet when she hath whelped she feedeth very temperately and it is to the ende to nourish her whelps and to haue good milke And besides that she doth eate but once in the day the which the dogwolfe doth prouide both for the Bitch whelps Truly it is a monstrous thing to see and noysome to heare and no lesse slaunderous to speake that a Wolfe which giueth sucke to viij whelps eateth but one only kinde of meate and the woman which giueth sucke but to one Childe alone will eate of vii or viii sortes of meates And the cause hereof is that the Beast doth not eate but to sustain nature a womaÌ„ doth not eate but to satisfie her pleasure Princesses and great Ladyes ought to watche narrowly to know when how much the Nurses do eate which doe nourish their children For the child is so tender and the milk so delicate that with eating of sundry meats they become corrupt and with eating much they waxefat If the childreÌ„ suck those which are fat grosse they are coÌ„monly sicke and if they sucke milke corrupted they oft times goe to bed whole in the morne be found dead Isidor in his etimologies saith that the men of the prouince of Thrace were so cruell that the one did eate the other and they did not onely this but also further to shew more their immanity in the sculs of those that were dead they dranke the bloud of him that was lately aliue Though men were so cruell to eate mens flesh and to drinke the bloud of the veines yet the Women which nourished their children were so temperate in eating that they did eate nothing but netles sodden and boiled in Goates milk And because the women of Thrace were so moderate in eating the Phliosopher Solon Solynon brought some to Athens for the Auncients sought no lesse to haue good women in the common-wealth then to haue hardy and valiant Captaines in the warre CHAP. XXI The Author addeth three other conditions to a good nurse that giueth sucke that they drinke no wine that shee be honest and chiefly that shee bee well conditioned THe Princesses and great Ladies may know by this example what difference there is between the women of Thrace which are fedde with nettles only and haue brought forth such fierce men and the womeÌ„ of our time which throgh their delicate and excessiue eating bring forth such weake and feeble children Fiftly the Ladies ought to bee very circumspect not onely that Nurses eate not much and that they bee not greedy but also that they be in wine temperate the which in olde time was not called wine but venom The reason hereof is apparant and manifest enough For if wee doe forbid the fatte meates which lyeth in the stomacke wee should then much more forbid the moyst Wine which washeth all the veynes of the bodie And further I say that as the Childe hath no other nourishment but the milke only and that the milke proceedeth of bloud and that bloud is nourished of the wine and that wine is naturally hote from the first to the last I say that Woman which drinketh wine and giueth the child sucke doth as shee that maketh a great Fire vnder the panne where there is but a little milke so that the pan burneth and the milke runneth ouer I will not denie but that somtimes it may chaunce that the childe shal be of a strong complexion and the Nurse of a feeble and weake nature and then the childe would more substantial milke when the woman is not able to giue it him In such a case though with other things Milke may be conferred I allow that the nurse drinke a little wine but it should bee so little and so well watered that it should rather bee to take away the vnsauorinesse of the water then for to taste of any sauour of the wine I do not speake this without a cause for the nurse being sicke and feeble of herselfe and her milke not substantial it oftentimes moueth her to eat more then necessity requireth and to drinke wine which is somewhat nutritiue So that they supposing to giue the Nurse Triacle doe giue her poyson to destroy her childe Those excellent and Auncient Romaines if they had been in
prohibite children their milke which hereafter should bee made Priestes of the temples mee thinketh it a tricke rather of superstitious sorcerers then of religious Priests For there is neyther diuine nor humane Law that will forbid or prohibite any such thing without the which mans life cannot endure These were the maners and customes that the Ancients had in the nourture of their children And indeede I maruell not at that they did for the Gentiles esteemed this cursed Idol as a great God as wee Christians doe the true and liuing God I was willing to declare all these antiquities to the end that Princesses and great Ladies shoulde haue pleasure in reading them and knowing them but not to that end they should imitate and follow them in any kind of thing For according to the faith of our Christian Religion as sure as wee be of the offences that those did vnto God through following those superstitions so sure wee are of the good seruices which wee doe vnto God in forsaking them How long time the mothers ought to giue their children sucke and what age they ought to weine them not for that which I haue read nor for that which I haue demaunded in this case I am able to answere but forasmuch as Aristotle sayeth in the booke aboue named that the child at the most ought to sucke but two yeares at the least one yeare and a halfe for if hee sucke lesse he is in danger to be sicke and if hee sucke more he shall be alwayes tender I will not omit that which Sextus Cheronensis sayeth in the fourth booke of his common-wealth And hereof Bocohas also maketh mention in the third booke De natura Deorum that when Alexander the Great passed into India amongst other renowmed Philosophers there was one with him called Arethus who as by chance he was in Nissa an ancient City of India there came a mā of the Countrey to shew him such antiquities as were there Arethus the Philosopher beheld them as a sage and wise man for the simple man onely beholdeth the doings and how they seeme but the sage man enquireth and demandeth of the causes and from whence they came Among other things he shewed this good Philosopher a great house being in the end of the City therin were many women whereof euery one of them had a chamber and in euery chamber there was two beds and adioyning to the one herbs were sowen in maner of nettles and adioining to the other there was kind of twigges as of Rosemary and in the midst of the house there were many graues of small children The Phylosopher Arethus asked why that house was so great and the Indian answered This house is to nourish the Children which are Orphanes when they bee of their Parents and friendes abandoned For it is a custome in this City that immediately when the Father of one chelde dyeth the City then taketh him for her sonne And from that time forward he is called the child of the City which nourisheth him and not the childe of the Father which begot him Arethus the Philosopher secondarily asked him why there were so many women in that house without any man among them whereunto the Indian answered In this Country there is a custome that the women are seuered from their husbands all the time they giue their children sucke For the will of our God is that the woman be not in company with her husband after shee is with child and this not onely vntil such time as shee is deliuered but also vntill such time as the childe be wayned from the brest The Philosopher Arethus thirdly demaunded him why euery one had her chamber seuerally The Indian answered Thou knowest that now naturally raigneth so much malice in the woman that shee alwayes enuyeth the felicity of another And if they were altogether they would haue amongst them such quarrels debates that they would corrupt the milke which they should giue to the child Fourthly the Philosopher Arethus asked why in euery chamber there was a great bed and a little pallet since there was but one woman and one child whereunto the Indian answered In this India they doe not consent that the Nurses should sleepe together in one bed with the young childe whom they nourish for when the women are heauy a sleepe not taking heede to the childe they many times ouerlay the poore infant and so smother it aliue Fiftly the Philosopher asked why ioining to the beds there was nettles which are without fauour in eating and dangerous in touching The Indian answered I let thee know that in this India against al nature the childrē weepe not whiles they are young and therefore they haue growing by the beddes nettles to make them weepe for our Philosophors tell vs that if dayly the childe doth weepe two houres it profiteth him not onely for the health of his body but also for to prolong his life Furthermore the Philosopher for the sixt asked why there were so many twigges like Rosemary by the bed side whereunto the Indian aunswered Know thou that in India there is an olde plague that wee cannot defende our selues from these witches the which by their sorceries and with the onely lookes of their eies destroy many children and they say that all the children which shall bee perfumed with those hearbes can take no hurte through the lookes of those witches CHAP. XXIIII Of a letter which Marcus Aurelius sent to his friend Dedalus in the ende whereof he enuaieth against those women which cure children by sorceries charmes and enchantments PRincesses and great Ladyes ought to take heed that their nurses be not Witches and that they doe not suffer the babes whiles they are yet young to take any charmes or sorceries for the medicine putteth the life of the creature in perill and those sorceries doe not onelie harme to the body of the child but also to the soule of her selfe which vseth it To prayse more them that are past and to confound more the present I will that those which shall reade this doe reade a letter of Marcus Aurelius which he sent to a friend of his in the end whereof it appeareth how great enemies the Auncients were to Witches Charmers to all kind of Sorcerers for truely I know not which was greater eyther the temperance that they had in nourishing their children being Gentiles or the foolish hardinesse which wee haue being Christians Here followeth therefore the Letter in the ende of the which hee speaketh against Witches and euill women The letter of the Emperour Marcus Aurelius MArcus Aurelius the Romane Emperour fellow with his brother Annius Verus in the same Empire wisheth to thee Dedalus his speciall friend health to thy person and good fortune against all euill Since the day that thou diddest take shipping at the Hauen of Ostia I read no letter of thine neyther haue I seen as yet any man of thy house yea and moreouer they could not tell
thee my deare Friende Dedalus that more Money shall issue out of Rome to buye wine in Candia then buttes of the cold water of that countrey shall enter into Rome Againe thou sayest that in that countrey there is such aboundance of fruites and that thou thinkest thou shalt neuer be satisfied therewith To that I answer That thing which I best like is a winter fruite yet neyther seeing it nor eating it I can content my selfe For the country where Fruits abound in winter is neuer without feuers and sicknesses in Summer Octauian Augustus that Noble Emperour of famous memorie seeing that Rome in Summer was very much subiect to diseases gaue commaundement vpon grieuous penalties that the fruites of Salon should not enter into Rome to be solde And this is a maruellous thing that the Citie of Rome by this meanes did not only finde her selfe sound and whole but also the Physitians went out of Rome of their owne wills and affections For it is a great token that the people is healthfull when the Phisitians are poore Thou sayest that in that Countrey there are many Iugglers and Players To this I aunswer thee That theyr pastimes shall not bee vnto thee such and so pleasaunt as the griefs and displeasures thou shalt haue when they cunningly and craftily shall picke thy purse For most commonly Iugglers and plaiers make Playes and sportes in jeast but they will be payde in good earnest Furthermore thou sayest in that Countrey there is great aboundance of Vines and that the wine is sauourie to smell and very sweete and pleasaunt for theyr taste whereunto I answer That there shall not bee so manie vynes in the Fieldes as Drunkardes amongst the people For as thou knowest the day that I marryed Torpina my Niece my vnckle Getellius had but onely one vine tree and yet with the Wine that came thereof he made himselfe his household and all those that were at the marriage drunke That which I will say is not without weeping in the olde time Mars was the God moste honoured and esteemed being the God of Battells but now Bacchus which is God of wine is the most honoured serued and exalted For the time that a Romane was wont to employ in the Martial Camp to handle Warlike weapons now they consume in playing and drinking in the rauernes Titus Liuius in his Annales sayeth that those of Gallia Transalpina vnderstanding how that the Italians had planted many vines came to conquer the Countety So that if they had neuer planted vines in Italie the French-men had neuer destrolyed the Countrey The auncient Romaines which were prouided against all inconueniences considering that Wine was the cause of their destruction commaunded to destroy all the Vynes of the Empyre through the which pollicie they were deliuered from all the French-men for when the Warres were ended there remained not one French-man in all Italie when they knewe that there were no more Vynes therein Thou sayest that in that Countrey there are many Gentlemen and honorable Senators with whom thou talkest and passest away the time To this I answere that if it be true there are many idle men and also few true talkers For those men which haue spent their youth in the warres when they are aged doe not employe their time but in hearing newes and telling lyes Thou sayedst that there are very faire women in that countrey of gesture seemely and of their persons comely To this I answere That if there be many which be faire there are as manie which are dishonest For if the woman with her beautie hath not wisdome and honestie in her selfe she putteth her selfe in perill and her husband in much care Thou sayest that in that Countrey there are women which are Soothsayers Sorcerers and Enchantours the which do boast and vaunt themselues that they will heale Infants and that they can weyne them better then others can doe To this I answere that I would iudge it much better that Children should neuer be healed by the hands of such euill women For the profite that they doe by their experience openly is nothing in respect of the danger wherin they put the creatures by their Sorceries secretly Torquatus Laertius my Vnckle had a Daughter of a maruellous beautie the which because he had none other Childe was heyre of all his Patrimonie The case therefore was such that as the Daughter one day cryed and wept a little too much the Nurse which gaue her sucke to appease and still her thinking to giue her sorceries to cast her in a sleepe gaue her poyson which destroyed her So that when the teares of the innocent babe ceased then the cryes of the woefull mother beganne Calligula which was the sonne of the good Germanicus the great though amongst the Caesars hee was the fourth and amongst the Tyrants the first when in Rome they vsed to giue little scrowles written which they saide to bee of such vertue that they could heale all manner of Agues and diseases of young children hee gaue commaundement by the consent of the sacred Senate that whosoeuer eyther man or woman which should make them should immediately by iustice be put to death and that he which would buye them and carrie them about to sell or giue them through the citie of Rome should be whipt and bashed for euer Thy seruant Fronton hath told me newes that thou hast a Sonne borne whereof I am very glad and moreouer he saide that a woman of Sannia did nourishit and gaue it sucke the which as by an euill chaunce hath a spice of Sorcerie Now by the immortall Gods I do conjure thee and for the loue which I beare thee againe I most earnestly desire thee that immediatly thou put her away out of thy house and suffer not that so wicked a woman should eate Bread there one day For euery creature which is nourished by sorceries and Charmes shal eyther haue his life short or else Fortune shall be contrarie vnto him I let thee know my friend Dedalus that I haue not maruelled a little at many Romains the which doe permit and also procure that their Children should bee healed and cured with charmes and sorceries For my part I take it to bee a thing certaine that the men which by the will of God fall sicke shall neuer heale for any diligence that man can do And whereas children are sicke by euill humors or that they are not very healthful because the gods wil take life from them in this case if their disease proceed of any euill humour let them aske Physitions for naturall medicines And if their diseases come because the Gods are prouoked then let their Fathers appease the Gods with sacrifices For in the end it is vnpossible that the diseases of the heart should be healed by the meanes of any Medicines of the bodie Doe not maruell my Friend Dedalus if I haue spoken more in this article then in others that is to say to perswade
the man that desireth perpetuall renon me though hee bee not banished hee ought to absent himselfe from his Natiue countrey My deare childrē I most earnestly desire you that alwayes you accompanie your selues with the good with the most Auncients and with those which are graue and most expert in counsell and with those that haue most seene the world and doe not vnderstand most of the world by those that haue seene most countreys For the ripe councell proceedeth not from the man that hath trauelled in many Countreys but from him that hath selt himselfe in many daungers Since the nature of the Countrey my Children doth knocke with the hāmer at the heart of man I feare that if you come and see your friends and parents you shall alwayes line in care pensiuenes and being pensiue you shall alwayes liue euill contented and you shall not do that which becometh Romane knights to do And you not being valiaunt knights your enemyes shall alwayes reioyce ouer you and your desires shal neuer take effect for of those men which are carefull and heauy proceedeth alwaies seruices vnworthie I desire you heartily and by this present letter I counsell you that you will not in any wise seeke to come to Rome For as I haue saide you shall know few of those that did know you for eyther they are dead or banished poor or sick aged or come to nought sad or euill contented So that sithence you are not able to remedie their griefes it is best you should not come hither to see their troubles For no man cōmeth to Rome but to weepe with the liuing or to sigh for thē that be dead Truly my children I know not what pleasure is in Rome that shold cause any good man to come hither and to forsake Affrike for if there you haue any enemies here you shal want friends If you haue the Sword that pierceth the body we haue the tōgue here that destroyeth the renowme If you be vexed with the Thieues of Affrike wee are wounded with the traytours flatterers and lyars of Italie If you lacke rest we haue here too much trouble Finally seeing that I doe see in Rome and hearing that which I doe heare of Affrike I cōmend your warre and abhorre your peace If you doe greatly esteem that which I haue said esteem much more that which I shall say which is that wee alwayes heare that you are conquerors of the Affricanes and you shall heare alwayes that we are conquered by vices Therefore if am a true mother I had rather see you win a perpetuall memory among strangers then to liue with infamie at home in your countrey Peraduenture with hope that you shallenioy some goods you will offer to take occasion to come to Rome When this thing shall come to your minds remember my Children that your father being aliue had not much and that vnto your Mother beeing a widow many things wanted And remember that your father bequeathed you nothing but weapons and knowe that from mee you shalll enherite nothing but Bookes For I had rather leaue my Children good doctrine whereby they may liue then euill Riches whereby they may perish I am not rich nor I neuer trauelled to bee rich and the cause was that I saw many mens children vndone only through the hope they had to inherit their parents goods and afterward went a hunting after vices For they seldome times do any worthy feates which in theyr Youth inherite great Treasures This thing therefore beeing true as it is indeede I doe not say onely that I would watch and toyle as many do to get riches and treasures but also if I had treasor before I would giue them vnto you I would as the Phylosopher did cast them into the fire For I had rather haue my children poore and vertuous in Affricke then rich and vicious in Rome You knowe very well my Children that there was among the Tharentines a Law well obserued that the Sonnes should not inherit any thing of the fathers but weapons to fight and that the Daughters should inherite the goods for to marry thēselues withall Truely this Law was very iust for the Sonne that hath alwaies respect to the inheritance will not haue to his Father any great confidence For hee ought to bee called a valiant Romain Knight that with his life hath wonne and by his sword hath gotten Riches Since you are in straunge Realmes I pray you heartily that you be eonuersant with the good as good brethren remembring alwayes that you were my children and that I gaue you both sucke of mine owne proper breasts And the day that I shall heare of your disagreement the same day shall be the end of my life For the discord in one city of parents doth more harme then a whole armie of enemies It is good for you my Children to liue in loue and concord together but it is more requisite to keepe you with the Romain knights The which with you and you with them if you doe not loue together in the warres you shall neuer haue the vpper hand of your enemies For in great Armies the discords that arise amongst them do more harme then the enemies do against whom they fight I thinke well my children that you would be very desirous to know of my estate that is to say whether I am in health whether I am sicke whether I am poore whether I am pleased or whether I am discontented In this case I knowe not why you should desire to knowe it since you ought to presuppose that according to the troubles which I haue passed the miseries which with mine eyes I haue seen I am filled with this world For wise men after fifty yeares and vpwardes ought rather to applie theyr mindes how to receyue death then to seeke for pleasures how to prolong life When mans Flesh is weake it alwayes desireth to bee well kept euen vnto the graue And as I am of flesh and Bone so I do feele the troubles of the world as all mortall men doe But for all this doe not thinke that to bee poore or sicke is the greatest miserie neither thinke that to bee whole and rich is the chiefest felicity for there is none other felicitie of the old fathers but for to see their children vertuous In my opinion it is an honor to the coūtry that the fathers haue such children which will take profit with their counsell and contrariwise that the children haue such fathers which can giue it them For the childe is happy that hath a wise father and more happie is the father that hath not a foolish son I doe write oft times vnto you my children but there is a law that none be so hardy to write to men of war in the field except first they inrowle the letters in the Senate Therefore since I write vnto you more letters then they would they do send lesse then I desire Though this law be painefull to
person and his goods he ought to do it for a matter of greate importance For in the end more defamed is hee that ouercommeth a Labourer then he which is ouercome with a knight O how variable is Fortune and in how short space doth happen an euil fortune in that which now I will speake I doe condemne my selfe and accuse thee I complaine to the Gods I reclaime the dead and I call the liuing to the end they may see how that before our eyes wee suffer the griefes and know them not with the hands wee touch them and perceyue them not wee goe ouer them see them not they sound in our eares and wee heare them not dayly they doe admonish vs and wee doe not beleeue them Finally we feele the perill where there is no remedy for our griefe for as experience doth teach vs with a little blast of wind the fruit doth fal with a little sparke of fire the house is kindled with a little rocke the shippe is broken at a little stone the foote doth stuinble with a litle hooke they take great fish and with a litle wound dyeth a great person For all that I haue spoken I doe meane that our life is so frayle and fortune so fickle that in that parte where wee are surest harnessed wee are soonest wounded And Seneca writing to his mother Albina which was banished from Rome sayde these words Thou Albina art my mother and I thy sonne thou art aged and I am young I neuer beleeued in fortune though shee would promise to bee in peace with mee And further hee sayde All that which is in mee I count it at the disposition of Fortune as well of riches as of prosperity And I keepe them in such a place that at any boure in the night when shee listeth shee may carry them away and neuer wake me So that thogh shee carry those out of my Cofers yet shee should not robbe mee of this in my Entrals Without doubt such wordes were maruellous pithie and very decent for such a a wise man The Emperour Adrian my Lord did weare a ring of gold on his finger which hee sayd was of the good Drusius Germanicus and the words about the ring in Latine letters sayd thus Illis est grauis fortuna quibus est repentina Fortune to them is most cruell whom suddenly shee assaulteth We see oftentimes by experience that in the fystula which is stopped and not in that place which is open the Surgeon maketh doubt In the shallow water and not in the deepe seas the Pilot despayreth The good man of Armes is more afraide of the secret ambushmnt then in the open battell I meane that the valiaunt men ought to beware not of straungers but of his owne not of enemies but of friends not of the cruell warre but of the fained peace not of the vniust damage but of the priuy euil O how many men wee haue seene whom the mishaps of fortune could neuer change and yet afterwards hauing no care she hath made them fall I aske now what hope can man haue which will neuer trust to the prosperity of fortune since for so light a thing we haue seen such trouble in Capua and so great losse of thy person and goods If wee know fortune we would not make so great complaint of her For speaking the truth as shee is for all and would content all though in the end shee mocke all she giueth and sheweth vs all her goods and we others take them for inheritance That which she lendeth vs wee take it for perpetuall that which in iest shee giueth vs we take it in good earnest and in the end as she is the mocker of all so shee goeth mocking of vs thinking that shee giueth vs another mans she taketh our own proper I let thee know that knowing that of fortune which I know I feare not the turmoyles of her trauels neither doth her lightnings or thunders astonish me nor yet will I not esteeme the pleasantnesse of her goodly fayre flatteries I will not trust her sweete reioysings neyther wil I make accoūt of her friendships nor I will ioyne my selfe with her enemies nor I will take any pleasure of that shee giueth mee neyther griefe of that shee taketh from mee nor I will haue respect when she telleth me truth nor I doe not regard it though she tell me a lye Finally I would not laugh for that shee asketh me nor I will weepe for that she sendeth mee I will now tell thee my friend Domitius one thing and heartily I desire thee for to keepe it in memory Our life is so doubtfull and fortune is so sodaine that when shee threatneth shee striketh not alwayes neyther doth shee threaten alwayes when shee striketh The man which presumeth to bee sage and in all things well prouided goeth not so fast that at euery steppe hee is in danger of falling nor so softly that in long time hee cannot arriue at his iorneyes end for false fortune gauleth in stead of striking and in steade of gauling striketh Therefore since in yeares I am older then thou and haue more experience of affayres if thou hast marked that I haue tolde thee thou wilt remember well that which I will say vnto thee which is that that part of thy life is troublesome which vnto thee seemeth to be most sure Wilt thou that by example I tell thee all that which by words I haue spoken Behold Hercules of Thebes who escaped so many dangers both by sea and land and afterwards came to dye in the armes of a harlot Agamemnon the great Captaine of the Greekes in the x. yeares which hee warred against Troy neuer had any perill and afterwards in the night they killed him entring into his owne house The inuincible Alexander the Great in all the conquests of Asia did not die and afterwards with a little poyson ended his life in Babylon Pompeius the Great dyed not in the conquest of his enemies and afterwards his friend Ptolomeus slew him The couragious Iulius Caesar in 52. battels could not bee ouercome and afterwardes in the Senate they slewe him with 23. wounds Hannibal the terrible Captaine of Carthage slewe himselfe in one moment which the Romanes could not do in 17. yeares onely because he would not come into the hands of his enemies Asclipius medius brother of great Pompeius in 20. yeeres that he was a Rouer on the seas neuer was in any perill afterwards drawing water out of a well was drowned therein Ten Captains whom Scipio had chosen in the conquest of Affricke ieasting on a bridge fell into the water and there were drowned The good Bibulus going triumphing in his Chariot at Rome a tile fell on his head so that his vaine glory was the end of his good life What wilt thou more I say vnto thee but that Lucia my sister hauing a needle on her breast and her childe betweene her armes the childe laying his hand
sonne in lawes in maintaining processes in discharging debts in fighing for that is past in bewayling that that is present in dissembling iniuries in hearing woful newes and in other infinite trauels I So that it were much better to haue their eyes shut in the graue thē their hearts and bodies aliue to suffer so much in this miserable life He whom the gods take from this miserable life at the end of fiftie yeeres is quitted from all these miseries of life For after that time hee is not weake but crooked hee goeth not but rowlleth he stumbleth nor but falleth O my Lord Marke knowest thou not that by the same way whereby goeth death death cometh Knowest not thou in like manner that it is 62. yeers that life hath fled from death that there is another time asmuch that death goeth seeking thy life and death going from Illiria where he left a great plague thou departing frō thy pallace ye two haue now met in Hungarie Knowest not thou that where thou leapedst out of thy mothers intrailes to gouerne the land immediately death leaped out of his grauè to seeke thy life Thou hast alwayes presumed not onely to bee honored but also to be honorable if it bee so since thou honouredst the Embassadors of Princes which did send them the more for their profite then for thy seruice why dost thou not honor thy messenger whom the gods send more for thy profite then for their seruices Doest thou not remember well when Vulcan my sonne in law poysoned me more for the couetousnesse of my gods then any desire that hee had of my life thou Lord that diddest come to comfort mee in my chamber and toldst me that the gods were cruell to slay the yong and were pitiful to take the old from this world And thou saidst further these wordes Comfort thee Panutius for if thou wert borne to the now thou drest to liue Since therefore noble Prince that I tell thee that which thou toldst me and counsell thee the same which thou counsellest me I render to thee that which thou hast giuen me Finally of these vines I haue gathered these cluster of grapes CHAP. LII The answer of the Emperour Marcus to Panutius his Secretarie wherein he declareth that he tooke no thought to forsake the world but all his sorow was to leaue behind him an vnhappie child to inherit the Empire PAnutius blessed be the milke which thou hast sucked in Dacia the bread which thou hast eaten in Rome the larning which thou hast learned in Greece and the bringing vppe which thou hast had in my pallace For thou hast serued as a good seruant in life and giuest mee good counsell as a trustie friende at death I command Commodus my son to recompence thy seruice and I beseech the immortall gods that they acquite thy good counsels And not without good cause I charge my son with the one and requrie the gods of the other For the payment of many seruices one man alone may doe but to pay one good counsell it is requisite to haue all the gods The greatest good that a friend can doe to his friend is in great and waightie affaires to giue him good and wholesome counsell And not without cause I say wholesome For commonly it chaunceth that those which thinke with their counsell to remedy vs doe put vs oftentimes in greatest perils All the trauells of life are hard but that of death is the most hard and terrible Al are great but this is the greatest All are perillous but this is most perrillons All in death haue ende except the trauell of death whereof wee know no end that which I say now no men perfectly can know but he which seeth himselfe as I see my selfe now at the point of death Certainly Panutius thou hast spoken vnto mee as a wise man but for that thou knowst not my griefe thou couldst not cure my disease for my sore is not there where thou hast layde the plaister The fistula is not there where thou hast cutte the flesh The opilation is not there where thou hast layd the oyntments There were not the right veines where thou didst let me bloud Thou hast not yet touched the wound which is the cause of all my griefe I meane that thou oughtest to haue entred further with mee to haue knowne my griefe better The sighes which the heart fetcheth I say those which come from the heart let not euerie man think which heareth them that he can immedialy vnderstand them For as men cannot remedie the anguishes of the spirit so the gods likewise would not that they should know the secrets of the heart Without feare or shame many dare say that they know the thought of others wherein they shew themselues to bee more fooles then wise For since there are many things in me wherein I my selfe doubt how can a stranger haue any certaine knowledge therein Thou accusest me Panutius that I feare death greatly the which I deny but to feare it as man I doe confesse For to deny that I feare not death should bee to denie that I am not of flesh We see by experience that the Elephants do feare the Lyon the Beare the Elephant the wolfe the Beare the Lambe the Wolfe the Rat the Cat the Cat the Dog the Dog the man Finally the one and the other do feare for no other thing but for feare that one killeth not the other Then since bruite beasts refuse death the which though they die feare not to fight with the suries nor hope not to rest with the gods so much the more ought we to feare death which die in doubt whether the furies will teare vs in peeces with their torments or the gods will receiue vs in to their houses with ioy Thinkest thou Panutius that I doe not see well my vine is gathered and that it is not hid vnto me that my palace falleth in decay I know well that I haue not but the kernell of the Raison the skin and that I haue not but one sigh of all my life vntill this time There was great difference betweene me and thee now there is no great difference betwixt me and my selfe For about the ensign thou dost place the army In the riuers thou castest thy nets within the parkes thou huntest the buls in the shadow thou takest cold By this I meane that thou talkest so much of death because that thou art sure of thy life O miserable man that I am for in short space of all that is life I haue possessed with mee I shall carrie nothing but onely my winding sheete Alasse how shall I enter into the field not where of fierce beasts I shall bee assaulted but of the hungrie wormes deuoured Alasse I see my selfe in that distresse from whence my fraile flesh cannot escape And if any hope remaine it is in thee O death When I am sicke I would not that hee that is whole should comfort me When