the doctrine of suckyng of brestes Also he was but of tender age and not of great delycate vnderstandyng This prince Comode was borne in Rome on the mount Celio and nourished at the gate of Hostie He was more derely beloued of Faustina his mother then hated of Marcus Aurelius his father And to speake with all due honour among them the mother held her for certayne to be the chyldes mother and the chylde accordynge to his customes was moche lyke his mother and the father was in doubte whether he were his sonne bicause he resembled but lytel in vertues to the father ¶ Howe the emperour reasoned with the maysters that shulde lerne his sonne Capitulo viii AL these matters beinge paste the good emperour for to esteme the thynge that he hadde done and to pouruey for that he had to do he called asyde the nyne wyse men and sayde to them There is greatte fame in Rome of that I haue done in thempire to do suche dilygence as to discouer all the wyse men and of the curiositie that I haue shewed as in certaynynge of the beste Of trouth yf ye be wyse ye can not be sclaundered of any thynge The annoyance of yl thynges commeth of wysedome and vertue but the admyration of good thynges procedethe of smalle vnderstandynge or lesse experience The wyse person wyl suffre none admyration To shewe at the fyrst bronte mocion in euery thynge sheweth to be constant in nothynge I haue made strayt examynatiō amonge you for so ought suche to passe as shulde be admytted to strayte amytyes New amities is wery in thre dayes and euer haue I sene and proued by experience that frendes lyghtelye taken are lyghtely lefte agayne I chaunced in companye of an auncient Romayne whiche was all whyte for aege and bycause he merited it I called hym father and he for loue and nurture called me sonne the whiche in case of aduenture enquyred many thynges of me but I wolde make hym none aunswere Than he sayde these wordes to me Son beholde In the lawe of frendshyp it is written that the frende in all thynges trusteth to his frend first regardynge who is his frende Surely this councel was good The curious man of armes if he wil bye a horse fyrste he wyll se hym renue and assayed or he speake of the sale of hym if he please hym not thoughe he myghte haue hym for a lesse price he wyll not haue hym yf he please hym what so euer the price is set he wyll not leaue hym Than it is a lefull thynge that the beaste be examyned and felte er he be had into the stable In lyke wyse a manne shulde be examyned er he be receyued in to amytie And yf the horse that eateth but hey strawe and otes be lefte for one yll tatche moche more the frende whiche is the intestyne of the harte and oughte to kepe our secretes and affectyons for dyuers fautes ought not to be receyued in to the same There was a philosopher named Arispo the fyrste that was in the tyme of Silla and Marius who sayde that frendes ought to be lyke good horses That is to say that they oughte to haue a lyttell heed by humble conuersation quicke of herynge to the entent that they be redye whan they are called a softe mouthe to thende that theyr tongue be temperate The houe of the foote harde to suffer trauaylle and theyr handes open to doo good dedes their fete sure to perseuer in amitie a baye colour for his good renowme And fynally the hors retournethe that is the manuall frende And thereto is ioyned these wordes That is that he be without curbes or byttes and that he maye go where as any fatall destenyes tourneth the brydell and reyne of fortune The goddes vnderstande me though that men can not atteyne therto or comprise it Retournynge than to the purpose I wyl yee knowe bycause I haue taken you for frendes not to putte you awaye at length And though that cherytrees produceth theyr floures in Februarie we abyde not to haue the cheries but in Maye Frendes oughte to be as molberies that in suche tyme producethe their beries whiche is theyr fruite that they feare not the frostes of Maye as the vynes doo nor the mystes of Octobre as the peches and quinces do I wyll not that they come whan the prosperitie is good and go away whan the fortune is nought For that is no pointe of true frendes As the lyes of wynes causeth dronkardes to vomyt in the tauernes lyke wyse aduersitie driueth away faynt frendes out of the house bycause the seruice is not acceptable without the wyl be knowen of hym that dothe it Than holde you sure of my contentation sythe that I haue it of your warkes I come nowe to the effecte of our pourpose I haue taken you for to be maysters of this chylde and regarde that I haue taken you fewe amonge many to thende that my sonne shuld be noted amonge fewe His nurses at the gate of Hostie haue gyuen hym two yeres sucke of theyr mylke and his mother Faustyne hath gyuen hym other two yeres to sporte hym in the Palays And I lyke a good father wyll gyue hym .xx. yeres of chastisement It soore displeasethe Faustyne his mother to leaue hym so sone and I am sory that I toke hym so late It is no meruayle for these womenne with theyr lyghtnes and these chyldren with theyr smalle knowlege occupy them selfe in thinges present But worthy wyse men oughte to thynke on that is passed and also to ordeyne for that that is present and with great study to prouyde for the tyme to comme I thynke on euery daye in the yere and of the daye that the goddis haue gyuen me and of the day that I gyue vnto you The goddis to me and I to you doo gyue hym mortall to be as a manne and than you to me and I to the goddis do render him immortall to be wyse What wyll ye that I saye more Certainly god hath made hym man amonge men by the sowle and I haue engendred hym a beaste amonge beastes by the fleshe ye shall make hym a god amonge goddis by shape I assertayne you of one thynge whyche is I haue not gyuen to my chylde but mortalle flesshe wherwith he shall take an ende of his lyfe but ye shall gyue hym doctryne wherwith his memorie shall neuer peryshe If his youth knewe the weake and faynt fleshe that I haue gyuen hym and that his dull vnderstandyng wold reache to the wisedome that ye maye gyue hym he shulde calle you fathers and me an ylle stepfather And thoughe he saye not soo yet I confesse it that is that the naturalle fathers of the fleshe are stepfathers of noblenesse sythe that we gyue the naturalitie of them subiecte to so many mutabilities and bonde and captiue to soo many myseries For certayne ye shall be iuste fathers to hym yf as nowe ye canne enable his fleshe in good customes
say it not without teares thou seeste that my son remayneth ryche yonge and at libertie Ryches youthe solitarines and lybertie ben .iiii. pestilences that enpoysone the prince and waste the common welthe hit sleethe them that be a lyue infameth them that be deed Beleue me one thynge dyuers graces are requisite to susteyn diuers vertues With the fairest women the brothell houses are peopled the mooste vilaynes are made ruffyens the moste hardye are robbers in woddes the quickeste of vnderstandynge ofte proue fooles and the mooste subtylle becom theues I say that such as are clothed with dyuers graces of nature lacke the furres of accquired vertues We may say they hold in their handes a knyfe wherwith they stryke and hurte theym selfes fire on their shulders wherwith they bren and a corde about their necke wherwith they hange daggers at theyr stomacke wherwith they are stayne thornes at theyr feete wherwith they are pricked a stony way afore theyr eies where they stomble and stomblynge fall and fallynge they lese theyr life and wynne dethe The great trees of whom we haue fruite in wynter and shadowe in sommer first be planted the rotes faste in the entrayles of the erthe or euer theyr wauerynge boughes are aduentured in the wynd Marke Panutius marke well The man that from his youth hath set before hym the feare of the goddis and the shame of men is habited in vertues he that accompanieth with them that be vertuous mainteyneth trouth to euery maÌ„ and liueth without preiudice of any man Malicious fortune maye somtyme cleue the barke of the welthe of suche a tree wyther the floure in his youthe breake the leaues of his fauour gather the fruite of his trauaylle breake downe a bough of his offices bowe downe the height of his couÌ„cell yet for all the strokes that the wynde can strike it can not be plucked vp by the rote Certaynely the sonne that the father hath endued with graces and the sonne applienge hym in vices ought not to be borne in this worlde if he be borne to be buried quicke For the fathers sweate by day and watche by nyght to leue honour to their children whiche the fathers bye of the goddis with sighes the mothers delyuered of them with peyne and bring theÌ„ vp with trauayle and the chylde proueth so that he giueth greuous age to the father in his lyfe great infamy after his death I consider wel that the prince Comode beinge yonge and I olde ageynst his wyl forbare vyces I fere me that after my deth he wyll hate vertues I remeÌ„bre diuers of his age haue inherited the empire whiche were so hardy in their lyues that they deserued to be called tyrantes after their dethes ExaÌ„ple of Denys renoumed tyrant of Sycill whiche hired theym that coude inuent vices as our Rome rewardeth them that conquere realmes What greatter tyranny can be in a tyraÌ„t than to make most priuie to him theÌ„ that be vicious Also I forget not the foure kinges that succeded after great AlexaÌ„der as Ptholome Anthiocê° Siluiê° Antigonus whiche the grekes called great tirantis all that AlexaÌ„der had gotten with renomed triuÌ„phes they lost by their viciousnes And in this maner the world y t AlexaÌ„der had deuided amonge them .iiii. came to the handes of mo than foure C. for Antigonê° set so litle by that had cost his lord AlexaÌ„der so moch was so lighte in his age so bolde in his realme y t in mockery in y e stede of a crowne of gold he ware a garlande of Iuie in stede of a scepter he bare a thystle in his right hande and after that maner he wold syt amonge his men whan he spake to strangers I lay shame to the yong man so to do but I meruayle that the sadde and wyse men of grece suffred it ¶ I remembre also Caligula the .iiii. emperour of Rome a yonge man in whose tyme it was harde to knowe whiche was the greatter eyther the disobedience of the people to their lorde or the hatrede that the lorde bare to the people And this yonge prince went so farre oute of the waye in his youthe and was so farre wyde frome reason in his tyrannies that euery man studyed howe to take his lyfe from hym he studied to slee euery man He wrote these wordes in a table of golde Wolde to god that all Rome hadde but one heed to the entente that with one stroke I myght stryke it of ¶ I also remembre Tyberie sonne adoptiue of good Auguste called August bycause he augmented Rome But this good olde prince dyd not so moche augmente it in his lyfe but this yonge successour distroyed it moche more after his deathe The hate that the Romayne people had agaynste Tyberie in his lyfe was ryght welle shewed after his dethe For the same day that he dyed or whan he was slayne the people made dyuers processions and the senatours offred great gyftes in the temples and the priestes offred gret sacrifices to their goddis to thentent that they shulde not receyue the soule of the sayd Tiberie into their glorie but to sende it to the furies of Hell ¶ Also I mynde Patrocle the seconde kynge of Corynthe whiche enheryted the realme beinge but .xvi. yere of age and he was so vycious of his body and so lyberall of his mouthe that where as his father helde the realme .lx. yere he possessed it but .xxx. dayes ¶ Also the auncient Tarquin the proude the .vii. kynge of Rome whiche was ryght goodly in gesture ryght valyant in armes and of a cleane bloudde as an vnhappye prince defyled al his vertues with noughtye lyuynge in suche wyse that he conuerted his beautie into lechery his power into tyranny for the villany that he did to Lucrece the chaste lady of Rome wherby he lost not onely his realme but the name of Tarquine was banysshed for euer out of Rome ¶ I remembre cruelle Nero whiche inheryted and dyed yonge in hym ended the memorie of the noble Cesars and by hym was renewed the memorye of Antygones the tyrantes Whom thynkest thou this tyrant wolde suffre to lyue whiche slewe his owne mother Tell me I pray the what harte is that of a chylde to slee his owne mother to open the brestes that he sucked to shedde the blood of her that nouryshed hym in her armes and to beholde the entrayles wherin he was fourmed What thynkeste thou that he wolde not haue done sithe he commytted suche an yll dede The day that Nero slew his mother an oratour sayd in the senate that Agrippyne his mother had deserued deth for chyldyng suche a chylde in Rome These thre dayes that thou haste sene me so altered in my mynde all these thinges came before me and I haue drawen theym into the depenes of my harte and disputed theym This sonne of myn holdeth me in the gulfe of the see betwene the wawes of feare and the ankers of dispayre hopynge
pray as men that all thing be forgiuen to them that be olde and broken and to them that be yonge and lusty to dissimule for a tyme nothing to be forgiuen to very yonge chyldren In good soth these were good wordes spoken of suche a persone and semeth reasone For it is reason that the hors that hathe runne and passed his course of cariage shoulde reste hym And who that hath passed rightousely it is Iustice that he be suffred in reste And the chylde that wyll passe reasonne ought to be reformed Cause hym to be alwayes occupied in vertuous actes For if the vnderstandynge be dulled and the bodye slouthfull in suche aege with greatte difficultie wylle they drawe to thynges that be straunge to their delectations bycause that the lyghtenesse is in the heed and reasonne vnder the eyes His youthe wylle demaunde you some recreation whiche ye shall consider so it be not often nor to seldome Fyrste that it be by reasonne Secondely that they be taken in noble exercyses Take hede For I gyue not my sonne vnto you that ye shoulde gyue hym recreation but onely for to teache hym The henne hauynge her egges vnder her wynges in that season gothe not abrode in the yardes and though the egges be not her owne yet she hatchethe theym as yf they were her owne For this cause at this tyme in Rome of a C. disciples lxxxx cometh forth withoute doctryne for yf theyr masters wast two houres in doctrine with them they lese with thē .xx. houres in mockerye And therof it is that of the smal grauitie of the mayster spryngeth great boldnes and lyttell shame in the disciple Beleue me frendes that the teachers to princis and maysters to disciples profite more in one day with good exaumples than in a yere with many lessons My sonne seynge you drawe to vertues wyll drawe to the same if he se you studie he wylle study if he se you peasible he wyll be styll he seinge you temperate in fedynge wyl eate but lyttel seing you shamfast he wyll feare you seinge you restefulle he wyll reste and if ye do contrary he wyll do contrarye This surelye is true for the auncient men onely with the euyll that they se eyther do they corrupte their bodyes or sclaunder theyr owne iugementes as chyldern do that can say nothynge but that they here nor do nothynge but that they se I wil also that the prince my sonne lerne the .vii. artes lyberalle For I haue taken many of you to thentent that ye shulde teache hym moche And if at the laste we shulde be sorowfull bycause he hath not lerned all we shal not be sorie yf he knowe moche nor thynke his tyme yll spent nor be begyled in saying that he knoweth inough of that so yōge a chylde shulde haue to gouerne and rule thempire A very philosopher after the lawe of lygnage ought to haue speche at place and tyme conuenient to fyght in the felde and to speke in the senate If myn owne remembrance begyle me not amonge myn antiquities I haue brought a stone out of Grece the whiche Pythagoras y e philosopher helde at the gates of his schole wherin was written with his owne handes these wordes He that knoweth not that he ought to know is a brute beaste amonge men He that knoweth no more than he hath nede of is a man amonge brute beastes He that knoweth all that may be knowen is a god amonge men O moste highe wordes Glorious is the hande that wrote them the whiche not at the gates as they were than oughte to be written but within mens breestes they shoulde be paynted and grauen Our forefathers toke the laste sentence of this philosopher and the fyrste rebuke abydeth to vs theyr last chyldren For certayne amonge the Grekes and Lacedemoniens was atteyned as moche fame by theyr philosophers and conquestes as by theyr writinges which they haue lefte vs. And our former emperours gatte no lesse loue in theyr empire by theyr profound eloquence thanne they feared all the worlde by their noble triumphes For a profe wherof beholde Iulius Cesar whiche beinge in the myddell of his campe with his lyfte hande wolde holde his speare and his penne in his righte hande Ne he neuer lefte of his armour but forthewith he toke his bokes We must not lay excuses sayinge with them that be ignorante that the lyberall artes are to hye and the tyme that we haue verye shorte For certayne the diligence of men in tymes paste reproueth our slouth at this day One thyng I do se that in a shorte whyle we lerne all yll but in a longe season we can not lerne goodnesse Wyll ye se what is our fortunes and destenyes and in what thoughte the goddes doo kepe vs that for to do one good dede we lacke tyme and for to do many shrewde tournes we haue to moche tyme. I wyll say no more but that I wolde my chylde shulde be nouryshed in suche wyse that he shoulde lerne the feare of god the science of philosophers the vertues of aunciente Romayns the quietnes of you his maysters and the goodnesse of all them that be good as he hathe taken of me to be the heire of the empire I protest to the immortal goddis to whom I truste for to go and protest to the high capitoll where my bones shall be brent that neyther Rome now in my lyfe nor the heuens in tyme to come shall curse me after my deth if by yll lyuynge my sonne shoulde lese the common welthe yf by your small chastisement ye shal be cause of the losse of the empire ¶ Howe themperour Marucs nourished the princesses his doughters Cap. x. MArcus Aurelius the emperour hadde but two sonnes that is to wytte the prince Comode and Verissime He hadde fowre doughters by Faustyne his wyfe legittimate and heyres of thempyre This emperour was excedyng diligent for to nourishe his daughters As soone as any of them were borne forthwith they were put to nours into some ferme without Rome He wolde neuer suffre any of his chyldren sonnes nor doughters to be nourysshed within the walles of Rome Nor consente that they shoulde sucke the breastes of delycate women He hated delycate and gaye nourses and they that were laborous homely and holsome he loued and to them and none other he betoke his chyldren to nouryshe and he wolde neuer agree that they shoulde be brought home to his howse He was wont to say in his sportynge I haue more adoo to contente these nourysses than to mary my doughters Homere shewethe that in Grece there dyed Arthemio that was kynge of Argiue withoute any sonne to inheryte and the nourse that hadde nourysshed hym with all her myght demanded the realme for a sonne of hers whyche hadde sucked of the same mylke that the sayde kynge had done allegynge that syth they were bothe nourysshed togyther and sucked one mylke that they bothe shuld enheryte one realme This sayde Homer to