The pilgrimage of Princes penned out of sundry Greeke and Latine aucthours by Lodovvicke Lloid Gent. At London Printed by VVilliam Iones and are to be solde at his nevve long Shop at the VVest doore of Povvles C Call on God vvith CICERO craue thy countrie good to vvish H Haue PHOCION learned Greke in mind that ioyed of AtheÌ„s blisse R Remember CAESARS saying in Rome ech day to vvinne a friende I In vvorde and deede most DAMON like that vvill endure the ende S Seeke vvith care serue vvith faith think PLATOES saying on earth T To serue thy God thy Prince thy soyle did nature poynt thy birth O Offende no man deserue due prayse the poore doe not denie F Forget not PHILIPS Page that sayd O PHILIP thou must die O Obay the lavves hurt no man hate not the siely Groome R Right so in Englande shalt thou haue as POMPE had in Rome O Of CVRTIVS fayth of CODRVS care of Roman SCIPIO think S Shun subtill SINONS savvcie sleyght flee cursed CACVS linke H Hat ' on eche vice eche vertue loue thy state vvith CHILO knovve â–ª A Auoyd raging vvrath vvith pacieÌ„ce mild PERIANDER teacheth so T Time doth BIAS vvise affirme to make most men offende T Time SOLON sayth doth trie al things and time doth iudge the end O Order must vvith measuâ—e rule ech state sayth PYTTACVS playne N Nothing must abounde to much CLEOBVLVS biddes agayne V Vertue buildes hir blasing bovver in sacred breast to breede S Such prayse as shall aduaunce your fame if sages sayings you reade ¶ TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVL and his singuler good M. Maister Christofor Hatton Esquier Capitaine of the Queenes Maiesties Garde and Gentleman of her highnesse priuie Chamber THAT NOBLE PHIlosopher Plato right VVorshipfull had not attempted so often the seas from Athens to Sicilia had it not beene for his friende Dion neyther hadde learned Apollonius sustayned the heate of Ripheus nor the cold of Caucasus to trauell from Rome vnto India had it not beene for his companion Hiarchus Suche is the force of affection the attempt of friendeshippe and the secret search of nature that vvere it possible that the same sayth Cicero might ascende the skies to vevve the glorie of the Sunne the state of the Starres and to beholde the beauty of the heauens vnsvveete vvere the admiration thereof vnlesse it might bee imparted to friendes Such is the violence of hidden loue after long lurcking in the intrailes of the heart that by force seeketh meanes by some outvvard shevv of seruice to reueale the fostered flames therof to his professed friende by vvhose continuall mocions and restlesse rage I vvas more alured by good vvill than by vvit or learning persvvaded to manifest the fruite thereof vnto your VVorshippe as to the onely Mecaenas chosen Patron of this my enterprise vvhich though more bolde than vvise more rash than learned yet I hope more vvilling than able of your vvorship adiudged vvhich like a Greeke Demetrius or a Romane Scipio by some secret sleight of vertue mooued in me most ardent loue incredible desire and singuler affection to accomplish some charge as a publicke pleadge of my true and faythfull heart So for the clemencie of countenaunce the facility of speach the excellencie of nature vvhich in some are more apparaunt than in others doe euen as the Adamant dravve vp the heauie and lumpishe yron enflame the barren and luntish braineman to a farre further charge than other learning maye suffice good vvill therein â–ª Most vvilling to auoyde the gulfe of Charibdis perforâ— hee slideth in Scilla and seeking to shunne Semphlagades he sincketh in Syrtes Hovvbeit good vvill the vvorthiest revvarde the chiefest treasure and the greatest gift that the seruaunt can yeelde vnto his maister the subiect vnto his Prince or one man vnto another vvhich as Demosthenes sayth ought as keis of treasures bulvvarkes of Cities defence of countries and staye of states bee vvaied and esteemed Suche did Phocion onely accept in Athens vvhen hee refused the offered treasures of the great Alexander Such did Epaminondas require in Thebes vvhen he renounced the princelie giftes of Artaxerxes Suche did Fabritius craue in Rome vvhen he denied the vvelthye revvardes of King Pirrhus And suche I trust your vvorshippe doe vvaye of your vvell vviller though of others better are tendered for more holesome it is sayth Plini for some to drinke small vvine out of Samos earthen vessell than strong poyson out of the golden cuppe of Nero better it is to drinke Ciâ—us colde vvater out of faythfull Sinaetes hand than svveete Nectar out of the infected cuppe of Cirses and farre more sure is the good vvill of the faythfull than the tendered treasure of the flatterer vvhich like a Melitian dogge fauning on euery man altering himselfe vnto all kinde of coulers vvith the Camaelien and shifting himselfe vnto sundrie shapes vvith Protheus vvill hault vvith Clisophus before Phillippe dissemble vvith Aristodemus beefore Antigonus flâ—tter vvith Aristippus before Dionisius and in â—ine deceyue Caesar vvith Curio These rauening Harpeis these tame Tigers these sucking Serpentes deceyued the vvise ouercame the mightie and deuoured the quicke they vvill depraue Homer of his verses vvith flattery they vvill spoyle Hercules of his clubbe vvith flattery and they vvill dispossesse Iupiter of his thunder and lightnings vvith flattrey O had noble natures in leau of false flaterers suche faythfull friendes as Agamemnon had of Nestor Telemachus of Menelaus Achilles of Chiron Hector of Polidamus Vlisses of Alcinus or hadde Princes suche councellers as Alexander had of Aristotle as Augustus hadde of Athenedorus Antigonus of Zeno Alcibiades of Socrates and Cicero of Apollonius flatterie shoulde bee espied deceytes auoyded enuie preuented and death often escaped then had not Sinon vvith flatterie vanquished Troye Zopirus vvith dissimulation destroyed Babilon neyther Lasthenes vvith fayre vvordes ouercome Olinthus But in examining the state of Princes vvaying their pilgrimages in this toyling Labyrinthus vve see their fortune as variable as they themselues are mutable VVee reade that some from base birth vvere aduaunced vnto emperiall dignitie as Gordius from the Plough became King in Phrigia and Giges from a Shepheard vvas made King in Lidia So vve read that some from regall seates vvere exiled their kingdom as Torquinius Superbus from Rome and Dionisius from Sicilia It is not straunge to the learned that Tullius Hostilius from keeping of Cattell became a King in Rome and that famous Zerxes the great King of Persea vvas vanquished by that simple manne Artabanus VVhat vvoonder is it if Cirus vvas nourished by a Bytche to be a King in Persea sith Prutias from a king in Bithinia beecame a begger in Asia If Romulus from an abiect brought vp by a vvoolfe vvas buried so princely in Rome vvhat meruayle is it that Pompeius being so renovvmed shoulde be buried in the sandes of Egypt If Alexander the great Iulius Caesar Hanibal Iugurth vvith infinite moe vvere suppressed and deiected from their high thrones vnto miserie
oute of the towne came and offred his schollers vnto Camillus saying by this meanes you maye doe what you will vnto Philiscus for here be theyr children whome I know to redéeme they wyll yéelde vp the towne Camillus hauing regarde to the fame of Rome and loathing much to shewe villanye rewarded the Schoolemayster after this sort hée did set him naked before his schollers fast bounde with his handes on his backe and euery one of the schollers with a rodde in his hand saying vnto the boyes bring him home to your parentes and tell your friendes of his falshoode and the poore boyes hauing a good time to requite olde beatings were as gladde as he was sorrowfull laying on loade girckt him with so manye stripes as loytering Treuauntes maye best be boulde to number vntill they came vnto the Citie where they toulde their parents the cause thereof which wayde the clemeccie and humanitie of Camillus to be such that they gladlye and â–ª willingly yéelded themselues and theyr Citie vnto the handes of Camillus knowing well that he that woulde vse them so being hys enimies and foes coulde not vse them yll by yéelding all vnto his courtesie who might haue had all by tiranny Nowe sith this vertue was often séene in diuers Quéenes Ladies Gentlewomen and others I may not omitte the pilgrimage of their liues We reade of two Quéenes of the Amahones a countrye of Scythia Penthesilaea the first and Hippolite the second the one so valiaunt against the Gréekes at the destruction of the noble Citie of Troy that in open fielde she feared not to encounter face to face with that valiaunt Gréeke Achilles the other so hardye that shée shrinkt not at the force and stoutnesse of that renowmed Champion Theseus which being conuicted by Theseus for hir singuler stoutnesse and courage maried hir whiche certainelye had happened vnto Penthesilia had shée not béene conuicted by Achilles Camilla likewise Quéene of the Volskans beside hir princely profession of sacred virginitie which she vowed vnto Diana was so famous for hir magnanimitie that when Turnus and Aeneas were in wars for the mariage of Lauinia King Latinus daughter she came bellona lyke vnto the fielde resisting the violence and puissaunce of Troyans with the Rutiles as an ayde vnto Turnus That noble Zenobia the famous Quéene of the Palmireians a Princes of rare learning of excelent vertues of most valiaunt enterprises after that hir husbande named Odenatus had died tooke the empire of Syria and attempted the magnanimitie of Romanes that a long time shée withstoode in warres that noble and renowmed Emperour Aurelian by whome the Emperour was woont to saye when it was obiected vnto him that it was no commendacions for a prince to subdue a woman that it is more valiaunt to conquer a woman being so stout as Zenobia than to vanquishe a King being so fearefull as Zerxes The auncient Gréekes as Herodotus doth witnesse were much amazed at the magnanimitie of Artimesia Quéene of Caria after that the king hir husbande died did shewe such fortitude against the inhabitauntes of Rhodes that being but a woman she subdued their stoutenesse shée burned their Nauies wasted theyr wealth vanquished and destroyed the whole I le entered into the Citie of Rhodes caused hyr ymage to be made and set vp for a monument of hir chiualrie and pertuall memorie of hir victorie O renowmed Ladies O worthye women that with feaminine feates merited manlye fame Howe famous Teuca Quéene of the Illiryans gouerned hir subiectes after the death of hir husbande king Argon which being warred on diuers times by the Romanes infringed theyr force broke theyr bonds discomfited their armies to hir perpetuall fame commendacion shée gouerned the people of Illeria no lesse wisely then she defended the puissaunt force of the Romanes stoutly shée liued as histories report as soberly and chastly without the company of man as shée gouerned hir countrie wisly and stoutelye without the councell of man it were sufficient to repeate the auncient histories of two women to prooue fullye an euerlasting prayse and commendacion vnto all women the one written by Herotus in his first booke of Queene Tomyris of Scythia the other mencioned by Valerius and Iustine of Cleopatra quéene sometime of Aegipt The first after that Cirus had trespassed muche in hir kingdome of Scithia killing destroying and burning without regarde to princely clemencie or respect vnto a womans gouernement yet vnsufficed though hée slue the Quéenes owne sonne named Margapites thirsted more and more for bloude that then the valiaunt Quéene being muche moued to reuenge Margapites death waying the gréedie rage of Cirus came Lion lyke to fielde eyther to loose hyr owne life or else to reuenge hir sonnes death prest vnto Cirus more lyke at that time to a grimme Gorgon than to a sillie Scythian slue him in the fielde haled him vp and downe the field cutte of his heade and bathed it in a great Tunne full of bloudde appoynted for that purpose saying Nowe Cirus drinke thy belly full of that which thou couldest neuer haue ynough this valiaunt Tomyris reuenged tyranny requited the death of one Scythian Margapites with the death of two hundred thousand Persians The other Quéene Cleopatra after that Iulius Caesar was murthered by Brutus and Cassius and that Marcus Antonius being by Augustus warred on for his periurie fasâ—oode shewed vnto his Uncle Caesar shée I saie Cleopatra hauing the most part of Arabia and Siria confederated with hir friende and louer Antonius against Augustus being then the seconde Emperour of Rome that shee ayded him a long time vntill that she perceyued that Augustus preuayled and that Antonius was vanquished then least shée shoulde be conquered by Augustus shée conquered hir selfe yéelding rather hyr bodye a praye vnto Serpentes than a subiect vnto Augustus Hanniball could no more but to poyson himselfe rather then to yéelde to Scipio Well let Semiramis with hir valiaunt force and stoutnesse be commended at Babilon where shée raigned fortie yeares a wydowe after King Ninus hir husbandes death Let noble and famous Atalanta with hir Bowes and Speares and feates of armes be praysed in Archadia â–ª Let Hipsicratea that followed hir husbande Kinge Mithridates vnto warres as a Lackie vnknowne be extolled in Pontus Let Helerna Ianus daughter with all hir fortitude be spoken of in Latine And let Delbora be famous amongst the Isralites These women were no lesse famous for theyr pilgrimage then the worthye Conquerours and Champions of the world they were in no point inferiour vnto men in diuers poyntes farre excelling Princes and Kinges eyther the worlde then was very weake or slender or else women then were valiant and stoute And to omitte perticulerly to touch women I will open and declare the nature of Countries the women of Lacena woulde togither with their husbandes go vnto the fielde yea they went souldiour lyke vnto Missenios to fight in
with another much more might be spoken I meane not those fonde foolishe and fantasticall fables fostered by women and olde men sitting at the fire where often the ydle braâ—â—e is occupied but those wise and prudent fables of Poets which containe wisedome in sence though they séeme light in wordes which durst not be opened playne in those daies for the tyranny of Princes which then woulde not haue theyr faultes toucht in anye but that learnedly with fables poeticall As the fable of Sphinx of Cirses of Tantalus of Acteon and of others ¶ Of Eloquence PYrrhus King of the Epire and defender long of the Tarentines was woont to say of Cineas his Oratour that hée wanne more victories thorowe the eloquence of Cyneas then he through the force and puissaunce of all his Epirotes besides for through eloquence woulde Cyneas make the stout enemies to yéelde and by eloquence woulde Cyneas mooue the cowardly souldiers to victorie Valerius a noble and an eloquent Romane at what tyme the Kinges of Rome were expelled and their names quite banished and nowe the populer state hauyng such liberty thereby that the whole Citie through sedition and late sprong libertie was like to come to ciuile warres betwéene them selues had not I say Valerius appeased the furie of the people being redie in heartes to become enemies vnto their countrey finding them triumphing much and reioysyng within them selues deuiding one from another to maintaine discorde He reduced them not onely through his eloquence vnto peace and quietnesse but also vnto such state brought them that where Rome was like then to fall to ruine Rome at that time beganne to florish prosper Great was the force of eloquence in Marcus Antonius which with his sugred and swéete perswasions turned the furious rage and tyranny of the souldiers of Marius and Cinnanus beyng sent of these two cruell Captaynes to kyll him vnto such lenitie and mercie that hauing their swordes naked drawen redie to accomplishe promise with Marius hauing hearde Antonius his eloquence as men conuicted with wordes coulde neuer kéepe promise with Marius though they had great rewardes appointed nor coulde of them selues though enimies they were vnto Antonius finde in their heart to kyll hym Pericles wanne such renowme in Athence by his eloquence which sometime was scholler vnto Anaxagoras that he had the gouernment and rule of Athence commited vnto him as vnto one the people reposed more credite or trust in Pericles wordes then they had in the force and strength of Athence beside Insomuch that when he woulde speake any thing vnto the people such mellifluous wordes and sugred sentences procéeded foorth of his mouth that they were amazed or astonied to heare him willyng alwayes neuer wéery of his counsel We reade that the eies did water to sée him the eares allured to heare him y e hart conuicted to yéelde vnto him Cowardes are made couragious stout tyrauntes are made gentle and mercifull Cities preserued victories gotten and all by eloquence What is it but man is able through comely gesture and apt pronunciation bring to passe What coulde escape Cicero in Rome What might haue auoyded Demosthenes in Athence whose knowen eloquence whose learned perswasions whose swéete and sugred wordes coulde aswel mooue enimitie in Athence towarde King Philip as it coulde kindle loue in Rome towarde Pompeius Such is the excellencie of eloquence that it mooueth aswell men to the sight for the gesture countenaunce and pronunciation as it doth enforce men to heare for the maiestie and swéetnesse of wordes For Hortensius was not so eloquent in wordes but he was as comely in gesture and so excâ—llent in either of them that when he spake before the people Senatours and Citizens of Rome they were no lesse enamored with his sight then they were allured and entised with his wordes for he laboured no lesse outwardly to please night became very darcke all the souldiours of Paulus yea Paulus himselfe being their Generall and Captain were dismayde and quite discomfited thinking it had bene some prodigious showe to prognosticate mishappe to come and readie to yéelde in heart and courage vntyll Sulpitius began to perswade the rude Souldiours with reason opening the causes vnto the souldiours and declaring the effectes of the superiour bodies so eloquently that then being readie to yéelde for feare they were readie to fight valiauntly by eloquence of Sulpitius and where through feare of that sodaine sight and chaunge of the Moone they were readye to yéelde as Captiues to King Perseus they were stirred mooued by the eloquence of Sulpitius to become conquerours and victours ouer King Perseus in the same selfe night The lyke Pericles sometime amongst his souldiours of Athens at what time the Sunne so darckened that great terror and feare came vpon the souldiours hée eloquently perswaded his souldiours and toulde them euen as he hearde of his Maister Anaxagoras the cause thereof and quight expelled feare from the souldiours by reason and made them boulde againe through hys eloquencie In Africke there was in the time of Anascarimis a philosopher named Afranio being demaunded what he did learne all the dayes of hys life aunswered to speake well the seconde time being asked what hée taught vnto others aunswered likewise to speake well at the last he was demaunded what he knewe in anye science he sayde I knowe nothing but to speake well so that this olde Philosopher Afranio learned nothing taught nothing nor knew any thing but to speake well and most certaine it is that he that consumeth all the dayes of his life to learne to speake well and knoweth nothing else but to speake well spendeth his time very well ¶ Of those that had their pictures and Images for a shovv of their deserued fame erected THE greatest honour that both Gréekes Gentiles vse towarde those that deserued well in the coÌ„mon wealth was to aduaunce them by pictures painted images gorgeously grauen thinkyng thereby either to enflame them further to do good or else to discourage them againe in doing euyll by banishing and neglecting their pictures which wheÌ„ Fauorinus the Philosopher hearde that the Citie of Athence had reiected his picture because Adrian the Emperour was angry with him sayde I am right glad therof for better sayd he had it béene for Socrates to haue had his brasen picture broken and throwen away for some shewe of displeasure by the Athenians then to be depriued of his lyfe for nothing by the Athenians for the surest state of all is not to be knowen Agesilaus therefore King of the Lacedemonians vnderstanding that the inhabitants of euery countrey in all Gréece had decréed to put vp the picture of Agesilaus for a memorial of his vertuous and noble actes to be as monumentes of his life after death Returnyng then from Egipt vnto Gréece beyng verye sicke a little before hée dyed wrote letters vnto Gréece that they shoulde make no pictures no Images
sayd Alphonsus had rather saue many by lenitie and gentlenesse then loose any by cruelnesse and tyranny This King being mooued to warres against the Uenetians and Florentines people very stout in Italy and redie from Naples to marche forwarde to méete his enemies certen Embassadours in that tyme commyng from the Florentines to entreate of peace with Alphonsus vpon humble suites and conditions No conditions sayde Alphonsus that noble prince but to them that séeke peace But frankly and fréely to graunt the same his humanitie was such that the Embassadours were not so redie to aske peace but he was as redy to graunt peace Herodotus doth write that there was a lawe amongst the Perseans that no man shoulde be punished for one 〈◊〉 but first they woulde examine whether his good deâ—des were to bée rewarded or his euill life to bée punished The clemencie of a prince the singuler wisedome of a noble minde doth foresée the cause that sometime subiectes offende their prince therein Nicanor the Macedonian after hée vsed yll speache euerywhere against Philip Alexanders Father hée was complayned of vnto the King When the King knewe thereof hée aunswered gently that pouertie caused Nicanor to speake that against King Philip therefore hée did sende him money to ease his minde and pardoned withall his offences How worthy of memory is Theodosius Iunior after hée was perswaded by his fréendes to reuenge those backbiters that spake yll of him to aunswere in this sort A Prince ought not to bende him selfe to reuenge faults but redy to pardon offences saying moreouer Woulde God that Theodosius were able to make his enemies alyue againe And to prooue that a Prince ought not to reuenge Adrian the Emperour shewed a noble example thereof he hauing great enimitie with a certen worthy Romane and being in great hatred towardes this man before he became Emperour the selfe same day that Adrian was made Emperour of Rome méeting his enemie in the stréete sayde loude to him before all the people Euasisti thou hast wonne the victory meanyng that he then being a Prince elected might in no point reuenge the wronges that he receaued before O passing humanity and clemency in Princes It was Alexander the greate his saying â–ª as Pontanus in his firste booke affirmeth It was more méete for a Prince to do good for euil then to adde euyll for euyll Wée reade that cruell Nero in the beginnyng of his Empire was so gentle that hée wished often that hée coulde not reade because hée shoulde not put his hande according vnto the custome of Rome to the libels for the punishment of the offendours And Domitianus in the beginnyng dyd so abhorre tyranny cruelnes that hée woulde forbyd to kyll any beast for sacrifice though they in the latter yeres forget this natural clemency What a noble vertue is humanity in a Prince what excellency in a noble man what an ornament in a gentleman what commendation in all men insomuch that the Snakes of Syria the Serpents of Terinthia the Scorpions in Arcadia want no due deserued praise of Plini for their gentlenesse and sparyng of their natiue soyle though they waxe cruell in others What humanity was in Scipio hauyng taken captiue Hasdrubal King Masinissa his nigh kinsman to restore him whom againe without raÌ„some What clemency vsed Demetriê° to Cilla a Captaine of King Ptolome euen as before Ptolome shewed to Demetriê° him selfe being taken prisoner y e like shewed hée to Cilla Such hath béen y e lenitie of some princes y t therby they augmented fame purchased great honor won victories such hath béen the tiranny of others that thei haue defamed them selues won hatred lost their estates in fine destroyed themselues For this purpose was Philip king of Macedonia woont to instruct his sonne Alexander to behaue him curteously with the Macedonians to vse lenitie and clemencie vnto his equales and to shewe him gentle vnto all men while his father Philip yet liued that he might the better in that season winne fauour and finde friendeshippe with his subiectes for then some came by heritage some by the sworde and the most came by election Nothing sayth Plutarch doth stablishe the state of a common wealth as the clemencie of a Prince towardes his subiectes and the loue of the subiectes towardes their Prince the one is neuer séene without the other King Darius therefore vnderstanding that his subiectes were taxed sore with Subsedies blamed his councell reuoked their lawe and made an open Oration vnto his commons to signifie howe loth he was to molest his subiectes and that hée was as loth to take any from his poore commons as hée knew them to be willing in giuing all that they had to pleasure theyr prince his care therein shewed his spéech so affable his good will so opened with suche curtesie and lenitie tendered vnto his subiectes enflamed such beneuolence kindled such a loue caused such a redinesse and made them through gentlenesse so benificiall that both goods landes and liues were at Darius commaundement Plutarchus in the life of king Antigonus doth recite a famous historie concerning the alteration and chaunge of Antigonus who with tiranny a long while fomed in bloode delighted in murther giuen altogither to wickednesse of lyfe spoyling at all times euery where sparing no place at anye time that at length hauing obtayned the kingdome of Macedonia became so gentle so méeke so liberall so quiet towardes his subiectes that being of all men woondered at for his sodaine chaunge from so cruell a Tirant to be so gentle a Prince from a spoyler of all places to be a sparer nowe of his subiectes Being demaunded the cause thereof aunswered Then I trauayled for the Kingdome of Macedonia which was to be wonne with warres and tiranny and nowe I labour to get the good will of my subiectes which is to be gotten with gentlenesse The onelye remedie the sure waye to winne good will at the subiectes is alwayes for Princes to be curteous and gentle Pittie in a Prince causeth loue in the subiectes Such pittie was founde in that gentle Emperour Aurelian when hée woulde haue entered vnto the Citie called Tiaena the gates being shut against him he did send his Herauldes to signifie vnlesse the gates should be opened he would not leaue one dogge aliue within the Cittie The Citie more stoute then wise refused to open theyr gates vntill with force of warres the walles were battered downe and the Citie in the hande of the Emperour to doe what it lyked him The souldiours gréedie of the spoyle were by the gentle and mercifull Emperour charged not to meddle with any within the Citie vntill they had licence The Emperour being charged by the souldiers of promise to kill and to spoyle all and not to leaue a dogge aliue Kept promise being a Prince destroyed all the dogges of the Cittie and restored againe the Citie vnto the inhabitauntes thereof This noble Aurelian had rather his souldiours shoulde
neyther durst any man by the same lawe prayse any wine in presence of women for wine causeth heate heate mooueth lust lust causeth murther Wherefore wise men write that it is daungerous to prayse thrée thinges in presence of people A man to prayse the beautie of his wife for feare of fornicatours for so did king Candales of Lidia prayse his wife vnto his friende Giges that he was murthered therby and the Quéene his wife afterward maried vnto Giges To bragge of his riches and substaunce for so did Sichaeus shewe his substaunce vnto Pigmalion King of Tire maried the kinges sister named Eliza and yet slaine by the selfe same Pilgmalion king of Tire and his owne brother in lawe Euen so to commend swéete wine in presence of people breéedeth a desire vnto lust and lust vnto death The famous Romanes for a long while kept a straite order to obserue temperaunce that the Ladies and matrones of the Citie of Rome might in no wise be suffered to drinke wine for abstinence is the onely keye of temperauncy so straight was this lawe lookt vnto that Eg. Maecenus slue his owne wife as Plini recordeth for that she loued wine and was by the lawe of Romulus made for that purpose saued from death In the same place of Plini it is read that a certaine matrone of Rome was iudged to die for that shée had a priuie keye vnto a Celler of wine So nie did they obserue this temperaunce that Cato the Censor appoynted by lawe certaine men to kisse the women of Rome to knowe whether they smelled of wine by their breath No man of what degrée so euer hée was Consul Censor Tribune or Senator might drinke wine in Rome before he was thirtie and fiue yeares of age The people of Massaliotica made and ordayned that the women shoulde drinke no other drinke than water Amongst the Egyptians there was by a lawe appoynted how much wine their Princes might drinke and no more The Perseans fed only then with breade sault and water The Prophetes of Iupiter in Créete abstaine from flesh and wine In Rhodes he was taken a grose braynd man that fedde on anye thing else but on fishe The Lacedemonians most hatefull vnto those that were fat by feeding insomuch they woulde punish their owne children with hunger if they waxed fatte eyther by féeding or by Idlenesse This abstinence was fostred as a nourse vnto chastitie and temperaunce then Princes lothed vice and loued vertue then they abhorred gluttonie and dronkenesse and honored abstinence and sobrietie The learned and sage Philosophers and men of passing abstinence and sobrietie being no lesse studious than carefull of temperaunce despised banquettes refused feastes lothed and defied belly chéere that being allured of Princes entised of noble men sought of all men forsooke and fledde from the same saying we eate to liue we liue not to eate A worthy and golden sentence to be obserued Rather hadde Diogines féete and licke dishes at Athens than to féede daintilye at Alexanders table Rather had that learned Gréeke noble Zeno drinke water and féede poorely as an example vnto his Schollers vnto temperaunce to come by abstinence than to pamper his belly at Antigonus Princely table to shewe them the waye vnto gluâ—â—â—â— and dronkennesse Rather had Plato forsake Dionisius table than to abstaine from his woonted philosophicall chéere This vertue of abstinence was of noble Socrates maintayned with breade and milke onely and learned Homer honored it with potage made of hearbes Of auncient Pithagoras with beanes Anacharsis a Scithian Philosopher being demaunded of his estate howe hée fedde how he did lie and how he was clothed aunswered I féede on hunger I lye on the grounde and am clothed like a Scithian The famous AtheniaÌ„ Aristides at what time King Dionisius made suite for his daughter to mariage though he was a puissaunt Prince a mightie king yet for his gluttonny and prodigall drinking for his tirranny and excesse Aristides who abhorred such vices in Princes soberly and temperately answered that he had rather kill his daughter with hys owne hande then to giue his daughter in mariage vnto Dionisius So odious vnto good Princes was that excesse of eating and prodigall drinking and so highlye estéemed was abstinence and temperaunce that in Athens a long while in the temple of Ceres that of all the lawes of Triptolemus thrée onely commaundementes as Zenocrates sayth were highly obserued The first their Goddes to be worshipped the seconde their parentes to be honoured and the thirde to abstaine from fleshe and féeding O most temperate life when abstinence was obserued O most goulden worlde when neyther wine nor banquets were knowne then chastitie was honored in the temple of Vaesta then temperaunce frequented the Capitoll of Iupiter then luste knew no way to the pallace of Caesars then abstinence walked in the market place then all Rome was chast Then Rome triumphed when kinges were depriued for lecherie towarde Lucretia Then Rome merited fame when the princely office of Decem viri were banished for the rape of Virginia When Scipio Affricanus had ouercommed the famous citie of Carthage and Numantia he was not so valiant by his great renowmed conquest as he was famous by abstinence for when he triumphed as a valiaunt victor a certaine noble younge Uirgin that for hir passing beauty and great admiration of person was presented vnto Scipio as a rare gift whose beautie and excellencie though Scipio a long time was amazed thereat yet had such respect to abstinence as a thing belonging vnto a prince specially vnto a conquerour that ouercame kingdomes and countries not to be subdued by luste trusted not his souldiours to guide and garde this Uirgin but with his presence brought hir home to hir father vnto Campania saying were it not that I am a conquerour I hadde not béene able to bring thy daughter home A greater conquest surely it was of Scipio to ouercome himselfe thaÌ„ to subdue Numantia or Carthage â–ª That lesson worthy of a prince he learned of Alexander the great who thought it a shame vnto a conquerour of men to bée conquered by women and though in diuers aucthours and places this prince is noted a glutton and drunkard yet of woonderful abstincence towardes women which is rare founde in a drunken Prince For when Alexander came vnto Illyria vnto the Temple of Iupiter where he saw a passing faire woman of comely beauty vewing styll the comely state of her person and féeding him selfe a long season with the sight thereof his counsellour and great fréende Ephaestion perceyuyng that Alexander was taken in the Briers of beautie saide It is not méete that Alexander should want any thing that hée wisheth for to whom Alexander aunswered neither is it an honour vnto Alexander that ouercame al men to be ouercome by one woman The modestie and continencie of Princes
haue béene such that they refused the company of their owne wiues and went to wildernesse solitarily to liue to auoyde the occasion of lust and to embrace the cause of temperauncie as Amoebeas and Dionysius surnamed Histrio beyng marryed both to faire women Clitomachus was of such modesty that hée might not abide in place whether hée were at supper or else where filthy talke was ministred but he woulde auoyde the place and the person as Plini saith where any inciuility was and true it is yll language corrupt good maners I reade in Valerius a worthy Romane historye of one Spurina a young gentleman of the Citie of Rome whose amorous countenaunce woonderfull beautie and passing state of person surmounted all the Ladies of Rome but not so beautifull outwarde as hée was modest and temperate inwarde and lest hée shoulde séeme with his outwarde beautie to enflame the Romane Ladyes and Uirgines of the Cittie to lust hée so deformed his body and mangled his face with his owne hande that from the fearest creature that was in Rome hée became the most deformed man in all the worlde in so much all Rome knewe him not Spurina is more famous by his modestie therein then hée is nowe renowmed for his beautie the one passeth like a flowre in short time the other without prescription of time hath immortall fame Men haue béene in the worlde that subdued lust ouercame them selues yea and though attempted with great allurementes yet temperaunce saued and preserued them that Valerius saith that Phrine a passing fayre woman came vnto Zenocrates the Philosophers bedde and being all night in bedde with him coulde not winne the Philosopher with all hyr trickes to venery that the next daye being demaunded where she laye all night with an ymage of a man shée said or with a mans picture The like of Socrates though he were maried to two wiues doth Zenophon report that on a certaine time Socrates being in taulke with a renowmed and famous Courtezaune named Theodora a woman of great bragges and boasting much what shée coulde do vnto princes before Socrates saying that shée coulde make any to come from Socrates vnto hir and that Socrates coulde not make anye of hir men to come vnto him It is no meruaile sayde Socrates to drawe men to vice is most easie and to drawe them vnto vertue is most hearde I might here bring foorth diuers histories for the proofe of modest and temperate Princes to auoyde prolixity of reading and to embrace compendeous histories I omitte to speake further of men I will turne my stile vnto women where such infinite numbers appéere in histories that I will touch but two or thrée for that I should be ouercharged otherwise The chast life of Lucrecia and noble temperancy of Sophronia two noble Matrones of Rome the onâ— rauished to requite the tyrannie of the Emperour Torquinius by whome she was deflowred after that shée made hir husbande priuie that his bedde was defiled by Torquin slue hir selfe with hir owne knife the other in lyke sort bycause she coulde not resist the violence of Decius to make Decius more odious his déede more shamefull ended hir life as Lucrecia did Euen so Medullina being oppressed by hir father in the darcke got his ring from his finger to knowe him in the morning who had so villaine lyke deâ—â—owred hir virginitie in the night which when she knewe by the ring that it was hir owne father she spared not to reuenge hir temperauncie with the death of hir father and for that shée little estéemed hir owne life hir honestye being stained with that knife that shée slue hir father shée also kylled her selfe as a witnesse of her owne trueth and proofe of hir honest lyfe This hath made Rome famous how well was temperauncie regarded in Rome when Virginius slue his daughter Virginia for that she was deflowred of Appius Claudius so greatly was it estéemed so highly honoured and so straitly lookt vnto that Sempronius slue Gallius that Ceruius gelded Pontus the Romane both being taken in adulterie Howe happie and renowmed was Rome when Sulpicia Paterculê° daughter and wife to Fuluius flaccus the lampe of Rome and lanterne of the worlde preferred for his temperauncie by the verdite of Sibilla to excell all Asia and Europe The like temperauncie prooued by Cibeles the mother of all the Gods to be in Claudia that heauen and earth extolled the name of Rome was not then temperance honoured when Uirgines and young women bought temperauncie with death some killing themselues some burning some drowning and thus by death their liues were knowne Hippo a woman of Gréece sayth Valerius that trauailing vnto Rhodes on the seas perceyuing the Mariners to be gréedie and readie to spoyle hir honestie vnderstanding that they went about to defile hir temperate and chast minde to auoyde their purpose and filthie lust leapt from boorde vnto the surging seas whose terror she lesse feared to die then shée was willing to liue as a woman stayned and corrupted â–ª what way findeth not modesty of life to requite shame Howe escapeth dishonestye and lust of ill life from the snares and baites of temperaunce Timoclea a woman of Thebes being violated by a certaine Prince of Thracia against hir will requited this prince and eased hir molested minde after this sort sayth Sabellicus she went in an euening vnto this Thracian Prince and tolde him priuily if hée woulde followe Timoclea shée shoulde bring him where such store of substaunce such wealth is hiddeÌ„ as would make him the richest Prince in all Asia to whome he gréedily consented went willing and gladly thinking to spéede of one thing he found an other thing and being brought vnto a déepe well she sayde In this well sayde Timocla is infinite treasure which when he stoupt to looke vnto the bottome of the Well shée threw him in headlong and a mightie huge stoane she roulde after him Atalanta the mirrour of all Ladies a seconde Diana refusing the companie of men liuing in wildernesse abstayning from wordlye pleasure and ending hir life in pure virginnitie in the desartes of Arcadia Sith I may better beginne and soner ende with aledging kingdomes and countries for a proofe of temperaunce folly it were in so large a scope in so ample a matter to deale with perticuler histories â–ª therefore to beginne with women of Teutonica where temperauncie so much estéemed was so well thought on that hearing theyr husbandes to be slaine and taken Captiues by a valyaunt Romane then Capitane for Rome named Marius they came knéeling before him be sought him courteously and humblye sith theyr husbandes were slaine as women willing to leade a chasâ—e lyfe that they might go and serue the Vestall Uirgins in Rome to auoyde the gréedinesse of Marius souldiers and there to ende the rest of their liues in seruice of Vesta but being denied of Marius cleane contrarie
man thou betrayest no bodye thou deceyuest no friende Phillippides a noble man of Athens which for his singularitie of learning and dexteritie of witte King Lisimachus made most account of most desirous to please him most readie to aduaunce hym vnto honour willed him to aske what he would and he should haue it Philippides most humbly knéeling vpon his knées be sought Lisimachus the king in any wise not to open his secretes and councell vnto him The king demaunded the cause thereof of Philippides bycause sayd hée I know not whether I am able to kéepe councell or no. Howe much it repugneth the nature of man to kéepe silence Cicero in his booke of Offices doth manifest the same for were it possible sayth hée vnto man to ascende vp the skies to sée the order of the bodies superiours and to vewe the beawtie of the heauens vnswéete were the admiration thereof vnlesse he myght shewe it vnto others And againe he sayth There is no such case vnto men as to haue a friende to whome a man may speak as vnto himselfe letting to vnderstand the griefe of silence and that nature loueth nothing which is solitarie It may séeme that silence one waye is not so benificiall as it is another way most gréeuous as prooued by the historie of Secundus the Philosopher who hauing companye with his owne mother in the night time eyther of them most ignoraunt of the other his mother in proces of time hauing knowledge therof for very griefe and sorrowe slue hir selfe The Philosopher likewise hauing vnderstanding of his mothers death knowing the cause thereof knewe not what to doe for that he was ashamed of the filthie act one waye and most sorrowfull for the sodaine death of his mother another waye to dye to hange to burne to drowne him selfe he though it to short a torment for so heynous a fact knowing his mother being a woman stayed not nor feared not to kill hir selfe to ease hir sorrowfull heart but he being a Philosopher stoode him vppon to finde out the painefullest torment in all the worlde to plague him iustly for his grieuous offence he vowed vnto God neuer to speake one worde during lyfe such plague or torment hée thought was most odious and painefull vnto nature and thus by silence to consume life Sith silence is such a burning disease so heauy in the heart of man so harde to kéepe in so daungerous to vtter out how worthy of commendacions how merite they the fame prayse that can rule theyr tongues and kéepe silence Therfore a noble Senator in Rome sometime brought his eldest sonne named Papirius vnto the Senate house to heare the councell pleading the sage Senators determining lawes charging him what euer hée shoulde heare in the house amongst the wise Senators to kéepe it in silence for the order was in Rome that the young men should saye nothing vnlesse he were a Consull a Tribune a Censor or such lyke office whereby hée might speake This young Papirius on a time being sore set on of his mother and charged him of her blessing to tell the cause and businesse that the Senators had so often to come togither Thus the younge man being threatened waying his fathers charge to auoyde wordes one way and his mothers displeasure to kéepe silence another waye sayde Sith you are so importunate Mother to knowe the secret of the Senate you must kéepe councell for I am charged therewith There is a harde holde and a great election in the Senate house to agrée on this conclusion whether it be more expedient for one man to haue two wiues in the Cittie of Rome or one woman to haue two husbandes and most lyke it is that the election goeth with the men Straight waies she went into the Citie certefied the Matrones and women of Rome what the Senators were about to consult appoynted certaine of them to accompanye hir the next morning vnto the Senate where when she came as one dismayde began to declayme agaynst the purpose and decrées of the Senators prouing what inconuenience might rise for a man to haue two wiues laying before them the dissention that shoulde be in that house where two women were maried vnto one man and what comfort and consolation were it for one woman to haue two husbandes the one to be at home in Rome to sée his children brought vp and to sée the Cittie defended when the other shoulde bée farre from whom at the warres in other countreys The Senators being amazed at hir talke not knowing what it ment and all the whole Senate astonied at the womens presence young Papirius demaunded licence to speake which being graunted he declared orderly the cause of hir comming howe and after what sort as before mencioned The Senators commendid much Papirius wit aswell for his obedience to his mother as for silence towarde the Senate they recompensed his silence and secret wisedome with a Consulshippe of Rome Silence was so obserued in Rome and honored of Romanes that Demetrius the Philosopher woulde often saye that the birdes can flée where they will and the Grashoppers sing where they will but in the Citie we may neyther doe nor speake Euripides a learned Gréek being obiected that his breath did stincke aunswered nippingly the partie saying so manye thinges haue so long hidden in my hart that being putrified they stinke I would all men had such a breath that by long kéeping of silence it might taste thereof Cato the wise Romane perceyued the commoditie of silence to be suche that it was one of the thrée thinges as hée him selfe woulde say that most repented hym to tell his councell vnto another Plini doth commende of all men one man named Anaxarchus Of all women he praysed one woman named Leaena which the tiranny of Nycocreon with all the tormentes and punishmentes that this tyraunt coulde deuise myght make them both to speake that out which they thought good it shoulde bée kept in which Anaxarchus had rather die by torments than to breake concealde wordes saying and spitting in the tyraunt Nicocreons face spare not Anaxarchus carkas thou troublest no part of my minde Epicharis amongst other Conspiratours against that cruell Nero shée beyng diuerslye tormented to shewe and to open the treason against Neros person woulde by no meanes breake councell as Laaena for all that tyranye vsed towardes hir shée woulde not betraye the secretes of Harmodius and Aristogiton which onely was the cause that she had hir picture erected in Gréece Euen so Pompeius the great being sent as an Embassadour from the Senators being charged by the King named Gentius who preuented Pompeius in his message to declare him y e secret of the Senators councell of Rome he stretching foorth his arme held his finger in the flame of the candle saying when I drawe my finger from the candle I will breake the councell of the Senators that so stedfastly he helde hys hande
and so long that King Gentius wondred no lesse at his pacience than he honored him for his silence O rare silence O passing patience and that in a Prince Isocrates an excellent Orator sometime of Athens lest he should be ashamed of his schollers by their spéeche and talke for tongues bewraye the heart hée woulde neuer receyue vnto hys schoole but those that woulde pay double hyre first to learne silence and then to learne to speake and to speak nothing but that whiche they knewe moste certaine and that which of necessitie must be spoken this was the order of Isocrates Schoole If silence was of suche dignity of such estimation that it possest place in princes heartes that Tiberius Caesar Emperour of Rome woulde often saye that Princes ought not to import their secretes nor to make any priuie to their councell considering how harde is silence to be obserued If silence was of such credite of such force that Metellus vsed to be so close in the warres of Macedonia that if he knewe his owne coate to be priuie of his secretes hée woulde strayght cast of his coate and burne it for in him to whome secretes of life are reuealed in the same also is daunger of death for in committing secrete is lyfe and death also committed Had not that famous Hercules the impe of great Iupiter and ofspring of Goddes reuealed hys counsayle and opened hys heart vnto his wife Dianira Hadde not that mightie Sampson so greatly in Gods fauour that he was a Iudge in Israell shewed his secrets vnto his wife Dalida they had not béene conquered by two women which Serpentes Dragons Lyons yea all the whole worlde coulde not annoye The iust punishement of Princes for tongue talking Conquerours of the world of kingdomes of countries and yet conquered by a woman yea by a lesser thing than a woman a litle member neuer séene but alasse two often hearde the tongue onely Tantalus is punished in hel for that he opened the councell of the goddes after this sort Daintie meates pleasaunt wines before his face and yet maye not touche them hauing sight of all things and yet tasting nothing the hungrier he is the better and brauer his banquet before him shines the more desirous he is to eate the further hée is from his victualles Ixion for his telling of tales vppon Iuno is no lesse tormented in turnyng of his whéele in Hell than is Sisiphus in rowlyng of his stone or Danaus daughters in fillyng of their emptie Tubbes The paine of Prometheus in Caucasus the punishment of Titius is duely appoynted and of the Goddes saye the Poetes prouided truelye to those that be braggers and boasters of secrettes I must in this place not forget a worthy historie of King Demetrius Antigonus sonne ▪ which being sent by hys father vnto Pontus where Mithridates was king being sworne by his father to kéepe councell of that which◠vision mooued him that he sowed golde in Pontus and that Mythridates shoulde reape it and therefore commaunding him with his armie to passe vnto the kingdome of Pontus and without any worde to kill Mythridates His sonne Demetrius verye sorrye for the great friendeship which was of late sprong betwixt Mithridates and him obeying his father went vnto Pontus commaunded his people to staye vntill he went to knowe where Mithridates was who when he came in place he wrote with the ende of his speare vpon the earth in dust Flee Mithridates straight turned vnto his souldiours spake nothing vnto the King according to hys othe for kéeping silence but wrote a warning to flée whereby he kept his fathers councell one way maintayned faythfull friendeship towardes king Mithridates another way A young man of Helespont prating much in presence of Guathena a strumpet in Gréece shée demaunded of him whether he knewe the chiefe citie of Helespont to the which the young man sayde Yea forsooth What me thinketh you knowe not the name of it for it is Sigaeum which is the Citie of silence a méete taunt for such tongue talkers Aelianus doth write when the Cranes from Sicila take their flight to flée ouer mount Caucasus they stop their mouthes with stones to passe with silence the daungers of the Eagles ¶ Of liberalitie and liberall Princes TO deface further the vice of auarice I meane to shewe the vertue of liberalitie To put the churlishe couetous out of countenaunce I will extoll the liberall which in taking is shamefast in gyuing ioyfull for a measure in taking and in giuing is the true nature of liberalitye Neither can hée that taketh all thinges though he giue much be named liberal in nothing Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians so obserued the lawes and rules of Licurgus that he was wont to speake vnto the Citizens of Sparta that giftes are more daungerous sometime to be receyued than hurtefull to be refused Which Phocion the whole credite of Athens at what time Alexander the great hadde sent him great giftes welthie presentes Iuels and treasures from Persea did shewe an Example thereof in refusing the same saying I will not learne to take least I forget to giue The like aunswered Zenocrates the Philosopher to the selfe same Alexander when that he did sende great sommes of gould and siluer for loue and affection vnto Zenocrates he sayde he wanted neyther golde nor siluer which when it was toulde vnto Alexander hée sayde hath Zenocrates no friendes that want money Alexander hath more friendes then eyther the substaunce of Darius or the welth of Persea can suffice A question to be demaunded whether of them both was most liberall the Prince in giuing or the Philosopher in refusing When certaine Embassadours of the Samnites came vnto Rome and being at Eabritius house at soiourne they perceyuing the liberalitie of Fabritius to be such as shoulde want welth to so noble and franke a Gentleman at their retourne from Rome vnto their countrie not forgetting the frée dealing of Fabritius at Rome these Embassadors thought to gratifie Fabritius with the goulde of Samnites did sende giftes and presentes very riche vnto Rome for their noble entertainement which being refused with an aunswere that Fabritius had rather rule and gouerne them that were ruled by goulde then to be subiect vnto goulde alleaging the aunswere of M. Curius vnto the Embassadours of Macedonia offering large giftes and treasurs after the like sort that to possesse much is no welth but couetousnesse to desire nothing and to giue is perfect wealth and liberalitie A sounde proofe of two liberall gentlemen When such ruled Rome then the Romaines excelled all the worlde franke frée vnto most beneficiall vnto all couetous vnto none When L. Lucullus house was a common hospitall to all the poore Gréekes that trauayled from Athens Sparta Thebes yea from all Gréece vnto Rome Then Rome was liberall When Pompeius Atticus did send vnto Cicero béeing banished two hundred thousande sesters vnto Volumnius
to be so famous in Gréece his liberality amongst nigardes hée onely counted liberall and all Athens besides couetous whereby he deserued renowne and glorie amongst so many nippers of money hée onely to shewe him selfe franke and liberall What caused Flaminius to bée so much spoken of amongst the Romanes his liberall giftes amongst so many gréedie takers his open benifites amongst theyr priuate wealth and hidden hatred What mooued the Agragentines to honour soo much that man Gillias to aduance his fame to extoll his name His liberalitie Such couetousnesse then was in Athens Rome and Agrigente that then worthie were these of admiration and prayse to auoyd the cankered state of auarice Thus from the golden worlde it came vnto the siluer worlde and then to that harde mettall Iron worlde for the couetous people can neuer be sufficed The gréedinesse of this age the restlesse estate of this time can neuer be satisfied The young Partriche by nature is readie to flee as soone as shée commeth out of the shell the wilde Duck to swim the Lion to go and man onely borne ready to séeke and trauell for money Where might a man finde out such a man as Aristides was in all Greece nowe who was so liberall that hauing all the state of Athens vnder hys gouernement gaue all to the poore Citizens saue that scant that brought him vnto the ground Where should one méete with such a one as Pelopidas in all Sparta being blamed of his friendes and councellers for hys large giftes and liberality exhorting him to make much of money considering howe necâ—ssarie money is to Princes yea sayde Pelopidas to such Princes as Nicomedes a lame man both dumbe and deafe Where shoulde a man séeke in Thebes for suche a man as Epaminondas who when he hearde that hée which caried his Target after him had taken money for the dimission of certaine prisoners taken in the warres giue me sayde hée my Target and go you to kéepe an Inne for if you loue monie you are not fit to cary Epaminondas Target Euery man is liberall in talke but fewe franke in giuing all men speake against enuie and malice and yet one hate another wée exclayme against tyranny and yet we are mercilesse wée despise pryde and yet we loue not humanitie wée abhorre gluttony and dronkennesse and yet we are alwaies feasting and bibbing wée disprayse Idlenesse and yet wée are slothfull wee thunder against slaunderous tongues and yet we can not speake well of no body in briefe we speake against all vices and yet we can not be acquainted with any vertue Euen as Diogines a Philosopher nipt a certaine Lacedemonian which vsed often to repeate in a place a Gréeke verse of Hesiodus the Poet that an Oxe or no beast else shoulde perish vnlesse euill neyghbours be the cause of it Diogines demaunded of him howe happened it that both the people of Messena and all their goodes and cattelles did miscarye and you béeyng their nigh neyghbours in Sparta So maye it be spoken to these glorious talkers how is it that men loue auarice so well and yet commende liberalitie so often ¶ Of age and the praise thereof BYon that wise man woulde say often that age was the Hauen of rest for that it was the ende of miserie the gate of life the perfourmaunce of all pilgrimages And sith age is wished of all men what folly is it to hit any man in the téeth with that which hée chéefly desireth Wherefore when King Archelaus had appoynted a great feast for his fréendes amongst other talkes then at the Table Euripides declared what great loue he bare vnto Agathon an olde tragicall Poet. Agesilaus demaundyng why shoulde an olde man bée so well estéemed of Euripides hée sayde Though the Spring time be pleasaunt yet the Haruest is fertile though flowres and hearbes grow gréene in the Spring yet waxe they ripe in Haruest The ages of man is compared vnto the foure seasons of the yere his growing time vnto the Spring his lusty time vnto the Sommer his witty time vnto the Haruest and his olde time vnto the Winter which doth make an ende of all thinges Frederike Emperour of Rome after he had appointed an olde man to rule the Cittie of Scadmenna was often mooued that hée for his age was not méete to gouerne such a Citie consyderyng the multitude and number of people that were within that Citie they thought that a young man shoulde better discharge the office But the wise Emperour perceauyng howe bent and prone were the youth of that Towne to haue a young man to rule ouer them aunswered them after this sort I had rather sayde hée commit the gouernaunce of the Citie vnto one olde man then the gouernaunce of so many young men vnto the Citie Better it is an olde man to rule the Citie than the Citie to rule the young menne meaning no otherwise then the aged men shoulde only be admitted rulers in Cities for that it belongeth vnto them experience of thinges and care of youth Suche was the homage and reuerence which was amongst the young Romanes towarde the Senators or olde men of the Citie as both heade and legge did acknowledge the same in doing duetie vnto age They hadde this confidence in age that no man might be chosen vnto the number of the Senatoures before he shoulde be thréescore yeares of age The like custome had the people of Chalcides that no man before he were fiftie yeres shoulde eyther beare office within their Cities or be sent Embassadour out of their countrie Amongst the Perseans no man coulde be admitted to be one of the sage rulers which they called Magi vnlesse perfite age had brought him thereto perforce Amongst the Indians their wise men which ruled their countrey which were named Gymnosofistae were aged and auncient for time giueth experience of gouernance Amongst the Egyptians the like credite was giuen vnto olde men that youth méeting them in the waye would go out of the way to giue place vnto age so that their Counsellours which were called prophetes were men of much time experience Euen so the Babylonians elected their sage Chaldeans the auncient French men there wise men called Druydes In fine noble Géekes did obserue the like order in choosing their Rulers and Councellers of aged men as before spoken The Lacedemonians youth were by the lawe of Licurgus no lesse charged to reuerence age than theyr owne parentes The Arabians in all places without respect of person honour dignitie or fortune preferred their olde men before The people called Tartesij had this lawe to honour age that the younger might beare no witnesse against the elder The reuerence sayde Chylon that shoulde be shewed vnto age by young men ought to be suche that they then being young doing obedience vnto age might clayme the like when they waxed olde of youth Agesilaus King of Sparta being
an olde man woulde often go in the colde weather very thinne in a torne cloake without a coate or doublet onely to shew the way vnto young men to be hardie in age by contemning of pleasure and gay apparell in youth Massinissa king of Numidia being more than thréescore yeares of age woulde liuely and valiauntly as Cicero sayth without cappe on heade or shooe on foote in the colde or frostye weather in the winter time trauayle and toyle with the souldiours onelye vnto thys purpose that young souldiours shoulde be hardened thereby in their youth and practise the same for the vse of others when they came to age them selues Ihero King of Sicilia the like example in his olde age being .lxxx. yeares shewed to trayne youth and to bring them vp so in young yeares that they might doe the lyke in their olde ages For this iudged these wise princes that all men couet to imitate Princes and Kinges in their doinges Gorgias the Philosopher and mayster vnto Isocrates the Oratour and to diuers more nobles of Gréece thought him selfe most happie that he being a hundred yeres and seauen was as well in his sences as at anyetime before made so much of age that being asked why hée so delighted in age made aunswere bycause he founde nothing in age that he might accuse age So sayde King Cirus a little before his death being a very olde man that hée neuer felt him selfe weaker than when he was young The like saying is reported of that learned Sophocles who being so olde that he was accused of his owne children of follie turned vnto the Iudges and sayde If I be Sophocles I am not a foole if I be a foole I am not Sophocles meaning that in wisemen the sences waxed better by vse and exercising the same vnto the vse of yong men for we prayse sayth Cicero the olde man that is somewhat young and we commend againe the young man that is somewhat aged The olde is commended that hath his young fresh witte at commaundement the young is praised that is sober sage in his doings When M Crassus a noble Capitaine of Rome béeing a verye olde man tooke in hande to warre against the Parthians strong and stout people being by Embassadours warned of his age and admonished to forsake warres hée aunswered stoutly the Embassadour of the Partheans and sayde when I come vnto Seleutia your Citie I will aunswere you One of the Embassadours named Agesis an aged man stretched forth his hande and shewed the palme of hys hand vnto Crassus saying Before thou shalt come within the Citie of Seleutia bristles shall growe out of thys hande The stoutnesse of Marcus Crassus was not so much but the magnanimitie of Agesis was as much and yet eyther were olde men What courage was in Scaeuola to withstande that firebrande of Rome Silla which after he had vrged the Senatours to pronounce Marius enimie vnto Italy hée béeing an olde aged man aunswered Silla in this sort Though diuers be at the commaundementes of the Senatours and that thou art so compassed with souldiours at thy becke yet thou nor all thy souldiours shall euer make Scaeuola being an olde man for feare of loosing some olde blood pronounce Marius by whom Rome was preserued and Italy saued to be enimie vnto these The like historie wée reade that when Iulius Caesar had by force of armes aspired vnto the offâ—ce of a Dictator and came vnto the Senate house where fewe Senatours were togither the Emperour Caesar desirous to know the cause of their absence Considius an aged father of Rome sayde that they feared Caesar and his souldiours Whereat the Emperour musing a while sayde Why did not you in likewise tarye at home fearing the same bicause sayde hée age and time taught me neyther to feare Caesar nor yet his souldiers For as Brusonius saith there are young mindes in olde men for though Milo the great wrestler in the games of Olimpia waxed olde and wept in spite of his deade limmes bruised bones yet he sayde his minde florished was as young as euer it was before Solon hath immortall praise in Gréece for his stoutnesse in his age for when Pisistratus had taken in hande to rule the people of Athens and that it was euident ynough that tyranny should procéede therby Solon in his latter daies hauing great care vnto his countrey when that no man durst refuse Pysistratus came before his doore in harnâ—sse and calde the citizens to withstand Pysistratus for age sayd he mooueth mée to be so valiaunt and stout that I had rather lose my life than my countrey should lose their libertie What vertue then wée sée to be in age what wisedome in time what corage in olde men The examples of these olde men stirre and prouoke many to imitate their steps insomuch diuers wished to be olde when they were yet young to haue the honour as age then had wherefore King Alexander the great spying a young man couloring his heares gray sayde It behooueth thée to put wittes in coulour and to alter thy minde The Lacedemonians people that past all nations in honouring age made lawes in their Cities that the aged men shoulde be so honored and estéemed of the young men euen as the parents were of the children that when a straunger came vnto Lacedemonia and sawe the obedience of youth towarde age he sayde In this countrie I wishe onely to be olde for happie is that man that waxeth olde in Lacedemonia for in the great games of Olimpia an olde man wanting a place went vp and downe to sit some where but no man receyued but the Lacedemonians which not onely there young men also their aged gaue place vnto his graye heares but then also the Embassaders of Lacedemonia being there present did reuerence him and toke him vnto their seate which when he came in hée spake a loude O you Athenians you knowe what is good and what is badde for that which you people of Athens sayde hée doe professe in knowledge the same doth the Lacedemonians put in practice Alexander being in his warres with a great army in Persea and méeting an old man by the way in the colde weather in ragged rent clothes lighted from his horse and sayde vnto him Mount vp into a princes saddle which in Persea is treason for a Persean to do but in Macedonia commendable letting to vnderstande how age is honored and olde men estéemed in Macedonia and howe of the contrarie wealth and pride is fostred in Persea for where men of experiences and aged yeares are sette naught by there cannot be that wisdome beareth rule Howe many in the Empire of Rome ruled the Citie gouerned the people of those that were very aged men as Fabius Maximus who was thréescore yeres and two in his last Consulship Valerius Corunnus which was sixe times a Consull in Rome a very olde man which
liued a hundred and odde yeares Metellus of lyke age called to the like function and administration of common welth being an olde man What should I speake of Appius Claudius of Marcus Perpenna of diuers other noble Romanes whose age and time was the onlye occasion of their aduauncement vnto honour dignity What shoulde I resite Arganthonius who was thrée score yeres before he came vnto his kingdome and after ruled his countrey fourescore yeares vnto his great fame and great commendations of age To what ende shall I repeate Pollio who liued in great credite with the people vnto his last yeres a man of worthy prayse of renowmed fame which liued a hundred and thirtie yeres in great aucthoritie and dignitie To speake of Epimenides whome Theopompus affirmeth that hée liued a hundred and almost théescore yeres in great rule and estimation small it were to the purpose to make mention againe of Dandon amongst the Illirians which Valerius writeth that he was fiue hundred yeres before he died and yet of great memorie and noble fame Nestor which liued thrée hundred yeres of whom Homer doth make muche mention that of his mouth proceeded foorth sentences swéeter than honey in hys latter dayes yea almost his strength corespondent vnto the same That renowmed Prince Agamemnon Generall of all Gréece wished no more in Phrigia but fiue such as Nestor was which with their wittes and with their courage hée doubted not but in short time he were able to subdue Troye Swéete are the sayinges of olde men perfite are their councelles sounde and sure their gouernaunce Howe frayle and weake is youth How many Cities are perished by young councell Howe much hurt from time to time haue young men deuised practised and brought to passe And againe of age how full of experience knowledge prouision painful studious vnto the graue as we reade of Plato that noble Philosopher which was busie and careful for his countrey writing and making bookes the verye yere that hée died being fourescore and two Of Isocrates which likewise being fourescore and fourtéene compiled a booke called Panathenaicus of Gorgias which made the lyke studious carefull to profite his countrie I saye a hundred and seuen yeres was altogither adicted to his bookes to his studie So of Zeno Pithagoras and Democritus might be spoken men of no lesse wit trauaile and exercise than of time and age For as Cicero sayth the gouernement and rule of common wealthes consisteth not in strength of bodye but in the vertue of the minde wayghtie and graue matters are not gouerned with lightnesse of the bodie with swiftnesse of the foote with externall qualities but with authoritie councell and knowledge for in the one saith he there is rashnesse and wilfulnesse in the other grauitie and prudence As Themistocles Aristides who though not friendes then at Athens both rulers yet age taught them when they were sent Embassadours for the state of Athens to become friends to profite their countrie which youth coulde neuer haue done That sage Solon was woont often to bragge howe that he daylye by reading learning and experience waxed olde Apelles that approued painter and renowmed Gréeke in his age and last time woulde haue no man to passe the daye ydle without learning of one line Socrates being an olde mar became a scholler to learne musicke and to playe vpon instrumentes Cicero being olde himselfe became a perfite Gréeke with studie Cato being aged in his last yeres went to schoole to Enneus to learne the Gréeke Terentins Varro was almost fourtie yere olde before he tooke a Gréeke booke in hande and yet prooued excellent in the Gréeke tongue Clitomachus went from Caâ—thage vnto Athens after fourtie yeres of age to heare Carneades the Philosophers lecture Lucius as Philostratus doth write méeting Marcus the olde Emperour with a booke vnder his arme going to schoole demaunded of the Emperour whether he went lyke a boye with his booke in his hande the aged Emperour aunswered I go to Sextus the Philosopher to learne those thinges I knowe not O God sayde Lucius thou being an olde man goest to schoole now like a boye and Alexander the great died in thirtie yeres of age Alphonsus King of Cicilia was not ashamed at fiftie yeres olde to learne and to trauayle for his knowledge and least hée shoulde lose the vse of the latten tongue hée occupied him selfe in translating Titus Liuius vnto hys vulgar tongue though he was a King I doe not holde with age in diuers men which for want of discretion and witte waxe childishe againe but of perfite men in whome age séemed rather a warraunt of their doinges For euen as he that playeth much vpon instrumentes is not to be commended so well as he that playeth cunningly and artificially So as all men that liue long are not to be praysed as much as he that liued well For as apples béeing gréene are yet sowre vntill by time they waxe swéete so young men without warraunt of time and experience of thinges are to be misliked If faultes be in olde men sayth Cicero as manye there bée it is not in age but in the life and maners of men Some thinke age miserable bicause eyther the bodie is depriued from pleasure or that it bringeth imbecilitie or weakenesse or that it is not farre from death or quite called from due administration of common wealthes these foure causes sayth Cicero make age séeme miserable and lothsome What shall wée saye then of those that in their olde age haue defended their countries saued their Cities guided their people and valiauntly triumphed ouer their enimies as L. Paulus Scipio and Fabius Maximus men of woonderfull credite in their olde yeres What may be spoken of Fabritius Curius and Coruncanus aged men of great agilitie of famous memorie in their last dayes Howe might Appius Claudius be forgotten who being both olde and blinde resisted the Senatours to compounde with king Pirrhus for peace though they and all the Consulles of Rome herevnto were much enclined If I shoulde passe from Rome a place where age was much estéemed vnto Athens amongst the sage Philosophers if from Athens to Lacedemonia where age altogither bare swaye and rule if from thence vnto the Aethiopians and indians where all their lines are ruled and gouerned by olde men if from thence vnto any part of the worlde I shoulde trauile I might be long occupied in reciting the honour and estimation of age Herodotus doth write that the Aethiopians and Indians doe liue most commonly a hundred and thirtie yeres The people called Epeij doe liue in the countrey of Aetolia two hundred yeres naturally and as it is by Damiates reported Lictorius a man of that countrey liued thrée hundred yeares The kinges of Arcadia were woont to liue thrée hundred yeres The people of Hyperborij lyued a thousande yeres We reade in the olde
Testament that Adam our first father liued nine hundred and thirtie yeres and Eua his wife as many Seth nine hundred and twelue yeres Seth his sonne called Enos nine hundred and fiue Cainan the sonne of Enos nine hundred and tenne Malalehell the sonne of Cainan right hundred fourscore and fiftéene So Enoch the son of Iared liued nine hundred théescore and fiue yeres Enoch his sonne named Mathusalem liued nine hundred thréescore and nine with diuers of the first age I meane vntill Noahs time which began the seconde world after the floode and liued as we reade nine hundred and fiue yeres His sonne Sem sixe hundred yeres and so lineally from father vnto son as from Sem vnto Arphaxad froÌ„ Arphaxad vnto Sala from Sala vnto Heber the least liued aboue thrée hundred yeres This I thought for better credite and greater proofe of olde age to drawe out of the olde testameÌ„t that other prophane autorities might be beléeued as Tithonius whom the Poetes faine that he was so oulde that he desired to become a Grashopper But bicause age hath no pleasure in the worlde frequenteth no banquets abhorreth lust loueth no wantonnes which sayth Plato is the only bayte that deceyue young men so much the happier age is that age doth loath that in tyme which young men neyther with knowledge with wit nor yet with councell can auoyde What harme hath happened from time to time by young men ouer whom lust so ruled that euersion of common wealthes treason of Princes friends betrayed countries ouerthrowne kingdomes vanquished all y e world almost through pleasure perished Therfore Cicero sayth in his booke entituled of olde age at what time he was in the citie of Tarâ—ntuÌ„ being a young man with F. Maximê° that hée bare one lesson from TarentuÌ„ vnto the youth of Rome where Architas the Tarentine saide that nature bestowed nothing vpon man so hurtfull vnto him selfe so dangerous vnto his countrie as luste or pleasure For when C. Fabritius was sent as an Embassador from Rome vnto Pirrhê° king of Epire being then the Gouerner of the citie Tarentum a certaine man named Cineas a ThessaliaÌ„ borne being in disputation with Fabritius about pleasure saying that he heard a Philosopher of Athens affirming that all which we doe is to be referred vnto pleasure which when M. Curius and Titus Coruncanus hearde they desired Cineas to perswade the King Pirrhus in that to yéelde vnto pleasure and make the Samnits beléeue that pleasure ought to be estéemed whereby they knew if that King Pirrhus or the Samnites being then great enimies vnto the Romanes were adicted vnto lust or pleasure that then soone they myght be subdued and destroyed For that nothing hindereth magnanimitie or resisteth vertuous enterprises so much as pleasure as in the treatise of pleasure it shall at large more appeare Why then how happie is olde age to dispise and contemne that which youth by no meanes can auoyde yea to loath and abhor that which is most hurtfull vnto it selfe For Cecellius contemned Caesar with all his force saying vnto the Emperour that two thinges made him nothing to estéeme the power of the Emperour Age and witte Castritius wayed nothing at al the threatning of C. Carbo being then Consull at Rome which though hée sayd hée had many friendes at commaundement yet Castritius aunswered and sayde that he had likewise many yeres which his friendes might not feare Therfore a wiseman sometime wept for that man dieth within fewe yeres and hauing but little experience in his olde age he is then depriued thereof For the Crowe liueth thrise as long as the man doth The Harte liueth foure times longer than the Crow The Rauen thrise againe liueth longer than the Hart. The Phaenix nine times longer than the Rauen And therefore bicause birdes doe liue longer time than man doth in whome there is no vnderstanding of their yeres But man vnto whom reason is ioyned before he commeth vnto any grounde of experience when hée beginneth to haue knowledge in thinges hée dieth and thus endeth hée his toyling pilgrimages and trauayle in fewer yeres than diuers beastes or birdes doe ¶ Of the maners of sundrie people and of their strange life THe sundrie fashion and varitie of maners the straunge lyfe of people euerye where through the worlde dispersed are so depainted and set foorth amongst the writers that in shewing the same by naming eche countrey and the people therof orderly their custome their maners their kinde of liuing something to signifie howe diuers the maners of men bée Therefore I thought briefely to touch and to note euery countrey in their due order of liuing and to beginne with the Egyptians people most auncient and most expert in all sciences that Macrobius the writer calleth the countrey of Egypt the nourse and mother of all Artes for all the learned Gréekes haue had their beginning from Egypt euen as Rome had from Gréece This people obserue their dayes by accouÌ„t of houres from midnight vnto midnight They honour the Sunne and the moone for theyr Goddes for they name the Sunne Osiris and the Moone Isis Their féeding was of fishe broyled in the heate of the Sunne with hearbes and with certaine foules of the ayre They lyue a thousande yeares but it is to be vnderstanded that they number their yeares by the Moone The men beare burthens vppon theyr heades and the women vpon their breastes and shoulders The men make water sitting the women standing The Crocodill is that beast which they moste estéeme that being deade they burie him A Sowe is that beast which they most detest that if anye part of their clothes touche a Sowe they straight will pull of their clothes and washe them ouer They are blacke people most commonly slender and very hastie Curtius call them sedicious vaine very subtill in inuention of thinges and much giuen to wine The Aethiopians people that liue without lawes and reason seruauntes and slaues vnto al men selling their children vnto merchauntes for corne their héere long with knottes and curled The Indians people of two muche libertie as Herodot sayth accompanying their women in open sight neyther sowe they nor builde neyther kill they any liuing beast but féede of barly breade and hearbes They hange at their eares small pearles and they decke their armes wrestes and neckes with golde Kinges of India are much honoured when they come abroade their wayes set and deckt with fresh flowers swéete odours and men in armes folowing their Chariots made of Margarits stones and men méeting with frankinsence And when their king goeth to bed their harlottes bring them with songues and mirth making their prayers vnto their Goddes of darckenesse for the good rising of their King Againe the children kill theyr parentes when they waxe olde Their maydes and young damoselles of India are brought abroade amongst the young men to choose them their husbandes When any man dieth his wife wil dresse hir selfe most brauest for
and ende of the battayle of the Philistines It is read in Lucan the Poet of a Witch named Erictho dwelling in Thessalia that reuiued and restored to life a late souldiour dead at the request of Sextus Pompeius to know the ende of the warres at Pharsalia One History I must repeat which Plutarch reciteth in the life of Cimon that one Pausanias after hée had taken the Citie of Bizance being in loue with a fayre damosell named Cleonices a mayde of noble parentage he commaundyng her father whiche durst not resist him to sende his daughter vnto him to vse at his pleasure which when the mayde came hée being fast a sléepe in his bed the Uirgin being shamefast and fearefull putting out the candle commyng in the darcke towarde Pausanias stumbled at the stoole which with the fall sodenly waked Pausanias from sléepe thinking some foe or mortall enemie of his to bée there hauing his sword harde by slue the Uirgine but she being so slaine woulde neuer after suffer Pausanias to take any quiet rest but appearing vnto him alwayes saying Recompence the iniurie and wrong thou diddest vnto me by equity and iustice folowing him as he fled from place to place from Bizance vnto Thracia from Thracia againe vnto Heraclea from Heraclea vnto Sparta where he famished for hunger Matthaewe in his seuentéene Chapt. beareth recorde that Moyses and Elias after they were dead many hundred yeres before Christes incarnation yet appeared bodyly and ghostly in mount Tabor vnto Christe where they spake and communed with our Lorde and Sauiour The soule of Lazarus did not onely appeare as Iohn saith in his second chap. but came againe both body and soule in a true token of our sure resurrection but as the appearing of those sightes at Gods appointment were most true so it is most horrible to geue credite that the soules of men after death do either by visions or by bodyly apparaunce but the deuyll is well beaten in experience of thinges knoweth best how he may deceaue the wisest sometime for he is subtill and crafty If the Mariner know when stormes and tempest arise if the Phisition iudge of one by the Urine the state daunger of the patient if the skilfull Astronomer can many yeres before exactly foretel the Eclipse of the Sunne moone if in fine the practized souldiour knoweth straight where the victory shall happen No maruaile it is that the deuill an olde souldiour can forshew things to come And make thinges apparant of nothing What made Theodoricus to espie the terible and threatning countenance of Symmachus which hée slue before in a fishes heade being brought before him on the table at supper at the which sight he fell for feare in a grieuous sickenesse and so died the Diuell What caused one Bessus of whome Plutarch maketh mention in his booke de sera muminis vindicta after that he had kild his owne father and a long while hyding himselfe as a murtherer at last being by the Deuill mooued to throw downe a swallowes neast with his speare and killing the young swallowes hée was of the company about him misliked for his cruelnesse vnto poore birdes and taunted of his companions for his tyranny therein but he aunswered and excused himsefe saying why shoulde I not kill those that accused me of my fathers death and cryed out vppon me a long while that I shoulde kill my father They which were present being amazed at his taulke toulde the king thereof which caused him to be apprehended and examined by that euidence he confessed the murther These are the driftes of diuelles the shiftes of Satan at all times and in all countries Paulina the chast wife of Saturnius a Romane was of such excellent beautie of such noble parentage and of such godlye life that when Decius Mundus a young knight of Rome who being so enamored with hir beautie with diuers compassions a long time to none effect for neyther golde nor treasure coulde alure this sober and chast Paulina to consent to sinne he perceauing how shée was bent to temperancye and to renounce all filthy lust gaue him selfe willing to die in the meane time the deuill practised a feat with Ide a mayde which dwelt in house with Mundus father to bring this purpose to passe this mayde knowing well the constancie and honest life of Paulina and how religious shée was to serue the Goddesse Isis inuented this fraude shée went and talkt with some of Isis Priestes opening the whole matter in secret vnto them promising a great rewarde to faine that their God Anubis had sent for Paulina to lie and to accomplishe loue with him This being done by the elder Priestes hir husbande Saturnius was verye ioyfull that the great God Anubis had vouchsafed to sende for his wife shee being as glad boasted and bragged of the same amongest her neighbours vnto the temple of Isis where likewise Anubis was worshipped Paulina was sent by hir husbande very braue and gorgeous where the young and lustie knight Mundus by the aduice of the Priestes hidde himselfe vntill Paulina came which embrasing hir in the darcke accompanied with hir till hee had satisfied lust all the night Then in the morning the matter being knowne she rent hir heares and clothes and tolde hir husband Saturnius how shée was delt withall hir husbande then declareth the whole matter vnto the Emperor Tiberiê° who hauing through knowledge by diligent examination did hang the Priestes the mother of y e mischiefe Ide coÌ„maunded the ymage of Isis to be â—unke in the riuer of Tiber and banished Mundus out of Rome so that vnder the couler and pretence of holinesse diuers Matrones and maydes were deâ—â—owred mens wiues and daughters as Ruffinus testifieth of a certaine Priest in Alexandria in Egypt named Tirannus who vsed such shiftes and practised such feats to haue his desire accomplished his lust satisfied with such women and maidens as he thought good saying that the great God Saturne whose Priest he was sent for them to come vnto the temple to Saturnus and there vntill his wickednesse was knowne he vsed vnder pretence of the great Saturne which was honoured in that Citie his filthy lust horible life Wée read the like almost of Numa Pompilius that he bare the people of Rome in hand that he had familiar company with y e Goddesse Aegeria bicause he might purchase y e more credite auctority vnto his lawes orders These are the workes and shiftes of wicked men which deceaued alwayes the rude people with vaine religion and superstitious holinesse which the deuyll the father of lyes did bewitch and allure them to beléeue fantasticall visions to be the soules of dead men the deuyls appearing them selues like men letting them to vnderstand that they were the soules of such men as they appeared like vnto as Romulus the first King and founder of Rome appeared after his death walkyng vp and downe by Atticus house
and chaunged seates one with an other the grounde moouing from one place vnto an other Euen so it happened at the exilement of King Dionisius after much tirannye and bloodsheding when hée was banished from his kingdome the salt Sea the same day that he was driuen from Corinth altered his saltenesse vnto swéetenesse These two tyrauntes Nero and Dionisius the one comming vnto his Empire what woonders the earth it selfe shewed the other departing from his kingdome what miracles the Sea shewed When Darius besieged the Citie of Babilon a voyce was heard out of the strong walles of Semiramis that Babilon shoulde be conquered at what time a Mâ—le shoulde engender at the which the souldiours of Darius were discomfited vntill Zopyrus Mule accomplished the forshewed Oracle Likewise when Pompeius was vanquished of Caesar a gréene bowe grewe in the temple of victorie vnder the ymage of Caesar and Hiues of Bées darckened the ancient of Pompeius foreshewing hée shoulde be subdued at Pharsalica The cittie of Rome had these warnings a little before the first ciuill warres there were séene fire shining sodainely about men Spiders Mise and Wormes consumed the golde and substaunce of their Temples Rauons deuoured and did eate their young ones the noyse and sounde of trumpettes were hearde in the ayre with such other terible warnings as might well mooue amendement Againe before the seconde warres of Carthage an Oxe spake and sayde Rome take héede of thy selfe It is noted likewise when Torquiniê° the last king of the Romanes was driuen awaye from Rome and banished the kingdome that a dogge then spake and a Serpent barked To many are of these to be reade if wée reade histories for signes and tokens were séene and marked in the heauens according vnto the natures and doings of Princes for when Tiberius came vnto the Empire of Rome there happened such great earthquakes that twelue famous Citties of Asia fell prostrate vnto the grounde two mountaines mooued ranne and fought togither in a place by Rome called Mutinenses fielde in the time of L. Martius and Sextus Iulius Consulshippe It is written that in the Citie called Sagunthus before it was conquered by Hanniball a childe borne entered againe vnto his mothers wombe And in Plini Clepidus beareth witnesse that trées spake and though it séeme fabulus vnto diuers that enuie things by nature shoulde speake yet wée sée the tryall of this cleane contrary to sette foorth the woonderfull workes of GOD whereby he might the more be magnified by these his creatures for we reade in the sacred scriptures that an Asse spake whereby the more credite may be gyuen vnto Plutarch Pini and Liui which mention that dogs trées Oxen Serpentes and other creatures of God dyd speake for a woonder and warning aswell of things to come as thinges past For before the famous Citie of Ierusalem was destroyed by Vespasian the Emperour there appeared a starre in maner of a sworde in the skie there were likewise séene Chariettes running vp and downe the skies and men in harnesse fighting in the clowdes right ouer the Cittie Diuers woonders by nature wrought which for the rarenesse thereof are worthy to be noted as Caecilius Agrippa the first daye that he was borne of his mother hée went a â—oote without helpe Likewise Zoroastres where all children cry at their birth he the selfe same daye laught It was straunge that Telephus the sonne of Hercules was nourished of a Harte Romulus the first king of Rome fostered vp of a Woolfe Cirus the first King of the Perseans brought vp by a Bitch Alexander and king Priamus of a beare Iupiter of a Goate Midas of Antes And Plato of Bées and so diuers other But certayne more straunge it was that little beastes yea small créeping wormes shoulde be able to vanquishe and destroy famous Citties and countries as in Spaine a Cittie was ouerwhelmed by Coneyes In Fraunce a Citie destroyed by Frogs In Thessalia a Cittie ouerthrowne of Mouldewarys In Affrica a Cittie spoyled of Locustes Gyara an I le of twelue miles coÌ„quered of Mise and Abdera a Citie in Thracia of Mice likewise and Amyclas of Serpents Peraduenture these séeme scant credible vnto diuers readers the learned may reade the same in the eight bookes of Plini and twentie and ninth chap. where he may bée satisfied The workes of nature were so woonderfull in all places at all times that learned writers for memory of the same diuers where recite the effect thereof It is written that Ammonius the Philosopher had an Asse frequenting his schoole with Porphirius to heare his lectures In the Isle called Cos in the grounde of a certen tyraunt named Nicippus a Shéepe brought foorth a Lyon in stéede of a Lambe Plini doth witnesse that he saw in a Cittie of Affrica a man chaunged vnto a woman in the same day hée was maryed whose name was Cossicius a citizen of Tisdria Pontanus and diuers aucthours affirme that Tiresias the Theban Ceneus and Iphis were chaunged from men vnto women from males vnto females by alteration of kinde Againe some thinke that as Anaxogoras neuer laught Zenophantes neuer wept thinges woonderfull and straunge vnto nature And as L. Pomponius neuer helcht so Antonia neuer spit There was a Poet sometime dwelling in Cous of such small growing and slender body that leade was put in the sole of his Shoes lest the winde should beare him from the grounde and blowe him vnto the ayre And as hée was small and light of substaunce by nature so by the selfe same nature was founde in a certen hyll of Créete the body of Orion which was fourtie and sixe cubites in length What Albertus Magnus wrote of the woonders and secretes of nature I wyll omit better it is I suppose to bée ignoraunt in some things then to be skilful in all things He saith amongst other things that there was a woman in Germany that had thréescore sonnes fiue euery time at a burthen and there was another woman named Agrippina in Colonia that did neither eate nor drinke for the space of thirty dayes Besides these there was a man named Philinus that neuer ate nor dranke all the dayes of his life but mylke onely Cicero saith that all the Iliades of Homer was written and placed within the shell of a Nut. Plini reporteth that there was an hearbe called Acheminis if it coulde or were throwne amongst the enimies they straight woulde take their flight thervpon Mermecides made a Wagon so artificially and so small that a Flée might couer it with her wing Strabo did sée so well that he coulde sée the ships that departed from Carthage from a promutory in Cicilia which was aboue a hundred thirtie miles Cornelius Agrippa in his first booke of hidden Philosophie writeth a historie of one Cippus King in Italy who being in sléepe dreamed of Bulles fighting all night that in the mornyng he had two hornes
at the long Speare the long Sworde the staffe and such as then they vsed in fight for to embolden them selues in that play being naked without armes against they came to fight with their armed enemies Thus by this play were the Romanes taught boldly to fight with their enemies and hardned at home litle to estéeme woundes and strokes abrode Thus games and playes were chéefely estéemed of the Romanes though diuers others as Cicero in his office affirmeth the Romones had in Martius féelde harde by Rome to exercize the youngmen to practize feates to become redy and prompt in marshall offayres which they onely most estéemed A comparison betweene the loue of men and beastes IF men bée diuers in affection one towardes another as wée dayly sée and trye by experience howe much ought the siely and simple beast which wanteth vse of speach to bée commended that so careth and prouideth for him his And though as Cicero saith that it is common vnto all liuing creatures to multiplie and to be carefull ouer those that nature procreated to differ in no part from a beast therin yet by reason we are to excell all kinde of beastes all things in subiection vnto man aswell the heauens aboue and all that shineth therin as earth beneath and all that liue thereon And hence I maruayle much though thd secrete working of nature in fearce and raging beastes bée tollerable yet in a reasonable man in whom saith the Philosopher nature onely mooueth vnto the beast suche enimitie variaunce and discorde shoulde procéede It is thought that the Eagle and the Swanne be not fréendes the Dolphin and the Whale can not agrée the Woolfe and the Foxe at variaunce so of the Dogge and the Cat of the Crowe and the Kite may be spoken but it is well knowen that man is most odious vnto man and though it be spoken Homo homini Deus yet is it prooued Homo homini Daemon If nature made the mighty Lion the most valiaunt beast in the worlde to feare the little crowyng Cock If nature do cause the huge and monstrous Elephant to tremble at the sight of a sielie simple Shéepe And if nature mooue the Panther a strong and a straunge beaste to quake at the presence of a Hinde If nature worke so subtilly that the strongest mightiest and valiauntest beast shoulde feare the most innocent and most simple beast howe much more might reason rule in vs to feare our God and his mightie workes which wée altogether either forget his glory or despise his power Though in beasts the heauens haue dominion yet saide Dauid man by reason and feare of God ruleth the heauens But I wyll omit to speake further of that and wyl returne to that which I meane a litle to discusse I wil not speake of the loue and affection of men generall but of the loue mutuall betwixt man and wife betwixt brother and brother And as it is a vertue not to be forgotten so is it a vertue most rare to finde for euerye thing in his owne kinde is most to bée accepted And first to entreate of the excéeding loue of the woonderful affection that men bare towarde their wiues Wée reade of that noble Romane Anthonius Pius who loued so well his wife Faustine that when shée died he caused her picture to be made and to be set vp before his face in his bed chamber to ease some part of his gréefe with the sight therof M. Plaucius sayling with his wife vnto Asia with thréescore Nauayes came very gorgeously vnto the citie of Tarentum where in the middest of his pompe and great glory for that his wife Orestella by sicknesse dyed he slue him selfe with one dagger saying Two bodyes shall possesse one graue The like wée reade of two young men in Plutarch the one named Aemilius the other Cianippus which for méere affection and passing loue towardes their wiues after long tormentes panges and paynes conceyued by inwarde griefes that their wiues were dead to solace their sadnes and to ende their woofull hap offered their pined bodyes a sacrifice vnto death for a pledge of their true and faithfull loue What meanes doth loue séeke to saue it selfe to auoyde gréefe and lastyng paine and to bée acquainted with ease and pleasure to embrace death How rufully the Gréeke Poet Antimachus bewayled the death of his wife Lisidides in such mourning verses woofull plaintes that whosoeuer read them hée should bée as redy to wéepe in reading the dolefull Epitaph of Lisidides as was Antimachus her husband sorowfull of hir death Pericles was so louing vnto his wife being a noble capitaine of Athens and so chaste that when Sophocles spied a marueylous beautifull young man saying Behold a passing fayre young man Pericles aunswered and saide Not onely the heart and the handes of a Magistrate must bée chaste but also his eyes must refuse the sight of any but his wife It is read that Pericles being at Athens hée was founde kissing and making much of his wife and being from Athens he was found more sad to depart from his wife then vnwilling to die for his countrie Orpheus loued so well his wife Euridices that as the Poettes faine he feared not the power of King Pluto to redéeme his wife with hazarde and daunger of his owne bodie Innumerable are they that deserue the like fame so that these fewe maye bée a sufficient proofe of others And now a fewe examples to prooue the like good will and loue from the wiues shewed towarde their husbandes as hithervnto you heard the great loue of husbandes toward their wiues Alcestes a noble Quéene of Tessalie at what time King Admetus hir husbande shoulde die hauing by an Oracle giuen an aunswere that if any woulde die for the King he should liue which when all refused his wyfe Quéene Alcestes offred hir selfe to die to saue hir husbandes life Iulia the wife of Pompeius the great and onely daughter to that famous and renowmed ▪ Iulius Caesar Emperour of Rome shée was no lesse obedient vnto hir father Caesar then shée was louing vnto hir husbande Pompeius who though they both were enimies one vnto an other yet shée shewed hir a louing daughter vnto hir father and a true wife vnto hir husbande and so true that when shée sawe hir owne Pompeius comming blouddy from the fielde as his apparell made a shewe a great way of shée supposing that hir husband was slaine béeing great wyth childe trauayled straight and died before Pompeius hadde yet come in The loue of Artimesia Quéene of Caria towarde hir husbande king Mausolus is as well declared by the sumptuous Tombe and gorgeous glistering graue which she made for him when hée died compted for the excelencie therof one of the seauen woonders as also truelye verified by cerimonies at his death in making the skull of hys heade hir drinking cuppe in drinking all the ashes of his bodie as suger vnto
hir wine and in eating of his hart vnto hir body saying though bodies be departed yet our hartes shall neuer be a sunder That noble Gréeke Laodamia looued hir husbande so well that when shée hearde that hir husbande Prothesilaus was slaine by Hector at the siege of Troye shée desired onely of God that shée might sée his shadowe or likenesse once before shée died which when shée sawe embrasing the lykenes of Prothesilaus as shée thought in hir husbandes armes shée then presently dyed We reade that Quene Ipsicratea loued hir husbande king Mythridates so entirely that shée shaued all the heares of hir heade and ware mans apparell and followed him like a Lacky for that hée shoulde not know hir to be his wife shée had rather go vnto the wars with hir husbande like a lackie than tary from hir husbande in Pontus lyke a Quéene Paulina when shée hearde that hir husbande Seneca was put to death by that cruell Emperor and Tyraunt Nero whome Seneca sometime taught him in his youth Philosophie and at the length requited him with death which when I say Paulina harde thereof she enquired what kinde of death hir husbande suffred which béeing knowne shée ministred the like playster vnto hir selfe as was appoynted for Seneca hir husbande Likewise that noble Portia daughter vnto Cato and wife vnto Brutus hearing that hir husbande was slaine at Philippos for that she might not spéede of a knife shée choked her selfe with coales The like historie is reade of Triata which when she knewe by letters that hir husbande Vitellius was so enuironed of his enimies and no waye able to escape his wife rushed into the Campe and prest néere hir husbande readie to die or to liue in fielde with him What can be so harde to take in hande but loue will hazarde it what can be so perillous but loue will venture it neyther water can stay it nor fire stop it Sulpitia the wife of Lentulus the daughter of that worthy Romane Paterculus when shée perceyued that hir husband was appointed by the Magistrates of Rome to passe vnto Sicilia as an Embassador and there to continue for a season though hir mother had great charge ouer hir very carefull studious she was to comfort hir daughter in the absence of hir husbande yet she deceyued hir mother shée chaunged hir apparell caused hir two maides likewise to be disguised toke two men in the like apparell and went all by night from Rome vnto Sicilia Aemilia the wife of Affricanus and mother vnto that noble Cornelia which was mother vnto those famous Romances called Gracchi shée perceauyng her husbande to bée in loue with one of her maydes in the house and often to vse the mayde as his wife though Aemilia knew wel of it yet she neuer hated the maide nor opened it to her husbande but after that her husbande died she gaue to this maide a great summe of money and maryed her wealthyly in Rome A rare thing in a woman founde To speake of Penelopes loue in Gréece towardes her husbande Vlisses or to shewe the constancie of Lucrecia in Rome towarde her husbande Collatinus the one twentie yeres was prooued of diuers noble Gréekes and yet remayned she true vnto Vlisses the other through force being rauished by proud Torquinius sonne named Aruntiê° would not be false vnto Collatinus but opened the same reuenged it with hir owne death Now againe to prooue how well did Quéene Tomiris loue hir sonne Mesgapites the death of great Cirus King of Persea with two hundred thousande of his souldiours beside can testifie or howe Ageus loued his sonne Theseus which when he hadde perceyued the black sayle contrary vnto promise made before when Theseus went vnto Créete to the monster Minotaurus that his as he supposed was slaine in Labirinthus he threw him ouer a high rocke into the sea What shoulde I molest the reader herein sith an ende can scant be founde but onelye recite one worthy hystorie out of Valerius of a seruaunt vnto one named Panopion that hearing that certaine souldiours came vnto the City of Reatina in purpose to kill his Mayster he chaunged apparell with his mayster and conueyed his Mayster first a waye safe and sounde from the enimies and he went vnto his Maysters bedde as though he had béene Panopion and suffred himselfe to be slaine in stéede of his Mayster A man woulde thinke that greater loue coulde be founde in no man then a man to die for his friende and truth it is But to finde such loue in beastes towardes men a meruell great it were Insomuch that in Leucadia a Peacock loued a young Uirgin so well that when shée dyed the Peacock also dyed And Plini sayth that in the Citie of Seston an Eagle being brought vppe by a young mayde loued the mayde so well that it woulde flée a broade and kill foules and bring them whome to the young mayde and when the Uirgine died the Eagle flewe vnto that same fire where the mayde was appoynted to die and also died with hir The Perseans were woont for fauour and affection they had vnto their Horses to burye them and the people named Molossi made braue sepulchres for their dogges Alexander the great made a tombe for his horse Bucephalus So did Antiochus and Caesar likewise Such tryed loue and faythfull trust was found in Dogges that the great King Masinissa of Numidia neuer went to bedde but had a dosen dogges in his great chamber as his garde to kéepe and watch him from his enimies for sure he was that money might not corrupt them friendshippe might not alure them threatnings might not feare them There was a Dogge in Athens named Caparus vnto whome the tuition of the temple Aesculapius was committed with all the wealth and treasure therin which being in a night trayned vnto a snare the temple was robbed the substaunce and the richesse thence was stolne but in the morning the dogge founde out the falshoode thereof and made all Athens priuie of the théeues by reueng and running towardes them Wée reade in Plini that Vlisses Dog which Vlisses left at home when he went with Agamemnon vnto Phrigia to the wars of Troye and being twentie yeares absent he founde Penelope his wife and his dog faithfull and louing at his returne That noble Gréeke Lismacê° had a dog named Durides that loued him so well that euen at Lismachus death the Dogge died also Hiero had another Dogge that died euen so ran willingly vnto that flame of fire where his mayster did burne to die with him I might well speake of Alcibiades Dogge which where so euer hée came no man might or durst speake any euill of Alcibiades in presence of his Dogge Titus Sabinus Dogge neuer forsooke his mayster in prison and when anye man gaue him breade or meate hée brought it vnto his Mayster in prison and when he was throwne into the riuer
Apollo in Delphos and Iupiter in Boetia with their wise answeres and Oracles we will not speake of Socrates Solon and thousandes suche as were coumpted and knoweÌ„ wise â–ª and discrete emongest Grekes and Gentiles we will onely entreate of those worldly and naturall wisedome whiche by their prudent policie and warie practises haue aduauÌ„ced their fame thereby aswell in discoursyng and vanquishyng their enemies as also by inuentyng suche sleightes and snares for the obtainyng of the same as their wittes thereby were worthily commended as Hanibal perceiuyng the courage and strengthe of the Romaines vsed this wittie feate gathered a greate nomber of Serpentes and put them in huge vesselles and made them to be brought vnto the fielde emongest his souldiors commaundyng the Capitaines and chief officers to throwe the same vnto the force of the enemies who beyng thereby astonied forsooke and fledde the fielde as menne bereste of wittes â–ª spoiled of sence and almoste in dispaire of theim selues thinkyng Deuels and not menne to be the souldiors of Hanibal Of the like wisedome was kyng Cirus who beyng in his tentes and ready to pitche fielde the nexte daie with the Messagetes commaundyng his souldiours to bee in a readinesse that night to flee their tentes leauing behinde their victuales and substaunce that the enemies beyng busie of the spoile and giuyng open to banquettyng and Carousyng of wine he with all his armie might vnwares retourne and findyng the Messagets more greedie of the spoile then ready for their enemies destroie and kille theim as it came to passe So that in warres saieth Salust witte doeth as muche good as strengthe policie better accepted then power and as Virgill saieth so that victorie bée gotten waie not whether it be through courage or through policie For Sertorius that worthy Emperour and capitaine of Rome was wonte by lies and letters by dreames and outward religion by all meanes possible fainyng and inuentyng thousande waies to stirre his souldiours to courage The inuentions of witte is muche and so diuers that to muche it were to repeate How Sicionius deceiued Xerxes with all his soldiours through policie How Pisistratus moued the Athenians to reuenge his false wronges vpon the chief officers of Athens How Darius after Cambises death became kyng of Perse by meanes of a horse and suche like But lettyng passe infinite nombers of suche and to declare what Nature wroughte in selie and simple beastes in â—iyng foules and in the verie fishe swimmyng in the water The lioÌ„ by nature is taughte beyng verie sicke to finde out an Ape whiche by outwarde sportes and pastyme doeth heale his greate seuer and grief The huge Elephante is so subtile when he is like to die will seke by all meanes the cameleon bow whiche he so estemeth that his sicknes forsaketh hym straight The PaÌ„ther knoweth by nature his ready salue for this sore for feelyng hym self not well he straight seketh out the dounge of man whiche by the sente thereof he healeth hym self The stircken Harte féedyng on highe Mountaines hath that consideration at what tyme he is shotte through with any darte or arrowe by feedyng of an hearbe called Dictamum their bloud stanche and their woundes heale And the Beare is so craftie that by the same he is taught beyng sicke to licke and eate vp little Antes for her appoincted Phisicke Euen so fliyng foules doe knowe their appoincted salue for their sores by nature taught The Rauen the Ducke the Swallowe swift yea the sely Mice doe before hande presage their ruinous state by Nature and knowe well the decaie of any house barne or place where thei be will chaunge hospitalitie before the tyme if necessitie happen vpon them The little Antes full of toile and trauaile to gather in the Sommer to serue theim in the Winter These with diuers others Plini in his .8 booke Chapiter .27 and Aristotle in his booke De natura animaliuÌ„ doe make mention W readée in Aelianus diuers worthy histories of the like but specially of the Cranes of Sicilia whiche when thei be aboute to take their slightes from Sicilia to flie ouer mounte Caucasus thei are so craftie and subtile by nature that thei beare in their mouthes certain stones to stoppe their crie and noise whiche Craines moste commonly vse in flight lest by hearyng of their voice and crie the Egles of Caucasus should destroie them The Goates of Crete when thei be shotte through with dartes and arrowes are of theÌ„ self moued to fede on a certain hearbe whiche streight stencheth the bloud healeth the wounde and expelleth out the venime of the wounde There is suche crafte and subtiltie in a little Frogge of Nilus that when the huge and monstrous Troute commeth towarde hym to destroie hym the Frogge by and by out of hande â–ª beareth a longe réede ouerth warte his mouthe and so marcheth forward toward this greate champion that by no meane he can destroie hym for that the reede is longer then his mouthe can swalowe the same and so the little Frogge escapeth the terrour of this greate beast What a sleight hath a fishe called Polipos whiche beyng desirous to feede on any fishe he goeth and hideth hym self vnder some shrubbe or rocke or any other meanes whereby he semeth to bee as though he wer a tile or a stone vntill the fishe come to that place then he leapeth vpon hym and killeth hym So that there is no beaste no fowle no fishe but hath as it wer a certaine priuilege by nature to defende hym self and to foile his foe and that craftely by nature taughte There is again a kinde of knowledge in beast to know their frendes and to loue them and to feare their enemies and to auoide theim As the Serpentes in Terinthia the ScorpioÌ„s in Arcadia and the Snakes of Siria which Plini affirmeth that thei will not hurt their couÌ„trey men and knowen frendes though thei founde theÌ„ hym a slepe as diuers sondrie tymes histories make mention thereof Straunge therefore is the woorke of nature whiche mightely displaieth her self in al liuing creatures for the proofe thereof I will note one historie written of QuintiliaÌ„ in his 14. boke of histories that in Achaia there was a citie named Patra in the whiche a certain yong man bought a little dragon which with great care diligence he nourished vntill it waxed big liyng in one chamber in the night time and plaiyng all the daie tyme. At length the Magistrates of the Citie fearyng that some hurte should bee doen by this Dragon consideryng the fierce and cruell nature of theim did let hym to goe vnto the wildernesse where diuers other dragons were And there beyng a long tyme this yong man that brought vp this Dragon with diuers of his felowes passing by where this dragon was certain thieues assailed them and he by his voice was knowen by this Dragon whiche as he was heard came out of the woddes
reuenged her old loue and requited his seruice then after this sorte She threwe a greate stone after hym and there killed hym and straight for sorowe callyng to minde the old amitie and hidden loue betwene them hāged her self The reuengement y t Cleonimus that noble famous Lacedemonian who hauing his owne wife in suche admiration of impacient loue that he was as muche hated of her as she of hym was honoured and estemed for she loued onely kyng Acrotatus sonne so deare that her housebande Cleonimus vnderstandyng the same went to Epire to kyng Pirrhus perswadyng hym earnestly to come to Peloponesus and to moue warres against kyng Acrotatus wherby he might reuenge the spite doen of his wife in killyng hym whom she loued beste a greate reuengemente as he thought vnto her then to reuenge vpon her owne persone to spoile hym whom she loue better then her self Valerius Torquatus for that he might haue Tuscus doughter in mariage moued warres out of hande and reuenged the same with bloud For what cause did Progne king Pandions doughter of Athens kill her owne sonne Itis and gaue hym to bee eaten vnto his father and her housebande kyng Tereus of Thrace nothyng but to reuenge her sister Philomela whom her housebande defloured her Why did Nero that cruell Emperour kille Seneca his maister and teacher in all his youth for nothyng but to reuenge olde stripes whiche he receiued at his maister beyng a boie For what purpose did Cateline Silla Damasippus Marius and other take quarelles to plage Rome to punishe all Italie to destroie the coūtrey for nothyng but for that thei could not abide one aboue an other Darius after that he had taken the Citie of Babilon he reuenged his old malice after this sort as Herodot in his third booke affirmeth He made thre thousande of the beste within the Citie bee hanged Attila Kyng of Pannonia slue a leuen thousande virgines at the besiegyng of Colonia So diuers wer reuengemēt emongest menne so cruell yea so foolishe that Xerxes and Cirus twoo greate kynges of Persia that when the water of Hellespont molested Xerxes and troubled his soldiours he forth with commaunded that the sea Helespont should haue three hundred stripes and willed three hundred paire of Featters to bee throwen vnto Hellespont to binde the sea Euen so did Cirus for that the riuer Gindes did droune one of Cirus beste geldynges he made his souldiours to deuide the riuer vnto a hundred and fower score small partes to reuenge Gindes rage towarde Cirus thinkyng that by breaking of the greate rage of so greate a streame that he well and worthely requited the iniuries of Gindes These are cruell reuengers too many are of these in so muche that women reuenge their malice after this sorte As Tomiris Queene of Scithia who to reuenge her soonne Mergabites death slue kyng Cirus and twoo thousandes of his soldiours Too great a slaughter for one mannes death and not yet satisfied vntill she bathed Cirus heade in a greate vessell full of bloudde This Beronice Pollia and diuers cruell women beside could dooe the one is dooen with anger and synne the other is dooen with vertue and aduisemente For princes muste vse aduisement in reuenging must vse wisedome in sufferaunce For as Frederick the Emperour was often wonte to saie that Princes that reuenge hastely and specially wrongfully are like faire markes for good archers to shoote at High towers and loftie buildynges are soner fiered with lightenynges then lowe houses and small cottages For Tiberius Caesar Emperoure of Rome beyng in the Senate house to punishe those euills and to reuenge those harmes that were by some of the citie threatened toward his estate God forbidde saied he that Tiberius should haue so muche idle tyme to heare euill spoken muche lesse to reuēge euill doen. Antigonus kyng of Macedonia besiegyng a Castle in Grece wherein a nomber of bolde Greekes vsed for their pastyme and sporte to scoffe this kyng knowyng the situation of the Castle to bee in suche a place that might not bee subdued Thei therefore laughyng hym to scorne as well for his enterprice therein ▪ as also for his slender persone and croked nose whiche kyng Antigonus had saied he would reuenge all their doynges with sufferaunce and hoped thereby to moleste the enemies double Diuers Heathen princes wer acquainted with this reuengement as Lisander Agesilaus and others for vnto God onely belongeth vengeaunce I will not speake here of suche reuengyng of Princes of Countreis of frendes that al men knowe But of rare reuengement whiche Philosophie taught vnto Socrates towarde Xantippe who beyng at supper hauyng a straunge geste named Enthidemum his wife Xantippe beganne to take her housbande vp with tauntyng and opprobrious wordes whiche because he would not auswere and be moued by her chidinges she ouerthrewe the table with all the meate and the Cuppes whiche whē Enthidemum sawe he was amazed at the ragyng of Xantippe beholdyng Socrates in the face to see how he thought of the matter but Socrates vnderstandyng that his geste did maruaile at his wife saied haue not you sometyme at home a Henne that will after longe clockyng with a sodaine flight throwe doune your cuppes with her wyng wherewith Enthidemum was fully satisfied with the wise aunswere of Socrates in reuengyng so greate a faulte Phocion a learned man of Athens was wont to saie that he had rather suffer iniurie wrongfully then to reuenge iniurie sometyme rightfully This man Phocion by whom Athens long flourished at what tyme he was putte to death moste wrongfully of the Athenians euen a little before he should die beyng demaunded whether he would commaunde any thyng vnto his soonne standyng thereby to see his father ende Spake vnto his sonne after this sorte My sonne saied he this I charge and require thée and moreouer beseche that thou will neuer reuenge the wrongfull death of thy father Phocion vpon the Athenians Solon a noble learned Athenian was wont to reuenge his wronges with these wordes If the fissherman suffer the salte water of the Sea to sprinkle vpon his face and vpon his clothes to weate hym for to take Fishe how muche more ought Solon suffer to speake to winne thē to be frendes Surely these three Philosophers deserue more praise and commendation I meane Socrates Phocion and Solon for the reuengyng of the euill with goodnes and vertue Then euer Alexander the Greate or Iulius Caesar or Theseus whiche reuenged euill with euill Wherefore Chilon the Lacedemonian beyng one of the officers called Ephori in the Citie of Sparta his brother demaundyng why he might not bee likewise one of the fiue Ephori as well as his brother saied vnto his brother because I can suffer wronge and thou canste not Therefore princes ought not to doe wrong nor yet reuenge wrōg with wrong but with paciente sufferaunce and goodnesse and doyng good for euill thei shall
Antipater would watch That betwene kyng Philip and Antipater diligence was as muche honoured and embraced as slothfulnes was feared and hated Epaminondas that renoumed prince of Thebes beeyng studious and carefull to profite his countrey so hated slothfull idlenes that findyng one of his capitaines in the campe in the daie tyme slepyng slue hym straight with his own hande and beyng reprehended of his nobles and counsaill for that cruell facte he answered theÌ„ in fewe wordes I lefte hym as I founde hym comparyng idle and drousie men vnto dead men for men are borne to trauaill and watch and not to pleasure and slepe How did Scipio Affrick ouerthrowe the tentes of kyng Siphax How vaÌ„quished he his hoste of souldiors slue his armie and how he hath taken kyng Siphax captiue hym self Liuius saieth that the diligence of Scipio and the slothfulnes of Siphax beyng a slepe wheÌ„ he should had been waken was the cause therof Had Demosthenes loued idlenes he had neuer béen able to preueÌ„t that famous prince Philip kyng of Macedon he was so carefull and so diligent about the state of Athens that that worthy capitaine and greate conquerour Philip was wonte to saie that he doubted more the diligence of Demosthenes then he feared all the force of Athens Had Cicero slepte duryng the conspiracie of Catilin he had neuer been able worthily to speake of hym self O happie Rome that euer I was elected Consull whose studious trauaill saued oftentymes Rome from diuers enemies QuintiliaÌ„ reciteth a worthy historie of a famous clearke named Hippias who to auoide idlenesse after long studiyng at his bookes would exercise hym self in some thyng or other lest he semed to be idle in so much he applied his mynde to diuers faculties at voide houres he vsed to practise the facultie of a Goldsmith of a Tailor of a Shoomaker that at length he became his owne Tailour his owne Shoomaker yea to make his owne rynges so artificially with pearles and precious stones so curiously wroughte with letters of golde as though he had been brought vp in the schoole Pirgoteles What is so harde but diligence will trie it What is so depe but trauaill will wade What is so strange but studie will knowe it If labour if diligence be thus commended that wisemen doe muche commende the Bee that is so busie and carefull and knoweth how to profite her self and others If the little Auntes bee so practised for that the toile in the Sommer to prouide against Winter If these selie simple wormes do prouide thinges necessary for them and theirs How much more ought man whiche is borne to profite his Countrey his prince his frendes and his parentes Consider the commoditie of diligence and the daunger of idlenes but as before mentioned vicâ—s are couered with names of vertues as the Idle man is noted to bée a quiet man the ignoraunte termed an innocent Caelus doeth write of a certaine Emperour named Attalus whiche loued so well idlenes that he gaue the gouernment of the Empire to his frende named Philopenes for that he would be idle We read again of one Vatia a greate ruler and a Magistrate in Asia that loued Idlenesse so well that the people vsed a Prouerbe when thei sawe any man idle saiyng Vatia situs est here is an idlescholer of Vatia The Emperour Licinius and Valentianus were suche enemies vnto learnyng so ignoraunt were thei as Egnatius dooeth reporte that thei called learnyng the only poison of the world named theim that were learned the Asses of Cuma Who hated learning so much as Heraclides and Philonides which are so ignoraunte that thei were coumpted as Caelius doeth testifie as laughyng stockes and had of the common people in greate derision for their ignorance and folie These blinde baiardes and bolde bedlemes call others Asses of Cuma when that thei themselues are farre inferiour to any Asse of the worlde For diuers Asses had more reason then Philonides or Heraclides had Wée reade that Ammonius a greate Peilosopher of Alexandria had an Asse that would accompany with Origen and Porphiri to frequente the schoole of Ammonius to heare hym reade Philosophie vnto his scholers This Asse was taught to knowe the reader and all the schoolers to knowe the Schole and the tyme of readyng The sacred Scripture commendeth vnto vs the Asse of Balam who was likewise taught to speak and to shewe the Prophette Balaam the will of God But the Idle and ignoraunte will neither learne to knowe time place nor persone neither to profite them selues nor others These lasie members these idle and ignoraunte beastes the children of Morpheus slepyng alwaies in the caue of Pamedes to whom it well maie be spoken as Aurelian somtime an Emperor of Rome spake vnto one Bonosius that he was borne to drinke and not to liue The Romaines vsed to punishe idlenesse so sharplye that the Housebande manne that had his grounde barraine that had his Pastures Meddowes fieldes vnoccupied an other manne should bee there placed and he putte out The gentleman that hadde not his horse readie and in good likyng with all thynges therevnto belongyng should bee suspected to be an idle member vnto his countrey should bee hated and exchued of the people The common people might vse no kynde of priuate pleasure as plaie pastyme or any other idle sporte but at times appoincted The gates of Rome were opened daie and night to come and to goe For the state of the Common and as Plutarch doeth write the life and maners of all men were diligently examined whether thei liued idle or no. And if any would resiste the ordinaunce of the Magistrates his heade should bee cutte of and offered vnto Iupiter in the Capitoll of Rome his familie vnto the Temple of Ceres his soonnes and daughters solde as bondmen vnto the Tribunes and Censers The Lacedemonians people moste studious to expell Idlenesse broughte their children vp alwaies in hardnesse to practise them in diligente doynges hated Idlenesse so muche that if any in the Citie of Sparta waxed grosse or fatte thei suspected hym straight of Idlenesse and if any younge manne waxed fatte thei had appointed lawes that he should faste and liue so poore vntill he were againe chaunged vnto his firste state The Egiptians aunciente people when the Countrey of Egipt began to bée populous to auoide idlenesse as Plini doeth report thei made a greate huge and monsterous buildyng called Pyramides whiche for the mightinesse and straunge workyng thereof it was named one of the seuen wonders hauyng lx thousande of yong men and continued a long time in the making thereof and onely to auoide and banishe idlenes The Anthenians so abhorred and detested idlenesse when a certaine man was condemned to die for that he was founde idle in Athens a citizein therof named Herondas as Plutarch doeth testifie was as desirous to se him as though he had béen a prodigious monster
one of the conspiratours and beeyng digged vp teared his bodie in smale péeces and beyng torne in péeces gaue it to the birdes of the aire Suche anger was in Marcus Antonius towarde Cicero that he was not contented of Ciceros death but commaunded his heade to bee sette before hym on the Table to feede his wrathfull harte and gréedie eyes and his wife Fuluia shewed her anger pulled out his toungue pinned it vnto her Bonnette and weare it on her heade in token and open shewe of her cruell and Tigrishe harte The noble romaine Maetellus was muche inflamed for to shewe suche hatred and anger vnto Pompeius for at what tyme Pompeius the greate was appointed by the Senatours of Rome to succéede Maetellus in his office of proconsulship in Spaine Maetellus perceiuyng that he was discharged and Pompeius charged they brake for verie anger all the furnitures of warres he destroied all the victualles he famished the Elephantes he permitted his Souldiours te doe what iniurie they coulde againste Pompeius so muche was his anger againste Pompeius that to hinder onely Pompeius he iniuried his natiue citie of Rome The propretie of anger is to hurte diuers in seekyng to offende one As hee is not wise that can not be angrie so is hee moste wise that can moderate anger The fame and renoume that both Themistocles and Aristides in vanquishyng their anger one towardes an other for beyng sent both as embassadours for the state of Athens trauailyng ouer a high hill like wise men that subdued affection and conquired anger Themistocles saide vnto Aristides shall we both burie our anger in this hill and go as frendes and not as enemies and there though the cause was greate at Athens they became frendes one vnto an other forgetting and forgeuing one anothers fault Anger and wrath are the only poisons of the words wher hidden hatered doeth proceade for to norishe the one is to feede the other Therfore it is written that hidden hatered priuate wealth and young mennes counsell hath been the verie cause of diuers destructions Manlius Torquatus after he had conquered Campania and triumphed ouer the Lateus retournyng vnto the Citie with noble fame and renoumed victories though the Senatours and Elders of the Citie mette hym in a triumphe and honour of his victories yet the younge men of Rome more disdainefull then courteous more odious then louyng more willyng to haue his death then desirous of his life kept them rather his enemies lurkyng in Rome towardes hym then frendes the cause is knowen in Valerius Hidden hatered whiche beare swaie in diuers places enuie and malice whiche procede from anger and maintained with hidden hatered is all the mischief of the world I wil omit to speak of Caligula whose anger and hatred was suche that he wished Rome but one necke that with one stroke he might strike it of Neither I will recite Heliogabalus whiche emoÌ„gest writers is named the beast of Rome and not the Emperour of Rome The histories of Catelin Silla and Appius for their hatered and anger towardes their countrey and natiue citie are extante in Plutarch and Salust by this anger and wrath proceded inuectiues and decleratioÌ„s and then enuie and malice beganne to builde their bowers by their chief CarpeÌ„ter anger then one mischief and vengeaunce doeth alwaies depende of the other And because anger is the onely cause of all euill and mischief I will speake of those two monstrus Gorgons as thinges incident and alwaies hidden in anger I meane enuie and malice and therfore I applie to Enuie and Malice whiche might be spoken here ¶ Of Periurie and Faithe and where either of these were honored and esteemed SIthe Faithe is the foundation of Iustice and Iustice the chiefe meanes as Aristotle saieth to preserue a publique weale for we se after muche fomyng and frettyng of seas after clustryng cloudes after longe lowryng lookes there doe often appere calme weather cleare aire and gentle countenaunce whiche to obserue and to maintaine Iustice is the worker therof and to note how faithfull and iuste some haue been and how wicked and false others shewed them selues for the commoditie and benefite of that one and for the discommoditie and iniuries of the other good it were to shewe the examples thereof There are not so many vertuous in one but there bee as many vices in an other For some from foes become frendes as Clodius and Cicero twoo greate enemies a long tyme and yet in tyme twoo faithfull frendes Tiberius likewise and Affricanus from mortall foes grewe to bee suche perpetuall frendes that Affricanus gaue his onelie daughter Cornelia in marriage vnto Tiberius Euen so some again from frendes became foes yea from tried frendship vnto mortall enemitie as Dion of Siracusa of his moste assured frende as he thought with whom alwaies before he founde frendshippe and faithe was slain and cruelly killed of Callicrates Polimnestor likewise though kyng Priamus supposed greate trust and confidence in hym that he committed his owne soonne Polidorus vnto his custodie yet falsely slue hym and murthered hym though beside frendshippe he was his nigh kinseman How well saieth Socrates that faithefull frendes doe farre excell Gold for in daunger faithe is tried and in necessitie freindes are knowen Suche is the secrete force of Faithe and suche is the hidden subtiltie of falsehode that the praise and commendations of the one shall bee seen and proued in a historie of Sextus Pompeius soonne and heire vnto Pompeius the Greate the slaunder and shame of the other shall bee manifestly knowen by Hanibal Arâ—â—lâ—ar sonne of Carthage The Faithe and Iustice of Pompeius at what tyme he had appoincted a banquette for Augustus Caesar â–ª and Marcus Antonius vpoÌ„ the seas was well tried for beyng moued of diuers at that tyme to reuenge his fathers death Pompeius the greate and specially often stirred by his frende â–ª and Maister of the Shippe Menedorus to requite olde malice for killyng of Pompeius to destroie Caesar and Antonius whiche Sextus in no waies would suffer saiyng that Faithe and Iustice ought not to bee tourned vnto periurie and falshed for as it is periurie to omitte faithe and promise made vnto these Emperors so this is tyraÌ„nie and not iustice to reuenge my fathers death vpon innoceÌ„cie And true it was that Augustus Caesar was then but a boie brought vp in Schoole in Apulia when his vncle Iulius Caesar vanquished Pompei And as for Marcus Antonius rather a freinde he was vnto Sextus Father then a foe and therefore no lesse Faithfull was Sextus in performyng then iuste in waiyng innocencie Farre vnlike vnto falâ—e Haniball whiche vnder pretence of peace with the Romaines sente Embassadours vnto Rome to entreate thereof where thei were honourablie receiued but well requited he the courtesie of Rome toward his Embassadours For wheÌ„ that noble Romain Cornelius came from Rome as an Embassadour vnto Haniball his welcome was suche â–ª
that he neuer went a liue vnto Rome againe for moste cruelly and falsely was he slaine by Haniball In this falshed and periurie was Haniball muche defamed not as muche corrupted by vilenesse of his owne nature which alwaies in this was not to bee trusted but by the falshode and corruption of the Countrey of whiche it is prouerbially spoken Poeni perfidi false Carthaginians for the people of Carthage delited in falshode â–ª practized periurie and vsed all kind of craftes as the people of Sarmatha were moste false in wordes moste deceiptfull in deedes and moste cruell one towardes an other The Scithians beyng muche molested with warres and driuen to leaue their wiues at home in the custodie of the slaues seruauntes thei hauyng occasion to bee absent iiij yeres whose wiues married the seruauntes brake their former Faithe with their owne housbandes vntill with force and power their seruauntes were slain and so recouered their countreis wiues again Apollonius the chief gouernour of Samâ—os whom the commons of the Countrey from lowe estate had exalted vnto dignitie vnto whom thei committed the gouernment and state of Samios was so false of his faithe towardes his subiectes that hauyng their goodes landes liuynges and liues in his owne hand he betraied theim vnto Philip king of Macedonia their moste mortall enemie That proude periurer Cocalus king of Sicilia slue kyng Minoes of Crete though vnder colour of frendshippe and pretence of talke he had sente for hym Cleomenes brake promise with the Argiues with whom he tooke truce for certaine daies craftely betraied them in the night slue them being sleping and emprisoned against his former faith and promise made before Euen so did the false Thracians with the Boetians brake promise violated faithe destroied their countries depopulated their cities and of professed frendes and vowed faithe became wicked foes and false traitors But of all false periurers and vnnaturall foes shal Zopirus emongest the Persians and Lasthenes emongest the Olinthians to their perpetuall slaunder and reproche bee mentioned of the one borne in the famous citie of Babilon deformed hym self in suche sort with suche dissimulation of forged faithe that hauyng the rule and gouernment in his hande he brought kyng Darius to enioye that through his periurie and falshode that with long warres in many yeres he might not vaÌ„quishe nor subdue The other as falsly I beyng y e onely trust of the citizeÌ„s deliuered Olinthus their citie vnto the handes of their long and greate enemie Philippe kyng of Macedonia What fraude hath been founde alwaies in frendship What falshode in faithe What deceipte in truste the murtheryng of Princes the betraiyng of kyngdomes the oppressyng of innocentes from tyme to tyme in al places can well witnesse the same When Romulus had appoincted Spu Tarpeius to be chief capitaine of the Capitoll the chamber of Rome where the substaunce wealth of Rome did remain Tarpeia Spurius doughter whiche in the night tyme as she wente for water out of the citie metyng Tatius kyng of y e Sabins though he was then mortall enemie vnto Rome in coÌ„tinual warres with Romulus yet by false Tarpeia brought to be lord of the Capitoll thus Tarpeia beyng as false vnto Rome as king Tatius was likewise false vnto Tarpeia for she loking to haue promise kept of Tatius fouÌ„d him as Rome founde her She was buried a liue of Tatius by the Capitoll whiche was called Saturnus mouÌ„t and by her death buriall there named Tarpeius rocke vntill Torquinus Superbus tyme whiche first named it the Capitoll by findyng a mans heade in that place There was neuer in Rome suche falshode shewed by any man as was of Sergius Galba whiche caused there famous cities of Lusitania to appere before him promising them great coÌ„modities and diuers pleasures concernyng the states and gouernment of their citie yeldyng his faith and truth for the accomplishment of the same whose professed faithe allured to y e noÌ„ber of ix M. yong menne piked and elected for some enterprises for the profite of their countrey whiche when false Galba had spoiled these thrée cities of al flowers of their youthes against all promise and faithe slue the moste parte of theim sould and enprisoned the rest whereby he most easely might conquire their Cities men are neuer certen nor trustie in doing when thei are fautie in faithâ— For as the Sunne lighteneth the Moone so faithe maketh man in all thinges perfect for prudence without faith is vaine glorie and pride Temperaunce without faithe and trueth is shamefastnes or sadnes Iustice without faith is turned vnto iniurie and fortitude vnto slouthfulnes The orders in diuers countreis for the obseruation of frendship and for maintenaunce of certen and sure loue one towarde an other were diuers othes The noble Romains at what tyme thei sweare had this order he or she to take a flint ston in his right hand saiyng these wordes If I be gilty or offende any man betraie my countrey or deceiue my frende willingly I wishe to be cast awaie out of Rome by great Iupiter as I cast this stoan out of my hand and withall threwe the stoan awaie The auncient Scithians to obserue amitie and loue had this law They powred a greate quantity of wine in a greate Boule or a Cup and with their kniues launced some parte of their bodies letting their bloud to runne likewise one after an other vnto that cup and then minglyng the wine and blood together tipt the ende of their Speares â–ª and ther Arrowes in the wine takyng the boule in hand drank one vnto another professing by that draught faith and loue The Arabians when they would become faithful to anie to maintaine loue thereby had this custome one should stande with a sharpe stoan in his hande betwixt two and let blood in the palme of their handes and takyng of either of theim a péece of their garment to receiue their blood anointyng and diyng seauen stones in the blood callyng Vrania and Dyonisius their Gods to witnesse and kéepyng the stoanes in memory of frendship would depart one from an other The like lawe amongest the Barctians goyng vnto a diche and standyng thereby saiyng as Herodotus affirmeth as long as that holowe place or diche were not of it selfe filde vp so long desired the Barcians amitie and loue In readyng of histories we finde more certentie to haue been in theim by prophane othes then trueth often in vs by Euangelist and Gospell othes lesse periurie in those Gentiles swearyng by Iupiter or Apollo then in Christians swearyng by the true and liuynge God more amitie and frendship amongest them with drinkyng either of others blood then in vs by acknowledgyng and professyng Chistes blood When Marcus Antonius had the gouernemeÌ„t of Rome after Caesar was murthered by Brutus and Cassius and hauyng put to death Lucullus for his consente therein Volumnius hearyng of his frende Lucullus death came
wide worlde was as riche as he and there after long bragges of his Kyngdomes and vaine ostentations of wealthe an aunswere was made vnto hym by Apollo out of the secrete place of the Temple that Aglaus a poore manne of the Countrey of Arcadia was farre richer and more fortunate then he was Thus are thei mooste misers noted of wise men hauing all thinges and yet hauyng nothyng for that thei are neuer contented with any thynge When Alcibiades had muche bragged of his fortune wealth and substaunce boasted very muche of his landes in Athens a certaine Philosopher shewed a little Table wherein the whole Countrey of Athens was described in a verie little roume desiryng Alcibiades to shewe hym there his liuynges and landes in Athēs whiche when Alcibiades mighte not nor could in any wise shewe the same No more saied the wise Philopher can any coueteous manne shewe any parte of his substance for that thei haue nothyng though thei haue muche Thus Craesus and Giges though thei wer most wealthie kynges in Lidia yet wer thei both by Apollo and Solon adiudged misers So odious was vsurie and coueteousnes that when it was demaūded of Cato the wise what vsurie was he answered what is to murther a man It robbeth and killeth poore men it murthereth innocentes This is that false felowe that wil sell all thinges with Simō This is he that wil betray Christ with Iudas To this it is saied that soner a Camell shal go through the eye of a Nedle then he should goe vnto heauen Wherefore the memorie of death is better to hym that hath pleasure in possessions ¶ Of Prodigalitie and Dronkennes THE greate delight the Epicureal felicitie that Princes haue had in excesse of eatyng and drinkyng from tyme to tyme in all places are not onely in prophane Histories regestred but also in Deuine Scriptures ▪ mencioned The Poetes make songes of prodigall Princes the Histriographers defame theim the Philosophers abhorre their companie howe could the Poet Sidonius omit the prodigal draught of Cleopatra Quéene of Aegypt without a song howe might Plinie forget the sumptuous excesse of the Empresse Poppea without a taunt How should Martiall let passe the impudencie of proude Bassa without worthy scoffes of hir too muche prodigalitie The first preparyng a banquet to hir frende and louer Antonius where one dishe of meate stoode hir in two hundred thousande Crownes The seconde so sumptuous and prodigal to set showes of glisteryng Gold vnder hir Horses feete The thirde most proude and impudent to appoint vessels of Gold wrought with Precious stoanes to receaue hir excrementes in stead of hir stoole of ease Their sumptuous prodigalitie excesse and pride must not be vnspoken to shewe the horror therof as an example to other proud prodigall Princes Therefore to matche these sumptuous Ladies I wil trauel no further then the citie of Rome where thrée Emperours one succéedyng in a maner the other not onely comparable to these dainty dames but farre surmountyng theym in eche respect Caligula the only Dregges and Faex of Emperours and Princes for prodigalitie and excesse spending and spoilyng the whole reuenewes of the Empire of Rome vpon Hoores and Queanes a Sacriledge of churches a spoiler of the Citie a robber of all the Countrey so filthy was this Emperour so odious for his excesse that hee wished that all Rome had but one necke that hee with one stroke might strike of the head to the end he might haue to suffice his prodigalitie his Actes perticulerly to touch it were tedious for he neuer did a good tourne to the Citie of Rome The seconde Nero surnamed the tyraunt Caligula his sisters sonne moste like his owne sonne for that he was knowen to be nought with Agrippina his sister Neros mother this Emperour past Caligula his vnckle in all excesse of glotonie and dronkennes wasting spendyng with strumpets and queanes consuming daie night with riotous and infamous persons vsing the cōpanie of Minstrels frequentyng feastinges and banquets accompanyng the felowship of Theues and Tyrauntes that Nero hymselfe was called the firebrande of Rome The thirde Heliogabalus the verie sincke of shame the onely rotten member of the worlde who past all the slaues of the world in prodigalitie tearyng all to péeces in brauery Precious clothes commaundyng Nauies to sink before his face in the riuer of Tyber his house with all precious odours and sweetnes his Galeries strowed ouer with Saffron his Stoole of Gold his Chamber pottes of Onix stoan his Slippers wrought with precious Margarites I will omitte to speake of his monstrous lecherie of his cruell tyranny of other prodigious and terrible actes but let the learned reade Suetonius of Heliogabalus life let the vnlearned iudge of his life by his death who beyng kilde on a Iakes and throwen to the Riuer Tiber lest any ofspryng might succéede hym the Citizins of Rome through his mother Scemides aliue to beare hym companie for that shee brought vp suche a Gulfe of mischief I am amazed to thynk wherin the wide world I might finde his mate bicause that all writers doe agree that in excesse and dronkennesse only for that fault Alexander the great the conquirour of the whole worlde is much defamed I am vrged amongest so many vertues that Alexander had this onely filthy and abhominable vice to note wherin he had great delight makyng certen garlands and braue Crownes of Gold appointyng greate gifts and rewardes for them that excelled in drinkyng Calanus when he should die at the gorgeous pompe of his funerall and solemne exequies he desired Alexander to make a memoriall of his death by some sacrifice of drinkyng whiche Alexander accomplished made three Garlands of pure golde the best valued lxxx poundes The seconde .xxx. Pounde The thirde .x. Pounde And then prepared a sumptuous feaste with suche Diriges of drinkyng for Calanus that Alexander wan the beste and first Garlande Promachus the seconde ▪ The third a hundred made claime by lawe Thus Alexander hauyng such felicitie in dronkennesse Androcides a gentleman of Greece wrote vnto Alexander being in Babilon perceiuing the prone and propensed mind of this Prince to win a letter wherein was a Table written one with this little Sentence in letters of Golde Remember Alexander when thou doest drink wine that thou doest drinke the blood of the yearth he neuer hurted any but in his wine famous in al things infamous in that exteemed and honoured of all in all thinges lothed and abhorred in that thyng in all the world Such crueltie he shewed in dronkennesse that hee slue his owne sisters brother Clitus killed Calisthenes his philosopher and councelour murthered his deere frende Lisimachus Cambises kyng of Persea and Father vnto Cirus the greate suche tyrannie he woulde commit in dronkennesse as beyng either spoken or counceled hee woulde rewarde with death and tormentes At what tyme Praxaspes one of his councelours willed hym to abstaine from wine
their answeares vnto diuers questions vnto them propounded Bias dwellyng in the Citie of Prienna after the citie by Nutinenses was destroied Bias escaped and went to Athens whose Poesie was Maximus improborum numerus he willed all yong men in their youth to trauaill for knowledge and commaundeth oulde men to embrase wisedome This Bias beeyng demaunded what was the difficulst thing in the worlde he saide to suffer stoutly the mutabilitie of fortune beyng demaunded what was the infamoust death that might happen vnto man to bee condempned saide he by lawe beyng asked what was the sweetest thyng vnto manne hope saide he what beast was most hurtfull amongest wild beastes a Tyraunt saide Bias and amongeste tame beastes a flatterer and beyng demaunded what thyng it was that feared nothyng in all the world good conscience saide he And againe in the second Olimpiad the Philosophers demaunded other Questions as who was most infortunate in the world the impacient man saide Bias What is moste harde to iudge debates betwéene frendes what is most harde to measure he answered tyme that hauyng fully answered to diuers other questions Bias was allowed one of the seauen wise men of Gréece Chilo the second of the Sages beyng borne in Myâ—tilena beyng asked what was the best thyng in all the world answered euery man to coÌ„sider his owne state And againe beyng demaunded what beast is most dangerous he saide of wilde beastes a Tyraunt of tame beastes a flatterer beyng asked what is most acceptable vnto manne he saide tyme and beyng asked of the Gréeke Myrsilas what was the greatest wonder that he sawe he saide an olde man to be a Tyraunte these with diuers other questions was he asked of the Greeke his Poesie was Nâ— quid nimis The thirde was Chilo the Lacedemonian beyng demaunded what was a difficult thing to man to dooe he answered either to keepe silence or so suffer iniuries what was most difficulst being asked of hym he saide for a man to knowe hym self and therfore he vsed this Poesie Nosce teipsum This Chilo beyng of Aesopus demaunded what did Iupiter in Heauen he saide he doth throwe doune loftie and proude thinges and hee doeth exalte humble and méeke thinges Solon the Athenian had this shorte Sentence in his mouthe Nosce teipsum knowe thy selfe for in knowyng and consideryng what we are how vile we are wee shall haue lesse occasion ministred vnto vs to thinke well of our selues for there is nothyng good nor bewtifull in man as Solon beyng asked of kyng Cressus sittyng on his Stoole of state with princely Robes bedect with Pearles and Precious stones whether euer he sawe a more bewtifull sight then Kynge Cirus sittyng in his maiestie at that tyme to whom Solon answered and saide that he sawe diuers birddes more gaie to beholde then Cirus and beyng demaunded of Cirus what birds were they Solon saide the little Cocke the Peacocke and the Feasaunt whiche are dect with naturall garmentes and bewtified with naturall colours This Solon was wonte to saie I waxe dailie olde learnyng muche hee noted nothyng so happie in manne as to liue well that the same might die well appliyng the cause vnto the affect as to liue well then to die well If I shoulde molest the reader with the sage saiynges of Cleobulus Thales Periander and others tending onely for the amendmente of life and readines of death I should seme tedious here were a place to induce diuers and sundrie examples of death HAd Greke Calisthenes silence kept had Neuius spared speache Had Theocritus busie braine offended not his leache Calesthenes had not loste his life nor Theocritus died Ne in Maetellus wrathe so long had Neuius poet abide The soundst reward the surest gifte should Memmius haue in th ende Had he to Caesar nothyng saied that Caesar might offende But as I feare Chirilus stripes and dreade Aristos draught So with Antilochus to write I am to some Lisander taught Some carpyng Crete some peuishe Pan and some of Colax kinde Some of Gnatho schoole will scanne some flaâ—trie here to finde I will not haulte with Clisophus I loue not Curiâ— stile I hate Philoxenus forged faithe Aristippus phraise to file But with Sinaetes persean poore with Cirus water craue Her princely pardone on my knee with Cirill Poete haue Who to auoide Charibdis gulfe I fall in Scillas bande To seeke to shunne Semphlagades I sinke in Sirtes sande With wearied winges of Icarus with Phaoetons charge in hande Moste like Actaeon bounde before her noble grace I stande No Momus maie Minerua saile no Phaaeton Phebus charge No wilfull winges of Icarus maie Dedalus flight discharge Therefore yea Goddes that guide the globes the glisteryng glaryng skie The whirlyng spheares the firmamente and poales of heauens hie You starrie states and imps of Ioue your graces thre attende Approche in place Pierides my vaine in verse to bende Eche pilgrime Prince in prose is paste eche Quene must now in vearse Haue honour due and fame deserude the heauens hie to pearce Whose praise shall pearce the clusteryng cloudes and skale the empire skie Whose thunderyng clanges of bruted fame on yearth shall neuer die Eche passyng pearles Prince in place from stooles of states redounde Whom birdes abrode on brakes doe bragge their praise in skies to sounde WhoÌ„ whirlyng windes and whispering woods whoÌ„ brauling brokâ— aduauÌ„ce Whose ecchos shrill of fliyng fame through surging seas doe launce Who ruled people proude and fierce and nations stoute subdued That widdowes were and virginâ— Quenes with wisedome greate endued Who readeth not Zinobias fame who doeth not Mesa knowe Who heareth not of Sabas name that any where doeth goe What worthie actes what famous feactes what vertues rare were sene When noble Kyng Mausolus died in Artemesia Queen The noble Quene Semiramis Kyng Ninus famous wife Did rule Assiria saffe and sounde when Ninus loste his life When Constant Emperour died â–ª his wife no lesse ther loue did lâ—ue Then pearle Penelope had in Grece or Romaine Lucrece haue Emongest the Illireans to Teuca then suche worthie name did chaunce â–ª As in Arcadia Atlanta did her noble fame aduaunce Quene Dido ruled Carthage coste Helerna Tibur braue As sometyme did Cloelia the Romaine scepter saue Why seeke I thus to shunne the snares and shifte with verses ofte Sithe praise of force must presse the place where wisedome rules a lofte A Prince of porte in silence kepte that doeth expecte the ende Whose rule and roiall race by course nedes not in bookes be pende In whom the Muses builde their bowres the graces make their forte With whom Sibilles sages sitte and sacred Nimphes resorte Who Iudith like with threatnyng swearde Holofernus mates to spoile A seconde Susan sure she is all Iudges false to foile An other faithfull Sara sadde with Aesters mace in hande In prinsely place Rebecca like to rule her natiue lande She in triumphant seate doeth sitte with Laurell leaues bee decte With Oliue braunches braue on heade that doo his fame detect This
an idle ietter in the streetes an vnlearned poore man made riche vppon a soddayne Thrée kinde of things shall neuer enioy the fruites of their trauayles Séede sowen vpon the Sea bancks hée that doth good vnto euyll men and hée that iudgeth that hée serueth God well when afflictions and calamities constrayneth him so to do Againe thrée sortes of men do alwayes want wyt and are quite voyde of reason Hée that trusteth lyes he that can not conuince his wrath and he that eateth much and doth nothing These thrée kinde of men sée nothing The blinde without eyes the foole without discretion and he that is delighted with worldly pleasure without feare of death And thrée kindes of men that be deaffe and heare nothing The first is he that dayly heareth godly sayings mendeth not the second is he that is geuen to filthy talke and to heare slaunder the thirde is he that is desirous to heare the secretes of all men Thâ—se men though they heare yet are deaffe for that they heare not good things There be foure such slippery wayes that no man can stande on but alwayes fall The first vpon moysty places the seconde vpon slippery Ise the thirde vpon glory and ambition and the fourth vpon the beauty of a woman There be sixe thinges that wyll neuer hide them selues A scab in the hande a cough in a feast an awle in a bagge a strumpet in a window pouerty in pride and wantounesse in lust There is no societie betwéene fiue thinges Betwéene the Woolfe and the Lambe betwéene light and darknesse betwéene life and death betwéene godlinesse and wickednesse betwéene a fréende and a flatterer Thrée thinges to no effect To holde water in a Sieue to runne after fowles of the ayre and to wéepe after the death of any man A man ought not to brag of thrée thinges Of good Wine lest any man bée allured thereby to askâ— of it of the beautie of his wife lest men burne in desire towarde the same of his wealth and substaunce lest théeues wyll spoyle the same The two greatest victoryes is to ouercome a good man in good déedes and to ouercome him selfe in euill motions Kéepe thy eares from other mens secretes thy eyes from other mens writings and thy handes from other mens purses Sixe things are alwayes mutable The fauour of Princes the loue of a woman the chaunce of Dice hunting of Fowles Time and the spring of Flowers Foure necessary things in a house A Chimney a Hen a Cat and a good wife These fiue things are rare séene A faire young woman without louers a young man without mirth an olde vsurer without money a great Faer without théeues and a fat Barne without Mise Thou shalt neuer finde trueth in an hypocrite faith in a flatterer sobrietie in a drunkarde vertue in the slouthfull nor money with the prodigall Trueth is often vttered by fiue kinde of persons by a child by a foole by a dronkard by a slaunderer and by him that sléepeth There be .iij. kindes of fréendship The one amongst philosophers learned men by knowledge the other amongst coÌ„mon men by mutual society help the thirde amongst beastes by pleasure and copulation The misery of men are knowen and séene by foure meanes By death by vexation of minde by griefe of body and by wrong iudgement I wyll not molest the reader with many of these which are as it were in repeating al that might here be spoken to count the waues of the Seas to sow séede in the Sea to speake vnto the deaffe I thought thus much to write â—o solace the reader with briefe sentences Examples of iustice A Skilfull Painter beholding an excéeding fayre Image wanting onelye eyes and handes thought to shew his cunning therein and taking his pencell in hande to paint handes and eyes correspondent vnto the other members An other perceyuing the Painter to go about to make vp that which wanted sayde these wordes Si manus affuerit latro si lumina scortum fiet si neutrum virgo premis erit If you make handes he will be a théefe if you make eyes he will be an adulterer hauing neyther eyes nor handes no offences are committed A Théefe bounde himselfe apprentice with the Deuill vpon condicion that in necessitie and great daunger hée shoulde helpe him and ayde him The théefe béeing taken and brought before the Iudge was condemned to die did often call for the Diuell to helpe him according vnto his promise to whome the Deuill at length appeared gaue him a great masse or wedge of golde saying Giue this to the Iudge and desire him to shew thée friendeshippe accordinglie The théefe being gladde hereof thought it long eare he could priuilye speake with the Iudge to whome secretly he deliuered this wedge of golde saying I pray you shewe me such fauor as this gift deserueth supposing it to be the wedge of golde the Iudge priuilie loking what the théefe gaue him in his hande perceyuing a halter to be there the iudge turning him a side vnto the théefe sayd forsooth it shall be done without tarying and commaunded straight with that haulter which the théefe gaue him to hange him THe Emperour Trayan with his armie passing vnto warres a poore Widdowe méeting him in the way â—rauing iustice at his hand for that his sonne did hurt hir son that he was not able to do his mother seruice as before to whome the Emperor sayd that at his returne from wars she shoulde haue iustice but the widdowe replyed and sayd what and if you neuer returne from wars shall I neuer haue iustice the Emperour sayde my successor shall vse iustice to you the Widdowe aunswered there is no man in my debt but the Emperour Trayan which if hée go to warres without dooing of Iustice before with mée and with all men hee sinneth much against heauen earth which wordes caused the Emperour to giue his owne sonne to serue the Widdowe in lewe of the others seruice ¶ Examples of Vsury A Certen Usurer hearing a Preacher in his sermon saye that the Deuill will carie all Uusrers vpon his barke to hell departed out of the church disdainefully and met one of his owne friendes in the streate to whom he tolde what the preacher sayde in Pulpet of Usurers yea sayde his friende come backe with mée againe vnto the Church and I will make him recant of his saying when they both came vnto the Church this man demaunded of the preacher whether he spake such words of Usurers that the Deuill would â—arie them all vpon his backe vnto hell the Preacher confessed and sayd yea that is a lie sayd hée the Diuell wil not do them such reuerence to beare Usurers on his backe but hée will hale and lugge them in chaines after him like slaues vnto hell AN other Usurer being deade no man would beare his corpes to be buried by the law of that Citie but such as were of his owne facultie all the iust good men
of the Citie could not heaue vp the coffin at length came foure of his owne science I meane Usurers and easilie tooke vp the Coffin and bare it to whome one of the Cittie sayd Beholde foure Diuels can carie the fift easilie and being brought to church the Priest knowing his lewde life and wickednesse sayd that he shoulde not be buried in the Churche for that the Churche is the house of God and not a graue for wicked men his friendes caried him vnto the â—ye way thinking to make his graue there there the Kinges officers withstoode that and sayde that the Kings hie waie was not méete to bury any man In striuing betwéene them selues the Deuill appeared and sayde If they woulde giue leaue he would beare him vnto a méete place they being well contented therewith the Diuell tooke him out of sight and buried him where he vseth to burie in his chiefe Chappell in hell AN Usurer dying in suche a countrye as was not lawfull to burie any man without some commendations of his life béeing a long time stayed without buriall for that no man knewe howe to prayse him A Barbour at length sayde surely I prayse this man for one thing I neuer saw softer heares to shaue then this man was woont to haue by this commendation of the Barbour he was buried hauing according vnto the custome that Epitaph vpon his graue ¶ Examples of honour SInce money sayde Seneca possest the seate of honour true honour was banished A certen King being enuied of his nobles because he much estéemed poore men therefore willyng to shew his nobles and counsellours the difference betwéene one man and another caused two Coffers to bée made in one place in the one hée did put great substaunce and wealth and couered the same with a simple or ragged couer in the other hée put nothing in but couered it with cloth of golde and precious vesture called his counsellours and nobles before him demaunded of them which was the better Coffer they iudgyng the braue and gorgeous Coffer much to excell the other the King laughing at their folly opened both the Coffers and sayd Beholde howe much you estéeme the outwarde man and howe litle you regarde the inwarde vertues AMongst the Romanes was certâ—n discorde or variaunce betwéene two families the one called Columnenses the other named Vrsini The common people vnderstanding the familie of Columnenses to be of greater honour and of more power and wealth than Vrsini were cryed out with the stronger part as they had thought with these sayings Viuant Columnenses moriantur Vrsini But being conuicted by the simpler sort by the familie of Vrsini and throwne vnto subiection The next fielde the people cryed cleane contrary to their first crye saying Viuant Vrsini moriantur Columnenses But then according vnto fortunes custome the victors before were vanquished then which when the people saw in the thirde cumbat fraryng the slippery state of honour cryed out Viuant qui vincant naming neither of the families but where it woulde happen honour and victory there to extell and commende Euen like the Lion when hée waxeth olde hée is of all beastes that honoured him before despised and hated And when hée is in force and strength he is feared and obeyed of all other beastes ¶ Examples of enuie TWo seruauntes in seruice with one man hauing obtayned of their maister that whatsoeuer they woulde aske they shoulde haue it vpon condition that what the first demaunded that should bée double vnto the last These seruauntes being felowes the one being couetous woulde not aske first for that the other shoulde haue twise as much the other being enuious wylled for very enuye vnto his felowe that one of his eyes should be pulled out that both his felowes eyes might be put out also according vnto promise made And thus the maister knowyng the natures of couetousnes enuy like a wise Philosopher promised that liberally in worde which he knew should not be hurtfull or chargeable in déede A Poore man after the like sort willyng to beare certen fruites vnto Frederick the Emperour that the Emperor was woont to loue well The Porter being couetous said vnto the poore man that he would not suffer him to come within the gates without hée would promise him halfe the gaine that the Emperour would giue him the poore man being vrged to demaund some benifits for his good wil of the Emperor vnderstanding that halfe the gaine must be giuen according vnto hys promise vnto the Porter for very enuie asked in a gift of the Emperour a hundred stripes that the Porter being so couetous shoulde receyue the halfe hundred the Emperour Frederick knowing well the matter made the Porter to be well laide on for his couetousnesse and the man that brought the fruites for his enuie somewhat gently to be handled ANother example how two fellowes seruing one man one of them being enuious vnto y e other for â—hat his mayster made much of him perswaded with his fellowe that his breath did stincke and that his maister might not abide the smell thereof the young man being loth to displease his Lorde at any time when hée gaue his mayster his cuppe to drinke did turne awaye his face least his breath shoulde annoy his Mayster and tolde his Mayster likewise that no man coulde abide his fellowes breath and that he willed his Mayster to marke him when hée reacheth him the cuppe how hée turned his face awaye his mayster the next time vnderstanding howe hée turned his face a side when hée gaue him drinke consulted with his other seruaunt what he shoulde doe hée being full of enuie toward his fellow councelled his Mayster to send him vpon some message vnto certen Colliers in the woode which burned wood to make coales sending word vnto them that the first man that should come vnto them the next they shoulde throwe him into the fire this man caused hys Maister to call his fellow very earely to go to the wood and being sent hauing occasion to staye in a certayne Church by the waye all seruice time the enuious Seruant came after very gladde of the chaunce thinking his fellowe had béene gone a long time before and that hée was throwne into the fire as his mayster willed came first him self vnto the place where he himselfe tasted of that sauce which hée had prouided for his felow ¶ Examples of couetousnesse A Rich man very penciue and sad taking thought who shoulde possesse his wealth after his death being a very couetous man hard a voice saying thy goodes shall Troilardus the Kitchin Boye haue and also thy wife and so cleane contrarie vnto couetous expectation thinges happen as one a couetous man dyd hide in a Church a great potte besought God alwayes in his prayers that he shoulde not die before he had filde that pot with money which prayer obtayned hée dyed leauing the potte full of money behinde him An other marying his wife and finding by chaunce this money
Fulgosius of that noble Vitellius who after he had vanquished and slaine diuers nobles and shewed greate wronges vnto the Emperour Otho and vnto Sabinus brother vnto Vespasian the Emperour beyng in feare of his life by Vespasian and being taken by the souldiors he besought leste he should die presently he might bee kepte saufe in prison vntill he might sée and speake with Vespasian the Emperour Suche was his feare that he did hide hym self in a chest like a wretch leste vpon a sodaine he should die So fearfull was Caligula and Caesar of death euery where that he would neuer goe abroade at any Lightenynges or Thonder but with his heade couered with all kinde of thynges whiche mighte resiste the violence of Thounders and Lightenynges Misa kyng of the Moabites and Ioram kyng of Iewrie beyng besieged by the enemies and in daunger of death thei inuented all giles all policies and inuentions right or wronge to saue life thei sacrificed their children to mitigate the rage of the Goddes leste thei should die The loue that diuers had vnto life and the feare the same self had vnto death were to bee noted worthily consideryng howe sore men are vexed with the fear of death ▪ Antemō was so desirous to liue and so fearfull to die that skante would he trauaill out of his house abrode any where and if he wer compelled to goe abrode he would haue twoo of his seruauntes to beare ouer his heade a greate brasen Targatte to defende hym from any thyng whiche mighte happen to doe hym hurte Theagenes in like sorte would not goe out of his house without he had consulted with the Image of Hecates to knowe what should happen to him that daie and to vnderstande whether he might escape death or no Commodus the Emperoure would neuer truste any Barbour to shaue his bearde lest his throte should bee cutte of Masinissa kyng of Numidia would rather committe his state and life vnto Dogges then vnto men as his garde to keepe and defende hym from death To speake of Bion of Domitianus of Dionisius of Pisander of thousandes more whiche so feared death that their chief care and studie was how thei might auoide the same The feare of death causeth the soonne to forsake the father the mother to renoūce the doughter the one brother to deny an other and one frende to forsake the other In so muche Christ himself was forsaken of his Disciples for feare of death Peter denied him and all the reste fledde from hym and all for feare of death Behold therefore how fearfull some are how ioyfull others are How lothsome some how willyng others haue been to die Some desperately die beyng wearie of life As Sabinus Iuba Cleomenes some hangyng thē self some burnyng them selues some drouning thē selues thus with one desperat ende or other thei died But fith euery man muste die it were reason that euerie man should prepare to die for to die wel is nothing els but to liue again Wherfore certen Philosophers of India called Gymnosophistae beyng of Alexander the great cōmaunded to certain hard questiōs whiche if thei could absolue they should liue otherwise thei should die the eldeste of their cōpanie was made a iudge in that matter by the said Alexander The first question was demaunded to know whether there wer more liuing or dead to the whiche the first philosopher saied that the quicke are more in nomber for that the dead haue no being no place no nōber The second question was whether the lande engendered more or the Sea to this answered the second philosopher and said the Land did engender more for that the Sea was but a portion of the Lande The thirde question was to knowe what beast was most subtill that beast answered the thirde Philosopher that man can not discerne Fourthly it was demaunded why they beeyng Philosophers were so induced to perswade the Sabians to rebellion bicause saide the Philosopher it is better to die manfully then to liue miserablie The fifte question was whether the daie was made before the night or the night before the day to the which it was answered the daie The sixte was to vnderstande howe Alexander the greate hym selfe might get good will of the people in shewyng saied the sixte Philosopher thy self not terrible vnto the people The seuenth to aske was whether life or death wer stronger and it was answered life The eight was to knowe howe longe a manne should liue vntill saied the eight Philosopher a manne thinketh death better then life The last question was proposed of Alexander to knowe how might a mortall man be accompted in the nomber of the Gods In dooyng greater thynges saide all the Philosophers then man is able to dooe For that they knewe this proude Prince would be a GOD and that he would learne of the sage Philosophers how he might voide mortalitie he was answered sharpely for that hee should knowe hym to be a man and beyng a manne he should make himself readie to die for death is the rewarde of sinne and death is the beginnyng of life againe vnto the good as Aulus Posthumius in an Oration whiche he made vnto his Souldiours said It is geuen both to good and bad to die but to die Godly and gloriously is onely geuen vnto good men For so Hector speaking in Homer said vnto his wife Andromacha that she should not be sory for his death sith all men must die Though some with the Galathians dooe contempne death that thei fighte naked and are perswaded with the Pythagoreans that they shall neuer die but passyng from one bodie vnto another yet some die ioyfully as the brethren of Policrita beyng taken captiue by Diognitus ▪ Emperour of Milesia she beyng vsed verie ill at the Emperours hands did sende Letters to Naxus vnto hir brethren at what tyme the people of Milesia were Feastyng Drinkyng and Banquetyng at their greate solemne feast Then the brethren of Policrita came and found the Emperour drinkyng and all his people ouer charged with wine slue the most parte of theim prisoned a nomber and brought their sister home to Naxus where assone as they came home died for Ioye of the victorie Euen as Philarchus somtime in his great triūphe criyng out O happie howres and ioifull daies was taken in suche a Feuer that brake his vaines at that verie instaunt for gladnes He is coumpted moste wise that knoweth hymself To ioye to muche in prosperitie to be aduaunced and extolled when fortune fauours without all feare of ill happes to come is follie To be vanquished and subdued in aduersite without hope of solace and goodnes to come is méere madnesse Therefore the Sages and Wisemen knowyng that death was the last line of life did endeuour in their liues how they might die well briefly for examples of liues I meanes to note fewe sentences of these wisemen whiche they vsed as their Poesies and thought good to shewe