Esay telleth before of the captiuitie of the Iewes and their restoryng by Cyrus which was borne an hundreth yeares after the deathe of Esay and wheras Ierâ—my before the people were led away apointeth their exile to continew thréescore and ten yeares Whereas Ieremy and Ezechiel béeinge farre distaunt in places the one from the other doe agrée in all theire sayings Where Daniel telleth of things to come sixe hundreth yeares after These are most certeyne proues to establish the authoritie of the bookes of the Prophets the simplycitie of the speach of the first thrée Euaungelysts conteyninge heauenlye mysteries the prayse of Iohn thundring from on high with weyghty sentences the heauenlye maiestie shininge in the writings of Peter and Paule the sodayne callyng of Mathew from the receipte of custome the callyng of Peter and Iohn from their fisher boates to the preaching of the Gospell the conuersion and callyng of Paule béeing an enemy to the Apostleshippe are signes of the holye Ghost speaking in them The consent of so many ages of so sundrye nations and of so diuers mindes in embracing the Scriptures and the rare godlynesse of some oughte to establish the authoritie thereoff amongst vs Also the bloude of so many Martyrs which for the confession thereoff haue suffred deathe with a constant and sober zeale are vndoubted testimonyes of the truthe and authoritie of the Scriptures The myracles that Moses recounteth are suffient to perswade vs that God yea the God of hoastes sette downe the Scriptures For this that hée was carryed in a clowde vpp into the mountayne that there euen vntill the fortith daye he continued without the companye of men That in the verye publyshinge of the lawe his face did shine as it were besette with Sunne beames that lyghteninges flashed rounde about that thunder and noyses were eache where hearde in the ayre that a Trompette sownded being not sownded with any mouth of man. That the entry of the Tabernacle by a clowde set betweene was kepte from the sighte of the people that his authoritie was so miraculously reuenged with the horrible destruction of Chorah Dathan and Abiron and all that wicked faction that the rocke stroken with a rodde did by and by powre foorthe a ryuer that at his prayer it rayned Manna from Heauen Dyd not God héerein commend him from Heauen as an vndoubted Prophet Nowe as touchinge the tyrannye of Antiochus which commaunded all the bookes to be burned héerein GODS singuler prouidence is séene which hath alwayes kepte his woorde boâ—h from the mightye that they coulde neuer extinguishe the same and from the mallitious that they coulde neuer diminish it Ther were diuers copyes which god of his great goodnes kept from the bloudie proclamation of Antiochus by by followed the translating of them into Greeke that they might be publyshed vnto the whole worlde The Hebrew tongue lay not onely vnestéemed but almost vnknown and surely had it not bene Gods will to haue his religioÌ„ prouided for it had altogether perished Thâ—u seest Atheos how the Scriptures come from the mouth of God are written by the finger of the Holy Ghost in the consciences of all the faythfull But if thou be so curious to aske other questions or so quarrellous to striue agaynst the truth I must aunswer thee as an olde father answered a young foole which néedes would know what God did before he made Heauen to whom he said hell for such curious inquisitors of gods secrets whose wisedome is not to be comprehended for who is he that can measure the winde or way the fire or attayne vnto the vnsearcheable iudgementes of the Lorde Besides this where the Holy Ghost hath ceased to sette downe there ought we to cease to enquire séeing we haue the sufficiencie of our saluation conteined in holy Scripture It were an absurditie in schooles if one béeing vrged with a place in Aristotle could finde none other shifte to auoyde a blancke then in doubting whether Aristotle spake such words or no. Shall it then be tollerable to denye the Scriptures hauing no other colour to auoyde an inconuenience but by doubting whether they procéede from the holy Ghost But that such doubtes aryse amonge many in our age the reason is theire lyttle faythe not the insufficient proofe of the cause Thou mayst as well demaund how I proue white to be white or blacke blacke and why it shoulde bée called white rather then gréene Such grosse questions are to be aunswered with slender reasons and such idle heades would be scoffed with adle aunsweres He that hath no motion of God in his minde no féelinge of the spirite no tast of heauenly thinges no remorce in conscience no sparke of zeale is rather to be confounded by tormentes then reasons for it is an euydent and infallible signe that the holy Ghost hath not sealed his conscience whereby hée myght crye Abba Father I coulde alledge Scripture to proue that the godly shoulde refraine from the companye of the wicked which although thou wylt not beléeue yet will it condemne thée Sainct Paul sayth I desire you brethren that you absteine from the companye of those that walke inordinatelye Agayne my sonne iâ— sinners shall flatter thée gyue no eare vnto them flye from the euill and euils shall flye from thée And surely were it not to confute thy detestable heresie and bringe thée if it might be to some taste of the holy Ghost I would abandon all place of thy abode for I thincke the grounde accursed whereon thâ—u standest Thine opinions are so monstrous that I cannot tell whether thou wylte cast a doubt also whether thou haue a soule or no whiche if thou doe I meane not to wast winde in prouing that which thine infidellitie wyll not permit thée to beléeue for if thou hast as yet felt no tast of the spirit working in thée then sure I am that to proue the immortallitie of the soule were bootelesse if thou haue a secrete féelinge then it were néedlesse And God graunt thée that glowinge and sting in conscience that thy soule may witnesse to thy selfe that there is a liuing God and thy heart shed drops of bloud as a token of repentance in that thou hast denied that God and so I coÌ„mit thée to God and that which I cannot do with any perswasion I wil not leaue to attempt with my prayer Atheos Nay stay a while good Euphues leaue not him perplexed with feare whom thou maist make perfect by faith For now I am brought into such a double doubtfull distresse that I knowe not howe to tourne mée if I beléeue not the Scriptures then shall I be damned for vnbeliefe if I beléeue them then I shall be confounded for my wycked lyfe I knowe the whole course of the Bible which if I shoulde beléeue then must I also beléeue that I am an abiect For thus sayth Heli to his sonnes if man sin againe man God can forgiue it if against God who shall entreate for him â—e that
vnto the deathe tarry héere and watch and agayne father if it be possible lette this cuppe passe from mée Remember how he was crowned with thornes crucified with théeues scourged and hanged for thy saluation how hée swette water and bloude for thy remission how he endured euen the torments of the damned spirites for thy redemption how he ouercame death that thou shouldst not dye how he conquered the Diuell that thou mighâ—est not be damned When thou shalt record what he hath done to purchase thy fréedome how canst thou dreade bondage When thou shalt beholde the agonyes and anguish of minde that he suffered for thy sake how canst thou doubte of the release of thy soule When thy Sauiour shall be thy Iudge why shouldest thou tremble to heare of iudgement When thou hast a continuall Mediator with God the father howe canst thou distrust of his fauour Turne therefore vnto Christ with a willyng hearte a waylyng minde for thy offences who hath promised that at what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes he shal be forgiuen who â—alleth al those that are heauie laden that they might be refreshed who is the dore to them that knocke the waye to them that séeke the truthe the rocke the corner stone the fulnesse of time it is he that can will poure oyle into thy wounds Who absolued Marie Magdalene from hir sinnes but Christ Who forgaue the théefe his robbery and manslaughter but Christ Who made Mathew the Publycane and tollgatherer an Apostle and Preacher but Christ Who is that good shepehearde that fetcheth home the straye shéepe so louingly vppon his shoulders but Christ Who receiued home the lost sonne was it not Christ Who made of Saul a persecuter Paul an Apostle was it not Christ I passe ouer diuers other histories both of the olde and new Testament which do aboundantly declare what great comâ—orte the faithfull penitent sinners haue alwayes had in hearing the comfortable promises of Gods mercy Canst thou then Atheos distrust thy Christ who reioyceth at thy repentaunce Assure thy selfe that through his passion and bloudshedding death hath lost his sting the Diuill his victory and that the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst thée Lette not therefore the bloude of Christ be shed in vayne by thine obstinate and harde hearte Let this perswasion rest in thée that thou shalt receiue absolution fréely and then shalt thou féele thy soule euen as it were to hunger and thirst after rightuousnes Atheos Well Euphues séeing the Holy Ghost hath made thée the meane to make me a man for before the tast of the gospell I was worse then a beast I hope the same spirite wil also lyghten my conscience with his word confirme it to the ende in constancie that I may not only confesse my Christ faithfully but also preach him fréely that I may not only be a Minister of his word but also a Martir for it it be his pleasure O Euphues howe much am I bound to the goodneâ—â— almightie god which hath made me of an infidell a beléeuer of a castaway a Christian of an heathenly Pagan an heauenly Protestant O how comfortable is the féelyng tast of grace how ioyfull are the glad tidings of the Gospell the faithfull promises of saluation the frée redemption of the soule I will endeauour by all meanes to confute those damnable I know not by what names to terme them but blasphemers I am sure which if they be no more certeinly they can be no lesse I sée now the ods betwixt light darkenes faith frowardnes Christ Belial be thou Euphues a witnes of my faith séeing thou hast ben the instrument of my beliefe and I will pray that I shewe it in my lyfe As for thée I accompt my selfe so much in thy debt as I shal neuer be able with the losse of my life to reÌ„der thée thi due but god which rewardeth the zeale of al men wil I hope blesse thee I wil pray for thée Eu. O Atheos little is the debt thou owest me but great is the comfort that I haue receiued by thée Giue the praise to God whose goodnesse hath made thée a member of the mysticall body of Christe and not onely a brother with his sonne but also a coheriter with thy Sauiour There is no heart so hard no heathen so obstinate no miscreaunt or Infidell so impious that by grace is not made as supple as oyle as tractable as a shéepe as faithfull as any The Adamant though it be so harde that nothinge can bruse it yet if the warme bloude of a Goate be poured vpon it it bursteth euen so although the heart of the Atheist and vnbeléeuer be so hard that neither reward nor reuenge can mollyfie it so stout that no perswasion can breake it yet if the grace of God purchased by the bloude of Christe doe but once towch it it renteth in sunder and is enforced to acknowledge an omnipotent and euerlasting Iehoua Lette vs therefore both Atheos I will not nowe call thée but Theophilus fly vnto that Christ which hath through his mercy not our merits purchased for vs the enheritaunce of euerlasting lyfe ¶ Certeine Letters writ by Euphues to his friendes Euphues to Philautus IF the course of youth had any respect to the staffe of age or the liuing man any regarde to the dying moulde we would with greater â—are wheÌ„ we were young shunne those things which should griue vs when we be olde and wyth more seueritie direct the sequele of our lyfe for the feare of present death But such is eyther the vnhappinesse of mans condition or the vntowardnesse of his crolâ—ed nature or the wilfulnesse of his minde or the blindnesse of his heart that in youth he surfiteth wyth delightes preuenting age or if he liue continueth in dotage â—orgetting death It is a world to sée how in our flourishing tyme when we best may we be worst willing to thriue And howe in fadinge of our dayes when we moste shoulde we haue least desire to remember our ende Thou wilt muse Philaâ—tus to here Euphues to preach who of late had more minde to serue his Ladye then to worshippe his Lorde Ah Philantus thou art now a Courtier in Italy I a scholler in Athens and as hard it is for thée to follow good counsayle as for me to enforce thée séeing in thée there is little will to amend and in mée lesse authoritie to commaunde yet will I exhort thée as a friende I woulde I myght compell thée as a Father But I haue heard that it is peculier to an Italian to stande in hys owne conceite and to a courtier neuer to be controlde which causeth me to feare that in thée which I lament in others That is that either thou séeme to wise in thine owne opinion thinking scorne to be taught or to wilde in thine attempts in reiecting admonishmeÌ„t The one procéedeth of selfe loue and so thy name importeth the other of méere
folly and that thy nature sheweth thou lookest I should craue pardon for speaking so boldly no Philautus I meane not to flatter thee for then shoulde I incurre the suspition of â—rawde neither am I determined to fall out with thée for theÌ„ might the wise conuince me of folly But thou art in great credite in the court what then shall thy credit with the Emperour abate my courage to my God or thy hauty lookes quench my kindled loue or the gallant shew aslake my good wil hath the courtier any prerogatiue aboue the clowne why hée should not be reprehended doth his highe callinge not onely gyue hym a commision to sinne but remission also if he offend doth his preheminence in the court warrant him to oppresse the poore by might and acquite him of punishment No Philantus By how much the more thou excellest others in honors by so muche the more thou oughtest to excéede them in honestie the higher thy calling is the better ought thy conscience to bée and as farre it beséemeth a gentleman to be from pryde as hée is from pouertie and as néere to gentlenesse in condition as hée is in bloude but I will descende wyth thee to perticulers It is reported héere for a troth that Philautus hath giuen ouer himselfe to all deliciousnesse desiringe rather to be dandled in the laps of Ladyes then busied in the studye of good letters And I woulde thys were all which is to much or the rest a lye which is to monstrous It is nowe in euerye mans mouth that thou yea thou Philautus art so voyde of curtesie that thou hast almost forgotten common sence and humanitie hauinge neither care of religion a thing to common in a courtier neither regarde of honestie or any vertuous behauiour Oh Philautus dost thou lyue as thou shouldest neuer dye and laugh as thou shouldest neuer mourne art thou so simple that thou doste not know from whence thou camest or so sinfull that thou carest not whether thou goest what is in thée that shoulde make thée so secure or what can there be in any that may cause him to glorye Milo that great wrastler beganne to wéepe when he sawe his armes brawnefallen and weake saying strength strength is but vanitie Helen in hir newe glasse viewing hir olde face with a smyling countenaunce cryed Beautie where is thy blaze Craesus with all his wealth Aristotle with all his wit all men with all their wisdome haue and shall perish and tourne to dust But thou delightest to haue the newe fashion the Spanish felte the French ruffe thy crewe of ruâ—sians all thine attire misshapen to make thée a monster and all thy time mispent to shewe thée vnhappy what should I goe about to decipher thy life séeinge the beginning sheweth the ende to bée naught Art not thou one of those Philautus which sekest to win credite with thy superiors by flatterye and wring out wealth from thy inferiors by force vndermine thy equals by frawde dost thou not make the court not onely a couer to defend thy selfe froÌ„ wrong but a colour also to commit iniurie Art not thou one of those that hauing gotten on their sléeue the cognisaunce of a courtier haue shaken from thy skirtes the regard of curtesie I cannot but lament I would I might remedy the great abuses that raigne in the eies of the Emperour I feare me the Poet say to truely Exeat aula qui vult esse pius virtus summa potestas non coeunt Is not pietie tourned all to pollicie faith to foresight rigor to Iustice doth not he best thriue the worst deserueth he rule al the country that hath no conscience Doth not the Emperours court grow to this insolent blindnesse that all y sée not their folly they accompt fooles all that speake against it precise laughing at the simplicitie of the one threatning the boldenes of the other Philautus if thou woldest with due consideration way how farre a courtiers lyfe is from a sound beliefe thou wouldest either frame thy selfe to a new trade or els amend thine old mannors yea thou wouldest with Câ—ates leaue all thy possessions taking thy books and trudge to Athens and with Anaxagoras dispise wealth to attaine wisdome if thou haddest as great respect to dye well as thou hast care to liue wantonly thou wouldest with Socrates séeke how thou mightest yelde to death rather then wyth Aristippus search howe to prolonge thy lyfe Dost thou not know that where the trée falleth there it lyeth and euery ones deathes daye is his domes day that the whole course of lyfe is but a meditation of dâ—ath a pilgrimage a warfare Hast thou not read or dost thou not regards what is written that wée shall all bée cyted before the Tribunall seate of God to render a straight accompt of our stewardshyp if then the rewarde bée to be measured by thy merites what boote canst thou looke for but eternall paine whiche héere lyuest in continuall pleasure So shouldest thou lyue as thou mayst dye and then shalt thou dye to lyue Wert thou as strong as Sampson as wise as Salomon as holy as Dauid as faythfull as Abraham as zealous as Moses as good as any that euer lyued yet shalt thou dye as they haue done but not rise againe to lyfe with them vnlesse thou liue as they did But thou wilt say that no man ought to iudge thy conscience but thy selfe séeinge thou knowest it better then any O Philautus if thou search thy selfe and sée not sinne then is thy case almost curelesse The patient if Phisitions are to be credited coÌ„moÌ„ eâ—perieÌ„ce estemed is the néerest death wheÌ„ he thinketh himselfe past his disease the lesse griefe he féeleth the greater fits he endureth y wouÌ„d that is not searched bicause it a lyttle smarteth is fullest of dead flesh and the sooner it skinneth the sorer it festereth It is sayde that Thunder bruseth the trée but breaketh not the barke and pearceth the blade and neuer hurteth the scabberd Euen so doth sinne wounde the hearte but neuer hurte the eyes and infect the soule though outwardely it nothing afflict the body Descende therfore into thine owne conscience confesse thy sinnes reforme thy manners contemne the worlde embrace Christ leaue the courte follow thy study prefer holynesse before honour honestie before promotion relygion and vprightnesse of lyfe before the ouerlashinge desires of the flesh Resemble the Bée which out of the dryest and bitterest Time sucketh moyst swéet Honny and if thou canst out of the courte a place of more pompe then pietie sucke out the true iuice of perfection but if thou sée in thy selfe a will rather to goe forward in thy losenesse then any meane to goe backewarde if the glystering faces of fayre Ladies or the glittering shew of lustie gallaunts or courtly fare or any delycate thing séeme to entice thée to farther lewdenesse come from the court to Athens and so in shunning the causes of euill thou shalt soone
escape the effect of thy misfortune the more those things please thée the more thou displeasest God and the greater pride thou takest in sinne the greater paine thou heapest to thy soule Examine thine own conscience and sée whether thou hast done as is required if thou haue thancke the Lorde and praye for encrease of grace if not desire God to giue thée a willyng minde to attâ—yne fayth and constancie to continue to the ende Euphues to Ferardo I Salute thée in the Lord c. Although I was not so wittie to follow thy graue aduice when I first knew thée yet doe I not lacke grace to giue thée thankes since I tryed thée And if I were as able to perswade thee to patience as thou wert desirous to exhort me to pietie or as wise to comfort thee in thine age as thou willyng to instruct me in my youthe thou shouldest nowe with lesse griefe endure thy late losse and with little care leade thy aged lyfe thou wéepest for the deathe of thy daughter I laugh at the folly of the father for greater vanitie is there in the minde of the mourner then bitternesse in the deathe of the deceased but she was amyable but yet sinful but she was young might haue lyued but she was mortall and must haue dyed I but hir youth made thée often merry I but thine age should once make thée wise I but hir gréene yeres wer vnfit for death I but thy hoary haires shoulde dispise lyfe Knowest thou not Ferardo that lyfe is the gifte of God deathe the due of nature as we receiue the one for a benefitte so must we abide the other of necessitie Wisemen haue found that by learning which olde men should know by experience that in lyfe there is nothing swéet in death nothing sowre The Philosophers accompted it the chiefest felycitie neuer to be borne the second soone to die And what hath death in it so hard that we should take it so heauily is it strange to sée the cutte off which by nature is made to be cut or that melten which is fit to be melted or that burnt which is apt to be burnt or man to passe that is borne to perish But thou grauntest that she shold haue dyed yet art thou grieued that she is dead Is the death y better if the lyfe be longer no truly For as neither he that singeth most or praieth longest or ruleth the sterne oftenest but he that doth it best deserueth greatest prayse so he not that hath most yeres but many vertues nor he that hath grayest haires but greatest goodnes lyueth longest The chiefe beautie of lyfe consisteth not in the numbring of many dayes but in the vsing of vertuous doings Amongst plants those be best esteemed that in shortest time bringe forth much frute Be not the fairest flowers gathered when they be freshest the youngest beasts killed for sacrifice bicause they be finest The measure of lyfe is not length but honestie neyther do we enter into lyfe to the ende we should set downe the day of our death but therefore do we lyue that we may obey him that made vs and be willyng to dye when he shal call vs But I wil aske thée this question whether thou wayle the losse of thy daughter for thine owne sake or hirs if for thine owne sake bicause thou didst hope in thine age to recouer coÌ„fort then is thy loue to hir but for thy commoditie and therein thou art but an vnkinde father if for hirs then dost thou mistrust hir saluation and therein thou shewest thy vnconstant fayth Thou shouldst not wéepe that she hath runne fast but that thou hast gone so slowe neyther ought it to grieue thée that she is gone to hir home with a few yeares but that thou art to goe with manye But why goe I about to vse a longe processe to a little purpose The budde is blasted as soone as the blowne Rose the winde shaketh off the blossome as well as the fruite Death spareth neyther the golden locks nor the hoary head I meane not to make a treatise in the prayse of death but to note the necessitie neyther to write what ioyes they receiue that dye but to show what paynes they endure the lyue And thou which art euen in the wane of thy life whom nature hath nourished so long that now she beginneth to nod maist well know what griefes what laboures what paynes are in age yet wouldest thou be eyther young to endure many or elder to byde more But thou thinkest it honourable to goe to the graue with a gray head but I déeme it more glorious to be burted with an honest name Age sayste thou is the blessing of God yet the messenger of death Descende therfore into thine owne conscience consider the goodnesse that commeth by the ende the badnesse which was by the beginning take the death of thy daughter patiently and looke for thine owne spéedely so shalt thou perfourme both the office of an honestâ— man and the honour of an aged father and so farewell Euphues to Philautus Touching the deathe of Lucilla I Haue receiued thy letters and thou hast deceiued mine expectation for thou séemest to take more thought for the losse of an harlot then the life of an honest woman Thou writest that she was shamefull in hir trade and shamelesse in hir ende I beléeue thée it is no meruayle that she which lyuing practised sinne should dying be voyde of shame neyther coulde there be any great hope of repentaunce at the houre of death where there was no regard of honestie in time of lyfe She was stricken sodaynely béeinge troubled with no sickenesse It may be for it is commonly séene that a sinfull lyfe is rewarded with a soddayne deathe and a sweete beginning with a sowre ende Thou addest moreouer that she being in great credite with the states died in great beggerie in the stréetes certes it is an olde saying that who so lyueth in the courte shall dye in the strawe she hoped there by delyghtes to gayne money and by hir deserts purchased misery they that séeke to clyme by priuie sinne shall fall with open shame and they that couet to swimme in vice shall sinke in vanitie to their owne perilles Thou sayest that for beautie she was the Helen of Greece and I durst sweare that for beastlines she might be the Monster of Italy In my minde greater is the shame to be accompted an harlot then the praise to be estéemed amiable But where thou arte in the courte there is more regard of beautie then honestie and more are they lamented that dye viciously then they loued that liue vertuously for thou giuest as it were a sigh with all thy companions in the courtâ— séeme by thée to sound also that Lucilla béeing one of so great perfection in all partes of the body and so littlâ— pietie in the soule should be as it were snatched out of the iawes of so many young gentlemen