of thy libertie forasmuch as bonde men are made so soone not only of free men but of kynges And maruayle not at it seeyng that according to the saying of Plato Kinges are no lesse made of seruauntes humane thynges are chaunged dayly There is nothyng vnder heauen permanent who wyl hope that any thyng can be fyrme or stable in so great an vncertayntie Neyther thynke thy selfe to be a free man in this respect because thou hast no maister because thou art borne of free parentes neyther wast euer taken prysoner in warre nor solde for a slaue Ye haue inuincible maisters of your myndes and there is a secrete poyson and infection whiche lurketh in the first Original of man The generation of you in the very byrth is subiect to sinne a greater bondage then which cannot be imagined Ye haue hydden enemies and priuie warres There be same that sel miserable soules whiche alas for to small a price ye make sale of Yea some of you are subiect to outragious mistresses to wyt most fylthy pleasures whereunto you are tyde with an vndissoluble knot Goe your way now vaunt of your freedome But you beyng blynde see nothyng but that which belongeth to the body so that ye iudge hym to be bounde that is subiect to one mortal maister As for hym that is oppressed with a thousande immortall tyrantes ye accompt to be free euen finely as ye doo all other thynges Veryly it is not fortune that maketh a man free but vertue Ioy. I am a free man. Reason In deede thou art so if thou be wyse yf thou be iust if thou be valiaunt yf thou be modest if thou be innocent yf thou be godly If any of these be wantyng knowe thou that in that respect thou art bonde Ioy. I was borne in a free countrey Reason Thou hast also knowne in thine age certayne free cities which in short tyme haue become bonde But yf auncient examples be more knowne and renowmed the most free cities of Lacedemon and Athens first suffered a ciuil and afterward a forraigne yoke The holy citie of Ierusalem and the mother of euerlastyng libertie was in temperall subiection to the Romanes and the Assyrians and at this present is in captiuitie to the Egyptians Rome it selfe beyng not only a free citie but the Lady of nations was first bond to her owne citizens and after to other most vyle persons so that no man can euer trust to his owne freedome or his owne Empire Of a gloryous Countrey The xv Dialogue IOY I Was borne in a glorious countrey Reason Thou hast the more trauayle to come into the lyght For the smal starres do shyne by nyght and the Star Bootis and the day star lykewyse are dull in comparyson of the beames of the Sunne Ioy. I am a citizen of a famous countrey Reason It is wel if thou be an harborer of vertues and an enimie to vice the one of these proceedeth of fortune the other of thy selfe Ioy. My countrey is fortimate and noble Reason It skilleth much by what nobilitie For a countrey is made noble by the number of inhabitauntes by the aboundaunce of rychesse by the fertilitie of the soyle and the commoditie of situation holsome ayre cleere sprynges the sea nygh safe hauens conuenient riuers A noble countrey is commonly called suche an one as is fruitful of Wyne other commodities as corne cattayle flockes of sheepe heardes of rudder beastes mynes of golde and siluer Ye cal that a good countrey wherein are bread strong Horses fat Oxen tender Ryddes and pleasant fruites But where good men are bred ye neyther enquyre after neyther thynke it woorth the enquiryng so excellent iudges of matters ye be Howbeit only the vertue of the inhabitauntes is the chiefe commendation of a countrey And therfore dyd Virgill very wel who in describyng the Romane glory and felicitie dyd not so muche as touche one of these thynges whiche ye doo only respect but declared the mightinesse of the Citie and Empire and the valiantnesse of the peoples myndes He called them men also happy in respect of theyr chyldren and issue This is the true felicitie and nobilitie of a Citie Ioy. My countrey is famous for good Citizens Reason What if thou thy selfe be obscure But what yf thine owne fame bewray thee and bryng thee out of darknesse and leade thee abroade into the lyght thou shalt then be the sooner noted Ioy. My countrey is very famous Reason Catiline had not ben so infamous vnlesse he had ben borne in so famous a countrey Vnto Gaius and Nero there happened another heape of infamie to wit an Empyre fauour aduaunced the worlds children vnto the top of fortune that they might be the farther knowen Ioy. I lyue in a most noble countrey Reason Eyther sufferyng the contempt or enuie of many For without one of these a man cannot lyue in a great Citie the first is the safer the other the more famous euyl and the noblenesse of the countrey whereof thou speakest is cause of them both Among so many eyes there is no lurkyng Ioy. I am of a well knowen countrey Reason I had rather that thy countrey were knowen by thee then thou by thy countrey vnlesse thou glister of thy selfe what other thing will the brightnesse of thy countrey bring vnto thee but darkenesse A famous Citie hath accompted of many as obscure persons who if they had ben in the darknes of some poore corner of the countrey had been sufficiently famous and noble Ioy. My countrey is renowmed Reason It hath then it owne peculyar commendation and it taketh part also of thyne What so euer thou dooest wel the chiefe prayse thereof redowneth in a maner to thy countrey There was one that went about to ascribe Themistocles glory vnto the citie of Athens who answered very grauely and as it became suche a man to doo For when a certayne felowe called Seriphius an inhabitour of a certayne smal and obscure Ilande in heat of wordes obiected hym in the teeth that it was his countreys glory and not his owne that made hym famous Veryly answered he neyther shoulde I be obscure if I were Seriphius neyther thou be renowmed yf thou were an Athenian He trusted not to the glory of his countrey but to the glory of his owne vertue muche more manlyke then Plato although he were the greater Philosopher Howbeit sometymes in great wits there be great and wonderful errours He therefore among other thinges ascribeth the renowme of his countrey to his felicitie And that thou mayest knowe the whole mynd of this most excellent man in this respect Plato sayd that he gaue thankes for many thynges Truely this was wel sayde if so be that he vnderstood to whom and for what gyftes he should geue thankes He gaue thankes to nature First for making hym a man and not a dumbe beast of the male kind not a woman a Greeke not a Barbarian an Athenian not a Thebane lastly that he was borne in
booties The vilest thynges whiche we reave to haue been there was golde precious stones and pearles Among many other thinges there was a great Guardeuiandes of Chest wherein was great store of treasures of all sortes and colours euery one consisting of seuerall kindes both cuppes of golde and garmentes and pictures Yea there was among other thynges a Moone of massy golde of a woonderfull weight and beddes of golde and sundry crownes and garâ—andes beset with great and whyte pearles Moreouer there was a mountaine of gold the fourme whereof was foure square al beset with Hartes and Lions and figures of sundry beastes and lyuyng creatures also with trees and all kyndes of fruites with glitteâ—ing pearles coueryng the golden branches of the trees upon the toppe of the mountaine Of the same substaunce also there was a clocke so cunningly wrought that the woorkemanshyp excelled the stuffe whiche continually mooued and turned about a right woonderfull and strange sight to suche as vse to admire vayne matters Ioy. With these thynges I am wonderfully delighted Reason Truely I thinke it well and I suppose that thou wouldest gladly haue beholden this Triumph and more greedily haue led it most greedyly haue possessed it whervnto the state of thy passionate mind persuadeth thee But beleue thou me these thinges which do so much delight the sight are alwaies hurtful to the bodie and soule And aâ— for him of whom we speake there was nothing that euer did more hurt his triumphant glory not the Thessalica day nor the Egyptian foyle For there he yeelded not wholy to fortune but here he yeelded wholy to vice There appeared the force and vnfaythfulnesse of another but here his owne frailtie and ambition And therefore there he lost his power and his lyfe but here he impayred the fame of his populare name and of his excellent modestie and his name of Pompeius the Great whiche he had wonne by his great trauell A strange matter to be tolde howe that he that was founde to be more victorious agaynst the Spamardes beyng a warlyke nation then agaynst the dastardly and faintharted Asians and this the more to be marueyled at in that duryng the tyme that he aboade in Asia he remayned perfecte and inuincible when as he bare hymselfe most vpryghtly and abstynently in the Temple of Hierusalem of all other the most rychest that euer was But at the last he was not able to withstande the force of vice neyther continued he as before he had alwayes been a singuler and one maner of man but beyng made as it were one of many was so captiuated and cast downe This was the effect of the glitteryng of the precious stones of the beautie of the pearles and of the weyght of the golde In like conflicte before Asia had ouercome Alexander but it is small victorie to winne hym that is ouercome by his owne vices and a great matter to ouercome the ouercommer of hymselfe After whom there was almost no captaine that could gouerne hymselfe vpryghtly among the pleasures of Asia whiche beyng transported ouer into the countrey of Latium dyd vanquysh you in your owne natiue soyle For yf ye wyll confesse the very trueth when ye had conquered all other nations your selues were conquered in the Asiane conquest Goe thy wayes nowe and make muche accompt of precious stones whiche are freendes to the eyes and enimies to the mynde and the vanquishers of valiant men Ioy. I take great pleasure in glitteryng precious stones Reason Some man is delyghted with them that are of sundry colours and some with the palenesse of other so that this appetite is diuers but the vanitie is one Thou hast hearde howe that in the iudgement of kyng Pyrrhus who made warre agaynst the Romanes the Achate was esteemed of all stones the most precious And nowe as prices of thynges doo alter it is of the least value wherein as the report goeth were represented the shapes of sundrie thynges as of beastes riuers forestes byrdes and wylde beastes not framed by the hande of any woorkeman but by the industrie of nature In this princely Iewell as Solinus tearmeth it were not ingrauen but naturally imprinted the portraitures of the nine Muses and Apollo the notable Musitian playing in the middest of them these spottes and markes of the stone so lynked one to another that within that space whiche was but very lytle euery Image and portraiture myght be discerned by it owne speciall notes as they were placed within the ring and for farther ornament the kynges name was also thereunto added For suche thynges as belong to great personages are the more esteemed But I pray you what good dyd this Achate vnto hym Dyd it make hym inuincible in battayle or saue hym from death or coulde it delyuer hym from the reioycyng of his enimies or from the stone whiche the hande of a woman threwe at hym What I say auayled it vnto Pyrrhus to haue hadde that stone or what hindred it Fabritius and Curius that they wanted it by which two valiaunt captaines he was vanquished and driuen out of Italy I dare affirme that neither of these twayne would so much yeelde in minde vnto him as to make exchange of their harde and rough helmet for his swoorde that was so beset with golde and pretious stones or for his kingly ring Thus valiant men despise all wanton effeminate thynges How should they couet the kynges ring who only vpon the confidence trust in vertue contemned the king himselfe his princely ryches and kingdome But you contrarywyse â–ª by distrust of minde woonder at euery thyng and couet them â–ª as yf they wâ—uld aduaunce you â—o felicitie and vertue onely is contemned There is also a more auncient report and fame of another precious stone whâ—che Polycrates kyng of the Samâ—â— possessed some say is was a Sardonix That stone among that most ryche princes treasure was counted the most precious and therefore he as one that had neuer in all his lyfe felt aâ—y aduersitie meanyng to appease â—he malice of subtile fortune whiche openly flattered him and priuily went about to ouerthrowe hym tooke shypping and launched foorth into the deepe Sea and with his owne hande threwe in his ring wherein was that ryche stone to the intent he myght once in his lyfe be sory perswading himselfe that he had craftily dealt with fortune if he recompenced so many ioyful good turnes with one sorowful mischance But she as being neyther easily deceyued nor pleased indifferently mingling good with euyll required yet a farther matter for so long a tyme of fauour but a short thyng mary very hard that he who in all his lyfe tyme seemed to hymselfe and others most fortunate shoulde at his death appeare and be most miserable by so many vices and punishmentes lyghtyng vppon one head and therefore refusing that whiche was offered O the daliance of fortune euen as though she had sent a fish on message to receyue the ring into his mouth this fishe was
And therefore Pompeius the great who deuised not only Weares but Empires also not improperly termed this Lucullus the Romane Xerxes that is to say a dygger away of hilles What shal I say of others The first that made Weares for Lampreis was one Curus I know not what he was for notwithstandyng al his Lampreys he is scarse yet knowen whereof he had such plentie that with sixe thousande of them he furnished Iulius Caesars triumphant supper This man had also his imitatours namely Hortentius the oratour of whom we spake before a man that neuer failed in folowyng an example of wantonnes and therefore it falleth out many tymes that your learnyng nothing abateth your madnesse but it neuer bringeth any thyng that a man may woonder at whylest they that haue attayned vnto learnyng thynke that it is lawful for them to doo euery thyng and arrogate muche vnto them selues whiche they durst not if they had not learnyng It is reported therefore that this man had a Weare at the shore of the Baiane coast whereas among other fyshes whiche he had he loued so dearely one certayne Lamprey that he mourned for him when he was dead Beholde a woorthy loue and meete to prouoke so graue a man to teares He that as it is read neyther bewayled the ciuil warres of his tyme nor the proscriptions and slaughter of the Citizens neyther yet woulde haue lamented the ouerthrowe at Cannas yf it had happened in his tyme dyd he weepe for the death of a Lamprey This lightnesse is so great that that whiche is of later dayes must needes be pardoned The age and sexe of Antonia maketh her follie more excusable who is reported not to haue wept for her Lamprey but while he was liuyng to haue decked him foorth with ringes and iewels of golde insomuche that the strangenesse of the sight caused many folkes to repaire to Paulos â–ª for that was the name of the vyllage lying in the Baiane confines There were also Weares of Wylkes and Perewincles and other vanities concernyng fyshes and specially the Pyke of Tibur whiche was taken betweene the two brydges But I haue spoken yenough of other mens errours in whiche the moe thou seest enwrapped the more diligent take thou heede least thou be snared in the lyke neyther doo I nowe forbydde thee the vse of fyshes but only the ouer muche care of vyle and vnnoble thynges Of Cages of byrdes and of speaking and singing byrdes The .lxiiii. Dialogue IOY I Haue shut vp sundry byrdes in a Cage Reason I leaue nowe to woonder at the prysons for fyshes There be some also prouided for byrdes whose dwellyng is the open ayre a more large and wyde countrey Gluttonie hath founde out huntyng it hath founde out fyshing it hath founde out haukyng and it is not sufficient to take them whom nature created free but they be also kept in prysons How muche more seemely and honest were it to enforce the belly to be contented with meates that may be easily gotten and to leaue the wylde beastes to the wooddes and the fyshes to the Sea and the foules to the ayre then to bestowe so much trauel vpon them that yf it were bestowed to catch vertues in this tyme by good studie hauing obteyned them for they wyl not flie away ye might haue planted them within the closet of your myndes from whence they could neyther escape away nor be purloyned Ioy. I haue fylled my Cage with byrdes Reason A thyng nothyng at al necessary and no lesse harde to be founde then difficult to be preserued auncient notwithstandyng whiche aboue a thousand and foure hundred yeeres since one Lelius surnamed Strabo fyrst deuised not that Lelius that was counted the wyse who yf he had founde out byrd cages had lost the tytle of wysedome There be some inuentions that seeme to be profitable and pleasant whiche notwithstandyng become not noble wyttes they that fyrst found out fyshpondes and hyrde Cages what other thyng dyd they respect then theyr bellyes whiche is farre from those that are studious in vertue Ioy. I haue fat Chrushes and Turtle dooâ—â—s in my Cage Reason But not slowe tormentours since thyne appetite beyng prouoked by so many enticements requireth the punyshment of a sicke stomacke Hast thou not hearde the saying of the Satyrical Poet This notwithstanding is a present Punishment when thou puttest of thy clothes being swelling full and cariest thy vndigested Peacocke with thee into the baine He speaketh there of a Peacocke It is a beautiful a famous foule but it is not he alone that pincheth the ouergreedfe panche The delyght of thy belly is but of short tast which in short tyme wil also turne to loathyng vnlesse it be moderated Rawnesse that is not easily disgested is a sicknesse that bryngeth long payne and many tymes death Goe thy wayes nowe and bragge of thy fat Thrushes Turtledooues Ioy. I haue speaking Choughes and Pyes Parrats Reason The Emperour Augustus takyng pleasure in the lyke gaue great summes of money for them that saluted hym conquerous and trimphant Caesar And when afterward there were many other such presented vnto him answered that he had yenough such saluters at home alredy laying there a measure to that vanitie sauyng that the last Crowe with his strange pastyme caused hym selfe to be bought more deare thou were the residue These histories are read in the Saturnalia But what in the naturall Historie of our neighbour of Verona This Crowe that was so docible vsyng to flie out of the Coblers shop where he was most diligently fedde and commyng abrode into the open streete woulde salute Tiberius Caesar and Drusus and Germanicus by name and the whole people of Rome with such admiration and loue of them all that when as a neighbour mooued eyther with enuie or anger had killed hym with great sorowe and griefe of almen the killer was first driuen out of those quarters and afterward stayne by the people and the Crowe with diligent exequies and solemne funeral was taken vp and buried O alwayes vnspeakable madnesse of the people In that citie there was a Crow wept for and buryed and he that kylled him beyng a Citizen of Rome was put to death in whiche Citie neyther Africane the greater had a Sepulchre neyther the lesse a reuenger for that on Gods name this Crowe as I haue sayde saluted the people but these men of whom I speake dyd not salute but procured safetie and glory to the people Thus the speach of Crowes is more acceptable then the vertue of valiant men Let any man nowe deny that it is safe for hym to agree to the peoples iudgement although who so is an vpryght considerer of thinges he wyl not marueyle at the publique contempt wherein worthy men are had since of these woonderers at Crowes and other pratling byrdes diuine voyces and heauenly Oracles are despised Ioy. I haue a faire Parrat Reason This bird forsooth aboue al the residue is notable for his golden chayne vnlesse
not a miserable but an honest cause not of exile but of absence hatefull to the wycked and gratefull to the vertuous Pythagoras voluntarily forsooke Samos and Solon Athens and Lycurgus Lacedemon and Scipio Rome Sorowe I am condemned vnto exile Reason Many haue wonne credite by theyr banishment not fewe there are whom some sharpe storme and iniurie of fortune hath made knowne and notable and what letteth thee but that thou mayest be reckoned in the number of them who haue gayned singuler fame by sufferyng troubles euen as by knocking Flintes together fire is engendred Sorowe I am driuen into exile Reason In histories thou shalt perceiue that thou hast notable companions in this accident whose most honourable felowshyp may not only deminish the feeling of the griefe but also bring forgetfulnesse Camillus was no lesse regarded in his banishment then if he had taried at home as famous an exiled person as he was woorthie Citizen who had brought into the Capital house of Rome victories and triumphes no lesse renowmed for iustice then famous for felicitie and being shortly after driuen into banishment in reuenge of the iniurie whiche he receiued he saued his vnthankfull Countrey from destruction It is not easie I confesse to finde suche another example of so notable a banished personage howbeit Rutilius and Metellus were so smally greeued with their banishment that when Rutilius was sent for home by hym whose commaundement not to obey was present death rather choosing banishment he refused to returne eyther to the entent he would not in any respect disobey the Senates decree and the lawes of his Countrey though they were vniust or els for doubt he might haply be banished agayne But Metellus returned with the very same countenaunce wherewith he departed into exile Vnto these may Marcellus be added euen the same younger Marcellus that hapned in the tyme of the last ciuile warre who beyng dryuen out of his countrey reteined not only his auncient constancie and studie of liberall sciences but also applied them more earnestly then before and beyng free from publique cares with such feruencie pursued the beautifying of his minde onely that he seemed rather to haue been sent to the schooles of Vertue then into banishment which being much more eminent in Cicero was by the woorthynesse of his woorkes and his great learning made the more famous whereby he found no smal comfort not only in banishment but also in pryson Sorow I suffer banishment Reason A short banishment wyll soone restore thee to thy Countrey but a long banishment wil purchase thee another Countrey so that they shal be banished from thee that woulde haue banished thee from them which is now alredy accomplished yf thou haue respect to the nature of the thinges and not to the opinions of men For that is a very base minde that is so bounde to one sillie corner of the earth that whatsoeuer is out of that it thinketh it banishment whoso bewayleth his exile is farre from that loftinesse of mynde whiche was in hym vnto whom the whole worlde seemed to be a strayght prison Socrates beyng demaunded what Countreyman he was answeared I was borne in the world A ryght Socratical answere some other peraduenture in that case woulde haue answeared that he was an Athenian but Socrates Countrey was that which is lykewyse all mens to wit the worlde not only this part which you commonly cal the worlde whiche in deede is but the lowest part of the worlde but Heauen it selfe which is more truely tearmed by that name That is the Countrey whervnto you are appoynted vnto whiche if your minde doo aspire it wyll acknowledge it selfe to be a stranger and banished in whatsoeuer part of the earth it remayne For who wyl call that his Countrey where he dwelleth but for a very short tyme But that is truely to be called a mans Countrey where he may dwell continually in rest and quietnesse seeke for this vppon earth and I suppose thy seeking wil be in vaine According to the law of nature as it was geuen vnto men and the limittes thereof prescribed whilest you liue here euery lande is your Countrey wherein whoso maketh himselfe a banished man is not so sicke in effect as diseased in minde We haue not here any perpetual Citie of abode as sayth the Apostle S. Paul. Euery land is the natiue Countrey vnto a valient man sayth Ouid the Poet. To a man euery Countrey is his natural soyle sayth Statius With these speeches I would haue thee armed whereby thou mightest be alwayes one man and eyther neuer or euer be in thine owne Countrey Sorowe I am commaunded to go into banishment Reason Goe willingly then it shall be but a trauayle and no banishment and remember that banishment hath ben vnto some in steede of a departure and vnto other some in steede of a returne and there be some also that are neuer in woorse case then when they be in their owne Countrey Sorow I am enforcedly dryuen into banishment Reason In couetyng to do that which thou art enforced thou shalt seeme not to be constrayned All violence is ouercome by patience and that surceaseth to be violence whiche is suffered willingly Sorowe I must needes goe into exile Reason See thou do willingly which thou must els do nillingly and suffer al thyng meryly that thou seeme to suffer nothyng heauily so shalt thou escape the force of necessitie and al the Adamantine nayles chaines that are ascribed thervnto and the loathsomnesse and vexation thereof But you couet impossible thinges and flee from the necessarie but both in vayne Sorow I goe into banishment Reason Perhaps into rest and peraduenture vnder pretence of false miserie lurketh true felicitie at leastwise thou shalt now be safe from enuie make haste and take holdfast of glory that is entermedled with securitie There is nothyng sweeter then honest and safe lurkyng with whiche no streetes of Cities are comparable Sorowe I am dryuen out of my Countrey Reason Beyng dryuen away of the woorst insinuate thy selfe into the companie of the best sorte and make it euident by good proofes that thy Countrey was vnwoorthie of thee and not thou of thy Countrey Let it perceyue what it hath lost and knowe thou howe that thou hast lost nothyng Let the euyll Citizens want the weerisomnesse and also the hatred and suspicion of thy presence and let the good prosecute thine absence with loue and desire and with their eyes and mindes folow after thy departure Let them be sorie for that thou hast forsaken them and be thou gladde for that thou art departed with companie and thinke not vpon thy returne neither desire to be with them that desire to be without thee and finally be not sorie that another hath done that vnto thee whiche thou oughtest to haue done thy selfe thou oughtest to haue geuen place to the enuie of the people and therefore to auoyde the same thou willingly wentest into exile Of this deuice I was the
who although they returned both into their Countrey yet dyed they both farre from their Countrey Drusus in Germanie and Marcellinus in Baion And tell me nowe are thou prouder then Tarquinius or myghtier then Sylla Yet the fyrst of these dyed a bannished man at Cumae the other beyng a great Lorde gaue vp the ghost at Puteoli What shall I speake of men of meaner degree Augustus Caesar who was called Father of his Countrey dyed out of his Countrey at Nola in Campania Tyberius that was vnlyke in Manners but equall in Empire deceassed at Misenum in Campania Vespasian and Titus two most excellent Princes as it well became the father and the sonne dyed in one Village yet without of the Citie of Rome â–ª though not farre But â—raian being borne in the West part of the worlde dyed in the East Septimus Seuerus came but of a base parentage in Africa and had a proude Empire at Rome â–ª and was buried at Yorke in Englande Theodosius that was borne in Spayne and dyed at Millain Constantinople receyued whiche Citie also had in it before the founder thereof beyng of the same name but borne in another place What shall I neede to recite others Lycurgus who fledde from Sparta Creta receyued which long before had seene Kyng Saturne bannished out of his Kyngdome and flying from his sonne and hearde howe he hyd hym selfe in the confines of Italie and was there buried A poore graue of Bithynia couereth Hannibal the lyght of all Africa Theseus Themistocles and Solon the three Diamondes of all Athens were so scattered by Fortune that the fyrst was buried in Syria the seconde in Persis and the thyrde in Cyprus in farre vnfitte Graues for so woorthie Carcasses The day woulde sooner fayle mee then matter yf I shoulde stande to reporte euery example But my purpose was not to weerie thee with Histories but onely to instructe thee Sorowe I vnderstande thy meanyng and I confesse that all these and as many moe as thou canst recken dyed out of theyr Countreyes in deede but I denie that it was with their wylles but rather I suppose to theyr great greefe Reason Whereby speakest thou this but onely for that all fooles iudge other lyke them selues and thynke that to be impossible for others to doo which they them selues can not attayne to And perhappes thou hast hearkened to the olde prouerbe It is good to lyue abrode in strange Countries but yll to dye there when as in deede they are both good so that they be orderly doone with patient forbearyng and comlinesse but both euyl yf they be yll handled lamentably and without discretion I wyll tell thee that which thou wylt marueyll at and is quite repugnant to the olde prouerbe If there be any iust occasion to complayne of the cause I had rather impute the same to the lyuyng whom perhaps in some respect it may concerne then hym that lyeth a dying who hath now no regarde of any place seeyng that he is vpon departyng from all places Sorowe Somewhat thou moouest my minde neuerthelesse I am yet desirous to dye in my Countrey Reason The wyll of man vnlesse it be bridled by vertue and wysedome of it selfe is wylde and vnreclaymed And yf thou consider of the matter deepely thou wylt confesse that none of all this appertayneth vnto thee seeyng that thou thy selfe canst remayne heere no longer nor thy boanes retayne any sense after thy deceasse to discerne where thou myghtest haue lyen harder or softer and also vnto that place whyther thou departest which had been the shorter or easier way When Anaxagoras lay a dying in a farre forraine Countrey and his freendes demaunded of hym whether after his death he woulde be carried home into his owne natiue soyle he answeared very finely saying that it shoulde not neede and he added the cause why for that the way to Heauen is of lyke distaunce from all places Whiche answeare serueth as well for them that goe downe to Hell as for those that goe vp to Heauen Sorowe I woulde GOD I myght dye at home Reason If thou were there perhappes thou wouldest wyshe thy selfe in another place perswade thy selfe so Learne to doo that dying whiche thou oughtest to haue doone lyuyng An hard matter it is for you O ye mortall men to beare your selues vpryghtly ye are so dayntie and faultfyndyng euermore makyng none account of that whiche ye haue and alwayes iudging best of that whiche ye want Sorowe O that I myght dye at home Reason Peraduenture thou shouldest see many thynges there that woulde make thy death more greeuous vnto thee for whiche cause thynke that thou art remooued to the intent that all other cares beyng set apart thou myghtest onely thynke vpon GOD and thyne owne soule Of one that dyeth in Sinne. The Cxxvj. Dialogue SOROWE I Oye in sinne Reason This is neyther Natures nor Fortunes but thyne owne fault Sorowe I dye in sinne Reason Fyrst who enforced thee to commit sinne And next who forbydde thee to bewayle it when it was committed And last of all who letteth thee from repentyng though it be late fyrst For vnto the last gaspe the spirite and minde is free Sorowe Whyles I am dying I carrie my sinnes with mee Reason Beware thou doo not so lay downe that venemous and deadly carriage whyle thou hast tyme and there is one that wyll take it away and blotte it out accordyng as it is written and wyll cast it behynde his backe into the bottome of the Sea and wyll abandon it as farre from thee as the East is distant from the West If thou neglect this houre when it is once past it wyll neuer returne agayne Whith qualitie although it be common to all houres that alwayes they passe away and neuer returne yet many tymes that which hath been omitted in one houre may be perhappes recouered in another but yet the neglectyng of the last houre of a mans lyfe is irrecurable And therefore as some report it to be found in the secret disputations of the soule the errours of this lyfe are as it were softe falles vpon the playne grounde after which a man may soone ryse vp agayne but the sinne vnto death is compared vnto a greeuous fall from some hygh and craggie place after which it is not possible to aryse any more the hurt therein taken is so great that it can not be salued Wherefore helpe thy selfe nowe whyle thou mayest and call to remembraunce not onely what your owne writers say but also what Cicero counselleth who in his woorke de Diuinatione of Diuination disputing of those that are dying Doo thou cheefely quod he studie to winne commendation and thynke that they which haue lyued otherwyse then they ought doo most bitterly repent them of their sinnes What I pray thee coulde be vttered by any man more religiously or profitably yf so be that be followed which is commaunded and thou repent thee though it be late fyrst A difficult and dangerous matter it is truely to
since that care appertayneth no longer to thee hereafter Feare I am afeard lest after my decease my wyfe marrie agayne Reason Some there be that marrie their olde husbandes lyuing Thus dyd Herodias among the Hebrewes Sophronisba among the Africanes and Martia and Liuia among the Romanes although their husbandes consent commaundement doo excuse these two last recited wylt thou onely binde thy wyfe from marriage Yea there are but few that lyue faythfully towardes their husbandes wilt thou require that thy wife continue her truth to thy cold senselesse ashes If she haue liued faythful to thee vnto the last day of thy lyfe then hath she accomplyshed the duetie of a true and trustie spouse Feare I am afeard that my wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason That she first married perhaps thou shouldest haue feared more that belonged to thee but her second marrying shal apperteyne to another But this is your common trade ye contemne the things that ye ought to feare and feare the thynges that ye ought to contemne esteeming of nothyng iustly as ye ought Thou enâ—redst the combat of the married bed without feare not forethinkyng what danger thou passedst into and art thou afeard now least another should do the like Feare I would not I confesse haue my wyfe marrie agayne Reason For a woman of exact perfecte chastitie I graunt although she be permitted by lawe to marrie agayne yet were it better to abstayne but most of al to eschue perilous widowhood There is moreouer some such tyme occasion that a woman is not onely excused but also enforced to marrie agayne For it is an hard matter for a fayre woman to lyue alone chastly Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another husband Reason There are but fewe women found yea among them that are counted honest that euen whyle their present husbande is lyuing do not determine in their minde who shal be their next My husband say they is a mortal man and yf he chaunce to dye shal I marrie next for vertue or nobilitie or loue or eloquence or bewtie or person sake Feare My wife wyl marrie againe Reason Not thy wyfe verily for death wyl make that she shal not be thine And no merueile though it part man and wyfe whiche dissolueth the bandes whereby the body and soule are knyt togeather Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The wyues of the Romane Captaines and Dukes and Emperours haue also married agayne and therefore take in good part this fortune whiche is common to thee with thine auncetours Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The Romane Captaynes and Prynces did marrie wyddowes also so did the most godly kyng Dauid take to wife two wyddowes that had been the wyues but of meane persons and it may so happen that one greater then thou may marrie thy wyfe vnto whom resigne this carefulnesse seeing thou goest thyther where there is no marrying at all Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another man. Reason If she marrie a better reioyce at her prosperity whom thou louedst But if to a woorse be glad yet for that she wyl thinke more often vpon thee and holde thee more deere For there be many that haue learned to knowe and loue their first husbandes onely by their second marriages Of one dying that is careful what wyl become of his countrey after his deceasse The .cxxix. Dialogue FEARE WHat shal become of my countrey after my death Reason All good men haue but one countrey and all euyl men another take heede nowe into whiche of these two countries thou wilt be admitted a countreyman As for a third countrey there is none but onely an Inne and a place of passage a thoroughfare Feare What wyll become of my countrey Reason That countrey which thou goest vnto continueth alwayes in one estate and this whiche thou now forsakest as I haue oftentymes sayde before is not thy countrey but hath rather been thy place of banishment Feare What wyl my countrey do after my deceasse Reason This is the peculiar care of kynges to thynke what wil become of their kyngdomes dominions after their death the lyke whereof thou readest there rested in the heart of the great king of Assyria or of the most mightie emperour of the Romans This care exceedeth the calling of a priuate person But since nowe euen at thy very ende thou art so affected that thou lust to terme that stoarehouse of miserie and hospital of payne and sorow wherein thou hast passed foorth the swyft tyme of thy lyfe in great trouble aduersitie and heauinesse by the name of thy countrey and art desirous to knowe what it wyl doo I wyl tell thee it wyl do as it dyd and as other countreyes do What is that thou wylt say It wyl be troublesome disquiet dissentious and studious of innouations it wyl followe factions chainge lordes and gouernours alter lawes and both these many tymes for the woorse seldome for the better spurne agaynst the best and most noble subiectes aduaunce the vnwoorthie banishe the well deseruing esteeme of the pillers poullers of the treasurie loue flatterers hate them that speake the trueth contemne the good honour the myghtie woorshyp the enimies of it libertie persecute the defenders of the Commonwealth weepe sometyme and laugh without cause esteeme of golde and precious stones reiect vertue and embrace pleasures these are the manners and state of your Cities and Countreys There is none but may most assuredly prophecie vnto thee of these matters vnlesse he be such an one as hath alwaies led a rurall lyfe or entred into Townes with deafe eares and dimme eyes Feare What wyll befall vnto my Countrey after my deceasse Reason Why art thou carefull and troubled herewith Whatsoeuer hapneth to thy Countrey thy house shal be free from burnyng theeues and ouerthrowing Whether the yeere fall out to be pestilent or els to be deare or plentiful hot or drye haylie snowie or raynie frostie or otherwyse moyst rotten yea the byrdes of the ayre wild beastes of the wooddes the Caterpiller and Chaffer finally earthquakes and raginges of the lea dearth of victualles inuasions of enimies or ciuile warres none of all these are able to touche or concerne thee hereafter Feare O what shal be the estate of my Countrey or to what ende shal it come Reason To what other thinkest thou then that the greatest citie and state that euer was or shal be is come vnto to wit dust ashes rubbysh scattered stones and a name only remâ—yning I could prooue this to be true by innumerable argumentes but thou knowest the matter sufficiently To be short there is nothing apperteining vnto man that is euerlasting no worldly thyng permanent but only the soule of man which is immortal Enclosures shal fayle sowed landes shal decay buildinges shall fall downe all thynges shall come to naught and why art thou greeued and vexed in the minde If thou be in heauen thou wylt both dispise this and all other worldly