to stryke wyth our handes nor reproche or slaunder wyth our Tongues When I rebuke you for ministring such inciuilitie to the poore Moare you aunswered that it was an auncient custome of the coūtrey to call them so in which respect you helde it no offence to conscience to vpbreade them nor breach of ciuilitie to vse the tearmes where wyth your Tongue was most enured Oh that men of vertue and honor taking vpon them to correct a fault are bounde to great consideration of the estate and nature of the fault lest in séeking to reforme others they Condemne themselues as may be iustly imputed agaynst you who in tourning the custome of the Countrey to the helpe of your fault to call him Infidell you cōmitted the greater offence according to the saying of God to Moyses Take héede Oh Children of Jsraell that when you enter into the Lande of Promise you kéepe no custome wyth the Lawes of the Egiptians Wherein we are warned that if the Lawe of our Countrey be euill and the customes wicked we ought not onely not to alow of them but also not to obserue them since it is as lawfull to discontinue an ill Custome as to forbeare to doe ill and wyth as good lybertie may we reforme an ill Lawe though it hath stande by long continuance as to translate any auncient Garment and reduce him to the present fashion The reuerent Moare founde himselfe much iniuried wyth your wordes and the assistance not a little dishonored yea the remeynder of that race being in good towardnes to be adopted into the church made their reckoning not to become Christians if for their fayth they should be vexed wyth such reproches So that this your fault is the greater for that in following the Children of Hely you trouble such as are baptized and are the cause that others will not come to Christendome Vidi afflictionem populi mei in Egipto c. I am not sayth God to Moyses so carelesse as men thinke of those that serue me nor forgetfull to punishe offendours Since I haue opened mine eares to the cyres of my People in Egipt and doe sée the great tiranies which the Gouernours of the Kingdome vse agaynst them for which cause I will draw them into libertie and put the Egyptians to punishement Wherein wyth the exposition of S. Augustine vpon these wordes the Hebrues felt themselues not somuch wronged nor God was so greatly displeased wyth the trauelles they endured as wyth the particuler iniuries which they receyued of the Egiptians Which I beséeche you may warne you hereafter not to be so rashe and abandoned to wordes séeing I neuer knew any man minister iniuries to an other but there was inquisition made of his owne lyfe and doinges yea euen to the desiphering of his race which is falne out against your selfe for that at the instant when you reproched the reuerent Moare and called him Infidell there were that stoode behinde your backe that sayde secretly if he were descended of the Moares your auncestors were of no better Linage Such is the gaiue that People of ill Tongues doe reape who if they outrage such as are on line others will deface their progenie that are dead which being a iustice appoynted to such as are ministers in malice yet there it may be auoyded where is gouernement and restraint of Tongue And therefore I wishe you to vse Charitie to the ende you may finde recompence of Charitie and forbeare not to doe well the better to nourishe good example and kepe you from the imputation of the Sonnes of Hely A Letter to a Noble man touching familiarly how inconuenient it is for a man maried to haue a Woman frende besides his Wyfe SIr it brings no smal griefe vnto me that after so long intermission of letters there is present occasion giuen not to common according to our custome but to debate iniuries betwéene you and your Wyfe who as I vnderstande hath no lesse néed of Consolation then you of Correction Wherein by how much I labor to séeke out in whom resteth the fault by so much doe I finde you guiltie in the occasion and in her no want of reason assuring you that if I founde her as disordered as you are reported to be disolute I would as well pronounce her worthy of sentence as with all men you are holden voyde of merit And if there can be required of a man no more but that he bée good the same ought most of all to be expressed in a woman since in her is more subiection to iudgement and lesse habilitie to cloake or couer yea if her vertues appeare not in example her light burnes dimme and as a shadowe doth but delude the worlde which béeing farre otherwayes in the behauiour of your Wyfe and my néece it may please you to pardon me if in this Letter I defend her innocencie and proue your fault since of frends Councell ought to be taken and of parents remedie is to be ministred Corinthus a notable tirant afore he made choyce of his wife desired of Demosthenes to know what condicions his wife ought chiefely to be furnished withall to whom the Philosopher gaue this counsell Be sure sayth he that thy wife be rich to the end the necessities of thy life may be supplied and the countenance of thy estate plentifully supported Let her be nobly borne the better to minister to thy reputation and ioyne honour to thy posteritie Let her bée young to the end her seruice may better delite thee and thou haue no occasion to find mariage loathsome Let hir be faire the better to content thy desires and conteyne thée from straunge affections And let her be vertuous and wise to the end thou maist with securitie reappose thy estate vppon her gouernement For who takes a wife without these cōdicions is sure to find that which he feareth and misse of that that ought to make his mariage happy since of all accidents ordeyned to trouble the life of man there can not be a more infelicitie then to be ill encountered in mariage There is nothing in this world so perfect nor any person so thorowly accomplished to whom is not eyther further perfection to be added or iust cause of reformation or amendement And such is the infirmitie of our common nature that there are few of so full prosperitie who in some respect complayine not against the qualitie of their estate For many we sée are raysed to great wealth but they beare shame of their base linage some enobled by birth and parentage and yet are followed with pouertie Many blissed both with riches and nobilitie but they want the delite of children and some gladded with procreation and they eftsones made sorie with their ill demeanor And to speake of naturall thinges we find by experience that if the fire comfort vs with his warmth it vexeth vs againe with his heat If the ayre minister recreation when it is temperat it puts vs againe into passion
preached and receyued by the greatest part of the world by which the wisedome and goodnes of God disclosed manifestly that that which floated and florished in despite of the industrie crueltie and power of the worlde was come from Heauen from whence was ministred vnto it all fauour succour and ayde The Originall of tirrannie and Idolattie together with the punishments of tirantes and Idolators how Abraham was chosen chéefe of the Hebrewes YOur letter no lesse full of modestie and swéetenesse then replenished with doctrine and iudgement bringes no small delight to me for that to your déepe science already in thinges I finde remeyning a zealous desier yet to know more wherin I can not but accompt it to belong to my office to adde to your zeale and trauell my faith and diligence though not able to teach you further yet as touching the request of your letter to shew my opinion leauing it to be controlled by that fauour and wisedome where with you are wonte to measure and iudge the errours of your frendes But touching the matter as you haue to remember that out of the race of Cain issued Nembroth the great tirant Who by his ambition and pride subdued all men and Nations of his time enforcing them to liue vnder his tribute and customes So there is no doubt but these tirranous spirittes are most hurtfull to the world and by the Scriptue reputed as ennemies of God For their desier to heare rule makes them breake all order of iustice bearing no regarde to lawes nor ordinaunces Yea in respect to encrease maintaine their principallitie they giue suffrāce to all men to be insolent with liberty to committe disordered actions In the time of Nembroth were many possessed with this wicked spirit of pride and ambition who assemblinge together conspired to builde a tower of incomparable rate of height and measure to the ende to perpetuat their name and reputation amongst men But God beholding their arrogant intentions and willing to manifest the wickednesse of that tyrannye and presumption of that pryde bréeding so many miseries and euils let fall his anger vpon them confounding in such sort the Tongs of the builders and workmen that one vnderstoode not an other since they all spake vnknowne and straunge Languages Afore the foundation of the Tower of Babilon there was but one language in all the world God then inflicting vpon the earth a wonderfull punishment by the confusion and diuersitie of speaches But thus it happened that the first men hauing lyued but vnder the vse knowledge of one tongue and now béeing in confused deuided into many dispersed themselues thorow the worlde by whose posterities haue bene continued all those diuersities of languages that now reigne This diuision of tongues was the cause that the Tower of Babilon was not ended by which occasion also the Princes of the earth leauing their tyranie were driuen to search new coūtreyes to inhabite euery one following his language as an ensigne sunder the which they might plant and multiply By this diuision of men and Countreys people fell into so great erors that forgetting the doctrine of God together wyth the promises he had made to men the most part of the world became Idolators declining to such superstitions as the deuill inuented dayly to aduaunce his purposes So that Idolatry toke his beginning of infidelitie and the wicked inclinations of men deliting leaue the right way to folow that that leades to perdition To this was much helping the forgetfulnesse of the trueth and the negligence of men caring not to folow religion and doctrine and much lesse to teach it to others An other originall or fountaine springes of the loue of our selues called Selfeloue together wyth an insaciable will which men haue to put themselues in libertie inducing them faythfully to searche a thousand waies for their satisfaction and by some meane to inuent abhominable Superstitions whervnto the deuill is so readie to minister assistance wythall the art and fauor he can that poore sinners to make them the more hardened and desperate fixing vpon certaine faulse and deceitfull experiences attribute in the ende dignitie to any thing of the which according to their coniecture they had receiued ayd or answere In other places they haue a certaine feare in their consciences which restraines them to demaund of God the things which themselues estéeme to be wicked dishonest By that it comes to passe that they are pleased with the seruice of these faulse gods who care not but only to be serued as gods wythout regarding whether the men be iust or vnrightful For seing these dissembled Gods be deuils in déed passible to all actions councels of deuils they are of cōmon congruency enemies of iustice frends to wickednes those be the preparations that the deuil finds in the harts of such as he hath enchaunted abusing them with perswasion that there is a god of battels another of robberies a God of drunkenes another of whordome all these Gods béeing most delyted with such as most are giuen to dishonest acts infidelity also the root of al sinnes was one cause why those miserable people were ignorant of the greatnes power of god yea they could not be brought to beléeue that one God was sufficient to furnish perticulerly al things necessary to the vse of men seruice of the world of this came the plurality of gods men belieuing that they were restrained to precinct and limit that euery god had his perticuler estate to gouerne Of which sprang the first Idolatry for some worshipped the Sunne with many other triffling and dishonest things others did worship to deuilles which abused them by illusions oracles yea somtimes by certaine aparances of remedies tending notwithstanding to their ruine This blindnes was suffered by the iustice of god to punish such as leauing the light run after darknesse making themselues iudges of their proper affections ruled their hartes according to the same how good or euil so euer they were in which respect god willing to punish those vices excesses suffered the deuill to raise faulse signes miracles euen to aduance the destruction of such as fell into spoyle by their infidelitie and multitude of their transgressions And albeit Idolatrie was great before the flud and that the worlde pursued alwayes his first corruption béeing stirred vp by the Deuill who induced men to a forgetfulnesse of God Yet the mercie of God who had not forgotten his Promises made to mankinde so prouyded for the effect of his Promise that he chused a People particular to reestablish wyth him the trueth of his Promises and alliaunces To them he gaue a perfecte lyght to guyde them agaynst those Darkenesse and obstinacies which the Deuil raysed agaynst them he established lawes and ordinaunces touching the Seruice of Religion wyth expresse Commaundement that they obserue them and bée attentiue to the worde of God the better to arme
proper affections that albeit fortune make vs forsake our natiue coūtrey yet nature will neuer suffer vs to for get it yea so great a vehemencie hath the loue which most men beare to their naturall clymates that they wil rather endure any iniury against their personnes then to heare their countreys euill spoken of the same parcialitie proceding for that men do not acknowledge that they are of the earth liue in the earth and must returne to the earth when there is nothing belonging to them but the which they cary with them to their graue Socrates instructed his disciples not to atribute to themselues any particuler place or countrey for sayth he albeit the eternall prouidence giues vs peculiar meanes to cloath vs priuate houses to defend the iniurie passions of the ayre yet nature hath left to vs all in common the vniuersall earth which since by the ambicion of men hath bene diuided into Cantles Plutarke in his booke of exile reports that Hercules the Thebain being asked by the Sidoniens of what countrey he was aunswered I am neyther of Thebes Athens nor Licaonia but naturally of the whole countrey of Greece Socrates séemes to be of the same opinion to the great Sacrificator Architus by whom being asked of what place he was he aunswered that he was borne in the world a natural heire of al the world Plutarke rehearseth also that in the I le of Cobde in Greece was a Linage of Grecians called Agites discended of the notable Greeke Captaine called Agis the good amongst these Agites this law was specially obserued that none durst call himselfe natural of the I le vnlesse he had done some valiant act meaning the it is the countrey that ought to be commended for bringing forth such men not the people to be praysed to be eyther of this or that Region So that Sir for my part ioyning my selfe to the maner of these Ilande men me thinkes I haue greater reason to estéeme you a valiant Affrikan Captaine then a verteous Spanishe knight seing that the honour which you lost in Spaine you haue recouered in Affrika yea if you conferre the vanities which you vsed in Spaine with the exercise you follow now in Affrika you shall finde that banishment better then ease doth lead you to iudge of the precious value estimation of time yea it will minister this discretion to you that if you féele any passion it will appeare to you more by opinion then by reason In Spayne you wer noted to be a painefull follower of the pleasures of the fielde a pleasaunt deuiser with Ladies a swéete companion at sumtuous Banquites giuen ouer to the disorders of the Court to go to bedde at midnight and rise at mid day all which though they be delightes of a young courtier yet they are no exercises of a valiant knight for the titles and vertuous renownes of our Auncestors were not gotten by enterprises of Hawking and Hunting but with seruing theyr kings in the daungers of warres The exercise which we are tolde you follow now in Orane as to be sturring earlie to breake your fast standing and whilest your Armour is in lacing to be readie with the formost to distresse the Turkes to acquaint your eare with the Musicke of the tromppet to be painefull to march and discréete to follow and in all enterprises to giue example of courage to your Soldiours out of these differences you may gather whether it is more agréeable to your renowne and profitable to your estate to be estéemed a valiant Captain or an Amorous Courtier besides in Spaine you could but recyte the déedes of others now the whole court is in discourse of the daungers you escape Writers of histories are tied to the factes of perticuler men and to expresse in their Cronicles that in such a time such a thing was done in such a season such an enterprise perfourmed but it belonges to the honour of a good knight not only to say I was a leader in such a war but also to bear vpon his body the signes of the perilles he had past So that in consideration of the Successe of this Banishement I sée not but it is a Fortune necessarye and an Estate working glorye to your Howse and géeues no occasion of gréeffe to your personne For right Blessed is that Marterdome by whose Paynes wée are passed into greater perfection The Consull Siluanus holding part wyth the SILLANS in full Senate reproched Marius scornefully that he was to ambicious of honour being so base of linage To whome Marius aunswered I confesse sayth he that thou art more aunciently discended then I euenso I cannot deny but that I am betrer man then thou because where thy house is not furnished but with painted Armories which thou hast inherited of thy Auncesters thou mayest sée in mine many streaming ensignes which I haue woonne with the perill of my lyfe Then thinke your selfe happie for that in Spaine you were no better then Siluanus but in Affrika you are equall in Prowes with Marius with whome in place of painted Armories where with you were woont to hang your house in Spaine you shall now retourne not onely with ensignes besprent with bloud but also expressing your triumphes ouer the common enimie of Christian fayth There hath bene in the Ages past many great Personages who no lesse desirous of renowne then willing to win it by vertue did not onely not grudge when they were Banished by Authoritie but also of themselues and for themselues made a willing choise of exile following the opinion and example of the right worthie Captaine Alcibiades who in his Familiar deuice was woont to say that fewe men in their naturalitie or simple nature become verteous but the most sort following the passions of nature slide into many vices according to the experience of a trée farre brought and newe replanted which bringes forth fruite of farre more swéete and precious tast then others euenso more glorie renowne doe follow Noble men and mindes resolute in straunge and farre regions then in their proper naturall countreys yea they had rather die poore abroade then returne home loaden with wealth and light with honour Was not king Pirrhus borne in a village of Athens and afterwardes was called Pirrhus the Epirote for that he vanquished that people was not the good Scipio bredde vp in a towne of Campania to whome after was added the Surname of Affricanus as subduing those Regions Octauius Augustus wss nourished in village of Belistre and after was raysed to the title of Octauius Germanicus because he triumphed ouer the Almaines the good Titus was found in a poore village of Campania and after was called Titus Palestinus for preuailing ouer the Palestines infinite is the number of such as haue sought fame in forraine regions but more immortal perpetual is the memorie of the enterprises which by the greatnesse of their courage they atchieued For as no Fortune can
the furie of warre was found a wise and valiant protector of their limittes In all which albeit there was iust merit of honour and reputation yet in common experience and reason of thinges we can not but confesse more desert of worthinesse and vertue in such whose wisedome discreation makes them hable to dissemble suffer For to be discréete in prosperitie patient in aduersitie is the true mocion effect of a valiant vertuous mind If you weigh these things with the nature and propertie of the present time you wil conclude with me I doubt not but that the imperfection of your demaund takes away necessitie in me to make answere For in these daies what is more familiar with the most sort then to scoffe at the reuerence and dignitie of old age to disobey magistrates dispise iustice scorne the Clergie laugh at the want of Captaines persecute the wise sort and betray such as follow vertue and simplicitie of life So that in an age thus hardned and time so vnthankfull that man takes vppon him no small enterprise who striues to be vertuous since vertue is a thing that prepares vs to immortalitie and makes vs equall with the heauens In times past he that knewe most was estéemed best but now who is most riche is raysed to most honour So that the condicion of this age is to estéeme men so much the more by how much they wallowe in wealth and to measure their reputation not with the dignitie of their vertues but according to the facultie and fulnesse of their richesse For worldly men are so infected with corruption and their nature so subiect to reuolucion and change that in cases of promotion high office and dignitie are rather bought with money then deserued by vertue In times past there was no man areared to honour but he that deserue it but now who are called but such as search it with money In the former ages men of science were searched for in farre countreys but now though they knocke at our gates they are not suffred to enter no our corruption customes draw vs to other delites In that golden worlde there was no senat or counsell established where was not resident some excellent Philosopher and now where haue we any pallace which is not replenished with scoffers inuēters of vanitie such was the felicitie of those daies that he that was vertuous had libertie to controle the wicked wher now there is no more cōmon subiectiō then that the good sort are reproued by the vile abiects skomme of al people In that most happy posterity the good sort only had licence to speak where now the wicked are they that know not how to hold their peace yea in those florishing seasons the chaffe was sifted frō the corne the wéede disseuered from the good herbe good men preferred the wicked punished yea vice was suffred to holde no societie with vertue For that where vice is supported by authoritie men grow worse and worse and where punishment is restrained there insolencie commaundes the lawes which is the greatest error that can be suffred in gouernement Touching your demaund what maner of people in the time of the Gentiles were called théeues and the sortes of punishment they were put vnto although there be great necessitie in your request and no lesse insufficiencie in me to satisfie it yet I will aunswere you with the opinion of Aulus Gelius who discribing many orders of théeues distinguished aswell their punishments as some kindes of theftes which according to the time and person that commits them may oftentimes be taken for faultes but not estéemed as theftes ▪ For in paine iudgement the qualetie with the quantetie must be considered The auncients held him as a théefe who eyther in the field or towne tooke away that which was an others and made no body priuie to it or against the wil of the owner he also was estéemed as a théefe who borowed a horse for one dayes iorney and retayned him longer he also was accompted a théefe who being put in trust with the kéepinge of other mens goods conuerted them to his proper vse as if they had bene his owne Lastly he boore the name of a theefe which borowed any thing for ten daies restored it not in twentie And as all these in their seuerall kinds were estéemed robbers and théeues so the law set downe for them varietie of punishment For amongest the Gréekes they were marked on the forhead with hot yrons to the end to be more readily knowne The statutes of Licurgus were to cut of their noses Promotheus ordayned that they should be committed to children to punish them at their pleasure by the law of Numa Pompilius one of their handes was cut of But the first that inuented to cut of their eares or strangle them vpon gibbets were the Goathes who notwithstanding in other respects were Barbarus yet vsed they seuere iustice to théeues and robbers But at this day sir if there were cōmission to hang vp all the théeues in the world I feare there would be more want of Gibbets then of robbers to furnish them And greatly haue we to desire with Diogeues that the great théeues should not so hang vp the little ones nor the lawes be made like to Spyder webbes who suffer the great ones to pearce and passe thorow without punishment and strangle the little flie in whom is least offence To don FARDINANDO de TOLEDO to whom ar expounded two Authorities of the Scripture and the custome of the Egiptians in the death of their frendes I Haue not thus long forborne to write to you in any necligent respect as remembring with what deuotion you required me with what humilitie and affectiō I am bounde to obey you And now if my answere séeme to short to satisfy you let the same discression which is woont to take all thinges in the best beare now with my wretched infirmitie of the gowt which hath made me such a Martir that much lesse that I haue leasure to write séeing I haue no habilitie to sturre or moue Yea it hath left no part frée in my body except my hart to sighe and my tongue to complaine You require me to sende you in writing the exposition of those two partes of the Scripture which I pronoūced not long since afore the Maiestie of Caesar which as I can not denie you considering your Authoritie euen so I hope you will wey the difficultie that belonges to it since the Penne can geue no such grace to discribe a matter as the Tongue to pronounce it The first was written in the 19. of Leuiticus in these wordes Super mortuos non incidietis carnes vestras neque figuras aliquas c. God by Moyses commaunded here the Hebrewes that when any of their parents or friendes dyed they should not Shaue their heades nor rent their Faces and much lesse hurt any other part of the bodye no nor
them agaynst the suttleties suggestions and illusions of the deuill So that there is no dout but this people was chosen to be a grayne wherein should be preserued the puritie of the séede of the doctrine the assurance of the mercy of god seruing withal to declare how wonderfull God is in his works to remaine as a mirror to all natiōs to serue honor but one God confounding al other Gods as faulse and of the deuil In effect God saw good to continue the roote and stocke of his truth to his people whom he had chosen to the ende the worlde might know that he drue to him his people by other meanes then did the deuil wyth whom it hath ben alwaies familiar to lay snares and suttle traps to intice the frayltie of men Ouer this people of god Abraham was chosen chiefe and leader as afore him were appointed Seth and Noe. But Abraham being a Chalde and lyuing amongest an Idolatrous Nation God sawe good to make a choyse of him and call him to himselfe cōmaunding him to abandon his countrey and kindred and go whether he would guide him promising to make him great yea euen a mightie ruler ouer a large people All this conteynes as yet nothing but misteries of the diuine wisedome and of workes of iustice and mercie For first God chused for chieftayne of his people a man who may serue for example to all posterities succéeding him for Fayth Loue Obedience Truth Iustice Pacience Charitie knowledge of Sinne and lastly for all whatsoeuer may concerne the Honour and glory of God and his Seruice He was called of God to Serue as an example to his newe People and all others and in whome God would expresse wyth what fauour support and ayde he followeth those that serue and honour him To him all Princes and principall guides of people ought to confyrme and referre their councels actions for God loues such as he as he was But now to retourne to Abraham God commaunded him to forsake his countrey and the Religion of the Chaldees Wherein first of all he shewed how hatefull that people was to him for renouncing his worde yea the more fully to Punishe them he tooke from them the Companie of a Personage which had knowledge of this Diuinitie and frueth of his worde This is it that the Prophete meanes saying Wee haue Ministred Medicines to Babylon and yet shee hath receiued no Cure and after wee haue abandoned her euery one c. Euenso the obstinacie of the Chaldees agaynst the Doctrine of Abraham deserued to bée forsaken as a thing abandoned of the Phisitions Secondly it may be sayd that Abraham was withdrawen from his Countrey for that for the most part God bears vnto his such proportion of fauor that he withdrawes them from il companies consequently from the punishments and corrections which he holdes readie to thunder vpon the heades of the wicked By that meane he drue Lot out of Sodom and preserued Helias in the time of famine shewing in them the great care and speciall prouidence he hath ouer those that serue him Thirdly in this euocation of Abraham is taught how néedeful it is to such as séeke to be of the nomber of Gods People to be deuided and drawne from vices and that they fixe not vppon the abuses of this world séeing they ought to be a People seperate and Subiect to no Communitie or traffyke wyth Sinners and Idolators For that cause the Scripture calleth the Children of God Banished and seperate from all men Esay also Exhorteth the Faythfull to retyre from the Companie of the wicked but specialsy suche as are Gods Seruauntes and Sacrifycators ordeyued to accomplishe the Statutes and Commaundementes of god Abraham issued out of the Region of the Chaldees vppon the assuraunce of Gods Promises to make him a guide leader of a mightie people and wythall to purchase such renoume and fauor that who blessed that people should be blessed who accursed them should partake with the same and that out of his séed should issue he that should bring felicitie and blessing to all the nations and kinreds of the earth This promise is a reuiuing of that which had béene made to Adam and Heua whereof the certayntie séemes to bée so much the more great by how much God assigneth the Séede out of the which should issue the Messias and Sauiour of the Worlde By this may be considered the great rewarde that such may hope for as followe the Lorde béeing called to the obedience of his Commaundements and are withdrawne from the delights and vanities of the worlde to followe bitter thinges and of harde disgestion For as God sheweth the fauor he beareth them chusing them for his seruice and aduaunsing them a-aboue all others So doth he also expresse the perticular care he hath ouer his chosen whom if he aduaunce on one behalfe he doth also priueleadge on an other But notwithstanding all those promises Abraham forbare not to endure much and to beare his Crosse wyth much trouble following alwayes the eternall will to shew that the bountie and iustice of God are pefect in all his workes And albeit he liued in great perplexitie and pouertie and suffered many tribulations and persecutions yet God deliuered him and made him prosper that he was riche mightie and victorious ouer his enemies This is the true Image of the way of God and truth and to it God calles vs wyth milke and delytes as nursses vse to intice little Children to the ende we know that all his wayes are founded vpon mercie and trueth and that he is vpright in his worde to the iust leauing vs to folow him by that way obey him as knowing his will to be readie enclined to our health and benefite the same béeing the true ende and purpose for the which he hath chosen vs to serue his turne of vs. Touching the crosse and persecution which Abraham suffered they weare necessarye to his felicitie For God vseth to proue our fayth to showe by effect what loue wée beare him and what patience and Charitie wée haue shewing wythall how much the worlde is our enemie declaring it selfe for such one in all his actions and that God onely hath created and redéemed vs and onely ministreth all fauour to vs to the ende wée should call him to our ayde in our necessities and confesse him whereby the remorce and féeling we haue of his mercie may enflame vs to yéeld him thanks And that our fayth béeing tryed by the fire of tribulation and temptation the vertue of our patience may encrease and our hope growe stronger dayly to resiste Sinne and the Worlde vnder Assuraunce and Confydence of the Bowntie of God. So that Abraham a man iuste was led in these Accidentes somtimes in glorie and sometimes in tribulation by the Contemplation of whose lyfe all Christians may know how God handleth his chosen and of what Condition hée will chuse them and wyth what courage hée
succéedes an honest and iust renoume So to haue that beléeued which is spoken it imports much that he haue credite that speaketh it since in that tale is small suretie of truth in whose reporter is no testimonie of credit In cases of partialitie and faction if there bée an hundred infamous men against one man of honour his vertue onely will carie him to more authoritie in a common weale then all the strength or subteltie of the others without credite The whole countrey of Egypt had perished during the seuen yeares of famine had it not bene for the credite and opinion which Ioseph had with Pharao Destruction had falne vppon the Citie of Ierusalem by the warres of the Machabes with their neighboures had not the reputation of Mathias the sacrificator ministred succour and sauetie to the whole common weale If Helie the Prophet had not ben well thought of with the people of Jsrael they had al become idolators their inclination drawing them vniuersally thereunto And in the great captiuitie of Babylon had it not bene for the estimation credit holines of life of Daniel Ezechiel and the good old Tobyas many Hebrewes had become Gentiles where by the vertue of those men many Gentiles were conuerted to the Hebrewes So that in the texts of Iesus Christ and the wiseman is great congruencie of reason séeing that all these vertuous personages brought stay comfort to their commonweales not by their wealth or huge treasures but by their renoume credit of honor ▪ Spectaculū facti sumus Deo mundo hominibus the other Apostles I saith S. Paul are set as spectacles from whence euery one draws his impression as whites whereat al men do shoote and as guides after whom euery one ought to go By whom let the Magistrates gouernors of the earth learne to know what life they shuld lead what vertue they should vse and what credit they ought to haue For there is no man how simple so euer he be who is not moued more with the good example he séeth then with al the swéete words that can be spoken to him since amongst men more doth prouoke to well doing the action then the word And therfore whether he be King that commaūds or Prelat that administreth or Magistrate that gouerneth or Preacher that instructeth let him first labour to winne opinion to the end his doctrine may bring forth good fruit For other wayes for one that prayseth that he saith there wil be many hundred to blame that he doth since the affections of men are more led by example then by perswasion or conference Cepit Iesus facere docere the redéemer of the world saith S. Luke was so auised in his doings and so wonderfull in that he spake that he remained thirtie yeres in recouering good name afore he published to the world his Doctrine Who liues vertuously although he speake neuer a word yet he preacheth enough with the example of his life where the euill liuer how good so euer he be in tongue and spéech defaceth his vertues with the infamies of his life Yea his preaching is but hipocresie his doctrine but error since such as speake goodly things do them not are like to a Harpe which giues a sound to others and vnderstandeth nothing it selfe The Turkes the Jewes the Indians and Chaldies although they differ from vs in sectes and languages yet there is no difference in the desire of honour good renowme as being inuerted in the nature of man to desire to be frée and labour to be honoured For that of all voluble things there is nothing more deare and precious then credite and renoume And how holy and perfect so euer a man be yet may he be subiect to contemne or reiect the reuerence that men beare him and the presents that are giuen him but touching the credite of his person and reputation of his good renoume and doctrine there are none that take pleasure to leaue them and much lesse will suffer them to decline or diminish For otherwayes there would not be many followers of their life fewer to imitate their doctrine Since good examples only drawes to perfection and spéech language be but helpers to the same Yea if in one man were met the forces of Sampson the wisedome of Salomon the courage of Caesar the riches of Cressus the science of Plato and the constancie of Cato If with all these his person stoode not in good renoume and his life cōmended for good example he were no other thing then a paynted fire that gaue no heate or as a fayre visor that couered a foule deformed face Men of honour and vertuous reputation haue many great priuileges for good men desire to serue them and ill men are made better by their example Old men are assured by them and the younger sort draw counsell from them Yea on them are fixed the eyes thoughts and actions of all sortes of people in whom their vertues haue wonne such affection that if they be detected of any crime yet it is accompted more to misaduenture then to sinne and being accused of fault the malice of their aduersary is cifted and they cleared by the testimonie of their proper innocencie For this is holden a rule amongst the multitude that men of vertue and such as haue feare to erre beare more respect to honour then eyther to life or goods For that either earely or late the life dissolueth and riches must be left but in true honour good renoume are layd vp our monuments of perpetuitie and fame so long as we liue and after our death they lift vs to immortalitie Hector of Troy Achilles of Greece Hercules of Thebes and Caesar of Rome had their seasons and meanes to determine their life but to touch or take away their renoumes there was no power to time or death For that euery one of them buried with him his strength his riches and his life but their renoumes remayne subiect to no prescription but as doctrines of perpetuitie are closed vp and reserued to serue the ages and posterities to come Tell vnto my father all my glory saith the Patriarch Joseph to his bretherne the first time he sawe them in Egipt as if hée had sayd go vp my Bretherne into the countrey of Chanan and reioyce my Father telling vnto him the great fauour that Pharao beares mée together with the glory honour and renoume I haue gotten through out the land of Egipt He did not recommend vnto his Bretherne to tell his Father that hée was on liue that he was maried or that hée had children but only that hée was fauoured and much honoured estéeming more for our example a little good ronoume then his wife his children his goods or his proper life For that in the first being of vertue is perpetuall stabilitie where the others béeing transitory suffer reuersement and dissolution When God called Abraham out of his countrey to