true it semeth by diuers excellent barons well lerned in diuers sciences that flourished in his tyme Iulius Capitolin recounteth of them as foloweth Alexander a greke Trasion Polyon Euticius Anius Macrion Caninius Crodiaticus Fornius Cornelius Apolonius Nius Sextus Cheronense Iunius Rasticus Claudius Maximus Cina Catulus Claudius Seuerus and the renowmed Diogenitus paynter and the well lerned lawyer Volusius Mecianus All these were in this emperours palays and residente in his persence And yet for all that he had dyuers other wise presons in Rome and abrode in Italy It was no meruail to se in those dayes the multitude of men that flourisshed in wisedome There was no father but if he had two sonnes he wolde set one of them to study and the other accordyng to the Romayne lawe shuld be sette to the warres And if this emperour wyst of any wyse yong man aboue al other he wolde fauour hym ¶ Of the emperour Marcus sonne named Verissimus Cap. v. THis emperour Marcus Aurelius hadde only two sonnes as Herodian saythe The greattest and eldest was called Comode and the yōgest was named Verissimus He was a fayre childe of person and right vertuous of liuing With his beautie he drewe to hym the eies of many and with his good inclinations he robbed the hartes of all men He was the hope of the people and the glorie of his fathers age And though the eldest was prince yet themperour determyned that the laste borne for his vertues shulde inherite as the eldest And he that was fyrst borne for his demerites shulde be disherited And as good desyres in the best tyme fayle often by vnhappy chance this emperour being of .lii. yeres of age and the sonne of .xvi. the glorie of Rome and hope of the father the lyfe of the sonne toke an ende And as moche was the deathe bewayled as the lyfe desyred It was great pytie for the senate by reason therof sawe not themperour nor the olde emperour for sorowe sawe not the senate of a longe space Rome was ryght heuy and the senate withdrewe them to the heighte of the capitoll dyuers dayes And as the mystes and wyndes cause the leaues to falle that were grene in sommer and the dedes of honour constrayne vs to forget the myshappes of fortune as a man of high lynage and of stronge courage thoughe that sorowe remayne in his harte and abydethe locked therin determynethe to clense the braunches of sorowes that is outward fayning ioy and myrthe outwardely kepynge the sorowe within so this Marcus the emperour as a man whose vine freseth and dyethe wherin he had al his hope contented him with that was lefte behynde Whan his dere sonne Verissimus was deed he sente for the prince Comode his onely inheritour whiche sythe the chylde his brother was deed entred not in to the palays And the emperour seynge the proude and outragious porte of his sonne Comode bedewed his eien with salte teares remembrynge the shame of the one and the dethe of the other The whiche perceyued by Faustyne his mother which loued hym moste entierly commaunded to haue her sonne awaye fro the presence of his father ¶ What wyse and auncient men Marcus chose to instructe his sonne Cap. vi THoughe that the harte of this emperour was occupied with the death of his chylde yet for all that he reysed his vnderstandyng to haue the prince his heyre ryght well brought vppe For certaynely princis bene suche whan they come to mans estate as they be brought vp in their tender youth The father than knowynge the frayle inclinations of his chylde not correspondent to the good gouernaunce of the empire as a good emperour sent ouer all Italye for the moste wysest persones in lernynge the moste famous of renowme and the mooste vertuous in dedes And as in dyuers thynges the infamye is greatter in the yll doinge by malyce than the faute of the trespassour by weakenes so in dyuers other thynges the common voyce is more than the secrete vertue For the whyche occasyon after the assemblynge of these wyse menne the emperour commaunded to examyne them and to be informed of the bloude of their predecessours of the appoyntement in all their thynges and of the treatie of their busynes and of the credence amonge their neyghbours and of the purenes of their lyues and grauitie of theyr persones and finally of their sciences what they coulde do and this to be done in an order The astrologiens in astronomie the musitiens in musyke the oratours in their arte of rhetorike and some in other sciences And this not in one daye but in many and not onely by informacyon of other but he wolde knowe hit by his owne propre experience Thus they were all examyned soo that there was none lefte behynde And as for perfecte knowlege of thynges wherin we haue great affection it behoueth to haue straunge aduyse clere vnderstandynge and propre experience so the emperour commanded to chose out of dyuers a fewe and out of fewe the wysest and of the wysest the moste experte moste worthy and moste auncient And accordyng to the vii artes lyberall there was assigned to euery science two maysters so that the prince was one and the maysters xiiii This renowme that the Emperour sente ouer all to haue maysters for his sonne the prince caused to come to hym moo wyse men from straunge countreys than of the marches and neyghbours of Rome The good emperour considerynge that it was no reason that suche as came to his seruice shulde returne myscontented some with ioyfull wordes some vpon certayne hope and some with giftes and presentes were dispatched soo that they were all pleased And if this doinge was renowmed by the reporte of the wise men it was no lesse vertuous by the wisedome and worthynes of the emperour to sende them home soo well content For he sent them away as well satisfied that were ouercome as they were cōtented that ouercam them And certaynly they had all reason for some bare the swete wordes and satisfienge of the father and somme aboode there charged with the enterprise of the sonne Yet the good emperour not being contented with this commanded that these maysters shoulde be lodged in his palayes and eate in his presence and acconpany his personne to se if theyr lyfe were conformable to their science and whether their plesant and wel couched wordes agreed in effect with theyr warkes It was a meruaylous thinge to se the study and thought that the emperour had to regard them as well in goynge as fedynge ¶ Howe it chaunced to fyue wyse men wherfore they were put out of the emperours house Cap. vii IN the month of Septembre the .xi. day therof in halowyng the feast of the Emperours natiuitie in the same house where as he was borne in the place of moūt Celio As a trewande and foole dothe lyke hym selfe and semblably as he is accustomed to doo And lyke as oone dothe the semblable thynges and customes that he
say it not without teares thou seeste that my son remayneth ryche yonge and at libertie Ryches youthe solitarines and lybertie ben .iiii. pestilences that enpoysone the prince and waste the common welthe hit sleethe them that be a lyue infameth them that be deed Beleue me one thynge dyuers graces are requisite to susteyn diuers vertues With the fairest women the brothell houses are peopled the mooste vilaynes are made ruffyens the moste hardye are robbers in woddes the quickeste of vnderstandynge ofte proue fooles and the mooste subtylle becom theues I say that such as are clothed with dyuers graces of nature lacke the furres of accquired vertues We may say they hold in their handes a knyfe wherwith they stryke and hurte theym selfes fire on their shulders wherwith they bren and a corde about their necke wherwith they hange daggers at theyr stomacke wherwith they are stayne thornes at theyr feete wherwith they are pricked a stony way afore theyr eies where they stomble and stomblynge fall and fallynge they lese theyr life and wynne dethe The great trees of whom we haue fruite in wynter and shadowe in sommer first be planted the rotes faste in the entrayles of the erthe or euer theyr wauerynge boughes are aduentured in the wynd Marke Panutius marke well The man that from his youth hath set before hym the feare of the goddis and the shame of men is habited in vertues he that accompanieth with them that be vertuous mainteyneth trouth to euery maÌ„ and liueth without preiudice of any man Malicious fortune maye somtyme cleue the barke of the welthe of suche a tree wyther the floure in his youthe breake the leaues of his fauour gather the fruite of his trauaylle breake downe a bough of his offices bowe downe the height of his couÌ„cell yet for all the strokes that the wynde can strike it can not be plucked vp by the rote Certaynely the sonne that the father hath endued with graces and the sonne applienge hym in vices ought not to be borne in this worlde if he be borne to be buried quicke For the fathers sweate by day and watche by nyght to leue honour to their children whiche the fathers bye of the goddis with sighes the mothers delyuered of them with peyne and bring theÌ„ vp with trauayle and the chylde proueth so that he giueth greuous age to the father in his lyfe great infamy after his death I consider wel that the prince Comode beinge yonge and I olde ageynst his wyl forbare vyces I fere me that after my deth he wyll hate vertues I remeÌ„bre diuers of his age haue inherited the empire whiche were so hardy in their lyues that they deserued to be called tyrantes after their dethes ExaÌ„ple of Denys renoumed tyrant of Sycill whiche hired theym that coude inuent vices as our Rome rewardeth them that conquere realmes What greatter tyranny can be in a tyraÌ„t than to make most priuie to him theÌ„ that be vicious Also I forget not the foure kinges that succeded after great AlexaÌ„der as Ptholome Anthiocê° Siluiê° Antigonus whiche the grekes called great tirantis all that AlexaÌ„der had gotten with renomed triuÌ„phes they lost by their viciousnes And in this maner the world y t AlexaÌ„der had deuided amonge them .iiii. came to the handes of mo than foure C. for Antigonê° set so litle by that had cost his lord AlexaÌ„der so moch was so lighte in his age so bolde in his realme y t in mockery in y e stede of a crowne of gold he ware a garlande of Iuie in stede of a scepter he bare a thystle in his right hande and after that maner he wold syt amonge his men whan he spake to strangers I lay shame to the yong man so to do but I meruayle that the sadde and wyse men of grece suffred it ¶ I remembre also Caligula the .iiii. emperour of Rome a yonge man in whose tyme it was harde to knowe whiche was the greatter eyther the disobedience of the people to their lorde or the hatrede that the lorde bare to the people And this yonge prince went so farre oute of the waye in his youthe and was so farre wyde frome reason in his tyrannies that euery man studyed howe to take his lyfe from hym he studied to slee euery man He wrote these wordes in a table of golde Wolde to god that all Rome hadde but one heed to the entente that with one stroke I myght stryke it of ¶ I also remembre Tyberie sonne adoptiue of good Auguste called August bycause he augmented Rome But this good olde prince dyd not so moche augmente it in his lyfe but this yonge successour distroyed it moche more after his deathe The hate that the Romayne people had agaynste Tyberie in his lyfe was ryght welle shewed after his dethe For the same day that he dyed or whan he was slayne the people made dyuers processions and the senatours offred great gyftes in the temples and the priestes offred gret sacrifices to their goddis to thentent that they shulde not receyue the soule of the sayd Tiberie into their glorie but to sende it to the furies of Hell ¶ Also I mynde Patrocle the seconde kynge of Corynthe whiche enheryted the realme beinge but .xvi. yere of age and he was so vycious of his body and so lyberall of his mouthe that where as his father helde the realme .lx. yere he possessed it but .xxx. dayes ¶ Also the auncient Tarquin the proude the .vii. kynge of Rome whiche was ryght goodly in gesture ryght valyant in armes and of a cleane bloudde as an vnhappye prince defyled al his vertues with noughtye lyuynge in suche wyse that he conuerted his beautie into lechery his power into tyranny for the villany that he did to Lucrece the chaste lady of Rome wherby he lost not onely his realme but the name of Tarquine was banysshed for euer out of Rome ¶ I remembre cruelle Nero whiche inheryted and dyed yonge in hym ended the memorie of the noble Cesars and by hym was renewed the memorye of Antygones the tyrantes Whom thynkest thou this tyrant wolde suffre to lyue whiche slewe his owne mother Tell me I pray the what harte is that of a chylde to slee his owne mother to open the brestes that he sucked to shedde the blood of her that nouryshed hym in her armes and to beholde the entrayles wherin he was fourmed What thynkeste thou that he wolde not haue done sithe he commytted suche an yll dede The day that Nero slew his mother an oratour sayd in the senate that Agrippyne his mother had deserued deth for chyldyng suche a chylde in Rome These thre dayes that thou haste sene me so altered in my mynde all these thinges came before me and I haue drawen theym into the depenes of my harte and disputed theym This sonne of myn holdeth me in the gulfe of the see betwene the wawes of feare and the ankers of dispayre hopynge
to be to passe his lyfe with honour and to take his deth with great vertue Ryght dere lorde I demande of you what prouffyte is it to the maryner to knowe the carde of the see and after to peryshe in a tourment or tempeste What prouffytte is it to a capitayne to speake moche of warre and after knowe not howe to gyue battayle What profyteth it to a knyght to haue a good horse and to falle in the strete What profyteth it one to teache an other the playne waye and hym selfe to wander asyde I saye what profyted it the force of your lyfe that you estemed soo lyttelle manye tymes seekynge your deathe And at this present howre that you haue founde deathe you wepe bycause it wyll take away your lyfe What thynges haue I written with myn owne hande beinge your Secretarye dyuysed by your hyghe and profounde vnderstandynge towchynge the stroke of deathe What thynge was it to se the letter that you sent Claudine vpon the deathe of her husbande what wrote you to Anthygone whan your sonne Verissimus dyed Wherin your vertue dydde consolate his heuynesse What highe thinges dyd I write in the boke that you sent to the Senate in the yere of the great pestylence comfortynge them after the great mortalitie passed therein you dydde shewe theym howe lyttell men shulde sette by deth what profyte foloweth therby And I haue seene and harde you blason dethe in your lyfe and nowe you wepe as thoughe you shulde lyue here styll Syth that the goddis cōmande it and your age requireth it your syckenes is the cause and nature permytteth it and fortune consenteth to it and is the fatall destenie of vs all than you muste nedes dye The trauayles that come of necessitie ought with a good courage to be abyden For the couragious feeleth not soo sore the harde strokes as the weake that falleth or he be foughten with You are but one man and nat two and ye ought to haue oone deathe and nat two Therfore why wolde ye for one lyfe haue two dethes enterrynge the body and sleinge the spirite with syghes After so many perylles of longe lyfe to take a sure porte wyll ye lyfte vp the sayles and entre ageyne into the swolowe of the see for to engloutte you In the see you haue chased the bulle and scaped his woodnes and nowe ye refuse to entre into the parke where you may surely slee hym You make assaute with vyctorie of your life and wyl dye atteynyng the deth you haue foughte .lxii. yeres in the campe of myserie and nowe you feare to entre into your sepulchre you haue got out of the busshes and thornes wherin you were closed and nowe at this howre you stomble in the faire way you haue had in certayne the domage of your death and now ye put in double the profyte of your death you ar entred into the campe of defyenge of the worlde and nowe you wolde tourne your backe whan it is tyme to putte your handes to armes Lxii. yere you haue foughte agaynste fortune and nowe you cloose your eies bycause fortune wyl strike you I say it bycause that willyngly you refuse this present dethe the whiche wyll cause vs to haue your lyfe passed suspect What do you high and mighty prince Why wepe you like a chyld why sigh you as one in dyspaire if you wepe bicause ye shal die why dyd you laugh so moche in your lyfetyme For of moche laughynge in the lyfe tyme cometh moche wepyng at the deth Wyl you do that you can not do and not be content with that you may do The grounde and pasture that is common you wolde ioyne to your owne the renowme of the common welthe you applyed to your owne heritage Of a subsidy or lone you wolde make your perpetuall ryghte I wylle shewe you who be deed All be deed and shall dye And amonge all other you wolde all onely lyue Wyll ye haue that of the goddis that they be goddis for That is bycause you are mortall that they make you immortall And you to haue that by priuilege which they haue by nature I that am but symple demaunde one thynge of you my lorde that are auncient and wyse whiche is the greattest or least welthe to dye well or lyue yll To lyue welle noo man can attayne certainely for hungre thirst solitarines persecution yll fortune sicknesses and disfauours This can be called no lyfe but rather a deth If an ancient man wolde make a shewe and booste of his lyfe from the tyme of his birthe to the layinge in his graue and the bodye to shewe all that it hath suffred by dolours and the harte to discouer all the strokes of fortune I thynke that the goddis wolde haue maruayle therof and men wolde be abashed therof that the body coude suffre soo moche and the harte beare it I holde the grekes wisest whiche wepe whan theyr children are borne and they synge whan an olde man dyeth but the Romaynes synge at the byrthe of theyr chyldren and wepe whan they dye olde Certaynly to laughe at the deth of them that die olde sith they dye to laugh and to wepe at the birth of chyldren sithe they are borne to wepe and that the lyfe abydeth the sentence of yl proueth well that the deathe is good Wyll you that I saye one veritie to you I haue alwayes seene that coūsell in the wysest man sonest faileth him Such as wolde gouerne al thinges by theyr opiniōs of necessitie in some or in the moste parte they do erre and fayle O Marc my dere lorde weene you that haue caused to burye soo many that some shulde not burye you in lykewise As you haue seene the ende of theyr dayes so other shal se the ende of your yeres Therfore me semeth it were better for you to dye and to go your waye to atteyne soo moche welthe than to scape and to lyue in so moche mysery If you fele deathe I haue no meruayle sythe you be a man But I meruayle that you do not dissimule it sythe you are dyscrete They that haue clere vnderstandynge feele many thynges at theyr harte that putteth them to peyne which they shewe not outwarde for the presumption of honour If al the poyson that is in a heuy hart were spred abrode in the weake flesshe by smalle greynes noo walles shulde suffyse vs to rubbe nor our nayles to scratche For certainly the deathe is but a playe wherin the player if he be apt aduentureth but lyttell to wynne moche and they that play may se wel that this is a wyly play and not a strōg And that also as well they lese that haue but a smal card not fearyng dethe as they that with a greatte carde loue long lyfe What thinge is deth but a trappe dore wherin the tent is closed in the whiche is solde all the miseries of our life This the goddis do change vs fro an olde filthy house
into a newe And what other thing is the sepulchre but a castelle wherin we be closed agaynst the assautes of the lyfe Of trouth you ought more to couete to take that you find at your deth than the hurte of that you shal leue in your lyfe I demand of you what is it that dothe you most peyne in lesyng of the lyfe If you peyn your self for Helie Fabrice your wyfe bicause you leaue her yonge wery not yourself for she is wel thought on in Rome for any peryll of your lyfe And as soone as she knoweth it I am in certayne she wyll not wepe moche though you go your way Thā you ought not to wepe for leuyng of her These yonge damoysels maried to old men haue euer their eyes fixed in the deth of their husbandes And holly fasten their hartes on him that they think to mary with ageyn They wepe with their eies laughe in their hartis And thinke not contrary though she be an empresse and can not fynde an other emperour to be her husbande yet she wyll fynde some other man For if they be soo determyned they wyll change their robes of sylke for a gowne of clothe I dare well saye they more desyre a yonge sheparde than an olde emperour If you care for your chyldren whom ye muste leaue behind you I can not tell why you shuld do so For if your deth be displeasant to them moch more displeaseth them y t you liue so longe It is great pein to the child not to desire the deth of his father For if he be poore it is for feare how they shuld be mainteined if he be ryche thā bicause he shalbe his heire They synge you wepe you fere the deth wepe bicause you leaue your life Doo you not know y t after the night cometh the dewy mornyng after y t cometh the bright son after y e son comith a derk cloude and after ageyn cometh faire wether after that cometh lightnyng thonder than again clere aire Also I say that after infancy cometh childhode thā cometh youth age after that and so at laste cometh deth and after dethe fearefull hope of a sure lyfe Sir beleue me in one thyng The beginning the meane and the ende euery man hath Certainly if you had ben takē as the floure fro the herbe if you had ben cut grene fro the tree if you had ben graffed in primetyme if you had ben eaten in the sowernes of the vyne I meane if in the fyrste youthe whan lyfe was at the swetest if dethe had come and knocked at the gate ye shulde haue had cause to be sory but as nowe the walles are weake and redye to falle and the flowre wythered and the very putrified the speare full of mosse and canne not drawe the knyfe out of the shethe Herein you haue desired the worlde as if you had neuer knowen the worlde Lxii. yere you haue ben prisoner in the dongeon of the body now whan the shakles or gyues shuld be taken from you you complayne you lorde wold make newe of other newes He that thinketh it nat sufficient to lyue .lxii. yeres in this dethe or to dye in this lyfe he wyll not be contente with thre score thousande ¶ Auguste the Emperour sayde that after that men had lyued .l. yeres they ought to dye orels cause them selfe to be slayne bycause that vnto that tyme is the felycitie of man He that lyueth beyonde that tyme passeth his tyme in heuynesse in greuous aches deathe of his chylderne and losse of his goodes in importunities of his chyldren in lawe buryenge of his frendes susteynynge processe payinge of dettis and other infinyte trauayles So that it were better with his eies cloosed to abyde theym in his graue thanne with his eyes open to abyde theym in his lyfe dayes Certaynly it is a fortune of all fortunes and he is ryght priuie with the goddis that at .l. yere leaueth his lyfe For al the time that he liueth after is in decaying and neuer vpryght but rollyng relynge and redy to fall O Marc my dere lorde do you not know that by the same way that lyfe gothe cometh dethe It is .lxii. yere that ye haue soughte the one from the other And whan ye wente fro Rome where as you lefte your howse ye wente to Illirike where you lefte a great pestylence and nowe you are retourned into Hungarie Do you not knowe that as soone as you were borne to gouerne the erthe incontinent dethe issued out of his sepulchre to fynde your lyfe And if you haue honored ambassadours of the straunge kynges moche more ye oughte to honour deathe that cometh fro the goddis What lordshyp can be loste in this lyfe but you shal fynde greatter in the death Are you not remembred whan Vulcan my sonne in lawe poisoned me bicause he desyred my goodes more than my lyfe howe you my lorde for loue that you had to me gaue me comforte and counsell for the deth of my sorowfull youth and you sayd to me the goddis were cruell in kyllynge of them that be yonge and pitiefull whan they burie theym that be olde And also you sayde to me Comforte thy selfe Panutius For if thou dydst lyue to dye now than thou dyest to liue Therfore right high and myghty prince I saye to you as you sayde to me and I counsayle you as you counsayled me and that you gaue me I gyue you ageyne Fynally of this repynge take the best in worthe let the rest abide ¶ How themperour demanded to haue in writing al that the Secretarie had sayde Cap. xli ANd as of the contentynge of the wylle oftentymes procedeth helthe and ease of the body the emperour was wel satisfied with the wordes of Panutius whiche he eloquently vttered and with profounde counsell hardily and familyarly and in due tyme as a good frende Great cōpassion it is to them that wold die whā it is shewed them what they ought to do For of them that be about the bed somme robbe hym of his money somme serue hym welle some holde the place to be his heire some gape for gyftes some wepe for losynge of hym somme laugh for the gaynes they haue by his death and so in this maner the poore pacient hauyng many lokynge for their profyte hath no body to counsel hym We se dayly that seruātes whā they se the going out of the cādell of lyfe care not for the clēsing of their lordes vyces And therof cometh that as sone as he is deed streight way begynneth to stynke And so I say that the ende of his lyfe is the begynnynge of his infamy All they that were there as well the olde seruantes as the newe belongynge to themperour capitaynes of warre other were not a lyttell abashed of the sayenge of Panutius and they all allowed his sayinge and sayde he was worthy to haue the gouernaunce of thempire The good emperour all the season
liuing than his heares were white The .iiii. was called Andrisco which in goodlynes of his gesture highnes of body vertue of courage and wysedome in conscience none was egall to him in Rome The .v. was named Bononius whiche at that tyme was consule and in the aunciente lawes very expert The last was called Iuan Varius the good and he was called the good bycause that in .lx. yere neuer man sawe hym do any yll workes nor harde hym speake any ydel worde nor do any thynge but it was profytable to the common welthe Though in case they were al egall in gouernynge yet I say these laste thre were princypall For Iuan Varius particularly was left to be chiefe capitayne of the armye and to hym was delyueted al the treasure and the testament was put into his handes and with sore weping the emperour recommended to him the prince his sonne Than whan the peine of his sicknes encreaced and that he loked for the houre of his deth he comaunded to awake his sonne Comodus whiche without any care was faste a slepe and whan he was brought into the presence of his father it was greatte pitie to se the eien of the olde emperour soore discoloured with wepynge and the eies of the sonne allmooste closed with slepynge the sonne was wakynge with small thoughte and the father coulde not slepe for great thoughte and peyne And whan he was in his presence seing the lyttell care that the sonne toke for the deth of his father and consideringe the great desire of the father for the good lyfe of his sonne it moued to pitie the hartes of all the great lordes that were there noo lesse to leaue the company of the good old man than the annoyance of the dealynge of the yonge prince Than the emperour sayde to his sonne these wordes ¶ What the emperour sayde to his sonne at the houre of his dethe Ca. xlv VNto thy maisters and my gouernours I haue shewed howe they shall counsel the and nowe my sonne at this houre I say to the howe they thoughe they be but a fewe all for the alone shal gouerne and it is not to be taken in smal estimation The mooste easyest thynge in the worlde is to giue councel to an other and the moste hardest and hieste thinge is a man to take it for him selfe There is none so simple a man but he may giue good councel though there be no nede And there is none so wyse that wyl refuse councell in tyme of necessitie I se one thyng that al take counsell for all and at the laste take it for hym selfe Sonne I thinke accordynge to my heuy fatall destenies and thyne yll customes that one thinge shall not profite the that is if the lyttell goodnes that thou hast done was for feare of me in my lyfe that thou wylte doo lesse whan thou haste forgotten my dethe I do more nowe for to satisfie my desire and the common welth than for any hope that I haue of the amendement of thy lyfe There is not a worse complaynt than that a man holdeth of him selfe If thou my sonne be yl Rome wyl complayne to the goddis that they haue giuen the so yll inclinations They wyll complayne of Faustine thy mother that hath brought the vp so wantonly and they wylle complayne on thy selfe that thou doste not refrayne the from vices and they shall not complayne of thyne olde father that hath gyuen the so many good counselles I am in certayne thou hast not so great dolour to see the ende of this nyghte and the ende of my lyfe as thou hast pleasure to se the day that thou shalte be emperour and I haue no meruayle for where as sensualitie reigneth reason is put asyde Dyuers thynges are beleued bycause they are not knoweÌ„ certainly O how many thynges of trouthe ben there that if they were knowen truely they shulde be lefte But we ben so doubtful in euery thing and go about our businessis so variably and inconstantly that somtyme our spirites breake the purpose and an other tyme they rydde vs not of trouble nor hyndrance I saye we be so swyfte to do yll that sometyme we lese by a carde of the moste and to do wel we be so dul that we lese by a carde of the leste and at the laste we doo nothing but lese Sonne I wyl aduertise the by wordes that I haue knowen in .lxii. yeres by long experience and syth thou arte my sonne and yonge it is reason that thou beleue hym that is thy olde father As we princes are regard of all men and regarde all men and are regarded of al other this daye thou doste enherite thempire of the worlde and the courte of Rome I knowe well there be inowe in the court of princis that knowe nothyng what is to make them selfe of worthynes and to maynteyn them self amoÌ„g so many truÌ„peries as are treated in the houses of princis I lette the to witte that in the courte is auncient parcialities presente discentions feareful vnderstandynges euidente wittenesses entrayles of serpentes tongues of scorpions many detractours and fewe that seke peace and where as all men shulde harken to the comon voyce euery man sercheth his owne proufite Euery manne sheweth a good pretence and all are occupied in yll workes In suche wyse that some by auarice lese their good fame and some prodigally spende and waste all theyr goodes What shulde I say more In the courte euery daye the lordes chaunge and after the lawes awake stryfes and reyse noyses abate noblenes exalte the vnworthy banysshe innoceÌ„tes and honour theues loue flatterers and dispraise theym the whiche be vertuous they embrace delites and treade vertue vnder their fete they wepe for them that be ylle and laughe to scorne theym that be good and finally ly they take all lyghtnes for theyr mother and vertue for theyr stepmother And my sonne I say more vnto the The courte the whiche thou shalt enherite this day is nothing but a shoppe with waares and a howse of vaâ—aboundes wherin somme selle vyle and corrupte thynges and other byelyes some haue credence and somme haue renoume somme haue goodes and some haue lyuynge and all togyther is but losse of tyme and that worste of all is they wyll not beleue the poyson therof tyll it be at theyr hartis they are so foolyshe and sturdy Rome hath very hye walles and the vertues is very lowe Rome vaunteth it selfe to be very stronge in nombre of inhabitauntes and afterwarde Rome shal wepe that there is more people than vertue and vyces are not accompted In a monethe a manne might recken all the stones of the proude edifyces but in a. M. yeres he myght not comprise the malyces of his yll customes I swere to the by the immortall goddis that in thre yeres I repaired all that was decayed in Rome and in thirty yere I coude not refourme one quarter therof to good lyuynge Good sonne beleue me the great cities full
passeth in my thoughte than the shorte clothe doothe in a false weuers handes Ye haue strayned it on the tentours and drawen it on the perche for to to lengthen the lyfe If ye were made faire and clere cordwainers waxe and swete of sauour that ye myghte be drawen out at lengthe hit were welle doone but ye are but as fruyte of almondes semynge drie without and worme eaten within For the loue that I haue to you and for neyghbourheed that ye haue had with me I desire styll frendshyppe of you that lyke as I knewe you yonge and very yonge so to knowe you olde and very olde I say not that ye surmoūt in age but your wytte fayleth you O Claudius and Claudine I wylle ye knowe that to susteyne youthe and to deface age to length the lyfe and driue awaye dethe it is not in mennes handes that desyre hit it is the goddis that doo gyue it whiche accordinge to iustyce and our couetyse giueth vs lyfe by weighte and deathe without measure Ye may know that our nature is corruption of our body and our bodye is putrifaction of our wytte and our wytte is guyde to our soule and our soule is mother of our desyres and our desires are sleers of our youthe our youth token of our age and our age spye of our dethe and dethe the house of our lyfe wherinto youthe gothe on fote and from age we canne not flee on hors backe I wolde wyte a thinge of you what fynde ye in this lyfe wherfore dothe lyfe content you after .lxxx. yeres of age eyther ye haue ben good or yl if ye haue bene good and vertuous ye shal not reioyce you with yll goddis if ye haue benne yll ▪ than as well desire dethe to thentente ye shulde be no more yll orels iustly ye might be slayn by iustice For he y t hath ben yll tyll .lx. yeres of age in him there is no hope of amendmente Whan the couragious great Pompeie and Caius Cesar were ennemies and beinge in cruell ciuil battailes Rome was infamed and them self lost The annales shew that suche as came in fauour of Iulius Cesar cam out of the west and the succours of Pompeie out of the easte among other there came certayne people out of Barbarie dwellyng amonge the mountayns Riffees toward Inde Their custome was whan they came to thage of .l. yeres to make great fyres and brenne them selfe quicke in sacrifyce to theyr goddis and the same daye the parentes and chyldren wolde make great feastes and eate of the flesshe halfe brente and drynke wyne with the ashes of the bones This was sene with the eies of Pompei bicause that som accomplyshed the yeres of fyftye in the campe O golden worlde wherin were suche men O happy people that in all the worldes to come hath left such a memorie of them They dispised the worlde and forgatte them selfe What strokes gaue they to fortune What delytes for the fleshe and howe lyttell sette they by theyr lyues and yet more to set so small store by deathe O what bridel was this for the vicious and what hope for the vertuous what confusion for them that loued this lyfe and what ensaumple not to feare dethe haue they left vs And sith they dispised their owne propre lyfe it is then to be thoughte that they dyed not to thentent to take other mens goodes to thynke that our lyfe neuer shall haue ende therfore our couetyse neuer hath ende O glorious people and .x. M. tymes blessed that lefte theyr sensualitie and vanquyshed theyr natural wyll beleue not that ye se but gyue faythe to that ye neuer sawe as they that se nothyng go agaynst the fatal destenies who goethe agaynste the waye of fortune gyue a wrynche to the lyfe robbe the body at the dethe wynne honour of the goddis not that they shulde length your lyfe but to take the reste of the lyfe Archagatus surgien and Anthonius the phisitien and Esculapius the father of medicines I thynke wanne but lyttell in that lande Who commaunded these Barbariens to take sirope in the mornyng and to take pylles at night and to refreshe them with mylke to take clere barly to annoynt theyr lyuers to daye to be lette blode and to morowe to take a purgation to eate one thing and to absteyn fro many thinges Than me thinke that they beynge of .l. yere of aege and you of lxxx at the leaste shulde be egall with them in wysedome And if ye wyll not take deth in good worth yet at the leest amende the yll lyfe I remembre well of a long tyme that Fabricius our neybour wylled vs to beware of a mockerie the whiche if it be not broken there shall folowe great dysshonour And sith he shewed me soo good a lesson I wyll paye you with the same money I wyll shewe it you if ye poore aged folkes doo not knowe it ye be suche that your eyes are bleared your noses droppynge your heares whyte your herynge dulle your tongue faulterynge your tethe waggynge your face wrincled your fete swollen your shuldres croked and your stomake distempered finally if the graues coude speake they myght ryghtfully calle for you to come and inhabite in them Of trouthe it is great compassion to beholde yonge ignoraunce that open theyr eies to knowe the infortunes of this lyfe whan it is tyme to close them and to entre into the graue And therof cometh that it is in vayne to giue counsaile to vain yong peple For youth is without experiēce of that it doth is suspect of that it hereth wyl not beleue that is said and disprayseth other mens coūsel is ryght pore of their owne And therfore I saye Claudius and Claudyne my frendes I fynde without comparison none so ylle an ignorance of goodnes that holdethe these yonge personnes as is the obstinacy of these aged personnes in yll The diffinition of yll is a manne not to knowe that he oughte to knowe yet it is wors to haue the knowlege of wysedome and to lyue lyke a brute beaste O ye olde goutye people ye forgette your selfe and renne in poste after the lyfe and ye neuer regarde whatte shall falle tyll ye be suche as ye wolde not and without power to retourne backe herof cometh that ye lacke of lyfe ye wyll supplye it with foly Than awake ye that be slombringe haue no force to slepe open your slepy eies and accustome you to do well Take that is nedeful for you and fynally appoynt you betimes with dethe or he make execution of your lyfe Lii yeres I haue knowen them of the worlde yet I could neuer know none so olde nor so putrifyed in their membres but that their hartes were hole to thynke vnhappynesse and their tongues hole to make lyes Take hede ye poore olde persons me thynke syth somer is paste ye haste forward with the tyme and if ye tary a small season yet ye make haaste to take lodgynge
Soo all these thynges tyme acheueth and burieth but onely trouthe the whiche of the tyme and of all thynge that is in the tyme triumpheth Neyther to be fauoured of the good nor to be persecuted of the yll may be but that somtyme trouth may be stopped and hydde but whan it is displeased and wyl displease than at the laste she commeth to a good porte and taketh londe The fruites in the spryngyng tyme haue not the vertue to gyue sustenaunce nor perfyte swetenesse to satisfie the taste of them that eatetth therof but thanne passeth the season of sommer and haruest comethe whiche tyme dothe better rype them and thanne that that we doo eate dothe profyte vs the profe therof is ryghte sauerynesse and gyuethe the more force and vertue and the greatter is the taste I wyll in these fyrste wordes saye that in the fyrste aeges menne were more estemed by theyr meke customes and delycatenes than they were after reproued by their grosse and rude vnderstandynges Certaynely somme of the aunciente philisophers I speake of the mooste aunciente as welle Caldees as Grekes who fyrste lyfted theym selues to regarde the sterres of the heuen and surmounted the hyghe mounte of Olympius there to contemplate and regarde the influences of the planettes in the heuen I dare well saye that they haue rather merited pardon by theyr ignoraunces than praysynge or grace by their wysedome These were the fyrste that wolde serch the trouthe of the elementes of the heuen and yet they were the fyrste that dyd so we errours in thinges natural of the erthe Homere in his Illiade said these wordes in speakynge of philosophers I prayse nothyng the knowlege of myn auncesters but I can them greatte thanke and prayse in that they desyred knowlege This was welle sayde of Homer For if amonge the aunciente men had not rayned suche ignoraunce there had not ben soo many sectes and parcialities in euery schole He that hath redde the auncient antiquities of the philosophers shall not denay me the presumption of the knowledge and ignorance of that they desired to knowe the whiche is chiefe cause that science is not all one There is greatte nombre of parcialities Cynitiens Catoniens Peripaticiens Academyens and Epicuriens who were as contrary in their opinions as dyuers in their naturalities I wil not that my penne be so dismeasured to reproue soo moche the auncient men that the glorie all onely shoulde abyde with them that be present Truely if he merite guardon and prayse that sheweth me the way wherby I thynke to passe yet no lesse meriteth he that sheweth and aduisethe me of the waye wherby I maye fayle The ignoraunce of the auncient men hath ben but as a guyde to aduyse and aduertise all other and bycause they erred we haue foūd sith the waye to their great prayse and to our gret shame I say that if we that be no we present had benne than wo had knowen lesse than they dydde And if they that were than were nowe at this houre they shoulde surmounte vs in knowlege And that this is trewe tt appereth wel For the auncient sages with their diligēce to know the trouth by their close and ferme made the wayes But we by our slouthe folowe not the open wayes Than to the purpose that I wyll saye we that be nowe present canne not complayne of them that haue bene but that the trouthe the which accordynge to Aule Gel. is doughter of the tyme In this tyme of the worlde declarethe to vs the errours that we oughte to flee and the trouthe of the doctrine that we ought to folowe But as nowe the humayne malyce is so experte and the vnderstandynge of mortall menne is so dulle that in tyme of nede in goodnes of wyt we fayle and in all yll we knowe more than we ought to knowe In suche wyse that some with one parte of the more and some with lesse al presume to wyn the game And though this be true yet it is but a smalle thynge to that we abyde fore There is so moche that we oughte to knowe For the moste that we knowe is the least parte of that we be ignorant of as the thynges natural accordyng to the varietie of the tyme lyke maner dothe the operations of the elementes In semblable wise in thynges mortall as the ages hath succeded so are discouered the sciences For certayne all the fruites cometh not together Whan one fayleth an other begynneth to entre in reason I wylle saye that neyther all doctours amonge christen menne nor all the philosophers amonge the gentylles were concurrante in one tyme but after the deathe of one good an other came better The hygh and supreme wysedome the whiche all meane thynges gouerneth by Iustice and departeth it accordynge to his bountie wyll not that at oone tyme the worlde shulde want or be destitute of sage men nor at an other tyme want of symple personnes some desyringe the fruite and some the leaues In such sort that they shulde haue enuy of that other were impeched This auncient world that ranne in Saturnus dayes the whiche other wyse was called the golden worlde the whiche was so estemed of them that sawe it and soo moche praysed of theym that harde the writynge therof and soo moche desired of them that felt no parte therof was not gold by the sages that dyd gylte it but bycause that there was none yll that did vngylt it This our age nowe is of iron yet it is not called of yron for faute of sages but bycause the malycious people surmounte I confesse one thynge and I thynke I shall haue manye wyll fauour me in the same that there was neuer in the worlde so moche people teachynge vertue and soo fewe folowynge the same Aul. Gele sayth in his boke that the ancient sages were holden in reputation bycause there were fewe teachers and many lerners at this houre it is contrary there be but fewe lerners and many teachers The small esteme that the sages be in at this tyme maye be sene by greatte veneration that the philosophers were holden in as than the whiche thynge was trewe Homer among the grekes Salomom amonge the Hebrewes Lygurge amonge the Lacedemonyens Lyuie amonge the Romayns Cicero amonge the Latines Apolonius Thianeus amonge all the barbarike nations I desyre to haue ben in all these ages whan the worlde was so ryche of sage persons and so poore of symple persons whan they assembled out of ferre countreys and of dyuers realmes and strange nations not all onely to haue hard their doctrines but also to haue sene their persones I thynke I am not begyled in the histories for whan Rome in his moste prosperitie was hyghest in tryumphe Titus Liuius dothe write it in his histories and the glorious saynt Ierome affirmethe it in the prologe of the byble that mo people came to Rome to se the eloquences of the bokes more than to ioy any Romayne trumph Whan Olympias was delyuered of her
and then to bryng his vnderstandynge to be occupied with high sciences And syrs repute it nat smalle that I committe to your charge and arbytrement that thynge whiche pryncis oughte mooste to regarde that is to se to whom they commytte the nourysshynge of their chylderne To be maysters of prynces in erthe is to haue the offyce of the goddis that ben in heuen For they gouern him that hath cure to gouerne vs They endoctrine hym that shoulde teache vs they shewe vnto hym that ought to shewe vs Chastyse hym that oughte to chastise vs and finally they commaunde one the whiche afterwarde aloone maye commaunde all the worlde What wyl ye that I shal say more For certayne they that haue the charge of a prince be the gouernall of the shyp The standerde of an army the gouernance of people the guyde of wayes the shylde of kynges the treasure of all bycause they haue amonge theyr handes hym that afterwarde ought to gouerne all the worlde And furthermore to the entente that ye haue hym in more estimation I wyll tell you that in gyuynge my sonne vnto you I doo gyue you more than if I had gyuen you a realme The pure clene lyuinge of the sonne alyue is the gloryous fame of his father that is deade For of hym that the sonne trusteth in his lyfe dependeth the renowme of the father that is deade Thus haue ye hadde the goddis atte wylle and the bryttel destenies of fortune happy to you as vnto this howre ye haue not watched with chyldren of straungers Fro hensforthe wake ye with the prince which is the profite of al other And take good hede my frendes that there is greatter difference in bryngyng vp of princis chyldren than to teache yonge boyes of the common people The moste part of them that come to scholes come for to lerne to speake but I delyuered not my sonne Commode to you to lerne hym to speake many wordes but for to sette hym in the way to do good dedes The glorie of folishe fathers is to se their children vanquyshe other in disputynge but my glorie and ioye is to see my sonne surmounte other in vertue for the glorye of the Grekes was to speake moche and to do lyttell and the glorie of the Romayns is to doo moche and to speake but lyttell ¶ Howe the maysters of princis oughte to kepe them from vyces Capitulo ix MArcus Aurelius folowing his purpose ioyned this to his foresayd wordes and sayd Regarde well my frendes and forget not that I truste you in myn honour who am my sonnes father and of the studye of Comode my sonne and of the glorie of Rome my naturall countrey And of the solace and rest of Rome whiche is my subiecte Of the gouernance of Italy whiche is your countrey And aboue all thynges of the peace and tranquillitie of our common welthe Than he that is put in truste with suche administration of other hath no cause to slepe Nowe lette vs come to more partycular thynges Regarde as nowe what thynge is moste conuenable for my sonne whiche as a yonge colte wold go play in the grene medowes and noysome shall be the keper to hym and a thynge peynefulle to kepe hym therfro The first thyng wherof I praye you is to gyue hym a stronge bridel and a sharpe bytte to thentent that he be well mouthed so that none take hym with lyes The greattest faut that can be in men of honestie is to spare the trouthe and not to be veritable And the greatteste vyllanye in a vyllayne is to be gyuen in largesse of lyes Sette good order vppon hym Take hede to his handes to the entente that he accustome hym not to demaunde to play at the tables and dyce with suche as be loste and noughte The greattest token that a prince wyll loose and dystroye the empire is whan in his yonge age he is knowen to be vycious in play The play is suche a vyce that who so euer it bytethe hit is lyke the bytynge of a madde dogge the whiche rage endureth vnto deathe I recommende to you my chylde though he be yong make hym sad and moderate Certaynly it is not so great a glorye vnto a prince to haue the crowne on his heed nor a chayn of gold about his shulders nor the sceptre in his hande nor the greatte company and garde that he hath aboute hym as to shewe sadnesse from his youthe The open honestie suppliethe many fautes and debilities Spare not to caste on hym a stronge chayne and to tye hym fast that he goo not to delytes and vanities For an effeminate persone neuer hath spirite to any hye or noble dedes I am greately satisfied with that the teacher of Nero said to his disciple Though I wyst that god wolde pardon me and that men knew no mysse of me yet for the vilany of the flesshe I wolde not synne in the fleshe Surely they were good wordes and yl borne awaye of Nero. Let not yet go the reyne For yf he see the yonge mares he wyll neigh or bray if he see tyme. The vyce of the fleshe in all tymes in all ages and in al estates holdeth his seasone or course yf it passe not in the grene age of chyldehode castynge of the reyne of reason and stryking with the spurres of the fleshe and blowynge with the trompe of sensualite Takyng the brydell in the tethe with a furious wyll rennyng through mountaynes and woddes after the mare In leauynge her goinge but softely and in the ouertakynge moche lesse And than afterwarde being therin deliberate the body remayneth impotent the vnderstādinge acloyed and blynded the reason troubled the good name loste and yet neuerthelesse at the laste the fleshe remayneth fleshe What remedy for this I fynde none other but that a greate quycke fyre couered and laden with erthe dieth And whan the vitious man is layde in his graue he maketh an ende and may neuer correcte hym selfe Wherfore I aduyse you to gyue noo place to this yonge chylde to be vycious And in the chastysing of hym gyue noo respyte though he be younge and my chyld and well loued and cheryshed with his mother and though he be the only heire of thempire With chyldren of a stranger crueltie is tiranny but with a mans own childe pitie is the occasion of his losse in tyme to come It is shewed vs by trees howe we ought to norishe our childrē Of trouthe the chestain trees bryng forth the soft swete chestnutte out of the sharpe prickinge hard huske And on the nut tres amonge the swete softe leaues is nourisshed the harde nutte Applieng this to our purpose we haue seene a pyteful father bringe forthe a cruell son and a cruel father a piteful sonne He that was lerned amonge all other lerned and renoumed among al other renoumed Ligurgus king of the Lacedemoniens in giuinge his lawes in his realme I remembre to haue red therin these wordes We commaunde as kynges
iourney and to the begynnynge of my firste iourney with the goddis It is reason that syth I haue loued you in time past that ye beleue me nowe For the time is come that ye can demande nothyng of me nor I haue nothing to offre you nor myn eares as now can not here flatteries nor my harte suffre importunities if ye neuer knewe me knowe me now I haue ben he that I am and am he that hath ben in tymes paste lyke vnto you some what nowe ye se I am but lyttell and within a lyttell whyle I shalbe nothynge This daye shall ende the lyfe of Marke your frende this day shall ende the lyfe of Marc your parente this day shal ende the fatal destenies of Marc your lorde this day shal ende the seignory of Marke your emperour and this day shall ende his empire I haue vanquysshed many and nowe I am ouercome with deth I am he that hath caused many to dye and I can not as now gyue my selfe one day of lyfe I am he that hathe entred into chariottes of golde and this day I shall be layde on a biere of wodde I am he for whome many haue songe meryly and this day they wepe I am he that hath had company in all exercites and this day I shall be gyuen to hungrye wormes I am Marcus greatly renoumed that with famous triumph mounted into the high capytolle and this day with forgetfulnes I shall discende into the sepulchre I see nigh with myn eies that was farre hyd in my harte And as the goddis be fauourable to you in this worlde equalle and fauourable to me in an nother worlde as my fleshe neuer toke pleasure to passe this lyfe but my harte was sodaynly taken with the feare of death than take no peyne for me for eyther I muste see the ende of you or you of me I yelde great thankes to the goddis that they take away this olde persone to rest with theym and leaue you yonge for to serue in thempire For there is no comparyson for to speake of dethe to the lyfe nor to eschewe the deathe at the houre therof And yet I wylle not denye but I do feare dethe as a mortal man Whan the lyfe passeth there is no prudence in a prudente nor vertue in a vertuous nor lordshyp in a lorde that can take away the feare of the spirite nor peyne of the flesshe Atte this tyme the sowle and the fleshe are so combyned and so conglutinate togyther and the spirite with the bloude are soo annexed that the separation of the one from the other is the mooste terrible and the last terrible of all terriblenes Certaynly it accordeth vnto good reason that the sowle departe dolorously leauyng the fleshe vnto wormes and the bodye as enuious to se the sowle go and sporte with the goddis O what lyttell thoughte we take in this lyfe vntylle we falle grouelynge with oure eies vppon deathe Beleue me Sythe I haue passed from whens ye be and haue experimented that ye doo se that is the vanities of vs that are vayne is so agreable to vs that whanne we begynne to lyue we ymagyne that our lyfe wylle endure a holle worlde and whanne it is ended it seemeth vs to be but a puffe or a blaste of wynde And bycause than sensualitie peyneth for sensibilitie and the flesshe for the flesshe reason guyded with them that be mortall tellethe me that it peyneth not with the departynge If I haue lyued as a bruetbeast it is reason that I dye as a discrete man ought to do I dyenge this day shal dye all my sickenes hungre shal dye colde shal dye al my peynes shal die my thought shall dye my displeasure shall dye and euery thynge that gyueth peyne and sorowe This day the nyght shall be taken away and the sonne shyne bryghte in the skye This daye the ruste shall be takem from myne eies and I shall see the sonne clerely This daye the waye shall be made smothe for to goo righte this is the daye shall ende the iourney wherin I shall not drede the stayes of Fortune I thanke the goddes immortall that haue suffered me to lyue so clerely and soo longe a tyme. This daye I shall haue an ende of al vnhappy destenes of enuyous fortune and not they of me Of trouthe if the goddis haue commaunded my flesshe to be hydden in the sepulchre and to be as mortalle yet if they be iuste and doo well they wyll make my renoume to be immortall bycause I haue lyued well Than sith I change this wery lyfe and company of menne for the swetenes of the goddis and the doubtes of fortune for this sure lyfe and greate and continuall feare for perpetuall peace and this ylle and naughty corrupte lyfe for good renoume and glorye I thynke veryly this shuld be none yll change ¶ It is nowe thre score and two yeres sythe the erthe hath susteyned and fedde the erthe of my bodye It is nowe tyme that the erthe knowledge me for her sonne and I wyl also take her for my mother Verely it is a pitiful mother that wylle nowe take me in to her entrayles for euer sythe that I haue soo longe space troden her vnder my feete And yet thoughe that I were as I am for to be as she is I am in certayne that she wolde kepe me surer amonge her wormes than Rome amonge the Senatours And all though it be peynefulle to you if it plese the goddes to haue it thus no mā can excuse nor scape it I shuld be right well eased if this webbe were broken and my possession taken in the Sepulcre Than shulde I haue the fyrst thyng propre of myn owne and perpetuall without any feare of lesynge therof All thynges mortal that mortalle folkes haue and the enuye of them that be enuious maye be broken except the deth and the sepulcre the whiche are priuileged from enraged hongre of enuy I se you wel shedynge teres from your eies and reise heuy sighes frome the depenes of your hartes Wylle ye not that I shulde desyre deathe sith the phisitions gyue me but thre houres of lyfe and there are conteyned in me .iii. M. yeres of peynes the length wherof is a cyronisme of deathe And all though our debilite be weake yet for all that our honour is so sensible that at the houre of deathe the more that the bones dischargeth them of the fleshe the more is the hart charged with thoughtes In manner that whan the sinewes vntie them from the bones of the bodye than newely they tye agayne a soore knotte to the herte Nowe let vs leaue speakyng of that that to wchethe particularly my selfe and speake we in generall of it that is conuenyente to a yonge Prynce and to you that are his tutours and maysters ¶ Ye se here my sonne Comodus only prince and heire abydynge for the heritage of thempire neyther for beynge good that he meriteth praise nor for being
souerayne folye to be borne wepynge to dye syghynge and to lyue laughynge The rule to gouerne all partes ought to be egall O Cincinate who hath begyled the that for a potte full of water thou haste nede of a greatte laake of this world to passe this wretched lyfe Wylt thou flay away the skynne of thy handes with the corde of thoughtes breake thy body in bataylle with great trauayle and aduenture thyne honour for one potte of water What wylte thou more that I shulde say but that to fyl a potte of thy goodes thou wylt suffre a. M. perylles And in the vyle exercysing of thy marchandyse thou doubtest not for lesynge of thy credence And fynally I sweare to the thou shalt abyde deed for thurste as thoughe there were no water in the feldes If thou wylt do by my counsell desyre deathe of the goddis to reste the as an aged wyse man and demaunde not rychesse to lyue yll as a yonge foole I haue soore wepte for many that I haue sene in Rome departed oute of this worlde and for the I haue wepte droppes of blode to se the retourne newly vylely to the worlde My amitie and the credite of the senate the bloude of thy predecessours the auctoritie of thy person and the honour of the countreye oughte to refrayne thy couetousnesse Oh frende thy whyte heares sheweth honour and wysedome the whiche shuld exercise and be occupied in noble dedes Regarde It auayleth more to folowe reason by the ways of them that be good than the cōmon opinyon whiche is the large way of them that be yll For though the one be strayte for the fete it reiseth no duste for to blynde the eies as the other dothe to lyghte younge persons the whyche procure lyghtnesse ignoraunce excuseth them but the disordinate couetyse of the olde persones causeth theym to occupie their lyfe with trauayle and to take deathe with great annoyaunce and in the one as welle as in the other abydeth great infamy O Cyncinate take this counsayle of a frende Charge not thy selfe with takynge of these vayne goodes syth thou haste soo smalle a morselle of thy lyfe For suche as thou arte we see consume and waste and not to quicken Put no trust in frendes in the present prosperitie for it is a pronostication of an euyll fortune And sythe thou arte in a hasarde lyke a foole me thynke thou oughtest to discende a foote lyke a sage person And thus euery man wyll saye howe Cincinate is discended and not fallen I wyll say no more but the goddis be thy sauegarde and defende bothe the and me frome gylefulle fortune My wyfe Faustyne saluteth the and she is withdrawen frome me bycause I wrote this letter to the and hathe coniured me to write this worde to the that is she saythe thou oughtest to haue wytte whan thy necke is full of heare and I thynke thou oughteste in continente to take a barber shaue away the heare that thy wytte maye come forth I wold thy couetyse shuld forsake the and foly Faustin and the gowte me and the soner our soules may departe fro our fleshe than gile shuld remayne in our hartes Marc of mount Celio writeth this with his hande ¶ A letter sente fro Marc the emperour to Catulus censorious that was sorowfull for the deth of his sonne Verissimus The .viii. letter MArc censore newe and yonge salute and reuerence to the Catulus censorius olde and auncient I haue writen two letters to the thou haste made aunswere to none of them If it be bycause thou couldest not I holde my peace If it be bycause thou woldest not than I complayne me If it be for forgetfulnes thā I accuse the If it be bycause thou setteste lyttelle by me than I appeale the If thou haste dreamed that thou haste wrytten I saye beleue not in dreames And if thou wylte not it shulde vayle to glorifie me as a frende yet thou mightest take it write in aduertisinge repreuynge as the father to the son Yong vertuous persons are bounde to honour aunciente wise men no lesse old wyse men ought to endoctrine the yong people and very yonge as I am A iuste thynge it is that the new forces of youth supply serue them that are worne by age For theyr longe experience mocketh our tender age natural ignorance youth is yl applied when it surmōteth the force of the body faylleth the vertues of the soule age is honored wherin the force dyeth outwarde wherby vertues quickneth the more inward we may se the tre whē the fruite is gadered the leues fal and whan flowers dry than more grene and perfyte are the rotes I meane that whan the first season of youth is passed which is the Somer tyme than cometh aege called wynter and putrifieth the fruite of the fleshe and the leaues of fauour falle and the floures of delyte are wyddered and the vynes of hope dried outwarde than it is right that moche better the rotes of good workes within be good They that be old and auncient ought to prayse theyr good werkes rather than theyr white heares For honour ought to be gyuen for the good lyfe and not for the whyte heade Glorious is that common welthe and fortunate is that prince that is lord of yonge men to trauayle and ancient persons to counsel As to regarde the susteynyng of the naturalitie of the life in lykewise ought to be consydered the polycie of gouernaunce the whiche is that al the fruites come nor drie not al at ones but whan one beginneth an other fayleth And in this maner ye that be auncient teachynge vs and we obedient as olde fathers and yonge pullettes beynge in the neste of the senate Of some their fethers fallyng and other yonge fethered and where as the olde fathers can not flye their trauaylles are maynteyned by theyr tender chyldren Frende Catulus I purposed not to write one lyne this yere bycause my penne was troubled with thy slouthe but the smallenesse of my spirite and the greatte peryll of myn offices always called on me to demande thy counsell This priuilege the olde wyse men holde in their houses where they dwelle They are alwayes lordes ouer them that be symple and are sclaues to them that be wyse I thynke thou haste forgotten me thynkynge that sythe the dethe of my dere sonne Verissimus the tyme hath ben so longe that I shulde forgette it Thou hast occasion to thynke so for many thynges renneth in tyme that reason can not helpe But in this case I can not tel whiche is the greattest thy trumperie or my dolour I sweare to the by the goddis immortall that the hungry wormes in the entrayles of the vnhappy chylde are not so puisante as are the cruell dolours in the harte of the father sore wounded And it is no comparison for the son is ded but one tyme ▪ y e heuy father dieth euery moment What wilt thou more
may that he wyl not and wylleth that he may not More ouer the coūsell of his frendes profiteth hym not nor the shame of his enmies nor losse of his goodes nor the aduenture of honour nor loosynge of his lyfe nor sekynge of deathe nor comynge nere nor goinge ferre nor seinge with eyes nor herynge with eares nor tastyng with mouthe nor yet feelynge of hande and finally to attayne vyctorie he hathe alway warre agaynst him selfe I wold these louers knew fro whens loue procedeth it is this The entrayles that we are bredde in is of fleshe the brestes that we sucke are of fleshe the armes that we are nourished in be of fleshe the werkes that we doo are of the fleshe by the which occasions commeth the repeale of our fleshe to their flesshe Many free hartes falle into the snares of loue It semeth well my ladies that ye are brought vp in puddels as the Egiptiēs say The puddels kepe no clere water to drinke nor fruite to eate nor fyshe to be taken nor vessell to sayle with I do say ye are fowle in your lyuynge shamefull in your persons in aduersytie feble and lethy in prosperitie subtyll and wyly false in wordes doubtfull in your werkes In hatynge ye kepe a disorder extreme to loue auaricious to gyue vnshamfaste to take and I saye ye are a receite of feare where as wyse men finde perille and simple men suffre In you wise men holde their renomes disalowed and the symple men their lyfe in penury ¶ Let vs leaue the opinyon of the Egyptiens and come to the Grekes whiche say that in the desertes of Arabye the sonne shyneth moste hote and they say that at the begynnynge there appered a woman alone with a byrde called Phenyx the whyche byrde they say was created of the water and the woman of the great heate of the sonne and of the corruption of the powdre that falleth fro the trees whiche the wormes do eate In this wyse there was a tree soore eaten with wormes and it chaunced by heate of the sonne and dryth of the powder that a fyre kendled and soo brente it and than of the fyre and powder of the sayd brent tree the fyrste woman was made And though I be a philosopher Romayne I wyll not say that the opinyon of the philosopher greke was yll For of truthe ye ladyes that be amorous haue your tonges of the nature of fyre your condicions of the rottennes of the pouder of wood After the diuersite of beestis nature hath put some strēgth in dyuers partis of their bodyes as the egle in the beake the vnicorne in the horne the serpent in the tayle the bull in the heed the beare in the armes the hors in the brest the dogge in his tethe the hogge in the groyne the wod doue in her wynges and women in their tonges Of trouth the flyghte of the wood doue is not so highe as the fantasie of your folyes nor the catte scratcheth not so soore with her nayles as ye scratche foles with your importunities nor the dogge hurteth not them that he renneth at as ye doo the sorowfull louer that seruethe you nor he is not in soo greatte perill of his lyfe that catcheth the bulle by the hornes as the good fame of the louer is that falleth into your handes And finally the serpent hath not so moche poyson in his tayle as ye haue in your tongues Set all the good Romayne ladyes apart for there be many of whom there is no complaynt of their persones nor suspection of their good names Of all suche my letter speketh not nor my penne writeth not of them but of other I speake of women that be suche that all venemous beastes haue not so moch poyson in their bodies as they haue in their tonges And sith that the goddis haue commaunded and our destenies do permyt that the lyfe of men can not passe without women therfore I aduertyse these yonge people and pray them that be olde and awake wyse men and tech the symple to flee away from women of yl name rather than from a comon pestilence ¶ Redynge the auncient lawes of Plato I fynde writen thus we cōmand y t al women opēly infamed be opēly put out of the citie to thentēt that other seing their sinnes not vnpunished may abhorre the sinne for feare to fal into the same peyne Also the same lawe sayth We command that pardon be giuen to a woman of all the fautes commytted by her owne body if any amendement be sene in her but neuer to pardon theym that haue commytted synne with their tonges For commyttynge synne with an yl persone is of fragilitie but with the tongue it is of pure malyce ¶ O diuine Plato master measure of al vnderstāding and prince of all philosophers whanne thou madeste that lawe in the golden world that there was neuer such scarcitie of yll women and so great aboundance of good women in Grece What shall we doo nowe in Rome where there be so many ylle openly amd so fewe good in secrete Naturally they were wonte to be shamefaste in theyr vysages temperate in wordes wyse of wyt sobre in goinge meke in conuersation pitiefull in correction well regardynge their lyuynge not kepynge companies stedfaste in promesse and constant in loue Fynally let not the woman that wyll be good truste in the wisedome of wise men nor in the flatterie of lyghte folkes But lette her vertuously regarde her renoume and beware alwayes of any manne that maketh her any promys For after that the flames of Venus be set on fire and Cupide hath shot his arrowes the ryche man offereth all that he hath the poore man all that he may the wyse man sayth he wyll be her great frēd and the symple alway her seruaunt the wyse man wyl lose his lyfe for her and the foole wyll take his deathe for her The olde man wyl say he wyl be frend to her frendes and the yong man wyl say he wyl be ennemie to her enemies Some wil promys to pay her debtes and other to reuēge her iniuries Fynally to hyde their pouertie and to shewe their beautie they leaue these fooles losing their persones and good fames I wille leaue to speake of good women for it is not myn intent to laye any thynge to theyr charge but to aduertyse them well I demaunde of you amorous ladies if Platon was there whan ye made a playe of my lyfe and drewe my fygure about in Rome No surely in dede by that I se in you at this tyme it is suspecious that is sayde of other For there is but a fewe in Rome whom Plato and his lawe dothe excuse One thynge ye can not deny if I were the worste of all menne at the laste ye haue founde the ende of my vilanies And ye can not denye me but she that is leaste yll of you in all my lyfe I coude not shewe the malyce of her lyfe It is greatte peryll to