Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bear_v	life_n	live_v	4,791	5	5.2156	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02237	The counsellor Exactly pourtraited in two bookes. VVherein the offices of magistrates, the happie life of subiectes, and the felicitie of common-weales is pleasantly and pithilie discoursed. A golden worke, replenished with the chiefe learning of the most excellent philosophers and lawgiuers, and not onely profitable, but verie necessarie for all those that be admitted to the administration of a well-gouerned common-weale. Written in Latin by Laurentius Grimaldus, and consecrated to the honour of the Polonian empyre. Newlie translated into English.; De optimo senatore. English	Goślicki, Wawrzyniec, 1530-1607.	1598 (1598)	STC 12372; ESTC S106731	134,196	158

vertue is assuredly most requirable in a Counsellor for without it he shall neuer imagine nor performe any thing noble or worthie memorie Yet therein we must take heede neither to be foolish hardie proud rash timersome slouthfull or cowardlie Who so would be valiant it behoueth him to be so affected as to do all things for loue to vertue and in attempting perils be lead by reason and not by hazard chance or desperation All commendation due to Fortitude consisteth partlie in Domesticall and partly in Publique and militarie actions Domesticall Fortitude doth ornefie the happines of life and the qualitie thereof is to remooue all perturbation of mind desire feare sorrow voluptuousnes anger and euery other affection possessing our mindes with tranquillitie constancy and comelinesse of life Fortitude militarie consisteth in suffering all labour and perill and chiefly in disdaining death for cause of honestie and the quarrell of our countrey It is therefore the office of a valiant Counsellor not to be dismaid in time of danger induring and suffering all things which to be done are thought honourable and not doing them seemeth vile and reprochfull The chiefe properties of a greate and valiant minde are to feare nothing to contemne all worldlie thinges and be perswaded to suffer whatsoeuer befalleth Moreouer it behoueth a Counsellor to be so couragiously affected and disposed that all his gifts of wit minde together with his vertues be as with a certaine sauce tempered with Fortitude For as our meats without salt so all vertues wanting fortitude are iudged vnsauerie This is that which defendeth both bodie and minde from all furies of misfortune This is that which maketh vs in Prudence quiet in Temperance constant and in Iustice stout valiant and inuincible Wee ought therefore be alwaies valiant in minde in enterprises resolute in disdaine magnanimious and in suffering neuer dismaid This vertue called fortitude wanteth not a flocke of meane vertues companions and followers As magnanimitie constancie patience confidence and securitie It is the propertie of men nobly minded to doe and aspyre to those things which in euery vertue are thought greatest most honourable This vertue is chiefly knowne by aspyring to honours for it disdaineth those whome she thinketh inferiours in vertue The noble minded man ascendeth to honour by the stayrs of vertue and as it were imitating the course of Marcellus who of the Siracusan spoyles builded a temple consecrated to honour making the passage thereunto in such sort that no man could enter it vnlesse he first passe through the house of vertue to it adioyning beeing perswaded there was no way open to honour but by vertue which the noble Senator in aspiring and seeking his honour ought assuredly to beleeue Moreouer let him contemne small imaginations for to men of so notable vertue no blot or touch of infamie can be imputed He must aswell in aduersitie as prosperous fortune beare one selfe same minde declaring the nobilitie of his valiant and honourable heart in great and extreame dangers and not in any wise to faint though death should therof follow for to such men honest death is the beginning of life whereunto a valiant Counsellor must giue himselfe willingly for honour and immortall glories sake The fame of Codrus shall liue for euer because he to saue his armie and countrie sacrificed himselfe Also the names of Curtius and Sceuola the one casting himselfe hedlong into a deuouring pit to deliuer Rome from plague the other burned of his owne hand to make the enemies know that the Romaines were resolute in the defence of their libertie The memorie of valiant men is hallowed with immortall honour and by record of all Chronacles are preserued aliue for euer It is also the part of a noble Senator to iudge truely and constantly of all things not following the opinion of common people who determine by chance or as present occasion requireth He shal likewise willingly take vpō him the defence of trueth and therin not dissemble protesting himselfe an open enemie to all euill men vnlesse he sometimes thinke good to disguise as wise men do being therto forced by necessitie respect of persons and time Let him willingly and freely bestow his benefits vnwillingly bashfully and discretly receiue of others following the aduise of Hesiodus who willed that a good turne receaued should be reacquited with encrease for he that receaueth is therein inferiour to him that giueth Taxilis one of the Indian kinges meeting with Alexander the great as Plutarchus reporteth saide vnto him I challenge thee not to warre nor combat but vnto an other kinde of contention if thou be our inferiour receiue a benefit or if thou be our superiour bestow a good turne vpon vs to whom it is written Alexander answered thus it becommeth vs to contend not who should receaue but who can excell ouercome an other in well deseruing and with those words imbraced him suffered him to enioy his kingdome with encrease The Counsellor must also be liberall of his authority indifferent to all men but chiefly to those that be of meane fortune Among great personages he shalbe magnanimious high minded for in that presence to extoll himselfe and discretly speake in his owne glory is the qualitie of a generous mind but in companie of inferiours to do so would be accounted a light part for of the one glory and of the other hatred groweth In taking quarrell or offence he shall attend iust cause honest occasion therin shewing himself neither secret nor craftie but plaine and open For it is the propertie of a great mind to hate apparantly without disguising or dissembling countenance to cloke displeasure The magnaminious Counsellor shall rather repulse then offer iniurie disdaining those wrongs that be done him for it is the qualitie of great spirits to set light and contemne small iniuries and a womannish thing it is to feare with anger sith some beasts are so silly and of so small force as neither Elephant nor Lion will vouchsafe to offend them Let our Counsellor also be an earnest delighter in things honest and a moderate seeker for profit His life must be gouerned rather to his owne content then the fancy of others and trust rather to the counsell of friends then the examples of other men Let him be no euill conceiuour or speaker nor willingly heare any man euil spoken of Neither should he be without iust cause angry or offended for anger is a seruile thing as the Poet saith Quo quisque est maior magis est placabilis irae Et faciles motus mens generoso capit Some men through a haughtie and proud arrogancie haue obscured the brightnes of their magnanimious mindes which are chiefly those that doe not rightly examine the duetie of their owne vertue or honour arrogating to themselues more then becommeth good and wise men which vice our Counsellor shall in any wise eschew following that precept

to discouer secrets he must be most warie for therein they vse great cunning to vent our thoughts by coniectures and gather our meaning by signes In those actions therefore a Counsellor must haue a setled minde shewing the constancie thereof in iesture countenance words and mouing of his eies For they are the bewraiers of mens thoughts He must be also nothing hastie in beleeuing other mens words for there is nothing more profitable for a wise man then incredulitie Yet let him so vse the matter as not to seeme hard of beliefe or be altogether incredulous vnlesse the reputation or troth doth otherwise require For against apparant trueth to maintaine any thing is very vnseemely Neither would we haue him so silent as thereby to be thought dull or effeminate for the one is imputed to want of kuowledge the other to a certaine maidenly bashfulnes which in men is alwaies to be reproued Therfore a certaine meane is to be used aswell in silence as speach yet so as he be a greater hearer then speaker which was the respect that nature gaue vnto man two eares one tongue Surely it is a singular wisedome to know in what sort to be silent euery man ought to consider wel what how where to whom in what place to speake Also in all negotiatiōs buisines counsels great cawtion is to be vsed which may be done by such as search wisely what is in euery thing comely or vncomely what profitable or vnprofitable Let his counsell be sound prouident and prudent and in vtteting thereof he must vse great sagacitie and be warie How necessarie warines and cawtion is in warre needeth not here to be discoursed for our intent is frame to a Counsellor of state in counsel in court in iudgement and in peace gowned not in warre armed Yet this I say that warrs haue not beene better gouerned nor armies more safely preserued nor the subteltie enemies of more wisely discouered then by the vertue of caution which if a chieftaine wanteth he is ignorant in all other vertues belonging to a Captaine generall We will also that our Counsellor should be quicke witted to conceiue and search out the reason of matters propounded to consultation For in deede sagacitie is a sharpe and present conceipt and as it is the propertie of a wise man to consult well So is it the property of a quicke spirit wittily to vnderstand and soundly to iudge of that which an other man speaketh Moreouer I wish him to be not onely sharpe in conceiuing but also craftie and subtill in searching what subiects doe thinke what they desire what they hope for and what they aspect By that meanes he shall retaine the multitude in obedience and by knowing their counsels and cogitations direct those things which be in them euill Some lewde subiectes doe vse to conspire the destruction of good men eyther induced thereunto by hate furie or insolencie sometimes also they so doe of will hauing the gouernment in their hands sometimes for that they finde themselues inferiors to others in riches honour authoritie and sometimes because they thinke themselues disdained lightly regarded in the state So as for these causes they beare displeasure to others mouing warre and sedition practise their death if their force doth so suffice they aduenture to bring the state into apparant hazard In suppressing of these motions and cogitations of euill men the counsellor must shew himselfe warie and subtle not euer dealing openly or by direct opposition but rather charging the force of such men eyther behinde or on the side and by perswading admonishing desiring and courteously chastising reduce them to be better more tractable and more perswasible He must also at occasions threaten them with authoritie by seueritie diuert thē from such wicked execrable enterprises alwaies cōsidering deeply pōdering in mind by what art and meanes the quiet and tranquility of subiects may be preserued and how sedition discord with their causes should be extirped For that is a thing which appertaineth chiefly to the conseruatiō of cōmonweales For bringing of which thing to passe prudent consultatiō deliberation must be vsed because consultatiō is the scholler of good counsel It therfore behoueth a Coūsellor in this all other things to be carefull that whatsoeuer is determined may before execution with great wisedome and found iudgement be considered and examined The force of all consultation consisteth in those things which appertaine to the common life of men and conseruation of a commonweale He ought not therefore to consult of things eternall or celestiall as of the world or of things which cannot happen or of them that doe happen by nature chance or fortune as of findings treasure and such like neither shall he consider of trifles as of emptines nor of things past for what is done cannot be againe to doe But all consultation should be of things to come and that which may happen or not happen after this or that sort the reason whereof seemeth to belong vnto the profit of men Of which things Aristotle rekoneth fiue kindes Of getting money of peace and warre of conseruation of our countrie of commodities to be brought in or caried out and making of lawes If consultation be for leuying money then must the reuennues customs and imposts of state be seene and knowen to the ende they may be increased or diminished Yet vnlesse great necessitie so requireth the imposts would not be inlarged For all new impositions although reasonable are commonly offensiue to the subiects and breede much occasion of trouble Tiberius the Emperor being perswaded to increase the tributes of his people said it was the propertie of a good shepeheard to shere his sheepe but not to fleae them He shall also perswade necessary charges of state to be continued and remoue superfluous expences For the better knowing whereof let him aswell imitate the examples of other nations as his owne country wherein the knowledge of histories will greatly helpe him If consultation be of warre and peace it is to be considered of what force the enemie is or may be what kind of warre is to be made and against whom It is also good to know the strength of neighbours whether their force consisteth in footemen or horse whether it be equall or vnequall to ours in what respect they be stronger or weaker to the end that peace may be made with the stronger and warre with the weaker which thing must be performed with great iudgement sound deliberation Moreouer he shall consider whether the cause of warre be iust and whether without armes our desire may be brought to passe For a wise man ought to proue all meanes before he taketh armes because honest peace is euer to be preferred before cruell warre Touching the defence of our countrie it behoueth to know how much force is required how it is garded and what places of strength

himselfe shall adde diners other as comprehended rather b● 〈◊〉 and custome then by precepts alwaies remembring neuer to 〈◊〉 from iustice He must also prouide that by the friendship 〈…〉 the quiet of other subiects may be preserued for there is nothingmore noble then that the gouernours of state should shewe themselues friends companions fellowes and well willets For what concord or consent of subiects can be in that commonweale were the gouernours and magistrates doe disagree Aristides and Themistocles were enemies yet when soeuer they ioyned in publique ●●bassage or commission of warre being come to the confines of the ●thenians land they layed downe all contention and st●ile though after their returne home many times olde displeasure was pursued It is the propertie of a noble great minde to forget ini●ries cont●●●e thē which whosoeuer doth for loue to the cōmonweale ought be called a good iust man and not so to do for the safety of friends is a part of inhumanity barbarousnes and rusticitie because friendship should be immortall and enimitie mortall To friendship hospitalitie is a companion for it receiueth and courteously intertaineth not onely men knowne but also persons vnknowne and strangers This vertue gaineth vs not ●●ely great praise and glory but also reputation and honour The priuiledges belonging to hospitalitie are so great as the 〈◊〉 obserued the rights thereof to their enemies and would neuer sight till such time as the prisoners to whom they were indebted for meate were set at libertie The Counsellor therefore shall not onely make estimation of friendship in himselfe but also exhort others to doe the same The vse of frienship in every commonweale is great and much greater then of iustice if therein all men constantly would per●euer Plato finding he could not bring the commonweale to happines by any vertue reduced all lawes and customes to friendship deuising that all things should be made common for by meane thereof men should be retained in continuall societie affirming that two onely words that is is to say m●ne and thine we●● the things which disturbed the societie of men Of amitie groweth concord being nothing else then ciuill amitie and is as it were a conspira●ie of all degrees of men to maintaine libertie lawe iustice sidelitie religion and quietnes in the commonweale The chiefe hope to continue quietnesse in the commonweale is when all men consent in all times and all things to the preseruation thereof and doe in counsell consult with vnitie and concord Wherefore let our Counsellor be a defendour and champion of concord For discord is the poison of all commonweales Seeing there was neuer any Emperour Tyrant or gouernour that preuailed against consent Therfore the Senate of Rome did most commonly inhabit the house of concord to shew thereby that in counsell nothing should be done seditiously or contentiously but all things performed courteously and peaceably Agesilaus king of Lacedemonia keing asked why Sparta was not inuironed with walles informed the asker that the Citizens liued vnited and armed and shewing him the men said Lo heere are the walles of Sparta Scilurus hauing fowrescore sonnes before his death offered them a bondle of arrows to be broken at once they answering it were a thing impossible he tooke the arrowes one by one and brake them all thereby warning his sonnes to liue in concord saying that by force therof they should be inuincible and happy In like manner Mycypsa king Numedy being readie to die assembled his children and admonished them in any wise to be louers of concord alledging the saying which neuer ought be forgotten which is that by concord small things encrease but by discord the greatest are consumed The discord of Senators ought aboue all to be eschewed lest by such example the other subiects be infected It were dishonorable for them to spend time in chiding and not in counselling for there is nothing so agreeable to their calling as loue peace concord and good will and that state is in apparant perill where the Senate is deuided For how should those that contend one against the other consult of peace concord or quietnes in the commonweale Wherefore eyther the contendors mindes must be reconciled or without respect to say their mindes for those ought be remoued from Counsell and punished that preferre priuate hate before publique peace and tranquillitie In Counsell nothing should be done contentiously vnwillingly or seditiously Of concord and Iustice let this we haue said sustice Now forsomuch as the condition of life is subiect to sundrie perils and misaduentures so as it behoueth vs eyther to suffer or mansully reu●nge it therefore seemeth necessarie to discourse of Fortitude with whose weapons all assaultes of the minde and fortune are vanquished That kinde of life which is quiet peaceable and assured from all perils and discommodities is most commonly of men desired esteeming that as singuler vertue which worketh such an effect as the professors thereof may be deliuered and made free from continuall molestation cares ttoubles and discontentations Notwithstanding all men in my opinion be greatly deceiued that think the life of man may be pleasantly passed without the mixture of perils perturbatiōs Fornature hath so prouided that our liues should be subiect to many mischances and that as our bodies are disquieted with labour and toyle so the mind should be trauelled with discōtented imaginations Neither can there be any taste of vertue or happines if without mishaps we alwaies did liue For sorrowes being passed like rest after labour do make the fruit of felicitie much more pleasing Vertue is not a Ladie of solatarie or idle life but loueth labour reioyceth and triumpheth in times of perill which was the cause that Hercules contemned the way to pleasure because it was large and wide and made choise to seeke vertue wherevnto the passage is hard and full of difficultie Who so desire●h to enioy the possession of perfect vertue and happie life must of force despise pleasures disdaine worldlie things flie idlenesnd be perswaded that to feare and be irresolute is a thing most reprochfull Also it becommeth vs not onely to ouercome all toyles and dangers in aspyring to vertue but being thereof possessed we ought with much more courage and greatnes of minde endure all calamities sorrowes and dangers whatsoeuer wherein by vertue it selfe we are much aided sith through it we are made constant couragious strong and mightie and there is nothing so hard or difficult which the force of vertue doth not withstand and with her powre bring vnder This excellency of minde is called Fortitude an affection obeying vertue by constant suffering and enduring which is an ornament to all other vertues For the substance and nature of Prudence Iustice and Temperance is of it selfe without fortitude soft and effeminate For the propertie of them is to thinke and doe onely but the qualitie of this vertue is to thinke and execute constantly manfully and valiantly This