vs Howe great a pleasure hast thou berafte and taken from vs Howe sone hast thou taken from vs coÌ„trary to our opinion this so excelleÌ„t a thiÌ„g Myght nat he of very ryghte to our so vnkynde complayntes answere on this wyse Haue I this rewarde for my gentyll and courtoys dede Remembre ye nothynge saue only that that ye haue forgone the moste faire tabull Haue ye forgotte that I of myn owne good wyll and frelye lente it you And that ye haue nowe so longe whyle of my gentylnes and sufferaunce fedde your eies and delited your mynde It was of my liberalite and fredome that I leÌ„te it you and nowe whan I require it agayne I do but ryght perdie ye haue had by me some aduauntage ye loste nothyng saue that throughe your foly ye femed that thing to be your owne that was but lente you And so ye esteme it to be loste that is restored to the owner againe But the more precious and delectable that the thynge was that I lente and let you haue at your pleasure the more a great deale ye oughte to haue thanked me Nor ye oughte nat to thynke hit to be to sone required againe the which with out any iniurye or wronge myghte haue bene kepte from you If this reasoÌ„ can nat be proued false by no meane of argumentation thaÌ„ thynke howe moche more iustly Nature with suche maner wordê might reproue bothe our lamentation and sorowfull complaynynges And vndoubted by these maner of reasons our sorowe oughte to be swaged yea if it were so that a man were vtterly extincte by deth and there remayned nothynge of vs after the buriall Now if we at the leste gyue credeÌ„ce to it wherof Socrates in Plato doubted nothynge at all that is to witte the very man to be the soule this body to be nothynge els but the pipe or lyttell house of the soule Or els to say trouthe it may be called the buriall or prison of the soule and whan it escapeth out therof than at the laste it cometh to libertie to lyue moche more welthyly than it dyd be fore wherfore than shuld we sorowfully blame deth seinge that he that dieth dothe nat perisshe but than he semethe rather to be borne And we ought to reioyce in the soule whiche we can nat with our eies decerne as moche and none other wyse than we be wont to reioyce and take pleasure in our frendes that bene absent And I doubte whether is more delectable and reioysyng to vs whan they bene present or els whan they ben absent for so moche as the corporall lyuyng to gether is wonte to mynyster to vs matter of displeasure and the moche beinge in company to gether dothe some what abate the ioyfulnesse of frendshyp If ye desyre an example of this thynge be nat the apostels a sufficient argument the whiche than began to take very fruition in Christ and truely to loue hym after the corporal presence was taken from them On the same wyse is the freÌ„dshyppe of them that be good the whiche stedfastly perseuer in couplynge and knyttynge to gether of the myndes and nat of the bodies And there is no violence no space of tyme nor no distaunce of places that can seuer or diuide the couplyng of myndes So that me thynke hit a very childisshe poynt to thynke that a frende were clene lost and gone so sone as he were out of sighte You may as ofte as ye wyll haue your sonne presente both in your thoughte in your wordes And he on the other side remeÌ„breth you perceiueth the tender affectioÌ„s of your mynde ye and other whyle in your slepe both your soules eÌ„brace eche other talke to gether of some secrete thiÌ„ges what thynge letteth that ye may nat euen very nowe imagin to lyue with hym with whom soone after ye are in poynte to lyue I pray you how briefe shorte is all the holle tyme that we lyue here Hitherto haue I vsed the remedies the whiche I myghte well vse if I had to do with a paynym Nowe let vs brieffely coÌ„sider what godlynes christen faith ought to require of vs. Fyrst and formost if it were so that deth were a thynge moste miserable yet it behoueth vs to take it in good worth seinge that ther is none other remedye And more ouer if dethe shulde clene extinguishe man that nothynge after shulde remayne yet we shulde there with be contente for as moche as hit makethe an ende of many calamities and greffes whiche we suffre in this lyfe But seinge that dethe delyuereth the soule beinge of etheriall begynnyng out of the dongion of the ponderous beuy body in a maner we oughte to reioyce and be gladde of them that be departed hence out of this wretched worlde and that they be retourned home agayne to that welthye libertie from wheÌ„ce they came Nowe than coÌ„side ryng that deth without any doubte conueyeth the good deuoute soules out of the stormes of this troublous lyfe vnto the porte or hauen of lyfe perdurable and that nat so moche as a here of a mans heed shall perisshe for the bodies also at length shal be called to enioye the same lyfe euerlastyng I prey you whether ought we to mourne and wepe or els to be gladde and reioyce in hym whom dethe in due tyme taketh out of this moste troublous see of the lyfe and carieth hym in to that quiete sure restynge place of euerlastynge lyfe Go to nowe a littell while and lay to gether the foule enormities the painful labours and the perils and daungers of this lyfe if it may be called a lyfe And on the other syde reken caste what coÌ„modities and pleasures of that other lyfe are all redy prepared for the godly creatures that be plucked hence away And than ye shall sone perceiue that no man can do more vnrightouslye than he the whiche lamentably bewayleth that high goodnes vnto the whiche only we be both borne and ordayned euen as thoughe it were a right great and greuous harme Ye crie out bicause ye be lefte comfortles alone without childreÌ„ whan ye haue begotte a soÌ„ne to inhabite heuen the holy remembraunce of whom as it were of a diuine thynge ye maye reuerence the whiche aboue in beueÌ„ beinge carefull for you may greatly forther the prosperous successe of your busines here For he is nother ignorant of mortall folkes busines nor hath nat forgone with the bodye the lowlye reuerence and tender loue whiche he was woÌ„te to bere to you his father No doubt he lyueth beleue me he lyueth and perauenture is present with vs and hereth and perceiueth this our communication and laugheth and damneth this our lameÌ„tation And if the grossenes of our bodies letted nat ê‘chance we shulde here hym blaming vs for our wepyng with these maner of wordes what do ye wyll ye abridge your dayes and finishe your olde age with this vnprofitable ye I may well say pyuisshe lamentation
A treatise perswadynge a man patientlye to suffre the deth of his frende Into this worlde naked we entered And so we must agayne out of it fare Deth By no man can Be defended There is no kynes thinge it wyll spare Than wherfore shulde we for it care At auayleth nat But passe forthe The harde strokes chance they vnware And paciently take them in worthe For they that take deth vnpacienly Seme to the worlde to set their mynde Blessed Be they that in our lorde dye For they Be sure the very lyfe to fynde A comfortable exhortation agaynst the chaunces of deth made by Erasmus Rot. HOwe bytter and howe greuous a wounde perceth your fatherly harte for the deathe of your mooste goodly chylde I lightly cōrecte by myne owne sorowe And therfore I were ryghte moche vncourtoys if that I in so sorowfull a chance wolde warne you his father to make lamentation whan I that am but a straunger can nat chose but wepe wayle Ye myght well thinke me rude and vntaught if I wolde go about to heale your gresse whan I my selfe had nede of a phisitian if I wolde lette you his father to wepe whan the teares stylle abundauntlye trykell downe from myne eien And all be it that the ilke stroke of Fortune oughte deper to perce your fatherly breast yet your great wysedome was wont so to rule you in all your dedes that ye nat onely with a strōge a stoute mynde but also with a glad and a mery chere wolde suffre and passe ouer all suche chaunces as happe to mankynde wherfore ye oughte so to settell your selfe that if ye can nat as yet put awaye clene the sorowe of your harte for no man can denye but that ye haue ryghte good cause to be heuy yet at the least wyse some what suppresse moderate the same dolour And for what cause shulde ye nat clene forgette it seinge that the space of a fewe dayes wyll cause idiottes so to do me thynketh reason shulde persuade an excellent wyse man For what selye mother doth so extremely bewayle the dethe of her childe but that in shorte space of tyme her sorowe some what asslaketh and at length is clene forgotten To haue alway a stedfast mynde is a token of a perfecte wyse man But for those chaunces vnto the whiche we all egally bothe more and lesse be subiecte to sorowe out of measure me thynketh it extreme folys henes For who is nat ware excepte he that myndeth nothynge that he is borne vnder suche a condition that whan so euer god wyll call hym he muste forth with nedes departe hence So than what other thyng I prey you dothe he that bewayleth ones deth than lamentably complayne that he is mortall Or why shuld we rather sorowe the departynge ▪ hence than the entrynge in to this worlde consideryng that both are egally natural Euē in lyke case as though one shuld gyue great thankes for to be called to a great feaste or dyner and wolde lament and demeane great sorowe whā he shulde departe away thence If that a man as hit were from an highe lokynge place wolde aduise well the cōdicion and lyfe of all mankynde myght he nat well reken him selfe a nyce felowe if he amonge so manyfolde examples of priuation amonge so thycke buryals of yonge and olde wolde be greuously vexed in his mynde as thoughe vnto hym onely were chaunced some newe and great yuell and as though he onely beinge happy aboue other wolde desyre and loke to stande without the cōmon lotte For whiche consideration the excellent wise men that foūde and made lawes in olde time to then tent that they wolde some what incline to the affections of parētes and to th ende they wolde nat be seene to exclude euery body from that passiō beinge also cōdemned of some of the stoicke philosophers they lymytted vnto thē a certayne tyme to mourne the whiche endured nat very longe Either bicause that they well vnderstode and knewe that in those maner of chaunces the whiche are bothe cōmune to all folkes and also do nat hap through any iniury of Fortune but are induced by the verye course and ordynaunce of Nature shorte mournynge shulde suffice yea vnto them that were nat able to moderate all affections consideryng that Natures selfe by lyttel lyttell soupleth the wounde that she made and weareth away the scarre Or els bicause they diligently marked that mournynge was nat onely vnprofitable vnto them that were bemoned but also hurtful to thē that made suche mone and greuous and vnquiete to theyr frendes acqueyntance and company But nowe if a man wolde consider the matter a ryghte doth it nat seme a poynt of madnes wyllyngly of one harme to make twayne and whan ye can nat by no maner reason recouer your predestinate losse yet wilfullye to annoye and hurte your owne selfe In lyke maner as though a man that his ennemies hath spoyled of parte of his goodes wolde in his anger throwe all that euer remayned in to the see and than wolde say howe he by that meane dyd bewayle his losse If we lyttell regarde the noble Mimus whose sayenge may beseme any philosopher to speake Thou muste patiently suffre and grutche nat at it that can nat be amended Let vs call to mynde the moche goodly example of the ryghte excellent kynge Dauid the whiche so sone as tydynges was broughte hym that his sonne that he so tenderly loued was deed he forthwith rose vp from the grounde and shaked brusshed of the duste he threwe away his sherte of heare and so whan he had wasshed and an noynted with a gladde countenaunce and a mery chere he wente to dyner And by cause his frendes maruayled therat he sayde to them For what entent shulde I kylle my selfe with wo and sorowe For vnto this tyme some hope I had that god beinge moued with my lamentation wolde haue saued my childe a lyue but now all our wepyng teares can nat restore hym agayne to vs a lyue we shall shortly spede vs hēce after him who is so fonde to crouche and pray hym whō he knoweth well wyll incline to no prayers There is nothyng more vntreatable than dethe nothynge is more deffe nor nothynge more rygorous By crafty handelynge the sauage beastis yea the moste wylde of them all are made tame There is a waye to breake the harde marbull stone and a meane to mollifie the diamant but there is nothynge wherwith dethe wyll be appesed or ouer come It neyther sparethe beautie ryches age nor dignitie And therfore it oughte to greue vs moche the lesse either bicause it can nat be esche wed or els by cause it is egally commune to vs all what nedeth me to go aboute to reherce to you here the manyfolde exambles of the gentiles the whiche with a noble and a constaunt courage toke well in worthe the deth of theyr dere frendes In whiche constantnes of mynde is it nat a great rebuke
Demetrius doth better whiche correctynge the sayenge of Euripides sayth that the lyfe of man shulde rather be called the Minute of an houre But Pyndarus saythe beste of all whiche callethe the lyfe of man the dreme of a shadowe He ioynethe two speciall thynges of nothynge to gether to th entent that he wolde declare howe vayne a thynge this lyfe is Nowe howe wretched and myserable the same lyfe is on euery behalfe the aun cient poetes semed to perceyue it passinge well the whiche demed that a maÌ„ coude nat more truely nor more better name mortall creatures than surname them very miserable wretches For the fyrste age or formeste parte of mans lyfe the whiche is rekened the best is ignorant The middell parte of the lyfe is assayled with trouble and care of manyfolde businessis and yet all this while I speake but of them that be moste luckye and fortunate Therfore who is he which of very ryghte wyll nat approue the sayenge of Silenus the best is neuer to be borne the nexte is moste swyftly to be clene extincte who wyll nat allowe the ordinaunce of the Thraciens the which customa bly vse to receyue them that be borne in to this worlde with lamentation and mournynge and agayne whan they departe heÌ„ce they be very glad and demeane great ioye And he that by hym selfe considerethe inwardlye those thynges that Hegesias was wonte to declare to his herers he wolde rather desire his owne dethe than abhorre hit and wolde farre more indifferently take in worthe the dethe of his frendes But nowe your fatherly sorowe coÌ„methe forthe and saythe He died er his day he dyed in his childehode he died so passyng a good childe yea and so towardlye disposed vnto vertue that he was worthye to haue lyued many many yeres your fatherly forowe coÌ„playneth that the course of Nature is subuerted seinge that you his father an olde man shulde ouer lyue your sonne a yonge man But I prey you for the loue of god tell me what ye call before his day as though euery day of a mans lyfe coude nat be his laste daye One before he come in to this worlde and whaÌ„ vnneth it hath any shappe of a creature reasonable â–ª is strangled and diethe euen vnder the handes of nature workynge and fourmynge of it An other diethe in the byrthe An other crienge in the cradell is snatched awaye by dethe An other in the flowrig youth dieth whan scarsely as yet it hath any taste of the lyfe Of so many thousandes of people to how fewe is it gyueÌ„ as Horace nameth it to steppe vp on the gryce of olde age without doubte god hath vnder suche a lawe constituted the soule in the garrison of this littell body that what so euer day or what so euer moment he wyll commaunde it to departe thence it muste by by nedes go Nor there is none that can of ryghte thynke hym selfe to be called forthe before his day coÌ„siderynge that there is no man that hath a day certayne to hym appoynted but that only is his laufull day whiche so euer he our souerayne capitayne wolde shulde be his last day If we wyll worke wysely we shulde so abyde euery day as it were our very last I prey you what maketh hit matter seinge the life is so shorte and fugitiue whether we dye betymes or tary some what longer For it skylleth no more thaÌ„ it doth whan many be broughte to execution whiche of them shuld be fyrst heeded or haÌ„ged It is all one whiche is the fyrste the thirde or the eight And what other thinge els is the lyfe it selfe but a certayne perpetuall course vnto dethe Sauyng that their chance is more coÌ„modious the which froÌ„ so laborious an exercise of the lyfe are dispatched be tymes But as it is a touche of a braynles felowe to departe away froÌ„ the army and breke the array without the capitaynes coÌ„maundement So hit is a foliss he poynte and great ingratitude whan leaue is quickelye gyuen of the capitayne nat gladly to take it And most specially if he that hath now liceÌ„ce to go may deê‘te his waye home with laude and preyse to hym no rebuke nor shame Nor it is nat coÌ„uenient that one shulde sitte and reken howe many yeres he hath lyued The age shulde be estemed accordynge to the noble dedes And he as Homere sayth is nat reputed to haue lyued that hath poystered the erthe and made a nombre but he the whiche sad sobrely passynge forthe his lyfe leaueth behynde hym an honest remeÌ„braunce to them that come after Do ye complayne that god sente you forthwith suche a childe as ye wolde desire to haue had many yeres to come what pardie your soÌ„ne died nat so soone he was nowe come to the age of .xx. yeres at the whiche age after myne opinion it is best for to die for so moche as than lyfe is mooste swete Nowe was he to his countrey very bountifull nowe was he to his father very lowely and gentyll nowe was he amoÌ„ge his felowes a very merye companion and nowe had he a good and a perfecte mynde to godwarde He decessed ignorant of vicis and whan he had nat tasted but littell of the calamities and miseries of this worlde But what be shulde haue knowen haue felte if he had lyued longer it is vncertayne No doubte we se very often tymes that the latter age dothe bothe infecte the clene conuersation of yonge age with more greuous vices and spottethe and defileth the felicitie of youthe with manyfolde myserable grefes From all these iuels and perils deth quickely withdrewe hym Nowe may you safe and surely reioyce and be glad that you haue had so good and so vertuous a sonne ye or rather haue But be it as you do suppose that you had hym and that nowe ye be depriued and haue loste hym whether of very ryghte oughte you rather to tourment vexe your selfe for that ye haue forgone hym or els reioyce and be gladde that ye hadde suche a sonne Take you hede that it be nat a poynte of vnkyndnes that ye shulde remembre the requeste of the gyfte to be restored agayne and nothynge to mynde the gyfte No doubte a childe of a good disposition is a great gyfte but yet is he so gyuen that ye shulde take and haue pleasure with hym for a tyme and nat that he shulde be yours for euer You that be a perfecte wyse man coÌ„sider this by your selfe yea let vs both to gether consider on this wyse If a great prince shulde lende vs a tabull of an excedyng great price and of an excellent workemanshyppe to passe our tyme with whether ought we whan so euer pleasethe hym to demaunde or call for it with a glad chere ye and more ouer gentylly thaÌ„kynge hym to delyuer it agayne or els with heuy and sorowfull countenance shall we complayne to hym on this wyse O cruell prince of howe precious a gyfte haste thou spoyled