thynges But as for them that goe downe into hel casting of al charitie it is to be entended that they hate both God and men and also al the workes of God and man. Of one that at his death is carefull of his fame and good report The Cxxx. Dialogue SOROWE WHAT wyll men speake of me when I am dead Reason An vnseasonable care thou shouldest haue prouided for this in thy youth for looke what a mans life is suche is his fame Sorowe What wyll they say of me Reason What shall I answeare thee other then that which the most learned and eloquent Marcus Cicero sayeth What other men shall speake of thee let them see to that them selues but they wyl speake notwithstanding howbeit all their talke is comprehended within the narrowe boundes of these regions which thou seest neyther was it euer continual of any but is extinguished by the death of men and forgetfulnesse of posteritie Sorow What wil they speake of me that shal be borne herafter Reason I would tel thee otherwyse then Cicero doeth yf I thought that any thing could be better vttered then is by him And what skilleth it sayth he if thou be spoken of by them that shal be borne hereafter seeing there nowe remayneth no fame of them that were borne before thee One thing he addeth moreouer which perhaps at that time was doubtful peraduenture false but now very sure most true without doubt Who sayth he were as many in number as you are now and truely better men to For who is he that doubteth but that there wyl neuer come so good men as there haue ben Thus al thinges waxe woorse woorse and tend euery day toward their final ruine A merueilous care then it is which thou hast to stande in feare of the speeches of those whom thou knowest not are thy youngers as not liuing in the same age with thee seeing thou now contemnest the iudgement and woordes of excellent men of thine owne time and acquaintance Sorow What fame shal there be of me when I am dead Reason Far better then while thou liuest when enuie once holdeth her peace For enuie and malice seldome last longer then a mans life and as vertue is the roote of glorie so is enuie the cutter downe of it and as the enuious hand being present hindreth the growth of it so when it is taken away it restoreth the encrease of true commendation And therfore vnto many as the entrance into their graues hath been a bar vnto enuie so hath it ben the beginning of great glorie Sorow Howe long wyl my fame continue Reason A long time perhaps as you call long But that all thinges may not only be long but also euerlasting vertue alone is able to bring that to passe and specially Iustice of which it is written The iust man shal be had in euerlasting memorie Which meaning also your countrey Poet expressed as wel as he could where he sayth But by mens deedes their fame to stretch that priuiledge vertue geues Sorow What fame shal I haue after my deceasse Reason What skilleth it what it be which shortly shal be forgotten or contemned What shall the breath of men apperteyne vnto thee when thou thy selfe shalt be without breath For one that breatheth to be nourished and delyghted with the winde and ayre it is no meruaill but for a dead man to be so it is a woonder Sorowe What shal be sayde of me when I am dead Reason No goodnesse be sure vnlesse thou haue deserued it but muche euyl peraduenture not merited and perhappes lytle or nothyng at all For in many thynges fame is a lyer but in the most a true reporter otherwyse it could not long continue For trueth is the foundation of continuance and as for a lye it is weake and transitorie Sorowe What fame shall I haue after my death Reason Suche as thy lyfe was before and at thy death Concernyng this matter therefore let the tyme to come but specially the tyme present looke to that And thus perswade thy selfe assuredly that what report and fame a man is woorthy to haue after his death it is no way better discerned then at his death when as in deede which is a strainge thyng to be spoken many that haue lyued all theyr tyme obscurely and without glorie death onely hath made famous Of one that dyeth without Children The Cxxxj. Dialogue SOROWE I Die without children Reason For that cause thou oughtest to die the more willingly and with the more expedition to goe foorth on thy iourney for that thou hast nothyng behinde thee to stay thee or cal thee backe The greatest greefe which they that lie a dying haue surceaseth in thee whiche riseth vpon the sorowe and compassion of leauing their children specially when they be young neede the asistance and counsel of their parentes being at those yeeres destitute of aduice subiect vnto iniuries many other casualties Sorow My children whom I wished hoped should haue liued after me are gone before me Reason Then hast thou some to whom thou art desirous to goe from whom thou art not willing to depart which is no smal comfort vnto thee Sorowe Bitter death constraineth me to dye without chyldren Reason If thou thinke this to be so miserable a matter what cause hast thou either to die now or heretofore to haue liued without children seeing there is such choise of young Gentlemen towardly youthes among whom thou maiest choose and adopt thee sonnes who perhaps wyl be more louing and obedient vnto thee then thine owne natural children descended of thy flesh blood for they come vnto thee by chaunce but these are elected out of many by exquisite iudgment The other were thy children before thou knewest them but these thou knewest chosest and louedst before thou madest them thy children And therefore the one sort of them wil wholy impute it to nature that they are thy children but the other to thy special good liking Whereby it hath hapned many times that the succession by adoption hath ben very fortunate vnto the heyres in which kind not only meane inheritances but also whole Empires haue ben committed in trust Thou knowest howe Iulius Caesar wanting issue adopted Augustus to be his sonne Augustus againe adopted Tyberius almost against his wyl And likewise afterward how Nerua adopted Vlpâ—us Traianus and he Elius Hadrianus be againe Antonius pius he likewise toke vnto him Marcus Aurelius to be his sonne which Marcus I would to God he had more happily adopted any other then vnluckely begotten his sonne Commodus commodious to none but discommodiouss to the whole world the only disgracing of so good a father one among a few of them that were no small shame reproch to the Romane Empire also a most apparent argument how much adoption is more fortunate then procreatioÌ„ For whereas the first princes had in order one after another raigned long time in happie
yeeres and there you appoynt the ende vnto whiche who so doth attayne theyr lyfe is but payne and trauayle vnlesse he aduaunce your hope a litle further who sayth The dayes of a mans lyfe are many tymes an hundred yeeres vnto which age how few do attayne we see but admit that it happened vnto al which happeneth but to fewe notwithstandyng I pray you howe muche is it Ioy. Very much truely For the lyfe of young men is more assured and farther of from olde age and so from death Reason Thou art deceiued for although there be nothing safe to a man notwithstandyng that is the most daungerous part of his lyfe whiche to muche carelesnesse maketh vnaduised There is nothyng neerer to other then death is to lyfe when they seeme to be farthest a sunder then are they neerest togeather alwayes the one passeth away and the other draweth nygh whyther soeuer ye flee away death is at hande and hangeth ouer your heades Ioy and Hope Wel at the leastwyse youth is now present and olde age is absent Reason Nothyng is more flytting then youth nothyng more deceyuable then olde age Youth stayeth not but in delightyng she slyppeth away olde age immediatly folowyng after softly in darkenesse and silence striketh men at vnwares and when she is thought to be farre of then standeth she at the doore Ioy. My age is in rysing Reason Thou trustest to a most deceitfull thing This rysing is a goyng downe this short lyfe this vnstable tyme stealeth away yea without makyng any noyse with the feete euen whyle we sleepe and make merie And O that this swiftnesse of tyme and shortnesse of lyfe were as well knowen in the beginning as it is in the ende whiche to those that enter seemeth infinite and nothyng when they goe out and are scarce so many minutes as they appeared to be hundredes of yeeres So then at length deceypt is knowen when it can not be auoyded whereby it commeth that many tymes counsell is geuen in vayne vnto those yeeres they are both vnbeleeuyng and vnskylfull disdainefull of anothers counsell and wantyng of their owne And therefore there is nothyng that discouereth the errours of youth although they be innumerable and greeuous and yet notwithstandyng hyd and vnknowen to those that committed them better then olde age doth and layeth them foorth before their eyes who sometyme dissembled them and winked at them Neither doo ye sooner perceyue what ye ought to be then ye be made that whiche ye woulde be and then ye can possibly be none other then ye be But yf there were any that coulde vnderstande these thynges in tyme or by hym selfe or beleeue when he is taught surely hym woulde I accompt a woorthy and happie youth among many thousandes he shoulde not passe his lyfe through so many difficulties whose onely course lyeth safe and straight through vertue Ioy. Myne age is nothyng spent Reason Howe is that vnspent whiche since the tyme it first beganne is euery day wasted and whyle it is geuen is also taken away by very small portions For Heauen turneth about with perpetuall motion minutes consume houres and houres the day That day thrusteth foorth another and that the next day folowyng and there is neuer any ceassyng So doo monethes passe away so yeeres and so dooth an whole age make hast and runne and as Cicero sayeth fleeth away And as Virgil sayth It neuer waggeth the swifte winges So lykewyse they that fare by Sea they are caried away in the shyppe and feele not howe and many tymes are at their viage ende before they be ware Ioy and Hope An age that beginneth is far from the ende Reason Within the space of a short lyfe nothyng is farre of Ioy and Hope But there is no part farther from the ende then is the beginnyng Reason None in deede but this shoulde be truely sayde yf all men lyued lyke space of time Howbeit euen the very fyrst age falleth sundrie wayes into death whereby it chaunceth many tymes that he that seemed farthest of is nearest his ende Ioy and Hope Truely I am of a most floorishing age Reason Although fewe do marke it yet there is some change wrought since we beganne to speake and in the drawyng foorth of euery sillable there is some part of lyfe passed away and some peece of transitorie flowre of youth decayed And I pray you what hath this deyntie and gallaunt young man more then that rough and riueled olde man besides this short and transitorie flowre whiche fadeth euery day wherein what shoulde be so pleasaunt and delectable I doo not finde since he knoweth that almost sooner then a man can speake it he shall hym selfe be suche an one as this olde man nowe is or els is mad yf he knowe it not vnlesse of twayne whiche are led togeto be put to death he is to be accompted the happier whiche is commaunded last to lay downe his necke vppon the blocke to be cut of who truely seemeth vnto me in a maner in the more miserable state for the deferryng of the death Howbeit the condition of these men and of the other of whom I spake before is not all one insomuche as this man may haue some entreatie or meanes made for hym in the meane whyle to escape his fellowes execution and to lyue Onely death can preuent a young man that he shall not lyue vnto olde age To be short there consisteth no great felicitie in a small processe of tyme and vnto loftie mindes there is nothyng that is short accompted acceptable Awake ye that sleepe it is now tyme open your dimme and slumbring eyes Accustome your selues at length to thynke vpon eternal thinges to loue them and to desire them and therewithal also to contemne transitorie thinges Learne to depart from them willingly which can not continue with you long and to forsake them in hart before by them ye be forsaken Ioy and Hope My yeers are stable and greene Reason They lye whiche say that there is some age I knowe not which stable There is nothyng more swift then tyme and tyme is the charret of al ages to carrie them away in And doest thou then imagine that it is permanent O vanitie there is nothyng durable for euen at this present thou art violently drawen away c. Of the goodly beautie of the body The seconde Dialogue Ioy. THE beautie of my body is goodly Reason It is no more permanent then the tyme that commeth with it with whiche also it flitteth away Stay the tyme if thou canst and so perhaps thou mayest stay beautie Ioy. The beautie of my body is singuler Reason Thou restest vpon a brittle foundation The body it selfe passeth away like a shadow and doest thou thinke that a transitorie accident of the body wyll continue Accidentes may perishe the subiect remaynyng but when the body perisheth they must needes decay And among all the qualities whiche passe away with this mortall body there is none swyfter then beautie whiche
the armes of his seruantes or vpon some other horse and carying his Physitions with hym he woulde goe visite his sicke horse twice or thrice euery day and sorowfully sighing woulde sit by hym and gently stroke him with his hand and comfort him with fayre speech To be short there was no kind of meanes by Physicke let passe vnassayed and nothing omitted that might relieue his sicke freend Perhaps posteritie wil cal this a tale howbeit it is true and knowen among a great people Thus this noble gentleman was as carefull for the good health of his horse as for his owne and lamented for his death as he had been his sonne Ioy. I delight to ride Reason It is profitable somtime and also an helpe to swiftnesse and a remedy for weerinesse and a token of nobilitie to ride vpon a goodly courser and to excel al theresidue not only by the head but also by the shoulders and to be higher then the other by the whole body Contrariwise a fierce horse is most troublesome many times hurtful to his maister If thou wouldest goe a iourney on foote thou hast no power nor space to rest thee therfore thou chosest rather to exchang the dustines on foote for the daunger on horsebacke And for this cause horses haue deliuered many from the middes of death and brought sundry also into extremitie of destruction or hurt them with falles or tumbled vpon them with their bodyes and so killed them Yea horses are not the least seede of warre Take away horses thou shalt take away forren inuasions of countreis and the greatest part of warlike destruction That as in natural Philosophie the question is mooued of windes and of Iulius Caesar in histories whether it were better the winde should blowe or not or that Caesar were borne or not The like question may also be demaunded concerning horses there are so many contrarie reasons on the contrary side And it was not without cause that Thessalia which first founde out the vse of horses and tamed them first coyned money of siluer and gold and first assayed to goe vpon the Sea in a shyp seemed to be the store house of Mars and for that also not once onely after so many hundred yeeres it was wette with plentie of valient blood Ioy. How much thinkest thou doth our poet delight me where he describeth the maners spirite and courage of a noble horse Reason And doeth not the saying of the Hebrue prophete make thee afrayd where he sayth At thy rebuke O God of Iacob haue they fallen asleepe that got vpon their horses Examine euery poinct not only that pleasant but also this rough saying Of hunting and hauking The .xxxii. Dialogue IOY BVT I am delighted in Dogges Reason Now I vnderstande the delight of a beardles youth who as Horace sayth Delighteth in horses and dogges and the pleasant greene feeldes But beware thou be not that which foloweth Apt to be plucked to vice and sharpe to them that tell thee thy fault A flowe prouider for profite lauishe of money proud couetous and redy to forsake that which thou hast loued I feare mee thou art suche an one since thou settest thy pleasure vpon such transitorie delightes Ioy. I am delighted with dogges and foules Reason This peece of madnesse was wantyng is it not sufficient for thee to gadde and wander abroade but meanest thou to flye also Ioy. Thou mockest me for I meane not to flye but I am delighted in the foules that flye Reason But they wyll flye away and contemne thy pleasure and not knowe thee and vnthankfully be deafe when thou callest them What shouldest thou do that wantest feathers seeyng thy pleasure is winged Imagine that they returned the taking of them would be hurtfull thou wouldest cal againe and forgetting thy more profitable affaires loose thy time Agayne looking backe and castyng thine eyes vp to the cloudes after thy foolyshe byrde perhappes thou wilt weepe as though there were no necessarie woorke to be doone in this lyfe by reason of the pleasure whiche you fynde by your idlenesse and slouth ye glorie in that ye are slaues to your byrdes Nature hath geuen you two handes with the one ye rule the bird the other you trouble with crooked talentes So being idle on al sides being come lame with desire to flie to the end ye may not seme to do any thing with great noyse ye ryse before day and sodeinly run out of the doores as though the enimies were at the threshold all the day after ye run about the pondes and waters wooddes and bushes filling the ayre with sundry outcries and euil fauoured houlinges And in this pastime ye spende your breath whiche is meete for some greater matter with whiche spirite your forefathers made their enimies afearde in battayle and in peace mainteyned iustice At nyght when ye come home as though ye had atchiued some great enterprice yet syt within doores declaryng howe well that byrde flue and how well this byrde hath endued his meate how many feathers of the trayne and how many of the winges are remaning or lost Is not this all your skyll is not this your loue is not this your felicitie and is not this al whiche ye requite to God your Creatour to your countrey that bredde you to your parentes that be gate you to your freendes that loue you to wit your Spathaukes or your Hernshawes skimming in the ayre and some peece of a torne foule and swet and dust and your nyghtly storie of your lost day Vnto this ye be alwayes valient and vnweeried and vnto earnest businesse weake and daintie Liuies stories and Tullies orations and the holy Scriptures ye condenme as ouerlong whereof ye may be ashamed Who can heare this with vnoffended eares Who wyll beare with you being borne to other thinges to lyue in these delites yf ye lyue in these doynges Ioy. I take pleasure in Spanyels and Haukes Reason We haue heard of many princes and noble men whereof some were wont to take delight in horses and many in dogges insomuche that Adrian the Emperour erected monumentes not for horses only as those of whom we made mention before but for dogges also And moreouer buylded a citie in the same place where in prosperous hunting he had slayne a shee Beare with his owne hand vsed many tyme to kyl a Lion but neuer that he made any tombe for a byrde or foule For which cause some say that Virgil mocked Marcillus that was nephue to Augustus in that he seemed to take pleasure in them when he was a young man. Ioy. I delight muche in huntyng Reason This exercise was peculiar sometime to the Latines but nowe to the Frenchmen whiche experience teacheth to be true and wherof some of theyr owne writers do boast Wherefore to speake nothyng of those kinges whose whole lyfe was perpetual huntyng the chiefest kyng of them all whensoeuer he had any rest from battayle excercysyng hym selfe in dayly huntyng at length when
but weake and thou mayest also sing to thy selfe this verse of Virgil The destinies shall onely shewe hym to the earth but not suffer hym to liue longer Ioy. I reioyce in my young Chyld Reason Reioyce so as yf thou shouldest be sory eyther for that as I haue said it may chaunce he may die or which is much more greeuous and hapneth very often of a most pleasant chylde become a most vnthankefull and disobedient young man. Ioy. I ioy much in my young chylde Reason There is no husband man so foolysh that wyl reioyce much in the flowre the fruite is to be looked for and then he ought to reioyce moderatly In the mean while tempestes hayle and blastinges are to be feared and the ioy must be moderated with dreade Of the excellent fauour of Chyldren The Lxxii Dialogue IOY MY Children fauour is excellent Reason If thou haue learned by mine instruction not to regarde thine owne fauour then thou knowest how much thou hast to esteeme of anothers Ioy. The fauour of my children is great Reason A thing verie dangerous for the male kinde but much more for the female For beautie and chastitie dwel seldome togeather they wyl not and againe if they would they can not seeing al humane thinges especially honestie can yf or kept in safetie now adayes chiefely if it be ioyned with an excellent beautie There be some whose beautie is enuied at but that enuie keepeth it selfe within it owne boundes some are sory some angry with their beautie as much as may be possible many haue waxed olde continuing vndefiled among the hatred of many some haue shewed perpetual and vnquenchable tyrannie How many saylers do passe euery day vpon the calme sea how many Merchantes do trauayle through the desartes with their wares safe neither Pyrate meeteth with the one nor the Theefe with the other But what beautiful woman canst thou name vnto me that hath not been assayed Although she be chast she shal be tempted and ouercome What womans minde is able to resist so many corrupters The scaling ladders of sugred woordes are set to the walles the engines of giftes are planted and the secret moynes of deceites are cast vp vnder the grounde If these meanes wyll not serue then force is violently offered If thou require proofe call to thy remembraunce the most famous rauishmentes Beautie hath tempted many and caused many to be tempted some it hath ouerthrowen and driuen them into wickednesse or to death Among the Hebrues Ioseph was an example of vehement temptation but the prouidence of God turned the danger into glory Among the Grecians Hippolytus and Bellerophon and among you Spurina to the ende she woulde not be tempted defaced her selfe with her owne hands Among the fyrst was no Thamar among the seconde was not the Greekish Penelope among the thyrde was not the Romane Lucretia safe Finally among all sortes the most part haue been commonly eyther tempted or ouerthrowen These be the fruites of this transitorie and brittle beautie whiche many tymes haue not onely ouerthrowen whole houses but great Cities and mightie Kyngdomes Thou knowest histories Truely yf Helen had not been so beautifull Troy had stoode safe yf Lucretia had not been so fayre the Romane kingdome had not ben so soone ouerthrowen yf Virginea had not ben so beautiful the auctoritie of the ten men had not so soone fayled neyther Appius Claudius beyng so great a law maker among the Romanes beyng vanquished with lust had lost his fame at the barre and his lyfe in prison Finally there haue been innumerable who if they had not been so fayre as they were there shoulde not haue been so many that beyng forced and deceyued haue fallen out of the castle of chastitie into so great reproches and ruine of their soules and therefore vtter what good effectes thou hast founde in beautie that they may be compared with their contraries Ioy. My Chylde is passing beautifull Reason This beautie hauing enflamed the lust of one called Messalina choose whiche thou haddest rather of these twayne eyther to deny and so to be slayne at the louers commaundement eyther to agree and to perysh by Claudius swoorde Thus at one side by chastitie death is purchased by adulterie there is nothing but only a litle deferring of death procured and this is the effect of this noble and excellent beautie In this therefore as in al other thinges the mediocritie is commendable and if any of the extremities were to be wished beautie is more delectable but deformitie is more safe Ioy. I haue a most beautifull Daughter Reason Be careful of treason and beware of force Doest thou thinke that there is but one Iason or one Theseus or one Paris Yes there be a thousand To haue a Daughter is a care and trouble if she haue beautie there is feare which thou canst not auoyde but by death or olde age for by marrying her into another house thou shalt but translate thy feare and not extinguishe it Ioy. I triumphe and reioyce in the singular heautie of my Children Reason For young folke to glorie and reioyce in theyr beautie it is a vayne thyng but common but for an olde man to reioyce in the beautie of his Chyldren whiche vnlesse he doated he woulde perceyue to be full of vanitie or subiecte to daungers it is more follie and next coosen to madnesse Ioy. My Chyld hath an heauenly beautie Reason Thou hast read I thinke the foure and twentie booke of Homers Iliades where Priamus speaking of his sonne Hector He seemed not sayeth he to haue ben the sonne of a mortal man but of a god This sayd Priamus but Achilles shewed that he was the sonne of a mortall man and not of a God and remember thou likewise that this heauenly beautie of thy chylde whereof thou speakest may be taken away and blemished and so long as it continueth whatsoeuer accompt be made of it it is but an vncertayne thyng Howbeit the immoderate loue of fathers whiche is enimie to vpryght iudgement bringeth foorth these errours and trifles Ioy. I haue a passyng fayre Daughter Reason If nothyng els chaunce thy house must be most sumptuous Of the valiencie and magnanimitie of a Sonne The Lxxiii Dialogue IOY I Haue a valient Sonne Reason The more valient he is the more it behoueth thee to be fearefull For Fortune layeth more dangers vpon none then those that contemne her that is to say Valient men And not without good cause for other men hyde them selues and seeke to auoyde her force but these lay themselues open to her furie Recall forepassed ages to memorie and thou shalt perceyue in a maner all the most valient men consumed by violent death Ioy. My Sonnes valiencie is exceedyng great Reason Fortitude is a most excellent vertue but accompanied with sundry chaunces and therefore see thou haue alwayes teares and a coffin in a redinesse Death is at hande to all men but nearest to the valient Ioy. My Sonne is a most
trust nor trueth at al and all this mischiefe happeneth on the one syde for that iniuries are offered to them that haue not deserued on the other for that benefites are bestowed vppon the vnwoorthy so that the whole course of thyngs beyng confounded through disorder enimies are made friendes and Citizens are made enimies Ioy. I am the Tyrant of my countrey Reason Couldest thou fynde in thy hart to be so yf thou remembredst that it were thyne owne countrey If the representation of your common mother came into thy mynde thou wouldest neuer in suche sort teare thy brethren with whom thou hast been brought vp in thy chyldehood and also in ryper yeeres hast enioyed the same ayre the same waters the same religion the same holydayes the same playes and delightes with what mynde canst thou insult and reignâ—â—ouer them and reioyce when they weepe Lastly with what impudencie â—â—ooest thou lyue in that Citie wherein thou knowest thy lyfe to he hated of all men thy death wyshed of all sortes where thou art assured there is none that woulde not haue thee destroyed as a most cruell Wolfe in a gentle flocke Ioy. I haue vndertaken a Tyrrannie Reason If thou compare the present tyme with the tyme past thou shalt perceyue howe miserable a clogge thou hast layd vpon thy shoulders thou lyuedst somtime a safe quiet life but now henceforward vnlesse thou ioyne madnesse to mischiefe thou shalt passe no day nor nyght without feare and trouble of minde eate no meate without suspition take no sleepe without dread whyle thou beholdest on euerie side the swoord hanging ouer thy head which Dionysius is reported not vnfitly to haue shewed vnto a certaine friend of his that wondred at his wealth and aucthoritie who was a tyrant in deede but a most graue considerer of the state of tyrranny Ioy. I haue purchased a tyranny by the swoorde Reason If thou haue gotten it by the swoorde thou must keepe it by the swoord and perhaps loose it by the swoord Thou hast wonne woorthy ryches in deede to be odious and fearefull vnto all men and that whiche foloweth therof to be continually a feareful burden to thy selfe But to admit there were no danger which in some Cities and countreys the nature of the people beareth sufficiently beyng apt to seruilitie and obedience yet when beyng out of feare and danger thou shalt call to mynde what Laberius a Knyght of Rome sayde vnto hym that was the fyrst founder of this whiche nowe hath the name of a iust Empire Needes sayth he must he feare many of whom many stande in feare The reason of which saying is that whiche Ouid aleageth For euerie man wisheth him dead whom he feareth which was first alleaged by Ennius where he sayth They hate whom they feare eche man wysheth hym dead whom he feareth But yf all feare and danger doo ceasse whiche hath happened vnto some Tyrantes theyr boldnesse beyng nooryshed by publique calamities or the experimented dastardes of theyr Citizens yet is it not a shame for thee to gouerne those vnto whom it were more meete thou were theyr vnderlyng besydes thy iniurious force which is the worst thyng of alâ—â— â–ª Ioy. I haue put on a tyrranny Reason Thou hast put of all humanitie and iustice and chosen a troublesome and blooddy lyfe or els truely a doubtful death Vnhappy man whose death only thy countrey which hare thee and brought thee vp dooeth continually hope for Is not he in sufficient wofull case whom al men would haue to be in woful case And is not he most wretched who cannot possible be so wretched but is worthy to be more wretched Ioy. I possesse the chiefest place among my Citizens Reason Thou possessest a tyrranny ouer thy Citizens thou hast placed thyne house vpon sande thy bed in the bryers thy seate vpon a downefal thy pouertie in rapynes and thyne enuie in miseries Of a Kyngdome and Empire The .xcvi. Dialogue IOY BEholde I am a Kyng by right Reason That cannot be long vnknowne for what the difference is betweene a Kyng and a Tirant I haue declared alredy And what auayleth it for thee to be called a Kyng yf thou be a Tirant The safetie of a King and kingdome consisteth not in a glorious name but in true iustice I deeme it lesse euyl for thee to refourme the gouernment that thou hast gotten and afterward so to behaue thy selfe that thou maiest appeare to be a true King then by tyrannical vexation to spoyle the kyngdome wherunto thou commest by right wherin thou lawfully succeedest thy father for there belongeth more true prayse vnto the proceedyng and end then to the begynning of thynges Ioy. I am a kyng Reason It were better and more quiet to lyue vnder a good King then to be a King thy selfe Ioy. I haue ascended into the Regal seate of the kyngdome Reason A conspicuous place and obiect vnto al mens eyes and therfore dangerous for slouthfulnes and paynful and difficult for vertue For a good Kyng is a publique seruant Ioy. I am aduaunced to the Regal throne of a kyngdome Reason To the end thou mayest seeme woorthy forget thy selfe and thyne owne affayres thynke vpon thy people and the commom wealth the day fyrst that thou wast made a Kyng thou beganst to dye to thy selfe and to lyue for other and which is the hardest case of al for vnthankful and vniust considerers of thy trauayle Ioy. I am come to a kyngdome Reason Perhaps thou mayest get there some transitorie glory but no quietnesse at all Ioy. I reigne vprightly Reason Thou doest well and a most acceptable thing vnto god And knowe this that thou seruest suche as are alwayes repynyng and ful of complayntes and that wyll scarce geue thee thankes before thy death There is seldome any Kyng so good but the people loue hym better that shall succeede who when he is come the other is wyshed for agayne These are the manners of the common people to hate the thynges that are present to desyre the thynges that are to come and to prayse the thynges that are past Howe then should complayntes ceasse yf euery good thyng that is present doo stynke and nothyng pleaseth but that whiche grieueth whether it be alredy past or hoped for Ioy. I haue gotten the Scepter and Diademe Reason Gloryous fetters and a noble miserie which yf all men throughly knewe trust me two woulde not so often stryue for one seate but there would be more kyngdomes then Kynges Ioy. I weare the princely robes Reason It is not the outward apparrel but the inwarde furniture and princely mynde that maketh a Kyng Alexander the Emperour of Rome was woont to say that Empyre and gouerment consisted in vertue and not in sumptuousnesse Ioy. I am aduaunced to a kyngdome Reason Now is the state of the subiectes vncertayne whether they be happie in that kind of happines which is imagined to be heare or in miserie For a vertuous king is the felicitie of a transitorie kingdome
not what it is to leese a father vnlesse thou haddest had a sonne Of the losse of a mother The xlvii Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost my mother Reason Thou hast yet another mother whom thou canst not leese if thou wouldest from the first thou camest and vnto this thou shalt returne The first gaue thee houséromth the space of a few monethes the other shal giue thee lodging the space of many yeeres The one of these gaue thee thy body the other shal take it away Sorowe My most milde mother is dead Reason But a most hard mother remayneth who wyl keepe thee and thy mother whom thou bewailest in one besome in whose wombe she shal rest with thee and as we beleeue bryng you both foorth agayne at the last day Sorowe My good mother hath forsaken me Reason She made hast fearyng to be forsaken and likely it is that her death was acceptable vnto her because she would not see thine prouiding for her securitie in that whiche alwayes she most feared Sorowe My good mother is dead Reason She is happily dead thou being a lyue whiche beyng otherwyse such are the affections of women she would haue died in sorowful lamentation Sorowe My mother is dead Reason Shee must haue died and thou also neyther canst thou complaine of death nor of the order therof Of the losse of a sonne The xlviii Dialogue SOROW. BUt I haue lost my sonne Reason Say rather and better I haue sent hym before me for thou shalt folowe hym quickely and perhappes to day and howe know we whether this same houre There is no trust in lyfe since there is so great certentie in death shalt folowe hym sayde I Nay rather thou doest folowe hym I woulde haue sayde for thou folowest hym continually it is not permitted vnto a man at any tyme to stay his course in this lyfe but euermore he steppeth foorth one step vnto death a strange matter to be spoken whether he be bound or at libertie sicke or whole walkyng or sitting awake or sleepyng he is caryed foorth toward his ende much after the manner of them that sayle in a shyp or sitte and ride in a wagon and are carried foorth a pace Sorowe I am greeued with the lacke of my sonne whom I haue lost Reason Qiuet thy minde for thou shalt finde hym whom thou desirest ere it be long not to be able to suffer the want of a short tyme is the part of a childe or a woman for vnto a man there is no short thing difficult Thou knowest I thinke by what woordes Socrates in Plato and Cato and Lelius in Cicero do comfort suche desires and wantes Although men surpasse in vertue and glory yet in this hope do some farre surpasse other Thou knowest moreouer of what minde Paulus Emilius Cato hym selfe Pericles and Zenophon that was scholer vnto Socrates and scholefelowe with Plato and his equal and other innumerable were for the death of their chyldren neyther art thou ignorant howe he that was both a prophet and a king wept for his chylde whyle it was sicke but not when it was dead thinkyng that to lament and weepe for thinges vnrecouerable is rather a poynt of vayne madnesse then of true affection Among the number of whiche manly examples the Spartane woman shuffeleth her selfe whose name is not set downe by wryters nor her saying semblably commended who hearyng that her sonne was slayne in battayle therfore sayd she did I beare hym that he shoulde not be afrayd to dye for his countrey The vertue of Linia and the elder Cornelia is nothyng inferiour vnto this but their names muche more famous of whom the first layde downe her mournyng so soone as her sonne of most honourable byrth and that was lyke to haue aspired vnto the hyghest degree of Empire was once layd into the ground but neuer left of the remembrance of hym The other hauing lost many chyldren yea al that she had whereof some she behelde slayne by the people and lying abrode vnburyed when as other women accordyng to the manner of that sexe rued her state and pitifully weepyng bewaled her woful case she answeared that she was not infortunate but happie for that she had borne such sonnes A woorthy woman that was not surprised with the present miserie but counted her selfe happie for that whiche was past who contrary to the common opinion and custome of them that are in miserie comforted herselfe with her forepassed felicitie and the remembrance of her prosperitie wherin shee had somtime liued and tooke it indifferently although she had then lost it for that cause only was woorthie to haue bad good children Now she being a woman remained wholy not once touched with the greeuous and sharp woundes of fortune and thou beeyng a man art ouerthrowne by one only doest thou lament so childishly Sorow I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were a duetiful sonne there is no cause to feare his estate for he is well But yf he were wicked thou art rydde of one that counted vpon thy death and encreased the infirmities of thine olde age Sorowe I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were vertuous reioyce that thou haddest hym but yf he were vnthryfty be glad that thou hast lost hym and in eyther case acknowledge the benefite of nature eyther for geuing thee suche a one or for takyng hym a way Sorowe Death hath taken away my sonne before his tyme. Reason That is not done before due tyme whiche may be done at al tymes Death hath directe entrances into al ages but into youth innumerable Sorowe I haue remayned without a sonne Reason And without trouble and feare Now hast thou none for whose cause thou shalt spend the nyghtes without sleepe and the dayes in care for whose sake thou shalt enter into long and inextricable hope that shall thinke vpon thy hory heares and wryncles examine thy lyuing fynde fault with thine expences and blame the staying of thy death thou art in securitie and quietnesse on euery side both which are a great commoditie although it be made more bitter by the name of death Sorowe I am cast downe by the geeuous death of my sonne Reason Hast thou not hearde what Anaragoras sayth Hast thou forgotten that thou begattest a mortal creature Or doest thou perhappes lament that he is gone before that should haue folowed And although the lyfe of man in many other thinges be disordinate and out of course yet death keepeth his ordinarie custome crooked olde men stagger and young men make hast and chyldren runne headlong infantes at their first entrance into lyfe are drawen to their ende one man more slowly another more speedily one more ripely another more vntimely but euery man must die this is the conclusion of al. And in whatsoeuer age of this lyfe a man die be it gently or sharpely he hasteth vnto death Sorowe I weepe for the death of my sonne Reason If thou wouldest haue wept at his death thou shouldest also
lykewyse are Husbandmen by barrennesse and Carpenters by the fall of houses and Horsemen by the often founderyng of their Horses and Saylers sharpned by great and dangerous tempestes thus by erryng men gaine experience Sorowe I am vanquished Reason There is none vanquished but he that thynketh hym selfe vanquished whose hope is troade vnder foote and extinguished whose minde hath layde downe the remembrance how to take aduersitie Beholde the Romanes and their inuincible mindes at all times but specially in the seconde Punike warre who notwithstandyng the treacherie of their felowe nations and so many conspiracies of kinges and countreys and so many vnfortunate battayles and almost vtter destruction yet were they not vanquished there was neuer any mention of peace made among them no signe of dispayre and finally nothyng els was there among them but altogether hygh and inuincible consultation Whiche thyng what is it other then by the vertue of the minde to soften the hardnesse of Fortune and to enforce it to be ashamed of it selfe and to loue thee But at length as meete it was they rose aloft and beyng a thousande tymes ouerthrowen they floryshed the more so that prowesse and Fortune made not onely their enimies that were terrible vnto them but also the whole world successiuely their subiectes vassals Sorow I am vanquished I confesse Reason Now at length thou beginnest to knowe what Fortune is this commoditie hast thou learned by fleeing none almost learneth great matters for nought Many haue learned better by experience then by going to schoole the dul head that could learne nothing of his schoole maister by the eare hath ben taught by the eie There is no schoolemistres of humane things more certaine then aduersitie none more conuenient to discusse and disciphre errours Sorowe I am ouerthrowen with a great wounde of Fortune Reason Arise lye not styll greatnesse of the mind neuer more notably sheweth it selfe then in the woundes of Fortune But nowe do thou know thy selfe hauing susteined so great a stroke vnderstand how great thine owne strength is Sorowe I haue lost my hoped victorie Reason If it were vnlooked for thou hast won wisdome but to say that there is no change in worldly things it may not be hoped Sorow I am vanquished in war. Reason He that is ouercome in battell retaineth his libertie and lyfe but whose is vanquished by vices lofeth both he that yeeldeth thervnto is truely ouercome in deede Sorowe I am ouercome Reason How knowest thou whether that which was spoken vnto Pompeius the great who was vanquished in battell in Thessalia do also agree vnto thee It had ben woorse that he had ouercome for as the more harme so the lesse sinne hath he that is ouercome A great gaine which some not only wishing to be ouercome but choosing also to die haue in hart preferred and truely they make a good exchange who by the death of their body seeke for the health of their soules but many reioyce in their owne harmes and are greeued at their owne good such blindnes possesseth the mindes of men Sorowe I am ouerthrowen Reason This might happen vnto thee not for want of skil in the art of warfare but by fortune Fortune neuer sheweth herself any where more to be fortune then in battel as in other things she may do much so in this they say she can do al. Sorow Being vanquished in battel I am come away Reason But thou art not therefore immediatly naked Marciall weapons may be taken from the vanquished but the true goodes which are the weapons of the minde they do styl retayne that seeme to be ouercome For they as well as out of the fire shipwracke are brought away out of a lost battell And not those alone which being hyd vp in the minde can not be touched with any weapon but they also that in the conflict seeme to be in the greatest daunger and most exposed to the dint of the swoorde And therefore not whosoeuer is ouercome in battell is also spoyled of his Martiall honour although loosyng his armour and fleeyng out of the fielde or that more is leauyng his Carkas dead vppon the colde grounde he carrie away with hym the name of a woorthie Captayne For the Grecian histories report howe that Leonides at Thermopylae beyng not so muche ouercome as weeried with ouercomming was there slayne with his power lying among the great heapes and mountaynes of his enimies whiche fame the Poet Virgil commendeth in Deiphobus and in the Emathian sieldes if we beleeue Lucane the vnfortunate armie stoode in an vncertayne aray And in the last battayle that was fought in Africa agaynst Hannibal it was not possible that an armie should be more orderly marshalled nor fyght more couragiously which thyng as he that was conquered confessed of the conquerour so dyd the conquerour report of hym that was conquered beyng eyther of them men of singuler iudgement in those affayres And what shal we say hath he lost who hath lost neyther the true glorie of his art nor the assurance in conscience of his vpryght dealyng in that he vndertooke Of Ciuile warre The Lxxiiij Dialogue SOROWE WE are shaken with Ciuile warre Reason The name hereof is deriued of Citizens and thou art one of the Citizens take heede therefore that thou be not one of the number of the sticklers in this mischiefe and to thy power thou be not voyde of blame For this is the maner of ciuile warres one man enflameth and prouoketh another vntyll all of them ioyntly haue raysed a publike outrage whiche publique outrage at length pricketh foorth and thrusteth headlong euery priuate man forwarde For this common mischiefe neuer commeth thus fyrst to ripenesse of it selfe although by encreasing it infect yea sometyme ouerthrowe an whole Citie but yf thou wouldest fynde the fyrst original thereof it is rooted in the errours of priuate persons and this is that therefore whereof I exhort thee to beware that thou also haue not ben one of those that haue mayntayned the ciuile flame eyther by ministryng matter to the fire or by blowyng the coales For many doo thynges whereof shortly after they complayne and lament theyr owne deede as yf it were some wound inflicted by another mans hand Many haue perished in their owne fyre But yf thou be gyltie vnto thy selfe of no suche matter duetifull and godly is the sorowe of a Citizen in the publique calamitie but he may conceyue comfort of his innocencie Of all the mischiefes that folowe man there is none more lamentable then sinne or rather as it seemeth vnto certaine notable men there is none other mischiefe at al. Sorow We are vexed with ciuile warre Reason In the rage of the multitude shewe thou thy selfe a follower of peace whiche though it be to small purpose yet aduaunce thy selfe though alone in the defence of libertie and iustice whiche although perhappes shall doo thy Countrey but small pleasure yet shall it redowne to thy commendation of
wyshe and much more destitute of men then I woulde it were And therefore seeing there is nothing els to be expected at the handes of them that are nowe present but meare toyes and trifles yet yf there be any thyng alleaged by them whiche eyther they haue founde out them selues or borowed of the auncient wryters that may aswage thy greefe do not reiect it nor say as do the vnlearned this thou haddest out of the Philosophers For then wyl I answere thee with Cicero I thought thou wouldest haue sayde of whores and bawdes And to say the trueth where shoulde a man fishe or hunt but where fishes and wylde beastes are in the waters and wooddes Where is golde to be digged or precious stones to be gathered but where they growe For they are to be founde in the veines of the earth and vpon the shoares of the sea Where are marchandizes to be had but of merchantes Where pictures and images but of paynters and keruers And last of al where wylt thou expect Philosophical sawes but at the Philosophers handes Whiche although they lye hyd vp by them in their treasuries and were first founde out by them neuerthelesse the same are set open and expounded by other and that paraduenture more playnely or more pithily or more breefely or lastly disposed in some other order and methode promising lyke hope vnto al that heare them but bringing successe vnto fewe For such is the force of order and good ioyning as Horace very wel declareth in his Poeticalles that one matter being diuersly told representeth a greater grace vnto the mind of the hearer yea though it be a common thing that is told such noueltie may be added vnto that which is old and such light vnto that whiche is euident and suche beawtie vnto that whiche is fayre whiche I haue not nowe vttered as lackyng some other place more conuenient therevnto but because thou ministredst occasion at this present For I woulde not haue thee doo as it is the maner of blinde and ignorant pryde to disdayne vulgare and vsuall thynges whiche thou hast heard once and neuer vnderstoode Feare I yeelde vnto thee for I see that thou art very redie in these admonitions although far from effect to me wardes for I feare death yet neuerthelatter Reason There be certayne thynges in name and opinion of men greater then in effect certayne afarre of haue seemed terrible whiche at hande haue been ridiculous It were no wysedome to beleeue the vnexpert there is not one of these defamers of death that can speake any thyng to the purpose for being vnexpert he can learne nothing at all neyther can he be instructed in any matter by one that is vnexpert also Aske a question of a dead man he wyl answere nothyng and yet it is he that knoweth the trueth They wyl babble most that knowe death least and prophecie most vaynely of it wherein they haue least skyll Whereby it commeth to passe that by some death is made the most manifest thyng and of othersome the most hydden secret and this coniecturall case is diuersly tossed in suspition But in doubtfull matters it is good to cleaue to the best opinion and to holde that whiche shall make the minde rather merrie then dumpyshe Feare My soule feareth death Reason If in respect of it selfe that feare is vayne for that the soule is immortall But yf in respect of the bodye it is a thanklesse pittie to be careful of it enimie But if it feare to be dissolued it is to much in loue with it owne prison and bondes whiche were but a verie foolyshe affection Feare I am troubled with the feare of death Reason All fooles are afearde to dye and noe marueyle for all their felicitie is in theyr bodye whiche doubtlesse is by death extinguished And therefore not without cause good men are sorie to heare of theyr ende and heauie to beholde it For this is the nature of man that he can not lyue without desyre not to be vnhappie It becommeth a learned man who maketh no other accompt of his bodye then of a vyle Drudge and fylthie Carkasse whose dilligence and loue and hope and studie is wholy reposed vpon his minde to esteeme of the death of this bodye none otherwise then as of his departure in the morning out of some vnpleasant and noysome lodging Feare I can not choose but feare death Reason Thou mayest refuse to feare the departure out of this lyfe yf thou canst hope or wyshe for the entrance into an other For hereof it is that the same feare ryseth And although there be commonly diuers causes alleaged of the feare of this departure neuerthelesse they vanishe away when the hope of that other life is laide before the eyes Feare I dread death Reason The dread thereof is specially engendred by the lacke of meditating thereon and the sudden necessitie of dying whiche in a learned and wyse man is most shameful but specially in an olde man whose whole course and order of lyfe yf he be learned and wyse indeede ought to be a continuall meditation of death Whiche if it seemed so vnto the auntient Philosophie what may it nowe appeare vnto your new deuotion which is the hygh Philosophie and the true wisedome Consider the maner of them that are commaunded vpon a sudden to goe some far iourney how sadde and careful they are to make vp their carriage and how they complaine at their departure and in a maner repine that they had no longer warning before so that as soone as their backes are turned they thinke vpon necessaries which they haue forgotten and are discontented therewith Now there is no way longer then to dye none harder as they say none more noysome for Theeues none more obscure none more suspicious nor more vncertaine which though it wanted al these yet is it vnreturneable By meanes whereof ye ought to be the more diligent least haply ye forgette any thing for that when ye are once departed from hence ye can no longer doo as they that occupie other trades or vndertake whatsoeuer other iourney that is to say commit suche thynges by their letters or messengers vnto their freendes to see vnto as they them selues haue left forgotten For ye are not able to sende any message backe nor to stay in the place where ye were nor to returne agayne Ye must needes goe hence it is not possible for you to returne ye must needes goe thyther Souldiers from whence it is not needefull that ye come backe agayne Thus in Seneca sayde the Romane Captayne to his men and thus also sayth your Captayne to you And therefore seeyng ye must needes depart and come no more and that the necessitie of your iourney is very certayne but the houre of death vncertayne this is your onely remedie to be alwayes readie in mind to answere when ye are called and to obey when ye are commaunded and when all thinges are disposed in good order at your Captaines fyrst
estate this man forsaking the sleppes of so many his auncetours predecessours hauing defiled the Commonwealth with his short and filthy gouernment or rather tyrannie at last came to a miserable but for his desartes a woorthy end the whole contempt mockerie of the common people being turned vpon him But long before al these Scipio that was the sonne of Scipio Africanus the great adopted vnto him selfe to the honour of his familie the second thunderbolt of the Punike war and hammer of the citie of Carthage by special ordinance appointed to that purpose that the same citie which the grandfather had shaken the nephew should ouerthrow as Florus the Historician sayeth being translated from the stock of Aemilia into the familie of Cornelia no small glory confesse and yet the last of them both Hereby thou seest that neither thou nor any Prince can lacke a sonne or rather that which is best of al they that are good can not lacke a good choise which if it please thee to make perhaps it wil geue thee such an one as thy wife wyl not bring thee the like being losed from the bandes of marriage shalt possesse the desired effect and end of matrimonie In such sort doth the law prouide for the defectes of Nature Sorow How shal I now dispose of my house since that I die without children Reason Do not refuse this great occasion of wel deseruing and commendation which is now as it were throwen into thy lap and that which thou determinest to bestowe vpon thy children who peraduenture would be vnthankful for it or wickedly hoorde it vp or els as it is the custome of either sort of these to conuert it to vngodly vses or rather in very short tyme or waste consume al most prodigally employ thou more cōmendably more profitably more durably Attalus that was king of Pergamus by his testament made the people of Rome his heire not being poore nor needefull of it who also were sshortly after corrupted with the wanton wealth of Asia But I wyl tel thee of another people to whom thou mayest leaue thy goodes On the one side of thee standeth a route of thy freendes kinsfolke at the other a rabble of poore people out of both which thou art permitted to adopt chyldren The one sort of these when thou art gone wyll deteyne the sweete remembraunce of thee in theyr mindes the other preuent thee with their godly prayers vnto the place whyther thou art nowe passing insomuch as looke what thou bestowest vpon them here thou shalt receiue an hundred fold there which is a large interest a most assured prouision for them that are vpon the poynt to passe that way Sorow I die without a sonne Reason What if thou haddest many wouldest thou then chose one of them to be the keeper of thy house and money which shal be thine no longer Or wouldest thou appoint one of them to be thy Champion in the conflict pangues of death beyng hym selfe also mortall or els to wayte vpon thee to thy graue for farther none of all thy freendes wyl folowe thee more then Metellus freendes followed hym The way is but short from the death bed to the graue and what skilleth it whether thou lye alone here or there These are but friuolous and vaine causes truely to wysh for sonnes and yf in them moreouer as the vulgare speeche is thou hopedst to haue thy name preserued and continued thou wast also vulgarly deceiued For doubtlesse for the most part suche is the obscurenesse of the children generally to be found that they are not able to beautifie nor to keepe vp their fathers name But the rare nobilite of the sonnes as alwayes it maketh the sonnes them selues honourable so for neerenesse sake sometyme it couereth and obscureth the parentes euen as the Sunne doth the lesser Starres which is in none seene more euidently then in Iulius Caesars father whom his sonnes bryghtnesse made almost vnknowen And to be short whosoeuer reposeth the trust of his name in his sonne he putteth a slender and slipperie substance into a rotten and cracked earthen vessell and which is more foolysh that is none of his owne a thyng truely more accounted of among the common multitude then of the learned and yet contemned of neyther Howbeit this hope were more commendably and assuredly layde vp in their sounde and vncorruptible vessels to wit in their owne vertue notable deedes and learning Sorowe I dye without chyldren Reason Thou hast none to diuide thy care vpon thyne attendaunce is fixed only on thy selfe so that thou maiest depart with more readinesse and libertie respectyng thy selfe and consideryng thine owne estate how miserable or happie thou shalt die And further thou diest not in an vncertayntie whether thy miserie be augmented or felicitie abated by the dishonour or vertue of another Although some others be of another opinion to accord with whom I finde my selfe more wyllyng notwithstandyng it hath seemed true for the most part vnto Philosophers of great skil that the fathers estate concernyng miserie or happinesse is varied by the euent of the chyldren Truely it is a weake good thyng that streatcheth vnto fortune that shal befal hereafter and dependeth vpon anothers estate Whiche opinion if we do admit what may be concluded thereon thou knowest for it is out of al doubt that many had departed in more happie estate if they had dyed without chyldren Of one dying that feareth to be throwne foorth vnburied The Cxxxii. Dialogue FEARE I Shal be throwen foorth vnburyed Reason Enuiest thou the birdes or the beastes or the fishes And yf thou be afearde of them take order that thou mayest haue one appoynted to keepe thee or a staffe layde by thee to dryue them away from thy carcasse Feare Thou doest iest at my miserie for truely I shal feele nothyng Reason Why then doest thou feare that which thou shalt not feele If thou couldest feele it thou wouldest lyke wel of it for to burie one that feeleth is to kyl him Feare I shal lye vnburied Reason If the earth presse not thee thou shalt presse the earth if the earth couer thee not heauen wyll Thou knowest the olde saying Him heauen hides that hath none other graue And very wel knowen is this other most common speech also To lacke a graue is but a slender losse so slender a losse indeede that there is none more slender Feare I shal lye vnburied which is a woful thyng to be spoken Reason I know not what to be spoken but truely in effect a very trifle beleeue me it is muche more tollerable for a man to be throwne out of his graue then to be turned out of his bed or apparrel Feare I I shal lye vnburied whiche is a filthie sight Reason Filthie perhaps vnto others but nothing at al vnto thee It is the general opinion of al learned men and experience also confirmeth no lesse that all manner of buriall was deuised not so