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
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
that remaine their faith is decaied the goodwil of men as that coÌ„mon maner is flyeth away with prosperitie so that thou art brought into a doubt which to bewaile first either the death of thy freends that are peryshed or the losse of their assurednesse that are liuing Now in the middest of these troubles there happened vnto thee a most desperate and dangerous sickenesse wherein thou wast brought so neare vnto death that when euery man supposed thou couldest not escape it was generally reported that thou wast dead Which sickenesse which pouertie which heape of troubles in that thou wast driuen out of thine owne countrey and farre from thine owne house in a strange lande and warre rounde about thee and thou on euerye syde oppressed gaue occasyon that in the meane whyle thou couldest haue no entercourse eyther of letters or conference with those thy frendes whiche eyther thy vertue had purchased or fortune had reserued There was no extremitie wantyng sauing imprisonment and death although we cannot say neyther that thou wast quite free from imprisonment whilest thy most faythful wyfe and al thy sonnes beyng part of thy bowelles and thy daughters also were taken prisoners by thine enimies and there was no comfort remayning vnto thee of so many chyldren Nâ—yther yet from death whilst thou thy selfe striuedst euery day with death and at that tyme also one of thy sonnes gaue vp his tender and giltlesse ghost in prison To be shorte we haue seene that fulfilled in thee whiche we reade of two most excellent personagies Caius Marius and the great Pompeius to wit that fortune hath seuerally expressed in thee and thy chyldren what good and euyl she is able to do and neuer mingle any prosperttie with aduersitie whose flatteries in tymes past although theu hast not casted so plentifully as many happie men haue done notwithstandyng thou hast abidden her threates and force of late dayes with so couragious and inuincible a mynde that in this respect thou hast geuen occasion vnto many who before hated thy name to loue thee and woonder at thee For vertue hath this propertie that it stirreth vp good men to loue it and astunnisheth the euyl Whiche propertie as it is common to euery vertue so is it peculier especially to fortitude whose tranquilitie and vprightnesse is the more acceptable and lyght more conspicable among the troublesome turmoyles of fortune and darkenesse of terrible thinges For vnto me thou hast not onely heaped vp much new good wyl vpon the auntient loue whiche I bare towardes thee whiche I thought to haue been impossible but hast also conuerted my quill whiche made hast towardes another matter to wryte this woorke in tyme not purposed both that thou mightest beholde the countenance of thy mynde in my wrytinges as it were in a lookyng glasse and also if herein there were any thyng that seemed vnto thee nothyng fine but rather rude and barbarous and whiche in deede dyd not lyke thee that in this manner thou order and take it that yf it shal chaunce that fortune hereafter varrie with thee in any strange manner or deuice whereof she hath great plentie yea innumerable in store that thou be not troubled at al with any hope But being prouided for al chaunces and redye for what soeuer may happen thou mayest despyse both the sweete and the sower crying out most confidently these verses of Virgil agaynst them O virgin there is no newe or suddeyne shewe of troubles can aryse vnto me I haue forethought vpon al matters and forecast them alredie in my mynde Neyther am I ignorant that as in the bodyes of men so also in their mindes that are affected with sundry passions the medicines of woordes wyl seeme vnto many to be without effect Notwithstandyng I knowe wel enough that as the diseases of the minde are inuisible so are there remedies inuisible also For they that are seduced by false opinions must be remedied by true perswasions that they that fel by hearyng may also ryse by hearyng Moreouer who so wyllingly offereth vnto his freende beyng in neede that whiche he hath to releeue hym withal howe smal soeuer it be he hath fulfilled the duetie of perfect freendshyp For freendshyp weigheth the mynde and not the thing whiche though it be but smal yet may it be an argument of great good wyl For my part as I wyshe vnto thee al honour so haue I nothyng at this present more conuenient to geue thee whiche yf thou thinke to be of any force the commoditie of it whiche maketh euery thyng to be regarded shal sufficiently commend it But if thou perceyue it to be of no force notwithstandyng thy good wyl towardes me shal excuse it And thou shalt come to reade it as though those foure most famous and coosinne passions of the mynde to wyt hope or desire and ioy feare and sorowe whiche the two sisters prosperitie and aduersitie brought foorth at equal byrthes lay on eyther side most fiercely assaultyng the minde of man howebeit reason whiche gouerneth the cheefe castle maketh answere vnto them al and beyng furnished with her shielde and head peece by her meanes and proper force but specially being assisted with most myghtie power from heauen defendeth of the weapons of the throngyng enimies But I conceyue suche hope of thy wysedome that thou canst soone iudge whiche part wyl haue the victorie I wyl nowe holde thee no longer but to the ende thou mightest vnderstand my purpose it was needeful for me to wryte this epistle as it were an argument to the booke whiche yf thou cause to be set before the woorke consyder thou of these both that an ouerlong preface trouble not a short booke none otherwyse then an ouer great head burdeneth a lytle body For there is nothing wel fauoured without due measure and proportion of the partes ¶ Of floorishing yeeres The first Dialogue IOY REASON MY yeeres are floorishyng I shall yet lyue a long tyme. Reason Loe this is the first vaine hope of mortall men whiche hath alredy and wyll hereafter deceiue many thousandes Ioy. My yeeres are floorishing Reason A vayne ioy and a short whyle we be speakyng this flowre withereth Ioy. My age is sounde Reason Who wyl cal that sound whiche wanteth much and when that whiche remayneth is vncertayne Ioy. But there is a certaine prefixed terme and lawe of liuing Reason Who made that lawe or what is the prefixed time of lyfe Surely it is a very vnequl law that is not indifferent vnto al men yea rather it is so variable that there is nothing more vncertayne in the lyfe of man than the terme of mans lyfe Ioy. Howbeit there is some terme and measure of life which the wise men haue defined Reason To appoynt the terme of lyfe it is not in his power that receiueth it but in his that geueth it which is god And I vnderstande howe that hereby you meane the terme of threescore ten yeres or if nature be somwhat stronger fourescore
mynde to the readyng of Heathen writers thou knowest these thynges neyther doo I nowe touch thee but by notes I bryng thee to remembraunce of the trueth to the end thou mayest see that such kyndes of delyghts are eyther dishonest or lyght Ioy. My studie is vpon sweete odours Reason I woulde it were vpon good fame the smel whereof is also called good but of euyl fame muche more and it is more strong then the sent of any spices whyle they are a beatyng or of brymstone whyle it is a burnyng Of these sauours the mynde iudgeth and not the nose Ioy. I am delighted in sweete smelles Reason If thou be led by sense and seeke after pleasure as I haue sayd it is eyther dishonestie or lyghtnesse if for health sake it is excuseable so that measure which is the sauce of al thinges be present For a mylde smel comforteth a fayntyng spirite but in al thynges that saying of Terence is of great force Nothing to muche For as in many other thynges so in this also there is insâ—â—te varietie of kyndes not only betweene man and man but betwene nation and nation For if the report be true which great aucthours do not condemne the people that dwel about the head of Ganges do eate no meate at al but are noorished only by the smel of a wyld apple whensoeuer they traueyle abrode they cary nothyng els with them then that good holsome fruite and are so impartent of stynke that as the pure ayre noorysheth them so an infected smel stifleth them A delycate complexion which so lyueth and dyeth Hence it proceedeth that euery nation towardes the East beyng pampered with the delicacie of the ayre as they are lesse careful of meate so haue they lesse plentie and are more desirous of sweete odours and from thence forsooth this curiositie came first vnto vs The Assyrians the Arabians and Sabei when they were vanquished by your weapons ouercame you with theyr odours which the rough and inuincible sobrietie of your forefathers resisted so long that the fyue hundred threescore and fifth yeere after the foundyng of the Citie of Rome prouision was made by a straight edict of the Censores that no man should bryng sweete forraigne oyntmentes into the Citie But not long after the vices of posteritie as the maner is abrogating the decrees of the Elders wantonnesse gate the vpper hande and crept into the very Senate which had been the aucthour of that constitution Ioy. I am desyrous to smel wel Reason Straunge odours and the art of perfumyng and pleasauntly smellyng is an argument of no natural good smel and a token of some secrete defectes In respect of which causes not only any honest man but honest woman also woulde be loath by such kynde of delicacie to offend the senses of any valyaunt and good man Thou remembrest the storie of a certayne young man who being annoynted with sweet oyntmentes and comming before the Emperour Vaspatian to geue him thankes for the office which he had bestowed vpon hym as he stoode before hym the Emperour perceyuyng the smel and disdayning at the matter with sterne countenance and rough speech I had rather sayd he thou hadst smelt of Garlyke And so wel checked eyther suppressing or cancellyng the letters wherein he had graunted hym his good wyll he sent hym frustrate away with his pleasaunt odours Thus as these smelles haue been alwayes a shame so haue they also sometime ben hurtful especially where there is some graue and vpright Censor of manners Yea what shal I say that they haue ben daungerous to some For thou knowest also how that Plautius a Senatour in the triumuiral proscription for feare of death hydyng hym selfe in the Salernitane Dennes was bewrayed by the smel of his oyntmentes purchasyng therby to hym selfe destruction and to the proscribers excuse of theyr crueltie For who would not iudge that he was iustly stayne who in such troubles of the common wealth â–ª and so great danger of priuate men would then trym hym selfe with sweet smelling oyntmentes Ioy. I haue accustomed my self to artificius odours Reason Leaue them of yf thou wylt folow my counsayle It is more shameful to frequent the artificius then the symple For euery dishonest thyng the more artificius it is the more dyshonest it is Art which is an ornament to honestie is an encrease to dishonestie Hereunto adde moreouer that it is now growne vnto far more excesse than in olde tyme although that Rome as I haue sayd and Lacedemon also which I had almost termed the Grecian Rome when this infectioÌ„ came out of Asia resisted it with rough manners and streight edictes as it had ben an armie of wel appoynted enimies Notwithstandyng at length the delicate bande of sweete oyntmentes with the legions of vices gat the vpper hand and their scoutes passed ouer into Europe and there subdued most valient nations And because it were ouer long to prosecute euery thyng by the softned 〈◊〉 â—â—â—sse of one most rough and payneful man thou mayest coâ—◠〈…〉 â—he residue For 〈…〉 the very thickest and heat of 〈…〉 inuincible and barâ—â—â—â—â— Hannibal was annoynted with his armie oyntmentes 〈◊〉 pearcing 〈…〉 nearâ—ing And therefore of this â—â—â—â—minate caâ—â—â—â—yne and his 〈…〉 â—hose beginninges were wonderful 〈…〉 was the ende as he â—ell deserued Whereby it 〈◊〉 â—hee pâ—â—â—e that where alway â–ª ye haue ben much bounde â—â—â—e vertues â—f Scipio Africane ye are somewhat also beholden to the ointâ—â—â—entes of Hanibal for it had ben good for them they had ben dry as it was best for â—â—u that they were annoynted This customâ— preuayled so maâ—â—â—â—andred yeeres after that it were a payne and also would astonysh a man to reade what is 〈◊〉 concernyng this matter both by Greekes and Laâ—â—â—â— What shal I vse many woordes Oyntmentes came vnto 〈…〉 then whom nothing was more high excellent namely Iâ—SVS Christe which he that came and put away al â—â—ftâ—â—sse and delicacie of the mâ—â—â— to exâ—inguish al prouocatiâ— as of pleasures suffered hym selfe to be annoynted withall veryly not delighted with the pleasauntnesse of the odours but with the affection and teares of the offerer But now this custome is by litle and litle diminyshed that whereas your age is in many thynges inferiour to the glory of your forefathers yet in this it seemeth to extoll it in that it is not caryed away with the fonde desire of sweete oyntmentes but they that are now delyghted therein it chaunceth vnto them not by the generall infection of the tyme but by the special imperfection of theyr owne mindes Ioy. I am enticed delyghted with fragrant odours Reason It cannot be otherwyse but that those thynges which of nature are delightsome and pleasaunt should entice a man and whyle they be present delight hym It is the saying of the wyse Hebrue With oyntmentes and sundrie odours the hart is refreshed Howbeit it seemeth to me that in ointments there is not so much delyght as loathsomenesse But admit
be fulfylled or wholy reiected and reputed among the most vylest thyngs Moreouer shame hath cured many which remedy happeneth to the most noble myndes whylest they seeke to auoyde infamie and irrision are loath to be poynted at as they goe in the streetes laying before theyr eyes the filthynesse of the thyng voyde of effect ful of shame ful of danger ful of iust causes of sorow and repentance last of al settyng false excuses and vayne perswasions aside to put on the true to wyt that neyther nature nor destiny nor starres beare any sway in this matter and finally nothyng but only a lightnesse and free iudgement of the mynde For it is in the choyce of hym that is sicke to be made whole so soone as he begynneth to haue a wyll to be whole and can finde in his harte to breake of the pleasant linkes of their sweete companie which is an hard matter to doo I confesse but possible to hym that is willing For as Cicero sayeth most grauely This is to be declared which is found to be in euery perturbation that it is nothing but in opinion in the iudgment and in the wyl For yf loue were naturall then all should loue should alwayes loue al loue one thyng and then shame should not deterre one and musing another and sasietie another For this last which is sacietie or fulnesse is by some numbred among the remedies and so is also a newe loue wherby the old is dryuen foorth as it were one nayle by another which although vnto Artaxerxes kyng of Persia whom the holy scripture calleth Assuerus it was put in mynd by friendes and found profitable by effect as Iosephus declareth the matter more at large I contend not of the euent but I speake of the choyce And therefore truely I haue ben of opinion that these two remedies haue sometyme been profitable but alwayes dangerous and yf with none of these nor with them al thou canst recouer then must thou in thy mynde run to the causes of the disease These as I suppose are the cheifest and greatest of al health beautie and good fauour ryches leasure youth And as contraryes doo best cure the diseases of the body so wyl they excellently remedy the minde also as sicknesse deformitie pouertie great businesse and olde age which is a worthy refourmer of the errours of youth These be my last remedies which are hard in deede but in respect of the greatnesse of the plague to be wyshed Of the byrth of chyldren The .lxx. Dialogue IOY I Haue chyldren borne vnto me Reason A double mischief and a domestical burden Ioy. There are chyldren borne vnto me Reason Thy wyfe is troublesome her Aunt more troublesome and her children most troublesome of al. Ioy. I haue chyldren borne Reason A most bytter sweetnesse gall annoynted with Hony. Ioy. I haue sweete issue borne vnto me Reason Thynke that there is sprong vnto thee at home a fountayne of grieuous cares thou shalt neuer lyue without feare and anguysh Ioy. I haue begotten children Reason Thou couldst before neither feare nor hope nor pray but now thou shalt learne to thy cost thou shalt learne also to take compassion vpon parentes bereaued of their chyldren and thou shalt learne to experiment long cares in thy short lyfe that now thou takest longer businesse in hande thou shalt learne to be greeued for the thynges that belong nothyng vnto thee and to dispose that which thou shalt neuer see To be short thou shalt learne to loue another more then thy selfe thou shalt learne to loue most ardently and to be loued most coldly whiche are hard matters Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason Now thou begynnest to vnderstande what duetie thou owest to thy parentes Ioy. I haue begotten chyldren Reason Thou hast planted a tree which must be husbanded with intollerable paynes whiche wyl keepe thee occupied as long as thou lyuest and whereof perhaps thou shalt reape either no fruite at al or late fruite and that peraduenture when thou art dead Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason If they be good a continual feare yf they be wycked a perpetual sorow in the meane whyle a doubtful comfort and an vndoubted care Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason Then hast thou whereof to be sory whyle thou art liuyng and to be knowne when thou art dead and wherefore thou mayest be willing to die often Ioy. I am the father of good chyldren Reason The better thy chyldren are the more daungerous is thine estate Thou knowest not what cause of sorowe thou hast purchased by begetting chyldren what entrance thou hast made into thy house for teares what power thou hast geuen vnto death and miserie ouer thy selfe O wretched mothers sayth Horace but O wretched fathers say I. Ioy. I am father of very good children Reason Thou shouldest wishe for death while thou art in this prosperitie lest that whilest thou lyuest thou surcease to be that whiche deliteth thee and at length with Nestor thou demaunde of thy felowes why thou hast lyued so long Ioy. I reioyce and am happie for that I haue wished issue Reason A troublesome felicitie a carefull ioy and many tymes sorowfull a miserable happinesse I coulde aleage many excellent men whose felicitie was by nothyng so much hyndred as for that they had chyldren Of a pleasant young childe The .lxxi. Dialogue IOY I Haue a pleasant young chylde Reason If so be that this myrth turn not to sorowe and the pleasanter thine infant is whyle he is present the more sorowful thou be when he is from thee Ioy. I haue a chyld of good towardnes Reason What if in nothing That age is of al other most frayle and is many tymes cut of in the middes of their flowre And as there is nothing more sweete so is there nothing almost more bitter Ioy. I haue a most flattering and pratling Infant Reason O take heede that these flatteries turne not into teares The sight and pratlyng of a young chylde is very pleasant I confesse and as it is written in Sta. Papinius â–ª their heauenly lookes and interrupted woordes after the maner of verses or mytre whiche whyle they are heard doo delight when they can be heard no more doo grieue and can not be remembred without sorowe Thus in all worldly thinges but in nothing more then in this bitternesse is euermore set against sweetenesse Ioy. I am delighted in my most pleasant Infant Reason I forbid thee not to be delighted that I may not withstand nature but I seeke for a meane in al thinges without which there is nothing wel doone I would haue thee to reioyce more sparingly that if thou haue occasion to be sorie thou mayst also more sparingly be sorie and I would wish thee to thinke that it may easily come to passe that thou mayest trust to a broken staffe or leane to a rotten wall which Adriane the Emperour is reported to haue sayde often when he had adopted Aelius who was a fayre chylde in deede and
for thy daughter a wyfe for thy sonne thou hast woon the peoples fauour with thy ambitious flatterie thou hast gotten theyr voyces thou hast prepared vnto thy selfe a redy way vnto ryches and honour there nowe remayneth nothyng but that thou reioyce in thyne owne felicitie This yf I be not deceyued is thy conclusion but myne is farre other wyse to wyt that thou dye It seldome happeneth vnto men to enioy long that which they haue gotten togeather with great diligence the toyle is long the vse is short Ioy. Nowe that my affayres goe forwarde prosperously I am in an assured state Reason Howe thou canst stande whyle thyne affayres goe forwarde see thou for I cannot perceyue Ioy. I reioyce nowe that my businesse proceedeth accordyng to my desire Reason Now therefore it is tyme to dye thynkest thou that there can any man lyue long meery heare Dye therefore while thou art meery before thou begyn to be sorowful I wyl nowe repeate agayne that whiche I haue sayde For the repeatyng of profitable thinges is not tedious but pleasant Dooest thou remember in Tullie what Lacon sayde to the auncient Diagoras Rhodius who at that tyme muche reioyced though vpon very lyght occasion whiche thou heardest before when we entreated of Palestrical exercises Die nowe Diagoras quoth he for thou canst not clymbe into heauen And truely it was grauely spoken For in this so great an alteration of thinges what can the mynde looke for more then to leaue to be mery and to begyn to be sorowful And therefore Diagoras very seasonably folowed his friendes counsel for in the sight and a middest the shoutyng and gratulation of the people in the middest of the embrasinges and kysses of his sonnes he gaue vp the ghost This Historie is written in the booke of the Attike nightes and in summe moe haue peryshed through ioy then sorowe Of all therefore that are wyse but specially that are in great ioy death is to be wyshed of whiche we ought alwayes to thynke but most of all in tyme of prosperitie and this cogitation wyll brydle al other Ioy. I haue taken payne and nowe I rest Reason Ye hope al for that but therein ye be all deceyued The course of your lyfe fareth otherwyse and the ende thereof answereth not your expectation This thy rest is eyther short or false or to speake more truely both and howe then carrye dreame any rest heare So dooth he that is in pryson dreame of libertie the sicke man of health and he that is hungrie of dayntie cheere but behold the last day is at hand whiche wyll shortly dryue away these dreames But be ye not deceyued by dreames and false opinions wherof the lyfe of man is full promyse not vnto your selues rest heare Beleeue me death is all the rest that men haue after theyr trauailes Ioy. I haue al thynges most plentifully that I thynke to be necessarie forâ—ine Reason All thinges more then needeful are wast superfluous but this is the maner of mans minde that professyng and ascendyng vpward to heauen burdeneth it selfe with so great care and studie as it is scarce neuer able to disburden it self againe so that being wayed downe with a forraigne burden whyle it endeuoureth to ryse vpward it falleth downe the earth is vnto it in steede of heauen Ioy. I haue abundaunce of al thinges and they be nowe in the Hauen Reason Then are they in the end of their course For this present lyfe is lyke to the troublesome Sea. The end of the one is at the shore and of the other in death so that they may be both well termed Hauens And truely the most part of men while they be careful in heaping togeather necessaries to lyue by in the chiefest of their preparation they are cut of by death and there is nothyng nowe more common then for death to preuent the carefulnesse of this lyfe it happeneth but vnto fewe to obteyne their desire and from these the vse of theyr dayly gaine is so soone taken away that the shortnesse of theyr ioy is an encrease of their sorowe wherof it is knowne that many haue complained at theyr death Ioy. Now that I haue ended my trauayles I lyue in securitie Reason So doth the foule flie safe betweene the line and the grin the fishe playeth among the hookes and the wylde beastes among the toyles Oftentimes whereas is most danger and least feare it is fortunes cunning to take away distrust that she may strike the more freely Ioy. I haue toyled al my lyfe tyme to the end I might take my rest at last Reason Thou hast placed thy rest securitie vpon a daungerous downefal hast liued in sorow to die in mirth wherein thou hast folowed no absurd gouernment concernyng thy lyfe and death so that we agree about the qualitie of the securitie and rest sorow and ioy Ioy. I haue prouided al things to furnysh my selfe whyle I lyue Reason Nay rather to make thy death more greiuous Thou hast wel prouided for the Phisitions they will shortly come thicke vnto thee pratling about thy bed There wil come also some to make thy Testament some to loke for Legacies some that wil dissemble their ioy counterfeite teares secretly curse that thy life continueth so long thy death approcheth no faster some wil marke the crisis or determination day of the sicknesse some the signes and tokens some wyl watch the golden carkasse All these goodes whiche in al thy lyfe tyme thou hast scraped togeather wyl be the meanes onely not for thee to lyue the better but to dye the more accompanied Thou hast not altogeather lost thy labour for thou shalt not lacke companie when thou art sicke neyther money for thy lust and superfluities neyther pompe for thy buriall Ioy. Now that I haue gotten al things I may take my rest Reason I sayd erwhyle thou soughtest rest and comfort of lyfe but thou hast founde payne and tediousnesse of death Ioy. I haue disposed all thynges and attained prosperitie Reason Thou hast heaped togeather a nest of most deceitfull and transitorie hope which so soone as it groweth to any ripenesse wyl flee away leauing thy hart voyde and sorowfull and many tymes it perisheth before it be fledge Ioy. After my long traueyle commeth quietnesse Reason Perhaps it wyll be as short as may be possible For often the trauel of many yeeres perisheth in a moment when as for the most part al procedinges are by degrees the endes of thynges are not seldome sudden Ioy. By long cares at length I am come to the beginning of securitie Reason Humane curiositie is very careful of the beginninges but is so blynde that it cannot foresee the ende A thycke miste of the tyme to come hath bleared the sight of mortal mens eyes Let our deliberation be the accomplishment of our fortune But to speake more truely it is the wyl of God in whose hands are al mens chaunces not such as in your
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
eyther of these one Citie shall gene thee an example to wit Menenius Agrippa and Portius Cato euen the same that was the last Sorowe The Citizens are together by the eares in implacable ciuile warre Reason If thou canst doo nothyng thereto of thy selfe labour others reprooue them entreate them withstande them chastice them speake them faire beate into their heades the vtter ouerthrowe of the Common wealth whiche conteyneth in it the ruine of euery priuate person and seemyng proper to none appertayneth to all To be short seeke to appease theyr mindes at the one syde with duetie on the other with terrour But yf thou profite nothyng that way make thy prayers vnto Almightie GOD and wyshe the witte and amendment of thy Citizens and the safetie of thy Countrey and in all poyntes fulfyl the duetie of a good Citizen Sorow The Common wealth is come to great extremitie by ciuile warre Reason To the ende that neither by ciuile nor external warres any thyng happen vnto thee vnlooked for nor any chaunce oppresse thee vpon a sudden alwayes recount this one thyng in thy minde that not men only but al worldly thynges also are mortal the soule of man onely excepted And as in men so lykewyse in Cities and great Empires there be sundry diseases and maladies some in the outwarde partes and some rysing within the bodye among which are mutinies and fallinges away and brawles and discordes and ciuile warres and moreouer that euery one hath a tyme prefixed whiche he can not passe whiche euery day draweth nearer then other and although it be deferred for a time yet most sure it is that it wyll come Where there stand now most famous Cities there sometyme haue stoode rough and wilde wooddes and so perhaps shall doo agayne It is a great follie for any Citie to hope for that of it selfe whiche Rome the Lady and Queene of all Cities coulde not attayne This is the difference betweene the endes and decayes of men and of Cities in that the ende of men by reason of their innumerable and infinite multitude and shortnes of lyfe is dayly seene with the eyes but of Cities because of the rarenesse of them and theyr longer continuance it is scarce beholden once in many hundred yeeres and then with great wonder and admiration This meditation shall make thee more strong agaynst all chaunces as well publique as priuate And to conclude the same shall lay foorth vnto thee though not a pleasant yet an indifferent way vnto pouertie vnto exile and vnto death it selfe and teach thee how that this mischiefe is peculier to thy Countrey which is common vnto you all that be Citizens Of the disagreement of a waueryng minde The Lxxv. Dialogue SOROWE I AM troubled with the disagreeyng of my minde Reason There is no warre woorse then this no not ciuile warre For that is betweene Citizens but this with a mans owne selfe That is betweene factions of Citizens in the streetes of the Cities but this is fought within in the minde betweene the partes of the soule And therefore forasmuche as there is a kynde of warre which is counted more then ciuyll warre where not Citizens onely but kinsmen also fyght among them selues as was betweene Caesar and Pompei of whiche it was sayde Heere brethren stoode and there was shedde the parentes blood Muche more truely may that be so called where not the father agaynst the sonne nor brother agaynst brother but man agaynst hym selfe doth contende duryng whiche stryfe the minde hath neyther quietnesse nor securitie Sorowe My minde is at variance and distracted with diuers affections Reason Away with that variance begynne to minde one thyng For tyll those contrary affections lyke seditious Citizens minde one and the same thyng neuer shall the minde be quiete and at peace with it selfe But as the Ague of bodyes commeth through contrarie and corrupt humours so contrarie affections engender the Ague of mindes the whiche by so muche is the more dangerous by how muche the minde is more noble then the body and eternall death more terrible then the temporall in eche yf a meane be obserued health may notably be maynteyned Sorowe My minde is at debate and chooseth not what it woulde Reason Thou nowe tyest the cause of euyll and euyll it selfe together supposing the same to be at debate because it chooseth not But let it once begyn to choose the stryfe wyll quicklie ceasse I say let it choose to wyll that good is not euyll for els it wyl be so far from finding quietnesse that more and more it shal be disquieted For vices can neuer agree together but where vertues are there is peace and concorde Sorow My minde is at dissension being deuided into partes Reason Philosophers haue destinguished the mind into three partes the fyrst wherof as the gouernour of mans lyfe heauenly blessed next vnto GOD they haue placed in the head as it were in a Towre where quiet and honest cogitations and willes doo dwell the second in the brest where anger and malice boyleth the thyrd in the neather partes from whence proceedeth lust and concupiscence the tempest of this sea is double so thou seest now what thou hast to doo Doo as Menenius dyd of whom euen now I spake he perswaded the common people to come vnder the gouernement of the Senatours whose profitable counsayle they followyng were brought from dissension to amitie so he counsayled them but yf counsayle wyl not serue doo thou compell thyne abiect and base partes to obeye the noble For tyl that be brought about neuer looke to be quiet in minde And lacking quietnesse surely mans lyfe is vnsetled and foolyshe and tossed about and vncertaine and blinde yea altogether miserable Many in all theyr lyfe tyme knowe not what they woulde haue Sorow I am troubled in minde and knowe not what I woulde Reason Thou hast moe companions troubled not once or twyse but as last of all I sayde all theyr lyfe tyme And truely among all that thou hast sayde thou hast not and saye what thou wylt thou canst not almoste shewe a greater miserie Sorowe I am tossed and diuersly enclined Reason To be in suche a case is a notable argument that the minde is not wel For as a sicke body tumbleth on the bedde so a sicke minde knoweth not what to stycke vnto Suche are in a most miserable case For better doo I conceyue of hym which stoutly persisteth in wickednesse for if he repent happily he wyl be as constant in well doyng as he was impudent in naughtinesse then of a lyght brayne which carelesly neglecteth al counsayle for yf he at any tyme begyn to doo well he is soone weerie and wyll not persiste but remayneth altogeather ignorant so that we may well apply that obscure saying of Seneca vnto hym They which doo not that they shoulde consume the tyme without profite for dooyng nowe that nowe this and neuer continue in one may well be sayde to doo that they should not
weeried with affayres and certaine also to rule bridel his harmful dangerous delightes with holsome grieffes and troubles to woorke within hym a contempt of this lyfe also a desyre of a better If this life were voyde of cares and troubles how much I pray thee would death be feared or how much would this lyfe please mortal men when as beyng ful of sorowes afflictions it so delighteth them whiche then it woulde muche more doo yf nothyng were to be feared For neyther the sweetenesse of lyfe is alwayes profitable to hym that lyueth nor the pleasure of the way to the traueller and it is expedient sometymes that some harde and paynefull accident happen by the way that the ende may be the more desyred Sorowe The nyght byrdes with their mournyng tunes are odious vnto me Reason As I suppose it is not the Nyghtingale which as Virgil sayth weepeth all the nyght and sittyng vpon a bough beginneth her sorowful song and fylleth all the places abrode with her careful and greeuous complayntes For mournyng is sweete and verses are delectable and complayntes are pleasant Peraduenture the mourneful Shrychowle disturbeth thee or els the imfamous Owle which is not only yll spoken of by meanes of his owne most hatefull song but also by the wrytynges of the Poetes which notwithstandyng howe much they haue been esteemed for ioyfull diuination and coniecturing of thyngs to come here in fore tymes Thou mayest reade in Iosephus although they be both ridiculus that is to say either to conceiue hope or feare thereby For the sadde countenaunce of this byrd of many others and also his sorowful song which are both naturall they doo not so vtter to the ende to declare or foreshewe any thyng thereby but because they doo not knowe howe to syng otherwyse Geue vnto them the voyce of a Nyghtyngale and they wyll mourne more sweetely but nowe they obeye theyr owne nature As for you ye endeuour by dotyng to constrayne your nature vnto your superstitious desyres Sorowe The Owle that sytteth al the nyght long in the next Turret is very offenciue vnto me Reason Thou hast hearde howe that there was an Owle that woonted to disquiet Augustus in the nyght And whom I pray thee wyll he feare to trouble whiche disquieted the Lord and ruler of all the worlde Sorowe The Myse disturbe me in my Chamber Reason What canst thou tell whether they were bred in the same Chamber wherein thou nowe lyest as a stranger and therefore they may more iustly complayne of thee who beyng a newe come gheast disturbest them in their natiue soyle But to leaue iestyng there is one reason of them all This is the cause that your lyfe is troubled by them that you myght learne to wyshe for the lyfe to come and that your mindes myght be setled there where there are neyther Myse nor Rattes nor Theeues nor Spiders nor Moathes nor losses nor any other tediousnesse of lyfe to molest you Sorowe The croakyng Frogges and chirping Grashoppers disquiet me Reason Imagine that they prepare comfort for thee and then it shal be comfort A mans opinion altereth any thing as it lust not changing that which is true but gouerning the iudgement and rulyng the senses There was a certaine man of late dayes who dwelling in the countrey vsed to go abrode with as many stones and libbets as he coulde beare both in the day tyme and also rysing in the nyght to dryue away the Nyghtingales from singing but when that way he profited nothyng he caused the trees about to be cut downe to the entent that beyng disappoynted of their greene and pleasant harbours they myght be enforced to depart but when they notwithstandyng continued their singing there he hym selfe at length was constrayned to forsake the place for that he coulde not sleepe nor take any rest there Neuerthelesse he coulde abyde to lye vppon the bankes of the Brookes that ran hard by to heare the nyghtly croaking of the Frogges and Toades in the fennes and moores whose most vncertayne noyse he vsed most greedily to listen vnto as it had been the most delicate harmonie of Vialles or Virginalles truely a very strange and sauage nature in men and scarce woorthy to be reekoned among the number of men beyng also in other manners answerable perhappes vnto these whiche thou hast hearde yet not so mad in other vulgare affayres whiche example is nowe come to my remembraunce that thou mayest perceyue howe great a stroke opinion beareth in all thynges Sorowe I am greeued with the noyse of Frogges and Grashoppers Reason They doo it not truely to greeue thee but they vse the common benefite of nature But the same offendeth your proude impatience as all other thynges doo whatsoeuer is doone or sayde otherwyse then is pleasaunt vnto your eyes and eares But that I may referre the follie of your errour vnto the auncient fables thynke nowe eyther that the Frogges doo renewe theyr olde complaynte and call vppon Latona their reuenger in their hoarse voyce or that the Grashoppers doo with ioy repeate the name of Titonus in theyr schriching tune and therefore thou mayst suffer them to plie theyr businesse and plie thou thyne owne Why are ye offended with the innocent lyuyng creatures beyng alwayes iniurious to nature and in the meane whyle perceyue not howe muche more greater the greefes be wherewith ye torment one another I speake nothyng neyther of the spoylers of Cities nor of a thousande other meanes of iniuryng of dooyng violence and of deceyuyng whereof all the streetes and feeldes are full I speake nothing of Theeues that are dispersed ouer all quarters of the worlde nor of murtherers with theyr rough and craggie bywayes by meanes of whom the greater part of the earth lyeth voyde from trauaylers and the most beautifull syghtes of the worlde lye hydden from mens eyes whiche is nowe a matter winked at and growen to strength through a most wretched custome Who is able with condigne complayntes to set foorth or with conuenient woordes to vtter the heauie weyght of humane slouthfulnesse for that also euen in ciuile and quiet countries as a man woulde saye lawfull Theeues be founde euery where who spoyle and robbe the carefull wayfaryng man that is broken with trauayle and weeryed with greefe both of all his wares and money I knowe not vnder the colour of what most vniust ryght Whereby it is nowe come to passe that that whiche was wont to be most pleasaunt to wander ouer all the worlde the same in some places is nowe a most dangerous matter and in all places chargeable and paynefull Thus your Princes and Fathers of theyr Countrey yea your patience and your publique libertie are for a small price become contemptible What shall I speake of your vayne watches of your priuie walkynges and all other thynges full of sundrie kyndes of suspition and howe the vse of learnyng whiche is the onely comfort in a mans absence is forbydden Whiche thyng for that
but be reprochful and ignominious for that it is contrarie to the commaundement of the most hygh Lorde agaynst whiche nothyng can be wel done Sorowe I had rather dye then to see the thynges that are lyke to happen shortly Reason It is not the part of a man not to be able with open eyes to behold both faces of fortune it is the part of a woman to turne away the eyes in feare What is the thyng that troubleth thee so muche that nothyng can helpe thee but death only Is it thine owne or thy freendes or perhaps the aduersitie of thine afflicted countrye As for the first two they are but gentle for fortune is not so strong but vertue is able to withstand it the thirde is godly but the loue thereof is fainte and slouthful For the bondage and captiuitie of a mans countrey and the gouernement thereof in manner of a Tirannie is rather to be repelled by death then auoyded by steppyng a side For the first is the part of a man but this tastest of womanyshe imbecillitie Whiche thyng notwithstandyng the same Seneca doth woonderfully extol in the death of Cato in that same his peculiar opinion whereof I spake erewhyle But Cicero thinkyng it sufficient to excuse him only abstaineth from commending him For he sayth that vnto Cato that was a man of such wonderful grauitie and perpetual constancie of nature it was better to dye then to looke the Tyrant in the face whom Brutus notwithstandyng behelde and thought it better to make hym away by kyllyng hym then by kyllyng hym selfe Whiche how wel or ill it was done I do not now dispute But so in deede he did As for Cicero whyle he excuseth Cato he forgetteth his owne more commendable opinion whiche long before he had set downe in his sixth booke De republica of a common-wealth whiche is after this manner folowyng whiles that he bringeth in Publius Scipio Affricanus the younger dreaming howe that he talked in heauen with his father and graundfather and hearyng them speake of the immortalitie of the soule and the felicitie of the other lyfe made hym desirous to dye and brought in his father by and by reprouing the same his fonde and vnprofitable desyre in these woordes It may not be so quoth he for vnlesse God whose churche al this is which thou beholdest doo loose thee out of these bondes of thy bodye thou canst haue none entrance hyther For men were created for this cause that they shoulde beholde the globe whiche thou seest in the middest of this temple whiche is called the earth Wherefore good sonne Publius both thou and also al vertuous men ought to keepe your selues within the custodie of this your bodye and not to depart out of the lyfe of man contrarie vnto his commaundement by whom that lyfe was geuen vnto you least happely ye seeme to forsake the vocation whereunto God hath called you Doo not these woordes of Cicero sufficiently reprooue Cato that is excused And truely yf thou were appoynted by some earthly Prynce or Captayne to keepe a place by defence of armes thou wouldest not dare to depart from thy charge without his lycence whiche yf thou shouldest doo doubtlesse he woulde take it in ill part Howe then woulde the heauenly Emperour take it thynkest thou vnto whom so muche the more obedience ought to be geuen by howe muche God is greater then man There was of late dayes one Stephanus Columnensis a gentleman of auncient vertue who yf lie had lyued had not onely been famous in this age but also in remembrance of al posteritie The same Stephanus beyng besieged by a mightie enimie of his vnto whom he was in power far vnequal committed the defence of one turret wherein there seemed to be most danger vnto one of his captaynes of whose trust he was assured This turret being vndermined and secretly shaken by the enimies so that it was in danger of fallyng when as the residue of the garison perceyuing so much forsooke it and perswaded hym also to come downe and prouide for his safety since it was bootelesse to tarrie but vnto him selfe very dangerous or rather present death I wyl not come downe sayde he vnlesse he cal me away who set me here Which being reported vnto Stephanus who also was very careful for the gentleman came running in bast to cal hym away the turret beyng shaken at the very foundation fel downe immediatly with great noyse Thus that trustie defendant was miserably slayne whom his lord and maister beyng scarcely able to finde out among the rubbishe and ruynes of the turret buryed hym with great sorowe and lamentation and whyle he lyued had a dutiful care ouer hym and in his common speeche alwayes aduaunced his fayth with worthy commendation What I meane by these wordes I thinke thou knowest Suche a keeper oughtest thou to be of thy body whiche is committed vnto thy keepyng by God as he was of his turret which was commended to his charge by his lorde and maister Notwithstandyng I am not ignorant howe that the death of Cato was muche commended by many of that age wherein he lyued and very glorious in the common opinion of men And that saying of Iulius Caesar is wel knowen who beyng conquerour and making hast vnto Vtica where Cato had slayne hym selfe and hearyng report of his death Cato quoth he enuyed my glory and I enuie his death Doubtlesse it seemed some excellent thyng whiche so great and glorious a personage enuied at Sorow Then what shoulde let me to folow the death of a wyse man that was enuied at by so great a person and excused and commended of the wyse and to eschewe the innumerable distresses of lyfe by a voluntarie death Truely I had rather dye Reason Beware that thou be not caryed away with the vayne hope of hynges For there be some inferiour in eloquence but superiour in sense whiche neyther commend nor excuse this death of Cato but sharpely reprehende it Among whom Sainct Augustine a most sharpe searcher after the truth disputeth that this was not the cause of the hastenyng of his owne death because he woulde not lyne vnder the empire of Caesar togeather with his sonne forasmuche as he hym selfe was the cause that his sonne fledde to Caesar and in hope of safetie submitted hymselfe to his mercy wherein he was not deceyued Whiche yf he had thought to haue been a shameful thyng would he not haue delyuered his sonne from it as wel as hym selfe eyther by poyson or by sword or by some other kynde of death whatsoeuer Seeing that Manlius Torquatus is commended for killyng his owne sonne for that he had geuen battel to his enimies and vanquished them but contrarie to his fathers commaundement Neyther can it be sayde that it is a more shameful thing to be conquerour ouer a proude enimie then to be subiect to an arrogant conquerour Why then dyd he thinke Caesar woorthy to graunt lyfe to his sonne who thought hym vnworthie