vpon vs conceiued great melancholy thereby insomuch that this sorrow ouercomming his health weakened already by age hee fell sicke vpon it During the time of his sicknesse hee was visited by the most famous men of the Towne and because I was his neighbour and that I loued and honoured him much I went thither often The day before hee died a great number of Learned men being about him and finding himselfe more at quiet then hee was wont to be many discourses and questions were mooued specially about the condition of good men that were called to great Places which is almost euer wretched their Vertue being rewarded with Rage and Enuy for the sweetest Recompences and Iniuries and Wrongs for the most vsuall Some one chanced to say That yet the Religion wee were brought vp in gaue vs much aduantage vpon the Ancients proposing to vs the remuneration of our Labours in the life to come and letting vs know that the best part of vs out-liueth our Body nay that euen our Body doth rot and putrifie to spring out and be renewed one day in a happier life wherein Vertue shal receiue the Crowne shee hath deserued Whether the others which had no knowledge but by the gloomie light of Nature could not reach nor stretch their hopes any further then Death nor consequently haue any other comfort but that of this World which certainely is very small This good Lord raysing his head from the Pillow and leaning on his Elbow I did quoth he entertaine my selfe some part of the Night with this Subiect and after long musing vpon it I concluded That the strongest and most certaine comfort wee can take is the assurance of a second and more happy Life And though our Faith giueth it vs and that the Spirit of God hath specially reuealed it vnto vs yet I doe not beleeue the ancient Philosophers haue beene ignorant of it and that so much Vertue as they had did want this consolation vnlesse they haue reiected it when as Nature with her owne hand hath offered it them And I thinke if I could rehearse vnto you all that ran in my minde this Night about it you would confesse it to bee so Then framing his countenance and speech according as hee was wont to doe when hee intended to continue a Discourse wee prepared our selues also with a great silence to heare him and hee proceeded much after this manner Amongst all the things of the World in the knowledge of whom wee may erre there is none whose ignorance is more pernicious and hurtfull then that of the estate of our Soules after this frayle and mortall life for thence is deriued a perplexed anxietie and miserable vnquietnesse which is the cause that men finding nothing happy in this world and looking for no certaintie after it thinke they are sent hither as to a fatall Torment wherein they must liue and die in griefe and calamitie They hate Life and feare Death and least they should fall into what they feare they take what they despise As Vlysses did in Homer who to saue himselfe from drowning embraced a wilde Figge-tree not for any loue hee bore vnto it but for feare that forsaking it hee should fall into Charybdis which hee saw vnder him Contrariwise those which are fully perswaded that the Soule is here but in Pilgrimage on the way to a more happy place trifle not away the time in complayning of Thornes and Brambles that scratch them as they goe by nor in gathering and making Nose-gayes with the Flowers they finde but being carryed away with a liuely ardour to finde such a resting place they rush through and neglect whatsoeuer they meete so much excepted as is needefull for their Voyage Now I will neuer beleeue that this ordinary power of God which is commonly called Nature which in all other things hath beene so propitious to men hath denyed them at any time the knowledge of that which was most necessarie for their good and to get the perfection of their being Rather I will thinke that those which denyed this immortalitie bee of that number which the Word of God pronounced by Saint Paul declareth inexcusable in regard they had the degrees of things visible sufficient and able to reach to the inuisible if they had not imployed them rather to descend then to ascend Ambitious people to their owne ruine which haue taken away force from the discourse which might haue made them happy to giue it vnto that which will make them vnhappy It seemeth vnto me it were enough to confound them to bring forth against them the common opinion of all the Nations of the World which what Age soeuer they liued in what part of the Earth soeuer they did inhabite what Manners and Customes soeuer they obserued haue layd this Beleefe for a foundation of all their Actions Ciuill Gouernments and Societies That their Soule suruiued their Bodyes and was not subiect to death Otherwise why should they haue Deified the most famous men amongst them and ordayned so many honourable Ceremonies to their Memories The Indians and Draides were esteemed the wisest of all the ancient Heathens which more deepely searched into the Bosome of Nature and purchased the highest Secrets of Wisdome They had so certaine a knowledge of this Immortalitie that they ran headlong vnto this corporall Death that is the entrance thereof and did chearefully embrace all honourable occasions that could bring them to it This Opinion hath wrought diuerse effects in diuerse Nations but euery one hath had it And if any may be excepted which beleeued the contrary when as they came to frequent and resort vnto others they held againe the same Opinion Which sheweth plainely that this Beleefe is bred with man and therefore it is naturall right and true For the Vniuersall Nature that is not corrupted by our particular Vice doth not put in our minde any other but sound and pure Opinions As shee guideth our Appetite and that of other Creatures onely to such Meates as are fit to nourish them so shee doth not incline our Vnderstanding to any thing else but to comprehend the Truth and to consent and yeeld vnto it as to his true Obiect and Foode which being represented to it accommodates it selfe presently euen as an Image is fitted to the Mould it was first cast vpon But for as much as those men despise for the most part Popular Iudgements and thinke Truth dwelleth not amongst the Vulgar and beleeue rather that Nature hath buried it very deepe in the ground where it must be found with the Diuine Rod of Philosophy and draw it out with the labour of a great and painefull Meditation let vs put backe whole Nations and bring forth onely such as haue got the glory in all Ages to be the wisest and most learned Pythagoras Solon Socrates Plato Aristotle and such a number of others that to name them all one had neede to haue as much time as it is since they liued haue not onely
we in the presence of Men Angels Nature and of God himselfe endure somwhat that may shew we can accommodate our selues vnto the Lawes of the World and to the Will of our Soueraigne Pompey being Ambassadour for the Romanes was surprised by King Gentius that indeauoured to wrest from him Publique affaires but to shew him there was no torture that could draw it from him he put his owne Finger in the Fire and suffered it to burne vntill that Gentius himselfe plucked it away He sought torment to make shew of the strength of his fidelitie And shall we betray our Soule if torments befall vs And forget the duetie we owe vnto that that is Diuine in vs Shall we then beare a deiected minde and inthrall it to our body to condole and suffer paines equall with it Farre more generous was that braue Anaxarchus that halfe bruized in the Tyrants Morter would neuer confesse his minde to be touched with paine Stampe on quoth he the case of Anaxarchus for as for him you cannot hurt Hence came that faire resolution Hence as from a quick-spring did flow that Constancie whereby he had learned to despise the body as a thing that is not our owne nor in our power and vse it as a borrowed garment to make shew for a time of our minde vpon this low and transitorie Theater Now were not he ouer-nice that should howle and cry out because his Gowne were spoyled or a Hooke had grapled it or some one going by had torne it some base Broker that would make gaines of such Ware would complaine of it A Prince a great Man a wealthy Citizen would laugh at it and in comparison of the rest of his wealth would make no reckoning of it Let vs value our selues as we ought to doe let vs be curious of our Honour and quietnesse and we shall make little account of all our body can suffer in this World Yea but the paine will be so great we shall lose our Life by it and shall see the Thread of our yeeres cut off in the verie middle Who can free himselfe from the Feare of this blow that euen Nature her selfe doth abhorre for though Death comes in due time yet it is dreadfull How much worse will it be when it is hastened and gathereth vs vp fresh and greene in the very prime of our Youth We deceiue our selues our Death hath nothing dreadfull of her selfe more then our Birth Nature hath nothing that is strange and terrible Death is amongst vs euerie day and doth not scare vs We dye euerie day and euerie houre of our Life that is past is dead It is not the last drop comes out of the Bottle emptieth it but finisheth it and the last moment of our Life doth not cause Death but only sheweth it The chiefest part of Death consisteth in that wee haue liued the more wee desire to liue the more wee desire Death should gaine by vs but from whence comes this desire Euen from the Opinion of the Vulgar that measures all by the Yard and deemes nothing precious that is not great whereas exquisite and excellent things are commonly thinne and slender It is the part of a skilfull workman to enclose much in a little space and we may say that it is almost fatall to illustrious men to dye quickely great Vertue and long Life seldome meetes together Life is measured by the End so that it bee good all the rest hath its proportion quantitie auayleth nothing to make it more or lesse happy a little Circle is as round as a great it is Figure doth all Yet you will say one would wish to die quietly in his bed amongst his owne people comforting them and receiuing comfort from them againe It is a pittifull thing to bee killed in a Corner and be depriued of decent Funerals So many men that goe to the wars and take Post to bee present at a Battell are not of this Opinion They are going to die all aliue and burie themselues among their enemies Little children feare masked men vncouer their faces they feare them no more Euen so beleeue mee Sword and the flames of Fire terrifie vs in the manner as we imagine them take off the maske the Death wherewith they threaten vs is the very same whereof women and little children die But I shall leaue behinde little children without helpe or assistance as if those children belonged more vnto you then vnto God as if you loued them more then he which is the first and truest Father or as if you had more meanes to keepe them safe then hee No no they shall haue the common Father of all the world that shall watch ouer them and preserue them vnder the wings of his fauour as he doth all his creatures from the greatest to the least Euils then are neuer so great as our Ambitious Opinion setteth them foorth vnto vs shee doth fright vs by her guile But shee doth altogether marre and corrupt vs when as shee striues to perswade vs that in such occasions we must grieue and pine our selues Certainely if the sorrow it bringeth had nothing worse then the deformitie wherewithall it is accompanyed wee ought to flye from it with might and maine Obserue it as soone as shee getteth into vs shee filleth vs with such a shame wee dare not shew our selues openly nor so much as in priuate to our friends after we are once seized on by this passion we seeke nothing but an odde corner to lye dreaming in and shun the sight of men we will haue no witnesses to our actions the sight of our friends is troublesome to vs what is the meaning of this but onely that she condemneth her selfe and doth acknowledge how vncomely she is would not you thinke she were a woman that had been catcht in the act that hideth and concealeth her selfe and is afraid to be knowne or Terentius his Chaerea that hauing attired himselfe like an Eunuch to performe a peece of knauerie is ouertakē in the midst of the street or in a strange house It is indeed to apparell men like Eunuchs yea geld thē altogether as to suffer them to fall into that sorrow which bereaueth them of whatsoeuer they haue manly and generous and giueth vs all the countenances and infirmities of women So the Thracians put men that mourned into womens apparell either to make them ashamed of themselues or to cause them to giue ouer quickly such vncomely and effeminate behauior But what need was there of such clothes for that for it seemes to me their countenances and their actions might haue been a sufficient token to shew they were no more men It was in my opinion a publike disgrace the Lawes inflicted vpon them for their pusillanimitie a summons to remember themselues and put on againe their manly courage The Roman Lawes that were more generous haue not sought remedies by disgrace against these effeminate lamentations for they haue vtterly prohibited them by their first and purest ordinances
vertue of such Commanders so that I presume that the motion and change we feele is not for the extirpation of the State but onely an incision that is made with a painefull and rough instrument and in lieu of the branch God hath cut off hee will put on a graft vpon the royall stocke And therefore I hope God will finde when we looke least for it some conuenient meanes to saue vs all and specially this faire and famous Cittie wherein there is a number of men which call vpon him with a pure heart Neuerthelesse if it should fall out otherwise wee must take it patiently for such great accidents happening by the eternall prouidence it is no more lawful then possible to oppose our selues against thē say further that it is neither iust nor profitable to be vexed for them being most certain that whatsoeuer is ordained by that soueraigne Hand is for our good and his glory But since it is supper time and that this discourse may be better continued by those that hearken to me then by my selfe I wil leaue it to them seeing our miserie is common that they may affoord something to our common comfort There Musaeus ended and we rose with a more setled minde then wee sate downe This is not all quoth I Musaeus seeing you discharge your selfe from prosecuting the discourse you haue began you must choose some one that will finish it Wherupon he kissing a withered posie that he held in his hand presented it to Orpheus I giue it you quoth he against to morrow I accept answered Orpheus the posie but not the charge to come vpon the stage after Roscius as the Prouerbe is And so wee parted with a mutuall promise to meete there againe the next day at the same houre The end of the first Booke ORPHEVS OR THE SECOND BOOKE OF CONSTANCIE LONDON Printed by Bernard Alsop 1622. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND All-praise-worthy the Lord BARCKLEY YOur Lordships very name were there nothing else that did induce me might he argument enough to make me dedicate this and with it my owne selfe also to your Lordships seruice but when by the world which seldome giues Vertue her due is added to your Lordship such perfections as made the Heroes in former times so farre surmount the ranke of ordinary men euer knowing Vertue to be truly Noble I could not chuse but also inuest your Lordship in these titles from whence those famous men thought themselues to haue reapt no small honor and that was in patronizing studious endeauors Which interest in you if it may seemerather to be by me vsurped then iustly challeaged or rightly deserued blame therein not my presumption but rather your Lordships vertuous fame that imboldened me so farre as to present so small a thing vnto your view which if you vouchsafe to looke vpon with a gracious eye I shall thinke my selfe bound for euer to remaine Your Lordships most humble seruant ANDREVV COVRT OR PHEVS OR THE SECOND BOOKE OF CONSTANCY THE next Day presently after dinner there was an Allarum beaten in the towne because we were all foure of one quarter wee met together in the Court of Guard there we gazed one vpon another speaking with our eyes and faces saying to our selues what pittie is this we must stand armed against our owne good and driue in a manner our good fortune from vs for what good man is there who doth not wish euen with the sacking of the towne rather to get out of this extreme misery deliuer the kingdome from it then to sacrifice our liues thus to the rage and fury of a small number of seditious who desire to satisfie their cruelty and couetousnesse with our anguish pouertie What fatall sluggishnesse is this that all this people or at least most of those we see armed here know their euils and wish for its remedy may haue it if they will and notwithstanding haue not the heart so much as to complaine and maintaine those who shew them the way how to saue themselues so far hath this poyson of sedition seuered their wils the feare which the wicked haue printed in the hearts of simple people hath frozen their blood and stifled their spirits Now being come neere one to another Well quoth I our meeting is put off as farre as I see we are like to want such a sweet afternoone as we had yesterday Neuerthelesse this shall not excuse you of that you owe vs rather the forbearance shall encrease the debt for as you see our euils waxe great so your reasons must be stronger I feare much quoth he this day wil scatter vs depriue vs perhaps for euer of so sweet delightsome a fellowship I can assure you that if death had taken me away yesterday when I came from you she had found me very content and had finished my life to my liking For I confesse that the discourse of Musaeus so asswaged my griefe and so setled my minde by the weight of his reasons and by the sweetnesse of his words that I could wish to be sad euery day if I were sure to be alwayes so well cheered vp It is a happy disease that is cured with pleasure oh how earnestly did I desire he should haue continued his speech yea vpon condition I had lost my supper nay vpon condition that I had not supped all the yeere Such discourses are nothing else but Nectar Ambrosia it is meat more necessary this day to the mind then bread wine to the body it is both nourishment physicke I sweare to you when I heard him me thought that the faire Helena of Homer with the same hand wherewithall shee stole the hearts of the Greekes and Troians powred into my mouth that sweet and gracious Nepenthes which lulled asleepe the sorrow of the afflicted restored thē their courage He hath quoth I turned ouer his charge into a good hand I hope what hee hath beganne well you will finish it farre better Thereupon it was told vs that the noyse was past and we might retire Then I tooke them all three by the cloake you must come said I where you promised yesterday it is lawfull for armed men to right themselues if the Roman law permitted to draw into Iudgement those who refused to goe how much more the right of armes Wee will not goe onely quoth Linus wee will runne thither After wee were come in and had put off our armes and walked a turne in the garden to gather our spirits I pray you quoth I let vs take our places againe and let vs prouide for rest and quietnesse for in my opinion wee shall haue time enough to stand And since that it belongs to you Signior Orpheus to continue this discourse looke for no more intreaties and vse no excuses for in a word we will not receiue them after some such summons Orpheus began thus It is indeed the greatest and surest comfort man can receiue and take
Apprenticeship of our Soules which after the Time and Labours that are prescribed vnto them shall be relieued from their Watching set at Libertie and restored to Eternall Rest which will affoord them wherewithall to satisfie that desire of Diuine being whereof they haue cast forth the first Sparkes through this heauie and cumbersome Flesh From her wee learne furthermore that after this Life our Soules doe not onely finde another more happie but euen our Bodyes rotting heere as Seede in the Ground shall spring into a new Fruit and shall be raysed vnto an Estate of Glorie and Perfection Therefore Diuinitie descending from Heauen mingled her selfe againe with Flesh to mould and kneade againe our Humanitie disfigured and defaced by Sinne ioyned her selfe to vs that shee might draw vs to her humbled her selfe to exalt vs quickned her Humanitie after death to make vs liue in the hope of that glorious Resurrection whereof shee was pleased to bee the First Fruites and by the which wee shall bee brought into the Inheritance of Glorie receiuing in Body and Soule the incomprehensible Splendour of Eternall Light But the passage to arriue thereunto is Death Desirable Death seeing it makes vs change Liues with so much profit Death not Death seeing it is the beginning of true Life and that wee are in this Body onely as the Chicken in the Shell which must bee broken ere it can be hatched or like the Child in his Mothers Wombe which must bee left ere wee can see the Day Let vs suffer them to feare it who thinke that all perisheth with the Body or them which expect after it the punishment of their Wickednesse And seeing wee haue so many Testimonies and so certaine Tokens of our future Life and being sure that dying here in the feare of God in the Faith of his beloued Sonne and trust in his Goodnesse wee shall liue againe aboue and enter into Glorie with him in the Throne of his Diuine Maiestie Let vs passe chearefully and lay downe the Burthen that hindereth and stayeth vs as wee would doe prophane Garments at the entrance of a holy Temple As for mee my Friends I feele my selfe almost in the Harbour with a great comfort of my Afflictions past and immediately for the Felicitie I expect I haue floated in the World in great and dangerous Stormes They tossed my Soule but they could not thankes bee to God ouerthrow it I know very well that the Condition of Humane Infirmitie hath put mee backe as shee doth all others from the perfection God requireth in vs but howsoeuer it neuer made mee loose the certaine and constant desire to aduance his Honour and Glory nor abate any thing of the good affection a good Subiect oweth vnto his Countrey My Conscience beareth mee this Witnesse and this Witnesse makes Death sweete and pleasant vnto mee I could wish euen at the last Gaspe I might doe the Publicke some Seruice but hauing no other meanes for it I will returne vnto you which are my best Friendes and it s too and for the last Office I can doe vnto this so holy Friendship I will coniure you that since you remayne heere to shut vp the end of a most Wretched Age you settle your Mindes by braue and constant Resolutions to withstand vndauntedly the Violence of the Tempest that threateneth this State and your particular Fortunes For all the Ages past haue seene fewe Miseries and Calamities but that you are like to see in your dayes The inside the outside of the kingdome great and small are like vnto mad men bent to its ruine and desolation You shall bee amazed one of these dayes when as you shall see the Lawes ouerthrowne the Gouernment altered all put into confusion those that shall haue the Gouernement beare the intent to loose both themselues and their owne Countrey and good men shall not bee suffered to open their Mouth and giue good and wholesome Counsell Remember then you are men and true hearted subiects vnto this crowne Let not your courage run away from you with your good Fortune Stand fast vpon Right and Reason and if the Waues and Billowes must carry you away let them ouerwhelme you with the Rudder in your hand still Behold the the time that you must present your brest against Fortune for the defence of the State and couer your countries body with your owne Certainely this ruine cannot bee auoyded without a great and generous courage of such as shall oppose themselues against it which all good men in my opinion are bound to doe Neuerthelesse you must qualifie by Prudence what an obstinate austeritie would but exasperate and make worse and follow Destinie without forsaking Vertue Doing well you shall shall runne into great hazards and shall suffer many iniuries but what can there happen so strange and horrible that the hope of the soueraigne good wherein I shall preuent you doth not aswage There is well-neere the same words that were vttered vnto vs by that great and wise Personage I rehearsed them vnto you against my Will knowing full well that the weakenesse of my Memorie and harshnesse of my Tongue would loose much of the weight of his Reasons and of the grace of his Discourse But if you had heard him himselfe with his sweete and pleasing fashion hee had kindled in your soules so liuely and ardent a desire of eternall felicitie that there is no affliction in the world the sense whereof hee had not taken away from you There Linus ended his speech and I beeing heartened and cheered vp sayd Certainly this was a very fine Discourse seeing that you who in all other things giue mee such satisfaction seemed vnto mee in the recitall of this to goe beyond your selfe I beleeue the Idea and remembrance of that great personage that is yet fresh and present in your Memorie for the honour and loue you bore vnto him quickned your tongue and inspired into you some thing more then humane Would to God this speech might continue as long as our miseries I am sure I should haue my Eares full of such Discourses and my Minde free from Sorrowes I sweare vnto you that since the time this Calamitie fell vpon vs I found nothing that made this Life more tolerable vnto mee then what I heard from you three these three last dayes but specially to day It is reported That Ptolomaus was forced to forbid Egesias the Cyrenian to discourse any more in publick of the Immortalitie of the Soule because the most part of those which heard him hastened their death with their owne hands That makes mee beleeue hee was ill acquainted with the Subiect hee handled For I beleeue there is nothing in the World giueth vs more courage to endure patiently our Miseries then the Reasons I learned euen now from you which in few wordes represented vnto vs what is the cause and the end of our Afflictions and what recompence our Patience findeth when wee can perseuer in it vnto the end Wherefore I could wish for the comfort of my poore distressed Countrey contrarie to that which was done to Egesias you should bee constrayned all three to continue in publicke such a Discourse But for as much as it is a thing I cannot hope for I am resolued to preserue carefully in my Memorie all that I learned from you about it and at my first leysure if our fortunate Studyes can get any set it downe in Writing to leaue it vnto Posteritie for to instruct in like occasions those that shall come after vs and let them know that in a most corrupted Age and amongst men strangely depriued of all Naturall Affection wee haue liued with a great compassion of the publicke Miserie and yet with a farre greater desire to bee able to helpe it FINIS