the Church but before the first session when they had prayed as the manner is for the assistance of the holy Ghost and the fathers were set in their places and the Pope in a high place above them all there commeth an Owle which alwayes bringeth with him a prognosticke of evill fortune and alighteth upon a beame in the middle of the Church singing in his naturall tune and looked continually in the Popes face And every man marvelled to see this unfortunate bird that flyeth the light so boldly in the middle of the day to sit among such an assembly of people ominating some evill to follow the Pope upon whom the Owles eyes were earnestly fastened chafed and sweat and being in a great agony dismissed the Councell and departed At the next session the Owle commeth to the same place againe and beholdeth the Pope as hee did before who being more ashamed than he was the other day commandeth this unlucky bird to be feared away with crying and clapping of hands But the Owle would not be removed away from the place untill she was stricken with a staffe and fell downe dead among them The Councell not long after was to the shame of the Pope dissolved and he deposed and cast in prison where he beway led his fortune with these dolefull verses Quâ—… modo summus â—…ram latatus nomine Prâ—…ful 〈◊〉 abjectus nunc mea fat a gemo Excelsus solio nuper versabar in alâ—…o Cunctaque gens pedibus ofcula prona dabas Nunc ego pâ—…narum fundo devâ—…lvor in imo Vultum deformem pallidaque or a gero Omnibus è terris aurum 〈◊〉 sponte ferebant Sed nec gaza juvat nec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adest Sic varians fortuna vices adversa secundis Subdit ambiguo numine ludit atrox Cedat in exemplum cunctis quos gloria tollâ—…t Vertice de summo mox ego Papucado I the glad name of Pope who had but late Now most deceived mourne mine own sad fate Once lifted to a throne sublime where plac't Nations to crouch and kisse my feet were grac't Am now cast downe into paines lowest abysse Pallid my looke deform'd my countenance is Then from all nations I had store of gold But now nor wealth nor friend can I behold Such is the change of Fortune good with bad She mingles So nought certaine can be had All such whom glory swels with proud ostent Make me once Pope their wofull president In our fathers time Tomombey Sultan of Egypt Atabalixa king of Peru and Mutexuma king of Mexico lost both their kingdomes and lives in a short time in a miserable sort the one dying in prison the other with a soft fire burnt smothered to death the third shamefully hanged in his owne towne Apreyes king of Egypt perswaded himselfe and would vaunt that hee had so established and fortified his kingdome that none either of the gods or of men could take it from him But being overcome in battell by the Persians hee was taken prisoner and after hee had beene kept some time in prison he was strangled The great Prince Saladine after hee had won Ierusalem lying in his death bed and considering with himselfe what vanity was in the pompe and glory of this world commanded his 〈◊〉 to be hanged upon a pole and carâ—…ied through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sight of all men aâ—…d to be cryed Behold Saladine the conquerour of Asia of so great a kingdom such abundance of riches he carriâ—…th nothing with him but this But Alexander the Great used not the like modestie but contrariwise being pufâ—…ed up with pride and vaine glory after his victories he could not beare the greatnesse of his fortunes with that vertue he wan them But being more desirous of glory than able to receive it he commanded himselfe to be called the sonne of Iupiter to be honored as a God And whilest hee went about to increase the glory of his acts he corrupted and defaced them with such vaine titles For he received more mockes of the wiser sort than adorations of his flatterers When hee had sent to the Cities of Greece to have his new title of Godhead to bee confirmed by publike authoritie and the matter being had in consultation one steppeth up and sayd Well seeing Alexander will needs have it so let us make him a god A frumpe worthy of such a vaine glorious petition And as Cleo an Italian of Sicilia given to flattery both by his owne nature and by the custome of his countrey had used perswasions and set downe a forme to honour Alexander as a God Callistenes being of a contrary opinion Are not they goodly gods Clâ—…o quoth hee that thou and I can make I pray thee let me prove thy power if thou canst make a god first make a king it is much more easie to give a worldly kingdome than the possession of heaven But flattery was never better rewarded than by M. Antonius the Triumvir For when he entred into Athens all the Citizens having first prepared exceeding great honours for his entertainement went to meet him and they being desirous to win his favour used this kind of flattery They told Antonius that they had in their city the goddesse Minerva which wanted a husband and were desirous to give him her to wife who was the god Bacchus Antonius being offended with their shamelesse flattery sayd that he was content to accept her for his wife but I will have quoth he a thousand talents for her dowry which is requisit for so great a marriage But the Emperor Commodus used more severity or rather cruelty in punishing flattery Certaine yong gentlemen of Commodus chamber understanding that Ebutianus was put to death for weeping and lamenting the death of the Consull Byrrius and Apollaustus another Senatour for bemoning the death of Ebutianus the day that Apollaustus was executed thinking to please the prince made shew of great mirth joy for the death of Apollaustus Which being knowne to Commodus hee commanded their throats to be cut saying that for any act done by the prince they ought neither to laugh nor weepe but heare see and hold their peace Xerxes the great monarch of Persia being unmeasurably overcome with pride and vaine-glory after the bridge which was made to transport his army over the sea called Hellespont was overthrown by the tempest raging of the sea he with such arrogancy disdaining that the elemeÌ„ts would not be obedient to him coÌ„manded the sea to be beaten with 300 stripes a paire of fetters to bee cast into it and sent messengers to burne markes in it with a hot iron and to beat it saying O bitter water thy Lord doth thus punish thee because thou hast hurt him that deserved no evill of thee yet the king Xerxes wil passe over thee whether thou wilt or not neither doth any man sacrifice to thee because thou art a deceitfull and bitter river To such madneâ—…e
bull being placed not far off hearing his voyce came running to him through the presse of peoply overthrowing divers of them and layd his head in Mahomets lap having the book tyed between his horns wherein the law was written called Alcoran the people beleeving the rather by Sergius perswaâ—… that God had sent the bull with the booke of the law because about the pigeoÌ„s necke they had fastned a little schedule wherein was written in golden letters he that can put a yoke upon the buls neck let him be king Sergius fetched a yoke and delivered it to Mahomet who put it â—…fily upon the buls nocke and was of the foolish people called King and sergius a Prophet By these kind of devices hee seduced the people and after hee had reigned tenne yeare being about foure or fiâ—… and thirtie yeares old it happened that one of his 〈◊〉 proofe whether or not whether he would 〈◊〉 againe the third day after his death and 〈◊〉 up to heaven as he had ofâ—…old told them he would doe after he had reigned ten yeares he 〈◊〉 gave him poyson to 〈◊〉 which when Mahomet had drunke his colour began to change and the poyson went presently to his heart and dispatched him as hee had well deserved A just judgement of God to punish the wicked by the wicked His body was diligently watched by his disciples looking for his reâ—…rre the third day as he had said But when the third day was past and that they saw he would not rise againe that his body began to stinke they let him lye 〈◊〉 and departed And the eleventh day after his death 〈◊〉 that poysoned him came againe to see how he lay and as one Lucas reporteth hee found his body eaten with dogges And gathering his bones together he tooke them with him and buryed them in a towne called Madinaraziell When the Arabians and others perceived how he had deceived them and that he rose not againe according to his promise many of them fell from him and would no longer hold of his religion But in his life annexed to his Alcoran some of his disciples 〈◊〉 strange things of his death and resurrection and 〈◊〉 that his body of himselfe after a miraculous fort hangeth on high under a vault of the Church at 〈◊〉 where indeed it is done by art a Load-stone 〈◊〉 up the Iron Coffen wherein his body or bones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it did hang in the ayre But the Turkes and â—…hough of his sect beleeving that he hangeth there by â—…vine power goe thither yearely in pilgrimage as Christians doe to Ierusalem to the Sepulcher This was 〈◊〉 beginning and end of this glorious Apostle of 〈◊〉 whose holinesse was in his youth such that the Citiâ—… of Mecha condemned him to death for these whom now they adore for a high Prophet of God Such fruits the desire of glory wherein he put his felicity brought forth to the perpetuall torments of his owne soule and of infinite thousands besides But such an Epitaph had bin more meete for him than to be so exalted as was engraven upon the tombe of a Vice-roy of Sicilia by the people of that countrey in revenge of his tyrrannous governement Qâ—…i propter nos homines Et propter nostram salutem Descendit adinferos That is Who for us men And for our salvation Is gone downe into hell Salmoxes device to perswade the Gothes that the soule was immortall was more tolerable being done with better meaning Hee taught those people that neither himselfe nor any that lived nor they which were to be borne should dye for ever if they lived vertuously but they should goe into such a place where they should alwayes live and enjoy all good things and leade for ever a most happy life And when he had thus perswaded his followers he conveyed him secretly out of their sight into a building under the ground which he had before prepared for the purpose where hee remained three yeares leaving his followers lamenting sorrowing as if he had bin dead the fourth yere he returned to them againe they being sufficiently satisfied of the eternitie of the soule and the perpetuall reward of vertue By which device hee wan to himselfe such reputation and glory that he was accounted equall with the king who made him his companion in the governement of his kingdome But the death of Mahomet was not the end of much troubles and mischiefe that arose through his false doctrine in divers parts of the world For thereof ensued sundry sects according to the severall inclinations of the fantasticall heads of his disciples and followers in whom the Divell stirred up such a desire of glory that imitating their masters example and treading in his path some of them became little inferiour to him in riches and dominion Among the rest in our age Affrica that according to the old proverbe is accustomed alwayes to bring forth some new and strange thing raised up one of Mahomets disciples from a poore Hermit to be a Monarch of many goodly kingdomes and countries This man was borne among the famous mountaines of Atlas of very base poore parentage and became an Hermit which the Affricans call Morabuth that is a holy man This fellow began to preach his vaine doctrine in the yeare of Grace one thousand five hundred fourteene and would admit no glosse or interpreter of the Alcoran but followed simply the text He playd the hypocrite so kindly that by a counterfeit shew of holinesse and simplicity and austerity of life he was greatly esteemed and honoured And when hee saw himselfe well followed of the people of Fez Maroque where he made himselfe strong and that the multitude depended upon his word hee told them whom he best favoured that he had a desire to visit the King of Taphilletta because hee lived not according to the sinceritie of their law The cause 〈◊〉 he desired this kingdome was that if his deviâ—… tooke not that effect hee looked for it might serve him for a place of retreyt As hee travelled towards Taphilletta there was no village that hee passed by but he preached his doctrine into the great townes they would not suffer him to enter because of his 〈◊〉 and for feare of some tumult His travell was alwayes by the sea coast because that countrey was well peopled insomuch that within short time his traine resembled a huge army of above threescore thousand men strong The simple king of Taphistetta would needs heare this Hermit and talke with him of matter touching his conscience who was not so intentive in his Sermon as he was circumspect in viewing the kings forces and the meanes he had to defend himself At length he told his followers God had revealed to him that he must expell this king out of his kingdome as unworthy to reigne For confirmation whereof hee shewed them certaine false miracles By meane whereof they slue the king and made the Hermit
knew that body He answered that he knew him wel to be the body of his most deare brother and Lord with whom he wished presently to be in the same world he was Assure your selfe said the king I will bring it to passe that you shall have your desire and that shortly The next day the king caused the Cardinall to bee brought into the place where his brother lay and to be slaine When the death of the Duke his brother was knowne the Duchesse their mother and the late wife of the Duke made sute to the king for the bodies of the two brethren W th being denied the mother expostulates bitterly with the King accusing him of infidelitie chargeth him with the breach of his oath of his promise of his agreement pucceth him in minde of the benefits which hee and his realme had received of the Duke and also of his father for which so great ingratitude and barbarous crueltie shee asketh vengeance of God upon him and his The king being moved with her bold speech commandeth her to prison And as shee was going away Madame quoth he be of good comfort the same kinde of death is happened to your sonne the Duke that chanced in times past to Iulius Casar who was killed in the Senate But when the wife or widow of the Duke saw that shee could not obtaine her sute of the king shee lifting up her eyes and hands to heaven shedding abundance of reares complaineth with a lamentable voyce upon the uncertaintie and unconstancie of humane matters that nothing was to be found any where certaine but onely with God who I hope saith she as a most just Iudge will not suffer mee to dye though nothing would bee more pleasant to mee than to dye and to enjoy the company of my most deare husband untill I see so barbarous and beastly a butchery of my Lord and husband revenged the like example whereof was never heard before And when she had reckoned up his vertue and valour and the great service he had done to the king and his countrey Is this O king sayd she the crowne of Lawrell which is due to them that regard not the danger of their estate and of their life for the safetie of their king Is this the 〈◊〉 that ought to be granted to him who hath not only defended France from strangers but also hath often overthrown and destroyed whosoever were enemies to his country Then turning to her husband O my Lord sayd shee how happy and fortunate had I beene if after thy prayeâ—… offered to God thou haddest been slaine giving charge upon thine enemies thy death in that sort taken would have beene to me much more tolerable nor would have wounded my mind so greatly so should you also have taken away all emulation from them that envie that honour And after shee had reprehended his emulâ—…tors and set forth his merits yea sayth she he had so great confidence in the king but I would to God hee had not done so that he feared not to come unarmed to him being armed of whom in steede of reward he was slaine Oh how great a wickednesse is this that he who hath so often defended the kings life shold by the kings commandement have his life taken from himâ—… That he who with so great perill of his life all his goods 〈◊〉 possessions hath kept the crowne upon the kings 〈◊〉 should be falsly suspected to affect the crowne himâ—… and without any kind of law or justice without 〈◊〉 of the cause so great a Prince should be so cruelly murdered O how great an injury is this to him that hath bestowed all his care for the preservation of his countrey safety of the kingâ—… But why doe I call him king ought hee to bee called a king who commanded him to be murdered in whom all his felicity and safety consisted O my God the most just revenger of wicked acts I â—…ye unto thee it is thy part to judge justly 〈◊〉 not the wicked slanders devised of his enemies to darken the perpetuall glory of my husband nor let not that villanous act committed upon him remaine 〈◊〉 Then she speaketh to her kinsfolkes and friends will ye behold with equall eyes minds the glory and fame of so great a chiefetaine and an invincible souldiour to be extinguished so quickly Will ye that I as it were alwayes for saken dye at last without any hope of revenge will ye that the revenge of so foule an act be deferred untill these my children yet voyd of reason come to be men O my little sons and daughters how happy had ye been if so soone as ye had been borne ye had presently changed life with death O king do you thinke that they be slaine that be yet alive You have taken the bread out of the hands of the little ones you would have buried the remembrance of an excellent Prince in oblivion for ever ye have in some sort your desire but the vengeance of God you shall not escape neither shall so barbarous an act go unpunished which your enemies do detest your friends bewaile O king who will hereafter beleeve you who will put his trust in you to whom will not your fidelity be suspected Do you thinke that your friends do commend you for this your fact especially seeing they see your mouth speaketh one thing and your heart thinketh another As for my selfe O King I will not hereafter call you my King but ye shall be in that place with me as they upon whom the judgement of God will assuredly fall that whereas yâ—…e ought to have protected widowes and orphanes ye have made me a widow and my children orphanes by taking away the life of my most dearely beloved husband In this mourning lamentation of this sorrowfull Duchesse in place of two brethren that were slaine shee was delivered of two sonnes To these extreme passions and miserable estate ambition and desire of dominion brought the Duke of Guise and his friends which not long after cost the king also his life and great trouble to the kingdome of France These be the fruits of worldly glory Vaine glorious men are not only hurtfull to themselves but also to others Solon saith To name a vaine glorious man in right termeâ—… is to call him a foole Whosoever escapeth best that is desirous of honour and glory he is sure not to strike the 〈◊〉 he shooteth at any thing the rather by that meanes that is felicitie or Summum bonum or soveraigne good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Genua by treason or cowardlinesse let Mahâ—…met the great Turke enter into Constantinople upon his promise to make him king And when Mahomet was gotten into the towne he made him king according to his promise and after three dayes he put him to death A short reigne with no long glory yet worthy of such a wretch by whose meanes the Emperour the Pâ—…triark and almost all the Christians in the towne were cruelly
to the contrary side that at last he may come to the meane be made streight and brought to his right place This fruit men may reape by this discourse that are not wholly drowned in worldly desires When they have compared the counsels sayings of wise and learned men with those of the vulgar sort they shall perceive themselves as it were awaked out of a long slumber and plainely see that by corrupt judgment following the trace and course of the world yeelding to their owne motions and desires and suffering themselves to bee overcome with their affections and cupidities they fall from happinesse they seek after into felicity and misrie But in so great diversities of mens inelmations it is not possible that any one thing can please or profit all men As some are given altogether to serious matters so others delight in pleasant fables and Poeticall figments every man according to his humour as the Poet saith Digna suo quaris â—…ond things please fools men for such junquets call As taste them best one pleasure likes not all I tooke the matter in hand for my owne exercise and pasttime and have handled the same according to my talent but not with that diligence I must confesse as I ought intending to have it seene only of my selfe and some of mine And if I have written any thing overmuch philosophically that dissenteth from the true professed Religion as in so spacious a field and such insufficiencie of my selfe I may easily wander out of the right path I submit my selfe and that I have written as becommeth a Christian to the censure of the Church of England which I acknowledge and assure my selfe to be a member of the true Church of Christ. FINIS ¶ The Contents of the first booke of the Treatise called Summum bonum OR The Felicitie of Man CHAP. IIII. THe assertions of sundry heâ—… Philosophers concerning the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 1. Since 〈◊〉 fall all things made to obey us rebell against us 3. No 〈◊〉 felicity is in mans power to 〈◊〉 unto ibid. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Angles 〈◊〉 men 4. The fall of Lucifer and his Angels 5. The 6. 〈◊〉 Catena or the golden chaine ibid. The great mercy of the sohne of God ibid. Christ 〈◊〉 the Father concerning man 7. The malice of the Divell ibid. No felicity but in the Sonne of God 8. How good men differ from the wicked 9. Three things wherin morall men imagin true felicity to 〈◊〉 10. No felicity in pleasure 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 observed 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Storie of 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Monarch of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 13. raine of the first 〈◊〉 15. The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Rome ibid. pride 〈◊〉 17. His prodigality vanity folly 〈◊〉 18. His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 19. Of the Tyrant 〈◊〉 ibid. His wonderfull Palace 20. His ridiculous prodigality ibid. His Luxury and too late Repenâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The power of fate according to 〈◊〉 22. His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 24. The Riots of 〈◊〉 Emperour of Rome Cap. 2. pag. 24. The excesse of Peter Raure first a Friar and after Cardinall 25. Of Muleasses King of Tunis ibid. Against voracitie and immoderate drinking ibid. King Edgars limitation for drinking 26. Of three quaffers in Germany ib. Of a drunkard in the City of Gâ—…unt 27. The Iearffe a beast of â—…utela an embleme of gluttony 28. Of 〈◊〉 29. A 〈◊〉 amongst the â—…gyptians 30. A 〈◊〉 spirit repeated of by 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Alexander 31. ibid. His murder 32. Of King 〈◊〉 and Proxaspaâ—… his Secretary ibid The miserable death of K. 〈◊〉 who dyed in wine 33. Drunkennesseâ—…xed ibid. Mischiefes 〈◊〉 from drunkenesse 34. The Temperance of Cyrus 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the former times 35. The delicacie of Romane 〈◊〉 The Bishop of Magdeburg dyed dancing ibid. Rape the subversion of Kingdoms ibid. The death of Lucretia the Roman Lady 42. Appius Claudius and Virginius 43. The end of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 45. Of Aâ—…hony and Cleopatra 46. The death of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The death of Cleopatra 50. Of 〈◊〉 King of Spaine and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. The lust of 〈◊〉 Cardinall of Este Cap. 4 pag. 51. 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 foolish 〈◊〉 52. Of Pyramus and Thisbe ibid. The folly of a French Gentleman 〈◊〉 The strange death of a young man in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 King of 〈◊〉 ibid. Of two Gentlemen 〈◊〉 alive ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love to 〈◊〉 54. King 〈◊〉 love unto a Plane tree 55. Of lecherous 〈◊〉 their holes and 〈◊〉 ibid. A strange thing of Sir 〈◊〉 Priest and one Lysetta pag. 57. The shamefull lust of 〈◊〉 favorite to the Tyrant 〈◊〉 59. Incestuous love in 〈◊〉 sonne to King 〈◊〉 61. A cunning Physitian 62. A godly meditation of St. Bernard ibid. A strange accident hapning to the French King Charles the sixth 63. Vâ—…ine curiosity in the Emperor 〈◊〉 64. Three things that change 〈◊〉 and conditions 65. A prudent law amongst the Romanes ibid. Three things that hasten a 〈◊〉 end ibid. A dehortatory from taking delight in pleasure ibid. That in pleasure can be no felicity 66. The Contents of the second Booke CHAPTER I. MAns felicity cannot consist in Riches pag. 68. Lycurgus banisht coyne out of his Kingdome ibid. Iron more usefull than gold 69. Sufficiency preffered before excesse ibid. The Temperance of King 〈◊〉 70. Of ptolomy King of Egypt ibid. Health preferred before wealth ibid. Riches an hinderance to felicitie 71. Content not to be purchased with coyne ibid. Socrates Diogenes and 〈◊〉 opinion of riches rich men 72. Of rich Gygâ—…s King of Lydia and poore 〈◊〉 ibid. The situation of Delphos and who first dedicated the Temple to Apollo 73. Their death 74. The oracle told many things truly 〈◊〉 The Divell defends his Temple against 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Persia 75. The sacriledge of King 〈◊〉 76. The rich Church of Tholosa with the defeat of Cepio's Army ibid. Of a Temple in Morocco 77. The inhumanity of 〈◊〉 to purchase gold ibid. Queene Dido casts her gold into the sea 75. The building of Cartiage and the death of Queene Dido 79. The death of 〈◊〉 Q of 〈◊〉 ib. A strange stratagem of Helena Queene of Russia pag. 79. Of the Emperour Trojan and King Decebal 80. The death of Henry the seventh Emperour ibid. A rich Citizen of Venice and 〈◊〉 King of Gothland slaineby their sons to possesse their gold ibid. Strange Tyranny of Vespitians Souldiers practised upon the Iewes 81. A strange plot to kill the great Turke in his Tent to gaine his treasure Cap. 2. pag. 82. The death of 〈◊〉 Captaine of the enterprise ibid. Of Casar Borgias who poysoned the Pope his father with wine prepared for others 83. King Croesus of Lydia deluded by the Oracle 84. No man happy till after his death 85. The honour which Gyrus did to Croesus 86. Of King 〈◊〉 of Lydia and 〈◊〉 87. Gyges murthereth the King and marrieth the Queene 88. The death of Crassus the rich Romane ibid. St. Bernards invective against the pride of the Clergie ibid.
felicitie of this life and the future 371 The first step to felicity 372 Timon of Athens 〈◊〉 373 Timons death and Epitaph c. 374 A meditation of Marcus Aurelius c. 375 David Esay and Salomon upon the same 376 Plato of the estate of mans life 377 The estate of a seafaring man 378 The estate of an husbandman 379 The condition of a Merchant 380 The estate of a Souldier 381 Of sundry calamities incident to the warres 382 Of the famine in Ierusalem 383 Inhumane cruelty in the â—…ews 384 Barbarous cruelty in the Numantians 385 〈◊〉 conquer'd by Scipio 386 Of Hading King of Danes and vsfo King of Suecia ibid. The miserable extremities of famine c. 387 The insolencies of war c. 388 The siege of Sanserra 389 The siege of Paris 390 Barbarous inhumanity in souldiers 391 Blasphemy inhumanity against God 392 The estate of a souldier truely deciphered 393 The estate of the Lawyer 394 A difficult Law-case 395 The miseries of the Client c. 397 Lawyers and Physicians banished 399 Lawyers and Physicians have one common ayme 400 Lawyers are necessary evils 401 The Lawyers penance c. 402 CHAP. II. The estate of â—…udges and of Magistrates pag. 403 The poverty of 〈◊〉 generall to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 404 Charg that belongs to 〈◊〉 405 A dialogue betwixt a Philosopher and Iustice 409 The Senators of Athens heard causes only in the nights 410 The estate of a Courtier 411 How farre their estate differeth from felicity 412 The manner and fashion of the Court what 's cheap in it 413 Queen Zenobia's answer unto Marcus Aurelius Emperour 414 The estate of Princes 415 Their supposed Felicity cause of their unhappinesse 416 The history of Cleandor under the Emperour Commodus 417 The history of Planitanus under the Emperour 〈◊〉 419 Too much grace often begetteth ingratitude 420 The great care that belongeth to Princes 421 CHAP. III. The estate of Prelates 422 Pope Adrian concerning Popes Bishops 423 A Citizen of Romes bold speech to Pope Innocent 424 The Archbishop of Salisburg of the government of the Popes 426 St. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. 〈◊〉 of their pride avarice 427 Of the ambition and 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 430 Gregory the great 432 The charge of the Clergy with the estate of Friars c. 433 Diversity of sects begetteth Atheisme 434 The estate of mariage 435 A loving Husband exprest in a Neapolitan 436 Examples of conjugal love c. 437 A man that had had 20. wives marrieth one that had had 22. husbands 438 Of a most remarkeable pieticibid Inconveniences that belong unto mariage 439 〈◊〉 concerning women ibid. 〈◊〉 of mariage 440 The trouble of children 441 A disputation betwixt Tbales and 〈◊〉 concerning mariage 442 Of needlesse jealousie 443 Pleasant and witty husbands ibid. The time seems tedious spent with a bad wife ibid. Xantippe the wife of Socrates 446 Of a Law observed amongst the Massagates ibid. The witty answer of woman 〈◊〉 to his mother 448 The counsell of 〈◊〉 in the choyce of a wife 449 Metellus the 〈◊〉 concerning mariage 450 The witty answer of a woman to her jealous husband 451 The opinions of divers concerning mariage 452 Felicity consists not in mariage 452 The effects of peace the mother of idlenesse 453 Peace the mother of persecution 454 Of calamities hapning by diseases and other accidents 455 CHAP. IIII. Of sundry kinds of pestilences 456 Three hundred several diseases belonging unto man 457 Gods judgment on Popielus 457 Vpon the Emperour Arnolphus and Hatto Bishop of Mentz 458 Of Harold king of Denmarke and 〈◊〉 459 The history of an Archbishop of Mentz called Henry 460 Three fearful judgments strange stories to the same purpose 461 The dreame of Atterius 〈◊〉 462 Examples of feare and joy ib. Examples of sorrow the strange effects of joy 463 Of barbarous cruelty and extream tyranny 464 Necessary considerations of the miserable condition of man 465 Of the generall judgment and the account of Lawyers Iudges and Souldiers 466 The account of Vsurers 467 Of imaginary felicity 469 All Felicity depends upon God 472 Of two sorts of ends precedent subsequent 473 Earthly felicity is only in name 474 Foure things that are not to bee bought with gold 475 That no man lives contented with his owne estate 476 No prosperity but attended by adversity 477 Of Amasis King of Egypt and Polycrates King of Samos ibid. No man happy before his death 479 Foure sure Anchors to trust unto 480 The joyes of the future life the true beatitude 482 The contrarietie of mens inclinations 483 The use of Gods afflictions 484 What gratitude we owe unto God 486 The counsell of David to salomon and Tobit to his sonne 487 How to examine ones selfe to finde whether we be happy or not 488 The vanity of feare 489 Diogenes concerning patience 490 The benefit of a quiet and contented minde 491 Of a limitation for pleasures 492 Riches in poverty and povertie in riches 493 The Avarice of King 〈◊〉 and Pitbens 495 Richest men the greatest slaves 497 No true Felicity can consist in riches 498 Saint Gregory and others of riches and povertie pag. 499 CHAP. V. The modesty of c. 500 The contempt of honour in 〈◊〉 pompus agesilans King of Sparta c. 501 Honour an hinderance unto Felicitie 502 The best riches not to fall into povertie 503 The great moderation of King Calvicius 504 Three kinds of men in every common-wealth 505 Plato's dialogue of Socrates and another 507 Death no way terrible unto a godly Christian 508 Of the women of Narsinga and India 509 The contempt of death in the people of the mountaine called 〈◊〉 510 Charles the fifth his preparation to death 511 Things above the power of fortune 513 Pride and vaine-glory beget confusion 515 The greatest part of felicity consisteth in the mind 516 Our life compared by Plato to table-play 517 Moderation to be used in prosperitie and patience in adversity 518 False felicity consisteth in 5. things 519. The gifts of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are used or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The necessity of industry industry Of wisdome and a wise man 603 The ignorant live with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 604 Empire maketh men monstres 606 The Princes Court a Theatre 607 The expression of a good King 608 The counsell of a good King 609 Truth necessary to bee whispered in Princes cares 611 The education of the Persian Princes 612 The Courts of good Princes are schooles of vertue 613 Whom good Princes should 〈◊〉 their familiars 614 Gifts ought to bee given onely to the worthy 615 The Majesty of God honoured in the Prince 617 The office of a Prince 618 CHAP. VI. The felicity of the mean estate 619 Good fortune the greatest riches 621 Concerning law-suites 623 Three things to be avoided 624 Three things to bee practised 625 To beget commendable envie 626 Who it is that may bee esteemed happy in this world 629 Man participates both of
registred in histories of the miserable estate and vnfortunate end of those that haue put their felicitie and passed their time in voluptuousnesse and pleasure which change was so much the more grieuous and painefull to them as it was diametrally contrary to their former delicious life But of an infinite number let vs draw out a few wherewith he that will not be satisfied to him more will be insufficient Sardanapalus King of the Assyrians was so much addicted vnto voluptuousnesse and pleasure that besides his excesse in delicate meats and pleasant drinks wherewith by all manner of meanes hee sought continuâ—…lly to satisfie his vnsatiable appetite forgetting all humanity he would neuer be seene abroad among men but leading his life like a woman alwayes kept himselfe close in the company of harlots attired in womans apparell counterfeiting also in his speech a womans voyce In filthy pleasures and incontinencie he exceeded the most infamous strumpets his luxuriousnesse reported by credible Authors wherein hee went beyond all his predecessors was such that it cannot bee vttered without offence to modest eares The Monarchie of the Assyrians that was gotten with great labour and industrie and increased and continued with like vertue and valour was by the licentious life of this lasciuious man cleane ouerthrowne For Arbaces his Lieutenant generall of the Medes a man of great courage determined to reuote from him and being desirous to see how he spent his time by the fauour of an Eunuch whom he had corrupted he was let in to Sardanapalus vnder pretence to conferre with him of weighty affaires where hee found him spinning among a company of women apparelled like them in a more vndecent sort than the common fame went of him Which gaue Arbâ—… occasion to disdaine him and encouraged him the more to shake off the yoke of subiection to such an effeminate man And conspiring with diuers others whom he had drawne to his societie he came with a great Armie towards Sardanapalus who hearing of the multitude of people that had reuolted against him had prepared sufficient force to encounter with them And after certaine battels fought wherein Sardanapalus was victor presuming vpon the coâ—…nnance of his good fortune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secure and carelesse of his enemies and againe to his accustomed luxurious 〈◊〉 which he thought himselfe to haue been long weaned he falleth to his old manners Luxuriant animi vebus plerunque facyndis Mens minds are often surfeited with prosperity and maketh a Feast to all his Army so the day being spent in banquetting and carowsing when night came their heads laden with wine nothing mistrusting their enemies whom they had before vanquished they gaue themselues to rest which being knowne to Arbaces by his spials he assailed the Kings Campe in the dead of the night and finding them vnarmed and vnready to fight put so many of them to the sword that the Riuer of Euphrates was made red with their bloud The King with a few fled into the Citie of Nyna where hee thought himselfe safe by reason of the answer of an old Oracle made to some of his Progenitours that Nyna could neuer be wonne vntill the riuer became an enemy to the city which hee thought could neuer come to passe The Towne was so fortisied with wals that with little resistance the King held out the siege the space of two yeares the third yeare the riuer was so increased with continuall raine that it ouerthrew the walls of the Citie and made a breach of very great breadth then Sardanapalus perceiuing the time of the Oracle was come 〈◊〉 to despaire and finding no place where to hide himselfe left hee should fall into his enemies hands hee caused a great Tabermacle of wood to be set vp and compassed it round about with store of dry wood into the which after he had put all his gold and 〈◊〉 and sumptuous apparell he placed his 〈◊〉 and Euâ—…ches in the midst and lastly shut himselfe in among them and causing his seruants to put fire to the frame they were all burnt together Arbaces hearing of the Kings death entred the City at the breach and by a generall conseâ—… was made King Thus miserably ended Sardanapalus his pleasures through whose voluptuous life the Empire of the Assyrians which was the first Monarchie of the world was no doubt by the iust iudgment of God translated from the Assyrians to the Medes But such Monsters of nature sometime the world hath brought forth as Heliogabalus the Romane Emperour abandoning all vertue and honesty gaue himselfe to follow his beastly appetite that he seemed to surmount all before him and as possibility would suffer all that should succeed him in vice and volupâ—…ousnesse This Heliogabalus of whom graue Authors write such matter as seemeth incredible whereof a great part shall be passed ouer of me with silence not 〈◊〉 to be written He erected a Councell of women who should determine what manner of attire the matrones of Rome should weare and laying aside all modâ—…y he caused to bee brought into his palace great companies of common women for his friends in whose company hee was so much delighted that hauing gathered together all the harloâ—… and bawdâ—… could bee found hee commeth in person into the place where they were assembled apparelled in a womans 〈◊〉 and made vnto them a very eloquent and well studied â—…tion calling them 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 by which the noble Capâ—…ines and 〈◊〉 of the Romanes when they would giue their souldiers an honourable title were vsee to call them which signifieth Companions in warre The matters which the strumpets were there to treate of with him was new inuentions and deuices of ribaldrie Hee would somtimes sit in his chariot starke naked which should be drawne through the Citie of Rome with foure of the fairest yong women naked likewise that could be found He was in his expences about his person his diet and his house and other superfluous toyes vnmeasurably sumptuous which to declare will hazzard the credit of the reporter All his care and imaginations were how to exceede in wastesull expences to passe his time in all manner of deliciousnesse such as was neuer heard of before Hee neuer sate downe but amongst most sweet and pleasant flowers with which were mixt diuers kindes of odoriferous things wonderfull costly and of most delectable sauour Hee would neuer eate but of that which was of excessiue price and deuised all manner of meanes that whatsoeuer he did eate should be most costly He would say that no sawce made his meate taste so well as the greatnesse of the price His ordinarie dinners or suppers neuer were of lesse charge than one thousand Markes sometime aboue ten thousand pounds His apparell was alwaies of purple and cloth of gold beset with pearle and precious stones of inestimable price euen to his shooes Hee would not weare a garment twice or drinke twice of one cup whether it were gold or
with charge to foresee that shee might come alive into his power meaning to preserve her for his triumph But after he had talked with Cleopatra and perceived that shee would not let him into her sepulchre hee caused ladders to bee set to to the window where Antonius came in to her and whilest another held her in talke he with two of his servants conveyed themselves secretly into the sepulchre Then one of the women crying out oh unhappy Cleopatra thou arttaken alive she turned about espying 〈◊〉 took a sword which she had ready and offering to kill her selfe he steppeth hastily to her and layd hold upon the sword told her that shee did wrong to her selfe to Casar that went about to take away the occasion from that milde and mercifull Prince to shew her favour When they had gotten her out of the sepulchre after a few daies Caesar came to see her of whom she obtained leave to celebrate the funerals of Antonius after her owne minde And when shee had prepared things ready to bury him with such pomp as the time then served she with some other of her favorites came to the sepulchre bowing down toward the ground O my friend Antonie quoth shee I buried thee not long sithence with free hands but now I do sacrifice to thee a captive under safe custodie lest this slaves body should perish by weeping and lamenting which is preserved to none other purpose but to triumph over thee Thou must look for none other sacrifice nor honours for these be the last thou must have of Cleopatra whilst wee lived no force was able to separate us but now that wee are dead it is to bee doubted lest wee shall change places that thou a Romane shalt lye in Egypt and I an Egyptian in Italie But if the Goddesse there be of any power or vertue suffer me not to be led away alive nor to triumph over thee but receive me to thee into this tombe For of an infinite number of miseries wherewith I wretched woman am oppressed there is none so great or grievous to me as this little time that I have lived without thee After she had thus bemoned her selfe with him and embraced the tombe with many teates shee went to her dinner that was provided for her very sumptuously After shee had dined and sent letters to Caesar shee avoyded all other from her and went into the sepulchre with the two women onely and shut fast the doore As Caesar was reading her letters wherein shee bewayling her estate made lamentable petition to him that she might be buried with Antonius he mistrusting as the truth was that shee had determined to destroy her selfe sent presently to stay it if it were possible The messengers hastening them to the sepulchre found the watchmen there mistrusting no such matter But when they had broken up the door they found Cleopatra dead laid in a bed of gold attired like a Queen one of the women lying dead at her feet the other halfe dead was putting the Crowne upon the Queenes head and being asked whether this were well done Yea said she very well done and as best becommeth the progenie of so many Kings and therwith fell downe dead The fame went diversly of the manner of her death Some said it was by a venemous worme called Aspis which was brought unto her among the leaves of a fig-tree The desire of the like fleshly pleasure was the destruction of Spain which the Paynims recovered from the Christians For in the Reigne of King Roderick there was a Prince in Spain called Iulian Earle of Cepta who had a daughter of excellent beautie wisedome called Caba this damsell being sent to the Court to attend upon the Queen the King fell so extremely in love with her that perceiving shee would not be enticed to agree to satisfie his inordinate desire he took her away by force and defloured her in his Palace The which when Count Iulian understood hee received thereof such griefe that hee determined to revenge so great an injurie upon the Kings owne person But dissembling the matter that hee might have the better opportunity when the King sent him with an armie to make warre upon the Moores who then invaded the borders of Spaine hee practised with the King of the Moores to send over an Armie promising to bring all Spaine under his obedience which being done the Moores with the Counts ayd joyned in battell with King Roderick and after great spoyle done to the country overthrew him with all his nobilitie and armie so as the King could never after bee found quicke or dead and the Moores not long after became masters of all Spaine CHAP. IIII. Lust the occasion of many mischiefes and unnaturall acts Instanced by Hyppolitus Cardinall of Este And Galeace a Gentleman of Mantua Of Pyramus and Thysbe Histories of men made ridiculous by dotage The miserable end of Abusahid King of Fez and others Stories of lascivious Friers and a Parish Priest Of the Tyrant Aristotimus The 〈◊〉 love of Antiochus sonne to King Seleucus Of Charles the sixth King of France Of the Emperour Commodus And that in voluptuousnesse no felicitie can consist WHen men let loose the reines of their affections and suffer themselves to bee overcome with amorous passions neither feare of God nor respect of men nor regard to their own safetie for the most part restraineth them from attempting all manner of impieties to effectuate their dissolute desires Such passions excited Hyppolitus Cardinall of Este to commit a most cruell and unnaturall act against his owne brother This Cardinall or rather carnall and his brother were both extremely in love with one woman and perceiving that shee affected his brother more than him hee asked her the cause she confessed that the beauty of his eyes allured her liking more than all the rest The Cardinall departing in a great fury watching for opportunitie found his brother on a time a hunting and compassing him about with his followers made him alight from his horse and caused his footmen to pluck his brothers eyes out of his head hee beholding the matter whilst it was doing contrary to all humanitie Nonbenecum sociis regna Venusque manent Kingdomes and Concubines brook no competitors That act was no more wicked than this was foolish Galeace a Gentleman of Mantua courting a damself with whom he was in love as they stood upon a bridge said that he would suffer a thousand deaths for her service if it were possible She in jest commanded him to cast himselfe into the River which hee presently did and was drowned The like fond love brought Pyramus and Thisbe a young man and maid to the like end These two young folkes were exceedingly in love together and perceiving that by the suspicion of their parents they could not satisfie their desires they agreed upon a certaine day to meete in a place afer off where Thisbe chancing first to come
upon her and them And when they saw no hope of favour in this cruell man they called upon the gods and men for help wherwith hee fell into such a rage seeing hee could not have his will that hee drew his sword and thrust it through the young woman as she held her fathers legges in her armes But this beastly fact so little offended the Tyrant that such as shewed any mislike to the matter hee eyther put to death or banished which purchased him such hatred of all men that certaine of his subjects not willing any longer to endure his tyranny conspired together and slue him His wife hearing of the tumult of the people shut her into her chamber and strangled her selfe The like death suffered two yong women his daughters marriage-able having libertie to make choice of their own death But the love of Antiochus sonne to King Seleucus was much more commendable and used with greater modestie For being extremely in love with his mother in law his fathers second wife yet shame fastnesse and modesty made him so dissemble his vehement passion that he made choice rather to die than to discover his affection suffring himselfe by little and little to pine away untill his body was almost dryed up And as hee lay languishing in manner like a dead body his father lamenting the pitifull estate of his onely sonne desired Erasistratus an excellent Physician to use all his skill to find out what his sons disease should be with large promises of reward This man sitting by the yong Prince observed that ever as the Queene came to visit him his bloud would rise in his face his pulse would beat with more force and all his body would seem to quicken revive and as she departed from him he would waxe pale his pulse would beat weakly and would returne to his former state againe which when he had diligently observed two or three times hee perceived that his discase was the passion of love And comming to the king who was desirous to heare whether hee had found the cause of his sonnes sicknesse he told him that his son was in love with a woman but such an one as hee could by no means have which was the only cause of his sicknesse Then he being glad it was no worse hoping that whosoever she was he would by some meanes obtaine her for him though it cost him a great part of his kingdome desired to know who it was that his sonne was in love with It is my wife quoth he And will you said the King whom I have favoured so greatly deny her to my onely sonne and lesser him to perish that is my only comfort and useth such modestie that he had rather dye than bewray his affection by which it appeareth he is violently carried against his will and then making carnest petition to him to save his sonnes life with promise of great reward Your request said the Physitian is not reasonable make the case your owne Would you be content if it were your wife he were in love with whom you affect so tenderly to leave her to him Yea quoth the King with all my heart I would it were in my power so to save his life It is even your wife said he with whom your sonne is in love Then the King greatly rejoycing that it was in him to restore his sonne to health married his wife to his son his fatherly affection prevailing more than the tender love of his wife Saint bernard lamenting the miserable estate and condition of men that gave themselves to the pleasures and delights of this world O man quoth he naked and blinde that art made of humane flesh and a reasonable soule be mindfull of thy miserable condition why departest thou from thy selfe and troublest thy selfe with externe things and art lulled asleepe in the vanities of the earth and drownest thy selfe in the transitorie pleasures of the world Doest thou not consider that the nearer thou approachest to it the farther thou departest from thy God the more thou thinkest to winne without the more thou losest within that is thy self which is or greater price the more careful thou art of temporall things the more want thou hast of spirituall things Thou settest all things in good order and makest none account of thy selfe There is not a beast but thou tamest and thy selfe remainest without a bridle thou art vigilant in all things but in thine owne matters thou art fast asleepe The desire of base things hoyleth in thy heart and in the meane while heavenly things lyeth quenched The nearer thou commest to thy death the sarther thou goest from thy salvation Wee should take heed lest that curse fall upon us that the Prophet Isay speaking of the carelesse nobilitie and gentrie of the Iewes that gave themselves to banquetting and pastimes without consideration of their duties towards God a matter usuall enough and too much in these dayes The lute and harpe saith hee and timbrell and shalme and good wine aboundeth in your banquets but the workes of God you respect not nor have any consideration of his dâ—…gs Then followeth Therefore hath Hell enlarged his soule and opened his mouth without all measure or limitation and the stout and high and glorious of this people shall goe down into it And that it may appeare how many that give their delight to pleasures and vaine pastimes through their owne vanitie and foolishnesse are brought strangely to their ends when they are in the midst of their jollitie The French King Charles the sixth his minde being distempered committed the governement of his Realme to others and gave himselfe to pastimes there chanced a marriage to bee solemnized in his Court where the King was disposed to make himselfe and others merrie he put off all his apparell and disguised his face like a Lion annointing his body with pitch and flatned staxe so artificially to it that he represented a monster rough and covered with haire When he was thus attired and five others as wise as himselfe they came into the chamber among the Lords and Ladies dauncing and singing in a strange tune all the Court beholding them The Duke of Orleance whether that hee might better see or for some other toy snatched a torch out of a mans hand held it so neare the king that a spark falling upon him set them all on a flaming fire two of the five companions were miserably burnt in the place crying and howling most pitifully without any remedie other two dyed in great torment two daies after the fifth running speedily into a place where was water and wine to wafh himselfe was saved the King having more helpe than the rest before the flame had compassed his body round about was saved by a Lady that cast her traine and gowne about him and quenched the fire The Emperour Commodus among other his vain toyes pleasures when he beheld the Goddesse Ifis painted with
voyce O Solon Solon which when Cyrus heard marvelling at that 〈◊〉 cry asked what he meant in such wofull sort to redouble his voyce I lived quoth Croesus not long sithence in great prosperitie was accounted the richest king of the world and as Solon one of the sages of Greece my familiar friend came to visit mee I brought him into my Treasury and shewing him all my Riches I asked him whether hee thought that any adverse fortune could have any power upon mee that was so armed and fortified with Treasure against all accidents that might happen But Solon sharpely reprehending mee for my vaine speech answered that no man could bee accounted happy untill after his death whose counsell now seeing my selfe falne into this miserable estate commeth to my remembrance and maketh mee call upon his name Cyrus moved with compassion and by his example considering with himselfe the uncertaintie of humane matters and that Fortune never gave any man that power over others but shee threatned him with the like caused him to be taken from the fire and asked Croesus as he kneeled before him by whose perswasion he began this warre O Cyrus quoth hee thy prosperous fortune and my evill destiny brought mee to it chiefly encouraged to make this warre upon thee by the Grecians god For who is so madde that without such a principall author dare preferre warre before peace seeing that in peace the children use to bury their parents but in warre the parents bury their children Cyrus marvelling at his constancie and wisedome pardoned his life and used him ever after with great honour for his counsellor Croesus sent messengers with the chaines with which he was bound to Delphos to be dedicated to the god Apollo to expostulate with him for deceiving him and to aske if these were their rewards which had the gods in so great reverence Answer was made by the Oracle that whatsoever was fatall was inevitable to the gods themselves That Croesus was thus punished for the offence of his grandfather Gyges that slew Candaules king of the Lydians And as touching the Oracle that it was not to bee reproved for a lye having expressed his meaning in plaine termes that if Croesus by the greedie desire to enlarge his dominion would make warre upon the Persians he should destroy a great kingdom which was the kingdom of Lydia and it so came to passe Kings and Cities through riches have lost great dominion which they that have been poore have wonne by vertue The lamentation made by the Tragicall Poet under the person of Hecuba upon the ruine of Troy setteth forth not unaptly the uncertaintie of high estate and the miserie of them who are puffed up in pride through abundance of riches wherein they put their felicitie Quicunque regno fidit magna potens dominatur aula Animumque rebus creduluâ—… let is dedit Me â—…deat te Troia non unquam tulit Documenta fo rs majora quà m fragili loco Starent Superbs He that his confidence puts in a Crowne Or in his Palace potently doth frowne And takes in prosperous fortunes all his joy Let him but looke on thee and mee oh Troy Chance by no greater influence could declare In what a fickle state all proud things are This Gyges that the god as they called him spake of was subject to Candaules king of Lydia who having a wife of a wonderful beautie and favour thought himselfe to want something of the fulnesse of the pleasure hee tooke in her except some other might also bee an eye-witnesse and see the beautie and comelinesse of her person Gyges being one that he greatly favoured hee discovered his intent to him made him stand secretly behind a cloth in his bed chamber when the Queene came to bed that he might see her naked when she had stripped her selfe out of her clothes ready to go to bed having discovered those parts mistrusting nothing which modestie and shame would have kept secret Gyges sheweth himselfe to her whom when she had espied and perceived the treachery she was in a great agony and conceived a deadly displeasure against the king her husband And within few dayes after she called Gyges secretly to her and intimating to him the griefâ—… 〈◊〉 had taken by this shamefull practice of the king shee told him that either he must kill the king or suffer death himselfe If Gyges would kill her husband she would marrie him and make him King of Lydia Gyges whether for feare of his owne life or through an ambitious desire to raigne by the helpe of the Divell made a ring of that vertue that whensoever he put the seale to the palme of his hand hee should be invisible And aspiring to the kingdome of Lydia by meanes of the ring hee killed the King Candaules and all those whom he thought might bee any hinderance or obstacle to his purpose they falling downe dead but no man seeing who flew them and marryed the Queene and became King Crassus an exceeding rich Romane after the manner of rich men not content with that unmeasurable riches hee possessed but desirous of more procured himselfe to bee made generall of the Romanes army in the warres against the Parthians being then three score yeares old where he was overthrowne and slaine with his sonne and almost all the army of the Romanes And to give him the greater disgrace the Parthians caused his mouth to bee filled full of gold with these words Thou hast thirsted after gold now take thy fill This Crassus was used to say that no man was to bee accounted rich except hee could maintaine an army of men with his owne goods But the pride and presumptuousnesse engendâ—…ed by riches in the Heathens is not so much to bee marvelled at if wee consider the prncipall Prolates of the Christians from whom examples of humilitie and contempt of worldly wealth should proceed who have bin carried away from their profession by the infection of that disease Saint Bernard inveighing not without cause against the vaine and superfluous pompe of the Prelates in his time which grew by the abuse of their abundance of riches who were not so much corrupted as they have beene since painted them out in their right colours and complaineth thus There is quoth he an infamous and defiled sort of men that raigne in the whole body of the Church the Ministers of Iesus Christ serve Antichrist They jet up and downe in great honour and pompe with the Lords goods but they give no honour to the Lord. And that is the whores attire which ye see every day carried about Their saddles bridles and spurres be guilt the furniture of their feet is set out with more pride and pompe than the Temple of God Their spurs be better guilt than their Altars Hereof it commeth that their tables be so sumptuous and furnished with delicate meates their rich cupboords of plate from thence commeth their gluttony and drunkennesse and harmony
scumme of the sea men without fathers and restlesse men that could stay no where to labor for their living Though the pretence of the Spaniards travell into these new found lands were to plant Christianitie among these rude people and to reduce them to the knowledge of God yet the infinit number of thousands of people which through their cruelty and covetousnesse they have there destroied in eight and forty yeere twentie millions as appeareth by their owne histories argueth plainely and is confirmed by this example following that the greedy unsatiable desire of gold and riches was the cause that drew them to undertake those painefull and dangerous travailes Which covetousnesse crueltie of theirs was a great hinderance to the planting of Religion there â—…Ferdinando Sotos a Spaniard went to Florida to seeke gold but being in a great rage and griefe because he could not there find that hee looked for he exercised great cruelty among those barbarous people It chanced that a Prince of that country came to see him presented him with two Parrots and plumes of feathers after their first salutations ended the Prince asked the Spaniard who he was and from whence he came and what he sought in these countries committing dayly so many and so great cruelties and wicked acts Sotos answered him by an interpreter that hee was a Christian the sonne of God the creatour of heaven and earth that his comming thither was to instruct those people in the knowledge of his law If thy God sayd the Prince command thâ—… to run over other mens countries robbing burning killing and omitting no kind of wickednesse we tell you in few words that we can neither beleeve in him nor in his lawes Of these greedy covetous men the Prophet Esay speaketh thus Wâ—…e be to you that joyne house to house and field to field till there be no more ground Will you dwell upon the earth alone The love of money made the French king 〈◊〉 the eleventh subject to obloquie by his niggardly sparing unseemely for a Prince without respect to his estate For having driven almost all the Gentlemen out of his Court hee was served with his taylor for all his Horaulds of armes his Barbor was his Ambassador his Physician was his Chancellour and for a mockerie of other kings he would weare a greazy cap of very course cloth and in his accounts were found twenty soâ—…s for two new sleeves to his old doublet and fifteene deniers for grease to greaze his bootes Horace reporteth of a man at Rome called Ovid so rich in money that hee might measure his gold by the bushell and yet he went almost starke naked for niggardlinesse never would fill himselfe halfe full of meat Insomuch that he lived poorely to dye rich Of such the Poet cryeth out not without cause Sed quò divitias tbt per torment a coactâ—… Cum furor haud dubius cum sit manifesta phrenesis Vt locuples moriare egenti vivere viverefato What meane these Riches by such torments got And infinite paines A madnesse is 't not A phrensey manifest it doth implye Penuriously to live richly to dye By this which hath bin sayd it is manifest that mans felicitie and his summoâ—… bonum or greatest good consisteth not in riches For who if hee be not senselesse desireth riches for it selfe but for some other thing Some for lascivious some for sumptuous others for profitable and necessary expences Which things if they might bee had without money no man would desire or care for riches Neither can riches be the common end of men seeing some have great plenty and others extreme want and poverty which have also their estimation by opinion Some calling gold and silver others pearles and precious stones others trifling things riches like little children that set their riches in pinnes and puppets But he that putteth not mans felicitie in himselfe and â—…nis nis owne matters doth like unto him that estimatethâ—… sword by his scabbard or a horse by his saddle and furniture Neither can we call that Summum bonum or the greatest good which is no good at all and is common both to good men and wicked which also make more men worse than better And how can riches be the principall end of man that withdraweth men for the most part from the true end of all things which is God For we see plainly that there is not a more compendious way to alienate a mans minde from God than to wallow in worldly wealth So that mans felicitie or Summum bonum must bee sought in some other thing than in riches For God placed not man in this world to seeke after earthly things neither that he should find the end of his desires in the scurfe of the earth Which one remembreth thus Memento rebus vanidis diffidere Opes genus formâ—… decor caduca sunt Ad ossa nuda mors reducit omnia Coelo repostus optimus thesaurus est In vaine things see no confidence thou hast For neither wealth nor birth nor shape can last To strippe us to the bone Death followes fast 'T is the best treasure that in Heaven is plac't THE FELICITIE OF MAN OR HIS SUMMUM BONUM THE THIRD BOOKâ—… CHAP. I. Of Cineas the Philosopher and King Pyrrhus Ambition the subversion of Kingdomes and Empires It engenders Parricides Instanced by Adolphus Duke of Geldria Selim the great Turke Henry the first Emperour and Solyman The ambition of Snio King of Denmarke Semiramis Iane Queene of Naples The Empresse Irene Bassianns the sonnes of Pope Alexander the sixth with sundry Histories both domestical and forreigne to that purpose The death of Pertinax Emperour And Didius Iulianus who bought the Romane Empire Dâ—…uers chances and changes in warre Histories of others unmilling to undergâ—…e the Empire HOnour and glory is another thing which men labour to aâ—…taine as though felicitie or the greatest good should consist therein But this is an erronious opinion and they greatly deceived that hold it For men desire honour and glory because they would seeme to bee â—…cndued with vertue by which they confesse that vertue is to be preferred before glory honour And honour is given as we see by dayly experience by man many times taken away againe by them that gave it But that wherein felicitie consisteth is a thing more stedfast and not so easily removed nor subject to the variable accidents of fortune Honour is gotten with much labour maintained with great exponces and lost with intolerable griefe and sorrow It is likened to a mans shadow which the more hee runneth after the more it flieth away and when he flieth from his shadow it followeth him againe as one saith Qui fugit honorem eum sequitur honos Honour followeth him that flieth from it Who is more honoured now than Christs Apostles Saint Peter Saint Paul and the like that despised honour when they lived Of all the disordered passions where with mens minds
That there was but one God in Heaven and one Sultan upon Earth And within two dayes after hee killed Sultan Gobe because he wept for his brother and Sultan Mehemet his third sonne because hee went away for feare Abimelesh Athalia Ioram and others by the testimony of the Scripture murdered many to raigne alone Snio king of Denmarke not contented with his owne kingdome aspired also to the kingdome of Suecia and Gothland when he perceived his forces were not â—…ficient to bring his purpose to passe hee practised this device Biorâ—… king of Suecia and Gothland had married the daughter of the old king of that country which 〈◊〉 practised to steale away to marrie her though shee were the other Kings wife hoping by that 〈◊〉 to get the kingdome of Gothland hee made one goe 〈◊〉 the habite of a begger into the kings Court to come to the speech of the Queene if it were possible under colour of begging her almes This counterfeit begger having some friendship among the Danes that were in the kings court hid himselfe in a corner which way the Queene used to goe and when she passed by hee fell to his begging and desired her to have compassion upon him and withall steppeth to her as though it were to receive her charitie and speaketh softly Snio loveth you The Queen perociving the device passed by and at her returne the begger standing still in the same place as it were by importunacy to draw from her somthing towards his relief which before she had denied him she gave him comfortable words openly secretly whispering she said I love him that loveth me The begger being glad of this answer proâ—…eded further peaâ—…tiling with the Queene to forsake her husband and to passe the seas to Snio who expecting opportunitie when the Queene fained to goe forth to wash her selfe taking with her her husbands treâ—…re 〈◊〉 a ship ready and transported her into Denmarke which was the occasion of long and cruell warres and of wonderfull slaughter on both sides insomuch as the husbandâ—… being slaine the fields lay desolate and the people driven to seeke new countries to inhabite which also at last cost Snio his life semir 〈◊〉 Queene of the Assyrians desired the king her husband that she might raigne with soveraignty one onely day which being â—…ted she caused the king to be killed and became absolute Queen her selfe 〈◊〉 Queene of Naples caused three of her husbands to be put to death who sought to be advanced to honour by her marriage and at last 〈◊〉 the just judgement of God 〈◊〉 was 〈◊〉 herselfe Irenes mother to the Emperor Constantine the sixth entrapped him by policie and caused his eyes to be plucked out of his head that shee might raigne in his place such an unnaturall part as hath not beene knowne done by a woman Romulus the first founder of Rome slue his brother Rhemus for leaping over the wall of the City that he might raignâ—…alone 〈◊〉 and Geta brothers and successours in the Empire to their father Severus thinking so large a Monarchy not greatenough for them both Bassianus slue his brother Geta with a dagger in his mothers armes that himselfe might enjoy the soveraignty alone Nulla fides regni socijs omnisque potestas Impatiens consort is erit There is no trust in partners to a Crowne Power brookes no rivals but makes all his owne Pope Alexander the sixth had two sonnes the elder he made Duke of Candia the other Cardinall of Valentia who being of a disposition fitter for a man of war than a Priest could not â—…adure that his brother the Duke should bee preferred before him in this principalitie being the more impatient because his brother had a greater part than hee in the favour of a yong Gentlewoman with whom they were both in love and therefore stirred up by lust and ambition mighty ministers as Guicciardin sayth to all manner of mischiefe he caused his brother to be slaine as hee rode alone in the night through Rome and to bee cast into the river of Tiber. Examples of this kinde our owne Chronicles will yeeld us Richard the third most unnaturally caused his owne brothers sonnes to be cruelly murdered through the inordinate desire to reigne upon whom fell the just jâ—…dgement of God as all men know The desire of rule glorie was the cause of the civill wars between 〈◊〉 Caesar and Pompey and of the overthrow of the Romanes Common-wealth and at last of their owne confusion Pompey being overthrowne by Caesar fled to Alexandria where hee thought to have found succour of the young King of Egypt for the benefits which he before had â—…eceived at his hands But his Councel having deliberated upon the matter sent a boat under colour of friendship to him to fetch him to land and caused his head to be striken off to gratifie Caesar who not long after was killed in the Senate with three and twentie wounds These men were of such lofty minds that the one could abide no superiour nor the other no equall Alexander the Great through ambition and desire of glory without any right or title entred into Darâ—…us possessions made conquest of Asia And the like desire of rule made Antipater send his son to poyson Alexander with the water of the river called Styx whose propertie was to breake all the vessels wherein it should bee carried whether it were silver or pewter or any other thing saving the hoofe of a mule And what was it but ambition that stirred up and continued the controversie of the Supremacie betweene the Churches of Hierusalem Antioch Constantinople and Rome the space almost of three hundred yeares untill at last Phocas adjudged the Supremacie to the Bishop of Rome which brought forth horrible tumults deadly hatreds and shamefull Schismes among the Churches Yet notwithstanding this sentence the Church of Millan opposed it selfe against the Church of Rome for the Supremacie and would have nothing to doe with it for the space of two hundred years King Henrâ—…e of France upon the marriage of his sister with the King of Spaine was puffed up with such pride and desirous of more increase of glorie that besides his ambitious conceits and imaginations of new enterprises he gave himsâ—…lfe a new title tres heureuseroye the most happy King But God to whom pride and vaine-glorie is alwaies offensive would not suffer this happines long to continue For in solâ—…mnizing this marriage with great triumph and joy after hee had run at the Tilt two or three dayes being perswaded and intreated by the Qâ—…eene his wife who had dreadfull dreames of him to run no more and also by his Councell he would needs runne againe the last day and being well mounted and armed rather better than any time before after he had broken many staves and the day well spent and the pastime drawing to an end some being gone from the Tilt-yard home-ward others being alighted from their horses the King would not
and lamentatior Such as appertained to the conspiratours deceived by the conâ—…ed cries and lamentation brought tydings to the rest that the king had killed himselfe Whereupon they galloped thither as fast as they could such followed after as they had chosen to bee ministers of their mischiefe When Bessus and Nabarzanes were entred into the kings pavilion hearing by his Eunuchs that he was alive they commanded him to be bound Thus he which before was carried in a chariot and honoured of his men like a god was made prisoner by his owne servants put into a vile cart covered over with beasts skins His men understanding how the matter passed all forsooke him But to the intent that Darius should not wâ—…nt such honour as was due to his estate they cauâ—…ed him to be bound with golden â—…tters Such were the despites that his fortune made him subject unto And for that he should not be knowne by his apparell they covered his chariot with foule hides of beasts and câ—…sed unknowne men to drive it forwards Newes being brought to Alexander that Darius was forsaken of his owne men and either taken prisoner or slaine hee followeth after him as speedily as he could And when he was come so neere them that the Macedons saw the Persians flying and the Persians the Macedons purâ—…ing them Bessus and other of his complices came to the cart where Darius was and perswaded him to leape on horâ—…backe and flie from his enemies that were at handâ—… but he crying out that the gods were come to his revenge and calling for the assistance of Alexander sayd that in no wise hee would goe with traitors wherewith they being exceeding angry threw dâ—…s at him and left him wounded in many places of his body they thrust in the beasts also that drew the cart that they might not be able to goe forward and slue his two servants that did waite upon him and flâ—…d to save themselves Within a while after the beasts that drew Darius wagon having no man to governe them were swarved out of the high-way and wandring here and there had drawne Darius foure â—…rlongs from the place where he was wounded into a valley where they fainted by reason of their heate and hurts And as Polistratus a Macedon came that way to drinke of a spring being overcome with thirst he espied as he was drinking out of an helmet the beasts that were thrust in with darts and looking into the foule cart he found the body of a man halfe dead and at length hee perceived it was Darius that lay there sore wounded gasping for breath Then hee brought him to a Persian that hee had taken prisoner whom when Darius knew by his voyce to be of his country hee tooke it for a comfort of his present fortune that he should speake before he died to one that understood him and not â—…ter his last words in vaine he required him to declare unto Alexander that though hee had never deserved any thing at his hands yet it was his chance to dye greatly his debtour and had great thankes to give him for the favour and goodnesse he had shewed to his mother his wife and children to whom hee had not onely granted life but also the reverence of their former estate and dignity whereas he of his kinsmen friends to whom he had given both life and lands was now by them bereaved of all He prayed therfore that he might alwaies be victor that the Empire of the whole world might 〈◊〉 into his hands requiring him that he would not neglect to revenge so soule an act not onely for his cause but for an example the love of other Princes which should be a thing honourable to him and profitable in time to come When hee had spoken these words hee fainted and calling for water after he had drunke sayd to Polistratus that presented it to him whatsoever thou art this is unto me the last misery in all my adverse fortune that I am not able to require thee this benefit but Alexander shall reward thee and the gods shall require him for his great humanity and clemencie shewed towards mine unto whom in my behalfe thou shalt give my hand as a pledge of a kings promise And having spoken these words and given to Polistratus his hand he dyed When his sayings were reported to Alexander hee repaired where the dead corps lay and there bewayled with teares that it was his chance to dye a death so unworthy of so great an estate taking off his owne cloake to cover the dead corps adorning also the same with all things that appertained to a king he sent it to his mother to be buried in such sort as the countâ—…ie manner was to bury kings and to be layd among the rest of his predecessours This was the miserable end of this mighty monarch which may be an example to all estates that fâ—…licitie consisteth not in abundance of treasure and glorious dominion wherein this man exceeded all the Princes of his time and which also discovereth the mutable estate of Princes when of the infelicity of the one dependeth the felicitie of the other Which mutability of humane matters the Poet in few words doth well set forth Omnia sunt hominum tenni pendentia filo Et subito casu qua valucre râ—… No man can count himselfe happy at all Whom with suspence blind Fortune doth inthrall And Bessus one of them that murdered Darius for the desire of rule was afterward taken prisoner and committed by Alexander to Darius brother that hee should cut off his nose and eares and hang him upon a crosse causing his owne men to shoot him through with arrowes One sayth that Prince which hath more than all other enjoyeth least of any other for the Prince that possesseth much is alwayes occupied in defending it but the Prince that hath little hath leasure quietly to enjoy it Abraham king of Marocco was driven to such extremity by a preacher called Elmaheli who had raised a power against him and overthrew him in the field that being voyde of all hope of succour hee stale forth of the towne in the night on horsebacke and tooke the Queene his wife behinde him and being come to the top of a high rocke that stood upon the sea coast hee put spurres to his horse and fell downe headlong hee and his Queene tumbling from one place to another untill they were torne in peeces The instability of high dignities and the griefe for the losse of them was effectually set forth by lamentable verses made by a Pope called Baltazar Cossa when hee was thrust out of Saint Peters chaire and cast in prison strangely presaged by the report of Nicholas Clemangie This Pope was a very wicked man being forced from his place assembled neverthelesse a Councell of some few strangers and Italians his favourites wherin consultation was had of some vaine matters nothing appertaining to the utilitie of
his successor By the like policie he thrust the king of Darapt out of his kingdome All this while he would not take upon him the name of king but was called Seriph that is high Priest When he had left sufficient garrisons in the kingdoms he had gotten he goeth to the king of Tremissen who nothing suspecting that the murder of the king of Taphilletta came by this Prophets meanes suffered him to come into his town yet upon condition that he should leave his traine behind him being somwhat jealous of the because they were well appointed with their bowes and arrowes in their hands their cimyters by their sides contrarie to the accustomed simplicity and manner of going The Hermit to avoyd suspicion leaveth his traine â—…thing behind him goeth slenderly accoÌ„panied to the 〈◊〉 And after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewed him by the king his traine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the towne which they began presently to sacke to make open war and 〈◊〉 about an hundred thousand persons And in the end the king likewise and all his children were put to the sword and he made kong which title he would no Iocger refuse And pursuing his ambitious purpose under the colour of reforming the Alcoran he made war upon all the kings his neighbours destroying all things with fire and sword that was in his way Affrica was never so plagued not in Mahomets time that fought two and twenty battels as it was by this hypocrite It was a most pitifull spectacle to see the Princes murdered like beasts in the shambles the great estates spoyled of their goods and slaine or made slaves men women and children dayly put to the sword without mercy according to the Poets saying Libert 〈◊〉 scelerâ—… est regnainvâ—…a 〈◊〉 Then liberty to mischiefes is allowed When kingdomes are usurpt by Tyrants proud When 〈◊〉 reason they no place affoord But sentence all things by the cruell sword Fortune was so favorable to him that he became within the space of three yeares king of Tremissen Maroch Darapt Taphilletta Su and at length of Fez also So that the Turkes and Barbarians stood in great feare and admiration of him supposing that these things could not bee done without some divine power when they considered that such a poore simple Priest should so 〈◊〉 become a king of the goodliest and most 〈◊〉 kingdomes of all Africa But we will leave him in 〈◊〉 prosperity and draw towards his end The king of Algier doubting the greatnesse of this 〈◊〉 determined after the old proverbe when the Lions tayle is short to tye the Foxe tayle to him to make proofe seeing force would not prevaile what policy would doe He sent some twelve or thirteene hundred 〈◊〉 under the conduct of a valiant man whom he had instructed what to doe to this Hermite king 〈◊〉 themselves to have 〈◊〉 the king of 〈◊〉 and to depart as malcontents They found the king at 〈◊〉 rejoycing in his conquests but yet troubled in minde to see himselfe among a sort of people that loved him not greatly by reason of the injuries hee had done to them to their Princes for which cause he retained a strong guard of other nations And when he saw such a band of men he demanded the cause of their comming and of their departure froÌ„ their king They answered him that they were poore souldiers that had left the king of Algier because he had used them uncourteously and if it would please him to entertaine them they would bee faithfull to him even to death The king entertaineth them made them not long after his principall guard and favoured them more than his owne people Which procured them much envy and especially of the great estates of his Councell who advised him to beware of these Turkes who they suspected came to him for no good purpose alledging divers reasons that moved them so to thinke and that the Turke made none account of his life if he might doe his master any acceptable service The Hermite being as subtile as they said little but determined to find some occasion to put them all to the sword It chanced that news was brought about that time to the king of a rebellion in some of his countries wherupon he tooke occasion to raise a power to represse them but indeed to put the Turkes to the sword of whom he grew very suspicious The Turkes perceiving the preparation for this great journey and observing that the king had often conference with his Councell whom they knew to bee their capitall enemies began to doubt that this preparation was made for them To retyre they had no meanes and to refuse they should make themselves odious to all the armie and by that meanes they should put the king out of doubt of that which he did now but suspect Whilest they were debating these things they had certain intelligence of the kings intent and that the time of execution was at hand The Turkes seeing no way to escape resolved upon a most desperate enterprise watching for opportunity as the king sate in Councell with the Princes and captaines of his army in his pavillion deliberating how to put in execution his purpose against these Turkes at what time it chanced the principall men of his guard to be gone for forage and onely two hundred renegates left to attend the Turkes entred into the pavillion where they slue the King and his Councell with the captaines and sacked his tents of such treasure as there was the renegates in place of defending the king joyned with them in the spoyle Desinat elatis quisquam confidererebus Let no man put his confidence in things that succeed well The Turks after this murder without any resistance the army being amazed with the suddennesse and greatnesse of the matter departed with their spoyle towards a towne called Torodant which they easily surprised sacked they fearing no hostilitie and there stayed to refresh themselves hearing that the army stirred not for the space of fifteen dayes whereas if they had followed on their journey they had beene at Algier before the army had overtaken them But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Hermit and his successour in his kingdome hearing of his fathers death hasteneth him with his forces after the Turkes who understanding of his comming trussed up their baggage upon Camels and departed toward Algier in very good order carrying certain 〈◊〉 of ordnance with them for their better defence When they had marched a few miles out of the town the king â—…aileth theÌ„ but being valiantly received by the Turks they marched forward in despite of the whole 〈◊〉 And being charged thus for the space of three or foure dayes as they marched in which time the Turkes had staine many of their enemies the king being moved that such a handful of men should be able to make 〈◊〉 a resistance caused a very hot charge to be given upon theÌ„ wherein the Turkes being overmatched and oppressed with the multitude of their
men fall into many things that are not only hinderance to their happines but also bring them to extreme infelicity But this matter belongeth to another subject to go about to prove it is all one as if a man should offer to shew the light of the Sun with a candle And therfore to return from whence we digressed that the fruites which ambition and desire of dominion and glory doth ordinarily bring forth may further appeare the bloudy practices tragicall events that lately happened betweene the French King Henry the third and the Duke of Guise are nothing inferiour in that kinde to any examples of antiquitie CHAP. IIII. The death of the Duke of Guise and the Cardinall his brother The treason of Iohn lustinian and his reward Of divers that by notourious and infamous Act sought to winne fame and glorie as Pausanias Herostrarus Poltrot Iohn Ianrige Balthasar Seracke Iames Clement a Dominican Friar The Storie of a Spanish Priest Of such as from basenesse aspired to principality and empire of Tamerlaine Arsace c. With many histories to that purpose The originall of the Amazons of Sivard king of Sencia of fundry â—…artike Ladies c. A discourse of beauty and varity in apparell And that no traer felicitie can sabsist cytber in pleasure riches or benour CRedible â—…bors affirme that the Duke of Goise aspired to the kingdom of France which at length being known to the king he applied all his wirs to prevent him And after many accempts long deliberatioÌ„ he could find no berser means than to take his life from him And to bring this to pafs he called together divers of the Cardinals principall nobility among which were such as he most mistrusted misliked made the of his couÌ„cel And being asseÌ„bled to coÌ„sult upoÌ„ matters of great importaÌ„ce the king maketh to them a solemne eloquent speech feining that he was now sufficiently taught that the king of Navarre being an hereticke and excommunicate and by the Pope pronounced not capable of a kingdome conspired with his consederats to take from him his crowne He told them that hee was weary of the wars and travels of a kingdome was resolved to yield over all government and give himselfe to ease and rest And forasmuch as God had given him no heire of his body to inherite his crowne and small hope thereof left he desired them with a fatherly care that they would think upon some man that were meet to succeed him and take upon him the governement of the Realme such an one as would pursue the King of Navarre and the heretickes to death That at length the flourishing kingdom of France may enjoy his religion and long looked for peace These words he spake with such gravity and shew of plaine meaning that no man mistrusted any fraud or dissimulatioÌ„ This speech of the kings was nothing unpleasant to some of his new counsellers who answered him that the King was yong and lusty enough wel able to govern the Realm himself for the continuance wherofthey praicd to God nights and day that he needed no other mans counsel or help Neverthelesse seeing that the kings tâ—…ind was more addicted to quietnesse rest than to wars or government of his realme it were no reasorr for the to deny the king their counsell in those things that were agreeable to his will were profitable to the common-wealth yet they desired the king to name some man whom hee thought able to beare so great a burden and worthy of so high a dignitie that after his death were meet to succeed him The king after he had reckoned many Princes worthy to reign he concluded that he knew none among them more meet for this purpose than the Duke of Guise whose worthiness and praises and service done by him and his father to the Commonwealth when he had set forth with a great many goodly words his councell willingly allowed his choyce and sent presently to the Duke of Guise to â—…ine to the Court hom whence for feare he had before absented himselfe Who presently came in post to the king of whom he was with great courtesie and honour received and the whole Realme commited to his government with high â—…tes of dignities But this felicitic continued not long The King to avoyd the mischiefe that hanged over his own head pursuing his resolution to deliver himselfe of the feare of the Duke to bring the matter the better to passe the king stiored by devotion determined to remove to a Cell meaning there to bee confessed and to receive the Sacrament Hee called into his chamber soure of his Councell such as he best trusted where hee discovered about them the iâ—…arits and indigtitles hee had received of the Duke of Guise his extreme â—…bition and desire to migne the danger he stood in by the reasons continuatly practised by the Duke and his consederares against his person He told them that hee was determined to have the Duke slaine as a Traitor unprosicable member to the reaâ—…me And when he had desised their advise some were of opinion that it were better to coÌ„mit him some of his consederates to some strong prison and to proceede against them by order of justice But the rest considering the imminent danger were of a contrary opinion The King likewise uttered his conccit allodging it to be a thing full of porill to delay the time and to proceede with him by order of law That the Duke was grown so great that no Iudge in the realme would or durstadjudge him to death and therefore he was determined to have him killed Being thus resolved the king sends one to the Duke to shew him that he had some secret matter wherof to conferre with him before he went to consession and receive the Sacrament and therefore that he should come to the king in his chamber where he stayed for him The chamber was hanged with very rich Arras behinde which were hidden eight men appointed to doe the act The Gaiâ—…commâ—… into the the chamber but king was not there to hee found having withdrawn himselfe into and the chamber which made the Duke suspect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one steppeth forth from behinde the hangings and whom as the Duke coâ—… end 〈◊〉 the â—…her sevenâ—… him many wounds so as being ground crying alowd for helpe and mercy The Câ—…dinall his brother perceiving by his voyce the danger he was in ran to help him but being kept out by aâ—…men another came into the chamer and already â—…ing and vised him to aske God forgivenesse and the 〈◊〉 The Duke twise asked mercy of God and then spiâ—… no more words but held his hand upon his mouths as though the name of the king was odinâ—…s to him Alter the Duke was dead the Cardinall of Guise and divers others were apprehended and the Cardinall being brought into the place where his brother lay the king commeth in and asked him whether he
attempt But of such force the desire of glory is as the 〈◊〉 â—…th Magnum â—…ter ascendâ—… sed das 〈◊〉 glâ—…ria vires I undertake a journey of great length But glory to or come it gives me strength A Gentleman of Burgundy called Balthasar Seracke after he understood that the king of Spaine had proclaimed the Prince of Orenge a traytor sought for opportunity to kill the Prince Who seeing his reputation to decay by reason of the Prince of Parma his prosperous successe and fearing the people that were 〈◊〉 of the warres he left Antwerpe and withdrew himselfe to Delfe About this time the Duke of Alenson died which the Queene Mother signified to the Prince by her letters and made choyce of this Balthasar to be the messenger because hee was well knowne to the Prince in whose Court he was seven yeares brought up This man having delivered his letters and message was conversant with the gentlemen of the Princes Court seeking continually for opportunity to put in execution that he had long before determined When he had received his dispatch and prepared speedily to 〈◊〉 into France as it was thought hee had provided a very good horse to stay for his comming without the 〈◊〉 of the towne ready for him whatsoever should 〈◊〉 About two of the 〈◊〉 in the afternone what time he thought the Prince would rise from 〈◊〉 he returned to the Court and faining that hee had 〈◊〉 something he was without suspition let in He 〈◊〉 the Princes comming forth of the place where he 〈◊〉 and offring to speake to him having a pistoll under his cloake charged with three bullets poysoned chained together he dischargeth it at the Prince and strake him so deadly that the Prince fell presently to the 〈◊〉 and without any further time but only to 〈◊〉 the Lords prayer moving a little his lips ended his life His guard hearing the clap of the pistoll perceiving by the cry and noise of his servants that the prince was slaine they sought for the man that did the act but he in the meane time escaped through a stable neare to the garden and was almost come to the gate of the towne to his horse when one of the Princes retinue that was present when he was slaine had overtaken him and wrestled with him untill others came and apprehended him and ledde him to prison And when hee saw that all meanes was taken from him to escape and no hope nor place left for pardon laying all feare aside he asked them whether the Prince was dead which when they affirmed hee told them that hee was assured to dye but hee rejoyced very greatly that he had done the thing which hee had many yeares wished might take effect And therefore that hee would take his death joyfully and willingly that hee had done the thing with so good successe whereof others before him had failed with the losse of their lives No torments could make him 〈◊〉 confesse who set him on to commit that murder But he constantly answered that he was moved thereto by the perswasion of no Prince or any other man but of his owne accord and free-will But sayd that divers causes excited him to doe that act The first cause hee sayd was that he beleeved it was done to the glory of God because the Prince was a professed enemie to the Romish Catholike faith The second was that to take away the life from a most cruell enemy of the low-countries he knew would be beneficiall profitable to his countrey to which he owed his life which all good men and lovers of peace would commend and allow And last of all that he should doe notable service to the King of Spaine his master of whom neverthelesse he denied to be hired or allured with any promises or rewards to commit the murder He protested that hee nothing repented him of the fact but greatly rejoyced that his enterprise had taken so good effect had successe according to his desire He suffered all manner of torments with a wonderfull patience so as he brake not out into howlings or cryings weeping or making moan and 〈◊〉 as the manner is nor gave any signe of a troubled or dismaied minde but constantly affirmed that it was much better and more profitable to the common-wealth that two men meaning the Prince and himselfe should suffer violent death than so many thousands that by his meanes were brought to their end The first night he was hanged up in a kind of torture and â—…ourged most grievously five times with rods besides other grievous paines and at last hee was put in a vanne his hands and feet being bound and â—…sed up down that he might not sleepe The dayes and nights following he was hanged up againe in the instrument made for torture an hundred and fifty pound weight hanging at his toes diversly tormâ—…ced which he tooke with such a stout and resolute mind that they which tormented him being drawne into admitation and asking him how it came to passe that he seemed not to be troubled with so great torments he answered that it was to be attributed to the praiers 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 After he had bin many times examined suffered many tortures and news brought him that hee was condemned and must dye he with a joyfull countenance and voice gave God thanks And when a Minister of the reformed religion was sent to comfort him hee would not heare him but answered that he knew wel enough in what favour he was with God When he was brought to the 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 puâ—…th vpon his feets 〈◊〉 of shoes tudely made of drâ—…e leather and presseth his feet betweene two iron plates burning hote so were his fâ—…t parched Then he plucked away the â—…ews of his hips and arms and aâ—…ms with a paire of â—…ngs fire-hote and beateth him upon the head with the pistoll that killed the Prince And last of all he opened his breast and being yet alive plucked out his heart and 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 his face and bowelled and quartered him as the manner is This was the end of this glorious enterprise the murder of a notable Prince to the great griefe and sorrow of all the people of whom hee was dearely loved and to the prejudice of the Low-Countries Common-wealth besides the losse of his life by cruell tormentâ—… that committed the fact with the hazard of his soule if God were not mercifull unto him And what was it as wee may conjecture but a desire of vaineglory that emboldened the poore Friar to 〈◊〉 great an enterprise to kill the late French king Henry the third a most notorious and execrable murder of his annoyâ—…ted Prince that was of his owne and theâ—… religion that set him on worke After the death of the Duke of Guise the Monkes and Friers and the rest of that rabble of Cloister-men were greatly incensed against the king and by all manner of meanes sought 〈◊〉 destruction And when they could find no man among
the temporaâ—… and lay men that would consent toâ—… vile an act to murder his Prince they searched diligâ—… in their cloysters religious houses for one of 〈◊〉 owne stampe to serve their turne And at last they 〈◊〉 a yong novice of their owne for their purpose called Iames Cleâ—… a Dominican Monke or Friar about 〈◊〉 and twentie yeare old who not past halfe a yeare before sung his first Masse This harebraind fellow they perceived was a fit instrument to commit this vile murder of their king him they perswade with many reasons and faire promises of great matters to undertake this enterprise and put him in hope that he should escape without danger But if the worst happened yet they assured him that hee should bee canonized for a Saint This yong man at length being overcome with their perswasions and subtill devices not considering sufficiently the great danger both of his body soule gave his consent and promise to kill the king But afterward being pricked in conscience and doubtfull whether the matter were good he desired to be satisfied by the Iesuits who in learning and vertue are in mens opinions preferred before al other orders that his conscience might bee assured of the goodnesse of this enterprise And when the Iesuits had put him out of doubt that the act was very honest and meritorious for his soule he was resolute His favourers are not ashamed to write that as this Frier was with great devotion praying to God for the good successe of this meritorious enterprise an Angell came to him and sayd Frier Iames â—…ise and prepare thy selfe to attaine a crown of Martyrdome Thou shalt defend the Catholicke religion in France against all the persecutors and shalt kill the king himself that laboreth to destroy the same religion And after a certaine time when he had praied fasted with great devotion no doubt he tooke his journy the twentieth day of Iuly in the year one thousand five hundred eighty nine from Paris to Clowes which is about two leagues where the king lay with his campe having for his companion another yong Frier like himselfe The next day in the morning the Frier having told the Kings servants that hee had letters and a Message to deliver to the King hee was presently without any suspicion brought into the Kings chamber for the King was better affected to the Dominicans than to any other order of Friers and suffered them at all times to have accesse to his presence and because of the secretnesse of his message all other were commanded forth Then this hypocrite with great humility and dutie delivered his counterfeit letters but this caytiffe with a knife that was double poysoned strake at the king thinking to have thrust him to the heart But the king perceiving the blow comming strake downe the Friers hand and received the wound in his belly about the wast where the knife was left sticking The king drew forth the knife out of his body and turning himselfe to the Frier thrust him into the face supposing his bodie had beene armed The Gentlemen without hearing the noyse within ran into the chamber and beholding what was done after the kings Councell had examined the Frier they fell upon him and slue him and cast the other Frier that stood without head-long into the river and drowned him The day following his carkesse was torne in peeces with wilde horses and the king died after midnight And that it may the better appeare what dangerous and horrible effects this ambitious humour desire to maintaine them the reputation of the high dignities and glorious estate that are possessed of them worketh it shall not bee impertinent to the matter to shew some part of the proceedings of Pope Sixtus after the French kings death whereof he was taken for the principall author Whereby we shall perceive how far they are deceived that thinke felicitie to consist in honourable and glorious estate when the same shall so blind and corrupt the minde of the principall Prelate that arrogateth to himselfe such high titles and holinesse and authoritie over all as to conspire with traytours to excite a Monke or Frier treacherously to lay violent hands upon his annoynted king and contrary to all humanity and Christianity to allow and exalt the fact above the skies wherein he forgot this good sentence 〈◊〉 peccato addit qui culpa quam fecit patrocinia defensionis adjungit When newes came to Rome of the kings murder whereas all men were amazed and astonied at so horrible a fact the like whereof was never heard before lamented of thousands by infinite streames of teares Pope Sixtus nothing dissembling his joy and gladnesse made all Rome triumph and rejoyce with him with all manner of pleasures and pastimes and the Pope himselfe assembleth the Cardinals and others of his retinew in the Consistorie to heare him preach The argument of his Sermon was that the wicked and traiterous Frier that murdered this king should be canonized a Saint and that his praise and commendations for so worthy an act ought to be exalted above the skies And because he was not ignorant that it was of great moment to the setting forth of a notable act if it were compared with such as were most worthy of commendation and finding none of all those heroicall and glorious acts of famous men that are registred in histories of antiquitie worthy to bee compared with this he bringeth his comparison from God himselfe Hee feared not which a man may tremble to report to compare the murder of this Christian king by the treason of a Monke or Frier with the worke of the creation of the world and also with the incarnation of Christ and with the other mysteries of our salvation In the second part of his Sermon he defameth and slandereth the king whom by his wicked counsell he had caused to be killed most shamefully and ignominiously pronouncing him damned whom not long before for his singular godlinesse he exalted with his praises up to Heaven calling him sonâ—…e the most Christian king And all this spoken and much more to the like effect with such bitternesse and rancor that it is easily seene what monstrous minds many of them carry that are overcome and blinded with passion of ambition and unsatiable desire to aspire and maintaine their estate in honour and glory The manners of these ambitious Popes bringeth to my remembrance a storie of a Spanish Priest that in the rebellion in Castile against the Emperour and King of Spaine Charles the fifth every Sunday for the space of three weekes recommended to the prayers of his Parishioners among other things the usurped king and captaine of the rebels called Iohn of Padilia the Queen his wife For of a truth said he these be the true kings all the rest before were tyrants It chanced shortly after that Iohn of Padilia passed that way with his army and the souldiers that lodged in the
ignominious a servitude who being in the field with his army there commeth to joyne with him a company of noble and gentlewomen excellently well armed that either had suffered or else feared they should suffer injury The battel grew very hote and a great slaughter on both sides when the women charged the Tyrant with such vertue and valour that they slue him and by all mens confession were the onely cause of the victory In the warres betweene the Succians Gothes and Danes there were two notable women expert and valiant souldiers in the army called Hâ—…tha and Vâ—…sna one being the chiefe Captaine the other being Standerd bearer whose right hand was stâ—…ken off in the â—…ght by the Valiant Champion starâ—… And in sea matters also women have beene nothing inferiour to men Alvilda a virgin gathered together certaine young maydes and exercised piracie in the North parts where she atchieved great matters for the which shee is registred in Chronicles to perpetuall memorie Many of these examples may bee produced out of histories of the excellencie of women and among the rest of Amalasuenta daughter to Theodoricus king of the Gothes whose vertues are exalted above the skies About three yeares past there was a Gentlewoman slaine at the siege of a Castle in Gelderland who had served the States in the warres as a souldier in the habit of a man many yeares When there was any going abroad to doe some exploit none was more forward than shee nor more valiant and hardy in fight She was not knowne to be a woman of those that were most familiar with her untill she was dead And if wee should cite examples of learning wee shall finde them in this also nothing inferiour to men Among which number was Leoâ—…cia a woman of such excellent learning that she wrote against Theophrastus the greatest Philosopher of his time reproving him of many faults in Philosophy And Corinna was of such excellent learning that she contended often with Pindarus at Thebes in veâ—…ying five times wan the victory Aretha was so excellent well learned that shee read openly in the Schooles of Athens naturall and morall Philosophy five and twenty yeares She made forty bookes Shee had an hundred Philosophers to her schollers semiramis Queene of Assyria after the death of Ninus her husband by whom she had a sonne not then at mans estate fearing how so many nations should bee governed by a boy and doubting also how shee should be obeyed if she should take upon her the government being a woman shee feyned her selfe to bee her sonne who in lincaments of face and stature of person did so resemble one another that hardly any difference could be perceived She apparelled him like a woman and her selfe like a man that the one might be taken for the other And in this sort she governed the Monarchy of the Assyrians not onely defending the countries left by her husband but increasing by conquest more nations to them the space of many yeares But Theodosia nothing fearing to shew her selfe as she was without counterfeiting another sex after the death of her husband and brother handled the matter with such prudence that she became Empresse governed with great fame in peace and prosperitie during her life Zenobia Queen of Palmarynes a woman endued with singular vertue after the death of her husband governed the East parts of the Romane Empire many yeares in despight of Galienus Claudius his successor Emperours of Rome making warre at some one time upon the Persians on the one side and defending her territories from the Romane Emperours on the other side But forasmuch as justice is the proper office of a Prince whose end after Socrates is to bring his people to felicitie and seeing authority and majâ—…stie in a Prince of all other things is chiefely to be respected as a singular gift of God which is gotten especially by these foure things by wisedome vertue felicitie and love of the people what need wee seeke for examples so farre off when wee have at this present a virgin Queene not onely equal to any of them but comparable also to the most renowned kings that have been in any age whether ye respect her rare gifts of nature multiplied by industrie or her honourable reputation gotten among forreine Princes and nations by her singular vertue and wisedome or the long continuance of her flourishing reigne and of the peaceable and happy estate with the dutifull love and obedience of her subjects who by her wise and politicke government in so perillous a time that the fire burning round about yet by Gods goodnesse in her providence feele not so much as the heat of the flame such a Queene I say as performeth not onely the part of a good Pilot in the governement of her owne ship but standeth as a lanterne in the high tower of Pharos by whose light the Princes and afflicted people round about her in this tempestuous time escape the dangerous rockes that dayly threaten their subversion and direct their course to a safe port That hath not taken occasion by her neighbours dissention and troubles after the usuall manner of Princes to enlarge her territories and dominion which she might have done to her great advantage But contrariwise to her great charge and expence and to their great benefit shee hath assisted and protected the oppressed in their just causes whose forces have daunted the pride of mighty Princes her enemies whose fame hath beene carried round about the world and will no doubt bee registred to perpetuall memorie in strange countries as trophees of her vertue O â—…mium dilecte Deo cui militat at her Et conâ—…rati veniunt adclassica venti Oh of the Gods thou over-lov'd For whom the Heavens doe warre And to whose fleete the conjur'd winds Prest and assistant are To what Prince in the world could these verses bee more aâ—…ly applyed than to her Majestie that were writen by Clandian the Poâ—…t in commendation of the felicity of Theodosius the Empetour But lest in going about to particulate the praises of this noble Queen paragon of Princes my gracious Soveraigne according to the worthinesse of her talent I should do as they that offer to shew the light of the Sunne with a candle the brightnesse of her worthy and heroicall acts and vertues shining more cleare to the world than I am able with words to set them forth I will conclude her commendations with this Danish verse Vincit opus famam â—…serma suppetit actis The worke doth much outgoe the fame Nor can weake words the act proclaime And what cause have wee to glory in the nobility of our bloud when we come by it by the vertue of our parents For the first nobility had his beginning for some vertuous act or service done to his country who for his worthinesse excelling other men was by the people ennoblized had in estimation above the rest Which title for his sake descend to his
strange attyres please best The Emperour Alexander Severus would not suffer any of his servants to wear any silke cloth of gold or silver used often to say that open excesse of apparell secret vice were the destruction of Courtiers It is hapned well that Diogenes is dead who surely would give bitter taunts make some men to blush if hee lived in these daies For meeting an effeminate yong man on a time that had attir'd himself finely but undecently for a man as he thought Art not ashamed quoth Diogenes when nature hath made thee a man to make thy self a woman Nec mulâ—…ebri comptu lotuque poâ—…ta Vir quisquam No man with such effeminate dreâ—…ing and polisht washing would disgrace himselfe King Philip of Macedon deprived a Magistrate from his office which hee had given him whom hee loved well only because he heard hee was more occupied in combing his head and trimming his person than in studying his bookes Quintus Hortensius a Roman Confull is infamed by Historians because he looked into a glasse when he made him ready and was too curious in trimming up himselfe But to leave Magistrates and speak of inferiour callings what would they have said what will hereafter be said to the infamy of this age if vertue ever come againe to be in estimation that men should be so effeminate and nice to bestow a good part of the day in trimming up themselves by a glasse like women as though they would transforme themselves out of one sexe into another and had rather resemble women than men If Aristotle spake thus of women then what would he have spoken now not only of women but of men also Neither the gorgeousnesse of apparell nor the abundance of riches maketh so much to the praise of women as doth modesty with honest and sober behaviour But this metamorphosis being now more common and usuall than in those daies is not so much perceived nor taken for so great a fault and peradventure may be justifiable by authoritie and prescription from Sardanapalus and Heliogabalus two of the greatest Monarks of the world He that will looke into the abuses of these dayes shall finde cause sufficient to cry out with the Orator O tempora O mores And it is to be feared lest that happen unto us that the Prophet wrote against the women of Ierusalem who after hee had reproved their stately gate their wanton lookes their rowling eyes the immodest trimming of their heads their chaines rings bracelets girdles jewels hanging at their eares and other proud attires It will happen to you saith the Lord that in place of your sweet savour yee shall become a great stincke instead of your girdles you shall have an halter in place of your frizled haire a shaven head and the â—…rest men in the company shall passe by the edge of the sword and the valiant and hardie shall dye in the warres But let us leave this Veritas odium parit and conclude with the Prophet who saith Wee passe over our dayes in vanitie and doe not perceive our owne extreme folly And what a madnesse and fleshly minde hath possesled them that not onely wallow in filthy pleasures like swine in the durt but thinke there wanteth that fulnesse they looke for of them except they glory also in their wickednes make that knowne to others which should be unknowne to themselves Such there be that rejoyce not onely in the sweetnesse of pleasures but in the infamie it selfe Proculuâ—… a Romane Emperour was unmeasurably addicted to the lust of the flesh and yet he thought there wanted something of the fulnesse except he also bragged thereof And therefore when hee made warres upon the Sarmatians hee vaunted that in fifteene dayes he had gotten with child an hundred virgins of that countrey which he had there taken prisoners Sardanapalus king of the Assyrians gloried so much in the pleasures hee had taken of the flesh that he commanded to be written after his death in his sepulchre These things I have which I have eaten which with love and pleasure I have taken It is strange to see what joy and pleasure men take in banquetting and quaffing and lasclvious talke as though they would make podicemexore and what contention there is for the victorie in such an unseemely and unchristianlike pastime which is so common that there need no rehearsall of examples The wise-man sayth It is better to goe into the house of sorrow than into the house of feasting And Iob saith of such men That they solace themselves with all kinde of musicke and passe over their dayes in pleasure and in a very moment they goe downe into hell Which is affirmed with a grievous threatning in the Apocalyps Quantum in delitiis fuit tantum date illi â—…rmentum Looke how much hee hath taken of delights let so much torments be laid upon him The felicity therefore we seeke for must bee sought in some other thing than in pleasures in riches or in honour and glory For in them as appeareth by that hath been said felicity is not to be found But it happeneth many times to them that seeke felicity in any of those things as it did to the boyes and the asse in the fable A man had laden an asse with a sacke full of birch and drave him homeward staying behind about some other businesse As the asse came by a schoole-house which was in his way he cryed apples apples who will buy any apples The boyes that were within at schoole hearing of merchandise so fit for their purpose ranne forth to the asse took down the sack thinking to have found it full of apples But when they perceived there was nothing but birch they fell all upon the asse that had deceived them and beat him cruelly with his owne rods The like happeneth to them whom the faire shewes and flattering promises of pleasures riches or honour and glory allureth to the inordinate desire of them But when they make tryall and looke into them with the eyes of the mind clensed from the corruption of impure affections they see how much they are deceived of that they looke for And where they sought felicitie they find matter of infelicity And they that possesse pleasures riches or honour and glory and make shew to be laden with felicitie or happinesse are many times punished with the burden they bear and worthily beaten with their own roddes that deceive not onely themselves but others also by their example with the false shew of feâ—…rie or happinesse For how can ambition or honour be taken for mans felicity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or his greatest good when so few attaine to it in respect of the great number that be excluded from it And wherin are they happier that have honour than they that lacke it They are many waies tormented either by envying others or being envied themselves eyther they suffer hard things themselves or they offer such measure to others
they be eyther oppressed or oppresse Of which things the others be free that want that imagined felicitie and the onely evill is that they thinke the lacke thereof to be evill A goodly happines no doubt when for one reputed good thing thou shalt have an infinite number of evils for the shadow of felicity a sea of troubles miseries And what be the fruits of these torments of ambition Thou art saluted in assemblies of people with caps knees art reverenced in feasts with the highest places at the table But thou considerest not that many a wicked and vicious man is ofâ—…imes preferred before thee And wherein doth that help or amend the estate of thy body or mind whereof a man doth consist Thou art of great power dominion if that should be mans end felicitie how coÌ„meth it to passe that one mans power should spring of the impotencie of infinite numbers of others how can that be accounted the greatest good which is not onely converted often into evil but also perverteth them that possess it maketh them worse But admit power dominion to be good one is adored ten thousand make courtesie one triumphs thousands follow the chariot one rules millions obey serve So that one man shal be the end of infinite numbers the felicity of a few the misery of al. But we â—…eck not now the end good of a few but of all men Neither doe these few if wee looke throughly into them possesse it Which the Courtiers themselves even the best sort of them that be in most estimation must needs confesse whose hearts bee more painefully pinched by a sowre looke or sharpe word of their Prince than their eares and eyes can bee pleased and delighted by a thousand flatteries and as many a dorations a whole day together It is not without cause said that the displeasure of the Prince is the death of the subject And Princes themselves feele many times more corzies and unquietnesse of minde by some offence taken within their own wals than any triumph or publike pastime can â—…create or make glad But felicitie is in the matter it selfe and dependeth not either upon the frowning countenance of any person or of fortune it selfe which must be also peâ—…tuall But honourable estate dyeth and is buried with the body And what is honour but a vaine admiration of the common people Ambition therefore is so farre from the right way to that good we seek that the very same thing hath cast us all downe head long from the greatest good into extreme evill and misery Insomuch that if wee desire to find that good we must be driven to seek it in our selves seeing we cannot find it with others nor in these worldly matters In vaine therefore doe wee seeke felicitie in worldly vanities which is to bee found in the service of God which was well observed by the Poet Si 〈◊〉 alies in qualibet arte quid inde Sifaveas 〈◊〉 si prosper a 〈◊〉 quid inde Si prior 〈◊〉 Abbas si Rex si Papa quid inde Si rota fortunate 〈◊〉 ad astra quid inde Annos si felix regâ—…es per 〈◊〉 quid inde Tam cito 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nihil inde Sola inde Ergo Deo servi quia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voles in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corpore 〈◊〉 haberis If that thy house be faire and table 〈◊〉 what then If that thy masse of coyne and gold be great what then If thou hast a faire wife that generous is what then If children and great farmes and nought amisse what then If thou thy selfe beest valiant rich and faire what then If in thy full traine many servants are what then In Arts if thou to others Tutor be what then If fortune like the world shall smile on thee what then If thou beest Prior Abbot King or Pope what then If fortunes wheele raise thee beyond all hope what then If thou shouldst live a thousand years in blisse what then Since that so swift so swift times passage is that then All 's nothing only then by vertue strive That after death thy glory may survive All you that are Gods servants and good men From what 's before said learne this lesson then All these good deeds you to your death deferre Doe when y' are young so shall you no way 〈◊〉 The end of the third Booke THE FELICITIE OF MAN OR HIS SVMMVM BONVM THE FOURTH BOOKE CHAP. I. Aristotle Concerning the Summum bonum with other of the Sâ—…cks Of king Alexander and the Gâ—…rdian 〈◊〉 The excellent effects of Morall vertue Of king Agesilaus and Meneâ—…aus a vertu glorious Physician Of Marcus Regulus Decius Codrus king of Athens Of Tubero and sixe observable Frenchmen Of Marcus Curtius a noble young Gentleman of Rome Of Leonidas king of Sparia who with five hundred men put the Army of Xerxes to â—…ght which consisted of 1000000. WEe have shewed before by many examples and by the opinions and reasons of wise and learned men how much they are deceived that thinke the Felicitie of man to consist in pleasure riches or in worldly honour and glorie Now before wee come to shew what opinion is meete for a Christian to hold of this matter let us first discourse upon one thing wherein the most approved Philosophers Plato and Aristotle held that this Felicitie or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should consist that is in vertue or in the action of vertue The Philosophers entring into consideration of naturall things found that the proper action of every thing was the end for which it was created as the proper action and end of the Sun is to illuminate the earth And in naturall things there are three kindes of life vegetative or increasing which is in plants sensitive which is in beasts rationall or reasonable which is in men So that the life of plants is to grow and increase of beasts to follow the motion of their senses of men to live according to reason after the Philosophers opinion Which reason sheweth a man how to live wel but what it is to live well the Philosophers cannot agree After Aristotle and others it is to live vertuously But because a man is a sociable creature and not borne to himselfe but to be helping to others it is not sufficient for a man to have vertue in him but hee must also exercise and be a doer of vertue And because all our actions and labours bee to some end which end is taken of us to bee good for every man desireth that which hee thinketh to be good for himselfe the last of all ends to which the rest are applyed for which all our labours are and ought to bee bestowed is the most perfect and best of all things that nature desireth and therefore the thing wherein the felicitie of man consisteth For that is desired for no other thing but for it selfe Which after Aristotle is the action of vertue
eye-lyddes and put him into an engine that was sticked round about full of verie sharpe nailes and suffered him there with continuall watch and paine to dye a most grievous death Decius another noble Romane and one of the Consols being in the field with the Romanes forces against the Latins and perceiving his men to shrinke and give place to their enemies hee by the advice of their Priests made his prayers to their false gods for their helpe and offering himselfe to a voluntary death for his countrey put the spurres to his horse and thrust himselfe into the middest of his enemies by whom after hee had slaine many of them he was himselfe at last overthrowne and slaine But the courage of Decius so daunted them and emboldened his owne men that they carried away the victorie with the destruction of the greater part of their enemies The like love to his countrey to which men owe the greatest dutie next unto God wrought the like effect in Codsus king of Athens For as the Docrians came with their forces to besiege Athens Codsus having intelligence that his enemies had sent to Delphos to aske counsel of Apollo what would be the event of their warres and that answer was made them by the Oracle that the Docrians should have the victory except they killed the king of the Athenians Codsus apparelled himselfe like a common souldier left if he should bee like a noble man hee might be taken prisoner and liveâ—… and went out of the City with a burden of wood upon his shoulders into his enemies campe and quarselling of purpose with a common souldier wounded him and was slain himselfe The Docrians hearing that the King of the Athenians was slaine raised their siege and returned home againe As Tubero was sitting in judgement in Rome a Pye alighted upon his head and iâ—…te so still that hee tooke her with his hand And when the Soothsayers answered that if the Pye were let go it bâ—…tokened destruction to the Empue if she were killed then the same would fallupon himselfe hee pretening the good of his countrey before his own life killed the Pye and not long after fulfilled the propheci with his death There want not some such like examples 〈◊〉 Christians of later yeares When Callâ—… had been besieged eleven months by King I dwâ—…d he third and the inhabitants driven to that extrmine that they must yeeld to the Kings mercie or peâ—… hee refusir 〈◊〉 offers would accept no other conditions out that 〈◊〉 the best of the towne should suffer death the 〈◊〉 depart When the matter was had in consolation in the Councell house among the pune pall men at the towne who considering that â—…yther sixe of 〈◊〉 must dye or else the whole must beedest reved hee that sate in the first seat â—…ole up and said that he would offer himselfe to the wrath of the enemy and give his life to his country which example wrought such emulation of piety to their countrey in the rest that the second riseth likewise and then the third and so the rest one after another untill they had made up the number of six required by the King who all willingly suffered death for their Countrey There happened at Rome in the middest of the market place by meanes of an earthquake and other causes the earth to open and a very deepe hole to bee made which would not bee filled with all the earth that could bee throwne into it the Romanes caused their Priests to use their accustomed ceremonies to their Gods to understand their pleasure about this matter when they had finished their sacrifices answer was made them that if they would have their Common-wealth perpetuall they must sacrifice into this hole something wherein the Romanes power did most consist And as this matter was published and consultations daily had what manner of thing this should bee Marcus Curtius a Noble young Gentleman and a valiant souldier meditating upon the interpretation of this answer told them that the thing wherein the power of the Romanes most rested was the vertue and valour and armes of the Gentlemen and offered himselfe willingly for the benefit and prosperitie of his Countrey to cast himselfe alive into that hole And when he had armed himselfe and attired his horse very richly hee putteth his spurres to him and kapeth into the midst of the hole which immediately closed together Xerxes King of Sparta having intelligence that Xerxes King of Persia who brought into Greece an army of a 1000000. men after some writers besides his navie had found out a way to assaile him and the rest of the Grecians armie at their backs that were desending his passage through a straight hee perswaded the Grecians to retire and preserve themselves for a better time and when they were departed to their owne Cities he with five hundred men who were all resolute to dye with him for the honour of their Countrey in the night assayled Xerxes campe such an enterprise as never before nor since hath beene heard of The enemies being dismayed with their bold and furious charge an accident unlooked for and terrified by the darkenesse of the night suspecting that all the force of Greece had beene assembled together flâ—…d to save themselves and gave Lconidas and his company leave to kill them at their pleasure without any great resistance And as Lconidas having promised before to kill the king with his owne hand if fortune favoured him pressed into the Kings pavillion killing all that guarded the place and made search for him in every corner hee understood that Xerxes had convayed himselfe away in the beginning of the tumult who otherwise was like to have drunke of the same cup as the other did And when they had wearied themselves with killing their enemies and the day beganne to shew the Persians that were fled up to the toppe of an hill looking backe and perceiving the small number that pursued them turned againe and put them all to the sword Thus Leonidas and his company for the love of their Countrey sacrificed themselves to a voluntary death without any hope or meaning to escape whose courage and valiant enterprise made such an impression of feare in the hearts of the Persians that Xerxes left his Lieutenant to prosecute the warres and returned backe againe into his countrey an enterprise worthy of perp suâ—…ll memory five hundred men to put to slighean 〈◊〉 that dranke the rivers drie as they passed CHAP. II. Of Law-maker the Law-maker And of Charondas A remarkeable Iustice in Solyman Strange Iustice amongst the Sw ZZers I he Iustice of the Emperors Frajan Antoninus Plus and Alexander Severus Of Antonius Valentinian Theodosius Augustus Marcus Aurelius c. Of Sâ—…s Lewis the French king Of Favourites to Princes Constantine the Great Of Alexander Severus his commendable Iustice upon Vetorius Turinus Belon c. Of their great vices observed by Historians Impietie Injustice and Luxurie c.
one departed homeward delivered of the danger hee was in the other consented to remaine as a pledge in captivitie that might have lived out of danger When hee was gone all men and specially Dionysius expected attentively what would bee the end of this strange and doubtfull matter When the day appointed for his returne was as hand and hee not come every man condemned the other of meere folly that so rashly would adventure his life upon another mans word but he assuring himselfe of his friends fidelitie told them plainely he repented nothing that hee had done nor had any mistrust in his comming the very same day and houre that was by Dionysius set downe for his returne his friend came the tyrant marvelling at their constancie and fidelitie pardoned them both and further desired them that they would accept him for a third person into the society of their friendship Ephenus having offended Dionysius likewise and being apprehended and brought before him and condemned to dye made sute to the tyrant for licence to goe home into his countrey to dispose of his things promising to returne to dye such a day Dionysius demanding a pledge hee delivered him his friend Everitus who boldly assented to bee his pledge and to suffer death if he returned not Ephenus departed and came againe at the day prefixed to the great admiration of all men and specially of Dionysius who pardoned them both such force had vertue to pacifie the rage of a cruell tyrant whose disposition enclined to no other thing but vice The performance of this friendship was joyned with honesty and discretion but this that followeth was more faithful than wise There were two Kings one of Denmarke the other of Suecia called Hading and Hunding that had promised such an assured friendship that whatsoever happened to the one the other would bee partaker of the same even to the death it chanced that a false rumour was brought to Hading that Hunding was slaine by treason hee beleeving the report to performe his promise invited his Nobilitie unto a banquet and in the middest of his Hall hee had filled a great deepe vessell with delicate wine and himselfe filled their cups and gave them drinke untill they were all drunke and they being fallen asleepe he threw himselfe downe headlong into the tub of wine and drowned himselfe which being knowne to the other King Hunding hee to performe his faith towards his friend in like sort assembled all his people together and in the sight of them all hanged himselfe Such faith as was between Damon and Pythias must bee sought for in some new-found land where swannes be blacke for it will hardly be found in the knowne world As the world declineth to old age and bringeth not forth his fruits with that vigour and vertue it hath done in times past so the vertue and goodnesse of men seemeth to decline from that of former ages and to waxe old and decay which was foretold in Esdras for the weaker that the world is by reason of age the more shall the evils be increased upon them that dwell therein for the truth is fled far away and lyes are at hand For there is so little heed taken and so small account made of morall vertues I will not speake of Christian vertues now adaies that the vices next to them are taken for the vertues themselves Fallit enim vitium specie virtutis umbra Cùm sit triste habitu vultuque veste severum Nec dubie tanquam frugi laudatur avarus Vice doth deceive us when she doth disguise Her selfe like vertue in sad shape and eyes Severe in life and gate Most certaine when The avaritious are call'd thrifty men They that be furious and passionate and quarellous are called stout and valiant men that stand upon their honour to live loosely and lasciviously abusing mens wives and daughters is called friendlinesse and courtesie they that bee ambitious and practise all unlawfull meanes to make themselves great in dignities are honourable and worthy men and meet for governement to be covetous and miserable is called thristinesse and good husbandry and these kinde of men call their like provident men to bee prodigall is called liberalltie and if wee shall runne over all the vertues and vices in this sort we shall see such a metamorphosis or transformation that it were sufficient to perswade us that the ages past have discharged all their malice into the age we live in as into a gowt or sinke to dissemble and deceive is now taken for wisedome or prudence a singular vertue which cannot bee dissevered from honesty plaine meaning One saith bee warie and circumspect how thou beleeve any thing these bee the sinewes of wisedome so as now we may say with the Poet nam fronte politi Astut am vapide servant sub pectore vulpens A crafty fox doth oft himselfe invest In a brow polisht and ill-tasted brest And he is accounted the wisest that can most artificially beguile which is the cause that Machiavell exalteth Duke Valentine the Popes sonne above the skies and calleth him the paragon of his time as he that in wisedome exceeded all the Princes of that age One cause of his commendation is this when hee perceived that for his tyrannous government hee was misliked of the nobilitie and that by open warres hee was not able to destroy them hee feined a desire to be reconciled and invited them to a feast for that purpose the nobilitie desirous of the Princes favour mistrusting no treason came to him to dinner where he entertained them with all manner of courtesie but under sweet flowers lurkes the serpent when he had dined his guard which hee had prepared before for the purpose tooke them aside and presently cut off their heads And when this newes was first brought to Pope Alexander his father hee smiled and said his son had shewed them a Spanish tricke Mali corvi malum â—…vum A bad egge of an evill crow I doubt there be too many Machiavillians that have his vices in more estimation than the vertues taught by Socrates Plato and Aristotle and carry his precepts better in memorie than the lessons of good and fruitfull Sermons and in their life more exactly put in practice his humanitie than Christian divinitie It may bee wished men were not so much Italianated whose habits many have gotten both of body and minde and are become as artificiall apes counterfeiting a formall kinde of strangers civilitie but that which some performe may rather bee called Divillitie They must dissemble cunningly promise liberally and performe niggardly give all and deliver nothing as one aptly expressing in himselfe the condition of many said I am all yours except body and goods which is now growne into a common proverb such friendship and courtesies are very usuall The Italian hath an old proverbe Inglese Italianato ediabele incarnato An English man Italianated is a Divell incarnated Our nation although
to the world by the ornaments of their mind and to excell one another by vertue and knowledge as they now covet to glitter in gold and silver and to exceed in vanitie of attires and gestures and where old men would give example of godlinesse temperance and modestie and 〈◊〉 their desires from worldly superfluities If Noblemen and Gentlemen would follow the manners of kings in times past who had 〈◊〉 care of their 〈◊〉 not thinking themselves kings by their apparell but by their mind differing from the common sort within not without One of the praises that the Emperor Commodâ—… gave to his father Marcus Aâ—…relius after his death was and that worthâ—…ly that others had made the common-wealth rich but his father had mâ—…de it vertuous others repaired walls but he reformed manners and one of the praises given to the Emperour Severus was that hee never beheld any man in Rome apparelled in filke or purple But to what time could â—…cans verses be more aptly applyed than to this Non â—…ro tectisve modus mensasque priores Aspernata fames There is no meane in gold or buildings proud Our fables skorne what former times allowed After the famous champion Starchater had reckoâ—… up the old manners of the antiquity and reprehended the deliciousnesse of the latter ages he conchâ—… Nunc reâ—…ens 〈◊〉 facies 〈◊〉 â—…mnia pressit New men new manners But admit that the mâ—… of other Nations which we so greatly desire to imâ—… be more agreeable with civilitie and their knowleâ—… of vertue likewise greater than were those of our foâ—…faters surely their ignorance of strangers vices 〈◊〉 more profitable to them than is now the 〈◊〉 of their manners and vertues to us And what made these great Princes and wise men of former ages so carefull to continue the old manners and simplicitie of habits of their forefathers but onely habits by their excellency of wisedome and vertue they 〈◊〉 which we find by experience that whe the and habits of other coâ—… were brought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their vices would also come with them and that when costlinesse and varietie of 〈◊〉 had gotten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men would be easily drawn to such a delight to 〈◊〉 forth their bodies with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they would have small regard to the ornaments of their minds for proofe whereof we need not go far to seek for examples But to returne againe to friâ—…ship where we left Gaine now adayes contracteth frieâ—…p which is no sooner discontinued but friendship is also dissolved Vertue and honestie neither beginneth nor continueth friendship but as the Poet truly saith Vulgus 〈◊〉 as utilitate probat Cura quid expediat prior est 〈◊〉 quid sit 〈◊〉 Et cum fortâ—… statque caditque 〈◊〉 Friendship the vulgar doe no further prise Than for their profit we doe first devise What 's gainefull before honeâ—… profits all And faith with fortune doth both rise and fall 〈◊〉 writing to his friend Atticus restraineth one friend to wish to another more than these three things to enjoy health to poâ—… honour and not to suffer necessitie But if I had such authoritie over my friends I would make some alteration and forbid them to wish one to another more than these three things to feare God to enjoy health and not to suffer necessity which were sufficient to bring them to the felicitie of both worlds Friendship was wont to extend but now what is more common in every mans month than friendship and honestie and what thing more rare and lesse in use Plato saith that friendship is given us by nature for a helpe to vertue and not for a companion of vice Dicearchus adviseth to make all men our well-willers if it be possible but onely good men our friends who are not obtained but by vertue Plutarch warneth men to take heede how they seeke for a swarme of friends lest they fall into a waspe-neast of enemies Pythagoras disswadeth men from joyning hands with every one All which counsell tendeth to this end to make us wary what kinde of men wee make choice of to bee our friends and that no friendship can bee perfect but between a few and those vertuous and honest men such as was betweene Ionathan and David and some others but such counsell is needlesse in this latter age when vertue is in declination men bee noâ—… so hasty to enter into faithfull friendship nor so forwardly in performing that they need raynes to draw them backe but spurres rather to pricke them forward The fable of the Beare could not bee more aptly applyed to any time than to these latter ages for the reprehending and setting forth of false friendship As two men were walking together in the fields that had professed faithfull friendship each to other there commeth oâ—… of the woods by chance a Beare towards them the one perceiving the Beare at hand leaveth his friend and climbeth up a tree to save himselfe the other seeing himselfe forsaken and left alone fell downe to the ground as though hee had been dead the Beare came running to devoure him that lay upon the ground and muzling about his mouth and 〈◊〉 finding that he breathed not for hee held his breath knowing that the property of a Beare is not to prey upon a dead carkasse the Beare departed and after the man was risen againe I pray thee quoth hee that was come downe from the tree what was that the Beare whispered in thine â—…are he willed me said the other to beware hereafter how I trusted such a false friend as thou art There need no such tryall of friends in these dayes a lesse matter than the fear of a Bear wil discover mens infidelity dissimulation And if men would consider how farre they are surmounted by brute beasts in perfect love friendship they should finde cause to be ashamed to see themselves inferiour to unreasonable creatures in things that appertaine to vertue honesty Report is made by credible authours that as king Pyrrhus marched with his Army hee hapned to passe by a dog that guarded the body of his master who lay dead upon the high way after the king had beheld awhile this pitifull spectacle he was advertised by some of the countrimen that the same was the 3d. day that the poor creature had not departed out of the place nor forsaken the dead corps without meat or drinke which moved the king to command the body to bee buried and the dog for his fidelity to be kept cherished caused an inquisition to be made of the murder but nothing could bee found It chanced that not long after the king was disposed to take muster of his whole Army that hee might see how they were furnished the dogge alwayes followed the king sad mute untill such time as they that killed his master past by then he flyeth upon them with a wonderfull violence fury as though he would teare them in peeces turning this way
and that way howling most pittifully sometime toward the king beholding him earnestly as though he demanded justice which made the king and all the company suspect that these men committed the murder whereupon they were examined and tormented and upon their confession of the fact put to death The like happened in France one Gentleman having killed another and the dog of him that was slaine would not depart from the body untill he was by the kings commandement taken away the murderer could in no wise be knowne untill the king by some occasion tooke view of his men and as the murtherer passed by the dog waiting upon the king ran furiously upon him and returning againe to the king looked up earnestly to his face as though he required justice and thus ran too and fro barking and howling so often that the king and the rest suspected the Gentleman to have committed the murther And being examined and denying the matter the king thought good to make triall what the dogge would do he gave leave to the Gentleman to use his sword for his defence and armed the dogge with leather and turned them together the dogge assayled the Gentleman with such fury and violence that perceiving himselfe like to bee torne in peeces and unable to defend himselfe from the dogge he desired to bee delivered from him and confessed the fact The manner of this fight was by the kings commandement painted in a table for a memoriall and kept in the kings Court to bee seene many yeares after King Lysimachus had a dog which had long waited upon him in the wars when he was on hunting or any otherwhere and when hee saw the king his master dead and layd upon a pile of wood as the manner was to be burnt the dog with great howling and sorrow in the sight of all men leapt into the fire was burnt with his master When Titus Sabinus and his family were put to death as Rome one of their dogges would never be driven from his master and when one of the Romanes did cast meat to the dog he tooke 〈◊〉 up and carried it to the mouth of his master that lay upon the ground dead and when the carâ—… was cast into Tyber the dog swam after labored by all the meanâ—… he could to liâ—…t up his master out of the water all the people wondring at the love of the dog Nicomedes king of Bithynia had a horse which he used a long time in the warres and when Nicomedes was â—…ine the horse would never cate meate after but wasting daily with sorrow and emptinesse dyed And this was a strange thing that happened at Constantinople when the Turks for their pastime had cut off divers Christians whom they had taken prisoners in the midst with their swords so as their bodies were divided into two parts besides a great many other in the same sort most cruelly â—…aine at this time there were five hundred captives brought into the 〈◊〉 and so divided with their swords in the midst and after these dead bodies had lyen upon the ground a while where they were slaine there commeth an oxe roaring and finding his masters câ—…kasse among them hee lifted one part of him upon his hornes and carried it away to another place and returneth fetcheth the other part likewise and joyneth both parts together which thing being greatly wondred at and brought to the 〈◊〉 of Mahomet the great Turke hee caused the parts of the dead body to bee separated againe and brought to the former place the oxe followeth roaring as before and finding out his master among the rest of the dead bodies taketh him up and carrieth him away againe the great Turke being much amazed with this strange fight commanded the dead bodies to be buried and the oxe to be kept among his caâ—… during the rest of his life And if we shall descend from these that be domesticall to wilde and salvage beasts wee shall finde them in this matter nothing inferiour to the others A Gentleman of a noble house called Andrâ—…cles being taken prisoner and made a slave taking occasion by his masters hard dealing ran away from him and fled into certaine desert woods in Aâ—…frica adventuring himselfe rather among wilde beasts than to endure the tyranny of his cruell master and after he had wandred a long time in the desert â—…ee espied a cave under the ground into which he goeth to repose himselfe the night following which unknowne to him was the den of a Lyon hee had not beene long there but a little before night in commeth a great and terrible Lyon roaring and halting which had beene a hunting for his prey to rest himselfe that night in his accustomed lodging the poore slave looking for no other but that the Lyons belly should be his sepulchre the Lyon espying the man lay downe by him and stretched forth his fore-foot that was lame making mone as though he desired helpe the slave perceiving the Lyons meaning began to plucke up his heart and looking into the Lions foot he found a thorne sticking fast in it and the wound festred which caused his foot to swell hee lanced the wound and let forth the corruption and tooke out the thorne which though it were wonderfull painefull to the Lyon as appeared by grinding his teeth and wrying his mouth yet he endured it with great patience when he had washed the wound with his urine and lapt up his foot as well as he could they remained together in the den all that night so soone as it was day the Lyon goeth forth to hunt for his prey and after he had beene abroad a certaine time he returneth to the den again with part of the wilde beast in his mouth which hee layd downe before the man for his dinner and went forth againe to hunt for more The slave having eaten nothing in two or three dayes before went forth of the cave and layd the flesh in the Sunne to be rosted and before it was throughly rosted he eat it very hungerly when the evening was come the Lyon returneth with more meat and thus hee continued fed by the Lyons provision certaine dayes But at length waxing wearie of his dict and of his solitarie life he stale forth of the den in the absence of the Lyon and hid himselfe not far from the place but when the Lyon was returned after his accustomed manner with meat for his guests dinner and found him not there he made pitifull lamentation and mone which declared his great sorrow for the mans absence when the Lyon was layd to rest the slave departeth and wandering to seeke some place of refuge he fell by chance into the hands of them whom his master had sent to seeke him and being taken and sent to Rome his master layd him in prison to be devoured of wilde beasts for the Romanes had a manner when the Emperors or principal men were disposed to celebrate some
principalitie saith Aristotle is to make no one man great And in truth they are to be taken for unprofitable members that by abusing the lenitie and bounty of their Prince couet to augment their estate by the sweat of the Common-wealth Worthy of blame saith one are some Princes for the â—…aults they commit but much greater is their offence in dissembling the offences of their fauorites and priuate seruants Many examples Princes may finde to warne them to take heed how to magnifie their seruants with too much wealth and authoritie which hath ostentimes beene dangerous to them and their estate and odious and scandalous to their people as this of Cleander who was brought to Rome amongst other captiues when the Emperour Marcus Aurelius triumphed ouer the Argonautes and was openly sold in the Market place and bought by a Clarke of the Kitchin to sweepe the Larder at Court This slaue Cleander being a young man behaued himselfe so well in sweeping the house and other his Masters seruice that not many yeeres after his Master made him free and aduanced him to his office of Clarke of the Kitchin and married him to his daughter Now when Cleander saw his estate thus amended hee endeuoured to obtaine the fauour of the Emperour which when he had gotten by his diligent and carefull seruice the Emperour being dead hee was so fauoured of Comodus that hee made him Captaine of his guard and Lord great Chamberlaine of his chamber and aduanced him to such dignitie and honour that all matters were dispatched at his will and pleasure all offices must bee obtained by his meanes He grew so ambitious and thrust himselfe in such wise to entermeddle with the affaires of the estate that the Emperour firmed nothing if Cleander did not signe and allow the same He did so insinuate himselfe into Comodus favour by flattery that never any servant of his obtained the like grace Hee fained to wish nothing that Comodus wished not nor to allow any thing that he said not He was not ashamed to affirme that he did not thinke or dreame but that which Comodus did thinke or dreame With these and the like lies flatteries he wanne the favour of Comodus and governed the whole Empire obtained the custody of the common treasure and of all the money and jewels of the Emperour by meanes wherof he grew so exceeding rich and proud that not contented to use these high dignities estates as a subject or servant he practised to kill the Emperour that he might put the Crowne upon his owne head but his practice being discovered Comodus caused his head to be cut off and carried to Rome upon a pole to the great liking of the people his children also servants friends were executed their bodies drawne by boyes thorow Rome were cast into sinkes filthy places It hath beene alwayes dangerous saith Tacitus when the name of a private man is advanced above or neere the Kings name this was the miserable end overthrow of Cleander of his children his house his riches honor wherof may be drawn examples warnings to serve divers purposes for besides that Princes may be warned to beware how they exalt any one to over-high estate authority private men also ought to take heed that they be not overcome with the daÌ„gerous humour of ambition and greedy desire of riches seeing in this the like exaÌ„ples they may behold as in a glasse the wavering inconstancy of fortune and variable events of the miserable estate and uncertaine accidents of this life where no man possesseth any thing with suretie 〈◊〉 as some be lifted up from a base estate to honour so others are dejected from high dignitie to base and poore estate as was apparant in Cleander who of a Slave was made a Free-man of a Freeman a Steward of a Steward a Praetor and then a Great Chamberlaine and as it were Monarch of the world and afterwards in one day and in one houre hee and all his were utterly destroyed The particular loue saith one which Princes shew to one more then to another breedeth many times much envie in their Realme and when a Prince sheweth not to equals his fauour indifferently he putteth fire into his Common-wealth The like example may be taken of Plautianus an especiall favorite of the Emperour Seuerus This Plutianus was a poore Gentleman when he came first to Rome from whence he was banished by the good Emperour Marcus Aurelius for his evill conditions but afterward he obtained such grace of Seuerus that he read no letter but he must see it signed no commission that he liked not nor gave any reward that he craved not In the Senate hee was placed in the most honourable estate When hee came forth of Rome all the Gentlemen did accompany him When hee came out of his house all Embassadours did attend on him In time of Warre all Captaines sued unto him and so many honours were given him that it was never seene in Rome that any man without the title of an Emperour enjoyed so great a portioÌ„ of the Empire scuerus gave Plautianus the confiscate goods of all condemned persons within the Empire whereby he grew so rich covetous that he caused an infinite number of men to suffer death not for their demerits but that he might possesse their goods wherewith he grew so proud and stately that when he passed thorow the streets he had a naked sword borne before him and no man might behold him in the face but cast downe their eyes to the ground and besides all this he found such favour with Seuerus that he married his daughter with Seuerus the Emperour his eldest sonne so as beholding himselfe thus advanced and honoured it seemed to him but a small matter to be Commander of the whole world But at length this heaping of honour upon honour dignitie upon dignitie without end or measure wrought his owne destruction for perceiving the Emperour to withdraw his favour from him suspecting that he would also take away his life he practised to kill the Emperour and his sonne Bassianus that he might not onely prevent the suspected intent of his owne death but also succeed him in the Empire but the same being discovered to the Emperour in the presence of his sonne they trained him into his chamber where Bassianus slew him with his dagger This was the end of Plautianus through his immoderate desire of riches and honour and the good fortune of the Emperour that escaped narrowly his owne death and his sonnes by the exceeding favour and authoritie and countenance hee gave to his servant and subject by which example the Emperour seuerus was warned never after to give the like favour and grace to any person alledging that hee knew not whom to trust seeing his servant Plautianus whom he so greatly loved and favoured had deceived him It behooveth Princes to foresee that no man exceed
solueris quaqua ligatus cris Intus quis tu quis ego sum quid qâ—…ris vt intrem Fers aliquid non sta foris fero quod satis intra The Court must haue money It Exhausts both purses and coffers If thou shewest thy purse thou must neither haue To deale with Popes nor Patriarchs But if thou wilt giue money and supply their coffers Thou shalt bee absolued of what crime soeuer Who 's within what art thou t is I. what wouldst thou I would enter Bringst thou any thing no stay without then I bring what is sufficient come neere then And Mantuan noting likewise their vnmeasurable covetousnesse singeth thus Venalia Romae Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces calum est venale Deúsque Temples are to be sold in Rome Inquire The Priests the holy Altars crowne and fire The Incense and their prayers are to be sold There thou maist buy both heauen and God for gold But now that they find the want of that which was wont to feede their vnsatiable humours of covetousnes and ambition by meane that the better halfe of Europe being reuolted from them both their credit and treasury is greatly decayed The Popes rage of late yeeres like as the Asses of Thuscia are reported to doe when they haue fed vpon hemlockes which as Matheolus writeth casteth them into such a sound sleepe that they seeme to be dead in so much as the countrey men goe oftentimes to take off the skinne and haue halfe flayed him before the Asse will awake And when they haue taken off the skinne to the middest of his backe the asse riseth vp suddenly vpon his feete and halfe his skinne hanging downe breaketh out into such a roaring that he putteth the husbandman many times into a great seare The like is vsed by the latter Popes who haue beene a long time in a sound sleepe untill they hauing felt the one halfe of reuenewes reuenewes and dominion taken away from them fearing the rest will follow they fall into such a roaring and thundring with their Bulles arming subiects against their Princes and Kings against their subiects and one of them against another that they put all Christendome many times in a great feare which in these dayes in many places worketh effect like vnto that which Chaucer if I forget not speaketh of when he describeth a great feare that hapned in the breake of the day the dogges barkt the duckes quackt the cockes crowed and the Bees ranne out of the hyue Iohn Peter of Ferrara a learned man taxing the Popes ambition and covetousnesse after many other things writeth thus above one hundred and fifty yeeres since The Pope laboureth to have superiority of the Emperour which is ridiculous to speake and abominable to heare And note how and by how many meanes the Clergie men lay snares for the Lay men and enlarge their jurisdiction But alas ye vnhappie Emperours and secular Princes that suffer these and the like things and make your selues servants unto the Popes and see the world abused by them infinite waies And yet ye thinke not vpon reformation because yee give not your mindes to Wisedome and Knowledge And Saint Hierome saith Italy will never be at quiet vntill the Church of Rome doe not possesse all the Cities and Castles and that the gift of Constantine be by some good and mightie Emperour utterly revoked because saith hee non benè câ—…eniat Psalterium cum Cythera neither was it granted of Christ to Peter that they should possesse such things but that which is Caesars should be given to Caesar and that which is Gods to God Now if the Popes bee the Antichrist spoken of in the Scripture after the opinion of learned Divines or if hee set foorth vaine and wicked fables and horrible blasphemies in place of true Christian Religion as the miracles done by Fryer Dominicke and Francis to bee more and greater then those done by Christ and his Apostles and the rest of the Fables written by them by their owne Authors also their imagined purgatory worshipping of images invocation of the dead their daily renewing of the sacrifice of Christ in their Masse Christening of Bels absolution for him that hath killed his father or mother and many other such like things this cannot bee a happie estate that opposeth it selfe so directly and apparantly against Christ and his doctrine whereby besides the danger of their destruction they draw infinite numbers of soules to the danger of eternall damnation except Gods mercie bee the greater Gregory the Great doth testifie plainely that the Pope is described vnder the person of Nabâ—…chodonozor For Kings and Princes in hell that are damned are brought in as though they came to meete the Pope after his death comming to them to salute him who mocke him thus Hell was in great feare of you when it heard of your comming all the dead Princes of the earth rise up to you all Kings of Nations rise out of their thrones and speake to you after this sort Art thou made subject to the same infirmities as wee are and art thou become like unto us Thy pride hath brought thee downe to hell When diddest thou fall Lucifer from heaven thou sonne of the morning and art come into the earth that wert terrible to all Nations But thou saidst in thy heart I will goe up to heaven I will lift up my seat above the Starres of heaven I will ascend above the height of the clouds and will be made like the highest They that shall see thee will say Is this he that troubleth the earth and ouerthrew kingdomes Thus they deceiue the world who at last are deceiued themselues Liuie saith There is nothing more deceiueable in shew then false religion when the power of God is made a cloke for wickednesse And if the Popes were of that holinesse and vertue they would be taken it could not be but by their example instruction and discipline their Imperiall Seat and Citie whereof they are Head would not deserue for their abominable vice and wickednesse so infamous speech by the learned Italians themselues Petrarke Mantuan and many other call Rome the shop of all wickednesse Babylon Sodom the Schoole of errors the Church of heresies an Harlot with a shamelesse face Mantuan thus noteth the vice there vsed I pudor in villas si non patiuntur easdem Et villae vomicas Roma est iam tota Lupanar Goe shame vnto the villages If they as yet be free From the same filth for now all Rome Is nought saue brothelry And Pasquil confirmeth the same when one hauing beene at Rome at his departure taketh his leaue thus Roma vale vidi satis est vidisse reuertar Cum leno aut meretrix scurra cynedus ero Rome farewell I haue seene and now Am glutted with thy sight I will returne when I am Bawd Whoore Iester Catamite Thus much of the ambition and manners of the Popes whereunto I
vlciscitur orbem The euils of long peace Now luxury is held w'indure Amongst vs raging worse then Warre To auenge the conquered world Philemon in his Comedie bringeth in a plaine Countriman that derided the Philosophers disputing vpon their Summum Bonum one placing it in this thing another in that according to the diuersitie of their conceits Yee mistake the matter quoth this homely fellow to the Philosophers peace is the thing wherein the felicitie of man consisteth for nothing is better nor more desired or pleasant that God hath giuen to men then peace Yet notwithstanding wee doe see that a long continued peace engendreth luxuriousnesse and intemperance whereof ensueth beastly drunkennesse and an infinite number of diseases both of body and minde that besides many torments hasten men to their end it encreaseth riches which bringeth foorth couetousnesse pride vaine glory and ambition whereof ensueth vncharitable contention by law and effusion of innocent blood by ciuill Warres to the vtter ruine and destruction oftentimes of many goodly Kingdomes and Common-wealths Which was the cause that mooued Scipio to disswade the Romans from the destruction of Carthage lest by liuing securely in continuall peace without feare of any enemie they should at the length turne their weapons to their owne bodies which came euen so to passe Lodouicus Guicciardine in his description of the Low-Countrey seemed to presage the fall of Antwerpe before their Ciuill Warres began by reason of their abundance of riches wherein they were thought to exceed all the townes in Europe and luxuriousnesse security of life by their long peace Which may be a warning to other countries that finde themselues drowned in the like vices Cato said that luxuriousnesse and couetousnesse were two plagues that ouerthrow all great Empires Cyprian findeth fault with the corruption of his time by long peace Idlenesse saith he and long peace hath corrupted the discipline deliuered by the Apostles euery man laboureth to increase his patrimonie and is carried away with an insatiable desire to augment his possessions What would he haue said of the couetousnesse and greedy desires of these dayes Many examples may be produced out of Histories of the ouerthrow of Cities and countries by the vices gathered by long peace Euscbius reporteth that the long peace and rest which the Christians enioyed from the persecution that was in the gouernment of the Emperour Aurelian to the raigne of Dioclesian was the cause that the Christians manner of liuing began to be corrupted so as many iniquities did grow presently and the former old holinesse began to decrease and such disorders and dissentions began to be mooued among the Bishops and Prelates that as Eusebius saith God suffered the persecution of Dioclesiâ—… to serue in place of reuenge and chastisement of his Church which was so extreme and bloody and full of crueltie that neither is it possible for a pen to write not tongue to pronounce it So that whether wee liue in the warres or in peace each of them hath in them their infelicitie Occidit ignavus dum pralia pace quiescunt The slothfull dyes whil'st warres sleepe in peace Now if wee should prosecute in a generalitie this discourse of the miseries of man as wee haue done of their particular estates how many kinds of paines and torments hee suffereth in this life and how many wayes and in what miserable estate hee commeth by his death wee should rather lacke time then matter to write of But to follow the course that we haue already taken in other things let vs of an infinite number of examples select some few What paines and troubles men suffer in this life in labouring to attaine to their desires something hath beene said before and more shall be said hereafter Likewise what miseries men haue suffered by the warres hath beene touched already Now resteth to speake something of the calamities that happen to men by diseases and accidents which bring them to their end whereof we will recite some few examples of those that be rare and somewhat strange But first wee will adde one more to that which hath beene spoken before of famine a most miserable plague and horrible kinde of death one of the whips and scourges wherewith God vseth to punish the sinnes of men In the fourth booke of the Kings mention is made of a famine in Samaria in the time of Helizeus which was in all extremitie and when all their victuals were consumed the mothers did eate their owne children insomuch that a poore woman made her complaint to the King seeing him vpon the walles that a woman her neighbour would not performe a bargaine made betweene them which was that they should eate her childe first which said shee vnto the King I haue performed for wee sod and ate my childe and shee presently hath conueyed away her childe and hath hidden him that I should not eate my part of him which when the King heard his heart was ready for griefe to breake and leape out of his body and hee beganne to rent his garments and couered his flesh with sack-cloth saying God make mee so and as followeth in the Text. CHAP. IIII. Of sundry sorts of plagues and pestilence and great mortalities The Iudgements of God vpon diuers euill men Of Popyelus King of Polonia and his Queene Arnolphus and Hotto Bishop of Ments c. Other strange accidents concerning Gods great Iustice. The miraculous effects of feare sorrow and ioy approoued by History The instability of fortune instanced in the story of Policrates King of Samos His daughters ominous dreame His great prosperity and miserable end That no man can be said to be happy before death Of the vaine trust in riches and of rich and couetous men Auarice reprooued and punished c. CRedible Authors report that in Constantinople there was a strange kinde of pestilence in such manner as those which were sick therof thought themselues to be killed by other men and being troubled with that feare died madde supposing men did kill them Thucidides reporteth that there was a corruption of the aire in Greece that infinit numbers of people died without finding any remedy and such as recouered health lost their memory knowledge so as one knew not another not the father his child Certaine souldiers that were vnder the Lieutenant of the Emperour Marcus Anthonius being in Seleucia went into the Church of Apollo where they opened a coffer thinking to find some great treasure but the contagious aire that came forth of it first destroyed a great part of the people of Babylon then it entred into Greece and from thence to Rome whereof ensued such a pestilence that it destroyed a third part of the people In France there was such a disease at Aix that the people would die eating and drinking many would fall into a frenzie and drowne themselues in welles others would cast themselues out of their windowes and breake their neckes The mortalitie growing
of this disease was so great that there was no roome in the Church-yards to bury the dead and many finding themselues infected with this disease being out of all hope of recouery would presently sow themselues in sheetes looking when death would come to separate the soule from the body These were the whips that God vsed in a generalitie for punishment of sinnes But what would we speake of diseases when Plinie and others write that in two thousand yeeres to their time they haue discouered aboue three hundred diseases to which men are subiect we may say with the Poet Optima quaeque dies miseris mortalibus 〈◊〉 Prima fugii subeunt morbi tristisque senectus Et labor durae rapit inclementia mortis The best dayes of vs miserable men The first are that make haste from vs and then Diseases come with sorrowfull old age Labour and lust Deaths implacable rage Let vs descend to some particular matter which hath happened to men either by the secret iudgement of God or by some rare accidents Popyelus King of Polonia a man of euil life would often wish that he might be deuoured of mice At last as he was sitting at dinner banquetting and 〈◊〉 a company of great mice set vpon him which came from the carkasses of his vncles which he and the Queene his wife had killed with poyson These mice in great heapes assaulted him his wife and children as they sate feasting and neuer left gnawing vpon them day and night though his guard and souldiers did all they could to driue them away great fires were made and the King his wife and children placed in the middest yet notwithstanding the Mice ran thorow the fire and fell to their gnawing againe Then they went into a ship and prooued what the water would doe the Mice followed them and gnawing continually vpon the Ship the Mariners seeing themselues in danger of drowning the water comming in at the holes which the Mice made brought the Ship to land where another companie of Mice ioyned with these and molested them more then before when his followers saw these things perceiuing it to be the Iudgement of God they all fled The King seeing himselfe left alone and those departed that should defend him he went vp into an high tower but the Mice climbed vp and deuoured him his wife and two sonnes By which it appeareth that there is no policie nor power to be vsed against God The Emperour Arnolphus was likewise eaten vp with Lice his Physicions being vnable to giue him any remedy Hotto Bishop of Ments in Germanie perceiuing the poore people in great lacke of victuals by the scarcitie of corne gathered a great many of them together and shut them into a barne and burnt them saying That they differed little from Mice that consumed corne and were profitable to nothing But God left not so great a crueltie vnreuenged for he made Mice assault him in great heapes which neuer left gnawing vpon him night nor day he fled into a Tower which was in the midst of the Riuâ—…r of Rhyne which to this day is called the Tower of Mice of that euent supposing hee should be safe from them in the midst of the Riuer But an innumerable companie of Mice swam ouer the riuer to execute the iust Iudgement of God and deuoured him The like happened to a Bishop of Strasbrough who was also deuoured with mice When Harold King of Denmarke made warre vpon Harquinus and was ready to ioyne battell there was a dart seene in the aire flying this way and that way as though it sought vpon whom to light And when all men stood wondering what would become of this strange matter euery man fearing himselfe at last the dart fell vpon Harquinus head and slew him An Italian Gentleman being vniustly condemned to die as it was thought by Pope Clement the fift at the request of Philip the faire King of France seeing them both out of a window speaketh to them aloud in this sort Thou cruell Clement for as much as there is no iudge in the world before whom a man may appeale from that vniust sentence which thou hast pronounced against me I appeale from thee as from an vniust Iudge to the iust Iudge Iesus Christ before whom I summon thee and likewise thee King Philip at whose suite thou hast giuen iudgement of death vpon me within one yeere to appeare before the Tribunall seat of God where I shall plead my cause which shall be determined without couetousnesse or any other passion as yee haue done It chanced that about the end of the time by him prefixed both the Pope and the King dyed The like happened to Ferdinando the fourth King of Castile who puttìng to death two knights rather through anger then iustice whose fauour could not be obtained neither by weeping and lamenting nor by any petitions they summoned the King to appeare before the Tribunall seat of Christ within thirtie daies the last of which the King died A Captaine likewise of the Gallies of the Genowayes tooke a vessell the Captaine whereof neuer did harme to the Genowayes yet for the hatred that the Captaine of the Genowayes did beare to his Nation he commanded him to be hanged And when no petitions nor prayers would be heard nor excuses allowed nor any mercy would be found hee said to this cruell Captaine that he did appeale to God that punisheth the vniust and summoned him to appeare at a certaine day appointed to render account before God of the wrong he had done him the very same day that he appointed the Captain of the Genowayes dyed of like went to yeeld his account A strange example likewise by a false accusation of an Archbishop of Mentz called Henry This man was indued with many vertues and had great care of his flocke and would punish seuerely publike sinners which procured the hatred of many wicked persons who accused him to the Pope as a man insufficient for his charge laying many faults against him The Pope holding a good opinion of the Bishop aduertised him of it who to purge himselfe and to declare his innocency made choise among all his friends of one Arnand whom he loued dearely and aduanced to many dignities to go to Rome This man being rich intending to depriue his master and to occupie his place suborned two wicked Cardinals with a great summe of money to fauour his practice when he came to answer for his master hee confessed how much bound he was to him yet he was more bound to God and to the truth then to men and said that the accusations laid against the Bishop were true By meanes whereof the Pope sent the two corrupted Cardinals to heate determine the Bishops cause when they came into Germanie they sent for the Archbishop and vpon hearing of his cause depriued him of his dignities and placed Arnand in his roome The Bishop being present at
the sentence God knoweth said he that I am vniustly condemned yet I will not appeale here from your sentence because I know that ye shall sooner be beleeued in your lying then I in speaking the truth and therefore I receiue this iudgement for my sinnes Neuerthelesse I appeale from your sentence to the eternall Iudge which is Christ before whom I summon you The Cardinals fell into a laughing and mocking him said That if he would go before they would follow it happened that the Bishop hauing withdrawne himselfe within a Monastery dyed within a yeere and a halfe after wherof when the Cardinals heard they were in a great iollitie and in a scoffing manner said one to another that they must goe seeke the Archbishop Within few dayes after one of the Cardinals had such a blow by one of his owne people that his trypes and puddings went forth at his lower parts and dyed The other Cardinall grinding his teeth 〈◊〉 his owne hands and dyed mad arnand for his crueltie and seditions which he maintained among the people was so hated of all men that being assaulted one day in a Monastery he was there slaine and his body cast into the towne-ditch where he lay three dayes all the people both men and women vsing all manner of cruelties and despites vpon it Lucian a notorious blasphemer of Christ his Diuinity was deuoured with dogges Arrius had also a wonderfull end for as he was comming to dispute with the Prelates he fell into such a loosenesse of belly that he auoided his guts and bowels The death of Lewis the eleuenth King of France was also something strange for as he was beholding Tennisse players with his wife among other talke he said that he hoped to doe nothing hereafter that should offend God which words were no sooner out of his mouth but he fell downe speechlesse and languishing a few houres he dyed in the same place which argueth the miserable condition of men that a mightie King when he least thought vpon death and had many goodly houses and buildings ended his life suddenly in the most vile and filthy place of all his Castle where men vsed to make water And the manner of the death was very rare that Atterius Rufus a Romane knight suffered This man dreamed or was warned by a vision that when the Gladiators or Fencers exercised their 〈◊〉 at Syracusa as the manner then was to kill one another with their naked swords he should be slaine by one Râ—…tiarius a man to him vnknowne which dreame he declared the next day to them that sate by him to behold this fight or pastime This Retiarius chanced to bee brought in place with one Mirmillo whose face as soone as Atterius beheld he told them that this was the man that he dreamed should kill him and rose vp presently meaning to depart but being perswaded by them that sate by him he stayed As the two men were fighting Retiarius chanced to driue Mirmillo to the place where Atterius sate and hauing cast him downe by him he thinking to kill Mirmillo thrust his sword thorow Atterius and slue him It is no lesse strange to consider of the miserable end of men by two contrary passions sudden sorrow and ioy Don Pedro and Don Iohn hauing the gouernment of the kingdome of Castile in the nonage of the young King their Nephew made warres vpon the Moores 〈◊〉 Grenata and as they returned homeward in good order Don Pedro being in the vaward and Don Iohn in the rereward whom the Moores preased so hard that he was faine to send to Don Pedro to returne to his aide Hee hastening to assist Don Iohn could by no meanes make his souldiers follow him and drawing his sword to strike some of them thinking therby to make the rest more obedient he was so troubled to see he could not helpe Don Iohn that he fell downe dead from his Horse which when Don Iohn heard that was valiantly fighting with the Moores he conceiued such griefe that he fell downe speechlesse his strength fayling and dyed within a little while after Herennius a Sicilian as he was led to prison for being partaker of a conspiracy was so perplexed through feare of the future Iudgement that he fell downe dead at the entry into the prison Plantius looking vpon his dead wife cast himselfe vpon her dead body and with very sorrow dyed The like happened to a French Gentleman the son of Gilbert of Mompensier who went to Pozzuola to visit his fathers tombe and being ouercome with extreme sorrow after hee had shed abundance of teares he fell downe dead vpon the sepulcher This is no lesse strange that ioy hath wrought the same effect and such as sorrow could not kill sudden ioy hath dispatched A woman hearing of a great slaughter of the Romanes by their ouerthrow at the battell of Thrasymeno where her sonne serued as a souldier meeting him at the gate vnlooked for fell downe dead in his armes as shee was embracing him Another woman hearing a false report and beleeuing that her sonne was dead as soone as she saw him dyed presently Philemon had certaine figs gathered for him and being set within his sight an Asse came to them and began to eate he willed a Boy to drine away the Asse who went so slowly that he had eaten all the figs before the Boy came Because thou hast made no more haste said Philemon giue the Asse wine also wherewith he fell into such a laughter that he dyed forth with Diagoras and Chilon hearing that their children had wonne the prize at the games of Olympus laughed so heartily for ioy that they dyed immediatly Of late yeeres Sinas hauing the charge of certaine Gallyes vnder the great Turke seeing his sonne restored to him againe that was taken prisoner by the Christians dyed with extreme ioy at the first sight of him But that the miserable conditions of men may be seene as well by the strangenesse of their death as by the infinite troubles of their life we will alleage a few examples more for to prosecute it at the full would containe a great volume of the seueritie or crueltie that hath beene vsed in a strange sort The Transiluanians hauing taken certaine Rebels with their Captaine made them fast three dayes and then made them eate their Captaine halfe roasted and afterward his bowels sod before they put them to death There were sixe men for some notorious fact condemned iudged to this death they were set aliue into the ground all sauing their head aboue in front three against three and face to face and there continued in that sort vntill they miserably ended their liues An Italian Gentleman hauing the vpper hand of his enemie who vpon his knees asked for mercie willed him to deny God which when the other had done in hope of life he thrust his sword thorow him saying I will now kill thee body and soule Certaine Italians were
seeme to you happy or vnhappy I know not because I was neuer conuersant with him but what if you had had his company would you then know him Can you take knowledge of his felicity by no other meanes No truly Then it seemeth ô Socrates that you will say likewise I cannot tell whether the great King of Persia bee happy or not and so it is true for I know not how he is instructed with learning or with iustice Doth all felicity consists in this Truly by mine opinion for I account that man or woman that is honest and good to be happy and him that is vniust and vnhonest vnhappy Then according to your words Archelaus is vnhappy Yea surely if he be vniust and vnhonest Thus much of Socrates Yet negligence is to be auoided and prouidence without ouermuch care and possession without feare is necessary and requisite It is a wise mans part to put aside dangerous things before they come to do hurt for the losse or harme a man receiueth by his own fault is more grieuous then that which happeneth to him by another man Thucidides saith It is no shame for a man to confesse his pouerty but it is a shame to fall into it by his owne fault He must haue all things premeditate that happeneth to men and thinke the same may fall vpon him for the things that are foreseene before pierce not so deepely as that which commeth suddenly and taketh a man vnwares He that will make his life pleasant must not take ouermuch care to prouide for it neither can any man take full pleasure of any thing except he haue a minde prepared for the losse of it One proâ—…steth by long study to haue learned this to contemne mortall things and not to bee ignorant of his ignorance Death is to all men by nature terrible but to a Christian that knoweth with how great an aduantage hee changeth his estate it ought to bee had in contempt whereof the heathens that knew not God nor what should become of them made little account who for friuolous causes would offer themselues voluntarily to die whose examples though they be not to be followed but auoyded as an vnlawfull and vnnaturall act yet they may serue to perswade men the rather to discharge themselues of all feare of death that haue an assured hope certaine knowledge to possesse the vnspeakable ioyes of heauen when the Infidels through a vaine hope of a better life wherein neuerthelesse they were deceiued would often make choise of a voluntary death CleoÌ„brotus hauing read Plato his booke of the immortality of the Soule wherein he disswadeth men from the ouermuch loue of this life thinking he had found the ready way to deliuer his soule out of prison cast himselfe downe headlong from a high wall and brake his necke They haue a custome in Narsinga that when the men die their wiues be buried aliue with them that with great solemnity and ioy when the king is dead there is a pile of wood of a most pleasant sauour set on fire the kings carkeise carried into it and then all his concubines whereof he hath great store and all his familiar friends and fauourites and such of his seruants as were in estimation with him are likewise carried into that pile of wood to which place they go with such haste ioy to be burnt that to accompany their king in that kind of death they seeme to esteeme it the greatest honour and felicity that can happen to them The Indians by custome doe marry many wiues and when the husband is dead there is great contention among his wiues which of them he loued best that she may be buried with him then she that hath iudgement with her with great ioy merry countenance is led by her friends to the place and casting her selfe into the fire vpon her husband is burnt with him as a most happy woman the rest remaining leading a sorrowfull life There hath been a people dwelling by the mountaines called Rifei who hold this for a custome when they come to the age of 50 They make great piles of wood and put fire to them there burne themselues aliue and sacrifice to their gods and the same day the kinsfolke children make a great feast and do eate their flesh halfe burnt and drinke with wine the dust of their bones How much lesse then should Christians feare death when it pleaseth God to send for them that hope for a crowne of glory after this life They make a good bargaine that with the death of the body seeke the saluation of their Soule Plato saith All the life of wise men is the meditation vpon death that men ought not to be carefull to liue long but to liue well For the honourable age saith Saâ—…mon is not that which is of long time neither that which is measured by the number of yeeres but wisedome is the gray haire an vndefiled life is the old age And Euripides saith This life is life by name but in very deed labour Death is not a torment but a rest and end of all mans miseries and labours And Seneca Before old age come a man should learne to liue well and in old age to die well But the day of our death saith Gregory our Creator would not haue knowne to vs that the same being alwayes vnknown may be alwayes thought to be at hand and that euery man should be so much the more feruent in operation by how much hee is vncertaine of his vocation that whilest we be vncertaine when we shall die wee may alwayes come prepared to death And because that is so certaine a thing that no man can escape it shall bee good alwayes to thinke vpon death especially in the time of prosperity â—…or the thinking often thereof will bridle and restraine all other cuill thoughts and desires of worldly vanities for in prosperity we forget humane srailty It is reported that the Emperour Charles the fift fiue yeeres before he died euen when he was occupied in his greatest affaires caused a sepulcher to be made with all things appertaining to it that was necessary for his buriall being dead and that secretly lest it might be taken for ostentation or hypocrisie which things he had closely carried with him whithersoeuer he went fiue yeeres together some thinking there had been some great treasure in it some other that there had been bookes of old stories some thought one thing some another but the Emperour smiling said that he carried it about with him for the vse of a thing to him aboue all others most precious In that sort he seemed to set death alwayes before his eyes that the coÌ„tinuall remeÌ„brance therof might driue from his heart the vaine pompe pride of this world Let vs imagine that we see a maÌ„ of mean estate whose mind is cleansed from all perturbations vnquietnes that hath
honours and such like bringeth not felicity but the service of God Iugera non faciunt felicem plurima frater Non Tergestini dulcia musta soli Non Tyriae vestes Aurâ—… non pondera flavi Non ebur aut gemma non juvenile decus Non dulcis nati soboles non bellula conjux Non tenuisse suâ—… sceptra superbamanu Noveris rerum causas licet astra polique Et nostro quicquid sub Iove mundus habet At mea si quaeris quae sit sententia Frater Dicam vis felix vivere vive Deo Brother not many acres make thee blest Nor the sweet grapes in Tergestine prest Not Tyrian garments not thy golden treasure Not Ivory gemmes nor all thy youthfull pleasure Not thy faire issue not thy beauteous bride Not a proud scepter with thine hand to guide To natures secrets though thy skill extend And thou the starres and poles dost apprehend With all the world doth beneath Iove containe Yet if thou ask'st of me what thou shalt gaine By these I le speake if thou wouldst make thy ' boad In heaven so live that thou mayst live to God The end of the fifth booke THE FELICITIE OF MAN OR HIS SUMMUM BONUM THE SIXTH BOOKE CHAP. I. The Creation of Man and the estate he was in at the beginning before his fall Mans alteration after his fall how he participates with the nature of brute beasts All things made to serve man rebell against him Man only of all other Creatures declineth from his originall nature The reason why God suffereth evill to be committed The means that God hath given to man by which to escape the dangers into which he is fallen Of the three faculties of the soule vegetative sensitive and understanding c. IT appeareth by that which hath bin said what manner of felicitie men may enjoy in this life which is rather an usurped name and improperly so called than so indeed Now resteth to discourse upon the true end and felicity of man or beatitude and Summum bonum When God had created this goodly frame of the world being so called of his excellent and beautifull forme replenished with such varietie of creatures and placed the earth in the middest last of all he made man after his owne image which St. Paul interpreteth to bee justiâ—… and holinesse of truth who was after called Aâ—…am of the veine of red earth whereof hee was made And when God had finished this worke and made man hâ—… ceased from creating any more things and rested in him in whom hee delighted and would for ever after communicate himselfe his wisdome his justice and his joy and gave unto him a companion for his greater comfort and pleasure This man he adorned with many goodly gifts and placed him in Paradise which signifieth the best part of the earth and that estate of men in which they should have lived without sin and death In which place appointed for their habitation are the four fountaines of the goodly rivers of Euphrates Tigris Ganges and Nilus which they water passe through and containeth almost a third part of the earth But when this man by the temptation subtill practices of the Serpent tasted of the forbidden fruit withdrew himselfe from the due obedience of his Creator he lost many of those goodly ornaments wherewith God had endowed him and fell into the punishment appointed for his transgression eternall death and damnation But the son of God bearing a singular favour to man pacified his father to satisfie his justice which was immutable he took upon him to fulfill all that obedience 〈◊〉 God required of man and restored him into Gods favour againe though not with recovery of all his lost ornaments revealed the promise of God which he had also procured to send him to be a protector of mankind against the tyranny of the Divell therefore he is called the word because he revealed this secret decree out of the breast of the eternal Father And this was the first miracle that God wrought after his creation of the world and the creatures therin contained staying them that were to dye without the second causes and without that ordinarie course of life which before hee had established Iosephus writeth that Adam set up two tables of stone in which he wrote the beginning of the creation the fall of man and the promise Now if wee consider what a worthy and beautifull creature man was before his fall the very habitation temple of God without sinne and without death wee may easily judge what an ungrateful and unhappy creature he was to revolt from God to the Divell whereby he and his posterity became subject to sinne and death For first God made him after his own image likenes that is he made him most good uncorrupt holy righteous immortall furnished him with most excellent gifts that nothing might bee wanting unto him to all blessednesse in God His understanding was wholly divine his will most free most holy he had power of doing good evil a law was given him of God which shewed him what he should doe or what he should not doe For the Lord said Thou shalt not eate of the tree of knowledg both of good evil God simply required of him obedience faith that whole Adam should depend upon him that not constrained by necessity but should do it freely he told him also the perill willed him not to touch the tree lest he dye So that he left him in his own counsell whose will was then free might have chosen whether he would have broken Gods commandment or not Neither did â—…atan in the serpent compel him to eat but perswaded the womaÌ„ with hope of a more excellent wisedome who drew on her husband willingly to bee partaker of the same by the false and lying perswasion and promise of the divel by the delectable shew sightliness of the tree the fruit whereof after the woman had first tasted she gave to her husband also to eate By meanes whereof hee lost those goodly gifts ornaments which God had bestow'd upon him which gifts hee gave to Adam upon condition that hee would also give them to his posterity if himselfe did keep them but would not give them if hee by his unthankfulnes would cast them away so that by his transgression disobedience hee was cast out of Paradise that is out of that happy estate found al the elements lesse favorable His nature condition was alter'd from goodnes holines to sin and wickednes from sincerity to corruption the influences that descend from the stars and planets which are of themselves simply good through our sinnes and corruption turne to evill so as all things made for our use rebell and conspire together against us and our sinnes are the cause of all our evill Which fall and alteration of mans nature and his ingratitude towards
Their pride parallel'd with the 〈◊〉 of Peter and Iobn 89. Of Pope sixtus the fourth and a Friar 89. Of a 〈◊〉 husbandman and the Arch-bishop of Cullen 90. The great humility of Origen his entertainment by Alexander Severus 91. His learned Sermon 92. Contempt of riches oftner found amongst Heathen than Christians cap. 3.97 Of 〈◊〉 a Senator of Abderita ibid. His excellent apprehensions 98. Diogones against rich men and riches 99. Bias his contempt of riches 100. A golden table drawne out of the Sea by fishermen ibid. The modesty of the Sages 101. Ferdinando King of Spaine against Lawyers ibid. The modesty of Agasbooles King of Sicilia 102. Of Philip King of 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 her report of covetousnesse ibid. The covetousnesse of Cardinall Angelos 103. 〈◊〉 Maria Duke of Millaine and a Priest ibid. Of the envious and the covetous man 104. An excellent Law made by 〈◊〉 King of Egypt ibid. Alexander severms against usurie ibid. The story of an Advocate of Venice and his Father 106 Of money bestowed as it ought to be 107 How king 〈◊〉 dealt with a rich man ibid. A Caliph of Persia slaine in his treasure house 108 Renowne better than riches ibid. Wisedome the greatest riches and ignorance the worst poverty 109 A strange story of 〈◊〉 a covetous Emperour ibid. The first supremacy of the Church of Rome given by 〈◊〉 Emperour 110 Gonstantine first inriched the Church of Rome ibid. Riches first kindled the fire of purgatorie ibid. None can be truly good and very rich at one time 111 Riches and honesty seldome dwell together ibid. The Philosophers and Sages concerning povertie and riches 112 The great temperance of pbocionâ—… and Diogenes 113 The bold answer of Diomedes the Pyrate to king Alexander 114 Of 〈◊〉 and king philip 115. Magicians punished in seeking hidden gold 116 Of Mark 〈◊〉 his Concubin 〈◊〉 Caura and his death 117 CHAP. IIII. The bounty of one 〈◊〉 118 The 〈◊〉 against riches 119 A rich Cardinall of England His death ibid. Of men 〈◊〉 for their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cardinall c. 120 Examples of continent men 〈◊〉 the Philosopher 〈◊〉 a Theban A knight of Malta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 121 A character of Pope 〈◊〉 the fifth His Charity with the great 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 122 Charity liberally rewarded ibid. An Epigram of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 123 Observable Answers of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 124 A rich man compared to a Peacocke ibid. Contempt of riches in 〈◊〉 the Philosopher 〈◊〉 c. 125 〈◊〉 the cause of 〈◊〉 ruin ib. 〈◊〉 accuseth 〈◊〉 before 〈◊〉 126 〈◊〉 apology and submission to Nero 127 The admirable continence of Roman 〈◊〉 128 Of the Emperour 〈◊〉 the proverb verified in him Honours 〈◊〉 manners 129 〈◊〉 censure of the rich 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 the great Turkes justice upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 130 Vsurers compared to the fish fifth pag. 131 An excellent discourse drawn from Sir Thomas 〈◊〉 Vtopia reproving pride 132 The covetousnesse of the French and Portugall Nations reproved 133 The covertousnesse of the Spainard ibid. The great cruelty of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Spaniard 134 His barbarous cruelty reproved by a Prince of Florida ibid. No felicitie can consist 〈◊〉 in riches 135 The Contents of the third Booke HOnour and glory no part of true felicity Cap. 1 pag. 137. Honour followeth those which fly it 138 Alexanders ambition being a child ibid. Cyncas excellently reproveth the ambition of King 〈◊〉 139 Ambition the ruine of king Pyrrbus 140 Ambition the subversion of Kingdomes and Common-weales ib. Ambition without limit 141 The unnaturalnesse of Adolphbus Duke of Geldria ibid. 〈◊〉 Henry the fifth Emperour Frederick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all bloudy murderers and parricides 142 A strange history betwixt 〈◊〉 K. of Denmarke and 〈◊〉 K. of Succia and Gothland 143 The inhumanities of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Queene of Naples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Cardinall of Valentia c. 144 Examples in the same kinde of Richard the third 〈◊〉 of Egypt 〈◊〉 c. 145 â—…he nature of the water of the 〈◊〉 Styx ibid. The Church of Millaine opposed against Rome 200. yeares ibid. The aâ—…bition of Henry King of France after slaine by count Montgomery 146 Strange predictions before his death 147 Seventie Emperors of Rome came to untimely ends ibid. The rising of 〈◊〉 from a slave to the Empire 148 〈◊〉 slaine by 〈◊〉 150 The Empire set to sale by the 〈◊〉 souldiers ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 buyeth the Empire his wretched death 151 The noble 〈◊〉 of King 〈◊〉 of France being presented a Prisoner to King 〈◊〉 the third 152 The like of 〈◊〉 King of the 〈◊〉 presented before the Emperour 〈◊〉 pag. 153 The ambition of King 〈◊〉 modestly 〈◊〉 154 The modesty of 〈◊〉 in his 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 life ibid. Men in great place rather to bee 〈◊〉 than envied 155 Of many miseries that seeme happy 156 〈◊〉 King of 〈◊〉 reproveth greatnesse ibid. 〈◊〉 doth the like to 〈◊〉 157 The 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the tyrant ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him in his poverty 158 The modesty of 〈◊〉 the Romane Emperour ibid A speech to the like purpose of 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 159 The modesty of 〈◊〉 ibid. The 〈◊〉 of a Prince 166 The Emperour Trajan concerning Empire and government Cap. 2 pag. 162 The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his letter to a friend concerning the 〈◊〉 163 The Emperour 〈◊〉 slaine by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 the dictator and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 167 〈◊〉 being 〈◊〉 private 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 168 His retyred life 170 〈◊〉 the second deposed by 〈◊〉 172 〈◊〉 deposed by 〈◊〉 173 〈◊〉 deposed by the former 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 slaine by 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 deposed by 〈◊〉 174 〈◊〉 deposed by 〈◊〉 ibid. Contention betwixt 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 for the 〈◊〉 ib. The inhumane tyrannie of Pope 〈◊〉 the 13th His death 175 Three Popes at one time 〈◊〉 the Popedome equally together 176 Of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ibid. Of Alexander and King 〈◊〉 ibid. Of Alexander and k. 〈◊〉 178 The horrible treason of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ibid. The observable death of 〈◊〉 Alexanders 〈◊〉 over him 180 The horrible death of 〈◊〉 181 The horrid death of Abraham k. of Marocco with his wife ibid. Of 〈◊〉 Cossa Pope deposed and cast in prison 182 The 〈◊〉 ends of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 183 Of 〈◊〉 who 〈◊〉 Asia 184 〈◊〉 against flattery ibid. The ridiculous 〈◊〉 of king 〈◊〉 185 Of divers strange Tenents held by the Pope 186 Of Popes that have beene profest Magicians 188 Pope Clements Ball ibid. A parish Priests Sermon 189 A notable trick put upon the Cardinall of Lorreine 190 Of one 〈◊〉 a Necromancer 191 The speech of Erasmus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 192 CHAP. III. Paulus Iovins of the Councell of Trent 194 The strange death of Benedict the ninth 195 The miserable end of Sylvester the second 196 A 〈◊〉 of Bonicasius the eighth to become Pope 197 Of Cornelius Agrippa concerning the Augustine 〈◊〉 198 Examples of insuffrable pride in the Clergie 199 The proud letters of Pope 〈◊〉 to Philip K. of France 201 The kings Answer 202 The witty answer of Henry
the second who summoned him before the Tribunall seat in heaven 203 A contention betwixt the Abbot of Fulda and the Bishop of Hildeseme ibid. Of Pope 〈◊〉 a woman 204 Of the Popes scrutiny 205 The pride of king Herod and 〈◊〉 205 Divers examples of the Divels 〈◊〉 answers to the ruine of those that trust in him 206 A worthy example in one 〈◊〉 207 The insuffrable ambition of 〈◊〉 Magus 208 Of a 〈◊〉 in Constantinople 209 Of the Magician 〈◊〉 ibid. The Abbot 〈◊〉 a great Nocromancer 210 His Art shewed before the Emperour Maximilian 211 Albertus 〈◊〉 a Monke and Necromancer 212 Pope Gragory the seventh a Magician 213 A letter of 〈◊〉 to the Clergy 214 The Earle of Mascon a Magician ibid. A strange story of a Spanish woman of Corduba called 〈◊〉 215 Her hypocrisie disclosed and confest 218 The history of the false Prophet 〈◊〉 219 His miserable and wretched end 226 An Epitaph of a tyrannous Viceroy in Sicilia 227 Of Salmoxes 228 The strange ambition of an Hermite in Affrica 229 Who in three yeares became Monarch of six Kingdoms pag. 230 The miserable ends of him and his Councell 232 Of 〈◊〉 Adella sonne to the Hermit 233 The resolute end of those Turkes which starved the Hermit ibid. Of a blasphemous Iew 234 Of George 〈◊〉 a new Prophet 235 A strange history of a child borne in Babylon 236 A strange history extracted out of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 237 Of the instigation of evill 〈◊〉 241 〈◊〉 IIII. A curious policy prosecuted by the King of France against the Duke of Guise 242 The Sacrament made a colour for murder 244 The death of the Duke of Guise 〈◊〉 The death of the Cardinal the brother to the Guise 245 The complaint of the 〈◊〉 of Guise 246 A great justice upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Genoway 248 Philip King of Macedon 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 249 Of Herostratus that burnt the Temple of 〈◊〉 and others ib. The great ambition of the Duke of Alva 250 The old Duke of Guise 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 251 Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who would have slaine the Prince of 〈◊〉 252 Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who slew the Prince of Orange His 〈◊〉 255 Of 〈◊〉 Clement a Dominican Monke who slew the 〈◊〉 King Henry the 〈◊〉 256 Of Pope 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 after the French Kings death 258 A Friar canoniz'd for a Saint because he was a 〈◊〉 259 The story of a Spanish Priest 260 Of the Lady Mary de 〈◊〉 261 That all glory is but vanity 263 Of 〈◊〉 a Portugall 264 Of 〈◊〉 ibid. Of Arsaces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Probus 〈◊〉 Agelmund 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 of Leyden 266 The originall of the Amazons 267 Of 〈◊〉 King of 〈◊〉 268 Of c. 269 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Q 〈◊〉 270 A custome in the Indies 273 Of true nobility ibid. The rich are of true 〈◊〉 274 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 276 Of Beauty ibid. Of vanity in apparell 277 Of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Bernard 278 The excellency of learning 279 The modesty of Alexander 〈◊〉 Philip k. of Macedon pag. 280 Of Queene 〈◊〉 ib.d. 〈◊〉 and Heliogabalus 281 Of Proculus a Romane Emp. 282 The fable of the Boycs and the Asse 283 Envie attendeth honour 284 The frailty of glory 285 The Contents of the fourth Booke VVHerein the felicitie of man doth consist according to the ancient Philosophers Cap. 1. pag. 188 Three things required to attaine to true felicitie 289 Of vertue wisedome and knowledge 290 How a man may fall from blessednesse to infelicity 291 The Gordian knot dissolved by Alexander 292 Wherein true felicitie consisteth 293 Of Sydrach Mysach and 〈◊〉 294 The effects of vertue 295 Temples crected to vertue and honour 296 Detraction murder punisht 297 Vain-glory derided in 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 king of Sparta 298 Of Romane Regulus 299 Of divers who preferred their Countries before their own lives 300 Of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 king of Sparta 302 〈◊〉 Iustice in 〈◊〉 Cap. 2. 304 A remarkeable Act in Charondes 305 Severe Iustice in 〈◊〉 casar ibid. Great justice in 〈◊〉 306 Examples of Iustice and Policie in Trajan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Alexander 〈◊〉 ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 307 Marous 〈◊〉 concerning the choyce of Magistrates 308 Gregory 〈◊〉 concerning the same 310 Of Favorites to Princes 311 The counsell of Vegetius and vegetins to Princes 312 Good Lawes 〈◊〉 and Peace the three daughters of Honesty 313 Duties belonging to a Prince ibid. An Invective against 〈◊〉 314 Of Alexander 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 315 The remarkeable death of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. Of three observable 〈◊〉 316 Divers 〈◊〉 reformed by Henry the 3d of France Cap. 3. pag. 318 The French nation reproved for many vices pag. 319 Miseries attending the neglect of 〈◊〉 318 The rare Temperance of Scipioâ—… 319 The Temperance of Alexander 320 〈◊〉 the Tyrant against adultery 321 Agapete to 〈◊〉 ibid. The rare friendship of 〈◊〉 and Everitus 324 The rare friendship of 〈◊〉 and Everitus ibid. Friendship without wisedome in Hading and Hunding two kings of Denmarke and 〈◊〉 325 How vices apparell themselves like vertues 326 Of Duke Valentine the Popes son 327 Italianisme deciphered with the danger of travell 328 The finnes of ancient times 329 In new Count eyes are learned new fashions 330 What Rome was and what it now is ibid. Marcus 〈◊〉 concerning the vices of Rome and Italy 331 King Memon an inventer of delicacy 333 An history out of plutarch to the fame purpose ibid Strange justice done upon Lueius 〈◊〉 by the Romane senate 334 Against drunkennesse ibid. Of the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 336 Against pride in apparell 337 The 〈◊〉 that carried the Image of 〈◊〉 338 A taxation of vanity in attyre and 〈◊〉 gesture 339 Due prayses conferred upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 340 Gaine getteth friendship 341 A discourse of friendship 342 The Story of a Beare ibid. Another of a Dogge 343 A french dogge the dogge of 〈◊〉 and the dogge of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 344 The Horse of 〈◊〉 345 Of an Oxe ibid. The history of Androcles and a Lyon 346 Of a Boy an Eagle Cap. 4 p. 349 Of a Boy and a Dolphin ibid. A witty and ingenious Host 350 Of riches 352 An aspersion layd upon dice-players 353 A custome in China and against new fashions 354 A Law amongst the Thebans 355 Forreine manners interdicted with perfumes c. ibid. Against excesse in 〈◊〉 and garments 356 The rare modesty of the ancient times 357 Of Regulus and 〈◊〉 the Dictator c. ibid. The Magnanimitie of 〈◊〉 the Philosopher pag. 358 The maners of this age compared with the former 359 Artaxerxes to Teribarus the Persian 360 To thinke our selves wise the greatest folly 362 The life contemplative preferred before the civill 363 Fortune hath no power over the life contemplative 365 3. bodily worlds concatinated 366 Examples of divers who forsooke the world for a life contemplative 367 Of Paul an Hermit c. 368 The Contents of the fifth Booke CHAPTER I. Simonides the Poet unto King Cyrus pag. 368 The true property of Felicity 369 Distinction betwixt the
name of pouerty is a torment And therfore a greater reuenge cannot be wished to a rich man then that he liue long for that greater is the penance by his long life in couetousnesse then any other reuenge that can be taken of him And if couetous men knew what a sweete thing liberality is they would turne their desires to gain much into a disposition to giue more as the Poet saith Extra fortunam est quic quid dâ—…natur amicis Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes What 's giuen to friends is beyond fortunes frowne Gifts so bestowd shall alwayes be thine owne Auoide therefore pouerty as much as thou mayest and yet fall not in loue with riches lest thou bee ouercome by them for many labour for riches to liue and many liue to get riches as the Satyricke saith Non propter vitam faciunt patrimonia quidam Sed vitio câ—…ci propter patrimonia viuunt Some be that not for life their purchase make But blinde with sinne liue for their purchase sake Saint Augustine saith Whosoeuer suffereth himselfe to be gouerned by couetousnesse desire of riches he maketh himselfe subiect to all vices to all wickednes There is nothing worse theÌ„ a couetous man there is not a more wicked thing then to loue money Democritus affirmed that extreme couetousnes was worse then extreme pouerty And he that will looke thorowly into a maÌ„ shal find that he is vnapt to al maner of vertues Diâ—…genes opinioÌ„ was that in a rich city there caÌ„ be no place for vertue God saith Gueuarra we see giueth power to many couetous men to get riches policy to keepe them hearts to defend theÌ„ life to possesse them but not liberty to reioyce vse them so that though they be Lords ouer the riches of others yet they are slaues to that themselues possesse The pleasures of life of a couetous man will end before his couetousnesse For where vices haue had long continuance there death onely must plucke vp the rootes He taketh no pleasure but in casting his reckenings in telling his money in selling his wares and in multiplying his coÌ„modities esteeming it as a Paradise to be alwayes gaining and neuer spending to be alwayes winning and neuer losing to be alwayes receiuing and neuer lending and to be alwayes getting as though he should neuer die And if he haue two keyes to his chest to keepe money from stealing he suffereth ten cares in his heart to keepe him from spending Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam So that the care being great to keepe and the griefe no lesse to lose men should bee aduised how they beginne to get since to saue a little of their wealth they hazzard much of their honour for gaine and getting are but weake pillers to vphold a good name because couetousnesse and honour are of themselues contrary and cannot agree together in one man And although he haue great riches and possessions yet in his own conceit he lacketh so much as he seeth himselfe aduanced by another that hath more It is painefull to many to see a few aboue them because they consider not how many be beneath them Riches is neither good nor euill of it selfe but by relation according to the vse or abuse of it Neither do riches hurt the possessour if he vse them well nor neede maketh a poore man commendable And therefore saith Saint Ambrose Let rich men learne that there is no fault in riches and possessions but in them that know not how to vse them For as to the wicked riches is a hinderance so to the good it is a furtherance to vertue For what profiteth it thee saith Augustine to haue a chest full of goods if thy conscience be empty Thou wilt haue goods and thou wilt not be good thy selfe Thou oughtest to be ashamed of thy goods if thy house be full of goods and haue of thee an euill master And Ecclesiisiicus What profiteth it a foole to haue riches seeing he cannot buy wisedome For a guilt saddle and bridle maketh a horse nothing the better And this is commonly seene in these dayes that whom fortune raiseth a foote in riches and reputation hee lifteth vp himselfe a yard in pride and couetousnesse By which sayings it appeareth that riches neither couetously gotten nor niggardly hoorded nor vainely spent to him that estimateth them with a sound and vpright iudgement and vseth them as they ought and to that purpose for which they were ordained may be a furtherance to felicity To this purpose serueth the olde Greeke Poets counsell Hesiodus made Latin if I forget not by Sir Thomas Moore Tanquam iam moriturus partis vtere rebus Tanquam victurus denuò parcetuis Ille sapit qui perpensis his ritè duobus Parcus erit certo munificúsque modo As at thy death so liberally giue Yet therein be as thou wert long to liue He shall be held wise that both these can doe Be equally both free and sparing too But the paines men commonly take in getting riches and the care in keeping them and the sorrow for losing them maketh men rather vnhappie then happy that possesse them The next way to riches saith Seneâ—… is by contemning riches for some man may contemne all things but no man can haue all things And yet to possesse riches without feare and care may be profitable to him that hath them The onâ—…ly way to doe that is for a man to perswade himselfe that hee may liue well without them Compare the riches thou hast lost with the cares that be gone with them and thou mayest call it gaine It is more easie to depart from the rules of vertue in the state of riches then of pouertie Hee whom in abundance saith Gregorie pride puffeth not vp nor in necessity defires prouoke knoweth how to vse plentie and to suffer penurie For no man is ouerthrowne with the griefe of aduersitie that is not ouertaken with the pleasures of prosperitie Our fore-fathers saith one were so wise and we so simple because they laboured not but to know and we trauell not but to haue Antist said that riches without vertue yeeld as much pleasure as a banquet without any body at it But Horace noting the euill estimation and vse of riches said it brought all things to passe Virtus fama decus diuina humanâ—… que pulchriâ—… Diuitys parent quas qui construxerit ille Clarus erit fortis iustus sapiens ctiam Rex Et quicquid volcâ—… haec veluti virtuâ—… paratum Sperabit magnae laudi fore Vertue fame honoâ—…r things humane and diuine All thesâ—…â—…iue place vnto the golden myne Which wâ—…onso hath his Clarity shall spring He shall be valiant iust wise nay a King Be what he will and from it hope more praise Then he expects whom noble vertues raise CHAP. V. The great Modesty and Tempâ—…nce of the Emperour Traian Antiochus King of Asiâ—… Thâ—…pompus Agesilaus King of Sparta A noble custome
among the Romanes in conserring their great honours The estates of this life compared to the Zones A dialogue betwixt Socrates and another Of such as haue 〈◊〉 death Of the Emperour Charles the fiâ—… The rare effects of virtue The manner how the Venetians created their 〈◊〉 Magistrates Of Kings Princes The Princes Court a Theater The age imitatcth their Kings and â—…ulers What manner of man a good Prince should be 〈◊〉 of sundry good Princes Kings Courts ought to 〈◊〉 schooles of Vertue What manner of men Princes shoulâ—… make their Familiars and Councâ—…llers variety of discourse to that purpose c. THe desire of honour and glory and principalitie hath beene shewed by many examples and is seene by daily experience to haue brought many to extreme misery which being duely considered by diuers wise Princes hath induced them in the highest degree of honour to giue ouer their principality and to leade in a meane estate a priuate life Traian said that he maruelled more of the contempt that Cincinnatus Scipiâ—… and M. Porcius had of great estate and worldly goods then of their victories King Antiochus when the Romanes had taken from him his Dominion in Asia and removed him beyond the mountaine called Taurus gave them thankes that they had vnburdened him of so great a charge and left to him the possession of a meane Kingdome that would be gouerned with more â—…ase which argueth that there is nothing so glorious and magnificent but it desireth a moderation When Theopompus heard that his countriemen had by decree given him very great honour he refused it saying That time did encrease meane honours but did abolish those that were exceeding great It is better to be worthie of honour then to have honour Agesilaus King of Sparta hearing that divers Nations and people in Greece had decreed to set vp his image or picture in their Cities for honours sake wrote to them that hee would haue no picture nor image of his made in any sort to be set vp in any place But where is that modesty and contempt of vaine glory to bee found not onely among Christian Princes but in meaner estates who for the most part thinke themselues bereaved of their due if they be not both pictured and registred as worthy of perpetuall memory though their merits bee little or nothing But Agesilaus contented himselfe with honesty chusing rather to be engraven by his vertue in mens brests then to hang up against the walles or to be set up in the market place in gold or brasse For there is not a more beautifull picture then the honourable memory of a life well spent And therefore men should bee carefull to leaue such pictures behinde them as may rather shew the images of their minde then the lineaments of their face and body And men of noble mindes glory not in the beautie of their boâ—…e which is so soone defaced and at an end but in Wisedome in Fortitude and in those things that shew the Vertue of the mind And therefore the Romanes when they appointed to any excellent man his image to be made they caused it to be apparelled in a long gowne if they deâ—…ed it to 〈◊〉 for any civill commendation but if it were for the glâ—…y of the warres then he was armed expressing not onely the forme of his body but also in some sort the vertue of his minde He is worthy of honour in deede who in his owne opinion deserueth not that he hath and in the opinion of others deserueth much more then that hee possesseth Honour therefore and glory and rule and reputation haue no necessary part in a happy life neither are they any helpe but rather hinderance to â—…ehcity And yet they that vse honour as they ought may bee neuerthelesse happy by the testimonie of a learned man Honorem consecuti diuiti as probae virtutis instrumenta facite Sic boni credimini vitam beatam aegere poteritis Hauing attained vnto honour make riches the instruments of honest vertue so you shall be esteemed good men and leade a blessed life This sufficiency therefore that bringeth forth contentation and happinesse must haue respect to nature and to ciuilitie measured by the sound iudgement of a minde voyde of all perturbations Nature hath giuen to euery man to be happy if hee knew how to vse it for hee that thinketh his goods and possessions not to be great enough is faire from felicity though he were Emperour of the whole world For what matter is it what estate a man be in if himselfe thinke it not to be good seeing happinesse commeth of a contented mind He is happy that seemeth not so to other men but to himselfe But this is a great vnhappinesse to which men are subiect that then they shall know their folly and not before when they shall not be able to find any remedy Such a minde that is cleansed from the intemperance of his impure vnruly affections knoweth how to find out this sufficiency and suffereth reason to perswade him to be therewith contented He can make choise of pleasures and delights so moderate them as they shall be no hinderance to felicity he estimateth things as they are and not as they shew to be honour glory dominion reputation all other pompes and worldly vanities which are so much desired wondered at of meÌ„ as the perfection of felicity he esteemeth as the 〈◊〉 of â—…ortune ruggles for children to play with nothing appertaining to happinesse Riches if they happen to him he vseth to serne his necessity and calling and to the benefit of others not to be made a slaue vnto that which is made for his vse knowing that a couetous man is good to no body worst of all to himselfe The best measure of riches after Seneca his opinioÌ„ is not to fall into pouerty nor to be far from pouerty which agreeth with the Poet Foelix qui potuit contentus viuere paruo Happy is he that is content to liue with a little One compareth a temperate man that is contented with a little to him that trauelleth in the Spring by little iourneyes thorow a pleasant fertil couÌ„trey Philip de Comines saith that there is nothing better in this miserable life then to feare the iudgement of God in all things to obserue equity and to be content with a meane estate and not to weary our selues with those cares which are vndertaken of many through ambition a greedy desire to encrease their estate If we could enter into this course of life and hold it we should liue the more quietly be lesse afflicted with sicknes feare of death For as much then as by the opinioÌ„ of wise learned men by coÌ„moÌ„ experieÌ„ce the mean estate or that which is betwixt the mean the extremity downward is most free from the things that bring infelicity it shall bee good for him that desireth
contempt A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The divels 〈◊〉 The Divell pleadâ—… 〈◊〉 The cunning of the 〈◊〉 The Divell the author of discord A curious cursning policie The project will prosecuied The Sacrament made a colour to shed bloud Mercury The death of the Duke of Guise The death of the Cardinall The lust complaine of the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 The â—…tion of the Duke of 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Friâ—… 〈◊〉 a Saint for beeing a Regicide 〈◊〉 carefull comparison 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 Warlike 〈◊〉 Queene Elizabeth True Nobility The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of Beauty Of vanity in appâ—… syâ—… Arist. Arist. Aeseh Fer. An excellent saying Heâ—…od Isay 3. Sinne is not sufficient unleâ—…e it be boasted f. Envy 〈◊〉 on honour The opinions of the Philosophers Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 The Gordiâ—…n knot The effect of 〈◊〉 An Two Temples 〈◊〉 to vertue and honour Vaine 〈◊〉 Of Roâ—… 〈◊〉 Misdeath Such as preferred their countries before their owne lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marcus Curtius Lâ—…nidus King of Sports A rewardable victory The rare justice of Zeleucus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Severs lustâ—… Great justice in an â—…sidell Vnnaturall justice Worthy Emperours Salust Imitable governement Coignet Observe An exâ—…llentlaing of Augustus Necessarie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander Fran. Fraâ—… The great charge that Pruices undergoe Greg. Thol Favourites to Priaces Greg. Thol Note Excellent counsell from Vegotias Honesties three daughters Duties in a prince David Precepts from Philosophers Polybius Against bribes Veturius Turinus Excellent Iustice. Three observable 〈◊〉 Mel. Pene. Examples of late times The French nation reproved for many vices Miseries attending the neglect of Iustice. Three verses worthy observation Raretomperance in Scipio The temperance of Alexander Against adultery Rare friendship in Damon and Pythias Friendship hath power even in tyrants Ephenus and Everitus Friendship without wisedome Vices that take the shape of vertues Epich Machiavell Italianisme deciphered The danger of travell Fran. The thriftinesse of ancient times Guevarra concerning Travell What Roâ—…e was and what it now is Victory with losse An excellent inversion King 〈◊〉 A great observation in a youngman This is still observed in the kingdome of China As ill omen Needfull observations A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Foxe A taxation of vanity in attire and gesture â—…e spake well that never did well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 friendship The better limitation The tale of the 〈◊〉 Of a Dog The dog of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The dog of Tâ—… 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Of an Oxe Of a Lyon Rare graâ—…tud in a beast Aâ—… Eagle A Dolphin A witty boâ—… Lamblicuâ—… 〈◊〉 The contempt of dice-players A custome in China Against new 〈◊〉 An excellent law Against forreine manners Mart. Seneca Rare modesty in times of old Glory despised in time increaseth 〈◊〉 performe the workes of Christians A fit 〈◊〉 Pride derided Observation Plin. The life 〈◊〉 preferred before the civill Fortune hath no power over the contemplative life Three bodily worlds concatinated Examples An excellent answer of Simoâ—…ides The Argument of the Succeeding doubt The true propertic of 〈◊〉 Distinction betwixt the 〈◊〉 of this life and the 〈◊〉 Bonum The first 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No creature more miserable then man Of Tymon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tymons Epitaph The meditation of M. 〈◊〉 The imperfections of man since his fall The estate of mans life The estate of the Sea-man Of the husbandman The Merchant The Souldier Sundry 〈◊〉 suffered by the warres Her name was Miriam Inhumane crueltie in the Iewes In the Numantians Desperate resolution Conquered but not ouercome The misery of famine The insolency of Warre A Cowardly boaster The siege of Sanserra Of Paris Barbâ—…rous inhumanity The estate of a souldier truely deciphered The estate of the Lawyer Tacit. A difficult law-case Tacit. In too much arguing truth is lost A proverbe not more common then true The miseries of the Client Lawyers and Physicions banished Lawyers and Physicions have one common end Nothing so well intended but may be abused Lawyers a necessary evill The Lawyers penance The estate of Iudges and Magistrates Bellizarius Words worthy to be ingravon over every Seat of luslice A villaine his reprehension of the Senate of Rome A bold leproote An exellent oration of a lew An Embassador of Lysbone A dialogue betwixt a Philosopher Iustice. These were the Senators of Athens lethro to Moses The estate of the Counier A Counier described Tacit. The manner of the Court. What is cheape in the Court. The Courtiers life An excellent answer of a Queene The 〈◊〉 of Princes Their supposed felicitie cause 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 Many Counsellers and that good 〈◊〉 The story of Cleander Palpable flattery A traitors reward Favour begets envy The story of Plautianus Too much grace begets ingratitude Aristoâ—… Note The estate of Prelates Pope Adrian One thing preached another practised S. Bernards complaint of the Clergie Pope Hildebrand Their figments Their traditioÌ„s Eberard concerning the gouernment of the Popes Their insolence Pride and Coâ—…usnesse The difference betwixt S. Peter and his successors A Simile well applyed Geffrey Chaucer A strong argument against the Popes supremacy Their errors Their entertainment into Hell 〈◊〉 No felicitie in the Popes Soueraigntic The charge of the Clergic The fearefull estate of the Fryers and Cloyster-men Diversitie of Sects begets Atheisine The estate of marriage Vnitie begot 〈◊〉 marriage A 〈◊〉 husband A doubtfull question Examples of Coniugall 〈◊〉 Porcia The wiues of the Spartans Pisca Her name Alcesta Pisca A man that had twentie wiues married a woman that had two and twentie husbands Remarkeable piety Inconveniences belonging to marriage Only 〈◊〉 good daies in marriage The trouble of Children Of Solon and Thales Needlesse 〈◊〉 The like answer we reade was giuen by Diogenes Witty husbands â—…arcus Aurelius concerning marriage Time tedious spent with a bad wife Xantippe The law of the essagetes An History reported by Aâ—…lus Gellius How to chuse a wife The opinion of 〈◊〉 A witty answer No felicticâ—… in marriage The effects of peace Presages of the fall of Antwerpe Idlenesse the child of peace Peace the mother of persecution A great famine Diuers kindes of pestilences Miserable mortality Man subiect to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diseases The secret Iudgements of God Herods disease A cruell Bishop A prodigious accident Gods great Iustice. Strange examples of Gods Iustice. A remarkable story 3. Fearefull iudgements Strange stories to the same purpose An ominous dreame Offeare and ioy Of sorrow The strange effects of ioy Barbarous cruelties 〈◊〉 tyranny Necessary considerations The generall account The account of Lawyers 〈◊〉 Iudges Souldiers Vsurers Of the wicked in generall A bitter Answer A smile No estate free from calamitie The best remedy for sorrow Against those that are curious after predictions A Simile Arist. All felicity dependeth vpon God A comparison Earthly felicity is only in name 4. Things not to be bought with gold Sundry blessings bestowed by God vpon man Difference betwixt a pleasant and a patient life No man contented with his estate An excellent with of Philip King of Macedon
Good counsell of a friend A strange chance Fortunes inconstancie An ominous dreame No man happy before death Foure sure Ankers A proper application Necessary obseruations So many heads so many minds Iob. Seneca Seuerall dispoâ—…tions in children Note Caluin Reason is concraâ—…ed by will Our gratitude that ought to be to God Meanes that ought to be â—…cd To examine our selues The wrong way Seneca The vanity of feare Simile The benefit of a quiet and contented mind Things necessary to nature A limitation for pleasures Auarice neuer satisfied Senec. Sentence Xen. The best riches A riches in pouerty A pouerty in riches Of Midas and Pythius â—…neu Eccle. Extreme couetousnesse worse then extreme pouerty Richest men the greatest slauâ—… Riches in themselues neither good nor euill Similies No true felicity in riches Aust. A Princely modesty The best in a geâ—… Honor an hinderance to 〈◊〉 Clâ—…ud A companion â—…cellent modetation A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Three kinds of men in euery Common-wealth Proper 〈◊〉 Ign. Wherein happinesse most consisteth Sâ—… A dialogue Prouidence requisite Necessary obseruations Death not terrible to a good Christian. The women of Narsinga Valer. Max. The women of India Casar Necessary meditations of death Charles the 〈◊〉 Euery man is his owne greatest enemy Note A true saying Things abouâ—… the power of fortune The effects of vertue Things most pleasant in mans life â—…olly Magistrates cald Prâ—…gadi Pride and vain glory beget confusion The greatest part of felicity consisteth in the minde Note A comparison Ecclesiast A necessary obseruation Three principall impediments False felicity consisteth in fiue things * 〈◊〉 A simile The vse to be principally obserued The lesse mony the lesse care Strange but most true The necessity of industry Alex. Scucrus A wise man The ignorant liâ—…e with the least trouble The best wits haue not the soundest Iudgements Of Kings and Princes Empire maketh men monsters Profitable obseruations The Princeâ—… Court a Theater Quiequid deliraâ—…t râ—…ges 〈◊〉 Achivi All cstateâ—… strive to imitate their Princes The expression of a good King Note Proverbs Aâ—…iani The counsel of a good King Siâ—…con Who is an happy Prince Seneca â—…alust Epiâ—… Cur. Cap. Truth necessary to be whispered in Princes cares Simeon Truth scarce in Princes Courts The education of perâ—… Princes Good Princes court schooles of vaâ—…ue Whom good Princes should make â—…heir familiars Rare luâ—…ice Gifts ought to bee given ouely to the worrhy A wittie courtier or cunning begger The maje of God honoured in a Prince The felicity of the moan estate Note Troubles of this life Good fortune the greatest 〈◊〉 Good same the greatest losie The best bravery Marius Eras. Moral principles oncerning law suits The way to purchase quicnâ—…sse Non videmus id manticae quod in tergo est Three things to be avoyded Three things to be praâ—…sed Wholesome counsell Of envie To 〈◊〉 commendable envie Imitable precepts A manifest signe to bee out of Gods favour Necessary parsimony Who is happy Vnnecessary sorrow Creature intermediate A third sort of men No man contented with his estate Horace Ou. Gu. No one man can enjoy all things Octav. The end which all men should ayme at Plin. Friendship The commoditie of poverty True friendship doubles prosperitie proverbs â—…sops fable of the Lark Alexander and Ephestion Chuse welwillers rathe than friends How to chuse or retuse No friendship to bee made with the covetous man Custome amongst the Romans The application Manutan The change of times Learned Emperours Queene Elizabeth Simile One thing spoke another practiâ—…ed Prophane 〈◊〉 A fearefull eclipse Guev The foure Ages The wickednesse of these times â—…e Sinne in the height â—…punubed 〈◊〉 An Atheisticall answer Chastisement necessary The way to injoy happinesse What prouidence is to be used Manâ—… regeneration Man before his fall Mans fall Mans alteration after his fall Man of more dignitie than the world The corruption of mans nature The terrour of the conscience A Parricide The soule opposite to the sinner of the flesh Comparison Mâ—… 〈◊〉 of the nature of beastâ—… Mans senses over-rule hiâ—…reason Mor. Note Man onely Needfull conâ—… Why God suffereth evill Pride the fall of man God the only Summum bonum The meanes to escape these dangers into which wee are fallen God the end of his own Works A Siâ—…tude The application A necessary distinction An apt similitude The facuâ—… of the soule The Vegeraâ—…ve The sensitive The understanding Nothing certaine in philosophy Our greatest knowledge meere ignorance Secrets in nature A minore ad maâ—… Faith The Philosophers concerning beatitude Christian considerations The way to recover our losse Invocation Humility Religion All â—…tion acknowledge a God All true vertue grounded on religion and godlinesse True religion to what it 〈◊〉 A gainst prayer 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 A second marke of true religion A third marke The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worshipped the true God Damasco the 〈◊〉 habitation of 〈◊〉 The Bible 〈◊〉 the true 〈◊〉 of God Religion leadeth us to the scripture 〈◊〉 The necessity of a Mediatiur Who and what the Mediator is 〈◊〉 Submission the only way to obtaine pardon The temptations of the Devill All goodnes 〈◊〉 in Action Charity allied to Religion A 〈◊〉 wisdome Make you friends of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The weaknesse of mans nature Gregory No greater temptation than not to be tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A comparison Examples to confirme our 〈◊〉 The Sonne only can reconcile us to the 〈◊〉 The Conclusion of the worke The meancâ—… to attaine to this felicity The Authors Apologie