Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A16748
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The good and the badde, or Descriptions of the vvorthies, and vnworthies of this age Where the best may see their graces, and the worst discerne their basenesse.
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Breton, Nicholas, 1545?-1626?
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1616
(1616)
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STC 3656; ESTC S104792
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20,529
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48
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THE GOOD AND THE BADDE OR Descriptions of the Worthies and Vnworthies of this Age. WHERE The Best may see their Graces and the Worst discerne their Basenesse LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Iohn Budge and are to be sold at the great South-dore of Paules and at Brittaines Bursse 1616. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL and VVorthy Sir Gilbert Houghton of Houghton Knight the Noble fauourer of all vertuous spirits the highest power of heauen grant the blessing of all happinesse to his worthy hearts desire VVorthy Knight THe worthinesse of this subiect in which is set downe the difference of light and darkenesse in the nature of Honour and disgrace to the deseruers of either hath made me vpon the note of the Noblenesse of your spirit like the Eagle still looking towards the Sunne to present to your patience the Patronage of this little Treatise of the VVorthies and Vnworthies of this Age Wherein I hope you will finde some things to your content nothing to the contrary which leauing to the acceptance of your good fauour with my further seruice to your command I humbly rest Your VVorships deuoted to be commanded Nicholas Breton TO THE READER I Am sure that if you read thorough this Booke you will finde your description in one place or other if among the Worthies holde you where you are and change not your Carde for a worse If among the other mend that is amisse and all will be well I name you not for I know you not but I will wish the best because the worst is too bad I hope there will no body be angry except it be with himselfe for some-what that hee findes out of order if it bee so the hope is the greater the bad will be no worse yet the world being at such a passe that liuing Creatures are scarcely knowne from pictures till they moue nor Wise-men from fooles till they speake nor Arteists from Bunglers till they worke I will onely wish the Worthy their worth and the contrary what may mend their Condition and for my selfe but pardon for my presumption in writing vpon the natures of more worth then I am worthy to write of and fauourable acceptation of no worthy intention of reprehension by the least thought of malicious disposition So leauing my booke to your best like with my better labours to the like effect In hope to finde you among the Worthies I rest At your command if worthy N. B. THE GOOD AND THE BADDE OR Descriptions of the Worthies and Vnworthies of this Age. A Worthy KING A Worthy King is a figure of God in the nature of gouernment he is the chiefe of men and the Churches Champion Natures honour and Earths maiesty is the director of Law and the strength of the same the Sword of Iustice and the Scepter of Mercy the Glasse of Grace and the Eye of Honour the Terror of Treason and the Life of Loyalty His commaund is general and his power absolute his frowne a death and his fauour a life his charge is his subiects his care their safety his pleasure their peace and his ioy their loue he is not to be paraleld because he is without equalitie and the prerogatiue of his Crowne must not be contradicted hee is the Lords Anointed and therefore must not be touched and the Head of a publique body and therefore must be preserued he is a scourge of sinne and a blessing of Grace Gods Vicegerent ouer his people and vnder him supreme Gouernour his safety must bee his Councels care his health his Subiects prayer his pleasure his Peeres comfort and his content his Kingdomes gladnesse his presence must be reuerenced his Person attended his Court adorned and his State maintained his bosome must not be searched his will not disobeyed his wants not vnsupplied nor his place vnregarded In summe he is more then a man though not a God and next vnder God to be honoured aboue man An Vnworthy King AN Vnworthy King is the vsurper of Power where tyranny in authority loseth the glory of maiesty while the feare of terror frighteth loue from obedience For when the Lyon plaies the Wolfe the Lambe dies with the Ewe Hee is a messenger of Worth to be the scourge of sinne or the triall of patience in the hearts of the religious he is a warrant of woe in the execution of his fury and in his best temper a doubt of Grace hee is a dispeopler of his Kingdome and a prey to his enemies an vndelightfull friend and a tormentor of himselfe he knowes no God but makes an Idoll of Nature and vseth Reason but to the ruine of sense his care is but his will his pleasure but his ease his exercise but sinne and his delight but vnhumane his heauen is his pleasure and his golde is his God his presence is terrible his countenance horrible his words vncomfortable and his actions intolerable In summe he is the foyle of a Crowne the disgrace of a Court the trouble of a Councell and the plague of a Kingdome A Worthy Queene A Worthy Queene is the figure of a King who vnder God in his Grace hath a great power ouer his people She is the chiefe of women the beauty of her Court and the grace of her Sexe in the royalty of her spirit She is like the moone that giueth light among the starres and but vnto the Sunne giues none place in her brightnesse She is the pure Diamond vpon the Kings finger and the Orient Pearle vnprizeable in his eye the ioy of the Court in the comfort of the King and the wealth of the kingdome in the fruit of her loue Shee is Reasons honour in Natures grace and Wisedomes loue in Vertues beautie In summe she is the Handmaid of God and the Kings second selfe and in his Grace the beauty of a Kingdome A Worthy Prince A Worthy Prince is the hope of a kingdom the richest Iewell in a Kings Crowne and the fairest flowre in the Queenes garden hee is the ioy of Nature in the hope of Honour and the loue of Wisedome in the life of Worthinesse In the secret carriage of his hearts intention til his dissignes come to action he is a dumbe shew to the Worlds imagination in his wisedome hee startles the spirits of expectation in his valour he subiects the hearts of Ambition in his Vertue hee winnes the loue of the Noblest and in his bounty bindes the seruice of the most sufficient he is the Crystall glasse where Nature may see her comfort and the booke of Reason where Vertue may reade her honour Hee is the Morning-starre that hath light from the Sunne and the blessed fruit of the Tree of Earths Paradise hee is the studie of the wise in the state of Honour and in the subiect of Learning the history of admiration In summe he is in the note of wisdome the aime of Honour and in the honour of Vertue the hope of a Kingdome An Vnworthy Prince AN Vnworthy Prince is the feare of a
beloued Hee is a surueier of rights and reuenger of wrongs and in the iudgement of Truth the Honor of Iustice. In summe his word is Law his power Grace his labour Peace and his desert Honour An vnworthy Iudge AN vnworthy Iudge is the griefe of Iustice in the Error of Iudgement when through ignorance or will the death of Innocency lies vpon the breath of Opinion Hee is the disgrace of Law in the desert of Knowledge and the plague of Power in the misery of Oppression He is more Morall then Diuine in the nature of Policy and more Iudicious then Iust in the carriage of his conceit His Charity is cold when partiality is resolued when the doome of life lies on the verdict of a Iury with a sterne looke hee frighteth an offender and giues little comfort to a poore mans cause The golden weight ouerwaies his Grace when Angels play the Diuels in the hearts of his people In summe where Christ is preached hee hath no place in his Church and in this Kingdome out of doubt God will not suffer any such Diuell to beare sway A Worthie Knight A Worthy Knight is a spirit of proofe in the aduancement of Vertue by the desert of Honour in the Eye of Maiestie In the field hee giues courage to his Souldiers in the Court Grace to his followers in the Cittie reputation to his person and in the Country honour to his House His Sword and his Horse make his way to his House and his Armor of best proofe is an vndaunted Spirit the Musicke of his delight is the Trumpet and the Drumme and the Paradise of his Eye is an Army defeated the reliefe of the oppressed makes his Conquest honourable and the pardon of the submissiue makes him famous in mercy Hee is in Nature milde and in Spirit stout in Reason iudicious and in all Honourable In summe hee is a Yeomans commander a Gentlemans superiour a Noble mans companion and a Princes worthy fauourite An Vnworthy Knight AN Vnworthy Knight is the defect of Nature in the title of Honour when to maintaine Valor his Spurres haue no rowels nor his Sword a point his apparell is of proofe that may weare like his Armour or like an olde Ensigne that hath his honour in ragges It may be he is the Taylors trouble in fitting an ill shape or a Mercers wonder in wearing of Silke in the Court he stands for a Cipher and among Ladies like an Owle among Birds Hee is worshipt onely for his wealth and if hee be of the first head hee shall be valued by his wit when if his pride goe beyond his purse his Title will be a trouble to him In summe hee is the Child of Folly and the man of Gotham the blind man of Pride and the foole of imagination But in the Court of Honour are no such Apes and I hope that this Kingdome will breed no such Asses A Worthy Gentleman A Worthy Gentleman is a branch of the tree of Honour whose fruites are the actions of Vertue as pleasing to the Eye of Iudgement as tastefull to the Spirit of vnderstanding whatsoeuer hee doth it is not forced except it bee euill which either through ignorance vnwittingly or through compulsion vnwillingly he fals vpon hee in Nature kinde in Demeanour courteous in Alleageance loyall and in Religion zealous in seruice faithfull and in reward Bountifull Hee is made of no Baggage stuffe nor for the wearing of base people but is wouen by the Spirit of Wisedome to adorne the Court of Honour His apparell is more comely then costly and his Diet more wholsome then excessiue his Exercise more healthfull then painefull and his Study more for Knowledge then Pride his Loue not wanton nor common his gifts not niggardly nor prodigall and his carriage neither Apish nor sullen In summe he is an approuer of his Pedigree by the Noblenesse of his passage and in the course of his life an example to his posterity An Vnworthy Gentleman AN Vnworthy Gentleman is the scoffe of Wit and the scorne of Honour where more wealth then wit is worshipt of Simplicity who spends more in Idlenesse then would maintaine Thrift or hides more in Misery then might purchase Honour whose delights are Vanities and whose pleasures Fopperies whose studies Fables and whose exercise worse then Follies His conuersation is Base and his conference Ridiculous his affections Vngracious and his actions Ignominious His Apparell out of fashion and his Diet out of order his Cariage out of square and his company out of request In summe he is like a mungrell Dogge with a veluet Coller a Cart-Horse with a golden Saddle a Buzzard kite with a Fawlcons Bels or a Baboune with a pied Ierkin A Worthy Lawyer A Worthy Lawyer is the Studient of knowledge how to bring controuersies into a conclusion of Peace and out of ignorance to gaine vnderstanding Hee diuides Time into vses and Cases into constructions Hee layes open obscurities and is praysed for the speech of Truth and in the Court of Conscience pleads much in Forma pauperis for small fees He is a meane for the preseruation of Titles and the holding of possessions and a great instrument of Peace in the Iudgement of impartiality Hee is the Clyents hope in his Cases pleading and his hearts comfort in a happy issue Hee is the finder out of Tricks in the craft of ill conscience and the ioy of the distressed in the reliefe of Iustice. In summe hee is a maker of Peace among the Spirits of Contention a continuer of quiet in the execution of the Law An Vnworthy Lawyer AN Vnlearned and vnworthily called a Lawyer is the figure of a Foot-post who carries Letters but knowes not what is in them only can read the superscriptions to direct them to their right owners So trudgeth this simple Clarke that can scarce read a Case when it is written with his hand-full of papers from one Court to another and from one Counsellors chamber to another when by his good payment for his paines hee will bee so sawcy as to call himselfe a Sollicitor But what a taking are poore Clients in when this too much trusted cunning companion better read in Pierce Plowman then in Ploydon and in the Play of Richard the Third then in the Pleas of Edward the Fourth perswades them all is sure when hee is sure of all and in what a misery are the poore men when vpon a Nihil dicit because indeede this poore fellow Nihil potest dicere they are in danger of an Execution before they know wherefore they are condemned But I wish all such more wicked then witty vnlearned in the Law and abusers of the same to looke a little better into their consciences and to leaue their crafty courses lest when the Law indeede laies them open in steade of carrying papers in their hands they weare not papers on their heads and in stead of giuing eare to their Clients causes or rather eies into their purses they haue