renowne And in conceit she stands and hurles me downe She slaunders those that I doe traine aright By it supposing to increase her might She makes hers seeme by outward ornaments Worlds happy ones and mine as malecontents But Plants may seeme to liue dead yet in heart And seeming dead may liue in inward part Mans twofold life a twofold death declares The one of ech all men see how it fares For that men liue and that they die men see Their inward life or death not how they be Therefore rash censure I forbid to giue The liuing dead the seeming dead may liue As censure sound or partiall doome affords So are men held A publique errour words Words worke report Report fame good or bad The fame oft false grieuing or making glad The badge that best assures what others bee Is gesture act and countenance men seen All these deceiue and therefore rest content Search not iudge not but leaue it to euent Thy selfe I wish thou would'st thy selfe vnfold Vnto thy selfe In secret who not bolde What in thy selfe by due scrutation Thou findâ—st make it a lawe or caution A law to liue in awfull temperance A caution to preuent more arrogance So shalt thou settle peace within thy minde A wall of brasse before thee and behinde Who or what so incounters thee thus guarded Shall fall or flie and thou stand and rewarded A thousand censurers will looke on thee As are affections so their censures be The vicious to the vicious vertuous The vertuous to the vicious odious VVho builds a house or doth some publique acts Stands on the stage of flatteries and detracts If he be valorous then desperate If he be a coward then considerate If he be bountifull then prodigall If he be couetous wise and frugall If he be ciuile then a seelie sot If he be insolent fit for what not If he be affable then base of kinde If he be arrogant of gallant minde If he be prowd a comelie personage If meane in tire fit for no equipage If he grow great he is ambitious If meane content he is infatuous If truely zealous then a Puritan If irreligious great Politician A world of wonders this worlds wonders maze None see themselues yet all on others gaze A forren fault men see not selfe-estrayes The guiltiest censure the lesse guilties wayes Fret not at this faint not nor be dismaide From Clowne to Keisar all are thus displaide Now for conclusion thus I say to all To base and bigge I am not partiall But he that swaies his words and deedes by me In fine shall finde a Diademe for fee. When this Discourse this Ladie faire had ended And I obseruing whereunto it tended Rightly collected what before I guessed Whose persons these three vncoth'd gifts expressed Forth with this Ladie and the Hagge were gone And left this Passionate in cell alone For though they seem'd of shapes substantiall They haue no bodies but are spirit'all Yet can and do dispose themselues to bee Where either likes though no man may them see FINIS The fruitâ— of Lust. Content Mans inconstant state Outward seeming deceitfull Concord of contraries Vertue and Vice Eâ—â—◠〈…〉 Glory and Basenesse 〈…〉 Enuies â—â—aâ—teâ—ers Fortune and Enuy. Astrologers erre in their speculations Wel hardly known Simile Security Prosperity and Aduersitic Wit and Wisedome Kings haue great care Honor hath Enuy. Vertue and Enuie Vulgar censure Ambition â—3 Emperours of Rome in 100. yeares whereof only 3. dyed of a naturall disease the rest were slaine by ambition In the time of Galienus 30. vsurped the name of Emperor The like ambition among Pâ—pes 6. at one time in the time of Henry the Emperor The vertuous man Riches of the minde The Miser Life and Death The vertuous and vicious Honor milde Fame arrogate Baltaser Scrach kild the P. of Orange one Clement a Frier and Rauiâ—iaâ—k kild the two Kings of France Fortune and Vertue Opinion Alexander Reason and Vertue Censure The Court. A Rurall 〈◊〉 Trauellers Desire 〈…〉 rs of 〈…〉 diuer◠〈…〉 True glory Arrogance Conceit A Princes fauour Fortune True greatnes Couert Treacherie Andromâ—cus betraid Crassus vnder coulour of loue c. Zopirus betraid the Babilonians to Darius coueâ—ouâ—ly Pâ—ltrot kild the Guise his master c. Loue and Hate God disconers secretst thing God discoucred the powder Treason Rich and Poore Neede Greefe twofold The future not foreseene All men aduanced not ambitious One aduanced brought low Promises not performed Mare Sodomiâ—um Experience Ignorance breedes content Fantasie True honor neuer dies Powres Diâ—â—â—â—rdâ—n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The description of vertue The practices of Enuie Pride Enuie Envie plotted the Powder Treason Treason Religion colour of Treason Enuies chiefe weapons Honour is attained by Vertue Fortune and Enuie Enuie 〈◊〉 posite to Vertue Wisdom Youth and age Concupiscence brings â—â—ame Soone ripe sooâ—rotten Nature renewed Euery man hath a sparke of Diuine light Enuie Lust coÌ„prehend all forbidden things Pleasure permanent Choyce of companions Goods Prodigality Desire Lying â—â—icclardiâ—â— Reason and Law To do 〈…〉 and boast it The greatâ—t fault is to defend it Reforme thy selfe before thou reprooue Consult with the wise Nature and Grace Spiritual pleasures â—alse delights Fancy â—iâ—â— â—icklenes of ulgar cenâ—â—â—es Patience in Disgrace Vertue Carnally wise Ambition Vaineglory Enuics obseruations ConcupisceÌ„ce Iealousie Reuenge 〈…〉 Auance Concupisâ—â—ce Inconstancie Dissimulation The vertuous 〈…〉 â—â—aâ—ure 〈…〉 t â—uâ—â—ome Two kindes of pleasures conâ—raâ—â—e Experience Wâ—â—â— what the honoâ—able should decke â—â—em The noble and base are interchangeable The effects of vertue N 〈…〉 nd Desert and Bountie Enuie Enuies blindnesse Vertues light and Enuies blindnesse As life so death twofold Censures vncertaine All outward shews deceiue
comparatiue degree Which makes th' ambitious rash to vndertake Things desperate for gold and glories sake He thirsts for bloâ—d he hungers most for gold He ouerleapes mens heads takes not good hold Then Fortune frownes and giues his pride a check Aspiring wings clipt fals and breakes his neck Ambition is the sparke of Enuies fire Aspires it selfe hates others that aspire Retaines not any drop of Temperance To quench the heat of hatefull Arrogance Where haute Ambition climes th' inferior fall Hard are th-ambitious and illiberall Vnlesse to Agents in their Tragedies Men meerely of infernall qualities Who stops their enterprise by force must downe Bloud must make way to haute Ambitions crowne And when the diademe is wonn and worne With highest dignitie and best adorne The Actors of their miscrean pollicies No longer held their needfull complices But seeking surance for their secrecie Make agents patients of their trecherie Then like the Sunne resplending in the skies In selfe-conceit th' are glorious in mens eyes Then sway they th' earth as if whole orbe were theirs And due to none but to them and their heires As in a dreame puft vp awak't they fall Ambition beates th' ambitious to the wall Successiuely Ambition raignes by force The sword her right and Rigor her remorce Glorie and gold are two extreames of lust They shine in show awhile then turne to rust The vertuous man will not exchange his state With him that seemes in fame more fortunate For though the greatest and the most of might Haue this lifes outward reuerenced hight It is vncertaine nothing permanent But mindes true patience and the hearts content The vertuous is and will be as he is No tossing tide or tempest comes a â—isse The riches of the minde are light and long They bring content and make the owner strong Portage not ponderous the roomer small Where th' owner goes his riches goe withall When th'worlds rich man hath most he thinks in bank Vnfolds his bils and findes Assurance blanke What he possesseth others posses'd before Dead what he had others diuide his store These riches rise and fall they pitch and flye They runne and rest as dust before the eye The greedy Miser is earths moth and eates The fruits of others he yet neuer sweates Nothing more pest to publique weale then he Nothing more shun'd of vertuous men can be Though gold nor glorie in themselues be ill If Will rule them And they rule not the Will Auarice a Beast which hardly men can tame It brings in pelfe puts on 't a noble name But he that least affecteth riches lot Hath that best lot which some rich men haue not For he that is content possesseth most And least distracts his minde what he hath lost Vertue much greeues not at sad misery Nor much insults at earths felicitie But as the powre Diuine appoints his lot He rests content Th' ambitious man can not He thirsts to rise regards not though by wrong His triumph short in vaine desired long Drinkes are held best that soonest quench the thirst Ambition drunke drinkes more then at the first It euer drinkes yet neuer is but dry One cold the mouth Earthes orbe fils not the eye Fancie a Feuer hecttique of the minde It sees sometimes sometimes againe is blind Affection guided by right rule of grace Disgraceth foolish fancie to her face Right Reason glut with Fancies banquettings Disgorgeth Fancie and her flatterings And bendes her appetite to feed on that Is onely good shunnes ill though delicate What happines in seeming happy daies Sith life begun immediatly decayes Delight a dreame his death can no man shun Intreat preuailes not when times glasse is run Though life beginnes alike in generall By diuers meanes fierce death determines all Deaths memory a motiue to liue well She comes on sodaine when disdaines to tel Al creatures irrational shew more content In Bruitish life and seeme more continent Then many whom true reason should possesse As ioy and greefe by two extreames expresse Humane delights are short repentance long Weak the resistance will to vices strong What way soeuer seemeth sweet men take The truely sweet they wilfully forsake Heauens sacred children do the best imbrace The worst the wicked by mistaken grace Both haue their ioyes but by two contraries Heauens truth the one th' other earths vanities The first hath inward th' other owtward light The first diuine that other carnall sight The thinges men see and what they heere possesse Is theirs they think and therein happines Thinges present in conceit do profit most Past or expected deemed things but lost The greatest men that spatious buildings haue At once possesse of all one onely caue At once they can but in one place reside Though Gods on earth in earth not deifi'de Where so the highest or the lowest bee In person are only as eye doth see Thoughts yet are hid hearts are extrauagant Hearts hot desires too too exorbitant The greatest wise containe their greatest mind And hold themselues but as them others finde Though great in state true Honor is most milde Stout yet in heart most constant vndefil'd To whom inferiors ought all dutie lend As members worthy and most reuerend The memories are still solemnized By th'vertuous liuing of the vertuous deed Some thinke their glorie of high mountaine fame When lesse then mole-hill others hold the same Fame arrogate is but a doubtfull dreame A building founded on a broken beame A castle set nere surges on the sand Which fals forthwith vnder the builders hand Desert preceding hearts desire to rise Is onely that that truely dignifies A fickle trust or feare Earths fawne or frowne When Fortune smiles she plots to hurle Men downe And when she frownes she frownes to try the minde If it be constant then is she most kinde True Constancie is alwaies one the same In all euents it holds the force and name It 's not the thing that ioyes or greeues the heart It is conceit of best or worser part For he that is in crosses discontent In best estate was but maleuolent The vertuous in hye or low estate Show not the higher or the lower rate Most men doe most affect but mortall things Blind not conceiuing rightly what it brings What future times may be seeke not to know But that whereby vaine-glorie most may grow Affecting that which seemes in show content Like libertie indeed imprisonment Fetters seeme ornaments freedome but guile Misery sweet mirth home hard and harsh exile Sicknes of body crosses poore estate Nothing so hard as heart infatuate Aspiring mindes that fight for Honors fame Faint not but in conceit atchieue the same The gaine that growes by hearts ambition Is but the breath of basest of condition VVho by the vapors of their lips al-haile Raise fickle blasts that fill vaine-glories sayle But he that best deserues true glories fame Is that deserues and seekes to shun the same Some great about great
not good for good it cannot make It rather makes the good indeed the wurse â—exing the mind for goodes to fill the purse When inward heart doth rest in setled peace If thou thy health thy limbes and sence possesse What more can wealth and great aboundance bring But feare to loose and lost thy sorrowing In getting much is great perplexity In keeping it as much timidity But greife of greefes to leaue it when he dies Can that be good that breedes such miseries Can houses landes can gold or siluer giue To mindes distract harts-Mummy to releeue Can Iewels of the highest price abate A feuer heckticke or the dartes of hate Be not too bold to ryot of thy store Though thou be sure supply will bring thee more A mountaine wasteth with soft drops of raine And wasted once hardly suppli'd againe Therefore if fortune fill thy fist with gold Spend yet in spending be not too too bold Nor spare it so as if thy heart had not Some other and farre more releyuing lot Some know no other bounty then to spend Yet can propound therein no lawfull end The wise yet find idle expendings vaine They spend in measure and a meane retaine Not prodigall as if it could not wast Nor too sparing fearing to want at last Anoyding these two strong extreames of ill They find the meane doth purchase most good will They that imbrace and loue earthes excrements Loue onely things compact of elements Which by their composition haue defects One cheefe predominant the rest reiects For when the elements do disagree The bodies long continuance cannot be So he that sets his mind on money most Hath vse of sacred vertue meerely lost For earthly pelfe and vertue contraries Agree as fire and waters qualities And as the fire predominant preuailes And all confining fewell stil assailes So loue of lucre doth increase and rise As ritches rise and earthes felicities Ritches are good if owner knowes to vse them But meerely hurtfull if he do abuse them When thy desire begins to grow to strong Giue it not head nor foster it too long It hardes the heart and sotteth so the braine It makes commit the foulest thinges for gaine A common fault raignes in polluted breast And cloked oft by deepe yet false protest To gaine vain-glory by the masse of pelfe Some sell a lye for losse of soule it selfe Incident to most respecting misteries Respecting persons great diuersities But they that haue the habit in the heart Can coulour it by nimblenesse of art But what they gaine is like vnto the lye It seemes but is not as appeares to eye The hearers hart deceiu'd by false relate So is the lyer by the gaine he gate For what he gaines by false protests consumes As snow in sun and as light vapor fumes This hagg my foe prescribes this false receit To nature sick which workes in men deceit Nature corrupt findes sweetnes of this drugge Fancy affecting doth the potion hugge Drinkes first a dram then quaffes of falsity â—omits at last whole floudes of periury Lying a greeuous sicknes of the mind And 's where wants Reason or where Reason's blind Cur'd by right Reason or by publike shame Who loues to lye hates yet a lyers name A lyer euer is rewarded best Not to beleeue him though he do protest Pope Alexander Sextus neuer did The thing he spake and Cesar Borgia hid His inward thought and spake the contrary Father and Sonne of deepe hypocrisie If power and place may seeme thee to permit To act the thing by law thou thinkest fit Be not too rash consult with reason first And do not thou but what right Reason dirst The law without rules not the mind within What Law may do the mind may think it sinne The law commandes some thinges it tollerates The first exacts the second moderates Foure vertues hath each law that gouerneth Iâ— swayes forbids permits and punisheth In these right Reason moderator stands Contracts and sutes in Iustice passe her hands The Lawes extreames are too exorbitant That to right Reason are disconsonant Therefore the meane in case of difference Best equalzeth law and Conscience How impious is't and yet a common crime Grosly to erre and make it yet pastime Many presume and foulest facts commit Blush not to tell it rather glory in it They hold their infamy a badge of grace They make and cast their owne durt in their face These are the men whose liues the world laments Their deathes vntimely bring as great contents These are the forth and scumme of Enuies trayne She breeds a swarme of vices in their braine Some do deny or forge their faults offence With shift or lye or by some hid pretence This aggrauates the fault more then the fact Confession lessens guilt of foulest act By art some shroud their inclinations long Conceiling nature yet when 't waxeth strong It breaketh forth in perfect coulours seene What seemed seemely found to be vnclene Dissembling holines and sanctity Are th' only pictures of impiety If thou hold not true meane in what thou doost In iudging others art the more vniust Reforme thy selfe and then command correct Iudge when thou hast repaird thine own defect If thou be iust and constant in thy deed Whom thou exhorts will take the surer heed It 's easie to giue counsell and direct To heare as easie harder to effect In consultations see thou still consort With men of vertue and of best report No Counsel steedes â—east it true wisedome guide It prospers not not by her rectifi'de Wisedome is slow in resolution Resolued constant in execution But if the counsell-giuer be not wise Consult a new before the enterprise Aduised pollicy cannot but be The best assurance wit of man can see In most attempts steedes magnanimity But neuer but by chance temerity But howsoeuer thinges well plotted fall Be thou the same constant grudge not at all For I will fortefie thy heart anew And good content shall futurely ensue As thou consistest of two contraries Nature and grace seeming vnities So are there in thee two distinct desires Carnall downeward spirit'all vpward aspires Whether of these predominant in thee Caries consent where thine affections be What thou affectest is thy best delight If it be earthly it 's my opposite That delectation how sweet soeuer Is but conceit conceited to perseuer Yet fades on suddaine as a morning mist And of like substance al the like consist As farre as doth the Sun exceed a starre Heau'nly delightes the earths exceed as farre None set delight in pleasures here below But such as the superior do not know If once true iudgement thy opinion sway Affection cannot lead thy will astray Accustome thee to ioyes spirituall They comfort most though supernaturall Natures delights are sweet to outward sence Sowre in effect breeding in fine offence Hony sweet in tast yet if the silly Bee While thou dost tast bestow her sting on thee Thou
wilt be wary in thy second tast Pleasures haue stinges when their delights are past Then satisfie thou not fond fantasie It darkens sense and blindeth Reasons eye The more thy fancy is fulfil'd and â—ed More strength it takes and more peruerts the head Pleasures are like a whorish painted face Onely in show voyd yet of inward grace The tast of pleasures to the outward part Is seeming sweet within polutes the heart Carnall delights are foolish fansies ioyes Right Reasons guide abandons them as toyes A thousand thinges by fancy are affected Not one of ten accordingly effected A gulfe it selfe a gulfe of griefe it makes It is selfe bane and still selfe bane it takes Sensual delights She falsly holdes diuine Yet worke they dangerous effects in fine And though men laugh that liue licentiously They laugh at losse of their felicity Mad men and â—ooles do laugh at iniuries And wittingly imbrace their miseries Some erre in dyet staffe of mans releefe Be temperate for gurmondy bringes greefe Most danger growes by grosse satiety But neuer any by sobriety Yet often hurtes to be too abstinent In meane is Nature ruled best content When vulgar congies yeeld thee most all haile Think then some monster seekes thee to assaile Stick to thy vertues to defend thy fame No other weapons can protect the same The idle vapors of the vulgar rise And fall againe as fauour liues or dies The fawnes and frownes resemble well the Bee When sun doth thine they swarme and sing we see But in a black and gloomy day they lye Within the hiue Thus they obserue the sky So when on th vulgar rayes of fauour shine They fawne let fauour faile their loues decline And like a monster fawning to be fed Failing of food gripes keeper on the head Sometimes the great fall from their outward grace To low estate and ignominious case What then can his perplexed mind content That seees redresles dangers imminent Ready to fall he flies and seekes to shun The ill he feares from which he cannot run In this sad strait there is one remedy To make a vertue of necessity That 's to imbrace what he cannot forgoe To dye the death if force determine so Where vertue dwels there dwels true sapience The mother nurse and life of patience Vertue resembles Aarons sacred wand That buddeth blessings held in working hand But cast to ground breedes serpent in thy breast In life and death let thy heart be her nest There will shâ—bud and bring forth sacred deedes Deuouring all the serpents spawne that br breedes The wise strong carnally magnanimous Haue vertues habit heartes prodigious For that foule hagge the dame of faise delights Giues outward glory to her fauorites She mooues the mind she workes th' affection As only Lady of direction She paints the baites affection sucks delight Luâ—'d in Lusts lap the better partes despite Hy this infernall hagg and her inchants It 's not for good the seeming best she grants She doth excite to grosse and vild atempts And by protests al danger she exempts And by degrees she winnes the doubting mind She frames the baites as she findes mindes inclind Ambitious mindes meanly incens'd to rise She liftes a little to low dignities Then tenders she matters of greater sort Sugiesting those their glory much import Then who so standes in way where they must passe Must downe a Diadem or head of brasse And when these silly subiects of her fraudes Are at the highest them she then applaudes Feedes them with fawnes and false security Plotting the while against them trechery They must not stand sufficeth her to see Her plots preuaile and them in high degree Soone she repines at their aduanced state She trips their heeles whom she did eleuate Whom she obserues vaine gloriously bent She showes false meanes to make more excellent To gaine him grace the meane is to exceed All of his rank in cost and forme of weed Spending gets glory sparing but disdaine He 's too mistrustful if he saue or gaine Spares not spends all at last depriu'd of all Then she obr aides him as too prodigall She leaues no heart vnsearch't what she detects Is fundamentall ground for her proiects Some are by inclination nigardly Them she perswades to liue more thriftily Vntill they grow most auaritious Sugiesting them yet too too prodigous And when they are in highest honour set To gaine she snares and takes them in her net Concupiscence the bane of best estates Though most pestifrous she extenuates She shews it in a glasse of libertie To make it seeme loue and no leuitie Yet fastens she a foile of deepe disgrace Griefe in the heart Shame in the outward face A minde inclinde to hatefull Iealousie She feedes with strong deluding fantasie And layes the counterfet so like in show As if it were the thing he sought to know And when she hath the strong suspition wrought She breedes him Enuy for the thing he thought A greater sickenes sacketh not the minde Then this that seemes to see and yet is blinde It doth pretend the quintessence of loue And yet condempnes the part t' would aproue What is the thing mans heart incline vnto How ill soeuer but she egges to do And done appeares to those in vgly wise Whom she seduc'd and them she terrifies What brings reuenge the act of foule despite Vaineglory egg'd by Enuie to the fight When light occasion moues the minde to rage What head so light will lay his life in gage Who leaues his foe in field dead combat done Griefe and repentance are the gaine he wonne Where hearts affect reuenge she laies the plot Hearts coldly hatefull she fires and makes hot Suggesting him a coward that remits The smallest wrong yet when th' offender smits She egges the smitten to that deadly hate That each must otheÌ„r kill or vulnerate And him that wins the prize with best content She dâ—th pursue death or banishment 〈…〉 glorie and excesse in needeles pride Resemble PhaeÌ„ton vaineglorious guide That mounted on the Charret of the Sunne Could not cheeke nor manage horses runne No more can he that giues his will the bit It â—â—nnes to riot cannot mannage it What gaines the auaritious but his cares To â—et and keepe what he in vaine prepares He fits secure yet suddenly befall A thousand deadly dangers corporall Besides the griefe that he must needes depart From that false god he honours in his heart What deadly feare amazeth him to see The gastly gulfe whence no escape can be How prize men lust brutish concupiscence That brings so many griefes for recompence It is the pledge and earnest of that shame Of force succeeding sorrow-winning game Short seeming-sweet sharpe in the finall taste A brutish rage by 'th brutish held repast The errours infinite tht doe distract The minds of men in purpose and in fact To tell them all were a superfluous deed