not the like among all which in a manner either pray or hatred breedeth contention Yea moreouer though these cease yet disagreement ceaseth not For let vs see what hartburning there is in loue what disagreement in marriage howe manie complaintes what suspicion among louers what sighes what paines what contention betweene maisters and seruantes who are nothing the lesse enimies one to another for that they are housholde foes betwene whom there is neuer anie peace to be hoped for but that which is procured either by death or pouertie I will not speake of contention betweene brethren whose agreement to be verie rare the trueth it selfe witnesseth by the mouth of that Famous Poet Ouid neither of the disagreement betweene parentes and their children whereof the Poeme of the same Poet maketh mention But as touching the loue of parents whose good will is most tender towardes their children yet how great their indignation is it is euident whilest they loue them that are good and lament their case that are euill and thus in a manner they hate while they loue hartilie And as touching the most neere and deare bande of the name of brother and father wee see it sometime to bee without loue and not seldome ioyned with hatred I will come to the holie name of friendshippe which being called in Latine Amicitia is deriued from the word Amo whiche signifieth to Loue so that it can neither consist neither bee vnderstoode without loue Nowe among friendes although there be agreement in the wordes and endes yet in the way and in their actes what disagreement and contrarietie of opinions and counsels is there so that Ciceroes diffinition can scarce stand vpright For admit there be good will and loue betweene friendes notwithstanding the consent of all diuine and humane thinges wherewith he maketh his diffinition complete is wanting What then shall a man hope for in hatred For there is hatred in loue and warre in peace and agreement in discention which I will proue to be so by those things which are daily before our eies Beholde the wilde beastes who being inuincible by the sword are tamed by almightie loue Encline thy minde and marke with what noyse and murmure the shee Lions Tygres and shee Beares do come vnto that which of them selues they doe most willinglie and thou wilt thinke that they do it not with desire but by compulsion Some wilde beastes while they engender do make a great noise and schritching and some keepe a sturre with their swift and sharpe talantes Nowe if we will giue credit vnto that which certein great men do write of the nature of the viper howe much contrarietie is there how great discord when as the male viper vpon an vnbridled howbeit naturall sweetnesse pleasure putteth his head into the femal vipers mouth then she being prouoked with a furious heat of lust biteth it of But when this widowe viper being by this meanes brought great with young approcheth vnto the time of her deliuerie by the multitude of her heauie yong ones which nowe make haste to come foorth as it were to reuenge their fathers death is by them torne in pieces Thus the first coupling of these two wormes aswell by their generation as bringing foorth of young is vnfortunate vnto the whole kinde and is founde to bee pestiferous and deadlie whilest the engendring slayeth the male vipers and the bringing foorth the female Consider the orders of Bees in their hiues what thronging together what noise what warres not onely with their neighboures but among themselues what domestical conflictes and discensions is there among them Beholde the neastes and houses of Pigeons that most simple birde and as some write that hath no gall with what battelles and disquietnesse with what clamour and outcries I pray you do they passe foorth their life thou wouldest thinke thou were in some barbarous and vninstructed campe thou shalt perceiue them to be so vnquiet both day and night I omitte their inuasions one of another yea that verie paire that haue seuerally coupled themselues in the bande of mutuall societie and pleasure and for that cause are dedicated vnto Venus with what complaintes are they carried foorth vnto their desire how often doth the cocke goe about the hen and oftentimes the louer forcibly persecuteth his louer with his winges and bill I will referre thee vnto the most safest kinde whereof as the matter is not lesse so is it also lesse notorious and lesse painfull to bee founde What craft and subtiltie then what wakefull diligence doth the spider vse in taking of simple and poore flies in her copwebbe what nettes doeth she set vp for her deceit and rapine what the Moath ouer the cloth what the rot ouer the poast what the litle wormes which daye and night not without weerisomnesse and with a certeine blunt and hollowe noise do fret through the bowelles of beames especiallie of those in felling whereof the diligent obseruation of the Moone and seasons hath not bene obserued Which common discommoditie as it reigneth our the smokie cottagies of the simple husbandmen so doth it also ouer the golden pendents of princes pallaces temples churches and altars neither spareth it also the sacred richesse of Philosophers the boordes of bookes parchementes and papers Wherevnto also I will adde this much that vnlesse there were prouision made by pitch and tarre and a litle burning withall manie times it is the cause of the daunger of shipwracke or of shipwracke it selfe yea they haue entred into the sea eaten through the plankes of shippes and haue procured great troubles to the vnaduised Againe what doeth the grassehopper vnto herbes the caterpiller vnto corne or the wilde geese to the ripe fruites and graine or the poore sparrowe or the crane that translateth his dwelling and other importunate kindes of foules Whereof commeth that saying of the Poet Virgil in his Georgikes whereat I was wont to meruel but nowe I wonder nothing at all howe foules are fraide by noyse making For nowe vnto him that shall happen to dwell in anie place in the countrie in Italie this one thing is begonne to be one of the manifold sommer anoyances For so am I my self continually troubled from morning to night with the falling of foules the ratling of stones and crying out of the husbandmen Moreouer what doeth the mildeawe to the vintage the blast to the herbes the canker to the leaues and the moule to the rootes To be short the weeuill to the barnes floores and the Emot which maketh prouision against old age come as the Poet saith what toyle and vnrest is there in that poore litle creature that whilest she prouideth for her owne winter shee troubleth our sommer I should be verie slowe to beleeue other herein but I my selfe know by experience with how much not only weerisomnesse but losse also that dustie swarme and which by their hastie marching doe euermore declare their feare do not onlie spoyle and forrey the fieldes but
thynges But as for them that goe downe into hel casting of al charitie it is to be entended that they hate both God and men and also al the workes of God and man. Of one that at his death is carefull of his fame and good report The Cxxx. Dialogue SOROWE WHAT wyll men speake of me when I am dead Reason An vnseasonable care thou shouldest haue prouided for this in thy youth for looke what a mans life is suche is his fame Sorowe What wyll they say of me Reason What shall I answeare thee other then that which the most learned and eloquent Marcus Cicero sayeth What other men shall speake of thee let them see to that them selues but they wyl speake notwithstanding howbeit all their talke is comprehended within the narrowe boundes of these regions which thou seest neyther was it euer continual of any but is extinguished by the death of men and forgetfulnesse of posteritie Sorow What wil they speake of me that shal be borne herafter Reason I would tel thee otherwyse then Cicero doeth yf I thought that any thing could be better vttered then is by him And what skilleth it sayth he if thou be spoken of by them that shal be borne hereafter seeing there nowe remayneth no fame of them that were borne before thee One thing he addeth moreouer which perhaps at that time was doubtful peraduenture false but now very sure most true without doubt Who sayth he were as many in number as you are now and truely better men to For who is he that doubteth but that there wyl neuer come so good men as there haue ben Thus al thinges waxe woorse woorse and tend euery day toward their final ruine A merueilous care then it is which thou hast to stande in feare of the speeches of those whom thou knowest not are thy youngers as not liuing in the same age with thee seeing thou now contemnest the iudgement and woordes of excellent men of thine owne time and acquaintance Sorow What fame shal there be of me when I am dead Reason Far better then while thou liuest when enuie once holdeth her peace For enuie and malice seldome last longer then a mans life and as vertue is the roote of glorie so is enuie the cutter downe of it and as the enuious hand being present hindreth the growth of it so when it is taken away it restoreth the encrease of true commendation And therfore vnto many as the entrance into their graues hath been a bar vnto enuie so hath it ben the beginning of great glorie Sorow Howe long wyl my fame continue Reason A long time perhaps as you call long But that all thinges may not only be long but also euerlasting vertue alone is able to bring that to passe and specially Iustice of which it is written The iust man shal be had in euerlasting memorie Which meaning also your countrey Poet expressed as wel as he could where he sayth But by mens deedes their fame to stretch that priuiledge vertue geues Sorow What fame shal I haue after my deceasse Reason What skilleth it what it be which shortly shal be forgotten or contemned What shall the breath of men apperteyne vnto thee when thou thy selfe shalt be without breath For one that breatheth to be nourished and delyghted with the winde and ayre it is no meruaill but for a dead man to be so it is a woonder Sorowe What shal be sayde of me when I am dead Reason No goodnesse be sure vnlesse thou haue deserued it but muche euyl peraduenture not merited and perhappes lytle or nothyng at all For in many thynges fame is a lyer but in the most a true reporter otherwyse it could not long continue For trueth is the foundation of continuance and as for a lye it is weake and transitorie Sorowe What fame shall I haue after my death Reason Suche as thy lyfe was before and at thy death Concernyng this matter therefore let the tyme to come but specially the tyme present looke to that And thus perswade thy selfe assuredly that what report and fame a man is woorthy to haue after his death it is no way better discerned then at his death when as in deede which is a strainge thyng to be spoken many that haue lyued all theyr tyme obscurely and without glorie death onely hath made famous Of one that dyeth without Children The Cxxxj. Dialogue SOROWE I Die without children Reason For that cause thou oughtest to die the more willingly and with the more expedition to goe foorth on thy iourney for that thou hast nothyng behinde thee to stay thee or cal thee backe The greatest greefe which they that lie a dying haue surceaseth in thee whiche riseth vpon the sorowe and compassion of leauing their children specially when they be young neede the asistance and counsel of their parentes being at those yeeres destitute of aduice subiect vnto iniuries many other casualties Sorow My children whom I wished hoped should haue liued after me are gone before me Reason Then hast thou some to whom thou art desirous to goe from whom thou art not willing to depart which is no smal comfort vnto thee Sorowe Bitter death constraineth me to dye without chyldren Reason If thou thinke this to be so miserable a matter what cause hast thou either to die now or heretofore to haue liued without children seeing there is such choise of young Gentlemen towardly youthes among whom thou maiest choose and adopt thee sonnes who perhaps wyl be more louing and obedient vnto thee then thine owne natural children descended of thy flesh blood for they come vnto thee by chaunce but these are elected out of many by exquisite iudgment The other were thy children before thou knewest them but these thou knewest chosest and louedst before thou madest them thy children And therefore the one sort of them wil wholy impute it to nature that they are thy children but the other to thy special good liking Whereby it hath hapned many times that the succession by adoption hath ben very fortunate vnto the heyres in which kind not only meane inheritances but also whole Empires haue ben committed in trust Thou knowest howe Iulius Caesar wanting issue adopted Augustus to be his sonne Augustus againe adopted Tyberius almost against his wyl And likewise afterward how Nerua adopted Vlpâ—us Traianus and he Elius Hadrianus be againe Antonius pius he likewise toke vnto him Marcus Aurelius to be his sonne which Marcus I would to God he had more happily adopted any other then vnluckely begotten his sonne Commodus commodious to none but discommodiouss to the whole world the only disgracing of so good a father one among a few of them that were no small shame reproch to the Romane Empire also a most apparent argument how much adoption is more fortunate then procreatioÌ„ For whereas the first princes had in order one after another raigned long time in happie
yeeres and there you appoynt the ende vnto whiche who so doth attayne theyr lyfe is but payne and trauayle vnlesse he aduaunce your hope a litle further who sayth The dayes of a mans lyfe are many tymes an hundred yeeres vnto which age how few do attayne we see but admit that it happened vnto al which happeneth but to fewe notwithstandyng I pray you howe muche is it Ioy. Very much truely For the lyfe of young men is more assured and farther of from olde age and so from death Reason Thou art deceiued for although there be nothing safe to a man notwithstandyng that is the most daungerous part of his lyfe whiche to muche carelesnesse maketh vnaduised There is nothyng neerer to other then death is to lyfe when they seeme to be farthest a sunder then are they neerest togeather alwayes the one passeth away and the other draweth nygh whyther soeuer ye flee away death is at hande and hangeth ouer your heades Ioy and Hope Wel at the leastwyse youth is now present and olde age is absent Reason Nothyng is more flytting then youth nothyng more deceyuable then olde age Youth stayeth not but in delightyng she slyppeth away olde age immediatly folowyng after softly in darkenesse and silence striketh men at vnwares and when she is thought to be farre of then standeth she at the doore Ioy. My age is in rysing Reason Thou trustest to a most deceitfull thing This rysing is a goyng downe this short lyfe this vnstable tyme stealeth away yea without makyng any noyse with the feete euen whyle we sleepe and make merie And O that this swiftnesse of tyme and shortnesse of lyfe were as well knowen in the beginning as it is in the ende whiche to those that enter seemeth infinite and nothyng when they goe out and are scarce so many minutes as they appeared to be hundredes of yeeres So then at length deceypt is knowen when it can not be auoyded whereby it commeth that many tymes counsell is geuen in vayne vnto those yeeres they are both vnbeleeuyng and vnskylfull disdainefull of anothers counsell and wantyng of their owne And therefore there is nothyng that discouereth the errours of youth although they be innumerable and greeuous and yet notwithstandyng hyd and vnknowen to those that committed them better then olde age doth and layeth them foorth before their eyes who sometyme dissembled them and winked at them Neither doo ye sooner perceyue what ye ought to be then ye be made that whiche ye woulde be and then ye can possibly be none other then ye be But yf there were any that coulde vnderstande these thynges in tyme or by hym selfe or beleeue when he is taught surely hym woulde I accompt a woorthy and happie youth among many thousandes he shoulde not passe his lyfe through so many difficulties whose onely course lyeth safe and straight through vertue Ioy. Myne age is nothyng spent Reason Howe is that vnspent whiche since the tyme it first beganne is euery day wasted and whyle it is geuen is also taken away by very small portions For Heauen turneth about with perpetuall motion minutes consume houres and houres the day That day thrusteth foorth another and that the next day folowyng and there is neuer any ceassyng So doo monethes passe away so yeeres and so dooth an whole age make hast and runne and as Cicero sayeth fleeth away And as Virgil sayth It neuer waggeth the swifte winges So lykewyse they that fare by Sea they are caried away in the shyppe and feele not howe and many tymes are at their viage ende before they be ware Ioy and Hope An age that beginneth is far from the ende Reason Within the space of a short lyfe nothyng is farre of Ioy and Hope But there is no part farther from the ende then is the beginnyng Reason None in deede but this shoulde be truely sayde yf all men lyued lyke space of time Howbeit euen the very fyrst age falleth sundrie wayes into death whereby it chaunceth many tymes that he that seemed farthest of is nearest his ende Ioy and Hope Truely I am of a most floorishing age Reason Although fewe do marke it yet there is some change wrought since we beganne to speake and in the drawyng foorth of euery sillable there is some part of lyfe passed away and some peece of transitorie flowre of youth decayed And I pray you what hath this deyntie and gallaunt young man more then that rough and riueled olde man besides this short and transitorie flowre whiche fadeth euery day wherein what shoulde be so pleasaunt and delectable I doo not finde since he knoweth that almost sooner then a man can speake it he shall hym selfe be suche an one as this olde man nowe is or els is mad yf he knowe it not vnlesse of twayne whiche are led togeto be put to death he is to be accompted the happier whiche is commaunded last to lay downe his necke vppon the blocke to be cut of who truely seemeth vnto me in a maner in the more miserable state for the deferryng of the death Howbeit the condition of these men and of the other of whom I spake before is not all one insomuche as this man may haue some entreatie or meanes made for hym in the meane whyle to escape his fellowes execution and to lyue Onely death can preuent a young man that he shall not lyue vnto olde age To be short there consisteth no great felicitie in a small processe of tyme and vnto loftie mindes there is nothyng that is short accompted acceptable Awake ye that sleepe it is now tyme open your dimme and slumbring eyes Accustome your selues at length to thynke vpon eternal thinges to loue them and to desire them and therewithal also to contemne transitorie thinges Learne to depart from them willingly which can not continue with you long and to forsake them in hart before by them ye be forsaken Ioy and Hope My yeers are stable and greene Reason They lye whiche say that there is some age I knowe not which stable There is nothyng more swift then tyme and tyme is the charret of al ages to carrie them away in And doest thou then imagine that it is permanent O vanitie there is nothyng durable for euen at this present thou art violently drawen away c. Of the goodly beautie of the body The seconde Dialogue Ioy. THE beautie of my body is goodly Reason It is no more permanent then the tyme that commeth with it with whiche also it flitteth away Stay the tyme if thou canst and so perhaps thou mayest stay beautie Ioy. The beautie of my body is singuler Reason Thou restest vpon a brittle foundation The body it selfe passeth away like a shadow and doest thou thinke that a transitorie accident of the body wyll continue Accidentes may perishe the subiect remaynyng but when the body perisheth they must needes decay And among all the qualities whiche passe away with this mortall body there is none swyfter then beautie whiche
For theyr rysing is slow but theyr fallyng is sodayne This strength also whereof thou vauntest when it shall leaue to encrease wyl not continue but fyrst wyll priuily begin to decay and afterwarde at length wyl openly fal Al mortal thyngs do equally flyt away except the mynd only but the signes and footesteps of theyr departure doo not appeare alike vnlesse a man wyl say that those lyuyng creatures do go lesse or slowest which eyther go in the dark or make no noyse in their creeping and put out the prynt of theyr goyng with the pressing of theyr tayles Ioy. I boast in the strength of my body Reason What wouldest thou then do in thyne owne Thynke how great thyne owne strength is for this is not thyne but the strength of thy harborow or Inne or rather thy pryson It is a vayne thyng for thee beyng thy self weake to glory of thy strong dwellyng or to speake more aptly of a strong aduersarie Ioy. I reioyce in my strength Reason What other shal I say then that saying of the Poet Thou shalt not reioyce long and in steede of myrth complaintes shall come in place Dooest thou remember howe he that was so strong of whom I made mention twyce erewhyle complayneth of his strength in olde age Of swiftnesse of the bodye The syxth Dialogue IOY BVt I am very swyft Reason Tel me whyther thy runnyng â—endeth Many haue ben destroyed through their owne swyftnesse Ioy. My swyftnesse is wonderful Reason Run ye mortal men whither ye lust the swiftnes of heauen outrunneth you and leadeth you vnto olde age and death The one of these wyll take away your runnyng the other your mooueyng Ioy. My swyftnesse is very great Reason It tendeth thyther where it shal haue an ende Ioy. My swiftnes is sâ—eâ— as â—he lyke hath not been heard of Reason It tendeth thither where there shal be great slownesse Ioy. My swiftneâ—â— is infinite Reason Be it as great as it list it shal haue no place where to exercise it selfe for the whole earth is as is were a smal pricke or poynt Ioy. My swyftnesse is inestimable Reason This coÌ„mendation is due vnto wit vnto which the seas and heauen and eternitie the spaces of nature the hydden places and secretes of al thynges lye open As for this body which is circumscribed and compassed about with a prick and smal moment of space whyther wyl the swiftnesse thereof bring it and where wyl it leaue it Admit this space were very wyde great eyther in respect of tyme or of place notwithstandyng whyther soeuer it turneth it maketh hast to the graue This narrowe roomth and place of necessitie is knowne without Astrologicall coniecture or Geometrical demonstration So then ye runne thyther where in deede there is no runnyng at all Ioy. My swyftnesse is incredible Reason Although thou excel al men yet thou art not able herein to match an Hare Ioy. My swiftnesse is marueilous Reason The same accompaniyng many vpon hanging hilles and broken mountaynes sydes hath disapoynted them of the playne grounde and many also that woulde runne or as it were flie by vautyng or otherwyse vppon the walles and battlementes of towres vpon the tacklynges of ships vpon the cragges of hilles without hurtyng them selues shortly after by some litle tripping or slyding of the foote haue in this outrage been found dead in the hygh wayes by fallyng It is a dangeâ— us thyng and agaynst the course of nature that there should be such lightnesse in heauie bodies and the practise thereof wil make a man not to be nimble long For although he escape without hurt yet he shall soone leaue it of through weerynesse for the strength of a man is but short and his swiftnesse shorter Ioy. I am nowe very nymble Reason An Asse also is nymble in his youth a Parde waxeth slow with age In tyme nimblenes wyl waxe styffe The first age hath spurres the last hath bridles whatsoeuer thou art thou shalt not be long if thou desire to be good indeuour to be so Only vertue is not afrayde of old age Of wit. The .vii. Dialogue IOY MY wit is also quick Reason I pray God it be vnto vertue Otherwyse look how much the quicker so much the nearer to destruction Ioy. I haue a redy wit. Reason If it be also appliable vnto good artes it is a precious furniture of the minde If otherwyse it is burdensome perilous and troublesome Ioy. My wit is very sharpe Reason It is not the sharpenesse but the vprightnesse and staiednes of the wit that deserue the true and perpetual commendation The sharpnesse of some wittes is rebated with smal force and wil faile at the first encounter and the most strongest thinges if they be stretched foorth to the vttermost become feeble and so likewise weakenes ouercommeth all strength Ioy. I haue a most sharpe wit. Reason There is nothing more odious vnto wisdom then to much sharpnes Nothing more greeuous vnto a Philopher then a sophist for that cause in old time the auncient fathers feigned that Pallas could not abyde spyders whose curious worke and fine webs are brittle serue to no purpose Therfore let the edge of the wyt be lyke the edge of a weapon that it may not only pearse but also stay from going further Ioy. My wyt is prompt and redy to euery thyng Reason This was sometyme attributed vnto Marcus Cato Censorius that he was as redy and apt to learnyng as to the warres to matters concernyng the fielde as the citie and also to the exercise of husbandrie whiche thyng in part the Gretians doo ascribe to theyr countreyman Epaâ—inundas and the Persians to theyr Cyrus Take herde whereunto this thy redie wit be enclined that it be not craftie and that it be not only not quicke and pliant but rather lyght and inconstant For it is one thyng to be able to stay and another to be able to go whyther soeuer a man lust Ioy. My wyt is excellent Reason It skilleth much in what kynd a man do excel For the signification of that woorde is vncertayne and true it is that a mans wit is of force if he do throughly bende it And therefore geue me rather a good wit then an excellent for the one cannot be conuerted to euill the other is flexible vnto many thinges For Salust writeth that Lucius Catiline was a man of notable courage but of a corrupt naughtie wit and disposition Ioy. My wit is great Reason I requyre a good and a modest wit the greatnes only is suspected For a great wit hath many tymes ben the beginnyng of great euylles And seldome were there any great errours but they sprang from great wittes Of Memorie The .viii. Dialogue IOY MY memorie is very great Reason Thou hast then a large house of loathsomenesse and a gallery ful of smoky images among which many thinges may displease Ioy. My memorie conteyneth many thinges Reason Among many thynges there be but fewe that do delight
Contrariwise too muche sleepe is the matter of vice and infamie which driueth many and throweth them headlong into perpetual sleepe For it nourisheth lust maketh the body heauie weakeneth the minde dulleth the wit diminisheth knowledge extinguisheth the memorie and breedeth forgetfulnes It is not without cause that wakeful and industrious persons are commended As for the sleepie we see not them praysed but puffed And therfore as some vs tearme sleepe death so other cal wakefulnesse life Take heede then of lyfe and death which thou choose It is best to wake which the wise do commend that the life may be the longer Ioy. I enioy a long vn interrupted sleepe Reason It is wel if it be not broken by pinching cares by couetousnes by ambition by feare by sorowe and by wicked loue but euyl if a mans sleepe be disturâ—ed by some care of dishonest stâ—die Truely while the people sleepe the prince waketh while the armie resteth the captaynes be vigilant which both experience declareth and Homers Ilias proueth to be true Vpon noble mindes vigilant cares do depende but such as are sober and hotsome It is credibly reported that Augustus Caesar of al Princes the greatest and best vsed but short sleepe and that also often interrupted And thou gloriest in the contrary Ioy. I sleepe profoundly Reason So do gluttons letchers wrathful persons togeather with bruite beastes but lyuing notwithstanding slâ—ggish persons and they that sleepe are only compared to the dead and as touching that part of tyme that happie men doo nothyng differ thereby from men in miserie thou knowest it to be a position of Philosophie Wherefore as that part is diligently to be eschewed whiche leaueth so small a difference of dreames onely betweene men and beastes so is the contrary to be pursued whiche offereth no hardnesse to them that are willing For yf in respect of a simple glory or small gaine both Warriours Merchauntes and Mariners do watch whole nightes abroade in the open ayre the one among ambushmentes of their enimies the other among the surgies and rockes more fierce then any enimie art not thou able to watche some part of the nyghtes in makyng prayers to God and among thy bookes for the true glory and a large gayne Ioy. Being weerie when I was awake I haue now wholly geuen my selfe to sleepe Reason Thus it is yee change not your copie ye deale in all matters after one maner and looke what thing God himselfe or nature or any art hath geuen you for recreation that ye turne to your owne shame and discommoditie â–ª your drinke to drunkennes your meate to surfeityng your leysure to sleepinesse your good health to voluptuousnesse your beautie to lasciuiousnesse your strength to iniuries your wit to deceitfulnesse your knowledge to pride your eloquence to harmfulnesse the brauerie of your houses and the apparell of your backes to pompousnesse and vayne ostentation your ryches to couetousnesse and riot your wiues and chyldren to feare and perpetual carefulnesse Goe nowe be astonished complayne of your fortune and lament your wickednesse of good thinges ye make euil of heauenly giftes ye make fetters and snares and chaines for your soule Ioy. I am delighted in pleasaunt sleepe Reason Not only Kinges Captaynes and Princes Philosophers Poetes Householders do watch vp and rise in the night which Aristotle sayeth to be auaylable for health for good husbandrie and philosophie but theeues also and pilferers and whiche is also more marueylous mad men and louers whom the remembraunce desire they haue to their trulles doth styrre forwarde and wylt not thou for the loue of vertue hate sleepe that is freende to vices and as Horace sayth excellently Seeyng theeues ryse in the nyght to kill true menne wilt not thou awake to preserue thy selfe Ye may be ashamed that filthie causes can so muche preuayle with you and most souereine can doo nothyng Ioy. I sleepe all nyght and no man troubleth mee Reason Aristotle seemeth whiche I haue touched before in this maner to deuide a mans lyfe attributing halfe to sleepe and halfe to waking And as touching the one halfe thereof he sayth that a vertuous mans lyfe differeth not from a fooles lyfe in whiche place he wyll haue he night to be vnderstoode for sleepe and the day for wakyng This I confesse is a good and true diuision for it equally deuideth tyme into the partes But if it be thus taken that the partes be of equal space truely there is an other great difference betweene them For there is no cogitation or discourse more sharpe or more deepe then the nyghtly no tyme more conuenient for studentes If he say that sleepe is the one halfe of our tyme it is a strange saying to come out of the mouth of so studious and learned a man God forbyd that a minde whiche is well instructed and geuen to studie shoulde sleepe halfe her tyme seeyng to some the fourth part and to voluptuous persons also the thyrde part is sufficient I would counsell a man to ryse in the nyght in euery part of the yeere God forbyd but that they which haue any great exployt in hande sleepe both the whole Winter and Summer nyghtes Howbeit it is sufficient perhappes to haue broken it once and as muche sleepe as is broken by watching so muche may be quickly supplyed yf neede so require by takyng a nappe after noone But the houres of the winter nyghters are often to be broken in them it were expedient to syng to studie to reade to write to thynke to contemplate by wit some new thing is to be deuised that which is wonne by studie is to be repeated in memorie Hearken also to S. Ierome wryting to Eustochius We must ryse sayth he twice or thrice a nyght and we must meditate on some part of Scripture whiche we haue learned without booke And at length when your eyes are weerie with this studie ye must eftsoones refreshe them with sleepe and beyng then recomforted with a lytle rest they must agayne be weeried with exercise lest that by sleeping all the night long and lying styl vpon the pillowe ye appeare to be as it were buried carkases By the often and coomely styrring of your selues declare that ye are alyue and geuen to vertue Of pleasaunt smelles The xxii Dialogue IOY I Am delited with sweete odours Reason These serue eyther for foode or apparrel concerning which thou hast hearde myne opinion Ioy. My studie is vpon sweete smelles Reason Of smelles some prouoke the appetite and some wantonnesse The desire of these incurreth the note of incontinencie especially yf it be vehement Others are desired for theyr owne sake The greedinesse of them is not reprooued of dishonestie but of folly Whereby it commeth that the smel of womens oyntmentes and of iunkets is more discommodable then the odour of flowres or apples The same reason is also in those pleasures whiche are receyued by the eares and eyes If euer thou hast applyed thy
but weake and thou mayest also sing to thy selfe this verse of Virgil The destinies shall onely shewe hym to the earth but not suffer hym to liue longer Ioy. I reioyce in my young Chyld Reason Reioyce so as yf thou shouldest be sory eyther for that as I haue said it may chaunce he may die or which is much more greeuous and hapneth very often of a most pleasant chylde become a most vnthankefull and disobedient young man. Ioy. I ioy much in my young chylde Reason There is no husband man so foolysh that wyl reioyce much in the flowre the fruite is to be looked for and then he ought to reioyce moderatly In the mean while tempestes hayle and blastinges are to be feared and the ioy must be moderated with dreade Of the excellent fauour of Chyldren The Lxxii Dialogue IOY MY Children fauour is excellent Reason If thou haue learned by mine instruction not to regarde thine owne fauour then thou knowest how much thou hast to esteeme of anothers Ioy. The fauour of my children is great Reason A thing verie dangerous for the male kinde but much more for the female For beautie and chastitie dwel seldome togeather they wyl not and againe if they would they can not seeing al humane thinges especially honestie can yf or kept in safetie now adayes chiefely if it be ioyned with an excellent beautie There be some whose beautie is enuied at but that enuie keepeth it selfe within it owne boundes some are sory some angry with their beautie as much as may be possible many haue waxed olde continuing vndefiled among the hatred of many some haue shewed perpetual and vnquenchable tyrannie How many saylers do passe euery day vpon the calme sea how many Merchantes do trauayle through the desartes with their wares safe neither Pyrate meeteth with the one nor the Theefe with the other But what beautiful woman canst thou name vnto me that hath not been assayed Although she be chast she shal be tempted and ouercome What womans minde is able to resist so many corrupters The scaling ladders of sugred woordes are set to the walles the engines of giftes are planted and the secret moynes of deceites are cast vp vnder the grounde If these meanes wyll not serue then force is violently offered If thou require proofe call to thy remembraunce the most famous rauishmentes Beautie hath tempted many and caused many to be tempted some it hath ouerthrowen and driuen them into wickednesse or to death Among the Hebrues Ioseph was an example of vehement temptation but the prouidence of God turned the danger into glory Among the Grecians Hippolytus and Bellerophon and among you Spurina to the ende she woulde not be tempted defaced her selfe with her owne hands Among the fyrst was no Thamar among the seconde was not the Greekish Penelope among the thyrde was not the Romane Lucretia safe Finally among all sortes the most part haue been commonly eyther tempted or ouerthrowen These be the fruites of this transitorie and brittle beautie whiche many tymes haue not onely ouerthrowen whole houses but great Cities and mightie Kyngdomes Thou knowest histories Truely yf Helen had not been so beautifull Troy had stoode safe yf Lucretia had not been so fayre the Romane kingdome had not ben so soone ouerthrowen yf Virginea had not ben so beautiful the auctoritie of the ten men had not so soone fayled neyther Appius Claudius beyng so great a law maker among the Romanes beyng vanquished with lust had lost his fame at the barre and his lyfe in prison Finally there haue been innumerable who if they had not been so fayre as they were there shoulde not haue been so many that beyng forced and deceyued haue fallen out of the castle of chastitie into so great reproches and ruine of their soules and therefore vtter what good effectes thou hast founde in beautie that they may be compared with their contraries Ioy. My Chylde is passing beautifull Reason This beautie hauing enflamed the lust of one called Messalina choose whiche thou haddest rather of these twayne eyther to deny and so to be slayne at the louers commaundement eyther to agree and to perysh by Claudius swoorde Thus at one side by chastitie death is purchased by adulterie there is nothing but only a litle deferring of death procured and this is the effect of this noble and excellent beautie In this therefore as in al other thinges the mediocritie is commendable and if any of the extremities were to be wished beautie is more delectable but deformitie is more safe Ioy. I haue a most beautifull Daughter Reason Be careful of treason and beware of force Doest thou thinke that there is but one Iason or one Theseus or one Paris Yes there be a thousand To haue a Daughter is a care and trouble if she haue beautie there is feare which thou canst not auoyde but by death or olde age for by marrying her into another house thou shalt but translate thy feare and not extinguishe it Ioy. I triumphe and reioyce in the singular heautie of my Children Reason For young folke to glorie and reioyce in theyr beautie it is a vayne thyng but common but for an olde man to reioyce in the beautie of his Chyldren whiche vnlesse he doated he woulde perceyue to be full of vanitie or subiecte to daungers it is more follie and next coosen to madnesse Ioy. My Chyld hath an heauenly beautie Reason Thou hast read I thinke the foure and twentie booke of Homers Iliades where Priamus speaking of his sonne Hector He seemed not sayeth he to haue ben the sonne of a mortal man but of a god This sayd Priamus but Achilles shewed that he was the sonne of a mortall man and not of a God and remember thou likewise that this heauenly beautie of thy chylde whereof thou speakest may be taken away and blemished and so long as it continueth whatsoeuer accompt be made of it it is but an vncertayne thyng Howbeit the immoderate loue of fathers whiche is enimie to vpryght iudgement bringeth foorth these errours and trifles Ioy. I haue a passyng fayre Daughter Reason If nothyng els chaunce thy house must be most sumptuous Of the valiencie and magnanimitie of a Sonne The Lxxiii Dialogue IOY I Haue a valient Sonne Reason The more valient he is the more it behoueth thee to be fearefull For Fortune layeth more dangers vpon none then those that contemne her that is to say Valient men And not without good cause for other men hyde them selues and seeke to auoyde her force but these lay themselues open to her furie Recall forepassed ages to memorie and thou shalt perceyue in a maner all the most valient men consumed by violent death Ioy. My Sonnes valiencie is exceedyng great Reason Fortitude is a most excellent vertue but accompanied with sundry chaunces and therefore see thou haue alwayes teares and a coffin in a redinesse Death is at hande to all men but nearest to the valient Ioy. My Sonne is a most
for thy daughter a wyfe for thy sonne thou hast woon the peoples fauour with thy ambitious flatterie thou hast gotten theyr voyces thou hast prepared vnto thy selfe a redy way vnto ryches and honour there nowe remayneth nothyng but that thou reioyce in thyne owne felicitie This yf I be not deceyued is thy conclusion but myne is farre other wyse to wyt that thou dye It seldome happeneth vnto men to enioy long that which they haue gotten togeather with great diligence the toyle is long the vse is short Ioy. Nowe that my affayres goe forwarde prosperously I am in an assured state Reason Howe thou canst stande whyle thyne affayres goe forwarde see thou for I cannot perceyue Ioy. I reioyce nowe that my businesse proceedeth accordyng to my desire Reason Now therefore it is tyme to dye thynkest thou that there can any man lyue long meery heare Dye therefore while thou art meery before thou begyn to be sorowful I wyl nowe repeate agayne that whiche I haue sayde For the repeatyng of profitable thinges is not tedious but pleasant Dooest thou remember in Tullie what Lacon sayde to the auncient Diagoras Rhodius who at that tyme muche reioyced though vpon very lyght occasion whiche thou heardest before when we entreated of Palestrical exercises Die nowe Diagoras quoth he for thou canst not clymbe into heauen And truely it was grauely spoken For in this so great an alteration of thinges what can the mynde looke for more then to leaue to be mery and to begyn to be sorowful And therefore Diagoras very seasonably folowed his friendes counsel for in the sight and a middest the shoutyng and gratulation of the people in the middest of the embrasinges and kysses of his sonnes he gaue vp the ghost This Historie is written in the booke of the Attike nightes and in summe moe haue peryshed through ioy then sorowe Of all therefore that are wyse but specially that are in great ioy death is to be wyshed of whiche we ought alwayes to thynke but most of all in tyme of prosperitie and this cogitation wyll brydle al other Ioy. I haue taken payne and nowe I rest Reason Ye hope al for that but therein ye be all deceyued The course of your lyfe fareth otherwyse and the ende thereof answereth not your expectation This thy rest is eyther short or false or to speake more truely both and howe then carrye dreame any rest heare So dooth he that is in pryson dreame of libertie the sicke man of health and he that is hungrie of dayntie cheere but behold the last day is at hand whiche wyll shortly dryue away these dreames But be ye not deceyued by dreames and false opinions wherof the lyfe of man is full promyse not vnto your selues rest heare Beleeue me death is all the rest that men haue after theyr trauailes Ioy. I haue al thynges most plentifully that I thynke to be necessarie forâ—ine Reason All thinges more then needeful are wast superfluous but this is the maner of mans minde that professyng and ascendyng vpward to heauen burdeneth it selfe with so great care and studie as it is scarce neuer able to disburden it self againe so that being wayed downe with a forraigne burden whyle it endeuoureth to ryse vpward it falleth downe the earth is vnto it in steede of heauen Ioy. I haue abundaunce of al thinges and they be nowe in the Hauen Reason Then are they in the end of their course For this present lyfe is lyke to the troublesome Sea. The end of the one is at the shore and of the other in death so that they may be both well termed Hauens And truely the most part of men while they be careful in heaping togeather necessaries to lyue by in the chiefest of their preparation they are cut of by death and there is nothyng nowe more common then for death to preuent the carefulnesse of this lyfe it happeneth but vnto fewe to obteyne their desire and from these the vse of theyr dayly gaine is so soone taken away that the shortnesse of theyr ioy is an encrease of their sorowe wherof it is knowne that many haue complained at theyr death Ioy. Now that I haue ended my trauayles I lyue in securitie Reason So doth the foule flie safe betweene the line and the grin the fishe playeth among the hookes and the wylde beastes among the toyles Oftentimes whereas is most danger and least feare it is fortunes cunning to take away distrust that she may strike the more freely Ioy. I haue toyled al my lyfe tyme to the end I might take my rest at last Reason Thou hast placed thy rest securitie vpon a daungerous downefal hast liued in sorow to die in mirth wherein thou hast folowed no absurd gouernment concernyng thy lyfe and death so that we agree about the qualitie of the securitie and rest sorow and ioy Ioy. I haue prouided al things to furnysh my selfe whyle I lyue Reason Nay rather to make thy death more greiuous Thou hast wel prouided for the Phisitions they will shortly come thicke vnto thee pratling about thy bed There wil come also some to make thy Testament some to loke for Legacies some that wil dissemble their ioy counterfeite teares secretly curse that thy life continueth so long thy death approcheth no faster some wil marke the crisis or determination day of the sicknesse some the signes and tokens some wyl watch the golden carkasse All these goodes whiche in al thy lyfe tyme thou hast scraped togeather wyl be the meanes onely not for thee to lyue the better but to dye the more accompanied Thou hast not altogeather lost thy labour for thou shalt not lacke companie when thou art sicke neyther money for thy lust and superfluities neyther pompe for thy buriall Ioy. Now that I haue gotten al things I may take my rest Reason I sayd erwhyle thou soughtest rest and comfort of lyfe but thou hast founde payne and tediousnesse of death Ioy. I haue disposed all thynges and attained prosperitie Reason Thou hast heaped togeather a nest of most deceitfull and transitorie hope which so soone as it groweth to any ripenesse wyl flee away leauing thy hart voyde and sorowfull and many tymes it perisheth before it be fledge Ioy. After my long traueyle commeth quietnesse Reason Perhaps it wyll be as short as may be possible For often the trauel of many yeeres perisheth in a moment when as for the most part al procedinges are by degrees the endes of thynges are not seldome sudden Ioy. By long cares at length I am come to the beginning of securitie Reason Humane curiositie is very careful of the beginninges but is so blynde that it cannot foresee the ende A thycke miste of the tyme to come hath bleared the sight of mortal mens eyes Let our deliberation be the accomplishment of our fortune But to speake more truely it is the wyl of God in whose hands are al mens chaunces not such as in your
and louers of money ye seeme to be waxed deafe vnto holsome admonition and counsell whatsoeuer hath been sayde by vertuous and learned men specially agaynst this poynt of humane madnesse Thou hast heard your Satyrike Poet protesting For he that woulde be ryche and soone be rych and vnto these woordes he addeth But what reuerence of lawes what feare or shame is there euer in the couetous man that desireth hastely to be ryche This sayeing the wyse man among the Hebrewes compriseth in fewe woordes Who so sayth he maketh haste to be ryche can not be without blame Thou hast heard also another Countreyman of yours whether he were a Satyricall or Lyricall Poet saying It is neyther house nor lande not heapes of siluer nor golde that are able to expell Feuers out of the owners diseysed bodie nor cares out of his minde The selfe same thyng this strange wyse man comprehended in fewe woordes saying Richesse doo not helpe in the day of vengeaunce But he tolde moreouer what woulde helpe Righteousnesse sayth he shall delyuer a man from death Since therefore the money whiche thou lamentest to be lost in tyme of greatest necessitie can not profite the bodye nor mynde I marueyle eyther why it shoulde so muche be wyshed for when it is gone or loued when it is present With these and suche other thynges your Oratour beyng mooued There is no signe so euident of a base and vile minde sayth he as to loue ryches But the Ecclesiastike Oratour There is nothyng sayth he more wicked then a couetous person nothing more vniust then to loue money And the aucthoritie of very many that agree in this matter from whiche there is almost none that dissent is of suche multitude and grauitie that the common peoples errour striueth to no purpose against the iudgement of the wyse And therefore as there is none more vniust so is there no desyre more ardent then the desyre of money as beyng a thyng vpon whiche men are perswaded that all thinges depende that can be wyshed for But contrariwyse the voyces of the best learned men cry out experience and trueth crieth out the multitude of auncient and new examples crieth out that great masses of money are profitable to none but haue been pernitious to many are gotten with sinne and toyle kept with feare and carefulnesse and lost with complaint and heauinesse Let the louers of money declare eyther what falshood is in these woordes or goodnesse in theyr ryches And to the ende that a thyng so much commended may be vprightly considered let euery man cal vnto his remembrance whatsoeuer he hath seene or read perfectly and sincerely concerning this matter setting apart al regard of the common peoples clamour and the glittering of the mettalles And for that all men haue not had the lyke occasion to see and trie let those thynges be called to mynde whiche are set downe in wrytyng by famous auctours whiche the learned myght alwayes reade and heare at their pleasure And is it not well knowen that money brought in newe and vnaccustomed manners and that effeminate rychesse by meanes of hatefull riotousnesse dyd peruert whose ages that before lyued most commendably And that rychesse adioyned with couetousnesse and ouerflowing pleasures through sensualitie and lasciuiousnesse brought in the desire to ouerthrowe and destroy all whiche both by wryting and effect hath often been founde to be true That the couetous man is alwayes in neede That iron is hurtful but golde more hurtfull That the wicked thyrst of golde d th enforce mens mindes vnto any mischiefe and that the spirites are weakened onely with the sight of money Is not golde able to passe through a garison of armed men and to breake stones more forcibly then a thunderbolt and dooeth not hereof spryng treason both agaynst honestie and lyfe By a golden showre of rayne Danaès virginitie was expugned and lykewyse there was one cause of the ouerthrowe of the Greeke Poet Amphiareus and his couetous wife to wit the fatall golde which being wel contemned by Argia Eriphila yll wished for and yll gotten brake vp his house and began the occasion of horrible wickednesse Is it not most truely and properly sayde that false and transitorie ryches can neyther perfourme that which they promise neyther quenche the thyrst of the minde but encrease it neyther dryue away cares but bring them nor relieue necessities but encrease them And that The loue of money encreaseth as muche as the money it selfe encreaseth And likewyse this saying may be added Money maketh no man ryche but rather contrariwyse there is no man in whom it hath not engendred a greater desire of it And no lesse this Care followeth money as it encreaseth and greater hunger of it And agayne To them that aske many thynges many thynges are wantyng and likewyse They that possesse muche doo lacke muche Finally that whatsoeuer they be they are not permanent and continuyng as beyng reposed in the handes of Fortune subiect euermore vnto variable chaunces and at leastwyse to be lost by death For when the ryche man sleepeth he shall carie nothyng away with hym yf he open his eyes he shall fynde nothyng and yet he can not leaue that nothyng to whom he woulde for why Man passeth away in an Image and vaynely troubling hym selfe he heapeth vp ryches together and knoweth not for whom he shall gather them Whyle these and a thousande suche lyke sayinges of wyse and learned men doo in suche sort sounde about our eares notwithstandyng infinite desire to haue hath made you deafe so that the rych men of this worlde are in vayne admonished not to be too hyghly wyse nor to trust in the vncertainetie of ryches but in the liuing GOD who geueth all thing plenteously to enioy them to do good and to become ryche in good woorkes for they that would be ryche namely in these ryches that are commonly wyshed for fall into temptation and snares of the Deuyll and many vnprofitable and hurtfull lustes that drench men in death and destruction For couetousnesse is the roote of all mischieues This counsayler wyll they more harken vnto then they wyll heare hym that sayeth Trust not in wickednesse neyther couet after rapine yf ryches doo abounde set not thy hart vpon them Neither him more then his sonne saying Whoso trusteth in his ryches shall come to destruction And agayne not more then all these hym that is aboue all whose heauenly doctrine can not be contemned but of mad and frantike persons who truely calleth ryches and the companions of ryches pleasures and cares by the name of thornes whiche choake the seede of holsome woordes this spake he in whose mouth was founde no guyle The lyuely trueth I say spake this and dooest thou thynke that he founde any fayth vpon the earth Surely none at all or but very litle And that whiche he tearmeth thornes the worlde calleth chiefe sweetnesse and pleasure And where as one saith that pearles and precious stones and vnprofitable gold
not what it is to leese a father vnlesse thou haddest had a sonne Of the losse of a mother The xlvii Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost my mother Reason Thou hast yet another mother whom thou canst not leese if thou wouldest from the first thou camest and vnto this thou shalt returne The first gaue thee houséromth the space of a few monethes the other shal giue thee lodging the space of many yeeres The one of these gaue thee thy body the other shal take it away Sorowe My most milde mother is dead Reason But a most hard mother remayneth who wyl keepe thee and thy mother whom thou bewailest in one besome in whose wombe she shal rest with thee and as we beleeue bryng you both foorth agayne at the last day Sorowe My good mother hath forsaken me Reason She made hast fearyng to be forsaken and likely it is that her death was acceptable vnto her because she would not see thine prouiding for her securitie in that whiche alwayes she most feared Sorowe My good mother is dead Reason She is happily dead thou being a lyue whiche beyng otherwyse such are the affections of women she would haue died in sorowful lamentation Sorowe My mother is dead Reason Shee must haue died and thou also neyther canst thou complaine of death nor of the order therof Of the losse of a sonne The xlviii Dialogue SOROW. BUt I haue lost my sonne Reason Say rather and better I haue sent hym before me for thou shalt folowe hym quickely and perhappes to day and howe know we whether this same houre There is no trust in lyfe since there is so great certentie in death shalt folowe hym sayde I Nay rather thou doest folowe hym I woulde haue sayde for thou folowest hym continually it is not permitted vnto a man at any tyme to stay his course in this lyfe but euermore he steppeth foorth one step vnto death a strange matter to be spoken whether he be bound or at libertie sicke or whole walkyng or sitting awake or sleepyng he is caryed foorth toward his ende much after the manner of them that sayle in a shyp or sitte and ride in a wagon and are carried foorth a pace Sorowe I am greeued with the lacke of my sonne whom I haue lost Reason Qiuet thy minde for thou shalt finde hym whom thou desirest ere it be long not to be able to suffer the want of a short tyme is the part of a childe or a woman for vnto a man there is no short thing difficult Thou knowest I thinke by what woordes Socrates in Plato and Cato and Lelius in Cicero do comfort suche desires and wantes Although men surpasse in vertue and glory yet in this hope do some farre surpasse other Thou knowest moreouer of what minde Paulus Emilius Cato hym selfe Pericles and Zenophon that was scholer vnto Socrates and scholefelowe with Plato and his equal and other innumerable were for the death of their chyldren neyther art thou ignorant howe he that was both a prophet and a king wept for his chylde whyle it was sicke but not when it was dead thinkyng that to lament and weepe for thinges vnrecouerable is rather a poynt of vayne madnesse then of true affection Among the number of whiche manly examples the Spartane woman shuffeleth her selfe whose name is not set downe by wryters nor her saying semblably commended who hearyng that her sonne was slayne in battayle therfore sayd she did I beare hym that he shoulde not be afrayd to dye for his countrey The vertue of Linia and the elder Cornelia is nothyng inferiour vnto this but their names muche more famous of whom the first layde downe her mournyng so soone as her sonne of most honourable byrth and that was lyke to haue aspired vnto the hyghest degree of Empire was once layd into the ground but neuer left of the remembrance of hym The other hauing lost many chyldren yea al that she had whereof some she behelde slayne by the people and lying abrode vnburyed when as other women accordyng to the manner of that sexe rued her state and pitifully weepyng bewaled her woful case she answeared that she was not infortunate but happie for that she had borne such sonnes A woorthy woman that was not surprised with the present miserie but counted her selfe happie for that whiche was past who contrary to the common opinion and custome of them that are in miserie comforted herselfe with her forepassed felicitie and the remembrance of her prosperitie wherin shee had somtime liued and tooke it indifferently although she had then lost it for that cause only was woorthie to haue bad good children Now she being a woman remained wholy not once touched with the greeuous and sharp woundes of fortune and thou beeyng a man art ouerthrowne by one only doest thou lament so childishly Sorow I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were a duetiful sonne there is no cause to feare his estate for he is well But yf he were wicked thou art rydde of one that counted vpon thy death and encreased the infirmities of thine olde age Sorowe I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were vertuous reioyce that thou haddest hym but yf he were vnthryfty be glad that thou hast lost hym and in eyther case acknowledge the benefite of nature eyther for geuing thee suche a one or for takyng hym a way Sorowe Death hath taken away my sonne before his tyme. Reason That is not done before due tyme whiche may be done at al tymes Death hath directe entrances into al ages but into youth innumerable Sorowe I haue remayned without a sonne Reason And without trouble and feare Now hast thou none for whose cause thou shalt spend the nyghtes without sleepe and the dayes in care for whose sake thou shalt enter into long and inextricable hope that shall thinke vpon thy hory heares and wryncles examine thy lyuing fynde fault with thine expences and blame the staying of thy death thou art in securitie and quietnesse on euery side both which are a great commoditie although it be made more bitter by the name of death Sorowe I am cast downe by the geeuous death of my sonne Reason Hast thou not hearde what Anaragoras sayth Hast thou forgotten that thou begattest a mortal creature Or doest thou perhappes lament that he is gone before that should haue folowed And although the lyfe of man in many other thinges be disordinate and out of course yet death keepeth his ordinarie custome crooked olde men stagger and young men make hast and chyldren runne headlong infantes at their first entrance into lyfe are drawen to their ende one man more slowly another more speedily one more ripely another more vntimely but euery man must die this is the conclusion of al. And in whatsoeuer age of this lyfe a man die be it gently or sharpely he hasteth vnto death Sorowe I weepe for the death of my sonne Reason If thou wouldest haue wept at his death thou shouldest also