into a newe And what other thing is the sepulchre but a castelle wherin we be closed agaynst the assautes of the lyfe Of trouth you ought more to couete to take that you find at your deth than the hurte of that you shal leue in your lyfe I demand of you what is it that dothe you most peyne in lesyng of the lyfe If you peyn your self for Helie Fabrice your wyfe bicause you leaue her yonge wery not yourself for she is wel thought on in Rome for any peryll of your lyfe And as soone as she knoweth it I am in certayne she wyll not wepe moche though you go your way Thā you ought not to wepe for leuyng of her These yonge damoysels maried to old men haue euer their eyes fixed in the deth of their husbandes And holly fasten their hartes on him that they think to mary with ageyn They wepe with their eies laughe in their hartis And thinke not contrary though she be an empresse and can not fynde an other emperour to be her husbande yet she wyll fynde some other man For if they be soo determyned they wyll change their robes of sylke for a gowne of clothe I dare well saye they more desyre a yonge sheparde than an olde emperour If you care for your chyldren whom ye muste leaue behind you I can not tell why you shuld do so For if your deth be displeasant to them moch more displeaseth them y t you liue so longe It is great pein to the child not to desire the deth of his father For if he be poore it is for feare how they shuld be mainteined if he be ryche thā bicause he shalbe his heire They synge you wepe you fere the deth wepe bicause you leaue your life Doo you not know y t after the night cometh the dewy mornyng after y t cometh the bright son after y e son comith a derk cloude and after ageyn cometh faire wether after that cometh lightnyng thonder than again clere aire Also I say that after infancy cometh childhode thā cometh youth age after that and so at laste cometh deth and after dethe fearefull hope of a sure lyfe Sir beleue me in one thyng The beginning the meane and the ende euery man hath Certainly if you had ben takē as the floure fro the herbe if you had ben cut grene fro the tree if you had ben graffed in primetyme if you had ben eaten in the sowernes of the vyne I meane if in the fyrste youthe whan lyfe was at the swetest if dethe had come and knocked at the gate ye shulde haue had cause to be sory but as nowe the walles are weake and redye to falle and the flowre wythered and the very putrified the speare full of mosse and canne not drawe the knyfe out of the shethe Herein you haue desired the worlde as if you had neuer knowen the worlde Lxii. yere you haue ben prisoner in the dongeon of the body now whan the shakles or gyues shuld be taken from you you complayne you lorde wold make newe of other newes He that thinketh it nat sufficient to lyue .lxii. yeres in this dethe or to dye in this lyfe he wyll not be contente with thre score thousande ¶ Auguste the Emperour sayde that after that men had lyued .l. yeres they ought to dye orels cause them selfe to be slayne bycause that vnto that tyme is the felycitie of man He that lyueth beyonde that tyme passeth his tyme in heuynesse in greuous aches deathe of his chylderne and losse of his goodes in importunities of his chyldren in lawe buryenge of his frendes susteynynge processe payinge of dettis and other infinyte trauayles So that it were better with his eies cloosed to abyde theym in his graue thanne with his eyes open to abyde theym in his lyfe dayes Certaynly it is a fortune of all fortunes and he is ryght priuie with the goddis that at .l. yere leaueth his lyfe For al the time that he liueth after is in decaying and neuer vpryght but rollyng relynge and redy to fall O Marc my dere lorde do you not know that by the same way that lyfe gothe cometh dethe It is .lxii. yere that ye haue soughte the one from the other And whan ye wente fro Rome where as you lefte your howse ye wente to Illirike where you lefte a great pestylence and nowe you are retourned into Hungarie Do you not knowe that as soone as you were borne to gouerne the erthe incontinent dethe issued out of his sepulchre to fynde your lyfe And if you haue honored ambassadours of the straunge kynges moche more ye oughte to honour deathe that cometh fro the goddis What lordshyp can be loste in this lyfe but you shal fynde greatter in the death Are you not remembred whan Vulcan my sonne in lawe poisoned me bicause he desyred my goodes more than my lyfe howe you my lorde for loue that you had to me gaue me comforte and counsell for the deth of my sorowfull youth and you sayd to me the goddis were cruell in kyllynge of them that be yonge and pitiefull whan they burie theym that be olde And also you sayde to me Comforte thy selfe Panutius For if thou dydst lyue to dye now than thou dyest to liue Therfore right high and myghty prince I saye to you as you sayde to me and I counsayle you as you counsayled me and that you gaue me I gyue you ageyne Fynally of this repynge take the best in worthe let the rest abide ¶ How themperour demanded to haue in writing al that the Secretarie had sayde Cap. xli ANd as of the contentynge of the wylle oftentymes procedeth helthe and ease of the body the emperour was wel satisfied with the wordes of Panutius whiche he eloquently vttered and with profounde counsell hardily and familyarly and in due tyme as a good frende Great cōpassion it is to them that wold die whā it is shewed them what they ought to do For of them that be about the bed somme robbe hym of his money somme serue hym welle some holde the place to be his heire some gape for gyftes some wepe for losynge of hym somme laugh for the gaynes they haue by his death and so in this maner the poore pacient hauyng many lokynge for their profyte hath no body to counsel hym We se dayly that seruātes whā they se the going out of the cādell of lyfe care not for the clēsing of their lordes vyces And therof cometh that as sone as he is deed streight way begynneth to stynke And so I say that the ende of his lyfe is the begynnynge of his infamy All they that were there as well the olde seruantes as the newe belongynge to themperour capitaynes of warre other were not a lyttell abashed of the sayenge of Panutius and they all allowed his sayinge and sayde he was worthy to haue the gouernaunce of thempire The good emperour all the season
say it not without teares thou seeste that my son remayneth ryche yonge and at libertie Ryches youthe solitarines and lybertie ben .iiii. pestilences that enpoysone the prince and waste the common welthe hit sleethe them that be a lyue infameth them that be deed Beleue me one thynge dyuers graces are requisite to susteyn diuers vertues With the fairest women the brothell houses are peopled the mooste vilaynes are made ruffyens the moste hardye are robbers in woddes the quickeste of vnderstandynge ofte proue fooles and the mooste subtylle becom theues I say that such as are clothed with dyuers graces of nature lacke the furres of accquired vertues We may say they hold in their handes a knyfe wherwith they stryke and hurte theym selfes fire on their shulders wherwith they bren and a corde about their necke wherwith they hange daggers at theyr stomacke wherwith they are stayne thornes at theyr feete wherwith they are pricked a stony way afore theyr eies where they stomble and stomblynge fall and fallynge they lese theyr life and wynne dethe The great trees of whom we haue fruite in wynter and shadowe in sommer first be planted the rotes faste in the entrayles of the erthe or euer theyr wauerynge boughes are aduentured in the wynd Marke Panutius marke well The man that from his youth hath set before hym the feare of the goddis and the shame of men is habited in vertues he that accompanieth with them that be vertuous mainteyneth trouth to euery maÌ„ and liueth without preiudice of any man Malicious fortune maye somtyme cleue the barke of the welthe of suche a tree wyther the floure in his youthe breake the leaues of his fauour gather the fruite of his trauaylle breake downe a bough of his offices bowe downe the height of his couÌ„cell yet for all the strokes that the wynde can strike it can not be plucked vp by the rote Certaynely the sonne that the father hath endued with graces and the sonne applienge hym in vices ought not to be borne in this worlde if he be borne to be buried quicke For the fathers sweate by day and watche by nyght to leue honour to their children whiche the fathers bye of the goddis with sighes the mothers delyuered of them with peyne and bring theÌ„ vp with trauayle and the chylde proueth so that he giueth greuous age to the father in his lyfe great infamy after his death I consider wel that the prince Comode beinge yonge and I olde ageynst his wyl forbare vyces I fere me that after my deth he wyll hate vertues I remeÌ„bre diuers of his age haue inherited the empire whiche were so hardy in their lyues that they deserued to be called tyrantes after their dethes ExaÌ„ple of Denys renoumed tyrant of Sycill whiche hired theym that coude inuent vices as our Rome rewardeth them that conquere realmes What greatter tyranny can be in a tyraÌ„t than to make most priuie to him theÌ„ that be vicious Also I forget not the foure kinges that succeded after great AlexaÌ„der as Ptholome Anthiocê° Siluiê° Antigonus whiche the grekes called great tirantis all that AlexaÌ„der had gotten with renomed triuÌ„phes they lost by their viciousnes And in this maner the world y t AlexaÌ„der had deuided amonge them .iiii. came to the handes of mo than foure C. for Antigonê° set so litle by that had cost his lord AlexaÌ„der so moch was so lighte in his age so bolde in his realme y t in mockery in y e stede of a crowne of gold he ware a garlande of Iuie in stede of a scepter he bare a thystle in his right hande and after that maner he wold syt amonge his men whan he spake to strangers I lay shame to the yong man so to do but I meruayle that the sadde and wyse men of grece suffred it ¶ I remembre also Caligula the .iiii. emperour of Rome a yonge man in whose tyme it was harde to knowe whiche was the greatter eyther the disobedience of the people to their lorde or the hatrede that the lorde bare to the people And this yonge prince went so farre oute of the waye in his youthe and was so farre wyde frome reason in his tyrannies that euery man studyed howe to take his lyfe from hym he studied to slee euery man He wrote these wordes in a table of golde Wolde to god that all Rome hadde but one heed to the entente that with one stroke I myght stryke it of ¶ I also remembre Tyberie sonne adoptiue of good Auguste called August bycause he augmented Rome But this good olde prince dyd not so moche augmente it in his lyfe but this yonge successour distroyed it moche more after his deathe The hate that the Romayne people had agaynste Tyberie in his lyfe was ryght welle shewed after his dethe For the same day that he dyed or whan he was slayne the people made dyuers processions and the senatours offred great gyftes in the temples and the priestes offred gret sacrifices to their goddis to thentent that they shulde not receyue the soule of the sayd Tiberie into their glorie but to sende it to the furies of Hell ¶ Also I mynde Patrocle the seconde kynge of Corynthe whiche enheryted the realme beinge but .xvi. yere of age and he was so vycious of his body and so lyberall of his mouthe that where as his father helde the realme .lx. yere he possessed it but .xxx. dayes ¶ Also the auncient Tarquin the proude the .vii. kynge of Rome whiche was ryght goodly in gesture ryght valyant in armes and of a cleane bloudde as an vnhappye prince defyled al his vertues with noughtye lyuynge in suche wyse that he conuerted his beautie into lechery his power into tyranny for the villany that he did to Lucrece the chaste lady of Rome wherby he lost not onely his realme but the name of Tarquine was banysshed for euer out of Rome ¶ I remembre cruelle Nero whiche inheryted and dyed yonge in hym ended the memorie of the noble Cesars and by hym was renewed the memorye of Antygones the tyrantes Whom thynkest thou this tyrant wolde suffre to lyue whiche slewe his owne mother Tell me I pray the what harte is that of a chylde to slee his owne mother to open the brestes that he sucked to shedde the blood of her that nouryshed hym in her armes and to beholde the entrayles wherin he was fourmed What thynkeste thou that he wolde not haue done sithe he commytted suche an yll dede The day that Nero slew his mother an oratour sayd in the senate that Agrippyne his mother had deserued deth for chyldyng suche a chylde in Rome These thre dayes that thou haste sene me so altered in my mynde all these thinges came before me and I haue drawen theym into the depenes of my harte and disputed theym This sonne of myn holdeth me in the gulfe of the see betwene the wawes of feare and the ankers of dispayre hopynge
true it semeth by diuers excellent barons well lerned in diuers sciences that flourished in his tyme Iulius Capitolin recounteth of them as foloweth Alexander a greke Trasion Polyon Euticius Anius Macrion Caninius Crodiaticus Fornius Cornelius Apolonius Nius Sextus Cheronense Iunius Rasticus Claudius Maximus Cina Catulus Claudius Seuerus and the renowmed Diogenitus paynter and the well lerned lawyer Volusius Mecianus All these were in this emperours palays and residente in his persence And yet for all that he had dyuers other wise presons in Rome and abrode in Italy It was no meruail to se in those dayes the multitude of men that flourisshed in wisedome There was no father but if he had two sonnes he wolde set one of them to study and the other accordyng to the Romayne lawe shuld be sette to the warres And if this emperour wyst of any wyse yong man aboue al other he wolde fauour hym ¶ Of the emperour Marcus sonne named Verissimus Cap. v. THis emperour Marcus Aurelius hadde only two sonnes as Herodian saythe The greattest and eldest was called Comode and the yōgest was named Verissimus He was a fayre childe of person and right vertuous of liuing With his beautie he drewe to hym the eies of many and with his good inclinations he robbed the hartes of all men He was the hope of the people and the glorie of his fathers age And though the eldest was prince yet themperour determyned that the laste borne for his vertues shulde inherite as the eldest And he that was fyrst borne for his demerites shulde be disherited And as good desyres in the best tyme fayle often by vnhappy chance this emperour being of .lii. yeres of age and the sonne of .xvi. the glorie of Rome and hope of the father the lyfe of the sonne toke an ende And as moche was the deathe bewayled as the lyfe desyred It was great pytie for the senate by reason therof sawe not themperour nor the olde emperour for sorowe sawe not the senate of a longe space Rome was ryght heuy and the senate withdrewe them to the heighte of the capitoll dyuers dayes And as the mystes and wyndes cause the leaues to falle that were grene in sommer and the dedes of honour constrayne vs to forget the myshappes of fortune as a man of high lynage and of stronge courage thoughe that sorowe remayne in his harte and abydethe locked therin determynethe to clense the braunches of sorowes that is outward fayning ioy and myrthe outwardely kepynge the sorowe within so this Marcus the emperour as a man whose vine freseth and dyethe wherin he had al his hope contented him with that was lefte behynde Whan his dere sonne Verissimus was deed he sente for the prince Comode his onely inheritour whiche sythe the chylde his brother was deed entred not in to the palays And the emperour seynge the proude and outragious porte of his sonne Comode bedewed his eien with salte teares remembrynge the shame of the one and the dethe of the other The whiche perceyued by Faustyne his mother which loued hym moste entierly commaunded to haue her sonne awaye fro the presence of his father ¶ What wyse and auncient men Marcus chose to instructe his sonne Cap. vi THoughe that the harte of this emperour was occupied with the death of his chylde yet for all that he reysed his vnderstandyng to haue the prince his heyre ryght well brought vppe For certaynely princis bene suche whan they come to mans estate as they be brought vp in their tender youth The father than knowynge the frayle inclinations of his chylde not correspondent to the good gouernaunce of the empire as a good emperour sent ouer all Italye for the moste wysest persones in lernynge the moste famous of renowme and the mooste vertuous in dedes And as in dyuers thynges the infamye is greatter in the yll doinge by malyce than the faute of the trespassour by weakenes so in dyuers other thynges the common voyce is more than the secrete vertue For the whyche occasyon after the assemblynge of these wyse menne the emperour commaunded to examyne them and to be informed of the bloude of their predecessours of the appoyntement in all their thynges and of the treatie of their busynes and of the credence amonge their neyghbours and of the purenes of their lyues and grauitie of theyr persones and finally of their sciences what they coulde do and this to be done in an order The astrologiens in astronomie the musitiens in musyke the oratours in their arte of rhetorike and some in other sciences And this not in one daye but in many and not onely by informacyon of other but he wolde knowe hit by his owne propre experience Thus they were all examyned soo that there was none lefte behynde And as for perfecte knowlege of thynges wherin we haue great affection it behoueth to haue straunge aduyse clere vnderstandynge and propre experience so the emperour commanded to chose out of dyuers a fewe and out of fewe the wysest and of the wysest the moste experte moste worthy and moste auncient And accordyng to the vii artes lyberall there was assigned to euery science two maysters so that the prince was one and the maysters xiiii This renowme that the Emperour sente ouer all to haue maysters for his sonne the prince caused to come to hym moo wyse men from straunge countreys than of the marches and neyghbours of Rome The good emperour considerynge that it was no reason that suche as came to his seruice shulde returne myscontented some with ioyfull wordes some vpon certayne hope and some with giftes and presentes were dispatched soo that they were all pleased And if this doinge was renowmed by the reporte of the wise men it was no lesse vertuous by the wisedome and worthynes of the emperour to sende them home soo well content For he sent them away as well satisfied that were ouercome as they were cōtented that ouercam them And certaynly they had all reason for some bare the swete wordes and satisfienge of the father and somme aboode there charged with the enterprise of the sonne Yet the good emperour not being contented with this commanded that these maysters shoulde be lodged in his palayes and eate in his presence and acconpany his personne to se if theyr lyfe were conformable to their science and whether their plesant and wel couched wordes agreed in effect with theyr warkes It was a meruaylous thinge to se the study and thought that the emperour had to regard them as well in goynge as fedynge ¶ Howe it chaunced to fyue wyse men wherfore they were put out of the emperours house Cap. vii IN the month of Septembre the .xi. day therof in halowyng the feast of the Emperours natiuitie in the same house where as he was borne in the place of moūt Celio As a trewande and foole dothe lyke hym selfe and semblably as he is accustomed to doo And lyke as oone dothe the semblable thynges and customes that he
that trusteth in youthe is lyght and he that gouerneth by him selfe alone is hardy and bolde and he that gouerneth by him selfe and other is wise These were notable wordes ¶ Than my sonne determin the to take counsel and specially in high thinges and matiers of difficultie and other wise let them not be determyned For whan the counsaylle is taken of dyuers than if any faute be it shal be deuided amonge them al. Thoughe the determination myghte be done by a fewe yet take counsel of many Amonge all thy welthes here the common counsel For one wyl shewe the al the inconuenience an nother the peryl an other the domage an other the profitte an nother the remedye And sette as well thyn eyes vpon the inconueniences that they laye as vpon the remedy that they offre Whan thou begynnest any harde mattier esteme as wel the smal domages that may befall afore and stoppe them as to remedy the gret misfortunes that come after Of trouth the strōg and myghty shyppe ofte tymes for a smalle takynge hede of the pylotte is sounken and drowned in a lyttell water and an other shyppe not so strong with wise diligence is saued in the gulfe of the see Be not annoyed to take coūcel in smal matters euery houre For many thinges forthwith require to be loked to and in abydinge for councel it endomageth And that that thou canst dispatche by thyn owne auctoritie without domage of the common welthe put it not to any other person For sith thy seruice al onely dependeth of thyn the rewarde dependeth of the alone ¶ In the yere .vi. C.xxx of the foundation of Rome after the cruell warres done ageinst the kynge of Numedie the day that Marius triumphed without puttyng of any of the riches that he brought into the common treasury he deuyded it to his men of warre And whan he was therfore accused and asked why he toke not firste the opinyon of the senate He aunswered and sayde Sythe they toke not the opinion of other to do me seruice it were no reson that I shulde take councell of other to rewarde and recōpence them ¶ Son yet I wil aduertise of other thinges Peraduenture some wyll gyue the counsell er thou demaund it In that case kepe this general rule neuer abide the second counsell of a man if he haue giuen the counsell before in the preiudice of an other For he offreth his wordes in thy seruice to bringe the besynes to his owne profyte O my sonne there are many thinges to knowe a man Xv yere I haue ben senatour consule censure capitaine and tribune and .xviii. yeres I haue ben emperour of Rome and diuers haue spoken to me in preiudice of other and many mo for their own profite and none haue spoken clerely to me for the profite of other nor for my seruice Great compassion oughte to be taken of princis for euery man foloweth them for theyr owne profite none for loue and seruice One counsell I toke for my selfe all the whyle that I haue gouerned Rome I neuer kepte man in my house after that I knewe hym hatefull agaynste the common welthe ¶ In the yere of the foundation of Rome .vi. C.lix of the Olympiade C.lxviii Lucullus Patricien greate frende to Sylla goynge to the warre of Methridates It chaunced that in Tygoano a citie of Caldiens he found a plate of coper or brasse vpon the kinges gatis wherin were certayne lytters whiche they sayde were grauen there by the commandement of Alexander the great The letters were in Caldee conteynyng these sentences That prince is not wyse that wyll holde his lyfe in peryll and wil not assure his lyfe and state with the loue of all men That prince is not vertuous that in giuinge moche to one person wylleth all other to haue but lyttell That prince is not iuste that wyll satysfie more the couetise of one person than the voices of all men That prince is a fole that dispyseth the councell of all other and trusteth all onely vpon the opinion of one And finally that prince is to bolde and hardye ▪ that for the loue of one wil be hated of all other ¶ These were wordes of eternall memorye And in dede these princis shulde haue this always in theyr presence Sonne yet I shal say more to the. This Lucullus Patriciens brought into the Senate al the tresure that he had and this plate with the sayd wordes theron to thentente that they shulde chuse the one and leaue the other And the senate refused all the treasure and toke the counselles written theron ¶ Of dyuers and partycular recommendations whiche the emperour commaunded his sonne Cap. xlvii I Haue shewed lyke a father the thynge that toucheth thy welth Nowe I wyll shew the what thou oughtest to do after my death for my seruice Those thynges that I haue loued in my lyfe if thou wilte be sonne to thy father esteme them after my dethe Fyrste my sonne I recommende to the the worshyppynge of the temples and the reuerence of the priestes with the honour to the goddis So longe shall the honour of the Romayns laste as they perseuer in the seruice of the goddis The realme of the Carthaginens perished not bycause they were not soo riche or more cowardes than the Romayns but bycause they loued their tresors to moch and were but yll worshippers and louers of the temples My sonne I recommend to the Helia thy stepmother remembre that though she be not thyn owne mother yet she is my wyfe and on the peyne of my cursyng suffre not that she be yl intreted For the domage that she shuld suffre by thy cōsent shuld gyue euidence of the smal thought that thou takest of my deth which shulde be an iniury to thy life I haue left to her the tributes and reuenues of Nostie for to maynteine her degre and the gardens of Vulcan which I caused to make for her recreatiō And if thou take it fro her thou she weste thyne ylnesse And to suffer her to enioy it I commaunde the by thyne obedience and to shewe her thy bountie and largesse Remembre she is a Romain yong and a widow of the house of my lorde Traian and howe she is thy mother adoptife my naturall wyfe wherfore I leue her vnder thy recōmendation Also I cōmyt to the thy breterne in law thy sisters my doughters I leue them al maried not to straunge kynges but to the natural inhabitauntes and citesens of Rome They dwel all within the walles of Rome where as they may do the seruice and thou mayst do thē good Son intrete them in suche wise that though their good father be deade yet let them haue fauour And though they se their brother emperour of Rome yet let thē not be defouled Womē be of a ryght tender cōdition they wyll complayne for a smalle cause and for lesse they wylle ryse vp in pride thou oughtest to conserue theym after my deth as
I haue done in my lyfe For otherwise their conuersation shulde be fekyll to the people and importunate to the. Also I cōmit to the Lipula thy sister that is amōge the virgins Vestales Thinke that she is doughter of thy mother Faustin whiche I haue greatly loued in my lyfe vnto the houre of my death I haue lamented hers Euery yere I gaue to thy sister .ii. M. sexters for her necessities she had ben as well maried as the other yf she had not be brent in the vysage whiche was estemed of euery man an yl aduenture and specially of her moder that wept alway for her But I esteme that yll aduenture a good fortune For if she had not ben brent in the face with fire she had in the worlde as touchyng her renome be brent with diuers tonges Son I swere to the that for the seruice of the goddes the fame of men she is more surer with the virgins in the temple than though she were in the senate with the senatours I deme that at the ende of the iourney she shal finde her self better at ease closed and locked in than thou with all thy libertie In the prouynce of Lucany I haue lefte for her the .ii. M. sexters I wyll not that thou take them fro her Also I cōmytte Drusia the wyddowe to the which hath layd a great proces against the senate bycause y t by motions afore passed her husbande was banished I haue great compassion of her for it is thre monthes sythe she put in her demande and bycause of my great warres I coude not declare her iustyce Sonne thou shalte fynde it trewe that in .xxxv. yere that I haue gouerned Rome there was neuer wydow that helde her processe before me passynge .viii. dayes Take compassion of suche For womennes necessities are right peryllous and at the laste yf their besynes be longe in hande they recouer not so moche of theyr goodes as they lese in their renowme Also haue compassyon of poore men and the goddis shall rewarde the with great ryches Also I commytte to the my auncient seruantes to whom my longe yeres and cruel warres my often necessities the displeasure of my bodye and my longe syckenesses hath ben right paynefull For they as true seruantes to gyue me lyfe haue taken peyn vnto the deth It is reason that syth I haue taken their deth that they inherite parte of my lyfe One thing I holde for certayne In case that my bodye abyde in the sepulchre with wormes yet I shall alwayes before the goddis haue remembraunce of them In this doinge thou shalt do as a good chylde to satisfie them that haue serued thy father Take hede my son euery prince doinge Iustice acquireth ennemies in the execution therof And this is done by thē that are mooste nere to hym For the more priuie they are with the prince the more hatefull they are to the people And though euery mā loueth Iustice in generall yet they all hate the execution therof in particular Whan a iuste prince is deade the people take vengeance of the vniuste seruantes Whan thou were a chylde my seruantis noryshed the to the entent that thou shuldest susteyne them in their age Surely it were great shame to the empire an offence to the goddis an iniurie to me and an vngentylnes of the ▪ that thou hast foūde them .xviii. yeres with their armes abrode to halse the that they shulde finde one day thy gates shet ageinst them These thinges I cōmit to the particularly kepe them alway in memory And sith I remembre them at my deth cōsider how I loued them in my life ¶ Of the last wordes that themperour spake to his sonne and of a table that he gaue hym Cap. xlviii WHan the emperour had ended his said recommendations the daye began to sprynge and his eye stringes began to breke and his tonge faultred and his handes shoke Than the said happy emperour felynge that weakenes began sore to drawe aboute his harte he commaunded Panutius to go into his study and to brynge to hym a coffre that was there And whan it was brought to his presence he opened it and toke out a table of thre fote broode and two fote longe it was of wood Lybanus rounde about garnished with vnycorne It was closed with two leaues subtylly wroughte of a red wood that some sayde was of the tree that the Phenyx bredeth in and is called Rasyn And as there is but one byrde Phenix bredyng in Arabie so lykewise there is no mo trees in the worlde of the same kynde On one of the outwarde parties of the table was pyctured grauen the god Iupiter on the other the goddesse Venus In the inwarde partyes of the Table that shette was pictured god Mars and the goddesse Ceres In the principall of the sayd table was pyctured a Bulle subtylly wrought to the quycke and vnder that a kynge was pyctured The whiche payntures were sayde to be of the handy warke of the expert Appelles an ancient worke man in payntynge Than the emperour toke the table in his hande and with great peyne he sayd Thou seest my sonne Comodus how I am al redy scaped from the trappes of fortune and am enterynge into the heuy aduentures of dethe I wote not why the goddis haue created vs syth there is so great annoyance in our lyfe so great perylle at our deathe I vnderstande not why the goddis haue and vse so great crueltie to the creatures Lxii. yere I haue sayled with great trauayle through the great perylles of this lyfe and at this howre I am commaunded to take lande and discharge me of my flesshe and to take erthe in the sepulchre Nowe vntyeth the lyuely thredes nowe vndothe the spyndel nowe ryueth the webbe nowe endeth my lyfe Nowe am I awaked from the slepynge euyll remembrynge howe I haue passed my lyfe I haue no more desyre to lyue And in that I knowe not whyche way to go I refuse dethe What shall I do I am determyned to put me into the handes of the goddis wyllyngly sythe I muste do so of necessitie Whome I require yf they haue created me for any goodnes not to depriue me fro them for my demerytes I am nowe in the laste gate and to this howre I haue kepte the greattest and most excellent iewell that I coude fynde in all my lyfe In the .x. yere of myn empire there arose a warre agaynst the Parthes wherfore I determyned in myne own person to giue theym battayle After that warre I came by the auncient citie of Thebes for to see somme antiquitie Amonge the whiche in a pristes howse I founde this table the whiche as a kynge was reysed in Egypte incontynente it was euer hanged at his beddes heed and this priest shewed me that it was made by a kynge in Egipte named Ptholome Arsacides that was a vertuous prince And in the memorie of him and example of other the priestes kepte it
passeth in my thoughte than the shorte clothe doothe in a false weuers handes Ye haue strayned it on the tentours and drawen it on the perche for to to lengthen the lyfe If ye were made faire and clere cordwainers waxe and swete of sauour that ye myghte be drawen out at lengthe hit were welle doone but ye are but as fruyte of almondes semynge drie without and worme eaten within For the loue that I haue to you and for neyghbourheed that ye haue had with me I desire styll frendshyppe of you that lyke as I knewe you yonge and very yonge so to knowe you olde and very olde I say not that ye surmoūt in age but your wytte fayleth you O Claudius and Claudine I wylle ye knowe that to susteyne youthe and to deface age to length the lyfe and driue awaye dethe it is not in mennes handes that desyre hit it is the goddis that doo gyue it whiche accordinge to iustyce and our couetyse giueth vs lyfe by weighte and deathe without measure Ye may know that our nature is corruption of our body and our bodye is putrifaction of our wytte and our wytte is guyde to our soule and our soule is mother of our desyres and our desires are sleers of our youthe our youth token of our age and our age spye of our dethe and dethe the house of our lyfe wherinto youthe gothe on fote and from age we canne not flee on hors backe I wolde wyte a thinge of you what fynde ye in this lyfe wherfore dothe lyfe content you after .lxxx. yeres of age eyther ye haue ben good or yl if ye haue bene good and vertuous ye shal not reioyce you with yll goddis if ye haue benne yll ▪ than as well desire dethe to thentente ye shulde be no more yll orels iustly ye might be slayn by iustice For he y t hath ben yll tyll .lx. yeres of age in him there is no hope of amendmente Whan the couragious great Pompeie and Caius Cesar were ennemies and beinge in cruell ciuil battailes Rome was infamed and them self lost The annales shew that suche as came in fauour of Iulius Cesar cam out of the west and the succours of Pompeie out of the easte among other there came certayne people out of Barbarie dwellyng amonge the mountayns Riffees toward Inde Their custome was whan they came to thage of .l. yeres to make great fyres and brenne them selfe quicke in sacrifyce to theyr goddis and the same daye the parentes and chyldren wolde make great feastes and eate of the flesshe halfe brente and drynke wyne with the ashes of the bones This was sene with the eies of Pompei bicause that som accomplyshed the yeres of fyftye in the campe O golden worlde wherin were suche men O happy people that in all the worldes to come hath left such a memorie of them They dispised the worlde and forgatte them selfe What strokes gaue they to fortune What delytes for the fleshe and howe lyttell sette they by theyr lyues and yet more to set so small store by deathe O what bridel was this for the vicious and what hope for the vertuous what confusion for them that loued this lyfe and what ensaumple not to feare dethe haue they left vs And sith they dispised their owne propre lyfe it is then to be thoughte that they dyed not to thentent to take other mens goodes to thynke that our lyfe neuer shall haue ende therfore our couetyse neuer hath ende O glorious people and .x. M. tymes blessed that lefte theyr sensualitie and vanquyshed theyr natural wyll beleue not that ye se but gyue faythe to that ye neuer sawe as they that se nothyng go agaynst the fatal destenies who goethe agaynste the waye of fortune gyue a wrynche to the lyfe robbe the body at the dethe wynne honour of the goddis not that they shulde length your lyfe but to take the reste of the lyfe Archagatus surgien and Anthonius the phisitien and Esculapius the father of medicines I thynke wanne but lyttell in that lande Who commaunded these Barbariens to take sirope in the mornyng and to take pylles at night and to refreshe them with mylke to take clere barly to annoynt theyr lyuers to daye to be lette blode and to morowe to take a purgation to eate one thing and to absteyn fro many thinges Than me thinke that they beynge of .l. yere of aege and you of lxxx at the leaste shulde be egall with them in wysedome And if ye wyll not take deth in good worth yet at the leest amende the yll lyfe I remembre well of a long tyme that Fabricius our neybour wylled vs to beware of a mockerie the whiche if it be not broken there shall folowe great dysshonour And sith he shewed me soo good a lesson I wyll paye you with the same money I wyll shewe it you if ye poore aged folkes doo not knowe it ye be suche that your eyes are bleared your noses droppynge your heares whyte your herynge dulle your tongue faulterynge your tethe waggynge your face wrincled your fete swollen your shuldres croked and your stomake distempered finally if the graues coude speake they myght ryghtfully calle for you to come and inhabite in them Of trouthe it is great compassion to beholde yonge ignoraunce that open theyr eies to knowe the infortunes of this lyfe whan it is tyme to close them and to entre into the graue And therof cometh that it is in vayne to giue counsaile to vain yong peple For youth is without experiēce of that it doth is suspect of that it hereth wyl not beleue that is said and disprayseth other mens coūsel is ryght pore of their owne And therfore I saye Claudius and Claudyne my frendes I fynde without comparison none so ylle an ignorance of goodnes that holdethe these yonge personnes as is the obstinacy of these aged personnes in yll The diffinition of yll is a manne not to knowe that he oughte to knowe yet it is wors to haue the knowlege of wysedome and to lyue lyke a brute beaste O ye olde goutye people ye forgette your selfe and renne in poste after the lyfe and ye neuer regarde whatte shall falle tyll ye be suche as ye wolde not and without power to retourne backe herof cometh that ye lacke of lyfe ye wyll supplye it with foly Than awake ye that be slombringe haue no force to slepe open your slepy eies and accustome you to do well Take that is nedeful for you and fynally appoynt you betimes with dethe or he make execution of your lyfe Lii yeres I haue knowen them of the worlde yet I could neuer know none so olde nor so putrifyed in their membres but that their hartes were hole to thynke vnhappynesse and their tongues hole to make lyes Take hede ye poore olde persons me thynke syth somer is paste ye haste forward with the tyme and if ye tary a small season yet ye make haaste to take lodgynge
had ben tyed there tyll nowe And nowe ye amorous ladyes haue written to me a letter by Fuluius Fabritius wherof I receiued no peyn but as an amorous man from the handes of ladyes I take it as a mockerie And to thentente that I shulde haue no tyme for to thynke theron ye sende to wyt a question of me that is if I haue founde in my writynges wherof by whom where whan what and howe the fyrste women were made And bycause my complexion is to take mockes for mockynges and syth ye demaunde it I shall shewe it you and your frendes and myne and specially Fuluius your messager hath desired me therto There is nothyng wherof I complayne but I wyll holde my peace saue to your letter and demaunde I wyll answere And sith there hath ben none for to aske the question I protest that to none other but to you amorous women of Rome I sende myn answere And if any other honest lady wyll take the demaunde of you it is a token that she hathe enuy of the office that ye be of Certaynly if any lady sheweth her selfe annoyed with your peyne openly fro hensforthe I condempne her that she kepe no faut that she knoweth in secrete They that be on the stage fere not the roringe of the bulle and he that is in a dongeon feareth not the shotte of artillerie I wyl saye a woman of good lyfe feareth no man with an yll tongue The good Matrones may kepe me for their perpetuall seruant and they that be yll for their chiefe ennemie Nowe to answere the question to knowe werof the fyrst women were made I say that accordynge to the dyuersitie of nations that be in the worlde dyuers opynions I fynde in this case The Egiptiens saye that whan the flode of Nyle ranne abrode and watred the erth there abode certayne pieces of erthe cleuynge to gether lyke greace and thanne the heate commynge in them created many wyld beastes and so amonge them was founde the fyrste woman Note ye ladies that it was necessarie that the flode of Nyle shuld flowe ouer his brimmes that the first woman myghte be made on the erthe All creatures are bredde in the entrailes of their mothers excepte the woman that was bredde without a mother And this semeth true that without mothers ye were borne bicause without rule ye lyue without order ye dye Verily he putteth him selfe to many trauayles and hath many wyles to fynde and many times to thynke and to aske many succours and to abyde many yeres and to chuse amonge many women that wyll rule one onely wyfe by reason Be the beastes neuer soo cruelle and fierce at the laste the lyon is ledde of his keper without any bande The bulle is closed in the parke the brydell ruleth the hors a lyttell hooke catcheth the fyshe and the wolfe suffreth to be tyed onely a woman is a beast vnable to be tamed and neuer leseth her boldnes for any thīg that is commaunded her nor the bridell for not being cōmanded The goddis haue made men as men and beestis as beastis and the humayne vnderstandynge very high and his strength of a great power but yet is there no mā be he neuer so high that shal scape the woman lyghtly nor defende hym be he neuer so stronge But I saye to you my ladies There is no spurres that can make you goo nor raynes that can holde you nor brydelle that can refrayne you nor angle or net that can take you and fynally there is no law can subdue you nor shame refrain you nor feare abasshe you nor chastysemente amende you O to what an yll aduenture putteth he hym selfe that thynkethe to rule and correcte you For if ye take an opynion in hande all the worlde shall not drawe you from it yf a man telle or warne you of any thynge ye wylle neuer beleue hym If one gyue you good counsell ye wyll not take it if one threaten you anone ye complayne if one flatter you thā ye waxe proude if one reioyce not in you ye are spitefull if one forbeare you it maketh you bolde if ye be chastysed ye tourne to serpentes Fynally a woman wyll neuer forgyue any iniurie nor gyue thanke for any good dede Nowe adayes the moste symple of all women I sweare wyll sweare that she knoweth lesse than she dothe and of trouthe the mooste wysest mans wytte shall fayle in their reasons and yet the wysest of theym swarueth frome all wysedom Wyll ye know my ladyes howe lytle ye knowe and howe moche ye be ignorant That is ye determyne sodenly in harde thynges of grauitie as if ye had studied for it a. M. yeres and if any gaynesay you ye take hym as a mortall enmy Hardy is that woman that dare gyue counsell to a man but he is more hardier that taketh it of a woman But I say he is a fole that taketh it and he more foole that asketh it and he is moche more folyshe that fulfylleth it Myn opinion is that he y t wyll not falle amonge so many stones nor pricke him amonge so many thornes nor blyster hym amonge soo many nettyls lette hym here what I wyll say and doo as ye shall see speake welle and worke yll In promysinge promyse moche In fulfyllyng fulfyll nothynge and fynallye allowe your wordes and condemne your counselles If one shulde demande nowe adayes of dyuers ryght renoumed personnes that benne deed howe they dydde with the counselle of women whan they lyued I am sure they wold not haue rysen than to beleue them nor at this houre to be reuyued agayne to here them Howe was kyng Philip of Macedon with Olympias Parys with Helayne Alexander with Rosane Eneas with Dydo Hercules with Deyanira Hanyball with Thamyra Nero with Agrippine And if ye wyl not beleue what they suffred with them demande of me howe I do amonge other O ye women I remembryng that I am borne of one of you abhorre my lyfe and I thinkyng that I lyue with you desyre deathe For there is none other deathe as to treate with you and no better lyfe than to flee fro you It is a common sayinge amonge women that we men be vnkynde bycause we beinge borne in your entrayles do entreate you as bond women and seruantis and ye say syth ye beare vs with peryll and nourisshe vs with trauayle that it were conuenient and iust that we always shulde be occupied in your seruyces Oftentymes I haue studied why men desyre women so moche There is no eyes but they oughte to wepe no harte but it shoulde breake no spirite but it shulde be sorowfull to se a wyse mā loste by a foolyshe woman The foolyshe louer passeth the day to satisfie his syght the darke nyghte to tomble with vayne thoughtes one day heryng tidynges an other day he offereth seruice one tyme louynge darkenes an other tyme he hateth lyght he dyeth with company and lyueth solytarie and finally the poore foolyshe louer