to gather with trauell the grape know thou that heere in my palace thou shalt not want of the wine The Gods will not suffer that now in this moment thou shuldst find my heart shut from thee whose gates I found alwaies for the space of twentie yeares open vnto mee Sith that my Fortunes wrought me to the Empire I haue alwayes had two things things before mine eyes that is to say not to reuenge my selfe of mine enemies neither to bee vnthankfull to my friends For I pray to the Gods daylie rather then hereafter through vnthankfulnes my renowm should be defamed that euen now with forgetfulnes my bodie should be buryed Let a man offer to the Gods what sacrifices he will let him doe as much seruice to men as he can yet if he be vnthankfull to his friend hee ought in all and for all to bee vtterly condemned Because thou shouldest see my friend Pulio how greatly the auncient friend ought to bee esteemed I will declare thee an example of a Philosopher the which to heare thou wilt somewhat reioyce The auncient Histories of the Grecians declare that among the seuen Sages of Greece there was one named Periander who was Prince Gouernour a great while and he had in him such liuelinesse of Spirit on the one side and such couetousnesse of worldly goods on the other side that the Historiographers are in doubte whether was the greater the Philosophy that hee taught reading in the Schooles or the tyranny that hee vsed in robbing the Common-wealth for truly the science which is not grounded of truth bringeth great damages to the person In the second yeare of my Empire I was in the City of Corinth where I saw the Graue which contained the bones of Periander where about was engrauen in Greeke verses and old letter this Epitaph Within the compasse of this narrow graue Wretched Periander enclosed lyes Whose cruel facts could Greece alone not haue So small a soyle his hunger could suffice Here lodgeth oke loe Periander dead His filthy flesh the hungry wormes doe eate And liuing he with Orphelines good was fed His greedy guts did craue such dainty meate The Tyrant Periander stayeth here Whose life was built to hinder all the rest And eke whose death such profit large did bear As brought reliefe to him that had the least Here wicked Periander resteth now His life did cause great peopled realmes decay His death that forst his liuing sprite to how Assurde them life that stoode in brittle stay The cursed Periander heere doth lye Whose life did shed the poore and simple blood And eke that clambe to riches rule so hye By others swette they sought for wasting good Of Corinth loe here Periander rest To seeme for iust that equall Lawes did frame Yet flitting from the square that they possest By vertues doome deserude a Tyrants name The Catiue Periander sleepeth here That finisht hath his 80. years with shame And though his life that thousands bought so deer Be faded thus yet bloometh stil his blame There was more letters on the graue but because it was alone in the fielde the great waters had worne it so that scarsely the letters could bee roade and truely it was very olde in his time it seemed to bee a sumptuous thing but the negligence of reparation lost it quite and it is not to bee maruelleed at for in the end time is of such power that it causeth renowmed men to be forgotten and all the sumptuousbuildings to decay and fall to the earth If thou wilt know my friend Pulio in what time the tyrant this Philosopher was I will thou know that when Catania the renowned City was builded in Cicilia neere the Mount Ethna and when Perdica was the 4. King of Macedonia and that Cardiced was the third King of the Medes and when Candare was fift king of the Libeans and that Assaradoche was ninth King of the Assyrians and when Merodache was twelfth King of the Caldeaus and that Numa Pompilius raigned second King of the Romanes and in the time of those so good Kinges Periander raigned amongst the Assirians And it is meete thou know an other thing also which is this That this Periander was a Tyrant not only in deede but also in renowme so that they spake of no other thing thorow Greece but it tended hereunto Though hee had euill works hee had good words and procured that the affayres of the Common-wealth should bee well redressed For generally There is no man so good but a man may finde somewhat in him to bee reproued neyther any man so euill but hee hath some thing in him to bee commended I doe yet remember of my age being neyther too yong nor too old that I saw the Emperour Traian my Lord suppe once in Agrippine and it so chanced that wordes were moued to speake of good and euill Princes in times past as wel of the Greekes as of the Romans that all those which were present there cōmended greatly the Emperour Octauian and they all blamed the cruell Nero for it is an ancient custom to flatter the princes that are present and to murmur at Princes that are past When the good Emperour Traian was at dinner and when he praied in the Temple it was maruell if any man saw him speake any word and that day since hee saw that they excessinely praysed the Emperour Octauian and that the others charged the Emperour Nero with more then needed the good Traian spake vnto them these words I am glad you commend the Emperour Octauian but I am angry you should in my presence speake euill of the Emperour NERO and of none other for it is great infamy to a Prince being aliue to heare in his presence any Prince euill reported after his death Truely the Emperour Octauian was very good but yee will not deny me but hee might haue beene better and the Emperour Nero was very euill but you will graunt mee hee might haue beene worse I speake this because Nero in his first fiue yeares was the best of all and the other nine following he was the worst of all so that there is both cause to disprayse him and also cause to commend him When a vertuous man will speake of Princes that are dead before Princes which are aliue hee is bound to prayse onely one of their vertues that they had and hath no licence to reueale the vices whereof they were noted for the good deserueth reward because he endeauoureth himselfe to follow vertue and the euill likewise deserueth pardon because through frailety he hath consented to vice All these wordes the Emperour Traian spake I being present they were spoken with such fiercenes that all those which were there present both chaunged their colour and also refrayned their tongues For truly the shamelesse man feeleth not so much a great stripe of correction as the gentle heart doth a sharpe worde of admonition I was willing to shew thee these things my
Emperour at the houre of his death ch 50 531 A continuation of the Secretaries speeches admonishing all men to embrace death willingly vtterly to forsake the world and his alluring vanities c. 51. 534 The answer of the Emperour Marcus to his Secretary Panutiu declaring that he tooke no thought to forsake the world But all his sorrow was to leaue behinde him an vnhappy sonne to enherite the Empire chap. 52 588 The Emperours conclusion of the matter in question shewing that sundry yong Princes by being vicious haue vndone themselues and impouerished their Realmes chap. 53 541 Of the wordes which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius spake to his sonne Commodus at the houre of his death very necessary for all young Gentlemen to vnderstand chap. 54 545 Other wholesome counsels giuen by the Emperour to his sonne and aboue all to keepe wise and learned men about him to assist him with aduise in all his affaires chap. 55 550 The Emperours prosecution still in the same Argument with particular exhortations to his sonne well deseruing to bee engrauen in the hart of men ch 56 554 The good Emperour Marcus Aurelius concludeth both his purpose life And of the last words he spake to his son Commodus and the Table of Counsell he gaue him chap. 57 557 The fourth Booke The Prologue of the worke declaring what one true friend ought to do for another 563 A few precepts and counsels meet to be remembred by all such as are Princes familiars and affected Courtiers 572 The Argument of the Booke entituled The Fauoured Courtier declaring the entent of the whole worke 575 How it is more necessary for the Courtier abiding in Court to be of liuely spirit and audacitie then it is for the Souldier that goeth to serue in the warres c. 1. 592 Of Courtiers brawles quarrels with Harbingers for their ill lodgings c. 2. 592 How the Courtier should entreat his Host or master of the house where hee lodgeth chap. 3 589 What Courtier◠must do to win their Princes fauour chap. 4. 601 What manners and gestures do best become a Courtier when hee speaketh to his Prince ch 5. 607 How a Courtier should behaue himselfe both to know and to visite Noblemen and Gentlemen that are great with the Prince and continuing still in Court Chap. 6 612 What countenance and modesty becommeth a Courtier for his behauiour at the Princes or Noble mans table during the time of his meale ch 7 617 What company the Courtier should keepe and how he ought to apparrel him selfe chap. 8 624 In what manner the Courtier should serue and honour Ladies and Gentlewomen also how to satisfie and please the Vshers and Porters of the Kings house chap. 9 631 Of the great paines and trauels which the Courtier hath being toiled in suites of law And how he is to suffer and carrie himselfe with Iudges chap. 10 637 Of them that are affected in Court admonishing them to bee pacient in their troubles and that they bee not partiall in the affayres of the common wealth chap. 11 644 That Officers and such as are affected in Court should be very diligent carefull in dispatching the Princes affayres Common-wealth Also that in correcting and reforming of Seruants they ought to bee as circumspect and aduised Chap. 12 fol 649 That affected and esteemed Courtyers ought to be warie of beeing prowde and high-minded for lightly they neuer fall but onely by meanes of that detestable vice Chap 13 fol. 659 That it is not fit for Courtyers to be ouer-couetous if they mean to keepe themselues out of many troubles and dangers chap 14 fol. 670 That fauoured Courtyers should not trust ouer-much to their fauour and credit in Court nor to the prosperitie of their liues chap 15 fo 677 An admonition to such as are highly in fauour with Princes to take heede of the worlds deceyts learning both to liue and dye honourably and to leaue the Court before Age ouer take them chapter 16. fol. 684 What continencie ought to be in fauoured courtyers alwayes shunning the company of vnhonest women also to be carefull in the speedie dispatch of suters suing vnto them chap 17 fol. 691 That Nobles and affected of Princes should not exceede in superfluous fare nor bee ouer-sumptuous in their Dyet chapt 18. fol. 698 That courtiers fauored of Princes ought not to be dishonest of their Tongues nor enuious in their wordes chap. 19 fo 709 A comendation of Truth which professed courtyers ought to embrace And in no respect to be found defectiue in the contrarie reporting one thing for an other chap. 20. fo 718 Certaine other Letters written by M. Aurelius Of the huge Monster seene in Scicile in the time of M. Aurelius of the letters he wrote with bloud vpō a gate ch 1. 727 Of that which chaunced vnto Antigonus a cittizen of Rome in the time of Marcus Aurelius chap 2 fol 729 How M. Aurelius sought the wealth of his people how they loued him c. 3. 730 How at the intercession of manie sent by the Empresse the Emperour graunted his daughter Lucilla licence to sport herselfe at the Feasts chap 4 fo 732 Of the sharpe words which M. Aurelius spake to his wife his daughter c 5. 734 A letter sent by the Emperor M. Aurelius to Catullus Censorius concerning the newes then in Rome cha 6 740 M. Aurelius his letter written to the amourous Ladyes of Rome ch 7 747 A letter sent by M. Aurelius to his loue Boemia because shee desired to goe with him to the warres chap. 8 752 The answer of Boemia to the Emperor M. Aurelius expressing the great malice little patience in an euil womā c. 9 755 A letter of M. Aurelius to the Romaine Lady Macrine of whom beholding her at a window he became enamoured declaring what force the beautie of a faire Woman hath in a weake man ch 10 760 An other letter sent by him to the same Macrina expressing the firie flames which soonest consume gentle harts ch 11. 761 A letter sent by him to the lady Lauinia reprouing Loue to be naturall And affirming that the most part of Philosophers and wise-men haue beene ouercome by Loue chap 12 fol 763. The ende of the Table THE FIRST BOOKE OF THE DIALL OF PRINCES WITH the famous Booke of Marcus Aurelius wherein hee entreateth what excellency is in a Prince that is a good Christian and contrariwise what euils doe follow him that is a cruell Tyrant CHAP. I. Here the Author speaketh of the birth and lynage of the wise Philosopher and Emperour Marcus Aurelius And he putteth also at the beginning of this Booke three Chapterss wherein hee entreateth of the discourse of his life for by his Epistles and Doctrine the whole course of this present worke is approued AFter the death of the Emperour Antoninus Pius in the 695. years frō the foundatiō of Rome and in the 173. Olimpiade Fuluius Cato and Cneus Patroclus then being Consuls the fourth
but without comparison the gods whom they worshipped and inuented were greater in multitude then the Realmes and Prouinces which they conquered and possessed For by that folly the auncient Poets durst affirme in their writings that the Gods of one Nation and Country were mortall enemies vnto the Gods of another Prouince So that the Gods of Troy enuied the Gods of Greece more then the Prince of Greece enuied the Prince of Troy What a strange thing was it to see the Assyrians in what reuerence they worshipped the God Belus The Egyptians the God Apis. The Caldeans the God Assas The Babilonians the deuouring Dragon The Pharaones the statue of gold The Palestines Belzebub The Romans honoured the God Iupiter The Affricans the God Mars The Corinthians the God Apollo The Arabians God Astaroth The Arginians the Sun Those of Acaia the Moone The Cidonians Belphegorn The Amonites Balim The Indians Baccus The Lacedemonians Osiges The Macedonians did sacrifice to Mercurie The Ephesians to their goddesse Diana The Greekes to Iuno The Armenians to Liber The Troians to Vesta The Latines to Februa The Tarentines to Ceres The Rhodians as sayth Apolonius Thianeus worshipped the God Ianus and aboue all things wee ought to maruell at this That they striued oftentimes amongst themselues not so much vpon the possessions and seignories of Realmes as vpon a certaine obstinacie they had to maintaine the Gods of the one to bee of greater power then the others for they thought if their gods were not esteemed that the people should be empouerished vnfortunate and persecuted Pulio in his second booke De dissolatione regionum Orientarum declareth that the first Prouince that rebelled against the Emperour Helius Adrianus which was the fifteenth Emperour of Rome was the land of Palestine against which was sent a Captaine named Iulius Seuerus a man of great courage and very fortunate and aduenturous in Armes This Captaine did not onely finish the warres but hee wrought such an outragious destruction in that land that he besieged 52. Cities and razed them to the ground and burned 680. Villages and slew so many in battell skirmish and by Iustice that amounted to the number of 5000. persons For vnto the proud and cruell Captaines victory can neuer bee glorious vnlesse they water the ground with the bloud of their enemies And furthermore in the Cities and Townes besieged the children olde men and women which dyed through hunger and pestilence were more in number then those which were slaine in the wars For in wars the sword of the enemies lighteth not vpon all but pestilence and famine hath no respect to any After this warre of the Palestines was ended immediately after arose a more crueller betwixt the Alleynes and Armenians For there are many that see the beginning of the troubles and miseries which arise in Realmes but there are few that consider the end and seeke to remedie the same The occasion of this warre was as they came to the feast of the Mount Olimpus they fell in disputations whether of their Gods were better and which of them ought to bee preferred before other Whereof there sprang such contradictions and such mortall hatred that on euery part they were furiously moued to warres and so vnder a colour to maintaine the gods which they honoured both the common wealthes were brought into great pouerty and the people also into great misery The Emperour Helius Adrianus seeing such cruell warres to arise vpon so light occasion sent thither the Captaine aboue named Iulius Seuerus to pacifie the Allaines and Armenians and commaunded him that he should persecute those with warres which would not be ruled by his arbitremēt sentence For those iustly deserue the sword which with no reasonable conditions will condiscend vnto peace But Iulius Seuerus vsed such policy that he made thē good friends and neuer touched them nor came neare them Which thing was no lesse acceptable to the Emperour then profitable to the Realmes For the Captaine which subdueth the Country by entreatie deserueth more honor then he which ouercommeth it by battell The agreement of the peace was made vpon such condition that the Allaines should take for their Gods the Armenian Gods and the Armenians on the contrary the Gods of the Allaines And further when the people should embrace and reconcile themselues to the Senate that then the Gods should kisse the one the other and to be reconciled to the temple The vanity of the Ancients was such and the blindnesse of mortall men so great so subiect were they to diuelish deuises that as easily as the eternall wisedome createth a true man now a dayes so easily then a vain man might haue inuented a false God For the Lacedemonians had this opinion that men had no lesse power to inuent gods then the gods had to create men CHAP. V. How the Philosopher Bruxellus was greatly esteemed amongst the Ancients for his life and the words which hee spake vnto the Romanes at the houre of his death PHarasmaco in his 20 booke De libertate Deorum whereof Cicero maketh mētion in his booke De natura Deorum sayth that when the Gothes tooke Rome and besieged the high Capitoll there came amongst them a Philosopher called Bruxellus the which after the Gothes were repulsed out of Italy remained with Camillus at Rome And because at that time Rome wanted Philosophers this Bruxellus was had in great veneration amongst all the Romanes so that hee was the first stranger of whom being aliue a statue was euer made in the Senate the Romanes vsed to make a statue of the Romanes being aliue but not to strangers till after their death The age of this Bruxellus was 113. whereof 65. hee had been an inhabitant of Rome And among other things they recite 7. notable things of his life 1 The first that in 60. yeeres no mā euer saw him issue out of the wals of Rome For in the olde time the Sages were little esteemed if in their behauiours they were not iust and vpright 2 The second that in 60. yeares no man heard him speake an idle word For the words that are superfluous doe greatly deface the authoritie of the person 3 The third that in all his time they neuer saw him lose one houre of time For in a wise man there is no greater folly then to see him spend a moment of an houre idely 4 The fourth that in all his time hee was neuer detected of any vice And let no man thinke this to bee a small matter For few are they of so long life which are not noted of some infamy after their death The fifth that in all the 60. years he neuer made quarrell nor striued with any man and this thing ought to be no lesse esteemed then the other For truly hee that liueth a long time without offering wrong to another may be called a monster in nature 6 The sixt that in 3. or 4. yeares hee neuer issued out of the
temple and in this case this philosopher shewed him selfe to be a good man For the vertuous man ought not to content himselfe only to be void of vices but he ought also to withdraw himselfe from the vicious 7 The seuenth and last that hee spake more often with the Gods then with men This Philosopher now drawing neere to the houre of death all the graue Senators came to visite him to thanke him for that he had liued so long amongst them in so good conuersation and that so willingly hee cared and watched for the wealth of Rome And likewise all the people of Rome were right sorry for his sicknesse and that they should loose the company of so excellent and vertuous a man The good Philosopher in the presence of them al spake these words vnto the Senate CHAP. VI. Of that the sage Philosopher Bruxellus spake to the Senate of Rome at the houre of his death SInce you are wise O worthy Senatours mee thinketh you should not lament my death sithens I my selfe so ioyfully doe receiue it For wee ought not to lament the death weo take but the wicked life wee leade The man is very simple that dreadeth death for feare to lose the pleasures of life For death ought not to bee feared for losse of life but because it is a sharpe scourge of the wicked life I dye noble Senatours in ioy and pleasure First because I doe not remember that euer I did any euill in all my life or displeasure to any of the Common-wealth And I am certaine that the man which did no euill to men in his life the Gods will doe him no harme at the houre of his death Secondarily I dye ioyfully to see all Rome lament the losse of my life For that man is very wicked and vnhappy whose life the people lament and at whose death they doe reioyce Thirdly I dye ioyfully onely to remember that the threescore yeers which I haue beene in Rome alwayes I haue trauelled for the common wealth For the iust Gods told mee that there is no death with paine but where life is without profite Fourthly I dye ioyfully not so much for the profit I haue done to men as for the seruice I haue done to the Gods For regarding to how many profitable things we employ our life we may say wee liue onely the time which is employed to the seruice of God Ceasing to speake further of my person I will worthy Senatours disclose vnto you a highsecret which toucheth your Common wealth and this it is That our Father Romulus founded Rome Numa Pompilius erected the high Capitoll Aeneus Marcius enclosed it with wals Brutus deliuered it from Tyrants the good Camillus droue out the Frenchmē Quintus Scicinnatus augmented her power but I leaue it peopled with gods which shall defend Rome better then walles or men For in the end the feare of one god is more worth the the strength of all men When I came to Rome it was a confusion to see how it was peopled with men and vnfurnished of Gods For there was but fiue Gods that is to say Iupiter Mars Ianus Berecinthia and the Goddes Vesta But now it is not so For there remaineth for euery one a priuate god Me thinketh it an vniust thing that Treasuries should bee full of gold and the Temples voide of Gods As there is 28000. housholds so you may account your selues happy that I leaue you 28000 Gods by the vertue of the which I coniure you O Romanes that each of you bee contented with the God of his house and haue no care to apply to himselfe the Gods of the Common wealth For he that emproprieth to himselfe that which ought to be cōmon to al is to be blamed of God hated of men This shall bee therefore the order that you shall keepe and haue towards the Gods if you wil not erre in their seruice That is to vnderstand that yee shall keepe the mother Berecinthia to pacifie the ire of the Gods yee shall keepe the Goddesse Vesta to turne from you the wicked destinies Yee shall keepe the God Iupiter and shall commit vnto him the gouernment of your Commonwealth And also yee shall keepe him for the God aboue all gods in heauen and earth For if Iupiter did not temper the ire which the Gods about haue against you there should bee no memory of men heere beneath in earth Of other particular gods which I leaue you vse your particular profite But yet notwithstanding in the meane season Romanes take you heede to your selues and if at any time fortune should hee contrary let no man be so hardy to speake euill of the God which hee hath in his house For the Gods tell mee that it was sufficient enough to dissemble with them which serue them not and not to pardon those that offend them And doe not deceiue your selues in saying that they are priuate Gods and not able to help themselues For I let you know that there is not so little a God but is of power sufficient to reuenge aniniury O Romanes it is reason that all from henceforth liue ioyfully and in peace and furthermore thinke your selues assured not to he ouercome by your enemies because now your neighbours of you and not you of them shall desire to borrow Gods and because yee shall see mee no more yee thinke I must dye and I thinke because I dye I shall beginne to liue For I goe to the Gods and leaue among you the Gods because I depart CHAP. VII How the Gentiles thought that one God was not able to defend them from their enemies and how the Romanes sent throughout all the Empire to borrow Gods when they fought against the Gothes IN the yeere of the foundatiō of Rome 1164. which according to the count of the Latines was 402. from the incarnation as Paulus Orosus in the sixt booke De machina mundi sayth and Paulus Diaconus in the 12. booke of the Romane Histories The Gothes which as Spartian sayeth were called otherwise Gethules or Messagethes were driuen out of their Country by the Huns and came into Italy to seeke new habitations and became naturall and built houses At this time there was an Emperour of Rome named Valentine a man of small reputation and courage in warres and endued with few good conditions for that hee was of Arian his sect The Kings of these Gothes were two renowmed men whose names were Randagagismus and Alaricus Of the which two Randagagismus was the chiefest and most puissant and he had a noble minde and a very good wit He led with him at the least 2000000. Gothes the which all with him and he with them made an oath to shedde as much bloud of the Romanes as they could and offer it to their Gods For the barbarous people had a custom to noint the God which was at that time in the Temple of Venus with the bloud of their enemies whom they had slain The newes
in my life and for the gifts he sends mee now at my death For one friend can doe more to another then to offer him his person to depart with his proper goods Tell the king thy father that I maruell what hee should meane that I now beeing foure score yeares of age and haue walked all my life time naked in this world should now be laden with vestures and money since I must passe so great a gulfe in the Sea to go out of this world The Egyptians haue a custome to lighten the burden of their Camels when they passe the Desartes of Arabia which is much better then to ouercharge them I meane that he onely passeth without trauell the dangers of the life which banisheth frō him that thought of temporall goods of this world Thirdly thou shalt say to the King thy Father that from hence forth when any man will dye he doe not succour nor helpe him with Money Golde nor Riches but with good and ripe counsell For Golde will make him leaue his life with sorrow and good Counsell will moue him to take his death with patience The fifth king of the Macedonians was called Archelaus who they say to be the grandfather of king Philip father of the great Alexander This king boasteth himselfe to descend from Menelaus King of the Grecians and principall Captaine which was at the destruction of Troy This king Archelaus was a great friend to the Sages and amongst others there was a Poet with him called Euripides who at that time had no lesse glory in his kinde of Poetrie then Archelaus in his king dome being king of Macedonia For now a dayes we esteeme more the Sages for the bookes which they wrote then we do exalt kings for the Realms which they ruled or the battels which they ouercame The familiaritie which Euripides had with the king Archelaus was so great that in the Realme of Macedonie nothing was done but first it was examined by the hands of this Philosopher And as the simple and ignorant would not naturally be subiect to the Sage it chanced that one night Euripides was talking a long time with the King declaring vnto him the ancient Histories and when the poore Poet would depart to goe home to his house his enemies espyed him and let the hungrie dogges flie vpon him the which did not onely teare him in peeces but also eate him euery morsell So that the intrayles of the dogges were the wofull graue of the most miserable Poet. The King Archelaus being certified of this wofull case immediately as soone as they told him was so chafed that almost he was bereft of his senses And hereat maruell not at all For gentle hearts doe alter greatly when they are aduertised of any suddaine mishappe As the loue which the King had to Euripides in his life was much so likewise the sorow which he felt at his death was very great for he shed many teares from his eyes he cut the hairs off his head he rounded his beard hee changed his apparrell which he ware and aboue all he made as solemne a funerall to Euripides as if they had buried Vlisses And not contented with al these things he was neuer merry vntill such time he had done cruell execution of the malefactors for truely the iniury or death which is done vnto him whom wee loue is no other but as a bath and token of our owne good wills After iustice was executed of those homicides and that some of the bones all gnawne of the dogs were buried a Grecian Knight said vnto King Archelaus I let the know excellent king that all Macedonta is offended with thee because that for so small a losse thou hast shewed so great sorrow To whom king Archelaus aunswered Among Sages it is a thing sufficiently often tryed that noble hearts ought not to shew themselues sad for mishaps and sodaine chances for the king being sadde his Realme cannot and though it might it ought not shew it selfe merry I haue heard my father say once that Princes should neuer shed teares vnlesse it were for one of these causes 1 The first the Prince should bewaile the losse danger of his common wealth for the good Prince ought to pardon the iniuries done to his person but to reuenge the least act done to the Common-wealth he ought to hazard himselfe 2 The second the good Prince ought to lament if any man haue touched his honour in any wise for the prince which weepeth not drops of bloud for the things touching his honour deserueth to be buried quicke in his graue 3 The third the good Prince ought to bewayle those which can little and suffer much For the Prince which bewayleth not the calamities of the poore in vaine and without profit liueth on the earth 4 The fourth the good Prince ought to bewayle the glory and prosperity wherein the tyrants are For that Prince which with tyranny of the euill is not displeased with the hearts of the good is vnworthy to bee beloued 5 The fift the good Prince ought to bewayle the death of Wise men For to a Prince there can come no greater losse then when a wise man dyeth in his Common wealth These were the words which the King Archelaus answered the Grecian Knight who reproued him because he had wept for the death of Euirpides the Philosopher The ancient Historiographers can say no more of the estimation which the Philosophers and wise men had as well the Greekes as the Latines but I will tell you one thing worthy of noting It is well knowne through all the world that Scipio the Ethnicke was one of the worthiest that euer was in Rome for by his name and by his occasion Rome got such a memory as shall endure And this was not only for that he conquered Affricke but for the great worthinesse of his person Men ought not to esteeme a little these two giftes in one man that is to say to be happy and aduenturous For many of the Auncients in times past wanne glory by their swords and after lost it by their euill liues The Romane Historiographers say that the first that wrote in Heroicall meeter in the Latine tongue was Ennius the Poet the workes of whom was so esteemed of Scipio the Ethnick that when this aduenturous and so luckie Romane dyed he commaunded in his will and testament that they should hang the image of this Ennius the Poet ouer his graue By that the great Scipio did at his death wee may well coniecture how great a friend he was of Sages in his life since he had rather for his honour see the Statue of Ennius on his graue then the banner wherwith he wonne and conquered Affricke In the time of Pirrus which was King of the Epirotes and great enemy of the Romanes flourished a Philosopher named Cinas borne in Thessaly who as they say was the Disciple of Demosthenes The Historiographers at that time did so much
banishment I did helpe him with money and moreouer he was banished another time for the lightnes hee did commit in the night in the Citie and I maruell not hereof For we see by experience that Olde men which are fleshed in vices are more obstinate to correct then the young Oh what euill fortune haue the old men which haue suffered themselues to waxe olde in vice For more dangerous is the fire in an old house then in a newe and a great cut of a sword is not so perillous as a rotten Fistula Though olde men were not honest and vertuous for the seruice of the Gods and the commonwealth for the saying of the people nor for the example of the young yet he ought to bee honest if it were but for the reuerence of their yeares If the poore old man haue no teeth how shall he eate If he haue no heate in his stomacke how can he disgest If hee haue no taste how can he drinke if he be not strong how can hee be an adulterer if he haue no feet how can he goe if he haue the palsey how can he speake if he haue the gowte in his hands how can he play Finally such like worldly vicious men haue employed their forces being young desirous to proue al these vices and when they are old it grieueth thē extreamly that they cānot acomplish their desire Amongst all these faultes in olde men in myne opinion this is the chiefest that since they haue proued all things that they should still remaine in theyr obstinate follie There is no parte but they haue trauelled no villanie but they haue essayed no Fortune but they haue proued no good but they haue persecuted no euill but hath chanced vnto them nor there is any wickednes but they haue attēpted These vnhappie men which in this sort haue spent all their youth haue in the ende theyr combes cut with infirmities and diseases yet they are not so much grieued with the vices which in them doe abound to hinder them from vertues as they are tormented for want of corporall courage to further them in their lustes Oh if wee were Gods or that they would giue vs licence to knowe the thoughtes of the olde as wee see with our eyes the deedes of the young I sweare to the God Mars and also to the Mother Berecynthia that without comparison wee would punish more the wicked desires which the aged haue to be wicked then the light deedes of the young Tell mee Claude and Claudine doe you thinke though you behaue your selues as young you shall not seme to be olde Knowe you not that our nature is the corruption of our bodie and that our bodie hindereth our vnderstandings and that the vnderstandings are kept of our soule and that our soule is the mother of desires and that our desires are the scourge of our youth and that our youth is the ensigne of our age and age the spye of death and that death in the end is the house where life taketh his harbor from whēce youth flyeth a foot frō whence age cānot escape a horseback I would reioyce that you Claude and Claudine would but tell mee what you finde in this life that so much therwith you should be contented since no we you haue passed foure-score yeares of life during the which time either you haue bin wicked in the worlde or else you haue bin good If you haue bin good you ought to thinke it long vntill you bee with the good Gods if you haue bin euill it is iust you dye to the ende you be no worse For speaking the truth those which in threescore and ten yeares haue bin wicked in workes leaue small hope of their amendment of life Adrian my Lord beeing at Nola in Campania one brought vnto him a nephew of his from the studie whereas the yong childe had not profited a little for hee became a great Grecian and Latinist and moreouer hee was faire gratious and honest And this Emperour Adrian loued his Nephew so much that he saide vnto him these wordes My Nephewe I knowe not whether I ought to say vnto thee that thou art good or euill For if thou be euill life shall be euill employed on thee and if thou be good thou oughtest to dye immediately and because I am worse then all I liue longer then all These words which Adrian my Lord said doe plainly declare and expresse that in short space the pale and cruell death doth assault the good and lengtheneth life a great while to the euill The opinion of a phylosopher was that the gods are so profound in their secrets high in their mysteries and so iust in their works that to men which least profite the commonwealth they lengthen life longest and though he had not saide it we others see it by experience For the man which is good and that beareth great zeale friendship to the Commonwealth eyther the Gods take him from vs or the Enemyes doe slay him or the daungers doe cast him away or the trauells doe finish him When the great Pompeyus and Iulius Caesar became enemyes and from that enmitie came to cruell warres the Gronicles of the time declare that the kings and people of the occidental part became in he fauour of Iulius Caesar and the mightiest and most puissant of al the oriental parts came in the ayde of great Pompeius because these two Princes were loued of a few and serued and feared of all Amongst the diuersity and sundry nations of people which came out of the Orientall part into the hoast of the great Pompeius one nation came maruellous and cruell barbarous which sayde they dwelled on the other side of the mountaine Riphees which goe vnto India And these Barbarians had a Custome not to liue no longer then fifty yeares and therefore when they came to that age they made a greater fire and were burned therin aliue and of their owne wils they sacrificed themselues to the Gods Let no man be astonied at that we haue spoken but rather let them maruell of that wee will speake that is to say that the same day any man had accōplished fifty yeares immediately hee cast himselfe quicke into the fire and his friends made a great feast And the feast was that they did eate the flesh of the dead halfe burned and dranke in wine and water the ashes of his bones so that the stomacke of the childrē being aliue was the graue of the Fathers being dead All this that I haue spoken with my tongue Pompeius hath seene with his eyes for that some being in the camp did accomplish fifty yeares and because the case was strange hee declared it oft in the Senate Let euery man iudge in this case what he will and condemne the barbarians at his pleasure yet I will not cease to say what I thinke O golden world which had such men O blessed people of whom in the World to ome shall be
iustice but none do reioyce that they execute it in his house And therfore after the Prince endeth his life the people will take reuenge of those which haue beene ministers thereof It were great infamy to the Empire offence to the gods iniurie to mee vnthankefulnes to thee hauing found the armes of my seruants ready eighteene yeers that thy gates should be shut against them one day Keepe keepe these things my sonne in thy memory and since particularly I doe remember them at my death consider how heartily I loued them in my life CHAP. LVII The good Marcus Aurelius Emperour of Rome endeth his purpose and life And of the last words which he spake to his sonne Commodus and of the table of Counsels which he gaue him WHen the Emperor had ended his particular recommendations vnto his sonne Commodus as the dawning of the day beganne to appeare so his eyes beganne to close his tongue to faulter and his handes to tremble as it doth accustome to those which are at the point of death The Prince perceyuing then little life to remaine commaunded his Secretary Panutius to goe to the coffers of his bookes and to bring one of the coffers before his presence out of the which hee tooke a table of 3. foote of bredth and 2. of length the which was of Eban bordered all about with Vnicorne And it was closed with 2. lids very fine of red wood which they call rasing of a tree where the Phenix as they say breedeth which did grow in Arabia And as there is but one onely Phenix so in the world is there but one onely tree of that sort On the vttermost part of the Table was grauen the god Iupiter and on the other the goddesse Venus and in the other was drawne the god Mars and the goddesse Diana In the vppermost part of the table was carued a Bull and in the nethermost part was drawne a King And they sayde the painter of so famous and renowmed a worke was called Apelles The Emperour taking the Table in his handes casting his eyes vnto his Sonne said these words Thou seest my sonne how from the turmoyles of Fortune I haue escaped and how I into miserable destinies of death do enter where by experience I shall know what shall be after this life I meane not now to blaspheme the Gods but to repent my sinnes But I would willinglie declare why the Gods haue created vs since there is such trouble in life and paine in death Not vnderstanding why the Gods haue vsed so great crueltie with creatures I see it now in that after lxij yeares I haue sayled in the daunger and perill of this life now they commaund mee to land and harbour in the graue of death Now approcheth the houre wherein the band of Matrimonie is loosed the threede of Life vntwined the key doth locke the sleepe is wakened my life doth ende and I goe out of this troublesome paine Remembring mee of that I haue done in my life I desire no more to liue but for that I knowe not whether I am carryed by death I feare and refuse his darts Alas what shall I doe since the Gods tell mee not what I shall do What counsell shall I take of any man since no man will accompanie mee in this iourney Oh what great disceipt Oh what manifest blindnes is this to loue one thing all the dayes of our life and to cary nothing with vs after our death Because I desired to be rich they let me dye poore Because I desired to liue with companie they let me die alone For such shortnes of life I know not what hee is that will haue a house since the narrow graue is our certaine mansion place Belieue mee my sonne that manie things past doe grieue mee sore but with nothing so much I am troubled as to come so late to the knowledge of this life For if I could perfectly belieue this neyther should men haue cause to reproue me neyther yet I now such occasion to lament me Oh how certaine a thing is it that men when they come to the point of death doe promise the Gods that if they prerogue their death they will amend their life but notwithstanding I am sorry that we see them deliuered from death without any manner of amendment of life They haue obtained that which of the Gods they haue desired and haue not performed that which they haue prornised They ought assuredly to thinke that in the sweetest time of their life they shall be constrained to accept death For admit that the punishment of ingrate persons be deferred yet therefore the fault is not pardoned Be thou assured my Sonne that I haue seene ynough hearde selte tasted desired possessed eaten slept spoken and also liued ynough For vices giue as great troubles to those which follow them much as they do great desire to those which neuer proued them I confesse to the immortall Gods that I haue no desire to liue yet I ensure thee I would not die For life is so troublesome that it wearyeth vs and Death is so doubtfull that it feareth vs. If the Gods deferred my death I doubt whether I should reforme my life And if I do not amend my life nor serue the gods better nor profit the commonwealth more and if that euery time I am sick it should grieue mee to dye I say it is much better for mee now to accept death then to wish the lengthening of my life I say the life is so troublesom so fickle so suspicious so vucertaine and so importunate Finally I say it is a life without life that hee is an obstinate foole which so much desireth it Come that that may come for finally notwithstanding that I haue spoken I willingly commit selfe into the hands of the gods since of necessitie I am therunto constrained For it proceedeth not of a little wisedome to receiue that willingly which to doe wee are constrained of necessitie I will not recommend my selfe to the Priests nor cause the Oracles to be visited nor promise any thing to the temples nor offer sacrifices to the gods to the end they should warrant me from death and restore mee to life but I will demaund and require them that if they haue created mee for any good thing I may not lose it for my euill life So wise and sage are the gods in that they say so iust true in that they promise that if they giue vs not that which wee others would it is not for that they will not but because wee deserue it not for wee are so euill and worth so little and we may doe so little that for many good works wee deserue no merite and yet with and euill worke wee be made vnworthy of all Since therefore I haue put my selfe into the hands of the gods let them doe with me what they will for their seruice for in the end the worst that they will do is much better then
works as moueth vs rather to pitty their follie then to enuie their vertue I aske of those that reade or heare this thing if they will be in loue with Nembroth the first Tyrant with Semiramis which sinned with her owne sonne with Antenor that betrayed Troy his countrey with Medea that slew her children with Tarquine that enforced Lucretia with Brutus that slew Caesar with Sylla that shed so much bloud with Catilina that played the Tyrant in his countrey with Iugurtha that strangled his brethren with Caligula that committed incest with his sisters with Nero that killed his mother with Heliogabalus that robbed the Temples with Domitian that in nothing delighted so much as by straunge handes to put men to death and to driue away flyes with his owne hands Small is the number of those that I haue spoken in respect of those which I could recite of whom I dare say and affirme that if I had beene as they I cannot tell what I would haue done or what I should haue desired but this I know it would haue beene more paines to mee to haue wonne that infamie which they haue wonne then to haue loste the life which they haue lost It profiteth him little to haue his Ponds full of fish and his parkes full of Deere which knoweth neyther how to hunt nor how to fish I meane to shewe by this that it profiteth a man little to be in great auctoritie if hee be not esteemed nor honoured in the same For to attaine to honour wisedome is requisite and to keepe it patience is necessarie With great considerations wise men ought to enterprise daungerous things For I assure them they shall neuer winne honour but where they vse to recouer slander Returning therefore to our matter puissant Prince I sweare and durst vndertake that you rather desire perpetuall renowme through death then any idle rest in this life And hereof I doe not maruell for there are some that shall alwayes declare the prowesses of good Princes and others which will not spare to open the vices of euill tyrants For althogh your Imperial estate is much and your Catholike person deserueth more yet I beleeue with my heart and see with these eyes that your thoughts are so highly bent vnto aduenturous deedes and your heart so couragious to set vpon them that your Maiesty little esteemeth the inheritance of your predecessors in respect of that you hope to gaine to leaue to your successors A Captaine asked Iulius Caesar as he declareth in his Commentaries why he trauelled in the Winter in so hard frost and in the summer in such extreame heate Hee aunswered I will doe what lyeth in mee to doe and afterward let the fatall destinies doe what they can For the valiant knight that giueth in battel the onset ought more to bee esteemed then fickle fortune whereby the victory is obtained since fortune giueth the one and aduentur guideth the other These words are spoken like a stout and valiant Captaine of Rome Of how many Princes doe we reade whom truely I much lament to see what flatteries they haue heard with their eares being aliue and to reade what slaunders they haue sustained after their death Princes and greate Lordes should haue more regard to that which is spoken in their absence then to that which is done in their presence not to that which they heare but to that which they would not heare not to that which they tell them but to that which they would not bee told of not to that which is written vnto them beeing aliue but to that which is written of them after their death not to those that tell them lyes but to those which if they durst would tell them truth For men many times refrayne not their tongues for that Subiects bee not credited but because the Prince in his authority is suspected The Noble and vertuous Prince should not flitte from the truth wherof hee is certified neyther with flatteries and lyes should he suffer himselfe to bee deceyued but to examine himselfe and see whether they serue him with truth or deceyue him with lyes For there is no better witnes and iudge of truth and lyes then is a mans owne conscience I haue spoken all this to the entent your Maiesty might know that I will not serue you with that you should not bee serued That is for to shew my selfe in my Writing a flatterer For it were neyther meete nor honest that flatteries into the eares of such a noble Prince should enter neyther that out of my mouth which teach the truth such vaine tales should issue I say I had rather bee dispraysed for true speaking then to bee honoured for flattery and lying For of truth in your Highnesse it should bee much lightnesse for to heare them and in my basenesse great wickednesse to inuent them Now againe following our purpose I say the Histories greatly doe commend Lycurgus that gaue lawes to the Lacedemonians Numa Pompilius that honoured and addorned the Churches Marcus Marcellus that had pitty and compassion on those which were ouercome Iulius Caesar that forgaue his enemies Octautus that was so welbeloued of the people Alexander that gaue rewardes and gifts to all men Hector the Troian became hee was so valiant in wars Hercules the Thebane because hee employed his strength so well Vlisses the Grecian because hee aduentured himselfe in so many dangers Pyrrhus king of Epirotes because hee inuented so many engines Catullns Regulus because he suffred so many torments Titus the Emperour because he was father to the Orphanes Traianus because he edified sumptuous goodly buildings The good Marcus Aurelius because he knew more then al they I doe not say that it is requisit for one Prince in these dayes to haue in him all those qualities but I dare be bolde for to affirme this that euen as it is vnpossible for one Prince to follow all so likewise it is a great slaunder for him to follow none Wee doe not require Princes to doe all that they can but for to apply themselues to do som thing that they ought And I speake not without a cause that which I haue sayde before For if Princes did occupie themselues as they ought to doe they should haue no time to be vicious Plinie sayeth in an Epistle that the great Cato called Censor did weare a Ring vpon his finger wherein was written these words Esto amicus vnius inimicus nullius which is be friend to one and enemy to none He that would deepely consider these few words shall finde therein many graue sentences And to apply this to my purpose I say the Prince that would well gouerne his common weale shew to all equall iustice desire to possesse a quiet life to get among all a good fame and that coueteth to leaue of himselfe a perpetuall memorie ought to embrace the vertues of one and to reiect the vices of all I allow it very wel that Princes should bee equall
speake the like of it that they did of Marcus Aurclius Because men are so long in speaking and so briefe in studying that without any let or shame they will auowe no Booke to be in the world this day but that they haue eyther reade or seene it I haue as much profited in this writing which is humane as other Doctours haue done in matters which are diuine It is not translated word for word but sentence for sentence For wee other Enterpreters are not bound to giue wordes by measure but it sufficeth vs to giue Sentences by weight I beganne to studie this worke in the yeare a thousand fiue hundred and eyghteene and vntill the yeare a thousand fiue hundred twentie and soure I could neyther vnderstand nor know wherein I was occupyed and albeit I kept it as secrete as I could for the space of sixe yeares yet it was knowne abroad whervpon the Emperour his Majestie being with the Feauer diseased sent to mee for it to passe the time away And I according to his commaundement shewed him Marcus Aurelius that then was vncorrected and humbly beseeching him sayde That for recompence of all my trauâ—lâ— I desired no other rewarde but that no man in his Chamber might copie the Booke And in the meane time proceeded to accomplish the worke because I did not meane in such manner to publish it for otherwise I saide his Majestie should be euill serued and I also of my purpose preuented but my sinnes caused that the Booke was coppyed and conueyed from one to another and by the hands of Pages sunday times written so that there increased daily in it errours and faultes And since there was but one originall copie they brought it vnto me to correct which if it could haue spoken would haue complained it selfe more of them that did write it then of those that did steale it And thus when I had finished the worke thought to haue published it I perceyued that Marcus Aurelius was now imprinted at Seuill And in this case I take the Readers to be judges between mee and the imprinters because they may see whether it may stand with Law and justice that a Booke which was to his Imperiall Maiestie dedicated the author thereof being but an jnfant and the booke so vnperfite and vncorrected without my consent or knowledge should bee published Notwithstanding they ceased not but printed it againe in Portugall and also in the Kingdome of Nauarre And if the first impression was faulty truely the second and the third were no lesse So that which was written for the wealth and good of all men generally each man did applye to the profite of himselfe particularly There chaunced another thing of this booke called The golden booke of Marcus Aurelius which I am ashamed to speake but greater shame they should haue that so dishonestly haue done That is some made themselus to be authors of the whole worke Others say that parte of it was made and compyled of their owne heads the which appeareth in a booke in priut wherein the authour did like a man voyd of all honesty in another booke one vsed likewise the wordes which Marcus Aurelius spake to Faustine when shee asked him the key of his Studie After these Theeues came to my knowledge iudge you whether it were ynough to prooue my patience For I had rather they had robbed me of my goods then taken away my renowme By this all men may see that Marcus Aurelius was not then corrected nor in any place perfect whereby they might perceyue that it was not my minde to Translate Marcus Aurelius but to make a Dyall for Princes whereby all Christian people may be gouerned and ruled And as the doctrine is shewed for the vse of manie so I would profite my selfe with that which the wise men had spoken and written And in this sort proceedeth the worke wherein I put one or two chapters of mine and after I put some Epistles of Marcus Aurelius and other doctrine of some Auncient men Let not the Reader bee deceyued to thinke hat the one and the other is of the Authour For although the phrase of the Language be mine yet I confesse the greatest part that I knew was of another mans althogh the Historiographers and Doctours with whom I was holpen were manie yet the doctrine which I wrote was but one I will not denye but I haue left out some things which were superfluous in whose steade I haue placed things more sweete and profitable So that it needeth good wittes to make which seemeth in one language to be grosse in another to giue it the apparance of gold I haue deuided into three books this present Dyall of Princes The first treateth that the Prince ought to bee a good Christian The second how hee ought for to gouerne his wife and children The third teacheth how he should gouerne his person and his Common wealth I had begunne another booke wherein was contained how a Prince should behaue himselfe in his Court and Pallace but the importunity of my friendes caused me to withdraw my penne to the end I might bring this worke to light The end of the Argument A COMPENDIOVS TABLE OF ALL THE SEVERALL ARGVMENTS contayned in these distinct Bookes of MARCVS AVRELIVS * ⎠* The first Booke OF the Birth and Linage of the vise Philosopher and Emperor Marcus Aurelius Also of three seuerall Chapters in the beginning of this book concerning a discourse of his life for by his Epistles and doctrine the whole course of the present worke is approued Chap. 1. Fol. 1. Of a Letter sent by Marcus Aurelius to his friend Pulio wherein hee declareth the order of his whole life And among other things hee maketh mention of a thing which happened to a Romane Censor with his Host of Compagnia chap. 2. fol. 5. The Letter concluded by Marcus Aurelius declaring at large what Science hee had learned and all the Masters he had Beside he reciteth fiue notable things in obseruance whereof the Romanes were curious chap. 3. fol. 8. Of the excellency of Christian Religion which manyfesteth the true God and disproueth the vanitie of the Ancients in hauing so many gods And that in the old times when enemies were reconciled in their houses they caused also that their gods should imbrace each other in their Temples chap 4. fol. 13. How the Philosopher Bruxelius was greatly esteemed among the Ancients for his life And of the words which hee spake to the Romanes at the houre of his death chap. 5. fol. 15. chap. 6. fol. 16. How the Gentiles thought that one God could not defend them from their enemies And how the Romanes sent throughout all the Empire to borrow gods when they fought against the Gothes chap. 7. fol. 17 Of a Letter sent from the Senate of Rome to all the Subiects of the Empire chap. 8. fol. 18. Of the true and liuing God And of the maruailes wrought in the old Law to manifest
that King should lose his own Realm by diuine iustice which will take other mens only through mans folly The King Dagobert assembling all the chiefest of his Realme to counsell it was agreede and concluded by all that hee alone in person should returne into France and for his reputation should leaue al the Army in Italy Whereof remayned captains Buccelinus and Amingus For itis better for a Prince to defend his Country by iustice then to conquer another by tyranny As this Army of Buccelinas was great so was he couragious and wrought mapy and great dammages in Italy especially in the land of Campagnia And worse then that al the riches that hee had sacked and al the captiues he had taken hee would neyther restore nor yet suffer them to be ransomed but so soone as hee tooke them he sent them vnto the King as one that shewed himselfe more desirous to rob and spoile then to fight and wage battell This Captaine Buccelinus then being in Campagnia retired into a place called Tarentum with all his army because of winter Narsetes suddenly came vpon him gaue him battell that was between them very cruell wherein Buccelinus was vanquished and left dead in the field amongst the other Captaines of Gaule Which newes brought to Amingus eares beeing the other Captaine of the Gaules and seeing his companion dead hee confedered with Auidinus Captaine of the Gothes and they together came against the Romaines which thing was not vnknowne to Narsetes to giue the battel neer to Caietto wheras those Captains were conquered and taken aliue Of whom Amingus was beheaded by the commandement of Narsetes Auidinus was sent by him prisoner to the Emperour of Constantinople The Captaine Narsetes wan another battell against Syndual King of Britons which came into Italy with a huge multitude of people to recouer the realme of Partinopilis which now we call Naples for he said it appertained vnto him of right as to one of the lynage of Hercules who in ancient time was King of that Realme This King Sindual within a time became friend vnto Narsetes and behaued himselfe outwardly as a friend and confederate but in secret conspired against the Romaines and would haue beene King of the Romanes and raigned alone in Italy through the which there sprang betweene him and Narsetes cruell wars wherein Fortune was a long time variable For there is not so aduenturous a Captaine to whom in long warres Fortune is alwayes prosperous Finally the King Sinduall and Narsetes agreed to hazard their men and also their liues in one day vnto the disctetion of Fortune so that both the armies ioined together and fought betweene Verona and Terento where King Sindual was conquered and taken aliue and the same day with out any delay was hanged openly And because that Narsetes was not acustomed to vse such cruelty against those that were ouercome and especially against Kinges and worthy Knights he commanded his title to bee set on the gibbet whereon the King hanged which said this A simple cord here stopt King Synduals breath By faultlesse doome of hie Narsetes hest Not that hee sought by warlike deedes his death But that in peace he did a traytorrest Such and many other battels and victories had this aduenturous and good Captaine not onely in the borders of Italy but also in Asia where for many yeares hee had the gouernment of the Country And as hee was a good Christian so Almighty God in all his affayres did prosper him After all these warres past Iustinian the yonger sent him to the kingdome of Constantinople to bee chiefe Gouernour of all those Prouinces although hee did well in warlike affayres yet hee did much better in the administration of the common-wealth For men that are accustomed to trauell in wars haue a good learning how to gouerne the people in peace For this occasion amongst all mortall men Narsetes was praysed and esteemed that is for his valiantnesse in the battells which hee ouercame for his riches through the spoyles that hee tooke and for the iustice he ministred to all men where he ruled Narsetes because hee was a Grecian borne was enuied of the Romanes chiefly because hee dayly encreased both his honour and riches For truly vertue honour and riches in a man are but a brand to light enuie to all the world And this was the occasion One day there came many noble Romaines to the Emperour Iustinian and to the Empresse Sophia Augusta to complaine of Narsetes and of his behauiour and gouerning and sayde these wordes vnto him wee let you know most noble Prince and Soueraigne Lady that wee had rather of the two to serue the Gothes then to obey the Greekes and wee speake this because that the Eunuch commaunded vs more to his owne seruice then hee doth to that of yours and the worst is that you know it not and if you know it at the least you doe not remedie it Chuse therefore one of these two things whether you wil deliuer vs from the gouernment of the Greeke or suffer that wee put Rome and our selues into the hands of the Gothes For it is lesse griefe for the Romaines to be subiect to a puissant King then to an effeminate Eunuch and tyrant Narsetes being present hearing those quarrels as they say said thus O noble Prince if I haue committed any euill it is vnpossible for mee to finde one that will doe mee good but if I haue done well no man shall be able to do me wrong The Empresse Sophia of long time before had hated Narsetes som sayde it was because he was an Eunuch other thinke it was because he was rich and some other iudge because hee was in greater authority in the Empire then shee Wherefore perceyuing shee had good occasion and opportunity for the same shee spake a word much to his reproach which was this Sith thou art an Eunuch Narsetes and not a man it is not fitte for thee to haue a mans office therfore I commaund thee to worke with my handmaides and there thou shalt serue to spin and weaue clothes Narsetes tooke this word heauily and truely it was with great spight spoken Wherefore he stoutly and couragiously spake vnto the Empresse Sophia these wordes and sayde I had rather most exccellent Princesse thou hadst chastised me as a Noble Dame then to haue reproued mee with a word as a simple woman but since it is so that you haue liberty and authority to commaund mee know you also that I haue the selfe same to obey you and therefore I take my leaue and now I goe to weaue my webbe which perhappes your selfe whilest you liue shal neuer vntwine Narsetes immediately went his way and came into Itaty vnto the City of Naples chiefe and head of Campagnia and from thence he dispatched his Ambassadours immediately to the King of Hungarie where the Lumbards at that time had theyr mantion place counselling them to forsake
defile them nor sell them but caused them to bee apparrelled and safely to bee conducted to their owne natiue Countries And let not this liberty that he did be had in litle estimation to deliuer the captiues and not to defloure the virgins For many times it chaunceth that those which are ouercome with the weapons of the Conquerours are conquered with the delights of them that are ouercome This deede amongst the Greekes was so highly commended and likewise of their enemies so praysed that immediatly the Metinences sent Ambassadors to demaund peace of the Prienenses And they concluded together a perpetuall peace vpon condition that they should make for Bias an immortall Statue sith by his hands and also by his vertues hee was the occasion of the peace and ending of the wars betweene them And truely they had reason for hee deserueth more prayse which winneth the hearts of the enemies in his tents by good example then hee which getteth the victory in the field by shedding of bloud The hearts of men are noble and wee see dayly That oftentimes one shal sooner ouercome many by good then many ouercome one by euill And also they say that the Emperour Seuerus spake these words By goodnesse the least slaue in Rome shall leade mee tyed with a hayre whether hee will but by euill the most puissant man in the world cannot moue mee out of Italy For my heart had rather bee seruant to the good then Lord to the euill Valerius Maximus declareth that when the City of Priene was taken by enemies and put to sacke the wife of Bias was slaine his children taken prisoners his goods robbed the City beaten downe and his house set on fire but Bias escaped safe and went to Athens In this pittifull case the good Philosopher Bias was no whit the sadder but rather sang as he went by the way and when hee perceyued that men maruelled at his mirth hee spake vnto them these words Those which speake of mee for wanting my City my wife and my children and loosing all that I had truely such know not what Fortune meaneth nor vnderstand what Philosophie is The losse of children and temporall goods cannot bee called losse if the life bee saued and the renowne remaine vndefiled Whether this sentēce be true or no let vs profoundly consider if the iust God suffer that this City should come into the hands of the cruell Tyrants then this prouision is iust For There is nothing more conformable vnto Iustice then that those which receiue not the Doctrine of the Sages should suffer the crueltite of the Tirants Also though my enemies haue killed my wife yet I am sure it was not without the determination of the Gods who after they had created her body immediately appointed the end of her life Therfore why shuld I bewayle her death since the Gods haue lent her life vntill this day The great estimation that we haue of this life causeth that death seemeth vnto vs sodayne and that the life vnwares with death is ouertaken but these are words of the children of vanitie for that by the will of the Gods death visiteth vs and against the willes of men life for saketh vs. Also my Children bee vertuous Philosophers and albeit they be now in the hands of tirants we ought not therefore to call them captiues for a man may not call him a captiue which is laden with yrons but him which is ouerwhelmed with vices And although the fire haue burnt my house yet I know not why I ought to be sad for of truth it was now olde and the winde did blowe downe he tiles the wormes did waste the wood and the waters that ranne downe perished the walles and it was olde and like to fall and perchaunce would haue done greater displeasure For most commonly enuie malice and old houses suddenly without any warning or knocking at the dore assaulteth men Finally there came the fire which quited mee of many troubles First of the trouble that I should haue had in repayring ◠Secondarily it saued mee money in plucking it downe Thirdly it saued me and mune heyres frō much cost and many daungers For ofentimes that which a man consumeth in repayring an old house would with aduantage buy him a new Also those which say that for the taking away of my goods I lacke the goods of Fortune such haue no reason so thinke or say for fortune neuer giueth temporall goods for a proper thing but to those whom shee list when shee will dispose them therefore when Fortune seeth that those më whom shee hath appointed as her distributers do hoarde vp the same to them and to theyr heyres then shee taketh it from them to giue it to another Therfore by reason I should not complaine that I haue lost any thing for Fortune recommendeth vnto any other the temporall goods but I carrie patience and Philosophie with me so that they haue discharged me from all other and haue no more charge but for my selfe alone Laertius declareth in his fifth booke of the sayings of the Gretians That this Byas determined to goe to the Playes of the Mount Olympus wherevnto resorted people of all Nations and he shewed himselfe in this place of so high an vnderstanding that hee was counted supreame and chiefe of all Phylosophers and wonne the name of a true Phylosopher Other Philosophers then being in the same Playes called Olymp calles asked him many questions of diuerse and sundry matters where of I will make mention here onely of some of the chiefest The Questions demaunded of the Phylosopher Byas THE first Question was this Tell mee who is the vnhappiest man in the Worlde Byas answered Hee is most vnhappie that is not patient in aduersitie For men are not killed with the aduersities they haue but with the impatience which they suffer The second was What is most hardest and most troublesome to iudge He aunswered There is nothing more difficult then to iudge a contention betwixt two Friends For to iudge between two enemyes the one remaineth a Friende but to iudge betweene two Friendes the one is made an enemie The third was What is most hardest to measure Wherevnto Byas answered There is nothing that needeth more circumspections then the measuring of Time For the Time should bee measured so iustly that no Time should want to doe well nor any time should abound to doe euill The fourth was What thing is that which needeth no excuse in the accomplishment thereof Byas answered The thing that is promised must of necessitie be performed For otherwise hee that doth loose the credite of his word should lose more then he that should lose the promise to him made The fifth was What thing that is wherein the men as well good as euill should take care Then Byas answered Men ought not in any thing to take so great care as in seeking counsell and counsellours For the prosperous Times cannot bee maintained nor the multitude of enemyes
of the common people And truly it is no small benefit that God had made him of a mean estate for to be of base lynage maketh men to bee despised and not regarded and to come of a noble bloud and high lynage maketh men to be proud and lofty This young man being come into the Romaine Campe the fame was immediately spred how that he alone had vanquished 5. Knights And his strength and courage was so highly esteemed that within a while after he was made Pretour of the Armie For the Romaines not according to fauour but according to the ability of men diuided the offices and degrees of honour in warres Time therefore working his nature and many estates being decayed after this young Gracian was made Pretour of the Armie and that hee was sufficiently tryed in the warres Fortune which many times bringeth that to passe in a day that mans malice cannot in many yeares raysed this Gracian to be Emperour of Rome For truly one houre of good successe is more worth then all worldly fauour This Gracian was not onely singular in strength couragious in battell fortunate in all his affayres but also hee was luckie of children that is to say hee had two sonnes which were Emperors of Rome the one was called Valente the other Valentinian In this case the children might glory to haue a Father so stout but the glory of the Father is greater to haue sonnes of such Nobility For there is no greater felicity in this world then during life to come to honour and riches and after death to leaue good children to enioy them The eldest of the two sonnes was the Emperour Valente who ruled in the Orient for the space of foure yeeres and was the nine and thirtieth Emperour of Rome from Iulius Caesar though some doe beginne at the time of Octauian saying that hee was vertuous and that Iulius Caesar vsurped the Empire like a Tyrant This Valente was beautifull of person but poore of vertues so that hee was more beautifull then vertuous more couragious then mercifull more rich then charitable more cruell then pittifull For there are many Princes that are very expert to deuise new orders in a common wealth but there are few that haue stoute hearts to put the same in execution In those dayes the Sect of Arrian the cursed Heretike flourished and the Emperour Valente was greatly blinded therein insomuch that hee did not onely fauour the Arrians but also hee persecuted the Christians which was shewed for so much as he killed and caused to be killed for that occasion many lay men and tooke many Clerkes and banished many Bishops ouerthrew many Churches robbed the goods of the Christians and did infinite other mischiefes in the common welth For the Prince which is infected with heresie and liueth without feare of the Church there is neither mischiefe nor treason but he will commit In the deserts of Egypt in the mountaines of Armenia and in the cities of Alexandrie there was a great multitude of Fryers and religious men amongst whom were many Wisemen and pure of life constant in the defence of the Church and patient in persecutions For hee is a true religious man that in time of peace is charitable to teach the ignorant and bolde in the time of Schismes to confound the Heretikes The Emperour Valente was not onely a friend vnto the Arrians and and an enemie to the Christians but also hee was a persecuter of the deuoute and religious Fryers For hee commaunded proclamations to be hid through all his Realmes and Domions that all the religious that were young in yeares whole of their bodies and sound of their limmes should immediately cast off theyr Cowles and Hoodes leauing theyr Monastery and take Souldiers wages in the Campe for hee sayde Monasteries were inuented for nothing else but to maintaine those that were deformed blinde lame and maymed and vpon this occasion hee shewed great tyranny for many Monasteries were left naked many notable constitutions were broken many hermites were martyred many Fryers whipped many notable Barons banished and many good men robbed of their goods For the vertuous men desired rather the bitter life of the Monastery then the sweete and pleasant liberty of the world This wicked Emperour yet not contented with these things as by chance his wife commended vnto him the beauty of a Romane called Iustinia without any more delay hee married her not forsaking his first wife and immediately made a law throughout all his Empire that without incurring any danger each Chrian might haue two wiues and marry with them by the law of Matrimonie for the tyrannous Princes to cloake their vices make and establish the lawes of vices The shame was not little that the Emperour Valente against the commaundement of the Church would marry with two women at one time but the lesse shame hee had the greater was his iniquitie to put it in execution and to cause it to bee published through his realm as a Law for a particular vice corrupteth but one alone but a generall law destroyeth all At that time the puissant Gothes were in the parties of the Orient the which were in feates of Armes very valiant and couragious but in things of faith they were euil brought vp although the greatest part of them were baptized for then the Church was very poore of Prelates howbeit those that they had were very notable men After the Gothes were baptized and the fury of the warres somwhat appeased they sent Ambassadours to the Emperour Valente desiring him that immediately and forth with hee would send them holy Catholike Bishoppes by whose doctrine they might be instructed brought to the Christian faith for it was supposed that the Emperour of Rome could haue no Bishops in their countryes vnlesse they were vertuous this wicked Emperour sith hee was now entangled with heresie and that hee had peruerted the customes of good Emperours that is for hauing about him euill Bishoppes as he was now enuironed with al euils and mischiefes so hee sent to the Gothes a Bishop called Eudoxius the which was a ranke Arrian and brought with him many Bishoppes which were Heretikes by the which the Kinges and Princes of the Gothes were Arrians for the space of two hundred yeares The Catholike Princes ought to take great care to Watch and in watching to be warie and circumspect that they their Realmes neyther their Subiects should in theyr time bee defiled with heresie For the plague of Heretikes and Heresies is not of light occasion banished the place where once it hath raigned Wee haue declared of the small faith that this Emperour had in Iesus Christ and of the great mischiefes he did to the Church Let vs now see what was the end of his miserable life For the man of wicked life seldome commeth to good end The matter was this that as the Gothes were driuen out of the Realme by some of the Hunnes they came immediately to
graue countenance eloquenr in speech yet hee spake little stout in his affaires and diligent in his businesse in aduersities patient and a great enemie of the vicious temperate in eating drinking and a friend of religious persons so that they sayde hee resembled the Emperour Aurelius For after that the Emperour Marcus Aurelius dyed with whom the felicitie of the Roman Empire ended they euer vsed thēcefoorth in Rome to compare and liken the yong and new come Princes to the ancient Emperours their Anrecessors That is to say if the Prince were couragious they sayde hee was like Iulius Caesar if he were vertuous they sayde he was an other Octauian if he were fortunate that hee was Tiberius if hee were rash they say de he was Caligula if he were cruell they compared him to Nero if hee were mercifull they said he was like to Traian or Antoninus Pius if he were beaucifull they likened him to Titus if idle they compared him to Domitian if he were patient they called him Vespasius if he were temperate they likened him to Adrian if he were deuout to their gods then he seemed Aurelianus Finally he that was sage and vertuous they compared him to the good Marcus Aurelius This Emperour Valentinian was a good Christian and in all his affaires touching the Empire very wise and circumspect and yet he was noted for one thing verie much and that was that hee trusted and fauoured his seruants so much and was so led by his Friends that through their occasion they abusing his loue and credite there arose many dissentions amongst the people Seneca saide once vnto the Emperour Nero I will that thou vnderstand Lorde that there is no patience can suffer that two or three absolutely commaund all not for that they are most vertuous but for that they are most in fauour with thee O yee Noble Princes and great Lords if you were as I am I know not what you would doe but if I were as you bee I would behaue my selfe in such sorte to them of my house that they should be seruants to serue and obey mee and not to boast themselues to bee so farre in fauour as to commaund mee For that Prince is not sage that to content a fewe getteth the hatred of all The Emperour Valentinian dyed in the fiue and fiftie yeare of his byrth and the eleuenth yeare of his Empire languishing of a long sicknes that his vaynes were so dryed vppe that they could not drawe one drop of bloud out of his bodie And at the day of his Funeralles where the dead corps was greatly bewayled Saint Ambrose made an excellent Sermon in commendation of him For in those dayes when any Noble Prince departed that loued and succoured the Church all the holy Bishops met together at his buryall The two brethren beeing Emperours that is to say Valentinian and Valent through the desire of the Father in law of Gracian who was father to his wife and desirous to haue one of his daughters childrē chose Valentiniā to bring vp who had a sonne named Gracian which was created Emperor so young that as yet he had no beard And truly the Senate would not haue suffered it if the Father had not bin vertuous and the childe sage But the Senate would haue done this and more also for Valentinian because hee did deserue it well of the Romaine people For it is reason in distributing of the Offices That Princes haue more repsect to the deserts of the Fathers then to the tender age of the Children This young Gracian began to be so temperate and was so good a Christian in fauouring the Church that it was much quiet and great pleasure to the Romaine people to haue chosen him and greater ioy to the Father being aliue to haue begotten him so that he left for him after his death an immortall memorie of his life For the childe that is vertuous is alwayes the memorie of the Father after his death In the yeare of the Foundation of Rome a thousand an hundred thirtie and two the said Gracian the younger was created sole Heyre of the whole Empire his vnckle Valent and his Father being departed the world And after Gratian came to the Empire many Bishops which were banished in the time of his Vnckle Valent were restored to the Church againe and bannished all the sect of the Arrians out of his Region Truely he shewed himselfe to bee a very religious and Catholike Prince For there is no better iustice to confound humain malice then to establish the good in theyr estate In the first yeare of the raigne of Gracian Emperour all the Germanes and the Gothes rebelled against the Romane Empire for they would not onely not obey him but also they prepared an huge Army to inuade his Empire Imagining that sith Gracian was young hee neyther had the wit nor yet the boldnesse to resist them For where the Prince is young there oftentimes the people suffered much wrong and the Realme great misery Newes came to Rome how that the Gaules and Germaines were vp the Emperour Gracian wrote to all the Catholike Bishops that they should offer in their Churches great Sacrifices with prayers vnto God and in Rome likewise it was ordayned that generally processions should be had to the end Almighty God should moderate his ire against his people For good Christians first pacifie God with Prayers before they resist their enemies with weapons This good Prince shewed himselfe to be no lesse warlike in his outward affayres then a good Christian in his Religion for God giueth victories vnto Princes more through tears then through weapons These things thus finished and his affayres vnto God recommended the noble Emperour Gracian determined to march on and himselfe in person to giue the battell And truly as at the first hee shewed himselfe to bee a good Christian so now he declared himselfe to bee a valiant Emperour For it were a great infamy and dishonour that a Prince by negligence or cowardnes should lose that which his Predecessors by force of armes had gotten The army of the enemies exceeded farre the Romane army in number and when they met together in a place called Argentaria the Romaines being inferiour to their enemies in number were afraide For in the warres the great multitude of enemies and their puissant power maketh oft-times the desired victorie to be doubtful This thing seene of the Romanes and by them considered importunately they besought the Emperour not to charge the battell for they sayde hee had not men sufficient And herein they had reason For the sage Prince should not rashly hazard his person in the warre nor yet should lightly put his life in the hands of Fortune The Emperour Gracian not changing countenance nor stopping in his words to all the Knights which were about him answered in this wise CHAP. XXVI Of the godly Oration which the Emperour Gracian made to his Souldiers before hee gaue the battell VAliant
infamy which worketh euil in his life truly he deserueth much more which trauelleth to bring that euill in vre after his death Eusebius seemeth to affirm that after Nimrod had destroied the realm of Chaldea by his plagues came to Italy with 8. sons built the of Camesa which afterwards in Saturnes time was called Valentia and in the time of Romulus it was called as it is at this present Rome And sith this thing was thus a man ought not to maruell that Rome in auncient time was possessed with Tyrants and with Tyrants beaten downe since by so so famous and renowmed tyrants it was founded For euen as Hierusalem was the daughter of the patient and the mansion of the quiet Kinges in Asia so was Rome the mother of proude Princes in Europe The Histories of the Gentiles which knew not the holy Scripture declare in an other sort the beginning of signorie and seruitude and when they came into the world for the Idolaters not onely did not know the Creator of the World but also they were ignorant of many things which beganne in the world They therfore say that the Tyrant Nimrod amongst the others had a sonne called Belus and that this Belus was the first that raigned in the land of Syria and that hee was the first that inuented warres on the earth and that hee set vp the first Monarche among the Assyrians and in the end hee dyed after hee had raigned 65. yeares in Asia and left the world in great wars The first Monarchie of the world was that of the Assyrians and continued 132. yeares The first King was Belus and the last King was Sardanapalus whome at that time when he was slain they found spinning with women hauing a Distaffe in his hand wherewith they vse to spinne and truly his vile death was too good for such a cowardly King For the Prince ought not to defend that with the Distaffe that his Predecessors had wonne with the sword As wee haue sayde Nimrod begat Belus who had to wife Semyramis which was the mother of Ninus which Ninus succeeded his Father in tyranny and in the Empire also and both the Mother and the Sonne not contented to bee tyrants inuented statues of new Gods For mans malice pursueth rather the euill which the wicked doe inuent then the good which vertuous men begin We would haue shewed you how the Grandfather and the Father the Mother and the Sonne were Idolaters and warlike to the end Princes and great Lords might see that they beganne their Empires more for that they were ambitious persons then for that they were good patient or vertuous men Albeit that Nimrod was the first that euer committed any tyranny and whether it bee true or not that Belus was the first that inuented warres and that Chodor Laormor was the first that inuented battels and that there bee others wherof the Writings make no mention euery man taking for himselfe and afterwards all together those vvere occasions of euil enough in the world to agree vnto those thinges Our inclination is greatly to bee blamed For those which haue credite for their euill are many and those which haue power to doe well are but very few CHAP. XXXI Of the golden age in times past and worldly misery which we haue at this present IN the first age and golden world all liued in peace each man tooke care for his owne landes euery one planted sowed their trees and corne euery one gathered his fruites and cut his vines knedde their bread and brought vp their children and finally all liued by their own proper sweate and trauell so that they all liued without the preiudice or hurt of any other O worldly malice O cursed and wicked world that thou neuer sufferest things to remaine in one estate and though I call thee cursed maruell not thereat for when wee are in most prosperity then thou with death persecutest vs most cruelly Without teares I say not that I will say that two thousand yeares of the World were past before we knew what the World meant God suffering it and worldly malice inuented it ploughes were turned into weapons oxen to horses goades vnto launces whips to arrowes slings to Crossebowes simplicity into malice trauell into idlenesse rest to paine peace to warre loue to hatted charity to cruelty iustice to tyranny profite to dammage almes to theft and aboue all Faith into Idolatry And finally the swet they had to profite in their owne goods they turned to bloud-shedding to the damage of the Common-wealth And herein the World sheweth it selfe to bee a world herein worldly-malice sheweth it selfe to bee malicious in so much as the one reioyceth and the other lamenteth the one reioyceth to stumble to the end that other may fall and breake their neckes the one reioyceth to bee poore to the end the other may not bee rich the one reioyceth to bee dispraysed to the end the other may not be honoured the one delighteth to bee sad to the end the other should not bee merry And to conclude wee are so wicked that wee banish the good from our owne house to the end the euill might enter in at the gates of an other man When the Creator created the whole World hee gaue to each thing immediately his place that is to say hee placed intelligence in the vppermost Heauen hee placed the starres in the Firmament the planets in the orbes the birdes in the ayre the earth on the Center the Fishes in the Water the Serpents in the hoales the beasts in the mountaines and to all in generall he gaue place to rest themselues in Now let Princes and great Lords bee vaine-glorious saying that they they are Lords of the earth for truly of all that is created God onely is the true Lord thereof because the miserable man for his part hath but the vse of the fruit for if wee thinke it reasonable that wee should enioy the profite of that which is created then were it more conuenient wee should acknowledge God to be the Lord thereof I doe not deny but confesse that God created all things to the end they should serue man vpon condition that man should serue God likewise but when the creature ryseth against God immediately the Creator resisteth against man For it is but reason that hee bee disobeyed who one onely commandement will not obey O what euill fortune hath the creature onely for disobeying the commandement of his Creator for if man had kept his commaundement in Paradise God had conserued to the World the signorie but the Creatures whom he created for his seruice are occasion to him of great troubles for the ingratitude of benefite heapeth great sorrow to the discreet heart It is great pity to behold the man that was in Paradise and that might haue been in Heauen and now to see him in the world and aboue all to bee interred in the entrals of the earth For in Terrestrial Paradise he was innocent and
ought to be friend to one and enemie to none Besides all this wee haue amongst vs great friendshippes good peace great loue much rest and aboue all wee holde our selues contented for it is better to enioy the quietnesse of the graue then to liue a discontented life Our Lawes are few but in our opinions they are good and are in seuen words onely included as here followeth Wee ordaine that our children make no more Lawes then wee their Fathers doe leaue vnto them for new Lawes maketh them to forget good and ancient customes We ordaine that our Successors shall haue no moe Gods then two of the which the one God shall bee for the life and the other for the death for one God well serued is more worth then many not regarded Wee ordaine that all bee apparrelled with one cloath and hosed of one sort and that the one haue no more apparrell then the other for the diuersity of garments engendreth folly among the people Wee ordaine that when any woman which is maried hath had three children that then shee bee separated from her husband for the aboundance of children causeth men to haue couetous hearts And if any woman hath brought forth any mo children then they should bee sacrificed vnto the Gods before her eyes We ordaine that all men and women speake the truth in all things and if any bee taken in a lye committing no other fault that immediately hee bee put to death for the same For one lyer is able to vndoe a whole multitude We ordaine that no woman liue aboue forty yeares and that the man liue vntil fifty and if they dye not before that time that then they be sacrificed to the Gods for it is a great occasion for men to bee vicious to thinke that they shall liue many yeares CHAP XXXV That Princes ought to consider for what cause they were made Princes and what Thales the Philosopher was of the 12. questions asked him and of his answere he made vnto them IT is a common and olde saying which many times by Aristotle the noble and vertuous Prince hath beene repeated That in the end all thinges are done to some purpose for there is no worke neyther good nor euil◠but he that doth it meaneth to some end If thou demaundest the Gardener to what end he watereth so oft his plants hee will answere thee it is to get some money for his hearbes If thou demaundest why the riuer runneth so swift a man will answere thee that it his to the end it should returne from whence it came If thou demaundest why the trees budde in the spring time they will answere to the end they may beare fruite in haruest If wee see a traueller passe the mountaines in the snow the riuers with perill the woods in feare to walke in extreame heate in Sommer to wander in the night time in the colde winter and if by chance a man doth aske one of them saying Friend whether goest thou wherefore takest thou such paines And hee aunswereth Truly sir I know no more then you to what end neyther can I tell why I take such paines I aske thee now what a wise man would answere to this innocent Traueller Truly hearing no more hee would iudge him to bee a foole for he is much infortunate that for all his trauell looketh for no reward Therefore to our matter a Prince which is begotten as an other man borne as an other man liueth as an other man dyeth as an other man And besides all this commaundeth all men if of such a one wee should demaund why God gaue him signiory and that he should answere hee knoweth not but that he was borne vnto it In such case let euery man iudge how vnworthy such a King is to haue such authority For it is vnpossible for a man to minister iustice vnlesse hee knew before what iustice meaneth Let Princes and noble men heare this word imprint it in their memory which is that when the liuing God determined to make Kings and Lords in this world hee did not ordaine them to eate more then others to drinke more then others to sleepe more then others to speake more thē others nor to reioyce more then others but hee created them vpon condition that sith he had made thē to commaund more then others they should be more iust in their liues thē others It is a thing most vniust and in the Common wealth very slaunderous to see with what authority a puissant man commandeth those that bee vertuous and with how much shame himselfe is bound to all vices I know not what Lord he is that dare punish his subiect for one onely offence committed seeing himselfe to deserue for euery deede to bee chastised For it is a monstrous thing that a blinde man should take vpon him to leade him that seeth They demaunded great Cato the Censor what a King ought to doe that he should be beloued feared and not despised he answered The good Prince should be compared to him that selleth Tryacle who if the poyson hurteth him not hee selleth bis Triacle well I mean therby that the punishment is takē in good part of the people which is not ministred by the vitious man For hee that maketh the Tryacle shall neuer bee credited vnlesse the proofe of his Triacle bee openly knowne and tryed I meane that the good life is none other then a fine Triacle to cure the Common-wealth And to whome is he more like which with his tongue blazeth vertues and imployeth his deedes to all vices then vnto the man who in the one hand holdeth poyson to take away life and in the other Triacle to resist death To the end that a Lord bee wholy obeyed it is necessary that all that he commaundeth bee obserued first in his owne person for no Lord can nor may withdraw himselfe from vertuous works This was the answere that Cato the Censor gaue which in mine opinion was spoken more like a Christian then any Romane When the true God came into the World he employed 30. yeares onely in workes and spent but two yeares and a halfe in teaching For mans heart is perswaded more with the worke hee seeketh then with the word which hee heareth Those therfore which are Lords let them learne and know of him which is the true Lord and also let Princes learne why they are Princes for he is not a Pylot which neuer sayled on the seas In mine opinion if a Prince will know why he is a Prince I would say to gouern well his people to command well and to maintaine all in iustice and this should not bee with words to make them afrayde neyther by works which should offend them but by sweet words which should encourage them and by the good workes that should edifie them for the noble and gentle heart cannot resist him that with a louing countenance commaundeth Those which will rule and make tame fierce and wilde beasts do
in keeping them they haue great expences and for to defray such charges they haue but little money For in this case let euery man doe what hee will and let them take what counsel they like best I would counsell all others as my selfe haue experimented that is that the Prince shuld be of so good a conuersation amongst those which are his and so affable and familiar with all that for his good conuersation onely they should thinke themselues well apaide For with rewards Princes recompence the trauells of theyr Seruants but with gentle and faire words they steale and robbe the harts of their subiects Wee see by experience that diuers Marchants had rather buye dearer in one shop because the merchaÌ„t is pleasant then to buy better cheap in an other wheras the merchant is churlish I meane that there are manie which had rather serue a prince to gaine nothing but loue onely then to serue an other prince for money For there is no seruice better imploied theÌ„ to him which is honest good and gracious and to the contrary none worse bestowed then on him which is vnthaÌ„kfull and churlish In Princes Pallaces there shall neuer want euill and wicked men malicious and diuelish flatterers which will seeke meanes to put into theyr Lords heads how they shal raise their rents leuy Subsidies inuent tributes and borrow money but there are none that will tell them how they shal winne the hearts and good willes of their Subiects though they know it more profitable to bee well beloued then necessary to be enriched He that heapeth treasure for his Prince and separateth him from the loue of his people ought not to bee called a faithfull seruant but a mortall enemy Princes and Lords ought greatly to endeauour themselues to bee so conuersant among their Subiects that they had rather serue for good Will then for the payment of money for if mony want their seruice wil quaile and hereof proceedeth a thousand inconueniences vnto Princes which neuer happen vnto those that haue seruants which serue more of good will then for money for hee that loueth with all his heart is not proude in prosperity desperate in aduersity neyther complayneth he of pouertie nor is discontented being fauourles nor yet abashed with persecution finally loue and life are neuer separated vntill they come vnto the graue Wee see by experience that the rablement of the poore Labourers of Sicill is more worth then the money of the Knight of Rome For the Labourer euery time he goeth to the field bringeth some profit froÌ„ thence but euery time the Knight sheweth himselfe in the market place he returneth without money By the comparison I meane that Princes should bee affable easie to talke with all pleasant mercifull benigne and stout and aboue all that they bee gratious and louing to the end that through these qualities and and not by money they may learne to winne the hearts of their subiectes Princes should greatly labour to bee loued specially if they will finde who shall succour them in aduersity and keepe them from euill will and hatred which those Princes caÌ„not haue that are hated but rather euery man reioyceth at their fall and misery for each man enioyeth his owne trauel and truly the furious and sorrowfull hearts take some rest to see that others haue pitty and compassion vpon their griefes Princes also should endeauour themselues to bee loued and well willed because at their death they may of all their seruants and friends bee lamented For Princes ought to bee such that they may be prayed for in their life and lamented and remembred after their death How cursed is that Prince and also how vnhappy is that Common-wealth where the seruants will not serue their Lord but for reward and that the Lorde dooth not loue them but for theyr seruices For there is neuer true loue where there is any particular interest With many stones a house is builded and of many men and one Prince which is the head of all the Common wealth is made For hee that gouerneth the Common wealth may be called a Prince and otherwise not and the Common-wealth cannot bee called or sayde a Common wealth if it hath not a Prince which is the head thereof If Geometrie do not deceyue me the lime which ioyneth one stone with an other suffereth well that it bee mingled with sand but the corner-stone that lyeth on the toppe ought to bee medled with vnslâ—ked lime And it soundeth vnto good reason For if the nether-stones seperate the wall openeth but if the corner stone should slippe the building incontinently falleth I suppse Fathers conscript you vnderstand very well to what end I applie this comparison The loue of one neighbour with an other may suffer to be cold but the loue of a Prince to his people should bee true and pure I meane that the loue amongst frends may passe sometimes although it bee colde but that loue betweene the King and his people at al times ought to be perfect For where there is perfect loue there is no fayned wordes nor vnfaithfull seruice I haue seene in Rome many debates and hurly-burlyes among the people to haue bin pacified in one day and one onely which betweene the Lorde and the Commonwealth ariseth cannot be pacified vntill death For it is a dangerous thing for one to striue with many and for many to contend against one In this case where the one is proud and the other rebelles I will not excuse the Prince nor yet let to condemne the people For in the end he that thinketh himselfe most innocent deserueth greatest blame And from whence thinke you commeth it that Lords now adayes commaund vniust things by furie and the Subiects in iust matters will not obey by reason I will tell you The Lord doing of will and not of right would cast the wills of all in his own braine and deriue from himselfe all counsell For euen as Princes are of greater power then all the rest so they thinke they knowe more then all the rest The contrary hapneth to subiects who beeing prouoked I cannot tell you with what Frensie despising the good vnderstanding of theyr Lorde will not obey that which their prince willeth for the health of them all but that which euery man desireth particularly For men now a dayes are so fonde that euery man thinketh the Prince should looke on him alone Truely it is a strange thing though it be much vsed among men that one man should desire that the garments of all others should be meete for him which is as vnpossible as if one mans Armour should arme a whole multitude But what shall we be Fathers conscript and sacred Senate sith our Fathers left vs this world with such follie and that in these debates and strifes wee theyr children are alwayes in dissention and controuersie and in this wilfalnes wee shall also leaue our children and heyres How many Princes haue I seen and read
friend Pulio because that since Traian spake for Nero and that hee found in him some prayse I doe thinke no lesse of the tyrant Periander whom though for his euill works hee did wee doe condemne yet for his good words that he spake and for the good lawes which hee made wee doe prayse For in the man that is euill there is nothing more easier then to giue good counsell and there is nothing more harder then to work well Periander made diuers lawes for the Common wealth of the Corinthians whereof here following I wil declare some Wee ordaine and command that if any by multiplying of wordes kill another so that it were not by treason that hee bee not therefore condemned to dye but that they make him slaue perpetuall to the brother of him that is slaine or to the next of his kinne or friendes for a short death is a lesse paine then a long seruitude Wee ordaine and commaund that if any thiefe bee taken hee shall not dye but with a hote yron shall bee marked on the forehead to bee knowne for a theefe for to shamelesse men long infamy is more paine then a short life wee ordaine and commaund that the man or woman which to the preiudice of an other shall tell any lye shall for the space of a moneth carry a stone in their mouth for it is not meete that hee which is wont to lye should álwayes bee authorized for to speake Wee ordaine and commaund that euery man or woman that is a quarreller and seditious person in the common wealth bee with great reproach banished from the people for it is vnpossible that hee should be in fauour with the gods which is an enemy to his neighbor Wee ordaine and commaund that if there bee any in the Common wealth that haue receyued of an other a benefite and that afterwards it is proued he was vnthankefull that in such case they put him to death for the man that of benefites receyued is vnthankefull ought not to liue in the world among men Behold therefore my friend Pulio the antiquity which I declared vnto thee and how mercifull the Corinthians were to murtherers theeues and Pirates And contrary how seuere they were to vnthankefull people whom they commaunded forthwith to be put to death And truely in mine opinion the Corinthians had reason for there is nothing troubleth a wise man more then to see him vnthankefull to him whom heo hath shewed pleasure vnto I was willing to tell thee this history of Periander for non other cause but to the end thou shouldest see and know that for as much as I do greatly blame the vice of vnthankefulnes I will labour not to bee noted of the same For hee that reproueth vice is not noted to be vertuous but hee which vtterly flyeth it Count vpon this my word that I tell thee which thou shalt not thinke to bee fayned that though I bee the Romane Emperor I will be thy faithfull friend and will not fayle to bee thankeful towards thee For I esteeme it no lesse glory to know how to keep a friend by wisdome then to come to the estate of an Emperour by Phylosophy By the letter thou sentest thou requiredst me of one thing to answere thee for the which I am at my witts end For I had rather open my treasure to thy necessities then to open the books to answer to thy demands although it be to my cost I confesse thy request to be reasonable and thou deseruest worthy prayse for in the end it is more worth to know how to procure a secret of Antiquities past then to heape vp treasures for the necessities in time to come As the Philosopher maketh Philosophie his treasure of knowledge to liue in peace and to hope and to looke for death with honour so the couetous being such a one as hee is maketh his treasure of worldly goods for to keepe and preserue life in this world in perpetual warres and to end his life and take his death with infamy Herein I sweare vnto thee that one day employed in Philosophy is more worth then ten thousand which are spent in heaping riches For the life of a peaceable man is none other then a sweet peregrination and the life of seditious persons is none other but a long death Thou requirest me my friend Pulio that I write vnto thee wherein the Ancients in times past had their felicity know thou that their desires were so diuers that some dispraysed life others desired it some prolonged it others did shorten it som did not desire pleasure but trauels others in trauels did not seeke but pleasures that which variety did not proceede but of diuers ends for the tastes were diuers and sundry men desired to tast diuers meates By the immortall gods I swear vnto thee that this thy request maketh me muse of thy life to see that my Philosophy answereth thee not sufficiently therein For if thou aske to proue mee thou thinkest mee presumptuous if thou demaund in mirth thou countest mee to bee too light if thou demaundest it not in good earnest thou takest mee to bee simple if thou demaundest mee for to shew it thee be thou assured I am ready to learne it if thou demandest it for to know it I confesse I cannot teach it thee if thou demandest it because thou mayest be asked it be thou assured that none will bee satisfied with my answere and if perchance thou doest aske it because sleeping hast dreamed it seeing that now thou art awake thou oughtest not to beleeue a dreame for all that the fantasie in the night doth imagine the tong doth publish it in the morning O my friend Pulio I haue reason to complaine of thee for so much as thou doest not regard the authority of my person nor the credite of thy Philosophy wherefore I feare least they will iudge thee too curions in demaunding and mee too simple in answering all this notwithstanding I determine to answere thee not as I ought but as I can not according to the great thou demaundest but according to the little I know And partly I doe it to accomplish thy request and also to fulfill my desire And now I thinke that all which shal reade this letter will bee cruell Iudges of my ignorance Of the Philosopher Epicurius IN the Olimpiade 103. Serges being King of Perses and the cruell tyrant Lysander Captaine of the Peloponenses a famous battell was fought betweene the Athenians and Lysander vpon the great Riuer of Aegeon whereof Lysander had the victory and truly vnlesse the histories deceyue vs the Athenians took this conflict grieuously because the battell was lost more through negligence of their Captaines then through the great number of theyr enemies For truely many winne victories more through the cowardlinesse that some haue then for the hardinesse that others haue The Philosopher Epicurus at that time florished who was of a liuely wit but of a meane stature
and had memorie fresh being meanely learned in Philosophy but he was of much eloquēce and for to encourage and counsell the Athenians he was sent to the warres For when the Ancients tooke vpon them any warres they chose first Sages to giue counseil then Captains to leade the souldiers And amongst the Prisoners the Philosopher Epicurus was taken to whom the tyrant Lysander gaue good entertainement and honoured him aboue all other and after hee was taken hee neuer went from him but read Philosophy vnto him and declared vnto him histories of times past and of the strength and vertues of many Greekes and Troians The tyrant Lysander reioyced greatly at these things For truly tyrants take great pleasure to heare the prowesse and vertues of Ancients past and to follow the wickednesse and vices of them that are present Lysander therefore taking the triumph and hauing a Nauie by sea and a great Army by land vpon the riuer of Aegeon he and his Captaines forgot the danger of the wars and gaue the bridle to the flothfull flesh so that to the great preiudice of the Common wealth they led a dissolute and idle life For the manner of tyrannous Princes is to leaue off their ownt trauell and to enioy that of other mens The Philosopher Epicurus was alwayes brought vp in the excellent Vniuersity of Athens whereas the Philosophers liued in so great pouerty that naked they slept on the ground their drinke was colde water none amongst them had any house proper they despised riches as pestilence and labored to make peace where discord was they were onely defenders of the Common wealth they neuer spake any idle word and it was a sacriledge amongst them to heare a lye and finally it was a Law inuiolable amongst them that the Philosopher that should bee idle should bee banished and he that was vicious should be put to death The wicked Epicurius forgetting the doctrine of his Master and not esteeming grauity whereunto the Sages are bound gaue himselfe wholly both in words and deedes vnto a voluptuous beastly kind of life wherin he put his whole felicity For hee sayde There was no other felicity for slothfull men then to sleepe in soft beds for delicate persons to feele neyther hote nor cold for fleshly men to haue at their pleasure amorus Dames for drunkards not to want any pleasant wines and gluttons to haue their fils of al delicate meats for herein hee affirmed to consist all worldly felicity I doe not maruell at the multitude of his Schollers which hee had hath and shall haue in the world For at this day there are very few in Rome that suffer not themselues to be mastered with vices and the multitude of those which liue at their owne wils and sensuality are infinite And to tell the truth my friend Pulio I do not maruell that there hath been vertuous neither doe I muse that there hath beene vitious for the vertuous hopeth to rest himselfe with the Gods in an other World by his well doing and if the vitious bee vitious I doe not maruell though he will goe and engage himselfe to the vices of this world since he doth not hope neyther to haue pleasure in this not yet to enioy rest with the gods in the other For truly the vnstedfast beleefe of an other life after this wherein the wicked shall bee punished and the good rewarded causeth that now a dayes the victous and vices raigne so as they doe Of the Philosopher Eschilus ARtabanus beeing the sixt king of Persians and Quintus Concinatus the husbandman beeing onely Dictator of the Romanes in the Prouince of Tharse there was a Philosopher named Aeschilus who was euill fauoured of countenance deformed of body fierce in his lookes and of a very grosse vnderstanding but hee was fortunate of credite for he had no lesse credite amongst the Tharses then Homer had among the Greekes They say that though this Philosopher was of a rude knowledge yet otherwise he had a very good naturall wit and was very diligent in harde things and very patient with these that did him wrong hee was exceeding couragious in aduersity and moderate in prosperities And the thing that I most of all delighted in him was that hee was courteous and gentle in his conuersation and both pithie and eloquent in his communication For that man onely is happy where all men prayse his life and no man reproueth his tongue The auncient Greekes declare in their Histories that this Philosopher Aeschilus was the first that inuented Tragedies and that got money to represent them and sith the inuention was new and pleasant many did not onely follow him but they gaue him much of their goods And maruel not thereat my friend Pulio for the lightnesse of the Common people is such that to see vaine things all will runne and to heare the excellency of vertues there is not one will goe After this Philosopher Aeschylus had written many bookes specially of Tragedies and that he had afterward trauelled through many Countries Realmes at the last hee ended the residue of his life neare the Isles which are adioyning vnto the Lake of Meatts For as the diuine Plato saveth when the auncient Philosophers were young they studied when they came to be men they trauelled and then when they were old they retyred home In mine opinion this Philosopher was wise to do as he did and no lesse shall men now a dayes bee that will imitate him For the Fathers of wisdome are Science and Experience and in this consisteth true knowledge when the man at the last returneth home from the troubles of the World Tell me my friend Pulio I pray thee what dooth it profite him that hath learned much that hath heatd much that hath knowne much that hath seene much that hath beene farre that hath bought much that hath suffered much and hath proued much that had much if after great trauell he doth not retire to repose himselfe a little truly hee cannot be counted wise but a foole that willingly offereth himselfe to trauell hath not the wit to procure himselfe rest for in mine opinion the life without rest is a long death By chance as this ancient Philosopher was sleeping by the lake Meatis a Hunter had a Hare with him in a Cage of woode to take other Hares by whereon the Eagle seazed which tooke the Cage with the Hare on high and seeing hee could not eate it hee cast it downe againe which fell on the heade of this Philosopher and killed him This Philosopher Aeschylus was demaunded in his life time wherein the felicity of this life consisted hee answered that in this opinion it consisted in sleeping and his reason was this that when wee sleepe the entisements of the flesh do not prouoke vs nor the enemy persecute vs neyther the friends do importune vs nor the colde winter oppresse vs nor the heate of long Sommer doth annoy vs nor yet wee
are not angry for any thing wee see nor wee take any care for any thing we heare Finally when wee sleepe wee feele not the anguishes of the body neyther suffer the passion of the mind to come To this end yee must vnderstand that when they were troubled hee gaue them drinks which caused them immediatly to sleepe so that so soone as the man did drinke it so soone hee was a sleepe Finally all the study wherein the Epicurians exercised themselues was in eating and seeking meates and the chiefe study of this Aeschilus was in sleeping and hauing soft beds Of the Philosopher Pindarus IN the yeare of the foundation of the City of Rome 262. Darius the second of that name King of Persia who was the sonne of Histapsie and in the lynage of Kinges the fourth King of Persia Iunius Brutus and Lucius Collatinus being Consuls in Rome which were the first Consuls that were in Rome There was in the great City of Thebes in Egypt a Philosopher named Pindarus who was Prince of that Realme They write of this Philosopher that in Philosophy he excelled all those of his time and also in teaching singing and playing of Musicke hee was more excellent then any of all his Predecessors for the Thebanes affirmed that there was neuer any seen of such aptnes in speaking and so excellent deliuering of his fingers in playing as Pindarus was and moreouer hee was a great Morall Philosopher but not so excellent in naturall Philosophy For hee was a quiet and vertuous man could better worke then reach which thing is contrary now a dayes in our Sages of Rome For they know little and speake much and worst of all in their wordes they are circumspect and in their deedes very negligent The diuine Plato in his booke that he made of Lawes mentioneth this Philosopher and Iunius Rusticus in his Thebaide sheweth one thing of him and that is that an Ambassadour of Lides being in Thebes seeing Pindarus to bee of a vertuous life and very disagreeable in his words hee spake vnto him in such words O Pindarus If thy wordes were so limed before men as thy workes are pure before the Gods I sweare vnto thee by those Gods that are immortall that thou shouldest bee as much esteemed in Life as Promotheus was and shouldest leaue as much memory of thee after thy death in Egypt as the great Homere left of his life in Greece They demaunded of this Pindarus wherein felicity consisted hee aunswered In such sort yee ought to know that the inward scule followeth in many things for the most part the outward body the which thing presupposed I say that hee that feeleth no griefe in his body may well bee called happy For truly if the flesh bee not well the heart can haue no rest Therefore according to the counsell of Pindarus the Thebanes were aboue all other Nations and people most diligent to cure the diseases of their bodies Annius Seuerus sayth that they were let bloud euery month for the great aboundance of bloud in their bodies They vsed euery weeke vnmitations for the full stomackes They continued the bathes for to auoide opilations They carried sweet fauours about them against the euill and infected ayres And finally they studyed nought else in Thebes but to preserue and keepe their bodies as deliciously as they could inuent Of the Philosopher Zeno. IN the Olimpiade 133. Cneus Seruillus and Caius Brisius then Consuls in Rome which were appointed against the Artikes in the moneth of Ianuary immediately after they were chosen and in the 29. yeare of the raigne of Ptolomeus Philadelphus this great Prince Ptolomeus built in the coast of Alexandry a great Tower which hee named Pharo for the loue of a louer of his named Pharo Dolouina This Tower was built vpon foure engines of glasse it was large and high made foure square the stones of the Tower were as bright and shining as glasse so that the Tower being twenty foot of breadth if a candle burned within those without might see the light thereof I let thee know my friend Pulio that the auncient Historiograpers did so much esteeme his building that they compared it to one of the seuen buildings of the World At that time when these thinges flourished there was in Egypt a Philosopher called Zeno by whose counsell and industrie Ptolomeus built that so famous a Tower and gouerned his land For in the olde time the Princes that in their life were not gouerned by Sages were recorded after their death in the Register of fooles As this Tower was strong so hee had great ioy of the same because he kept his dearely beloued Pharo Dolouina therein enclosed to the end shee should bee well kept and also well contented He had his wiues in Alexandria but for the most part hee continued with Pharo Dolouina For in the old time the Perses Siconians and the Chaldeans did not marry but to haue children to enherite theyr goods and the residue of their life for the most part to leade with their Concubines in pleasure and delight The Egyptians had it in great estimation that were great Wrestlers especially if they were wise men and aboue all things they made great defiance against strangers and all the multitude of wrastlers was continually greate so there were notable Masters among them For truly he that dayly vseth one thing shall at the last be excellent therein The matter was thus That one day amongst them there were many Egyptians there was one that would not bee ouerthrowne nor cast by any man vnto the earth This Philosopher Zeno perceyuing the strength and courage of this great Wrastler thought it much for his estimation if he might throw him in wrastling and in prouing he threw him dead to the earth who of none other could euer be cast This victory of Zeno was so greatly to the contentation of his person that hee spake with his tongue and wrote with his penne that there was none other ioy or felicity then to know how to haue the strength of the Armes to cast downe others at his feet The reason of this Philosopher was that hee sayde it was a greater kinde of victory to ouerthrow one to the erth then to ouerthrow many in the wars For in the warres one onely wrongfully taketh the victory since there bee many that doe winne it but in wresiling as the victory is to one alone so let the onely victory and glory remaine to him and therefore in this thing felicity consisteth for what can bee more then the contention of the heart Truly wee call him in this world happy that hath his heart content and his body in health Of the Philosopher Anacharsis WHen the King Heritaches raigned among the Medes and that Tarquin Priscus raigned in Rome there was in the coasts of Scithia a Philosopher called Anacharsis who was borne in the City of Epimenides Cicero greatly commended the doctrine of this Philosopher and that he
by vices and deliciousnesse but by weapons and prayers The Romanes were very sore grieued with the and a city of this Consull Lucius Pius and not contented to haue beheaded him and to haue set on his graue so defamous a title but made proclamation forthwith thorow out all Rome by the sound of a Trumpet how al that Lucius Pius had done the sacred Senate condemned for nothing and should stand to no effect For there was an auncient Law in Rome when they beheaded any by iustice they should also take away the authority hee had in Rome After the warres were ended and all the land of Sarmatia subiect the Consull Lucius Pius came to Rome for reward of his trauell required the accustomed triumph the which was not onely denyed him but also in recompence of his fact hee was openly beheaded and by the decree of all the Senate about his graue was written this Epitaph And not contented with these things the sacred Senate wrote to the Sarmates that they did release them of their homage making themselues subiects of the Romanes wherefore they restored them againe to their liberty They did this thing because the custome among the stoute and valiant Romanes was not to gette nor winne Realmes in making their enemies drunke with delicate Wines but in shedding their proper bloud in plaine field I haue tolde thee this my friend Pulio because the Consull Lucius Pius did perceyue that the Sarmates put all their felicity to ingorge themselues with wine Of the Philosopher Chylo IN the 15. Dinastia of the Lacedemonians and Deodeus beeing King of Medes Gigion being king of Lides Argeus being king among the Macedonians and Tullius Hostilius king of the Romaines in the Olympiade 27. there was in Athens a Phylosopher borne in Greece whose name was Chylo one of the seuen Sages which the Greekes had in theyr treasurie In that time there was great warres betweene the Athenians and the Corinthians as wee may perceyue by the Greeks histories which we see written Since Troy was ruinated and destroyed there was neuer peace in Greece for the warres betwixte the Greeks and Troyans was neuer so great as that which afterwards they made among themselues Sith the Greekes were now wise mē they did deuide the offices of the Commonwealth according to the ability of euery person that is to know that to the stoute and hardy men they gaue the gouernment to the sage they recommended the Embasies of of strange countreys And vpon this occasion the Athenians sent the Phylosopher Chilo to the Corinthians to treate of peace who came vnto the cittie of Corinth By chaunce on that day there was celebrated a great Feast wherefore hee found all men playing at dice the women solacing themselues in theyr gardens the Priestes shorte with theyr crosse-bowes in the Temples the Senatours played in the consistory at tables the maisters of Fence played in the streetes And to conclude hee found them all playing The Philosopher seeing these things without speaking to any man or lighting off from his horse returned to his countrey without declaring his message and when the Corinthians went after him and asked him why hee did not declare the cause of his comming he aunswered Friends I am come from Athens to Corinth not without great trauell and now I returne from Corinth to Athens not lattle offended and yee might haue seene it because I spake neuer a word to any of you of Corinth For I haue no commission to treate of peace with vnthrifty players but with sage gouernours Those of Athens commaunded mee not to keepe company with those that haue theyr hāds occupyed with Dyce but with those that haue theyr bodyes loden with harnes and with those which haue theyr Eyes dazeled with Bookes For those men which haue warres with the Dyce it is vnpossible they should haue peace with theyr Neighbours After he had spoken these words he returned to Athens I let thee vnderstand my friende Pulio that the Corinthians thinke it to be the greatest felicity in the world to occupy dayes and nights in playes and maruel not hereat neither laugh thou them to scorne For it was told mee by a Greeke being in Antioche that a Corinthian esteemed it more felicitie to winne a game then the Romaine Captaine did to winne a Triumph As they say the Corinthians were wise and temperate men vnlesse it were in Playes in the which thing they were too vicious Me thinke my friend Pulio that I answer thee more amply then thou requirest or that my health suffereth that which is little so that both thou shalt be troubled to read it and I here shall haue paine to write it I will make thee a briefe summe of all the others which now come to my remembrance the which in diuersethings haue put theyr ioy and chiefest felicities Of Crates the Philosopher CRates the Philosopher put his felicity to haue good fortune in prosperous nauigation saying that hee which sayleth by sea can neuer haue perfect ioy at his his heart so long as hee confidereth that between death and life there is but one bourd Wherefore the heart neuer feeleth so great ioy as when in the Hauen he remembreth the perils which hee hath escaped on the sea Of Estilpho the Philosopher EStilpho the Philosopher put all his felicity to bee of great power saying that the man which can doe little is worth little and he that hath little the gods doe him wrong to let him liue so long For hee onely is happy which hath power to oppresse his enemies and hath wherewithall to succour himselfe and reward his friendes Of Simonides the Philosopher SImonides the Philosopher put all his felicity to bee well beloued of the people saying That churlish men and euill conditioned should bee sent to the mountaines amongst brute beasts For there is no greater happinesse or felicity in this life then to bee beloued of all in the Common-wealth Of Archita the Philosopher ARchita the Phylosopher had all his felicitie in conquering a Bartell saying that naturally man is so much friend to himselfe and desireth so much to come to the chiefe of his enterprise that though for little trifles he played yet he would not bee ouercome For the heart willingly suffereth all the trauels of the life in hope afterwardes to win the victory Of Gorgias the Philosopher GOrgias the Philosopher put al his felicity to heare a thing which pleased him saying That the body feeleth not so much a great wound as the heart doth an euill word For truely there is no musicke that soundeth so sweete to the eares as the pleasant wordes are sauourie to the heart Of Chrysippus the Philosopher CHrysippus the Philosopher had all his felicity in this Worlde in making great buildings saying that those which of themselues left no memory both in their life and after their death deserued infacny For great and sumptuous buildings are perpetuall monuments of
danger In the olde time when vertuous Princes dyed and that they left their children for Successors in their Realmes and besides that forasmuch as they saw their children young and euill instructed in the affayres of their Realmes they committed them to Tutours that should teach them good works and doctrine rather then they would giue them Suruayors which should encrease and augment their Cofers and Rents For truely if the Common-wealth bee defended with great treasures it is not gouerned with good counsels The princes which are young accustomely are giuen to vices for in the one part youth raigneth and on the other part honesty wanteth And to such truely vices are very dangerous specially if they want Sages to counsel them to keepe them from euill company For the couragious youth will not bee brideled nor their greate liberty can bee chastised Princes without doubt haue more neede of wise and stayed men about them to profite them in theyr counselles then any of all their other Subiects for since they are in the view of all they haue lesse licence to commit vice then any of all For if you behold all and that they haue authority to iudge all will they nill they they are beholden and iudged of all Princes ought to be circumspect whom they trust with the gouernement of their Realmes and to whom they commit the leading of their Armies whom they send as Ambassadours into strange Countries and whom they trust to receyue and keepe their treasures but much more they ought to bee circumspect in examining of those whom they choose to bee their Counsellours For looke what is he that counselleth the prince at home in his pallace so likewise shall his renowne be in strange countries and in his owne Common-wealth Why should they not then willingly examine and correct theyr owne proper palace Let Princes know if they do not know that of the honesty of their seruants of the prouidence of their Counsels of the sagenesse of their persons and of the order of their house dependeth the welfare of the Common-wealth for it is impossible that the branches of that tree whose rootes are dryed vp should bee seene to beare greene leaues CHAP. XLIIII How the Emperour Theodosius prouided â—ise men at the houre of his death for the edification of his two sonnes Archadius and Honorius I Gnatius the Historian in the booke that he made of the two Theodosij of the 2. Archadij and of the 4. Honorii declareth that the first great Theodosius being â—0 yeares olde and hauing gouerned the empire 11. years lying on his death bed called Archadius and Honorius his two sons and committed them to Estilconius and Ruffâ—nus to be instructed and ordayned them likewise for gouernours of their estates and signiories Before that the father dyed hee had now created his children Caesars being then of the age of 17. yeares Therefore the Father seeing them not as yet ripe nor able to gouerne their Realms and Signiories he committed them vnto masters and tutors It is not alwayes a generall rule though one be of 25. yeares of age that he hath more discretion to gouerne realms then another of fifteene for dayly wee see that wee allow and commend the ten yeeres of one and reproue the forty yeares of an other There are many Princes tender of yeares but ripe in counsels and for the contrary there are other Princes olde in yeares and young in counsels When the good Emperour Vespatian dyed they determined to put his sonne Titus in the gouernement of the Empire or some other aged Senatour because they sayde Titus was too young And as they were in controuersie of the matter the Senator Rogerus Patroclus said vnto the Senate For my part I require rather a Prince which is young and sage then I do a Prince which is olde and foolish Therefore now as touching the children of Theodosius one day Estiltorius the tutor of Archadius speaking to a Greeke Philosopher very sage whose name was Epimundus sayd thus vnto him Thou and I long time haue beene acquainted together in the Palace of the Emperour Theodose my Lord who is dead and we are aliue thou knowest it had been better that we two had dyed and that he had liued for there bee many to bee seruants of Princes but there are few to be good Princes I feele no greater griefe in this world then to know many Princes in one Realme For the man which hath seene many Princes in his life hath seene many nouelties and alterations in the common wealth Thou knowest well that when Theodosius my master dyed hee spake to mee these words the which were not spoken without great sighes and multiplying of teares O Estilconus I dye and am going into an other world wherin I shall giue a streight account of the Realmes and Seignories which I had vnder my charge and therefore when I thinke of mine offences I am maruellously afrayde But when I remember the mercy of God then I receyue some comfort and hope As it is but meet wee should trust in the greatnesse of his mercy so likewise is it reason wee should feare the rigour of his iustice For truely in the christian law they are not suffered to liue as we which are Princes that liue in delights of this world without repentance to goe to Paradise Then when I thinke of the great benefites which I haue receyued of God and of the great offences which I haue committed and when I thinke of the long time I haue liued and of the little which I haue profited and also that vnprofitably I haue spent my time On the one part I am loath to dye for that I am afrayde to come before the tribunall seate of Iesus Christ and on the other part I would liue no longer because I doe not profite The man of an euill life why doth hee desire to liue any longer My life is now finished and the time is short to make amends And sith God demaundeth nought else but a contrite heart with all my heart I doe repent and appeale to his iustice of mercy from his iustice to his mercy because it may please him to receyue mee into his house and to giue mee perpetuall glory to the confusion of all my finnes and offences And I protest I dye in the holy catholike faith and commend my soule to God and my body to the earth and to you Estilconus and Ruffinus my faithfull seruants I recommend my deere beloued children for hereby the lone of the children is seene in that the Father forgetteth them not at the houre of his death In this case of one onely thing I doe warne you one onely thingâ—â— require you one thing I desire you and one onely thing I command you and that is that you occupie not your minds in augmenting the realms and seignories of my children but onely that you haue due respect to giue theÌ„ good education and vertuous seruaÌ„ts for
to search for the physition and afterwards to doe nothing of that which by him is ordained I meane that it shall not profit but rather it shall be harme that I come into thy commonwealth and that afterwards thou wilt not do that which I shall ordaine therein for great dangers ensue to alter the humors with siropes vnlesse they take afterwards a purgation to purge away the same For to redresse thy barbarous realme and to satisfie thy good desire I am determined to condiscend vnto thy request and to accomplish thy commandement vpon condition that thou shalt ensure mee of these things following For the laborer ought not to sow his seede before the ground be plowed and tilled The first thou shalt for sake the euill custome which ye barbarous kings dovse that is to say to heape vp treasures and not to spend them For euery Prince which is couetous of treasures is scarcely of capacitie to receiue good counsell The second thou shalt not onely banish out of thy palace but also out of thy court al flatterers for the Prince that is a friend to flatterers of necessitie must be an enemie of the truth The 3. thou shalt end the wars that thou at this present doest maintaine against the people of Corinth for euery Prince that loueth forraine warres must needs hate the peace of his commonwealth The fourth thou shalt banish from thy house all Iuglers comediants and ministrels For the Prince which occupieth himselfe to heare vaine and trifling things in time of necessitie shall not apply himselfe to those which bee of weight and importance Fiftly thou shalt prouide that all loyterers and vacabonds bee expulsed from thy person and banished thy palace for iidlenesse and negligence are cruell enemies of wisedome Sixtly thou shalt banish from thy court and palace and liers all seditious men for when liers are suffered in the Palace of Princes it is a signe that the king and the realme falleth into vtter destruction The seuenth thou shalt promise that in the dayes of thy life thou shalt not presse me to receiue any thing of thee for the day that thou shalt corrupt me with gifts it is necessary that I corrupt thee with euill counsels For there is no counsell that is good but that which proceedeth from the man that is not couetous If on these conditions the king Cresus desireth the Philosopher Anacharsis the Philosopher Anacharsis desireth the king Cresus and if not I had rather bee a disciple of sage philosophers then a king of the barbarous people Vale felix Rex Sith this letter doeth declare it it is needlesse for my pen to write it that is to say what was the humanitie and goodnesse of king Cresus to write vnto a poore Phylosopher and how great the courage of a philosopher was to despise the gold and to say as he did in this behalfe Therefore let princes note heare that such ought the Sages to bee they should chuse and let Sages note here also vpon what conditions they ought to enter into the palace of princes For this is such a bargaine that it seldome times chanceth but that one of the parties are deceiued CHAP XLVI Of the wisedome and sentences of Phalaris the tyrant and how he put an Artisan to death for inuenting new torments IN the last yeare of the Latines and in the first yeare of the Romaines Ezechias being king of the Iewes and Azaria great Bishop of the holy temple Abacucke Prophet in Iewrie and Merodach being king in Babylon and when the Lacedemonians built Byzance which now is Constantinople Phalaris the famous Tyrant was then liuing Of this Phalaris Ouid saith that he was deformed in his face pore blinde of his eyes and exceeding couetous of riches and neuer obserued any thing that he promised He was thankfull to his friends and cruell to his enemies finally he was such a one that tyrannies which seuerally were scattered in others in him alone were altogether assembled Amongst all the iniquities that he inuented and amongst the tyranies that he committed he had one vertue very great which was that euen as he was head of all tyrannies so was he chief louer and friends of all phylosophers and sage men And in all those sixe and thirtie yeares which he gouerned the Realm by tyrannie they neuer found that any man touched his beard nor that any man sate at his table with him spake vnto him or slept in his bed nor that any man saw in his countenance any mirth vnlesse it were some Phylosopher or Sage man with whom and to whom hee liberally put his body in trust The Prince that absenteth himselfe from Sage men and accompanieth with fooles I say vnto him though hee bee a Prince of his commonwealth he is a cruel person For it is a greater paine to liue among fooles then to die amongst Sages Pulio in his first booke Degestis Romanorum sayth that a worthy and excellent painter presented a table to Octauian the Emperour wherein were drawne all the vertuous Princes and for their Chiefetaine Octauian the Emperour was drawne at the foote of this table were all the tyrannous princes painted of the which Phalaris was chiefe and Captaine This table viewed by Octauian the Emperour he commendeth the worke but hee disallowed the intention thereof saying Me thinks not meete that I being a liue should be set chiefe and principall of all the vertuous men that are dead For during the time of this wicked life we reall subiect to the vices of weake feeble flesh Also it seemeth vnto me an vniust doing that they should put Phalaris for principall and Captaine of all the tyrants since he was a scourge and enemie to fooles and ignorant men and so earnest a louer and friend of Sages and wise Phylosophers The fame of this cruell Phalaris being knowne and his extreme cruelties he vsed spred through all Greece A neighbour and Artificer of Athens called Perillus a man very excellent in mettels and a great worker in works of fountaines came to Phalaris the tyrant saying that he would make such a kinde of torment that his heart should remaine reuenged and the offender well punished The matter was that this workeman made a Bull of Brasse wherein there was a gate by the which they put the offender and in putting the fire vnder the Bull it roared and cryed in manner as it had bene aliue which thing was not onely a horrible and cruell torment to the miserable creature that endured it but also it was terrible to him or those that saw it Let vs not maruell neither at the one nor at the orhet for truely the pitifull heart which is not fleshed in in crueltie hath as much pitie to see another man suffer as of the sorow and torment which hee himselfe feeleth Phalaris therefore seeing the inuenuention of this torment whereof the inuentor hoped for great reward prouided that the inuentor of the same should bee put within the
and in this place they talked with him that had businesse and truely it was a great policie for where as the Prince doth not sit the suitor alwaies abridgeth his talke And when the day began to waxe hot he went to the high Capitoll where all the Senate tarryed for him and from thence hee went to the Coliseo where the Ambassadours of the Prouinces were and there remained a great part of the day Afterwards he went to the Chappell of the Vestall Virgins and there he heard euery Nation by it selfe according to the order which was prescribed Hee did eate but one meale in the day and it was very late but he did eate well not of many and diuers sorts of meate but of few and good for the abundance of diuers strange meates breedeth sundry diseases They sawe him once a weeke goe through Rome and if hee went any more it was a wonder at the which time he was alwayes without company both of his owne and also of strangers to the entent all poore men might talke with him of their businesse or complaine of his Officers for it is vnpossible to reforme the Common-wealth if he which ought to remedie it be not informed of the iniuries done in the same He was so gentle in conuersation so pleasant in words so Noble amongst the Great so equall with the least so reasonable in that hee did aske so perfect in that he did worke so patient in iniuries so thankefull of benefites so good to the good and so seuere to the euill that all loued him for being good and all the euill feared him for being iust A man ought not little to esteeme the loue that the people bare to this so good a Prince and Noble Emperour for so much as the Romanes haue been thus that for the felicitie of their estate they offered to their Gods greater Sacrifice then they did in any other Prouinces And Sextus Cheronensis saith that the Romanes offered more Sacrifices to the Gods because they should lengthen the life of the Emperour then they did offer for the profite of the Common-wealth Truely their reason was good for the Prince that leadeth a good life is the heart of the Common-wealth But I doe not maruell that the Emperour was so well willed and beloued of the Romane Empire for he had neuer Porter to his Chamber but the two houres which hee remayned with his wife Faustine All this being past the good Emperour weat into his house into the secretst place hee had according to the counsell of Lucius Seneca the key whereof he alone had in his custodie and neuer trusted any man therewith vntill the houre of his death and then he gaue it to an olde ancient man called Pompeianus saying vnto him these words Thou knowest right well Pompeianus that thou being base I exalted thee to honour thou being poore I gaue thee riches thou being persecuted I drew thee to my Palace I being absent committed my whole honour to thy trust thou being olde I marryed thee with my daughter and doe presently giue thee this Key Behold that in giuing thee it I giue thee my heart and life for I will thou know that death grieueth mee not so much nor the losse of my wife and children as that I cannot carry my Bookes into the graue If the Gods had giuen mee the choyse I had rather choose to be in the graue inuironed with Bookes then to liue accompanied with fooles for if the dead doe read I take them to be aline but if the liuing doe not read I take them to be dead Vnder this key which I giue thee remayneth many Greeke Hebrew Latine and Romame Bookes and aboue all vnder this key remaineth all my paynes swet and trauells all my watchings and laboures where also thou shalt finde Bookes by mee compiled so that though the wormes of the earth doe eate my body yet men shall finde my heart whole amongst these Bookes Once againe I doe require thee and say that thou oughtest not a little to esteeme the key which I giue thee for wise men at the houre of their death alwayes recommend that which they best loue to them which in their liues they haue most loued I doe confesse that in my Studie thou shalt finde many things with mine owne hand written and well ordered and also I confesse that thou shalt finde many things by me left vnperfect In this case I thinke that though thou couldest not write them yet thou shalt worke them well notwithstanding and by these meanes thou shalt get reward of the Gods for working them Consider Pompeian that I haue beene thy Lord I haue beene thy Father-in-law I haue beene thy Father I haue beene thy Aduocate and aboue all that I haue beene thy speciall friend which is most of all for a man ought to esteeme more a faithfull friend then all the Parents of the world Therefore in the faith of that friendshippe I require that thou keepe this in memorie that euen as I haue recommended to others my Wife my Children my Goods and Riches So I doe leaue vnto thee in singuler recommendation my Honour for Princes leaue of themselues no greater memorie then by the good learning that they haue written I haue beene eighteene yeeres Emperour of Rome and it is threescore and three yeeres that I haue remayned in this wofull life during which time I haue ouercome many Battailes I haue slayne many Pyrates I haue exalted many good I haue punished many euill I haue wonne many Realmes and I haue destroyed many Tyrants but what shall I doe wofull man that I am sith all my companions which were witnesses with me of all these worthy feates shall be companions in the graue with the greedy wormes A thousand yeeres hence when those that are now aliue shall then be dead what is hee that shall say I saw Marcus Aurelius triumph ouer the Parthians I saw him make the buildings in Auentino I sawe him well beloued of the people I saw him father of the Orphanes I saw him the scourge of Tyrants Truely if all these things had not beene declared by my Bookes or of my friends the dead would neuer haue risen againe to haue declared them What is it for to see a Prince from the time he is borne vntill the time hee come to dye to see the pouertie he passeth the perills he endureth the euill that hee suffereth the shame that he dissembleth the friendshippe that hee fayneth the teares which hee sheddeth the sighes that hee fetcheth the promises that hee maketh and doth not endure for any other cause the miseries of this life but onely to leaue a memorie of him after his death There is no Prince in the world that desireth not to keepe a good house to keepe a good table to apparell himselfe richly and to pay those that serue him in his house but by this vaine honour they suffer the water to passe through their lippes not drinking thereof As
our time and that wee hadde deserued to haue beene in their time although our time for being Christians is better they had saued vs from this trauell For they were so temperate in eating meates and so abstinent in drinking wines that they did not only refraine the drinking thereof but also they would not abide to smell it For it was counted a greater shame vnto a Romane Woman to drinke wine then to be diuorced from her Husband Dyonisius Alicarnaseus in his booke of the lawes of the Romaines said that Romulus was the first founder of Rome and that hee occupyed himselfe more in buylding faire Houses to amplifye Rome then in constituting Lawes for the gouernement of the Common-wealth But amongst fifteene Lawes which hee made the seuenth thereof was that no Romaine woman on paine of death should be so hardie to drinke wine within the walls of Rome The same Hystorian sayth that by the occasion of this Law the custome was in Rome that when any Romane Ladie would drinke wine or make any solemne feast she must needs goe out of Rome where euery one had theyr Gardens and dwelling place because the smel also of Wine was prohibited and forbidden women within the circuit of Rome If Plinie do not deceiue vs in his 24. booke of his natural historie it was an ancient custom in Rome that at each time that Parents met both men and women they did kisse the one the other in the face in token of peace and this ceremonie beganne first for that they would smell whether the woman had drunke any wine And if perchance she sauored of wine the Censor might haue bannished her from Rome And if her kinsman found her without Rome hee might freely without any daunger of law put her to death because within the Circuit and walles of Rome no priuate man by Iustice could put any Romaine to death as aboue is rehearsed Romulus was he which ordained the paine for Drunkardes and Ruptilius was hee which ordained the penaltie for Adulterers And betweene Romulus and Ruptilius there was xxxii yeares So that they ordyaned this streight Law for Drunkardes a long time before they did the law for adulterers For if a woman be a drunkard or Harlot truely they are both great faultes and I cannot tell whether of them is worst For being a harlot the woman loseth her name and for being a drunkarde shee loseth her fame and the Husband his goods Then if women for the honestie of their pesons onely are bound to bee temperate in eating and drinking the woman which nourisheth and giueth the Childe sucke ought to bee much more corrected and sober in this case For in her is concurrant not only the grauity of their own persons but the health and life also of the Creature which she nourisheth Therefore it is meete that the Nurse bee kept from wine since the honor of the one and the life of the other is in perill Sixtly the Princesses and great Ladyes ought to take heede that theyr Nurses be not gotten with child And the reason hereof is that in that time when the woman is with Childe her naturall course is stopped and that corruption is mingled with the pure bloud So that shee thinking to giue the childe milke to nourish it giueth it poyson to destroy it And nothing can bee more vniust then to put the childe which is alreadie borne and aliue in danger for that which is as yet vnborne and dead It is a wonderfull thing for a man that will curiously note and mark things to see the brute beasts that all the time they bring vp theyr little ones they will not consent to accompanie with the Males nor the males will follow the females And that which is most to hee noted it is to see what passeth betweene the Byrds for the she Sparrow will not suffer the Male in any wise to touch nor to come neere her vntill her little ones be great able to flie and much lesse to sit vpon any Egges to hatche them till the other be fled and gone Plutarch in the seuenth of his Regiment of Princes saith that Gneus Fuluius Couzin germaine of Pompeyus beeing Consull in Rome fell in loue with a young maidē of Capua being an orphā whether he fled for the plague This Mayden was called Sabina and when she was great with child by this Consull shee brought forth a daughter whom they called faire Drusia truely she was more commended for her beautie then shee was for her honestie For oft times it happeneth that the fayre and dishonest women leaue their Children so euill taught that of their Mothers they inherite little goods and much dishonour This Sabina therefore beeing deliuered as it was the custome of Rome she did with her own breasts nourish her daughter Drusia During the which time shee was gotten with childe by one of the Knights of this Consul to whome as to his Seruant hee had giuen her to keepe Wherefore when the Consull was heereof aduertised and that notwithstanding she gaue her daughter suck he commanded that the knight shold be immediatly beheaded his louer Sabina forthwith to be cast into a wel The day of Execution came that both these parties should suffer wherfore the wofull Sabina sent to beseech the Consull that it would please him before her death to giue her audience of one sole worde that shee would speake vnto him the which beeing come in the presence of them all shee said vnto him O Gneus Fuluius know thou that I did not call thee to the ende thou shouldest graunt me life but because I would not die before I had seene thy face though thou of thy selfe shouldest remember that as I am a frayle Woman and fell into sinne with thee in Capua so I might fall now as I haue done with another here in Rome For wee Women are so fraile in this case during the time of this our miserable life that none can keepe herselfe sure from the assaultes of the weake Flesh The Consull Gneus Fuluius to these words answered The Gods immortall know Sabina what griefe it is to my wofull hart that I of my secret offence should be an open scourge For greater honestie it is for men to hyde your frailnesse then openly to punish your offences But what wilt thou I should doe in this case considering the offence thou hast committed By the immortall Gods I sweare vnto thee and again I sweare that I had rather thou shouldest secretly haue procured the death of some man thē that openly in this wise thou shouldst haue slaunderd my house For thou knowest the true meaning of the common prouerbe in Rome It is better to die in honour then to liue in infamie And think not Sabina that I do condemne thee to die because thou forgotest thy Faith vnto my person and that thou gauest thy selfe vnto him which kept thee For since thou wert not my wife the liberty thou haddest
first and best Masters of Fence the which the Romanes kept alwaies for their Playes for as Trogus Pompeius sayth the Romanes found it by experience that there were no better men in waightie affayres then those of Spaine nor no people apter to playes and pastimes then those of Arcadia As those Siconians were ancient so they were maruellously addicted to follies and superstitious in their vsages and customes for among other they honoured for their God the Moone and during the time that shee was seene they gaue their children sucke imagining that the Moone shined vpon the brests of the mother it would doe much good vnto the childe The Authous hereof is Sinna Catullus in the booke De edicandis pueris and as the same Historian sayth the Aegyptians were great enemies to the Siconians so that all that which the one did allow the others did repoue as it appeareth for as much as the Siconians loued Oliues and Akorns they were cloathed with linnen and worshipped the Moone for their God The Aegyptians for the contrary had no Oliues neyther nourished they any Okes they did weare no linnen they worshipped the Sunne for their God and aboue all as the Siconians did giue their children sucke whiles the Moone did shine so the Aegyptians gaue their children sucke whiles the Sunne did shine Among other follies of the Caldeans this was one that they honoured the Fier for their God so that hee that was not marryed could not light Fier in his house because they sayd the custodie of Gods should be committed to none but to married and ancient men They had in Mariages such order that the day when any children did marry the Priests came into his house to light new Fire the which neuer ought to bee put out vntill the houre of his death and if perchance during the life of the husband and of the wife they should finde the fire dead and put out the marriage betweene them was dead and vndone yea though they had beene fortie yeeres together before in such sort and of this occasion came the prouerbe which of many is read and of few vnderstood that is to say Pronoke me not so much that I throwe water into the fire The Caldeans vsed such wordes when they would diuorce and separate the marriage for if the woman were ill contented with her husband in casting a little water on the fire immedately she might marry with an others and if the husband in like manner did put out the fire hee might with another woman contract marriage I haue not beene marryed as yet but I suppose there are many Christians which wish to haue at this present the libertie of the Caldes for I am well assured there are many men which would cast water on the fire to escape from their wiues also I sweare that there would be a number of women which would not onely put out their fire but also the ashes imbers and coales to make themselues free and to bee dispatched of their husbands and in especially from those which are iealous Therefore returning to our matter The Caldeans made before the fire all notable things in their lawe as before their God for they did eate before the fire they slept before the fire they did contract before the fire and the mothers did neuer giue the children sucke but before the fire for the milke as they imagined did profite the childe when it sucked before the fire which was their God The Author of this that is spoken is Cinna Catuilus The Mauritanians which at this present are called the realms of 〈◊〉 were in times past warlike men of whom the Romans had great victories and the more valiant the men were in the warres so much the more superstitious their wiues were in soceries charmes and enchantments 〈◊〉 the husband that is long abâ—â—nt from his wife ought not to maruell though in her bee founde some 〈◊〉 Cicero in the booke De Natura Deorum and much more at large Boccâ—s sayeth That as many men and women as were in that Realme 〈◊〉 many gods there were among the people for euery one had one particular God to himselfe so that the god of the one was not the god of the other And this was to bee vnderstood in the weeke dayes for in the holy and festiuall dayes they had no other gods the which altogether they did honour The manner that they had in choosing gods when a woman was with child was this Shee went to the Sacrificer of the Idoll and tolde him that shee was great with childe and besought him to giue her a God for her child And the sacrificer gaue her a little idoll of stone gold siluer or of wood the which the mother hanged at the necke of the child And as often as the childe did sucke the dugge so oft the mother putteth the Idoll on his face for otherwise shee had not giuen him a droppe of milke to sucke vnlesse first shee had consecrated to the god the milke of her brest That which I haue spoken is little in respect of that I will speake which is that if perchance the child dyed before the time or that any young man by some perilous mishap dyed before hee was somewhat ages the Fathers and kinsmen of the dead did assemble and came to the Idoll of him and eyther stoned it â—â—ng it drew it burnt it or else they cast it into the deepe well saying that sith the gods did kill man without reason that they might lawfully kill them by iustice The same Bocchas in the second booke De Natura Deorum sayth that the Allobroges had a custome that those which were Priests of the gods should from the wombe of their mothers bee chosen vnto that dignitie And as soone as the childe was born before he tasted the milke of the brest they earned it into a Priestes house for they had a custome that the man which had tasted the thinges of the world merited not to serue the Gods in the Temples One of the lawes that they sayde Priests had was that not onely they could not by violence shedde any bloud nor yet see it neyther touch it so that immediately as the Priest should by chance touch mansbloud euen so soone he lost his Priesthood This law afterwards was so narrowly looked vnto that the Priests of the Allobroges did not onely not shedde drinke nor touch mans bloud when they were now men but also when they were little infants those that should bee Priests they gaue them no milke of the brest at all And this was their reason That to sucke milke was no other but to drinke white bloud for white milke is but sodden bloud and redde bloud is but raw milke Pulio in the booke de educandis pueris sayeth That the Auncients had a certaine kinde of reedes that breaking it in sunder there issued white milke wherewith they accustomed to nourish their children but let it bee as it is that this law
the time past Wherin thou being a woman shewest thy selfe more then a woman because the nature of women is to cast their eyes onely in that that is present and to forget that is past They tell me that thou doest occupy thy selfe now in writing of our Country And truely in this case I cannot say but that you haue matter enough to write on For the warres and trauels of our times haue beene such and so great that I had rather reade them in bookes then to see them with my eyes And if it bee so as I suppose it is I beseech thee heartily and by the immortall Gods I coniure thee that in writing the affayres of thy Countrey thou doest vse thy penne discreetely I meane that thou doe not in this case blemish thy writing by putting therein any flattery or lesing For oft times Historiographers in blasing more then truth the giftes of their Countrey cause worthily to be suspected their writing Thou knowest very well how that in the battell past the Rhodians were ouercome and that ours remained victorious Mee thinketh thou shouldst not in this case greatly magnifie extoll or exalt ours because in the end they fought to reuenge their iuiury neyther thou oughtest to blame the Rhodians for they did not fight but in the ayde of Rome I speake this my sister because for to defend their owne women shew themselues Lyons and for to defend the things of another man men shew themselus chickens For in the end hee onely may bee counted strong the which defendeth not his owne house but which dyeth defending his and another mans I will not deny the naturall loue of my Country nor I will not deny but that I loue them that write and speake well thereof but mee thinketh it is not reason that they should disprayse the goodnesse and truth of other Countries nor that they should so highly commend the euill and vilenesse of their owne For there is not in the world this day so barren a realme but may bee commended for something therein nor there is so perfect a nation but in somthings may be reproued Thou canst not deny me but that amōgst thy brethren I am the eldest and thou canst not deny but that amongst all thy Disciples I am the youngest and since that for being thy Disciple I ought to obey thee thou likewise for that I am thy eldest brother oughtest to beleeue me By the faith of a people I doe counsell thee my sister that thou do trauell much to be profound in thy words vpright in thy life and honest of thy person and besides all this true in thy writing For I let thee vnderstand that if the body of the man without the soule is little regarded I sweare vnto thee that the mouth of a man without truth is much lesse esteemed CHAP. XXX The Authour followeth his purpose perswading Princesses and other Ladies to endeauour themselues to be wise as the women were in olde time THis therefore was the letter which Pythagoras sent to his sister Theoclea whereby is shewed the great humility of him and the hie eloquence of her Hierchus the Greeke and Plutarch also in the booke of the gouernement of Princes say that Pythagaras had not onely a sister which was called Theoclea of whom he learned so much Philosophy but also he had a daughter the wisedome and knowledge of whom surmounted her Aunt and was equall to her Father I thinke it no lesse incredible which is spoken of the daughter then that which is spoken of the Aunt which is that those of Athens did reioyce more to heare her speake in her house then for to heare Pythagoras reade in the Schoole And it ought to bee beleeued for the saying of the graue Authours on the one part and by that wee daily see on the other part For in the end it is more pleasure to heare a man tell mery tales hauing grace and comelynes in his words then to heare a graue man speake the truth with a rude and rough tongue I haue found in many writings what they haue spoken of Pythagoras and his Daughter but none telleth her name saue only in an Epistle that Phalaris the Tyrant wrote I found this worde written where hee saith Polychrata that was the Daughter of the Phylosopher Pythagoras was young and exceeding wise more faire then rich and was so much honoured for the puritie of her life and so highly esteemed for her pleasaunt Tongue that the word which shee spake spinning at her Distaffe was more esteemed then the Phylosophie that her Father read in the schoole And he saide more It is so great a pittie to see and heare that women at this present are so dishonest and in their tongues so malicious that I haue greater pleasure in the good renowme of one that is dead then in the infamie of all them which are aliue For a good woman is more worth with her distaffe spinning then a hundred euill Queenes with their royall Scepters reigning By the words which Phalaris said in his letter it seemed that this Daughter of Pythagoras was called Polichrate Pythagoras therefore made manie Commentaryes as well of his owne countrey as of strangers In the end he dyed in Mesopotamia where at the houre of his death hee spake vnto his Daughter Polichrate and saide these wordes I see my Daughter that the houre wherein I must ende my life approcheth The Gods gaue it mee and now they will take it from mee Nature gaue me byrth and now shee giueth me death the Earth gaue me the bodie and now it returneth to ashes The woefull Fatall destenyes gaue mee a little goods mingled with many trauells So that Daughter of al things which I enioyed here in this world I carrie none with mee For hauing all as I had it by the way of borrowing now at my death eache man taketh his owne I die ioyfully not for that I leaue thee rich but for that I leaue thee learned And in token of my tender heart I bequeathe vnto thee all my Bookes wherein thou shalt finde the treasure of all my trauells And I tell thee that that I giue thee is the riches gotten with mine owne sweate and not obtained to the preiudice of another For the loue I beare vnto thee Daughter I pray thee and by the immortall Gods I conjure thee that thou bee such and so good that although I die yet at the least thou mayst keepe my memorie For thou knowest well what Homer sayth speaking of Achilles and Pyrrhus That the good life of the Childe that is aliue keepeth the renowne of the Father which is dead These were the wordes which the Phylosopher spake to his daughter lying in his death bed And thogh perhaps hee spake not these wordes yet at the least this was the effect and meaning As the great Poet Mantuan sayth King Euander was father of the grant Pallas and he was a great friend of king Eneas he vaunted himselfe to
so woful that each wise man without comparison would haue greater pleasure to bee in the wars of Affricke then in the peace at Rome For in the good war a man seeth of whom he should take heed but in the euill peace no man knoweth whom to trust Therefore my children since you are naturall of Rome I will tell you what Rome is at this present I let you know that the Vestall virgins are now dissolute the honour of the gods is forgotten the profite of the Common weale no man secketh of the exercise of chiualrie there is no memory for the orphanes and widdowes there is no man doth answer to minister iustice they haue no regard and the dissolute vices of the youth are without measure Finally Rome that in times past was a receite of all the good and vertuous is now made a denne of all theeues and vitious I feare me I feare me lest our mother Rome in short time will haue some sudden and great fall for both men and Cities that fal from the top of their felicitie purchase greater infamie with those that shal come after then the glory that they haue had of them that be past Peraduenture my children you desire to see the walles and buildings of Rome for those things which children see first in their youth the same they loue and keepe alwayes in memory vntill their age As the auncient buildings of Rome are destroied and the few that are now built So would I you should lose your earnest affection to come to see them For indeede the noble hearts are ashamed to see that thing amisse which they cannot remedie Do not thinke my children though Rome be made worse in manners that therefore it is diminished in buildings For I let you vnderstand if you know it not that if a wall doth decay there is no man that doth repayre it If a house fall there is no man that will rayse it vppe againe If a streete bee foule there is no man that will make it cleane If the Riuer carry away any bridge there is no man that will set it vp againe If any Antiquity decay there is no man that will amend it If any wood be cut there is no man that wil keepe it If the Trees waxe olde there is no man that will plant them a new If the pauement of the streetes bee broken there is no man that will laye it againe Finally there is nothing in Rome at this day so euill handled as those things which by the common voyces are ordered These things my children though I doe greatly lament as it is reason yet you ought little to esteeme them all but this all onely ought to bee esteemed and with droppes of bloud to be lamented That now in Rome when the buildings in many places fall downe the vices all wholy together are raysed vp O wofull mother Rome since that in thee the more the wals decay the more the vices encrease Peraduenture my children since you are in those frontiers of Africke you desire to see your parents here in Rome And there at I maruell not for the loue which our naturall Country doth giue the strange country cannot take away All those which come from those parties doe bring vs no other certaine newes but of the multitude of those which die and are slaine in Affricke therefore since you send vs such news from thence looke not that we should send you any other then the like from hence for death hath such authority that it killeth the armed in the warres and slayeth the quiet in peace I let you know that Licia your sister is dead Drusio your vnckle is dead Torquatus your neighbour is dead His wise our cosen and her 3. daughters are dead Fabius your great friend is dead Euander and his children are dead Bibulus which read for me in the chaire the last yeare is also dead Finally there are so many and so good with all that be dead that it is a great shame and pitty to see at this present so many euil as do liue know ye my children that all these and many others which ye left aliue full high in Rome are now become wormes meat full low vnder the earth and death also doth summon me vnto the graue If you my children did consider what shall become of you hereafter truely you will thinke it better to weepe a thousand yeares with the dead then to laugh one houre with those that be aliue Remembring that I bare yee in great paine and haue nourished you in great trauel that yee came of my proper entrailes I would haue you as children about me for the comfort and consolation of my paines but in the end beholding the prowesses of these that are past that bindeth their heires I am content to suffer so long absēce your persons onely to the end you may gette honour in chiualrie for I had rather heare tell you should liue like knights in Affricke then to see you vtterly lost here in Rome My children as you are in the wars of Affricke so I doubt not but that you desire to see the pleasurs of Rome for there is no man in this world so happy but at his neighbours prosperity had som enuy enuy not the vicious neyther desire to bee among vices for truly vices are of such condition that they bring not with thē so much pleasure as they leaue sorrow behind them for the true delight is not in pleasure which suddenly vanisheth but in the truth which euer remaineth I thanke the gods for all these things first for that they made me wise and not foolish for to a woman it is a smal matter to be called so fraile that indeed she bee not foolish The second I thank the gods because in all times of my troubles they haue giuen me patience to endure them for the man onely in this life may be called vnhappie to whom the gods in his troubles giueth not patiēce The 3. I thanke the gods for that those 65. years which I haue liued I neuer hitherto was defamed For the Woman by no reason can complaine of her fortune if in none of her troubles shee hath lost her honour The fourth I thanke the Gods that in this fortie yeares I haue liued in Rome and remained widow there was neuer man nor woman that contended with mee For since we women little profite the commonwealth it is but reason that shee which with euill demeanors hath passed her life should by iustice receiue her death The fifth I giue the Gods thankes that they gaue me children the which are better contented to suffer the trauells of Affrike then to enioy the pleasures of Rome Doe not count me my Children for so vnlouing a Mother that I would not haue you alwaies before mine eyes but considering that many good mens children haue been lost onely for being brought vp in the excessiue pleasures of Rome I doe content my selfe with your absence For
your Bookes full of lawes and the common wealth full of vices Wherefore I sweare vnto you that there are more Thebaines which follow the delitiousnesse of Denis the tyrant then there are vertuous men that follow the lawes of Lycurgus If you Thebaines doe desire greatly to know with what lawes the Lacedemonians doe preserue their Common-wealth I will tell you them all by word and if you will reade them I will shew you them in writing but it shall bee vpon condition that you shall sweare al openly that once a day you shall employ your eyes to reade them and your persons to obserue them for the Prince hath greater honour to see one onely law to be obserued in deed then to ordaine a thousand by writing You ought not to esteeme much to be vertuous in heart nor to enquire of the vertue by the mouth nor to seeke it by labour and trauell of the feet but that which you ought greatly to esteeme is to know what a vertuous law meaneth and that knowne immediately to execute it and afterwards to keepe it For the chiefe vertue is not to doe one vertuous worke but in a swet and trauell to continue in it These therfore were the words that this Philosopher Phetonius sayde to the Thebaines the which as Plato sayeth esteemed more his words that hee spake then they did the Lawes which he brought Truly in mine opinion those of Thebes are to bee praysed and commended and the Philosopher for his word is worthy to be honoured For the ende of those was to search lawes to liue well and the end of the Philosopher was to seeke good meanes for to keepe them in vertue And therefore he thoght it good to shew them and put before their eyes the gibbet and the sword with the other Instruments and torments for the euill do refraine from vice more for feare of punishment then for any desire they haue of amendment I was willing to bring in this history to the end that all curious and vertuous men may see and know how little the Ancients did esteeme the beginning the meane and the end of vertuous works in respect of the perseuerance and preseruation of them Comming therefore to my matter which my penne doth tosse and seeke I aske now presently what it profiteth Princesses and great Ladies that God doe giue them great estates that they be fortunate in marriages that they bee all reuerenced and honoured that they haue great treasures for their inheritances and aboue all that they see their wines great with Childe and that afterward in ioy they see them deliuered that they see their mothers giuing their children sucke and finally they see themselues happy in that they haue found them good nurses health full and honest Truly all this auayleth little if to their children when they are young they doe do not giue masters to instruct them in vertues and they also if they doe not recommend them to good guides to exercise them in feates of Chiualry The Fathers which by sighes penetrate the heauen by praiers importune the liuing God onelie for to haue children ought first to thinke why they will haue children for that iustly to a man may be denied which to an euill end is procured In mine opinion the Father ought to desire to haue a child for that in his age he may sustaine his life in honour and that after his death hee may cause his fame to liue And if a Father desireth not a sonne for this cause at the least he ought to desire him to the end in his age hee may honour his hoary head and that after his death hee may enherite his goods but we see few children do these thinges to their fathers in their age if the fathers haue not taught them in their youth For the fruit doth neuer grow in the haruest vnlesse the tree did beare blosoms in the spring I see oftentimes many Fathers complaine of their children saying that they are disobedient and proude vnto them and they do not consider that they themselues are the cause of all those euils For too much abundance and liberty of youth is no other but a prophesie and manifest token of disobedience in age I know not why Princes and great Lords do toyle oppresse so much scratch to leaue their children great estates and on the other side wee see that in teaching them they are and shewe themselues too negligent for Princes and great Lordes ought to make account that all that which they leaue of their substance to a wicked heyre is vtterly lost The wise men and those which in their consciences are vpright and of their honours carefull ought to bee very diligent to bring vppe their children and chiefly that they consider whether they bee meete to inherite their estates And if perchance the fathers see that their children bee more giuen to folly then to noblenes and wisdome then should I bee ashamed to see a father that is wise trauell all the dayes of his life to leaue much substance to an euill brought vp childe after his death It is a griefe to declare and a monstrous thing to see the cates which the Fathers take to gather riches and the diligence that children haue to spend them And in this case I say the sonne is fortunate for that hee doth enherite and the Father a foole for that he doth bequeath In my opinion Fathers are bound to instruct their children well for two causes the one for that they are nearest to them and also because they ought to be their heyres For truly with great griefe and sorrow I suppose hee doth take his death which leaueth to a foole or an vnthrift the toyle of all his life Hyzearchus the Greeke Hystorian in the booke of his Antiquities Sabellicus in his generall hystory sayeth that a father and a sonne came to complain to the famous Philosopher and ancient Solon Solinon the Sonne complained of the father and the father of the sonne First the sonne informed the quarrell to the Philosopher saying these words I complaine of my Father because hee being rich hath disinherited mee and made me poore and in my steade hath adopted another heyre the which thing my father ought not nor cannot doe for since he gaue me so frayle flesh it is reason hee giue me his goods to maintaine my seeblenes To these wordes answered the father I complaine of my sonne because hee hath not beene as a gentle sonne but rather as a cruell enemie for in all things since hee was borne hee hath beene disobedient to my will wherefore I thought it good to disinherite him before my death I would I were quit of all my substance so that the gods had quit him of his life for the earth is very cruell that swalloweth not the child aliue which to his father is disobedient In that he sayeth I haue adopted another child for mine heyre I confesse it is true and for so much
as hee sayeth that I haue disinherited him and abiected him from my heritage hee beeing begotten of my body hereunto I answere That I haue not disinherited my sonne but I haue disinherited his pleasure to the entent hee shall not enioy my trauell for there can bee nothing more vniust then that the young and vicious sonne should take his pleasure of the swet and droppes of the aged father The sonne replyed to his Father and sayde I confesse I haue offended my Father and also I confesse that I haue liued in pleasures yet if I may speake the truth though I were disobedient and euill my Father ought to beare the blame and if for this cause hee doeth dishenherite mee I thinke hee doth me great iniurie for the father that instructeth not his son in vertue in his youth wrongfully disinheriteth him though he be disobedient in his age The Father againe replyeth and sayeth It is true my sonne that I brought thee vp too wantonly in thy youth but thou knowest well that I haue taught thee sundry times and besides that I did correct thee when thou camest to some discretion And if in thy youth I did not instruct thee in learning it was for that thou in thy tender age diddest want vnderstanding but after that thou hadst age to vnderstand discretion to receyue and strength to exercise it I beganne to punish thee to teache thee and to instruct thee For where no vnderstanding is in the child there in vaine they teach doctrine Since thou art old quoth the sonne and I young since thou art my Father and I thy sonne for that thou hast white hayres on thy beard and I none at all it is but reason that thou be belieued and I condemned For in this world wee see oft times that the small authoritie of the person maketh him to loose his great iustice I graunt thee my Father that when I was a childe thou diddest cause mee to learne to reade but thou wilt not denie that if I did commit any faulte thou wouldst neuer agree I should be punished And hereof it came that thou suffering me to do what I would in my Youth haue bin disobedient to thee euer since in my age And I say vnto thee further that if in this case I haue offended truely mee thinketh thou canst not bee excused for the fathers in the youth of their children ought not onely to teach them to dispute of vertues what vertue is but they ought to inforce thē to be vertuous in deed For it is a good token when Youth before they knowe vices haue been accustomed to practise vertues Both partyes then diligently heard the good Phylosopher Solon Solinon speake these words I giue iudgement that the Father of this childe be not buryed after his death and I commaund that the Sonne because in his youth hee hath not obeyed his Father who is olde should be disinherited whilest the Father liueth from all his substance on such condition that after his death his sonnes should inherite the Heritage and so returne to the heyres of the Sonne and liue of the Father For it were vniust that the innocencie of the Sonne should be condemned for the offence of the Father I do commaund also that all the goods be committed vnto some faithfull person to the end they may giue the Father meat and drinke during his life and to make a graue for the Sonne after his death I haue not without a cause giuen such iudgement the which comprehendeth life and death For the Gods will not that for one pleasure the punishment bee double but that wee chastise and punish the one in the life taking from him his honour and goods and that wee punish others after their death taking from them memorie and buryall Truely the sentence which the Philosopher gaue was very graue and would to GOD wee had him for a iudge of this world presently For I sweare that hee should finde manie Children now a dayes for to disinherite and moe Fathers to punish For I cannot tell which is greater The shame of the children to disobey their Fathers or the negligence of the Fathers in bringing vp their children Sextus Cheronens in the second book of the sayings of the Philosophers declareth that a Citizen of Athens saide vnto Dyogenes the Phylosopher these wordes Tell mee Dyogenes What shall I doe to be in the fauour of the Gods and not in the hatred of men For oft times amongst you Phylosophers I haue hearde say that there is a great difference between that that the gods will and that which men loue Dyogenes answered Thou speakest more then thou oughtest to speake that the Gods will one thing and men another for the Gods are but as a center of mercy and men are but as a denne of malice if thou wilt enioy rest in thy dayes and keepe thy life pure and cleane thou must obserue these three things The first honour thy Gods deuoutely for the man which doeth not serue and honour the Gods in all his enterprises hee shall be vnfortunate The second bee very diligent to bring vp thy children well for the man hath no enemie so troublesome as his owne sonne if hee bee not well brought vp The third thing bee thankefull to thy good benefactors and friends for the Oracle of Apollo sayth that the man who is vnthankefull of all the world shall be abhorred And I tell thee further my friend that of these three things the most profitable though it be more troublesome is for a man to teach and bring vp his children well This therefore was the answere that the Philosopher Diogenes made to the demaund of the Citizen It is great pitty and griefe to see a young childe how the bloud doth stirre him to see how the flesh doth prouoke him to accomplish his desire to see sensuality goe before and he himselfe to come behind to see the malitious World to watch him to see how the Diuell doth tempte him to see how vices binde him and in all that which is spoken to see how the Father is negligent as if hee had no children whereas in deede the olde man by the fewe vertues he hath had in his Youth may easily knowe the infirmityes and vices wherewith his Sonne is incompassed If the expert had neuer beene ignorant if the Fathers had neuer beene children if the vertuous had neuer been vicious if the fine wittes had neuer been deceiued it were no maruell if the Fathers were negligent in teaching their children For the little experience excuseth men of great offences but since thou art my Father and that first thou wert a Sonne since thou art old and hast bin young and besides all this since that pride hath inflamed thee lechery hath burned thee wrath hath wounded thee Negligence hath hindred thee Couetousnes hath blinded thee Glotonie surfetted thee Tell mee cruell Father since so many vices haue reigned in thee why hast thou not an
great Lordes ought to recommend their children to their Maisters to the ende they may teache them to change their appetites and not to follow their owne will so that they withdrawe them from their owne will and cause them to learne the aduise of another For the more a man giueth a Noble mans sonne the bridle the more harder it is for them to receyue good doctrine CHAP. XXXIII Princes ought to take heede that theyr Children bee not brought vp in pleasures and vayne delightes For ofte times they are so wicked that the Fathers would not onely haue them with sharpe discipline corrected but also with bitter teares buryed BY experience we see that in Warre for the defence of men Rampiers and Forts are made according to the qualitie of the enemyes and those which saile the daungerous Seas doe chuse great Ships which may breake the waues of the raging Seas So that all wise men according to the quality of the danger doe seeke for the same in time some remedie Ofte times I muse with my selfe and thinke if I could finde anie estate anie age anie Land anie Nation anie Realme or any World wherein there hath beene any man that hath passed this life without tasting what aduersitie was For if such an one were found I thinke it should bee a monstrous thing throughout all the earth and by reason both the deade and liuing should enuie him In the ende after my count made I find that he which but yesterday was rich to day is poore hee that was whole I see him to day sicke he that yesterday laughed to day I see him weepe he that had his hearts ease I see him now sore afflicted hee that was Fortunate now I see him vnluckie Finally him whome lately we knew aliue in the towne now wee see buryed in the graue And to be buryed is nothing else but to be vtterly forgotten For mans friendship is so fraile that when the Corps is couered with earth immediatly the dead is forgotten One thing me thinketh to all men is grieuous and to those of vnderstandng no lesse painfull which is that the miseries of this wicked world are not equally deuided but that oft times all worldly calamityes lyeth in the necke of one man alone For we are so vnfortunate that the worlde giueth vs pleasures in sight and troubles in proofe If a man should aske a Sage man now a daies who hath liued in meane estate and that hee would bee contented to tell him what hee hath past since three yeares that he beganne to speake vntill fiftie yeares that hee began to waxe olde what things thinke you he would telvs that hath chanced vnto him truely all these that follow The griefes of his Children the assaults of his enemyes the importunities of his wife the wantonnes of his daughters sicknes in his person great losse of goods generall famine in the citie cruel plagues in his countrey extreame colde in winter noysom heate in Summer sorrowfull deaths of his friendes and enuious prosperities of his enemyes Finally hee will say that hee passed such and so manie things that oft times he bewailed the woful life and desired the sweet death If the miserable man hath passed such things outwardly what would he say of those which he hath suffered inwardly the which though some discrete men may know yet truly others dare not tell For the trauells which the bodie passeth in 50. yeares may well bee counted in a day but that which the heart suffereth in one day cānot be counted in a hundred yeres A man cannot denie but that wee would count him rash which with a reede would meet another that hath a sword and him for a foole that wold put off his shooes to walke vpon the Thornes But without comparison we ought to esteeme him for the most foole that with his tender flesh thinketh to preuaile against so manie euill fortunes for without doubt the man that is of his body delicate passeth his life with much paine Oh how happie may that man bee called which neuer tasted what pleasure meaneth For men which from their infancie haue bin brought vp in pleasures for want of wisedome know not how to chuse the good and for lacke of force cannot resist the euill which is the cause that Noble-mens children oft times commit sundry heinous offences For it is an infallible rule that the more a man giueth himselfe to pleasures the more he is intangled in vices It is a thing worthie to be noted and woefull to see how polliticke we be to augment things of honour how bolde we be to enterprize them how fortunate to compasse them how diligent to keepe them how circumspect to sustaine them and afterward what pittie it is to see how vnfortunate we are to loose all that which so long time we haue searched for kept and possessed And that which is most to bee lamented in this case is that the goods and Honours are not lost for want of diligence and trauell of the father but for the aboundance of pleasures and vices of the sonne Finally let the Riche man knowe that that which hee hath wonne in labour and toyle waking his Sonne beeing euill brought vp shal consume in pleasures sleeping One of the greatest vanities that reigneth at this day amongst the children of vanitie is that the Father cannot shewe vnto his Sonne the loue which he beareth him but in suffering him to be brought vp in the pleasures and vanities of this life Truly he that is such a one ought not to be called a pittifull father but a cruell step-father for no man will denie me this but that where there is Youth liberty pleasure and Money there will all the vices of this world be resident Lycurgus the great King giuer of lawes and sage Philosopher ordained to the Lacedemonians that all the children which were borne in Citties and good Townes should bee sent to be brought vp in villages till they were xxv yeares of age And Liuius saith that the Lygures were which in olde time were confederates with those of Capua and great enemyes to the people of Rome They had a Lawe amongst them that none should take wages in the warres vnlesse he had bin brought vp in the fields or that he had bin a heard man in the Moūtains so that through one of these two waies their flesh was hardned their joyntes accustomed to suffer the heate and the cold and their bodies more meete to endure the trauells of the warres In the yeare of the foundation of Rome 140. the Romalnes made cruell warres with the Lygures against whome was sent Gneus Fabritius of the which in the end he triumphed and the day following this triumph hee spake vnto the Senate in these words Worthie Senatours I haue beene these fiue yeares against the Ligures and by the immortall Gods I sweare vnto you that in all this time there passed not one weeke but wee had eyther battell or some
of counsel they themselues imagine and other flattrers telleth that thogh they haue much in respect of other princes yet they can doe little Also they say vnto them that if their substaunce bee great their Fame ought to bee greater Further they tell them that the good Prince ought little to esteeme that hee hath inherited of his predecessors in respect of the great deale more hee ought to leaue to his successours Also they tell them that neuer prince left of him any great memory but inuenting some cruell Warre against his enemie Also they tell them that the houre that one is chosen Emperour of Rome hee may boldely conquer the whole earth These vaine reasons being heard of the princes afterwardes as their Fortune is base and their mindes high immediately they defie their enemies they open their Treasures they assemble great armies and in the end of all the Gods suffer that they thinking to tkae an other mans goods they waste and lose their owne Oh Princes I knowe not who doth deceyue yee that you which by peace may be rich and by war wil be poore Oh Princes I know not who doth deceiue you that you which may be loued doe seeke occasions to be hated Oh princes I knowe not who doth beguyle yee that yee which may enioy a sure life doe aduenture your selues to the mutabilitie of Fortune Oh princes I knowe not who doeth deceyue you that you so little esteeme and weigh your owne aboundance and so greatly set by the wants of others Oh princes I know not who doth deceiue you that all hauing need of you you should haue neede of others I let thee to knowe my Cornelius though a prince bee more quicke and carefull then all other his predecessors haue bin in Rome yet it is vnpossible that all things touching warre should succeede vnto him prosperously For in the greatest neede of warres eyther he wanteth money or his subiects do not succour him or time is contrarie vnto him or he findeth perilous pasges hee lacketh Artillerie or the captaines rebell or else succour commeth to his aduersaryes so that hee seeth himselfe so miserable that thoughtes doe more oppresse his heart then the enemies do harme his land Though a prince had no warre but for to suffer men of warre yet he ought to take vpon him no warre I aske thee now my Cornelius what trauell so great to his person or what greater damage to his Realme can his Enemies do then that which his own men of warre doe c The Enemies to doe the worst they can will but robbe our Frontiers but our men of War do robbe the whole countrey The Enemies we dare and may resist but to ours we cannot nor dare not speake The Enemyes the worst they can do is once in a moneth to robbe and runne their wayes but ours daily do robbe and remaine still The Enemyes feare their enemies only but ours doe feare their enemyes and haue no pitie on their friends The enemies the further they goe on the more they diminish but ours the further they goe the more they encrease I know no greater warre that Princes can haue then to haue men of warre in their realmes For as experience doth shew vs before the Gods they are culpable to Princes importunate and to the people troublesome so that they liue to the damage of all and to the profit of none By the God Mars I swear vnto thee my friend Cornelius as hee may direct my hands in the war that I haue more complaints in the Senate of the thefts which my Captaines did in Illyria then of all the enemies of the Romane people Both for that I say and for that I kept secret I am more afraid to create an Ensigne of two hundred men of warre then to giue a cruell battell to thirty thousand men For that battell fortune good or euill forthwith dispacheth but with these I can bee sure no time of all my life Thou wilt say vnto me Cornelius that since I am Emperour of Rome I should remedy this since I know it For that Prince which dissembleth with the fault of another by reason hee will condemne him as if it were his owne To this I answere that I am not mighty enough to remedy it except by my remedy there should spring a greater inconuenience And since thou hast not beene a Prince thou couldest not fall into that I haue nor yet vnderstand that which I say For Princes by their wisdom know many things the which to remedy they haue no power So it hath beene so it is so it shall be so I found it so I keepe it so will I leaue it them so I haue reade it in bookes so haue I seen it with my eyes so haue I heard it of my predecessors And finally I say our Fathers haue inuented it and so will wee their children sustaine it and for this euill wee will leaue it to our heyres I will tell thee one thing and imagine that I erre not therein which is considering the great dammage and little profite which men of warre do bring to our Common wealth I thinke to doe it and to sustaine it eyther it is the folly of men or a scourge giuen of the Gods For there can be nothing more iust then for the Gods to permit that wee feele that in our owne houses which wee cause others in strange houses to lament All those thinges I haue written vnto thee not for that it skileth greatly that I know them but that my heart is at ease for to vtter them For as Alcibiades sayde the chests and the hearts ought alwayes to be open to their friends Panutius my Secretary goeth in my behalfe to visite that Land and I gaue him this Letter to giue thee with two Horses wherewith I doe thinke thou wilt be contented for they are Genets The Weapons and riches which I tooke of the Parthians I haue now diuided notwithstanding I do send thee two Chariots laden with them My wife Faustine greeteth thee and shee sendeth a rich glasse for thy Daughter and a iewell with stones for thy sister No more but I doe beseech the gods to giue thee a good life and me a good death CHAP. XVII An Admonition of the Author to Princes and great Lordes to the entent that the more they grow in yeares the more they are bound to refrayne from vices AVlus Gelius in his booke De noctibus Atticis sayeth that there was an auncient custome among the Romanes to honour and haue in great reuerence aged men And this was so inuiolate a Law amongst them that there was none so noble of bloud and linage neyther so puissant in riches neyther so fortunate in battels that should go before the aged men which were loden with white hayres so that they honoured them as they did the Gods Amongst other the aged men had these preheminences that is to say that in feasts they sate highest in the
more sure when by white hayres they seemed to bee olde when they retired to the Aultars of the Temples Oh what goodnesse Oh what wisedome what valiantnesse and what innocencie ought the aged men to haue in the auncient time since in Rome they honoured them as Gods and in Greece they priuiledged those whyte haires as the temples Plinie in an Epistle he wrote to Fabarus saith that Pyrrus king of the Epyrotes demaunded of a phylosopher which was the best citie of the world who aunswered him thus The best Citie of the world is Molerda a place of three hundreth Fyres in Achaia because all the walles are of blacke stones and all those which gouerne haue hoary heads And further he saide Woe bee vnto thee Rome Woe be vnto thee Carthage Woe be vnto thee Numantia Wo be vnto thee Egipt and woe bee vnto thee Athens Fyue Cittyes which count themselues for the best of the Worlde whereof I am of a contrary opinion For they auaunte themselues to haue whyte Walles and are not ashamed to haue young Senatours This phylosopher saide very well and I thinke no man will say lesse then I haue saide Of this word Senex is deriued the name of a Senatour For so were the gouernours of Rome named because the first King that was Romulus chose an hundred aged men to gouerne the Common-wealth and commaunded that all the Romane youth should employ themselues to the warres Since wee haue spoken of the honour which in the old time was giuen to the auncient men it is reason wee know now from what yeares they accounted men aged to the end they should reuerently bee honoured as aged men For the makers of lawes when they hadde established the honours which ought to be done to the Aged did as well ordain from what day and yeare they should beginne Diuers auncient phylosophers did put six ages from the time of the birth of man vntill the houre of his death That is to say Childe-hood which lasteth vntill seuen yeares Infancie which lasteth vntill seuenteene yeares Youth which continueth till thirtie yeares Mans estate which remaineth till fiftie and fiue yeares Age which endureth till three-score and eighteene yeares Then last of all Crooked-age which remaineth till death And so after man had passed fiue and fifty yeares they called him aged Aulus Gelius in his tenth booke in the 27 Chapter sayth that Fuluius Hostilius who was King of the Romanes determined to count all the olde and yong which were amongst the people and also to know which should be called Infants which yong and which old And there was no little difference among the Romane Philosophers and in the end it was decreed by the King and the Senate that men till seuenteene years should bee called Infants and till sixe forty should be called young and from sixe and forty vpwards they should be called olde If wee will obserue the Law of the Romanes wee know from what time we are bound to call and honor the aged men But adding hereunto it is reason that the olde men know to what prowesses and vertues they are bound to the end that with reason and not with fainting they bee serued for speaking the truth if wee compare duty to duty the olde men are more bound to vertue then the young to seruice Wee cannot deny but that all states of Nations great small young and old are bound to bee vertuous but in this case the one is more to bee blamed then the other For oftentimes if the young men doe offend it is for that hee wanteth experience but if the old man offend it is for the aboundance of malice Seneca in an Epistle sayde these words I let thee know my friend Lucillus that l am very much offended and I doe complaine not of any friend or foe but of my selfe and none other And the reason why I thinke this is that I see my selfe old in vices so little is that wherein I haue serued the Gods and much lesse is that I haue profited him And Seneca sayeth further Hee which prayseth himselfe most to bee aged and that would bee honoured for being aged ought to bee temperate in eating honest in appartell sober in drinking soft in words wise in counsell and to conclude he ought to be very patient in aduersity and far from vices which attempt him Worthy of prayse is the greate Seneca for those wordes but more worthy shall the olde men if they wil conforme their workes according to these words For if wee see them for to abandon vices and giue themselus to vertues we will both serue them and honour them CHAP. XVIII That Princes when they are aged should be temperate in eating sober in drinking modest in apparrell and aboue all true in communication IT is consonant to the counsell of Seneca that the aged should bee temperate in eating which they ought to doe not onely for the reputation of their persons but also for the preseruation of theyr liues For the olde men which are drunke and amorous are persecuted with their owne diseases and are defamed by the tongues of other That which the ancient men should eate I meane those which are noble and vertuous ought to bee very cleane and well dressed and aboue all that they doe take it in season time for otherwise too much eating of diuers things causeth the young to bee sicke and enforceth the olde to die Young men though they eate dishonestly very hastily and eate speaking we can doe no lesse but dissemble with them but the olde men which eate much and hastily of necessitie we ought to reproue them For men of Honour ought to eate at table with a great grauitie as if they were in any counsell to determine causes It is not mine intention to perswade the feeble olde men not to eate but onely to admonish them to eate no more then is necessarie We doe not prohibite them to eate delicate things but to beware of superfluous things We doe not counsell them to leaue eating hauing need but to withdraw themselues from curiositie For though it bee lawfull for aged men to eate sufficient it is not honest for them to eate to ouercome theyr stomacks It is a shame to write it but more shame ought they to haue which doe it which is that the goods which they haue wonne and inherited by their predecessours they haue eaten and drunken so that they haue neyther bought House not vyne nor yet marryed any Daughter but they are naked and their poore children goe to the Tauernes and Innes and the miserable Fathers to the Hospitalles and Churches When any man commeth to pouertie for that his house is burned or his shippe drowned or that they haue taken all from him by Lawe or that hee hath spent it in pleading against his enemies or any other in conueniēce is come vnto him me thinketh we are all bound to succor him and the hart hath cōpassion to behold him
but he that spendeth it in Apparel not requisite to seeke delitious Wines and to eate delicate meates To such a one I would say that the pouertie which he suffereth is not sufficient for his deserts For of all troubles there is none so great as to see a man suffer the euil whereof hee himselfe hath bin the occasion Also according to the counsell of Seneca the Auncients ought to be wel aduertised in that they should not only be temperate in eating but likewise they should be sober in drinking and this both for the preseruation of theyr health as also for the reputation of their honestie For if the olde physitians doe not deceyue vs humaine bodyes doe drye and corrupt because they drinke superfluously and eate more then Nature requireth If I should say vnto the olde men that they should drinke no wine they might tell mee that it is not the counsell of a Christian But presuppose they ought to drinke and that for no opinion they should leaue it yet I admonish exhorte and desire them that they drinke little and that they drinke very temperate For the disordinate and immeasurate drinking causeth the young men to be drunke and the olde men both drunke and foolish Oh howe much authoritie lost they and what grauitie doe honorable and ancient men lose which in drinking are not sober Which seemeth to be true forasmuch as the man being loden with wine although he were the wisest in the world he should bee a very foole that would take counsel of such one in his affaires Plutarche in a booke which he made of the Fortunes of the Romaines saied that in the Senate of Rome there was an Auncient man who made great exclametions that a certaine young man hadde in such heinous sort dishonoured him that for the iniuryes hee had spoken he deserued death And when the yong man was called for to answere to that he had said vnto him he answered Fathers conscript though I seeme young vnto you yet I am not so young but that I knew the Father of this olde man who was a vertuous and noble Romane and somewhat a kinne to mee And I seeing that his Father had gotten much goods fighting in the warres and also seeing this oldeman spending them in eating and drinking I sayde vnto him one day I am very sorry my Lord and vncle for that I heare of thy honour in the market place and am the more sorry for that I see done in thy house wherein we saw fifty men armed before in our houre and now wee see a hundred knaues made drunke And worse then that as thy Father shewed to all those that entered into his house the Ensignes hee had wonne in the Warres so now to those that enter into thy house thou shewest them diuers sorts of Wines My vncle complayned of mee but in this case I make the Plaintife iudge against mee the defendant And I would by the immortall Gods hee deserued no more paine for his workes then I deserue by my words For if hee had been wise he would haue accepted the correction which secretely I gaue him and had not come openly to declare his faults in the Senate The complaint of the old man being heard by the Senate and the excuse in like manner of the yong-man they gaue iudgement that they should take all the goods from the olde man and prouide him of a Tutour which should gouerne him and his house And they commaunded the Tutour That from hence forward hee should not giue him one cuppe of Wine since hee was noted of drunkennesse Of truth the sentence which the Senate gaue was very iust For the olde man which giueth himselfe to wine hath as much neede to haue a Gouernour as an Infant or a foole Laertius made a booke of the Feasts of Philosophers and declareth sundry auncient banquets among the which hee putteth one where were assembled many great Philosophers And admit that the meates were meane and simple yet the bidden guests were sage And the cause why they did assemble was not to eate but to dispute of some graue doctrines whereof the Philosophers did somewhat doubt For in those dayes the greater the Stoyckes and the Peripatetikes were in number so much the more were the Philosophers diuided amongst themselues When they were so assembled truly they did not eate nor drinke out of measure but some pleasant matter was moued betweene the masters and the schollers betweene the young and the olde that is to say which of them could declare any secret of Philosophy or any profounde sentence O happy were such feasts and no lesse happy were they that thether were bidden But I am sorry that those which now bidde and those that are bidden for a truth are not as those Ancients were For there are no feastes now a dayes of Philosophers but of gluttons not to dispute but for to murmure not to open doubtfull things but to talke of the vices of others not to confirme auncient amities but to beginne new dissentions not to learne any doctrines but to approue some nouelty And that which worst of all is the old striue at the table with the yong not on him which hath spoken the most grauest sentence but of him which hath drunke most wine and hath rinsed most cups Paulus Diaconus in the history of the Lumbards declareth that foure olde Lumbards made a banquet in the which the one dranke to the others yeares and it was in this manner They made defyance to drinke two to two and after each man had declared how many yeares olde hee was the one dranke as many times as the other was yeeres olde and likewise his companion pledged him And one of these foure companions had at the least 58. yeares the second 63 the third 87. the fourth 92. so that a man knoweth not what they did eate in this banquet eyther little or much but wee know that hee that dranke least dranke 58. cups of wine Of this so euill custome came the Gothes to make this Law which of many is read and of a few vnderstood where it sayeth We ordaine and commaund on paine of death that no olde man drinke to the others yeares being at the table That was made because they were so much giuen to Wine that they dranke more oft then they did eate morsels The Princes and great lords which now are old ought to be very sober in drinking since they ought greatly to be regarded honoured of the yong For speaking the truth and with liberty when the olde man shall be ouercome with wine hee hath more necessity that the young man leade him by the arme to his house then that hee should take off his cappe vnto him with reuerence Also Princes and great Lordes ought to bee very circumspect that when they become aged they bee not noted for young in the apparrel which they weare For although hat for wearing a fine and riche garment the Prince
a perpetuall memorie What contempt of world what forgetfulnesse of himselfe what stroke of fortune what whippe for the flesh what little regard of life O what bridle for the vertuous O what confusion for those that loue life O how great example haue they left vs not to feare death Sithens those here haue willingly despised their owne liues it is not to be thought that they dyed to take the goods of others neither yet to thinke that our life should neuer haue end nor our couetousnesse in like manner O glorious people and ten thousand fold happy that the proper sensuality being forsaken haue ouercom the naturall appetite to desire to liue not beleeuing in that they saw and that hauing faith in that they neuer saw they striued with the fatall Destenies By the way they assaulted fortune they changed life for death they offered the body to death and aboue all haue wonne honour with the Gods not for that they shoulde hasten death but because they should take away that which is superfluous of life Archagent a Surgeon of Rome and Anthonius Musus a Physition of the Emperour Augustus and Esculapius father of the Phisicke should get little money in that Countrie Hee that then should haue sent to the barbarous to haue done as the Romanes at that time did that is to say to take sirrops in the mornings pils at night to drinke milke in the morning to annoint themselues with gromeâ—seed to bee let bloud to day and purged to morrow to eate of one thing and to abstaine from many a man ought to thinke that hee which willingly seeketh death will not giue money to lengthen life CHAP. XXII The Emperour concludeth his letter and shewed what perils those olde men liue in which dissolutely like young children passe their dayes and giueth vnto them wholesome counsell for the remedy thereof BVt returning to thee Claude and to thee Claudine me thinketh that these barbarous men beeing fifty yeares of age and you others hauing aboue threescore and tenne it should be iust that sithence you were elder in yeares you were equall in vertue and though as they you wil not accept death patiently yet at the least you ought to amend your euill liues willingly I doe remember that it is many yeares sithens that Fabritius the young sonne of Fabritius the olde had ordayned to haue deceiued mee of the which if you had not told me great inconueniences had happned and sithens that you did me so great a benefite I would now requite you the same with another the like For amongst friends there is no equal benefite then to deceiue the deceyuer I let you know if you do not know it that you are poore aged folks your eyes are sunke into your heads the nostrels are shut the haires are white the hearing is lost the tongue faultereth the teeth fall the face is wrinkled the feete swolne and the stomacke cold Finally I say that if the graue could speake as vnto his Subiects by iustice he might commaund you to inhabite his house It is great pitty of the yong men and of their youthfull ignorance for then vnto such their eies are not opened to know the mishaps of this miserable life when cruell death doth end their dayes and adiorneth them to the graue Plato in his booke of the Common wealth sayde that in vaine wee giue good counsels to fond and light young men for youth is without experience of that it knoweth suspitious of that it heareth incredible of that is tolde him despising the counsell of an other and very poore of his own For so much as this is true that I tell you Claude and Claudine that without comparison the ignorance which the young haue of the good is not so much but the obstination which the olde hath in the euill is more For the mortall Gods many times doe dissemble with a thousand offences commited by ignorance but they neuer forgiue the offence perpetrated by malice O Claude and Claudine I doe not maruell that you doe forget the gods as you doe which created you and your Fathers which begot you and your parents which haue loued you and your friends which haue honoured you but that which I most maruell at is that you forget your selues For you neuer consider what you ought to bee vntill such time as you bee there where you would not bee and that without power to returne backe againe Awake awake since you are drowned in your dreames open your eyes since you sleepe so much accustome your selues to trauels sithence you are vagabonds learne that which behoueth you since now you are olde I meane that in time conuenient you agree with death before he make execution of life Fifty two yeeres haue I knowne the things of the world and yet I neuer saw a Woman so aged thorough yeares nor old man with members so feeble that for want of strength could not if they list doe good nor yet for the same occasion should leaue to bee euill if they list to be euill It is a maruellous thing to see and worthy to note that all the corporall members of Man waxeth old but the inward hart and the outward tongue For the heart is alwayes giuen to inuent euills and the tongue is alwayes able to tell Lyes Mine opinion is that the pleasaunt Summer beeing past you should prepare your selues for the vntemperate winter which is at hand And if you haue but fewe dayes to continue you should make hast to take vp your lodging I meane that sith you haue passed the dayes of your life with trauell you should prepare your selues against the night of death to be in the hauen of rest Let mockeryes passe as mockeries and accept trueth as truth that is to say that it were a very iust thing and also for your honour necessarie that all shose which in times past haue seen you young and foolish should now in your age see you graue and sage For there is nothing that so much forgetteth the lightnesse and follyes of youth as doth grauity and constancie in Age. When the Knight runneth his carriere they blame him not for that the Horses mane is not finely combed but at the end of his race he shold see his horse amended and looked vnto What greater confusion can be to any person or greater slaunder to our mother Rome then to see that which now a dayes therein we see That is to say that the old which can scarcely creepe through the streetes to beholde the playes and games as young men which search for nought else but onely pompe and vanitie It grieueth mee to speake it but I am much more ashamed to see that the olde Romaines do daylie cause the white haires to be plucked out of their heads because they would not seeme old to make their beard small to seem yong wearing their hosen very close their shyrts open before the gowne of the Senatour embrodered the Romane signe richly enamelled the
profound which the Philosopher spake and great reason had the king to esteeme it so much For if wee doe prepare our selues to consider whereof wee are and what we shall be that is to say That wee are of earth and that we shall returne to earth We would not cease to weepe nor sigh One of the greatest vanities which I finde among the children of vanity is that they employ themselues to consider the influences of the starres the nature of the Planets the motion of the heauens and they will not coÌ„sider themselues of which consideration they should take some profite For man giuing his mind to thinke on strange things commeth to forget his owne proper Oh if we would consider the corruption whereof wee are made the filth whereof wee are engendred the infinit trauell wherewith we are born the long tediousnes wherewith we are nourished the great necessities and suspitions wherein wee liue and aboue all the perill wherein wee dye I sweare and affirme that in such consideration wee finde a thousand occasions to wish death and not one to desire life The children of vanity are occupyed many yeares in the Schooles to learne Rethorike they exercise themselues in Philosophy they heare Aristotle they learne Homere without booke they study Cicero they are occupied in Xenophon they hearken Titus Liuius they forget not Aulus Gelius and they know Ouid yet for all this I say that we cannot say that the man knoweth little which doth know himselfe Eschines the Philosopher sayde well that it is not the least but the chiefest part of Philosophy to know man and wherefore he was made for if man would deepely consider what man is he should finde more things in him which would moue him for to humble himselfe then to stirre him to be proud If we doe behold it without passion and if we doe examine it with reason I know not what there is in man O miserable and fraile nature of man the which taken by it selfe is little worth and compared with an other thing is much lesse For man seeth in brute beastes many things which hee doth enuy and the beasts doe see much more in men whereon if they had reason they would haue compassion The excellencie of the soule layde aside and the hope which we haue of eternall life if man doe compare the captiuity of men to the liberty of beasts with reason we may see that the beasts doe liue a peaceable life and that which men doe lead is but a long death If we prepare our selues to consider from the time that both man and beast come into this world vntill such time as they both dye and in how many thinges the beasts are better then men with reason we may say that nature like a pittifull mother hath shewed her selfe to beasts and that she doth handle vs an vniust stepmother Let vs beginne therefore to declare more particularly the originall of the one and the beginning of the other and wee shall see how much better the brute beasts are endowed and how the miserable men are disinherited CHAP. XXXIII The Author followeth his purpose and excellently compareth the misery of men with the liberty of beasts WE ought deeply to consider that no wilde nor tame beast is so long before hee come to his shape as the miserable man is who with corruption of bloud and vile matter is nine moneths hid in the wombe of his mother Wee see the beast when shee is great if neede require doth labour all exercises of husbandrie so that shee is as ready to labour when she is great as if shee were empty The contrary hapneth to women which when they are big with child are weary with going trobled to be laid they ride in Chariots through the market places they eate little they brooke not that they haue eaten they hate that which is profitable and loue that which doth them harme Finally a woman with childe is contented with nothing and shee fretteth and vexeth with her selfe Sithence therefore it is truâ—â—hat we are noysome and troubleâ—â—â—e to our mothers when 〈◊〉 beare vs in theyr wombes why doe we not giue them some safe conduct when they are in deliuering O miserable state of maÌ„ since the brute beasts are borne without destroying their mothers but the miserable men before they are born are troublesome and carefull and in the time of their birth are both perillous to themselues and dangerous to their mothers which seemeth to be very manifest for the preparation that man maketh when he wil die the selfe same ought the woman to doe when shee is ready to bee deliuered Wee must also consider that though birdes haue but two feete they can goe moue and runne immediately when it commeth foorth but when man is borne hee cannot goe nor moue and much lesse runne So that a Popingey ought more to bee esteemed which hath no hands then the man which hath both hands and feet That which they do to the little babe is not but a prognostication of that which he ought to suffer in the progresse of his life that is to say That as they are not contented for to put the euill doer in prison but they lode his hands with yrons and set his feete in the stockes so in like manner to the miserable man when hee entreth into the Chaâ—ter of his life immediately they binde both his hands and his feete and lay him in the Cradell So that the innocent babe is first bound and rolled before hee bee embraced or haue sucke of the mother We must note also that the houre wherein the beast is brought foorth though it know not the Sier which begate it at the least it knoweth the damme which brought it forth which is apparant for so much as if the mother haue milke the youngling forthwith doth seeke her teates and if perchaunce the haue no milke they goe afterwards to 〈◊〉 themselues vnder her wings Of the miserable man it is not so but the day that hee is borne he knoweth not the Nurse that giueth him sucke neyther the Father which hath begotten him the mother which hath borne him nor yet the Mid-wife which hath receyued him moreouer hee cannot see with his eies heare with his eares nor iudge with the taste and knoweth neyther what it is to touch or smell so that wee see him to whome the Seigniory ouer all brute beasts and other things that are created partayneth to bee borne the most vnable of all other creatures We must consider also that thogh the beast be neuer so little yet it can seeke for the teates of his mother to sucke or to wander in the fieldes to feede or to scrape the dunghilles to eate or else it goeth to the fountains and riuers to drinke and that he learneth not by the discourse of time or that any other beast hath taught it but as soone as it is borne so soone doth it know what thing is necessarie for
and trauells considered wherein wee liue and the safetie wherein wee dye I say that it is more needefull to haue vertue and strength to liue then courage to dye The Authour hereof is Plutarch in his Apothegmes Wee cannot say but that Cato the Censor spake as a wise man since daylie we see shamefast and vertuous persons suffer hunger cold thyrst trauell pouerty inconuenience sorrows enmities and mishaps of the which things wee were better to see the ende in one day then to suffer them euery houre For it is lesse euill to suffer an honest death then to endure a miserable life Oh how small consideration haue men to thinke that they ought to dye but once Since the truth is that the day when wee are born and come inthis worlde is the beginning of our death and the last day is when we do cease to liue If death bee no other but an ending of life then reason perswadeth vs to thinke that our infancie dyeth our childhood dyeth our manhoode dyeth and our Age shall dye wherof we may consequently cōclude that we dye euery yeare euery day euery houre and euery moment So that thinking to leade a sure life we taste a new death I know not why men feare so much to dye since that from the time of their birth they seeke none other thing but death For time neuer wanteth for any man to dye neyther I knew any man that euer fayled of this way Seneca in an Epistle declareth that as a Romaine Woman lamented the death of a Childe of hers a Phylosopher saide vnto her Woman why bewaylest thou thy childe She aunswered I weepe because hee hath liued xxv yeares and I would he should haue liued till fiftie For amongst vs mothers wee loue our Children so hartily that we neuer cease to behold them nor yet ende to bewaile them Then the Phylosopher said Tell me I pray thee woman Why doest thou not complame of the Gods because they created not thy Sonne manie yeares before he was borne as well as thou complavnest that they haue not let him liue fiftie yeares Thou weepest that hee is deade so soone and thou dost not lament that he is borne so late I tell thee true Woman that as thou doest not lament for the one no more thou oughrest to bee sorrie for the other For without the determination of the Gods we cannot shorten death and much lesse lengthen our life So Plinie saide in an Epistle that the chiefest law which the Gods haue giuen vnto humane nature was that none shold haue perpactual life For with dis-ordinate desire to liue long wee should reioyce to goe out of this paine Two Phylosophers disputing before the great Emperor Theodose the one saide that it was good to procure death and the other likewise sayde it was a necessary thing to hate life The good Theodose taking him by the hand sayd All wee mortalles are so extreame in hating and louing that vnder the colour to loue and hate life wee leade an euill life For we suffer so many trauells for to preserue it that sometimes it were much better to loose it And further hee sayde Diuers vaine men are come into so great follyes that for feare of Death they procure to hasten death And hauiwg consideration to this me seemeth that wee ought not greatly to loue life nor with desperation to seeke Death For the strong and valiant men ought not to hate Life so long as it lasteth nor to bee displeased with death when hee commeth All commended that which the Emperour Theodose spake as Paulus Dyacon saith in his life Let euery man speake what he will and let the Phylosophers counsell what they lift in my poore iudgment hee alone shall receyue death without paine who long before is prepared to receyue the same For sudden death is not onely bitter vnto him which tasteth it but also it seareth him that hateth it Lactantius saide that in such sorte man ought to liue as if from hence an houre after he should dye For those men which will haue Death before their eyes it is vnpossible that they should giue place to vaine thoughts In my opinion and also by the aduise of Apuleius It is as much follie to flie from that which we cannot auoyd as to desire that wee can not attaine And this is only spoken for those that would flye the voyage of death which is necessarie and desire to come againe which is vnpossible Those that trauell by long wayes if they want any thing they borrow it of their companie If they haue forgotten ought they returne to seeke it at their lodging or else they write vnto their friends a letter But I am sorrie that if wee once dye they will not let vs returne again we cannot speake and they will not agree we shall write but such as they shall finde vs so shall wee bee iudged And that which is most fearfull of all the execution and sentence is giuen in one day Let Noble Princes and great Lords beleeue mee in this Let them not leaue that vndone til after their death which they may doe during their life And let them not trust in that they commaund but in that whiles they liue they doe Let them not trust in the workes of an other but in theyr owne good deedes For in the end one sigh shall be more worth then all the friendes of the world I counsell pray and exhort all wise and vertuous men and also my selfe with them that in such a sort wee liue that at the houre of death wee may say we liue For wee cannot say that wee liue when we liue not well For all that time which without profite wee shall liue shall be counted vnto vs for nothing CHAP. XLIX ¶ Of the death of Marcus Aurelius the Emperour and how there are fewe Friendes which dare say the truth to sicke men THe good Emperor Marcus Aurelius now beeing aged not onely for the yeares he had but also for the great trauells hee had in the warres endured It chaunced that in the xviii yeare of his Empire and lxxij yeares from the day of his birth and of the foundation of Rome fiue hundreth xliii beeing in the warre of Pannonie which at this time is called Hungaria besieging a famous cittie called Vendeliona suddenly a disease of the palsey tooke him which was such that hee lost his life and Rome her Prince the best of life that euer was borne therein Among the Heathen princes some had more force then he others possessed more riches then hee others were as aduenturous as hee and some haue knowne as much as hee but none hath bin of so excellent and vertuous a life nor so modest as hee For his life being examined to the vttermost ther are many princely vertues to follow and fewe vices to reproue The occasion of his death was that that in going one Night about his Campe suddenly the disease of the palsey tooke him in
faithfull friend about them to helpe them to passe that paine And not without a cause I say that he ought to be a faithfull friend For many in our life do gape after our goods few at our deaths are sory for our offences The wise and sage men before nature compelleth them to die of their owne will ought to die That is to say that before they see themselues in the pangs of death they haue their consciences ready prepared For if we count him a foole which wil passe the sea without a ship truely we will not count him wise which taketh his death without any preparation before What losest a wisest man to haue his will well ordained in what aduenuenture of honour is any man before death to reconcile himselfe to his enemies and to those whom he hath borne hate and malice What loseth he of his credite who in his life time restoreth that which at his death they will command him to render wherein may a man shew himselfe to bee more wise then when willingly hee hath discharged that which afterwards by processe they will take from him O how many Princes and great Lords are there which onely not for spending one day about their testament haue caused their children and heires all the dayes of their life to bee in trauerse in the Law So that they supposing to haue left their children wealthy haue not left them but for Atturneyes and Counsellers of the law The true and vnfained Christian ought euery morning so to dispose his goods and correct life as if he shold dye the same night And at night in like manner he ought to commit himselfe to GOD as if he hoped for no life vntill morning For to say the truth to sustaine life there are infinite trauels but to meete with death there is but one way If they will credite my wordes I would coūsell no man in such estate to liue that for any thing in the worlde he should vndoe himselfe The Riche and the poore the great and the smal the Gentlemen and the Plebeyans all say and sweare that of death they are exceeding fearefull To whome I say and affirm that he alone feareth death in whome we see amendment of life Princes and great Lords ought also to be perfect to ende before they ende to dye before they die and to be mortified before they bee mortified If they doe this with themselues they shall as easily leaue their life as if they channged from one house to another For the most parte of men delight to talke with leysure to drinke with leysure to eate with leysure and to sleepe with leysure but they die in haste Not without cause I say they die in haste since wee see them receiue the sacrament of the Supper of the Lord in haste male their willes by force and with speede to confesse and receyue So that they take it and demaund it so late and so without reason that often times they haue loste their Sences and are readie to giue vp the spirite when they bring it vnto them What auaileth the Ship-master after the ship is sunke what doe weapons after the battell is lost What auaileth pleasures after men are dead By this which I haue spoken I will demaund what it auayleth the sicke being heauie with sleepe and berefte of their sences to call for Confessors vnto whome they confesse their sinnes Euill shall hee bee confessed which hath no vnderstanding to repent himselfe What auaileth it to call the confessor to vnderstand the secrets of his Conscience when the sicke man hath lost his speech Let vs not deceyue our selues saying in our age we will amend hereafter and make restitution at our death For in mine opinion it is not the poynt of wise men nor of good Christiās to desire so much time to offend and they will not espie any to amend Would to GOD that the third parte of the precious time which men occupie in sinne were employed about the meditations of Death and the cares which they haue to accomplish their Fleshly lusts were spent in bewayling their filthie sinnes I am very sorrie with my heart that they so wickedly spend and passe their-life in vices and pleasures as if there were no GOD vnto whom they shold render account for their offences All worldlings willingly doe sinne vpon a vaine hope onely in Age to amend and at death to repent But I would demaund him that in this hope sinned what certainty he hath in age of amendment and what assurance he hath to haue long warning before hee die Since we see by experience there are moe in number which dye young then olde it is no reason wee should commit so many sinnes in one day as that wee should haue cause to lament afterwards all the rest of our life And afterwards to bewayle the sins of our long life we desire no more but one space of an houre Considering the the Omnipotencie of the Diuine mercie it sufficeth yea and I say that the space of an houreis to much to repent vs of our wicked life but I would counsel all since the sinner for to repent taketh but one houre that that be not the last houre For the sighes and repentance which proceed from the bottome of the heart penetrate the high Heauens but those which come of necessity doeth not pierce the bare seeling of the House I allow and commende that those which visit◠the sick do counsell them to examin their consciences to receiue the Communion to pray vnto GOD to forgiue their enemyes and to recommend themselues to the deuoute prayers of the people and to repent them of their sinnes Finally I say that it is very good to doe all this But yet I say it is better to haue done it before For the diligent and careful Pyrate prepareth for the Tempest when the Sea is calme Hee that deepely would consider how little the goods of this life are to be esteemed Let him go to see a rich man when hee dyeth and what he doeth in his bed And he shall finde that the wife demandeth of the poore husband her dowrie the Daughter the third parte the other the fifth the childe the preheminence of age the Sonne in law his Marriage the physition his duetie the Slaue his libertie the Seruaunts their wages the creditours their debtes and the worst of all is that none of those that ought to inherite his goods will giue him one glasse of water Those that shall heare or read this ought to consider that that which they haue seene done at the death of their neighbours the same shall come vnto them when they shall be sicke at the poynt of death For so soone as the Rich shutteth his eyes forthwith there is great strife betweene the children for his goods And this strife is not to vnburthen his soule but which of them shall inherite most of his possessions In this case I will not my pen trauell any
further since both rich and poore doe daylie see the experience hereof And in thigs verie manifest it sufficeth onely for wise men to be put in memorie without wasting any more time to perswade them Now the Emperor Marcus Aurelius had a secretarie verie wise vertuous through whose hands the affaires of the Empire passed And when this secretarie saw his Lord and Master so sicke and almost at the houre of death and that none of his parents or friends durst speake vnto him he plainly determined to doe his dutie wherein hee shewed verie well the profound knowledge hee had in wisedome and the great good wil he bare to his Lord. This Secretary was called Panutius the vertues and life of whom Sextus Cheronensis in the life of Marcus Aurelius declareth CHAP. L. Of the Comfortable words which the Secretary Panutius spake to the Emperour Marcus Aurelius at the houre of his death O My Lord and Master mytongue cannot keepe silence mine eyes cannot refraine from bitter teares nor my heart leaue from fetching sighs nor yet reason can vse his duty For my bloud boyleth my sinews are dried my powers be open my heart doth faint and my spirit is troubled And the occasion of all this is to see that the wholesome counsels which thou giuest to others ether thou canst not or will not take for thy selfe I see thee die my Lord and I die for that I cannot remedy thee For if the gods would haue granted me my request for the lengthning of thy life one day I would giue willingly my whole life Whither the sorrow bee true or fayned it needeth not I declare vnto thee with wordes since thou mayest manifestly discerne it by my countenance For mine eyes with teares are wet and my heart with sighes is very heauie I feele much the want of thy companie I feele much the dammage which of thy death to the whole commonwealth shall ensue I feele much thy sorrowe which in thy pallace shall remaine I feele much for that Rome this day is vndone but that which aboue all things doth most torment my heart is to haue seene thee liue as wise and now to see thee dye as simple Tell me I pray thee my Lord why do men learne the Greeke tongue trauell to vnderstand the Hebrew sweate in the Latine chaunge so many Maisters turne so many bookes and in studie consume so much money and so many yeares if it were not to knowe how to passe life with honor and take death with patience The end why men ought to studie is to learne to liue well For there is no truer science in man then to know how to order his life well What profiteth it me to know much if thereby I take no profite what profiteth me to know straunge Languages if I refrain nor my tongue from other mens matters what profiteth it to studie many bookes if I studie not but to begyule my friendes what profiteth it to know the influence of the starres and the course of the Elements if I cannot keepe my selfe from vices Finally I say that it little auayleth to to bee a master of the Sage if secretly hee bee reported to bee a follower of fooles The chiefe of all Phylosophie consisteth to serue GOD and not to offend men I aske thee most Noble Prince what auaileth it the Pilot to know the Arte of Sayling and after in a Tempest by negligence to perish What auaileth it the valiaunt Captaine to talke much of Warres and afterwards he knoweth not how to giue the Battell What auayleth it the guyde to tell the nearest way and afterwards in the middest to loose himselfe All this which I haue spoken is saide for thee my Lord For what auayleth it that thou beeing in health shouldest sigh for death since now when hee doeth approche thou weepest because thou wouldest not leaue life One of the things wherein the wise man sheweth his wisdome is to know how to loue and how to hate For it is great lightnes I should rather say follie to day to loue him whome yesterday we hated and to morrowe to slaunder him whom this day wee honoured What Prince so high or what Plebeyan so base hath there been or in the world shall euer be the which hath so little as thou regarded life and so highly commended death What things haue I written beeing thy Secretarie with mine owne hand to diuers Prouinces of the world where thou speakest so much good of death that sometimes thou madest mee to hate life What was it to see that letter which thou wrotest vnto the noble Romaine Claudinaes widdowe comforting her of the death of her Husband which dyed in the warres Wherein shee aunswered that she thought her trouble comfort to deserue that thou shouldst write her such a Letter What a pittifull and sundry letter hast thou written to Antigonus on the death of thy childe Verissimus thy sonne so much desired Whose death thou tookest so that thou exceedest the limits of Phylosophie but in the ende with thy princely vertues thou didst qualifie thy woful sorows What Sentences so profound what wordes so well couched didst thou write in that booke intituled The remedy of the sorrowfull the which thou didst send from the warre of Asia to the Senatours of Rome and that was to comfort them after a sore plague And how much profite hath thy doctrine done since with what new kinde of consolation hast thou comforted Helius Fabatus the Sensour when his son was drowned in the riuer where I do remember that when we entred into his house we found him weeping and when wee went from thence wee lest him laughing I doe remember that when thou wentst to visite Gneus Rusticus in his last disease thou didst speake to him so effectuously that with the vehemency of thy words thou madest the teares to runne downe his cheekes And I demanding him the occasions of his lamentations he said The Emperor my Lord hath told me so much euils that I haue won and of so much good that I haue lost that I weepe I weepe not for life which is short but for death which is long The man whom aboue all thou hast loued was Torquatus whom thou didst obey as thy father and seruedst as thy master This thy faithfull friend being readie to die and desiring yet to liue thou sendest to offer sacrifices to the gods not for that they should graunt himselfe but that they should hasten his death Herewith I being astonied thy noblenesse to so satisfie my ignorance sayd vnto mee in secret these wordes Maruell not Panutius to see me offer sacrifices to hasten my friends death and not to prolong his life for there is nothing that the faithfull friend ought so much to desire to true friend as to see him ridde from the trauels of the earth and to enioy the pleasures of heauen Why thinkest thou most noble Prince that I reduce all these things to thy memory but for to
demaund thee how it is possible that I which haue heard thee speake so well of death doe presently see thee so vnwilling to leaue life since the gods commaund it thy age willeth it thy disease doth cause it thy feeble nature doth permit it the sinfull Rome doth deserue it and the sickle fortune agreeth that for our great miserie thou shouldest die Why therefore sighest thou so much for to die The trauels which of necessitie must needes come with stout heart ought to be receiued The cowardly heart falleth before hee is beaten downe but the stout and valiant stomacke in greatest perill recouereth most strength Thou art one man and not two thou owest one death to the gods and not two Why wilt thou therefore being but one pay for two and for one onely life take two deaths I meane that before thou endest life thou diest for pure sorrow After that thou hast sayled and in the sayling thou hast passed such perill when the gods doe render thee in the safe Hauen once againe thou wilt runne into the raging Sea where thou scapest the victorie of life and thou dyest with the ambushments of death Threescore and two yeeres hast thou fought in the Field and neuer turned thy backe and fearest thou now beeing enclosed in the Graue Hast thou not passed the pykes and bryers wherein thou hast beene enclosed and now thou tremblest being in the sure way Thou knowest what dammage it is long to liue and now thou doubtest of the profit of death which ensueth It is now many yeeres since death and thou haue beene at defyance as mortall enemies and now to lay thy hands on thy Weapons thou flyest and turnest thy backe Threescore and two yeeres are past since thou wert bent against fortune and now thou closest thy eyes when thou oughtest ouer her to triumph By that I haue told thee I meane that since wee doe not see thee take death willingly at this present we do suspect that thy life hath not in times past beene very good For the man which hath no desire to appeare before the gods it is a token he is loaden with vices What meanest thou most noble Prince why weepest thou as an infant and complainest as a man in despaire If thou weepest because thou dyest I answer thee that thou laughest as much when thou liuedst For of too much laughing in the life proceedeth much wayling at the death Who hath alwaies for his heritage appropriated the places being in the common wealth The vnconstancy of the minde who shall bee so hardy to make steadie I meane that all are dead all die all shall die among all wilt thou alone liue Wilt thou obtaine of the gods that which maketh them gods That is to say that they make thee immortall as thēselues Wilt thou alone haue by priuiledge that which the gods haue by nature My youth demandeth thy age what thing is best or to say better which is lesse euill to die well or to liue euill I doubt that any man may attaine to the meanes to liue well according to the continuall and variable troubles and vexations which daily we haue accustomed to carrie betweene our hands alwayes suffering hunger cold thirst care displeasures temptations persecutions euill fortunes ouerthrowes and diseases This cannot be called life but a long death and with reason wee will call this life death since a thousand times we hate life If an ancient man did make a shew of his life from time he is come out of the intrailes of his mother vntill the time hee entreth into the bowels of the earth and that body would declare al the sorrowes that he hath passed and the heart discouer all the ouerthrows of fortune which he hath suffered I imagine the gods would maruell and men would wonder at the body which hath endured so much and the heart which hath so greatly dissembled I take the Greeks to be more wise which weepe when their children bee borne and laugh when the aged dye then the Romanes which sing when their children are borne and weepe when the olde men die Wee haue much reason to laugh when the olde men die since they dy to laugh and with great reason wee ought to weepe when the children are borne since they are borne to weepe CHAP. LI. Panutius the Secretarie continueth his exhortation admonishing all men willingly to accept death vtterly to forsake the world and all his vanities SInce life is now condemned for euill there remaineth nought else but to approoue death to be good Oh if it pleased the immortall gods that as I oftentimes haue heard the disputation of this matter so now that thou couldest therewith profite But I am sorry that to the Sage and wise man counsell sometimes or for the most part wanteth None ought to cleaue much to his owne opinion but sometimes he should follow the counsell of the third person For the man which in all things will follow his owne aduise ought well to be assured that in all or the most part hee shall erre O my Lord Marke sith thou art sage liuely of spirit of great experience and ancient didst not thou thinke that as thou hadst buried many so likewise some should burie thee What imaginations were thine to thinke that seeing the ende of their dayes others should not see the end of thy yeares Since thou diest rich honorably accompanied olde and aboue all seeing thou diest in the seruice of the commonwealth why fearest thou to enter into thy graue Thou hast alwaies beene a friend as much to know things past as those which were hid and kept secret Since thou hast prooued what honours and dishonours deserue riches and pouertie prosperitie and aduersitie ioy and sorrow loue and fear vices and pleasures mee seemeth that nothing remaineth to know but that it is necessarie to know what death is And also I sweare vnto thee most noble Lord that thou shalt learne more in one houre what death is then in an hundred yeares what life meaneth Since thou art good and presumest to be good and hast liued as good is it better that thou die and goe with so many good then that thou scape and liue amongst so many euill That thou feelest death I maruell nothing at all for thou art a man but I doe maruell that thou dissemblest it not since thou art discreet Many things doe the sage men feele which inwardly doe oppresse their heart but outwardly they dissemble them for the more honour If all the poyson which in the sorrowfull heart is wrapped were in small peeces in the feeble flesh scattered then the wals would not suffice to rubbbe neither the nayles to scratch vs. What other thing is death but a trap or doore wherewith to shut the shop wherein all the miserie of this wofull life are vendible What wrong or preiudice doe the gods vnto vs when they call vs before them but from an old decayd house to change
vs to a new builded Pallace And what other thing is the graue but a strong fort wherin we shut our selues from the assaults of life and broyles of fortune Truely wee ought to bee more desirous of that wee finde in death then of that wee haue in life If Helia Fabricia thy wife doe greeue thee for that thou leauest her yong doe not care for shee presently hath little care of the perill wherein thy life dependeth And in the end when she shall know of thy death shee will be nothing greeued Trouble not thy selfe for that she is left a widdow for yong women as shee is which are married to olde men as thou when their husbands die they haue their eyes on that they can robbe and their hearts on them whom they desire to marrie And speaking with due respect when with their eyes they outwardly seeme most for to bewayle then with their hearts inwardly doe they most reioyce Deceiue not thy selfe in thinkeing that the Empresse thy wife is yong and that she shall finde none other Emperor with whom again she may marrie For such and the like will change the cloth of gold for gownes of skinnes I meane that they would rather the young shepheard in the field then the olde Emperour in his royall pallace If thov takest sorrow for the children whom thou leauest I know not why thou shouldst do so For truely if it greeue thee now for that thou diest they are more displeased for that thou liuest The sonne that desireth not the death of his father may be counted the onely Phenix of this world for if the father bee poore he wisheth him dead for that he is not maintained and if hee rich he desireth his death to enherite the sooner Since therefore it is true as indeed it is it seemeth not wisedome that they sing and thou weepe If it greeue thee to leaue these goodly pallaces and these sumptuous buildings deceiue not thy selfe therein For by the god Iupiter I sweare vnto thee that since that death doth finish thee at the end of threescore and two yeeres time shall consume these sumptuous buildings in lesse then 40. If it greeue thee to forsake the company of thy friends and neighbors for them also take as little thought since for thee they will not take any at all For amongst the other compassions that they ought to haue of the dead this is true that scarcely they are buried but of their friends and neighbours they are forgotten If thou takest greatest thought for that thou wilt not die as the other Emperours of Rome are dead me seemeth that thou oughtest also to cast this sorrow from thee for thou knowest right well that Rome hath accustomed to bee so vnthankefull to those which serue her that the great Scipio also would not be buried therein If it greeue thee to die to leaue so great a Seignory as to leaue the Empire I cannot thinke that such vanity be in thy head for temperate and reposed men when they escape from semblable offices doe not thinke that they lose honour but that they be free of a trouble some charge Therefore if none of all these things moue thee to desire life what should let thee that throgh thy gates enter not death it greeueth men to dy for one of these two things either for the loue of those they leaue behinde them or for feare of that they hope Since therefore there is nothing in this life worthy of loue nor any thing in death why we should feare why doe men feare to die According to the heauy fighes thou fetchest the bitter teares thou sheddest and according also to that great paine thou shewest for my part I thinke that the thing in thy thought most forgotten was that the gods should commaund thee to pay this debt For admit that all thinke that their life shall end yet no man thinketh that death wil come so soon For that men think neuer to die they neuer begin their faults to amend so that both life and fault haue end in the graue together Knowest not thou most noble Prince that the long night commeth the middest morning Doest thou not know that after the moist morning there cometh the cleare Sun Knowest not thou that after the cleare Sun commeth the cloudy Element Doest thou not know that after the darke myst there commeth extreme heate And after the heate commeth the horrible thunders and after the thunders the sodaine lightnings and after the perilious lightnings commeth the terrible haile Finally I say that after the tempestuous and troublesome time commonly commeth cleare and faire weather The order that time hath to make himselfe cruell and gentle the selfe same ought men to haue to liue and die For after the infancy commeth childhood after childhood commeth youth after youth commeth age and after age commeth the feareful death Finally after that feareful death commeth the sure life Oftentimes I haue read and of thee not seldome heard that the gods onely which had no beginning shall haue also no ending Therefore mee thinketh most noble Prince that sage men ought not to desire to liue long Formen which desire to liue much either it is for that they haue not felt the trauels past because they haue bene fooles or for that they desire more time to giue themselues to vices Thou mightest not complaine of that since they haue not cut thee in the flower of the herbe nor taken thee greene from the tree nor cut thee in the spring tide and much lesse eate thee eager before thou wert ripe By that I haue spoken I meane if death had called thee when thy life was sweetest though thou hadst not had reason to haue complayned yet thou mightest haue desired to haue altered it For it is a greater griefe to say vnto a yong man that he must die and forsake the world What is this my Lord now that the wall is decaied ready to fall the flower is an hered the grape doth rot the teeth are loose the gowne is worne the lance is blunt the knife is dull and dost thou desire to returne into the world as if thou hadst neuer knowne the world These threescore and two yeeres thou hast liued in the proportion of this body and wilt thou now that the yron fetters haue rot thy legges desire yet to lengthen thy daies in this so wofull prison They that will not be contented to liue threescore yeeres and fiue in this death or to die in this life will not desire to liue threescore thousand yeeres The Emperour Augustus Octauian saide That alter men had liued fiftie yeeres either of their owne will they ought to dye or else by force they should cause themselues to bee killed For at that time all those which haue any humaine felicitie are at the best Those which liue aboue that age passe their daies in grieuous torments As in the death of children in the losse of goods and importunitie of
sonne in lawes in maintaining processes in discharging debts in fighing for that is past in bewayling that that is present in dissembling iniuries in hearing woful newes and in other infinite trauels I So that it were much better to haue their eyes shut in the graue thē their hearts and bodies aliue to suffer so much in this miserable life He whom the gods take from this miserable life at the end of fiftie yeeres is quitted from all these miseries of life For after that time hee is not weake but crooked hee goeth not but rowlleth he stumbleth nor but falleth O my Lord Marke knowest thou not that by the same way whereby goeth death death cometh Knowest not thou in like manner that it is 62. yeers that life hath fled from death that there is another time asmuch that death goeth seeking thy life and death going from Illiria where he left a great plague thou departing frō thy pallace ye two haue now met in Hungarie Knowest not thou that where thou leapedst out of thy mothers intrailes to gouerne the land immediately death leaped out of his grauè to seeke thy life Thou hast alwayes presumed not onely to bee honored but also to be honorable if it bee so since thou honouredst the Embassadors of Princes which did send them the more for their profite then for thy seruice why dost thou not honor thy messenger whom the gods send more for thy profite then for their seruices Doest thou not remember well when Vulcan my sonne in law poysoned me more for the couetousnesse of my gods then any desire that hee had of my life thou Lord that diddest come to comfort mee in my chamber and toldst me that the gods were cruell to slay the yong and were pitiful to take the old from this world And thou saidst further these wordes Comfort thee Panutius for if thou wert borne to the now thou drest to liue Since therefore noble Prince that I tell thee that which thou toldst me and counsell thee the same which thou counsellest me I render to thee that which thou hast giuen me Finally of these vines I haue gathered these cluster of grapes CHAP. LII The answer of the Emperour Marcus to Panutius his Secretarie wherein he declareth that he tooke no thought to forsake the world but all his sorow was to leaue behind him an vnhappie child to inherit the Empire PAnutius blessed be the milke which thou hast sucked in Dacia the bread which thou hast eaten in Rome the larning which thou hast learned in Greece and the bringing vppe which thou hast had in my pallace For thou hast serued as a good seruant in life and giuest mee good counsell as a trustie friende at death I command Commodus my son to recompence thy seruice and I beseech the immortall gods that they acquite thy good counsels And not without good cause I charge my son with the one and requrie the gods of the other For the payment of many seruices one man alone may doe but to pay one good counsell it is requisite to haue all the gods The greatest good that a friend can doe to his friend is in great and waightie affaires to giue him good and wholesome counsell And not without cause I say wholesome For commonly it chaunceth that those which thinke with their counsell to remedy vs doe put vs oftentimes in greatest perils All the trauells of life are hard but that of death is the most hard and terrible Al are great but this is the greatest All are perillous but this is most perrillons All in death haue ende except the trauell of death whereof wee know no end that which I say now no men perfectly can know but he which seeth himselfe as I see my selfe now at the point of death Certainly Panutius thou hast spoken vnto mee as a wise man but for that thou knowst not my griefe thou couldst not cure my disease for my sore is not there where thou hast layde the plaister The fistula is not there where thou hast cutte the flesh The opilation is not there where thou hast layd the oyntments There were not the right veines where thou didst let me bloud Thou hast not yet touched the wound which is the cause of all my griefe I meane that thou oughtest to haue entred further with mee to haue knowne my griefe better The sighes which the heart fetcheth I say those which come from the heart let not euerie man think which heareth them that he can immedialy vnderstand them For as men cannot remedie the anguishes of the spirit so the gods likewise would not that they should know the secrets of the heart Without feare or shame many dare say that they know the thought of others wherein they shew themselues to bee more fooles then wise For since there are many things in me wherein I my selfe doubt how can a stranger haue any certaine knowledge therein Thou accusest me Panutius that I feare death greatly the which I deny but to feare it as man I doe confesse For to deny that I feare not death should bee to denie that I am not of flesh We see by experience that the Elephants do feare the Lyon the Beare the Elephant the wolfe the Beare the Lambe the Wolfe the Rat the Cat the Cat the Dog the Dog the man Finally the one and the other do feare for no other thing but for feare that one killeth not the other Then since bruite beasts refuse death the which though they die feare not to fight with the suries nor hope not to rest with the gods so much the more ought we to feare death which die in doubt whether the furies will teare vs in peeces with their torments or the gods will receiue vs in to their houses with ioy Thinkest thou Panutius that I doe not see well my vine is gathered and that it is not hid vnto me that my palace falleth in decay I know well that I haue not but the kernell of the Raison the skin and that I haue not but one sigh of all my life vntill this time There was great difference betweene me and thee now there is no great difference betwixt me and my selfe For about the ensign thou dost place the army In the riuers thou castest thy nets within the parkes thou huntest the buls in the shadow thou takest cold By this I meane that thou talkest so much of death because that thou art sure of thy life O miserable man that I am for in short space of all that is life I haue possessed with mee I shall carrie nothing but onely my winding sheete Alasse how shall I enter into the field not where of fierce beasts I shall bee assaulted but of the hungrie wormes deuoured Alasse I see my selfe in that distresse from whence my fraile flesh cannot escape And if any hope remaine it is in thee O death When I am sicke I would not that hee that is whole should comfort me When
I am sorrowfull I would not that he which is merrie should comfort me When I am bannished I would not that hee which is in prosperitie should comfort mee When I am at the houre of death I would not that hee should comfort me which is not in suspition of life But I would that the poore should comfort me in pouertie the sorrowfull in my sorrowes the banished in my banishment and he which is in as great danger of his life as I am now at the point of death For there is no counsell so healthfull nor true as that of the man which is in sorrow when he counselleth another which is likewise tormented himselfe If thou considerest well this sentence thou shalt finde that I haue spoken a thing profound wherein notwithstanding my tongue is appeased For in my opinion euill shall hee be comforted which is weeping with him that continually laugheth I say this to the ende thou know that I know it and that thou perceiue that I perceiue it And because thou shalt not liue deceiued as to my friend I will disclose the secret and thou shalt see that smal is the sorrow which I haue in respect of the great which I haue cause to haue For if reason had not striued with sensualtie the sighes ended my life and in a pond of teares they had made my graue The things which in mee thou hast seene which abhore meate to banish sleepe to loue care to bee annoyed with company to take rest in sighes and to take pleasures in teares may easily declare vnto thee what torment is in the sea of my heart when such tremblings doe appeare in the earth of my body Let vs now come to the purpose and we shal see why my bodie is without consolation and my heart ouercome with sorrowes for my feeling greatly exceeds my complaining because the body is so delicate that in scratching it it complaineth and the heart is so stout and valiant that though it be hurt yet it dissembleth O Panutius I let thee know that the occasion why I take death so grieuously is because I leaue my sonne Commodus in this life who liueth in this age most perillous for him and no lesse dangerous for the Empire By the flowers are the fruits knowne by the grapes the vines are knowne and by the face men are knowne by the colt the horse is iudged and by the infant youth is knowne This I say by the Prince my sonne for that hee hath bene euill in my life I doe imagine that he will bee worse after my death Since thou as well as I knowst the euill conditions of my sonne why doest thou maruell at the thoughts and sorrowes of the father My son Commodus in yeares is yong and in vnderstanding yonger Hee hath an euill inclination and yet hee will not enforce himselfe against the same hee gouerneth himselfe by his owne sence and in matters of wisedome he knoweth little of that hee should be ignorant hee knoweth too much and that which is worst of all he is of no man esteemed Hee knoweth nothing of things past nor occupieth him about any thing present Finally for that which mine eyes haue seene I say and that which within my heart I haue suspected I iudge that shortly the person of my sonne shall be in hazard and the memory of his father perish O how vnkindely haue the gods vsed themselues toward vs to command vs to leaue our honour in the hands of our children for it should suffice that wee should leaue them our goods and that to our friends we should commit our honor But yet I am sorry for that they consume the goods in vices and lose the honour for to bee vitious The gods being pittifull as they are since they giue vs the authoritie to diuide our goods why do they not giue vs leaue to make our wils of the honor My sonnes name being Commodus in the Romain tongue is as much to say as profite but as he is wee will be content to bee without little profite which he may do to some so that we may bee excused of the great damage which he is likely to doe to all For I suppose hee will be the scourge of men and the wrath of God He entreth now into the pathway of youth alone without a guide And for that he hath to passe by the high and dangerous places I feare lest hee bee lost in the wood of vices For the children of Princes and great Lord◠for so much as they are brought vp in libertie and wantonnesse doe easily fal into vices and voluptuousnesse and are most stubborn to be withdrawne from folly O Panutius giue attentiue eare to that I say vnto thee Seest thou not that Commodus my sonne is at libertie is rich is yong and is alone By the faith of a good man I sweare vnto thee that the least of these windes would ouerthrow not onely a young tender Ash but also a mightie strong Oake Riches youth pride and liberty are foure plagues which poyson the Prince replenish the common wealth with filth kill the liuing and defame the dead Let the olde men beleeue me and the young men marke mee well what I say that where the gods haue giuen many gifts it is necessary they haue many vertues to sustaine them The gentle the peaceable the coūterfeit the simple and the fearefull doe not trouble the common wealth but those whom nature hath giuen most gifts For as experience teacheth vs with the fairest women the stewes are furnished the most proper personage are vnshamefast the most stout and valiant are murderers the most subtill are theeues and men of clearest vnderstanding oft times become most fooles I say and say againe I affirme and affirme againe I sweare and sweare againe that if two men which are adorned with naturall gifts doe want requisite vertues such haue a knife in their hands wherewith they do strike and wound themselues a fire on their shoulders wherewith they burne themselues a rope at their neckes to hang themselues a dagger at theyr breast wherewith they kill themselues a thorne in their foote wherwith they pricke themselues and stones whereat they stumble so that stumbling they fall and falling they finde themselues with death whom they hate and without life which so much they loued Note well Panutius note that the man which from his infancy hath alwayes the feare of the gods before his eyes and the shame of men saieth truth to all and liueth in preiudice to none and to such a tree though euill fortune do cleaue the flower of his youth doe wither the leaues of theyr fauours drie they gather the fruites of his trauels they cut the bough of his offices they bow the highest of his branches downewards yet in the end though of the windes hee be beaten hee shall neuer be ouercome O happy are those Fathers vnto whom the Gods haue giuen quicke children wise fayre able light and
so straunge a Monster amongst the Romaine people Thou oughtst not therefore to maruell Panutius at the nouelties which thou hast seene in mee For in these three dayes that I haue been troubled in my minde and altered in my vnderstanding all these things are offered vnto me and from the bottome of my hart I haue digested them For the carefull men are not blinded but with their owne imaginations All these euill conditions which these Princes had scattred amongst them of whom I haue spoken doe meete together in my Sonne Commodus For if they were young he is young if they were rich hee is rich if they were free he is free if they were bold he is bolde if they were wilde he is wilde if they were euill certainely I doe not thinke that hee is good For wee see manie young Princes which haue beene well brought vp and well taught yet when they haue inherited and come to their Lands they become immediately vicious and dissolute What hope haue wee of those which from their infancie are dissolute and euill enclined Of good wine I haue made oft times strong vivineger but of pure vineger I haue neuer seene good wine This childe keepeth mee betweene the sailes of Feare and the Ancker of hope hoping he shall be good since I haue taught him well and fearing he shall be euill because his mother Faustine hath nourished him euill And that which is the worst that the yong childe of his owne nature is inclined to all euill I am moued to say thus much for that I see his naturall inclination increase and that which was taught him diminish For the which occasion I doubt that after my death my sonne shall returne to that wherin his mother hath nourished him and not to that wherein I haue taught him O how happy had I beene if neuer I had had childe or not to be bounde to leaue him the Empire For I would chuse then among the children of the good Fathers would not be bound to such a one whom the gods haue giuen me One thing I aske thee Panutius whom wouldest thou call most fortunate Vespatian which was naturall father of Domitius or Nerua the adopted father of the good Traiane both those two Vespatian and Nerua were good Princes but of children Domitian was the head of all mischiefe and Traiane was the mirrour of all goodnesse So that Vespatian in that he had children was vnhappy and Nerua in that hee had none was most fortunate One thing I will tell thee Panutius the which by thee considered thou wilt little esteeme life and shalt lose the feare of death I haue liued threescore and two yeares wherein I haue read much hard much seene desired attained possessed suffered and I haue much reioyced my selfe And in the end of all this I see my selfe now to die and I must want my pleasures and my selfe also Of all that I haue had possessed attained and whereof I haue enioied I haue only two things to say paine for that I haue offended the gods and sorrow for the time which I haue wasted in vices There is great difference between the rich and the poore in death and more in life For the poore dieth to iust but if the rich die it is to their treat paine So that the gods take from the one that which he had and putteth the other in possession of that he desired Great care hath the heart to seeke the goods and they passe great troubles to heape vp them together and great diligence must bee had in keeping them and also much wit to encrease them but without comparison it is greater griefe to depart from them O what paine intollerable and griefe it is to the wise man seeing himselfe at the point of death to leaue the sweet of his family the maiestie of his Empire the honour of his present the loue of his friends the payments of his debts the deserts of his seruants and the memory of his predecessors in the power of so euill a childe the which neither deserueth it nor yet will deserue it In the ninth Table of our auncient Lawes are written these words Wee ordaine and commaund that the father which shall be good according to the opinion of all may disherite his sonne who according to the opinion of all is euill The Law said further The childe which hath disobeyed his father robbed any holy Temple iniuried any widdow fled from any battle and committed any treason to a straunger that hee should bee banished from Rome and dsinherited from his fathers goods Truly the law was good thogh by our offences it bee forgotten If my breath faile mee not as it doth faile me for of troth I am greatly pained I would declare vnto thee how many Parthes Medians Egyptians Assirians Caldeans Indians Hebrewes Greekes and Romaines haue left their children poore beeing able to haue left them rich for no other cause but for that they were vitious And to the contrary other beeing poore haue left them rich for that they were vertuous By the immortall gods I sweare vnto thee that when they came from the warre of Parthia and triumphed in Rome and confirmed the Empire to my sonne if then the Senate had not withstood mee I had left Commodus my sonne poore with his vices wold haue made heir of all my Realmes some vertuous man I let thee know Panutius that fiue things oppresse my heart sore to the which I wold rather see remedy my selfe then to command other to remedie it The first for that in my life time I cannot determine the processes that the vertuous widdow Drusia hath with the Senate Because since she is poore and deformed there is no man that will giue her iustice The second because I die not in Rome And this for none other cause thē that which the sound of the trumpet should bee proclaimed that all those which haue any quarrel or debt against me and my family should come thither to be paid or satisfied of their debts and demands The third that as I made foure tyrants to bee put to execution which committed tiranny in Asia and Italy so it greeued mee that I haue not also punished certaine pirates which roued on the seas The fourth for that I haue not caused the temple to bee finished which I did beginne for all the gods For I might haue sayde vnto them after my death that since for all them I haue made one house it were not much that any of them shuld receiue one into his which passe this life in the fauour of the gods and without the hatred of men For dying after this sort men shall susteine our honours and the gods shall prouide for our soules The fifth for that I leaue in life for my onely heire Commodus the Prince yet not so much for the destruction which shall come to my house as for the great dammage which shall succeed in the commonwealth For the true
Princes ought to take the dammages of their persons light and the dammages of the commonwealth for the most grieuous O Panutius let therefore this be the last word which I will say vnto thee that is to say that the greatest good that the gods may giue to the man that is not couetous but vertuous is to giue him good renowme in life and afterwardes a good heire at our death Finally I say that if I haue any thing to do with the gods I require and beseech them that if they should be offended Rome slandered my renowme defamed and my house diminished for that my sonne be of an euill life that they will take from him life before they giue me death CHAP. LIIII Of the words which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius spake vnto his sonne Commodus at the houre of death necessary for all young gentlemen to vnderstand SInce the disease of Marcus Aurelius was so extreme that euery houre of his life he was assaulted with death after he had talked a long time with Panutius his Secretarie he commanded his sonne Commodus to be wakened who as a yong man slept soundly in his bed And being come before his presence all those which were there were moued immediatly with compassion to see the eyes of the father all swollen with weeping and the eyes of the childe closed with ouermuch sleepe They could not waken the childe he was so carelesse and they could not cause the good father sleepe he tooke so great thought All those which were there seeing how the father desired the good life of the sonne and how little the sonne wayed the death of his father had compassion of the olde person and bare hate to the wicked childe Then the good Emperour casting his eyes on high and directing his words to his sonne sayde When thou wert a childe I tolde thy masters how they ought to bring thee vp and after that thou diddest waxe greater I tolde thy Gouernors how they should counsell thee And now I will tell thee how thou with them which are few and they with thee beeing one ought to gouerne and maintaine the Common-wealth If thou esteeme much that which I will say vnto thee my sonne Know thou that I will esteeme much more then thou wilt beleeue me for more easily doe wee olde men suffer your iniuries then yee other young men doe receyue our counsels Wisdome wanteth to you for to beleeue vs yet wee want not boldnesse to dishonour you And that which is worst the aged in Rome were wont to haue a chayre of wisdome sagenesse but now a dayes the young men count it a shame and folly The world at this day is so changed from that it was wont to bee in times past that all haue the audacity to giue counsell and few haue the wisedome to receyue it so that they are a thousand which tell counsels and there is not one that buyeth wisedome I beleeue well my sonne that according to my fatall Destenies and thy euill manners little shall that auayle which I shall tell thee for since thou wouldest not credit these words which I spake vnto thee in my life I am sure that thou wilt little regard them after my death But I doe this more to satisfie my desire and to accomplish that which I owe vnto the Common-wealth then for that I hope for any amendment of thy life For there is no griefe that doth so much hurt a person as when hee himselfe is cause of his owne paine If any man doth mee an iniurie if I lay my hands vpon him or speake iniurious words vnto him my heart is forthwith satisfied but if I doe iniurie to my selfe I am he which wrongeth and am wronged for that I haue none on whom I may reuenge my wrong and I vexe and chase with my selfe If thou my sonne bee euill after that thou hast enherited the Empire my mother Rome wil complaine of the gods which haue giuen thee so many euill inclinations Shee will complaine of Faustine thy mother which hath brought thee vp so wantonly she will complaine of thee which hast no will to resist vice but shee shall haue no cause to complaine of the olde man thy Father who hath not giuen thee good counsels For if thou hadst beleeued that which I tolde thee mē would reioyce to haue thee for theyr Lord and the Gods to vse thee as their Minister I cannot tell my sonne if I bee deceyued but I see thee so depriued of vnderstanding so vncertaine in thy words so dissolute in thy manners so vniust in iustice in that thou desirest so hardy and in thy duty so negligent that if thou change and alter not thy manners men will hate thee and the Gods will forsake thee O if thou knewest my sonne what a thing it is to haue men for their enemies and to be forsaken of the gods by the faith of a good man I sweare vnto thee that thou wouldest not onely hate the Seigniorie of Rome but with thy handes also thou wouldest destroy thy selfe For men which haue not the Gods mercifull and the men friendly doe eate the bread of griefe and drinke the teares of sorrow I am sure thy sorrow is not so great to see the night doth end my life as is that pleasure which thou hast to see that in short space thou shalt bee Emperour of Rome And I do not maruell hereat for where sensuality raigneth reason is banished and constrained to flye Many loue diuers things because of truth they know them not the which if they did know without doubt they would hate them Thogh men loue in mockerie the Gods and men hate vs in earnest In all things wee are so doubtfull and in all our works so disordred that at some time our vnderstanding is dull and loseth the edge and another time it is more sharpe then it is necessary Thereby I meane that the good we will not heare and much lesse wee will learne it but of the euill wee know more then behoueth vs or necessitie requireth I will counsell thee my sonne by words that which in sixtie two years I haue learned by science and experience And since thou art as yet so young it is reason that thou beleeue him which is aged For since wee Princes are the mirrour of all euery man doth behold vs and wee other doe not behold our selues This day or to morrow thou shalt enherite the Romane Empire and thinke that inheriting the same thou shalt bee Lord of the world Yet if thou knewest how many cares and perils commaunding bringeth with it I sweare vnto thee that thou wouldest rather choose to obey all then to command one Thou thinkest my sonne that I leaue thee a great Lord for to leaue thee the Empire which is not so for all they haue neede but of thee and thou alone hast neede of all Thou thinkest I leaue thee much treasure leauing thee the great reuenues of the Empire that which also is
offer therin the sacrifice accustomed For wee doe not this honour to the substance wherewith the Temples are made but to the gods to whome they are consecrated I commend vnto thee the veneration of Priests I pray thee though they be couetous auaritious dissolute vnpatient negligent and vitious yet that they bee not dishonoured for to vs others it appertaineth not to iudge of the life they lead as men but wee must consider that they are mediators between the gods and vs. Behold my sonne that to serue the Gods honour the Temples and reuerence the Priests it is not a thing voluntary but verie necessarie for Princes For so long endured the glorie of the Greekes as they were worshippers of their goods and carefull of their temples The vnhappy realm of Carthage was nothing more cowardly nor lesse rich then that of the Romanes but in the ende of the Romaines they were ouercome because they were great louers of their treasures and little worshippers of their Temples I commend vnto thee my sonne Helia thy stepmother and remember though she be not thy mother yet shee hath beene my wife That which to thy mother Faustine thou oughtest for bringing thee into the world the selfe same thou oughtest to Helia for the good entertainement she hath shewed thee And indeed oftentimes I beeing offended with thee shee maintained thee and caused me to forget so that shee by her good wordes did winne againe that which thou by thy euill workes didst lose Thou shalt haue my curse if thou vsest her euill and thou shalt fall into the ire of the Gods if thou agreest that other doe not vse her well For all the damage which shee shall feele shall not bee but for the inconuenience of my death and iniury of thy person For her Dowrie I leaue her the tributes of Hestia and the Orchards of Vulcanus which I haue made to bee planted for her recreation Be thou not so hardy to take them from her for in taking them from her thou shalt shew thy wickednes and in leauing them her thy obedience and in giuing her more thy bounty and liberality Remember my sonne that shee is a Romane woman young and a widdow and of the house of Traiane my Lord that shee is thy mother adoptatiue and my naturall wife and aboue all for that I leaue her recommended vnto thee I commend vnto thee my sons in law whom I will thou vse as parents and friends And beware that thou be not of those which are brethren in words and cousins in workes Bee thou assured that I haue willed so much good to my daughters that the best which were in all the Countries I haue chosen for their persons And they haue beene so good that if in giuing them my daughters they were my sonnes in law in loue I loued them as children I commend vnto thee my sisters and daughters whom I leaue thee all married not with strange Kings but with naturall Senators So that all dwell in Rome where they may doe thee seruices and thou mayest giue them rewards and gifts Thy sisters haue greatly inherited the beauty of thy mother Faustine and haue taken little nature of their Father Marke But I sweare vnto thee that I haue giuen them such husbands and to their husbands such and so profitable counsailes that they would rather lose their life then agree to any thing touching their dishonour Vse thy sisters in such fort that they be not out of fauour for that their aged Father is dead and that they become not proud for to see their brother Emperour Women are of a very tender condition for of small occasion they doe complaine and of lesse they waxe proud Thou shalt keepe them and preserue them after my death as I did in my life For otherwise their conuersation to the people shall bee very noysome and to thee very importunate I commende vnto thee Lipula thy youngest sister which is inclosed within the Virgine Vestals who was daughter of thy mother Faustine whom so dearely I haue loued in life and whose death I haue bewailed vntill my death Euery yeere I gaue to thy sister sixe thousand sexterces for her necessities and indeeed I had married her also if shee had not fallen into the fire and burnt her face For though she were my last I loued her with all my heart All haue esteemed her fall into the fire for euill lucke but I doe count that euill lucke for good fortune For her face was not so burned with coales as her rerenowne suffered perill among euill tongues I sweare vnto thee my sonne that for the seruice of the gods and for the renowne of men she is more sure in the temple with the Vestall Virgins then thou art in the Senate with thy Senators I suppose now that at the end of the iourney shee shall find her selfe better to be enclosed then thou at liberty I leaue vnto her in the prouince of Lucania euery yeare sixe thousand sexterces trauell to augment them for her and not to diminish them I commend vnto thee Drusia the Roman widdow who hath a processe in the Senate For in the times of the commotions past her husband was banished and proclaymed Traytor I haue great pitty of so noble and worthy a widdow for it is now three monethes since shee hath put vp her complaint for the great warres I could not shew her iustice Thou shalt finde my sonne that in 35. yeares I haue gouerned in Rome I neuer agreed that any widow should haue any sute before me aboue eight dayes Be carefull to fauour and dispatch the orphans and widdows for the needy widdow in what place soeuer they be do incur into great danger Not without cause I aduertise thee that thou trauell to dispatch thē so soone as thou mayest and to administer iustice vnto them for throgh the prolonging of beautifull womens suites their honour and credite is diminished so that their businesse being prolonged they shall not recouer so much of their goods as they shall lose of their renowme I commend vnto thee my sonne my olde seruants which with my yong yeeres and my cruell wars with my great necessities with the cumbrance of my body and my long disease haue had great trouble and as faithful seruants oftentimes to ease me haue annoyed themselues It is conuenient since I haue profited of their life that they should not lose by my death Of one thing I assure thee that though my body remaine with the worms in the graue yet before the gods I will remember them And herein thou shalt shew thy selfe to be a good child whē thou shalt recompence those which haue serued thy Father well All Princes which shall do iustice shall get enemies in the execution thereof And sith it is done by the hands of those which are neere him the more familiar they are with the Prince the more are they hated of the people all in generall doe loue
sufficient to protect and defende mee in all my causes And shortly after these words passed betweene tham Marke Anthonie shewed the friendship hee bare to the one and the enmitie hee had to the other For he caused Tullie to be put to death and raysed Salust to great honour A Friend may well imparte to the other all his owne as bread wine money time conuersation and such like but hee cannot notwithstanding giue him part of his heart for that suffereth it not to be parted nor deuided because it cā be giuē but to one alone This graunted to bee true as needs it must doubtles that the heart cannot bee deuided but onely giuen to one then is it of necessitie that hee that will seeke to haue many Friends must needs repaire to the shambles to prouide him of many hearts Many vaunt themselues and thinke it a glory to haue numbers of friends but let such well consider to what vse that legendarie of Friendes doe serue them they shall then easily finde they stand them in no oeher steede but to eate to drinke to walke to babble and to murmure togethers and not one to helpe the other with their goods fauour and credite at their neede nor friendly to reprooue them of theyr faults and vices which doubtles ought not to bee so For where true and perfect friendship raigneth neyther I with my friend nor hee with mee should dissemble any vice of faulte Ouide sayth in his booke De Arte amandi that the law of true and vnfained Loue is so streight that no friendship but mine in thy heart should harbour and in mine should lodge none others loue but thine for loue is none other thing But one heart liuining in two bodyes and two bodyes obeying in one heart In this World there is no treasure comparable to a true and sure Friend sith to a faithfull Friende a man may safely discouer the secrets of his heart bewray vnto him his gryping griefes trusting him with his honour committing to his guyde and custodie all his goods hee shall succour him in his miserie counsell him in perill reioyce at his prosperitie and mourne at his aduersitie And in fine I conclude such a friend neuer wearyeth to serue him in his life nor to lament him after his death I graunt that Golde and Siluer is good Kinsefolkes are good and Money is good but true friends exceede them all without comparison For all these things cannot warrant vs from necessitie if sinister Fortune plunge vs into it but rather encrease our torments and extreamitie Also they doe not reioyce vs but rather heape further griefes vpon vs neither doe they succour vs but rather eache houre giue vs cause to complaine and much lesse do they remember and aduise vs of that that is good but still doe deceyue vs not directing vs the right way but still bringing vs out of our way and when they haue led vs awry out of the High-way they bring vs into Desart woods and high and dangerous mountaines whence from we must fall downe headlong A true friend is no partaker of these conditions but rather hee is sorry for the least trouble that happeneth to his friend hee feareth not neither spareth his goods nor the daunger of his person he careth not to take vpon him any painfull iourney quarrels or sutes nor yet to put his life in euery hazard of death And yet that that is most of all to bee esteemed is that like as the heart and bowels euer burne with pure and sincere loue so doth hee wish and desire with gladsome mind to beare the burthen of all his friends mishaps yea more then yet is spoken of Alexander the Great offered great presents to the Philosopher Zenocrates who would not vouchsafe to receyue them much lesse to beholde them And beeing demaunded of Alexander why he would not receyue them hauing poore kinsfolkes and parents to bestow them on hee answered him thus Truely I haue both brothers and sisters O Alexander yet I haue no kinsman but him that is my friend and one onely friend I haue who hath no need of any gifts to bee giuen him For the onely cause why I chose him to be my sole and only friend was for that I euer saw him spise these worldly things Truly the sentence of this good Philosopher Zenocrates is of no small efficacy for him that will aduisedly consider of it sith that not seldome but many times it happeneth that the great troubles the sundry dangers the continuall necessities and miseries wee suffer in this vale of misery haue for the most part procceded from our parents and afterwards by our friends haue beene mediated and redressed Therefore since wee haue thought it good and necessary to chose a friend and that hee bee but one onely each man must bee wise lest in such choise hee be deceyued For oft times it happeneth that those that take little regarde herein grant their friendship to such a one as is too couetous impatient a great babler seditious and presumptuous and of such conditions that sometimes it should be lesse euill for vs to haue him our enemie then to account of him as of our deer friend Him whom wee will chuse for our faithfull friend amongst other manners and conditions hee must chiefly and before all bee indued with these that he be courteous of nature fayre spoken hard and stout to indure pain patient in troubles sober in diet moderate in his words graue and ripe in his counsels and aboue all stedfast in friendshippe and faithfull in secrets And whom wee shall find with these laudable vertues and conditions adorned him may wee safely take and accept for our friend But if wee see any of these parts wanting in him wee ought to shun him as from the plague knowing for certainety that the friendshippe of a fayned and fantasticall friend is much worse and perillous then the enmity of a knowne and open enemy for to the hands of one wee commit our heart and faith and from the deceites and treasons of the other wee defend our selues with our whole force and power Seneca writing to his deere and faithfull friend Lucillus sayeth vnto him I pray thee O Lucillus that thou order and determine thine affayres by the aduice and counsell of thy friend but also I doe remember thee that first thou see well what manner of friend thou hast chosen thee for there is no marchandise in the world this day that men are so soone beguiled in as they are in the choise of friends Therfore the graue sentence of Seneca wisely wayed wee should assent with him in opinion that sith no man buyeth a Horse but hee first causeth him to bee ridden nor bread but first hee seeth and handleth it nor wine but hee tasteth it nor flesh but first he wayeth it nor corne but hee seeth a sample nor house but hee doth first value it nor Instrument but that first hee playeth on it
world then to be in health No greater pouertie then neuer to haue neede of any thing And there is no greater temptation then to be neuer tempted Nor there can be no greater sadnesse then to be alwayes merry Nor greater daunger then neuer to be in danger For many times it so happeneth that where a man thinketh to passe ouer a dangerous floud safe enough his horse falleth ouer head and eares and drowneth his Master or hee escapeth hardly Socrates being one day demaunded which was the most sure and certaine thing of this life Aunswered thus There is nothing more certain in this life then to account all things vncertaine hee hath nor among Riches any greater then to haue life and health But if the life bee doubtfull and vnquyet what suretie or certaintie may bee found in it Surely none King Agesilaus beeing requested of certaine of his Grecian captains to go see the Olympiade in mount Olympus where all the philosophers did assemble to dispute and where all the Rich men of the countrey came to buy and sell any thing he answered them If in mount Olympus they solde and exchanged sorrow for mirth sicknesse for health honour for infamy and life for death I would not onely goe to see it but I would also spend all that I am worth and that I haue But since the buyer is mortall and the thing also hee buyeth condemned to death I will buye nothing in this life since I can not carrie it with mee into my graue Yet is there another deceipt which the poore Courtyers fall into daylie and that is that in liuing many yeares they think and assuredly belieue in the ende to light of a time when they hope to haue ease and rest which is a mockery to thinke it and extreame madnesse to hope for it For if their years grow by ounce and ounce their sorrowes and troubles encrease by pounds Who can denie but that milke that is kept many dayes doth corrupt and becommeth sower and sharpe Yea the garments that are now very olde and haue beene long worne without that euer moth doth touch it doth in the ende also become rags and dust By this therefore I doe inferre that if it be a most certain thing for young men to dye quickly then much more should olde men be assured that they haue no long time to liue And there are many in the Courts of Princes also that finde themselues so laden with sinnes and wickednesse that they thinke assuredly that in changing their age time and fortune they shall not onely leaue their vices but shall be discharged also of manie grieues and troubles Which we see afterwardes happen contrary to them For there is no way so plaine in this world but there is some ascent or discent for vs to goe vp to the toppe or some Riuer for vs to passe ouer or some terrible mountaine to feare or some crooked ill-fauoured way to loose vs in or some Caue or hole to fall into Those also that thinke certainely that the Sunne cannot lose his light nor that the Moone can be eclipsed nor that the starres may be darkened and that the earth shall not cease to bring forth the seas to flow the water to runne the fire to burne and Winter to be cold let them also bee assured that man cannot bee excused to suffer and abide much For sure it is impossible hee should passe one day without some trouble or sinister hap of Fortune And the greatest trumpery and deceite that Courtiers for the most part are abused in is that the more they waxe in yeares the more they enter dayly into greater affayres and businesse with a vaine hope and assurance they haue to dispatch them and bring them to such end as they list or desire But afterwards when they come to looke into their matters it is the wil of God and their deserts to procure it that the poore old men find when they thinke to goe home to their houses that they see death approach neare them and they afterwardes are carried to be buried in their graues O how many are there in Court that become aged men by long seruing in Court with a vaine hope afterwards in their age to depart from the Court and to repose their aged yeares in their owne houses in quyet and tranquilitie which abuseth them very much So that they may bee called Christians in name and thoughtes but right worldlings and Courtyers in doings And therefore many times I reproued diuers olde Courtyers my Friendes for that they did not leaue the Court when they might haue left it with honour and commoditie tellling them it was more then time now they should depart from the Courte seeing that Age and grauitie had stollen vpon them Who could not tell how to aunswere me nor what to say more then they would within a shorte time goe home to their houses with deliberation and intent to take their ease at home for the better health of their persons which they had not till then and so to seclude them from all doings saue onely in the morning when hee riseth to goe to the Church and serue GOD and from thence to go vnto the Hospitalls to visite the sicke and diseased to seeke out the poore Orphanes and widowes amongst his Neighbours and to make peace between neighbour and neighbour and to relieue the poore And albeit they haue tolde me this tale many a time and ofte yet I neuer sawe any of them put it in execution with good will And I saw once an honorable and rich Courtyer who was so olde that for very Age hee had neuer a blacke haire on his head nor any Teeth in his mouth neyther any Children or Sonnes or Daughters to inherite his good who notwithstanding was of so foolish and phantasticall opinion brought to that kinde of madnesse by his sinnes that he sware vnto me that for the discharge of his Conscience onely hee would neuer leaue or giue vp his Office hee had in Courte to chaunge that seruile trade and course of life for to obtaine his quyet rest at home Thinking assuredly that enjoying rest at home in his owne house hee might easily be damned and abyding the paines and seruice of Court hee belieued vndoubtedly hee should be saued Surely wee may aptly say that this olde Courtyer was more then a Dotard and that hee had marred the call of his conscience since hee belieued that it was a charge of Conscience to depart the court The ambition to do much and the couetousnesse to haue much maketh the miserable Courtyers belieue that they haue yet Time ynough to liue and to repent themselues when they will So that in the Court thinking to liue two yeares onely in their Age good men they liue fiftie and three score yeares naughty and wicked persons Plutarch in his Apothegmes sayth that Eudonius that was Captain of the Greekes seeing Zenocrates reading one day in the vniuersitie of
his euill hap hath made her his enemie which heretofore hee so entirely loued For any man that esteemeth his honour and reputation doth rather feare the euill tongue of such a woman then the sword of his enemy For an honest man to striue and contend with a woman of such quality is eueÌ„ as much as if hee would take vpon him to wash an asses head Therefore hee may not seeme to make account of those iniuries done him or euill words shee hath spoken of him For women naturally desire to enioy the person they loue without let or interruption of any and to pursue to the death those they hate I would wish therefore the fauoured of Princes and such as haue office and dignity in the court that they beware they incurre not into such like errors For it is not fitting that men of honour and such as are great about the Prince should seeme to haue more liberty in vice then any other neyther for any respect ought the beloued of the Prince to dare to keepe company much lesse to haue friendshippe with any such common and defamed women sith the least euill that can come to them they cannot be auoided But at the least hee must charge his conscience trouble his friends waste his goods consume his person and lose his good fame ioining withall these also his concubine to bee his mortall enemy For there is no woman liuing that hath any measure in louing nor end in hating Oh how warily ought all men to liue and specially we that are in the Court of Princes for many women vnder the colour of their authority and office go ofttimes to seeke them in their Chambers not onely as humble suiters to solicite their causes but also liberally to offer them their persons and so by colour to conclude their practises and deuises So that the decision and coÌ„clusion of proces which they faine to solicite shall not goe with him that demaunds there goods of them but rather with him that desires but their persons to spoyle them of theyr honour Now the Princes officers must seeke to be pure and cleane from al these practises of these commoÌ„ strumpets much more from those that are suters to them and haue matters before them For they should highly offend God and commit great treason to the king if they should sende those Women from them that sued vnto them rather dishonored and defamed then honestly dispatched of their businesse And therefore he bindeth himselfe to a maruellous inconuenience that falleth in loue with a woman suter for euen from that instant hee hath receiued of her the sweet delights of loue euen at the present hee bindeth himself to dispatch her quickly and to end all her suites and not without great griefe I speake these words There are many women that come to the Court of Princes to make vnreasonable and dishonest sutes which in the end notwithstanding obtaine their desire And not for any right or reason they haue to it saue onely they haue obtained it through the fauour and credite they haue wonne of the fauoured Courtier or of one of his beloued So as wee see it happen many times that the vniust furnication made her suit iust and reasonable I should lye and doe my selfe wrong me thinkes if I should passe ouer with silence a thing that hapned in the Emperours Court touching this matter in the which I went one day to one of the princes chiefe officers and best beloued of him to solicit a matter of importaÌ„ce which an hostes of mine should haue before him And so this fauoured Courtier and great Officer after hee had hearde of men the whole discourse of the matter for full resolution of the same hee asked mee if shee were yong and fayre and I aunswered him that shee was reasonable fayre and of good fauour Well then sayth he bid her come to mee and I will doe the best I can to dispatch her matter with speede for I will assure you of this that there neuer came fayre woman to my handes but shee had her businesse quickly dispatcht at my hands I haue knowne also many women in the Court so dishonest that not contented to follow their owne matters would also deale with others affayres and gaine in feliciting theyr causes so that they with theyr fine wordes and franke offer of their persons obtayned that which many times to men of honour and great authority was denyed Therefore these great Officers fauoured of Princes ought to haue great respect not onely in the conuersation they haue with these Women but also in the honest order they ought to obserue in hearing their causes And that to bee done in such sort that whatsoeuer they say vnto them may bee secret prouided also the place where they speake with them bee open for other Suiters in like case CHAP. XVIII That the Nobles and Beloued of Princes exceede not in superfluous fare and that they bee not too sumptuous in their meates A notable Chapter for those that vse too much delicacy and superfluitie THe greatest care regard that Nature laide vpon her selfe was that men could not liue without sustinance so that so long as wee see a man eate yea if it were a thousande yeares wee might bee bolde to say that hee is certainely aliue And hee hath not alone layde this burden vpon men but on bruite beasts also For wee see by experience that some feedeth on the grasse in the fieldes some liues in the ayre eating flyes others vpon the wormes in carring others with that they finde vnder the water And finally each beast liueth of other and afterwardes the wormes feede of vs all And not onely reasonable men and brute beasts liue by eating but the trees are nourished thereby and wee see it thus that they in stead of meate receiue into them for nutriture the heate of the Sunne the temperature of the ayre the moisture of the earth any dewe of heauen so that the sustenance for men is called meate and that of plants and trees increase This beeing true therefore that wee haue spoken we must needes confesse that to liue wee must eate and yet withall wee must vnderstand that the sin of gluttony consisteth not in that that wee eate for necessity but only in that that is eaten with a disordinate appetite and desire And sure now a dayes men vse not to eate to content nature but to please their licorous and dainty mouthes Hee that giueth him selfe ouer to the desire of the throate doth not onely offend his stomacke and distemper his body but hurteth also his conscience for all gluttons and drunkards are the children or the brothers of sinne And I speake but little to say that the mouth and sinne are câ—sin Germanes together for by their effects and operations me thinketh them so knit and combined together as the Father and the Sonne Sith burning Leacherie acknowledgeth none other for her mother but onely the infatiable and gurmand throate And
entent that afterwardes suddenly and at vnawares shee may bring vs into some great aduersity By experience dayly we see that the Sea is seldome times calme but immediately there followeth some perillous Tempest The extreame heate of the day doth prognosticate that terrible thunder is the Euentide I meane when Fortune doth flatter vs with her golden pilles it is a token that shee intendeth to catch vs in her snares The Mylner before the banke broken repayreth the dammes The husband man before it raineth thacketh his house fearing the snow and raine that is to come So likewise the sage man ought to cōsider that during this life he hath prosperitie but by leaue and aduersity as by patrimony Marcus Aurelius among all other men was hee that knew how to enioy prosperity and also to preuaile of aduersity Though fortune gaue him much prosperitie yet he neuer trusted therein nor for any troubles that euer he receyued in this life he was at any time abashed CHAP. V. Of the sharpe words which Marcus Aurelius spake to his wife and to his daughter WHen the triumphes before named were finished this good Emperour then beeing willing to vnburden his heart and to aduise Faustine and to teach the yong damosell his daughter and to the end that no man should heare it he called them a part and sayde vnto them these words I am not content Faustine with that thy daughter did nor yet with that which thou hast done being her mother The daughters if they will bee counted for good Children must learne to obey their fathers and the mothers if they will be counted good mothers must learn to bring vp their daughters well When the mother is honest and the daughter shamefast the father is excused in giuing counsell It is great shame to the Father being a man that the Mother beeing a woman should chastife his sonne And this is a great reproach to the mother that the daughter should bee chastised by the hands of any man There was a Law enacted amongst the Rhodians that neyther the Fathers should haue to do with the daughters nor the mothers with the Sonnes but the men vsed to bring vp the men and the women the women And in such wise that they abiding all in one house it seemeth vnto the fathers that they had no daughters and vnto the mothers that they had no sonnes Oh Rome Rome I bewaile thee not to see thy streets vnpaued nor to see thy houses so decayed nor to see thy battlements so fallen downe nor thy timber hewed downe not for the diminishing of the inhabitants for all this Time bringeth and Time taketh away but I weepe for thee againe to see thee vnpeopled of good-fathers and vnprouided in the nourishing of their children Rome beganne to decay when the discipline of Sonnes and Daughters was enlarged and that their bridle was set at libertie For there is now such boldnes in Boyes and so little shamefastnes in Gyrles with dishonestie of the Mothers that whereas one Father sufficed for xx Sonnes and one Mother for xx daughters now xx fathers dare scarcely vndertake to bring vp well one Sonne and xxx Mothers one daughter I say this to you Faustine you remember not how you are a Mother For you giue more libertie to your Daughter then ought to bee suffered And now Lucilla remember not how you are a daughter for you shew to haue more libertie then requireth for a young Maiden The greatest gift that the Gods haue giuen to the Matrones of Rome is because that they are women they keepe themselues close and secret because they are Romanes they are shamefast The day when the women want the feare of the Gods secretlie and shame of men openly beleeue me they shall either faile the world or the world them The common wealth requireth it of great necessity that the women which therein inhabite should bee as honest as the Captaines valiant for the Captaines going to warre defend them and the women which abide at home conserue them As now foure yeares passed you saw this great pestilence and I demaunded then to haue account of the people and I found that of a C. and xl M. honest women lxxx M. dyed and of x. M. dishonest women in a manner they scaped all I cannot tell for which I should weep eyther for the lacke that wee haue of the good and vertuous Women in our common wealth or else for the great hurt and dammages that these euill and wicked women doe to the youth of Rome The fire that burneth in Mount Ethna doth not so much endamage those that dwell in Scicill as one euill woman doth within the walls of Rome A fierce beast and a perillous enemie to the Common wealth is an evill woman for shee is of power to commit all euils and nothing apt to doe any good O how many realmes and Kingdomes reade wee of which by the euill behauiours of one woman haue been lost and to resist against them there hath beene neede both of wisedome perils money and force of many men The vices in a woman is as a green Reede that boweth euery way but the lightnes and dishonesty is as a dry Kyxe that breaketh in such wise that the more euill they vtter the more vnlikely is the amendment therof Beholde Faustine there is no creature that more desireth honour and worse keepeth it then a Woman and that this is true wee see by Iustice by Orations by writing and other Trauells man getteth fame and renowm but without it bee by flattering and faire speaking this houre by auncient wryters we can read of few women or none which eyther by writing reading working with Needle spinning or by weauing haue gotten them any great renowme But euen I say of one so I say of another certainly of diuers we reade by keeping themselues closed in their houses being well occupyed in their busines temperate modest in their wordes faithfull to their Husbandes well-ordered in theyr persons peaceable with their Neighbours and finally for beeing honest amongst their owne Familie and shamefast amongst strangers they haue obtained great renown in their life time and left perpetuall memorie of them after their death I will tell you an ancient history as profitable to restraine your vices as it did then augment vertues which is this The Realme of the Lacedemonians saieth Plato was a long time as dissolute through the vnthriftines of the women-kinde as infamed by the vices of the men So that of all Nations they were both called and esteemed barbarous what time Greece of the Phylosophers was called The Mother of Phylosophers Lycurgus a moste wise Phylosopher in knowledge and a right iust king concerning his gouernāce partly with his doctrine very profitable and partly with his life most pure ordayned Lawes in the said Realm whereby hee expelled all vices and planted all vertues I cannot tell which of these two were most happyest the King hauing so obedient people or else the
and that is without procuring or offering my selfe he Senate of their own Will hath commaunded mee In the eight Table of our auncient laws by these Wordes Wee commaund that in our sacred Senate Charge of iustice bee neuer giuen to him that willinglie offereth him selfe to it but to such as by great deliberation are chosen This is certainely a iust Law for men be now not so vertuous not so louing to the Common wealth that they will forget their own quietnes and rest doing damage to themselues to procure another mans profite There is none so foolish that will leaue his wife children and his owne sweet Countrey to gee into straunge Countries but if hee see himselfe among strange people thinking vnder the colour of iustice to seeke for his owne vtility I say not this without weeping that the Princes with their small study and thought and the Iudges with their couetousnesse haue vndermined and shaken downe the high wals of the policie of Rome O my friend Catullus what wilt thou that I shall say but that our credence so diminisheth our couetousnesse so largely stretcheth our hardinesse so boldneth our shamefastnesse so shamelesse that wee prouide for Iudges to go and rob our neighbours as Captaines against our enemies I let thee to know where as Rome was beloued for chastising the euill now it is as much hated for spoiling the good I doe remember that I reade in the time of Dennis Siracusan that ruleth all Scicill there came an Ambassadour from Rhodes to Rome being of a good age wel learned and valiaunt in armes and right curious to note all things He came to Rome to see the Maiesty of the sacred Senate the height of the high Capitoll enuironed with the Colliset the multitude of Senators the wisedome of the Counsellors the glory of triumphes the correction of the euill the peace of the inhabitants the diuersity of Nations the aboundance of the mantenance the order of the offices And finally seeing that Rome was Rome hee was demaunded how hee thought thereby He answered and sayde O Rome at this present world thou art ful of vertuous and wise men hereafter thou shalt bee furnished with fooles Loe what high and very high words were these Rome was seuen hundred yeares without any house of fooles and now it hath beene three hundred yeares without any wise or vertuous man Looke what I say it is no mockery but of truth if the pittifull Gods now a dayes did raise our predecessors from death to life eyther they would not know vs for their children or else they would attach vs for fooles These be things vsed in Rome but thou sendest no word of that is vsed in Agripine I will write nothing vnto thee to put thee to paine write to me some thing to reioyce me if thy wiâ—e Dimisila chanced well of the flote that came out of Cetin with salt oyle and honey I haue well prouided for her Wilt thou know that Flodius our vncle was cast downe by the rage of his horse and is deceased Laercia and Colliodorus are friendes together by occasion of a marriage I doe sende thee a Gunne I doe pray to the gods to send thee ioy thereof My wife Faustine saluteth thee Recommend mee to Iamiro thy sonne The Gods haue thee in keeping and and sinister fortune bee from me Marcus thy friend to thee Catullus his own CHAP. VII Marcus Aurelius writeth to the amorous Ladies of Rome MArk Orator reading in Rhodes the art of humanity to you amorous Ladies of Rome wisheth health to your persons and amendmeÌ„t of your desired liues It was written to mee that at the Feast of the mother Berecinthia all you being present together made a play of mee in which you layed my life for an example and slaundred my Renowne It is tolde mee that Auilina composed it Lucia Fuluia wrote it and thou Toringua did sing it and you altogether into the Theater did present it You brought mee forth painted in sundry formes with a booke in my hand turned contrary as a fained Philosopher with a long tongue as a bold speaker without measure with a horn in my head as a common Cuckolde with a nettle in my hand as a trembling louer with a banner fallen down as a coward Captaine with my beard halfe shauen as a feminate man with a cloth before my eyes as a condemned foole and yet not content with this another day yee brought mee foorth portracted with another new deuise Yee made a figure of mine with feete of straw the legges of amber the knees of wood the thighes of brasse the belly of horne the armes of pitch the hands of mace the head of yron the eares of an Asse the eyes of a Serpent the heares of rootes â—agged the teeth of a catte the tongue of a Scorpion and the forehead of lead in which was writteÌ„ in two lines these letters M. N. S. N. I. S. V. S. which in my opinion signifieth thus This picture hath not so many mettals as his life hath changes This done yee went to the riuer and tyed it with the head downwarde a whole day and if it had not beene for the good Lady Messelyne I thinke it had beene tyed there till now And now yee amorous Ladies haue written mee a Letter by Fuluius Fabritius which grieued me nothing but as an amorous man from the handes of Ladies I accept it as a mockery And to the end I should haue no leysure to thinke thereon yee sent to demaund a question of me that is if I haue found in my bookes of what for what from whence when for whom and how women were first made Because my condition is for to take mockes for mockes and sith you doe desire it I will shew it vnto you Your friendes and mine haue written to mee but especially your Ambassador Fuluius hath instantly required mee so to doe I am agrieued with nothing and will hold my peace sauing to your letter onely I will make aunswere And sith there hath been none to aske the question I protest to none but to you amorous Ladies of Rome I send my aunswere And if an honest Lady will take the demaund of you it is a token that shee doth enuie the office that yee bee of For of a truth that Lady which sheweth her selfe annoyed with your paine openly from henceforth I condemne her that shee hath some fault in secrete They that bee on the Stage feare not the roaring of the Bull they that bee in the Dungeon feare not the shot of the Canon I will say the woman of good life feareth no mans slaunderous tongue The good Matrons may keepe mee for their perpetuall seruant and the euill for their chiefe enemie I aunswere It is expedient you know of what the first women were made I say that according to the diuersities of Nations that are in the world I find diuers opinions in this case The Egyptians say that when the tiuer Nilus brake and ouerranne the
against the Romaines who without cause or reason had conquered his Countrey Approouing mainifestly that through offending the Gods they had thus preuayled And the Oration is diuided into chapt 3. fol. 362. ch 4. fol 366. And ch 5. f 366 That Princes and Noble-men ought to be very circumspect in choyce of their Iudges and Officers because therein consisteth the benefite of the weale publique chapt 6. fol 373 Of a Letter which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius wrote to his friend Antigonus answering an other which hee sent him out of Scicile concerning the crueltie exercised by the Romaine Iudges The letter is diuided in chap 7. fol 379. cha 8. fol. 381. chap 9. fol. 385 chapt 10. fo 387 cha 11. fol. 391 An exhortation of the Authour vnto great Princes and Noble-men to embrace peace and to auoyde all occasions of warre chap 12 fol. 394 Of the commodities which ensue by peace declaring that diuers Princes vppon light occasions haue made cruell warres chap 13 fol. 397 The Emperour Marcus Aurelius wryteth to his friende Cornelius wherein hee describeth the discomodities which come by warres and the vanitie of Triumphes Chap 14 fol. 406 Marcus Aurelius proceedeth on further in his letter declaring the order which the Romains vsed in setting forth their men of warre And of the outragious villainyes which Captaines and Souldiours vse in warre chap 15 fo 408 The Emperours further pursuite in the same letter shewing what great dammages haue ensued by warre begun with strange and forraigne Realmes ch 16 fo 409 Ad admonition of the Author to Princes and great Lordes to the intent that the more they growe in yeares the more they stād bound to refrain frō vices ch 17. 415 That Princes whē they are aged should be temperate in eating sober in drinking modest in apparel aboue al things else true in their cōmunication ch 18. fo 418 Of a letter written by the Emperour M. Aurelius to Claudius Claudinus reprouing them being olde men because they liued ouer youthfully chap 19 fo 423 A prosecution of the Emperours letter perswading Claudius and Claudinus beeing now aged to giue no more credite to the world nor to any of his deceiptfull flatteries chap 20. fol 430 A further continuation of the Emperour in the same Letter approouing by good reasons that in regard aged persons will bee serued and honoured of younger people they ought therefore to be more vertuous and honest then they of younger degree chap 21. fol 433 The Emperours conclusion of his Letter shewing what perills those olde men liue in that dissolutely like young Children spend their dayes And he giueth wholesome councell vnto them for better means and remedy therof ch 22. 438 How Princes ought to take heede that they bee not noted guiltie of Auarice because the Couetous man is hated both of God and man ch 24 441 Great reasons to discommend the vices of couetous men ch 24 444 Of a letter which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius wrote to his friend Cincinnatus who being a Romaine Knight became a Marchaunt of Capua reproouing such Gentlemen as take vppon them the trade of Marchaundise contrarie to their owne vocation declaring what vertuous men ought to vse and the vices which they ought to shunne instructing also how to despise the vanities of the world And although a man bee neuer so wise yet hee shall haue neede of another mans councell ch 25. fol 447. c. 26. fo 449. c. 27. 451. A perswasion to Princes great Lords to shunne couetousnes and to become liberall bountifull which vertue should alwayes appertaine to a Royall personage chap 28 fol. 454 A perswasion to Gentlemen and such as follow Armes not to abase themselues for gaynes-sake in taking vpon them any vile office or function ch 29 458 Of a Letter which the Emperour wrote to his Neighbour Mercurius a Marchant of Samia instructing men in those daungers which ensue by traffique on the Seas and the couetousnes of them that Trauell by Land chap 30 461 The conclusion of the Emperours Letter reprouing Mercurius because he tooke thought for the losse of his goods Shewing him the nature of Fortune and conditions of couetous men ch 31 fol 464 That Princes and Noble-men ought to consider the miserie of mans nature And that brute Beasts are in some pointes reason excepted to bee preferred with men chapt 32. fol. 466 A further comparison of the miseryes of men with the liberty of beasts ch 33. 469 A letter of the Emperour M. Aurelius to Domitius a cittizen of Capua comforting him in his Exile being banished for a quarrell betweene him and an other about the running of a Horse Comfortable for such as haue bin in great fauour afterward falne into disgrace ch 34 fo 474 That princes and Noble men ought to be aduocates for widdowes fathers of Orphans and helpes to the comfortlesse chap. 35 479 That the troubles sorrowes and griefes of widdows are much greater then those of Widdowers wherefore Princes and Noble men ought to haue more compassion vpon such women then men ch 36 fol. 462 Of a letter which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius wrote to a Romane Lady named Lauinia comforting her in her husbands death ch 37 486 A perswasion to widdowes to depend onely vpon Gods will and exhorting them to liue honestly chap. 38 489 That Princes and Noble men ought to despise the world because there is nothing in it but plaine deceit ch 39 493 A vehement inuectiue against the deceites of the world with a further proofe by strong and weightie reasons perswading all men that liue in the world not to trust it or any thing therein verefied by a letter of the Emperour to his friend Torquatus chap. 40. 41. 42. fol. 498. 501. 504 Princes and Nobles ought not to beare with Iuglers Iesters parasites and cōmon players nor with any such kind of rascals and loyterers And of the Lawes which the Romanes made especially on that behalfe chap. 43 507 How some Iesters were punished by our graue Ancients and of the Iesters loyterers in our time chap 44. 510 Of a letter which the Emperour wrote to Lambartus his friend then Gouernour of Hellespont certifying him that hee had banished from Rome all fooles and loy terieg players a notable lesson for them that keepe counterfeit fooles in their houses chap. 45 514 Marcus Aurelius proceedeth on in his letter declaring how he found the Sepulchres in Hellespont of many learned philosophers whereunto he sent all those loiterers chap. 46 517 The Letters conclusion relating the cause and time why and when Iuglers Iesters were admitted into Rome ch 47. 520 How Princes and Noble men ought to remember that they are mortall and must die with notable consolations against the feare of death chap. 48. 522 Of the death of the Emperour Marcus Aurelius and how there are few friendes that dare speake the truth to sicke men chap. 40 527 Of the comfortable wordes which the Secretarie Panutius spake to the
his arme so that from thence forwards hee could not put on his gowne nor draw his sword and much lesse carrie a staffe The good Empreour being so loaden with yeres and no lesse with cares the sharpe Winter approching more and more great aboundance of water and snow fell about the Tents so that another disease fell vpon him called Litargie the which thing much abated his courage and in his Hoast caused great sorrow For he was so beloued of all as if they had been his owne Children After that he had proued all medicines and remedyes that could bee found and all other things which vnto so great and mightie Princes were accustomed to be done he perceyued in the end that all remedie was past And the reason heereof was because his sicknes was exceeding vehement and hee himselfe very aged the Ayre vnwhol-some and aboue all because sorrowes and cares oppressed his hart Without doubt greater is the disease that proceedeth of sorrowe then that which proceedeth of the Feuer quartaine And thereof fensueth that more easily is hee cured which of corrupt humours is full then hee which with profound thoughts is oppressed The Emperour then beeing sicke in his chamber and in such sort that hee could not exercise the feates of armes as his men ranne out of their Campe to skyrmish and the Hungarians in like manner to defend the fight on both sides was so cruell through the great effusion of bloud that neither the Hungarians had cause to reioyce nor yet the Romaines to be merrie Vnderstanding the euill order of his and especially that v. of his Captaines were slaine in the conflict and that he for his disease could not bee there in person such sorrows pierced his hart that although he desired forthwith to haue dyed yet hee remained 2. dayes and 3. nights without that hee would see light or speak vnto any man of his So that the heat was much the rest was small the sighes were continuall and the thyrst very great the meate little and the sleepe lesse and aboue all his face wrinckled and his lips very blacke Sometimes he cast vp his eyes and at other times he wrong his hands alwayes hee was silent and continually hee sighed His tongue was swollen that hee could not spit and his eyes very hollow with weeping So that it was a great pittie to see his death and no lesse compassion to see the confusion of his pallace and the hinderance of the warre Many valiant captains many noble Romaines many faithfull seruants and many old friends at all these heauines were present But none of them durst speake to the Emperour Marke partly for that they tooke him to be so sage that they knewe not what counsell to giue him and partely for that they were so sorrowful that they could not refraine their heauie teares For the louing and true Friendes in their life ought to bee beloued and at theyr death to be bewailed Great compassion ought men to haue of those which dye not for that we see them dye but because there are none that telleth them what they ought to doe Noble Princes and great Lords are in greater perill when they dye then the Plebeyans For the counseller dare not tell vnto his Lorde at the houre of death that which hee knoweth and much lesse will tell him how he ought to die and what things hee ought to discharge whiles hee is aliue Manie goe to visite the sicke that I would to GOD they went some other where And the cause heereof is that they see the sicke mans eyes hollowe the flesh dryed the armes without flesh the colour enflamed the ague continuall the paine great the tongue swollen nature consumed and besides all this the house destroyed and yet they say vnto the sicke man Be of good cheere I warrant you you shall liue As young men naturallie desire to liue and as death to all olde men is dreadfull so though they see themselues in that distresse yet they refuse no Medecines as though there were great hope of life And therof ensueth oftentimes that the miserable creatures depart the worlde without confessing vnto GOD and making restitutions vnto men Oh if those which doe this knewe what euill they doe For to take away my goods to trouble my person to blernish my good name to slaunder my parentage and to reproue my life these works are of cruell enemies but to bee occasion to lose my soule it is the works of the diuell of hell Certainly hee is a Diuell which deceyueth the sicke with flatteryes and that in steed to helpe him to dye well putteth him in vain-hope of long life Herein hee that sayeth it winneth little and he that beleeueth it aduentureth much To mortall men it is more meete to giue counselles to reform their consciences with the truth then to hazard their houses with lyes With our friends wee are ashamelesse in their life and also bashfull at their death The which ought ought not to be so For if our Fathers were not dead and that wee did not daylie see these that are present die mee thinketh it were a shame and also a feare to say to the sicke that hee alone should die But since thou knowest as well as he and he knoweth as well as thou that all doe trauell in this perillous iourney what shame hast thou to say vnto thy friend that hee is now at the last point If the dead should now reuiue how would they complain of their friends And this for no other cause but for that they would not giue them good counsell at their death For if the sicke man bee my Friend and that I see peraduenture he will dye Why shall not I counsell him to prepare himselfe to dye Certainly oftentimes we see by experience that those which are prepared and are ready for to dye doe escape and those which thinke to liue doe perish What should they doe which goe to visite the sicke perswade them that they make their Testaments that they confesse their sinnes that they discharge their conscience that they receyue the Communion and that they do reconcile themselues to their enemies Certainely all these things charge not the launce of death nor cut not the threed of life I neuer saw blindenesse so blinde nor ignorance so ignorant as to be ashamed to counsell the sicke that they are bound to do when they are whole As we haue sayd here aboue Princes and great Lords are those aboue all others that liue and dye most abusedly And the onely cause in this that as their Seruants haue no hearts to perswade them when they are merrie so haue they no audacity to tell them truth when they are in perill For such seruants care little so that their masters bequeath them any thing in their willes whether they die well or liue euill O what miserie and pitie is it to see a Prince a Lord a gentleman and a rich person die if they haue no
apparrelled like Priests Haman was also very familiar with the King Assuerus and although all those of his Realme did him great seruice and that strangers had him in great veneration and did honor him maruellously yet was there a glorious Mardocheus that would neuer do him reuerence nor once put off his cappe to him by reason whereof this Haman that was in so great fauour commaunded a gybbet of fifty yardes high to bee set vppe for Mardocheus whom hee would haue hanged on that gibbet to be reuenged on him for the iniury he had done him But the Diuine wil of God was such and fortune did permit it that on the same Gallowes Hamon thought to haue put Mardocheus to death on the selfe same himselfe was hanged Themistocles and Aristides were 2. famous men among the Greekes and because they were both great Princes and Philosophers and had in great reputation of all those that knew them there was such a secret emulation and ambition betweene them the one to raigne ouer the other that both aspiring each to commaund other there followed great disorders and oppressions of the subiects of their Common-Weale Wherefore Themistocles moued with pitty and compassion of so great a Tirant which for their sakes their Common weale endured one day in the Market place before all his people with a loude voyce hee spake these words Know you O you people of Athens that if you doe not lay handes on my exceeding presumption and on the ouer great ambition of Aristides that our Gods will bee offended the temples will fall down to the hard foundation our treasures will bee consumed our selues destroyed and our common weales brought to vtter ruine and decay Therefore once againe good people I say bridle these our inordinate and vnspeakeable affections betime lest the reines layde in our neckes be runne too farre O golden wordes of a Prince and worthie eternall fame Lucanus also when hee would reproue the pride and presumption of the Romane Princes sayde that Pompey the great could neuer abide to haue any for his companion or equall with him within Rome And Iulius Caesar also wold neuer suffer that there should bee any greater in the Worlde then himselfe And therefore to discourse a little of this abominable and horrible vice of pride we haue not without great reason layde before you these approued examples before wee beginne to reproue it For in al things the examples wee shew you are wont to moue vs more then the reasons we seeme to tell you of For that which I haue seene for that I haue read and for that I haue heard say also of others I am most assured and resolued therof that by the onely cause of this wicked sinne of pride proceedeth the ruine and vtter decay of all our greatest things and affayres of this life for by all other sinnes a man may indeede discend and decline from his degree and state of honour and estimation but by this onely sinne hee cannot chuse but hee must fall downe flat to the ground They finde out the middest and center of the earth the depth of the sea and the highest toppes of Riphey Mountaines the end of the great mount Caucasus and the beginning of the great floud Nile and only the little heart of man touching desire to rule and commaund can neuer finde ende The insatiable couetousnesse is such that it cannot bee contented with the things wee haue but onely with those wee repute of lesse price Likewise Ambition pride to commaund cannot bee contained within boundes but onely by obeying For neuer no vice can haue end if hee that haue it doe not leaue it and banish it from him After Alexander the Great had conquered all Asia and had subdued the great India he was one day reproued of the great Philosopher Anacharses who tolde him these words Sith thou art now O Alexander Lord of the earth why doest thou weary thy selfe so much in thy affayres as no paine seemeth troublesome to thee To whom Alexander answered Thou hast tolde mee many times Anacharses that besides this world there are also three others And if it bee so as thou sayest how great a reproach and infamy it were to me that being three other worlds I should bee Lord but onely of one Therefore I doe dayly sacrifice to the Gods that though they take mee out of the life of this World yet at least they will not deny mee of so glorious a conquest I confesse that the Scriptures excepted I haue no wordes so rise in memorie as these whereby may easily be perceyued that for to quiet and to content a proud and haughty heart the seigniorie of the whole World is not yet sufficient and how ended the pride of this glorious prince euen thus Hee that hoped for to conquere and to bee Lorde of three other Worldes did not rule this one onely aboue three yeares Wee may boldly say this and sweare it and may also plainely proue it to any that desire to see it that he wanteth both wit and knowledge that taketh vppon him to bee proud and presumptuous For the more hee looketh into himselfe and reconsidereth and considereth his state and calling and what he is hee shall finde in him a thousande occasions fitte to humble him but neuer a one onely to make him proude and naughty How great rich mighty noble and worthy soeuer the person be euery time that wee happen to see him and that we haue no acquaintance of him And that we desire to know what hee is wee doe not aske of what Element of what Sea of what Fire of what Planet of what Climat of what Sunne of what Moone nor of what ayre but onely of what Countrey hee is of and where he was born For wee are all of the earth wee liue in the earth and in the end wee haue to turne into the earth as to our naturall thing If the Planets and the beasts could helpe vs with the Instrument and benefite of the tongue they would take from vs the occasions of vaine glory For the starres woulde say that they were created in the firmament the Sunne in the Heauens the birdes in the ayre the Salamander in the fire and the fish in the water but onely the vnhappy man was made of earth and created in the earth So that in that respect wee cannot glory to haue other kinsfolke neerer to vs then are the wormes the flyes and horse-flyes If a man did consider wel what he were hee would assertaine vs that the fire burns him water drowns him the earth wearies him the ayre troubles him the heate grieues him the colde hurtes him and the day is troublesome to him the night sorrowfull hunger and thirst makes him suffer meate and drinke filles him his enemies dayly follow him and his friendes forget him So that the time a man hath to liue in this wretched world cannot be counted a life but rather a long death The first day wee
see one borne the selfe same we may make reckoning that he beginnes to dye and although that person liued amongst vs a hundred yeares after in this world wee should not say therefore that he liued a long time but onely that he tarried a great time to dye Therefore that person that hath his life tyed to so many tributes I cannot deuise or thinke with my selfe why or wherfore he should be proud But now returning againe to our purpose let vs say exhort the seruants and familiars of Princes that they take heede they bee not proude and presumptuous For it seldome hapneth that the fauoured of Kinges and Princes fall out of fauour and credite for that they haue or can doe much nor for that they craue and desire much but for that they are too bold and presume too much For in the Court of Kings and Princes there is nothing more hurtfull and lesse profitable then pride presumption For oft times the ouerweening of the Courtier and the foolish vaine pride and reputation he hath of himselfe bringes him to bee in the Princes disgrace and makes the people also to be offended and angry with him For till this day wee neuer saw nor heard tell of any that euer got into the Princes fauour and credite for that he was proude and high minded but onely for that hee hath shewed himselfe an humble obedient courteous louing and a faithfull seruant I would bee of this minde that the Courtier that seeth hee is receyued into fauour in the Princes Courte should euer waxe better in seruing well then grow worse in presuming too much And I dare boldly say affirm that it is a meere point of Follie by his pride and rashnesse to loose all that in one day that by great good Fortune hee hath attained vnto in many yeares And though that the Fauoured Courtyer subiect possible to his Fantasticall humour be somtimes ouercome with choler or carnall desire drawne with auarice and addicted to the gorge enuironned with enuie plunged in slouth and ydlenes or some other vice and imperfection it shall not skill much neyther be any great wonder since all mankinde is subiect to those passions and neyther the Prince nor the Commonweale will reckon much of that For of all these faultes and vices there can come no greater hurte vnto him saue only that the common people would murmure against him But his pride and Peacockes glorie once knowne and espied euery man casteth his eyes vppon him to beholde his Princely gate and curseth him in word and deede Therefore let a man bee in as great fauour as hee can deuise to be as worthy Noble Rich and of as great power and authority as hee desireth to be I neuer saw any ill in all my life if with all these vertues hee were prowde and high-minded but in the ende he was persecuted of manie and hated and enuyed of all For those that are in greatest fauor about the Prince haue secret enemies enough to hinder theyr credite although they doe not purchase nowe to accuse them of their pride and presumption And as we are taught by experience the burning coale cannot onely be kept aliue except it bee couered with the hote ymbers thereon I meane that the fauour of the Prince cannot bee long maintained without good bringing vppe and ciuill manners gentle conuersation and Familiaritie The great men of authoritie about the Prince runne eftsoones into great and many dangers and this happeneth because they would not bee reproued in any thing whatsoeuer they doe much lesse heare any words that should displease them neyther can they abide to be tolde of their faultes much lesse suffer to bee corrected for them Neyther doe they suffer willingly to be counselled in any thing be it of neuer so great weight importance neyther would they haue any companion with them in fauour with the Prince but they desire to be both on the right hand of the Prince and on the left still they onely would be the fauored of the prince and none other aspyring to gouerne them in all theyr doings and to bee thought and reputed the sole and onely rulers of the affayres of the prince and his common-weale and to be belieued in all things of the prince and to be obeyed also of the common-people Those therefore that are continually resident in the Courts of princes and that haue the chiefest roomes and Offices in the Court let them well consider and keepe in memorie this one word which I will tell them And that is this as followeth That the first day they take vppon them to bee superintendents and gouernors of the Common-weale euen in the selfe-same day they shall put in hazard their honour fauour and credit how great soeuer they be For with great difficulty are the least things the prince himselfe comandeth executed or done in his Realme or Common-weale and therefore may the fauored of the Court see how much more hard it is for him to rule as sole and absolute Lord the affaires of the Realme and to be obeyed in the Commonweal since the King himselfe cannot doe it by his Regall authoritie And therfore the lesse he shall desire to meddle with the affaires of the people the more shall he liue in quiet and contented For naturally the common people are so vnstable and vncertaine in their doings vnthankefull of benefites receyued and so ingratefull of a good turne done them that the beloued of the Court or any other person in fauour with the Prince can neuer doe any thing for the people be it neuer so well but they will speake ill and mislike of him and find fault with some of his doings It is impossible that those that will commaund many thinges in the Court of Princes should alwayes doe their things so but they should somtime tread awry And admit their faultes bee but light and of small moment yet they may bee assured there will be enough that will both open them to the common weale and tell them also secretly to the Prince alone For those that seeke to diuorce the fauored of the Court from the Prince doe not complaine or finde fault for that they are more in fauour with the Prince then others but they will shew they take it in ill part they haue more authority and commaund then others in the Common-weale Saying that by meane of their place and authority and vnder colour of good zeale to minister iustice they giue commonly foule and iniurious words farre vnfit for the authority of the person and worthinesse of the place so that it cannot be otherwise chosen but that continuing this disorder they must needes make the king suspect them and besides that bring a discorde betwixt the king and those that hee fauoureth and make him maruellously offended with them For in the end Princes would alwayes be serued and obeyed but not ruled and commanded And it is a most true saying Ouer-much familiaritie breedeth contempt which
described Cares that are incident to them that hoorde vp riches Deceyuers neuer go vnpunished either in this life or the other A good counsell to reframe froÌ„ couetousnes Couetousnes alwayes accursed A saying of Pisistratus the Tyrant The opinioÌ„ of the Philosopher Lido concerning a couetous man A custome among the Lumbards worthy to be noted and followed Couetousnes in great personages a greater blemish theÌ„ in the poore The safetie of Princes consists in the loue of his subiects A Question lemau ded of great Alaxander his answere An olde prouerbe A worthy â—aying of the Emperour Seuerus The prayse of King Ptolomeus A wise saying of King Ptolomeus A worthy saying of Titus the Emperour A worthy saying of great Alex to king Darius A worthy saying of Phocion the phylosopher Great difference betweene the ancieÌ„t warriours these of our times An ancient custome among the Romanes A Letter of the Emperour to Mercurius What profiteth it a man to couet much since his day â—s are so short Riches neuer letteth man be in quiet Socrates teacheth vs how to esteeme the goods of this world The conclusion of the Emperours letter shewing the nature of couetous men A superscriptio written ouer the gates of the King of Lacedemonia The vices of Rome and Alexandria layd open What it is that couetous men doe long for in this life The tyranny of Mydas described The answere of the Oracle concerning the life of King Mydas Conference betweene Mydas and the Philosopher Silenus The speech of the Philosopher Silenus A worthy thing to bee considered of among Christians A worthy saying of Eschynes the Philosopher Beasts more prouicent in their kinde then man The miserable estate of man in his infancy Nature of men and beasts compared both together The cares troubles that followe man in this life Man of all other creatures subiect to dangers Brute beasts an instrument to punish man Malitious men worse then brure beasts We ought not to regard where our dead corpes are enterred A Letter of the Emperour to a banished man When good orders were obserued in Rome The time when good orders were broken in Rome The reason that Domitius was banished A worthy speech of Seneca to his mother Albina How little wee ought to regard the flatteries of forune Alexaander the great after his so many conquests dyed by poyson How quickly sodaine death ouertaketh many men How carefull men ought to be to liue wel A worthy example of an AtheniaÌ„ King A good custome among the ancient Romanes A rebuke of a frieÌ„d more acceptable then the slattring words of foes The pittifulnes of the Emperour Claudius The speech â—t King Alexander to king Darius Wherefore the worthie Anthoninus was renowm d. A worthy saying of the Emp worthy to be followed How accessarie it is for a wife to be in her owne house A custome vsed by widdowes in ancient times What a coÌ„fort a good husband is to a woman The care that Worldlings haue Sorrowes that women haue in bringing vp their children A saying of Seneca Troubles and cares incident to Widdowes 〈…〉 An ancient Law amoÌ„g the Carthagenians The life vertues of Claudinus described How little this life is to bee respected How little we ought to esteeme of this life MeÌ„ in their kinde more cruell then beasts The prosecutioÌ„ of the Emperours letter to widowes The dutie that euery Christian â—â—eth to God A custome vsed by the Romains in visiting widdowes A custome vsed among the Romane widowes An admonition of the Emperour to widowes to leaue off mourning 〈…〉 What punishment ought to be inflicted vpon a widow of light behauiour The opinion of sundry Philosophers of the description of the world 〈…〉 The deceitfulnes of the world layd open A worthy saying of K. SalomoÌ„ Nothing in this worlde but vanitie The vaine hope of the worldly minded man The speech of the Emp Traian The answer of Plutarch How little we ought to esteeme the flatteries of the world The inconstancie of the world How the world deceiueth sinfull men The vaine opinion of the worldly minded meÌ„ How suddeÌ„ly Death assaulteth vs comfor◠〈…〉 if the Emp Marc Aur. How a true friend is to be knowne The loue of Marcus Aurelius to his friend The considerations that euery man ought to haue A worthy saying of Plato No man in safety to long as hee liueth in this world The Emperour perswedeth meÌ„ to trust in the world What the world is compared vnto How malicious vnconstaÌ„t the world is Fortune Nature two contrary enemyes Doe what thou canst at last the world will deceyue thee Examples of the vncoÌ„stancy of the world Plutarch commendeth the Lacedemonians in obseruing their lawes A saying of Plutarch The laws of Plutarche Wherfore the Romans esteemed Fencers An ancient custome among the Romaines The reason wherefore the RomaÌ„s allowed Iesters Allowance giuen by the Romans to Iuglers The difference betweene Roscio the Iester and Cicero A good and ancient Law amoÌ„g the Lacedemonians Punishment infflicted by Augustus vpon a Iester An other worthy sentence of the Emperour Augustus The vanity of men in maintaining Iesters such idle persons How necessarie it is to bee beneficiall to the poore How hatefull Iesters and loyterers ought to be in a Common-wealth A custome vsed by the Romanes worthy to be vsed of euery Nation The cause wherefore the Emperour wrote this letter The Emperour bewayleth the folly of the Romanes Such company as meÌ„ haunt the same shall they shew in their life To what sorts of people men ought to giue to eate The Emp coÌ„mendeth the isle of Helespont How reuerently the Sages were esteemed in former time The noble minded respect antiquities What vnloked for mischiefes arise at such meetings The reason wherefore the Emperour banished fooles and loyterers The reward a poore Philosopher had for speaking truth Idlenes the mother of all vices The folly of fooles ought to be contemned of the wise The great riches of two Parasites The property of Iuglers A true patterne for good and vertuous children Death the best gift that can be giuen to mortall men How little we ought to esteeme of Death Comforts against the feare of death A Question of Plato demaunded of Socrates A question demanded of Cato his answer A worthie sentence of Seneca A sentence of Plinie A worthie speech of the Emp Theodose None ought to procrastinate or deny their amendment A great discouragemeÌ„t to loâ—e so worthie a personage Extreame sorrows oppressed the good Emp M Aur. Men ought to prouide a cleare conscience to depart this life c. Good counsell against the feare of death Wise men prepare theÌ„selues before death Death terrible to all men Repentance not to be omitted What care is had to inherit transitory goods The worthy secretary Panurius his speech The reason why men studie is to learne to liue well Stedfastnes of minde is commendable The words of a wise man workes strange effects How loath great
men are to die Too much merriment in life breedeth woe in death A custome of the Grecians and Romains Wise men do outwardly dissemble inward griefes The custoÌ„e of many widowes There are two things that grieue men at their death The same order that Time keepeth man ought to follow This transitory life not worth the desiring Man neuer happy till death The trauell of death is harder then all the trauell of life The cause why men feare death He giues best counsel to the sorrowfull that is himselfe likewise tormented The occasion why Aurelius tooke his death heauily Children brought vp in liberty wantonnes easily fals into vices It is perillous to be adorned with naturall giftes to want requisite vertues What parents should glory of in their children Many yong vicious princes in Rome The cruell inscription in Coligulaes brooch The cruelty of Nero to his Mother They seldome mend that are vicious in youth The difference betweene the poore and the rich in death Vicious children by an ancient law disinherited Fiue things that oppressed Marcus Aurelius heart The counsell of the Emperour to his sonne Comodus What words cannot doe treason will The sinnes of a populous Cittie not to be numbred As vice intangleth the vicious so vertue cleaneth to the vertuous Disobedience of children is their vndoing Ripe counsell proceedeth from the aged The pastime that Princes should seeke Princes are to accompanie Ancient men All young men are not light nor all olde men sage Princes that rule many must take counsell of many Weighty affayres are to be dispatched by counsell Whose couÌ„sell is to be refused The marks of an vndiscreet prince or ruler It is more perillous to iniure the dead then the liuing The duty of a thankefull child Ministers are to bee honoured of all men A good admonition for children how to vse their stepmothers Women are of a tender condition Princes that doe iustice doe get enemies in the execution thereof The Emperour here concludeth his speech and endeth his life Death altereth all things Deferring of the punishment is not the pardoning of the fault The wisedome of God in disposing his gifts A Table of good counsell The painefull iourney the Philosophers booke to viâ—â—t good â—en The properties of a true friende What Loue is A remarkeable saying of Zenocrates Great eate is to bee had in choosing a friend The saying of Seneca touching frindship Good workes doe maruellously cheare the heart The times past better then the times present A question demaunded by the Emperour Augustus of Virgil and his answere Sinne is not so pleasaot in the committing as it is likesome in the remembraÌ„ce Good counsell for all men especially for Courtiets Christians are in all things to be prefered before all others What the Author or wryter of books should ayme at A wise man reserueth some time for his profite and recreation Leâ—rned men greatly honored in times past The letter of K. Phili to Aristol at the birth of his sonne Alexander The benefite that accreweth by companying with wise men They are oft times most known that least seeke acquaintaÌ„ce No misery comparable to that of the Courtier Why this name Court was adhibited to the Pallace of Princes It is more difficult to bee a Courtier then a religious person Many a Courtier spends his time all The life of aâ— Courtier an open penance The Courtier is abridged of his liberty An honest hart is more greeued to shew his misery then to suffer it The Courtyer subiect to much trouble What epences the Courtier is at The misery that Courtiers are subiect vnto How Courtyers ought to order their expences The trouble courtyers haue with Friends The griefe of thâ— courtyer that caÌ„not pleasure his friend The mishaps of the Court are more then the fauors The Courtier wanteth many things hee would haue Few purchase fauor in the court A speech of Lucullus and may well bee applyed to euery Courtier Courtiers are rather grieued then relieued with the princely pompes of the Court. The particular troubles of theÌ„ which follow the Court. The Ambition of the Courtyers Many rather glory to be right Courtiers tken good Christians The Courtyer of least calling proues most troublesom All Courtiers subiectto the authority of the Harbingers How a courtyer may make the Harbinget his friend How the Harbinger is to appoint his lodgings The Courtier must entrear his host well where hee lyeth â—ow the Courtier may make his host beholden to him It is necessary for Courtiers to keepe quiet seruants The Courtier is to commaund his seruants courteously to aske of his Host all needfull things Too many women about the Court. The care the Courtier ought to haue of his Apparell How the Courtier is to demeane himselfe at his departure from his lodging The troble of him that is in fauour in the court is great Want of audacity hinders good fortunes The reason why fortune rayseth some and throweth down others The course he must take that would bee in his Princes fauour The saying of Dionisius to Plato other Philosophers that came to visite him Backbyting is a kinde of treason especialâ—y against princes The law of A drian the Emperour againest sedicious persons Good seruice demaÌ„ds recompence though the tongue bee silent Things to be eschewed of him that would speake with the King In what sort the Courtier is to demand recompeuce of the prince The Courtier shoulde not be obstinate How princes are to be spoken to if they be in an error How the Courtier must demean himselfe when his Prince sporteth before him Where wise men are best known What disposition should be in a Princes Iester He that will come to fauour in the Court must be acquainted with all the Courtiers in the Court. A Prince hath alwais some fauourite The inconueniences that follow the needles reasoning of that the King allowes Betweene words spokeÌ„ the inteÌ„t with which they were spoken is great difference It is best for the Courtier to bee 〈◊〉 friendshippe with all if can possible There is no man but giues more credit to one then another Wherein true visitation of our betters or friends consisteth The indiscretion of some that are visited The discretion the Courtyer is to vse in his curtesie One gyft in necessitie is better then a thousand words Two things which a maÌ„ should not trust any with A custome wherein the Courtier may lauish hia reputation When a wise man may put himselfe in perill How hee that is biddeÌ„ to a feast may purchase thaÌ„kâ— of the bidder To what ende wee should desire riches Many not 〈◊〉 to serue God as their own bellies How he is welcome that is a common runner to other mens Tables How he is to demeane himself that will visite noble means Table Many loue to haue their cheere and attendance commended Wine tempered with water bringth 2. commodities No man ought to complaine of want at anothers table What talke should bee vsed at the