lesson of our wise obedience vnto Gods ordinance these noble verses of Cleanthes My God direct and guide my feetâ— in thy most knowen way For willingly Ile follow thee forthwith without delay For feare lest bound in fetters strong I be not there held fast Where gainst my will being once fast bound I cannot come in hast But as a man that honest is I may thereto at taine Whereto the fates and destinies my staâ—e of life ordaine And so for the rest let vs neuer addresse our prayers and petitions vnto him but to obtaine that at his hands which he hath purposely ordained for vs. For to aske any thing at Gods hands against his prouidence were as much as in vs lieth to corrupt the Iudge and gouernour of the world The best praier that we can make vnto him both for his honour and our profit is that he would vouchsafe to preserue our affections pure and holie and to rule and gouerne our will that it may alwaies be directed towards the attaining of that which is good The sacrifice which he requireth at our hands is nothing els but an innocent life he desireth not our goods onely his wil and desire is that wee should make our selues worthie of his for there is not so small an offering but pleaseth him well if it bee presented vnto him with chast and innocent hands Againe there is no sacrifice bee it neuer so rich and costly but displeaseth him as much if it come from polluted and defiled hands Apollo being vpon a time demanded how he liked the sacrifice of an hundred oxen which was offered vp vnto him gaue this answer Hermions caâ—e which he to 〈◊〉 in earthen vessell gaâ—â—â— Pleasde me full wellâ— and for the saâ—â— he had what he did craue As if he should haue sayd in other wordsâ— A vertuous and wise man is the onely true priest of the great God his spirit is his temple wherein he offereth vp daily sacrifices his soule is his image his affections are his offerings and the greatest and solemuest sacrifice which you can offer vnto him is a true vertuous imitation of him I say not this as if the vsuall ceremonies in each countrie were not to be obserued so that there be an honest moderation of them without excesse or couetousnesse but because I am of opinion that God will be serued inspirit And therefore to conclude this poynt this is that I say y t the best maÌ„ner of seruing worshipping him is after we haue ascribed all praise glory vnto him and decked him with all manner of titles which mans spirit can imagine to hold this for a most constant resolution and confesse it publikely that we haue presented nothing vnto him worthie of his diuine Maiestie the fault being not in his Godhead but in our impotencie and weaknes which can neuer conceiue so highly of him as he is From this worship and honour which is due vnto God proceedetâ— tâ—is opinion which we ought to haue of him that he is alwaies present to view and maâ—ke all our actions whether it bee that wee come and present our selues before him or els conuerse with meÌ„ And therefore wee must so speake vnto God as if men heard vs and so liue amongst meÌ„ as if God saw vs. But aboue all other things we must bee very religious in inuocatâ—ng him for a witnes of the truth for the due obsâ—ruation of an oth is the principall part of godlines and pietie For an oth is nothing â—ls but an image of â—hat vniueâ—sall law which proceedeth from the goodnes of God for contayning of all parts of the worlde in their place and making them to be thaâ— which they ought to be of righâ— It is a band which 〈◊〉 mens willâ—â— together it is the gardian and â—utor of constancie and trueth the knot of ciuill sociâ—tiâ— which â—loseth shutteth vp all things most strongly with the name of God almightie the chiefe president and ruler of all mens actions And yet for al this this is most certaine and true that if a man can obtaine so much credit and fauour with meÌ„ by liuing honestly and godly amoÌ„gst them as that his word may be taken without any further adoâ— it were better not to vse any oth at all but if it may not be otherwise but for â—estimonie of thâ— trueth we must needeâ— sweare we must looke that we vse to doe it as soberly and sparingly as we may For the vse of any thing whatsoeuer if it bee too vulgar and common makes it to bee neglected and despised And in any case look well to it y t it be vsed to no other end but for assurance and confirmation of the truth representing GOD before our eyes sitting on high as protector of the faithfull and sharpe punisher of periured persons Now from the honour duevnto God the first cause of all wee must descend as it were a step lower vnto that duty which we owe vnto the heauenly powers ordayned by God for administration and gouernmeÌ„t of the world and in them also wee must acknowledge a kind of excellencie constancie of vertue in their perfectioÌ„ admiring the greatnes of their creator and honouring their ministerie imployed for preseruation and protection of vs men From thence let vs goe a little lower vnto the reuerence and respect which wee owe vnto them by whose means as through pipes and conduits chosen by God wee are deriued into this world And in this place wee shall finde that our countrie may iustly challenge her prerogatiue which vnder a fained and compound name coÌ„prehendeth an vnfained true and naturall loue For good cause wee owe of dutie more loue vnto our countrie then vnto al otherthings contained in the world because indeed it containeth infolden and wrapped within her safetie the safetie and good of euery thing that wee doe loue and cherish and contrariwise with her all the rest will soone perish and be brought to nought Out of the fountaine of this worthie affection what a number of worthie and excellent deedes haue gushed and streamed foorth of some that haue spent their liues for the good of their countrie and other some which haue been content to forgoe their owne priuate iniuries for feare least if they should haue sought to haue reuenged them they should haue preiudiced the Common-wealth of others that haue chose to leade a miserable and sorrowfull life to the end that they might procure their countries quiet rest and happines Still represent and lay before your eyes your countrie which hath brought you into this world and here preserueth you in â—afetie suppose that she is euer a redemanding asking of you the rights of pietie and requiring the dutie and deuoir of a good loyall citizen and that she doth coniure you to seeke and couet after her good by the countrie of your natiuitie by the lawes of your citie by the faith of ciuill societie by the safetie of your parents children and friends
and lastly by your owne safetie and good I beseech you therefore to haue more care of your countrie then of all the world besides and neuer preferre your particular profit before the good thereof seeke not to auoyd the euill which is falling vpon you by turning it vpon he head Now your countrie being oncâ— serued in all dutifull sort next aâ—ter in order of respect follow oâ—r parents to be regarded For God hauing chosen them as the means whereby he vseth to dispense and impart life vnto vs as hee hath in some sort made them partakers of his vertue so is hee willing to communicate vnto them some part of his honour If God hath granted vs wiâ—e and vertuous parents wee ought to esteeâ—e them as gods vpon earth giuen vnto vs not onely as meanes whereby we may liue but liue a happie life by their wiâ—e and vertuous educatioÌ„ If they be wicked and euill yet stil wee must remember that they are our parents therefore with patience endure their authority ouer vs and for the very names sake of father and mother yeeld them helpe and succour oâ— euery thing which we receiue of them that is â—o say of our goods persons and liues And if we doe so wee shew that wee beare homage vnto nature and yeeld condigne thankes vnto her for all her benefits From our parents let vs enter into consideration of our children whom though wee doe not reuerence with like affection yet haue we like care or rather a greater regarde of their welfare For seeing that God hath placed and put vs in this world to garde and keep it it seemeth that before we goe out of the worlde wee are bound and obliged to subrogate and substitute others in our places to minister and serue the soueraigne power in this common temple The bringing â—oorth of children is ours but in part there bee many thinges herein which contribute with vs but the bringing vp and institution of them is altogether in our hands which wee must owe of dutie first vnto God to whom wee must present and offer them secondly to our countrie for whose seruice they are borne and lastly to our selues which are to looke for at their hands if they bee well and vertuously brought vp for al manneâ— of help succour in our old age Therfore for these and the like respects we ought to be most vigilant and carefull ouer them and to procure as farre as in vs lieth their good Now after our children follow our wiues who being vnited vnto vs by the law and entring into societie and fellowship with vs vnder the deare pledge of children which they bring vs haâ—e a reasouable grâ—at part in our affections The sharpe sawce of our life is sweetened by the sugar of their friendships by their care the care of our busines is abated nay wee may safely rest our selues vnder their labours and industrie let vs therfore haue such a respectiue care ouer them as they haue ouer vs let vs think and dreame vpon nothing but vpon their rest and quietnes as being the moytie and the other halfe of our selues But especially let vs make it knowne vnto them that we do not honor them for any pleasure which their youth or beauties may affoord vs as well for feare least if we doe so wee happen to puffe vp their courages and make them take more state vpon them then necdeth as also in this respect that whereas this affection is founded and grounded vpon such a slipperie and running thing it is to bee feared least the heate thereof bee soone quenched but let vs respect and worship them for the faith and loyaltie which we looke for at their hands for their good qualities and modest behauiours and last of all for the especial care which they haue of their childrenâ— which are common betweene vâ— and them And the better to prouoke and stirre them vp to loue and cherish vs let vs shew that we wil not appropriate anything from them vnto our selues but make them equally partakers of our goods thoughts affections For this communitie of all things maye greatly serue to nourish good will and amitie betweene vs which is cleane lost and abolished in the diuersitie of willes and determinations This affection passeth from our wiues vnto their kinsfolke which are allied vnto vs by nature their ruÌ„ning together with their bloud a secret inclination of good will and affection towards all them which are sprung from the same branch and accordingly as they are neerer vnto vs in bloud so are wee more liuely affected towards them bound to performe and yeeld vnto them neerer duties and seruices Therefore herein as well as in all other matters to obserue the order of nature as being the soueraigne ornament of all creatures let vs as I haue sayd before so dispense the loue and affection which wee owe vnto our parents as they doe neerer concerne and regard vs yeelding them all manner of helpe and succour which can possibly be deuised Hetherto nature hath as it were with her owne hand moued our affections now wee must of necessitie come to speake of the motions and inclinations which vertue giueth which bindeth vs to loue and honour vertuous wise men And truely of all the goods which we enioy by the benefit of common societie there is no one that ought to bee more esteemed and cherished then the friendship and amitie of honest men for it is the very piller and vpholder of our happines it is she that gouernes our liues sweetneth our sowre and seasoneth our sweete she giueth vs in prosperitie one vpon whom wee may bestow part of our goods and enioy the comforts of our prosperitie who in time of affliction wil be readie to succour and comfort vs one that can teach and instruct vs in our youthâ— helpe and relieue vs when we bee olde assist and second vs in our middle ages And as the possession hereof is pretious so we ought to employ our wisedoms to haue this friendship as perfect as may be And to this ende and purpose wee must hunt and seeke after men of the greatest merits honouring and cherishing them as if they were sent from God to ioyne with vs in a societie of certaine noble and worthie actions Wee must seeke to purchase it by honest occasioÌ„s and hauing once gotten it studieâ— to preserue it by a due performaÌ„ce of all duties For all creatures and principally men are borne with a kinde of inclination of loue towards that which may any waies profit or auaile them And yet for al this a vertuous man doth neuer measure his profite by the ell of goods as we call them or riches but by the commoditie which hee receiueth reapeth by his friends in the studie of vertue And if it so fall out that there be any commoditie bee it neuer so small to bee parted betweene vs our friends touching our goods and honours or such like things it shall bee
our parts to giue place vnto them for all this cannot be better imployed then in purchasing of true friends On the contrary side there is but one onely reason which may excuse vs from leauing their friendship and amitie and that is when they abandon reason and philosophie which ioyneth and combineth vs together And yet this must be done very warily for we may not be at plaine enmitie with them for all this We must rather vnrip then rent their friendships from vs and seeke out all reasonable meanes if it be possible to bring them backe againe vnto their duties without blaming their actions or checking their opinios neuer fighting with them vnles it be by way of disputation and discourse which are the sacred weapons of true frieÌ„dship but though we lose al hope of preuailing with them this way yet wee may not become their open and professed enemies For though a good man leaue his friends when they leaue off to bee vertuous yet not withstanding so it is that in forsaking that friendshippe and familiaritie which hath been in former time betweene them he retaineth that common affection which ought to bee amongst men which bindeth them to wish wel vnto those which haue not well deserued at their hands telling them that this is to imitate God which as he loueth the good so he doth not hate the bad And therefore we haue a common saying that a good man hath no enemies at all because he hateth no bodie Thus you see the degrees of affection which are betweene man and the things which are without him But because it commeth so to passe many times that they doe draw vs vnto diuers ends and so hold vs suspended in doubtfulnes and incertaintie therfore we must establish a rule vnto our selues of preferring the former duties before the latter We ought to make great account of an oth and yet it were better broken then kept if by keeping of it we offend God We must of force highly reuereÌ„ce our fathers and mothers and yet if their wils doe contradict right reason which is appoynted by God himselfe to gouerne vs wee must rather forsake them then forsake God and reason Our kinsfolkes are to bee esteemed deare vnto vs but yet if they seeke to annoy and molest father or mother we may lawfully dissâ—nt from theÌ„ Friends may preuaile much with a man his wife and childreÌ„ much more and yet for all this there are certaine particular and priuate duties which are rather to be performed to them which are further off from vs then to them which be neerer but commonly it is in a matter of no great waight when ciuill societie because of the common necessitie of men incrocheth and vsurpeth somewhat vpon nature As when wee say we should helpe our neighbour in fetching in of his haruest and not our kinsman and in such like cases I haue hetherto as you see represented vnto you the respect which man oweth vnto thinges which are without him it is now high time to cause him to descend into himselfe and bring backe his affections vnto his owne proper person as lines are reduced vnto their center A wise man without doubt yeeldeth much respect vnto himselâ—e and though no body regard him but his owne conscience yet hee will bee very carefull that he doe neither speake nor doe any thing which is not fit and coÌ„uenient For right ordered reason which ought to gouerne all his actions is vnto him the seuerest iudge and censor of his actions that can be found And therefore wee must studie as well pubâ—kely as priuatly so to frame and fashioÌ„ our actions in such sort that wee may not haue occasion to blush and be ashamed of them that nature which ought to be â—he rule of all our actions be not violated in any sort Now it hath pleased nature to giue vs a bodie as a necessarie instrument for the preseruation of mans life Therefore we must take care for the bodie but no otherwise then we would doe for a thing which is vnder the protection of the minde which must bee carefull for the safetie thereof but no waies seruiceable vnto it he must entreate it so as if he were a Lord and no tyrant ouer the bodie still nourishing it without engrossing or fatting it so that it may euidently appeare vnto all men that hee doth not liue for it but that hee cannot liue without it A cunning workman is not a little forward in his busines when he hath gotten all his tooles about him in a readines and so hee that loueth philosophy doth not a little thing profit himselfe if he doe but once know how to serue himselfe with his bodie and make it a fit instrumeÌ„t for him to exercise vertue Now the bodie may be preserued in health two manner of waies the one is by moderation in his diet the other by good order in his exercise For why the nature of things here beneath is so slipperie and vncertaine that vnlesse a man doe continually repayre that which time doth waste and consume things will by little and little come in the ende to nought Therefore wee must sustaine and helpe the bodie once decaying by vse of meates but with this prouiso or caueat that wee doe not make it by making too great cheare heauie dull and vnfit for contemplation nor by too spare diet and ill entreatance weake and sickly so that it bee neither effeminated with riot nor by neglect of it accustome it selfe to filth and beastlines After meate followeth exercise although they seeme to bee confounded and to follow one an other indifferently For first wee exercise our selues and then wee take our repast and after meate then we fall a fresh to exercise the first exercise serues to prepare vs to the better appetite and receiuing our meates the second to waken nature and keepe the parts of the bodie in continuall motion We must vse our exercises so that the bodie may bee the better for them and our minde nothing the worse but we must not seek such exercises as wrastlers vse and such like which doe all things by compasse and measure and many obseruations which serue indeede to keepe the bodie vpright strong to no other vse but therby they weaken the strength of the soule and take away from her her true and naturall motions It is an absurditie for a wise man to be carefull for to find out fit exercises for the bodie seeing that he may find euery where so many as are requisite and needfull for the health thereof After the bodie is once nourished and exercised in such sort as I haue shewed you it is most easily fashioned and framed vnto modest seemely actions which we should so much regard and labour to attaine vnto that in our very countenances and gate shuld appeare a great tranquilitie of mind mixed with a sober pleasant kinde of grauitie I doe not speake this as if I would haue you to vse anie