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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13399	The garden of wysdom wherin ye maye gather moste pleasaunt flowres, that is to say, proper wytty and quycke sayenges of princes, philosophers, and dyuers other sortes of men. Drawen forth of good authours, as well Grekes as Latyns, by Richard Tauerner.; Garden of wysdom. Book 1	Taverner, Richard, 1505?-1575.; Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536. Apophthegmata.	1539 (1539)	STC 23711A; ESTC S111348	26,718	98

feastyng of his gestes he made very sklender prouysyon he answered yf they be good men it shall be ynough yf not more then ynough The same Socrates when he was asked why he hym selfe dyd not gouerne the comon welth syth he knewe beste howe to gouerne it answered that he is more profytable to his coūtrie that maketh many good gouernours of the same then he whiche gouerneth it well hym selfe Demaūded by what meanes a man myght attayne to an honest fame If ꝙ he thou studie to be such one in dede as thou wolde be counted in name He sayde it was farre vnfyttynge that where as no man professeth or practyseth any handy craft w t out his great shame onles he hath lerned it afore yet to the gouernaūce of a cōmon weale men be admytted appoynted which neuer employed their wyttes to lernyng He was accustomed to saye that no possessyon is more precyouse then a trewe and good frende to a man nor that no greatter frute or pleasure can be any other where taken And therfore he sayde that many men do ouerthwartly and clene out of ordre which beare more greuously the losse of money then the losse of theyr frende and whiche crye they haue loste the benefite that they haue conferred and gyuen for nothynge where as in dede they haue with the same gotten them a frende better than any golde He was wont to saye that he moste resembleth god whiche nedeth fewest thynges for as moche as god nedeth nothynge at all He sayde many lyued to eate and drynke but he contrarily dyd eate and drynke to lyue for as moch as he vsed these thynges not for pleasure but for the necessitie of nature Suche as bought dearly thynges ouer tymely rype he sayde despayred that they shulde not lyue tyll the accustomed tyme of y e rypenes of thynges were come Elles it were great folye to bye thynges bothe worse and also dearer where as shortly after a man may bye the same bothe better and for lesse price Thus he euermore called backe agayne y e desyres of men voyde of reason vnto sobre iugement Also he vsed to saye he that hath begon a thyng hath halfe done meanynge halfe the worke is done of hym that hath ones set vpon it For there be many that in taryenge and takyng a breath what is best to do spende all theyr lyfe vaynly Demaunded of a certayne yonge man whether he iudged it better for hym to marye a wyfe or not to marye He answered Whether so euer thou dost thou shalte surely repente Sygnifieng that bothe syngle life and also wedlocke haue theyr incommodities and displeasures whiche to beare a manne muste fyrste arme and prepare hym selfe Syngle lyfe hathe these incommodyties solitarinesse lacke of chyldren extinguyshement of bloude a straunger to be thyne heire Wedlocke agayn hath these contynuall care dayly complayntes vpbraydynge of that she broughte the heuy lookes of her kynsfolke the pratlyng tonge of thy mother in lawe Cukkoldemakynge the vncertayne proufe of thy chyldren and other innu merable incōmodities Wherfore here is no such choyse as is betwene good and euyll but suche as is betwene the heuyer and the lyter incōmodities He wolde haue menne craue of god nothynge but good thynges without further addition where as the people cōmonly craue ryche maryages treasures honoures kyngdomes longe life as thoughe they wolde appoynte god what he oughte to do But god knoweth beste what is good for vs what not He wolde that mennes sacryfices shulde stande them in very lytell or no thynge bycause god as he nedeth not mennes thynges so he wayeth rather the myndes of the offerers then the ry ches For ellys where as the naughtyeste persons do moste flowe in riches it were very euyll with mankynde yf god delyted more in the sacryfyces of the euyll personnes then in the sacryfyces of good men Lyke as we commytte the makyng of pyctures or ymages sayde Socrates vnto them whome alredye we knowe to haue made verye godly pyctures so we oughte to admytte none into our amitie familiare acquayntaunce but such as we haue espyed to haue borne them selues faythfull profytable frendes towardes other Walkyng about through the mar ket when he espyed the great multytude of merchaundyse and thynges y t there were solde he thus was wonte to saye with hym selfe Oh how many thynges be here that I haue no nede of but other men be vexed in mynde thynkyng thus howe many thynges do I lacke Socrates reioysed with hym selfe that lyuynge accordynge to nature and accustomynge hym selfe to fewe thynges he neyther coueted nor yet neded gold purpull precyouse stones gorgyouse hanginges and the reste of ryche mens delytes whyche he was wont to saye were more necessarye for the playenge of tragedies or enterludes then for the behoufe of mans lyfe He sayde knowledge was the beste thynge a man coulde haue agayne ignoraunce the worste thynge for as moche as who so euer dothe any vnryghtuose thynge dothe the same bycause he knoweth not what his duytie is towarde euery man And they that be stronge of harte be therfore so bycause they knowe that suche thynges ought to be done whiche the common sorte of people iuge to be eschued and they that be intemperate personnes are herein deceyued that they thynke those thynges to be swete pleasaunt and combly whiche be nothynge so in dede Wherfore the beste thyng in the world he sayd is the knowlege what thynges ought be desyred and what to be eschued To such as maruayled why he disputed of good maners euer neuer of the planetes and heuenly bodyes as the other philosophers were accustomed he answered Those thynges that be aboue vs perteyne nothynge vnto vs. When on a tyme as he went in the stretes a lewde felowe gaue hym a blowe on the cheke he answered nothynge elles but that men knewe not when they shulde come out with theyr salettes on theyr heddes The same Socrates when a verlet spurned hym on the shynnes as he walked his frendes that were with hym meruayled he suffred the iniurie so pacyently What wolde ye haue me do ꝙ he they mouynge hym to haue the felowe to the lawe It were a mad nesse ꝙ he yf when an asse shuld hytte me on the shynnes ye wolde saye vnto me haue hym vnto the lawe He put no dyfference betwene an asse and a brutyshe man furnysshed with no vertue and he thought it a great shame man not to suffre that thynge of man whyche he wolde suffre of abrute beast He was wont to monishe his frend Eschines whiche was pressed with po uertie that he shulde borowe of his owne selfe and shewed hym the waye how by withdrawyng from hym selfe superfluouse meates and other thynges accordyng to the cōmon prouerbe Magnum uectigal parsimonia Sparyng is great rentes or reuenues Certes the moste redy waye to encrease a mannes substaunce is to abate his expenses Socrates whenne he hadde suffered his wyfe Xantippa a longe season skowldynge

thynge that Lycurgus dyd in his citye is of euery howsholder to be done in his house and of euery gouernoure in his flocke Nature I woll well is a thynge of great myght and efficacye but surely institution or brin gynge vp is moche myghtier whiche is hable to amende reforme streyghten a croked and euyll nature and to turne the same into a good nature What maner children shalbe borne ly eth in no mās powre but that by right bryngyng vp they maye proue good lyeth in our powre Suche citizens as abhorred maryage and hadde leuer lyue as bachelers Lycurgus forbad to be presente ta sightes and enterludes and added also other shames and reproches vnto them by this crafte dylygently prouydynge that the citizens shuld imploye them selfes to begette chyldren For where as it was an vsage and lawe amonges the Lacedemonians that the yongers sholde gyue moche honoure and reuerence to theyr elders this honour he plukt from theym whiche by wedlock wolde not encreace the nombre of the citizens Lycurgꝰ beyng demaūded why he made a law y t nothyng shuld be gyuen w t a mayde in maryage answered Bi cause neither for pouertie none might be lefte vnmaryed nor for ryches any desyred but y t euery yong mā hauyng respect to y e maners of y e mayde might chose her only by her vtuous cōditiōs For this same cause he remeued oute of the citye all paynted colours and or namentes wherwith other women be wont eyther to set forth or to fashyon theyr beutie The same Lycurgus where as he appoynted a certayn age for maydens and also for yong men to marye at beynge demaunded why he dyd so aunswered To the intent that the yssue born of full growen parentes which be of perfyte age may be stronge and talle Demaunded also why he forbadde the man to slepe all nyghte with his wife but ordeyned that eyther of them shulde the most parte of the daye kepe companye with theyr lyke the manne with men and the woman with womē and with them also shulde reste all the hole nyghtes but with his spowse he shulde not haue to do but by steithe and shamefastly Fyrst ꝙ he that they myght be stronge in bodyes accompa nyenge togyther but seldome Secōd ly that loue betwen them may alweys abyde freshe and newe Thyrdly that they may engendre the stonger issue Furthermore in those tymes y e chastytie of maried women was so greate and they so farre of frome the lite demeanour whiche afterwarde they fell to that at begynnynge the synne of aduoutrie was thougth impossyble euer to haue chaūced amonges them And therfore when a certayne auncyent Lacedemonian named Geradas was asked of a straunger what punyshment aduoutrers shuld haue amōges them for he coulde se no lawe made by Lycurgus in this behalfe He answered O frende there is none aduowtrer amonges vs. When the other went fur ther asked what yf there were any Then ꝙ he he shall gyue so great an ore as shal streache his necke ouer the mountaygne of Taygette and drynk of the floude of Eurota When the other smyled and sayde it was impossyble to fynde so great an oxe And is it not ꝙ Geradas as moche impossyble that in our citie shulde be founde any aduowterer wherin ryches delytes pleasures and all curiouse deckynges of the bodye be hadde in hyghe reproche and agayne shamefastnes de murenes and due obedyence to publyque officers in hygh estymacion and worshyppe This Geradas full prudently vnderstode that vyces coulde not there growe where no beddes to so we vices in were suffred ne admytted and that those thynges lye as ded despyced whiche in stede of honour be had in despyte and skorne When one requyred hym that he wolde make and ordeyne in the citie a Democracie that is to saye a gouernaunce of the people or commons in stede of the gouernaūce of the lordes Ordeyne thou ꝙ he fyrste a Demoracie in thy house In fewe wordes he taught that that fascyon of common weale is not profytable to the citye which no man wold haue in his owne familie Certes a citye or a realme is nothynge elles then in effecte a great howse Demaunded why he inacted a law that in tymes of warres they shulde oftentymes chaunge theyr tentes and pauylyons To the entent ꝙ he we maye hurte oure ennemies the more The Lacedemonians bycause they were nymble and lite remeued with no great busynes theyr oost where as theyr enemies coulde not do the same without theyr great incōmoditie and also with longer respyte for as moche as they caryed about with them so ma my baggages and burthens Demaunded why he ordeyned that the Lacedemonians shuld make their sacryfyce and oblation with small and chepe thinges Bicause ꝙ he we shuld neuer want wherwith to honour god Who wolde not saye but that in solemne worshyppynges of god all royaltie and sumptuouse magnyficence is lyttell ynough But this prudente panym vnderstode that god delyteth rather in frugalytie then in fatte sacryfices lest vnder pretence of religiō as in our dayes it was come to passe all abomination shulde be maynteyned The same Lycurgus beyng asked why he forbadde that the citie shulde be fensed with walles Aunswered Bycause that citye wanteth no walles whiche is fensed not with stones but with men ¶ Socrates SOcrates the Atheniense a great philosopher and of moste pure liuynge was wont to teache y t men oughte to absteyne from meates that wolde prouoke the man not hungrie to eate from drynkes that wold allure the not thurstye to dryncke He sayd the veste sawce is hungre for as moch as it bothe best sweteneth all thynges and is of no coste And therfore he him selfe dyd euer eate and dryncke with swetnes bycause he byd neyther of them but when he hungred and thursted Moreouer he accustomed him selfe to beare hungre and thurste For at what tymes other men coueted moste to dryncke then wold he neuer drynke of the fyrst cuppe that was fylled And when he was demaunded why he dyd so he aunswered bycause he wold not accustome hym selfe to folow his affec tions and Iustes He sayd those that excercysed them selfes to chastnes of liuyng and sobre diette had both farre more pleasure lesse sorowe then they that with moste a doo sought all the pleasures of the worlde for as moch as the pleasures of intemperate persons besydes the torment of theyr conscience besydes theyr euyll name and pouertie where vnto they be at lengthe broughte do bryng for the most parte euen to their bodies also more peyne then pleasure On the contrarie parte the thynges that be beste y e same be made also most pleasaunt if thou acquayntest thy self with them He sayde it was an hyghe reproche for a man by seruynge and obeynge wylfully his inordinate pleasures to make hym selfe suche one as no man wolde be glad to haue for the drudge or slaue of his house When he was admonyshed by his frend y t for the

pressed with the but then Cast away ꝙ he that is to moch and beare that thou cannest On a tyme as this Aristippus sayled in the sees and perceyued that the shyppe wherin he was caryed was a pyrates shyppe he drewe forthe his golde and began to tell it and forth w t threwe it in to the see and greuously sighed makynge as though it had fall from hym vnwares and agaynst his wyll By this deuyse he saued his lyfe takynge from the pyrates the occasyō of sleynge or byndynge hym When Aristippus and Eschines were fallen out one asked Aristippus Where is now your frendshyp Truly it slepeth ꝙ he but I wyl awake it So espyenge a conueniente tyme he came of his owne mynde to Elchines and sayde Shall we not incontynent be frendes agayne and leaue our tryfelyng Or shall we rather abyde that we may gyue men occasyon to speake of vs two at alchouses tauerners To whom when Eschines made aunswere that with all his harte he was contented to be at one agayne Remēbre then ꝙ Aristippus that where as I am elder then thou yet I came fyrst to the. Then sayd Eschines Surely thou arte a man farre better thenne I am For of me began our fallyng out and of the our fallyng in agayne By this meanes amitie was renewed betwene them On a tyme when he sayled vpō the sees with certayne of his owne countrymen the shyppe brake they were caste vpon lande And when he espyed vpon the shoore certayne mathematicall figures drawn forth in the sande Frendes ꝙ he be of good comforte I see the steppes of men and enterynge into the nexte cytie he enquyred out what lerned men were there abydyng with whom after he had there a lytle whyle talked they perceyuyng his excellent lernynge and wysdom with all courtesie entreated not him onely but his companye also and moreouer vitayled them for theyr retourne At last when they that came with Aristippus dressed them selfes homewarde and asked hym whether he wold any thing to his frendes and citezens Bydde them ꝙ he that they studye to gette them suche ryches as can not peryshe by shypwrecke but escapeth all haser des with the owner ¶ Philip kynge of Macedonie PHilip kynge of Macedonie father to Alexander the greate a manne of no small wytte and a greate conquerour When on a tyme he had purposed to take a stronge castle and holde and his espyes hadde shewed hym that it was very hard for hym to brynge to passe yea and impos syble He asked them whether it were so harde that an asse laden with golde myght not come vnto it Meanynge that there is nothynge so stronge but with golde it maye be wonne There were some of his foreyn sub giettes whom he hadde founde not ve ry trustie which complayned and toke the matier heuely that his seruaūtes called them traytours To whom Phi lip made this answere Truly my coū trye men the Macedonians be very homly men and rudely brought vppe whiche can call a mattok nothyng els but a mattoke and a spade a spade Meanyng that in very dede they were traytours Uplandyshe and homely persons can not qualifie but call euery thyng by the proper name He counsayled his son Alexander that such as were of any authoryte in the common weale as well the good as the euyll he shuld make them his fren des and that he shulde vse the good and abuse the euyll Certes the chiefe feate of kynges is to reiecte none but to applye all mens seruyces to the comon profyte Sinicythus accused Nicanor to y e kynge that without ende he contynued raylynge vpon hym when the kynges frendes moued hym to sende for the felowe and to punyshe hym in example of other Philyp thus aunswered Nicanor is not the worste of the Macedonians It is good therfore to se whether we haue done our dutye in all thynges or not So when he had serched out that Nicanor was greatly impouerished and yet not rewarded for the seruyce he had done hym in tymes past he cōmaūded a certayn gyft to be borne hym home This done when agayne Smicythus enformed the kynge that Nicanor now without ceasynge praysed hym aboue all measure ye se therfore ꝙ the kynge that it lyeth in vs to be well spoken of or euyll spoken of He oftentymes exhorted his sonne Alexandre to gyue good eare to Aristotle his scholemayster to employe hym selfe to lernynge and wysdome lest ꝙ he thou myghtest chaunce to do many thynges which that I haue done nowe repenteth me The noble prynce perceyued that no man withoute lernynge is mete to gouerne a realme and he was not ashamed to confesse that through errour he dyd many thynges a mysse bycause from his chyldhode he was not ryghtly instructed with lernynge Syttynge in iugement he had the hearyng of one Machetas mater but beyng somwhat heuie of slepe he was not very attentyfe to the equitie of the lawe and so gaue sentence agaynste Macheta But when Macheta cryed out and sayde I appele from this iugemēt The kynge angerly for it was straunge to appeale frome a kynge sayde to whom doest thou appeale Truly ꝙ Macheta euen vnto thy self o kyng yf thou wolt awake and heare the matter more attentifly Then the kynge arose and after he had wayed better with hym selfe the matter and vnderstode that Macheta had wrong the iugemente whiche was gyuen he wolde not reuerse but the money that Macheta was condempned in he hym selfe payed When on a tyme he was at debate with his wyfe and with his son a certayne Corynthiane came vnto hym whom he asked how the Grekes agreed togyther In dede ꝙ the Corynthian thou carest moche how the Grekes agree togyther when those persones that be most nere vnto the heare such myndes towardes the. Here the kynge beynge nothynge offended with the Corynthians free tonge framed hym selfe to his sharpe checke and layeng downe his angre felle in agayne with his wyfe and son ¶ Alexander the great ALexander the great kynge of Ma cedony and son to the foresayde Philip beynge demaūded where he layd vp his treasurs With my frē des ꝙ he Signifieng that a manne can laye vp his goodes no where so sauely as with his frendes for when nede reqyreth he is sure to haue them agayne with gaynes When he was enformed that a cer tayne person had rayled vpon hym Truly ꝙ he it is kyngly when a mā doth well to be reported euyll Porus a kyng beyng vaynguished by Alexander when Alexander after the fylde wonne sayd vnto hym How shall I intreate the Porus kyngly ꝙ he Agayne Alexander demaūdyng hym whether he desyred any thynge elles All tohyther ꝙ Porus is comprysed in this worde kyngly Alexander marueylynge both at the wysdom and at the noble stomake of the man enlarged his dominion ouer that it was before A certayne Indian whiche was noysed to be so cunnynge an archer that he coulde shote thorough a ryng was taken prysoner in y e warres

shall I dare go home agayne what shall I saye to my father Shewe thy father ꝙ themperour that I haue displeased the. Bicause the yong man was ashamed to cōfesse that themperoure was displeased w t hym he gaue hym leaue to turne the tale and lay ali the blame on hym When Augustus was now fourty and aboue Cinna a yong man of noble byrth and nephue to Pompey was appeached of hyghe treason y t he laye in a wayte with his complices to kylle the emperour It was tolde where when and howe they wolde haue executed theyr felonye For they purposed to haue murthered hym as he shulde haue sacryficed The sentence of condemnation was made ready but in the meane season while Augustus themperour ꝑplexly spake nowe this now that his wife Liuia cōming in seyng the case Do ꝙ she that the phisicians be wont to do which when y e accustomed remedies wol not helpe do assay the cōtraries With sharpe ex ecution thou hast hitherunto done no good forgiue Cinna now bewreyed can not hurt thy lief thy fame he may helpe Forthwith he sent for Cinna alone to come speake with hym when he was come he cōmaunded an other chayre to be set for him Cinna sayd y e emperour this fyrst I requyre of the that y u interruptest me not in my tale a tyme shalbe gyuen y e to speake Here when Augustus themperour had rehersed his manifold benefites towardes Cinna how he had saued his life when at his cōquest he was founde amonges his enmies how he had giuē him agayn al his enheritaūce patrimonie how moreouer he had promoted him to an highe rowine he demaū ded of hym why he purposed to haue slayne him Cinna beyng therw t sore troubled themperour thus ended his cōmunicatiō I giue the thy life Cinna agayn afore myn enmye now a cō spirour of my deth a traitour From this day let amitie begyn betwene vs let vs cōtende whether I more faythfully haue gyuen the thy life or thou dost owe it me And he offred hym the consulshyp of Rome Woll ye knowe the ende of this mater Cinna euet af ter loued Augustus best of al men he made hym his sole heire executour Neuer after that tyme any man conspired his death ¶ Phocion PHociō a noble cytizen of Athens was of suche constancie and per fection that he neuer was seen of any man eyther to lawghe or wepe When Demosthenes on a tyme sayd vnto hym The men of Athens o Pho cion wol surely kyll the yf they begyn ones to rage He answered in this wise In dede they woll kyll me if they begyn to rage but the they woll kyll yf they ones become sage and in theyr ryghte wyttes For Demosthenes spake for the moste parte to currye fauour of the people and his wordes were more sugered then salted more delectable then profytable Alexander the worthy conquerour demaunded of the Athens men certayn shyppes to be gyuen hym Forthwith they asked Phocion his aduyse and counsell in this behalfe Surely ꝙ Phocion my counsell is that eyther by force of armes ye vaynquyshe him or be the frendes of the vaynquysher Brefly he aduysed them to denye nothynge vnto Alexander vnlesse they trusted to withstande his malyce with force of armes ¶ Demosthenes DEmosthenes the renowmed oratour of Athens whenne he was spitefully rayled vpon of a certayne felowe Loo ꝙ he I am put in to a contention and stryfe in whiche he that is superiour is inferiour and he that ouercōmeth is ouercommen Undoutedly in knauerye he that hath the vpper hande declareth hym selfe the worste man A pore woman had receyued of two straungers money to kepe with this condicion that she shuld not deliuer it agayn to the one without the other One of them within a while after fay nynge his felowe to be dead came in mournynge clothes to the woman requyred the money She thinkynge his felowe to haue ben dead in dede deliuered it Forthwith commeth the other felowe and begynneth to sue the woman at the lawe She beynge now put in vttter despayre Demosthenes cōmeth to the barre and thus defendeth the womans cause agaynste the demaundant This woman good felowe is redy to deliuer the money that ye delyuered her to kepe but oneles thou brynge thy felowe she can not do it for as thou alledgest thy selfe this condition was agreed vpon betwene you that the money shulde not be rebayled to the one without the other By this witty answere he saued y e sely woman eluded the conspiracie of the fals harlottes whose purpose was to receyue the same money twyse Demosthenes on a tyme sayled to Corinthe where was Lais the fairest harlot then coūted of al women in the world He desyred to lye w t her a night But when she demaūded an excedyng great sōme of money for one nyghtes lodgynge he beynge therat astonyed chaunged his mynde sayenge I bye not repentaunce so dere Signifieng that after dishonest pleasures repentaunce foloweth at hande Dionisius DIonisius kynge of the Syracusans when he perceiued that his son whom he intended to leaue kyng after hym had defiled a citezens wyfe Beyng therwith sore angry asked his son whether cuer he founde anye suche thynge in his father Trouth ꝙ the yonge manne for thou haddeste not a kynge to thy father Neyther thou ꝙ Dionisius shalt haue a kynge to thy sonne onles thou leaue these pagiauntes When he perceyued that his mother wel striken in age coueted to marye agayne He sayd The lawes of a realme o mother maye be broken but the lawes of nature can not Signifienge it is ageynste nature an olde woman past chyld berynge to marye agayne A certayne straunger came to his courte and sayd he wolde secretly cōmon with Dionisius for he coulde shewe hym how he myghte knowe afore when any went about to conspire treason agaynst hym The kyng toke the man vnto hym and all the companye voided bad hym say on Now ꝙ the felowe gyue me syr kynge an hundreth pound that thou mayste be thought to haue lerned the feate of me He gaue the money and made as though he had lerned it meruaylyng at the mans subtyll deuyse For this faynynge was not a lytell profytable to feare his subgettes from conspyrynge his death Demaunded of a certayne persone whether he were ydle God forbyd ꝙ he that this thynge shuld euer chaūce vnto me Meanynge that it was a ryght fowle thynge for heddes and mi nisters of cōmon weales not to execute diligently theyr office But assuredly herin our moste drad soueraygn̄ lorde kynge Henry the eyght maye be a myrrour and spectacle to all prynces and other inferiour officers For who euer eyther more prudently or more vigilauntly hath gouerned a common weale When he harde that one of his sub gettes had hyd his gold in the groūd he commaunded it shulde be brought vnto hym But after that the man un beselyng a lytle porcyon of the golde went and dwelt in

as god is beste so it is his ꝓpertie to do wel to all men to hurte no man This ymage shyneth and is espted moch better in wise good men then in carued or grauen stockes and stones For as moche as god is without bodye He sayde couetyse is the mother citie and hedde of all euyls Not moche swaruynge from Salomon whiche calleth it the rote of all euylles Demaunded what beast hath the moste venemouse bytyng If of wyld beastes ꝙ he thy questyon be a backbyter yf of tame beastes a flaterer For a backbyter outwardly pretēdeth hatred but the flatterer inwardly vnder the personage of a frend hurteth moche more greuously Demaunded what countryman he was he aunswered a worldly man Signyfienge that a wyse man where so euer in the worlde he be liueth in his owne countrey Diogenes was asked how he wold be buryed Cast my dead bodye ꝙ he in the fyldes without pompe of buryalles What ꝙ his frendes to the fowles of the ayre and to wylde beastes No not so ꝙ Diogenes but lay my staffe by me wherwith I may dry ue them awaye Howe can that be ꝙ they thou shalt haue no feelyng A nd how ꝙ he then shall theyr pyckynge and tearyng hurte me yf I fele them not To the redresse of mannes lyfe he sayde be requysite eyther feythfull frendes or sharpe ennemyes bycause the one do aduertyse and the other re preue vs So eyther of them by dyuerse wayes but a lyke be profytable whyle we lerne by them our defaultes and vices Aristotle ARistotle the phylosopher mayster to Alexāder the great was wont to saye that the rotes of lernyng were bytter but the fruytes swete very pleasaunt Demaunded what thynge waxeth sone olde he answered thanke Meanyng that the remembraunce of iniurye sticketh very fast but the memorie of a good turne is gone anone He was accustomed to saye that thre thynges be moste necessarie for the obteynynge of wysdome nature doctryne and exercyse When Aristotle was informed that certayne lewde felawes hadde rayled vpon hym As longe ꝙ he as I am not with them let them bete me with whyppes yf that can do them good Signifienge y t those thynges oughte vtterly to be despised of a wyse man which do nothynge hurte hym at all onles he thinketh him selfe hurted Demaūded what a frend is One soule ꝙ he in two bodyes He sayd that some men so spare as thoughe they shuld lyue euer agayn other some so spende and lashe out as though they shuld dye w tin an houre after When Aristotle was asked howe moche the wyse and lerned do dyffer from the vnlerned ydiotes he aunswered so moche as the quycke dyffre from the dead Meanynge that a man without knowlege is a blocke rather then a man He sayd bewtie is of more strength efficacie then any epystle or letters to set forth or cōmend a person He had this often in his mouth O frendes there is no frend Meanyng that there be many frendes in name but fewe or none in dede He sayd nomā shuld eyther prayse hym selfe or dysprayse hym selfe bycause the one vttereth a mans vayne glorie the other bewreyeth his foly The same Aristotle aducrtysed mē to consydre and marke pleasours not commynge but departynge that is to saye not before but behynde For when pleasures be commynge with theyr peynted faces they flatter vs but when they departe they leue behynde them repentaunce and sorowe When one blamed hym bycause he gaue his almoyse to an euyll man I pytyed ꝙ he not the maners but the man Assuredly a good man succourreth also the wycked in necessitie For this duetie we owe thoughe not to the merites of hym that is holpen yet to nature Also it is possyble he maye be good which now is euyll Thales THales beyng demaunded what is oldest of all aunswered God why so bycause he was without begynnyng Demaunded what is fayrest of all he aunswered the world for it is the worke of god and nothing can be fayrer than it What greatest place for it receiueth al what swiftest the mynde for it runneth through all the thoughtes of mā what strongest necessitie or destyney for it passeth all what wisest time for it findeth out al. He sayde there is no difference betwene lyfe and deathe bycause they be bothe naturall alyke and death is no more euyll then is the byrthe of man And whē one asked hym why he then dyed not he answered agayne euen bicause there is no difference For if I shulde rather desyre the one then the other so shulde I make a difference Demaunded what thynge were harde He answered a man to knowe him selfe Undoubtedly the people iud geth nothyng easyer then this For we see other mennes thynges better then oure owne euery man is a flatterer of hym selfe Agayne whan Thales was demaūded what thynge is easye he aunswered to gyue good counsell to an other man When he was asked howe a man myght most easyly beare his mysfortune If ꝙ he he wolde behold his en myes pressed with greater mysfortunes For many men by the contempla cyon of other mens felicite and welth make theyr calamytie more greuouse vnto them When Thales was demaunded how a mā myght best and most iustly lyue If ꝙ he the thynges which he rebuketh in others he commytteth not the same hymselfe Solon SOlon the sage was wont to say that tyrauntes frendes be very lyke vnto castynge counters whiche be sette at the pleasure of the caster of accōptes otherwhyles worth many thousandes otherwhyles very lytle other whyles nothyng Demaunded how it myght be that least wronge myghte be doone amonges men If ꝙ he they that suffere not the wronge woll be as sore greued therwith as they that suffred it in ded for vndoubtedly who so euer transgresseth the lawes hurteth not one cō moner nor subiecte but the commone weale as moch as in hym is But now while whē other be hurted we though we be common officers appoynted to se due corretion for vices eyther sytte styll or reioyse also therat withoute doubt we gyue audacitie and boldnes to very many to commytte all kynde of myschyef because eyther for folysh pytie or for lacke of christyan charitie thynkyng the mater apperteyneth nothyng to vs we woll not see the good lawes of good princes executed vpon offenders Pittacus PIttacus made a lawe that they whiche commytted any cryme in theyr dronckenesse shulde haue double punishment He allowed victories gotten without shedynge of bloude For suche as were gotten with moche bloude of the citesens he iudged no victories He was wont to saye to suche as went about to be maryed Equalem tibi ducito Marie thy matche or felowe For he had lerned by experyence what incommodities cōmonly chaunce by ouer hyghe mariages Antisthenes ANtisthenes the Atheniense being demaunded what maner lernyng is moste necessarye aunswered to vnlerne euylles For that thyng is not onely fyrst but also moste harde He sayd that vertue is a thynge of workes