letter ill written and worse noted neither is it to be taken in good parte either may wée leaue to murmur thereat The ploughman in plowing dothe reuew his forough that it bée straight and shall not a man haue regard to note and write his letter very well There be many who wil as lightly take the pen in hād to write as the glasse to drink and that which is worst of all they thinke much of themselues to be talking and writing The which doth well appere in their letters because the letter is illegible the paper blotted the lines crooked and the reasons doltish To knowe a man whether he be wise or foolish is a great part to consider whether he write vpon aduisement and speake with iudgement for a mā must not write what commeth to his memory but what reason doth direct Plutarch doth say of Phalaris the tyrant that he did neuer write but being alone withdrawen and with his own hand whereof it doth follow that although al do blaspheme him for his tyranny his letters wer praised throughout the world Of a trouth a Gentleman and a kinseman of mine did write vnto mée a letter of twoo shéetes of paper and as he wrote so large and not returning to read what he had writtē the very same reasons and the very same woords that he had put in the beginning he did return to write in the end wherat I was so much offended that I burnt the letter and made him no aunswere Doubtles your letters are not of such qualitie the whiche to me be very pleasant to reade and not tedious to aunswere bycause in iestes they are very pleasant and in earnest very wise Sir you say that in reading the moralles of saint Gregory you did note and also did meruaile to sée that the deuill did aske licence of God to do hurt vnto holy Iob it was graunted him and the Apostle S. Paule did pray vnto God to take away the temptation of the flesh and it was denied him In such wise that God heard the Deuill and did not condiscend vnto the prayer of saint Paule Maruell ye not sir of this for the thinges that the diuine prouidence do bring to passe be so iust and done for so iust causes that although wée maye not reach them they want not therefore reason why they should not be done If wée déepely consider what God did with the Apostle wée shall finde that it was more that God gaue him than the Apostle did craue Bycause hée desired that the temptation of the flesh might be taken away and God gaue him grace to ouercome it What iniurie doth the Prince to the Captaine that sendes him a warfare if hée makes him sure to haue the victory If absolutely God should haue taken away the temptation of the flesh from the Apostle saint Paul neither should there haue remayned occasiō to deserue either should haue béen giuen grace to ouercome For hée is more supported of God to whom hée giueth helpe to conquere than to him that hée excuseth to fight Let vs not despaire afflict our selues or bée ouer thoughtfull and much lesse complayne and murmur of God if forthwith hée giue not that whiche wée desire For hée doth it not with disfauour in that hée will not heare vs but bycause he wil change it into a better cause Hée knoweth what hée doth and wée vnderstand it not hée knoweth what hée doth denie but wée not what wée aske hée measureth all thinges with reason and wée but with apetite hée dooth denie that is hurtfull vnto vs and graunteth that which is profitable Finally I doo say that he doth know how hée are to bée handled and therfore wée ought of him only to depend The Apostle had séene the inuisible and diuine secrets whiche of his forefathers had béen much desired but neuer séene and bycause of that so high reuelation hée should not boast or grow proud the Lord would not take away the concupiscence of the fleshe In suche wise that in recompence of not condescending to his desire hée did take awaye the occasion to sinne and gaue him grace to ouercome God vsed more pitie with saint Paule in that hée would not heare him than if hée had heard him For if hée should haue taken awaye the concupiscence of the flesh it might haue come to passe that as much as hée had diminished in temptation hée might haue increased in pride When the Lord doth permit that one is tempted it doth not followe therfore that hée is of God abhorred for my parte I holde it rather a signe that of God hée is elect For as saint Gregory sayth there is not a greater temptation than not to be tempted Christ hath left the way to heauen marked and the markes of this voiage be tribulations aduersities mishappes and infirmities In such wise that it is no other thing to be remembred of God but that in this world he be permitted to be tempted Let it be holden for certaine that they of him are lost whiche in this world from aduersities be priuiledged For the enemy of mankind whiche is the deuill vnto all those that he hath registred for his owne hée doth trauell that they may liue in great welfare and ease Sir also you saye that you doe much maruail to sée the boldnesse that the Deuill had in asking licence of God to hurt holy Iob and to sée the liberalitie that God vsed in giuing it In such sort that he denied S. Paule that he desired and graunted the Deuill that whiche hee craued Sir although you haue no reason yet haue you some occasion to demaund that whiche you aske for of a suretie it as an hard thing to consent that our enemy do hurt vnto our friend That whiche I dare speake in this case is that it is lesse pernicious and of more worthinesse to suffer ill than to haue authoritie to do euill And after this maner wée haue more enuie of holy Iob in that hée suffred than vnto the deuill for that whiche he did It ought to be farre distant from the diuine will that he that hath to giue grace to serue him should giue licence to offend It is a great euill for a man to be euill but it is much worse to make him euil which is good Bycause our owne proper sinnes God doth well sée they procéede of weakenesse but the persecuting of the good alwayes groweth of malice If men do aske of God vppon their knées that hée giue grace to serue him they ought to aske with teares that he do not giue them place to offend him For in the ende if I do not good workes I shall haue no reward but if I doe euill for the same I shall haue paynes By Caine Abell was slaine by Esau Iacob was persecuted by Saule Dauid was banished by Nabugodonoser Ierusalem was burned by Achab Micheas was imprisoned by Zedechias Esaias was sawen and by the Diuell holy Iob
Monasterie is moist and the soyle cold the aire subtill scarce of bread euil wines crude waters and the people no fooles for in very déede if in other parts they iudge what they sée there they speake what they thinke That which I most wanted was not lacke of vitayles but the company of friends without which there is neither countrey doth like or conuersation that dothe contente You haue greate reason to demaunde the visitation you vsed with me and the consolation you gaue me for the good fréend doth owe no more vnto his fréend then to remedie his necessities and to comfort him in his aduersities For so great courtesie if I would vse liberalitie I am not of power if I would serue you I haue not wherewith if I would visit you I haue no libertie if I woulde requite or recompence you I am poore if I woulde giue any thing you haue no néede That which I am able to performe is to confesse the curtesie ye then vsed with me and to accomplishe that which you now commaund me although if be not very great it is not to be estéemed as little that I holde you as my good Lord and choose you for my friend For it is muche more to gratifie a good turne receyued than to recompence it Vice for vice and euill for euill there is none in this world so euill as the ingrate man. And of this it commeth that the humayne and tender hart doth pardon all iniuries except ingratitude which he neuer forgetteth Alexander in vsing liberalitie and Iulius Caesar in pardoning of iniuries to this daye there haue not bin born two Princes that excéeded or else to bée compared vnto them And with this it is readde of them that if they had knowen a man ingrate Alexander woulde not gyue hym neyther Iulius Caesar woulde pardon him The exposition of the text My yoke is sweete c. SIr as concerning that your lordship doth say that I shuld send you the text which I preached vnto his Maiestie as I did then pronoūce it is a thing that I neuer vse to do neither ought to do for if it be in our hands to send you what we say we cannot send you the grace wherwith we do preach for the grace disposition vain that God giueth in the houre vnto the tong he doth giue afterwardes verie seldome vnto the pen. Asclepius amongst the Argiues Demosthenes amongest the Athenians Aeschine amongst the Rodians Cicero amongest the Romans were not only skilfull in orations but Princes of all other Oratours And ioyntly with this neuer any Oration that they made would they giue afterwardes vnto the people in wrytyng saying they woulde not commende vnto the penne the glorie their tongue had giuen them For howe much difference is betwixte the drawen plat and the builded house the figure and the thing figured the naturall and the thing represented so muche is betwixte the hearing of a sermon in a Pulpit and the reading therof afterwardes in writing For in the writyng chiefly the eyes do vse theyr office but with the worde the heart is moued It is the propertie of Diuine letters that béeing read they be vnderstood and being heard they be tasted or fauoured And so it cōmeth to passe that many mo persons be turned to God by hearing of Sermons than by reading of Bookes Syr I wyll doe that you commaunde me and will sende you that you require of me with a testimonie which I craue and with a protestation whyche I make that yf it shall not séeme so good when you reade it as it didde when you hearde it impute not the fault to my good wyll but to your importunitie But now to the poynt Christ sayth Come vnto me all you that be ouerladen and wearie and I will vnlode you and refreshe you Esay sayeth in his visions the burden of Babylon the burden of Moab the burden of Arabia the burden of Aegypt the burden of Damascus the burden of the Desert of the sea the burden of Tyrus whiche is to be vnderstode that he did sée Babylon burdened Moab burdened Arabia burdened Aegypt burdened Damascus burdened and Tyrus burdened The prophete Dauid dothe saye As with a gréeuous burden I am ouerladen as if he should say A mightie greate burden they haue laid vpō me Of the premisses it may be wel gathered the before Christ all the old law was tedious and painful held vs laden wearied bicause it was rigorous vnto those that did breake it and held no glory for such as did obserue it In repayment of the Moral precepts they obserued the lawes they accōplished the ceremonies they vsed and the sacrifices they offered only God gaue them victorie of their enimyes peace in their common wealths health to their persons and goodes wherwith to susteyne their families What greater burden might ther be in this worlde than that he which did break the law went presently to hell And to him that did obserue the same they did not incontinently giue Paradyse From the beginnyng to the ende of the olde law euer they laid on precept vpon precept ceremonie vpon ceremonie law vpon law burden vpon burden paine vpon pain in such wise that all wer in burdening but none in discharging The first in this world that gaue cōmaundemente to be proclaimed that al the loden should come vnto him and he would vnlode them all the wearied and he would refresh them was Christ our god And this was when in the molde of loue he did melt that lawe of feare It is here to be vnderstoode euery yoke naturally to bée heauie sharpe harde and painefull and the beaste that draweth the same goeth bound and trauailed And on the other parte Christe to saye that his yoake is swéete and hys burden lighte surely is a thing worthy to be noted and most highly to bée considered Christ did not say simply euery yoke is swéete bicause otherwise wée had not knowen of what yoke he had spoken neither what lawe hée dyd approue In that Christe said his yoke is swéete hee did giue vs too vnderstand that other yokes be bitter In saying that his burdē is light he gaue vs to conceiue that others were heauy in such wise that he doth lighten vs when he doth burden vs and giueth vs libertie when he doth yoke vs neyther did Christ saye my yokes be swéete and my burdens bée light bycause our God doth neyther commaund vs to plough with many yokes either to be laden with many burdens It is the deuil that doth perswade vs to many vices It is the worlde that doth ingulfe vs in greate troubles It is the fleshe that craueth of vs much excesse and superfluities But the good Christ our God doth aske vs no more but that we loue him not to abhor our brethrē The law of the Hebrewes was the law of feare but the law of Christians is the law of loue And as they serued god of force
greatnesse of their bodies so monstrous and so fearefull that other men séemed in their presence as Crikets or Grashoppers do séeme before men The first King of Israell which was Saule how much difference is betwixt the shoulders and the crowne of the head so much was he higher than all the men of his kingdome The great Iulius Caesar was of bodie high and leane although of face not very faire It is sayd of Augustus the Emperour that he was so highe of stature that of the high trées with his owne hands he did gather fruite Also it is written of the Consull Silla that his greatnesse was so excessiue as hée alwayes stouped to enter at euery doore Titus Liuius sayth that Scipio the Affrican was of so great a stature that none was equall to him in minde neither did passe him in heigth of bodie Plutarch sayth of Alexander the Great that according vnto such a minde as he possessed vnto the world it did seeme they had more than inough of Alexander and to Alexander it did séeme that for himselfe the whole world was not sufficient Sir this do I say in the ende hereby to consider howe the heart of man may be contained in a little bodie Since vnto it the whole world séemeth very straight A man to be very great or very little of these two inconueniences the lesse is to be great bycause the large garment easely is made lesse but that whiche is too little without blemish or deformitie cannot be made greater Allonso Henricus Aluergomes Salaia Valderrauano and Figueroa whiche be little of bodie although not of minde euer as I sée them go in Court séeme to me to be proude furious troubled and angrie And of this I do not much meruayle bycause little chimneys alwayes be somewhat fumishe or smokie In the Monastery of Toros of Guisando I found there a very little Frier whiche for that I knockt thrice arowe he did braule with me very frowardly and when I sayde vnto him that he had little pacience he made me aunswere that I had lesse good maner I intreated him to giue me some drinke and that we might cease chiding where vnto he answered Brother although you sée me you knowe me not I giue you to vnderstand that I am as you sée but little but there withall I am a péece of stéele and suche greate men and vnweldie as you are if they speake to me by day by night they dreame of me for this other day I caused my self to be measured and founde the heart to haue aduauntage of the body fiue yardes in measure whereunto I replied father therof is great necessitie that the heart haue fiue yardes of measure in heigth since in all your body there is not two Cubites and a half but after the father heard this he ceased to chide and also left me without drinke Sir beleue me the short haquebuts soonest breake the smalest fortes be soonest besieged the shalowest Seas do soonest drowne in the narowest waies is greatest peril the straytest garments be soonest rent and little men bée soonest angrie In little beasts there is not such strēgth neither such grace as in the great bycause the Elephant the Dromedary the Ox the Bul the Horse which be great beasts do profite for seruice But the Flie the Rat the Flea the Grashopper and the Criket serue not but onely to offend And also you note me that in saying of seruice I am very long and in contemplation not short and likewyse as tedious therein as M. Prexmus in telling his tale But I promise your Lordship that if I be long in praier your Lordshippe is not shorte in communication for many times I haue seene you begin a long tale that I neuer durst tary the end therof for if I had so done either I should come to the court at none or goe to bed at midnight Sir I do conferre the moments of my contemplations with the sinnes of my life and I do find by my rekoning that it is not a iust thing to be large in sinning and short in praying The maker and redéemer of the worlde did vse great measure in all things except in praying wherin he was alwayes long which he shewed most clearely in the garden of Gethsemany where how muche the more the agony did oppresse him so much the more did he enlarge his prayer Also your Lordship doth say that in preaching I am long and tedious wherto I answere that in the whole world there is no long sermon if the hearer do giue eare as a Christian and not as to curious I remember the lent past being with your Lordship they presented vnto your honour certaine Samons of Penia Melera whiche you praised for very good and yet complained that they were very little In such sorte that your Samons are neuer sufficiently large or sermons short inough It is thirtie eight yeares since I was brought to Caesars Court during which time I haue séene all things increasing except sermons which alwaies doe stand at one staye This séemeth to be true for that in our eating we adde more time in our sleeping we consume more houres all our garmentes hold more cloth our houses are more large our expences more excessiue our apparell more costly and the men more vicious Finally I say that in our talke or in any other thing no syse is suffered but in sermons whiche must not passe aboue an howre Wheras your Lordship saith I am so short in writing to this I aunswere that if I be not deceyued to talke there néedeth but a certaine liuelinesse but to write it is necessary to haue muche wisedome because to proue if a man be wise or foolish there is no other néed than to put a paire of spurres to his héeles or a pen in his hand In all things I confesse my selfe to be large except in writing which I repent nothing for an inconsidered woorde I may incontinent reuoke but the firme of my hand I can not denie To speake something with too much simplicitie or inconsidered is a sheepishnesse but to firme it with the hand is meere folly Salust saith that if the tyrant Catilene and other his felowes had not firmed the letter of their coniuration although they were accused they had not bene condemned in such wise that as well killeth the penne as the launce If Laertius Plutarch Plinie Vegetius Sulpitius and Eutropius doe not deceiue vs by their histories many Poetes Orators Philosophers Kings Princes haue bin in the worlde past of whome it is read that in their talke they were very large but in their writings very considerate Caesar in a letter that he did write from the Persicke warres of Rome said no more but these wordes Veni vidi vici I came I haue séene and I ouercame Octauius the Emperour writing vnto his Cousin Caius Drusius said thus For that thou art in Illiria remember thou art of the Caesars that the Senat
our Lord be youre protectour From Borgos the .15 of October Anno .1523 A letter vnto sir Peter of Acunia Erle of Buendia wherin is declared a prophesie of a certaine Sibill. RIght magnificent Christian knight doth your honor thinke in your iudgement that the answere I shall sende you shall be as large as the letter you haue written vnto me of a trouth it may not be so for I am nowe come to that age that nothing lyketh me that I take in hand either can I performe any thing that I would do The many yeares the cōtinual studies the great trauels that I haue passed haue made in me such impression that now the eyes be tired with reading the pulses with writing the memorie with retaining and also the iudgemente with noting and compounding God knowes I would not boast my self therof but in the end I can not but cōfesse it which is euery day I féele my self much more in age and much lesse in abilitie the more I wold dissemble the more I would enable my self the more I wold grow yong the more tenderly I would deale with my selfe I can not leaue to acknowledge but that my sighte decreaseth my memorie fayleth my bodie goeth wearied the strength decayeth and also my heares grow hoare Oh my soule what be all these things but certaine cruell summoners that cite my life to inhabite the sorowfull sepulture Epaminondas the Greke sayde that vntill the age of thirtie yeares they ought to say vnto men you are welcome or you come in a good houre bicause at that tyme they séeme to bée cōming into the world from thirtie vntill fiftie they ought to say God keepe you or stande in a good houre bycause at that time they begin to haue some iudgement of the world from fiftie yeares forwarde they ought to say vnto them God speed you or goe in a good hour for from thence they go taking their their leaue of the world In these repartments of Epaminondas it appertaineth not vnto your honour and mée that wée come in a good houre nor that we stande in a good houre for we are now come to be of the number that go in a good houre I beséech the redéemer of the worlde that when we shal passe out of this worlde we may depart in a good houre take our leaue in a good houre and that we goe in a good houre For if it be muche requisite for vs to liue well muche more it standeth vs vpon to finish well I thought good to write vnto your Lordship all this to the end that if I shal answere you somewhat short ye haue me excused and to hold me blamelesse But comming to the purpose I say that I muche delighte to reade your letters on the other parte I am ouercharged with your importunities for alwayes you come to me with vnknowne demaunds and right strange questions you now sende mée a moste auncient Epitaph that a certaine friende of yours hath brought from Rome whiche hath waged with your honour a certain wager that in all Spayn there shoulde not be a man which should haue skil to reade it much lesse to vnderstand it the letters of the Epitaph be these R.R.R.T. S.D.D.R.R.R.F.F.F.F. Neyther did that Romane speake according to knowledge eyther shall he winne his wager For that notwithstanding they be moste obscure and euery letter importe one worde I will sende them so declared and so aptly distinguished that he shall remayn confounded and you win the wager The case is thus Romulus raigning in Rome and Ezechias in Iudea there was a woman borne in Tarento named Delphica which was famous in hir life and singular in the art of diuining Amongest the Hebrues such women were named Prophetesses and amongste the Gentils called Sibilles Thys Sibill Delphica prophesied the destruction of Carthage the prosperitie of Rome the ruine of Capua the glorie of Graecia and the great pestilence of Italie And for that the fame of this Sibill was spread thoroughoute the worlde Kyng Romulus sente hir great presentes made hir greate promises and wrote to hir many letters to remoue hir out of hir countreye to lyue at Rome Neyther for any intreatance they vsed with hir or for any giftes they could sende hir this Sibill at any tyme would leaue hir countrey or come to dwell at Rome The whiche Romulus perceiuing determined in his owne person to goe sée hir and with hir in certayne causes to communicate The secret that Romulus desired was to vnderstand what Fortune was reserued for him and what destenie the Citie of Rome should haue whiche at that time king Romulus began to buylde Answere better nor worse mighte the kyng receyue of that Sibille Delphica but that she gaue him fouretéene letters written in certayne barkes of trées for that in those so auncient tymes they had not as then founde oute the manner to write in parchement and muche lesse in paper the secrete and misterie of which letters neither coulde King Romulus vnderstande eyther woulde the woman declare the same But so muche she did certifie him that there was one to be borne which should vnderstand and interprete those letters King Romulus being returned vnto his Citie of Rome commaunded those letters to be set in one of his Temples vnder greate and safe kéeping vntill the tyme shoulde come that the Goddes shoulde reueale them or some other bée borne that shoulde vnderstande them Foure hundreth thirtie seuen yeares those letters stoode hydden that no man coulde reade them muche lesse vnderstand them vntil there came to Rome an other Sibill named Erithra the whiche so clearely did declare interprete and expound them as if she hir selfe and none other had composed them The letters are but fouretéene the whiche declared in Englishe sayeth Romulus reygning Rome triumphing Sibill Delphica sayde the kingdome of Rome shall perish by Sword Fier Hunger and Colde Let vs put the selfe same caracters of the letters and the exposition in Latin vppon euery one of them in the forme that the Sibill expounded them whyche was as followeth R. Romulo R. Regnante R. Roma T. Triumphante S. Sibilla D. Delphica D. Dixit R. Regnum R. Romae R. Ruet F. Ferro F. Flamma F. Fame F. Frigore Sir behold héere your letters expounded your prophesies deuined your Romane confounded and also youre wager gotten And the reward shal be that I ouer watching my selfe to séeke this history your honour shall beare away the prayse of the aunswer If he will more thorowly know of this history let him come to séeke and reade Liuius Vulpitius Trebellius and Pogius whiche haue written of the antiquities of the Romans the sayings of the Sibilles No more but that our Lord be your protector and that he giue vs both his grace Amen Amen From Madrid the .xiij. of March. 1535. A letter vnto Sir Ynigo Marrique in which is re counted what hapned in Rome betwixt a slaue and a Lion an history very pleasant
Lordship hath much may do muche deserueth much and therefore we all estéeme you very muche For me to be ignorant of the great estate of your persone of bloud so vnspotted of iudgement so delicate in letters of so great exercise and of so greate dexteritie in armes the cause were to great foolishnesse or to much lacke of wit. But let the cace rest let vs deuide all this vnkindnesse amongst vs whiche is to wit that your Lordship from hence forward deferre or put off your choler pardon Mansilla for forgetting his letter and also kind me to expound your doubts and after this maner we will giue amends to that which is past and vse silēce for the time to come Your honour demaundeth that I declare wherefore the Patriarch Abraham in the vale of Mambre and the Prophete Ezechiel neare vnto the riuer Cobar as holy scripture saith of them fell to the ground vpon their faces and contrariwise Heli the Prophet and the Iewes that tooke Christe fell backwards Your Lordship hath to consider that it is not so light or easie whiche you doubt of for if I be not deceyued it is a question that few men do moue and in a manner none dothe expound For notwithstanding I haue séene much and read much I can not remember me to haue considered or doubted neither at anytime to haue preached thereof I dare bée bold to say that by these two maners of fallings the one back wards and the other forwards do signifie two kindes of sinning For euen as to fall after the one manner or the other in the end all is falling so in like manner to sinne after the one sort or the other all is sinning Those that do fall vppon the backe and backwards we sée them haue their faces discouered and looking vp to heauen by these are to be vnderstood those which do sinne without the feare of God afterwardes haue no shame to haue sinned We sée by experience that he that falleth forwardes may helpe hym selfe to rise with hys hands with hys elbowes with his knées and with hys féete by this I woulde say that then we haue hope to come out of sinne when we shall be ashamed to haue sinned The contrary happeneth in him that falleth backwards that whych can neuer help him selfe with his handes or lift him selfe or stay with his féete By this I would say that the man that is not ashamed to be a sinner late or neuer shall we sée hym come out of sinne Plutarch and Aulus Gellius doe saye that no yong man of Rome might enter amongst the common women but wyth their faces very wel couered If ther hapned any so vnshame-fast that durst enter or come foorth discouered so openly was he chastised as if he had committed some forcible adultery It is to be noted that all those that fell forward were saints as Abraham and Ezechiel and on the contrary those that fell backwardes as Hely the priest of the temple and the Iewes that sold Christ were sinners Out of all this there may bée gathered how much and how greatly we haue to regard not only that we fall either so much as to stumble for we knowe not whether we shall fall forward as Abraham or backward as the vnfortunate Hely Considering we discend of sinners liue amongst sinners be conuersant amongst sinners and this world being in so great want of iust men we cannot deliuer our selues from all sinnes ioyntly therefore with thys let vs pray vnto the Lord that if he take away his grace that we do fall that he take not away shamefastnesse wherewith to arise Much is God offended with vs to sée how little we estéeme to sinne but he is muche more offended to sée howe slowly we remember to repent for they be very few that do leaue to sinne but at the time when they cannot more sinne Oh how many moe be they that fal backward with Hely thā forward with Abraham for if there be one that is ashamed of sinne there is an hundreth that account sinne but pastime Let euery man estéeme himselfe as he list and let euery man say what he supposeth but for my part I hold none for a greater sinner than he that accompts himselfe for very iust neyther do I conceyue for very iust but he that acknowledgeth himselfe to be a great sinner God doth well knowe what wee can do and he vnderstandeth very well the strength that we haue and thereof it is that he is not offended for that we bée not iust but bycause we doe not confesse to be sinners I returne to say that God doth not maruell that we be humane in sinning but that which doth offēd him is for that being as we are so great sinners we would well make the world beléeue that we be very iust Let the conclusiō be in this matter that they only fall backwards with Hely and with the Hebrewes that so without remorse sit downe to sinne as they would sit downe to eate and lie downe to sléepe Of that whiche I doe most maruell in this matter is that being as we are fallen into most grieuous sinnes we do so liue and go so contented as though we had receyued of God a safeconduit to be saued Behold here my Lord your letter answered Beholde youre doubt absolued Beholde here my fault excused And also behold here your choler remoued No more but that our Lorde giue you his grace and vnto me his glory From Madrid the xj of Nouember 1528. A letter vnto the Abbot of Monserrate wherein is touched the oratories that the Gentiles vsed that it is a better life to liue in Monserrate than at the Court. MOst reuerend and blessed Abbot in the eleuenth Calends of May your Monke brother Roger gaue me a letter of yours which I receyued with gladnesse and read with pleasure for that it was from your fatherhoode and brought by the hands of that graue Father Of Aurelianus the Emperour it is read that the letters which Domitius sent vnto him were so tedious that he heard them but did not answer them and the letters that the Censor Turinus sent him he himselfe did read them and with his owne hand aunswered them Of a troth there be men so tedious in their spéech and so without grace in writing that a man would rather be sicke of a feuer than heare their talke either reade their letters No man of any man ought to maruell since men be so diuers in complexion and so variable in condition that many times against our will the hart doth loue which were muche better to be abhorred and doth abhorre that which were better to be beloued I say this father Abbot to the ende you shall vnderstand that as oft as they say here is one of Monseratte my heart reioyceth to heare some newes from thēce and the eyes he quickened in readyng your letters Father you write vnto me that I aduertise you if in the olde tyme
is delicate and of smal strength so be is more offended by a little ayre that cōmes in at a chinke thā the cold of one whole winter night did gréeue him when he was yong The old men of your age ought very much to procure to eate good bread and to drinke good wine and the bread that is well baked and the wine that is a yeare old for as old age is compassed with infirmities and laden with sadnesse the good vituals shall hold them in health and the good wine shall leade them in mirth The old men of your age ought much to consider that theyr meales be small their meate yong and well seasoned and if they eate much and of many meates they euer goe sicke for notwithstanding they haue money to buy them they haue not heate to disgest them The old men of your age ought too procure their bed curteyned their Chamber hanged a meane fire the chimney without smoke for the life of olde men consisteth in going clenly warme cōtented and without anger The old men of your age ought vtterly to auoide to dwel vppon any riuer either to do their busines in moist groundes either to sléepe in ayry places for olde men being delicate as they are be like children and naturally accraised the ayre shall penetrate their powers and moystnesse shall enter their bones The old mē of your age vpon paine of their life ought to be temperate in their diet refusing to eate late for old mē as they haue their stomacks weake and growen colde they may not disgest two meales in a day for the olde man that is vnsatiable and a glutton vsing the contrary shall belke much and sléepe little The olde men of your age to the ende that they be not sicke or grow heauie neyther turne to be grosse ought a little to refreshe them selues walke into the fielde vse some exercise or be occupied in some facultie for otherwise it might happen them to get a tisick or a lamenesse in their limmes in such wise that it will be hard to fetch breath and by puffing and blowing giue warning where you walk The old men of your age ought to haue great care to auoyde all contentious brabbling amongst their seruants and sometime to beare with their negligences to pay their wages too the ende they go contented for otherwise they will be negligent in seruice and very suttle in stealing For conclusion the old men of your age ought much to procure to weare their apparell swéete and cleanly their shirts very well washed their house neat and wel swept and their chamber very close warme and well smelling For the olde man whiche presumeth to be wise if he will liue in health and goe contented ought to haue his body without life his hart without strife In the end of your letter you write that hauing left to loue sorow leaueth not to vere you which vseth to folow the enamored and instantly you desire me to giue you some remedy or to sende you some comfort for notwithstanding you haue throwen it out of the house it leaueth not nowe and then too knocke at the gate Sir in this case I remit you to Hermogenes to Tesiphontes to Doreatius to Plutarch and to Ouid which spent much time and wrote many bookes to giue order in what manner the enamored shoulde loue and the remedies that for their loue they should vse Let Ouid write what him pleaseth Dorcas say what he thinketh good but in fine there is no better remedie for loue than is neuer to begin to loue for loue is so euill a beast that with a thread he suffereth to be taken but hée will not depart with thrusts of a launce Let euery man consider what he attempteth marke what he doth beholde what he taketh in hand note whither he dothe enter and haue regarde where he may be taken for if it were in his handes to set the tables he is not certaine to win the game There is in loue after it is begon infinite shelues immesurable sloughes daungerous rockes and vnknowen whirelpooles in whych some remaine defaced others blinded some besoilde and also some others vtterly drowned in such wise that he that is best deliuered I accoumpt to be euill deliuered Oh how many times did Hercules desire to be deliuered from his loue Mithrida Menelaus from Dortha Pyrrhus from Helena Alcibiades from Dorobella Demophon from Phillis Hāniball from Sabina and Marcus Antonius from Cleopatra from whome they could neuer not only depart but also in the end for them and with them they were cast away In case of loue let no man trust any man and much lesse him selfe for loue is so naturall to man or woman and the desire to be beloued that where loue amongst them dothe once cleaue it is a sore that neuer openeth and a bond that neuer vnknitteth Loue is a metall so delicat a canker so secret that he planteth not in the face where he may be sene nor in the pulse where he may be felte but in the sorowfull hart where although he be sensible they dare not discouer it After all this I say that the remedie that I giue for loue is that they gyue him no place to enter amongst the entrayles nor giue theyr eyes libertie to behold windowes or giue eare to bawdes either suffer any trade of Dames to come or goe if any come to house to shut the dores and not to walke abroade after euening if with these conditions loue may not altogither bée remedied at the least it may be eased and amended Sir and my gossip if you will in all these things profite youre selfe and well consider thereof you shall be excused of many angers and also saue much money For to youre age and my grauitie it is more conuenient to vnderstande of the best wines than to view the windowes of the enamored Take for example chastisement the Licentiat Burgos your acquainted and my great friend which being old and enamored as you died this saterday a death so straunge and fuddayne as was fearefull to al men and sorowfull to his friēds No more but our Lord be youre guide and giue me grace too serue him From Burgos the .24 of Febr. 1523. A letter vnto Sir Iames of Gueuara vncle to the Author wherein he doth comfort him for that he hath bin sicke MAgnificent and right honorable Vncle it pleaseth your Honor to complaine of mée in youre letter that I neither serue you as my good Lorde either do sue as vnto a father or visite as an vncle neyther write as vntoo a friende I may not denie but as concerning kinred your are my Fathers brother in merit my good Lord my father in curtesie and my Progenitor in giuing of liberall rewards which I haue receiued at your hands not as a nephew but as a sonne much beloued Since I haue confessed the affinitie that I hold and affirme the dette
of Asia the Heresie of Ebionites whereof Sainct Iohn in the Apocalips maketh reporte notwithstanding that Theodosius and Simachus had bene faithfull in their translations and of troth and veritable in their words our Church would at no tyme receyue their scriptures hauing no confidence in the credence of their persons Fourtéene yeares after the death of Simachus whiche was the fifth yeare of the Empire of Heliogabalus it came too passe that a certayne Patriarcke of Ierusalem béeyng named Ioannes Budeus founde in a caue at Iericho faythfully written and catholikely translated out of Greke into Latine all the olde and new Testament This is the translation the whiche at this present the Latine Church doth vse this is that which we call Quinta editio and of others is named the Translation Hiericontini which is to saye that which was founde in Hiericho the auctor whereof was neuer knowen In the eyght yeare of Alexāder Seuerus the sonne of Mamea which was about ten yeares after the translation Hiericontine was found a Doctor of ours named Origene did correct the trāslation of the .70 Interpreters which is to vnderstand in adding where they had bin briefe declaring the darke mysteries placing a little starre as a marke wher he had made declaration of any matter and where he did remoue or take away he added the marke of a little arrowe All these sixe translations aboue mentioned whiche is to say of the .70 Interpreters of Aquile of Simachus of Theodosius of Iericho that of Origene our auncients did vse for custome of them all to make one booke writing in euery leafe by six diuisions and this booke was named Hexapla ab ex quod est ex Latinè quasi sex traductiones in se continens Foure hundreth yeares after this a certaine Doctor of ours named S. Ierome most certainly a man very holy and in his tyme and of his temple most learned and greatest vnderstanding in the sacred Scriptures and humaine letters and no lesse expert in the Gréeke Hebrewe and Caldée tongue This man did in like maner correct the translation of the .70 Interpreters made also another by it selfe out of Greke into Latine as well of the olde as of the new Testament The greatest part wherof is now in vse in our Catholike Church and is the same that we most estéeme In like maner I will that you vnderstande that in the 314. yere after the natiuitie of our sauiour Iesus Christ there was raysed among you a certayne Iewe of Idumaea named Maier a man very subtyle and in the arte of Nygromancie no lesse skilfull which obtayned suche credite and reputation among you that he made you fully beléeue that God had gyuen twoo lawes vnto Moyses in the mount of Sinay the one in writing and the other in worde and sayde that God had done the same knowing that in time the wrytten lawe shoulde bée loste and that lawe shoulde raygne whiche was gyuen by woorde This cursed Iew Maier further sayde that God had reuealed this lawe vnto Moyses only and alone and Moyses did reueale the same to Iosue and Iosue to his successors and so from hand to hande it was reuealed vnto him and that vnto him onely God had commaunded to put the same in writing and to manifest the same to his Iewish people Insomuch that the lawe of Moyses beganne to bée abolished and the people and their lawe to be loste This lawe whiche your Iewe Maier had inuented in the Hebrwe speache was named Misna which is to saye the Secrete lawe This sayde lawe was glosed afterwards by many of your doctors namely by Rabby Manoa Rabby Andasy Rabby Butaora and Rabby Samuel the whiche in like manner with him did write many wretched and cursed things and no small lyes in preiudice of the lawe that Iesus Christe had preached vnto you and the lawe which Moyses had giuen you This lawe is the same whiche your Rabbyes haue otherwise named the booke of the Talmud wherein your doctors do say that when God vpon the Mount of Sinay did gyue the law vnto Moyses that then were present the soules of Dauid of Esay of Ieremie of Ezechiel and of Daniel and of all the other Prophetes And likewise they saye that there was present all the soules of theyr Rabbyes of the Synagogue whiche shoulde declare bothe the lawes of Moyses and also sayde that shortly after God would anew create their bodies to infuse these soules But it is right well knowen vnto you that according to the Prophesies and the lawes of Moyses the true Messias whiche was Iesus Christe was then come and that all your Iewish Common wealth is nowe finished for whiche cause ye haue preferred this lawe named Misna and his glose named Talmud by the meane of which law and glosse ye bold abused all the common people and yeelde destruction to your Iewishe estate Concluding I say that very well to good right and direct purpose I haue alleadged agaynste you that texte of Dauid whiche sayeth Scrutati sunt iniquitates And the other of Esay whiche sayeth Parum est mihi vt suscites feces In so muche as you haue falsified the Scriptures inuēted other new lawes Wherefore in respect thereof I haue done you neyther wrong nor iniurie considering also that at this present yee do more defende the lawe of Maier than the lawe of Moyses And for that I haue dilated this discourse more than I thought to haue done the reste shall remayne to bée verified in some other disputation An excellent disputation which the Auctor held against the Iewes of Naples wherein is declared the hyghe mysteries of of the Trinitie HOnorable Rabbyes and stiffenecked Iewes in the laste disputation holden betwixte vs on saterday last ye would haue pluckt out myne eyes and also haue beaten mée bycause I alledged thē these words of Iesus Christ which say Ego principium qui loquor vobis Answering ye sayde that neyther Iesus Christ vnderstoode what he sayde eyther I muche lesse what I defended scornfully mocking ye affrmed that I was but simple the whiche in déede may be very true But to note my Lord Iesus Christ of falsehoode most certaynly of your parte it procéedeth of your to too greate wretchednesse and moste excéeding and extreme wickednesse béeyng vtterly repugnant vnto his bountie to deceyue and to his diuinitie to lye Were it in you or had ye the grace to beléeue as I and all others do and ought to beléeue that his humanitie word is vnited ye would in like maner beléeue confesse that it were impossible that the blissed Iesus might erre in that which he commaunded eyther exercise his life as sinner eyther his speache as lyer But forasmuche as ye remayne obstinate in your lawes of Moyses ye deserue not to vnderstande so high mysteries The law of Moyses I do not deny but your Cabal I can in no wise credit but vtterly defie firmly beleue the