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A03100 A newe discourse of morall philosophie, entituled, The kayes of counsaile Not so pleasant as profitable for younge courtiours. Optima est patientia victor. Heron, Haly. 1579 (1579) STC 13228; ESTC S108570 49,052 150

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A NEWE Discourse of Morall Philosophie Entituled The Kayes of Counsaile Not so pleasant as profitable for younge Courtiours Optima est Patientia Victor AT LONDON Imprinted by Ralph Newberie Anno. 1579. Jndex Of humilitie Cap. 1 Of company felovvship Ca. 2. Of talke cōmunication Ca. 3. Of modest behauiour Cap. 4. Of selfe loue Cap. 5. Of vvine and vvomen Cap. 6. Of dyce play Cap. 7. Of trauaile Cap. 8. Of stabilitie Cap. 9. To John Kay the younger Gent. Haly Heron his Gouernour wisheth continuall health with increase of learnyng and vertues WHen I had well considered with my self how great affinities are sayd to be betwixt learning and good maners insomuch as either of them without the other seemeth to be vnperfect both equally ioyned O God how straight a course they take to wyn both worldly fauour eternall felicitie I haue thought good as well presently nourishing thy tender wittes by dayly instruction as hereafter when some priuate occasion may perhaps remoue me from thy company to leaue these fewe preceptes of morall Philosophie togither with my especiall good will towards thee bent in riper yeares of discretion to be well wayed and seriously folowed The gifts of nature which appeare in the blossomes of youth so bountifully bestowed vpō thee haue as it were by cōtemplatiō allured mee to giue these instructions of Courtly behauior not bicause I wold therby persuade thee to seeke suche doubtfull prefermēt but if hereafter by the good aduice of thy parents thou be commaunded or by deceiptful emulation drawen to such kinde of seruice that thou mightest in the entrance of so perillous a passage be well armed against those daungerous delights which vnto others for want of better gouernment hath bene the chiefe cause of ruinous decayes and skornful ouerthrow And first I woulde haue thee to vnderstande that the Court is a boysterous Sea where by the raging stormes aboue head the strongest shippes are throwen vpon the doubtfull rockes of displeasure and yet sometymes by the fauourable aspecte of fortune safely ariued in the quiet hauen of good happe It is like a steepe hyll or huge mountayne harde for any man to clymbe and yet apt for all mē easily from thence to fall downe headlong and especially to such as are swiftest of foote or rather lightest of heade nothing subiect to good counsel foresight of mischiefs The wayes are pleasāt the enterteinmēt sweet but the felowship is the more doubtful bicause that vnder so sweete a tast oft tymes lie many bitter pilles of hard digestion and as some say the common sicknesse of the Court is to surfeyt in the bākets of dissembling but no man can burne his fingers without fyre nor be deceyued where hee hath not ouermuch trusted Moreouer the way to vice is readily founde but the true path and footesteppes of Vertue not so easie to be folowed For nature is subiect to sinne and soone allured by the enticements of follie but noble Vertue requireth longer tymes of increase whose humble roote as it were by degrees spredding hir selfe abroade is the more stedfastlye planted in the firme grounde of perfect knowledge where not by kinde but customablye increasing bringeth foorth the flowers of worthie fame and soueraigne fruites of felicitie Thys is the marke whereat all men should leuell and the boundes of humaine life which by no meanes can be enlarged and as by the instinct of nature we are all moued with a prouident care to liue as by the maintenance of pleasures and needefull commodities of life it is manifest so muche more ought we by reason seriously to seeke the safe conduct of vertue that guideth vs directly to the Pallace of eternall life and euerlasting pleasures by this we haue fellowship with Angels in heauen after the consummation of this tragicall act but the other is cōmon to vs with all other earthly creatures Take therefore these instructions of vertue for a newe yeares gift at my handes which alluding to thy name I haue entituled the Keyes of Counsaile hoping the euē as by the prouidence of God and the furtherance of good parents hereafter thine estate may be worthily aduanced so that the daungerous course aduentures of youth by these my trauayles shal be the better directed and more safely gouerned I haue folowed the praise of vertue more than the reprehensiō of vice in this short discourse of maners for that with Cicero the Prince of eloquence I hold it greater glorie that is gotten by defence of honestie thā that is doubtfully receiued by disclosing of misdeedes If want of skill hath vnpleasauntlye closed vp the wyde fields of rethorical exornations in so good a matter accept the morall sense of simplicitie which tendeth rather to plaine profite than vaine pleasure But if perhaps the discourse seeme to be shorter than the greedie mindes and attentiue eares of the studious herein should require content thy selfe that the rest of my winter exercise hath bene applied to thine owne priuate instruction Farewell and thus much remember That life without learning is vnpleasant and learning without vertues vnprofitable Cal. Decemb. 1578. Thy Gouernour for the tyme and thy friende for euer HALY HERON Of Humilitie CHAP. 1. THE strong foundations of vertue groūded on Humilitie must of force his raised from the stedfaste rocke of Faith For as it is by true recorde of holy scriptures witnessed The feare of God is the beginning of wisedome And surelie when a man begins to consider the frailtie of fleshe and immortalitie of the soule the miserable calamities of this worlde and the inestimable ioyes of heauen of mankind the vaine folly and the true perfection of diuine nature and omnipotencie of God Euen then is he tryed with the touchstone of trueth or rather moued by the suggestion of holy spirit to feare the iust iudgement of the almightie mistrusting his owne righteousnesse which can not be but imperfecte Then is hée forced in the doubtfull stormes of Dispaire to caste anker in the quiet hauen of Hope then is he taught by the rigour of the law to clayme the priuiledge of faith appealing frō his owne merites to the mercies of Almighty God trusting not in earthly fancies but in the true fauoure of his heauenly redemption And this is the fayth the bringeth humble feare giues increase of heauenly wisdome frō whence as it were from a goodly fountaine of grace all other vertues haue their beginning but not frō reason alone according to the Philosophers opinion which appoint Vertue to be such a perfect quality of the mind that guideth vs directly in the executiō of right towards the atteining to felicitie a thing impossible vnto vs to deserue which by the corruptiō nature and frailtie of flesh are commonly withdrawen from that which is good and contrarywise allured to that whiche is euill and vncomely And lyke as the naturall plants without grafting yéelde bitter fruites and the grounde that is not by the continuall laboures of Husbandmen
frée till you be able to restraine youre affections For howe can he enioy the commodities of Peace whiche delighteth in the practise of discord If he be frée that is subiecte to feare or happy that pines in sorrowes or quiet that burneth in wrath thē is he at libertie which overruled by his affections but it is farre otherwise and therefore in my iudgement he is frée from libertie and inferiour to bondage Therefore if we woulde be crowned with euerlasting fame if we séeke pleasantly to liue and honorably to dye to rule with power and to be feared with fauour and lastely to be like vnto the Goddes themselues we muste be liberall in reward of dueties and bountifull in due consideration of deserts The Emperour 〈◊〉 was so bountiful in rewards toward his subiects that he wold suffer no day to passe wherein he had not diuersly performed sūdry déeds of charitie What a Princely rewarde was giuen to Virgil by the noble Octauia the mother of Marcellus for a few lines writtēd in worthy praise of hir sonne howe mindful was that highe renowned King Alexander of his friendly gouernors whiche in the conquest of Persia commaunded a riche cheste which conteined chiefe parte of the spoile to be reserued for Homer These were the vertues of the Gréekes and Romanes which cōmitted their names of the Booke of eternall memorie Furthermore there be comely graces aswell in gesture as other behauiour to be noted in a Courteour and it behoueth him much that daily standeth in the face of his Prince and chiefe royaltie of the Realme to be modest in his lookes and verye circumspecte of behauioure Heliodorus or at leaste the friendlye translatour of hys workes resembling Theagines vnto the valiaunt Achilles both in stature and al other outward comely proportions of the body maketh them equall but for his countenaunce whiche discloseth the modestie of the minde he preferred Theagines before the other in that he was more humbly disposed and farre more courteous of speach for whiche he gyueth him a singular commendation And to saye trueth what is the comelinesse of personage without good manners surely it may be likened to the Painters image wherin is much arte no sēse most curious workmanship little vnderstanding But in gesture behauiour there are as many shameful vices to be eschued as there be comely graces to be followed for I would not wish a yong man to counterfet such grauitie that he become a Drawlatche nor a double curtesie maker which is scornful nor a ceremonious cap giuer to al men for that is ridiculous so that he must be neither shéepish nor yet past shame that will séeke to aduance himselfe to credite by good maners modest behauior There be some whiche loue rather to set their lookes in a Glasse than learne to sit comely in the saddle another stalkes in the stréets as we say like one that would steale Cranes another beares the countenance of a Lion perhaps whose courage is not worth a Léeke this wily fellowe shewes euerye man hys sword which hath bin the death of so many frogs in Ireland and other tels the wonders of strange countries therein vseth the liberties of a Trauailer and lastely some are euer exclayming on their stepmothers fortune and whine at the sorrowes of Aduersitie But these in my iudgement had rather choose Follie for their playfellowe and companion than the haue Vertue their guide safeconduct vnto wisedome There is a meane and mediocritie in all thinges whiche he that can indifferentlye obserue hathe attained euen to the full perfection of Vertue It commendeth a Courteour likewise to bée generallye séene and experienced in many thinges for the knowledge of all thinges is profitable but the abuse of anye thing is vncomely I haue knowen very wise men which traueling by chance in the company of mean Artificers would not thinke scorne to talke but take delight to discourse with suche euen of the vilest trades that are to be necessarily vsed in a common wealth Swéete honny is not gathered out of one onelye flower nor learning is had out of one booke nor Wisedom likewise is attayned by the practise of one Vertue alone And wée muste learne also to frame oure speache and behauiour according to the place and company not to talk with Priests of loue nor with Ladies of religion not to discourse with childrē of wars nor with Princes of trifles neither in a tragicall misfortune to be too muche daunted with fear nor in a sodain felicitie too farre surprised with delight And in any discourse we must remember to inferre duties by desert mirth with measure and pleasure by commodities for according to the Poet Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit vtile dulci. To conclude in al our actions expeditions we must prefer the steadfast counsaile of aduised policie before the rash enterprise of malaperte boldenesse It is better to deserue euerlasting fame with noble Fabius which saued his country by delays than to perishe with shamefull Callicratides which lost a goodly fléete of the Lacedemonians with ouermuch hast We sée the lingring snaile by tract of time doth softly climing reach to the toy of stately Towers there quietly sits without danger where the fierce capitain with hot assaults bloudy skirmishe at laste perhappes winnes the strongest fort which he cā not kéepe without double charge and deadlye perill And surelye the cunning to kéepe is no lesse cōmendable than the courage to obtayne And thus he that will rule must learne to be obedient he that will liue quietly muste of force restraine his affections and hée that would be knowen to be a gentleman must alwayes vse good conditions Of Selfe loue and surquidrie CHAP. 5. I Can not easily condiscende to the opinion of those whiche affirme that a man cannot in any wise doe himselfe wrong but I am rather induced by reason to beléeue that a man can hurte no man so muche as hée plagueth himselfe For if we consider the miserable estate of mankinde subiecte to such and so many fearefull daungers and sodaine alterations in the whole course of his life we shall finde that in steade of one iniurie done is another man he bringeth mountaines of care heapes of sorrowes vpon his owne head And to omitte all childish sorrowes when he commeth from his crade first into riper yeres of discreation good God howe violently is he drawen by swéete alluring luste into the lothsome practise of follye what care vexeth him within what feare doth compasse him aboute what pleasures in hope what sorrowes in dispaire what flames of desire and what colde floudes of disdaine and finallye what rockes of repulse doe breake the billow waues of his wauering minde in so muche as tenne thousande times in a daye to ende this careful strife he calles for deathe to cutte the line asunder of this his lucklesse life And yet perhaps by tract of time he is taughte to leaue such toyes reason