such he made a law to be rid from feare that none of his subiects should talke togither of any priuate affaires A straunge kinde of crueltie not to suffer meÌ„ to talke togither But if that had béene all in some respect it had béene tolerable But perceiuing that by signes and tokens they did manifest eche others gréef and thereby his former commaundement to his minde was not obeyed he charged theÌ„ that for their liues they should neither speak one to an other nor so muche as giue a signe whereby one might knowe anothers intent This pssed all that other crueltie and may seâ—me incredible that either any man would giue suche a commaundement or any men abide the same Aelianus reporteth it As Tyrants are far from humanitie so all those whiche doo glory in the effusion of blood And therfore Hanniball when he behelde the féelde ouerflowen with blood for saying O noble fight is numbred rather among sauage beasts then ciuil creatures And Volesius béeing Proconsul vnder the Emperor Augustus for saying O princely act when he had commaunded thrée hundred in one day to be executed with death is iudged voide of this vertue and is adioyned to those tyrants and Hanniball an example not imitable but detestable Humanitiâ—e teacheth vs to abandon crueltie â–ª to loue cherish one another euen because we are men of one nature resonable and by that reasoÌ„ gentle with out crueltie â–ª not fâ—â—râ—e without mercie as are beasts sauage vnreasonable This vertue the Gréekes â—all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a moste sigâ—â—ficant woord whiche is as it were looue of mankind It hath many braunches and properties pertaining to it all to râ—â—ite were a long lâ—bor some I muste néedes for illustrations sake for it is pitiful and taketh coÌ„passion on the afflicted Phocian had this vertue for his manner was to defend suche as were in miserie oftentimes the wicked his nature was so good For whiche he was reprehended of his fréends for they would not haue him to maintain malefactors in their naughtines to whoÌ„e he answered that he did the same because they stood in need therof but good meÌ„ could lack no patrons Also he wold visit such as were imprisoned though they were breakers of the law reléeued them with good counsaile as he did Aristogiton whome he could not better coÌ„fort then in prison By this vertue are they poore seen vnto whersoeuer they be either in our houses or in the common wele And for the same while the world shall continue Cimon not Timon the AtheniaÌ„ wil be coÌ„mended He would releeue the poore comfort the imprisoned and doo good vnto all whiche were oppressed especially suche as did belong vnto him or had dwelt with him any long time Not like that elder Cato whose manner was to sel his olde seruants whiche had serued him a long time as we doo beastê he would not kéep them a foule blot for so famous a man The lack of this vertue also brought infamie vnto Pericles For beeing called to authoritie he would not estéeme of his olde acquaintance no not of his maister Anaxagoras whiche had filled him with so many good precepts and instrucâ—ions of Philosophie nay he did so neglect him as he was through extreme pouertie about to haue rid himself out of the world had not Pericles in time reléeued him Heerfore is Caligula much commended for he would alwaies haue some poore folke in his house and oftentimes with meat from his owne table reléeue them And the olde Romans of the welthier sorte had such consideration of the poore that after them selues had béen serued the poore were seen vnto and had continually at their hands And that the beggers and suche like should the better knowe when the Princes and rich men were at their meate in many places trumpetê and such instrumets were sounded Of this matter somwhat in the latter end almoste of the 31. Chapter of this Book was recited and therfore we will ceasse at this time By whiche it appéereth what a goodly thing it is to haue humanitie and to dele withall men as we would be serued our selues And againe how odioê° they are which neglect the same as those whiche we haue recited cruel tyrantê tyraÌ„nicall captaines and those Myson Timon Athenians called because they hated maÌ„kinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heer for the better conceiuing of this vertue I wil ad the counsail of Lactantius and so end this chapter his woords are these He whiche hath not abundantly to bestowe vpon the poore let him giue according to his habilitie and according as he dooth excel in riches let him excéede in Liberalitie Neither think thereby that thou shalt consume thy stock and substaÌ„ce For thou maist giue liberally and yet liue welthyly and in this manner spend not idlelie but such vain expences whiche you were wunt to be at turne to better vse with that whiche before time you were wuÌ„t to bye cattel now redéem captiues with that whiche you did feede beasts now nurish men with that whiche you maintain soldiors bury the poor What dooth it auaile you to make your horsekéepers rich men and nurish vp naughtines Turn that which otherwise wil be spent wickedly to good vse that so for earthly giftê you may receue an eternal reward in the kingdoÌ„e of god Hether to LactaÌ„tius And thê° much of humanitie Of Gratefulnes Cap. 45. GRatefulnes according to the iudgement of Cicero is a vertue not only the greatest but also the mother and spring of all other vertues It is called in latin Gratia which is diuersely taken for sometime we vnderstand therby the affection which is borne to a man and heerof comes our English phrase he is gratious in such a mans eyes meaning therby that he is belooued Sometime it is taken for the effect or declaration of that goodwil and therfore a benefit so bestowed we say is giuen gratis fréely of grace and méere goodwil Lastly it is taken for a keeping of such a benefit in memory And of that we meane at this time to make a few woords To the stirring of men to Gratefulnes the better of the Poets were famed certain virgins which were called Graces which were in number three theire names were Aglaia Thaleia Euphrosyne all naked linked togither There number signifieth thrée distinct things to be coÌ„sidered in benefitê to giue to receue to recoÌ„pence By their names are vnderstood the endê and effectê of such as giue and receiue good turnes The first is called Aglaia in latin SpleÌ„dor as we say glitteringnes by which is ment that he which hath receiued a good turn should not be ashamed to confesse the same reporte it abrode And heerof it is said that thankfulnes dooth consist in two thingê in trueth and iustice Trueth dooth acknowlege what is receiued boldely without keeping close
nice delicate and wanton â–ª as who was wantonnest Such another was M. Antonius For at Rome he woulde lyue lyke a Roman â–ª and woulde séeme a right senator In Aegipt who was more licenciously bente or coulde playe his parte in wickednesse more kindly then he But this kinde of capacitie can not be commended For we coumpt not that a goâ—d wit which wyll easely attaine to the perfection of wickednesse for that shoulde bée verie harde to learne but vertue and godlinesse Vice and vngratiousnesse is quickly learned and should not be learned as that wherevnto the dullest is readdiest to engrafte Vertue and godlinesse is hardly learned and shoulde be learned and that the sharpest of wit is very dull to conceaue Wherefore as Themistocles aunswered one which promised a thing to confirme his memory Naye sayde he my memory is good inough something I had rather learne to forget then alwayes remember so should we say that to some thing we are by nature too prone can sone conceaue so that we should rather seeke to forget then studie to remember them as are al kind of vngratiousnes impietie Some haue this Docilitie of nature some get the same by diligence They which haue it by nature are not alwayes of the best memory On the other side Docility gotteÌ„ by industry though it be hard in conceiuing yet is it not hastie in forgetting It is an easie matter to imprint a thing in waxe it is more easie to put it out It is a harde thing and requireth tyme to engraue any thing in marble and it is more harde to take awaye the same Examples we â–ª haue of either parte many and the best learned haue not conceaued a thing soonest Then Demades who had a better gifte quickly to conceaue Nature was beneficiall And yet in writing who was more foolish he lacked diligence Then Demosthenes in conceauing who was more harde â–ª Nature neglected him And yet in writing who was more excellent His paines was wonderfull And so it falleth out most commonly to whome nature hath geuen sharpnesse of wit they are most carelesse and least commended in theyr exercises againe whome nature hath done leste for and haue the worste capacities they proue by â—eason of theyr paines most profounde Then Demosthenes none was more famous among the Grecian orators and yet extempore he was lest ingenious Then Cicero none was more notable among the Romane orators and yet to speake vpon a soddaine â–ª none was more vnwilling more vnfit It is reported of him that among all the orations which hee made but one of them was made ex tempore without premeditation Which he dyd eyther because he coulde not or woulde not Certainly he would not because he could not and his vnwillingnesse arose of his vnfitnesse Howe vnfit he was it appeareth by most of his orations where hée telleth with what feare he came to speake before a multitude But that is the part of an orator to vse a modest excusinge of him selâ—e some wyll saye and that we maye not think such a patrone of eloqueÌ„ce so bare of inuencion matter as that he is not able at all tymes to make yea ex tempore an oration Certes he was such a one And though by studie he was peerelesse in his arte yet otherwyse he coulde perswade very lyttle and abiect orators passed him as farre as Demades passed Demosthenes He shoulde once haue spoken vppon small warning but by an occasion it was differred vntyll another daye which newes his seruant Erotes brought vnto him and it so reioysed him at the hart that for those newes he made Erotes of a bond man free and of a slaue a ciâ—â—iâ—en of Rome Whereby it is euident that vppon a soddaine to speake he was no man and that those his wordes in many of his orations procéeded of an imbecillity which he knew was in him selfe So that it appeareth of two wits whereof one is naturall the other gotten by studie the better in a simple consideration of either of them is that whiche by diligence wée attaine Marrie when to that gifte of Nature we ioyne diligence and make that fully perfecte which otherwyse is not then certes without comparison it is by many degrées the better Cicero hath a notable place in which he sheweth that noble persons haue the best capacities his wordes be these Noble men whether they geue them selues to goodnesse or vngratiousnesse in eyther of them doo so excell as none of our calling meaning the baser sort come any thing nigh them He spake by experience God graunt that all noble and gentlemen maye repell from theyr hartes all vaine cogitations and embrace vertue for certainly by an espetiall gifte of God theyr wits are more quicke to conceaue any thing then are the ruder baser kinde of men For if they folow the couÌ„sayle of the learned and entertaine godly motions into their mindes they are notable examples of blessed men contrariwise when they depart from reason and neglect good letters they doo not onely excell inferior men in wickednesse but euen the very beasts in all beastlinesse proue deuils incarnate For they haue not only a wil but also a power to bring all that to passe which they are desirous now both ioyned together doth either profite much or ouermuch plage a coÌ„mon weale Wherfore God graunt that they maye tame and bridle all vnruly affections and earnestly treade that pathe which bringeth to felicitie I may not stande long vpon any part neyther is it my minde fully at large to discourse euery thing wherfore hauing geuen a lyght to the vewing of this part of Prudence and haue as it were by poynting shewed what is Docilitie and who are most Docile learne and conceaue a thing sonest I come to the next part of Prudence ¶ Of Heedâ— Chap. 14. NOwe are we come to another thing without which none may be eyther named or iudged a wyse and prudent man. It is named in Latin Cautio in our tongue we call it Heede Whose nature is according to Cicero with iudgement to decline from thinges hurtfull Wherefore this is a moste necessarie thing as for all men so espetially for him whose profession is by fortitude of minde to defende his countrey â–ª I meane a captaine Examples we haue many and that of most triumphant and victorious fellowes which haue embraced this as an espetial thing most méete for him in whose prudence remaineth eyther the sauing or destroying not onely of many a thousand valiant soldiors but also famous and noble townes castels and contreys And therfore we reade that Caesar was alwayes so heedefull and fearefull of afterclaps that he alwayes woulde haue two legions of soldiors well armed in al pointes lying before his tentes which should vpon a soddaine set vpon his enemies if soddainly or in the night they would seeke his ouerthrow Such another was Sertorius therefore he tooke
thing to alter the minde and sodainly to plucke awaye that which by custome is come to an habite but this I admonish you that if you can not auoide it that before your minde bee occupied with anger then reason coulde foresee it shoulde be occupied you ought so to frame your selfe and daily haue this in minde Anger should be resisted And when anger most doth moue you then shoulde you most carefullie kéepe the tongue which thing to doo seemeth to mee as great a vertue as not to bee angrie at all For at no tyme to be angrie is not onely a great poynt of grauitie but of gentlenesse but for to temper both talke and thought when you are angrie or else to holde your peace and to suppresse the motion and griefe of minde although it be not of perfect wisdome yet is it a token of a rare wytte Hitherto Cicero The next and thirde in order is Palenes which is called an anger newly begon or but newly beginning and after a litle whyle is quickly gone A man so affected is soone hote and soone colde because reason ouercommeth the outragiousnesse of the passion For if it shoulde persist and continue long it would easily come to hatred Which according to the minde of Cicero is an olde grudge or as Zeno defineth It is a certaine desire by which we wishe ill to some body that so we maye come eyther to welth promocion or profite Here it is not impertinent to distinguish Hatred from Anger for they may seeme to be all one and to haue the same nature but Aristocle doth as notably as learnedly shew the difference betwéene them For saith he Anger springeth froÌ„ an iniurie done vnto vs but hatred oftentymes is conceiued of none occasion For by and by as sone as we conceyue an yll opinion of any man at the same tyme we beginne to hate Againe we are angrie with some perticular persoÌ„s with this man or that man but hatred most commonly is against a whole company as euery man that hath the feare of God before his eyes hateth all droonkardes théeues whoremongers and generally all wicked men lewdly bent Againe tyme can aswage anger but hatred once rooted can not be or verie hardly pluckt from the hart Moreouer he which is angrie desireth to bring vexation and griefe to him whome he is offended withall but he which hateth seeketh to destroy An angrie man wyll be known but an hater cares not much for that The thing which an angry man wyll doo may be sensibly perceiued but the hurts which a hater doth can not by sense be knowne as iniustice sclander and such like Besides griefe doth accompany Anger but Hatred is without griefe and paste al shame Furthermore Anger is driuen away by reuenge but hatred no calamitie can put away To conclude he which is angrie desireth to haue him vexed with whome he is angrie but he which hateth desireth his death whome he doth hate The last is Discorde which Cicero defineth to be an angre conceyued euen at the verie hart by an extreme and inwarde hatred He which laboureth of this disease as an vnprofitable member shoulde be cutte from the body of a common weale For he can agrée with none he can yeelde to none but dissenting from all seeketh by conspiracies insurrections poysoning of Princes the plaine euersion and ouerthrowe of all Cicero sayth that Non potestatum dissimilitudo sed animorum disiunctio dissensionem facit Not the inequalitie of power â–ª but the disiunction of mindes maketh dissension And Salluste verie notably sayeth That by discorde the greatest thinges come to naught which agréeth to that fiction of the Poets who say that by discorde which is called Alecto one of the furies of hell the worlde and all things else shall perishe All these affections in this Chapter contained so depende one of the other as if they were lynked together with a chaine And therefore they ought very warely to be suppressed least they bring vs into a mad estate And that the more wyllingly it may be done I wyll declare the effectes of one which in respect of other is not so hurtfull that by the same the other which can hurt more may be the better auoyded which is Anger It is written experience proues the same that an angrie man when he is in his heate differeth not from a madd man Behold his lookes his color his gesture voyce wordes and behauiour and no difference shall you finde Examples we sée many and wonder at them Alexander in his anger caused his trusty and most faithfull Clito most cruelly to be slaine Dionysius the Syracusane in his rage kylled his best beloued Page but when the fury was paste and they came to them selues they did so repent them that for very sorrowe desperately they woulde haue slaine them selues Periander lykewise in his rage murthered his owne wife but wheÌ„ with iudgement he had considered the facte he caused the strumpets and concubines which incensed him thervnto with fire fagot to be consumed But what neâ—de I to recite these examples Or why do we so much wonder at tyrants wheÌ„ as graue men and of great iudgement haue bene subdued by this furious affection Betweene Aeschylus and Sophocles about versefiyng there was sometime no smal contencion in which by the sentence iudgement of those which were present Sophocles was preferred Aeschylus toke the same so gréeuously that for very anguishe of minde he coulde neither abide the presence of his friendes nor any body else but fledde presently into Sicilia where obscurely he liued and at length by thought dyed miserablie The lyke is written to haue happened to Calchas a soothsayer at his returne from troy For comming into tryal with Mopsus one of his profession and being ouercom did so for verie anger torment him self that within short tyme he dyed of that angrie conceyte And had not Plato by learned perswasions altered the minde of Niceratus a yong man of good disposition and excellent in Poetrie he had in such sort dispatched himselfe For sometyme great emulation there was betweene this Niceratus and one Antimachus in Poetry and as the custome was openly they celebrated the praise commendation of Lysander in verses Now Lysander hauing harde them both dyd much estéeme the verses of Antimachus better then the other although in deede by the seÌ„tence of those which had iudgement in Poetrie Niceratus had deserued more commendation preferment Which sinister sentence of wise Lysander so greeued him at the very hart that he was determined to forsake leue the studdie of good literature But Plato by graue counsayle turned his minde and made him of a dissolute a diligent student in Poetrie ¶ Of loue Chap. 14. THe greatest and most burning affection is Loue. Which may easily be proued both by the aucthority of Plato other men of great countenaunce Plato amongst
waye reprehended him and sayd that his opinon had beene good if he had thought no vertue could haue bine without Prudence but he coulde not saye rightly that euery one was Prudence Many and great haue bene the prayses of this vertue Apollophanes a Stoike stoode in such admiration thereof that he iudged all other vertues in respecte of wisedome nothing worth that shee was to the rest as a prince to her handmaids Another Philosopher whose name was Bion thought aswell of her and sayde that shee dyd as farre excell the rest of the vertues as the sight is better in dignitie then other senses Another Philosopher whose name was Epicurus which though concerning the chiefest happinesse he erred yet in this thing fayde very well that the very cause of all goodnesse was onely wisedome For by that we knowe what to eschue as hurtfull to our selues and againe what to chuse as profitable Hipparchus and other Astronomers doo affyrme that wisdome can preuent future mischiefes and nothing is so hurtfull and pernitious but by wisedome it maye be auoyded For that I maye laeue other examples vntyll I declare the partes of wisedome in order it is reported of Socrates that being according to the iudgement of the Physiognomers geuen to all wickednesse by wisedome he reformed him selfe and became a good example of a godly man. The Poets to declare the excellencie of this vertue faine wisedome to bee a woman and to be borne not of any mortall wight but euen of Iupiter him selfe and not of the vilest part of him as Venus was of Neptune but of the beste and to springe out of Iupiters braine thereby to shewe that wisedome is no base but a diuine thing And certainly to leaue all fictions of Poets if wee consider the place from whence our wisedome comes we shall confesse that it is a most excellent thing The place from whence it floweth is not the beastly part concupiscence but the best the minde which is immortall As the Philosophers Poets say theyr minde to the extolling of wisedome so doo the painters discribe what they think of her They for wisedome painted Minerua they dyd so set her forth that wheresoeuer one stoode eyther before her or behinde shee had a full sight of him Thereby to shewe that the Nature of wisedome is such as it beholdeth and noteth euery place and person neyther doth shee commit and doo any thing for which shee may afterwarde saye Non putaram Nowe all these prayses of all these men maye easely be perceiued in the office of wisedome For it is the part of a wyse man to measure all thinges by the rule of reason to doo nothing but that which is honest and good to bende all his thoughtes to the encrease of godlynesse All this maye easely be perceiued to be true if we consider the parts of which Prudence dependeth which are in momber eleuen namely Reason Iudgement Circumspection Prouidence Docilitie Héede all which Plotinus a Platoniste affyrmeth to be the parts of Prudence but Aristootle doth not onely confesse those to he her partes but also adioyneth Warynesse Wylynesse Craftinesse Subtiltie and righteousnesse What eache of these are according to our skyll and hability shall be manifested ¶ Of Reason Chap. 9. THe firste and moste principall parte of wisdome is reason whiche according to the sentence of Cicero is an order to do all things by the consideration of things to come And he prefers the same aboue all other gifts which man is endued with all and that worthely Especially in his bookes de Finibus he hath a notable place in the prayse of Reason his wordes are these Men although by many other thinges yet chiefly by this one doo most differ from beasts for that they haue Reason of nature and a mind geuen them which is sharpe liuely and noting many thinges at once most readely which doth beholde both the causes and euent of thinges it compareth one thing with another and ioyneth that which is separate and tyeth that which is to come with thinges present and doth consider the state of our lyfe which we haue to lyue the same reason makes a man to loue men and to lyue with them charitably not in worde or deede to disagree that so from a domisticall friendship they may step to a ciuile to a general good wyll towards all men and as Plato writ vnto Archytas the same Reason makes a man to remember that he is not borne to himselfe only but also for his parentes friendes contrey and for other mens causes so that lyttle tyme he hath to bestowe for his priuate profite but all his labors and studie shoulde be conferred to the profiting of others Much more Tullie bringeth forth in praise of Reason which for breuity sake I passe ouer and the rather because his words are not so fit proper for this part for here we vnderstande not reason so largely as it shall be that thing whereby a man differeth from a beast but rather more stricktly for a reasoning of the minde as it were pro and con whether this be good or to bee embraced or bad and to be auoyded And so doeth Aristotle take the same in that place of his Ethiks where he talks of Prudēce And so is it of Cicero so be a diligent heedeful considering of things to be done or no. Whos 's definition is good For if wisedome be perceiued by chusing thinges good or euyll which all men doo graunt then is it the parte of a prudent man well to consult before he begin and that must be had in all which he goes about Which consultation is the reasoning of the minde which reasoning doeth spring from reason And when we haue wel pondered any thing in our minds reason must be iudge and geue sētence whether it ought to be done or no. Hereof is that of Salluste Prinsquam incipias consulto vbi consulueri◠maturè facto opus est Before a man begin any thing consultation shoulde be had but hauing deliberated speedy execution ¶ Of Vnderstanding Chap. 10. VNderstanding which otherwise may be called Iudgement or discretion consisteth in two thinges in discerning trueth from falsehood in taking heede lest the mind he ouermuch delighted so deceiued by vaine pleasures of the body Nothing weakneth this vnderstanding so much as idlenesse slothfulnesse euyll affections corrupte manners for they are as it were sworne enemies not only to our wittes but also to our good endeuors Of Idlenesse it is sayde that by doing nothing men learne to lyue naughtily And if we consider truely thereof we shall finde the causes of all mischiefes in euery common weale to spring of idle persons they are the fyrebrandes of sedition the causers of all ciuile dissention And therefore notable was that custome among the olde Indians for there manner was euery night before supper to examine euerie man howe
the Conqueror Whose rare moderation if others in his time had set before their eyes their perils had not béen so great nor the common wele of Rome so ouerthrowen This vertue bringeth with it another vertue whiche is called Suffering a notable vertue méet for a prudeÌ„t man for by moderatnig our selues we learne to forbeare when we are iniured according to that of P. Syrus a maÌ„ shuld bear and not blame which cannot be auoyded and that of Epictetê° ã€ˆâ—Šã€‰ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beare and forbeare For this Vertue were praysed two noble wights Hanniball and M. Bibulus one of Roome the other of Carthage Hanniball by Moderating him self got such an habit that notwithstanding his armye was compounded of men of many Countries yet did he so guide and gouerne them that to sée them chide amoÌ„g them selues was a great wunder and as we say might be cronicled the like for moderatioÌ„ and wel guiding his armie we shall not read of any as we doo of him Again M. Bibulus was of that moderation that he would neuer be mooued his nature was then moste of all made manifest vnto the world when he without rash reuenging tooke the death of his two Sonnes against all equitie murthered For when Cleopatra had sent the murtherers of his sonnes vnto him willing him to vse them as he would refused it and sent them back saying that his priuate cause he ought not for to reuenge neither did it pertain vnto him and therfore disired that they might be sent vnto the Senate of Roome which might according to law pronounce Iudgement One example I wil bring foorth more because of the worthynes therof It is reported of King Philip gouernour of the Macedonians that he was of a most gentle nature and that is euident by this fact of his beséeging a Cittie of Melibea called Mathona a Citizen of the same sent a Dart at Philip and therewith depriued him of his eye and yet the losse thereof made him neyther the more fierce in his affaires nor more frantick towardes his foes And though with his great pain it was plucked out yet did it not incense him any whit the more against his enemyes but vnto resonable requests of theirs did condiscend which moderating of him self and gentle handling of them made them of deadly fooes his faithful fréends Of Sparingnes or Hardnes Cap. 25. NExt vnto moderation is Sparingnes whiche more properly we call Hardnes By which we may vnderstaÌ„d not that wicked vice Couetousnes although it may séeme that we doo wherfore we ought to haue greate care lest affections blinde vs and so take one thing for an other It is the coÌ„mon vse of moste men vnder the showe of one thing to engraffe in our mindes an other And therof Prodigalitie is called by the name of Liberalitie crueltie of Equitie foolish boldenes of Fortitude to come to our purpose couetousnes of sparingnes And therfore as Tullie saith we ought to be very careful lest those vices deceiue vs which séeme to accompany the vertues and so take one thing for another Wherfore we wil shew the great ods whiche are betwéene these two things sparingnes and Couetousnes their difference in their names and signification may be espied for Auere from whence Auarus and Auaritia as CoÌ„iungata eche signifieth beyond all reasoÌ„ to couet a thing And therfore a couetousman is he which out of reason coueteth Now Parcere to spare is deriued froÌ„ Parcitas spariÌ„gnes is like a good husbaÌ„d thriftely to kéep not vnfrutefully to spend wherby it is plain that one couetousnes is a vice and well may be numbred among such things as a man should withall indeuour flye as hurtful to the common wele and dangerous to his soule And th' other Sparingnes is a vertue teaching how to play the good husband and so profit his Countrie and pleasure his posteritie By this we flée Prodigalitie and yet we spare not when we may profit and therefore it was an olde saying that a maide then had a good sauour â—hen she sauoured nothing at all and a man was then right wise when he neither smelled of the stink of Couetousnes nor yet was discried by the filth of Prodigalitie The elder Cato was wunt to say that by two thingê he encreased his welth that is to say by tilling his ground and good husbandry One of which brought abundance of all frute the other taught how to vse it Which Cato though he had many vertues whiche made him to be well thought of among the Romaines yet by none he got so much commendation as by good husbandry and sparing from idle and vain expences Againe for this vertue was the lesser Scipio much commended and he that reades the life of Pomponius Atticus shall finde most of his praises to spring of his sparingnes which neuer would haue béen ascrybed vnto him and the rest were it a vice and to be eschued for we neuer commend any for his vice but vertues and prayses are annexed vnto wel dooing But as these for their sparing haue béen wel reported of so for immoderate spending haue others especially Lucullus and Marius among the Romains béene discommended Lucullus did so lauish in sumptuous expences and so desired in all his buildings to séem magnificall that he came into contempt among the common people and was called a Romain Xerxes because he would appéere more magnificall then became a priuat person Pompey hearing of his goodly buildings was desirous to sée if it were as the common reporte was and béeing come where Lucullus dwelt and séeing the same to excéed the common voice said vnto Lucullus in contempt These your houses for Summer be pleasaunt they haue so many storyes and so goodly windowes and so open aire but in Winter they are not to be inhabited Then answeared Lucullus what Pompey think you that Cranes shall excel me can they according to chaunge of time alter their dwellings and thinck you Lucullus wil not haue his places of pleasure and according to the alteratioÌ„ of time remooue from one house to an other It was a straunge thing among the Romains to haue one so to florish abooue other his fellowe Citizens Marius was euen suche an other Many things he had begun which were very magnificall and more sumptuous then would beséeme his person his buildings were great and many so that he was thought to haue studied to briÌ„g all the glory of Roome to his house which in his olde age he weÌ„t about and seeing death would cut him short so that he should not sée the finishing of that whiche he had in hand he began to raile vpon Fortune and to accuse her of greate partialitie because he might not sée the effect of that whiche in minde he purposed But that ouer lauishing expences of his made him after his great glory wheÌ„ he had béene seuen times Consul to be a laughing stock
euen to the abiect multitude and contemned of his fellowe Senators Wel these fellowes I haue recited to make lauishing prodigalitie the more odious to illustrate this Sparing vertue or vertuous Sparing which we haue in hand which is opposite bothe to insaciable couetousnes and vnreasonable spending and differeth somewhat from liberalitie whose office consisteth in giuing with iudgement but this in sauing like a prudent man and much disagréeth from nigardnes and vnmerciful pinching The Office of this sparing fellowe is to obserue a measure in his dooings not wastefully to spend but warely to spare not wickedly to get but vertuously to inriche him self It is reported that Aesculapius béeing the Sonne of Apollo which one would thinck would not suffer his sonne to be handled in such sort was for his insaciable desire of riches by fire froÌ„ Iupiter sent consumed and killed with thunderboults and after wards cast hedlong into the bottomlesse Barathrum where the Deuils haue their habitation For béeing a notable Phisition he was sought vnto of all men and he did spare neither tung nor laboure to pleasure afflicted persons but rather for looue of money then for any good will to men whiche béeing knowen to Iupiter from whome nothing is hid he was in such straunge manner tormented So that if Auarice be shunned of this temperate man no dout he sparethe to his profit and the pleasuring of his posteritie which no dout wil wel kéep that so wisely gotten On the other side goods euill gotten by couetousnes are as madly consumed and as we commonly say the third heire neuer fare the better ¶ Of Sobrietie Cap. 26. THE last though not the least of all the partes of Temperaunce is called Sobernes which is as necessary as any of the abooue mentioned and more a greate deale then some of them It appéereth by the contrary vnto it called Drunckennesse whiche is in the sight of all men so odious and loth some as we count them whiche are subiect vnto it little better then brute and beastly creatures And therfore according to the opinion of Nonius Marcellus we call him a sober man whose minde is not ouercome but hath the vse of wit and senses contrarywise we call him drunken whose hed hands nor feet cannot discharge their dutie This vertue is called in Latin Sobrietas quasi sine ebriâ—tate a thing opposit vnto drunkennesse By drunkennes I vnderstand immoderate swilling or drinkiÌ„g more then dooth a man good by Sobrietie a mesurable taking of drinck What a worthy and excellent gift is this Sobrietie it may appéere no way better then by the examples of them which haue least esteemed therof AlexaÌ„der Magnus thought he could not better celebrate the memory of Calanus whoÌ„e he looued entirely then by appointing games for drinking In which was iij. degrées for he whiche drank most had a TaleÌ„t of siluer for his paines the next had thirtie pounds the third ten pounds In this contention one Promachus bare away the Bell but his vnmesurable drinking cost him his life for within three dayes after he dyed miserably What honor Alexander got by his new deuice I leaue it vnto others to reporâ—e what he might haue got by putting that his money to the reléefe of his poore Subiects it is euident The like vse we read of at the feasts of Bacchus where it was lawfull for euery man to tosse the pots merily and he which druÌ„k moste had a Crown of pure Golde giuen him which Xenocrates did once obtain To these I wil ad one Micerinus an Egiptian whiche béeing certified by the Oracle that his dayes were but fewe which he had to consume in this worlde thought to disapoint the determinate purpose of the almightie Gods and therfore béeing before a great drincker afterwarde tooke more pleasure in the same but the end of this wretch was miserable Cicero the Sonne of that famous Orator took such delight in drunkennesse as he was ashamed if any passed him therin and because he was not of power to reuenge him self for the death of his father vpon M. Antonius he thought by emulating Antonies drunkennes and excelling him therein he had brought him into contempt among the people as Plinie writeth of him Besides these haue bèen celebrated of historiographers for their drunkennes Dionysius which by ouermuch drink lost his eyes therefore became a laughing stock vnto all men and Nouellius which because of that qualytie was called Tricongius and by Teberius Caesar preferred to a Pretorship for no other thing but because of his excellencie in drunkennes Now séeing we haue shewed some which for their excessiue drinking haue béene famouse let vs also shew some discommodyties therof to make it the more odious It is writâ—en that this vice droue all consideration of Iustice out of the minde of Phillip King of the Macedonians whereby he often times pronounced sentence against the innocent and condemned the vngiltie One woman hauing sustained iniury by wrong sentence giuen of him in his drunkennesse with opprobrius woords railed vpon him said she would not stand to his iudgement but appealed farther Then some asked to whome shée would appeale for in greater authoritie then Philip none was she answeared I appeale from Philip béeing drunck to Philip béeing sober Which when it came to Philips eare he called back his Iudgement against her and afterwardes in drunckennes he commaunded that he should not he brought to the seate of Iustice but with great care pronounced sentence Again by druÌ„kennes Spargapises sonne vnto Thomiris the Queene of Scithia fel into the hands of his capitall foes and lost many goodly Souldiers And Babilon whiche otherwise was inuincible by this horrible vice fell into the handes of her enemyes Now seeing the examples and knowing the discommodities whiche haue happened by drunkennes let vs harken vnto the counsaile of wise men and obey the lawes made against this vice by prudent Magistrates Anacharsis was wunt to say that nothing could make this vice more to be abhorred then to beholde those whiche were ouercome with drinck The LacedemoniaÌ„s were of this minde and therfore to make their children altogither to detest the same they would carry them to banquets where if any of seruile condition or others were ouercome with drink they should sée them derided of all meÌ„ that so by their exaÌ„ple they might be ware how they fel into the fault The RomaÌ„s liked the same order very wel therfore to bring MusiciaÌ„s in coÌ„teÌ„pt they deuised no better way theÌ„ at coÌ„moÌ„ feastê to make theÌ„ druÌ„k so to carry theÌ„ in carts into the Markette place where all the town might laugh at them and terrifie others from immoderate drinking lest in their drunkennes they were so vsed the lawes which haue been made agaiÌ„st this vice are many wuÌ„derful strauÌ„ge Pittacus one of the seuen
that Iustice though she doo beholde that whiche is right and honest yet will she respect no persons Others paint this vertue after this sort they fain her to be a Virgin of countenaunce graue and shamefast hauing a very sharp sight and yet of a wunderful modestie without austeritie or childishnesse By whiche was ment that a Iudge should bee a graue man seuere and of good behauior one to whome men without greate feare should not haue accesse At Thebes were certain Images of Iudges without hands and without eyes to shew that Iudges should neither be corrupted with bribes nor by any person drawen from that which is right and law Héer I might enter in that question whether a magistrate or a King shoulde rule according to the lawes writteÌ„ or according to reason But I leaue the same as somwhat vnfit for this place where I doo but explycate the nature of euery vertue Yet this wil I say that according to the lawes written he should gouern and yet not altogither for then he should execute euery thing to the vttermoste which is the greatest iniury but should consider circumstances thoroughly and accordingly pronounce Iudgement so that especially he obey that law which is within euery prudent man not written in Books And that Prince which according to reason dooth gouerne is called a King. So that the difference betwéene him and a Tyrant is because a King ruleth as he ought a Tyrant as he list a King to the profitting of all a Tyrant only to pleasure a few and that not for the looue of vertue but to the increase of wickednes And thus much bréefly of the foure kindes of iustice Now as we haue doone in the other afore mentioned vertues let vs manifest the partes of which true Iustice dooth consist Whiche are in number eight and are these Innocencie Fréendship Concorde Godlines Humanitie Gratefulnes and Faithfulnes ¶ Of Innocencie Cap. 37. INnocencie according to the Peripatecions is an habit of the minde so wel framed that it wil hurt no man either by woord or déed An innocent man in respect of a good conscience contemneth all woorldly things and will not so much as in hart couet another mannes right he wil come to nothing by wicked and vnlawful meanes neither wil he iniury any man though he might got much therby Cicero therfore calles the same an affection of the minde which wil not molest iniury nor hurt any man This innoceÌ„t man is he which feareth no man no law no witnes accusar iudge or any but is a frée man and by reasoÌ„ of his good conscience is out of the limits of the law He wil be sure to giue vnto euery man his due right and wil obey the authoritie of no man which wil commaund him to doo any thing that is not good honest and vertuous Now the vngodly perceiuing the same conceiue by by secret hatred against them And heerof it comes that innocent and iust men of all others are moste contemned hated and persecuted and they which liue moste vprightly and in the fear of God are couÌ„ted idiots and fooles and are iudged vnworthy to be in a common weale as Lactantius confirmeth And as he saith such is the vilde nature of the rude and common people as they make smallest account of them which are best disposed and those they extole to the Skyes which can by wurse meanes come either to riches or promocioÌ„ Cicero confirmes the same in a certain oration of his moste eloquently his place though it be somwhat long yet wil I recite because of the worthines therof his woords are these M. Aemylius Scaurus a moste worthy man of our cittie was accused of M. Brutus whose orations are extant by which it is apparant that many things were spoke against M. Scaurê° but falcely as all men knowe How much did Aquilius hear in his iudgemeÌ„t How much L. Cotta finally P. Rutilius whiche although he were condemned yet in mine opinion he is to be numbred amoÌ„g the best moste innoceÌ„t men That holy and temperate man heard many things in his troubles which tended to his defamation and made him to be suspected of lust and incontinencie There is an oration of C. Gracchus a man in my iudgement of all others moste ingenious and eloquent in whiche oration are manye things vttered against L. Piso but against what kinde of man Forsooth of such integritie of life as in those dayes when it was wunder to sée a wicked man nay none could be found for conuersacion dishonest yet he of all others alone was called by the name of a good husband Which wheÌ„ Gracchê° willed to be called before the assembly and he which should haue gone asked what Piso he should fetch because there were many of that name Thou compellest me now said Gracchus to say mine enemie that good husband So that he whome his vtter and capitall enemie could not otherwise discribe without he had praised him before whiche by that name giuen vnto him for his vertues was bothe knoween who he was and also what kinde of man yet notwithstanding was falsely slaundered and made to answere vnto many wicked accusations and to cléere him self before the whole court of many euil reportes M. Fonteius in two accions hath béen meruailously accused and yet nothing is prooued wherby he may be thought either incontinent a brabler vnmerciful or a molester of any man. His accusers are so far from declaring any notorious vice of his that for their liues they cannot finde faulte with or blame any thing whiche he hath at any time spoken Now if his enemyes either had asmuch boldenes to lie or ingeniousnes to fain as they haue wil to oppresse and libertie to inuente certainly Fonteius at this time should not haue better fortune in hearing their opprobrious talke then those of whoÌ„e before I made mention Hetherto Cicero By whiche it appéereth that the vertuous and well disposed are odious to the wicked haue béen yea in those dayes when as godlines was most exercised But what may we thinck to be the cause of this deadly and cruel hatred shall we think that veritie and trueth brings hatred Or that the wicked be ashamed of them selues through giltienes of conscience and would in no case that there might be any to reprehend them for their detestable behauiour and therefore conceiue inwarde malice againg them Or rather iudge that bothe truethe and integritie causeth this contempt and crueltie of the wicked against the innocent But let the righteous reioice in their integritie of life and vnpolluted conscience For as Tullie saith all of vs are willing and wil make haste to repel dangers which are imminent against the innocent and though we be in hart or secretly enemies yet in such troubles when it stands vpon the credit or life of a man we wil shew the parte of moste loouing and faithfull freends