into a newe And what other thing is the sepulchre but a castelle wherin we be closed agaynst the assautes of the lyfe Of trouth you ought more to couete to take that you find at your deth than the hurte of that you shal leue in your lyfe I demand of you what is it that dothe you most peyne in lesyng of the lyfe If you peyn your self for Helie Fabrice your wyfe bicause you leaue her yonge wery not yourself for she is wel thought on in Rome for any peryll of your lyfe And as soone as she knoweth it I am in certayne she wyll not wepe moche though you go your way Thā you ought not to wepe for leuyng of her These yonge damoysels maried to old men haue euer their eyes fixed in the deth of their husbandes And holly fasten their hartes on him that they think to mary with ageyn They wepe with their eies laughe in their hartis And thinke not contrary though she be an empresse and can not fynde an other emperour to be her husbande yet she wyll fynde some other man For if they be soo determyned they wyll change their robes of sylke for a gowne of clothe I dare well saye they more desyre a yonge sheparde than an olde emperour If you care for your chyldren whom ye muste leaue behind you I can not tell why you shuld do so For if your deth be displeasant to them moch more displeaseth them y t you liue so longe It is great pein to the child not to desire the deth of his father For if he be poore it is for feare how they shuld be mainteined if he be ryche thā bicause he shalbe his heire They synge you wepe you fere the deth wepe bicause you leaue your life Doo you not know y t after the night cometh the dewy mornyng after y t cometh the bright son after y e son comith a derk cloude and after ageyn cometh faire wether after that cometh lightnyng thonder than again clere aire Also I say that after infancy cometh childhode thā cometh youth age after that and so at laste cometh deth and after dethe fearefull hope of a sure lyfe Sir beleue me in one thyng The beginning the meane and the ende euery man hath Certainly if you had ben takē as the floure fro the herbe if you had ben cut grene fro the tree if you had ben graffed in primetyme if you had ben eaten in the sowernes of the vyne I meane if in the fyrste youthe whan lyfe was at the swetest if dethe had come and knocked at the gate ye shulde haue had cause to be sory but as nowe the walles are weake and redye to falle and the flowre wythered and the very putrified the speare full of mosse and canne not drawe the knyfe out of the shethe Herein you haue desired the worlde as if you had neuer knowen the worlde Lxii. yere you haue ben prisoner in the dongeon of the body now whan the shakles or gyues shuld be taken from you you complayne you lorde wold make newe of other newes He that thinketh it nat sufficient to lyue .lxii. yeres in this dethe or to dye in this lyfe he wyll not be contente with thre score thousande ¶ Auguste the Emperour sayde that after that men had lyued .l. yeres they ought to dye orels cause them selfe to be slayne bycause that vnto that tyme is the felycitie of man He that lyueth beyonde that tyme passeth his tyme in heuynesse in greuous aches deathe of his chylderne and losse of his goodes in importunities of his chyldren in lawe buryenge of his frendes susteynynge processe payinge of dettis and other infinyte trauayles So that it were better with his eies cloosed to abyde theym in his graue thanne with his eyes open to abyde theym in his lyfe dayes Certaynly it is a fortune of all fortunes and he is ryght priuie with the goddis that at .l. yere leaueth his lyfe For al the time that he liueth after is in decaying and neuer vpryght but rollyng relynge and redy to fall O Marc my dere lorde do you not know that by the same way that lyfe gothe cometh dethe It is .lxii. yere that ye haue soughte the one from the other And whan ye wente fro Rome where as you lefte your howse ye wente to Illirike where you lefte a great pestylence and nowe you are retourned into Hungarie Do you not knowe that as soone as you were borne to gouerne the erthe incontinent dethe issued out of his sepulchre to fynde your lyfe And if you haue honored ambassadours of the straunge kynges moche more ye oughte to honour deathe that cometh fro the goddis What lordshyp can be loste in this lyfe but you shal fynde greatter in the death Are you not remembred whan Vulcan my sonne in lawe poisoned me bicause he desyred my goodes more than my lyfe howe you my lorde for loue that you had to me gaue me comforte and counsell for the deth of my sorowfull youth and you sayd to me the goddis were cruell in kyllynge of them that be yonge and pitiefull whan they burie theym that be olde And also you sayde to me Comforte thy selfe Panutius For if thou dydst lyue to dye now than thou dyest to liue Therfore right high and myghty prince I saye to you as you sayde to me and I counsayle you as you counsayled me and that you gaue me I gyue you ageyne Fynally of this repynge take the best in worthe let the rest abide ¶ How themperour demanded to haue in writing al that the Secretarie had sayde Cap. xli ANd as of the contentynge of the wylle oftentymes procedeth helthe and ease of the body the emperour was wel satisfied with the wordes of Panutius whiche he eloquently vttered and with profounde counsell hardily and familyarly and in due tyme as a good frende Great cōpassion it is to them that wold die whā it is shewed them what they ought to do For of them that be about the bed somme robbe hym of his money somme serue hym welle some holde the place to be his heire some gape for gyftes some wepe for losynge of hym somme laugh for the gaynes they haue by his death and so in this maner the poore pacient hauyng many lokynge for their profyte hath no body to counsel hym We se dayly that seruātes whā they se the going out of the cādell of lyfe care not for the clēsing of their lordes vyces And therof cometh that as sone as he is deed streight way begynneth to stynke And so I say that the ende of his lyfe is the begynnynge of his infamy All they that were there as well the olde seruantes as the newe belongynge to themperour capitaynes of warre other were not a lyttell abashed of the sayenge of Panutius and they all allowed his sayinge and sayde he was worthy to haue the gouernaunce of thempire The good emperour all the season
say it not without teares thou seeste that my son remayneth ryche yonge and at libertie Ryches youthe solitarines and lybertie ben .iiii. pestilences that enpoysone the prince and waste the common welthe hit sleethe them that be a lyue infameth them that be deed Beleue me one thynge dyuers graces are requisite to susteyn diuers vertues With the fairest women the brothell houses are peopled the mooste vilaynes are made ruffyens the moste hardye are robbers in woddes the quickeste of vnderstandynge ofte proue fooles and the mooste subtylle becom theues I say that such as are clothed with dyuers graces of nature lacke the furres of accquired vertues We may say they hold in their handes a knyfe wherwith they stryke and hurte theym selfes fire on their shulders wherwith they bren and a corde about their necke wherwith they hange daggers at theyr stomacke wherwith they are stayne thornes at theyr feete wherwith they are pricked a stony way afore theyr eies where they stomble and stomblynge fall and fallynge they lese theyr life and wynne dethe The great trees of whom we haue fruite in wynter and shadowe in sommer first be planted the rotes faste in the entrayles of the erthe or euer theyr wauerynge boughes are aduentured in the wynd Marke Panutius marke well The man that from his youth hath set before hym the feare of the goddis and the shame of men is habited in vertues he that accompanieth with them that be vertuous mainteyneth trouth to euery maÌ„ and liueth without preiudice of any man Malicious fortune maye somtyme cleue the barke of the welthe of suche a tree wyther the floure in his youthe breake the leaues of his fauour gather the fruite of his trauaylle breake downe a bough of his offices bowe downe the height of his couÌ„cell yet for all the strokes that the wynde can strike it can not be plucked vp by the rote Certaynely the sonne that the father hath endued with graces and the sonne applienge hym in vices ought not to be borne in this worlde if he be borne to be buried quicke For the fathers sweate by day and watche by nyght to leue honour to their children whiche the fathers bye of the goddis with sighes the mothers delyuered of them with peyne and bring theÌ„ vp with trauayle and the chylde proueth so that he giueth greuous age to the father in his lyfe great infamy after his death I consider wel that the prince Comode beinge yonge and I olde ageynst his wyl forbare vyces I fere me that after my deth he wyll hate vertues I remeÌ„bre diuers of his age haue inherited the empire whiche were so hardy in their lyues that they deserued to be called tyrantes after their dethes ExaÌ„ple of Denys renoumed tyrant of Sycill whiche hired theym that coude inuent vices as our Rome rewardeth them that conquere realmes What greatter tyranny can be in a tyraÌ„t than to make most priuie to him theÌ„ that be vicious Also I forget not the foure kinges that succeded after great AlexaÌ„der as Ptholome Anthiocê° Siluiê° Antigonus whiche the grekes called great tirantis all that AlexaÌ„der had gotten with renomed triuÌ„phes they lost by their viciousnes And in this maner the world y t AlexaÌ„der had deuided amonge them .iiii. came to the handes of mo than foure C. for Antigonê° set so litle by that had cost his lord AlexaÌ„der so moch was so lighte in his age so bolde in his realme y t in mockery in y e stede of a crowne of gold he ware a garlande of Iuie in stede of a scepter he bare a thystle in his right hande and after that maner he wold syt amonge his men whan he spake to strangers I lay shame to the yong man so to do but I meruayle that the sadde and wyse men of grece suffred it ¶ I remembre also Caligula the .iiii. emperour of Rome a yonge man in whose tyme it was harde to knowe whiche was the greatter eyther the disobedience of the people to their lorde or the hatrede that the lorde bare to the people And this yonge prince went so farre oute of the waye in his youthe and was so farre wyde frome reason in his tyrannies that euery man studyed howe to take his lyfe from hym he studied to slee euery man He wrote these wordes in a table of golde Wolde to god that all Rome hadde but one heed to the entente that with one stroke I myght stryke it of ¶ I also remembre Tyberie sonne adoptiue of good Auguste called August bycause he augmented Rome But this good olde prince dyd not so moche augmente it in his lyfe but this yonge successour distroyed it moche more after his deathe The hate that the Romayne people had agaynste Tyberie in his lyfe was ryght welle shewed after his dethe For the same day that he dyed or whan he was slayne the people made dyuers processions and the senatours offred great gyftes in the temples and the priestes offred gret sacrifices to their goddis to thentent that they shulde not receyue the soule of the sayd Tiberie into their glorie but to sende it to the furies of Hell ¶ Also I mynde Patrocle the seconde kynge of Corynthe whiche enheryted the realme beinge but .xvi. yere of age and he was so vycious of his body and so lyberall of his mouthe that where as his father helde the realme .lx. yere he possessed it but .xxx. dayes ¶ Also the auncient Tarquin the proude the .vii. kynge of Rome whiche was ryght goodly in gesture ryght valyant in armes and of a cleane bloudde as an vnhappye prince defyled al his vertues with noughtye lyuynge in suche wyse that he conuerted his beautie into lechery his power into tyranny for the villany that he did to Lucrece the chaste lady of Rome wherby he lost not onely his realme but the name of Tarquine was banysshed for euer out of Rome ¶ I remembre cruelle Nero whiche inheryted and dyed yonge in hym ended the memorie of the noble Cesars and by hym was renewed the memorye of Antygones the tyrantes Whom thynkest thou this tyrant wolde suffre to lyue whiche slewe his owne mother Tell me I pray the what harte is that of a chylde to slee his owne mother to open the brestes that he sucked to shedde the blood of her that nouryshed hym in her armes and to beholde the entrayles wherin he was fourmed What thynkeste thou that he wolde not haue done sithe he commytted suche an yll dede The day that Nero slew his mother an oratour sayd in the senate that Agrippyne his mother had deserued deth for chyldyng suche a chylde in Rome These thre dayes that thou haste sene me so altered in my mynde all these thinges came before me and I haue drawen theym into the depenes of my harte and disputed theym This sonne of myn holdeth me in the gulfe of the see betwene the wawes of feare and the ankers of dispayre hopynge
a fote to the riuerside and there passe the tyme the space of two houres And as soone as the heate came he wolde goo to the hygh capitoll to the senate That done he wente to the colledge where as all the procurours and ambassadours of al prouinces were and there he wolde be a greatte parte of the daye and here euery nation by hit selfe accordynge to the tyme that was deputed by order And towarde the euennynge he wolde goo to the temple of the vyrgins vestales He eate but ones a day and that was somewhat late and thanne he wolde make a good meale and but of fewe meates He had a custome euerye weke in Rome or other cities where as he was that two dayes late in the euennynge he wolde walke in the stretes without his garde or knyghtes onely with .x. or .xii. pages to se if any persone wolde speake with hym or complayne of any officer of his courte and house and this he caused to be demaunded of other men This good emperour wolde often tymes saye A good prynce that wyll rule and gouerne wel and not to be a tyraunte oughte to do thus That is that he be not couetous of tributes nor proude in his commaundementes nor vnkynde to seruices nor bolde in the temples nor defe to here complayntes In fulfyllynge hereof he shall haue the goddes in his handes and the hartys of menne shalbe his Al the whyle that this Marke was emperour he had neuer porter at his chaumbre doore but if it were the two houres that he was with Faustine his wyfe This good emperour had in his howse a secrete closette locked with a key that he bare hym selfe and neuer trusted none other therwith to the houre of his death And than he cōmaunded to delyuer it to Pompeiano a prudent ancient bacon that was maryed to his doughter In the which closet he had diuers bokes writen in all langages as Greke hebrewe latyne and Caldee and other antike hystories The answere of M. themperour whan Faustine his wife demaunded the key of his study ca. xix AS it is natural to womē to dispise that thyng that is gyuen them vnasked so it is deathe to them to be denayed of that they do demande This emperour had the study or closet of his howse in the mooste secrete place of his palays wherin he neyther suffred his wyfe seruant nor frende to entre On a day it chanced that Faustin thempresse desyred importunatly to se that study sayinge these wordes My lorde let me se your secrete chaumbre Beholde I am greatte with chylde and shall dye if I see it not And ye knowe well that the lawe of the Romayns is that nothynge shall be denyed to womenne with chylde of that they desire And if ye do otherwise ye doo it in dede but not of ryghte For I shall dye with the chylde in my bodye And more ouer I thynke in my mynde that ye haue some other louer within your study Therfore to put away the peryl of my trauaylyng and to assure my harte frome Ielousie hit is no great thyng to lette me entre into your study The emperour seinge that Faustines wordes were of trouth bycause he sawe her wordes washed with wepyng answered her on this wyse It is a thyng certayne whan one is contented he saythe more with his tongue than he thynketh with his harte And contrary wyse whan one is heuy the eyen wepe not soo moche nor the tongue can not declare that is locked in the hart Vayne men with vayne wordis shewe and declare their vayne pleasures And the wyse men with prudent wordes dissemble their cruel passions Amonge wyse men he is wysest that knoweth moche and sheweth to knowe but lyttell And amonge the symple he is mooste symple that knoweth but lyttelle and sheweth hym selfe to knowe moche They that ar prudent though they are demaunded say nothyng but symple folke wyll speake ynough without askynge of any question This I saye Faustine bycause thy wepynge hath soo hurte me and thy vayn speche so turmented me that I can not declare that I fele nor thou canst nat fele y t that I saye Dyuers aduertisementes haue they writen that haue writen of mariage yet haue they not writen how many trauailes that one womanne causeth her housbande to suffre in one daye Of a suretie it is a ioyfull thynge to reioyce in the chyldhode of chyldren but it is a ryght cruel thing to suffre the importunities of theyr mothers The chyldren do nowe and then a thing that tourneth vs to pleasure but ye women do nothynge but gyue vs displeasure I shall agree with all maried men to pardon theyr chyldrens plesures for the annoyance that the mothers gyue to theym One thynge I haue sene the whiche neuer begyled me that the iuste goddes do gyue to the vniuste menne that all the euylles that they doo in this worlde shall be remytted to the furies of the other worlde But if they doo commytte any synne for the pleasure of any woman the goddis commaunde that by the handes of the same womanne we shall receyue peyne in this worlde and not in the other There is not soo fyers or peryllous an ennemie to a manne as is his wyfe And though a manne can not lyue with her as a man I neuer sawe none soo lyght beynge with a vicious woman in doynge vyce but that by the same woman at the last he receyued shame and chastysement Of one thynge I am sure and I saye it not bycause I haue sene it but experimented in my selfe that though the husbande do all that his wyfe wylle yet wyll she do nothynge that her husband wolde haue done Gret crueltie is among the barbariens to holde theyr wiues as sclaues And no lesse madnes is it of Romaynes to kepe them as ladyes Flesshe oughte not to be soo leane that it abhorre nor so fatte that it cloye the stomake but meane and enterlarded to the ende that it be sauourye I saye that a wyse manne canne not gyue so stronge a brydelle to his wyfe that she wylle obeye as an hande mayden nor gyue her so lyttell of the brydell but she wylle exalte her selfe as maystresse and reuler Beholde Faustine howe ye womenne are soo extreme in all heedlonge extremities that with a lyttell fauour ye wylle exalte augemente and growe into great pride and with a lyttell disfauour ye recouer greatte hatred There is no parfite loue where is no egalitie betwene the louers And as ye and other are vnperfite soo is your loue vnperfite I wote well ye vnderstande me not Therfore vnderstande Faustine that I say more than ye wene There is no woman that with her wyll wolde suffre any greatter than her selfe nor to be contente to haue an other egall with her For thoughe she haue a. M.li. rent yet she hathe x. M. folyes in her heed And that worse is though it chaunce her husbande to dye and she lese all her rent yet endeth
yll wyll haue not so moche power ouer his lyfe as ye haue vpon his renoume Therfore if he be awaked by his enmies straungers moche rather he ought to be awaked amonge his domesticall frendes One thynge I commaunde as to my seruantes and I desyre you as my frendes that ye shewe not your selfe so priuie openly as ye be in secrete to thentente that some seme not as natural sonnes and other as hired seruantes He that is vertuous ought to haue great regarde to the profyte of his lorde secretely and to be meke of conuersation with euery man openly els his priuetie wyll not lōge endure and the hate of the prince with the people wyl increace Oftentymes I haue redde of our predecessours and I haue sene it in the present Romaynes whan many holde with one that one holdeth but lyttell with dyuers and lesse with many the which kepeth their wylles as far of as the persons be nigh And sith the ylnes of the time and vnstablenes of fortune neuer leauethe any thynge in one case but all is as in maner of a dreame the most sure purchase is to flee fro peril for then whā the princes haue passed their pleasures entermedled in trauayles they serche for many and fynde not one Therof cometh that one present for feare wyll withdrawe hym and an other out of fauour and absente wyll not come I wyll shewe you one thynge the whiche you shal alway putte in my sonnes memorie They that in our trauayles haue determyned of a long season to apply them we ought to wynne theyr good wylles The wyly labourer in one yere laboureth to gette cornes togyther and in an other yere he soweth and gadereth Be not to presumptuous for the presumption of an auncient prince fordoth the auctoritie of the yonge prince yet for all this dispaire nor rebuke hym not to moche For the lacke of maners in the state of a lorde engendreth vnshamefastnes in hym and boldnes to the seruant I haue lefte in my testament the prince Comodus for your sonne and you for his fathers But I wyll and commande that euery man knowlege him to be their lorde and to be at his commaundemente And ye my other seruantes and subiectes to be in his obedience and in all his highe besynesses to be wel guyded as his frēdes and louers Iustice ought to be sene to by wise oratours accordynge to the opinion of you that be his gouernours And alway the determination to be doone by the prince whiche is lorde of all One counsell I wyll gyue you and if you finde it yll blame me afore the goddis wherby the empire of my sonne shall be stable and permanent in Rome and your priuetie sure in his house if your counselles be moued by reason and his wyll ruled by your counsels I desyre soore that ye be not couetous and therfore I haue gyuen you dyuers gyftes and thankes in my lyfe to take couetousnes frome you afore my dethe It were a monstrous thyng and very dredfull that suche as oughte to refrayne couetyse fro straungers to haue their owne handes open for their owne propre lucres The vertuous priue men ought not to doo all the yl that they may nor to desire all that they may atteyn vnto to the intente that the prince gyue theym soo moche goodis for the profite of their howses as peyne and enuy of the people to their persones And as in meane shyppes men scape best in a meane see sooner than in great carrackes in the wawes of the rorynge and impituous sees in lykewise suche as be in meane estate among them that be but meanly enuious lyue more surely than such as are set in high estate and priuitie beyng ryche to be passioned amonge ennemies that disdainfully wold put them vnder It is a notable rule amonge wyse men and an infallible experience amonge them that be good and I thynke that by herynge therof the yll shall knowlege it The glorie of one amonge great men maketh stryfe suspection in them that be egall and enuy amonge them that be meane One thinge that they that gouerne well ought to haue is lyberalitie The lesse ye be couetous the more ye shalbe liberall For with the rage of couetousnes the ryght of iustice is mynished It is longe tyme syth I determined to gyue you the gouernynge of thempire and the nourishynge of my sonne And to haue prouided to haue giuen you largely of my goodes to put the couetynge of other mens goodes from you I warrant you one thinge if couetousnes be amonge you and be enuyed of your neyghbours you shall lyue in peyne and your hartes shall be peyned with other mens besynesses and your myndes shall be euer in suspecte Than shal ye folowe the Iustice of other where as ye shal se your owne propre welth One coūsel finally I wyl gyue you which I haue taken alway my selfe Neuer commytte your honours to the myshappes of fortune nor neuer offre your selfe to peryll with hope of remedy For suspecious fortune kepeth alwayes her gates wyde open for peryl and her walles ben high her wyckettes narow to fynde any remedy And bycause I fele my selfe sore trauayled I pray you suffre me to rest a lyttell ¶ How themperour at the houre of his death sent for his sonne and declared to him who shulde gouerne the Empire cap. xliiii THus a great parte of the night passed and the day began to breake and the life of this good emperour began faste to drawe to an ende yet for all that he left not the remembrance of such thynges as shulde be ordered after his death There were that tyme in the warre with him diuers right excellēt men senatours of Rome and in al thinges he shewed him selfe right wise specially he wold neuer haue any vicious person in his house He hadde euer in his company .l. gentilmen knyghtes and in eche of them he might haue put trust to gouerne Rome Oftentymes this good emperour wolde say that princis lyued more surely with the gadryng to them men of good lyuyng conuersation thā with tresure of money stuffed in theyr chestes Vnhappy is y t prince that estemeth hym selfe happy to haue his coffres ful of tresure and his councell full of men of yl lyuyng These malicious and yll men make princes poore and a perfyte man suffiseth to make a holle realme ryche Surely this emperour sayde well For we do se daily that what the father hath gotten in fiftye yeres the son lesethe in halfe a yere Than chusinge amonge many a fewe and of fewe to take the best this emperour appoynted out .vi. notable barons Thre of thē to be maisters of his son .iii. to be gouernours of thempire One was called Partinax whiche after was emperour an other was called Pompeiano husbād to his doughter as sure in coūcell as he was aged in yeres The .iii. Gneo Patrocle of the ancient stock of the Pompeies whiche was no lesse clene in this
the welth of other and finally lese them selfes And therfore they aduenture them selfe into the gulfes inflame theyr lordes that haue gyuen them suche offices to gyue them to suche as haue deserued them Thou mayst know that the beginning of them is pryde and ambition and theyr middell is enuye and malyce and their ende is death and distruction And if my counsell were taken suche shulde haue no credence with princis or gouernours but as sclaundred men to be seperate not all onely fro the common welthe but fro theyr lyues Surely great is the couetyse of them that be shamelesse which without shame demaunde offices of the senate or princis but it is a more boldenes of malyce for the pryncis to gyue them In this and in the other thinges these are so dampnable that neyther the feare of the goddis doth withdrawe them nor the prince doth not refrayne them nor vengeaunce dothe not lette them nor the common welth dothe not accuse theym and aboue all other reason doth not commaund them nor the lawe subdue them ¶ O my frende Antygonus note this worde that I write in the ende of my letter In the yere of the foundation of Rome .vi. C.xlii. the Romaynes as thanne in the worlde hadde dyuers warres as Gayus Celius ageynst them of Trace and Gneo Cordon his brother agaynst Sardyne Iunius Sylla agaynst the Vmbres Minutius Ruffus ageynst the Macidoniens Seruilio Scipio ageynste the Lusitayns and Marius consull ageinst Iugurtha kyng of the Numidiens It befell so that Boco kynge of Mauritayne fauoured Iugurtha and vppon them triumphed Marius and they laded with chaines were led afore his chariot not without great compassion of them that sawe it After this triumph done incontinent the same daye by counsell of the senate Iugurtha was beheeded in prison and his companion Bocus had pardon of his life and the cause was It was a custome none to be putte to Iustice but firste the auncient bokes shulde be serched to se if any of his predecessours had done before any seruice to Rome wherdy the captiue shulde meryte to haue pardone of his lyfe and than it was found that the grauntfather of Bocus came to Rome and made great orations before the senate by whose wordes and sentences his sayd neuew merited to haue pardon of his lyfe and amonge other of his sayinges he rehersed these verses that sayd what is that realme where is no good amonge the yll nor yll amonge the good what is that realme that hath theyr houses full of good simple persons and banysheth away al wisedom Or what is that realme that suche as be good are cowardes and the yl hardy or what is the realme where al peasible are displeased and the sedycious praysed What is that realme that sleeth them that wolde theyr welth and are angry with them that wolde helpe theyr yl or what is that realme that permytteth the proude poore folkes and the ryche tyrantes or what is that realme where they all know the euyl and none procureth any goodnes or what is that realme where suche vices are openly commytted that other realmes feare to doo secretely or what is that realme where as all that they desyre they procure and al that they do procure they attayne and all that is yll they thinke and al that they thinke they say al that they say they may do and all that they may doo they dare doo and put in operation that they dare do and worst of all there is none so good to resyst it In suche a realme there shulde be none inhabitaunte For within short space the yll men shall be chaunged or elles dispeopled of good men or the goddis wyll confounde them or the tirantis shal take thē Dyuers thinges were said the which I passe ouer at this tyme. Howe thynkest thou Antigone I swere by the immortal goddis that my hart breketh to thinke of the great shame that was laid vpon Rome by such wryting as was lefte to theym by the grauntefather of this kynge Bocus This my letter I wolde thou shuldest rede in secrete to the pretours if they amende not we shall fynde the meanes to chastise them openly And as touchyng thy banishemēt I promyse the to be thy good frende to the senate that we may ioy our auncient amitie to gether And to get the out of that yle certainely I shal do my diligence I haue written to my secretarie Panutius to delyuer the .ii. M. sexters to releue thy pouertie and thus I sende the my letter to comfort thy heuy hart I say no more but the goddis giue the contentacion of that thou woldest haue ioy and rest to thy person And al corporall euyls cruel enmies and fatal destenies be seperate fro me Marke For the behalf of my wife Faustine I salute the and thy wyfe Ruffa She is thyn and I am thyn With visitation of ioy I haue receiued thy letter and thankefully I send the myn I shal not reste to desire to se thy persone in Italy and there in Sicyle to leue my feuer quartayne ¶ A letter sent by Marcus to Lambert gouernour of the yle of Helespont whan he did banishe the vacabundis fro Rome The .xi. letter MArke emperour of Rome lorde of Asie confederate with theym of Europe frende of theym of Affrike ennemye of the Maures To the Lambert gouernour of the ile of Helesponte sendethe of his parte contentation and suretie fro the sacrate senate I am furred with y e furres that thou haste sent me am clothed with thy mātel am right well pleased with thy greyhoundes If I hadde thought that thin absence fro Rome shuld haue procured so moche fruit in that yle longe ago I shulde haue determyned as well for thy profyte as for my seruice I sente to the in demaundynge but small thinges in my sporte and thou hast sent me many thynges in ernest In good sothe thou hast better proporcioned thy seruyce with noblenes than I to commaunde with my couetise For if thou remēbre I sent to the for a doseyne skynnes of furre and thou hast sent me .xii. doseyns and I dyd send but for .vi. greihoundes and thou hast sent me .xii. Truly in this case my pleasure is double For here in Rome thy great largesse is publyshed and my smal couetise there in Helesponte And bycause I am sure thou hast great thankes of me I praie to gōd to sende the salute and helthe And that fortune be not denied the at a good houre I sende the .iii. barkes of mayster foles yet I haue not sent the al. For if I had banyshed all the foles in Rome we shoulde haue peopled vs with a newe people These mayster foles haue ben so wily to teche foly the Romayn youth so apt to lerne thoughe they be but in .iii. barkes theyr disciples wold lade .iii. M. Carrakes I haue great meruayle of one thynge and my hart sclaundreth the goddis for I se wel that erthquakes