chaunseth but that one of the parties are deceiued ¶ Of the wysedome and sentences of Phalaris the tyraunt and howe he putte an Artisan to death for inuentinge newe tormentes Cap. xlvi IN the laste yeare of the Latines and in the firste yeare of the Romaynes Ezechias beinge kyng of the Iewes and Azarias great Bysshoppe of the holy temple Abacuck Prophet in Iewry and Merodach beyng kynge in Babilon and when the Lacedemonians buylte Bizaunce whiche nowe is Constantinople Phalaris the famous tyraunt was then lyuinge Of this Phalaris Ouide saieth that he was deformed in his face spoore blynde of his eyes and exceading couetous of riches and neuer obserued any thynge that he promysed He was vnthankefull to his frendes and cruell to his ennemies finally he was such a one that the tyrannies which seuerally were scattered in others in hym alone were altogethers assembled Amongest all the iniquities that he inuented and amongest all the tyrannies that he committed he hadde one vertue very great whiche was that euen as he was onely head of all tyrannies so was he chiefe louer and frende of al philosophers and sage men And in all those sixe and thirty yeares whiche he gouerned the realme by tyranny they neuer founde that any man touched his bearde nor that any man satte at the table with him spake vnto him or slepte in his bed nor that any man sawe in his countenaunce any mirthe vnlesse it were some philosopher or sage man with whome and to whom he liberally put his body in truste And they sayde that this Phalaris saide oftentimes The prince that absenteth him selfe from sage men and accompanieth with fooles I saye vnto him though he be a prince of his common wealth he is a cruell tyraunt of his person For it is a greater paine to lyue among fooles then to die amongest sages Pulio in the sixte booke De gestis Romanorum saieth that a worthy and excellent painter presented a table to Octauian the Emperour wherein were drawen all the vertuous princes and for their chefetaine Octauian the Emperoure was drawen at the foote of this table were all the tyranous Princes paynted of the whiche Phalaris was chiefe and captaine This table vewed by Octauian the Emperour he commended the worke but he disalowed the intention thereof saiyng me thinketh it not mete that I beinge aliue should be set chiefe and princicipall of all the vertuous menne that are deade For during the time of this wicked lyfe we are all subiecte to the vices of weake and feble fleshe Also it seameth vnto me an vniuste thing that they should put Phalaris for principall and captaine of all the tyrauntes since he was a scourge and enemy to fooles and ignoraunt men and so earnest a louer and frende of sages and wyse philosophers The fame of this cruell tyraunte Phalaris beinge knowen and his extreame cruelties he vsed spred through all Greece A neighbour and artificer of Athens called Perillus a man very excellent in metalles and a great worker in works of fountaines came to Phalaris the tyraunt saying that he would make suche a kinde of torment that his harte should remayne reuenged and the offender well punished The matter was that this workeman made a bull of brasse wherein there was a gate by the whiche they put the offender and in putting the fier vnder the bul it roared and cried in maner as it had bene aliue whiche thing was not onely a horrible and cruell tormente to the myserable creature that endured it but also it was terryble to hym or those that sawe it Let vs not marueile neyther at the one nor at the other for truely the pitefull harte whiche is not fleshed in crueltie hath as muche pitie to see an other man suffer as of the sorrowe and tormente whiche he hym selfe feeleth Phalaris therfore seing the inuention of this tormente whereof the inuentour hoped great rewarde prouided that the inuentoure of the same should be put within the bull and that the crueltie of the tormente shoulde be experimented in none saue onely on the inuentour Truly in this case Phalaris shewed him self not a cruel tyraūt but rather a mercifull Prince and a sage Philosopher for nothyng can be more iuste then that the inuention of the malice be executed on the frayle fleshe of the inuentoure Nowe because Phalaris was a great frende of sages the philosophers of Grece came oftentymes to see hym whiche were verye gently receiued of hym Though to saye the truthe they profited more with his goodes then he did with their phylosophie This tyraunte Phalaris was not onely a frende of sages but also he was very well learned and depelye seene in morall philosophie The whiche thing appeareth well in the epistles whiche he wrote with his owne hande I can not tell wherein he shewed hym selfe greater either in the sentences and doctrines whiche he wrote with his penne or in the slaughter and cruelties whiche he did with his sworde O howe many companions had Phalaris the tyraunt in this case in tymes passe and that as I woulde there were none also at this time present whiche in their pleasaunte wordes did not resemble the Emperoure Nero. I neuer reade other thynge of those that are gone neyther haue I seene otherwyse of those that are present but many they are that blase vertues and infinite whiche runne after vices For of truth we are very lighte of tongue and to feble of fleshe The Epistles whiche this Phalaris wrote are knowen to all men I meane of those which knowe Greke or laten and for those that knowe them not I was wylling to drawe these that are present and to put them in our vulgare tongue for twoo causes The one to the ende princes myght see howe good a thynge it is to be sage and howe tyrauntes were praysed for being Sages and geuing good counsayles The other to the ende the people mighte see howe easie it is to speake well and howe harde it is to woorke well For there is nothyng better cheape in the worlde then counsayle The sentences therefore of the Epistles of Phalaris are these whiche followe in such sorte as I could moste briefly gather them to reduce them in good and profitable stile to wryte them The particuler loue whiche princes shew to one more then an other breadeth oftentimes muche enuie in their Realmes For the one being loued and the other hated of this commeth hatred of hatred cōmeth euil thoughtes of euyll thoughtes proceadeth malice and of malice commeth euyl wordes the whiche breake out into worse deedes Finally when a prince sheweth not to equalles his fauoure indifferently he setteth fyre in his cōmon wealth Princes ought to forbidde and Sages ought not to consente that rebelles and quarellers should trouble those whiche are quiet and peace makers for when the people rise immediatly couetousnes is awaked When couetousnes groweth iustice falleth force and violence ruleth snatchynge reigneth lecherie is at lybertie the euyll haue power
meane that it is vnpossible that the grene flower of youthe be not one daye withered by age ¶ The Emperour followethe his letter perswadeth Claudins Claudinus beeing now olde to geue no more credit to the world nor to any of his deceytful flatteries Cap. xx THat whych I haue spoken now tendeth more to aduertyse the yong then to teache the olde For yow others haue now passed the pryme tyme of chyldehoode the sommer of youth and the haruest of adolescency and are in the wynter of age where it seemeth an vncomly thyng that those youerhoarye heares shoolde bee accompanyed wyth such vayne follyes Sythens yong men know not that they haue to ende theire youth it is no maruail that they follow the world but the olde men which see them selues fall into this gyle why will they runne after vices againe O world for that thou art the world so small is our force and so great our debylitie that thou wylling it and wee not resisting it thow doost swallow vs vp in the most perilous goulfe and in the thornes most sharpe thow dost pricke vs by the pryuiest waies thow leadest vs and by the most stony wayes thou caryest vs. I meane that thow bringest vs to the highest fauors to the end that afterwards wyth a push of thy pike thow myghtest ouerthrow vs. O world wherein all is worldly two and fyfty yeares haue passed since in thee I was fyrst borne duryng which tyme thou neuer toldest mee one trueth but I haue taken thee wyth tenne thousaund lies I neuer demaunded the thing but thow didst promyse it mee and yet it is nothyng at all that euer thou dydst performe I neuer put my trust in thee but euer thou begildst mee I neuer came to thee but thou dydst vndo mee fynally neuer saw I ought in thee whereby thow deseruest loue but allways hatred This presupposed I know not what is in thee O world or what wee worldlyngs want for if thow hatest vs wee cannot hate the if thow dost vs iniury wee can dyssemble it yf thow spurne vs wyth thy feete wee wyl suffer it if thou beatest vs with a staff wee will hold our peace also although thou ê‘secutest vs wee wil not coÌ„playn though thou take ours wee wil not demauÌ„d it of thee though thou doost beeguyle vs wee wyl not cal our selues beeguyled and the woorst of al is that thou doost chase vs from thy house yet wee wyl not depart from theÌ„ce I know not what this meaneth I know not from whence this commeth I wore not who ought to prayse this same that wee couet to follow the world which will none of vs hate the gods which loue vs oft tymes I make accouÌ„t of my yeares past somtimes also I turn tosse my booke to see what I haue read and another time I desyre my friends to geeue mee good counsel and for no other end I do it then to attain to that I haue spoken to know that I wil say I readyng Rethoryk in Rhodes Adrian my lord mainteynyng mee there knowyng that I was two and thyrty yeares of age it happened that in the spryng tyme I found my selfe solytaryly and solytarines wyth lyberty smelled the world and smelling it I knew it and knowyng it I followed it and followyng it I attayned vnto it and attaynyng vnto it thereunto I ioyned my selfe and ioyning my selfe therewith I prooued it and in prouyng it I tasted it and in tastyng it mee thought it bytter and in fyndyng it bitter I hated it and hatyng it I left it and leauyng it is returned and beeyng returned I receyued it again fynally the world inuytyng mee and I not resistyng it two and fyfty yeares wee did eat our bread togethers in one house wee haue alwaies remained wilt thou know after what sort the world I do liue in one house togethers or better to say in one hart remain harken theÌ„ in one woord I wil tel it thee When I sawe the worlde braue I serued him when hee sawe mee sadde hee flattered mee when I sawe him wealthy I asked him when he saw mee merye hee begiled me when I desired anye thinge he holpe mee to atteine to it afterwards when the same I best enioyed then he toke it froÌ„ mee wheÌ„ he saw me not pleased he vysited me wheÌ„ he saw me he forgot me when he saw me ouerthrowen he gaue me his haÌ„d to releue me wheÌ„ he saw me exalted he tripped me again to ouerthrow me Fynally when I think that I haue somwhat in the world I fynd that all that I haue is a burden Yf thys which I haue spoken of the world be anye thinge more is that a great deale which yet of my selfe I will saye whiche is that without doubte my follye is greater then his mallice since I am begiled so ofte and yet allwaies I followe the deceiuer O worlde worlde thou hast suche moodes and fashions in thy procedyng that thou leadest vs all to perdicion Of one thinge I maruaile muche whereof I cannot be satisfied Which is since that we may go vpon the bridge yet without any gaine we doe wade through the water where as the shallow is sure we seke to ronne into the golfe and where the way is drye wee go into the plashe where we may eate wholsome meates to norishe the lyfe wee receiue poyson to hasten deathe we seke to destroy oure selues where as we may bee without daunger Fynallye I say without profite we commit a fault thoughe wee see with our eyes the pain to follow Wise men ought circumspectly to see what they do to examine that they speake to proue that theye take in hande to beware whose company they vse and aboue all to knowe whom they trust For our iudgement is so corrupt that to begile vs one is ynough and to make vs not to be disceiued tenne thosande woolde not suffise They haue so greate care of vs I meane the worlde to beegile vs and the fleshe to flatter vs that the highe way beinge as it is narrowe the patheway daungerous and full of prickes the iorney is longe the lyfe shorte our bodies are neuer but loden with vices our hartes but full of cares I haue wondered at dyuers things in this worlde but that which astonieth me most is that those that be good we make theÌ„ beleue they are euill and those whiche are euel we perswade others to beleue that they are good So that wee shoote at the white of vertues hit the butte of vices I will confesse one thinge the whiche beinge disclosed I know that infamye will follow me but paraduenture some vertuous man will marueile at it that is that in those two and fiftye yeares of my lyfe I haue proued all the vices of this worlde for no other intent but for to proue if there bee anye thynge where in mannes mallice might be satisfyed And afterwardes all well considered al examined and all proued I
and proud entreprise for a man to take vpon him with a penne to gouerne the cōmon wealth with a prince to reasō of his life For in dede men are not perswaded to liue wel by faire words but by vertuous dedes And therfore not with out cause I say that he is not wise but very arrogāt that dare presume vnasked to giue a prīce counsail For princes in many thinges haue their mindes occupied haughtely bent som of them also are affectioned where as we peraduenture thinke to haue them mercifull we finde thē more angry heauy against vs. For counsaile doth more harme than profite if the giuer therof be not very wise he also which receiueth it very pacient I haue not ben a prince to know the trauailes of princes nor am not as president to counsel princes yet I was so bolde to cōpile this booke it was not vppon presumption to counsaile a prince so much as by an humble sorte to giue mine aduise For to giue counsel I confesse I haue no credite but to giue theim aduise it suffiseth me to be a subiecte What the order is that I haue taken in this boke how profitable it is to all men how vnpleasaunt to no man how holsome profound doctrine in it is conteined how the histories be herin applied I wil not that my pen do write but they thē selues shal iudge which shal reade this worke We se it oft com to passe that diuers bokes do lose their estimation not for that they are not very good excellēt but because the auctour hath ben to presumptuous vainglorious For in my opinion for a man to praise his owne writinges much is nothing els but to giue men occasion to speake euil both of him of his worke Let no man thinke that I haue written thys which is written without great aduisement and examination I do confesse before the redemer of the whole world that I haue cōsumed so many yers to seke what I shold write that this .ii. yers one day hath scarsely escaped me wherin my pen hath not don his dutie to write or correct in this worke I confesse that I toke great paine in writing it for of trueth it hath ben written twise with mine owne hand and thrise with another mans hand I confesse I haue red searched in diuers sondrie partes many and good strange bokes to th end I might finde good and pleasant doctrine besydes that I trauailed much to set apply the histories to the purpose For it is an vnsemely thing to apply an history without a purpose I had great respecte in that I was not so briefe in my writinges that a man might note me to be obscure nor yet in anye thing so long that a man shold sclaunder me with to much talke For al the excellēcie of writing consisteth where many goodly sentences are declared in few apte wordes For oft times the long stile is lothsom tedious both to the hearers readers Nero that emperour was in loue with a lady in Rome named Pompeia that which in beauty to his fātasie exceded all other In the end partely with intreaty partely with money presētes he obteined of her the he desired For in this case of loue wher prayers importunities be paciētly hard resistance doth lacke The inordinate loue that Nero bare to Pompeia proceded of the yelow here 's she had which wer of the colour of amber in prayse of them he cōpiled diuers sondry songes in heroical meter with an instrument sang thē himself in her presence Nero was a sage prince wise excellētly well learned in the latin tong also a good musiciā yet Plutarche in his boke of the gests of noble womē to declare the vaniti lightnes of Nero reciteth this history describīg Pōpeia said the her body was smal her fingers lōg her mouth proper her eye lyds thin her nose sōwhat sharpe her téeth smal her lips red her neck white her forhead brod finally her eies great rowlin her brest large wel propocioned what thinke you wold Nero haue don if he had so affectionatly set his fātasy vpō al other her beautiful properties sins that for the loue alonly of her yelow locks he was depriued both of his wisdom also sences For vain light mē loue cōmēly not that which reasō cōmaūdeth but that which their appetite desireth The loue of the emperor encreased with foly so much that not only he coūted seuerally al that héere 's that his louer Pōpeia had on her head but also gaue to euery heere a proper name in praise of euery one of thē made a song in somuch that this effeminat prince spēt more time in bāketting plaieng with his louer Pōpeia thā he did to reforme amend the faultes of the cōmon welth Yea his foly so much surmoūted al reasō that he cōmaunded a cōbe of gold to be made therw t he himself cōmed her yelow locks And if it chaūsed that any one here in kemīg fel of he by by caused it to be set in gold offred it vp in the tēple to the goddes Iuno For it was an anciēt custome amōg the Romains that the things which they entierly loued whether it wer good or euil should be offred vp to their gods And whan it was once knowen that Nero was so in loue with these héere 's of Pompeia which wer of the colour of amber al the ladies endeuoured thē selues not only to make artificially their here of that colour but also to were their garmentes and other attyres of the same colour in somuche that bothe men and women did vse collers of amber brooches ringes set with amber al their other Iewels were of amber For alwayes it hath ben sene euer shall be that those things wherunto the prince is most addicted the people folow aboue al other couet the same Before this Emperour Nero plaied this light part in Rome the amber stone was had in little estimacion after that he set so muche by it there was no precious stone in Rome so much estemed Yea furthermore the marchant gained nothinge so much whether it were in gold or silke as he did in the amber stones nor brought any kind of marchaundise to Rome more precious or more vendible than that was I doe meruelle at this vanitie forasmuch as the children of the world do loue desire labor more to folow the straunge foly of an other than to furnish supply their own proper necessitie Therefore retourning againe to my purpose most excellent prince by this example you may coniecture what I would say that is that if this writing were accepted vnto princes I am assured it woulde be refused of no man And if any man would slaunderously talke of it he durst not remembring that your maiestie hath receiued it For those things which princes
there captaine But that could not be for Adrian my lord sent for me to returne to Rome which pleased me not a lytle albeit as I haue said they vsed me as if I had ben borne in that Iland for in theend although the eyes be fedde with delyght to see straunge thinges yet therefore the hart is not satisfyed And this is al that toucheth the Rhodians I will now tel the also how before my going thether I was borne and brought vp in mount Celio in Rome with my father from mine infancie In the common wealthe of Rome ther was a law vsed by custome wel obserued that no citizē which enioyed any lybertie of Rome after their sonnes had accomplyshed .10 yeares should be so bold or hardy to suffer them to walke the streates like vacabondes For it was a custome in Rome that the chyldren of the senatours should sucke til two yeres of age til 4. they should liue at theyr own wylles tyl 6. they should reede tyl 8 they should wryte tyll 10. they should study gramer 10. yeares accomplished they should then take some craft or occupacion or gyue them selues to study or go to the warres so that throughout Rome no man was idell In one of the lawes of the 12 tables weare written these wordes We ordeine and commaund that euery cytizen that dwelleth wythin the circuite of Rome or lybertyes of the same from 10 yeres vpwardes to kepe hys sonne well ordered And if perchaunce the chyld being ydel or that no man teacheth hym any craft or scyence should therby peraduenture fal to vyce or commyt some wycked offence that then the father no lesse then the sonne should be punyshed For ther is nothing so much breadeth vyce amongest the people as when the fathers are to neclygent and the chyldren to bold And furthermore another law sayd We ordeine and commaunde that after 10. yeares be past for the fyrst offence that the chyld shal commyt in Rome that the father shal be bound to send hym forth some where els or to be bound suertye for the good demeanour of hys son For it is not reason that the fonde loue of the father to the sonne should be an occasion why the multytude shuld be sclaundered because al the wealth of the Empyre consisteth in kepyng and mayntaynyng quyet men and in banishyng and expellyng sedycious personnes I wyll tell the one thyng my Pulyo and I am sure thou wylt meruell at it and it is thys When Rome tryumphed and by good wysedom gouerned all the worlde the inhabitantes in the same surmounted the nomber of two hundreth thousand parsonnes which was a maruelouse matter Amongeste whom as a man maye iudge ther was aboue a hundreth thousand chyldren But they whych had the charge of them kept them in such awe and doctryne that they banyshed from Rome one of the sonnes of Cato vticensis for breakyng an erthen pot in a maydens handes whych went to fetche water In lyke manner they banyshed the sonne of good Cinna onlye for entrynge into a garden to gather fruyte And none of these two were as yet fyftyne yeares olde For at that tyme they chastised them more for the offences done in gest then they doo now for those which are don in good earnest Our Cicero saith in his booke De legibus that the Romaynes neuer toke in any thing more paynes then to restreine the chyldren aswel old as young from ydlenes And so long endured the feare of their lawe and honour of theyr common wealthe as they suffered not their children lyke vacabondes idelly to wander the streates For that countrey may aboue all other be counted happye where eche one enioyeth hys owne laboure and no man lyueth by the swette of another I let the know my Pulio that when I was a chylde althoughe I am not yet very olde none durste be so hardy to go commonly throughe Rome wythout a token about hym of the crafte and occupacion he exercysed and whereby he lyued And if anye man had bene taken contrary the chyldren dyd not onlye crie out of hym in the streates as of a foole but also the Censour afterwardes condemned hym to trauayle wyth the captynes in common workes For in Rome they estemed it no lesse shame to the child which was idle then they dyd in Grece to the phylosopher whych was ignorant And to th ende thou mayest se thys I write vnto the to be no new thynge thou oughtest to know that the Emperour caused to be borne afore hym a brenning brand and the counsel an axe of armes the priestes a hat in maner of a coyfe The Senatours a crusible on their armes the Iudges a lytle balance the Tribunes Maces the gouernours a scepter the Byshoppes hattes of floures The Oratours a booke the cutlers a swerd the goldsmithes a pot to melt gold and so forth of al other offices strangers excepted which went al marked after one sort in Rome For they woulde not agree that a stranger shoulde be apparailed marked according to the childrē of Rome O my frend Pulio it was suche a ioye then to beholde the discipline and prosperitie of Rome and it is now at this present suche a grefe to see the calamitie thereof that by the immortall gods I sweare to the and so the god Mars guyde my hande in warres that the man which now is best ordered is not worthe so much as the most dissolute person was then For then amongest a thousande they could not finde one man vicious in Rome and nowe amonges twentie thousande they cannot finde one vertuous in all Italye I know not why the gods are so cruel againste me and fortune so contrary that this 40. yeares I haue done nothynge but wepe and lamente to see the good men die and immediatly to be forgotten and on the other side to see the wicked liue and to be alwayes in prosperitye Vniuersallye the noble harte maye endure al the troubles of mans life vnlesse it be to see a good man decay and the wicked to prosper which my harte cannot abyde nor yet my tonge dissemble And touchynge this matter my frende Pulio I will write vnto the one thynge whiche I founde in the bookes of the highe Capitoll where he treateth of the time of Marius and Sylla whiche trulye is worthy of memorye and that is this There was at Rome a custome and a lawe inuiolable sith the time of Cinna that a Censour expressely commaunded by the senate should goe and visite the prouinces whyche were subiecte vnto it throughe out all Italye and the cause of those visitacions was for three thinges The firste to see if any complained of iustice the second to see in what case the common wealthe stode The thirde to th ende that yearelye they should render obedience to Rome O my frende Pulio how thinkest thou if they visited Italye at this presente as at that time they surueyed Rome how ful of errous should they fynd it And what decaye
to breake the good auncient customes We ordeine and commaund that the gouernour of the Prienenses do worship and honour the gods and that he be a louer of the sacred temples For otherwise he that honoreth not god wil neuer mynister equal iustice vnto men We ordeine commaund that the prince of Prienenses be contented with the warres which his auncetours lefte him and that he do not forge new matters to inuade any other straunge countreis and if perchaunce he would that no man in this case be bounde neyther with money nor in person to follow or serue him For the god Apollo tolde me that that man whiche will take another mans goods from hym by force shall lose his owne by iustice We ordeine and commaunde that the gouernor of the Prienenses go to pray and worship the gods twise in the weeke and lykewise to visite them in the temples and if he do the contrarie he shal not only be depriued of the gouerment but also after his death he shal not be buried For the prince that honoreth not god in time of his lyfe deserueth not his bones should be honored with sepulture after his death ¶ How god from the beginning punished men by his iustyce and speciallye those Princes that dispise his Churche and howe all wicked Christians are parishioners of hell Cap. xxii WHen the eternall creator who measureth the thinges by his Omnipotencye and wayeth them by his effectuall wisedome created al things aswel celestiall as terrestial vysible as inuisible corporate as incorporate not only promised to the good whyche serued him but also threatened the euyll with plagues whych offended hym For the iustice and mercy of god go alwayes together to thintent the one should encourage the good and the other threaten the euyl This thinge semeth to be true for that we haue but one god which hath created but one word wherin he made but one gardeine in the whiche garden ther was but one fountaine and neare to that fountayne he appointed only one man one woman and one serpente nere vnto which was also one tre only forbidden which is a thinge meruelous to speake and no lesse feareful to see how god dyd put into the terrestial paradyse the same daye that the creacion of the worlde was finyshed booth a sword and gibet The gibet was the tree forbidden wherof they dyd eate wherfore our fathers were condemned And the sword was the punishment wherwyth we al as miserable chyldren at this day are beheaded For truly they dyd eate the bytternes of their fault and we do feele the griefe of the paine I meane not to shewe howe our God by hys power doothe raise vppe that whyche is beaten downe howe wyth his wysedome he guideth those which are blind how by his wyl he dissembleth wyth the euyll doers neyther wil I tel how he through his clemency pardoneth the offences and through his light lyghtneth the darknes nor how through his ryghteousnes he amendeth that whych is broken and through hys liberality paieth more then we deserue But I wyll here declare at large howe our omnipotente God through his iustice chastiseth those whiche walke not in his pathes O Lorde god howe sure may thy faithfull seruauntes be for their small seruices to receiue great rewardes and contrary the euill ought alwayes to lyue in as great feare lest for their heynous offences thou shouldest geue them cruel punishmentes For though god of his bounty will not leaue any seruice vnrewarded nor of his iustice will omitte any euill vnpunished yet for all that we ought to knowe that aboue all and more than all he wil rigorously chastise those which maliciously despise the holy catholyke faith For Christe thinketh him selfe as much iniuried of those whiche persecute his church as of those that laide handes on his persone to put him to death We rede that in times past god shewed sondry greuous and cruel punishmentes to diuerse high lordes and princes besides other famous and renowmed men But rigour had neuer such power in his hande as it had against those whiche honoured the infamed Idoll and violated the sacred temples For to god this is the most heinous offence to forsake the holy catholike faith in his life and to dispaire in his mercy at the houre of his death Woulde to god we had so much grace to acknowledge our offences as god hath reason to punishe our sinnes For if it were so thē we would amend in time to come god would graunt vs a generall pardon for al that is past I see one thing wherin as I thinke I am not deceiued which is this that the frailnes miseries which we commit we thinke them naturall and in the satisfaction and amendement of the same we say they are straunge so that we admit the fault condemne the paine which therby we do deserue The secret iudgements of god do suffer it and our offences do deserue it I do not deny but that the euyll may hold possesse this life at their pleasour but I sweare vnto them when they shal lest thinke of it they shal lose their life to their great displeasour for the pleasurs of this life are so vnconstant that we scarce begin to taste thē when they vade out of their sight It is a rule infallible whiche bothe of the good euill hath bene proued that all naturally desire rather to abound than to want and all that which greatly is desired with great diligēce is serched and through great trauaile is obteined and that thing which by trauaile is attained with loue is possessed that which by loue is possessed with much sorow is lost bewailed lamented For in th end we can not deny but that the watry eies do manifestly shewe the sorowfull hartes To the fine wittes and stout harts this is a continuall torment and endlesse paine a worme that alway gnaweth to cal to mind that he must lose the ioyfull life whiche so entierly he loued and taste the fearfull death whiche so greatly he abhorred Therfore to proue this matter which I haue spoken of before it is but reason that princes know if they do not know that euen as the diuine prouidence exalteth them to high estates they not deseruing thē so likewise his rigorous iustice will bring them to nought if they be vnthankeful for his benefites For the ingratitude of benefittes receiued maketh the man not worthy to receiue any mo The more a man through benefits is bound the more greuous punishment if he be vnthankefull he deserueth Al wyse men shuld finde if thei apply their mindes therunto that in chastising god calleth those offences first to his mind which are furthest from the thoughtes of men For before the tribunal of god our secret faultes are alwaies casting out bloud to th end he should execute of our persons open iustice And further I saie that in this case I doe not see that the prince is exempted more though he liue
the Catholicke Churche that they dyshonour not Gods mynisters and maintayne heresyes For as this accursed Emperoure Valente for his wicked doinges was condignely punished by the hands of the almighty God So let them be assured the selfe same god wil not pardon their offences For it is a rule infallible that the prince which is not a good christian shall fall into the hands of his cruell enemyes ¶ Of the Emperour Valentinian and Gracian hys sonne whych reigned in the time of saynte Ambrose whyche because they were good Christians were alwayes fortunate and that god gyueth victorye vnto Princes more throughe the teares of them that pray then through the weapons of those that fyght I Valentinian and Valent were brethrene and the eldest of them was Valentinian who succeded in the Empire after the death of his father to be pretor of the armies For amonges the Romaines there was a lawe in vre that if the father died in the fauour of the people of right the sonne without any other demaunde was heire This Valentinian was a lusty yong man of a sanguine complection and of his body well shaped and aboue al he was a good Christian and of all the people generallye welbeloued For nothynge adorneth the noble man more then to be counted ciuill and corteous of behauior At that time wher the Emperoure Iulian persecuted moste the chrisstians Valentinian was pretor of the armies and when Iulian was aduertised that Valentinian was a christian he sent vnto him and bad hym do sacrifice to the idols of the Romaine Emperour or els to forsake the office of his pretorship Iulian would gladly haue killed Valentinian but he durst not For it was a law inuiolable amonges the Romaynes that no citizen should be put to death without decre of the Senate Valentinian receyuing the message of this Emperour Iulian aduertised of his will which was to renownce his faith or to leaue his office he dyd not only resigne his office but therwithal forgaue the Emperour all the money he ought him for arreragies of his seruyce And because he woulde lyue with a more quyete conscience he wente from Rome into a cloyster where he bannyshed hym selfe for two yeares and a halfe and for this he was hyghlye estemed and commended For it is a good signe that man is a good Christian whyche of his owne free will renounceth worldlye goodes Shortlye after It happened that Iulian the Emperoure wente to conquer the Realme of Persia wherein a battaile he was very sore wounded and fell downe deade in the presente place For to the mishappes of fortune the Emperour with all his estate pleasours is asmuch subiect as is the poorest man that lyeth in the streates When the newes came to Rome that Iulian was dead by the consent of all Valentinian was created Emperoure so that he beinge bannyshed for Christes sake was called againe and crowned Prince of the Romaine empire Let no man care to lose al that he possesseth let no man way to see him selfe despised for Christes sake For in the end no men can in a thousand yeares so much abase vs as god in one houre can exalt vs. In the same yere which was from the foundation of Rome a thousand a hundred and .xix. in a citie called Atrobata it rained very fine wull so that all the citie became riche In the same yeare in the citie of Constantinople it hailed suche great stones that they killed many men left no herdes in the fieldes aliue At the same tyme there came an earthquake throughout Italy so likewyse in Scicille that many housen fell and slewe sundry persons and aboue all the sea rose in suche sorte that it drowned many cities nighe thereunto Paulus Diaconus in the .xi. booke De gestibus Romanorum saieth that the emperour Valentinian was of a subtile witte of graue coūtenaunce eloquēt in speache yet he spake litle stoute in his affaires and diligent in his busines in aduersities pacient and a great enemy of the vicious temperat in eating and drinking a frend of religious persons so that they saide he resembled the emperour Aurelius For after that the emperour Marcus Aurelius died with whom the felicitie of the Romaine empire ended they euer vsed thenceforth in Rome to compare and liken the young and newe come princes to the auncient emperours their antecessours That is to wete if the prince wer couragious they said he was like Iulius Caesar if he were vertuous they saide he was an other Octauian if he were fortunate that he was Tiberius if he were rashe they sayde he was Caligula if he were cruell they compared him to Nero if he were merciful thei sayde he was like to Traian or Antonius Pius if he were beawtifull they likened him to Titus if he were idle they compared him to Domitian if he were paciēt they called him Vespasius if he were tēperat they likened him to Adrian if he were deuoute to their gods then he semed Aurelianus finally he that was sage and vertuous they compared him to the good Marcus Aurelius This emperour Valentinian was a good Christian and in al his affaires touching the empyre very wyse and circumspecte and yet he was noted for one thynge very muche and that was that he trusted and fauoured his seruauntes so muche and was so led by his friendes that through their occasion they abusinge his loue and credite there arose manye dissentions emonges the people Seneca sayde once to the Emperoure Nero I wyll that thou vnderstande Lorde that there is no pacience can suffre that twoo or three absolutly commaunde all not for that they are moste vertuous but for that they are moste in fauour with thee O princes and great Lordes if you were as I am I knowe not what you would doe but if I were as you be I woulde behaue my selfe in suche sorte to them of my house that they should be seruauntes to serue and obeye me and not boste themselues to be in suche fauour to commaunde me For that prince is not sage that to content a fewe getteth the hatred of all The Emperour Valentinian died in the fiue and fifty yeare of his byrthe and eleuen yeare of his Empyre of so longe sickenesse that his vaynes were so dried vp that they could not drawe one droppe of bloude out of his body And at the daye of his funeralles where the dead corps was greatly bewayled Saint Ambrose made anexcellent sermon in commendation of him for in those dayes when any prince departed that fauoured muche the Churche all the holy Byshoppes mete at his buriall The two brethren being Emperours that is to wete Valentinian and Valent through the desire of the father in lawe of Gracian that was father to his wyfe and desirous to haue one of his doughters children chose Valentinian to bryng vp who had a sonne named Gracian whiche was created emperour so young that as yet he had no berde And truly the Senate would not haue suffered it
Alexander though thou callest thy selfe lorde of all yet thou hast but onely the name thereof and others thy seruauntes subiectes haue all the profites for the gredy and couetous hartes do trauaile and toyle to get and in wasting that whiche they haue gotten they pyne awaye And finally Alexander thou wilt not denie me that all that whiche thou hast in the longe conquest gotten is litle and that whiche of thy wysedome and quietnes thou hast lost is much For the Realmes whiche thou hast gotten are innumerable but the cares sighes and thoughtes whiche thou hast heaped vpon thy harte are infinite I let the knowe one thing that you princes are poorer then the poore subiectes for he is not ryche that hath more then he deserueth but he that desireth to haue lesse then that he possesseth And therfore princes you haue nothing for though you abound in great treasures yet you are poore of good desires Nowe Alexander let vs come to the pointe and caste accompte and let vs see to what ende thy conquest wil come Eyther thou arte a man or thou arte a God And if thou be any of the gods commaunde or cause that we be immortall and if thou canst doe any suche thing then take vs and our goods withall For perpetuitie of the lyfe by no riches can be boughte O Alexander I let thee vnderstande that therefore we seke not to make warre with thee for we see that bothe from thee and also from vs death will shortly take away the life For he is a very simple man that thinketh alway to remayne in an other mans house as in his owne If thou Alexander couldest geue vs as god euerlastinge life eche man would trauayle to defende his owne house but sithe we knowe we shal die shortly we care litle whether to thee or any other our goods riches remaine For if it be folly to dwell in an other mans house as in his owne it is a greater folly to him that loseth his life in taking thought and lamenting for his goodes Presuppose that thou art not god but a man I coniure the then by the immortal gods and do require the that thou lyue as a man behaue thy selfe as a man and couet no more then an other man neither desyre more nor lesse then a man for in the end thou shalt die as a mā and shal be buried as a man and throwen into the graue then there shal be no more memorie of thee I tolde thee before that it greued me to see thee so hardy couragious so apte and so younge and nowe it greueth me to see thee so deceiued with the world and that which I perceiue of thee is that then thou shalt knowe thy folly when thou shalt not be able to finde any remedy For if the proude younge man before he feleth the wound hath all redy the oyntment You whiche are Grecians call vs Barbarous because we enhabite the mountaines But as touching this I say that we reioyce to be Barbarous in our speache and Greekes in our doinges and not as you which haue the Grecians tongue and doe Barbarous workes For he that doth well speaketh rudely is no barbarous man but he which hath the tongue good and the life euill Sithe I haue begonne to that ende nothing remaynd vnspoken I will aduertise thee of our lawes and life and marueile not to here it but desire to obserue and kepe it for infinite are they whiche extolle vertuous workes but fewe are they whiche obserue the same I let thee wete Alexander that we haue short life we are fewe people we haue litle landes we haue litle goodes we haue no couetousnes wee haue fewe lawes we haue fewe houses wee haue fewe frendes and aboue all we haue no enemies For a wyse man ought to be frende to one and enemy to none Besides all this we haue amongest vs great frendshippes good peace great loue much reste and aboue all we holde our selues contented For it is better to enioy the quietnes of the graue then to liue a discontented life Our lawes are fewe but in our opinions they are good and are in seuen wordes onely included as here foloweth We ordaine that our children make no more lawes then we their fathers doe leaue vnto them for newe lawes maketh them forget good and olde customes We ordayne that our successours shall haue no mo Gods then twoo of the whiche the one god shal be for the life and the other for the death for one God well serued is more worth then many not rewarded We ordaine that all be appareled with one cloth and hosed of one sorte and that the one haue no more apparell then the other for the diuersitie of garmentes edgendreth folly among the people We ordeine that whan any woman which is maried hath had thre childrē that then she be separated from her husband for the aboundaunce of children causeth men to haue couetous hartes And if any woman hath broughte forth any mo children then they should be sacrificed vnto the gods before her eies We ordeine that all men and women speake the truthe in all thinges and if any be taken in a lie committing no other fault that immediatly he be put to death for the same For one lyer is able to vndo a whole multitude We ordeine that no woman liue aboue .xl. yeres and that the man lyue vntill fiftie and if they die not before that time that then they be sacrifised to the gods for it is a great occasion for men to be vicious to thinke that they shal lyue many yeares ¶ That princes ought to consider for what cause they were made princes and what Thales the philosopher was of the .xii. questions asked him and of his aunswere he made vnto them Cap xxxv IT is a commen and an old saiyng whiche many times by Aristotle the noble prince hath bene repeted that in the ende all thinges are done to some purpose for there is no worke neither good nor euill but he that doth it meaneth it to some end If thou demaundest the gardener to what ende he watereth so oft his plantes he wil aunswere thee it is to get some money for his herbes If thou demaundest why the ryuer runneth so swift a man wil aunswere thee that his ende is to the sea from whence it came If thou demaundest why the trees budde in the spring time they will aunswere to the ende they may beare frute in haruest If we see a trauayler passe the mountaines in the snow the ryuers with perill the woodes in feare to walke in extreme heate in sommer to wander in the night time in the colde wynter if by chaunce a man doth aske one of them saiyng frend whether goest thou wherfore takest thou such paines and he aunswereth truly syr I know no more then you to what ende neither can I tell why I take so much paines I aske thee now what would a wyse man aunswere to
I wold not yester daye aunswere to that that the Senatour Fuluius spake vnto me because it was somewhat late and for that we were long in sacrifices I thought that neyther time nor place was conuenieÌ„t to aunswere therunto For it is a signe of a lytle wisedome of great folye for a man to aunswere sodainly to euerye question The libertie that vndiscret men haue to demaunde the selfe same priuiledge hath the sage for to aunswere For though the demaund procede of ignoraunce yet the aunswere oughte to procede of wysedome Trulye wise men were wel at ease if to euery demaund they shoulde aunswere the simple and malicious who for the most part demaund more to vexe other men then for to profyte themselues more for to proue than to know wherfore wise men ought to dissemble at such demaundes For the sages oughte to haue their eares open to heare and their tongue tyed because they should not speake I let you know auncyent fathers sacred senate that the lytle whyche I knowe I learned in the yle of Rhodes in Naples in Capua and in Tharente And al tutors told me that the Intencion and end of men to study was only to know to gouerne them selues amongest the malicious For scyence profiteth nothing els but to know how to kepe his lyfe wel ordered his tongue wel measured Therfore I protest to god that which I will say before your sacred preseÌ„ce I wil not speake it of any malice or ill wil but only to aunswere vnto that which toucheth the auctoritie of my person For the thynges which touch the honour ought first by word to be aunswered afterwards by sword to be reuenged Therfore now beginning my matter addressing my words to the Fuluius and to that which thou spakest vnto me asking why I shew my selfe so to all men I aunswere the. It is because al men shold giue themselues to me Thou knowest wel Fuluius that I haue bene a Consul as thou art and thou hast not bene an Emperour as I am Therfore beleue me in thys case that the prince being dispised caÌ„not be beloued of hys people The gods wil not nor the lawes do permyte neyther the common wealth wyllyngly should suffer that al princes should be lordes of many and that they should not communicate but with a few For princes which haue bene gentile in their lyues the auncients haue made them gods after their deathes The fisher to fish for many fishes in the riuer goeth not with one bote alone nor the Mariner to fish in the depe sea goeth with one net only I meane that the profounde willes which are deepely enclosed in the hartes oughte to be wonne some by giftes other by promises other by pleasaunt words and others by gentle enterteynement For princes should trauaile more to winne the hartes of their subiectes then to conquere the Realmes of straungers The gredy and couetous hartes care not thoughe the prince shutteth vp his hart so that he open his cofers but noble and valiaunt men litle esteme that which they locke vp in their cofers so that their hartes be open to their frendes For loue can neuer but with loue againe be requited Sith Princes are lords of many of necessitie they ought to be serued with many being serued with many they are bound to satisfie many and this is as generally as perticulerly they cannot dispence with their seruaunts For the prince is no lesse bound to pay the seruice of his seruaunte then the maister is to pay the wages of the hired laborer Therefore if thys thing be true as it is how shal poore princes do which kepe many Realmes in keping them they haue great expenses and for to pay such charges they haue lytle money For in this case let euery man do what he will and let them take what counsaile they like best I would counsaile all others as I my selfe haue experimented that is that the prince shold be of so good a conuersacion among those which are his and so affable and familiar with all that for his good conuersacion only they should thinke them selues wel paid For with rewardes princes recompence the trauaile of their seruantes but with gentle wordes they robbe the hartes of their subiectes We se by experience that diuers marchauntes had rather by dearer in one shoppe because the marchaunt is pleasaunte then to â—ye better chepe in an other wheras the marchaunt is churlishe I meane that there are many which had rather serue a prince to gaine nothing but loue only thaÌ„ to serue an other prince for money For there is no seruice better imployed then to him which is honest good and gracious and to the contrary none worse bestowed then on hym which is vnthankfull and churlyshe In princes pallaces there shall neuer want euil and wicked men malicious deuelishe flatterers which wil seke meanes to put into their Lords heades howe they shall rayse their rentes leauye subsidies inuent tributes and borow money but there are none that wil tel them how they shal winne the hartes and good willes of their subiectes though they know it more profitable to be wel beloued then necessarie to be enriched He that heapeth treasure for his prince and seperateth him from the loue of his people ought not to be called a faithfull seruaunt but a mortall enemy Princes and Lordes ought greatly to endeuour themselues to be so conuersant among their subiects that they had rather serue for good wil then for the payment of money For if moneye wante their seruice will quaile and hereof procedeth a thousand inconueniences vnto princes which neuer happen vnto those that haue seruauntes whiche serue more of good wil then for moneye for he that loueth with al his harte is not proude in prosperitie desperate in aduersitie neither complayneth he of pouertie nor is discontented being fauourlesse nor yet abashed with persecution finallye loue and life are neuer seperated vntill they come vnto the graue We see by experience that the rablemeÌ„t of the poore labourers of Scicil is more worth then the money of the knightes of Rome For the labourer euery time he goeth to the fielde bringeth some profit from thence but euery time the knight sheweth him selfe in the market place he returneth without money By that comparison I meane that princes should be affable easie to talke with all pleasaunt mercifull benigne and stoute and aboue all that they be gracious and louing to the end that through these qualities and not by money they may learne to wynne the hartes of their subiectes Princes should greately labour to be loued specially if they will finde who shall succour them in aduersitie and kepe them from euill will and hatred whiche those princes can not haue that are hated but rather euery man reioyceth at their fall and miserie For eche man enioyeth his own trauaile and truly the furious and sorowfull hartes taketh some reste to see that others haue pitie and
compassiō vpon their griefes Princes also should endeuour them selues to be loued well willed because at their death they maye of all their seruauntes and frendes be lamented For princes ought to be suche that they may be prayed for in their life and lamented and remembred after their death Howe cursed is that prince and also howe vnhappy is that common wealth where the seruauntes wyll not serue their Lorde but for rewarde and that the Lorde doth not loue them but for ther seruices For there is neuer true loue where there is any particuler intereste With many stones a house is buylded and of many men and one prince whiche is the head of all the common wealth is made For he that gouerneth the common wealth may be called a prince and otherwyse not and the common wealth can not be called nor sayde a common wealth if it hath not a prince whiche is the head thereof If Geometrie doe not deceiue me the lyme whiche ioyneth one stone with an other suffereth well that it be myngled with sande but the corner stone that lyeth on the toppe ought to be medled with vnslekyd lyme And it soundeth vnto good reason For if the nether stones seperate the wall openeth but if the corner should slippe the buylding incontinently falleth I suppose fathers conscript you vnderstande very well to what ende I applie this comparison The loue of one neighbour with an other may suffer to be cold but the loue of a prince to his people should be true and pure I meane that the loue amongest frendes may well passe sometymes though it be colde but the loue betwene the kyng and his people at all tymes oughte to be perfect For where there is parfite loue there is no fained wordes nor vnfaithfull seruice I haue seene in Rome many debates among the people to haue bene pacified in one day and one onely which betwene the Lord and the common wealth aryseth can not be pacified vntyll death For it is a daungerous thing for one to stryue with many and for many to contende against one In this case where the one is proude and the other rebelles I wyll not excuse the prince nor let to condemne the people For in the end he that thinketh himself moste innocent deserueth greatest blame From whence thinke you cōmeth it that Lordes nowe a daies doe commaunde vniust thinges by fury that subiectes in iuste matters wyll not obey by reason I will tell you The Lorde doing of will and not of right would caste the willes of all in his owne braine and deriue from him selfe all counsayle For euen as princes are of greater power then all the reste so they thinke they knowe more then all the reste The contrary happeneth to subiectes who beinge prouoked I can not tel you with what frenesy despising the good vnderstanding of their Lord will not obey that that their princes willeth for the health of them all but that whiche euery man desireth for him selfe particularly For men nowe a dayes are so fonde that euery man thynketh the prince should loke on him alone Truely it is a straunge thing though it be muche vsed among men that one should desire that the garmentes of all other should be mete for him whiche is as impossible as one mans armour shoulde arme a multitude But what shall we be Fathers conscripte and sacred senate sith our fathers lefte vs this worlde with suche foly and that in these debates stryfes we their children are alwayes in dissention and controuersie and in this wilfulnes we shall also leaue our children and heires How many princes haue I seene and read of in my time of my predecessours whiche were vtterly vndone by to muche pryde and presumption But I neuer read nor heard of any whiche were destroyed for being courteous and louing to his subiectes I will declare by some examples whiche I haue read in bookes to the ende that the Lordes may see what they wynne by their good conuersation and what they loase by being to haulty The realme of the Sydonians was greater then that of the Caldeans in weapons and inferiour in antiquitie vnto that of the Assirians In this realme there was Debastia whiche was called a linage of kinges that endured two hundreth and .xxv. yeares because all those kinges were of a commendable conuersation And an other of Debastia endured no longer then fourty yeares And our auncientes tooke pleasure of peace whereof we are destitute and were ignoraunt of the warres whiche we nowe vse so muche Alwayes they desired to haue kinges whiche should be good for the common wealth in peace rather than valiaunt and couragious for the warre As Homere in his Iliade saieth the auncient Egiptians called their kinges Epiphanes and had a custome that Epiphanes alwaies should enter into the temples barefoote And because it chaūsed the Epiphane on a time to come into the churche hoased he was immediatly for his disobedience depriued and expulsed from the realme and in his steade an other created Homere declareth here that this king was proude euill conditioned wherefore the Egiptians depriued him and banished hym the realme taking occasion that he did not enter into the temple barefoote For truly when Lordes are euil willed and not beloued for a litle trifle and occasion the people will arise and rebell against them The saide Homere saide also that the Parthes called their kynges Assacides that the sixte of that name was depriued and expulsed the realme for that of presumption he had hym selfe to the mariage of a knight and being bidden and desired would not go to the mariage of a poore Plebeyan Cicero in his Tusculanes saith that in olde time the people perswaded their princes to communicate with the poore that they should abstaine and flye from the ryche For among the poore they may learne to be mercifull and with the ryche they shall learne nothing but to be proude Ye knowe right well Fathers conscript howe this our countrey was first called great Grece afterwarde it was called Latium and then Italie And when it was called Latium they called their kynges Marrani and truly though their borders were but narrowe yet at the leaste their stoutnes was great The Annales of those times say that after the thirde Siluius succeded a Marrane who was proude ambitious and euill cōdicioned in such sorte that for feare of the people alwaies he slept locked vp and therfore they depryued and banished him the Realme For the auncientes saide that the king should locke his dores at no houre of the nighte against his subiectes neither he should refuse in the daie to geue them audience Tarquine whiche was the last of the seuen kinges of Rome was very vnthankefull towards his father in lawe he was an infamie to his bloud a traytour to his countrey and cruell of his persone who also enforced the noble Lucretia and yet notwithstanding this they doe not call him vnthankefull infamous cruell traytour
nor adulterer but Tarquine the proude onely for that he was euill cōdicioned By the faith of a good man I sweare vnto you Fathers cōscript that if the miserable Tarquine had bene beloued in Rome he had neuer bene depriued of the Realme for committing adultery with Lucretia for in the end if euery light offence which in youth is committed should be punished within short space there should be no common wealth All these euils both before and after Tarquine were committed by the auncientes in the Romaine empire whiche were suche as these of this young and lighte prince and were nothing in comparison vnto thee For truly cōsidering the youth of the one and the experience of the other the greatest offence of the younge is but a counterfaite to the least that the olde committeth Iulius Caesar last dictatour and firste Emperour of Rome being a thing commendable bothe to Senatours to salute the Emperour on their knees and to the Emperour to rise againste them and resalute eche one according to his order because of presumption and that he woulde not obserue this ceremonie with .xxiii. woundes they dispatched him of his life Tiberius was an Emperour whom they blame for drunkennes and Caligula was an Emperour also whom they accuse of inceste with his sisters Nero was an Emperour who for that he slewe his mother and his maister Seneca hath for euer bene named cruell Sergius Galba was a deuouring and gluttonous Emperour for that he caused for one onely banket seuen thousand byrdes to be kylled Domitian was an Emperour who was greatly noted of all euils For all euils whiche in many were scattered in him alone were founde All these miserable princes in the ende were betraied hanged and beheaded And I sweare vnto ye fathers conscript that they died not for their vices but because they were proude and euill conditioned For finally the prince for one vice only cannot muche endomage the people but for being to haulty and presumptuous of euill conditions he may destroy a common wealth Let princes and great lordes be assured that if they geue many occasions of euill will afterwardes one only suffiseth to stirre their subiects to destroy them For if the lord shew not his hatred it is for that he will not but if the subiecte doe not reuenge it is for that he cannot Beleue me fathers conscripte and sacred Senate that euen as the Phisitians with a litle triacle purge manye euyll humours of the bodye soo the sage Prynces wyth verye lyttle beneuolence drawe out of their subiectes muche fylthines of harte diuerting their ill willes into true and faithfull loue And because the members should be agreable with the head in myne opinion it behoueth the people to obey the commaundement of the prince and to honour and reuerence his person and the good prince to be iuste and equall to all in generally and gentle in conuersation with euery one O happy common wealth wherein the prince findeth obedience in the people and the people in like maner loue in the prince For of the loue of the Lorde springeth obedience in the subiecte and of the obediēce of the subiectes springeth loue in the Lorde The Emperour in Rome is as the spyder in the middest of her cobwebbe the which being touched with the needels pointe by one of the threedes of the same be it neuer so litle immediatly the spider feeleth it I meane that all the workes whiche the Emperour doth in Rome are immediatly published through out all the countrey For in fine since princes are the myrrour of all they cannot well cloake their vices I see fathers conscripte that I haue bene iudged here of worldly malice because I accompanied the captiues in procession and also because I suffred my selfe to be touched with them to the ende they might enioye the priuiledge of their libertie and in this case I render most humble thankes to the immortall gods because they made me a mercifull Emperour to set those at libertie that were in prysone and that they made me not a cruel tyraunt to set those in pryson whiche were at libertie For the prouerbe saieth that with one beane a man may take two pigeons euen so chaunsed the lyke herein yesterdaie For the benefite was done for those miserable captiues but the example of humanitie was shewed to all straunge nations And knowe ye not that whē the prince vnloseth the irons from the feete of the captiues he byndeth the hartes landes and goodes of his subiectes concluding therfore I saye that to princes it were more safetie and to the common wealthe more profite to be serued in their palaces by free hartes with loue then by subiectes whiche are kept vnder by feare ¶ Of a letter the emperour Marcus Aurelius sent to his frende Pulio declaring the opinion of certaine philosophers concerning the felicitie of man Cap. xl MArcus Aurelius Emperour of Rome tribune of the people high byshop seconde consull and monarche of all the Romaine empire wysheth to the Pulio his olde frende health to thy persone and prosperitie againste thy euill fortune The letter that thou wrotest vnto me from Capua I receyued here at Bethinia and if thou diddest wryte it with a good hart I did read it with willing eyes whereof thou oughtest somewhat to content thee For it is an auncient saying of Homere that that whiche is well vewed with the eyes is tenderly beloued of the harte I protest vnto thee by the faithe of the immortall gods that I doe not wryte vnto thee as a Romaine emperour that is to saye from the lorde to the seruaunt for in this sorte I should wryte vnto thee briefe and touching the purpose which thing ought not to be done to the peculier frende For the letters of graue men should neuer beginne the letters of vs frendes should neuer ende I wryte vnto thee my frende Pulio as to a priuate frende to an olde companion of mine and as to him whiche is a faithfull secretary of my desyres and in whose company I was neuer displeased in whose mouth I neuer founde lie and in whose promise there was neuer breache made And the thing being thus I should commit treason in the lawe of frendship if I kept secret from thee any of my inward conceites For all the griefes whiche lie buried in the woful harte ought not to be communicate but with a faithful frende Doest thou thinke Pulio that the Romaine emperour hath litle trauaile to wryte vnto thee as Emperour to speake as Emperoure to walke as Emperoure and to eate as emperour and finally to be as emperour in deede certes I doe not meruaile hereat For truly the life of the vertuous emperour is but a dial which ordereth or disordereth the comon wealth and that wherof I marueile is of the foly of Rome vanitie of the common wealth For as much as all saye that the prince if he wil seme graue be well estemed of the people ought to goe softly to
and the good are oppressed finally all doe reioyce one to lyue to the preiudice of an other and euery man to seeke his owne priuate commoditie Many vayne men doe rayse dissentions and quarelles amongest people thinking that in troubled water they shoulde augmente their estates who in shorte space doe not onely loose the hope of that they sought but also are put out of that they possessed For it is not onely reasonable but also moste iuste that those by experience fele that whiche their blynde malyce wyll not suffer them to knowe It is muche good for the people that the gouernours be not vnfortunate ▪ but that of their nature they were happy For to lucky Prynces fortune geueth many thinges euen as they demaunde yea and geueth them better then they looke for The noble and valiaunt princes when they see them selues with other princes or that they are present in great actes oughte to shewe the freenes of their harte the greatnes of their realme the preheminence of their persone the loue of their common wealthe and aboue all the discipline of their courte and the grauitie of their counsayle and palace For the sage and curious men shoulde not beholde the prince in the apparayle whiche he weareth but the men whiche he hath to counsayle him The sage men and those that be not couetous if they do employe their forces to heape vp treasures ought to remember in their hartes how to employ themselues to spende their money well Sithe fortune is maistres in all thinges and that to her they doe impute both good and euil workes he alone may be called a princely man who for no contrarietie of fortune is ouercome For truly that man is of a stoute courage whose harte is not vanquished by the force of fortune Though we prayse one for valiaunt with the sworde we wyll not therefore prayse him for excellent with the penne Although he be excellent with his penne he is not therefore excellent with his tongue Though he haue a good tongue he is not therefore well learned And thoughe he be learned he hath not therefore good renowme And though he hath good renowme he is not therefore of a good lyfe For we are bounde to receyue the doctrines of many whiche wryte but we are not bounde to folowe the lyues whiche they doe leade There is no worse office amongest men then to take the charge to punyshe the vices of an other and therefore men ought to flye from it as from the pestylence for in correctinge vyces hatred is more sure to the correctour then amendement of lyfe is to the offender He hath and possesseth muche that hath good frendes For many ayde their frendes when they woulde haue holpen them more if they coulde For the true loue is not weried to loue nor ceaseth not to profite Though sage men haue loste muche they oughte not therefore to dispayre but that they shall come to it agayne in tyme. For in the ende tyme doth not cease to doe his accustomed alterations nor perfecte frendes cease not to doe that which they oughte The proude and disdainefull man for the moste parte alwayes falleth into some euill chaunce therefore it is a commendable medecine some tymes to be persecuted for aduersitie maketh a wyse man lyue more safely and to walke in lesse daunger For so muche as we doe excuse hym whiche committeth the faulte there is neither the offender nor the offence but deserueth payne For suche a one that committeth the faulte through sodayne anger dyd euyll and if he dyd committe it by deliberation he did muche worse To desyre to doe all thynges by reason is good and lykewyse to laye them all in order is good but it is very harde For temperate men haue suche respecte in compassing their doynges and by weyght so cast all the inconueniences that scarcely they euer determyne to goe about it To the man whiche hath gouernement twoo thynges are daungerous that is to wete to sone or to late But of those twoo the worste is to sone For if by determining late a man loseth that whiche he myght haue gotten by determining to sone that is loste whiche is nowe gayned and that whiche a man might haue gayned To men whiche are to hasty chaunce dayly many euilles and daungers as saieth the prouerbe The hastie man neuer wanteth woe For the man being vnpacient and hauing his vnderstanding high afterward come quarels and brawlynges displeasures varieties and also vanities whiche looseth their goodes and putteth their personnes in daunger Sithe all naturally desire to be happy he alone amongest all others may be called happy of whome they maye truely saye he gaue good doctrine to lyue and lefte good example to die These and many other sentences Phalaris the tyraunt wrote in his letters whereof Cicero profited muche in his workes and Seneca also in his epistles and many other wryters besydes For this tyraunt was very brief in wordes and compendious in sentences This Phalaris beyng in his citie of Agrigente a Philosopher of Grece wrote hym a tauntinge letter chargynge hym with tyranny to whiche he aunswered with this letter followyng ¶ The letter of Phalaris the tyraunt to Popharco the Philosopher PHalaris Agrigentine wyssheth vnto thee Popharco the Philosopher healthe and consolation through the comfortable Gods I receyued thy letter here in Agrigentine and though it sauoured somewhat Satirlike I was not agreued therewith for of philosophers and sages as thou art we shuld not be greaued with the sharpe wordes you tell vs but to consider the intētion whereupon you speake them Quarellers and malicious persons wyll haue the wordes by weight and measure but the vertuous and pacient mē doe not regarde but the intentions For if we should goe about to examine euery worde they speake vnto vs we should geue our selues to much paine and we should alwaies set in the common wealth debate I am a tyraunt as yet am in tyrannie but I sweare vnto the immortall gods whether the worde were good or bad I neuer altered it For if a good man tell it me I take it for my pastime Thou wrytest vnto me that all Grece is offended with me there but I let them vnderstande that all Agrigentine is all edified with thee here And thereof thou maiste praise me For if the tyrauntes were not so muche dispraised the philosophers should not be so well loued Thou art counted for good art good and I am counted for euill and am euyll But in mine opinion thou shouldest not be proud for the one neither I shuld dispeire for the other For the day of the life is long and therein fortune doth many thinges it may wel be that from a tyraunt I shal be a philosopher thou from a philosopher shalt be a tyraunt Se my frend that the long tyme maketh oftentimes the earth to be turned to siluer the siluer gold becommeth nothing worth I meane that there neuer was a tyraūt in any
merite The contrary ought and may be saied of those whych are euill maried whom we wil not cal a compaigny of sayntes but rather a house of deuylles For the wife that hath an euil husbande may say she hath a deuyl in her house and the husband that hath an euil wife let him make accompt that he hath hel it selfe in his house For the euyl wyues are worse then the infernal furyes Because in hel ther are none tormented but the euil only but the euil woman tormeÌ„teth both the good and the euyl Concluding therfore this matter I say also and affirme that betwixt the busband and the wife which are wel maryed is the true and very loue and they only and no others may be called perfite and perpetuall frendes The other parentes and frendes if they do loue and praise vs in our presence they hate vs and dispise vs in our absence Yf they giue vs faire wordes they beare vs euill hartes finally they loue vs in our prosperitye and forsake vs in our aduersity but it is not so amongest the noble and vertuous maried personnes For they loue both within and without the house in prosperity and in aduersitie in pouertie and in riches in absence and in presence seing them selues mery and perceiuing them selues sad and if they do it not trulye they ought to doo it for when the husband is troubled in his foote the wyfe ought to be greued at her hart The fourth commodity of mariage is that the men and women maryed haue more aucthority and grauity then the others The lawes whych were made in old time in the fauour of mariage were many and diuerse For Chapharoneus in the lawes that he gaue to the Egiptians commaunded and ordeyned vpon greuous paynes that the man that was not maried should not haue any office of gouernment in the common wealth And he sayd furder that he that hath not learned to gouerne his house can euil gouerne a commoÌ„ wealth Accordyng to the lawes that he gaue to the Athenians he perswaded al those of the comon wealth to marie themselues voluntarily but to the heddes and captaines which gouerne the affaires of warre he commaunded to marye of necessity sayeng that to men which are lecherous God seldome giueth victories Licurgus the renowmed gouernour and geuer of the lawes of the Lacedemonians commaunded that al captaines of the armyes and the priestes of the Temples should be maried sayeng that the sacrifyces of maried men were more acceptable to the gods then those of any other As Plynie sayth in an epistle that he sent to Falconius his frende rebuking him for that he was not maried where he declareth that the Romaynes in old time had a law that the dictatoure and the Pretor the Censour and the Questor and al the knightes should of necessity be maried for the man that hath not a wife and children legittymate in his house cannot haue nor hold greate aucthority in the common wealth Plutarche in the booke that he made of the prayse of mariage sayth that the priestes of the Romaynes dyd not agre to them that were vnmaried to come and sytte downe in the Temples so that the yong maydens prayed without at the church dore and the yonge men prayed on their knees in the temple only the maried men were permitted to sitte or stande Plynie in an epistle that he wrote to Fabatus hys father in law sayth that the Emperour Augustus had a custome that he neuer suffered any yonge man in his presence to sitte nor permitted any man maried to tel his tale on foote Plutarche in the booke that he made in the prayse of women sayth that since the realme of Corinthe was peopled more with Bachelours then with maried men they ordeyned amongest theym that the man or woman that had not bene maried and also that had not kept chyldren and house if they lyued after a certaine age after their death shoulde not be buried ¶ The aucthoure folowing his purpose declareth that by meanes of maryage many mortal enemyes haue bene made good and parfite frendes Cap. iii. BY the sundry examples that we haue declared and by al that whych remayneth to declare a man may know wel enoughe of what excellency matrimony is not only for the charge of conscience but also for the thinges touching honour for to say the truth the men that in the common wealth are maried giue smal occasion to be sclaundered haue more cause to be honored We cannot denay but that matrimony is troublesome chargeable to them that be maried for two causes The one is in bringing vp their children and the other in suffering the importunityes of their mothers Yet in fiâ—e we caÌ„not deny but that the good vertuous wife is she that setteth a stay in the house and kepeth her husband in estimacion in the common wealth for in the publike affaires they giue more faith and credit vnto those that are charged with children then vnto others that are loden with yeres The fifth commodity that ensueth matrimony is the peace and reconciliacions that are made betwene the enemyes by meanes of mariage MeÌ„ in this age are so couetous so importune and malicious that there are very few but haue enemyes wherby groweth contencion and debate for by our weaknes we fall dayly into a thousande occasions of enimities and scarcely we can find one to bring vs againe into frendship CoÌ„sidering what men desire what thinges they procure and wherunto they aspire I meruaile not that they haue so few frendes but I much muse that they haue no moe enemyes For in thinges of weight they marke not who haue bene their frendes they consider not they are their neighbours neyther they regard that they are christians but their conscience layd a part and honesty set a side euery man seketh for himselfe and his owne affaires though it be to the preiudice of all his neighbours What frendship can ther be amongest proud men since the one wil go before and the other disdayneth to come behind What frendship can ther be amongest enuyous men â–ª since the one purchasseth and the other possesseth what loue can there be betwene two couetous men since the one dare not spend and the other is neuer satisfyed to hourd and heape vp For al that we can reade se go and trauaile and for al that we may do we shall neuer se nor here tell of men that haue lacked enemyes for eyther they be vycious or vertuous Yf they be euil and vycious they are alwayes hated of the good and if they be good and vertuous they are continually persecuted of the euill Many of the auncient philosophers spent a great part of their time lost much of their goodes to serche for remedies and meanes to reconcile them that were at debate contencion to make them by gentlenes good frends and louers Some said that it was good and profitable to forget the enimities for a time for many things
whereby they may beare and suffre quietly suche great troubles For at this daye there is no husbande so louing nor so vertuous in whom the wife shall not finde some euill conditions First of al wiues ought to endeuour them selues to loue their husbandes vnfainedly if they desire their husbandes should loue them without dissimulation for as we see by experience mariage is seldome broken through pouertie nor yet continued with riches For the euill maried folkes through debate and strife be separated in on week where as by good and true loue they are preserued all the dayes of their life To eate drie and vnsauory meates they vse to take salte for to amende it I meane that the burdens of matrimonie are many and troublesome the whiche all with loue onely maye be endured For as Plato the deuine philosopher sayeth one thinge oughte not to be called more painefull then an other for the labour we thereunto employ but for the great or small loue that thereunto we haue Though some sondry thyngs be troublesome and tedious yet when with loue it is begonne it is easely folowed and ioyefully achieued for that trauayle is nothyng noysome where loue is the mediatour I knowe right well and doe confesse that the counsell whiche I geue to women is sharpe that is for an honest woman to loue a dissolute man for a sage wyfe to loue a foolishe husbande for a vertuous wyfe to loue a vitious husbande For as dayly experience sheweth there are some men of so foolish conditions other women of so noble conuersation that by reason apparant they ought to take them for mistresses rather then they should accepte them for husbandes Although this in some particuler cases is true I saye and affirme that generally all women are bounde to loue their husbandes since that willingly and not by compulsion they were not enforced to take them for in like manner if the mariage pleased not the woman she hath not so much cause to complaine of her husbande for asking her as she hath reason to complayne of her owne selfe that accepted hym For the misfortunes that by our folly doe chaunce though we haue cause to lamente them we ought also to haue reason to dissemble them Be the man neuer so wylde and euill brought vp it is impossible if the wife loue him but he must nedes loue her againe And though perchaunce he can not force his euill condition to loue her yet at the leaste he shall haue no occasion to hate her The whiche ought not to be litle estemed for there are many wyues not onely of the Plebeians but also of the noble dames that coulde be content to forgeue their husbandes all the pleasure they should doe them and also all the loue that they ought to shewe if they would refraine their tongues from speaking iniurious wordes and kepe their handes from dealinge lothsome stripes We haue many notable examples in histories of manye noble and stoute Ladies as well Grekes as Romaines whiche after they were maried had so great faithfulnes and bare suche loyaltie to their husbandes that they not onely folowed them in their trauailes but also deliuered them in their daungers Plutarche in the booke of noble women declareth that the Lacedemonians keping many nobles of the Athenians prisoners whiche at that tyme were their cruell and mortall enemies and beinge iudged to die their wyues concluded to goe to the pryson where they laye and in the ende they obtayned of the Gayler thereof that they myght goe in and talke with their husbandes for in dede the teares were many that before them were shed the giftes were not fewe whiche vnto them were offered The wiues therefore entring into the pryson did not onely chaunge their apparell with their husbandes but also the libertie of their personnes for they went out as women and the women in their steades remained there as men And when they brought out these innocent wyues from pryson to execute iustice supposing they were men the Lacedemonians vnderstandinge the faithfulnes of the women determined that they should not only be pardoned but also that they should be greatly rewarded and honoured for the good examples of other women to whom they were maried The auncient and great renowmed Panthea when newes was brought her that her husbande was dead in the battayle she her owne selfe determined to goe seke him out with hope that as yet he was not vtterly dead and fynding him dead with the bloud of him she washed all her body and likewyse her face stryking with a knife her selfe to the harte and imbracing her husbande she yelded vp the ghost so togethers they were caried to the graue Porcia the doughter of Marcus Porcia the great when she hearde that her husband Brutus was taken and slayn she felte for that newes so great sorowe that all her frendes seinge her take the matter so greuously hidde from her all Irone where with she might kill her selfe and did laboure to kepe and preserue her from daungers wherein she might fall and shorten her life For she was so excellent a Romaine and so necessary to the common wealth that if they had lamented the death of Brutus her husband with teares of their eies they ought to bewayle the losse of his wife Porcia with droppes of bloud in their hartes Porcia therefore feeling in her selfe a wofull and afflicted harte for the death of her entierly beloued husband to declare that that whiche she did was not fained nor for to please the people but to satisfie her great marueilous loue since she founde neither sworde nor knife to kill her selfe nor corde to hange her selfe neither welle to drowne her in she went to the fire and with as great pleasure did eate the hote firie coales as an other would haue eaten any delicate meates We may say that such kinde of death was very straunge and newe whiche the Romaine founde to encrease augmente and manifest her loue Yet we can not denie but that she wanne to the posteritie of her name a perpetuall memorie For as a noble dame she would quenche with coles of fire her burning harte that enflamed was with firie brondes of loue As Diodorus Siculus saith it was a lawe custome amongest the Lidians to mary them selues with many wiues and whan by chaunce their husbande 's died the wiues which they had met together and fought in some plaine place And the women which remained only aliue and of the conflict had the victory cast them selues into the graue of their husbande so that those women then fought for to die as men nowe fight for to liue ¶ Of the reuenge a woman of Grece toke of him that had killed her husband in hope to haue her in mariage Cap. v. PLutarche in the booke that he made of the noble and worthy women declareth a thing worthy of rehersall and to be had in memory In the citie of Galacia were two renowmed citezens whose names
were Sinatus Sinoris whiche were by bloud cosins in familiaritie frendes and for the loue of a Grekes doughter being very noble beautifull and exceading gratious they both striued to haue her in mariage and for to attain to their desires they both serued her they both folowed her they both loued her and for her both of them desired to die For the dart of loue is as a stroke with a clod of earth the which being throwen amongest a company dothe hurte the one and blinde the others And as the fatal destinees had ordeined it Sinatus serued this lady called Camma in suche sorte that in the ende he obteined her in mariage for his lawfull wife whiche thing when Sinoris perceiued he was ashamed of his doinges was also wounded in his harte For he lost not only that which of so long time he had sought loued and serued but also the hope to attaine to that which chiefly in his life he desired Sinatus therfore seing that his wife Camma was noble meke gratious faire and louing and that in all thinges she was comely and well taught decreed to offer her to the goddesse Diana to the end that she would preserue her from peril and keape her from infamie Truly we cannot reproue the knight Sinatus for that he did nor we ought to note him for rashe in his counsel for he sawe that his wife was very faire and therfore much desired For with great difficultie that is kepte whiche of many is desired Though Camma was nowe married and that she was in the protectioÌ„ of the goddesse Diana yet notwithstanding her olde frend Sinoris died for her sake and by all meanes possible he serued her continually he importuned her daily he folowed her howerly he required her And all this he did vppon certayne hope he had that suche diligent seruice should suffice to make her chaunge her sacred mynde and as she had chosen Sinatus for her husbande openly so he thought she shoulde take him for her frend secretly For many women are as men without tast through sickenes the which eate more of that that is hurtful and forbidden then of that whiche is healthsome and commaunded Not without a cause Camma was greatly renowmed throughout all Galatia for her beautie and much more among the vertuous esteamed for her honestie The which euidently in this was sene that after she was maried Sinoris could neuer cause her to receiue any iewell or other gifte nor that she would heare him speake any worde nor that she would shew her selfe in the wyndowe either to him or to any other to the ende to be sene in the face For it is not sufficient for Ladies to be pure good but also to geue no occasion for men to iudge that if they durste they would be euill As it is true in dede that the harte which is intangled with loue dare boldely aduenture him selfe in many kynde of daungers to accomplishe that whiche he desired so Sinoris seing that with faire wordes he could not flatter her nor with any giftes wynne her determined to kyll Sinatus her husbande vpon hope that when she should be wydowe he might easely obteine her in matrimonie For he thought although Camma was not euyll it was not for that she wanted desier to do it but because she had no commodious place to accomplishe it And to be shorte Sinoris would neades execute and bryng to effect his deuellyshe and damnable intente so that sone after he vylie slewe his saide compaignion Sinatus After whose death the noble lady Camma was of Sinoris greatly desired and by his parentes muche importuned that she would condiscende to take and mary him and that she would forgyue him the death of her husband Sinatus whiche then was buried And as she was in all her doinges suche a princely woman she imagened with her selfe that vnder the pretence of mariage she might haue opportunitie to accomplishe her desiers wherfore she aunswered vnto his parentes that she did accepte their counsel and saide to Sinoris that she did choose him for her husbande speakyng these woordes more for to comforte him then with intente to pardon him And as amongest those of Galatia there was a custome that the newe maried folkes shoulde eate togethers in one dishe and drynke in one cuppe the daye that the mariage was celebrated Camma determined to prepare a cuppe with poyson and also a lute wherewith she began to playe and singe with her propre voyce before the goddesse Diana in this maner TO thée Dian whose endles reigne doth stretche Aboue the boundes of all the heauenly route And eke whose aide with royall hande to reche Chiefe of all gods is moste proclaimed oute I sweare and with vnspotted faith protest That though till nowe I haue reserud my breth For no entent it was but thus distrest With waylefull ende to wreke Senatus deth ¶ And if in mynde I had not thus decreed Wherto should I my pensife daies haue spent With longer dewle for that forepassed dede Whose ofte record newe sorowes still hath bent But oh synce him their kindled spite hath slaine With tender loue whom I haue waide so dere Synce he by fate is rest from fortunes rayne For whose decaye I dredelesse perishe here Synce him by whom my only lyfe I ledd Through wretched handes the gaping earth nowe haue Ought I by wyshe to lyue in eny stedd But closde with him togither in the graue O bright Dian synce senceles him I see And makeles I here to remaine alone Synce he is graude where greedy wormes nowe bee And I suruiue surmounted with my fone Synce he is prest with lumpes of wretched soyle And I thus chargd with flame of frosen care Thou knowest Dian howe harde with restles toyle Of hoote abhorring mynde my life I spare For howe can this vnquiet brest resarue The fainting breth that striues to drawe his last Synce that euen then my dieng harte did starue When my dead phere in swalowyng earth was cast The first black daye my husbande slept in graue By cruell sworde my lyfe I thought to spende And synce a thousande times I sought to haue A stretching corde my sorowes wrath to ende And if till nowe to wast my pining daies I haue deferde by slaughter of my hande It was but loe a fitter cause to raise Whereon his sharpe reuenge might iustly stande Now since I may in full suffising wyse Redeme his breath if waywarde will would let More depe offence by not reuenge might rise Then Sinoris erst by giltles bloud did get Thee therfore mightie Ioue I iustly craue And eke thy doughter chast in thankefull sorte That loe the offering whiche of my selfe ye haue Ye wil vouchesafe into your heauenly forte Synce Sinatus with soone enflamed eies Amongest the Achaian routes me chiefly â—ewed And eke amidst the prease of Grekes likewyse Chose for his phere when swetely he had sewed Synce at my will the froth of wasting welth With
gladsome mynde he trained was to spend Synce that his youth which slippeth loe by stelth To waite on me he freely did commend Since he such heapes of lingring harmes did wast Aye to contente my wanton youthly wil And that his breath to fade did passe so fast To glut their thrust that thus his bloud did spill Though great the dutie be which that I owe Vnto his graued ghost and â—indred moulde Yet loe me seames my duetie well I showe Perfourming that my feble power coulde For since for me vntwined was his threede Of giltles life that ought to purchase breath Can reasons doome conclude I ought to dreede For his decaye to clyme the steppes of death In wretched earth my father graued lyes My deere mother hath ronne her rase of life The pride of loue no more can dawnt mine eies My wasted goodes ar shronke by fortunes strife My honours sone eclipsed is by fate My yong delight is loe fordone by chaunce My broken life these passed happes so hate As can my graued hart no more aduaunce And nowe remaines to duetie with my phere No more but refuse loe my yrkesome life With willing mynde followed eke with drere Whiche I resigne as sitteth for a wife And thou Sinoris whiche Iunos yoke doest craue To presse my corps to feede thy liking lust The route of Homers gods the graunt to haue In steade of roiall feates a throne of dust In chaunge of costlie robes and riche araie A simple winding sheete they deigne the giue And eke in stede of honest wedlockes staie They singe thy dirge and not vouchsaue the liue In place of himens hie vnfiled bedde They laie thée vp in closure of thy graue In steed with precious meates for to be fedde They make the wormes for fitter praie thee haue In steed of songe and musikes tuned sowne They waite on thée with loude lamenting voice In chaunge of ioyfull life and hie renowne Thy cruell death may sprede with wretched noise For you great gods that stalled be on hie Should not be iust ne yet suche titles clame Vnles this wretche ye ruthles cause to die That liueth nowe to sclaunder of your name And thou Dian that haunted courtes doost shonne Knowst with what great delight this life I leaue And when the race of spending breath is donne Will perse the soile that did my phere receaue ¶ And if perchaunce the paled ghostes despise Suche fatall fine with grudge of thankeles minde Yet at the least the shamefast liuing eies Shall haue a glasse rare wysely giftes to finde Wherein I will that Lucres secte shall gase But none that lyue like Helens line in blase AND when the praier was ended that this faire and vertuous Camma made she dranke and gaue to drynke to Sinoris of this cuppe of poyson who thought to drynke no other but good wyne and water and the case was suche that he died at noone daies and she likewyse in the eueninge after And truly her death of all Grece with as great sorowe was lamented as her life of all men was desired Princesses and great Ladies may moste euidently perceiue by the examples herein conteyned howe honest and honourable it is for them to loue and endeuoure them selues to be beloued of their husbandes and that not onely in their lyfe but also after their deathe For the wyfe to serue her husbande in his life seameth oft tymes to proceade of feare but to loue and honour him in his graue proceadeth of loue Princesses and great Ladies ought not to doe that which many other women of the common people doe that is to wete to seke some drinkes and inuente some shamefull sorceries to be beloued of their husbandes for albeit it is a great burden of conscience and lacke of shame in lyke maner to vse such superstitions yet it should be a thing to vniust and very slaunderous that for to be beloued of their husbandes they should procure to bee hated of God Truly to loue to serue and contente God it is not hurtefull to the woman for that she should be the better beloued of her husbande but yet God hathe suffered and doth permitte oftetymes that the women beinge feble deformed poore and negligent should be better beloued of their husbandes then the diligent faire and ryche And this is not for the seruices they doe to their husbandes but for the good intention they haue to serue loue God whiche sheweth them this especiall fauour for otherwyse God doth not suffer that he being with her displeased she should lyue with her husbande contented If women would take this councell that I geue them in this case I wil teache them furthermore a notable enchauntement to obteine the loue of their husbandes whiche is that they be quiet meke pacient solitary and honest with which fiue herbes they may make a confection the which neither seene nor tasted of their husbands shal not onely cause them to be beloued but also honoured For women ought to knowe that for their beautie they are desyred but for their vertue onely they are beloued ¶ That Princesses and great Ladies ought to be obedient to their husbandes and that it is a great shame to the husbande that his wyfe should commaunde him Cap. vi MAny auncient historiographers trauailed greatly and consumed long tyme in wryting to declare what authoritie the man ought to haue ouer the woman and what seruitude the woman oweth to the man and some for to auaunce the dignitie of the man and others to excuse the frailtie of the woman alleged such vayne thinges that it had bene more honour for them not to haue written at all then in suche sorte as they did For it is not possible but the wryters should erre whiche wryte not as reason teacheth but rather as their fantasie leadeth Those that defende the frailtie of the women saied that the woman hath a body as a man she hath a soule as a man she hath reason as a man dieth as a man and was as necessarie for generation as man she liueth as a man and therefore they thought it not mete that she should be more subiect to man then man to her for it is not reason that that whiche nature hath made free should by any lawes of man be made bond They saide furthermore that God created not the creatours but to augmente the generation of mankinde and that in this case the woman was more necessary then the man for the man engendreth without payne or trauayle but the woman is deliuered with perill and daunger and with payne and trauayle norysheth vp the childe Wherfore it seameth great vnkindnes and crueltie that the women whiche are deliuered with peryll and daunger of their lyues and brynge vp their chyldren with laboure and toyle of their bodyes should be vsed of their husbandes as sclaues They sayed further that men are those that cursse that moue seditions that make warres that mayntayne enmytie that weare weapons that sheade mans bloude
as one but men do tourne from vice to vertue from vertue to vice The good Emperour Marcus Aurelius did deuid the time by time so that though he had time for him selfe he had time lykewise to dispatche his owne and others affaires for the man that is willing in a small time dispatcheth much busynes the man which is necligent in a longe tyme doth lytel This was the order that the Emperour Marcus Aurelius toke in spendyng his time He slepte .7 houres in the nighte and one hower reasted hym selfe in the day In dyning and suppynge he consumed onely .2 howers and it was not for that he toke great pleasure to be longe in eatinge but bycause the philosophers whyche disputed before his presence were occasion to prolonge the time For in .17 yeares they neauer saw hym at meate but one or other redde vnto him some booke or elles the philosophers reasoned before hym philophye As he hadde manye realmes and prouinces so he appointed one hower for the affaires of Asia for Affryke one hower and for Europe another hower and for the conuersacion of his wife children and family he appointed other .2 howers of time he had another hower for extraordinary affaires as to here the complaintes of the greued the quarrelles of the poore the complaintes of the widowes and the robberies done to the orphanes For the mercifull prince geueth no lesse eare vnto the poore which for want can doe lytell then to the riche which for aboundance can do much He occupyed all the residew of the day and night to rede bokes write workes to make meter and in studyng of other antiquities to practyse with the sage and to dyspute with the philosophers and fynally he toke no tast of any thing so muche as he dyd to talke of science Vnlesse the cruell warres dyd let hym or suche lyke affaires troubled him ordynarily in winter he went to bed at .9 of the clocke and awaked at .4 and bycause he would not be idle he had alway a boke vnder his beddes hed and the residue of the day he bestowed in readyng The romans had an auncient custome to beare fyer before them that is to wete a torche lyghte in the daye and a lampe burnyng in the night in their chambers so that wakyng they burned waxe and fleapyng they hourned oyle And the cause why the Romans ordeyned that the oyle should be made of olyue and the waxe made of bees which was vsed to be borne before the princes was to the end they should remember that they ought to be as gentell and louing as the oyle of Olyue is swete and as profytable to the common wealth as the Bees are He did rise at .6 of the clocke and made him selfe ready openlye and with a gentle countenaunce he asked them that were about hym wherin they had spente all the nyght and declared vnto them then what he had dreamed what he had thought and what he had red when he was readye he washed his face with odiferous waters and loued veray wel swete sauoures For he had so quycke a sent that he was much offended when he passed by any stincking place In the mornyng he vsed to eate .2 morsels of a lectuary made of Sticades and dranke .3 sponefulls of maluesey or els two droppes of Aqua Vite bycause he had a colde stomacke for that he gaue hym selfe so muche to studye in tymes past We se it by experience that the greate studentes are persecuted more with sycknes then any others for in the swetenes of the scyence they knowe not how their lyfe consumeth If it were in the sommer season he went in the mornyng to recreate him selfe to the ryuer of Tiber and walked there a fote for .2 howers and in this place they talked with hym that had busines and trulye it was a great policie for wher as the Prince doeth not syt the sewtour alwayes abridgeth his talke And when the day began to wax hot he went to the hight capitol where al the Senate taried for him from thence he went to the Coliseo wher the imbassadours of the prouinces wer there remained a great part of the day afterwardes he went to the chappel of the vestal virgines ther he hard euery nation by it selfe accordyng to the order which was prescribed He dyd eate but one meale in the daye it was veray late but he did eate wel not of many diuers sortes of meates but of fewe and good For the aboundaunce of diuerse and straunge meates breadeth sondry dysseases They sawe him once a weke go thoroughe Rome and if he wente anye more it was a wonder at the whyche tyme he was alwayes without companie both of his owne and also of straungers to thentente all poore men myghte talke with him of their busines or complaine of his officers for it is vnpossible to reforme the common wealthe if he which ought to remedy it be not informed of the iniuryes done in the same He was so gentle in conuersacion so pleasaunt in wordes so noble amongest the great so equall with the least so reasonable in that he dyd aske so persyte in that he dyd worke so patiēt in iniuries so thankefull of benefittes so good to the good and so seuere to the euill that all loued him for beyng good and all the euill feared him for being iuste A man oughte not lytell to esteme the loue that the people bare to this so good a Prince and noble Emperour forsomuch as the Romans haue bene thus that for the felicitye of their estate they offered to their gods greater sacryfyce then they dyd in any other prouinces And Sextus Cheronensis sayeth that the Romains offered more sacrifyces to the gods because they should lengthen the lyfe of the Emperour then they dyd offer for the profyte of the common wealthe Trulye their reason was good for the Prynce that leadeth a good lyfe is the harte of the common wealthe But I doe not maruaile that the Emperour was so well wylled and beloued of the Romayn empire for he had neuer porter to hys chamber but the .2 howers which he remained with his wyfe Faustine Al this beyng past the good Emperour went into his house into the secretest place he had accordyng to the councel of Lucius Seneca they key whereof he alone had in his custodye and neuer trusted any man therwith vntyll the hower of hys death and then he gaue it to an old auncient man called Pompeianus sayeng vnto hym these wordes Thou knowest ryght wel Pompeianus that thou beyng base I exalted the to honor Thou beyng poore I gaue the riches Thou being persecuted I drewe the to my pallas I beyng absente committed my hole honoure to thy trust thou beyng old I maryed the with my doughter and doe presently gyue the this key Behold that in geuing the it I giue the my harte lyfe For I will thou know that death greueth me not so much nor the losse of my
lyeth truly I thinke none O vnkind mothers my penne had almost called you cruel stepmothers since you lay vp in your hart the cursed mouâ—ke of the ground and sende out of your houses that which sprang of your bloud And if women shold say vnto me that they are weake feable tender that now they haue found a good nourse to this I aunswere that the nourse hath smal loue to the child which she nourisheth when she seeth the vngentlenes of the mother that bare it For truly she alone doth norishe the child with loue that heretofore hath borne it with paine The second reason is that it is a thing very iust that women should nourishe their children to the end they may be lyke vnto their conditions For otherwise they are no children but are enemyes for the child that doth not reuerence his mother that bare him can not enioye a prosperous life Synce the intention of the parentes in bringing vp their children is for none other purpose but to be serued of them when they are old they shal vnderstande that for this purpose ther is nothing more necessary then the milke of the proper mother for wher the child sucketh the milke of a straunger it is vnlikely that it should haue the condicions of the mother If a kidde sucke a shepe they shal perceiue it shal haue the wolle more faire the nature more gentle then if he had sucked a Goate which hath the wolle more hard of nature is more wild wherin the prouerbe is verefied not from whence thou commest but wherof thou feedest It auayleth a man much to haue a good inclinacion but it helpeth him much more from his infancye to be wel taught For in the end we profite more with the customes wherwith we lyue then we do by nature from whence we came The third reason is that women ought to nourish their owne children because they shold be hole mothers not vnperfect for the woman is counted but halfe a mother that beareth it likewise halfe a mother that nourisheth it but she is the hole mother that both beareth it nourisheth it After the duetie considered vnto the father that hath created vs vnto the sonne that hath redeamed vs me thinketh next we owe the greatest duty vnto the mother that hath borne vs in her body and much more it is that we should beare vnto her if she had nourished vs with her owne breastes For when the good child shall behold his mother he ought more to loue her bycause she nourished hym wyth her mylke thenne bycause she hath borne hym in her body ¶ The Aucthour stil perswadeth women to giue their owne children sucke Cap. xix IN the yere of the foundacion of Rome fiue hundred two After the obstinate cruel warre betwene Rome Carthage where the renowmed captaines wer Hannibal for the Carthagians Scipio for the Romaines sone after that warre followed the warre of Macedonie against kinge Philip The which when it was ended that of Siria began against Antiochus king of Siria For in .630 yeres the Romanes had alwaies continuall warres in Asia in Affricke or in Europe The noble Romanes sent the consul Cornelius Scipio brother to the great Scipio the Affrican for captaine of that warre And after many battayles fortune shewed her force in a Citie called Sepila the which is in Asia the great where king Antiochus was ouercome and all his realme discomfited for trees that haue their rootes plucked vppe must nedes within short time lose their fruites After that kinge Antiochus was ouercome his land spoiled Cornelius Scipio came vnto Rome triumphinge for the victorie that he had of Asia so that as his brother for the victorie that he had of Affrica was called Affricane so he was called Scipio the Asian because he vanquished Asia The captaines of Rome loued honour so much that they would no other reward nor recompence of their trauaile but that they shoulde geue them the renowme of the realme which they had ouercome Truly they had reason for the noble hartes ought lytle to esteme the increase of their riches ought greatly to esteme the perpetuite of their good name As Sextus Cheronensis saithe in his third booke De ambigua iusticia that Cornelius Scipio had a long time the gouerment of the people forasmuch as he was consul censour and Dictatour of Rome for he was not onely hardy and couragious but also he was sage and wise which thinge ought greatly to be esteamed in a man For Aristotle doth not determine it which of these two is most excelleÌ„t eyther stoutnes to fight in the warres or policye to rule in peace Scipio therfore being Dictatour which was an office then as the Emperour is now it chaunced that the x. captaines which had bene with him in the warres violently fought to haue entred into the Monastery of the virgines vestalles wherfore the Dictatour commaunded their heades to be cut of For the Romaines punished more cruelly those that only required the virgins vestalls then those that forced the maried matrones Cornelius Scipio was besought of many in Rome that he would moderate chaunge his so cruel sentence And he which most in this case did importune him was his brother Scipio the Affrican whose praier was not accepted how be it in the end they sayde the captaines wer pardoned by the request of a sister of the said Dictatour Scipio the Affrican And bycause he blamed his brother Scipio that he had done more for the doughter of his nourse then for the sonne of his proper mother he aunswered I let the wete brother that I take her more for my mother that brought me vp and did not beare me then she which hath borne me and in my infancye hath forsaken me And since I haue had her for my true mother it is but reasonne that I haue thys for my deare and welbeloued sister These were the woordes which passed betwene these two brethren I haue diligently red in holy and prophane wrytinges that many tirauntes haue caused their owne mothers to be killed whiche bare them but I could neuer find that they haue done any discurtesye or disobedience to the nourses whyche gaue them milke For the cruell tirauntes doo thirste after the bloude of others but they feare theym whose milke they sucke The fourthe reasonne that byndethe womenne to nourishe their children is to kepe them in more obedience for if the fathers liue long time they must of force come into the handes of their children And let not olde fathers make their accompts saying that during the time that they shall haue the gouernement of the house their children shal be kepte in obedience for in so doing they might abuse them selues For yong men in their youth fele not the trauayles of this life nor knowe not as yet what it meaneth to make prouision for householde For to the stomacke that is ful and cloyed with eating al meates
woordes What thing is more pleasaunt to the father then to see them and to the mother to agree to it when the chyldren doe sucke they plucke forth the brestes with the one hande and with the other they plucke their heere and further they beate their feete together and with their wanton eies they caste on their parentes a thousande louyng lookes what is it to see them when they are vexed and angry how they wyll not be taken of the fathers howe they stryke their mother they caste awaye things of golde and immediatly they are appeased with a litle apple or russhe what a thing is it to see the innocentes howe they aunswer when a man asketh them what follies they speake when they speake to them how they play with the dogges and runne after the cattes how they dresse them in wallowing in the dust how they make houses of earth in the streates how they weape after the birdes when they see them flie away Al the which thinges are not to the eies of the fathers and mothers but as Nitingales to sing and as bread and meate to eate The mothers peraduenture will saye that they will not bringe vp their children because when they are younge they are troublesome but that after they shoulde be nourished and brought vp they would be glad To this I answere them that the mothers shal not denay me but that some of these things must neades meate in their children that when they be old they shal be either proud enuious couetous or negligent that they shal be lecherous or els theues that they shal be blasphemours or els glottons that they shal be rebelles or fooles and disobedient vnto their fathers I beleue that at this daie there are many mothers in the worlde which did hope to be honoured serued with the children which they had brought vp and afterwarde perceiuing their maners would willinglye forgo the pleasures whiche they hoped for so that they might also be deliuered frō the troubles which through their euill demeanours are like to ensue For that time which the parentes hoped to passe with their childrē in pleasures they consume seing their vnthrifty life in sorowfull sighes I councel admonishe humbly require princesses great ladies to nourishe enioy their children when they are young and tender for after that they are great a man shal bring them newes euery day of diuerse sortes and maners they vse for as much as the one shal say that her sonne is in pryson another shal say that he is sore wounded another that he is hid others that he hathe plaied his cloke others that he is sclaundered with a cōmon harlot another that he stealeth his goodes from him another that his enemies do seke him another that he accompanieth with vnthriftes and finally they are so sturdy vnhappy and so farre from that which is good that oftentimes the fathers would reioyce to see them die rather then to see thē liue so euill a life Me thinketh that the knot of loue betwene the mother and the childe is so great that not onely she ought not to suffer them to be nourished out of the house one whole yere but also she ought not to suffer thē to be out of her presence one only day For in seing him she seeth that which is borne of her intrails she seeth that which she hath with so great paines deliuered she seeth hym who ought to inherite all her goodes she seeth him in who the memory of their auncestours remaineth and she seeth him who after her death ought to haue the charge of her affayres and busines Concludynge therefore that whiche aboue is spoken I saye that whiche the greate Plutarche saied from whom I haue drawen the moste parte of this chapter that the mother to be a good mother ought to haue kepe her chylde in her armes to nourishe him and afterwardes when he shal be great she ought to haue him in her harte to helpe him For we see oftentymes great euils ensewe to the mother and to the chylde because she did not bringe hym vp her selfe and to put hym to nouryshe to a straunge breaste there commeth neither honour nor profite ¶ That princesses and great Ladies ought to be very circumspecte in chosinge their nources Of seuen properties whiche a good nource should haue Chap. xx THose whiche ordeined lawes for the people to lyue were these Promotheus whiche gaue lawes to the Egiptians Solon Solmon to the Grekes Moyses to the Iewes Licurgus to the Lacedemonians and Numa Pompilius to the Romaines for before these princes came their people were not gouerned by written lawes but by good auncient customes The intention of those excellent princes was not to geue lawes to their predecessours for they were now dead neither they gaue them onely for those which lyued in their tyme being wicked but also for those which were to come whom they did presuppose would not be good For the more the worlde increaseth in yeares so muche the more it is loden with vices By this that I haue spoken I meane that if the princesses and great ladies euery one of them woulde nourishe their owne childe I neade not to geue them counsell But since I suppose that the women which shal be deliuered hereafter wil be as proude and vaine glorious as those whiche were in times past we will not let to declare here some lawes and aduises how the ladie ought to behaue her self with her nource and howe the nource ought to contente her selfe with the creature For it is but iuste that if the mother be cruell and hardy to forsake the creature that she be sage pitiefull and aduised to choose her nource If a man finde great treasoure and afterward care not how to kepe it but doth commit it into the handes of suspected persons truely we would call hym a foole For that which naturally is beloued is alwayes of al best kept The woman oughte more wysely kepe the treasure of her owne body then the treasure of all the earth if she had it And the mother which doth the contrary and that committeth her child to the custody of a straunge nource not to her whom she thinketh best but whom she findeth best cheape we will not call her a foolishe beaste for the name is to vnseamely but we will call her a sotte which is somewhat more honester One of the things that doth make vs moste beleue that the ende of the world is at hande is to see the litle loue which the mother doth beare to the child being young and to see the wante of loue which the childe hath to his mother beinge aged That whiche the childe doth to the father and the mother is the iust iudgement of God that euen as the father would not nourishe the childe in his house being younge so likewise that the sonne should not suffer the father in his house he beinge olde Retourning therefore to the matter that sith the woman
and honestie in her selfe she putteth her selfe in peryl her husband in much care Thou saiest that in that countrey there are women which are Sooth sayers Sorcerers and Enchauntours the which doe boaste and vaunte them selues that they wil heale infantes that they can weyne them better then others To this I aunswere That I would iudge it muche better that children should neuer be healed then that they should be healed by the hands of so euill women For the profitte that they doe by their experience openly is nothing in respect of the daunger wherein they put the creatures by their sorceries secretly Torquatus Laertius my vncle had a doughter of a marueylous beautie the whiche because he had none other chylde was heyre of all his patrimonie The case therefore was suche that as the doughter wepte one daye a lytle to muche the nource whiche gaue her sucke to appease and stylle her thynkynge to geue her sorceries to caste her in a sleape gaue her poyson to destroye her so that when the teares of the innocent babe ceased then the cryes of the wofull mother beganne Calligula which was the sonne of the good Germanicus the great though amongest the Cesars he was the fourth and amongest the Tiraunts the first when in Rome they vsed to giue lytle scroules written which they said to be of such vertue that they could heale al maner of agues and diseases of yonge children he commaunded by the consent of the Senate that the man or woman which should make them should dye immedyatly by iustice and that he which would by them carie them to sel or geue them through Rome shold be whipt and banyshed for euer Thy seruaunt Fronton hath told me newes that thou hast a sonne borne wherof I am very glad and moreouer he sayd that a woman of Sannia did norishe it and gaue it sucke The which as by an euyl chaunce hath a spice of sorcerye By the immortal gods I do coniure the and for the loue I beare the I desire the that immediatly thou put her out of thy house suffer not so wicked a woman to eate bread ther one day for euery creature which is nourished by sorceries and charmes shal eyther haue his life short or els fortune shal be contrarie vnto him I let the wete my frend Dedalus that I haue not meruaile a litle at many Romaines the which do permit and also procure that their children shold be healed cured which charmes and sorceries For my part I take it to be a thing to be certaine that the men which by the wil of god fal sicke shal neuer heale for any dyligence that man can do And wher as children are sicke by euil humors or that they are not very healthful because the gods wil take lyfe from them in this case if their disease proceade of an euil humour let them aske physicions for natural medecins And if their disease come because the gods are prouoked then let their fathers appease the gods with sacrifices For in the end it is vnpossible that the disseases of the hart should be healed by the meanes of any medycins of the body Do not marueile my frende Dedalus if I haue spoken more in this article then in others that is to wete to perswade the so much to kepe thy children from wytches for otherwise the cursed women wil do them more harme then the good mylke shal profite them I haue ben moued prouoked to write thus much vnto the for the great loue which I do beare the and also calling to minde that whiche thou when we were in the sacred senate oft times toldest me whiche was that thou diddest desire a sonne And since now thou hast thy peticion I would not thou shouldest prouoke the gods wrathe by sorceries For in the fayth of a good man I do sweare vnto the that when the fathers are in fauour with the gods ther neadeth no sorceries vnto the chyldren I hadde manye other thinges to write vnto the some of the whiche I wil communicate with thy seruaunt Fronton rather thenne to sende theym by letters And meruaile not at this for letters are soo perillous that if the manne bee wise hee will write no more in a closse letter thenne he would declare openly in Rome pardonne mee my frende Dedalus thoughe in dede I write not vnto the as thy appetyte woulde nor yet as my wyl desirethe For thou haste neade to knowe manye thinges and I haue not leaue by letter to putte thee in truste therewith I can not tell what I shoulde writte to thee of mee but that alwayes the Goute doth take mee and the worste of all is that the more I growe in yeares the moore my healthe dymâ—yssheth for it is an olde course of mannes frailetye that wheare wee thynke to goe most suerest there haue we most let The Popingaye which thou diddest send me as sonâ— I receyued it my wife did sease it and truly it is a merueylous thing to heare what thinges it doeth speake but in the end the women are of such power that when they wil they impose sylence to the liuing and cause that in the graues the dead men speake Accordyng to that I do loue the according to that I owe the and as I haue vsed that which I do send the is very lytle I say it bycause that presently I do send the but ii horses of barbarie .xii. sweardes of Alexandrye to Fronton thy seruaunt for a new yeares gift for his good newes I haue giuen him an office which is worth to him 20. thousand Sexterces of rent in Cecyl Faustine did byd me I shoulde send thy wife Pertusa a cofer full of odyferous oders of palestine and another cofer ful of her owne apparell the which as I thinke thou wilt not lytel esteme For naturally women are of their owne goods nigardes but in wasting and spending of others very prodigal The almighty gods be with the and preserue me from euyl fortune The which I humbly besech to graunte that vnto the and me vnto my wife Faustine and to thy wife Pertusa that we all mete merely togethers in Rome for the hart neuer receiueth suche ioy as when he seeth him selfe with his desired frend Marcus of Mount Celio writeth to the with his owne hand ¶ Howe excellent a thinge it is for a gentleman to haue an eloquent tongue Cap. xxv ONe of the chefest things that the creatour gaue to man was to know be able to speake for otherwise the soule reserued the brute beastes are of more value then doÌ„me men Aristotle in his Aeconomices without comparison prayseth more the Pithagoricall sort then the Stoical sayeng that the one is more conforme to reason then the other is Pithagoras commaunded that all men which were domme and without speache should imediately without contradiction be banished and expulsed from the people The cause why this phylosopher had commaunded such thing was forsomuche
that the doughters should inherit the goodes for to mary them selues with all Truly this law was very iust for the sonne that hath alwayes respect to the enheritaunce will not haue to his father any great confidence For he ought to be called a valiant Romaine knight that with his life hath wonne honour and by the sword hath gotten riches Since you are in straung realmes I praye you hartely that you be conuersaunt with the good as good brethren remēbring alwayes that you wer my children and that I gaue you both sucke of myne owne propre breastes And the daye that I shall here of your disagrement the same day shal be the end of my life For the discord in one citie of parentes doth more harme then a hole armie of enemys It is good for you my childrē to liue in loue concord togethers but it is more requisit to kepe you with the Romaine knightes The which with you you with thē if you do not loue together in the warres you shall neuer haue the vpper hand of your enemies For in great armies the discordes which rise emongest thē do more harme then the enemys do against whō they fight I think wel my children that you wold be very desirous to know of my estate that is to wete whether I am in health whether I am sick whether I am poore whether I am pleased or whether I am miscontented In this case I know not why you shold desire to know it since you ought to presuppose that accordyng to the troubles which I haue passed the miseries that with mine eyes I haue sene I am filled with this world for wise men after .50 yeres and vpwarde ought rather to apply their mindes how to receiue death thē to seke pleasurs to prolong life When mans flesh is weake it always desireth to be wel kept euen vnto the graue And as I am of flesh bone so I do feale the troubles of the world as al mortal men do But for al this do not think that to be pore or sick is the greatest misery neither thinke that to be hole riche is the chefest felicity for ther is none other felicity of the old fathers but for to se their childrē vertuous In my opiniō it is an honour to that countrey that the fathers haue such children which wil take profit with their counsell contrary wyse that the children haue such fathers which can giue it them For the child is happy that hath a wise father more happy is the father that hath not a folish sonne I do write oft times vnto you my children but there is a law that none be so hardy to write to men of war in the field except first they inrowle the letters in the senate Therfore since I write vnto you more letters then they would they do send lesse then I desire Thoughe this law be painefull to mothers which haue children yet we must confesse it is profitable for the weale publik For if a man should write to one in the warre that his family is not well he would forsake the warres to remedye it Yf a man wryte vnto him that it is prosperous he hath then a desire to enioye it Be not displeased my children thoughe all the letters I do sende vnto you come not to your handes For all that I do not cease to visite the temples for your owne health nor yet to offre sacrifices to the Gods for your honour For if we do please the gods we haue not cause to feare our enemies I say no more in this case my children but that I beseche the immortall Gods that if your lyues maye profyte the common wealth then they shorten my dayes and lēgthen your yeres but if your lyues should be to the domage of the common wealth then those immortall gods I desire that first I may vnderstand the end of your dayes before that the wormes should eate my flesh For rather then by your euill lyfe the glory of our predecessours should be bleamished it were much better both your liues wer ended The grace of the Gods the good renowme amongest men the good fortune of the Romains that wisedom of the greekes the blessing of Scippio of al other your predecessours be alwayes with you my children Of the education and doctrine of children whiles they are yong Wherein the auctour declareth many notable histories Chap. xxxii ALl mortall men which will trauell and see good fruite of their trauell ought to do as the chefe artificer did that painted the world For the man that maketh god the head of his workes it is vnpossible that he should erre in the same That whych we beleue and reade by wrytinge is that the eternall created the world in short space by his mighte but preserued it a lōg time by his wisedome Wherof a man may gather that the time to do a thing is short but the care and thought to preserue it is long We see daily that a valiaunt captaine assaulteth his enemies but in the end it is god that giueth the victorye but let vs aske the conquerour what trauell it hath bene vnto him or wherin he hath perceaued most daunger that is to wete either to obteine the victory of his enemies or els to preserue them selues amongest the enuious and malicious I sweare and affirme that such a knight wil swere that ther is no comparison betwene the one and the other for by the bloudy sweard in an houre the victorye is obteined but to kepe it with reputation the swete of al the life is required Laertius in the booke of the lyfe of the philophers declareth and Plato also hereof maketh mention in the bookes of hys common wealth that those of Thebes vnderstandyng that the Lacedemonians hadde good lawes for that whych they were of the godes fauoured and of menne greatly honoured determined to send by common assent and agreement a wise philosopher the beste esteamed amongest them whose name was Phetonius to whome they commaunded that he should aske the lawes of the Lacedemonians and that he shoulde be verye circumspecte and ware to see what their rules and customes were Those of Thebes were then very noble valliant and honest so that their principal end was to come to honour renowme to erect buildinges to make them selues of immortall memory for beyng vertuous For in buildyng they were very curious and for vertues they had good Philosophers The philosopher Phetonius was more thē a yeare in the realme of the Lacedemonians beholding at sondry times all thinges therin for simple men do not note thinges but onely to satisfye the eyes but the wise menne beholdeth them for to know and vnderstand their secrettes After that the philosopher had well plainely sene and behelde all the thinges of the Lacedemonians he determined to returne home to Thebes and beyng arriued all the people came to see him and here him For the vanitie of the common people is
the negligence of the fathers in bringing vp their childrē Sextus Cheronensis in the second boke of the sainges of the Philosophers declareth that a citezen of Athens sayed on daye to Dyogenes the Phylosopher these wordes Tel me Diogenes what shall I doe to be in the fauour of the gods and not in the hatred of men for oft tymes amonges you Philosophers I haue hard saye that there is great difference betwene that that the Goddes wil and that which men loue Diogenes aunswered Thou speakest more then thoughtest to speake that the gods will one thinge and men another for the gods are but as a center of mercy and men are but as a denne of malice if thou wilte inioye rest in thy dayes and keape thy lyfe pure and cleane thou must obserue these thre thinges The first honour thy gods deuoutly For the man which doeth not serue and honour the gods in all his enterprises he shal be vnfortunate The second be very diligent to bring vp thy children well For the man hath no enemy so troublesome as his owne son if he be not wel brought vp The third thyng be thankefull to thy good benefactours and frendes For the Oracle of Apollo sayeth that the man who is vnthankefull of all the worlde shal be abhorred And I tell the further my frend that of these thre thinges the most profitable though it be more troblesome is for a manne to teache and bring vp his children well This therefore was the aunswere that the Philosopher Diogenes made to the demaunde of the Cytezen It is great pytie and griefe to see a yonge child how the bloud doth stirre him to se how the fleshe doth prouoke him to accomplishe his desire to se sensualyte go before and he himselfe to come behinde to se the malicious world to watche him to se howe the deuill doth tempt him to se how vyces bynde him and in all that whych is spoken to se how the father is negligent as if he had no children wher as in deed the old man by the few vertues that he hath had in his youth may easely know the infirmites and vices wherewith his sonne is compassed If the expert had neuer ben ignoraunt if the fathers had neuer ben children if the vertuous had neuer ben vicious if the fyne wittes had neuer ben deceiued it were no meruaile if the Fathers were negligent in teachyng their children For the lytell experience excuseth men of great offences but synce thou arte a father and that fyrst thou were a sonne synce thou arte old and hast ben yong and besides al this synce that pride hath enflamed the lechery hath burned the wrath hath wounded the negligēce hath hindred the couetousnes hath blinded the and glotonie surfeted the tell me cruell father since so manye vices haue reigned in the why hast thou not an eye to thy childe whom of thy owne bloud thou hast begotten And if thou doest it not bycause he is thy childe thou oughtest to do it bycause he is thy nearest For it is vnpossible that the child whych with many vyces is assaulted and not succoured but in the end he should be infamed and to the dishonour of the father most wickedly ouercome It is vnpossible to kepe flesh well fauored vnlesse it be first salted It is vnpossible that the fishe should liue without water It is vnpossible but that the Rose should wyther whiche is of the thorne ouergrowen So like it is vnpossible that the fathers should haue any comforte of their chyldren in their age vnlesse they haue instructed them in vertue in their youth And to speake further in this matter I saye that in the Christian catholike religion where in dede there is good doctrine ther alwayes is supposed to be a good conscience Amongest the wryters it is a thinge well knowen howe Eschines the philosopher was banished from Athens and with all his family came to dwell at Rhodes The occasion was because that he and the philosopher Demosthenes were in great contention in the common wealth Wherefore the Athenians determined to banish the one and to keape the other with them And truly they dyd well for of the contentions and debates of sages warres most commonly aryse amongest the people This philosopher Eschines being at Rhodes banished amongest others made a solempne oration wherein he greatly reproueth the Rhodians that they were so negligente in brynging vp their children saiyng vnto them these wordes I let you vnderstande Lordes of Rhodes that your predecessours aduaunced them selues to discende and to take their beginning of the Lides the whiche aboue all other nations were curious and diligent to bring vp their children and hereof came a lawe that was among them which sayed We ordeine and commaunde that if a father haue many chyldren that the moste vertuous should enherite the goods and riches and if there were but one vertuous that he alone should inherite the whole And if perchaūce the children were vitious that then al should be depriued from the heritage For the goods gotten with trauaile of vertuous fathers ought not by reason to be inherited with vitious children These were the wordes that the philosopher spake to the Senate of the Rhodes and because he sayde in that Oration many other thinges whiche touche not our matter I wyll in this place omitte them For among excellent wryters the wryting loseth muche authoritie when the authour from his purpose digresseth into an other matter To saye the truthe I doe not maruayle that the children of princes and great lordes be adulterers and belly gods for that on the one parte youth is the mother of Idlenes and on the other litle experience is the cause of great offences And furthermore the fathers being once dead the children enherite their goodes as quietly being loden with vices as if in dede they were with all vertues endued If the younge children did knowe for a certaine that the lawes of the Lydes should be obserued that is to witte that they shoulde not enherite vnlesse they be vertuous it is vnpossible but that they would leade a good life and not in this wyse to runne at large in the worlde For they doe absteine more from doing euill fearyng to lose that whiche they doe possesse then for any loue to doe that whiche they ought I doe not denaye but according as the natures of the fathers is dyuers so the inclinations of the chyldren are variable For so muche as some folowyng their good inclination are good others not resisting euil sensualities are euill But yet in this matter I saye that it lieth muche in the father that doeth brynge them vp when as yet they are younge so that the euill whiche nature gaue by good bryngyng vp is refrayned For oftetymes the good custome doeth ouercome all euill inclination Princes and great lordes that wylbe diligent in the instruction of their chyldren ought to enforme their maisters and tutors that shall teache theim to what vyces and
I saye that the tutors and masters of princes and great Lordes ought not to be contented onely to know what science what doctrine and what vertue they oughte to shewe and teache their scollers but also with greater care and diligence the yought to know from what euils or wicked customes they ought to withdraw thē For when the trees are tender and yong it is more necessary to bowe them and cut of the superfluous braunches with knyues then to gather their furtes with Baskettes Those which take vpon them to gouerne Moyles of great pryse value and those that tame and breake horses of a good race take great paines that such beastes be light that they leape wel and be well made to the sporre and bridel but they take much more paines that they be gentill familiar faithfull and aboue all that they haue no euill qualities Then sith it is so masters ought diligently to watche if they be good that in yong Princes there be no apparaunce of any notable vices For al the vertues which the yong do learne doth not them so much profit as one onely vice doth them hurte if they doe therunto consent knowyng that therby they may be herafter blamed or despised For if any man knew a beast that is wyld and stoburne and not gentill and will bye him at greate pryce suche a one hath his head more full of follyes then of wysedome Albeit that maisters ought to withdraw their scollers from many euil customes amōgest all there ar foure principall in any of the which if the prince be defamed the maister which hath taught him should deserue great punishment For according to the humaine lawes and customes al the domage and harme that the beastes do the vineyarde the keper that hath charge therof shall as he is bound recompence First the maisters ought to refraine in suche sort the tonges of their scollers that neyther in sport nor in earnest they permit thē to tell lyes For the greatest faulte that is in a good and vertuous man is to be briefe in the truth and the greatest villanye that is in a vicious man is to be long in lyes Merula in that .v. booke of Cesars saith that the firste war that Vlpius Traianus made was against Cebalus king of Daces who rebelled against the Romaines and with no smal victorie ouercame the Emperour Domitian in a battaile which they fought togethers For as Nasica sayd the pleasures that Rome had to see many victories were not so greate as the displeasure was whyche she toke to see her selfe once ouercome The good Vlpius Traianus gaue battaile to kyng Cebalus wherin Cebalus was not onely ouercome but also taken and afterwardes broughte before the emperour Traianus whyche sayde vnto him these wordes Speake Cebalus why didest thou rebell agaynst the Romaynes since thou knowest that the Romaynes are vnuincible The kyng Cebalus aunswered him If the Romaines could not be ouercom how did I then ouercome the Emperour Domitian Traian the Emperour sayde vnto hym againe Thou art greatly deceyued kynge Cebalus to thinke that when thou ouercamest the Emperour thou haddest ouercome the Romaines For when that Romulus founded Rome the Gods ordeyned that though their emperour dyed in anye battaile yet not withstandyng it is not to be thought that the empyre is ouercome The Hystoriographers made a great matter of the wordes that this Vlpius Traianus spake For therin he shewed that the Romaine empire was vnuincible After that this kyng Cebalus was dead and that for his desertes he was depriued as the Emperour Traian was a mercifull prince so he prouided that a litel child that Cebalus hadde shoulde be brought vp in his pallace with intention that if the childe became good they woulde geue hym the Realme whiche his father thorough Treason hadde loste For in Rome there was an auncient lawe that all that whiche the father lost by treason the sonne should recouer by hys faithfull actes It chaunced that the good Traian takyng his pleasure in the gardins of Vulcan sawe the sonne of kyng Cebalus and many other yong children of Rome stealynge fruite forth of an orchard and it is no wonder for the Locustes did not so much harme to the Corne as the children do to the fruites when they entre into the orchardes When the emperour afterwardes demaunded him frō whence he came he aunswered from his studye hearyng Rethoricke but in dede he came from stealing of fruite The emperour Traian was so angrie displeased that the child was a lyer that he commaunded he should vtterly be depriued and made voyde of al hope to recouer the realme of his father The Emperour Traian was greatly importuned as well of straung Imbassatours as of hys owne Countrey men that he would chaung that cruel sentence For prynces in a furie do commaund that which when they are pacient they doe vndo The emperour Traian aunswered them if the father of this child which was kyng Cebalus had bene a true prince he had not loste hys lyfe neyther hys Realme nor had not put me th empyre so many times in daunger but since the father was a lyer and the sonne is not true it were to vniust a thynge to render him the Realme For to me it should be great reproche and to our mother Rome as much dishonour that she beyng the mother of truthe shoulde geue realmes to children beyng lyers This was it that Vlpius Traian spake vnto the sonne of kyng Cebalus Marcus Aurelius the .xvii. Emperour of Rome had .ii. sonnes as before we haue rehersed the eldest of the whiche was called Comodus and his father procured greatly to disinherit him of the empire For he would that the second son named Verissimus should haue inherited it and he did not onely determine it but also spake it oft times openly For that thing is with great difficulty dissembled that excessiuely is beloued By chaunce an olde Senator and frend of Marcus the emperour one daye both goyng out of the Senate house sayd vnto him I meruaile at the much most excellent prince why thou doest disherite thy sonne which is eldest to make thine heyre the yongest knowynge that they are both thy sonnes and that the gods haue geuen the no others but them For the good fathers are bound to chasten their children but they haue not licence to disherit them The emperour Marcus Aurelius aunswered him If thou were a greke philosopher as thou art a Romain citizen and if thou knewest the fathers loue towardes hys childe thou wouldest not take pitie one my sonne whiche vndoeth the Empire but thou shouldest haue compassion on me his father which doth disherit him For the chyld scarcely knoweth what he loseth but I that am hys father doe bewayle the domage whyche I doo vnto hym For in the ende there is not in the world so cruel a father but if his sonne should be hurt with the pomell of the swerde in the hande the father would fele incontinentlye the
neuer had any one thought of their dead fathers Hee which of pure couetousnes and misery suffreth him self to dye for hunger and cold I think hee hath small deuotiō to geeue almes and much lesse to doo any man good If the couetous man say vnto vs that that which hee keepeth is for no other cause but to buyld a sumptuous chappell and to leaue of them some memory to this I aunswer That if such one doth it with his own proper swet and maketh restitucion of all the euill that hee hath doon it shal bee sanctified of all good men commended but if the couetous will that many liue in great pouerty only to make a rich tomb god doth not commaund that neither doth the church admit it for sacrifice done to god with the cryes and swet of others is not acceptable If the couetous tell vs that though they heap treasures it is not but at their death to distribute it to the poore and to bee brought honestly to the ground I say that I commend this purpose so his intent bee accordingly performed but I am sory the couetouse man shoold think hereby to merit and that hee shoold thus discharge the wickednes of his lyfe for the distribution of a lytle mony after his death I woold think it more sure that princes and great lords shoold spend their goods to mary poore maydens beeing orphans in their lyfe then to commaund money to bee dealt after their death For oft tymes the heirs or their executors the body interred doo little performe the will of the testator and much lesse obserue the legacyes beequethed though it bee to the vtter vndooing of the poore orphans O what guerdon and commendacion deserueth hee that iustly and truely dischargeth the legacies of the dead and of the surplus if any bee or with their own releeue the orphans and mary the poore maydens keeping them from the vyces of this world Suppose that a couetous man chaunceth to traffique at Medine in Spaine at Lions in Fraunce at Lisbone in Portingal at London in England at Andwarp in Flaunders at Millain in Lombardy at Florence in Italy at Palermo in Scicil at Prage in Boeme and at Buda in Hungary finally with his eies hee hath seene all Europe and by trafique hee hath knowledge of all Asia Admit now that in euery place hee hath gotten goods and that which hee hath gotten was not with whole cōscience but according to the companies so hath the offences been dyuers In this case if at the hour of death when the couetous man deuydeth hys money beetweene the children hee might also deuyd his offences so that hee dispossessing him self of the goods might therby bee free from the offences then it were well But alas it is not so for the wicked children lyue tryumphing on the earth with the goods and the miserable father goeth weepyng to hell wyth his sinnes ¶ Of a letter which the Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrot to his frend Cincinatus who beeing a Romayn knight became a marchaunt of Capua wherin hee toucheth those gentlemen whych take vpon them the trade of marchandise against their vocation It is deuyded into .iii. Chapters Cap. xxv MArck the Emperor with his brother Annius Verus fellow in the Empire wisheth to thee Cincinatus of Capua health to thy person and grace against thy euill fortune From the feast of our mother Berecinthe I haue seene neither seruaunt of thy house nor read any letter of thy hand which thing maketh mee suspect greatly that thy health is in daunger or that thou mistrustest our frendship for earnest frendship requireth dayly communication or visitation I pray thee bee not so careles from henceforth and doo not forget vs in such wise I mean that thou wilt come and see vs or at the least that thou wilt write vnto vs often for the letters of faithful frends though vtterly they doo not take from vs the desire of the presence yet at the least they make vs hope for a meeting I know that thou maist answer mee that in the common wealth of Capua thou art so busyed that it is impossible thou shooldst write vnto mee heereto I answer thee That in no affaires thou canst bee so occupied that it bee a lawful let not to communicat or write vnto thy frend For wee may wel call the tyme which wee liue to bee wel employed which is spent in the seruice of god and in the conuersation of our frends All the residue that wee wast in talking traueling sleeping eating and resting wee ought not to write it in the booke of lyfe but in the register of death For al bee it that in such semblable woorks the body is refreshed yet therwith the heart cannot bee comforted I swere vnto thee therfore my frend that it is impossible the man take any contentation of any worldly thing where the hart is not at rest for our comfort is not in the sinnues or in the bones of the body but in the liuely power of the soul It is long sithens that you and I haue knowen togethers it is long time likewise that I loued thee and thou mee and sith wee are so true old frends it is but reason that with good woorks wee doo renew our frendship For falsly they vsurp the name of frendship which are not cōuersant one wyth the other no more then if they were strāgers The man which speaketh not to mee which wryteth not to mee which seeth mee not which visiteth mee not which geeueth mee not to whom I geeue not I woold not hee were my enemy but it litle auaileth mee that hee call mee frend for perticuler frendship consisteth not in aboundance but that frends doo open their harts and talk with their persons Peraduēture thou wilt say that the great distaunce which is from Rome to that countrey hath beene occasion to deminish our frendship for the noble harts are on fier with the presence of that they loue and haue great paine with the absence of that they desire I aunswer that the farder the delicious wines are sent from the place where they grow the greater strength they haue I mean that heerein true frends are knowen whē their persons are furthest seuered for then are their willes most conioined Tell mee I pray thee Cincinnatus sithens always thou hast found mee a diligent frend in thy seruice why doost thou mistrust my faithfull good will The greene leaues outwardly doo shew that the tree inwardly is not dry I mean that the good woorks outwardly do declare the feruentnes of the hart inwardly If thou Cincinnatus presumest to bee a true frend of thy frend I will thou know this rule of frendship which is Where perfect loue is not there wāteth alway faithful seruice for the contrary hee the perfectly loueth assuredly shal bee serued I haue been am wil bee thyne therfore thou shalt doo mee great iniury if thou art not myne ¶ The Emperor proceedeth in his letter and declareth what
had robbed the wydows All the auncient princes I say those that haue beene noble and valiaunt and that haue not had the name of tiraunts though in some things they were noted yet they always haue been praysed estemed and commended to bee gentle and mercifull so that they recompensed the fiersnes and cruelty which they shew to their enemies with the mercy clemency which they vsed to the orphans Plutarch in his politikes sayeth that the Romayns among them selues ordeyned that all that which remayned of bankettes feasts which were made at mariages and triumphs shoold bee geeuen to wydows and orphans And this custome was brought to so good an order that if any rich man would vse his profit of that which remayned that orphans might iustly haue an accion of felony against him as a thing robbed from them Aristides the philosopher in an oration hee made of the excellencie of Rome sayeth that the princes of Persia had this custom neuer to dyne nor sup but first the trumpets shoold blow at their gates the which were more loud then armonious And it was to this end that al the widows orphans shoold cōe thither for it was a law amongst them that all that which was left at the royal tables should bee for the poore and indigent persons Phalaris the tyrant writing to a freend of his said these woords I haue receued thy brieef letter with the rebuke likewise which thou gauest mee therin more bitter thē tedyous And admit that for the time it greeued mee yet after I came to my selfe I receyued thereby great comfort For in the end one louing rebuke of his freend is more woorth then a fayned flattery of his enemy Amongst the things wherof thou accusest me thou sayst that they take mee for a great tiraunt beecause I disobey the gods spoyl the temples kil the priests pursue the innocents rob the people and the woorst of all that I doo not suffer mee to bee entreted nor permit that any man be conuersaūt with mee To that they say I disobey the gods in very deed thei say true For if I did all that the gods would I shoold doo litle of that men doo ask mee For as much as they say I robb the temples therunto also I graūt For the immortal gods doo demaund rather of vs pure harts then that wee shoold buyld their temples For that they say I kil priests I confes also that it is true For they are so dissolute that I think I doo more seruices to the gods to put them to death then they doo in dooing their sacrifices whiles they liue For that they say I rob the temples I also confes it for I defending it as I doo frō enemies it is but meete and resonable they finde mee and my seruants Fo◠that they say I suffer mee not to bee entreated it is true For dayly and hourely they ask mee so many vniust vnreasonable things that for them and for mee it is better to denay them then for to graunt them For that they say that I am not conuersant with any I confesse it is true For euer when they come into my pallace it is not so much to doo mee seruice as to ask mee some particuler thing for their profit For that they say I am not pitefull amongst the miserable will not heare the wydows and orphans in no wise to that I will agree For I swear vnto thee by the immortal gods that my gates were neuer shutt to widowees and orphans Pulio in the life of the Emperor Claudius sayth that on s a poore widow came before Claudius the Emperor with weeping eies to desire him of iustice The good prince beeing mooued with compassion did not onely weepe as shee but with his own hands dried her teares And as there was about the emperor many noble Romains one amongst them sayd vnto him For the authority grauitye of Romayn princes to heare their subiects in iustice suffiseth onely though they dry not the teares of their faces This emperor Claudius aūswered Good princes ought not to bee contented to doo no more than iust iudges but in dooing iustice a mā must know that they are pitefull For oftētimes those which come beefore princes doo returne more contented with the loue they shew them then with the iustice they minister vnto theym And furder hee sayd For asmuch as you say that it is of small aucthoryty and also of lesse grauity that a prince doo weepe with a widowe and with his hands wype her eyes I aunswer thee that I desire rather to bee partaker of the griefes with my subiects then to giue them occasion to haue theyr eyes full of teares Certeynly these woords are worthy to bee noted and no lesse followed Admit that clemency in all things deserueth to bee praysed yet much more ought it to bee commended when it is executed on weemen And if generally in all much more in those which are voyd of health and comfort For weemē are quickly troubled and with greater difficulty comforted Plutatche and Quintus Curtius saie the good intertainment which Alexander the great shewed vnto the wife and chyldren of kyng Darius after hee was vtterly vanquished exalted his clemency in such sorte that they gaue rather more glory to Alexander for the pity and honesty which hee vsed with the children then for the victory hee had of the father And whē the vnhappy king Darius knew the clemency and pity which the good Alexander vsed to his wyfe and his chyldren hee sent vnto him his embassadours to the end that on his beehalf they shoold thanke hym for that that is past and shoold desire hym that hee would continew so in tyme to come saing that it might chaunce that the Gods and fortune would mitigat their wrath against him Alexander aunswered to the imbassadours these words Yee shall say in my beehalf to your king Darius that hee geeue mee no thankes for the good and piteful woork that I haue doon to his captyue weemen since hee is certain I did it not for that hee was my frend and I would not cease to doo it for that hee is myne enemy But I haue doon it for that a gentle Prince is bound to doo in such a case For I ought to employ my clemency to weemen which can doo nought but weepe my puissaunte power Princes shal feele which can doo nought els but wage batayle Truly these woords were worthy of such a prince Many haue enuy at the surname of Alexander which is great And hee is caled Alexander the great because if his hart was great in the ēterprises hee took vpon him his courage was much more greter in cities realmes which hee gaue Many haue ēuy at that renowme which they geeue Pompeius beecause they cal him great for this excellent Romayn made him self cōqueror of .22 realmes in times past hath been accompanied with 25. kings Many haue enuy at the renowme of Scipio the Affricā
After that the wife doth see her louing husband in the graue I woold ask her what good could remayne with her in her house Since wee know that if her husband were good he was the hauē of al her trobles the remedy of al her necessitys the inuentour of all her pleasours the true loue of her hart the true lord of her parson and the idoll whom shee honored finally he was the faithfull steward of her house and the good father of her children and familye Whether family remayneth or not whyther children remayneth or not in the one and in the other trouble and vexation remaineth most assuredly to the poore widow If perchaunce shee remayne poore and haue no goods let euery man imagine what her life can bee For the poore miserable vnhappy woman eyther wil aduenture her parson to get or wil lose her honesty to demaund An honest woman a noble worthy womā a delicat woman a sweete woman a woman of renowme a woman that ought to maynteyne children and family ought to haue great reason to bee full of anguishe and sorow to see that if shee wil mainteyne her self which the needle shee shal not haue sufficiently to find her self bread and water If shee gaine with her bodie shee loseth her soule If shee must demaund others shee is sahamed If shee fulfill the testament of her husband shee must sell her gowns If shee will not pay his detts they cause her to be brought beefore the iudge As women naturaly are tender what hart will suffer theym to suffer such inconueniēces and what eyes can absteine to shed infinite tears If perchaūce goods doo remaine to the miserable widow she hath no litel care to keepe thē Shee is at great charges and expences to sustain and maintayn her self in long suit about her lands much trouble to augment them and in the end much sorow to depart from them For all her children and heirs doo occupy them selues more to think how they might inherit then in what sort they ought to serue her When I came to this passage a great while I kept my pen in suspence to see whither I ought to touch this matter or no that is to weete that oftentimes the poore wydows put openly the demaund of their goods and the iudges doo secretly demaund the possession of their parson So that first they doo iniury to her honor beefore they doo minister iustice to her demaunds Though perchance shee hath no child yet therfore shee remaineth not without any comfort and for that the parents of her husband doo spoyl her of her goods For in thys case their heirs often times are so disordered that for a worn cloke or for a broken shirt they trouble and sore vexe the poore wydow If perchaunce the miserable wydow haue children I say that in this case shee hath double sorow For if they are yong shee endureth much payn to bring them vp so that ech hour and moment their mothers lyue in great sorows to think onely of the lyfe and health of their children If perhaps the children are old truely the griefs whych remayn vnto them are no lesse For so much as the greatest part of them are eyther proud disobedient malycious negligent adulterers gluttons blasphemers false lyers dull headed wanting wit or sickly So that the ioy of the wofull mothers is to beewayl the death of their welbeeloued husbands and to remedy the discords of their youthfull children If the troubles which remain to the mothers with the sonnes bee great I say that those which they haue with their doughters bee much more For if the doughter bee quick of witt the mother thinketh that shee shal bee vndoon If shee bee simple shee thinketh that euery man will deceiue her If shee bee faier shee hath enough to doo to keepe her If shee bee deformed shee cannot mary her If shee bee well manered shee wil not let her go from her If shee bee euil manered shee cānot endure her If shee bee to solitary shee hath not wherewith to remedy her If shee bee dissolute shee wil not suffer her to bee punished Fynally if shee put her from her shee feareth shee shal bee sclaundeted If shee leaue her in her house shee is afrayd shee shal bee stollen What shal the wofull poore wydow doo seeing her self burdened with doughters enuironed with sonnes and neither of them of such sufficient age that there is any tyme to remedy them nor substāce to maintein them Admit that shee mary one of her sonnes and one doughter I demaund therfore if the poore widow wil leaue her care and anguish Truely I say no though shee choose rich personages and wel disposed shee cannot escape but the day that shee replenisheth her self with doughters in law the same day shee chargeth her hart with sorows trauels and cares O poore wydows deceiue not your selues and doo not immagin that hauing maried your sonnes doughters from that time forward yee shal liue more ioyful and contented For that laid aside which their nephews doo demaund them and that their sonnes in law doo rob them when the poore old woman thinketh to bee most surest the yong man shall make a claym to her goods What doughter in law is there in this world who faithfully loueth her stepmother And what sonne in law is there in the world the desireth not to bee heir to his father in law Suppose a poore widow to bee fallen sick the which hath in her house a sonne in law and that a man ask him vppon his oth which of these two things hee had rather haue either to gouern his mother in law wyth hope to heal her or to bury her with hope to inherit her goods I swear that such woold swere that hee coold reioyce more to geeue a ducket for the graue then a penny to the phisition to purge and heal her Seneca in an epistle saith that the fathers in law naturally loue their doughters in law the sonnes in law are loued of their mothers in law And for the contrary hee saith that naturally the sonnes in law doo hate their mothers in law But I take it not for a generall rule for there are mothers in law whych deserue to bee woorshipped and there are sonnes in law which are not worthy to bee beeloued Other troobles chance dayly to these poore wydows which is that when one of them hath one only sonne whom shee hath in the steed of a husband in steed of a brother in steed of a sonne shee shall see him dye whom sith shee had his lyfe in such great loue shee cannot though shee woold take his death with pacience So that as they bury the dead body of the innocent chyld they bury the lyuely hart of the wofull mother Let vs omit the sorows whych the mothers haue when their children dye and let vs ask the mothers what they feele when they are sick They will aunswer vs that always and as often tymes as their
sodein death and to thee his wife haue lent so long lyfe The gods beeing as they are so mighty and so sage what is hee that can bee iudge of their profound iugements The gods know right well those which serue them and those which offend them those that loue them and those which hate them those that praise them and those that blaspheme them those that yeeld them thanks and those which are vnthankfull And I tel thee further that oftentimes the gods are serued more with them which are buried in the graues then with those which go weeping through the temples Wilt thou now enter into account with the gods thou oughtst to note cōsider that they haue left thee childrē to comfort thy self they haue left thee goods wherwith thou maist auoid pouertie they haue left thee frends by whom thou shalt bee fauored they haue left thee parentz of whom thou art beeloued they haue left thee a good name for to bee esteemed and health wherwith thou mayst liue Fynally I say that small is that which the gods take from vs in respect of that they leaue vs. After one sort wee ought to beehaue our selues with men and after an other wee ought to serue the gods For to men some times it is requisite to shewe a countenaunce for to humble them but to the gods it is necessary to lye flat on the ground with thy stomack to honor them And if the Oracle of Apollo doo not deceiue vs the gods are sooner with humility wherewith wee woorship them appeased then with presumptuous sacrifices which wee offer vnto them contented Since thou art wydow Lady Lauinia and art a wise and vertuous woman beesech the gods to preserue thy children to defend thy renowm and not to seuer thy frends from thee and that thou scatter not thy goods to preserue thy person in health and aboue all to bee in their fauour Thou canst not winne nor lose somuch in all thy lyfe as the gods can geeue or take from thee in one hower Woold to god the wydow knew how little shee winneth among men and how much shee loseth amōg the Gods when shee is not pacient in aduersitie for impacience oftentymes prouoketh the gods to wrath Wee see it in mans body by experience that there are sundrye dyseases which are not cured with woords spoken but with the herbs thereunto applyed And in other diseases the contrary is seene which are not cured with costly medicynes but wyth comfortable woords The end of this comparison tendeth to this effect that all the afflicted harts shoold know that sometymes the hart is more comforted with one benefyte which they doo then with a hundred woords which they speak And at an other tyme the sorowfull hart is better lyghtned with one woord of his frends mouth then with all the seruice of others in the world O wretch that I am for as in the one and in the other I am destitut So in all I doo want For considering thy greatnes and waying my lytle knowledge I see my self very vnable For that to comfort thee I want science and for to help thee I neede ryches But I cease not to haue great sorow if sorow in paiment may bee receiued That which with my person I can doo neither with paper or ynk I wil requite For the man which with woord only cōforteth in effect beeing able to remedy declareth him self to haue been a fayned frend in tymes past and sheweth that a man ought not to take him for a faithful frend in tyme to come That which the Romains with the wydows of Rome haue accustomed to doo I will not presently doo with thee Lady Lauinia that is to weete that thy husband beeing dead all go to visite the widow all comfort the wydow and all weepe with the wydow and within a few days after if the wofull wydow haue neede of any small fauor with the Senat they withdraw them selues togeether as if they had neuer knowen her husband nor seene her The renowm of the Romayn wydows is very daynty for of their honesty or dishonesty dependeth the good renowm of their person the honor of their parents the credit of their children and the memory of the dead For this therfore it is healthfull counsayl for wyse men to speak few woords to wydows and to doo infinite good woorks What auayleth it woful wydows to haue their coffers fylled with letters and promyses and their eares stuffed wyth woords and flatteries If hitherto thou hast taken mee for thy neighbor and parent of thy husband I beeseech thee henceforth that thou take mee for a husband in loue for father in counsell for brother in seruyce and for aduocat in the Senat. And all this so truely shal bee accomplished that I hope thou wilt say that which in many I haue lost in Marcus Aurelius alone I haue found I know well as thou doost in lyke maner that when the harts with sorows are ouer whelmed the spirits are troubled the memory is dulled the flesh dooth tremble the spirit dooth chaunge and reason is withdrawn And since that presently sorrow and care in thy house doo remayn let the gods forsake mee if I abandone thee let them forget mee if I remember thee not But as Claudine remayned thyne wholly till the hour of death so Marcus Aurelius will euermore bee thyne duryng his lyfe Since I loue thee so intierly and thou trustest mee so faithfully and that thou with sorrows art so replenished and my hart with care so oppressed let vs admit that thou Lady Lauinia hast the auctority to commaund mee in thy affayrs and I lycence to counsell and aduertyse thee of thyngs touching thy honor and person For often tymes the wydows haue more neede of a mean remedy then of a good counsell I earnestly desyre thee to leaue the lamentacion of the Romayn wydows that is to weete to shutt the gates to tear their hears to cutt their garments to go bare legged to paynt the vysage to eat solitarily to weepe on the graues to chyd her Chamberlayns to poure out water wyth tears to put Acorns on the graues and to byte theyr nayls wyth the teeth For these thyngs and such other semblable lightnes beehoueth not the grauitie of Romayn Matrons eyther to see thē or els to know them Since there is no extremity but therunto vice is annexed I let thee weete lady Lauinia if thou bee ignoraunt thereof that the widows which are so extreme doo torment them selfes doo trouble their frends doo offend the gods doo forsake theirs and in the end they profit not the dead to the enuious people they geeue occasion to talk I woold think and mee seemeth that the women which are matrons and widows ought to take vppon them such garment and estate the day that the gods take lyfe from their husbands as they entend to wear during their lyfe What auaileth it that a wydow bee one moneth shut vp in her house that afterwards
hast to possesse and gouerne the empire cause thee not to vndoo thy selfe For hee is not counted free with in liberty is borne but hee that dyeth in liberty O of how many I haue red hard also seene which are borne slaues and afterwards haue dyed free and this for that they were vertuous And how many I haue seene die slaues beeing bornfree only for beeing vicious so that there liberty remayneth where noblenes is resident Princes which haue great realmes of necessity shall haue occasions to punish many excesses wherfore it is requisite that they bee couragious And beeleue mee my sonne that they ought not to take corrage vpon them beecause they bee mighty and puissaunt but beecause they are vertuous For to punish these excesses of others the good life is more requisite then is the great auctority of the empire A vertuous prince ought to leaue no vice vnpunished for the good to folow good the euil for feare of his correction dare not commit any offence in the commō wealth Hee that lyueth like a wise man is hardy to geeue punishment but hee that liueth in feare dare not almost speak For the man which dare bee so hardy to punish an other for the self same fault for the which hee deserueth to bee punished of the gods hee is iustly hated of men despised Let princes take it for an assured thing that they shal neuer haue the loue of the people the liberty of the commō wealth the order of their house the contentation of their frends the subiection of their enemies and the obedience of their people but with many tears shed on the earth and with many prowesses doone of his person To a vertuous prince all doo render against the vicious prince all the earth doth rebell If thou wilt bee vertuous heare what thing vertu is Vertu is a castle which neuer is taken a riuer which is not passed ouer a sea which is not sailed a fire that neuer is quenched a tresure that neuer is wasted an army that neuer is ouerthrowen a chaunge which neuer wearieth a spy which alwaies returneth a signe which beegilesh no man a way very streight a frend that succoureth al necessities a surgion that immediatly healeth a renowne which neuer perisheth If thou knewest my sonne what thing it is to bee good thou wouldst bee the best of the world For the more vicious a man is so much the more hee is entangled in vices how much more a man is vertuous so much more to vertues hee cleaueth If thou wilt bee vertuous thou shalt doo seruice to the gods thou shalt geeue good renowne to thy predecessors for thy selfe thou shalt prepare a perpetual memory Thou shalt doo pleasures to straungers get the fauor of thine owne people Finally the good will honor thee with loue the euil wil serue thee with feare In the histories of the warres of the Charentines I found the renowmed Pirrus king of Epirotes did weare in a ring these woords writen It is too litle punishmēt for a vicious man to take his life from him it is too smal a reward for a vertuous man to geeue him the seignory of the whole earth Truly these woords were woorthy of such a man What thing can bee beegon of a vertuous man wherof wee hope not to see the end come to good proofe I am deceyued if I haue not seene in my days many mē which were base borne vnfitt for sciences void of vices in the cōmon wealth poore of goods vnknowen of birth which with all these base condicions haue learned so many vertues that it seemed great rashnes to beegin them afterwards for beeing vertuous only they haue found the effects such as they thought it By the immortal gods I sweare vnto thee so the god Iupiter take mee into his holy house confirme thee my sonne in mine if I haue not knowen a gardner a potter in Rome which for beeing vertuous were occasion to cast fiue rich senatours out of the senate And the cause to make the one to gayne the other to loose was that to the one they would not pay the pots and to the other his appels For at that time more was hee punished which tooke an apple from a poore man then hee which bet down a rich mans house All this I haue told thee my sonne beecause vice abaseth the hardy prince vertue geeueth courage to the bashfull From .ii. things I haue always kept my selfe That is to weete not to striue against open iustice nor to contend with a vertuous person ¶ The Emperor Marcus Aurelius followeth his purpose among other holsome counsailes exhorteth his sonne to keepe wise and sage men about him for to geeue him counsayle in al his affayres Cap. lv HItherto I haue spoken to thee in generally but now I will speake vnto the particulerly by the immortal gods I coniure thee that thou bee very attentiue to that I will say For talking to thee as an aged father it is reason thou heare mee as an obedient chyld If thou wilt enioy long life obserue well my doctrine For the gods will not condescend to thy harts desires oneles thou receyuest my holsome counsayles The disobedience vnfaithfulnes which children haue to their fathers is al their vndooing For oftentimes the gods doo pardon the offences that are doon vnto them doo not pardon the disobediences which the children beare to their fathers I doo not require thee my sonne that thou geeue mee mony sins thou art poore I doo not demaund that thou trauaile sins thou art tender I doo not demaund the reuengement of mine enemies since I haue none I doo not demaund that thou serue mee sins I dye I doo not demaund the empire sins I leaue it vnto thee Onely I doo demaund that thou gouerne thy selfe well in the common wealth and that the memory of my house bee not lost through thee If thou esteeme much that I leaue vnto thee so many realmes I think it better to leaue thee many good counsayls wherwith thou maist preserue thy selue susteyne thy parson mayntayne thine honour For if thou hast presumption not to profit with my counsayle but to trust to thine owne mind beefore my flesh bee eaten with wormes thou shalt bee ouercōe with thy enemies My sonne I haue been yong light bold vnshamefast proud enuious couetous an aduoulterer furious a glutton slouthful ambicious for that I haue fallen into so great excesses therfore I geeue thee such good aduise For the mā which in his youth hath been very worldly from him in age proceedeth ripe counsaile That which vntill this time I haue coūsailed thee that which to my death I wil counsayle the. I desire that ons at the least thou proue it And if it doo thee harme leaue it if it doo thee good vse it For there is no medecine so bitter that the sick dooth refuse
to take if ther by hee think hee may bee healed I pray thee I exhort thee I aduise thee my soÌ„ne that thy youth beeleue mine age thy ignorancy beeleue my knowledge thy sleepe beeleue my watch the dimnes of thy eyes beeleue the clearnes of my sight thy imaginacioÌ„ beeleue my vertue thy suspicion beeleue my experieÌ„ce For otherwise one day thou shalt see thy selfe in soÌ„e distresse where smal time thou shalt haue to repent none to find remedy Thou maist say vnto mee my sonne that sins I haue beene yong I let thee to bee yong that when thou shall bee aged thou wilt ameÌ„d I answer thee that if thou wilt liue as yong yet at the least gouerne thy self as old In a prince which gouerneth his common wealth wel mani myseries are dissembled of his parson Euen as for mighty affaires ripe couÌ„sayles are necessary so to endure the troubles of the empire the person needeth some recreacion For the bowe string which always is stretched either it lengthneth or it breaketh Whether princes bee yong or old there can bee nothing more iust then for the recreacioÌ„ of them selues to seeke some honest pastimes And not without a cause I say that they bee honest For sometimes they accompany with so dishonest persons and so vnthrifty that they spend their goods they loose their honor weary their persons more than if they were occupied in the affaires of the common wealth For thy youth I leaue thee children of great lords with whom thou maist past the tyme away And not without cause I haue prouided that with thee they haue beene brought vp from thy infancy For after thou camest to mannes estate enheriting my goods if perchauÌ„ce thou wooldst accompany thy selfe with yong men thou shouldst find them well learned For thy warres I leaue thee valiaunt captaines though indeede things of war are beegoon by wisdome yet in the end the issue faleth out by fortune For stuards of thy treasures I leaue thee faithful men And not wtout cause I say they are faythfull For oftentimes greater are the theeues which are receyuers tresorers then are they that doo robbe among the people I leaue thee my sonne expert auncieÌ„t men of whome thou maist take couÌ„saile with whome the maist coÌ„municat thy trobles For there can bee fourmed no honest thing in a prince vnlesse hee hath in his coÌ„pany auncieÌ„t men for such geeue grauity to his parsoÌ„ auctority to his pallace To inueÌ„t theaters to fish ponds to chase wild beasts in the forrests to renne in the fyelds to let thy haukes fly to exercise weapoÌ„s al these things wee can deny thee as to a yong maÌ„ the beeing yong mayst reioyce thy self in al these Thou oughtst also to haue respect that to ordeine armies inueÌ„t warrs folow victories accept truces coÌ„firm peace raise brutes to make laws to promote the one put downe the others to punish the euill first to reward the good the counsaile of al these things ought to bee taken of cleare iudgements of persons of experience of white heads Thinkest thou not that it is possible to passe the time with the yong to counsail with the old The wise and discreete princes for all things haue time inough if they know well how to measure it Bee ware my sonne that they note thee not to vse great extremities For the end occasion why I speake it is beecause thou shouldst know if thou knowest not that it is as vndecent a thing for a prince vnder the colour of grauity to bee ruled gouerned wholy by old men as vnder semblaunce of pastime alwayes to accompany hym selfe with the yong It is no general rule that all yong men are light nor all old men sage And thou must according to my aduise in such case vse it thus if ani old man lose the grauity of his age expulse him from the if that find any yong men sage dispise not their counsaile For the bees doo draw more hony out of the tender flowers then of the hard leaues I doo not condemne the aged nor I doo commend the yong but it shal bee wel doone that alwayes thou choose of both the most vertuous For of troth there is no company in the world so euil ordered but that there is meane to liue with it without any suspicion so that if the yong are euil with folly the old are worse through couetousnes On s againe I retourne to aduertise thee my sonne that in no wise thou vse extremity For if thou beeleeue none but yong they will corrupt thy maners with lightnes if thou beeleeue none but the old they will depraue thy iustice through couetousnes What thing can bee more monstruous then that the prince which commaundeth all should suffer him to bee commaunded of one alone Beeleeue mee sonne in this case that the gouernments of many are seldome times gouerned wel by the head of one alone The prince which hath to rule gouerne many ought to take the aduise and counsaile of many It is a great inconuenience that thou beeing lord of many realmes shouldst haue but one gate wherin all doo enter into to doo their busines with thee For if perchauÌ„ce hee which shall bee thy familiar bee of his owne nature good and bee not mine enemy yet I would bee afraid of him beecause hee is a freend of mine enemies And though for hate they doo mee no euil yet I am afraid that for the loue of an other hee will cease to doo mee good I remember that in the annalles of Pompeius I found a litle booke of memoryes which the great Pompeiê° bare about him wherin were many things that hee had read other good counsayles which in diuers parts of the world hee had learned and among other words there were these The gouernour of the common wealth which committeth al the gouernment to old men deserueth very litle hee that trusteth al yong is light Hee that gouerneth it by him selfe alone is beeyonde him self hee which by him self others doo gouerne it is a wise prince I know not whither these sentences are of the same Pompeius or that hee gathered them out of soome booke or that any philosopher had told him them or some freend of his had geeuen him them I meane that I had them writteÌ„ with his hands and truely they deserued to bee written in letters of gold When thy affaires shal bee weighty see thou dispatche theym alwayes by counsayle For when the affaires bee determined by the counsaile of many the fault shal bee deuided among them all Thou shalt find it for a truth my sonne that if thou take counsaile of many the one wil tel the inconuenience the other the peril other the feare the other the domage the other the profit the other the remedy finally they will so debate thy affaires that playnly thou shalt know the good see the daunger therof I
cruel punyshment of those that liue that rather thē they would endure it they wysh to bee dead Thou oughtst to think my sonne that I haue beegot thee I haue nouryshed thee I haue taught thee I haue trymmed thee I haue chastised thee and I haue exalted thee And for this consyderation though by death I am absent it is not reasō that thou euer forget mee For the true not vnthākfull chyld ought the same day to bury his father in his tender hart when others haue layd hym in the hard graue One of the visible chastisements which the gods geeue to men in this world is that the children obey not their fathers in their life For the self same fathers did not remēber their owne fathers after their death Let not yong Princes think after they haue inherited after they see theyr father dead after they are past correction of their masters that al things ought to bee doone as they thē selues wil it for it will not bee so For if thei want the fauour of the Gods haue maledyction of their fathers they liue in trouble and dye in daunger I require nought els of thee my sonne but that such a father as I haue been to thee in my life such a sonne thou bee to mee after my death I commend vnto thee my sonne the veneracion of the gods and this cheefely aboue al thing For the prince with maketh accompt of the gods neede not to feare any storme of fortune Loue the gods thou shalt bee beeloued Serue them thou shalt bee serued Feare them thou shalt bee feared Honor them thou shalt bee honored Doo their commaūdements they will geeue thee thy harts desire For the gods are so good that they doo not onely receiue in accompt that which wee doo but also that which wee desire to doo I commend vnto thee my sonne the reuerence of the Temples that is to weete that they bee not in discorde that they bee cleane renewed that they offer therin the sacrifices accustomed For wee doo not this honor to the substaūce wherwith the temples are made but to the Gods to whome they are consecrated I commend vnto thee the veneration of priestes I pray thee though they bee couetous auaricious dissolute vnpacient negligēt vicious yet that thei bee not dishonored For to vs others it apperteineth not to iudge of the life they leade as mē but wee must consider that they are mediators beetwene the gods vs. Beehold my sonne that to serue the gods honor the temples reuerence the priestes it is not a thing voluntary but very necessary for Princes For so long endured the glory of the Greekes as they were worshippers of their Gods carefull of theyr Temples The vnhappi realme of Catthage was nothing more cowardly nor lesse rych then that of the Romaynes but in the ende of the Romaynes thei were ouercome beecause they were great louers of their treasours and litle worshippers of their Temples I commend vnto thee my sonne Helia thy stepe mother remember though shee bee not thy mother yet shee hath been my wyfe That which to thy mother Faustine thou oughtst for bringing thee into the world the selfe same thou oughtst to Helia for the good entertainmēt which shee hath shewed thee And in deede often tymes I beeing offended with the shee mainteined thee caused mee to forget so that shee by her good woords did winne againe that which thou by thy euill woorks didst loose Thou shalt haue my curse yf thou vsest her euyll thou shalt fall into theire of the gods if that agreest that other doo not vse her wel For all the domage which shee shal feele shal not bee but for the inconuenience of my death iniury of thy persō For her dowrye I leaue her the tributes of Hostia the orchyardes of Vulcanus which I haue made to bee planted for her recreation Bee thou not so hardy to take them from her for in taking them from her thou shalt shewe thy wickednes in leauing them her thy obedyence in geeuing her more thy bounty liberalyty Remember my sonne that shee is a Romaine woman yong a wydow of the house of Traiane my lord that shee is thy mother adoptatiue my naturall wyfe aboue al for that I leaue her recommended vnto thee I commend vnto thee my sonne in laws whome I will thou vse as parents and frends And beeware that thou bee not of those which are brethern in woords cousins in woorks Bee thou assured that I haue willed somuch good to my doughters that the best which were in al the countries I haue chosen for their persons And they haue beene so good that if in geeuing them my doughters they were my sonne in laws in loue I loued them as chyldren I commend vnto thee my Systers doughters whome I leaue thee al maryed not with straūge kings but with natural senatours So that al dwel in Rome where they mai doo thee seruices and thou maist geue them rewards gifts Thy sisters haue greatly inheryted the beauty of thy mother Faustine haue taken lytle nature of their father Marke But I sweare vnto thee that I haue geeuen them such husbands and to their husbands such and so profitable counsailes that they would rather loose their lyfe then agree to any thing touching their dishonor Vse thy sisters in such sort that they bee not out of fauor for that their aged father is dead and that they beecome not proud for to see their brother Emperor Women are of a very tender condicion for of small occasion they doo complayne of lesse they wax proud Thou shalt keepe them preserue them after my death as I did in my lyfe For otherwise their conuersacion to the people shal bee very noisome to thee very importunate I comend vnto thee Lipula thy yongest Sister which is inclosed with in the virgine vestalles who was doughter of thy mother Faustine whome so derely I haue loued in life whose death I haue beewailed vntil my death Euery yeare I gaue to thy sister sixe thousand Sexterces for her necessyties in deede I had maryed her also if shee had not fallen into the fire burnt her face For though shee were my last I loued her with all my hart All haue esteemed her fal into the fire for euyll luck but I doo coūt the euil luck for good fortune For her face was not so burned with coles as her renowme suffred peryl among euill tongs I sweare vnto thee my sonne that for the seruice of the gods for the renowme of men shee is more sure in the Temple with the vestal Virgins then the art in the Senate with thy Senatours I suppose now that at the end of the iourney shee shal find her selfe better to bee enclosed then thou at liberty I leaue vnto her in the prouynce of Lucania euery yeare six
vpright a iusticer but in the end hee geeueth more trust credit to one then to an other And hereof proceedes most coÌ„monly that wee loue not those wee ought to loue but those whom wee fansy most Now therefore following our intent touching the visitacion of courtiers hee must lay watch consider wel to procure knowledge first if any such noble men or other his frends which hee hath deuotion to visyt bee occupied or withdrawen to their bed chaÌ„bers for some priuate busynes of theirs for if it were so they woold rather think hee came to trouble them theÌ„ to visit them And therefore hee that is wise in visiting his freÌ„ds may not be too importune vpon them to prease into their bed chaÌ„ber neither to bee too tedious vnpleasant in his woords There are some so solitary that woold neuer be vysyted others that desires to bee visited euery day others there bee that woold the visitacion shoold bee short others that take such pleasure to heare a long discours that hee woold his tale shoold neuer bee ended So that the courtier must looke into the natures of men so to frame his visitacions according to the condicions of their mynd and to remember his visitations to great graue men bee not so oft dayly that they bee troublesome to him nor so seldome that they may think them strauÌ„gers that they had forgotten him That only deserueth the name of a trew visitacion where the person visyted may not bee troubled with importunacy nor the visyter may dymynish any part of his credyt and estimacion and also that hee preiudice not his own commodyty in his affaires I speak it for some that are so troublesome in their visytacions so foolish and tedious in their woords not knowing how to make an end that wee may better call them troublesome enuious and impudent then honest vysiters and faithfull frends And therefore wee should leaue them so contented wee vysyt that they shoold rather bee angry to leaue our company then that they should complayn of our importunity geeuing them rather occasyon to meete vs with a pleasant countenaunce when wee enter into their house then to make them hyde them selues or fly from vs when they see vs to say they are not within And mee thinks in deede where wee haue not great and straight frendship or els some affaires of great importaunce that toucheth vs much it should bee sufficient to vysyt our frends and acquaintance once in a moneth and where they would see vs more oftner let vs carry till they complayn and fynd fault and send to vs to let vs vnderstand it and not that wee bee so ready to come to offer and present our selues vnto them onlesse the necessity of our cause doo vrge vs. There are some persons so vndiscreete in being vysited that when others come to see them eyther they make the gates to bee shutte vppon them or they cause their seruants to say they are not within or els they get them out at the backdore or they fayn that they are a lytle aâ—rafed onely to auoyd and flye from these troublesome and babling visyters â–ª So that they had rather see a seriant enter into his house to arrest them for debt then to bee cumbred wyth these lothsome and pratyng vysyters Also yt ys not fyt to goe see their frends at vnlawfull howers as about dynner or supper tyme for those that are vysyted wyll rather thynk they come to dyne or suppe wyth them then of curtesy and good wyll to see them It happeneth sometymes that many are braue and rytch in apparell that keepe but a poore and mean ordynary at their table sparyng from their mouth to lay yt vppon their backs and therefore they are very loth and offended that any of their frends or famylyars should take them at meales to iudge of them for they thynk yt lesse payn to fast from meat secretly then that their scarcety should openly bee discouered Also the laws of honesty and ciuylity doo not permit any man to enter into the house hall or chamber of an other wythout knockyng or callyng fyrst at the doore For that onely pryuyledge to come into the house sodeynly and speak neuer a woord beelongeth to the husband or masters of the house Also it is not good to goe see hys frend when hee is at play for yf hee bee a loser it can not bee but hee wyll chafe and bee in choler in hys mynd wyth his frend to come then to trouble hym and to let hym of his play And yf haply hee were a wynner beefore his frend came to see him and afterwards chaunce to bee a loser agayn hee will lay thoccasyon of his losse vppon his frend that came of good wyl to see hym and say that hee turned hys good luck away from him and that hee came but to trouble him takyng it rather for an offence and iniury doone him then for any good loue or duty shewed him If our frend in lyke manner whom wee goe to vysyt come out of his chamber to receyue vs not byddyng vs come into the camber nor to syt down but standing to talke wyth vs wythout any other curtesy or enterteynment wee may easely perceyue by this his maner of interteynment that hee geeueth vs good and honest leaue to depart when wee wyll The wyse and fyne courtyer will as easely fynd and vnderstand hym by his signes as hee wyll doo sometymes by his woords Also the courtier must take great heede that inseemyng to vse curtesy hee happen not to make some foolish countenance in pulling of his cap in makyng curtesy coming into the hall or taking a stoole to syt down lest he bee therfore marked mocked of the standers by or noted for proud or presuÌ„ptuous for to stay or let at these triffles a man rather getteth the name of a glorious light and proud then of a graue sober man All things touching consciens ciuility honor the good courtier should always haue in memory beefore his eyes when hee shall discours with his lord or vysyt his frend And for the first beeginning of his discourse talk with him after they are set down togethers hee must ask him how his body dooth whether all his house bee meery and in good health for yt is the thyng that wee must first procure for our own priuate commodity and secondly desire yt for our frends Also in the courtyers vysitacions hee may not bee too curious or inquisytiue of news nether ouer beesy to tell news for after his frend were once aduertised of the troth it might bee lightly hee woold thank him for his coÌ„ming comend him for his curtesy and notwtstanding blame him for his news count him a lyer And yf it happen wee fynd the party whom wee visyt sad comfortles and in some necessity although hee were not our frend yet for that hee is a chrystyan wee ought to comfort him
woold bee glad to haue honest vertuous wel condicioned seruants so that it is impossible therefore for the fauored courtier lyuing dishonestly to contynue any long time in fauor with his prince For wee haue seen many in prynces courts common weales also that haue lost their honor fauor ryches not for any pride they shewed in theÌ„ selues nor for Enui that they had nor for any treasure nor riches that they robbed nor for any euel woords that they shoold speak neither for any treason that they coÌ„mitted but only thorough the euill fame that went of them for hauÌ„ting the coÌ„pany of naughty weomeÌ„ For weomen bee of the right nature of hedgehogges which without seeing or knowing what they haue in their hart doo not wtstanding draw blood of vs with their pricks And let not any man deceaue him self hoping that if hee do coÌ„mit a fault thorough the flesh that it shall bee kept from the princes ears or that it shall not bee blased abrode in the court For this sinne is of such a quality that though it may bee hidden within curteins yet it caÌ„not bee kept silent with tongues How wise and slye so euer a woman bee yet at all times when shee geeueth eare vnto mens requests euen at that present shee resolueth to impart the whole with some frend of hers For these weomen doo glory more to bee the frend of a courtier then to bee a trew wife vnto their husbands I haue my self seen in princes courts many weomen very huÌ„ble courteous piteful pacient charitable wise deuout otherwise maruelous honest yet amongst al these I neuer found any one secret And therefore that a man will haue published to the world let him hardly tell it a woman in great secret I maruell how it shoold come to passe that wee see dayly weomen cary vpon their heads a forrest of heares a coyfe a hood gimmeus hanging at theire eares partless vpon their shoulders smocks on their bodies peticotes gownes kertels hose clokes bardingales hattes cheyns braslets ryngs plumes of fethers in their hands many other trinkets not named all which they cary lightly vpon theÌ„ think it no burden and yet they caÌ„not abide in no case to keepe or cary one secret in their brest Alas what pity is it to see these affected courtiers what meanes they vse to winne a ladyes fauor what pleasant purposes discours they put foorth vnto them what bitter sighs they let fal what seruice they offer them what iewels they geeue theÌ„ what castels in the ayre they promise theÌ„ what sorows they fayn and what lyes they make them beleeue these seely weomen by nature proud foolish are which a few gifts ouercome and with a few flattering woords beguyled Now let this courtier his lady continew this mutual frendship between them one two three fower or fiue years though perhaps not fully these yeares complete neither many months also you shall see in the end vndoubtedly a maruelous breach hate beetwixt them For this amorus courtier that so dearely seemed to loue his lady wil now make court a fresh to others dislyke that heretofore hee loued and fly from her whom erst hee folowed abhorring that hee once delyted in mislyking the tast of those meates that once were sweete pleasant to him and cannot abide her face now whose Image before hee had ingraued in his mynd So if hee before had spent three years seruice in making her his mistris hee speÌ„deth now six other yeares in the forgetting of her And therfore these noble courtiers beloued of princes must beware they make not these yoÌ„g and dishonest loues comoÌ„ in euery place For the sweete fragrant rose which they seeke to gather continueth scantly one hower but the pricks plagues of the persing thorn resteth hydden in their flesh their whole life time after A maÌ„ erreth in nothing more in this world then in taking to his charge a dishonest womaÌ„ For if hee will bring her with him to the court shee shall shame him put him to an vnreasonable charge besides the burdeÌ„ of his conscience And if afterwards hee woold put her away froÌ„ him shee wil not depart for any thing if hee woold coÌ„pel her to it ere shee depart it wil bee al the court ouer so what thiÌ„gs haue past betwixt them two alone in secret shal afterwards bee knowen of euery man abroade And therfore wee haue not causeles told you that it must needes bee a maruelous expence to the courtier to bring his louer with him to the court For hee must always bee at the charges to keepe a page mayd or gentle woman to waight vpoÌ„ her Hee must coÌ„tent the hostice of his house to lodge her secretly please the marshal to seeme not to know of it the harbinger that hee prepare him a good lodging the page that hee bee diligeÌ„t at her hand her self also must haue to liue with al so that the expeÌ„ce charge hee shal bee at with her must needes farre exceede all the benefits and commodity hee hath by court Beesids that hee may assure him self that this their lewd and fond loue cannot long eÌ„dure neither can care also of her self bee kept secret For either his hostes that lodged her or the bawd that procureth their meeting or the page that bringeth commeÌ„dacions messenges beetwixt them or the neighbors that seeth him frequeÌ„t the house or the seruant that shal suspect him or the mother that sold her to hym in the end will beewray their secret practise frendship Wherof springeth afterwards disdain froÌ„ disdayn to defame eche other so that of extreme louers they were first thei afterwards beecome mortal enemies And therefor the wiuel is not so hurtful to the corne nor the locust to the otes nor the woormes to the vines nor maggots to the fruyt nor the moth to the garments as the woman is to a man that once was his frend now become his enemy For like as in time of her loue shee robbed spoiled him of al his goods so likewise in the time of her hatred she deuoureth al his good fame reputacioÌ„ But what shal wee say of that man that coÌ„tenteth not him self with one freÌ„d alone but like an vnsatiable leacher taketh vpoÌ„ him to keepe an other Truely I caÌ„not tel what to say of this man but that it had been better for hiÌ„ hee had neuer been borne theÌ„ to haue kept coÌ„pany with such vyle coÌ„mon weomeÌ„ For hee shal neuer appease the first neither with anger nor flattery nor huÌ„ble her with preseÌ„ts nor caÌ„ expel her hate with ê“mises neither please her with cherishing of her much lesse shal ouercoÌ„e her with threttes The Occean sea is not so dauÌ„gerous nor the sweord of the tyraÌ„t so cruel neither lyghtnyng so sodein nor earthquakes so horrible fearful nor serpeÌ„ts so venymus as a harlot wheÌ„ shee dooth but suspect her frend loueth
being requested of the Rhodians to tel thē what that vertue was they called verity hee aūswered thē thus Verity my frends is a thing which the gods aboue al other professe her vertue is such that it warmeth the heauēs lighteth the earth maintayns iustice gouerneth the cōmon weal suffreth no ill thing in her making playn cleare al doutfull hidden things The Corinthians asked the like question also of Chilo the philosopher what veryty was who aūswered that it was a perdurable piller neuer diminishīg nor decresīg a buckler or shield impassable a faire time that is neuer troubled an army that neuer perisheth a flower that neuer withereth a sea that neuer feareth fortune a suer hauē where neuer was shipwrak Anaxarchus the philosopher was also demāded of the Lacedemonians what verity was who aūswered that it was a health wtout sicknes a life wtout end a iuleppe syrop that healeth al a sunne that neuer darkneth a moone wtout eclipse an herb that neuer drieth a gate that is neuer shut a way that neuer werieth mā The like was asked of Eschines the philosopher touching verity by the Rhodians And hee sayd that it was a vertue wtout which al force was weakned Iustice corrupted humility fained dissēbled patiens insupportable chastity vayn liberty lost pyty superfluous The like was also demaunded of Pharmacus the philosopher by the Romains And his aunswer was that veryty was a true center wherein al things reposed a card to sayle by to direct the pylot mariners a wisedom to hele recure euery man a present remedy for al euils a height in the top wherof euery mā resteth a bright light to lightē the whole world And surely this maketh mee thinke that these philosophers were great frends louers of veritie sins they did so much enrich and sublime the same with so many rare and excellent titles But omitting now these philosophers who haue truely spoken that they knew let vs come speak of him that aboue all the world hath exalted veryty which was the diuine woord and that was Ihesus Christ the onely begotten sonne of god and true glasse of eternitie who being asked the self same thing of Pylate sayd not to him I am wisedome neither Iustice nor chastitie nor paciens humilitie nor charity But onely sayd to him I am verity to let him vnderstād that euery creature might bee partaker of that verity But our lord Ihesus Christ was not partaker of that verity but the sole only possesser of the same hee being the very truth it self O of how many is this vertue desired of how few yea most few obserued For in effect it is nothing els but a mark wherat all good mē shoot with their eyes al il wicked persons lose their sight The emperor Augustus in the triumph he made of Mark Antony his loue Cleopatra amōgst others brought to Rome an Egiptiā preest of 60. years of age the senat beeing informed of a surety that days of his life hee neuer told lye they agreed not onely to restore him to liberty but to make him hygh preest of their temple and to erect a stature of him among the noble and princely parsons of Rome Sparthianus writeth that in the tyme of Claudian Emperor of Rome there deceased a citizen of Rome called Pamphilus whose dooings after his death examined it was manifestly proued that he neuer spake one true woord all his life time but always lyed in that hee sayd Which related vnto the Emperor hee commaunded hys body should not bee buryed his goods should bee confiscate and hys house rased to the foundacion and hys wife and children for euer banished Rome and all her territories to the end there should remayn no memory to the common wealth of so pestiferous and venemous a beast At that time whan these two thyngs thus happened the Romayns and Egyptians were mortall enemies and therefore by these examples wee may see of what force and power this vertue of veryty is syth the romayns made a stature to their enemy onely for that hee was a trew and iust man and depryued of sepulture their natiue chyld and a Romayn born for that hee was a lyar A trew man may goe in any place where hee lysteth freely without interruptiō accompanied with al men not fearing to bee accused of any and may wyth saftie reprooue the vicious and ill persons and fynally to conclude hee may wythout the feare of any speak in the face of the world and shew hys face amongst the best If a man will choose a frend hee neede not bee inquisityue if hee bee wyse iust chaste carefull couragious or noble but onely if hee bee trew of hys woord And if that bee so it followeth that all vertues and honesty must abound in hym Helius Sparthianus recyteth of the life of Traian the Emperor that beyng one nyght at supper and accompanied with noble men at his boord they argued of the fydelyty of frends and infydelity of enemyes whom Traian aunswered That hee neuer had frend in his life but hee was good trew honest and faythfull whereupon his lords besought hym that yt woold please hym to tell them the occasion of hys good happe in thys And hee aunswered thus The cause why I haue euer been so fortunat herein was this I neuer woold choose to my frend a lyar and couetous man For in him that raigneth auarice and lying there can neuer dwell perfyt frendship Those that are honest like so to bee reputed must endeuor them selues to speak well allways and euer to say that that is true and if they will not doo thys for consciens sake let thē doo it yet to auoid the shame that followeth them For there can bee no greater mockry or dispight doon to a man then openly to make him know hee hath lyed Wee see the chyld whē hee perceiueth hee hath told a lye hee blusheth straight is ashamed much more ought men growen of years whose face is couered with heares not onely blush but shame to tell a lye Many tymes I think what a great greef the marchant suffereth euery hower not to bee coūted a lyar whē hee vttereth his ware suer hee dooth it but because hee woold not lose his credit And lo here why they sweare cōmonly by the faith of a marchant to bee more assured where to the contrary wee see many other that in apparaunce seeme to bee honest and graue men that vse not that manner but rather they wil stick no more to tel you a lye then to lose a wheat grayn But here I speak not neither doo mean to touch those that are in deede vertuous and good men but I speak of those that thinks them selues honest and yet bee not god knoweth And therefore wee may bee assertayned that a marchaunt esteemeth more his goods and marchādise then a lier dooth his honor otherwise honesty There is nothing that preiudiceth
Alexander emperoure hauing warre with the people of that Isle made a strong castle ¶ Of that whiche chaunced vnto Antigonus a citezen of Rome in the time of Marcus Aurelius Cap. ii AT the same time when this woful chaunce happened in the Isle there dwelled a Romaine in the same citie called Antigonus a man of a noble bloud and wel stroken in age who with his wife and doughter were banished two yeares before from Rome The cause of his banishment was this There was an olde laudable custome in Rome instituted by Quintus Cincinatus the dictatour that two of the most auncient senatours should â—o with the censour newly created in the moneth of December to visite al Rome and to examine seuerally euery Romain declaring vnto him the .xii. tables also the particular decrees of the senate demaunding of theim if they knewe any man that had not obserued these lawes and if they did they should enfourme the senate thereof And so euery man should receiue condigne punishment according to his offence But thei neuer punished before they warned for they vsed the one yeare to admonishe them of their faultes and the next yeare if they dyd not amende to punyshe theim or elles to banyshe theim These were the wordes of the lawe in the fift table and thyrde chapter The sacret senate doth ordeyne the happy people do consent the auncient colonies doe allowe that if men as men in one yeare doe trespasse that men as men for that yeare doe wynke at them but if they as euill men doe not amende that then the good as good doe punishe them Moreouer the lawe sayde the first faultes are dissembled withall because they are committed through weake ignoraunce but the second shal be punished because they proceade of negligence and malice This inquiry was made in the moneth of December because in the moneth of Ianuary folowynge the officers of Rome were elected And it was reason the good from the euill should be knowen to th entent they might knowe who merited to haue them who deserued to go without them The chiefe cause why this Antigonus his wife and his doughter were banished was this It was ordeined by the eleuenth emperour of Rome Augustus that no man should be so hardy as to pisse nere the dores of any temple And Caligula the fourth emperour coÌ„maunded that no womaÌ„ should geue or sel any letters of witchecrafts to hange about the peoples neckes to deliuer them from the feuer quartaine And Cato the censour made a lawe that neither young maÌ„ nor mayde should talke togethers at the conduictes where they vsed to fetche water nor at the ryuer where they washed their clothes nor at the bakehouse where they baked their bread because al the wanton youth of Rome ordinarely haunted one of these two places It chaunced when the censours and consulles visited the warde of mounte Celio Antigonus who dwelled thereby was accused to haue pissed against the walles of the temple of Mars and his wife likewyse was complained of for selling wrytinges to cure the feuers and his doughter was noted for one that commonly haunted the conduictes riuers and bakehouses to talke with younge men the whiche in those daies was a great shame to maydes of Rome The censours therefore seinge the euill president whiche they founde in the house of Antigonus at that tyme registred also before and that he had bene gently thereof admonished banished him into the Isle of Scicilly for as long time as it should please the senate And lyke as in sumptuous and goodly buyldinges one stone falleth not without shakyng of an other so it chaunceth likewyse to men For commonly one mischaunce commeth not alone but that another immediatly foloweth I speake it for this purpose for that Antigonus was not onely depriued of his honoure goodes and countrey but also by an earth quake his house fel down to the ground slewe his dearest beloued doughter Whyles both these great mischaunces happened I meane of the monstre of Scicily and of the banishement of Antigonus from Rome Marke the emperour was in the warres againste the Argonautes where he receiued a letter from Antigonus of his banishemente whereof the emperoure was marueylous sory as it appeareth by the aunswere whiche he sent to comforte him ¶ Howe Marcus Aurelius sought the wealth of his people and howe his people loued him Cap. iii. IN the seconde yeare that Marke was elected emperour the .xlv. of his age when he retourned from the conquest of the Germaines the Argonautes from whence he brought great ryches and treasures to the Romaine empire he to reste him selfe and to appointe his men lay at Salon vntil such time as the Romaines had prepared all thinges conuenient for suche a glorious triumphe There was one thing done whiche neuer was sene in Rome for that same day of his triumphe his sonne Comodus by the assent of the whole people of Rome was chosen emperour after the death of his father He was not chosen at the request of his father for he was against it saiyng that the empire ought not to be geuen for the merites of those whiche are dead but he should be chosen for his own good workes being aliue This emperour said oftentimes that then Rome should be vndone when the election shal be takeÌ„ from the senate when the emperour shal enherite the empire by patrimony Now to come to our matter themperour being at Salon trauayled much to bring his men into Rome in good order and Rome was more careful for to receiue him triumphantly as it appertained to such a great conqueste He was marueilously wel beloued of al the empire and he alwayes studied the wealthe of his people and they were alwayes most faithful in his seruices So that sundry times there was a question moued in the senate whiche of these two thinges was better beloued Either the emperour of his people or the people of their emperour So that one day they appointed two iudges in this case the one was the Embassadour of the Parthes and the other was the Embassadour of the Rhodes and the information was geuen on bothe partes in writing The emperour alleaged the great profite that he had done to the common wealth and the many euils which he had deliuered it from On the other part the senatours declared the good dedes they had done in his absence and the great loue they bare him alwayes in his presence So likewyse the emperour an other day moued an other question to the senate affirming that it was more glory for him to haue such subiectes then for them to haue such an emperour The senate denied it affirming that the coÌ„fort was greater that they had of him then that which he could haue of them And in this wise the emperour gaue the glory to his people and the people gaue the glory to their emperour Thus merily this matter was reasoned of againe It was a pleasaunt thing to heare the reasons
wherwith eche parte proued his purpose For the good emperour attributed the whole laude for a perpetual memory vnto the people because of the great obediēce diligent seruice and faithful loue which he had found in them And on the other part the fortunat people gaue the glory vnto the emperour for his clemency mercifulnes for his vprightuous gouerninge for his honestie of liuing for his stout courage in conquering It was a thing worthy of noting to se how the people gaue the honour to their emperour and howe the emperour attributed the prayse to his people These matters were deliuered in truste to the straunge Embassadours to th end that all people might learne to obey their princes and also princes learne to loue their people to th ende that by such examples as it was reason the good should be encouraged and the euil discomforted Thus the emperour prepared al thinges ready with his capitaines and captiues for his entring and the people of Rome made as great preparation for to receiue him It was a meruailous thing to see what people came forth of Rome to mete him what an infinite numbre were at Salon to behold him They that were at Salon had their eies there and their hartes at Rome and they that were at Rome had their hartes at Salon in suche sorte that their eies daseled with that they sawe and their hartes also reioyced for that they hoped to see For there is no greater tormente to the harte then when it is deferred from that which it greatly desireth ¶ How at the intercession of many whiche the Empresse had sent the Emperour graunted his doughter Lucilla licence to sporte her selfe at the feastes Cap. lxi YOu shal vnderstande that the Romaines vsed alwayes in the moneth of Ianuary to permit that their emperoures should triumphe And it chaunced that at that time when they prepared for the triumphe Faustine the empresse caused diuers noble barons to demaunde licence of the emperoure that her doughter might come from her mistres where she was taught to the feastes Her name was Lucilla who was elder then the prince Comodus her brother She had a goodly gesture she was well made in the body derely beloued of her mother whom she resembled not only in beauty but also in liuing Though the request semed to be reasonable and those that made it his counsellers great about him though him whom they asked was the father and she that demaunded it was the mother and she for whom this request was made was the doughter yet the emperour would not graunt it but halfe against his wil. Faustine when she had obteined licence was exceading glad and so sone as she might possible she brought her doughter home vnto the pallace And when the daye of the great feast solempne triumphe came the young damoisel perceiuing her selfe at large without any gouernour trusting in the innocencie of her selfe estemed not the malice of any other man but reioyced with those that reioyced talked with them that talked behelde them that behelde her and she thought because she mente euyll to no man that no man wylled euyll to her In those dayes it was as great an offence for a mayde of Rome to laughe in the company of men as it was for a woman of Grecia to be taken in adultery with a priest So greatly was the honestie at that tyme of the Romaine Matrones regarded and the lyghtnes of the maydens was so detested that they gaue more sharper punishement for one offence done openly then for twoo other whiche were committed in secreat Amonge all other thinges from these seuen the Romaine Matrones did marueilously refrayne that is to wete from talkyng muche at feastes from gready eating amonge straungers From drynkyng wyne whyles they were whole From talkyng in secreate with any man From lyfting vp their eyes in the temples From gasyng muche out at the wyndowes And from wandryng abroade without their husbandes For the woman that was apprehended in any of these thynges was alwayes after counted as one defamed There are many thynges suffred in persones of meane estate whiche can not be endured in those of hygher degree For Ladies of highe renowme can not kepe the reputation of their estates vnlesse they are marueilous circumspecte in all their doynges All thynges that degenerate from their kynde deserue blame but the dishonest woman meriteth infamy If ladies wylbe counted ladies in dede let them knowe howe muche they excell others in ryches so muche lesse lycence haue they then other to goe gaddinge in the streates For of a suretie the aboundaunce of their ryches and the lybertie of their personnes should not be a spurre to prouoke them to gadde abroade but rather a brydle to keape them within All this is spoken for this cause that Lucilla as a mayde tender and younge and Faustine her mother as one not very olde sometymes on foote and sometymes ryding sometymes openly and nowe and then secreatly Sometymes with company and at other tymes alone Sometymes by day and ofttymes by night vsed to foote the streates of Rome to view the fieldes of Vulcane To sport them by the ryuer of Tiber to gather the fruites in the Ortechardes of Saturne to suppe at the conduites of Nero and suche other vagaries they vsed The whiche thinges though their age did desyre and their idlenes allure them vnto yet the grauitie of suche ladies ought to haue withdrawen them from it I wyll speake one thing to th ende that other ladies and gentlewomen may take warning thereby whiche is that I can not tell whiche was greater either the small discretion whiche moued Faustine and Lucilla to wander in suche sorte aboute the streates or the audacitie that euyll men tooke thereby to talke of their personnes and doubte of their honesties The keaping of women in their houses is lyke vnto a brydle to holde styll euyll mens tongues The woman that is a strayer abroade putteth her good name in muche daunger Of trouth it were better for a woman neuer to be borne then to lyue with an euyll name Amonge all the families of the auncient Romaines that of the Cornelians was counted moste fortunate for among the men there was neuer anye founde a cowarde nor among the women any that was defamed The historiographers saye that there was one woman of that lynage onely for beyng light in her behauiour was by the handes of her owne parentes executed and put to death Surely it was well done of the Romaines to thintent that the lightnes of one woman alone should not defame the whole family Where as is noblenes and honestie there the matters that touche the honor ought not to tary whyles they be remedied by iustice but from that man or woman which among al hath lost his good name from the nombre of the liuing he also ought to be taken It is not sufficient for one to him selfe to be good but it is requisite that he geue no
day in hearing tydings another day in doing seruyces somtime liking darknes sometime lothing lyght being in company and solitary lyueth and finally the poore louer may that he wil not and would that he may not More ouer the counsel of his frends auayleth hym nothing nor the infamy of his enemyes not the losse of goodes the aduenture of honour the losynge of his lyfe nor the sekyng of death neyther commyng neare nor flyeng farre nor seing with his eyes ne hearing with his eares nor tasting with his mouth nor fealing with his hand to conclude to get vyctory he is alway at warre wyth hym selfe Then I would ye louers knewe from whence your loue doth come it is this The entrayles wherof we are bread be fleshe the breastes that we sucked are fleshe the armes wherin we be fastned be of flesh the thoughts which we thynke be fleshly the workes which we do are fleshly the men with whom we lyue are of flesh and the wonder for whom we dye are flesh by whych occasion commeth the reuerting of our flesh to flesh many fre harts are intangled with the snares of loue It semeth wel my ladies ye were gendered in puddels as before is mencioned of the Egiptians the puddels haue no cleare water to drincke nor fruite to eate nor fish to be taken nor shyppe to sayle in I meane that in your lyues ye be filthy your personnes wythout shame in aduersitye weake and feble in prosperity ful of deceite and guyle false in your woordes and doubteful in your doynges in hatynge without measure in loue extreame in gifts couetous in takyng vnshamefast finally I say ye are the ground of feare in whom the wise men find peril the simple men suffer iniury In you the wise men hold their renowne slaundered the simple men their lyfe in penury Let vs omit the opinion of the Egiptians and come to the Grekes which say that in the desertes of Arabia the sonne shineth hottest at the beginning ther was found one womaÌ„ with one bird called the Phenix which bird was created on the water and the woman engendered by the great heat of the sonne of the pouder of trees in this wise Ther was a tree sore eaten with wormes vpon a time a blast of lightning set it on fier burnt it so as amongest the ashes of that rotten tre the first woman was made found Although I be a Roman philosopher yet can I not disalow the opinion of the greke philosopher Of trouth ye amorous dames ye haue your tongues of the nature of fire and your condicions like the pouder of a rotten tre Accordyng to the dyuersity of beasts so nature hath in diuers parts of the body placed their strength as the Eagle in her byl the Vnicorne in the horne the serpent in the taile the bul in the head the beare in his pawes the horse in the breast the dogge in the teath the bore in the tuske the doues in the winges the women in their tongues For of trouth the flight of the doue is not so hyghe as the fantasy of your folyshnes is vaine the cat scratcheth not so sore with her nayles as ye scratch the folish men with your importunities The dogge hurteth not hym so much that he runneth after as ye do the sorowful louer that serueth you the life of him is not in so muche daunger that catcheth the bul by the hornes as the same of him that falleth in your hands To conclude the serpent hath not so much poison in his taile as ye haue in your tongues I accept the Romaine ladies a part for ther are many very noble whose lyues are not touched with complaint nor good fames had in suspect Of such neither my letter speaketh ought nor my penne writeth but of those women I speake that be such as al the venemous beastes in the world haue not so much poison in their bodyes as one of those hath in their tongues And sith the gods haue commaunded our fate doth permit that the life of men cannot passe without women I aduise the youth besech the aged I wake the wise instrucâ—â—â—mple to shonne women of euyl name more then the comon pestilence Râ—â—â—â—ng the auncient lawes of Plato I find written this We comaund that al women openly defamed bee openlye banished the citye to thintente that others seing the sinne punished may abhorre the same for feare to fal in the like paine The same law said further we comaund that they pardon a woman for al her faults she committeth bodely in case ye se amendment likewise in her but we wil that no fault be pardoned committed by the tongue For actual sinne done is the frailety of nature the tongue only of malyce O deuyne Plato maister measure of al knowledge science prince of al philosophers When thou in the golden world maydst such lawes in whiche time ther was such scarsitye of those women which were euil and so great plenty of them that were good what should we do now in Rome wher there be so many euil openlye and none good in secret women naturally oughte to be shamefast in their face temperate in wordes wise of wit sober in going honest in conuersacion pitiful in correction ware in their lyuyng auoyding companyes faithfull in their promyse constaÌ„t in loue Fynally she that wil be counted honest let her not trust to the wisedome of the wise nor commit her fame to the wanton youth let euery wise woman take hede what he is that promyseth her ought For after that the flames of Venus be set on fire and Cupide shotte his arrowes the rich offereth all that he hath and the poore al that he may The wise man wil euer be her frend and the simple man for euer her seruaunt The wise man wil lose his lyfe for her and the simple wil accept his death for her The old men say they wil be frendes to their frendes and the yonge man wil say he wil be enemy to their enemyes The aged promysing to pay her debtes the other to reuenge her iniuries Finally the one because to hide their pouertie and the other to publyshe their beautie leade these fooles losing their lyues bringinge their fame to ende I wil leaue to speake of the good women for I mind not to charge them with ought I aske you amorous ladyes yf Plato was amongest you when ye made a play of my lyfe drew my picture about Rome no surely for that I se in your act now I do suspect that to be true which hath bene sayd of others for there are fewe in Rome that execute the paine of Platoes law One thing ye cannot deny if I were the worst of al men at the last ye se the end of my vylanies but this you caÌ„not deny that she which is least euil of al you the naughtines of her life I could not sufficiently set out in my lyfe Yt
thy children haue no nede to be maried For one thing we are bound to thee that is the example of thy pacience for since thou suffrest Faustine in so many open infamies it is no great nede we suffer any secretes in thee For this present I say no more I end my letter desiring to se shortly the ende of thy life ¶ Marcus Aurelius wryteth to the lady Macrine the Romaine of whom beholding her at the wyndowe he became enamoured Whiche declareth what force the beauty of a fayre woman hath in a weake man Cap. xiii MArke the very desirous to the lady Macrine greatly desired I know not whether by my euyl aduenture or by happe of my good aduenture not long agoe I saw the at a window where thou haddest thy armes as close as I my eyes displayd that cursed be they for euer for in beholding thy face forthwith my hart abode with the as prisoner The beginning of thy knowledge is the end of my reason and fallyng in shonnyng one euyl come infinite trauayles to men I say it for this if I had not bene ydel I had not gone out of my house and not gone out of my house I had not passed by the streat And not going through the streate I had not sene that at the window and not seing the at the window I had not desired thy person And not desiringe thy person I had not put thy fame in so greate peril nor my life in doubt nor we had geuen no occasion to Rome to speake of vs. For of troth lady Macrine in this case I condemne my selfe For willyngly I dyd behold the. I did not salute the althoughe thou desiredst to be sene Sith thou were set vp as a white it is no merueile though I shotte with the arrowes of my eyes at the but of thy beauty with rollyng eyes with browes bent wel coloured face incarnate teth ruddy lipps courled heere hands set with ringes clothed with a thousand maner of coloures hauyng purses full of swete sauoures the bracelettes and earinges ful of pearles and stones Tel me what this meaneth The most that I can thinke of this is sith you shew vs your bodies openly ye would we should know your desires in secret And if it be so as I beleue it is it semeth to me lady Macrine thou oughteste to loue him that lyketh the to enfourme him that seketh the to aunswere him that calleth the to feale him that fealeth the and to vnderstand him that vnderstandeth the and sith thou vnderstandest me I do vnderstand the vnderstand that thou knowest not I do wel remember as I went by the streat solitarily to se ii theues put to death my eyes saw the at a window on whom dependeth al my desires More iustice thou dost to me then I to the theaues for I being at iustice thou hast iusticed the iustice none dare paine the. The gallowes is not so cruel to them which neuer knew but doing euyl as thou art to me which neuer thought other but to serue the. They suffer but one death but thou makest me suffer a thousand They in one daye one houre end their lyues and I each minute do fele the pāges of death They died gilty but I innocently They dy openly I in secret What wilt thou I saye more to thee they wepte for that they died and I wepe teares of bloude from my hart for that I liue This is the differēce their torments spreadeth abrod through al their body I kepe mine together in my hart O cruel Macrine I know not what iustice this is that they kil men for robbing stealing of money suffer women to liue which steale mens harts If they take the liues from them that picke purses why then do they suffer ladies which robbe our entrailes By thy noblenes I pray the by the goddesse Venus I coniure the eyther satisfye my desire or restore to me my hart whych thou hast robbed from me I would thou knew lady Macrine the clere intencion of my hart rather then this letter written with my hande If my hap were so good as thy loue would permit me to speake with the I wold hope by sight speche to win that which I am in suspect by my letter to lose The reason wherof is because thou shalt rede my rude reasons in this leter if thou sawest me thou shouldest se the bitter teares which I would offer to thee in this my vnhappy life O that my mouth could publishe my cruel peines as my harte fealeth thē I sweare to thee lady Macrine that my woful plaintes would stirre vp thy small care and as thy beauty hath made thee thine owne so the knowledge of my griefe should make the myne I desire thou wouldest regarde the beginning and therewith note the ende For of truth the same day that thou imprisonest my hart at the window in the dungeon of my desires I had no lesse weakenes to ouercome then thou haddest strength to enforce me greater was thy power to take me frome my selfe then my reason was to put me from the. Now lady Macrine I doe not aske other mercy of the but that we may declare our minds together But in this case what wilt thou I say vnto the but that thou hast somuch power ouer me and I so lytle of my libertie that though I would not my hart must nedes be thine that being thine thou wilt shewe thy selfe to be mine And sith it may not be but that my life must be condemned in thy seruice be thou as sure of my faith as I am doubtful of thy good wil. For I shal haue a greater honor to be lost for thy sake thē to winne any other treasure I haue no more to say to the now but that thou haue respect to my perdicion draw life out of my death tourne my teares to ioy And because I hold my faith and wil neuer dispaire in thy hope I send the x. litle ringes of gold with x. ringes of Alexandria and by the immortall gods I cōniure the that when thou puttest thē on thy finger thou receiuest my loue into thy hart Marcus thy louer wrote this with his owne hand ¶ Of an other letter whiche the emperour sent to the Lady Macrine wherin he expresseth the firy flames which consume sonest the gentle harts Cap. xiiii MArke thy neighbour at Rome to the Macrine his swete enemy I cal the swete for it is iust I die for the enemy because thou ceasest not to kil me I cannot tel how it is but sithe the feast of Ianus hitherto I haue writen thre letters vnto the in the aunswere wherof I would haue ben cōtented to haue receiued but ii from the. If I wuld serue the thou wil not be serued if I speake to the thou wilt not aunswere me If I behold the thou wilt not loke at me if I cal the thou wilt not answer me If I visite
suffrest me to enioye the fruite and geue to whom thou wilt the leaues By the immortal gods I sweare that I marueile not a litle for I thought that in the temple of the virgin Vestalles no temptation could haue come to man But nowe by experience I finde that that woman is easelier ouercome whiche is moste watched then the other that hath honest libertie All bodily diseases be first had or they be knowen and knowen or they be sene and sene or they be felte and felte or they be tasted and so in all thinges except this darte of loue whom they firste feale the stroke thereof before they knowe the waye howe it commeth The lightning commeth not so sodaine but it is knowen before by the thonder The wal falleth not sodeinly but first some stones fall downe The colde commeth not so faste but some small shiuering is sene before onely loue is not felt vntil he hath had power in the entrailes Let them know that are ignoraunt thou lady Liuia if thou wilt know Loue sleapeth when we wake waketh when we slepe laugheth whē we weape wepeth whē we laugh It assureth in taking taketh in assuring it speaketh when we be still is stil when we speake And finally it hath such a cōdition that to geue vs our desire it causeth vs to liue in paine I sweare vnto the whē my wil became thy seruaunt thy beautie made the my mistres when I was at the tēple and there found thee neither thou in thy praier didst mynde me nor I vnhappy man did thinke on thee O vnhappy hart of mine that being whole thou art deuided being in health thou art hurt being aliue thou art killed being mine thou art stolen the worst of al is that thou not helping to my lyfe consentest that death shal assault me Considering many times lady Liuia with my selfe my thoughtes to be high my fortunes base I would haue seperated my selfe from thee but knowing my trauaile to be wel emploied in thy seruice I say though I might I would not be seperated from thee I wil not deny one thing that is the cursed loue taketh away the tast of al thinges in those things only it geueth vs pleasure which are greatly against our profite This is the profe of him that loueth hartely that one frowne of her that he loueth doth more greue him then al the delightes of the rest of his life cā please I deme lady Lyuia thou arte abashed to se me openly as a philopher to know me secretly as a louer I besech thee hartely discouer me not For if the gods graunt me long life I am now a young foole yet in age I will be wyse The gods know what I desire and the force whiche doth enforce me thereunto And as the fleshe is weake the hart tender the occasions many the vertues fewe the world deceitfull the people malicious so I passe this springe time with floures in hope that in haruest I shall haue some fruite Thinkest thou lady Liuia that philosophers be thei neuer so wise are not touched with the sharp dartes of loue and that vnder their course clothes there is not soft fleshe white Certainly amonges hard bones is nourished softe fleshe within the pricking huskes growe the chesse nut I saye that vnder simple attire is the faithful loue I doe not deny but our fraile nature doeth withstande our vertues Nor I deny not but that the wanton desires are repressed with vertuous mindes Nor I deny not but that the rashenes of youth are restrained with the reynes of reason I deny not but many times wisedome doth withstand that that the fleshe procureth yet I confesse that he that is not amorous is a foole And dost not thou know although we be wise we leaue not therfore to be men dost not thou know all that euer we learne in our life suffiseth not to gouerne the fleshe one houre doest not thou know that to wise men in this case hath fallen many errours dost not thou know that there hath bene are many maisters of vertues and much more there are hath bene folowers of vices then why doest thou make suche a wonder only of me I wil not saye it without a trouth that I neuer had my iudgement so good perfite as when Cupide blewe winde on me with his winges There was neuer man vntil my time accompted wise but first he was entangled with Cupides snares Gratian was in loue with Tamira Solon Salaminus the geuer of the lawes was enamored with one Gretian Pittacus Mitelenus left his owne wife was in loue with a bond woman that he brought from the warre Cleobulus when he was .lxxx. yere olde had red philosophy lxv yeres climming vp a ladder to scale his neighbours house fel and of the bruse died Periander prince of Achaia chefe philosopher of Grece at the instaunce of his louers slew his owne wife Anacharsis a Philosopher a Sithian by his father and a Greeke by the mother side loued so dearely a woman of Thebes that he taught her al that he knew in so much that he being sicke on his bed she red for him in the scholes Epimenides of Crete that slept .xv. yeares without waking Although he was agreat worshipper of the Gods yet was he bannished Athens .x. yeres for the louing of women Architus Tarentinus the maister of Plato scholer of Pithagoras occupied his mynd more to inuēt new kinds of loue then to employ his minde to vertues learning Gorgias Leontinus borne in Scycil had mo cōcubines in his house then bookes in his study Al these were wise men we knew them wise yet at th end they were ouercome with the flesh Therfore blame me not alone for as I haue told thee of these few so could I of a whole army For of trouth he ought to haue many thinges that wil be accōpted a curious louer He must haue his eyes displayed on her that he loueth his vnderstanding much altered in that he thinketh his tongue troubled in that he should speake so that in seing he be blind in thinking dismaid in speaking troubled O lady Liuia the louing in mockery passeth by mockery but wheras true loue is there is grefe no mockerie there loue spitteth his poison cruel Cupide fixeth his arrowes vp to the feathers The eies wepe the harte sigheth the fleshe trembleth the senewes doe shrinke the vnderstāding is grosse reason faileth so al falleth to the earth Finally the heauy louer abyding in himselfe holdeth nothing of himselfe Al this I saye because if I want knowledge to make me a louer yet am I sure that the workes faile not in me to worke thy seruice And though by mishap I sawe the yet by good chaunce I knew thee I aske nothing of thee but that thou loue me faithfully sith I loue the vnfainedly And if thou hearest that I am sicke from my hart I desire the to do me some good Sith it is only in the to help me it is reason thou only do seke for remedy I was greatly comforted whē Fulius Carlinus desired me in thy behalfe to doe a pleasure which I did incontinent al that thou desiredst to the intent that thou another day shouldest doe frankly that I desire thee And behold lady Liuia the woman that is serued with seruices it is reason within a whyle she be sued vnto by prayer And though my strength cannot open the gates of the purpose or not agreing to thy demaund yet al my labours slake not to vphold thy renowme I praye the discouer not the one nor beguile me with the other For thou seest in graunting is remedy and in hoping is comfort But promise is deceiuable delayeng is perylous and the entertaining byndeth I se wel that the harty demaund requyreth a long aunswere but I would not thou shouldest do so But as I loue the so loue me as I desire of the so graūt thou me I will say once againe I am all thine nothing mine owne And note lady Liuia that it is as muche honour to thee as profitable for me that thou chaunge these thy desires put in order thy disordered will For thou seest it is muche better to heale shortly then to late with failing thy purpose All women obserue one euill opinion that is ye neuer receiue councel although it be geuen you in neuer so waighty a case And if it be not so then because thou arte estemed beautiful be likewyse honoured for taking of good counsel In this sorte though my losse be much thy pacience litle yet shall they accompt me wise in geuing counsel the most happy to folowe it One thing I will say to thee pardon me therin Women be much defamed in that they wil take no councel such as do assure their renowme so much on the iudgement of others as they condemne wel doing before I thinke good if it so like thee would if thou wilt that thou should doe in all pointes as I haue counsayled thee I will say no more lady Liuia but that I doe present to thee all my vnfortunate troubles my sighes as a desperate man my seruice as thy seruaūt my troubled griefes my wordes of philosophy and my teares as a louer I sende thee here a girdle of golde on condition that thou alwayes fixe thy eies on that and thy harte on me I pray the gods geue me to thee thee to me Marke the open Philosopher wrote this in great secreate FINIS
only they are made euil This worthy woman kepyng alwaies such a faythful gard of her chyld that no flatterers should enter in to flatter him nor malicious to tel hym lyes bychaunce on a day a Romaine sayd vnto her these words I thinke it not mete most excellente princesse that thou shoulde be so dyligente aboute thy sonne to forget the affaires of the common wealth for prynces ought not to be kept so close that it is more easye to obtaine a sute at the gods then to speake one word with the prince To this the Empresse Mamea aunswered and said They which haue charge to gouerne those that do gouerne withoute comparison oughte to feare more the vyces of the kinge thenne the ennemyes of the Realme For the ennemyes are destroyed in a battaile but vyces remayne durynge the life and in the end enemyes do not destroy but the possessions of the land but the vycious prince destroyeth the good maners of the comon wealth These wordes were spoken of this worthye Romaine By the histories which I haue declared and by those which I omitte to recite al verteous men may know how much it profiteth them to bring vp their children in trauailes or to bring them vp in pleasures But now I ymagine that those which shall read this will praise that which is wel writen and also I trust they wil not giue their children so much their owne willes For men that read much worke litle are as belles the which do sound to cal others and they theim selues neuer enter into the church If the fathers did not esteame the seruice they do vnto God their owne honour nor the profite of their owne children yet to preserue them from disseases they ought to bring them vp in vertue withdraw them from vices For truly the children which haue bene brought vp daintely shal alwayes be diseased and sikely What a thinge is it to se the sonne of a labourer the cote without pointes the shyrte tottered and torne their feete bare their head without a cappe the body withoute a girdle in sommer without a hat in winter without a cloke in the day ploughing in the night driuing his herd eating bread of Rye or Otes lyeng on the earth or els on the strawe and in this trauaile to se this yong man so holy vertuous that euery man desireth and wisheth that he had such a sonne The contrarie commeth of noble mens sonnes the which we se are nourished brought vp betwene two fine holland sheetes layed in a costly cradel made after the new fashion they giue the nourse what she wil desire if perchaunce the child be sicke they chaunge his nource or els they appoint him a diet The father and the mother slepe neither night nor daye all the house watcheth they let him eate nothing but the broth of chyckins they kepe hym diligentely that he fal not downe the stayres the child asketh nothing but it is geuen him immediatly Finally they spend their time in seruyng them they waste their riches in geuyng them their delights they occupie their eyes but to behold them they imploye not their harts but to loue them But I sweare that those fathers whiche on this wise do spend their riches to pomper theim shal one day water their eyes to bewaile theym What it is to se the wast that a vaine man maketh in bringinge vp his child specially if he be a man sumwhat aged that at his desire hath a child borne He spendeth so muche goodes in bringing his vp wantonly whyles he is yong that oft times he wanteth to mary him when he commeth to age And that which worst of al is that that which he spendeth and employeth he thynketh it wel bestowed and thinketh that to much that he geueth for gods sake Though the fathers are very large in spendinge the mothers very curious and the norces ful of pleasures and the seruauntes very dilygente and attentiue yet it foloweth not that the children should be more hole then others For the more they are attented the more they be disseased the more they eate the more they are weake the more they reioyce the worse they prosper the more they wast and spend soo muche lesse they profite And all this is not without the secret permission of God For God wil not that the cloutes of children be of greater value then the garments of the poore God without a greate misterie toke not in hande the custodye of the poore and doth not suffer that the children of the rich men should prosper For the good bringeth vp his children without the preiudyce of the rich and to the profit of the comon wealth but the rich bringeth vp his children wyth the swet of the poore and to the domage of the common wealth Therfore if this thyng be true as it is it is but reason that the wolfe whych deuoureth vs do dye and the shepe which clotheth vs do lyue The fathers oft times for tendernes wyl not teach nor bryng vp their children in doctrine sayeng that as yet he is to yong and that there remayneth time enough for to be learned and that they haue leysure enough to be taught and further for the more excuse of their error they affirme that when the chyld in his youth is chastned he ronneth in daunger of his health But the euil respect which the fathers hath to their chyldren God suffereth afterwards that they come to be so slaunderous to the common wealth so infamous to their parents so disobedient to their fathers so euyl in their condicions so vnaduised and light in their behauiour so vnmeate for knowledge so vncorrigible for disciplyne so inclined to lies so enuyeng the truth that their fathers would not only haue punished them with sharpe correction but also they woulde reioyce to haue them buryed with bytter teares An other thyng ther is in this matter worthy to be noted and much more worthyer to be commended that is that the Fathers and mothers vnder the couller that their chyldren should be somewhat gracious they learne them to speake to bable to be great mockers and scoffers the which thing afterwards redoundeth to the great infamye and dishonour of the Father to the great peril of the sonne and to the greatest griefe and displeasure of the mother For the child which is brought vp wantonly without doctrine in his youth of necessity must be a foole when he is old If this which I haue sayd be euil this which I wil say is worse that the Fathers and mothers the gouernours or nources do teach them to speake dishonest things the which are not lawful and therfore ought not to be suffered to be spoken in that tender age nor the grauitie of the auncients ought not to lysten vnto them For there are no men vnlesse they be shamelesse that wil permit their children to be great bablers Those which haue the charge to gouerne good mens children ought to be very
circumspect that they kepe them in awe feare subiection that they ought not to be contented though the fathers say they are pleased For the disordinate loue that the fathers haue to them is the cause that they caÌ„not se whether they be mockers or euil brought vp And if it chaunced as ofttimes it doth that the father shold come to the maister to cause him to withdraw correction in this case if the master be a wise maÌ„ he ought no lesse to reproue admonish the father then to correct the sonne And if this did not auaile I councel him to forsake and leaue his charge For the man of an honest nature after he hath taken anye charge in hand wil eyther bring it to passe or els he wil dye in the same I wyl not denaye but that it is reason noble mennes sonnes be more gently brought vp handled and honoured then the sonnes of the Plebeiens for more delicately is the palme tree which bringeth forth dates cherished then the oke which bringeth forth Akornes wherwith the hogges are nourished Let princes and great lordes beware that the pleasures which they gaue their childre in theyr youthe be not so excessyue nor of soo longe continuaunce that when they would withdraw them the world hath not alredy festered them For the children brought vp with to much delicatenesse are disobedient to their fathers and mothers or els they are sicke in their bodyes or worse then that they are vicious in their behauiours so that their fathers shold be better to burye theym quycke then to bring them vp vycious ¶ That princes and greâ—te Lordes oughte to be carefull in seking wyse men to bryng vp their children Of .x. conditions that good Schole maisters ought to haue Cap. xxxiiii WHen he that is without end gaue beginning to the world in this sort he beganne The Sonday he created heauen and earth The Mondaye he created the element the Tuesday he created the Planettes the Wednesday he created the Sonne and the Mone the Thursday he created the birdes in the ayre and the fishes in the sea the fryday he created Adam and Eue hys wife and truly in that he created and how he created hee shewed himselfe as God For as sone as the house was made he fornished peopled it with that that was necessarie as he could wel do Omitting therfore the creator and talking of creatures we se by experience that a householder in planting a vineyarde immediatly maketh a hedge to the ende that the beasts do not hurt it and eate it vp And when it is wel growen he hyreth some poore laborer to watche that trauailers do not gather nor eate the grapes therof The rich man that traffiqueth by sea after he hath made a great shippe and bestowed vi or vii thousand ducates if he be wise he wil first prouide a man that may gouerne her before he wil seke marchaundise for to fraite her for in perilous tempestes the greatnes of the shippe lytel auayleth if the pilot therof be not expert The householder that hath many cowes and shepe and likewise hath faire feeldes and pleasaunt pastures for his cattel doth not only seke herdmen to kepe the cattell but also dogges to feare the wolfes and cabannes to lodge the herdmen For the cabanne of the shepherdes and the baying of the dogge is but as a sauegard of the shepe from the raueninge of the wolfe The mightie and valiaunte princes whiche in the frontiers of their enemyes kepe strong fortresses seke alwayes stout and hardy captaynes to defend their walles for otherwise it were better the fort shold be battered to the grounde then it should come into the power of the enemyes By the comparisons aboue named ther is no discreat man but doth vnderstand to what end my penne doth write them that is to know to kepe and proue how that men which loue their children wel adding this vnto it haue great neade of good maisters and gouernours to teache and bring them vp For whiles the palme tre is but litle a frost doth easely destroy it I meane whiles the child is yonge if he haue no tutour he is easely deceiued with the world If the lord be wise and of vnderstanding there is no fortresse so esteamed neyther ship so fayre nor herd so profitable nor vyne so fruitful but that he better estemeth to haue a good sonne then al these thinges together or any other thing in the world For the father ought to loue his childreÌ„ as his owne proper and al residue as giftes of fortune If it be so as it is in deade since that for to keape and watche the herd they seake a good shepherde if for the vine they seake a good labourer if for to gouerne the shippe they seke a good maister and for to defend a fort they seke a good captayne why then wil not the wise fathers seke for good maisters to teach bring vp their chyldren O princes and great lords I haue now told you and agayne do say that if you trauaile one yeare to leaue your chyldren goodes you ought to sweate 50 yeres to leaue them wel brought vp For it auayleth lytle to carye much corne to the myl if the myl be out of frame I meane that in vayne riches and treasurs are gathered when the child that shal inherite them hath not witte to vse them It is no smal matter to know how to choose good gouernours For the prince is sage that fyndeth such a one and much more happie is he that of him shal be taught For in my opinyoÌ„ it is no smal charg for one man to bring vp a Prince that shal gouerne manye As Seneca sayth the wise man ought to conferre al thinges with his frend but first he ought to know who he is that is his frend I meane that the wise father oughte for his children to seke one good maister and to him he should recommende them al but first he ought to know what he is For that man is very simple which wil bye a horse before he se proue him whether he be hole or lame He ought to haue many and good condicions and qualyties that shoulde bring vp the children of princes and great lordes for by one way they nourishe the tender trees in the orchard after another sort they plant the wild trees in the mountaynes Therfore the case shal be this that we wil declare here what condicions and behauiours the maisters and gouernours of noble mens sonnes ought to haue which may bring them to honour and their disdoundeth to the honour and praise of his mayster The first condicion is that he which ought to be tutor to noble mens sonnes shold be no lesse then 40. yeres of age no more then 60 bicause the maister that is yong is ashamed to comaund if he be aged he is not able to correct The .2 it is necessary that tutors be very honest that not only in