extinguish the studie of vertue mortifie the thought of celestiall things disturbe the memorie diuert the loue and conuert all sanctitie to sensualitie who so is gréedie to get is readie to doe wrong purchase bréedeth much fruit vsurie more hate marchandise much feare all manner of gain al māner of trouble Pouerty is the parent of vertue Wealth the stepdame who contemneth secular ioies deploreth sempiternall Hierome so thought and so writ That vertues and riches could not agrée in one brest vsing in this cause the example of Crates the rich Theban who going to Athens to studie Philosophie cast away a great sum of money thinking it impossible for riches and vertues to agrée in one possession Blessed is he saith a father who hath not followed those things which being possessed burthen man beloued defile him and lost crucifie him Besides all this the miserie and daunger in getting the sorrow and harme in vse and possessing consider the infinitie and affinitie of vices that follow lewd increasing The memorie of death martireth the rich Temporall abundance bréedeth forgetfulnesse of eternall briefly as wéed hath his worme so the worme of wealth is his pride What is a rich man but a liuing dead man Or what can he challenge to be his who hath his wealth Lord of himselfe his mind subiect to his wealth and all estranged from God how shall I cal riches but the chains of sin where pride is coupeled with lust and lust is mounted in this chariot The foure whéeles that draw it are foure vices the abuse of surfet the delicacie of attire the abundance of sléepe and idlenesse and lastly the heat of filthy lust the horses of this chariot are backt by these two guides The dulnesse of sloth and the blindnes of securitie and of purpose are these coachmen without spurs because in y e kingdome of pleasure there should be nothing that might induce sadnes or produce remorse only dissimulation improuidence beare the canapie to shadow mans eie from repentance vntill he fall into the snare of his own damnation Thou blamest me for not being ambitious not considering this that ambition is a subtile euill a secret poyson a hidden plague a srautfull workeman the mother of hipocrisie the parent of hate the fountaine of sinne the bait of offence the rust of vertue the moth of holinesse the blinder of hearts creating diseases of remedies and begetting griefes of medicines Thou willest me to cherish and to norify my bodie but vertue to chasten it for the flesh by euery light motion is subiect to commotion and he that wil sit surelie on an vnbrideled colt must cunningly breake him Pithagoras séeing one of his followers pampering his flesh and affecting belly chear why saith he art thou about to build a prison for thy selfe And Plato vnderstanding what wounds the mind receiued by the wicked inticements of the bodie purposelie chose out an vnhealthfull Academy in Athens that by such meanes he might correct the good disposition of the fare Thus in their blindnesse perceiued these Philosophers that contemplation hath no enemie more capitall then our prowd and fraile flesh O Metrodorus I hate not my bodie but the corruptions therof and I only in this loue my selfe in that I chastise my selfe worthilie said Leo in a certaine sermon So much more euery man loueth himselfe by how much he hateth himselfe for Gods loue Thou persuadest me to wed to encrease the world and I say the world had more néed of wéeding then wedding Thou saiest that mariage is a blessing but I know it to be the sourse of miseries for children being borne make their parents carefull and vnborne miserable liuing vnfortunate and dead desolate To this man the multitude of children bréedeth a ioy to possesse thē but this ioy is extinct if he want to relieue them to that man the want of an heire is noisome who hath toild away life to get great possessions and wanteth a son to encrease his posteritie so that the ones good fortune is the others calamity and each of them desireth that successe wherwith he séeth his neighbor to be excruciat This mā hath lost a swéet boy by death that lamentetha lewd son in life and both of these worthie commiseration for the one gréeueth at his boies death the other at his sons life O scope of mans vanitie where all things that are desired grow tedious and the greatest benefits that are possessed wax troublesome O Metrodorus accuse me not for flying the world for it deceiueth all men the king by securitie the prince by ambition the magistrate by corruption the merchant by misfortunes all men by being the world He that dwelleth in Sodome cannot escape the shower of fire he that loueth Egipt must liue in seruitude and who will be of the world must not be without temptations since therefore God is my portion suffer him to be mine only pleasure since the world is so wicked learne thou to forsake it Leaue thy sandie foundations of this earth to build on the sure rocke Christ honor pouertie for it mortifieth worldlie cares and trauaileth to God without let It is the end of griefe the ground of peace the cleannes of life that deliuereth vs from the cares of this transitorie world and tieth vs to the lawes of eternall righteousnesse studie obedience for it is better then sacrifice Learn humilitie for it norisheth the soul being pure Manna to féed the deuout mind Elebony to purge the ambitious Finally prowd Philosopher learne to correct thine owne life before thou condemne others for he soonest misdoeth that vainlie misthinketh No sooner had Anthony ended this discourse but Metrodorus quite confounded sat eying the ground Asterius amased beheld the heauens Whilest wéeping Frementarius broke out into this discourse Solitarie and sacred behold the fruits of thy wisdome thou hast put obstinacie to silence drawne curiositie to admiration whetted ignorance to contemplation Now therefore what thou hast wrought by word win by examples for as Tully saith examples if they sauour of antiquitie yéeld great authoritie in their proofe and pleasure when they are heard My sonne quoth Anthonie if obstinacie wax silent there is hope he will heare if curiositie admire he begins to affect and since thou in ignorance doest contemplate thy zeale bursteth out into teares which both expresse thy remorse in respect of thy deserts and thy desire to encrease in vertue to seale them therefore to God whom he hath gently sommoned I wil report a true historie as full of admiration as of certaintie and in euent so certaine as they are impudent that impugne it Amidst those lustie mountaines of Italy that deuide the indestious Sabins from the warlike Marsians there liued a reuerend and respectiue father called Menas who forsaking the sollace of the world tooke his only delight in solitarie meditation of whose life there are as many famous witnesses as Samnia hath fortunate warriors This holy Hermit forsaking the resorts of men consorted onely
lead but they dissemble their other faults He that hath charge of the Commonweale it is requisit that he haue a mild condition in such wise that when he sée weaknesse he make it strong and where he séeth courage in goodnesse that he praise it where he séeth dissolution that he chastice and where he séeth necessity that he succour and where he séeth sedition to appease it and where he séeth conformitie to conserue it and where he seeth heauinesse to remedie it and where he séeth gladnesse to temper it For after great pleasure and gladnesse many times doe follow no small distresses Againe it is requisit that iudges be mild in conuersation and measured in words for in them of such authoritie the people doe many times take more griefe with a word then in others with the stroake of a sword To conclude let thy iudges deale with equall ballance to rich and poore so shall they please God discharge their duties to thée get honour to their names in executing iustice without rigor or affection For thy selfe take these rules in thy gouernement and iustice Doe all things with loue and reuenge nothing for hatred neither be held one of those that would pardon their enemies and dare not for their friends Aware in thy kingdome least the prowd command the humble the Tirant the iust the cruell the pittiful the dastard the hardy the ignorant the prudent and the worst théefes hang the innocent Sell not thy iustice for riches least thou liue not to enioy them and grow defamed by purchasing them be not a couetous and wretched niggard least thou séeke out carefulnes for thy selfe enuy for thy neighbours spurs to thine enemies a prey for théeues perrill for thy person damnation for thy soule curses for thine heires and law for thy children Be not wrothfull in iustice for it is a short madnesse nor on light displeasures least thou be held a foole nor with a stronger then thy selfe least thou repent or with thy inferiour least thou be held tyranous Let not thy corruptions and customes draw on vaine delights neither be thou held the maker of a law to be the first breaker of the same beware least thy followers be found wicked for where vice is supported by authority there subiects grow worse worse and where punishment is restrained there insolency commands the lawes be prouident that no merit passe thée without reward or fault without punishment carrie this alwaies in thy mind That good men beare more honor to the sepulchres of the vertuous then to the imbossed palaces of wicked Tirants To conclude to beare thy fortune alwaies equall make thy counsails alwaies honest chuse thy iudges vpright impartiall and thy selfe shalt haue honor thy magistrats fame thy subiects peace and thy country plenty Anthony would haue prosecuted this argument further and Asterius was ready to vrge him to his historie when sodainly the day ouercast the sun hid him in the Ocean the birds be tooke them to rest the winds to rise and rage the heauens to wéepe and shower so that interrupted both by night and stormes perforced they were cut off from their conference all of them entered Anthonies caue where till the morow I leaue them to their weake cheare and hard lodging And if gentlemen I perceiue that this daies discourse delight you in the morning when they wake I shal intreat them to find out more matter and pleasure to content you meane while I commit you and commend you to the tuition of the Almightie ending with that of Ausonius Nemosilens placuit breuitate loquendi And that of Martials Nonsunt longa quibus nihil est quod donere possis FINIS
thy selfe by thy selfe whereupon Seneca in his Epistles writeth Consider thy selfe inwardly and beléeue not other what thou art it more concerneth thée to know what thou séemest to thy selfe then what thou art estéemed by others For it is a wise mans part rather to iudge himselfe than his neighbour And touching acceptance in taking counsaile in time of prosperitie thus saith Seneca in his book de formula honestas vitas Then when thou art in prosperitie ask counsaile as if in danger and rather feare faire spéech then bitter good counsailes For an euill man that speaketh faire is the net of the innocent and there are none so secret treasons as those that are coloured with the office of dissimulation or vnder the name of friendship It is therefore better to receiue the stripes of a freind then the kisses of a flatterer Be not therefore moued with the faire swéet and choice words of a flatterer but regard thine owne affaires and examine their discourses A wise man respecteth the matter not the oratorie for he that speaketh truth his spéech is plaine and vnpolished And although thou thinke thy selfe a wise man yet trust not thine owne purpose but with deliberate iudgement séeke wisdome from another man For Cassiodorus councelleth to séeke wisdome in another man in whom is greatnesse of science for to doubt and to aske councell of the wise is neither vnprofitable nor immodest The counsaile likewise of those men is to be eschewed who in times past were thine enemies and are afterwards reconciled for no man safelie returneth into fauor with his enemie For which cause Esope said neither trust or discouer your secrets to those with whom you haue béene at debate and contention Nulla fides hosti tibi sit qui talia noste Prorsus hostilis tibi sit persuatio vilis For as where fire bath béen long time there neuer wanteth vapour so where ancient enmities haue béene continued there cannot be true loue neither may there euer bée default of suspect Thine enemie will wéepe in thy presence and when he spies his time be imbrued with thy blood associat thée not therefore with thine enemies when thou maist find other friends for the euils thou hast done them they will not forget and the fauours thou offerest them they will suspect Their counsaile like wise is to be eschewed who not for loue but feare shew loue and dilection for they are not friends but odious enemies For Tully saith in his Offices amongst all things there is nothing more apt to maintaine riches and retaine them being compassed then loue neither any thing more fond then to be feared For men deadly hate those whom they feare and whatsoeuer a man earnestly hateth he desireth to sée perished And y t no wealth may withstand many mens hate though before it were vnknowne yet now is it manifest doc not therefore think that either counsailor or freind may be gotten by feare for no man is faithfull to him he feareth and therefore Martiall long Inuitas vero nemo coactus amat And good counsel and friendship is not only not retained or attained by feare and terror but euery kingdome likewise maintained by feare doth soone come to perdition For as the Philosopher saith he ought to feare many when manie feare and as Seneca concludeth No terrible man can bée secure in his monarchie The riotous mans counsaile also must be eschewed for how can he be trustie in thy secrets who is a traitor to his owne bodie They likewise that pretend one thing priuately and protest another openly are to be reiected for it is a certaine kind of harme and iniustice to speake one thing secretly and make shew of another thing openly Flie likewise the councell of the euill and suspected For he that is euill in himselfe neuer deliuereth good counsaile from himselfe and where the heart is fraught with impietie the tongue vttereth nothing but dissimulation and subtilty young men in counsaile likewise are déepely to bée suspected for they haue ripe wits and yong desires Woe saith the wise man to that land whose king is a child and whose Princes eat early It followeth now in what sort how thou oughtest to examine counsaile For in it there needeth great circumspection and discretion that both the beginning progresse and end be very diligently examined First therefore in discerning counsaile both generally suppresse in thy selfe and remoue from thy counsailers ire pleasure desire hast the arch enemies of all deltheration Secondly respect the beginning of thy affairs for the law tieth a man to circumspection in nothing more then the entrance and therefore the Prouerbe saith He that hath begun well hath halfe happily finshed For all examples haue had their springs from good beginnings and in al good things thou shalt continually find a double euill in the beginning therefore thou oughtest to feare because of the double euils which accompany euery thing For if in good beginnings there is a doubt of double harme much more in things badly begun and improuidently disposed is there danger For they sildom or neuer haue good ends which haue badly begun The beginnings are in our owne powers but the euents in fortunes hands wisely therefore and with great discretion examine thou thy counsailes for it is the propertie of a prudent man to prie into euery thing to auoid credulitie and to preuent falshood In examining thy counsaile likewise obserue these circumstances that in euery thing thou respect that which is true and sincere what conuenience or consequent and whence matters take head and what is the cause and reason of euery thing Thou must therefore be respectiue to the truth because truth is only to be regarded which only maketh men like to God because God in himselfe is perfect truth as appeareth by Christs words Ego sum via veritas vita I am the way the truth and the life and therefore require I sincerity as Tully did in counsaile because pure and sincere veritie is to be respected and mendacious and subtill lying is earnestly to be auoided For as the Philosopher saith veritie is perfect when it is not intermedled with falshood and the wise man saith Rather is a theefe to be beléeued then an assiduous and common lier to be heard And where I annex a cōuenient regard in affairs it is for this cause because in all thy counsailes thou must haue this regard that they be conuenient and agréeable with reason Thou must likewise respect who they be that consent to the affairs wil and counsails and who contradict the same that by this thou maist know whether thy businesse or determination will sort to good or no Thou must likewise examine and foresee whether thy purpose consent or stand with possibilitie and in all the foresaid be so prouident in examining y t thine appetite may agrée with reason vtility and possibility Touching consequence also haue diligent care in examining whether thou shalt obtain good or euil hate fear or
loue by thy counsailes and whether either domage or vtilitie iustice or iniurie and many such like which haue correspondence with the consequence and may not fitly bée numbred in this place in all which good is to be chosen and profit to be taken hate feare iniurie and all such other euils generally omitted and remooued Touching the circumstance whence matters are deriued thou must be very thoughtfull in examining euery word of the counsaile and carefull to consider whether they spring from vertue or vice or from any thing that deseruedly ought to be auoided or from which profit or commoditie may be drawne Touching examination of the cause thou must be very prouident in pondering the reasons thereof and earnestly séeking out the grounds of matters For so Seneca counsailed when hée said search out the cause of euery action and when thou hast found out the beginning bethinke thée of the end not slightly but iudicially dispose thy mind into thrée parts ordinat the present foresée the future and remember that is past for he rightly looseth his life that bethinketh him not of y t which hath past him who neuer premeditates on things to come manageth all things improuidently Propose therfore in thy mind both the good and euill fortunes that may chance that thou maist sustain the one and moderat the other Now since thou knowest how counsaile is to be examined consider likewise how it is to be taken and approued For then is counsaile chiefly to be taken and approued when it is both examined and found to be good and profitable And although the counsaile séemeth good it is not presently to be executed but thou must diligently looke into it how thou canst effect the same For he that commeth to the gouernement of a Commonweale and the management of affairs must not only take consideration that the thing is honest but he must likewise ponder with himselfe if he haue power to effect it In which it is likewise to be considered that he dispaire not rashly for sloth sake or grow lesse considerate through desire and couetousnesse so that in all affairs before they be enterprised thou must imploy a diligent preparation Consider therefore that thou take not too much for as the Prouerbe saith Qui nimis capit parum stringit So that rightly thou oughtest to begin nothing but y t which reasonably thou maist bring to effect Search not quoth Seneca things aboue thy reach only séek y t which may be found learn that which may be knowne desire that which may be wisht for He that desireth to flie before he get him wings is assured to fal before he expecteth it for if thou shouldest only take respect to the goodnesse profit and honor of the affaire only without the consideration of the facilitie possibilitie and conuenience of the same that would fall out which the poet saith Qui plus posse putat sua quem natura ministrat Posse suum superans seminus esse potest And if the counsaile be doubtfull in déed or word thou must rather conceale it then execute it leaue it then take it For it becommeth a wise man rather to be silent by himselfe then to speake against himselfe because it is apparant that many haue béene ouertaken by their talke but few men circumuented by their silence for words are like to arrows which are easily shot out but hardly got in againe In doubtfull matters therefore silence is requisit and actions vncertaine are better left vndone then vnfortunatly hazarded To conclude in al the forenamed so be thou stil instructed by thy selfe and others that all other contraries let slip thou only build and make choice of that which is good true profitable iust and reasonable Now since thou knowest how counsaile is to be taken consider likewise how and in what sort it is to bée retained which is euen then when by proofe and experience it is knowne profitable For proue all saith S. Paule and kéepe only that which is good and that with great constancie for so counsaileth Seneca whē he saith Be thou moouable not light constant but not obstinate It now remaineth that thou learne when thy counsailes or promises may be changed the alteration whereof is approued for many causes for the first cause ceasing and a new succéeding counsaile or promise may be changed and that according to Philosophie which saith that the causes ceasing the effects likewise cease counsaile also can and may be changed it either by error or any other cause it proue vndecent for as Seneca saith Certaine things there be that séem good and are not and certaine other which seeme and are so for verie oftentimes the truth beareth show of a lie and oftentimes a lie hideth the hope of truth Counsaile likewise is to be changed if it depend on dishonest causes or in it selfe be vnlawfull For according to the law and generally all vnlawfull pronuses are of no regard Counsel likewise is to be altered if it be sinfull or pertaine thereto for there is no counsaile against God and of no lesse worth is a promise vnpossible then an assumpsit vnreasonable A wise man lieth not when he changeth his purpose for the better and it is alwaies held a rule among the learned that the counsaile cannot be good which cannot be changed Good father Anthonie quoth Frumentarius I am resolued in all points touching the course of counsel I pray you therfore descend to the discourse of wars for the world being so much giuen to contention there is nothing that should be sooner learned Frumentanus quoth Anthonie I will fit thée in this likewise The discourse of war requireth a long Treatise because it includeth great dangers that must aduisedly be spoken of which rashly followed is ruinous and fatall War in one sort is the mother of inconuenience for it indangereth those too often that hope in it and helpeth those too fondly that should fall by it It is likewise an arme of iustice for were there not armes to reuenge iustice the authoritie of princedome would be too forward in iniuries warre likewise is an effect of vengeance for God sendeth the that are too secure in their peace a mighty sword to confound them in their securitie By war the wicked war rich and the poore fortunat and the effects thereof are such as the hungrie are filled with good things and the rich are sent empty away To conclude war is the Mistresse of confusion making pollicie of confusions and confusions pollicies They that vndertake it must serue the necessities thereof and they that wish for it are the discontented who in affecting innouation in hope to be bettered doe fall on the sword by vntimely death Briefly war is not to be wished for for as Tully saith All libertie is restrained therein and those profits that procéed therof are as well ruins as raisings of a Commonweale The conqueror what winneth he Who to reléeue a few colonies that are inuaded looseth many thousand subiects