Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
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A02775
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Pierces supererogation or A new prayse of the old asse A preparatiue to certaine larger discourses, intituled Nashes s. fame. Gabriell Haruey.
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Harvey, Gabriel, 1550?-1631.
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1593
(1593)
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STC 12903; ESTC S103899
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142,548
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254
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Grinuile most vigorously impetuously attempted the extreamest possibilities of valour and fury for breuity I ouerskipp many excellent Traicts the same or the like nature but reade these and M. William Borrowghes notable discourse of the variation of the compas or magneticall needle annexed to the new Attractiue of Robert Norman Hydrographer vnto which two Ingland in some respectes is as much beholding as Spayne vnto Martin Cortes Peter de Medina for the Arte of Nauigation and when you haue obserued the course of Industry examined the antecedents and consequents of Trauail compared Inglish and Spanish valour measured the Forces of both parties weighed euery circumstance of Aduantage considered the Meanes of our assurance and finally found proffit to be our pleasure prouision our security labour our honour warfare our welfare who of reckoning can spare anye lewde or vaine tyme for corrupt pamphlets or who of iudgment will not cry away with these paultringe fidlefaddles When Alexander in his conquerous expeditions visited the ruines of Troy and reuolued in his minde the valiant actes of the Heroicall Woorthies there atchieued One offered to bring his Maiesty the Harpe of Paris Let it alone quoth hee it is the Harpe of Achilles that must serue my turne Paris vppon his harpe sang voluptuous lasciuious Carols Achilles harpe was an instrument of glory and a quier of diuine Hymnes consecrated to the honour of valorous Captaines and mighty Conquerours He regarded not the dainety Lydian Iônian or Aeolian Melody but the braue Dorian and impetuous Phrygian Musique and waged Zenophantus to inflame and enrage his courage with the furious notes of Battail One Alexander was a thousand Examples of Prowesse but Pyrrhus the redoubted king of the Epirots was an other Alexander in tempestuous execution and in a most-noble resolution contemned the Vanities of vnnoble Pastimes in so much that when one of his Barons asked his Maiestie whether of the twoo Musitians Charisius or Python pleased his Highnesse better Whether of the two quoth Pyrrhus marry Polysperces shall go for my money He was a braue Captaine for the eie a fitt Musitian for the eare of Pyrrhus Happy Polysperces that serued such a master and happy Pyrrhus that commaunded such a seruaunt Were some demaunded whether Greenes or Nashes Pamflets were better penned I beleeue they would aunsweare Sir Roger Williams Discourse of War for Militare Doctrine in Esse and M. Thomas Digges Stratioticos for Militare Discipline in Esse And whiles I remember the Princely care of Gelo a famous Tyrant of Sicill many tyrants of Sicill were very politique that commaunded his great horse to be brought into the banquetting house where other Lordes called for the Harpe other Knightes for the Waites I cannot forget the gallant discourse of Horsemanship penned by a rare gentleman M. Iohn Asteley of the Court whome I dare intitle our Inglish Xenophon and maruell not that Pietro Bizzaro a learned Italian proposeth him for a perfect Patterne of Castilios Courtier And thinking vpon worthy M. Asteley I cannot ouerpasse the like labour of good M. Thomas Blundeuil without due commendation whose painefull and skillfull bookes of Horsemanship deserue also to be registred in the Catalogue of Xenophontian woorkes What should I speake of the two braue Knightes Musidorus and Pyrocles combined in one excellent knight Sir Philip Sidney at the remembrance of whose woorthy and sweete Vertues my hart melteth Will you needes haue a written Pallace of Pleasure or rather a printed Court of Honour Read the Countesse of Pembrookes Arcadia a gallant Legendary full of pleasurable accidents and proffitable discourses for three thinges especially very notable for amorous Courting he was young in yeeres for sage counselling he was ripe in iudgement and for valorous fighting his soueraine profession was Armes and delightfull pastime by way of Pastorall exercises may passe for the fourth He that will Looue let him learne to looue of him that will teach him to Liue furnish him with many pithy and effectuall instructions delectably interlaced by way of proper descriptions of excellent Personages and common narrations of other notable occurrences in the veine of Salust Liuy Cornelius Tacitus Iustine Eutropius Philip de Comines Guicciardine and the most sententious Historians that haue powdred their stile with the salt of discretion and seasoned their iudgement with the leauen of experience There want not some suttle Stratagems of importance and some politique Secretes of priuitie and he that would skillfully and brauely manage his weapon with a cunning Fury may finde liuely Precepts in the gallant Examples of his valiantest Duellists especially of Palladius and Daiphantus Zelmane and Amphialus Phalantus and Amphialus but chiefly of Argalus and Amphialus Pyrocles and Anaxius Musidorus and Amphialus whose lusty combats may seeme Heroicall Monomachies And that the valor of such redoubted men may appeere the more conspicuous and admirable by comparison and interview of their contraries smile at the ridiculous encounters of Dametas Dorus of Dametas and Clinias and euer when you thinke vpon Dametas remember the Confuting Champion more surquidrous then Anaxius and more absurd then Dametas and if I should alwayes hereafter call him Dametas I should fitt him with a name as naturally proper vnto him as his owne Gallant Gentlemen you that honor Vertue and would enkindle a noble courage in your mindes to euery excellent purpose if Homer be not at hand whome I haue often tearmed the Prince of Poets and the Poet of Princes you may read his furious Iliads cunning Odysses in the braue aduentures of Pyrocles and Musidorus where Pyrocles playeth the dowty fighter like Hector or Achilles Musidorus the valiant Captaine like Pandarus or Diomedes both the famous errant Knightes like AEneas or Vlysses Lord what would himselfe haue prooued in fine that was the gentleman of Curtesy the Esquier of Industry and the Knight of Valour at those yeeres Liue euer sweete Booke the siluer Image of his gentle witt and the golden Pillar of his noble courage and euer notify vnto the worlde that thy Writer was the Secretary of Eloquence the breath of the Muses the hoony-bee of the dayntiest flowers of Witt and Arte the Pith of morall intellectuall Vertues the arme of Bellona in the field the toung of Suada in the chāber the spirite of Practise in esse and the Paragon of Excellency in Print And now whiles I consider what a Trompet of Honour Homer hath bene to sturre-vp many woorthy Princes I cannot forget the woorthy Prince that is a Homer to himselfe a Golden spurre to Nobility a Scepter to Vertue a Verdure to the Spring a Sunne to the day and hath not onely translated the two diuine Poems of Salustius du Bartas his heauenly Vrany and his hellish Furies but hath readd a most valorous Martial Lecture vnto himselfe in his owne victorious Lepanto a short but heroicall worke in meeter but royal meeter fitt for a Dauids harpe Lepanto first the glory of Christendome against the
intentions like Minotaure in the Labyrinth his actions like the Stratagemes of Fabius his defiance like the wellcome of Circe his menaces like the songs of the Sirens his curses like the blessinges of those witches in Aphrica that forspoke what they praysed and destroyed what they wished to be saued I haue seen spannels mungrels libbards antelops scorpions snakes cockatrices vipers and many other Serpents in sugar-worke but to this day neuer sawe such a standing dish of Sugar-worke as that sweet-toungued Doctor that spake pleasingly whatsouer he thought and was otherwhiles a fayre Prognostication of fowle weather Such an autenticall Irony engrosed as all Oratory cannot eftsoones counterpane Smooth voyces do well in most societies and go currently away in many recknings when rowgh-hewne words do but lay blockes in their own way He found it in a thousand experiences and was the precisest practitioner of that soft and tame Rhetorique that euer I knew in my dealings And in case I should prefer any man of whatsoeuer quality before him for a stayed gouernement of his affections which he alwayes ruled as Homers Minerua brideled Pegasus or for an infinite and bottomlesse patience sibb to the patience of Anaxarchus or â—…ob I should iniury him and mine owne coÌ„science exceedingly Were he handeled as London kennels are vsed of sluttes or the Thames of sloouens he could pocket-it-vp as handsomely as they and complaine in as fewe wordes as any chanell or riuer in England when they are most contumeliously depraued His other vertues were colours in graine his learning lawne in starch his wisedome napry in suddes his conscience the weather in Aprill when he was young the weather in SepteÌ„ber as he grew elder the weather in February toward his end and not such a current PrognosticatioÌ„ for the fifty yeares wherein he floorished as the Ephemerides of his Conscience For his smug and Canonicall countenaunce certainly he mought haue bene S. Boniface himselfe for his fayre and formall speach S. Benedict or S. Eulaly for his merry coÌ„ceits S. Hillary for his good husbandry he was merry and wise S. Seruatius for his inuincible sufferance S. Vincent the Martir for his retracting or recanting S. Augustine for his not seeing all thinges S. Bernard for his preaching to geese S. Frauncis or S. Fox for his praying a S. Pharise for his fasting a S. Publicane for his chastitie a Solin virgine for his pastorall deuotion a Shepheards Calendar for his Fame an Almanacke of Saincts But if cuer any were Patience incorporate it was he and if euer any were Hypocrisy incarnate it was he vnto whoÌ„ I promised to dedicate an eternall memoriall of his immortall vertues and haue payed some little part of my vowes I twice or thrise tryed him to his face somewhat sawcily and smartly but the Picture of Socrates or the Image of S. Andrew not so vnmooueable and I still reuerence the honorable remembraunce of that graue and most eloquent Silence as the sagest lesson of my youth Had Nash a dramme of his witt his Aunswere should haue bene Mum or his Confutation the sting of the Scorpion Other Straunge Newes like Pap-hatchets rapp with a Bable are of the nature of thatsame snowt-horned Rhinoceros that biteth himselfe by the nose and besturre them like the dowty fencer of Barnewell that played his taking-vp with a Recumbentibus and his laying-downe with a broken pate in some three or foure corners of his head He must reuenge himselfe with a learned Discourse of deepest Silence or come better prouided then the edge of the rasour that would be valued as wise as that Apollo Doctour Whose Epitaph none can display accordingly but some Sprite of the Ayer or the fier For his Zeale to God and the Church was an aery Triplicity and his deuotion to his Prince and the State a fiery Trigon And suerly he was well-aduised that comprized a large History in one Epithite and honoured him with the title of the Thrise-learned Deane Onely I must needes graunt one such secret and profound enemy or shall I say one such thrise-secret and thrise-profound enemy was incomparably more pernicious then a hundred Hatchets or Country-cuffes a thousand Greenes or Cunny catchers an army of Nashes or Pierces Penniles a forrest of wilde beastes or whatsoeuer Ilias of professed Euils It is not the threatener but the vnderminer that worketh the mischief not the open assault but the priuy surprize that terrifieth the old souldiour not the surging floud but the low water that affrayeth the expert Pilot not the high but the hidden rocke that endangereth the skilfull Mariner not the busie Pragmaticall but the close Politician that supplanteth the puissant state not proclaimed warre but pretended peace that striketh the deadly stroke What Historian remembreth not the suttle Stratagemes of king Bacchus against the Indians of king Midas against the Phrygians of king Romulus against the Sabines of king Cyrus against the Lydians of many other Politique Conquerours against sundry mighty nations Principalities Segniories Citties Castels Fortresses Braue Valour may sometime execute with fury but Prowesse is weake in comparison of other practises no puissance to Pollicy no rage to craft no force to witt no pretence to ReligioÌ„ what spoiles vnder colour of ReligioÌ„ no text to the glosse what will not the glosse maintaine by hooke or crooke It was not Mercuries woodknife that could so easely haue dispatched Argus the Lieutenant of Queene Iuno had not his inchauÌ„ting Pipe first lulled him asleepe And was not Vlysses in greater reoperdy by the alluring Sirens charming Musicians then by cruell Polyphemus a boisterous Giant Vndoubtedly Caesar was as singularly wise as vnmatchably valiant rather a Fox then a Lion but in his wisedome he was more affrayde of Sylla theÌ„ of Marius of Cato then of Catiline of Cassius then of Antony of Brutus then of Pompey to be short of Saturne then of Mars of Mercury then of Iupiter himselfe It were a long discourse to suruey the wily traines and crafty fetches of the old and new world but whosoeuer is acquainted with Stratagemes auncient or moderne knoweth what an hourde of Pollicies lurketh in the shrowde of Dissimulation what wonders may be atchieued by vnexpected suprizes The professed enemy rather encombreth himselfe annoyeth his frendes theÌ„ ouerthroweth his aduersary or oppresseth his foes Alexanders and Caesars suddaine irruptions made them the Lordes of the world and masters of kinges whiles greatest threateners got nothing but greatest losse and greater shame What should I speake of the first founders of Monarchyes 〈◊〉 and Cyrus of the Venturous Argo-pilots of the worthy Herôes of the dowtiest Errant Knights of the brauest men in all ages whose mightiest engin notwithstanding whatsoeuer hyperbole of Valour or fury was Scarborough warning and whose Conquestes were assoone knowen-abroad as their Inuasions No power like the vnlikely assault nor any mischief so peremptory as the vnlooked-for affliction He that warneth me armeth me and it is much that a prepared minde and boddy