yeeres and there you appoynt the ende vnto whiche who so doth attayne theyr lyfe is but payne and trauayle vnlesse he aduaunce your hope a litle further who sayth The dayes of a mans lyfe are many tymes an hundred yeeres vnto which age how few do attayne we see but admit that it happened vnto al which happeneth but to fewe notwithstandyng I pray you howe muche is it Ioy. Very much truely For the lyfe of young men is more assured and farther of from olde age and so from death Reason Thou art deceiued for although there be nothing safe to a man notwithstandyng that is the most daungerous part of his lyfe whiche to muche carelesnesse maketh vnaduised There is nothyng neerer to other then death is to lyfe when they seeme to be farthest a sunder then are they neerest togeather alwayes the one passeth away and the other draweth nygh whyther soeuer ye flee away death is at hande and hangeth ouer your heades Ioy and Hope Wel at the leastwyse youth is now present and olde age is absent Reason Nothyng is more flytting then youth nothyng more deceyuable then olde age Youth stayeth not but in delightyng she slyppeth away olde age immediatly folowyng after softly in darkenesse and silence striketh men at vnwares and when she is thought to be farre of then standeth she at the doore Ioy. My age is in rysing Reason Thou trustest to a most deceitfull thing This rysing is a goyng downe this short lyfe this vnstable tyme stealeth away yea without makyng any noyse with the feete euen whyle we sleepe and make merie And O that this swiftnesse of tyme and shortnesse of lyfe were as well knowen in the beginning as it is in the ende whiche to those that enter seemeth infinite and nothyng when they goe out and are scarce so many minutes as they appeared to be hundredes of yeeres So then at length deceypt is knowen when it can not be auoyded whereby it commeth that many tymes counsell is geuen in vayne vnto those yeeres they are both vnbeleeuyng and vnskylfull disdainefull of anothers counsell and wantyng of their owne And therefore there is nothyng that discouereth the errours of youth although they be innumerable and greeuous and yet notwithstandyng hyd and vnknowen to those that committed them better then olde age doth and layeth them foorth before their eyes who sometyme dissembled them and winked at them Neither doo ye sooner perceyue what ye ought to be then ye be made that whiche ye woulde be and then ye can possibly be none other then ye be But yf there were any that coulde vnderstande these thynges in tyme or by hym selfe or beleeue when he is taught surely hym woulde I accompt a woorthy and happie youth among many thousandes he shoulde not passe his lyfe through so many difficulties whose onely course lyeth safe and straight through vertue Ioy. Myne age is nothyng spent Reason Howe is that vnspent whiche since the tyme it first beganne is euery day wasted and whyle it is geuen is also taken away by very small portions For Heauen turneth about with perpetuall motion minutes consume houres and houres the day That day thrusteth foorth another and that the next day folowyng and there is neuer any ceassyng So doo monethes passe away so yeeres and so dooth an whole age make hast and runne and as Cicero sayeth fleeth away And as Virgil sayth It neuer waggeth the swifte winges So lykewyse they that fare by Sea they are caried away in the shyppe and feele not howe and many tymes are at their viage ende before they be ware Ioy and Hope An age that beginneth is far from the ende Reason Within the space of a short lyfe nothyng is farre of Ioy and Hope But there is no part farther from the ende then is the beginnyng Reason None in deede but this shoulde be truely sayde yf all men lyued lyke space of time Howbeit euen the very fyrst age falleth sundrie wayes into death whereby it chaunceth many tymes that he that seemed farthest of is nearest his ende Ioy and Hope Truely I am of a most floorishing age Reason Although fewe do marke it yet there is some change wrought since we beganne to speake and in the drawyng foorth of euery sillable there is some part of lyfe passed away and some peece of transitorie flowre of youth decayed And I pray you what hath this deyntie and gallaunt young man more then that rough and riueled olde man besides this short and transitorie flowre whiche fadeth euery day wherein what shoulde be so pleasaunt and delectable I doo not finde since he knoweth that almost sooner then a man can speake it he shall hym selfe be suche an one as this olde man nowe is or els is mad yf he knowe it not vnlesse of twayne whiche are led togeto be put to death he is to be accompted the happier whiche is commaunded last to lay downe his necke vppon the blocke to be cut of who truely seemeth vnto me in a maner in the more miserable state for the deferryng of the death Howbeit the condition of these men and of the other of whom I spake before is not all one insomuche as this man may haue some entreatie or meanes made for hym in the meane whyle to escape his fellowes execution and to lyue Onely death can preuent a young man that he shall not lyue vnto olde age To be short there consisteth no great felicitie in a small processe of tyme and vnto loftie mindes there is nothyng that is short accompted acceptable Awake ye that sleepe it is now tyme open your dimme and slumbring eyes Accustome your selues at length to thynke vpon eternal thinges to loue them and to desire them and therewithal also to contemne transitorie thinges Learne to depart from them willingly which can not continue with you long and to forsake them in hart before by them ye be forsaken Ioy and Hope My yeers are stable and greene Reason They lye whiche say that there is some age I knowe not which stable There is nothyng more swift then tyme and tyme is the charret of al ages to carrie them away in And doest thou then imagine that it is permanent O vanitie there is nothyng durable for euen at this present thou art violently drawen away c. Of the goodly beautie of the body The seconde Dialogue Ioy. THE beautie of my body is goodly Reason It is no more permanent then the tyme that commeth with it with whiche also it flitteth away Stay the tyme if thou canst and so perhaps thou mayest stay beautie Ioy. The beautie of my body is singuler Reason Thou restest vpon a brittle foundation The body it selfe passeth away like a shadow and doest thou thinke that a transitorie accident of the body wyll continue Accidentes may perishe the subiect remaynyng but when the body perisheth they must needes decay And among all the qualities whiche passe away with this mortall body there is none swyfter then beautie whiche
thynges But as for them that goe downe into hel casting of al charitie it is to be entended that they hate both God and men and also al the workes of God and man. Of one that at his death is carefull of his fame and good report The Cxxx. Dialogue SOROWE WHAT wyll men speake of me when I am dead Reason An vnseasonable care thou shouldest haue prouided for this in thy youth for looke what a mans life is suche is his fame Sorowe What wyll they say of me Reason What shall I answeare thee other then that which the most learned and eloquent Marcus Cicero sayeth What other men shall speake of thee let them see to that them selues but they wyl speake notwithstanding howbeit all their talke is comprehended within the narrowe boundes of these regions which thou seest neyther was it euer continual of any but is extinguished by the death of men and forgetfulnesse of posteritie Sorow What wil they speake of me that shal be borne herafter Reason I would tel thee otherwyse then Cicero doeth yf I thought that any thing could be better vttered then is by him And what skilleth it sayth he if thou be spoken of by them that shal be borne hereafter seeing there nowe remayneth no fame of them that were borne before thee One thing he addeth moreouer which perhaps at that time was doubtful peraduenture false but now very sure most true without doubt Who sayth he were as many in number as you are now and truely better men to For who is he that doubteth but that there wyl neuer come so good men as there haue ben Thus al thinges waxe woorse woorse and tend euery day toward their final ruine A merueilous care then it is which thou hast to stande in feare of the speeches of those whom thou knowest not are thy youngers as not liuing in the same age with thee seeing thou now contemnest the iudgement and woordes of excellent men of thine owne time and acquaintance Sorow What fame shal there be of me when I am dead Reason Far better then while thou liuest when enuie once holdeth her peace For enuie and malice seldome last longer then a mans life and as vertue is the roote of glorie so is enuie the cutter downe of it and as the enuious hand being present hindreth the growth of it so when it is taken away it restoreth the encrease of true commendation And therfore vnto many as the entrance into their graues hath been a bar vnto enuie so hath it ben the beginning of great glorie Sorow Howe long wyl my fame continue Reason A long time perhaps as you call long But that all thinges may not only be long but also euerlasting vertue alone is able to bring that to passe and specially Iustice of which it is written The iust man shal be had in euerlasting memorie Which meaning also your countrey Poet expressed as wel as he could where he sayth But by mens deedes their fame to stretch that priuiledge vertue geues Sorow What fame shal I haue after my deceasse Reason What skilleth it what it be which shortly shal be forgotten or contemned What shall the breath of men apperteyne vnto thee when thou thy selfe shalt be without breath For one that breatheth to be nourished and delyghted with the winde and ayre it is no meruaill but for a dead man to be so it is a woonder Sorowe What shal be sayde of me when I am dead Reason No goodnesse be sure vnlesse thou haue deserued it but muche euyl peraduenture not merited and perhappes lytle or nothyng at all For in many thynges fame is a lyer but in the most a true reporter otherwyse it could not long continue For trueth is the foundation of continuance and as for a lye it is weake and transitorie Sorowe What fame shall I haue after my death Reason Suche as thy lyfe was before and at thy death Concernyng this matter therefore let the tyme to come but specially the tyme present looke to that And thus perswade thy selfe assuredly that what report and fame a man is woorthy to haue after his death it is no way better discerned then at his death when as in deede which is a strainge thyng to be spoken many that haue lyued all theyr tyme obscurely and without glorie death onely hath made famous Of one that dyeth without Children The Cxxxj. Dialogue SOROWE I Die without children Reason For that cause thou oughtest to die the more willingly and with the more expedition to goe foorth on thy iourney for that thou hast nothyng behinde thee to stay thee or cal thee backe The greatest greefe which they that lie a dying haue surceaseth in thee whiche riseth vpon the sorowe and compassion of leauing their children specially when they be young neede the asistance and counsel of their parentes being at those yeeres destitute of aduice subiect vnto iniuries many other casualties Sorow My children whom I wished hoped should haue liued after me are gone before me Reason Then hast thou some to whom thou art desirous to goe from whom thou art not willing to depart which is no smal comfort vnto thee Sorowe Bitter death constraineth me to dye without chyldren Reason If thou thinke this to be so miserable a matter what cause hast thou either to die now or heretofore to haue liued without children seeing there is such choise of young Gentlemen towardly youthes among whom thou maiest choose and adopt thee sonnes who perhaps wyl be more louing and obedient vnto thee then thine owne natural children descended of thy flesh blood for they come vnto thee by chaunce but these are elected out of many by exquisite iudgment The other were thy children before thou knewest them but these thou knewest chosest and louedst before thou madest them thy children And therefore the one sort of them wil wholy impute it to nature that they are thy children but the other to thy special good liking Whereby it hath hapned many times that the succession by adoption hath ben very fortunate vnto the heyres in which kind not only meane inheritances but also whole Empires haue ben committed in trust Thou knowest howe Iulius Caesar wanting issue adopted Augustus to be his sonne Augustus againe adopted Tyberius almost against his wyl And likewise afterward how Nerua adopted Vlpâ—us Traianus and he Elius Hadrianus be againe Antonius pius he likewise toke vnto him Marcus Aurelius to be his sonne which Marcus I would to God he had more happily adopted any other then vnluckely begotten his sonne Commodus commodious to none but discommodiouss to the whole world the only disgracing of so good a father one among a few of them that were no small shame reproch to the Romane Empire also a most apparent argument how much adoption is more fortunate then procreatioÌ„ For whereas the first princes had in order one after another raigned long time in happie
For theyr rysing is slow but theyr fallyng is sodayne This strength also whereof thou vauntest when it shall leaue to encrease wyl not continue but fyrst wyll priuily begin to decay and afterwarde at length wyl openly fal Al mortal thyngs do equally flyt away except the mynd only but the signes and footesteps of theyr departure doo not appeare alike vnlesse a man wyl say that those lyuyng creatures do go lesse or slowest which eyther go in the dark or make no noyse in their creeping and put out the prynt of theyr goyng with the pressing of theyr tayles Ioy. I boast in the strength of my body Reason What wouldest thou then do in thyne owne Thynke how great thyne owne strength is for this is not thyne but the strength of thy harborow or Inne or rather thy pryson It is a vayne thyng for thee beyng thy self weake to glory of thy strong dwellyng or to speake more aptly of a strong aduersarie Ioy. I reioyce in my strength Reason What other shal I say then that saying of the Poet Thou shalt not reioyce long and in steede of myrth complaintes shall come in place Dooest thou remember howe he that was so strong of whom I made mention twyce erewhyle complayneth of his strength in olde age Of swiftnesse of the bodye The syxth Dialogue IOY BVt I am very swyft Reason Tel me whyther thy runnyng â—endeth Many haue ben destroyed through their owne swyftnesse Ioy. My swyftnesse is wonderful Reason Run ye mortal men whither ye lust the swiftnes of heauen outrunneth you and leadeth you vnto olde age and death The one of these wyll take away your runnyng the other your mooueyng Ioy. My swyftnesse is very great Reason It tendeth thyther where it shal haue an ende Ioy. My swiftnes is sâ—eâ— as â—he lyke hath not been heard of Reason It tendeth thither where there shal be great slownesse Ioy. My swiftneâ—â— is infinite Reason Be it as great as it list it shal haue no place where to exercise it selfe for the whole earth is as is were a smal pricke or poynt Ioy. My swyftnesse is inestimable Reason This coÌ„mendation is due vnto wit vnto which the seas and heauen and eternitie the spaces of nature the hydden places and secretes of al thynges lye open As for this body which is circumscribed and compassed about with a prick and smal moment of space whyther wyl the swiftnesse thereof bring it and where wyl it leaue it Admit this space were very wyde great eyther in respect of tyme or of place notwithstandyng whyther soeuer it turneth it maketh hast to the graue This narrowe roomth and place of necessitie is knowne without Astrologicall coniecture or Geometrical demonstration So then ye runne thyther where in deede there is no runnyng at all Ioy. My swyftnesse is incredible Reason Although thou excel al men yet thou art not able herein to match an Hare Ioy. My swiftnesse is marueilous Reason The same accompaniyng many vpon hanging hilles and broken mountaynes sydes hath disapoynted them of the playne grounde and many also that woulde runne or as it were flie by vautyng or otherwyse vppon the walles and battlementes of towres vpon the tacklynges of ships vpon the cragges of hilles without hurtyng them selues shortly after by some litle tripping or slyding of the foote haue in this outrage been found dead in the hygh wayes by fallyng It is a dangeâ— us thyng and agaynst the course of nature that there should be such lightnesse in heauie bodies and the practise thereof wil make a man not to be nimble long For although he escape without hurt yet he shall soone leaue it of through weerynesse for the strength of a man is but short and his swiftnesse shorter Ioy. I am nowe very nymble Reason An Asse also is nymble in his youth a Parde waxeth slow with age In tyme nimblenes wyl waxe styffe The first age hath spurres the last hath bridles whatsoeuer thou art thou shalt not be long if thou desire to be good indeuour to be so Only vertue is not afrayde of old age Of wit. The .vii. Dialogue IOY MY wit is also quick Reason I pray God it be vnto vertue Otherwyse look how much the quicker so much the nearer to destruction Ioy. I haue a redy wit. Reason If it be also appliable vnto good artes it is a precious furniture of the minde If otherwyse it is burdensome perilous and troublesome Ioy. My wit is very sharpe Reason It is not the sharpenesse but the vprightnesse and staiednes of the wit that deserue the true and perpetual commendation The sharpnesse of some wittes is rebated with smal force and wil faile at the first encounter and the most strongest thinges if they be stretched foorth to the vttermost become feeble and so likewise weakenes ouercommeth all strength Ioy. I haue a most sharpe wit. Reason There is nothing more odious vnto wisdom then to much sharpnes Nothing more greeuous vnto a Philopher then a sophist for that cause in old time the auncient fathers feigned that Pallas could not abyde spyders whose curious worke and fine webs are brittle serue to no purpose Therfore let the edge of the wyt be lyke the edge of a weapon that it may not only pearse but also stay from going further Ioy. My wyt is prompt and redy to euery thyng Reason This was sometyme attributed vnto Marcus Cato Censorius that he was as redy and apt to learnyng as to the warres to matters concernyng the fielde as the citie and also to the exercise of husbandrie whiche thyng in part the Gretians doo ascribe to theyr countreyman Epaâ—inundas and the Persians to theyr Cyrus Take herde whereunto this thy redie wit be enclined that it be not craftie and that it be not only not quicke and pliant but rather lyght and inconstant For it is one thyng to be able to stay and another to be able to go whyther soeuer a man lust Ioy. My wyt is excellent Reason It skilleth much in what kynd a man do excel For the signification of that woorde is vncertayne and true it is that a mans wit is of force if he do throughly bende it And therefore geue me rather a good wit then an excellent for the one cannot be conuerted to euill the other is flexible vnto many thinges For Salust writeth that Lucius Catiline was a man of notable courage but of a corrupt naughtie wit and disposition Ioy. My wit is great Reason I requyre a good and a modest wit the greatnes only is suspected For a great wit hath many tymes ben the beginnyng of great euylles And seldome were there any great errours but they sprang from great wittes Of Memorie The .viii. Dialogue IOY MY memorie is very great Reason Thou hast then a large house of loathsomenesse and a gallery ful of smoky images among which many thinges may displease Ioy. My memorie conteyneth many thinges Reason Among many thynges there be but fewe that do delight
the armes of his seruantes or vpon some other horse and carying his Physitions with hym he woulde goe visite his sicke horse twice or thrice euery day and sorowfully sighing woulde sit by hym and gently stroke him with his hand and comfort him with fayre speech To be short there was no kind of meanes by Physicke let passe vnassayed and nothing omitted that might relieue his sicke freend Perhaps posteritie wil cal this a tale howbeit it is true and knowen among a great people Thus this noble gentleman was as carefull for the good health of his horse as for his owne and lamented for his death as he had been his sonne Ioy. I delight to ride Reason It is profitable somtime and also an helpe to swiftnesse and a remedy for weerinesse and a token of nobilitie to ride vpon a goodly courser and to excel al theresidue not only by the head but also by the shoulders and to be higher then the other by the whole body Contrariwise a fierce horse is most troublesome many times hurtful to his maister If thou wouldest goe a iourney on foote thou hast no power nor space to rest thee therfore thou chosest rather to exchang the dustines on foote for the daunger on horsebacke And for this cause horses haue deliuered many from the middes of death and brought sundry also into extremitie of destruction or hurt them with falles or tumbled vpon them with their bodyes and so killed them Yea horses are not the least seede of warre Take away horses thou shalt take away forren inuasions of countreis and the greatest part of warlike destruction That as in natural Philosophie the question is mooued of windes and of Iulius Caesar in histories whether it were better the winde should blowe or not or that Caesar were borne or not The like question may also be demaunded concerning horses there are so many contrarie reasons on the contrary side And it was not without cause that Thessalia which first founde out the vse of horses and tamed them first coyned money of siluer and gold and first assayed to goe vpon the Sea in a shyp seemed to be the store house of Mars and for that also not once onely after so many hundred yeeres it was wette with plentie of valient blood Ioy. How much thinkest thou doth our poet delight me where he describeth the maners spirite and courage of a noble horse Reason And doeth not the saying of the Hebrue prophete make thee afrayd where he sayth At thy rebuke O God of Iacob haue they fallen asleepe that got vpon their horses Examine euery poinct not only that pleasant but also this rough saying Of hunting and hauking The .xxxii. Dialogue IOY BVT I am delighted in Dogges Reason Now I vnderstande the delight of a beardles youth who as Horace sayth Delighteth in horses and dogges and the pleasant greene feeldes But beware thou be not that which foloweth Apt to be plucked to vice and sharpe to them that tell thee thy fault A flowe prouider for profite lauishe of money proud couetous and redy to forsake that which thou hast loued I feare mee thou art suche an one since thou settest thy pleasure vpon such transitorie delightes Ioy. I am delighted with dogges and foules Reason This peece of madnesse was wantyng is it not sufficient for thee to gadde and wander abroade but meanest thou to flye also Ioy. Thou mockest me for I meane not to flye but I am delighted in the foules that flye Reason But they wyll flye away and contemne thy pleasure and not knowe thee and vnthankfully be deafe when thou callest them What shouldest thou do that wantest feathers seeyng thy pleasure is winged Imagine that they returned the taking of them would be hurtfull thou wouldest cal againe and forgetting thy more profitable affaires loose thy time Agayne looking backe and castyng thine eyes vp to the cloudes after thy foolyshe byrde perhappes thou wilt weepe as though there were no necessarie woorke to be doone in this lyfe by reason of the pleasure whiche you fynde by your idlenesse and slouth ye glorie in that ye are slaues to your byrdes Nature hath geuen you two handes with the one ye rule the bird the other you trouble with crooked talentes So being idle on al sides being come lame with desire to flie to the end ye may not seme to do any thing with great noyse ye ryse before day and sodeinly run out of the doores as though the enimies were at the threshold all the day after ye run about the pondes and waters wooddes and bushes filling the ayre with sundry outcries and euil fauoured houlinges And in this pastime ye spende your breath whiche is meete for some greater matter with whiche spirite your forefathers made their enimies afearde in battayle and in peace mainteyned iustice At nyght when ye come home as though ye had atchiued some great enterprice yet syt within doores declaryng howe well that byrde flue and how well this byrde hath endued his meate how many feathers of the trayne and how many of the winges are remaning or lost Is not this all your skyll is not this your loue is not this your felicitie and is not this al whiche ye requite to God your Creatour to your countrey that bredde you to your parentes that be gate you to your freendes that loue you to wit your Spathaukes or your Hernshawes skimming in the ayre and some peece of a torne foule and swet and dust and your nyghtly storie of your lost day Vnto this ye be alwayes valient and vnweeried and vnto earnest businesse weake and daintie Liuies stories and Tullies orations and the holy Scriptures ye condenme as ouerlong whereof ye may be ashamed Who can heare this with vnoffended eares Who wyll beare with you being borne to other thinges to lyue in these delites yf ye lyue in these doynges Ioy. I take pleasure in Spanyels and Haukes Reason We haue heard of many princes and noble men whereof some were wont to take delight in horses and many in dogges insomuche that Adrian the Emperour erected monumentes not for horses only as those of whom we made mention before but for dogges also And moreouer buylded a citie in the same place where in prosperous hunting he had slayne a shee Beare with his owne hand vsed many tyme to kyl a Lion but neuer that he made any tombe for a byrde or foule For which cause some say that Virgil mocked Marcillus that was nephue to Augustus in that he seemed to take pleasure in them when he was a young man. Ioy. I delight muche in huntyng Reason This exercise was peculiar sometime to the Latines but nowe to the Frenchmen whiche experience teacheth to be true and wherof some of theyr owne writers do boast Wherefore to speake nothyng of those kinges whose whole lyfe was perpetual huntyng the chiefest kyng of them all whensoeuer he had any rest from battayle excercysyng hym selfe in dayly huntyng at length when
valient man. Reason Then hast thou one that perhaps may purchase vnto his countrey libertie to his enimies slaughter to him selfe honour and one day vnto thee teares but feare continually Ioy. My Sonne is valient and of great courage Reason What other thyng dyd Creon bewayle in his sonne that was slayne then his couragious desire of martial prayse What Enander in his sonne Pallas then his newe glory in armes and the sweete honour of his first encounter Whereof dyd feareful Priamus admonish his sonne Hector then that he should not alone expect Achilles What doth the careful mother entreat her sonne other then to shun that warlike champion Finally what dyd Hectors wyfe beyng ignorant of the heauie chaunce that alreadie was hapned say that she feared other then her husbandes well meanyng and the heate of his minde that was not able to stay hym out of the fyrst aray of the Souldiours but woulde rather runne before them all Whiche thyng also she feared at the beginning when as she spake vnto hym as he was going into the warres in this maner Doeth thy valiencie so deuilishy be witche thee that thou takest compassion neyther vpon thy Sonne nor mee his Mother who shall shortly be thy Wydowe Lastly what other dyd Achilles mother say beyng fearefull for her Sonne Now must I seeke for my sonne Achilles by Lande and Sea and I woulde he woulde folowe mee Whilst in wayne she tooke hym being feeble out of the garboyle of the hotte warres and carrying hym into the pallace of the calme olde man hyd hym vp in her virgins secrete closets All these lamentations and feares were by nothyng els procured then Martial force and valient courage Ioy. My sonne is exceeding couragious Reason A great courage without great power is great follie True valiencie and magnanimitie apparteine but to fewe men although they that seeme most mighty strong how weake they be in deede many things besides death do declare but specially death it selfe so that it may be sayde shortly and truely There is nothyng more weake nor more proude then man. Ioy. I haue a couragious sonne Reason Reioyce therefore for thy house shal be full of great attemptes and emptie of rest and quietnesse and thou shalt often wishe that thy sonne were not so couragious To conclude fortitude is a noble vertue and magnanimitie beautifull but both are painefull and troublesome and modestie is safe and quiet Of the Daughters chastitie The Lxxiiii Dialogue IOY I Haue a chaste Daughter Reason A great ioy but a careful For the greater her chastity is the more watching is lust ouer her For there is nothyng more ardently inuaded then that which is defended with chaste watch and womanly shamefastnesse When the corruptor hath won the path he goeth foorth then more slowly and permitted thynges are more coldly desired a thyng that is muche coueted is hardly preserued Ioy. My Daughters beautie is excellent Reason There it is then where a very good thing ministreth matter to the most vilest The beautie of Lucretia was great but nothing in respect of her honestie so that the chastitie of this noble Matrone violently pricked foorth the hot young man to adulterie Thus the wickednesse of the reprobate abuseth the ornamentes of the vertuous Ioy. My Daughters chastitie is knowen Reason Pray that it may continue Thou readest in the Poet A woman is alwayes diuers and changeable Which although Virgil sayd it not were it therefore lesse true How many haue we seene that haue been honest whyle they were young and haue afterward prooued wanton in their age And so striuing with their present vices against their forepassed honestie doo seeme in a maner to repent them of their tyme honestly spent a more foule reproche then whiche there can chaunce in no sexe and age Ioy. I haue a most chaste Daughter Reason If she knewe her selfe and vnderstoode whose gift chastitie is and geuing thankes vnto hym coulde apply all her studie to preserue the same wouâ—d continue vndefiled in safetie thou shalt then haue great cause I confesse to thanke God and reioyce with her more then yf thou haddest married her to a Kyng and yet beleeue me some tyme to feare also For since constancie is rare in al thinges be sure there is none at al in women Of a good sonne in Lawe The Lxxv. Dialogue IOY I Haue a very good Sonne in law Reason Thou oughtest to loue him more deere then thine owne sonne for thine owne sonne commeth to thee by chaunce but thy sonne in lawe by choyce Thanke therfore thy Daughter who owing vnto thee Nephewes hath now brought thee a sonne Ioy. Fortune hath brought vnto me a very good sonne in lawe Reason In this kinde of affinitie there be examples of notable fayth and treason Seldome or neuer hath any Sonne been so faythfull to his father as way Marcus Agrippa to Augustus Caesar as Marcus Aurelius to Antonius Pius vnto whom euen vnto his liues ende whiche was the space of three and twentie yeeres he so behaued hym selfe that not onely he deserued his loue and his Daughter but also the succession in his Empire as his Sonne through his continuall fayth and diligence But Nero was no suche sonne in lawe vnto Claudius although he not by his desartes but by his mothers policie obtayned the Emperours daughter and Empire Ioy. I haue founde a courteous and agreeable Sonne in lawe Reason Beware least eyther the hope of succession or the seekyng after goodes doo infringe this agreement Who wyll not wyshe that he may lyue whose lyfe he seeth to be profitable vnto hym selfe But yf he once begynne to attempt any thyng so that perhappes he suppose thy lyfe to be an hynderaunce or thy death begynne or seeme to be profitable vnto hym then the affections of the mynde are changed and secret hatred wyll soone breake foorth And of what force the discorde is betweene the Father and the Daughters husbande to say nothyng of the auncient Fable of Danaus and Nummianus who was slayne by the wycked treason of Aprimus his Father in lawe and likewyse Stilico who through the desyre to reigne forgat his Father in lawe that was dead and his Sonne in lawe that was lyuing the most memorable example of Caesar and Pompei doth sufficiently declare Of seconde Marriage The Lxxvi Dialogue IOY I Meane to be married agayne Reason If thou knewest throughly what a woman were or what excellent auctours doo write of her thou wouldest not haue married at the first Ioy. I entend to marrie againe Reason If thy first mariage haue not tamed thee then marrie againe if the tame thee not then thou mayst also marrie the third time Ioy. I am about to marrie againe Reason Who so hauyng chyldren by his fyrst marriage bringeth a Stepmother among them he setteth his house afyre with is owne handes If youth pricke thee or letcherous olde age styrre thee to lust then whiche there is nothing more filthie perhaps to speake now more
vse it to vse it I say not as Maharbal gaue counsayle to Hanibal but as Hanno that was a better man gaue counsayle to his Common wealth For truely Peace is the best vse and fruite of victorie neyther are iust warres taken in hande for any other ende then for peace Ioy. Victorie is on my syde Reason Beware she flee not away for she hath winges Of the death of an Enimie The Ciiii. Dialogue IOY I AM glad of myne Enimies death Reason To hope for any thing by the death of an enimie and to reioyce in any mans death perhaps is permitted to hym that is immortal yf any suche may be founde but to hope for the death of another man whiche may fyrst happen to thy selfe or to reioyce that that is befallen to thyne Enimie whiche needes must happen to thy selfe is a foolyshe hope and a vayne ioy Ioy. I reioyce in myne Enimies death Reason Some other ere it be long wyll reioyce in thine Ioy. I am glad that mine Enimie is dead Reason If ye were mindful of your owne estate one man would neuer reioyce in the death of another When I pray thee was it euer seene that when two went togeather to execution the one conceiued any pleasure in the others death knowing that himselfe must goe to the same pot but doth not rather lament beholding his owne death in his fellowe Ioy. I haue conceyued delyght in mine Enimies death Reason How often thinkest thou haue mens deathes that haue been desired greeued the desirers and they haue in vayne begun to wishe for their liues who before wyshed not in vayne for their deathes when as they begin once to vnderstand that they haue wished to their owne destructioÌ„ But your affections are hastie Whatsoeuer ye wishe to haue ye wish it vehemently as it is written Iulius Caesar sayde of Marcus Brutus Yea rather ye wyshe it too muche and your earnest desyre can suffer no tariaunce And therefore whatsoeuer ye woulde haue ye wyll haue it presently whereof proceede not onely vngodly wyshes but also poysonynges and murthers and whatsoeuer one man can imagine against another beyng the most hurtfull creature towarde his owne kinde â–ª Ye wysh for many thynges whiche yf ye tooke aduise of reason ye would stand in feare of when they are accomplished and the varieue of your wishes is an argument of your euyl choyce neyther doeth your rashnesse returne to that whiche is right vntyll your â—â—olythe affections are checked with haplesse successe Ioy. I am glad of mine enimies death Reason If thine enimie were but of smal fame and reputation to reioyce in his death is shameful and to be sorie superfluous but yf he were noble and famous it is meete and decent to be sorie though not for the man yet for vertues sake whiche euery day hath fewer places to harbour in Sodyd Metellus Macedonicus bewayle the death of the younger Scipio Africane and Caesar the death of Pompeâ— and Alexander the death of Darius Ioy. I recioyce in the death of my Foe Reason How canst thou reioyce in his death whom thou art commaunded to loue not as thine enimie but as thy neighboure being the worke of the same woorkeman Ioy. I am gladde of myne enimies death Reason Perhaps thou hearest not or regardest not the most holsome and knowen counsel of the Wyse man Reioyce not sayth he in the death of thine enimie knowyng that we shall all dye And wyl we notwithstandyng be glad Doubtlesse this counsayle or precept is holsome Of hope of Peace The Cv. Dialogue HOPE I Hope for Peace Reason It is better to keepe peace then to hope for it It is the part of a foole to neglect thynges certayne and to embrace doubtfull hope Hope I hope for peace Reason Thou shouldest haue kept her more narrowly neyther suffered her to depart whom thou now hopest for What yf thine impatience haue brought thee vnto this Hope that thou myghtest choose to be vexed with hoping for that whiche thou myghtest haue vsed by enioying Hope I hope for peace Reason Hope of peace hath destroyed many and calamitie vnlooked for followyng hoped peace hath ouercome and oppressed the vnskilfull sleepy whom it could not haue harmed if it had found expert Hope I hope for peace Reason Why doest thou hope so long for that whiche is in thy hand to attayne vnto It is seldome seene but they do finde peace that are in deede willing effectually to seeke it but those to whom the name of peace is sweete peace it selfe is sowre and therefore they that seeke for peace withstand peace Peace hath foure enimies dwelling among you to wit couetousnesse enuie anger pride these if you sende away into euerlasting exile your peace shal be euerlasting Hope I am in assured hope of peace Reason Betweene hope of peace peace it selfe many thinges do happen a light worde and a smal gesture hath many times disturbed compounded peace yea the very treaties and parlees of peace are often broken of by dent of swoord and hope of peace sharpneth the mindes and aggrauateth warres euen so may a man tearme the treatie of friendship which commeth to none effect the whetstone and sharpning of hatred Hope There is talke of peace there shal be peace Reason There is often talke of peace to no purpose many times dangerously haue the captaines of the Frenchmen and Carthagiens entreated of peace when as Camillus surprised the one and Scipio the other Hope After warre is ended peace shal be confirmed Reason How muche better were it that it were confirmed before the beginning of war how many mischiefes and losse of mens liues might be by seasonable peace preuented But you like wilful and truently children can neuer learne wisedome without whipping In peace ye seeke after warre and in warre ye seeke after peace and neuer begin to know or loue peace but when ye are afflicted with warre then as ye lament that ye haue lost peace so anon when it is restored vnto you with like lightnesse ye contemne it vntyll that hauing lost it once or twice ye are taught not to contemne your owne commodities and to couet your owne harmes finally not to be mad nor foolysh whereof ye may be ashamed before ye haue obtayned it Ye must haue one thing tolde you often and it suffiseth not to haue heard but ye must often see and trye I wyll speake more playnely ye must be beaten often before you can learne any thing Hope Peace wil follow warre Reason It had ben better it had gone before and stopped the course of warre there is no such madnesse as in hope of remedy willingly to receyue a wounde Formentations are helpes and not causes of woundes It is naturall for hym that is sicke to wyshe for health but for one that is whole to wysh for sicknes in hope of health is madnesse Hope We shal haue peace Reason Peace many times procureth hurtful alterations to Cities Countreis which although of
perceyue no sweetenesse in it For if it be sweete to hope it is also sweete to lacke that which a man would haue which who so wyll affirme to be true doubtlesse he wanteth the sense of taste Hope It is pleasant to hope Reason Then to hang in doubt to be affected vexed is hope of long punishment there is long hope nothing so much weerieth the mind nothing so much hasteneth old age And therfore the wise man often tearmeth lost hope vantage and reioyceth that he was deliuered from infinite desires and expectations of vayne thinges whereby he was enforced to take delight in his owne good thinges Hope Let fortune looke to the euent as for me I reioyce in hope Reason Take heede lest hereafter thou be sory in the thing it selfe and it repent thee that euer thou wishedst or hopedst or enioyedst thine hope Many whom hope long tormented while they lyued in doubt when it came to effect which they hoped were vtterly ouerthrowen many haue perished with the wished successes of their long hope whiche were very tedious but not late enough Hope None shal take hope from me Reason None shal take frō thee werisomnesse trouble of mind thou hast heard the old prouerbe It is a great payne to looke or hope for any thyng Hope The hopyng or lookyng for a good thyng is pleasant Reason But it is deceitful and doubtful and troublesome If thou deny this thou neuer hopedst for any thyng But the company is inestimable of those that deceiue them selues vnto whom whatsoeuer offereth it selfe there is nothyng without some effect towards that they haue in hand they refuse nothyng they deny them selues to none they are easily turned and quicke to geue credite I may say that it were a great argument of lightnesse and folly to embrace euery hope that a man shal meete withall and immediatly to repose hym selfe thereon as an assured good wherevnto all men of learnyng and experience are but slowe Hope In the meane whyle I haue a good hope Reason In the meane whyle thou sayest which wylbe vnto such tyme as it hath deceyned thee For this is your custome ye cast of hope agaynst your wyl and neuer forsake it vntyll it forsake you Yea many times when it forsaketh you it is strange to say howe agayne and agayne ye wyllyngly embrace it when it returneth and gooyng foorth to meete it assoone as ye haue layde holde on it ye forget how before it deceyued you and retayne it agayne furnished with newe craftes and lay it vp in the secrete closure of your hartes Hope I wyl not forsake my good hope vnto the last Reason What yf it forsake thee long before Wylt thou call it backe or folowe it or carry tyll it returne But goe to hope a Gods name since there is nothyng more pleasant vnto thee then to be deceiued It is not my meanyng to plucke thy hope from thee whiche so earnestly thou enterteynest only I admonyshe thee this much that it is no good hope which thou supposest It is no good hope that proposeth good to it selfe but that purposeth well The moste wycked persons may yea and commonly do hope for that which is good and therefore that is good hope in deede whiche is ryghtly conceyued of the true good he that hath this hope let hym holde it fast and not let her depart from hym in the ende but ioyne her other sisters vnto her to witte fayth and charitie This hope is pleasant sweete true and happy which neyther fayleth nor confoundeth him that hopeth but aduanceth hym vnto that which is best in the meane while maketh the minde cheereful with the remembraunce of the good that is hoped for But you as hopyng for the true good which ye haue yll deserued or callyng euyll thynges by the name of good are in conclusion deceyued and therefore your expectation is sorowfull before it come and more sorowfull when it is come Hope Myne vnderstandyng is humane and I speake of those thynges which men cal good Reason Heretofore there hath been long contention among the learned about this name which doth yet continue and wyl doo for euer to the worldes ende some makyng but one good thing and contrariwyse other some many Hope Let vs leaue these matters to the Philosophers as for mee I hope for those thynges whiche the common people call good Reason Thou hopest then for thine owne euyl which eyther wyll vexe thee with deferryng or ouerpresse thee with the desired burden Admit that al thynges goe well with thee apparteining to the body that thou hast prepared power against thine enimie and as touchyng Fortune that thou hast borne the yoke of an vnconstant and vnmilde Ladye and that many of these thynges may be conuerted to the affliction and destruction of the minde forasmuche as the thynges that delyght the minde doo oftentymes hurt it Hope I haue cast the anker of good hope and I wyll not remooue Reason But Saylers vse many tymes when a tempest ryseth to cut their Cable and loose theyr Anker if they can not weigh him vp and to depart without him for it hapneth not alwayes so as in the calmenesse of the Sea we reade in the poet The Anker helde fast the Shyppes with an assured tooth so lykewyse in great troubles and raginges of the Sea wherein the Anker doth not holde them fast but rather stayeth them and endangereth them often with castyng away none otherwyse verily in the stormes and tempestes of worldly affayres setled and tough hope hath drawen many into destruction who yf they had cut of and caste away theyr hope might haue safely escaped Therefore the Anker of hope must be oftentymes weighed vp or yf it holde too harde be broken of And yf that can not be it must euen be quite cut away and left behinde vnder the waters and flooddes of affayres to the ende thou mayest safely conueyth the free barke of thy lyfe through the direction of foresyght into the hauen of safetie Hope I hope wel Reason In well hopyng and yll hauyng mans lyfe passeth away Of expectation of Inheritaunce The Cx. Dialogue HOPE I Looke for the inheritaunce of an olde man that hath no chyldren Reason Thou saydst erwhyle that thou wast in quiet take heede thou be not found contrary to thy selfe for hopyng or lookyng for any commoditie quietnesse of minde can neuer dwell togeather there is no loathsomnesse in this life more greeuous then this expectation Hope I expect the inheritaunce of an olde man. Reason But thou knowest not what he also expecteth for this is a general madnesse among men that almost euery man hopeth not onely to lyue longer then those that are of his owne yeeres but also that are younger Men are vnwilling to thynke on their owne death but gladly on other mens when as in deede it were more profitable for them to doo the contrarie Hope I hope for an olde mans inheritaunce Reason How if he
also hope for thyne One of you must needes be deceyued How many olde men may there be found that looke for the death of young men And truely there is none so olde but he may lyue one yeere longer and none so young but he may dye to day Hope I hope for the inheritaunce of a chyldlesse olde man. Reason Thy sonne may better hope for it A more likely hope hath deceyued a younger Hope The inheritaunce of a childlesse olde man shal fal vnto me Reason How knowest thou whether thyne shall fall vnto hym Claudius succeeded Caius and Galba Nero and Nerua Domitian and Pertinax Commodus and the lyfe of a man is ful of suche successions Hope I tarie for the inheritaunce of a childlesse olde man. Reason Whom cannot he deceyue of them that are willing to be deceyned that hath deceiued him whom he woulde not willingly haue deceiued Whom may not he suruine that hath suruiued his owne sonne Hope A childlesse olde man hath alredy in writing appoynted me his heyre Reason Hath he engrauen it in tables of Diamond from whence thou canst not be blotted out Dooest thou not knowe vpon howe light occasions olde men do alter their wylles Many haue mislyked of that at the very ende of theyr lyues whiche before they lyked well of all theyr lyfe tyme. Hope A chyldlesse olde man wyll haue me be his heyre Reason But it may chaunce that hereafter he wyl not For there is nothyng that a riche chyldlesse olde man taketh in worse part then to see his goodes loued and him selfe not regarded for then al is marred Hope I am promised the inheritaunce of a chyldlesse olde man. Reason I could wyshe there were that vpryghtnesse and trust in men that they would neuer promise any thyng but that whiche is honest and would also perfourme that which they haue promised But now there is neither measure in promising nor regarde of breache of promise whiche men thynke they may most lawfully doo in inheritaunce and bestowyng possessions And for this cause the lawes call the willes of Testatours whyle they lyue walkyng Wylles I wyll not trouble thee with examples the thyng is well knowen Thou hast read I take it vnto whom in hath hapned that not only they were promised the inheritaunce of the lyuyng but also receyued kysses and ringes and the last embracinges of the partie whiche lay a dying whiche vnto them was an vndoubted token of succession when as in the meane whyle there were other heyres appoynted and no mention at all made of them in the Wyll thus bolde is vnfaythfulnesse euen in the middes of death Doest thou thynke then that thou art free from the deceites of them that are alyue when as thou readest in what sort great and noble personagies haue been deluoed by the craftes of them that haue lyen a dying And not to stay vpon many The most honourable Gentleman Lucius Lucullus suffered some tyme this kynde of mocke and reproche and also a greater state then he was Augustus the Emperour An horrible and most strange delyght in deceyuyng which wyll not forsake the miserable and wretched soules no not in the very poynt of death but this is your maner and thou reposest thy trust vpon a promised inheritaunce whereof thou mayest be disappoynted both by the longer lyfe and shorter fayth of the testatour although yf these doo thee no harme he may haue most iust cause to change his purpose to wit an heyre of his owne and young issue borne to an old man For Cato begate a chylde when he was aboue fourescore yeeres old and Masinissa when he was more neere to ninetie The lyke also happeneth now adayes vnto your olde men who I woulde they were as lyke vnto those anncient fathers in strength of mynde as they are to force of engendryng whiche beyng so truely the lawfull heyre hyndreth the intruder and cutteth of his foolyshe hope Hope I am named Heyre in an olde mans Testament Reason But perhappes he is yet lyuyng and lyke to lyue As for the Testamentes and Wylles they are made in the lyfe time and confirmed in the death thou thynkest vpon the Carcas and Buriall and Wolfe may be weeried with expectation and hunger Hope An Inheritaunce shall come directly vnto mee Reason As the Testatour so also is the inheritaunce subiect to casualties that a man can not alwayes haue that heyre whiche he woulde and an inheritaunce many tymes is nothyng but a vayne name yea sundrie tymes a small inheritaunce is very deerely bought when a man maketh hym selfe seruiceable and subiect to a tatter olde foole and vseth flattering wordes vnmeete for a man Surely there is no commoditie to be compared with the losse of honestie and that whiche is decent Hope The Inheritaunce shall fall vnto me without contradiction of Lawe or Fortune Reason Whereby knowest thou that seeyng that saying of the most auntient and wyse Father Marcus Cato is true I haue heard oftentymes sayth he that many thynges may happen betweene the mouth and the morsell But admitie nothyng happen betweene but that thyne expected inheritaunce fall vnto thee it wyll not tarrie with thee but departe from thee to others Worldly goodes are roullyng and money men say is of purpose made rounde that it may alwayes be runnyng Thou hast gotten an inheritaunce for thy successour thou beyng perhappes sadde for hym that wyll reioyce thou beyng carefull for hym that is negligent and looke howe thou hast hoped of another so wyll other hope of thee Of Alchimie The Cxi Dialogue HOPE I Hope for good successe in Alchimie Reason It is strange thou should est hope for that which neuer hapned effectually to thy selfe nor to any man els yf report go that it euer hapned to any man that report was made by suche as it was expedient to beleeue them Hope I hope for good successe in Alchimie Reason What successe meanest thou other then smoke ashes sweate sighes woordes deceit and shame These are the successes of Alchimie wherely we neuer sawe any poore man aduaunced to ritches but many ryche men fall into pouertie And yet ye haue no regarde hereof so sweete a thyng it is to hope and be deceyued wherevnto ye be pricked foorth by couetousnesse and dryuen headlong through madnesse that ye thinke that to be true whiche you hope for and false whiche you see Thou hast seene some that in other matters are wyse yet in this behalfe to be madde and some very ryche men vtterly consumed with this vanitie and whyle they couet to become rycher and gape after filthie lucre to consume theyr wel gotten goodes and hauyng spent all theyr reuenue in vnprofitable expences at length to haue wanted verie necessaries and other some forsakyng the Citie wherein they dwelt haue passed foorth the residue of theyr lyues in sorowe and heauinesse beyng able to thynke vpon nothyng els but Bellowes Tongues and Coales and beyng able to abyde to keepe companie with none but of theyr owne disposition
which he found of bricke which glory notwithstanding vnlesse it had been holpen with other thynges whereunto it would haue come we see and therfore yf thou be wyse dye in other traueyles and embrace permanent hope For these thinges whereof thou trustest are both of no price and also wyll shortly followe thee and returne to the earth from whence they came Hope I haue builded houses whereby I hope for prayse Reason Perhaps they wyl prayse thee that shal dwel in them A short and narowe prayse but they that doo come after shall eyther not vnderstande that it is due vnto thee or as men say commonly geue out that those woorkes were buylded by Paganes and thy name shal be vnknowne Of glory hoped for by keeping Companie The Cxix Dialogue Hope I Hope for glory by keepyng company Reason It skilleth muche with whom thou keepe company for there are many whiche I woulde it were not so whose company is discredible and infamous HOPE I knowe that there is no glory wonne but by good artes or conuersation with good men I rest my selfe vpon this last and hope to be good eyther by the example of good men or yf that fayle I hope that the familiaritie of good men wyll purchase me glory Reason Truely in a young man this is a very good signe who vnlesse he hadde a good mynde woulde neuer wyshe to be ioyned with good men For of all friendshyppes and familiarities a certayne lykenesse is the cause and couplyng togeather Proceede therefore and yf thou canst matche those whom thou dooest imitate it is wel doone If not yet yf thou doo thy best thy good wyll shal not want the rewarde of glory For the chiefe and greatest part of vertue is to haue a good mynde vnto vertue and vnlesse this goe before vertue wyll not folow Hope I boast in my familiaritie with good men Reason Veryly I prayle thee for it from whiche let neyther the hope of gayne nor of any other thing withdrawe thee and bende thou al thyne industrie vnto this that thou mayest be lyke them otherwyse that whiche is doone for glory only deserueth not true glory Hope I hope for glory by conuersation with good men Reason A great hope and not discommendable seeing it consisteth in obseruyng and imitating of knowledge and eloquence and other good artes of peace and warre For many haue become noble by conuersation with noble men But take heede of this that through errour thou choose not to thy selfe euyl leaders in steede of good or by meanes of the lamentable scarcitie of good men and penury of vertues in this age thou attayne not to that for whiche thou seekest Of manyfolde hope The Cxx. Dialogue HOPE I Hope for many thynges Reason In much hope there is muche vanitie and great meanes left vnto fortune to deceiue Hope I hope for many thynges Reason Many thynges disapoynt a manyfolde hope Who so hopeth for litle hath left but a narrowe way for casualties but not vtterly stopped it Hope I hope for good health Reason A forgetfulnesse of mortalitie Hope I hope for long lyfe Reason A long pryson wherein thou shalt see much and suffer muche agaynst thy lykyng Hope Fyrme members Reason Strong bandes but pleasant notwithstandyng from whiche thou art a frayde to be loosed Hope Surpassyng beautie of the body Reason Prouocation vnto pleasures Hope Happy ende of my yeeres Reason The matter of a shameful and sorowful thyng Hope The couenanted death of my louer Reason Some short and fylthy matter I knowe not what Hope Libertie to offende Reason A miserable ioy and long repentaunce Hope Oportunitie to reuenge Reason An entraunce vnto crueltie Hope A nymble and strong body Reason A stubburne and rebellious drudge Hope Great riches Reason An heauie burden of Burres and Bryers Hope Shyppes to returne from sundry Seas Reason Fortune diuersly dispersed betweene the monsters of the Sea and the Rockes beaten with the Surgies drawen with ropes and dryuen with the wind Hope Gayne by the hoped merchandize Reason A baite whiche will corment thee with continuall carefulnesse and by the hope of one small gayne dryue thee headlong vnaduysedly into many losses A newe Merchaunt is easye to beleeue but he that is expert forseeth many thynges Hope Honest bestowyng of my sonne or daughter in marryage Reason There is no hope almost that is so often and so grieuously deceyued Hope Great power Reason An hateful miserie a rytch pouertie a fearefull pride Hope A kyngdome and empire Reason A cragged headlong downefall and tempestuous stormes and vnder a glitteryng diademe a careful countenance and heauie hart an vnfortunate lyfe Hope Honours of the court of pleas Reason Dust and clamour Hope Wedlocke and children Reason Contention and cares Hope Warfare for my selfe and a sonne for my wyfe Reason Trauayle to thy selfe and payne to thy beloued Hope The death of mine olde wyfe and that I may haue a younger Reason To be loosed from a worne stryng and to be tyed to a strong newe Rope Hope Wyt a tongue and learning Reason An Handuyle an Hammer and a peece of iron whereby to breake thy selfe and others of theyr sleepe Hope Commendation at my buryall Reason A Nightyngale to syng vnto a deafe person Hope A golden Pyramis Reason A paynted house for a blynde man. Hope Glory after my death Reason A prosperous gale of wynde after Shypwracke Hope A name among posteritie Reason A testimonie from vnknowne persons Hope An heyre for my selfe Reason A friende to thy patrimonie and an argument to thy selfe that thou shalt not returne Of hoped quietnesse of mynde The Cxxi Dialogue HOPE I Hope for quietnesse of mynde Reason Why hadst thou rather hope for then haue peace Looke howe soone thou shalt begynne throughly to seeke it thou shalt fynde it Hope I hope for peace of mynde Reason To hope for peace is the parte of a warryour Who maketh warre agaynst thy mynde but thy selfe only that whiche thou hast taken away from thy selfe impudently thou requirest and hopest of another Hope I hope for peace of mynde Reason From whence I pray thee Or howe canst thou hope for that whiche thou mayest geue vnto thy selfe and so as none can take it from thee but thy selfe Lay downe the weapons of lust and wrath and thou hast absolutely purchased peace for thy mynde Hope I hope for peace and quietnesse of mynde Reason Why then is that which thou dooest agaynst peace And why dooest thou striue so muche agaynst peace Men haue scarce neede to endeuour so muche to be in safetie as they take paynes to seeke their owne destruction Continuall warre and traueyle of mynde is bought more deerely then are peace and quietnesse thus mens desires doo stryue agaynst theyr studies in suche sort as yf one man hadde not the mynde of one but of many and all those repugnant one to another Hope I hope for quietnesse Reason I marueyle from whence ye haue this desire of hopyng alwayes O ye mortall
generally most briefly S. Hierome thinketh of this matter where he sayth that there is neither Fortune nor destinie so that the common sort shall acknowledge and perceiue here their manner of speaking as for the learned which are but scarce they will vnderstand what I meane and shall not bee troubled with the vsuall woord Of the one part of this twoofold woorke concerning passions and fortune wee haue saide alredie what wee thought good of the other we will now speake what wee shall see conuenient Of deformitie of the bodie The first Dialogue Sorowe and Reason Sorowe I Complaine that Nature hath dealt verie hardlie with mee in making me euill fauoured Reason O howe manie fire brandes hath she quenched howe manie flames hath she repressed Sorowe Nature hath made mee deformed Reason She hath not giuen thee that which might delite thee if shee haue giuen thee that which may profit thee it is sufficient and therefore leaue thy complaintes Sorowe Nature hath not giueÌ„ me the grace of good fauour Reason Shee hath giuen thee nothing that sicknes might deface old age take away perhaps she hath giuen thee that which death it selfe dareth not touche Sorowe Nature hath denied me the fauour of the bodie Reason If she haue giueÌ„ thee the good fauour of the minde thou art much beholden to her contemne that repulse with a valiant minde and comfort the offence of the looking glasse with the vprightnesse of thy conscience Sorowe Nature hath enuied me the fauour of the bodie Reason She hath not enuied it thee but she is ashamed to giue thee that which is dailie diminished and wasted True liberalitie is perceiued by a coÌ„tinuing gift Rotten and transitorie giftes couetous persons do giue good fauour which is a fraile and transitorie gift of Nature is giuen vnto fewe for their profit vnto manie to their destruction but vnto none to their safetie and true glorie Sorowe Bodily fauour is denied vnto me Reason Excellent fauour of the bodie and honestie do verie seldome dwell together vnder one roofe It is wel with thee if the worse being excluded thou retein the better geast with thee Sorowe I haue no part of the comelinesse of good fauour Reason Why art thou sorie for that or what holie or godly matter doest thou reuolue in thy minde For what cause doest thou thinke the good fauour of the bodie to be necessarie for thee or not rather altogether burdensome and hindering Good fauour hath made manie adulterers but none chast Manie hath it ledde through the slipperinesse of pleasures vnto an infamous death who if they had been euill fauoured might haue liued without shame and danger What say I manie Yea it hath brought innumerable into trouble but all welnigh into blame Sorowe Why hath nature made me deformed Reason To the ende thou shouldest adorne and make thy selfe well fauoured with that fauour which may remaine with thee in thine old age in thy bedde â–ª in thy beere in thy graue and that which may be thine own commendation not the prayse of nature nor of thy parentes It is more beautifull to be made beautifull than so to be borne For the one commeth by chaunce the other by studie Sorowe Much deformitie of bodie oppresseth me Reason This deformitie of some is counted a part of vnhappinesse and miserie Beleeue thou me the minde is not defiled by deformitie of the bodie but the bodie adorned by the beautie and fauour of the mind Then it is not this that oppresseth or dishonesteth thee but it openeth the way and layeth foorth the matter and meane to honest the minde and to rise aloft through vertue Sorowe Nature hath brought mee foorth deformed into the world Reason If she had brought forth Helen euill fauoured or to speake of Men if Paris had been borne without good fauour perhappes Troy had stoode to this day Sorowe I complaine that I was borne euill fauoured Reason But fewe good men haue loued the comelinesse of the bodie none haue desired it manie haue reiected it for doing of which that Tuscane youth is commended who of his owne accorde mangled and defourmed the excellent beautie of his well fauoured face which he perceiued to be suspected of manie and enimie to his owne good name and hurtfull to the honestie of other farre vnlike vnto thee who wishest for that whereof he dispoiled him selfe and which fewe did euer enioye without hurt Sorowe I want good fauour Reason It is more safe to want that by meanes whereof thou mayest often fall into a doubtfull and painfull experiment of thy selfe Comelinesse beautie hath hurt manie it â—â—th troubled all manie aâ—â—â—r sundrie conflictes it hath made effeminate and made them easie to be ouercome and thrust them ouerthwartlie into blame and reproofe Sorowe My stature is deformed and to lowe Reason This discommoditie is not as thou supposest to bee complained of the lowe stature is more comelie light and nimble Sorowe My stature is verie short Reason Who can gainesay that as a bigge man dwelleth in a litle house so may a valiant courage in a small bodie Sorowe My bodie is small Reason Thou lamentest for that thou art not a burden vnto thy selfe but light and dapper and actiue vnto all things Sorowe My bodie is verie small Reason Who euer complained of a small burden Thou hast a iust cause truelie to be sorie for that thou art not oppressed with the greatnes of the bodie but onelie hast a bodie neither art a burden to thy selfe but an vsuall necessarie Sorowe I am of a contemptible stature Reason As nothing is glorious but vertue so nothing is contemptible but vice Vertue respecteth no stature Sorow The stature of my bodie is smal Reason Vertue requireth not the stature of the bodie but of the minde If this be long right large magnifical or comelie whatsoeuer the other be it skilleth not not only not at home but not so much as in the field at warfare vnlesse it seeme to be more hurtful Thou knowest how the most noble captaine Marius chose tough stroÌ„g not tall souldiers Which thing how wiselie and with howe fortunate successe he attempted his often and great conquestes do testifie As for the heigth tallenesse of the bodie it carieth more maiestie with it but lesse force Sorowe My stature is short Reason The same hindreth thee not but that thou mayest notwithstanding be a good and valiant man yea if neede were and fortune so serued a King or an Emperour For although that Scipio Africane were tall of bodie and Iulius Caesar of a loftie stature notwithstanding Alexander King of Macedonia and Augustus Caesar â—ere but lowe neither did their shortnessed 〈◊〉 bodie hinder their greatnesse of minde nor deâ—â—act anie thing from their fame â—â—â—owe I woul◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—r and greater Reason Arise 〈…〉 â—â—â—e and thou shalt bee greater and â—aâ—â—er 〈…〉 more profitable and easie encrease Sorowe I deâ—â—e to bee well fauoured Reason Learne to loue and wishe for that
woman he that hath her looseth and he that hath wonne her is ouercome and he that is ouercome is a conquerour and a free man at his owne libertie Of the losse of a mans wyfe The .xviii. Dialogue SOROWE ALas I haue lost my wyfe Reason O frowarde disposition and strange nature of a man that weepest at the buriall of thy wyfe and dauncedst when thou wast married vnto her Sorowe I haue lost my wyfe Reason O madde man sing the brydale song It is now tyme to weare Crownes and Garlandes and to be decked with special Flowres and Nosegayes dispatch and make an ende Thou hast gotten the vpper hande in a dangerous conflict and art deliuered from a long beseegyng Sorowe I haue lost my wyfe Reason Thou meanest that thou hast lost her in that signification that men say they haue lost an Ague or a Byle or Scabbes And sometyme it is a kynde of gayne to loose Sorowe I haue lost my wyfe Reason Perhappes thou neuer gaynedst more vpon one day out of what fetters art thou escaped From what shypwracke hast thou swum to shoare Sorowe But I haue lost a good wyfe Reason All men vse to say so yea they that knowe the contrarie and although a good wyfe or rather a good woman be a rare and strange creature vppon the earth notwithstandyng to auoyde altercation I wyll graunt thee that thou hast lost suche a wyfe as thou speakest of neyther wyll I therefore aunsweare thee as once I aunsweared in Seneca whyle this same question was handled to witte That yf thou madest her good thou mayest make another good and yf thou foundest her good thou mayest finde another good But I change myne opinion for I woulde not haue thee often to assay so dangerous a matter whiche although it haue once happilie chaunced yet were it follie to aduenture it many tymes An euyll woman shall sooner fynde an hundred then a good woman fynde one lyke to her selfe And therefore who so hath had an euyll wyfe let hym be afearde of suche another and he that hath had a good one let hym not hope for the lyke but let both of them take heede the one that he encrease not his miserie the other that he impayre not his felicitie Thus euery way it is best to abstayne from seconde marriage And therefore nowe yf thou haue lost a good wyfe as thou sayest reioyce rather for that whiche is past then conceyue hope for that whiche is to come neyther commit thy shyppe often to the winde because thou hast often arriued safe at the shoare Sorowe Death hath loosed the band of wedlocke wherewith I was bounden Reason Bind not thy selfe agayne thynke with thy selfe howe excellent and incomparable a thyng libertie is and embrace the counsell of Cicero who when he had an olde wyfe of hart of oke of whose death there was no hope to be conceyued he sued a diuorse and was dismissed from her But when his friendes exhorted hym to marrie another he aunsweared That he coulde not attende both a wyfe and also the studie of wysedome Sorowe I haue lost a good wyfe Reason How yf this be no losse but a gayne and an auoydyng of great danger For as a man may haply fynde a good wyfe so where shall he seeke for a constant wyfe Well knowen is the sayeing of the woorthie Poet Women be alwayes diuers and changeable Sorowe I haue lost a good wyfe and in her flooryshyng yeeres Reason Art thou not then sufficiently acquainted with the manners of women Howe manie chast young women doo we see to become wanton olde wyues For when the heate of letcherie once taketh holde in the bones of an olde iade it burneth the more violently as it were fyre in drye woodde And nowe thou hast auoyded the alteration of lyfe that was at hande or els to the ende thou wouldest be out of danger thou hast made prouision to eschewe the burden and tediousnesse of olde age approchyng The yoke of marriage is greeuous vnto young men but most greeuous hard and importable vnto olde men Sorowe I haue lost a young wyfe Reason Whether issue be sought for by marriage or els pleasure whereof the one belongeth vnto an husbande the other to a lasciuious person youth is aptest vnto them both but whether thou receyuedst the fyrst of these of thy wyfe or the seconde thou wast desyrous she shoulde come to that age in whiche she shoulde be vnmeete for them both or whether thou hopedst that she that was by nature become vnfitte for these matters coulde be amended by old age which truely was but a vayne expectation and a foolyshe hope Sorowe Hauyng lost my sweete wyfe I am nowe alone Reason It is a good solitarinesse to be without euyll companie There is nothyng softer then an emptie bed nor harder then when it is fylled with twayne specially vnto a busied minde and him that loueth sweete sleepes and resteth in the contemplation of some great and excellent matter in his minde for there is nothing more enimie vnto notable attemptes then the companie of a woman But I am not ignorant what is wont to be sayde agaynst this by suche as take pleasure in their owne miserie They that knowe not marriage say they condemne marriage and as it is sayde in the common Prouerbe Batchelars wyues shall be beaten and well taught but I say contrarie that there are none that vse to complayne of marriage as far as euer I heard but suche as haue borne the burden of marriage Sorowe I haue lost a very good wyfe Reason And euen those that seeme to be best and most louyng to theyr husbandes sometyme wyll burne with ielousie and suspition more feruently then any other by meanes whereof domesticall peace must needes become on fyre To what ende therfore is thy complaint Thou hast lost thy wyfe and founde thy libertie a single lyfe peace sleepe quietnesse Now shalt thou passe foorth the nyght without braulyng Sorowe I am without a wyfe Reason And also without an aduersaris Now shalt thou begynne to be Lorde and Maister both of thy selfe and thyne Thou mayest arise in the morning and goe foorth when thou wylt and come home agayne at nyght as late as thou lust thou mayest be alone al the day or keepe companie with whom thou please and there shal be none to controule thee Sorowe I haue lost my wyfe Reason Thou mayest now reuoke thy libertie and quietnesse into thy chamber which of late thou haddest lost and exiled that shal be vnto thee a companion more profitable then any wyfe Sorowe I haue lost a good and a fayre wyfe Reason It is the part of a foole to loue his fetters yea though they were made of golde Of a shrewyshe wyfe The .xix. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue a shrewyshe wyfe Reason It were better for thee thou hadst lost her and euen nowe thou complaynedst that thou haddest lost her in deede Sorowe I haue an vnquiet wyfe Reason For the first trouble
although in shewe he appeare very gentle but he that by aduice and counsayle draweth his sonne the ryght way prouokyng hym forwarde also some tymes by word and some tymes by deede or els when he seeth him backwarde blameth hym or vnwillyng compelleth him and although in outwarde shew he seemeth somewhat sharpe yet is he not a hard father The seueritie of a father is commonly more profitable for the sonne then his gentlenesse Sorowe My father is hard Reason Zeale sorowe feare and age do excuse a fathers frowning Sorowe I do paynfully abyde an hard father Reason What yf that happen vnto thee which hath worthily hapned vnto many of thy mynde to wit that thou be constrayned to abide the hardnesse of another What yf it shoulde chaunce thee thy selfe to begin to be the father of a stubberne sonne Then shouldest thou knowe how pleasant a thyng the yoke of a father were and howe ryght is his aucthoritie Now vnderstandest thou but only one thyng that delighteth thee and in the same one thyng thy iudgement hath no delight of the mynde but is deceyued with the delyght of the senses Sorowe I haue an harde father Reason Admit he be harde nature hath made hym thy iudge and not thee his whiche order the Ciuyl lawe foloweth and is ashamed to see the sunne to correct and chasten the father Thou oughtest to be ashamed to enterpryse that whiche the lawe is ashamed to lycence any sonne to doo suffer thou and let hym iudge of thee that begate thee and brought thee vp commit thou the iudgement of hym to other and yf thy father haue not deserued true prayse yet at the leastwyse reuerence hym with duetifull silence Sorowe My father vseth harde behauiour Reason The behauiour of thy father is not to be blamed but to be borne with There is no greater reproche to Alexander then that he woulde seeme to attempt I wyll not say to speake euyl of his father but enuie his fathers commendations Thou oughtest eyther to speake worshypfully of thy father or els to holde thy peace altogeather Sorowe I haue an harde father Reason Thou hast a meane to shewe thy loue to shewe thy honestie to shewe thy pacience and to shew thine obedience In al the world there is none more iust then the empyre of a father no seruice more honest then of a sonne There is nothyng so muche a mans owne as the sonne is the fathers there can nothyng be more vniustly taken from hym then his sonne But you with a headlong and intemperate desire beyng borne to be subiect desyre to be Soueraigne and thus you both withdrawe your selues from your father and also vsurpe the gouernment whiche your fathers ought to baue ouer you wherein is a double mischiefe Whereby it commeth to passe that the rashnesse of youth disturbeth the dueties of all thynges Nowe hereof it proceedeth that when perhappes you be restrayned from this then you complayne of the sharpenesse of your father beeyng woorthie your selues in your owne iudgement that it shoulde be lawfull for you to doo all thynges only in this respect for that you be sonnes and ye haue learned also to please your selues at lookyng Glasses whiche you shall then at length perceyue when yee begynne to perceyue howe shamefully you haue wyshed for it before your tyme. Sorowe I haue a rough father Reason What yf his roughnesse be fatherly For the father oweth a rough carefulnesse vnto his sonne and the sonne a reuerent duetifulnesse obedience and humblenesse vnto his father Concernyng Manlius Torquatus thou hast read in Histories and also in Marcus Tullius that as he was very louyng vnto his father so was he bitterly seuere vnto his sonne perhaps woorthyly blamed by iudgement of the common people for the one but hyghly commended by vpryght deemers for them both suche diuersitie is there in mens opinions Sorowe I haue an harde father Reason To late it is or euer you knowe your good O yee mortall men But when you begynne to knowe it then doo you acknowledge it to muche and thus yee loath the thynges that be present and lament for them when they be lost The one of these tasteth of to muche pryde the other of ouer much humilitie both where yee ought to geue thankes and where you shoulde geue example of pacience but in both yee complayne and in neyther beare your selues indifferent is this your thankefulnesse towardes God and men Sorow I haue an harde father Reason The tyme wyll come when thou shalt sygh and wyshe for this thy father and shalt cal hym and he wyl not answere thee And he that nowe seemeth vnto thee more harde then stone shal then seeme vnto thee that he was more soft then downe Sorowe I haue an harde father Reason Thou knowest not what it is to haue a father as long as thou hast hym Of a stubberne sonne The .xliiij. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue a stubberne sonne Reason It is meete that thou that couldest not beare with thy father shouldest suffer thy sonne as beyng the heauier burden For one sharpe woorde of the sonne irreuerently spoken by hym that is proude doth more vexe and greeue the minde then whatsoeuer hardnesse of a seuere father For the sonne offereth the iniurie in so dooyng but the father dooth but that whiche is right Sorow I haue a rebellious sonne Reason Impudently doth he complaine of the rebellion of his youngers that before tyme despised the iust aucthoritie of his elders Sorowe I haue a stubberne sonne Reason At length perhaps thou doest now vnderstand what it was that thou thoughtest of thy father that seemed so harde vnto thee Sorowe I suffer an insolent sonne Reason If the faulte be in his age it wyll we are away with it The vnbridled youth of many in precesse of tyme by strange encrease hath been conuerted vnto thriftinesse Sorowe I haue a rebellious sonne Reason Thou art not alone For Dauid and Mithridates that was Kyng of Pontus Seuerus the Emperour of Rome had all rebellious sonnes and also many hundred yeeres after the seditious minde of a young Prince who stirred a rebellion agaynst the kyng his father disturbed the common quiet of the Realme of Britaine as the common bruite goeth but euery man bewayleth his owne mischaunces and none the discommodities of an other or the common calamitie Sorowe I haue an vngodly and rebellious sonne Reason A great part of the griefe of a father is taken from thee if thou feare thy sonnes death Sorowe I haue a stouthful and a dastardly sonne Reason Knowest thou not how that the worthy Scipio Africanus had a sonne very vnlyke vnto hym which also dyd degenerate notwithstandyng he loued hym tenderly And truely we ought to beare more affection I wyll not say loue vnto hym whom nature doth lesse helpe He hath neede of nothyng that is ryche in vertue the want whereof maketh men very wretches and so in consequent very needy of mercifulnesse and therefore thou for thy part yf
not what it is to leese a father vnlesse thou haddest had a sonne Of the losse of a mother The xlvii Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost my mother Reason Thou hast yet another mother whom thou canst not leese if thou wouldest from the first thou camest and vnto this thou shalt returne The first gaue thee houséromth the space of a few monethes the other shal giue thee lodging the space of many yeeres The one of these gaue thee thy body the other shal take it away Sorowe My most milde mother is dead Reason But a most hard mother remayneth who wyl keepe thee and thy mother whom thou bewailest in one besome in whose wombe she shal rest with thee and as we beleeue bryng you both foorth agayne at the last day Sorowe My good mother hath forsaken me Reason She made hast fearyng to be forsaken and likely it is that her death was acceptable vnto her because she would not see thine prouiding for her securitie in that whiche alwayes she most feared Sorowe My good mother is dead Reason She is happily dead thou being a lyue whiche beyng otherwyse such are the affections of women she would haue died in sorowful lamentation Sorowe My mother is dead Reason Shee must haue died and thou also neyther canst thou complaine of death nor of the order therof Of the losse of a sonne The xlviii Dialogue SOROW. BUt I haue lost my sonne Reason Say rather and better I haue sent hym before me for thou shalt folowe hym quickely and perhappes to day and howe know we whether this same houre There is no trust in lyfe since there is so great certentie in death shalt folowe hym sayde I Nay rather thou doest folowe hym I woulde haue sayde for thou folowest hym continually it is not permitted vnto a man at any tyme to stay his course in this lyfe but euermore he steppeth foorth one step vnto death a strange matter to be spoken whether he be bound or at libertie sicke or whole walkyng or sitting awake or sleepyng he is caryed foorth toward his ende much after the manner of them that sayle in a shyp or sitte and ride in a wagon and are carried foorth a pace Sorowe I am greeued with the lacke of my sonne whom I haue lost Reason Qiuet thy minde for thou shalt finde hym whom thou desirest ere it be long not to be able to suffer the want of a short tyme is the part of a childe or a woman for vnto a man there is no short thing difficult Thou knowest I thinke by what woordes Socrates in Plato and Cato and Lelius in Cicero do comfort suche desires and wantes Although men surpasse in vertue and glory yet in this hope do some farre surpasse other Thou knowest moreouer of what minde Paulus Emilius Cato hym selfe Pericles and Zenophon that was scholer vnto Socrates and scholefelowe with Plato and his equal and other innumerable were for the death of their chyldren neyther art thou ignorant howe he that was both a prophet and a king wept for his chylde whyle it was sicke but not when it was dead thinkyng that to lament and weepe for thinges vnrecouerable is rather a poynt of vayne madnesse then of true affection Among the number of whiche manly examples the Spartane woman shuffeleth her selfe whose name is not set downe by wryters nor her saying semblably commended who hearyng that her sonne was slayne in battayle therfore sayd she did I beare hym that he shoulde not be afrayd to dye for his countrey The vertue of Linia and the elder Cornelia is nothyng inferiour vnto this but their names muche more famous of whom the first layde downe her mournyng so soone as her sonne of most honourable byrth and that was lyke to haue aspired vnto the hyghest degree of Empire was once layd into the ground but neuer left of the remembrance of hym The other hauing lost many chyldren yea al that she had whereof some she behelde slayne by the people and lying abrode vnburyed when as other women accordyng to the manner of that sexe rued her state and pitifully weepyng bewaled her woful case she answeared that she was not infortunate but happie for that she had borne such sonnes A woorthy woman that was not surprised with the present miserie but counted her selfe happie for that whiche was past who contrary to the common opinion and custome of them that are in miserie comforted herselfe with her forepassed felicitie and the remembrance of her prosperitie wherin shee had somtime liued and tooke it indifferently although she had then lost it for that cause only was woorthie to haue bad good children Now she being a woman remained wholy not once touched with the greeuous and sharp woundes of fortune and thou beeyng a man art ouerthrowne by one only doest thou lament so childishly Sorow I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were a duetiful sonne there is no cause to feare his estate for he is well But yf he were wicked thou art rydde of one that counted vpon thy death and encreased the infirmities of thine olde age Sorowe I haue lost my sonne Reason If he were vertuous reioyce that thou haddest hym but yf he were vnthryfty be glad that thou hast lost hym and in eyther case acknowledge the benefite of nature eyther for geuing thee suche a one or for takyng hym a way Sorowe Death hath taken away my sonne before his tyme. Reason That is not done before due tyme whiche may be done at al tymes Death hath directe entrances into al ages but into youth innumerable Sorowe I haue remayned without a sonne Reason And without trouble and feare Now hast thou none for whose cause thou shalt spend the nyghtes without sleepe and the dayes in care for whose sake thou shalt enter into long and inextricable hope that shall thinke vpon thy hory heares and wryncles examine thy lyuing fynde fault with thine expences and blame the staying of thy death thou art in securitie and quietnesse on euery side both which are a great commoditie although it be made more bitter by the name of death Sorowe I am cast downe by the geeuous death of my sonne Reason Hast thou not hearde what Anaragoras sayth Hast thou forgotten that thou begattest a mortal creature Or doest thou perhappes lament that he is gone before that should haue folowed And although the lyfe of man in many other thinges be disordinate and out of course yet death keepeth his ordinarie custome crooked olde men stagger and young men make hast and chyldren runne headlong infantes at their first entrance into lyfe are drawen to their ende one man more slowly another more speedily one more ripely another more vntimely but euery man must die this is the conclusion of al. And in whatsoeuer age of this lyfe a man die be it gently or sharpely he hasteth vnto death Sorowe I weepe for the death of my sonne Reason If thou wouldest haue wept at his death thou shouldest also
haue wept at his birth for then he began to die but nowe he hath done But do not thou lament for thine owne and his most excellent estate he left behind him a perilous way to passe but thou hauing him alwayes before thine eyes who now is in securitie hast no farther regarde of thy sweete burden as Virgil speaketh or of any other Sorowe Al my delite to lyue is extinguished Reason A good sonne I confesse is a great comforte vnto his father but notwithstanding careful greeuous And many times the sweetest things do offend vs and the dearest do hinder vs and the most precious do oppresse vs And perhappes this thy sonne was some let vnto thy minde that would haue aspired vnto greater matters And now although thou art become more heauie yet since thou art at more libertie be of good cheare to gather good out of euyl is the part of a wise man. Sorowe The death of my lonne hath made me heauie Reason But spende the residue of thy lyfe that remayneth in iolitie thou diddest lyue for hym now lyue for thy selfe Of the miserable fal of a young child The .xlix. Dialogue SOROWE I Lament the miserable fal of my young child Reason A man ought to lament for nothing that may happen vnto mankinde al thinges should be premeditated before if they haue not hapned alredie lament not thy childes fal but thine owne vnskylfulnesse the forgetfulnesse of thine owne condition Sorow I complaine of the miserable death of my young childe Reason There is no death miserable which the death of the soule doth not folow from which daunger thy young child is free Sorowe My childe is dead by breaking his necke Reason What skylleth it after what sort a man dye so that he die not dishonourably he can not die dishonourably that dieth without offences Sorowe My chylde is peryshed by breakyng his necke Reason But Archemorus by the biting of a serpent other some by suckyng milke of a nurse being with child other by sickenesse the which for the more part happen more commonly then than in old age Sorowe My young child is perished by breaking his necke Reason Sodeyne death is to be wished of the innocent and to be feared of the guiltie Sorowe My chylde is dead of a fal from an hygh Reason Unto them that dye languishingly death often times seemeth the sharper the panges the longer for al paine the shorter it is the more tollerable it is Sorow My chylde is dead by breakyng his necke Reason To stumble and fal is proper to that age Thy chylde hath done that which al doo although al peryshe not by casualtie but do thou suffer hym to peryshe for he must needes peryshe one day and he is the more happily dealt withal for that he hath peryshed before he was intangled in the euylles of this lyfe whiche howe manyfold they be those that haue prooued and diligently obserued can tell There is none that prooueth not in part and they that obserue them not leade foorth their liues as it were in a dreame whiche so soone as they awake they haue forgotten Thyne infant died an innocent who perhappes if he had lyued had dyed a very hurtful person Lament not that he is safe he hath escaped al the threates of fortune and hath preuented death whiche being deferred would haue preuented hym Sorowe A woolfe hath deuoured my chylde Reason This nowe is the woormes complaynt Sorowe A woolfe hath carried away the body of my poore chylde into his denne Reason But the angels haue caryed vp his blessed soule into heauen Of a sonne that is found to be another mans The .l. Dialogue SOROWE ANd moreouer that whiche is more greeuous then death he whom I thought had been my sonne is another mans Reason If you had a respect to the common father then would you by the counsel of the Comical Poet thinke that there is no humane thing but may happen vnto you Sorowe I haue fostred another mans chylde a great while for mine owne Reason Nature wylleth a man to foster his owne and charitie to foster another mans so that thou repent thee not after the deede but delite in it Sorowe He that was counted my chylde appeareth to be another mans Reason There is opened vnto thee a way vnto a great and singuler merite if as thou hast hytherto done so thou continue hereafter to keepe hym as thyne owne Truely that were a very gracious and acceptable deede before god For chyldren are woont for the more parte to contemne the mayntenance of theyr parentes as a thyng due vnto them by ryght and moreouer it were a poynt of wickednesse to loue thy chylde that is borne of thee and not to loue man that is created of god Thus euery way both before God and men thou shalt purchase vnto thy selfe singuler commendation and vertue through another mans wickednesse Sorow I haue nooryshed one for my chylde that was not so Reason Thou nooryshedst hym as thy chylde and so nooryshe hym styll yf not as thy chylde yet as thy brother For of al the people that are or euer shal be or haue been heretofore there is one father and one gouernour Doo not dissemble through insolencie or through enuie and hatred breake of the sacred bond of nature for you be brethren one to another Sorowe He whom I thought to haue been as I heare is not my sonne Reason Take heede of whom thou hearest it and whom thou trustest For many beyng pricked foorth by wicked prouocations doo of set purpose deuise false rumors and other some by a certayne slypprynesse and vnbridled affection of the tongue doo aswell babble foorth the thynges that they knowe as that they knowe not and with lyke impudencie vtter whatsoeuer commeth in theyr mynde Howbeit to determine precisely of a mans chylde whether it be his owne or not is an harde case Sorowe I heare say that he that was called my sonne is another mans Reason Why dooest thou herein beleeue other rather then thyne owne wyfe since none knoweth it more certaynely then she Truely she hath geuen thee a chylde whom other goe about to take from thee Thou hast heard I thinke howe that within the remembrance of our fathers there was a certaine noble man who had to wyfe a gentlewoman of equall beautie and parentage but of whose honestie the report seemed some what to doubt By her he hadde one moste beautifull sonne whom when his mother vppon a tyme helde in her lappe and perceyuyng that her husbande syghed and was carefull she demaunded of hym what was the cause of his heauinesse Then he syghyng agayne I had rather sayde he then the one halfe of my landes that I were as sure that this boy were myne as thou art that he is thyne Whereunto she aunsweared neyther in countenance nor mynde any whit moued Truely sayde shee the matter shall not cost so great a price but geue me an hundred acres of pasture whereon I
vnchaungeable necessitie of the law of your nature that you can neuer be other then suche as muste oye whiche necessitie muste continually remayne with you but you dying euery day turne away your senses from the thynges that are present and your mynde from the ende that wyll ensue This is a common mischiefe whiche what is it other then wyllyngly to shut your eyes that they beholde not the beames of the Sunne as though it were hurtful aswel to the lyght as it is to the eyes not to beholde it and that that were as euident whiche you see not and that as true whiche you knowe not Who is so blynde that seeth not this or so blockyshe that vnderstandeth it not The infyrmitie of the senses or vnderstanding withdraweth nothyng at all from the trueth of thinges As for you yee are neyther weake nor dull but wherein you cannot be excused egregius dissemblers and very wyse to deceyue your selues who with so great diligence learne vnprofitable thynges and endeuour to be ignorant of necessarie matters but all in vayne for they steale vpon you though your eyes be shut and inuade your myndes that are desyrous to be ignorant and disquiet your memories that are wyllyng to forget and many thynges aryse dayly in the lyfe of man whiche constrayne you to thynke vppon them when you woulde not and whiche doo awake your dissimulations eyther by your priuate or forreigne argumentes but I confesse that death only at full confuteth all the follies of mortall creatures Sorowe I knewe that my brother was mortall and shoulde dye neuerthelesse I weepe for his death Reason The greater part of humane actions is superfluous Why weepest thou for his death What doeth this weepyng auayle hym or thy selfe or any other Admit death be euyll whiche the learned denye truely no man wyl denie but that weepyng is in vayne for that whiche cannot be recouered And veryly yf any thyng myght be tearmed wretched besyde the vyce of the mynde yf there be any thyng in all the worlde to be wept for it ought rather be lamented whyle it is commyng at hande then when it is past whiche that Kyng conceyned ryght well of whom I spake not long before Sorowe I am grieued for the death of my good brother Reason There is no affection more tender then a fathers and therefore that whiche is sayde of the death of a sonne applie it thou to the death of thy brother and that whiche may be sayde of them both is proficable in the death of a mans friende whiche losse although it be matcht with the greatest it muste be abydden as of al other thynges for all suche thynges as appeare vnto vs grieuous are to be suffered by one and lyke courage of mynde although a man woulde thynke that they woulde quite oppresse hym Sorowe I haue lost a moste louyng brother Reason It had been woorse yf thou hadst loste a most hatefull brother For the loue of the one and the remembraunce of the other is very pleasant Sorowe I haue loste a companion most pleasaunt vnto me euen from his tender youth I am nowe left aloue Reason He is not a lone with whom vertue and honestie doo remayne betweene whiche twayne death hath not forbydden the Image of thy brother to be fastened harde vnto thy hart-stringes so neyther thy brother is lost nor thou alone Of the death of a freende The Lij Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost a freende Reason If thou hast loued vertue in thy freende as thou oughtest truely she is not loste nor dead and therefore it is sayde that true freend shyppe is immortal for that it is neuer broken eyther by the fallyng out of freendes or els by death it selfe and thus vertue ouercommeth discorde and all vyce but she her selfe is neuer ouercome by any thyng Sorowe I haue lost a freende Reason All other thinges when thou hast lost them thou hast them not but when thou thynkest thou hast lost thy freendes and thy best beloued then hast thou them most assuredly For thynges whiche are present be delicate I wyll not say weerysome yea and many tymes arrogant and offended with very small trifles but the remembrance of freendes is pleasant and sweete hauyng in it nothyng that is bytter or contrary to delyght Sorow I haue lost a very good freende by death Reason If thou complayne of the losse of commodities thou makest accounte of profite and not of freendshyp If thou complayne of thy dayly conuersation with hym remember howe short tyme freendes remayne togeather and howe muche tyme we spende in cares howe muche in syckenesse howe muche in sleepe and pleasure howe muche is spent in entercourse with straungers how many heapes of cares Finally what businesse what studies what leasure and what troubles sometymes of another mans and sometymes of a mans owne and also the continuall and inuincible necessitie of manyfolde matters from whiche no prosperitie is exempt doo withdrawe some thyng from our desired conuersation how many seldome meetynges howe short and carefull abydynges howe sorowfull departynges howe late returnynges what stayes what impedimentes what deceiptes With this and suche lyke difficulties of lyfe fetters of freendshyp whiche may easily be brought into a mans remembrance thou mayst vnderstande howe great a matter it is whiche death hath taken from thee For if thou may this alone in freendshyp which is the only perpetuall and stable foundation thereof truely death could there take nothing away Thou hast hearde in Marcus Tullie of Lelius comforting him selfe howe his freende Scipio lyueth yet to him how fresh he is in his minde that neyther the fame nor the vertue of his freend any time dieth What forbiddeth but that thy freend Scipio liueth now vnto thee But you because ye cannot be Scipioes or Lelies ye be not men neyther for that ye cannot atteyne to the highest ye dispaire of the meane or contemne it as though as in Poetrie so in vertue neither men nor the gods could aspire vnto a mediocritie Sorowe Death hath taken away my friende from me Reason Death is able to take away thy friendes body but as for friendshyp and friend he is not able For they are of the kynde of thinges that are not subiect to death nor fortune but to vertue the whiche among humane thynges is free only is able to geue freedome vnto whatsoeuer is subiect vnto her and as for a friende he should not be of so great price yf he coulde be so easily lost Sorowe I haue remayned without a friende Reason If thou do ryghtly honour friendshyp thou shalt neuer lacke olde friendes nor be destitute of newe yea suche is the opinion hereof that it wyl purchase thee friendes of thyne enimies There was nothyng that more recōciled Augustus the Emperour vnto Herode then for that he professed that he was moste friendly affected vnto Augustus enimie and that by meanes of hym he hated Augustus most extreamely for whiche cause Augustus iudged hym woorthy of
Alas I am now an agâ—d wyght Reason Lament not for it thou hast fulfilled an hard charge thou hast passed through a rough and ragged iourney and finished an vnpleasant Comedie And therefore now after the maner of such actions thou shouldest clap thy handes and crie plaudite Sorowe I am an olde man. Reason Hast thou forgotten how that of late dayes one that was very familiar with thee expressed the effect hereof ex tempore not as a new saying but as comparable vnto any in tymes past For when a certaine freende of his sayde vnto hym I am sory for thee for I perceiue thou waxest olde I woulde thou were in as good estate as when I knewe thee fyrst he answered suddenly Seeme I not vnto thee foolysh enough but that thou must wysh me more foole then I am Take no care for me I pray thee for that I am olde but rather be sorie for me that euer I was young O how much vnderstanding is there conteined in this short answere whiche none can conceiue but he that hath tasteth the commodities of this age and remembreth the miseries of the other Reioyce therefore in thine owne felicitie although it be also true that often tymes good hapneth vnto men against their wylles and euyll vnwished for Doubtlesse vnto a good man that loueth veriue hateth fond affections one whole day of this age which thou mislikest of is more acceptable then an whole yeere of retchlesse youth Sorow Alas I am aged Reason If thou continue in this mind it may be truly sayd of thee which is verified of the common people that thou art not so much wretched now thou art old as that thou liuedst miserable that so fondly thou complaynest thereof now at the very ende of thy life Leaue of your complaints now at length you whining generation and willingly yeelde to the necessitie of nature since there is nothing to be lamented that her immoueable lawe hath determined For what is more natural for a man that is borne then to lyue vntyl he be old and when he is olde to dye But you being forgetfull of your estate doo eschew them both and yet of necessitie you must taste of the one or of the both And yf ye woulde escape them both then must you haue abstained from the third and beleeue me not haue ben borne at all As soone as your bodyes are growen into yeeres let your mindes waxe olde also and let not the old Prouerbe be euermore verified in you to wit That one minde is able to consume many bodyes Suffer without grudging your body and your mind to continue together to the ende as they came in so let them depart out of the worlde together and when the one draweth forwarde let not the other drawe backwarde Your dallying is but in vayne you must needes depart and not tarrie heere and returne no more whiche may seeme vnto you but a small matter in consideration of the immortalitie of your soules and resurrection of your bodyes whiche you looke for aboue suche as eyther looke for but the one or for neyther In vayne I say ye stryue agaynst the streame and goe about to shake of the yoake of mans frayltie whiche ye vndertooke when ye were borne Sorowe I am olde and the strength of my body is decayed Reason If the force of thy minde be encreased it is well and thou hast made a good exchange For there is no man ignorant vnlesse he lacke a minde that greater better exploites may be atchieued by the strength of the minde then of the body But yf the strength of the minde as oftentymes it hapneth be deminished through slouthfulnesse then hast thou I confesse lyued vnprofitably whiche is thine owne fault and not thine ages Sorowe I am olde and I cannot follow my businesse Reason Yf there be any thing to be done by the minde by so muche the better an olde man may doo it by howe muche he hath the more experience and knowledge in thynges and is lesse subiect to passions and his minde more free from all mischiefes and imperfections as for other matters olde men can not deale in them neyther becommeth it them to busie them selues that way who haue alredie layd all bodyly labour asyde But yf they continue in it and wyl not be withdrawen then doo they renue the auncient rid culus example of a Romane olde man who beyng commaunded by the Prince to surceasse from labour for that his impotent olde age at the one syde and his great ryches on the other requyred the same he was as heauie and sorowfull as yf he had mourned for some freende that was dead and caused all his housholde semblably to mourne A strange old man that abhorred rest as a certaine resemblance of death when as in deede there is nothyng more conuenient for an olde man then rest and nothyng more vnseemely then a labouryng and carkyng olde man whose lyfe ought to be a patterne of all quietnesse and tranquilitie Thou mayest learne moreouer of the Philosophers what and howe pleasaunt a thyng it is for vertuous olde men to lyue as they tearme it in the course of theyr forepassed lyfe whiche notwithstandyng the greatest number neuer accomplisheâ—h but dyeth before Sorowe My yeeres are quickly gone and I am become old Reason Your beautie health swiftnesse strength yea all that euer ye haue passeth away but vertue remayneth neuer geuyng place to olde age nor death In this most assured good ye ought at the beginning to haue stayed your selues whiche at the ende to doo I confesse is more difficult but there is no age that refuseth the studie of vertue whiche the harder it is so muche the more it is glorious Many haue scarce learnâ—d of long tyme in their olde age to be wyse and knowe them selues and yet better late then neuer whiche although it be but smally profitable now at the last cast of the lyfe and at the very poynt of death yet doo I iudge it well bestowed vppon that one houre to be passed without horrour and fearefulnesse yf so be it were not exerc sed in all the whole lyfe tyme before For neyther was he borne in vayne that dyeth wel nor liued vnprofitably that ended his lyfe blessedly Sorowe I am olde and at deathes doore Reason Death is at hand alike vnto all men and manie tymes nearest there where he seemeth furthest of There is none so young but he may dye to day none so olde but he may lyue another yeere yf nothing els happen vnto him but old age Sorowe I am throughly olde Reason Thou art rather throughly rype If Apples coulde feele and speake woulde they complayne of theyr ripenesse or rather woulde they not reioyce that they are come to the perfection for whiche they were made As in al other thinges so likewise in age there is a certayne ripenesse whiche is tearmed olde age the same that thou mayest see truely to be so the age and death of
deferre the tyme which hath deceyued very many who wittingly and willingly put of the clensing of their soules which can not be doone too speedily from day to day and alwayes adiourne it vnto their latter tyme in which beyng suddenly taken short and amazed with the neerenesse of death they leaue all vndoone whatsoeuer they determined Concernyng which matter forasmuche as your writers haue sayde very muche it shall not be impertinent to heare what the Poet Virgil sayeth who is an externall witnesse with what woordes he reprooueth this slouthfulnesse and negligence in repentance which to come foorth of his mouth is woonderfull whereas among the infernal Spirites he bryngeth in hym to be a Iudge whose vpryghtnesse and equitie is verie famous Who as he sayeth Examineth the Ghostes and punisheth them and constrayneth them to confesse their deceiptes and also if there be any such that whyle they lyued vpon the earth reioyced in vaine thefte differred to repent them thereof vntil they dyed which was too late And albeit this be so dangerous as I haue declared notwithstanding there is nothing more perilous then Despaire neither hath the enimie of your saluation founde out any thing more hurtfull to your good estate For al other mischeefes are asswaged by their peculiar remedies but of al eulles this is the greatest and last of all whiche yf it take holde of the soule when it is departyng then is there no place left for recouerie The same therefore alwayes but specially in the ende ought most earnestly be resisted for that then it vseth to vrge most sharpely And nowe there is no tyme left for thee wherein by staggeryng or trifling thou reiect wholesome counsel concernyng thy saluation From this let no feare dryue thee nor the shame and sorowe of differringe withholde thee it is better to awake late at nyght then not at al and what soeuer is ill differed is woorse omitted Sorowe I dye without al hope Reason Thou sayest yll rather plucke vp hope agayne and lay it to thy hart and embrace it coll it and keepe it with the armes of thy soule Sorowe My sinne is exceedyng great Reason Nâ—mans sinne can be so great but Gods mercie is muche greater Sorow Who is able to forgeue so many sinnes Reason Who thinkest thou but he onely at whom his enimies woonderyng contended among themselues and demaunded Who is this that forgeueth sinnes also Sorow Who is able to merite forgeuenesse of so great sinnes Reason None truely can deserue nor neuer deserued neuerthelesse it hath freely been geuen to many and shal be geuen hereafter so that it be craued by fayth and reuerence There were some that went about to perswade Constantinus the Emperour that there was no forgiuenesse of great sinnes But that this doctrine is false it appeareth not onely by your wryters among whom the remission of sinnes by baptisme and repentance is wel knowen but also the lyke report though false was amonge the Pagans towardes the curyng of whose diseases that medicine was then without effect for that the heauenly Phisition was not yet come And therefore vnlesse the soule coulde haue been clensed from sinne and the iniquitie thereof washed away that same most greeuous sinner at the first and afterward most gooly man had prayed ful oft in vayne Sorow The remembrance of my sinne cutteth of my hope Reason The remembrance of sinne ought to bryng sorowe and repentance into the mynde but not take away hope But ye are to muche in extremities on al sides In sinne burnyng after sinne key colde In sinning ye reioyce and in remembryng sinne ye despayre Many euerywhere offend in hope of pardon and on the otherside not fewe when they haue sinned despayre of forgiuenesse and both fortes are deceiued And I woulde geue them counsel for the first sort at the begynnyng to abandon that hurtful hope and for the second to reteine fruitefull assurednesse Sorowe Death dryueth me foorth headlong that am laden with sinnes what shal I do Reason What other then that whiche thou shouldest haue done ere this That is to say with speede laye downe thine vnhappie burden whereof beyng lyghtened thou shalt goe playnely and not runne headlong Thou shalt goe I say not stouping nor stumblyng but with vpryght and steadie steppes and a good hope Goe to then deferre no longer tyme nor distrust not for there is one yf thou do hartily entreathym that wyl take it from thy shoulders and hath taken away heauier then this vnto whom there is nothyng heauie nor difficult And although that long delay do want excuse yet late amendement deserueth commendation for that it is better to amend late then neuer Be of good cheare and plucke vp thy hart a fewe godly and feruent teares haue called many backe euen from hel gates He standeth freendly at thy beddes heade who not onely answeared the infected that he would clense hym but also commaunded hym that had been buried foure dayes to ryse out of his graue And nowe lykewyse he attendeth to see yf thou wylt be cleered and raysed vp agayne beyng as louing and mercyfull at this present as he was then and also as myghtie as euer he was It lyeth yet in thy power in what state thou wylt dye thou mayest yet depart without sinne not that thou haddest none but that henceforward it shal not be imputed vnto thee And although that Plinius the younger holde opinion that ouer sinnes that are past God hath no power at all but onely to make them be forgotten neuerthelesse he hath also the myght to take them a way whiche that most curious man dyd not perceyue And therefore although that whiche is done cannot be vndone agayne neuerthelesse the sinne that sprang by the doyng may be in suche sort taken away that it remayne no longer so that it come to passe accordyng as it is wrytten Sinne shal be sought for and not be founde Not that the power of man is suche that he can lose hymselfe from the bandes of sinne but in that vnto the godly and wel disposed wyl of man and his coutrite heart the present asistance of God is neuer wanting Of one dying that is careful what shalbecome of his inheritance and children The Cxxvii Dialogue FEARE WHat shal I hope of mine inheritance and chyldren Reason Thyne inheritance shal haue owners and thy chyldren their fortune Feare What shal become of my great ryches Reason Thynke not that thine heire wyl thynke them to great There were neuer any ryches so great but they seemed to lytle in some respect But concernyng these let her looke vnto them who tumbleth and tosseth your goodes whiche ye esteeme so deerly hyther and thyther most vncertaynely Feare What wyl my chyldren doo Reason When their earthly father hath forsaken them the heauenly father wil receyue then into his protection who wyl not leaue them as thou doest nor make them Orphanes and fatherlesse chyldren But he wyl nouryshe and instruct them from their youth so that they
so soone as euer it hath shewed it selfe as a pleasant flowre it vanisheth euen in the sight of them that woonder at it and prayse it it is quickely nipt with the least frost and beaten downe with a smal winde and eyther suddenly pinched of with the nayle of some enimies hande or ouerthrowen with the heele of some sicknesse passing by To be short vaunt and reioyce as muche as thou list behold he commeth apace that wyl couer thee in a thin veile How much the beautie of a liuing man is to be esteemed death declareth and not death only but olde age also and the space of a few yeeres yea one dayes fit of a sudden fetter Last of all to admit that no outward extremitie do happen by continuance it consumeth of it owne accord turneth to nought neyther dyd it bryng so muche delyght when it came as it procureth griefe when it departeth The same yf I be not deceyued dyd the beautiful Romane Prince Domitian prooue sometyme to be true who writing vnto a certayne friende of his Vnderstand sayth he that there is nothyng more acceptable then beautie nor more brittle And although it were durable and a gyft of nature that continued yet do I not see what there is in this glitteryng beautie whiche is no sounde thyng and which resteth only vpon the vppermost part of a man that shoulde be so muche desired whiche couereth many fylthy and horrible thyngs flatteryng the senses and deludyng them with a simple and sleight ouercastyng of the skin And therefore it is better to take pleasure in true and permanent good thyngs then in such as are false and transitorie Ioy. The beautie of my body is most excellent Reason Thou hast a veyle before thyne eyes a snare before thy feete byrdlyme vpon thy wyngs thou canst not easesily eyther discerne the trueth or folow vertue or mount aloft with thy mynde Beauty hath hyndred many from atchiuing honest exploites and turned them to the contrary Ioy. The beautie of my body is woonderfull Reason You say wel to call it woonderful for what is more woonderful then this vanitie From howe many delectable thinges doo fayre young men absteyne what trauayles doo they susteine how muche doo they punyshe them to the ende they may I say not be but appeare the more beautiful that only to set foorth theyr beautie not thynkyng vpon eyther theyr good health or pleasure How much tyme therewhile is there spent in eating and drinking how many honest profitable and lastly necessarie businesses are there neglected And therfore kepe vnto thy self this short and transitorie good vaine ioy that without enuie Thou hast thyne enemie at home and that which worse is a delectable and pleasant one thou hast that which wyl take away thy quietnesse and spende thy tyme and is a perpetual torment thou hast the occasion of payne and trouble a plentiful matter to minister dangers a maynteyner of lustes letcherie an entrance no lesse to purchase hatred then to procure loue Perhaps thou shalt be amorous to women but odious to men or peraduenture suspected For ielousie in wedlocke is by no meanes more kyndled then by bodyly beautie And nothyng is more ardently coueted then beautie nothing moueth the minde more forcibly therfore nothyng is suspecied more vehemently Ioy. The beautie of my body is great Reason The same is wont to enforce foolish young men to that which is not expedient for them while they thynke that euen as they lust so also it is lawfull for them to vse theyr present commoditie not regardyng what is meete and conuenient whiche thyng many tymes hath been the cause of a sharpe and shameful ruyne to many Ioy. The beautie of my body is alowable Reason It shal be so but a very short tyme seeyng that this coomlynesse colour of thy face shal be chaunged These yellow lockes shal fal away the other that remayne shal waxe hoarie the skalie wrinkles shal plowe the lothsome furrowes vpon thy tender cheekes and glysteryng forehead a sorowfull cloude shall couer the cheereful beames and shynyng starres of thyne eyes rotten raggednesse shal consume and fret away the smooth and whyte iuorie of thy teeth not changyng them only in colour but disorderyng them also in place thyne vpright necke nymble shoulders shal waxe croked thy smooth throte shal waxe curled thou shalt thynke that those drie handes and crooked feete were neuer thyne owne What neede many woordes the day wyl come in whiche thou wylt not knowe thy selfe in a lookyng glasse Of al these thynges whiche thou thinkest to be farre from thee to the ende that when they come thou shalt not be astonied at suche monstruous bugges say not but that thou hast ben forewarned And nowe I pronounce vnto thee that yf thou lyue these thynges wyll come vpon thee almost sooner then it can be spoken and if thou do now beleeue me thou shalt then lesse wonder to see howe thou art transfourmed Ioy. In the meane whyle my beautie is noble Reason What can I say more briefly then that saying of Apuleius Mandarensis Stay a litle whyle and there shal be no such thyng Ioy. Hitherto the beautie of my body is excellent Reason I had rather the beautie of thy mind were excellent For the beautie of the mind is a thyng far more precious pleasant and sure then is the beautie of the body consisting lykewyse of semblable lawes cumlinesse of order with apt and due disposition of the partes It is a woorthie matter to wish for that beautie and to imploy a mans trauayle in pursuyng the same which neyther length of tyme shal consume nor sicknesse extinguyshe nor death it selfe ouerthrow But now you haue mortal thynges in admiration Ioy. Truely at the leastwyse nowe my beautie is rare Reason In this as in many other thyngs a mediocritie is to be wyshed But yf thou neyther please thy selfe with this thy beautie neither endeuour to please others but with that which is comely conuenient shalt vse it chastly soberly and modestly thy commendation therby shal not be smally aduaunced Ioy. A beautiful face honesteth the mynd Reason Nay rather it prooueth it and oftentymes draweth it into daunger And why shouldest thou glory of that since it is neyther thyne owne neyther canst thou keepe it long which was neuer glorious vnto any to haue had it but vnto many to haue cast it of I let passe to speake of other Spurina was renowmed not for her natural beauties sake but for her procured deformitie Ioy. I doe indeuour that vertue of the mynde may be ioyned with the beautie of my body Reason If thou bryng that to passe then shal I say that thou art truely and in al respectes fortunate then shal thy beautie appeare more excellent and thy vertue more acceptable And although Seneca doo write that he seemeth vnto hym to be deceyued who sayth And vertue founde in body fayre the greater grace it beares yet
me thynks he myght haue ben more worthyly reprehended yf he had sayde that it had been in deede greater or perfecter or hygher But nowe synce by saying it is more acceptable he respected not the thyng it selfe but the indigent of the beholders surely Virgil seemeth vnto me to be deceiued in so saying To conclude as the grace of beautie hath in it no soundnes nothing to be desyred so if it be wyllyngly added to vertue neyther the one be impayred by encrease of the other I wyl suffer that this be termed an ornament to the other or a thyng not vnpleasaunt to syght howbeit short and frayle But yf it be alone without vertue I wyll then cal it a burden to the mynde and an vnluckye signe of sorowful deceipt Of bodily health The thirde Dialogue IOY MY health is prosperous Reason Whatsoeuer I sayd erâ— while concernyng beautie imagine that it were now agayne repeated Ioy. My bodily health is strong Reason Behold howe olde age commeth against thee garded with a thousande kindes of sundrie diseases to inuade good health and in the meane whyle pleasure fighteth agaynst thee a familyar combat Ioy. The health of my body is ioyfull Reason An vnaduised ioyfulnesse which vseth to make the possessours thereof carelesse and necligent and many tymes to procure those diseases whiche the distrustful carelesnesse of the party hath feared as redie to impaire his good health Ioy. The health of my body is good Reason Vse it well els it is but a smal good Yea it is a great euyll yf as it is woont it minister cause of some offence Good health hath been dangerous and hurtfull to many that myght with more safetie haue been sicke in their beddes Ioy. I am in very good health of body Reason A very good thyng truely and muche profitable whether a man hath ought to doo with the body or with the minde But lyke as there resteth the force of poyson in the rootes of certayne hearbes whiche being corrected by minglyng of other thinges with them there is an holsome drinke made of many things togeather which before consistyng but of one thing woâ—â—â—e haue been hurtfull So lykewyse bodily health to the ende it be not harmefull to him that hath it ought to be tempered with none other thing then by adioynyng thereunto the good health of the minde A sicke mynde dwelleth in no place woorse then in an whole body Of restored health The fourth Dialogue IOY I IOY that I am deliuered of a long sickenesse Reason Restored health I confesse is more pleasant then reteined Most vnthankefull men ye scarce knowe your goodes otherwyse then by loosyng them and therefore when they be lost they greeue you and when ye recouer them they make you meery Ioy. A most sharpe feuer hath forsaken me Reason Phisitions cal those feuers most greeuous whiche frie with heate within the bones and marow Howe much more greeuous are they whiche lye hyd within the mynde whereof I would wysh thee specially to be delyuered Ioy. My sicknesse is gone Reason Present sicknesse hath oftentymes doone good while weakenyng the strength of the body it hath procured health to the mynde Consequently therefore when this is wantyng it hurteth and diminisheth the light of the mynde and augmenteth the pryde of the body albeit then sicknesse seeme to be naught yea very euyll notwithstandyng that euyl is to be embrased whiche bringeth remedie to a greater euyl Ioy. At length my long sicknesse hath an ende Reason Oh thou most foolyshe man doest thou thynke thou hast thus escaped death to whom thou runnest dayly Thou art now nearer vnto hym than then when thou thoughtest thou wast hard at hym your iourney is vnreturneable and ye stay in no part thereof ye haue no Inne to rest in ye cannot slow your pace your sleepe and watchyng your toyle and restyng your sycknesse and health are steppes a lyke vnto death Ioy. I am ryd of a perilous disease Reason Thou hast a creditour whom thou canst not deceyue thy day of payment is deferred but thou art not discharged of thy band for thou must needes be sicke agayne and dye Of bodyly strength The .v. Dialogue IOY THere hath happened vnto me strength yenough yea very much Reason Reade ouer that which is sayd touching beautie and good health Of lyke thyngs like is the doctrine Ioy. I haue much strength Reason Beware thou attempt nothing trusting in thine owne strength whereby thou mayest appeare weake Ioy. I haue great strength Reason This is a glorie as if it were for a Bul. Ioy. I haue plentie of strength Reason An Eliphant hath more Ioy. I haue much strength Reason I beleeue that wel to much turneth to starke naught or is it selfe a fault Ioy. I haue ouermuch strength Reason If this ouermuch be brought to a mediocritie it is wel But what yf it turne to a want what if this great force be conuerted into a notable weaknesse Beleeue me there was neuer yet any strength of body so great but that it was broken either with immoderate labour or sharpe sicknes or with olde age that consumeth al thyngs The force of the mynde only is vnfatigable and inuincible Ioy. The strength of my body is mightie Reason None was more strong then Milo but many more noble Ioy. My body is hugie and of great force Reason Vertue which is of all thyngs the most worthiest hath no neede of the bygnesse of the body but dwelleth in the mynde Ioy. There is nothyng hard to this strength Reason Yes there are many thynges impossible for thee to do and this one thyng especially that who so putteth his trust in his body should be avle to clymbe on high Ioy. My strength is aboue the strength of a man. Reason Whosoeuer in this behalfe surpassed al other men yet in the same he was inferiour to many lyuing creatures Ioy. There is nothyng that with this strength I can be afrayde of Reason Yes truely very much for agaynst so great confidence in a mans owne strength fortune armeth her selfe with great force and many tymes disdayning to encounter in equal fight to the entent she may shewe how weake a creature man is yea when he thynketh hym selfe most strong in slender conflict she hath ouerthrowne Giantlike personages Hercules whom none coulde ouercome the force of lurkyng poyson subdued Milo who was knowne and renowmed at al exercises of strength and valiencie one poore tree caught fast held him there to be torne in peeces by wyld beasts And so that valiant strength of his without example was found to be inferiour to the force of a clouen Oke And wilt thou trust to thy strength Ioy. I am of an hugie strength Reason Euery hugie thing is troubled with his owne mole bignes Ioy. My strength encreaseth Reason This is for the most part the nature of al thyngs that when they be come to the highest then they fal downe againe that not with lyke leysure as they gate vp
a man the more part of them do molest him and oftentimes the remembrance of pleasant thinges is greeuous Ioy. My memorie comprehendeth sundrie thinges Reason If they be good it is wel If they be euil why art thou glad therof Is it not greeuous yenough either to haue suffred or seene euils but that they must continually come into our minde or alwayes lye forth before our eyes Ioy. My memory conteyneth diuers thyngs Reason That is to say diuers both faults offences heinous trespasses and reproches shames repulses sorowes trauailes and dangers although as some say there is pleasure in the remembraunce of this whereof I spake last wherein notwithstanding we must this vnderstande that not so much the remembraunce of the forepassed euyls as the delyght of the present good state procureth the pleasure And therfore no man taketh delight in the remembrance of his labour and danger vnlesse he be at quyet and in securitie no man can gladly thynke on pouertie but he that is rytche on sicknesse but he that is in health on pryson but he that is at lybertie on bandes but he that is free on banyshment but he that is returned home agayne Only the remembraunce of shame is greeuous yea in the midst of honours So that there is nothyng that is holden more deare or is more incurable then is a mans honour and good name Ioy. My memorie is manyfolde and conteyneth much tyme. Reason In manyfold remembrance are manyfolde troubles For some doo nyp the conscience some pricke it some wounde it some confounde it some terrifie it some ouerthrow it wherby it commeth to passe that when men cal them to remembrance red blushyng and wan palenes enterchangeably possesse theyr faces in silence which thing chaunceth sometime to the vilest wickedst persons causing theyr going to be vncertaine theyr speach doubtful with many other such passions moe signifiyng that the mynd is troubled with to wel remembryng Ioy. My memorie is prompt Reason I had rather thy wyl were godly thy desire chast thy counsels honest thy deedes innocent and thy life without rebuke Ioy. I haue a very firme memorie Reason How should you men then forgeat the heauenly precepts which are so few in number How should you forgeat the only God How should you then forgeat yourselues Ioy. My memorie is passyng firme Reason I thinke wel it be so of earthly and vnprofitable things But whyther and to what purpose tendeth this vagabounde and flickeryng memorie Which wanderyng through heauen and earth and forgettyng to returne to it selfe calleth not to remembrance that one thing which is necessarie and healthful in which yf perhaps sometyme it find any smal pleasure most times it findeth plentie of griefe And therefore not without cause when one offered to teach Themistocles the art of memorie which at that tyme was inuented by Simonidis answeared that he had rather learne the art of forgetfulnesse And although he seemed iustly to answere so as one that aboue al credite excelled al other in that gyft of nature and whose memory was ouerwhelmed with innumerable representations of matters wordes notwithstandyng it agreeth almost with al men for so al of you learne the thynges that you ought to forgeat and forgeat the thinges that ye ought to learne exercising your memorie in such matters as were profitable to forgeat therin not contented with the limitatiō of nature ye set forth your madnes in art Ioy. My memory is almightie Reason This title is proper to God only You would haue said perhaps that it is of great power notwithstanding if an excellent memorie be of any force which in deede is better then al othervaine curiositie let it reiect the hurtful embrace the profitable not so diligently pursue the things that delight as the things that profite Ioy. My memory is the best that can be Reason There is nothing better then the best therfore if thou wilt seeme to say true it behoueth thee to shew thy self mindful in the best Remember thy sinne that thou maiest be sorie for it remember death that thou maiest leaue to syn remēber the iudgment of god that thou maiest be afraid remember his mercy that thou do not dispaire Of Eloquence The .ix. Dialogue IOY BVt mine eloquence is notable Reason I graunt it is a great instrument of glory but doubtful with two points It skilleth very much how a man do vse this also Ioy. Myne eloquence is flowing and swift Reason Some not amysse do compare the eloquence of a foole or a lewd person to a mad mans swoord both whom it is meete when they goe abrode to be vnarmed Ioy. Mine eloquence is famous and bryght Reason A thyng is sayd to be bright many wayes the Sunne is bright a fire is bright Ioy. Myne eloquence is very shynyng Reason The sorowful cometes and hurtful swordes and hateful helmets of our enimies doo shyne but that the shyning of eloquence may be glorious it must be tempered with holynesse and wysedome Ioy. The plentie of myne eloquence is very great Reason If it be ioyned with modesty I doo not denie but that it is an excellent thyng and surpassyng the common measure of men otherwyse it were better to be dumbe Ioy. I haue eloquence yenough Reason That there was eloquence yenough and but litle wysedome in that most wicked man thou readest in Salust yet sought he not for any glorie by his eloquence how be it if it be more deeply consydered it was not eloquence but vnprofitable babling For no man can be a true oratour that is to say a maister of eloquence vnlesse he be a good man And if thou beeing a good and a wise man diddest suppose that this streame and readinesse of woordes which for the most part doth most abounde in the fancie and impudent crue was sufficient for the commendation of the Oratorie and the perfect duety of eloquence or that this cunning in speache only was yenough thou wast deceiued The redines of the tongue plentie of wordes the art and skil also to vse them may be indifferent to the wicked and the godly but that which thou seekest apparteineth to the best sort of men not to al of them but to very few so that euill men are banished frō this cōmendation being a thing wherunto the good gifts of that minde as vertue wisdome are required whiche they do want Which if thou do not vnderstand to be so I wyll shewe thee howe And remember these two thinges whereof I speake imprint their diffinitions in thy minde whereof the one is Catoes the other Ciceroes The fyrst sayth thus An Oratour is an honest man skilful in speaking The other Eloquence sayth he is nothyng els but wisedome speaking copiously By these woordes thou seest that to the essence and substaunce of an Oratour and of Eloquence is honestie and wysedome required whiche notwithstanding are not sufficient vnlesse there be cunning copie So
but the more knowen The begynnyng of all menne is all one There is but one Father of mankynde all flowe from one fountayne whiche passeth some tyme troubled and some tyme cleere vnto you all on this condition that that whiche a litle before was cleere anon be made obscure and that whiche was obscure be made cleere So that there is no doubt concernyng the fountayne but by meanes of what small channell the water of this your noble blood as â—â—â—crme it flowed vnto you Hereof it commeth that he that went to plough yesterday goeth a warfare to day and he that was woont proudly to ryde through the myddes of cities managing his fierce courser with a golden Brydle nowe dryueth his flowe Oxen vp and downe the flabbie fieldes with a simple Goade And I thinke that saying of Plato to be true That there is no king but he came of a lowe degree and none of lowe degree but he came of kinges This change and condition of mans state is so chaungable and inconstant that it is sundrye tymes altered from the one to the other so that thou canst not marueyl yf a Ploughman goe to warre or a Souldiour returne to the Plough Great is the wheele of mortall thynges And because the course thereof is long this short lyfe perceyueth it not Which vnlesse it were so both the spades of kinges and scepters of clownes myght be discerned But nowe tyme deceyueth mens memories whyle they be busyed about other matters And this is all your nobilitie wherefore ye swell and proudly aduaunce your selues lyke a vayne generation as ye be Ioy. The discent of myne auncestours is noble Reason Howe farre wylt thou wander We speake of thy selfe Thou goest about to substitute others I can not tell whom in thy steede who perhappes maye aunsweare somwhat for them selues but nothyng for thee vnlesse thou furnyshe out the cause with thyne owne witnesses But admitte that these thy Graundfathers and great Graundfathers were noble to wit when as they beganne by the wynges of vertue to lyfte them selues vp aboue the common multitude that is the farthest roote of nobilitie But goe then farther seeke out more narrowly thou shalt fynde theyr Grandfathers and great Grandfathers obscure and vnknowen men To be short this nobilitie of names and images is both short and howe muche soeuer it is truelly it is not thyne owne Leaue of therefore to colour thy name with other mens vertues lest if euery one require his owne thou be laughed at for thine owne nakednesse Ioy. I am noble Reason How muche a valiant clowne is more noble then a cowardly noble man thou shalt then knowe when thou hast considered how muche better it is to founde then to ouerthrowe nobilitie If thou want examples there be plentie at home and in the warres and are commonly founde in reading so that thou maiest by thy selfe be vmpire and iudge of the residue And among all it shal be sufficient to consider of two couple of men Into one skale of the Ballance put Marius and Tullie into the other set the aduersaries of these twayne Aulus and Clodius whiche way the beame wyll cast and howe muche Rome must geue place to Arpine who is so blynde that he seeth not Ioy. I am noble by byrth Reason I sayde euen nowe a true noble man is not so borne but made Ioy. A woonderfull nobilitie at leastwyse of this common sort is left vnto me by my parentes Reason This nobilitie commeth not by byrth but by lyuyng And heare also I see one good thyng Ye haue store of familiar examples and ye want not household leaders whose steppes it were a shame for you to forsake This if thou suffer to slyppe thy nobilitie is but a famous and difficult euyll It happeneth I knowe not how that it is a harder matter for a man to imitate his owne auncestours then strangers perhappes because vertue shoulde then seeme discende by inheritaunce I speake it not willingly but experience it selfe she weth it Seldome is it seene the sonne of an excellent man to be excellent Of a fortune beginning The .xvii. Dialogue IOY I Was borne in great fortune Reason Thou begannest thy lyfe with great vnquietnesse For Saylers not improperly cal a tempest fortune And a great fortune is a great tempest and a great tempest requireth both great counsayle and great strength Thou hast therefore rather cause of care then of myrth Ioy. I was borne in very great fortune Reason Doest thou thinke it better fortune to be borne in the wyde Sea then in a small Riuer Although no wyse man wyll graunt the same how muche then is it more fortunate to be borne in a Palace then in a Cotage Our mother the earth receyueth al men wheresoeuer they were borne Ioy. I was borne in great fortune Reason Thou hast wayed anker contrary to good lucke and if thou haue wasted the day in foule weather prouyde that when nyght commeth thou mayest be in the hauen Ioy. I was borne aloft Reason Thou art subiect to tempestes and whyrlewyndes and hope of lying hyd is taken from thee Pythie is the saying of the Lyrike Poet The mightie Pine tree is often shaken with windes and high towres fall with the greater force and the lyghtnyng striketh the hyghest Mountaines As I must confesse that it is noble to be borne aloft so is it neyther quiet nor safe All humane loftinesse of it selfe is vnquiet and continually troublesome So that I maruayle why that saying of Mecaenas in Seneca shoulde so muche be dislyked For the height it selfe thundreth at the loftie thinges Seeyng other haue vsed this woorde why is he only reprehended Moreouer there is nothyng so hygh that is not subiect both to trouble and care and sorow and enuie and griefe and in the ende obnoxius to death And truely it is death only that beateth downe al mortall pryde and eminencie Ioy. I was borne in hygh and great estate Reason They that fall from hygh are sore hurt and seldome is it calme vpon the wyde Sea so in the bottome thou needest not to feare fallyng neyther dread shypwracke vpon the drye lande Ioy. My begynnyng was fortunate Reason Marke the ende As other in theyr kyngdomes so can fortune also do much in hers The more fortunate the begynnyng is the more vncertayne is the ende Doest thou not perceyue howe all worldly thynges are tossed as it were with a whyrlewynde so that lyke as a troublesome tempest disquieth the calme Sea and after a fayre mornyng followeth a cloudie euenyng and as many tymes a playne way leadeth into a rough straight so sodayne calamitie foloweth the pryde of prosperitie and sorowfull death stoppeth the course of a most pleasaunt lyfe and most tymes the ende is vnlyke the begynnyng Ioy. I began an hygh Reason Take heede where thou leauest The lyfe is alwayes reported by the ende and thou shalt playnely feele the ende although thou perceyuedst not the beginnyng Ioy. I was borne in great felicitie
Reason We haue both seene the sonnes of bondmen sittyng in princes thrones and the sonnes of princes fast fettered in chaynes Of Sumptuous fare The .xviii. Dialogue IOY I Am brought vp in a plentiful house Reason This seemeth vnto thee to be a great matter but in deede it is litle and anon wylbe nothyng Wyl the wormes therefore spare thee more then the hard husbandman Or wyl they feede vpon the softer meate more greedily I doo neyther iest with thee nor terrifie thee Thou knowest although thou doe dessemble it that thou art foode prepared for that banquet and perhaps that it is nowe almost supper tyme or that at the least wyse it cannot be farre of For the day is short and the ghestes be hungrie and death which layeth the table is redy and therefore consyder what this dayntie banquetyng wyl auayle thee Ioy. I haue been brought vp most plentifully from myne infancie Reason Oh euyl begynnyng of chyldhood wherein neglecting good artes and accustoming thy selfe to exquisite fare and delicate forraigne drinkes euen from thy tender yeeres thou art growen vp to a woorthie expectation to knowe theyr tastes and smelles and with experience to woonder at deintily prepared banquettes and to reuerence the glysteryng Plate neyther late as was the maner of valiaunt men to asswage the hunger and thyrst with ordinarie meates but with busie loathsomenesse and payneful burdened stomacke to begynne agayne with them in the mornyng When so many holy Fathers haue hungred in the wyldernesse and so many famous Captaynes haue lyued hardly sparyngly and soberly When thou art beset about with thy Iewelles and deyntie dyshes at the Table yf at one syde of thee were Curius Fabritius Corumcanius feedyng in earthen vesselles on Hearbes geathered with his owne handes and goeyng to plowe fastyng tyl nyght and on the other syde Quintinus and Seranus or he that was after these twayne Cato Censorius Consul saylyng into Spayne from whence he returned in triumph who dranke none other wyne then his Saylers dyd or yf al these shoulde meete thee beyng most knowne enimies vnto pleasure with Paulus also and Antonius sittyng by a fountayne syde and diuiding the bread whiche was sent them from heauen would not thy superfluous meate for shame and sorowe cleaue to thy lawes and the delight of thyne amazed taste abate Thou wouldest call to mynde how that by these men which were contented with so slender fare and so base toyle both theyr countrey was defended and most noble kynges and peoples subdued and which is the most hardest conquest of al their owne flesh the world and the inuisible enimies of the soule vanquished and howe thou thy selfe walowest in thy costly iunkets and sumptuous idlenesse ouercome with filthy voluptuousnesse Ioy. My fare is most delicate Reason I perceiue wel this that al thyne endeuour is that thy lothsome curiositie may come to the bottome of miserie There is nothing brought to passe by ▪ the excellencie of meate and drynke vnlesse there be also plentie yea rather to much and quatting Doest thou not cal to mynd how that Augustus Caesar who perhaps if he had list could haue fared more delicately than thou was as it is written of hym a smal meate man and that almost also of a common diet I say nothing of the meates whereon he vsed to feede to the intent thou shouldest not disdayne hym as some olde rusticke father of the countrey and among thy Feasauntes and Partridges and Peacockes laugh at the course bread and symple cheese and smal fyshes which that prince was wont to eate But how much better had it been yf so he these your Feasances and this great furniture of your tables the great felicitie of your throates had lyen styl vnknowne at Colanos the riuer Phasis rather then to haue flowne hyther to corrupt our age to prouoke lasciuiousnesse How much more honest was that worlde wherof Ouid sayth Among those people the fyshes yet did swim without taking by deceite and the Oysters lay safe in theyr shels neither dyd talie know the cōmoditie which wel◠thy Iouia yeldeth nor the foule which delighteth to kil the Pigmees Ioy. I enioy most choyce wyne Reason Euylly but properly thou hast sayde I enioy that is your ende and to that were ye borne How much better woulde smal wyne or wyne delayed with water or a draught of the pure runnyng streame asswage your thyrst Truely the Prince of whom I spake erewhyle vsed also very seldome for so it is written of hym to drynke wyne neuer drinking aboue thrise at a supper while he was in the campe As for you ye quaffe ten tymes before meate and at meate an hundred tymes and the quantitie of your carousses cannot be measured and your tentes be more full of wyne then your cities There is no enterpryse nor skyrmyshe made but by suche as are drunke He absteyned from wyne in the day tyme and you ceasse not to drinke both day and nyght He when he was a thyrst in steede of drynke dyd eate bread dypped in colde water or receyued the top of a Lettice or a hyt of a moyst Apple or a slice of a Cucumber but you prouokyng thyrst by al meanes do quenche the same with hoat burnyng wynes which do prouoke another thyrst by drynking of them or rather to say the trueth ye inflame it the more neyther doo ye remember in the meane whyle that ye drynke the blood of the earth and the poyson of Hemlock whyle in suche sort ye drynke wyne as Androcides wrote to kyng Alexander of Macedonie Whose counsayle yf he had folowed truely he shoulde not haue slayne his friendes in his drunkennesse as Plinius sayth nether shoulde he hymselfe in his drunkennesse at length haue peryshed The same vse of indifferent meates and abstinencie in drinkyng hath alwayes for the most part ben founde in all the worthie and famous captaynes and princes and in Iulius Caesar it was singular which howe muche it is to be preferred before your riotousnesse your sleepe being compared with theyr diligence and glory of aduentures atchieued may be iudge Ioy. I enioy most bountifull fare Reason If men be forbyddento enioy honest thynges howe muche more dishonest and filthy thinges Art thou not ashamed in that thou applyest the fruite of thyne immortall soule to the seruice and slauery of the transitorie bodie This is an Epicureal perswasion but heretofore infamous and abandoned To be short among al the pleasures which creepe from the body to the soule they are concluded to be most vyle whiche are accomplyshed by feelyng and tastyng for as much as these senses are common vnto vs with beastes and crooke downe the reasonable creature vnto beastly conditions a more contemptible and abiect thyng then which the state of mankinde cannot incurre Ioy. I am delighted in deintie sundry kyndes of meates Reason Be delighted in them and enioy them yf thou know nothyng better but yf thou know nothyng worse then be ashamed to reioyce
I wyll not set agaynst thee godly poore soules halfe naked and stiffe with colde and scarce able to keepe of the winters bitternes with their simple mantles of Rugge I know well that sinfull wealth disdaineth holy pouertie And the same most rich man also of whom I spake yet whyle in our third disputation before this vsed consideratly to weare none other garment then home made suche as was spun and wrought by his wife and his sister and his daughter and his nices For this is also written of him Thus he that was lorde of al weeried a fewe women but such as were most neare of kin vnto him And thou perhaps being another mans seruant doest weerie nations that are a great way of from thee For thee the Fleminges spinne for thee they carde for thee they weaue for thee the Persians the Seres the Indians do ioyle for thee the Tyrian Murrey swimmeth or Purple fishe for thee the softe grains of Hispis hangeth vpon the shrubs for thee the sheepe of Brytaine looke whyte for thee the Indian Sandix looketh redde both Oceans sweate for thy sake but for Augustus only his wife and his daughter his sister and his nices do take payne Thus much is vertue decreased pride increased And since men haue délighted in the contrary the examples of modestie are waxed vile For in diet and apparell many contemning this great woorthy prince haue gone after the woorst as Caius the residue whose belly backe were neuer couered with ciuile nor manlike nor Romane nor truly humane but with mad and somtyme womanishe at another tyme diuine superfluous on euery syde and monstrous attyre Ioy. My garmentes are most exquisite Reason Costly apparell both by suspition of great diligence in trimming and settyng foorth the beautie dimisheth the grace and by the bryghtnesse thereof bewrayeth the blemishes of the deformed and styrreth vp the eyes of suche as passe by to beholde it And therefore a deformed man or woman can not hurt them selues by any meanes more then by couetyng to seeme fayre and wel fauoured The gallant apparell and braue settyng foorth of the body whiche is of purpose done to win fame by prouoketh laughter Ioy. I am decked foorth in most choyce colours Reason Nature cannot be surpassed by art And many times disdayning that she is prouoked by howe much the more greater force she is pressed and couered by so much the more she riseth vp and sheweth her selfe As for the natural deformities of this mortal body they can neither be altered with colours nor couered with odors but they make them either more euident to be seene or more doubtful to be suspected Ioy. I am caried away with the loue of precious variable attyre Reason Lay a dead carkase in a coffin of golde beset it rounde about with pearles and cloth of golde the more thou trimmest it the more horrible and vgly it is And to the intent thou mayest not be offended at that whiche I speake let vs seeke out the originall of that name For this word carkas commeth of the Verbe cado which signifieth to fal Which being so why may not the body of a liuing man be so called aswel as of a dead For the one is alrepâ—â—â—â—â—â—on the other shal fal falleth continually Ioy. I haue 〈◊〉 sleâ—parel and made after the new fashion Reason I haue no time nor place now to lament detest this counterfeiting mockerie of outlandish attyre whiche this present frentike age hath brought in among you from the farthest partes of the world But both God man do vtterly abhor these deformed beastes in the shape of men whose mindes are brutish whose speech is the latin tongue whose apparel barbarous strainge whose heare is brayded frisled after that delicacy of women whose maners are hard vnciuil after the toughnes of boares at one side plainly bewraying the filthines of their bodies by the impudencie of their demeanure on the other side openly discoueryng the lightnes of their mindes by the wauering of the feathers in their top But whether the maisters that are so vigilant or the schollers that are so apt to learne deserue most to be hated it is to be doubted By whose deuises thou seest it is now come to passe that betweene Iesters and Dukes betweene honest Matrons and Harlottes there is in syght almost no difference at all Neyther doeth this mischiefe cease but it dayly increaseth and the madnesse is diuersly varied Of reste and quietnes The .xxi. Dialogue IOY REst and quietnesse from labours are happened vnto mee Reason Two most acceptable commodities of mans lyfe vnlesse immoderate vse haue made them most grieuous mischiefes whiche it hath wrought in many and hath procured as many plagues to the body as diseases to the minde swellyng to the one and rust to the other Ioy. I enioy most pleasaunt rest Reason Say rather that thou doest vse We can enioy nothing here but we vse many thynges thus sayth the holsomer doctrine Ioy. This quietnesse is very pleasaunt vnto mee Reason It skilleth muche what kinde of quietnesse the same is for there are two kindes of quietnesse One is busie whiche euen in very rest is doing somwhat and busie about honest affayres and this is very sweete The other is slouthful idle and geuen onely to sluggyshnes then which there is nothyng more loathsome or more lyke to the graue â–ª From the first 〈◊〉 many tymes spring great woorkes both profitable to the we snareâ—â— glorious to the auctours From the seconde commeth nothyng but inglorious flouth and sleepines The fyrst is meete for Philosophers but the second for sluggardes and suche as are geuen to their belly and sleepe where they may eate and sleepe their fyll without interruption Ioy. I enioy my wished rest Reason That rest whiche we must enioy shal neuer haue ende Consider therefore in what rest thou take delight Ioy. I haue founde wyshed rest Reason Wouldest thou say rest or lusking or sleepe whiche some Poetes call the kinseman and some the image of death and both very properly Ioy. I sleepe and take my rest Reason And many also that goe do rest in minde and many also that sit lie are troubled in mind And sleepe it selfe which is called the rest of al liuing thinges hath it owne secret griefes with many horrible and troublesome visions fantasies concerning which the holy man talking familiarly with God and being afflicted maketh his complaynt Ioy. I lye idly in my bed chamber Reason Which of these I pray thee thinkest thou rested more pleasantly eyther Vacia whiche lay sleeping at his Farme in the countrey or Scipio fighting against his enimies in Africa and Cato against serpentes and Regulus against both For there is neyther quietnes without ioy neither can there be any ioy without vertue Ioy. My toyles being past I refresh my selfe with pleasant sleepe Reason Toyle laboure are the matters of vertue glory who so reiecteth these reiecteth them also
Contrariwise too muche sleepe is the matter of vice and infamie which driueth many and throweth them headlong into perpetual sleepe For it nourisheth lust maketh the body heauie weakeneth the minde dulleth the wit diminisheth knowledge extinguisheth the memorie and breedeth forgetfulnes It is not without cause that wakeful and industrious persons are commended As for the sleepie we see not them praysed but puffed And therfore as some vs tearme sleepe death so other cal wakefulnesse life Take heede then of lyfe and death which thou choose It is best to wake which the wise do commend that the life may be the longer Ioy. I enioy a long vn interrupted sleepe Reason It is wel if it be not broken by pinching cares by couetousnes by ambition by feare by sorowe and by wicked loue but euyl if a mans sleepe be disturâ—ed by some care of dishonest stâ—die Truely while the people sleepe the prince waketh while the armie resteth the captaynes be vigilant which both experience declareth and Homers Ilias proueth to be true Vpon noble mindes vigilant cares do depende but such as are sober and hotsome It is credibly reported that Augustus Caesar of al Princes the greatest and best vsed but short sleepe and that also often interrupted And thou gloriest in the contrary Ioy. I sleepe profoundly Reason So do gluttons letchers wrathful persons togeather with bruite beastes but lyuing notwithstanding slâ—ggish persons and they that sleepe are only compared to the dead and as touching that part of tyme that happie men doo nothyng differ thereby from men in miserie thou knowest it to be a position of Philosophie Wherefore as that part is diligently to be eschewed whiche leaueth so small a difference of dreames onely betweene men and beastes so is the contrary to be pursued whiche offereth no hardnesse to them that are willing For yf in respect of a simple glory or small gaine both Warriours Merchauntes and Mariners do watch whole nightes abroade in the open ayre the one among ambushmentes of their enimies the other among the surgies and rockes more fierce then any enimie art not thou able to watche some part of the nyghtes in makyng prayers to God and among thy bookes for the true glory and a large gayne Ioy. Being weerie when I was awake I haue now wholly geuen my selfe to sleepe Reason Thus it is yee change not your copie ye deale in all matters after one maner and looke what thing God himselfe or nature or any art hath geuen you for recreation that ye turne to your owne shame and discommoditie â–ª your drinke to drunkennes your meate to surfeityng your leysure to sleepinesse your good health to voluptuousnesse your beautie to lasciuiousnesse your strength to iniuries your wit to deceitfulnesse your knowledge to pride your eloquence to harmfulnesse the brauerie of your houses and the apparell of your backes to pompousnesse and vayne ostentation your ryches to couetousnesse and riot your wiues and chyldren to feare and perpetual carefulnesse Goe nowe be astonished complayne of your fortune and lament your wickednesse of good thinges ye make euil of heauenly giftes ye make fetters and snares and chaines for your soule Ioy. I am delighted in pleasaunt sleepe Reason Not only Kinges Captaynes and Princes Philosophers Poetes Householders do watch vp and rise in the night which Aristotle sayeth to be auaylable for health for good husbandrie and philosophie but theeues also and pilferers and whiche is also more marueylous mad men and louers whom the remembraunce desire they haue to their trulles doth styrre forwarde and wylt not thou for the loue of vertue hate sleepe that is freende to vices and as Horace sayth excellently Seeyng theeues ryse in the nyght to kill true menne wilt not thou awake to preserue thy selfe Ye may be ashamed that filthie causes can so muche preuayle with you and most souereine can doo nothyng Ioy. I sleepe all nyght and no man troubleth mee Reason Aristotle seemeth whiche I haue touched before in this maner to deuide a mans lyfe attributing halfe to sleepe and halfe to waking And as touching the one halfe thereof he sayth that a vertuous mans lyfe differeth not from a fooles lyfe in whiche place he wyll haue he night to be vnderstoode for sleepe and the day for wakyng This I confesse is a good and true diuision for it equally deuideth tyme into the partes But if it be thus taken that the partes be of equal space truely there is an other great difference betweene them For there is no cogitation or discourse more sharpe or more deepe then the nyghtly no tyme more conuenient for studentes If he say that sleepe is the one halfe of our tyme it is a strange saying to come out of the mouth of so studious and learned a man God forbyd that a minde whiche is well instructed and geuen to studie shoulde sleepe halfe her tyme seeyng to some the fourth part and to voluptuous persons also the thyrde part is sufficient I would counsell a man to ryse in the nyght in euery part of the yeere God forbyd but that they which haue any great exployt in hande sleepe both the whole Winter and Summer nyghtes Howbeit it is sufficient perhappes to haue broken it once and as muche sleepe as is broken by watching so muche may be quickly supplyed yf neede so require by takyng a nappe after noone But the houres of the winter nyghters are often to be broken in them it were expedient to syng to studie to reade to write to thynke to contemplate by wit some new thing is to be deuised that which is wonne by studie is to be repeated in memorie Hearken also to S. Ierome wryting to Eustochius We must ryse sayth he twice or thrice a nyght and we must meditate on some part of Scripture whiche we haue learned without booke And at length when your eyes are weerie with this studie ye must eftsoones refreshe them with sleepe and beyng then recomforted with a lytle rest they must agayne be weeried with exercise lest that by sleeping all the night long and lying styl vpon the pillowe ye appeare to be as it were buried carkases By the often and coomely styrring of your selues declare that ye are alyue and geuen to vertue Of pleasaunt smelles The xxii Dialogue IOY I Am delited with sweete odours Reason These serue eyther for foode or apparrel concerning which thou hast hearde myne opinion Ioy. My studie is vpon sweete smelles Reason Of smelles some prouoke the appetite and some wantonnesse The desire of these incurreth the note of incontinencie especially yf it be vehement Others are desired for theyr owne sake The greedinesse of them is not reprooued of dishonestie but of folly Whereby it commeth that the smel of womens oyntmentes and of iunkets is more discommodable then the odour of flowres or apples The same reason is also in those pleasures whiche are receyued by the eares and eyes If euer thou hast applyed thy
by the fall of the Amphitheater twentie thousand men were slayne This is the commoditie and ende that the lookers on doo get Ioy. I beholde shewes with great pleasure Reason Eyther of faygned loue or true hatred The fyrst is not for a man to beholde the seconde not for a reasonable creature Who wyll wyllyngly receyue a dagger to his hart Who wyll powre more blood vpon an hotte wounde Who can waxe pale sooner then when he seeth death What delyght haue ye to goe to the schoole of crueltie Ye neede no scholemaisters ye learne euyll too fast of your selues Ye learne more of your selues at home then is needefull What if the maisters of mischiefe and the mystresse of errour the common multitude shoulde ioyne vnto this with redy wittes Many whom nature framed gentle haue learned crueltie by meanes of shewes and spectacles Mans minde whiche of it selfe is prone to vice is not to be pricked forward but brydled yf it be left to it selfe it hardly standeth yf it be dryuen foorth it runneth headlong There commeth in muche euyll at the eares but muche more at the eyes by those two open windowes death breaketh into the soule nothyng entreth more effectually into the memorie then that whiche commeth by seeyng thinges hearde doo lyghtly passe by the images of thynges which we haue seene sticke fast in vs whether we wyl or not and yet they enter not vnlesse we be wylling but verie seldome and they depart soone Whyther goest thou then What violence caryeth thee a way To be mery an houre and alwayes afterwarde to be sorie To see that once that thou wylt repent a thousande tymes â—hat euer thou sawest it To see a man slayne with a weapon or to be torne by the teeth and nayles of wylde beastes or some suche other syght as may trouble a man that is awake and terrifie hym when he is a sleepe I can not perceyue what pleasure is in it or rather what bitternesse and greefe is no in it and I can not discerne any greater argument of madnesse in you then in that bitter sweetenesse and vnpleasaunt delyght thrust you dayly forwarde to death enticyng you by miserable flatteries drowned as it were in a Stygian sleepe Ye obserue one order almost in al thynges Whatsoeuer ye desire whatsoeuer ye goe about whatsoeuer ye doo it is agaynst you Of Horses The .xxxi. Dialogue IOY I Take pleasure in a nimble Horse Reason A most fierce and vnquiet beast which sleepeth not and is neuer satisfied Ioy. I am destrous to ryde Horses Reason It is not muche more daungerous to sayle vppon the raging Sea then to ride vpon a fierce prauncer There is no beast more proude toward his maister neyther is this improperly gone for a prouerbe among horse breakers That an horse doeth twice euyll although be be at one tyme humble and at another proude Who beyng of suche strength and swiftnesse wyll suffer hym selfe for a lytle bile meate to be subiect to another to be tamed to be hampred to be haltred to be linked in chaines to be brydled to be shâ—oed with iron to haue nayles driuen through his hoofes to be spurred to beare an armed rider to abyde slauishe imprisonment and fiâ—thie seruitude On the other syde as though he were vntamed he behaueth hymselfe as yf he were free and doeâ—h euery thyng as yf he were his maisters enimie When he shoulde runne he regardeth not the spurre When he shoulde stay he taketh the bridle betweene his teeth When he should snort he is asleepe When he shoulde lye in secrete he snorteth This is that plyant beaste whiche some tearme trustie and faythfull whereof fables doo report so many goodly matters callyng hym commonly a noble a princely an excellent an honourable beast woorthie to be bought at a great price and kept with great diligence Nay rather it is a beast whose weerisomnesse yf it be compared with his seruiceablenesse no wyse man wyll buye hym no good husbande wyll feede hym a beast that is impacient both of rest and labour with the one he is proude with the other he is tyred with the one a fierce beast with the other a dull iade at one tyme bolde at another tyme fearefull at one tyme flying at another tyme fallyng at one tyme startlyng at a flie or a shadowe at another tyme dispising his maister and dyuers wayes drawing hym into daunger Who can sufficiently discribe his stubbernnesse the daunger of his teeth and his heeles his neighing and his impaciencie of his sitter and rider For truely looke howe many conditions there be of horses so many dangers are there of the horsemen Ioy. I haue great delight in horses Reason I shoulde wonder the more at thee vnlesse I remembred some great men bent also to the lyke studie to to folyshly Who hath not heard that Alexander king of Macedonie erected a tombe for his horse which he loued and named a citie after his horses name But the coutage and heate of minde wrought no woonderfull thyng in hym whyle he liued There was more stomacke in Augustus although lesse follie for he buylded not a tombe for his horse but he made a graue whiche thing notwithstanding was vnmeete for his wit and grauitie For whether Iulius Caesars monstrous horse were by him or any other consecrated with a statue of marble before the temple of Venus it may be doubted Antonius Verus who came after in yeeres and glory but in riches and imperiall name was but litle inferiour that I may omit to tell what fare and what furniture he ordeined for his horse which he loued immoderately truely he caused a statue of gold to be made lyke hym whyle he was alyue and when he was dead a sepulture to be buylded that we might be the more greeued at it in Vaticanum among so many holy bones as were there buried to be buried This is scarce credible but true notwithstanding The Poet thinkyng on this and suche lyke thinges maketh the soules of such men to be delighted with horses in hell And yet this vanitie is neuer awhit the lesse but the greater whiche is able to allure so great mindes vnto it But that no man shall thynke that this was some auncient folly only and not at this day raigning let him call to minde one dwelling not far of and not long since who is yet lyuing and not very olde and dwelling here in Italy among you whose name it shall not be needefull for me to vtter a man highly in fortunes fauour and of no small wit and iudgement a man otherwise of great courage and policie whensoeuer he hath occasion to vtter himselfe or hath any weightie affaires in hande who notwithstanding when his horse whiche he loued was sicke layde him vpon a bed of silke and a golden pillowe vnder his head and while he hym selfe being bound and not able to stirre by appoyntment of his Phisitions for the gout was gouerned by their orders neuerthelesse being either borne in
the feare of the next maister woorketh that effect vnto whom in this respect he feareth to be discredited and suspected while he may iudge the lyke euil condâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—ym towardes hym selfe By meanes 〈◊〉 which thynges vnlesâ—◠〈…〉 blinded their eies men might euidently perceiue how mâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—ter it were to be without al such seruantes and seruice 〈…〉 haue seruantes round about me Reason Vnder the 〈…〉 seruantes indeede as I haue said most cruel and wicked emâ—◠〈◊〉 are conteined yet pride wil not suffer you to liue without thâ—◠〈◊〉 â–ª And in this poynt as in many other poore wretches ye 〈…〉 in your owne harme In this respect ye cheifly 〈…〉 for this ye wander by Sea and lande for this yeâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—ther and cast abrâ—de golde to the ende that the hande of your enemies may growe euery day greater and stronger Bâ—◠〈◊〉 is it not so Is not the company of the rych generally of 〈◊〉 â—â—ther opinion Many tymes a man shal see a well goueâ—â—â—d familie of a reasonable callyng to be inferiour vnto the most 〈◊〉 and gorgeous Courtes of the Persians and Lydians almost 〈◊〉 none other thyng yea rather farre to surpasse them in most 〈◊〉 â—â—tere sauyng that those Courtes doo feede moe and more 〈◊〉 â—â—ly Ioy. I haue a great troupe of seruantes wayâ—ing vpâ—on me Reason Nay rather vrgyng thee and treadyng thee vnder foote and leadyng thee bound in ratlyng chaynes so 〈◊〉 may wel be sayde to thee What hast thou doone wreâ—◠〈◊〉 thou shouldest neede so many keepers to garde â—hee Ioy 〈…〉 seruantes gard â—â—e on euery syde Reason Thou hast 〈…〉 of flyght and therefore not of escaping with lyfe To 〈…〉 â—ernly delighted with a mans owne harme is a point of desperat madnesse And therefore in this respect pouertie is to be wyshed and loued in that it deliuereth a man from al the discommodities which ryches do bryng but specially from the craftes and weerisomenesse of seruantes Of the magnificencie and beautifulnesse of houses The .xxxiiii. Dialogue IOY I Haue a gorgeous House Reason What shal I say other then that saying of Tullie The house is to be furnished with dignitie and not altogeather to be sought of the house neyther oâ—â—châ—â—â—â—â—â—â—ner seke credite by the house but the house by the 〈◊〉 Ioy. I haue agâ—â—oâ—y house Reason Why art 〈◊〉 â—â—oud thereof It is the workemans praise and not thine 〈◊〉 I dwel in a most beautifull house Reason Where 〈…〉 may lye hyd where thou mayest wander where thy serâ—â—â—â—es may ryot where the people may tarry where the Paraâ—â—â—â— may hunger a wyde place capable of much weerysomnes 〈…〉 I dwel in a great house Reason Of cities and houâ—â—◠〈…〉 lyke for he that dwelleth in a wyde place dwelâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—or to the happie lyfe it skilleth not how wide but 〈◊〉 meeryly thou lyuest Oftentimes in Kinges Palaces dwel â—â—â—â—â—e and griefe and in poore mens cottages quietnesse and 〈…〉 the largenesse and beautie of the house were the chiefâ—â—â—utter the art of buylding were the most worthie art of al oâ—â— â–ª Ioy. I dwel in a princely house Reason As though 〈◊〉 place coulde driue away cares and sicknesses or that death 〈◊〉 â—â—th a Ladder to climbe vp to the toppes of Towres Dyd 〈◊〉 â—â—ullus Hostiâ—ius abide in his Court when he was stroken 〈◊〉 â—â—ghtning fâ—â—â— heauen And was not also Targuimus 〈…〉 in his Court when he was slaine To be briefe Targuiâ—â—â—â—â—â—perbus was also in his court when he was driuen out of 〈◊〉 â—â—ngdome There is no place inaccessible to daungers no 〈◊〉 â—â—ut agaynst death Ioy. My dwellyng is myne owne 〈…〉 Reason Nay thou hast but a short tyme of dwelâ—â—â—â—e the day of thy departyng is at hand thou imaginest thy selfe to be a Citizen and thou art but a stranger and dwellest but for a rent There wil come one that wil thrust thee naked out of doores Ioy. I haue a gorgeous and beautifull house Reason When thou art departed from hence thou shalt haue a darke and narrowe one but if thou do vprightly consider of thy house it is but obscure and narowe and decaying and euery day woorse able then other to stand vpright continually fayling and foreshewing it owne fall which neither is far of from vtter ruine neyther can delite a valiant tenant as an house but greue him as a prison where he wâ—â—â—â—e loath to stay but desirous to be discharged Goe 〈◊〉 â—â—â—yes â—owe and vaunt of other mens houses or of thyne owne prison Of stronge defenced Castles The xxxv Dialogue IOY I Dwell in a most strong Castle Reason There is some commoditie in houses but much more euil in Castles Houses defend men from heate and wynde and rayne but these cast stormes of carefulnesse into the mindes of the possessours and bryng cares and dread to his political securitie Ioy. I haue a Fortresse enclosed with very strong walles Reason Hast thou forgotten the Spartane saying who to his frâ—â—nde that shewed hym the walles of his countrey answered If you haue made these for women it is wel but yf for men it is shameful Ioy I haue a most strong holde Reason What other thyng was it then your impaciencie and your pryde and couetousnesse that made you haue neede of Castles Howe muche better were it to lyue indifferently with men and to lyue vpon the playne and tylled lande in quietnesse and there to take the pleasant sleepe then to enclose thy selfe within rough and craggy rockes houlyng with nightly watches and through thyne owne miserie to make thyselfe suspected and hated of al men Hast thou forgotten what Publicola dyd who although he were one of the chiefe of those that deliuered the Citie of Rome from subiection to the kynges perceyuing neuerthelesse that the people suspected hym by reason of the situation of his house to the ende he might discharge him self of that false suspicion he pluckt his house downe from the hill Ioy. I haue an impregnable Castle Reason Hast thou not heard the olde prouerbe There is no place so impregnable into which an Asse laden with golde can not enter A strong Castle prouoketh not hyndreth besieging The Castle Tarpeian resisted a whyle the insult of the Senones and so dyd Tarentine of the Carthagiens vntyll in due tyme they were both succoured Camilius relieued this last and the other Fabius But was Hannibal able to defende both Castles of Locris No truely nor Ilion it selfe nor Byrsa coulde be defended nor Corinth whiche of auncient tyme had the fâ—â—â—â—â—f â—â—egnable notwithstandyng Mumius the conquere◠〈…〉 Was not the Castle Praenestine a more strong and better fortified then which I know not whether euer there were any about threescore and ten yeeres since by that great enimie because he coulde not by force yet by flattery and false promises taken and rased whiche at length rose vp agayne beyng shaken and weakened as it were by a long continual feuer To be short there is nothyng inuincible nothing safe agaynst the craft
noble statues and images Reason I know the meanyng of couetousnesse it is the price as I suppose and not the art that pleaseth thee I am sure thou doest in minde esteeme one image of golde of meane woorkemanshyp aboue many made of brasse and marble and specially of clay or other cast stuffe and not vnwysely as the present valuation of thinges nowe adayes requireth and this is as muche to say as to loue the golde and not the statue whiche as it may be made noble of a vile matter so may it be made rude of pure golde How muche wouldest thou esteeme of an image whether it were the kinges of Assyria whiche was made of golde threescore cubites long which it was death not to adore although there be many at this day that would adore it to haue it of their owne or whether it were made of a great Topace of foure cubites long of whiche thou readest that the Queene of Egypts image was made a strange thing to be spoken I suppose thou wouldest not very muche enquire after the woorkeman that made it but rather after the matter that it is made of Ioy. Images and statues cunningly wrought delight mine eyes Reason Images and statues somtime were the tokens of vertues but now they be enticementes of the eyes They were erected in the honour and remembraunce of suche as had atchiued woorthy deedes or voluntarily yeelded them selues vp vnto death from their common wealth Suche as were decreed to be set vp in honour of the Embassadours that were slayne by the king of the Vetâ—i such as were erected in the honour of Scipio Africane the deliuerer of Italye whiche his most valiant courage and woorthy modestie woulde not receiue but whiche after his death he coulde not refuse They were erected in the honour of wise and learned men the lyke whereof we reade was erected vnto Victorinus and now adayes they are erected vnto ryche Merchantes wrought of outlandish Marble of great value Ioy. Statues artificially wrought doo muche delight mee Reason Euery kinde of stuffe almost wyl admit cunning woorkmanship but I perceyue how this thy delight is ful of wisdome and ioyned with the most noble matter Howbeit I can not perceyue how there shoulde be any pleasure in the golde no although it were wrought by Phidias or what worthinesse there shoulde be in it being but a drosse of that earth although it be yelow but by meanes of the Anduil hammers tongues coales inuention handy labour What thing may be wrought that is to be wished of a man or hath in deede any magnificencie in it consider with thee selfe Ioy. I can not chose but take great pleasure in images Reason To take pleasure in the wittie deuises of men so it be modestly done is tollerable and specially of such as excel in wit For vnlesse malice be an hinderaunce euery man doeth willingly reuerence that in another which he loueth in him selfe To take delight also in the images and statues of godly and vertuous men the beholding of which may stirre vs vp to haue remembrance of their maners liues is reasonable may profite vs in imitating the same Prophane images also although somtime they moue the nunde and styrre it vp to vertue whilst lukewarme mindes doo waxe hot with the remembraunce of noble deedes yet ought they not to be loued or esteemed of aboue reason and duetie lest they become eyther witnesses of our foslie or ministers of our couetousnesse or rebellious to our fayth and true religion and that most excellent commaundement of the Apostle Keepe your selues from Images But truly if thou beholde him in thy contemplation who created the fixed earth the moueable sea and turnyng heauen who also hath replenished the earth not with feigned and counterfeite but with true and liuing men and beastes the sea with fishes the heauen with foules I suppose that thou wylt as lytle esteeme of Polycletus and Phidias as of Protegenes and Apelles Of vessels of Corinthe The .xlii. Dialogue IOY WHO wyl not be moued with delyght vnto Corinthian vessels Reason Earthly thynges can not moue him that is accustomed to heauenly and euen so yf these vessels be compared with the heauenly treasures they be smal they be nothing they be but loathsomnes and an heauie burthen For how can the minde whiche thinketh vpon it owne beginning gape into the pittes of earth or esteeme of that which is digged out of them whyle he beholdeth the Heauens the Sunne the Starres himselfe and is busied in the contemplation of the most hygh creatour of all thinges Ioy. I take pleasure in Corinthian vessels Reason Knowest thou not then that thou takest pleasure not onely in a colde and senseles burthen of the earth but also in the woorkemanshyp of a smutchie and filthie woorkeman and lasty in the remnauntes and reliques of the Romane spoyles Returne to histories When Mummius had by fine force taken the Citie of Corinth and after the spoyle consumed it with fire al maner of images as wel of golde and siluer as of brasse whatsoeuer by chaunce had escaped the handes of the conquerours whereof that Citie in olde tyme had great plentie were with lyke fire molten togeather all kyndes of mettalles ran there flowing as it were in one channel and by that meanes of al those mettalles there arose one most noble mettall which was the beginning of these most pâ—ecious vessels from the destruction of the Citie sprang foorth the name of lasciuiousnesse not that the same madnesse arose in that Citie whiche nowe was fallyng but the matter onely was prepared for the madnesse that should folowe hereafter And by this meanes Corinth was at that tyme the beginner of this madnesse which now commeth from Damascus from thence at this day are vessels sent which wyll soone rauishe both your eyes and mindes Ioy. I am delyghted in Corinthian vessels Reason I shoulde marueile the more at thee vnlesse it were read in excellent good writers howe that Augustus the Emperour although he were a most modest and graue prince yet was he notwithstanding so inuaded dryuen headlong with this delyght that he was thought to haue condemned certayne in the Triumuiral proscription for none other cause then the desyre of suche vessels insomuche as there was an infamous libel fastened vpon the statue of this woorthie Prince to his perpetual ignominie wherein he was termed a Corinthiarian And yf ye wyll beleeue mee there was but small difference in this respect betweene this most excellent Prince and the vilest that euer was Antonius sauyng that a lesse cause mooued Augustus to doo an iniurie and euery offence is the more greeuous the greater the person is that offendeth and the lesse cause he hath to offende Neither can the greatnesse and power of the offender escape the woundes of tongues and pennes or exempt them out of the iudgementes of men but rather they doo sharpen them and prouoke them to farther reuenge The pratlyng multitude spareth
neither wanted they an inward Maister in silence Howheit I speake nowe of the common sort Ioy. I am called a Maister Reason The false name of Maistershyppe hath hindred many from beyng true Maisters in deede and whylst they beleeued euery body of them selues more then them selues and were counted to be that whiche they were not they happened not to be that which they myght haue been Ioy. I haue the tytle of a Maister Reason Thou hast seene a Tauerne wherein was sowre wine freshly decked foorth with Pictures and flowres where the thyrstie wayfaring man myght be deceyued But is the Vintener also deceyued by his owne craft Truely there be some so accustomed to deceitfulnesse that by long vse of deceyuing others at length they begin to deceyue them selues and that whiche long tyme they haue been perswading others in the ende they perswade them selues and that whiche they knowe to be false they beleeue to be true Glorie thou as muche in thy Maistershyppe as thou wylt But yf it haue chaunced vnto thee woorthyly it is no strange thing yf vnwoorthyly it bringeth these two mischiefes with it the one that it maketh thee ashamed to learne the other that it maketh thine ignoraunce the more knowen Of sundry titles of Studies The .xlvi. Dialogue IOY I Am adorned with many and sundrie titles Reason There is great vanitie of boughes but no fruite Ioy. I abounde with store of titles Reason If with true titles it is a painfull burden yf with false it is filthie and shamefull And what neede a man to seeke for suche titles in whiche there is eyther toyle or ignominie Vertue beyng contented with one or no title at all is a sufficient title to her selfe Ioy. I haue deserued to be a Maister of Philosophie Reason Philosophie promiseth not wysedome but the loue of wysedome Whosoeuer therefore wyll haue this he getteth it by louyng This title is not harde and paynefull as some suppose If thy loue be true and the wysedome true whiche thou louest thou shalt be a true Philosopher in deede For none can knowe or loue the true wisedome but pure and godly mindes And therefore it commeth to this poynt whiche is wrytten Godlynesse is wysedome Your Philosophers standyng in contempt and ignoraunce of this opinion fell vnto brablyng and bare Logike And therefore when Diuines rashly entreate of GOD and Philosophers of Nature they circumscribe his most mightie Maiestie with triflyng argumentes and prescribe lawes vnto God that laugheth and mocketh at their foolishe presumption but these dispute in such sort of the secretes of nature as yf they came lately out of heauen and hadde been of Goddes priuie counsayle forgettyng that whiche is written Who knoweth the Lordes meanyng or who was his counseller Not regardyng also or hearyng Saint Ierome who often and by many strong argumentes in the same booke wherein he bewayleth his brothers death very precisely and briefely Philosophers sayth he disputyng of heauen speake they knowe not what Ioy. I professe many Artes. Reason That is an easie matter but to knowe many is very harde for confessyng is more safe then professyng The one is a token of humilitie and repentaunce the other of lyghtnesse and insolencie For they that doo confesse deserue pardon more easily then they that doo professe knowledge Ioy. I haue obteyned the tytle of Diuine and Humane wysedome Reason Wysedome wanteth not tytles she is sufficiently knowen of her selfe Who euer lyghted a Candle to goe seeke for the Sunne Many with these tytles haue been obscured and without them haue become renowmed Oftentymes there hath been none for good but some notable signe hung foorth where haue been euyl wares to sell Ioy. What say you to this that I haue won a poeticall garlande about my head Reason There remayneth yet one labour to seeke the trueth and this traueile also is double to seeke and to set foorth and to feigne to the delight of the eare it is a great matter harde difficult and therefore very rare They that are woorthily called Poetes in deede doo apply them selues to both but the common sort neglect the first and are contented to vse deceite and colourable meanes Ioy. I haue obteyned the rare glorie of Poetrie Reason Thou hast found a meane in respect whereof thou mayest neglect the common wealth and thine owne priuate wealth likewyse thou hast sought also a way vnto pouertie vnlesse that dame Fortune of her owne voluntarie liberalitie wyl largely bestowe ryches vppon thee thou hast moreouer sought out the meanes to seeme vnto some mad and vnto some insolent Ioy. I haue wonne the Baye garland vnto my selfe Reason The Baye is a most floorishyng and greene tree when it is first gathered and vnlesse it be watered with a pregnant wit and diligent studie it wyl wither immediatly Ioy. I haue gotten the Laurell garland Reason When a man hath taken paynes he hath wonne also enuie withall whiche is the rewarde eyther of studie or of warfare That slender bough hath purchased nothing to thy mynde but onely a vayne signe to thy head shewyng thee vnto many who thou haddest better had neuer knowen thee For what hath it doone other then layde thee open to the teeth of the enuious These notable tokens of knowledge haue hurt many both in peace and warre Ioy. I professe the Arte of Oratorie Reason This is strange which I heare For it seemeth that of late it is growen out of vse so great and innumerable are the thynges whereof it consysteth that there haue alwayes been fewer good Oratoures then excellent Poetes And therefore some haue sayde that it is the proper duetie of an Oratour to be able to speake copiously and trimly of euery matter that is proposed Although this opinion be reiected as most arrogant notwithstandyng of howe many thynges an Oratour ought to entreate of although not of euery thyng in applying a certayne artifitiall and sweete eloquence in euery thyng whereof he speaketh whiche of it selfe is a great matter yf thou consyder of it vprightly thou wylt be amazed and perhappes thou wylt repent thee of thy rashe profession least thou beware that whylest thou wylt goe about to seeme to knowe all thyng thou appeare to knowe nothyng and as it often chaunceth vnder the profession of great skyl thy hidden ignoraunce do necessarily appeare Ioy. I am a professour of the liberal Artes. Reason This matter many tymes conteyneth in it more boldnesse then learnyng A mans lyfe is too short for any one Arte and art thou sufficient for them all One Art sufficeth one wit with sweating and toyling to attaine to the toppe thereof To caste of many as much as necessitie requireth is not amisse and more modestie it is to knowe it then to professe it I wyll also adde this whiche hath seemed true vnto the best learned that it neuer yet happened vnto any of the most excellent and famous learned men to be throughly and absolutely perfect in any one Art. And as touching Rechorike only
this saying of Seneca is well knowen Eloquence sayth he is a great and manifolde matter and was neuer so fauourable to any that it hapned wholly vnto hym he is happie enough that hath atteined to some one part therof This by what men and what maner witnesses he prooueth it to be true thou hast hearde whiche beyng so let these numbers of professours whiche are almost matche to the common multitude both in rudenesse and multitude consyder with them selues what they doo and whereabout they goe whiche are not contented with one part nor with one Art but without discretion inuade them all O woonderfull confidence and presumption but it is now common Ioy. What wyll you nowe say concernyng the professions of Phisicke and Lawe Reason Let thy patientes and clientes make aunsweare to this What dyd euer these titles auayle them to the health of their body or gaining of their causes Perhappes they haue procured thy profite for this cause ye hunt after artes and the titles of artes to the intent that what is wanting in learnyng may be supplied in degrees and apparell and that the saying of the Satyrical Poet may beverified The Scarlet and the Iewelles beset with Amethistes doo sell the Lawyer Which thyng woulde appeare to be true yea yf the auncient Rethoricians returned agayne into the worlde for no man woulde geue vnto Cicero two hundred crownes vnlesse he woare on his fynger a great ryng of golde To be short let this he vnto thee the summe of all that hath been spoken of to wyt that there be some men of rare disposition whose studies are sound and honest the endes whereof are trueth and vertue This is the knowledge of thynges and the amendment of manners and either the ornament of this mortall lyfe or the entrance to the eternall As for the rablement of the residue whereof the number is great some of them hunt after glorie some a glittering but a vaine rewarde but to the greater sort the onely respect of money is their ende which is not onely a smal reward but also a filthy and not woorthie the trauaile nor match to the toyle of a gentle minde in al these respectes as I haue sayde the title and apparel is not to be contemned for it is effectuall vnto that whereunto it is appoynted for why the mindes and iudgementes almost of al mortal men specially of the common multitude whiche are destitute of this meane are deluded with shadowes Most matters are gouerned by opinion But for them that are geuen to vertue to glory in titles is not only strange and dissonant but also as Iiudge impossible Ioy. I professe many thynges Reason It were better to doo one good deede then to promyse many And men were in good case yf so be they were suche as they professe them selues to be Of the Tytles of businesse and affayres The .xlvii. Dialogue IOY I AM the Kynges Procurer Reason Then art thou the peoples enimie Ioy. I am the Procurer of the Exchequer Reason Then art thou the common wealthes enimie Ioy. I folow the Kyngs busynesse Reason It is painful for a man to folowe his owne busynesse What is it then thynkest thou for hym to folow another mans specially theyrs that are of myght whom to please is perpetual seruitude to displease danger heauy lookes and punyshment redy for a small offence Ioy. I folow the kyngs busynesse Reason Thou hast an accompt to yeelde to an hard iudge which thou shalt scarce be able to make euen with the spoyle of al thy goodes with hate of thy selfe and greeuous offence Ioy. I solicite the kynges busines Reason Take heede least while thy solliciting is difficult thyne accompt be yet harder and so inextricable that as we haue seene it chaunce in many it entrap thy patrimonie fame and lyfe Ioy. I am the kynges Procurer Reason Thou must needes displease many and last of all thine owne Lord and Maister and whiche is most dangerous GOD hym selfe and for the kynges small commoditie the great discommodities of the Realme and exceedyng damages of the people must be dissembled or procured Ioy. I am made the Kynges Procurer Reason So soone as euer this odious office began to touche the thresholde of thyne house euen that day thou beganst to leaue to lyue for thy selfe from thencefoorth thy libertie thy quietnesse and pleasure are departed In steede of these are seruitude payne businesse feare sorowe trouble and bytyng cares come in place nowe art thou not a lyue although thou breath for the lyfe of such as are busie is death who beyng al of them in misery yet are they in most miserable case whiche are busied in other mens matters specially in the affayres of Kynges Tyrantes and great personages Ioy. I am a Iudge Reason Iudge so as though thou shouldest foorthwith be iudged by another There is one iudge of all men and one incorrupt iudgement seate Before this shal all ye mortall men appeare what neede ye then to haue the skyn of the false iudge nayled vppon the iudgement seate or to haue any barbarous admonition to doo iustice Euery Iudge sytteth in that seate where if false iudgement shal be geuen neyther money nor fauour nor false wytnesses nor sinister entreatynges nor vayne threates nor eloquent Patrones shall auayle hym Ioy. I am one of the Consuls of my countrey Reason A very difficult glory It is a rare matter so to geue counsayle that thou mayest at once both profite and please that there may be trueth in woorde fayth in counsel scilence in that whiche is committed sweetnesse in speache fortune shall gouerne the euent and the euent shall purchase credite to the counsayle Ioy. I am gouernour of a Citie Reason Thou leadest an vnbridled beast and as Horace tearmeth it that hath many heades with a small twyne and gouernest a great shyppe alone that is tossed with hugie waues A litle house is hardly guyded how difficult therefore it is to gouerne a whole Citie see thou Hadst thou so great neede of trouble or so litle at home that thou hast vndertaken the publique Yea moreouer it is not only an office of difficultie but also a vyle function insomuche as the Satyrycal Poet tearmeth the gouernour of a Citie a Stewarde or Baylyffe notyng therby the state of these tymes If then he were a Baylife or Husbandman what is he now other then a Woodryfe or Woodman At that tyme Rome began to be a vyllage and nowe it is a Wood. Ioy. I am a President of a Prouince Reason Beyng condempned vnto an honorable exile thou hast exchaunged priuate quietnesse for forraigne carefulnesse looke for no rest or pleasure The state of Presidentes is bytter and troublesome they are forbydden playes and feastes vppon holy dayes theyr doores are shut agaynst gyftes and open to contentions theyr houses are voyde of pastymes and ful of complayntes and chydynges what so euer is a mysse whatsoeuer out of order or out of square throughout the whole Prouince there
thee and so depart from thee and then too late thou heare that saying of Ecclesiasticus Lyke as one that letteth a byrde flie out of his hande so hast thou lost thy neyghbour neyther canst thou take hym agayne or followe hym for he is farre of He hath escaped as a Roe out of the snare and because his soule is wounded thou shalt not be able to intrap hym any more And therefore as I say thou hast a great and sweete treasure but painfull notwithstandyng and difficult paineful I meane to be gotten and kept A freende is a rare Iewell he must be kept with great diligence and yf he be lost be lamented with great sorowe Of plentie of Ryches The .liii. Dialogue IOY BUT I abound in ryches Reason I marueyle now the lesse that thou seemedst to abounde in friendes for it is no strange nor newe matter to see the doores and entries of the ryche frequented by common friendes and feygned attendance Ioy. I haue great plentie of ryches Reason A dangerous and burdensome felicitie whiche shall purchase more enuie then procure pleasure Ioy. I flowe in wealth Reason It followeth not strayghtwayes that therefore thou flowest in quietnesse and pleasure Thou shalt scarce finde a rich man but he wyl confesse that he lyued better in meane estate or in honest pouertie Ioy. I am growne to great wealth Securitie ioy and tranquilitie are decreased which if they would encrease with ryches I woulde not only permit but exhort men to loue them Ioy. I haue great ryches Reason Then hast thou a thyng harde to be gotten careful to be kept greenous to be lost Ioy. My ryches are great Reason If they be dispearsed they wyll decrease and yf thou keepe them they wyl not make thee ryche but keepe thee occupied and make thee not a maister but a keeper Ioy. I haue great ryches Reason Take heede rather that thou be not had of them that is to say that they be not thy ryches but thou rather theyr slaue and they not seruant to thee but thou to them For yf thou knowe not so muche alredy there be many moe that are had then that haue ryches and there is more plentie whom also the saying of the Prophete noteth of men that belong vnto ryches then ryches that belong vnto men Thus the greedinesse and basenesse of your myndes of maisters maketh you seruantes The vse of money is well knowne to bâ—y those thynges that are necessarie for nature whiche are but fewe small and easie to be gotten what so euer is superfluous is noysome and then they be no longer ryches but cheynes and fetters and no longer Ornamentes of the body but impedimentes of the mynde and heapes of carefulnesse and fâ—ate Ioy. I am full of ryches Reason Beware that they burst thee not for euery fulnesse seeketh an yssue Ryches haue procured the death of many and doo bereaue almost all men of rest Ioy. I haue woonderful store of ryches Reason A thyng repugnant to good manners To muche ryches haue not only corrupted the manners of priuate men but also of the whole people of Rome â–ª and ouerthrewe theyr great and woonderfull vertue who so long were a noble iust and vpryght people as they were a poore people In pouertie they were conquerers of nations and which is more glorious conquerers of them selues tyll at length they that had ouercome vyces were them selues ouercome and ouerthrowne by ryches I speake that whiche I knowe and therefore thou seest what thou hast to hope of riches Ioy. I abounde in riches Reason How much had I rather thou aboundedst in vertue Ioy. I rest in my ryches Reason Poore wretches ye lye a sleepe in the bryers your sleepe is sounde that ye feele not the pryckles Beholde the day commeth that shal awake you and shal playnely expound that whiche is written The ryche men haue slept theyr sleepe and when they awaked they founde no ryches in theyr handes Of finding of a golde min. The .liiii. Dialogue IOY I Haue founde a Mine of golde Reason This hope of ryches hath been cause of pouertie vnto many and of destruction not vnto fewe whilst neglectyng all other thynges and bestowyng al theyr care and trauayle vppon this one thyng Notwithstandyng theyr toyle hath turned to litle profite whylest in respect of the greedie desire that they haue to golde forsaking the sight of heauen and the Sun they learne to leade foorth theyr lyfe in darkenesse and are consumed with the thicke and noisome dampe before theyr tyme. Ioy. Chaunce hath offered vnto me a gold Myne Reason To the entent that beyng turned away from the contemplation of heauenly things thou mightest gape after earthly thynges and not only that thou mightest liue more vnfortunately shorter time neare to the ground but also drowned vnder the ground Ioy. I enter into a golde Myne Reason Nero the Emperour the same terrible and miserable night which notwithstanding he had deserued which was the last night that he lyued being put in mynde by such as were about hym to hyde hymselfe in a certayne Caue vnder the grounde to the entent he might escape the reprochful death abusing of the people that sought after hym answered That he would not go vnder the ground while he was lyuyng But thou being compelled by no feare but only carryed away with couetousnesse goest alyue vnder the earth neyther can the comfortable shynyng of heauen keepe thee from thence neyther the horrible darkenesse of the earth dryue thee away What marueyle is it yf men consume themselues with trauayling al the world ouer to seeke ryches seeing also in seeking and digging for them vnder the grounde they disquiet the infernal soules and Fiendes of Hel And as the Poet Ouid sayth Men haue entred into the bowels of the earth And those riches which God had hyd vp and couered with the darknesse of hell they are digged vp notwithstanding which are the prouocations vnto al mischiefe Ioy. I haue found a Mine of gold Reason It is an olde prouerbe Many times one man starteth an Hare and another catcheth hym Thou hast found a bootie which many wyl couet one only shal possesse peraduenture thou shalt not be that one Vnto desyred thyngs there is much resort it is dangerous when one man hath found that which many wyl couet and none wyl be wyllyng to share with other And this is the cause that though Italie as Plinie sayth be inferiour to no country for plentie of al sortes of metalles notwithstanding by auntient prouision actes of parliament order was taken that Italie shoulde be spared Ioy. I digge earth that will yeeld golde Reason The trauel is certaine but the euent doubtful what if thou dyg long find nothing what if thou finde much but not for thy self what if it be the worse for thee to haue found sum what better for thee to haue found nothing Mans ioy is most times accompanied with sorowe Ioy. I am gone downe
into my golde Mine Reason This question is commenly mooued amongst men what deuice will drowne a man in the bottom of hel and thou being in bel doest thou seeke what wil aduaunce thee to the top of heauen Ioy. I haue founde a Mine of golde Reason Thou hast founde the redie way to the Deuyll Of the fyndyng of Treasure The .lv. Dialogue IOY I Haue found treasure Reason Beware of the craftes and deceites of fortune The hooke is offred in the bayte the line as ginnes pretend a kynde of delite Ioy. I haue founde treasure Reason Treasure hath been death vnto many and though it bryng no danger to the body yet is it perilous to the soule Ryches do not satisfie the desire nay they slake it not but rather prouoke it mans desyre is set on fyre with successe and as the golde encreaseth the thirst of gold encreaseth also and the desire of seekyng more but vertue decreaseth whiche only is the death of the soule Ioy. Chaunce hath brought me treasure Reason An hurtful burden and enimie to modestie He wyl arrogate any thyng to hym selfe whom sodayne fortune hath made happy Ioy. I haue fallen vppon treasure by chaunce Reason Perhaps thou myghtest more safely haue fallen vppon an Adder forasmuche as plentie of siluer and golde do commonly bryng scarcitie of vertues and this is proper to al thyngs specially that doo come sodaynely that though other doo hurt yet they doo it by litle litle whilest in tyme they drawe away somewhat from the trueth and geue confirmation to the erronius opinions but these procure sodayne astonyshment and trouble the mynde with an vnexpected inuasion Ioy. The treasure which I found I haue layde vp at home Reason That whiche is chiefe in this thy ioy thou hast found an heauie and vnprofitable lumpe of earth it is a shame for the mynde which is of an heauenly nature to waxe proude thereof Ioy. A treasure vnlooked for hath sodaynely happened vnto me Reason Thou thynkest it wyl continue ▪ but it wyll sodaynly decay for looke what is soone growne is as soone wythered Sodayne 〈◊〉 is lyke the prosperitie of one that is in a dreame Of Vsurie The .lvi. Dialogue IOY I Haue layde foorth my money safely to Vsurie Reason There are some that wyll abuse thynges that were inuented for a good purpose and those thynges that were euyll inuented to worse purpose or worst of all thou hast founde money not to the ende thou wouldest be ryche but to the ende thou wouldest be nought and as I suppose wouldest not be so euyl vnlesse thou haddest founde money There be some that be the worse for their good chaunces not acknowledging therein the blessing of GOD neyther lyke vnto him of whom it is written He wyll thanke thee for that thou hast deast mercifully with hym But rather supposyng that GOD from aboue hath geuen them occasion and as it were a meane and way to commit wyckednesse And therefore thou hast founde money wherewith thou myghtest purchase ignominie and vnhappy man myghtest make a lyuelesse mettal to be a burden to the lyuely soule Ioy. I haue well layde foorth my money to vsurie Reason Say not that an euyll thyng may be wel layde foorth but only layde downe If thou cast away an euyl burden it is wel otherwyse wheresoeuer thou bestowest it as long as it apparteyneth vnto thee it ceasseth not to be euyl Ioy. I haue wel layde foorth my money to good encrease Reason How an euyl thyng may be wel layde foorth to commoditie see thou Truely howe muche the more abundant euery euyl thyng is so much it is worse Thou knowest the saying of Dauid Theyr iniquitie is sproong foorth as it were out of fatnesse And the richer an vsurer is the worse he is so muche the greater his couetousnesse and wyckednesse is Ioy. I applie vsury Reason Couldest thou fynde out no better Art to bestowe thy tyme vppon Or dyddest thou fynde many but this was most meete for thy disposition Or what els was the matter that among so many thou appliedst thy mynde to this a more worse or vyler then which I know not where thou couldest haue found any or that dependeth vpon the lykyng of a more wretched base and cowardly mynde Among so many Artes as are at this day knowne and so many trades of lyuyng thou hast chosen the worst of all whiche thou hast doone for that it seemed a quiet kynde of lyfe namely to sytte styll and reckon the dayes and to thynke long vntyl the last day of the Moneth come speedyly litle regardyng howe therewithall also thy houres dayes monethes and yeeres doo passe away and lyke as theyr tyme draweth neare that are indebted vnto thee so dooth thy tearme lykewyse approche and lyke as theyr tyme I say draweth neare that they must pay thee so dooth thy tyme drawe neare that thou must pay thy debt vnto nature leauyng that behynde thee which thou hast shamefully gayned and not knowyng when the time wyll come Thus thou extortest from the poore to enriche thou knowest not whom and art alwayes in feare of the future iudgement and in the meane whyle art not maister but a feareful keeper of that whiche is gotten by fylthie Rapine and pinched with hunger and infamie I woulde marueyle howe this mischiefe coulde be suffered in wel gouerned Cities but that I see al mischiefes are suffered in them And therefore when as not long agoe Vsurers as Leaperous persons lyued separated apart from the company of other men that not only none shoulde come at them but those that stoode in neede but also were eschewed by them that met with them as stynkyng and contagious persons Nowe they lyue not only among the people but they be conuersant also with Princes and they be aduaunced by maryages and come to great honour and dignitie such is the force of golde Yea moreouer a thyng which thou mayest woonder at as a Monster Princes themselues be vsurers the Lorde amende them so smal regarde haue they of the losse of soule and honour so sweete is the sauour of money howsoeuer it be gotten Ioy. I take delight in vsurie Reason A fylthie and miserable delyght Ioy. I vse to laye foorth money to vsurie Reason If we beleeue Cato thou hast slayne a man. Ioy. I am an vsurer I haue learned none other trade to lyue by Reason This is a defence for thy couetousnesse this is the cause whiche thou pretendest and yf it be harde for hym that is wyllyng to learne who can learne agaynst his wyl Ioy. I wyl alwayes occupie vsurie Reason Then shalt thou alwayes be a wretch alwaies couetous alwayes poore and in the ende goo to the Dyuel Of fruitefull and well tylled lande The lvii Dialogue IOY I Haue fruitefull lande Reason Vnderstande thereby then the power of hym that maketh fruitful and so vse the heauenly gyftes that thou displease not the geuer of them which thou shalt doo yf the fruitfulnesse of thy lande dryue not
onely preferre a bondslaue before a free borne man but also a beast before a reasonable creature Ioy. I haue plentie of heardes and flockes Reason If thou feede them thy selfe what other shalt thou be then a most busie sheaphearde A vile office although it be praysed of many specially of Catullus of Verona but yf thou doo it by other then thou art not the sheaphearde thy selfe but seruaunt to thy sheapheardes and layde open vnto their deceytes Somtyme thou art indamaged by thy neyghbour sometyme by fallyng from an hygh sometyme by murreine sometyme by theeues sometyme by straying euery day some excuse must be feigned whereby thy losse sorowe and abuse doo growe but the greatest griefe is to be deceyued by a rude rustike varlet Ioy. I am ryche in flockes and heardes Reason Ryches are praysed yet are they vncertayne and subiect to many chaunces deceites theft murreines whiche come so often are so hot that many tymes they consume whole flockes and dispearse whole heardes Thou knowest the rotte whiche Lucretius described and afterhym Virgil with many other whiche for the want of writers are not set downe of lyke fame and also as hurtfull Ioy. I am ryche in flockes and heardes Reason Wyde and large ryches whiche can not onely not be comprehended in a coffer as golde and precious stones but also not within the compasse of a most great house so that thou art not safe from seruauntes nor from theeues nor from cruel wilde beastes for euery one hath power ouer thy goodes Ioy. I reioyce in my heardes and flockes Reason Thou shalt once reioyce and be sorie a thousand times There shall no day passe ouer thy head without some sorowful newes Now the Sabeis are broken in and haue taken away all that thou hast and haue put thy seruauntes to the swoorde as it was once in tyme past sayde to that good old man that was so ryche in cattel As one tyme an Oxe hath broken his horne at another time an Horse hath strayned his legge now a Woolfe hath deuoured a stragling Lambe at another time the rotte hath inuaded the infected flocke Wretches ye are not contented to beholde your owne miseries and mortalitie but that you must also bewayle the death of bruit beastes Of Elephantes and Camels The Lx. Dialogue IOY I Haue Elephantes Reason To what purpose I pray thee for peace or warre With these the two most notable enimies of Italie Pyrrhus and Hannibal whilst they hoped to breake the array of the Romane armies they troubled their owne orders A greeuous and noysome beast and whiche as thou knowest well hath oftentymes destroyed their owne maisters and keepers to sight strange and for hugenesse of body forme swell and noyse terrible vnprofitable to vse and hard to be gotten Ioy. I haue a great Elephant Reason There haue been somtime Elephantes in Italie not taken by huntyng â–ª but caught from the enimies and ledde in triumphe whiche at the first sight mâ—de the Italian horses afearde wâ—en these Elephantes followed them into the Capitoll and were not long before taken from Pyrrhus As for the Carthagiens they were not so much taken from them as forbydden the vse of them for suche were the conditions of the yeace whiche they agreed vnto when they were vanquished and it was specially and namely prouided that they shoulde deliuer vp such as they had that were alredy tamed and thencefoorth they shoulde tame no moe And thus by small and small the vse of Elephantes decayed not onely in Italie where they were farre strangers and were brought thither as it were by force but also in Africa and Aegypt whiche are countreys nearer to the places where they doo breede Thus report goeth that in Italie in the dayes of your great grandfathers Frederike that was king of the Romanes had one and the kyng of Aegypt also but one onely and both these princes had them rather for shewe then for 〈◊〉 vse Thus these beastes in India and Aethiopia being deâ—yâ—â—â—â— from the weerisomnesse of forraine nations dwel quietly in these owne natiue wildernesses And what art thou that seemest so muche to glorie in an Elephant Art thou a second Hanaibal who being carried vpon an Elephant and lookyng with one eye troubled all Italie This beast although he doo somwhat resemble the vnderstandyng and reason of mankinde as some writers haue reported and is much commended for mildnesse of maners yet doo I say that he is but an vnprofitable beast and more meete for the prodigalitie of a Prince then the callyng of a priuate person which is able to fyll an house and to emptie a barne Ioy. I haue Camelles also Reason These are almost both to be considered of a lyke but that the Elephant is meete to beare turrettes and Camelles to carrie burdens and the more commodious and profitable of the twaine If thou wilt follow my counsell vse suche beastes as most prudent nature hath engendred in those partes of the worlde where thou thy selfe lyuest who hath distributed beastes and all other thynges as they are most meets for euery climate Ioy. I haue a Camell Reason Iob had three thousand lost them For both sicknesses and theeues and infected pastures and falles and a thousande other chaunces hang ouer your heardes Feeldes and hylles and walles are dayly destroyed what then shall a man say to these whiche doo not stande All your goodes for the most part are in perpetual motion and that fame which ye ought to seeke through the engraffed vertue of the mind ye hunt after with the rarenesse of strange and fortaine beastes Of Apes and other beastes of pleasure The Lxi. Dialogue IOY I Take pleasure in an Ape Reason A beast filthie to beholde and vnhappie in effect of whiche what canst thou hope other then weerisomnesse Whatsoeuer he findeth in the house eyther he spoyleth it or casteth it about Yf then thou take delyght in suche thynges doubtlesse thy Ape is pleasaunt vnto thee Cicero calleth hym a monstrous beast saying also that there is nothyng lesse to be marueyled at then that an Ape ouerthrewe the pitcher of lottes whiche that most learned man woorthyly mocketh at to be written of in the Greeke histories for a woonder when as in deede it myght seeme more marueylous yf he dyd not ouerthrow and cast euerie thyng about Ioy. I haue plentie of beastes of pleasure Reason There is nothyng that can be at once both filthie and pleasaunt for what pleasure or delyght is there in filthinesse Howbeit a man ought to eschue whatsoeuer offendeth his eyes his eares his nose and his minde and that tast is corrupt whiche taketh pleasure in bitter thinges But this is your maner to be delyghted with filthie thinges and ye take singular pleasure not onely in filthie and vnprofitable beastes but which is more vile in dishonest persons and men of vnseemely speach and odious demeanure and to be short the more euyl â—auoured a thyng is the more acceptable and beloued it is vnto
And therefore Pompeius the great who deuised not only Weares but Empires also not improperly termed this Lucullus the Romane Xerxes that is to say a dygger away of hilles What shal I say of others The first that made Weares for Lampreis was one Curus I know not what he was for notwithstandyng al his Lampreys he is scarse yet knowen whereof he had such plentie that with sixe thousande of them he furnished Iulius Caesars triumphant supper This man had also his imitatours namely Hortentius the oratour of whom we spake before a man that neuer failed in folowyng an example of wantonnes and therefore it falleth out many tymes that your learnyng nothing abateth your madnesse but it neuer bringeth any thyng that a man may woonder at whylest they that haue attayned vnto learnyng thynke that it is lawful for them to doo euery thyng and arrogate muche vnto them selues whiche they durst not if they had not learnyng It is reported therefore that this man had a Weare at the shore of the Baiane coast whereas among other fyshes whiche he had he loued so dearely one certayne Lamprey that he mourned for him when he was dead Beholde a woorthy loue and meete to prouoke so graue a man to teares He that as it is read neyther bewayled the ciuil warres of his tyme nor the proscriptions and slaughter of the Citizens neyther yet woulde haue lamented the ouerthrowe at Cannas yf it had happened in his tyme dyd he weepe for the death of a Lamprey This lightnesse is so great that that whiche is of later dayes must needes be pardoned The age and sexe of Antonia maketh her follie more excusable who is reported not to haue wept for her Lamprey but while he was liuyng to haue decked him foorth with ringes and iewels of golde insomuche that the strangenesse of the sight caused many folkes to repaire to Paulos â–ª for that was the name of the vyllage lying in the Baiane confines There were also Weares of Wylkes and Perewincles and other vanities concernyng fyshes and specially the Pyke of Tibur whiche was taken betweene the two brydges But I haue spoken yenough of other mens errours in whiche the moe thou seest enwrapped the more diligent take thou heede least thou be snared in the lyke neyther doo I nowe forbydde thee the vse of fyshes but only the ouer muche care of vyle and vnnoble thynges Of Cages of byrdes and of speaking and singing byrdes The .lxiiii. Dialogue IOY I Haue shut vp sundry byrdes in a Cage Reason I leaue nowe to woonder at the prysons for fyshes There be some also prouided for byrdes whose dwellyng is the open ayre a more large and wyde countrey Gluttonie hath founde out huntyng it hath founde out fyshing it hath founde out haukyng and it is not sufficient to take them whom nature created free but they be also kept in prysons How muche more seemely and honest were it to enforce the belly to be contented with meates that may be easily gotten and to leaue the wylde beastes to the wooddes and the fyshes to the Sea and the foules to the ayre then to bestowe so much trauel vpon them that yf it were bestowed to catch vertues in this tyme by good studie hauing obteyned them for they wyl not flie away ye might haue planted them within the closet of your myndes from whence they could neyther escape away nor be purloyned Ioy. I haue fylled my Cage with byrdes Reason A thyng nothyng at al necessary and no lesse harde to be founde then difficult to be preserued auncient notwithstandyng whiche aboue a thousand and foure hundred yeeres since one Lelius surnamed Strabo fyrst deuised not that Lelius that was counted the wyse who yf he had founde out byrd cages had lost the tytle of wysedome There be some inuentions that seeme to be profitable and pleasant whiche notwithstandyng become not noble wyttes they that fyrst found out fyshpondes and hyrde Cages what other thyng dyd they respect then theyr bellyes whiche is farre from those that are studious in vertue Ioy. I haue fat Chrushes and Turtle dooâ—â—s in my Cage Reason But not slowe tormentours since thyne appetite beyng prouoked by so many enticements requireth the punyshment of a sicke stomacke Hast thou not hearde the saying of the Satyrical Poet This notwithstanding is a present Punishment when thou puttest of thy clothes being swelling full and cariest thy vndigested Peacocke with thee into the baine He speaketh there of a Peacocke It is a beautiful a famous foule but it is not he alone that pincheth the ouergreedfe panche The delyght of thy belly is but of short tast which in short tyme wil also turne to loathyng vnlesse it be moderated Rawnesse that is not easily disgested is a sicknesse that bryngeth long payne and many tymes death Goe thy wayes nowe and bragge of thy fat Thrushes Turtledooues Ioy. I haue speaking Choughes and Pyes Parrats Reason The Emperour Augustus takyng pleasure in the lyke gaue great summes of money for them that saluted hym conquerous and trimphant Caesar And when afterward there were many other such presented vnto him answered that he had yenough such saluters at home alredy laying there a measure to that vanitie sauyng that the last Crowe with his strange pastyme caused hym selfe to be bought more deare thou were the residue These histories are read in the Saturnalia But what in the naturall Historie of our neighbour of Verona This Crowe that was so docible vsyng to flie out of the Coblers shop where he was most diligently fedde and commyng abrode into the open streete woulde salute Tiberius Caesar and Drusus and Germanicus by name and the whole people of Rome with such admiration and loue of them all that when as a neighbour mooued eyther with enuie or anger had killed hym with great sorowe and griefe of almen the killer was first driuen out of those quarters and afterward stayne by the people and the Crowe with diligent exequies and solemne funeral was taken vp and buried O alwayes vnspeakable madnesse of the people In that citie there was a Crow wept for and buryed and he that kylled him beyng a Citizen of Rome was put to death in whiche Citie neyther Africane the greater had a Sepulchre neyther the lesse a reuenger for that on Gods name this Crowe as I haue sayde saluted the people but these men of whom I speake dyd not salute but procured safetie and glory to the people Thus the speach of Crowes is more acceptable then the vertue of valiant men Let any man nowe deny that it is safe for hym to agree to the peoples iudgement although who so is an vpryght considerer of thinges he wyl not marueyle at the publique contempt wherein worthy men are had since of these woonderers at Crowes and other pratling byrdes diuine voyces and heauenly Oracles are despised Ioy. I haue a faire Parrat Reason This bird forsooth aboue al the residue is notable for his golden chayne vnlesse
it be the Phenix agayne for he among byrdes weareth a chayne and is moreouer the only byrde of his kynde But the Parrat beyng a great saluter and specially of prynces nature hath playnly made hym as it were a flatterer whereby this Disticon or two verses are knowen I Parrat wyll learne other mens names of you But I haue learned this of my selfe to say hayle Caesar Ioy. I haue a most eloquent Pye. Reason When as eloquent men are very seldome found hast thou a most eloquent Pye I confesse it is a pratlyng byrde and a diligent saluter whereof commeth this saying I pratling Pye doo call thee my maister with a perfect voyce If thou sawest me not thou wouldest deny that I were a byrde Veryly there be strange thynges I know not whether as true reported concernyng the diligence and desire to learne of this byrde But this aboue the residue is scarce credible that yf she forget the woorde whiche she is taught she is very much vexed and greeued which griefe of mynde she bewrayeth by her secrete meditation and yf she chaunce to call the woorde to her remembrance then waxeth she woonderful meery But yf through hardnesse of the worde or weaknesse of her memorie she be throughly ouercome many times she dieth for sorow so that now the Poet Homers death is to be counted lesse strange yf so it be true Howbeit all Pyes are not of lyke aptnes to learne but those only which receiue theyr meate and name with mast and are commonly called mast Pies Ioy. I haue gotten a pleasant singyng Nightyngale Reason Plinie the second reporteth that there are Nightingales also and Starles founde that are apt to be taught the Greeke and Latine tongues and moreouer that in his tyme there was a Chrushe in Rome that dyd imitate the speache of a man the lyke whereof was knowne commonly of late of a Starle whom it hath been thy chaunce to heare and woonder at many tymes euen in Plinies Countrey speakyng orderly many woordes togeather poyntyng and pronouncyng them lyke a man For as touchyng the Parrat it is nowe so common a thyng that it is no more to be marueyled 〈◊〉 Howe often hast thou hearde hym playnly call for meate How often calling his Feeder by his name and the better to perswade hym flatteryng hym with sweetenesse of gestures and woordes How often laughyng in suche sorte that he hath caused the standers by to laugh that it was thought not to be the laughter of a byrde but of a very man Whiche although it be so yet al these beleeue me but specially the Nightingale woulde syng more pleasantly vppon theyr owne boughes then in your Cages sauyng that your lust lyketh of nothyng but that whiche you haue made your owne although nature haue made al thynges common Thus couetousnesse stretcheth beyonde her owne bondes and her owne name Ioy. I haue gotten togeather innumerable store of birdes Reason Although thou haue many yea though thou haue al yet I thynke thou wylt lacke the Phenix whether there be such a byrde or whether there be no such byrde or whether we beleeue that to be true which some haue written to wyt how that vpon the foure hundred yeere after the building of the citie this bird flue out of Arabia into Egypt and being taken there was brought to Rome and there at an assemblie was shewed vnto the people and at length as it is like yenough died which last thing those graue writers doubt not but it is false which notwithstanding are in some distrust of the first And therfore when thou hast al kinds of birdes yet shalt thou lacke the most woonderful and beautiful birde of al. Sorowfully and angerly I iest with thee why do ye alwaies reioyce like children in vaine pleasures And as Solomon sayth Yee litle babes how long wil ye loue infancie Turne at the length vnto my correction as he also sayth For these are his woordes whiche I speake vnto you and O ye blynde wretches suffer the byrdes to lyue in the wooddes to breede to feede to syng and wander abrode and stretche you foorth the wynges of your slouhtful myndes vnto heauen and lyft vp your selues from the grounde endeuour not to catche byrdes but to become byrdes And omittyng these matters whereof I am ashamed to speake yf thou haue any thyng wherein it is meete for a man to reioyce vtter it Of the woorthinesse of Marriage The Lxv. Dialogue IOY I Haue married a noble Wife Reason I had rather thou hadst at home not onely Pies and Parrattes but Owles and Shritches They woulde sing she wyll chyde they would tell thee somwhat she wyll doo thee nothing thou myghst cast them of but her thou canst not Ioy. I am adorned with a noble marriage Reason Thou art tyed with a fayre chayne from whence death only can delyuer thee Ioy. I am happie by meanes of a noble marriage Reason Thou were more happie if it were by a chast marriage and most happie by a single lyfe Ioy. I am beautified with a goodly marriage Reason The choyce of a wyfe is hard a foule one is loathed a fayre one is hardly kept by reason that there is perpetual warre betweene the beautie of the body and chastitie of the minde But if that do happen whiche is most rare and honestie be ioyned with beautie I wyl then reason more largely with thee Admit she haue all other ornamentes of a woman nobilitie wysedome ryches fruitefulnesse eloquence good name and fame good and commendable behauiour yet know thou this that with these pride is entred intermingled into thy house So that it is not without good cause that the Satyrical Poet sayeth That he had rather haue Venusin◠then Cornelia that was mother to the Gracchi and daughter to Scipio Africane that was proude of her fathers triumphes and glory Ioy. I haue chaunced vppon a noble and honest marriage Reason What sayest thou of the pride and disdayne Art thou ignoraunt of the maners of women Learne to serue learne to suffer learne to loose thy deerest friendes thou must attende thy wedlocke only A wyfe is a dangerous rocke and destruction to friendshyp imperious and gouernour of the husbandes affections Ioy. I haue married a Gentlewoman to my wyfe Reason An heauie burden and hard fetters to weerie thy shoulders and feete which sometyme were free Greeuous to be spoken more greeuous to be thought on but most greeuous to be suffered a ghest not for one day but for thy whole lyfe and perhaps an enimie hath entred vpon thy house voyde of defence So that as I haue sayde the hope of the auncient remedie of diuorce beyng taken away death onely must set the free Ioy. I haue married a welbeloued wife Reason Thou art deceyued she hath married thee thou liuedst to long at thine owne libertie thou hast taken a wyfe to be thy Mistresse a tormentour to her Chyldren in law an enuier of her Mother in lawe a yoake to thy Houshold a burden
to thy Kitchen a payne to thy Store-house a charge to thy Coffer an ornament to thy Hal a shewe for thy Windowe in the day and an vnquietnesse for thy Chamber in the nyght Ioy. I haue gotten a most louing wyfe Reason In the steede of loue which thou knowest not ielousie suspition and complaintes are come vpon thee thou hast continual warres at home euen in the middes of pleasures and pastyme disagreement wyll spryng thou shalt be safe neyther at boorde nor at bed thou shalt finde no tyme voyde of stryfe at midnight ye shall be togeather by the eares Ioy. I haue obtayned a wished marriage Reason Marriage with a wyfe and peace with a diuorce Ioy. I haue a wyfe whom I please exceedingly Reason Peraduenture it were better for thee to displease her then should she not trouble and consume thee with louing but suffer thee to muse on thy matters and to folowe thy businesse and to take thy naturall sleepe Whereas now in pleasing thy wyfe thou thinkest vpon nothing that may please thy selfe but vpon her only she challengeth thee wholy to her selfe and yet thou alone art not sufficient for her If vpon occasion thou wouldest go any whither she wyll say thou runnest away and seekest causes to depart from her yf thou do any thyng she wyll say thou forgettest her yf thou muse vpon any matter she wyl say thou art angrie with her yf thou abstayne from meate she wyll say her prouision pleaseth thee not yf thou take thy rest she wyll say thou hast weeried thy selfe with playing the game of loue with other And therefore in being pleasant to thy wyfe thou must needes be vnprofitable to thy selfe and others Ioy. I haue a wife whom I loue ardently Reason It were better to loue her chastly vertuously soberly and modestly for what is ardent loue other then the burnyng of the minde whiche while it flameth what place can there be for modestie for coniugale reuerence tranquillitie and quietnesse Doth thy wyfe loue theée ardently Vnlesse she perceyue that thou loue her agayne her loue wyll waxe colde and she wyll turne her goodwyll into hatred but yf thou wylt match her in loue thou must needes burne lykewyse and geue thy selfe ouer only to thy louer and be the wakeful husband of a ielous wife some tyme with fayre woordes and sometyme with complaintes and feigned accusations thou must be awaked troubled in the night yf peraduenture thou haue wantonly east thine eye aside or laughed hartily with one that hath laughed or saluted thy neighbours wyfe or commended the beautie of another woman or returned home late at nyght or finally shalt doo or say any thing whereby thou mayest be suspected of the breache of loue which if it may be called a lyfe then knowe not I what is to be tearmed death And this is my opinion concernyng your ardent loue Ioy. I haue a perpetuall companion of my Bedde Reason And also a perpetuall banishment of sleepe The sleepe of the wedded bedde is rare and small where there is sometyme pleasure sometime chyding and neuer quietnesse Ioy. I haue a most faythful wyfe Reason I deny not but there haue been some faythfull euen to the death And truely to a man that hath chosen this kinde of lyfe a good and faythful wyfe is a great treasure yet the multitude of the contrarie sort is greater for that many woorthie men haue perished through their wiues tretcherie I omit the cruel and blooddie marriage of Danaus that infamous night and miserable slaughter of so many young men togeather Not this they of whom we spake erewhyle not graue Agamemnon not Deiphobus the Phrygian can deny and among your countrey folke Scipio Africane the younger and lastly of latter tyme not kyng Alboinus whose blood stayned the bankes of the fayre riuer Athesis whiche was shed there by his vnchaste and cruell wyfe Ioy. I haue met with a noble chast gentle humble obedient vertuous and faythfull wyfe Reason Thou art a notable fouler thou hast founde a whyte Crowe and yet there is no man that thynketh he hath founde a blacke one Of a fayre VVyfe The Lxvi Dialogue IOY I Haue chaunced vpon a faire Wife Reason Thou hast gotten an hard prouince be watchful I haue sayd alredie that it is an hard thing to keepe that which is desired of many Ioy. My wiues beautie is excellent Reason The beautie of the body as many thynges els reioyceth commonly in the lyke and hateth vnlykelynesse and inequalitie If therefore thou thy selfe be of lyke beautie thou shalt be busied if not thou shalt be contemned both which are greeuous Ioy. My wiues beautie is great Reason Her pride is as great for there is nothing that so much puffeth vp the mind and maketh proude Ioy. My wiues beautie is passing great Reason Take heede that her chastitie be not as small The Satyrical Poet hath a pretie saying It is seldome to see beautie and honestie to agree Whiche admit they be togeather yet who can abide the insolencie of behauiour and dayly contempt Ioy. My wyfe is passing fayre Reason Then hast thou at home a sumptuous Idole a painful thou shalt dayly see strange and newe fashions and dayly disguâ—sing of the body to see howe wel euery thing becommeth and an inuentyng head to deuise euery way Now terme the losse of thy patrimonie a gayne Ioy. I haue a most beautiful wyfe Reason Thou hast a contentious Idole and a proude whiche beyng assotted thou mayest woorshyp whiche beyng rauished thou mayest woonder at honour and depende wholly vpon her submit thy necke to her yoke and reposing thy selfe onely in the beautie of thy wyfe cast away from thee all other cares and thyne owne libertie And as I sayde erewhyle beware thou prayse none but her turne not thine eyes from her face waxe not faynt in speakyng her fayre be not lesse fonde then thou wast woont to be whatsoeuer thou mislikest in her it is treason al wisedome in thee is forsaken of her Finally liue at thy wyues commaundement obserue the becking of thy Mistresse as a Drudge and not as an Husband Do this yf thou thinke it so great a matter to embrace thy fayre bedfellowe to enioy her smooth skin for a litle while to beget chyldren vpon a whyte wombe as it were to take choyce apples out of a fayre vessell Ioy. I haue a beautiful wyfe Reason A sweete poyson golden fetters an honourable seruitude Ioy. I take pleasure in my wyues beautie Reason A vayne and short pleasure There is nothyng more frayle then beautie specially a womans Who so loueth his wyfe for her beauties sake wyll soone hate her Of a fruitefull and eloquent VVyfe The Lxvii Dialogue IOY I Haue a fruitefull wyfe Reason She wyll bryng thee foorth many cares and many troubles A barren wyfe is but one trouble in an house but a fruitefull wyfe is many Thou knowest the saying of the Comical Poet I married a wyfe what miserie
dyd I not taste of thereby Then had I chyldren another care Ioy. My wyfe is not onely fruitefull but eloquent also Reason At one side thou shalt haue chyldren and nurses on the other side thou shalt not lacke iestes and woordes Thou hast one with whom thou mayest dispute and declaime And hast thou not heard the saying of the Satyrical Poet where he sayeth Let not thy wyfe which lyeth by thy side be a Rethorician or a Logician neyther well seene in al Histories Thou soughtest for a wyfe and hast founde a Schoolemistresse and now thou art in this case that thou canst not vtter any rude or common thyng without thy wyues controullyng and mockyng and thou shalt wyshe in vayne that whiche the same Poet sayeth Let the husbande be licenced to speake false congruitie Among the weerisomnesses of the worlde there is none more odious then a saucie woman or she that can not holde her tongue Of a great Dowrie The Lxviii Dialogue IOY I Am enryched with a great Dowrie Reason And with a great tyrannie and so one mischeife is heaped vppon another There be two prouocations of pride in wyues their dowrie and their beautie Ioy. My wife hath a great Dowrie Reason There is nothing more importunate or vntractable then a woman with a great dowrie She thinketh that therâ— iâ— nothing vnlawful for her to do which compareth her riches to her husbandes pouertie which mayntayneth her husband thinketh her selfe to be his Mistresse and not his fellowe Ioy. There is a great Dowrie come into my house Reason Where the Dowrie commeth in libertie goeth out Whiche thing Lycurâ—â—s very wel foresaw who made a lawe That Maydens shâ—ulde be married without a Dowrie adding also a reason to wiâ— That the wyfe shoulde be married and not the money and men shoulde looke more narrowâ—y to their mariages when as they were restrayned by no Dowrie And both wysely for in deede in many houses the husbande is not married to the wyfe but the money is married to couetousnesse and doubtlesse a great Dowrie is the wyues libertie and the husbandes brydle Ioy. I haue a very great Dowrie with my wyfe Reason Nay rather change the places of thy woordes and say thou hast a wyfe with a great Dowrie How muche more wyllyng wouldest thou be to shut her out of doores yf thou myghtest doo it without the money Truely that marriage is shamefull when as a Virgin is not brought to the bedde in hope of issue but the desyred Dowrie brought to the coffer by prouocation of couetousnesse Ioy. My wyfe hath brought mee a great Dowrie Reason Speake more truely a great price for thy libertie whiche yf it had been deare vnto thee as it ought thou wouldest haue solde it for no money Ioy. There is hapned vnto me a very rich wife Reason Thou speakest nothyng of her condicions for I thynke thou thoughtest nothing of her maners of the chiefest Dowries in women to wit fayth shame fastnesse chastitie modestie These ye regarde not and in your marriages ye respect only money beautie that is to say couetousnesse and letcherie fytte meanes for such marriages Ioy. My wyfe hath great store of money Reason Marke whether that saying of Themistocles wherein he concludeth that he had rather haue a man without money then money without a man may not aptly be applied vnto women also Ioy. My wife is very ryche Reason How muche better were it to lyue in quietnesse with a poore wyfe then to be troubled with a proud and to be hungrie with a poore wenche that is humble then to lyue in brawlyng with a ryche and insolent Peacocke Ioy. My wyues Dowrie is exceedyng great Reason It followeth that the pride of her minde is as great and hath no regarde nor feare of her husbande Thou wylt not dare to reprehende her faultes when thou consyderest her Dowrie thou wylt not presume to humble her when thou remembrest that thou art proud by her meanes and thou must not onely put vp her loftinesse and tediousnesse but also her checkes and iniuries Doest thou not remember the Prince Aurelius Antonius who lost not the surname of a Philosopher although he were an Emperour Who knowing his wiues whooredome and when his friendes exhorted him eyther to put her to death or to put her away aunsweared If I put away my wyfe I must also restore her Dowrie whiche was the Empire Thus thou seest how a Dowrie brydled the minde of a most graue man and great personage and wyll not thy wyues bridle thee Ioy. My wyues Dowrie is very great infinite and inestimable Reason The Dowrie of marriage was deuised to support charges not to prouoke couetousnesse And therfore the more it is increased the more it is defamed as by meanes of the greatnesse thereof doing hurt two wayes declaryng both the impudencie of the geeuer and encreasing the greedinesse of the receiuer Ioy. My wifes Dowrie is very great Reason It skilleth not how great the Dowrie be but what maner of woman the wife is and truely in a Dowrie not so much the quantitie as the qualitie is to be considered to wit from whence it came and by what meanes it was gotten for many great Dowries haue been gotten by euil meanes Thou knowest the Hehopolitane and Punikâ— maner whose marriages are not made by their countrey Religion but their Dowrie is gotten by whooredome and filchinesse Of pleasant loue The Lxix Dialogue IOY I Enioy pleasant loue Reason Thou shalt be ouercome with pleasant snares Ioy. I burne in pleasant loue Reason It is well sayde thou burnest for loue is a secrete fyre a pleasaunt wounde a sauery poyson a sugred bitternesse a delectable sicknesse a sweete punishment and a flatteryng death Ioy. I loue and am loued agayne Reason The first thou mayest knowe of thy selfe the second thou mayest stande in doubt of vnlesse thou take thy sweete hartes secret talkyng in the night for a testimonie thereof Ioy. Without doubt I am beloued Reason I perceyue she hath perswaded thee and it is no hard matter to perswade one that is wyllyng for all louers are blinde and quicke of beleefe But yf thou thynke that there be any trust in a louers othe then bring foorth the bil of thy louers hand which was written in the brittle Ice whereunto the Southerne windes were witnesses But O thou foolysh man neuer geue credite to a dishonest woman sexe heate lightnesse custome of lying desyre to deceyue and the gaine of deceite euery one of these and muche more al these maketh it suspitious whatsoeuer commeth out of her mouth Ioy. I loue that whiche delyghteth my mynde and I burne in loue sweetely Reason Thou thynkest to heare that of mee whiche the Maister of loue sayeth That thou mayest reioyce in thy happy burning and sayle foorth with thy winde of pleasure But that is not my counsayle For mine aduise is that the more pleasauntly thou burnest the more warely thou shouldest auoyde the fire Euylles are
be fulfylled or wholy reiected and reputed among the most vylest thyngs Moreouer shame hath cured many which remedy happeneth to the most noble myndes whylest they seeke to auoyde infamie and irrision are loath to be poynted at as they goe in the streetes laying before theyr eyes the filthynesse of the thyng voyde of effect ful of shame ful of danger ful of iust causes of sorow and repentance last of al settyng false excuses and vayne perswasions aside to put on the true to wyt that neyther nature nor destiny nor starres beare any sway in this matter and finally nothyng but only a lightnesse and free iudgement of the mynde For it is in the choyce of hym that is sicke to be made whole so soone as he begynneth to haue a wyll to be whole and can finde in his harte to breake of the pleasant linkes of their sweete companie which is an hard matter to doo I confesse but possible to hym that is willing For as Cicero sayeth most grauely This is to be declared which is found to be in euery perturbation that it is nothing but in opinion in the iudgment and in the wyl For yf loue were naturall then all should loue should alwayes loue al loue one thyng and then shame should not deterre one and musing another and sasietie another For this last which is sacietie or fulnesse is by some numbred among the remedies and so is also a newe loue wherby the old is dryuen foorth as it were one nayle by another which although vnto Artaxerxes kyng of Persia whom the holy scripture calleth Assuerus it was put in mynd by friendes and found profitable by effect as Iosephus declareth the matter more at large I contend not of the euent but I speake of the choyce And therefore truely I haue ben of opinion that these two remedies haue sometyme been profitable but alwayes dangerous and yf with none of these nor with them al thou canst recouer then must thou in thy mynde run to the causes of the disease These as I suppose are the cheifest and greatest of al health beautie and good fauour ryches leasure youth And as contraryes doo best cure the diseases of the body so wyl they excellently remedy the minde also as sicknesse deformitie pouertie great businesse and olde age which is a worthy refourmer of the errours of youth These be my last remedies which are hard in deede but in respect of the greatnesse of the plague to be wyshed Of the byrth of chyldren The .lxx. Dialogue IOY I Haue chyldren borne vnto me Reason A double mischief and a domestical burden Ioy. There are chyldren borne vnto me Reason Thy wyfe is troublesome her Aunt more troublesome and her children most troublesome of al. Ioy. I haue chyldren borne Reason A most bytter sweetnesse gall annoynted with Hony. Ioy. I haue sweete issue borne vnto me Reason Thynke that there is sprong vnto thee at home a fountayne of grieuous cares thou shalt neuer lyue without feare and anguysh Ioy. I haue begotten children Reason Thou couldst before neither feare nor hope nor pray but now thou shalt learne to thy cost thou shalt learne also to take compassion vpon parentes bereaued of their chyldren and thou shalt learne to experiment long cares in thy short lyfe that now thou takest longer businesse in hande thou shalt learne to be greeued for the thynges that belong nothyng vnto thee and to dispose that which thou shalt neuer see To be short thou shalt learne to loue another more then thy selfe thou shalt learne to loue most ardently and to be loued most coldly whiche are hard matters Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason Now thou begynnest to vnderstande what duetie thou owest to thy parentes Ioy. I haue begotten chyldren Reason Thou hast planted a tree which must be husbanded with intollerable paynes whiche wyl keepe thee occupied as long as thou lyuest and whereof perhaps thou shalt reape either no fruite at al or late fruite and that peraduenture when thou art dead Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason If they be good a continual feare yf they be wycked a perpetual sorow in the meane whyle a doubtful comfort and an vndoubted care Ioy. I haue chyldren Reason Then hast thou whereof to be sory whyle thou art liuyng and to be knowne when thou art dead and wherefore thou mayest be willing to die often Ioy. I am the father of good chyldren Reason The better thy chyldren are the more daungerous is thine estate Thou knowest not what cause of sorowe thou hast purchased by begetting chyldren what entrance thou hast made into thy house for teares what power thou hast geuen vnto death and miserie ouer thy selfe O wretched mothers sayth Horace but O wretched fathers say I. Ioy. I am father of very good children Reason Thou shouldest wishe for death while thou art in this prosperitie lest that whilest thou lyuest thou surcease to be that whiche deliteth thee and at length with Nestor thou demaunde of thy felowes why thou hast lyued so long Ioy. I reioyce and am happie for that I haue wished issue Reason A troublesome felicitie a carefull ioy and many tymes sorowfull a miserable happinesse I coulde aleage many excellent men whose felicitie was by nothyng so much hyndred as for that they had chyldren Of a pleasant young childe The .lxxi. Dialogue IOY I Haue a pleasant young chylde Reason If so be that this myrth turn not to sorowe and the pleasanter thine infant is whyle he is present the more sorowful thou be when he is from thee Ioy. I haue a chyld of good towardnes Reason What if in nothing That age is of al other most frayle and is many tymes cut of in the middes of their flowre And as there is nothing more sweete so is there nothing almost more bitter Ioy. I haue a most flattering and pratling Infant Reason O take heede that these flatteries turne not into teares The sight and pratlyng of a young chylde is very pleasant I confesse and as it is written in Sta. Papinius â–ª their heauenly lookes and interrupted woordes after the maner of verses or mytre whiche whyle they are heard doo delight when they can be heard no more doo grieue and can not be remembred without sorowe Thus in all worldly thinges but in nothing more then in this bitternesse is euermore set against sweetenesse Ioy. I am delighted in my most pleasant Infant Reason I forbid thee not to be delighted that I may not withstand nature but I seeke for a meane in al thinges without which there is nothing wel doone I would haue thee to reioyce more sparingly that if thou haue occasion to be sorie thou mayst also more sparingly be sorie and I would wish thee to thinke that it may easily come to passe that thou mayest trust to a broken staffe or leane to a rotten wall which Adriane the Emperour is reported to haue sayde often when he had adopted Aelius who was a fayre chylde in deede and
but weake and thou mayest also sing to thy selfe this verse of Virgil The destinies shall onely shewe hym to the earth but not suffer hym to liue longer Ioy. I reioyce in my young Chyld Reason Reioyce so as yf thou shouldest be sory eyther for that as I haue said it may chaunce he may die or which is much more greeuous and hapneth very often of a most pleasant chylde become a most vnthankefull and disobedient young man. Ioy. I ioy much in my young chylde Reason There is no husband man so foolysh that wyl reioyce much in the flowre the fruite is to be looked for and then he ought to reioyce moderatly In the mean while tempestes hayle and blastinges are to be feared and the ioy must be moderated with dreade Of the excellent fauour of Chyldren The Lxxii Dialogue IOY MY Children fauour is excellent Reason If thou haue learned by mine instruction not to regarde thine owne fauour then thou knowest how much thou hast to esteeme of anothers Ioy. The fauour of my children is great Reason A thing verie dangerous for the male kinde but much more for the female For beautie and chastitie dwel seldome togeather they wyl not and againe if they would they can not seeing al humane thinges especially honestie can yf or kept in safetie now adayes chiefely if it be ioyned with an excellent beautie There be some whose beautie is enuied at but that enuie keepeth it selfe within it owne boundes some are sory some angry with their beautie as much as may be possible many haue waxed olde continuing vndefiled among the hatred of many some haue shewed perpetual and vnquenchable tyrannie How many saylers do passe euery day vpon the calme sea how many Merchantes do trauayle through the desartes with their wares safe neither Pyrate meeteth with the one nor the Theefe with the other But what beautiful woman canst thou name vnto me that hath not been assayed Although she be chast she shal be tempted and ouercome What womans minde is able to resist so many corrupters The scaling ladders of sugred woordes are set to the walles the engines of giftes are planted and the secret moynes of deceites are cast vp vnder the grounde If these meanes wyll not serue then force is violently offered If thou require proofe call to thy remembraunce the most famous rauishmentes Beautie hath tempted many and caused many to be tempted some it hath ouerthrowen and driuen them into wickednesse or to death Among the Hebrues Ioseph was an example of vehement temptation but the prouidence of God turned the danger into glory Among the Grecians Hippolytus and Bellerophon and among you Spurina to the ende she woulde not be tempted defaced her selfe with her owne hands Among the fyrst was no Thamar among the seconde was not the Greekish Penelope among the thyrde was not the Romane Lucretia safe Finally among all sortes the most part haue been commonly eyther tempted or ouerthrowen These be the fruites of this transitorie and brittle beautie whiche many tymes haue not onely ouerthrowen whole houses but great Cities and mightie Kyngdomes Thou knowest histories Truely yf Helen had not been so beautifull Troy had stoode safe yf Lucretia had not been so fayre the Romane kingdome had not ben so soone ouerthrowen yf Virginea had not ben so beautiful the auctoritie of the ten men had not so soone fayled neyther Appius Claudius beyng so great a law maker among the Romanes beyng vanquished with lust had lost his fame at the barre and his lyfe in prison Finally there haue been innumerable who if they had not been so fayre as they were there shoulde not haue been so many that beyng forced and deceyued haue fallen out of the castle of chastitie into so great reproches and ruine of their soules and therefore vtter what good effectes thou hast founde in beautie that they may be compared with their contraries Ioy. My Chylde is passing beautifull Reason This beautie hauing enflamed the lust of one called Messalina choose whiche thou haddest rather of these twayne eyther to deny and so to be slayne at the louers commaundement eyther to agree and to perysh by Claudius swoorde Thus at one side by chastitie death is purchased by adulterie there is nothing but only a litle deferring of death procured and this is the effect of this noble and excellent beautie In this therefore as in al other thinges the mediocritie is commendable and if any of the extremities were to be wished beautie is more delectable but deformitie is more safe Ioy. I haue a most beautifull Daughter Reason Be careful of treason and beware of force Doest thou thinke that there is but one Iason or one Theseus or one Paris Yes there be a thousand To haue a Daughter is a care and trouble if she haue beautie there is feare which thou canst not auoyde but by death or olde age for by marrying her into another house thou shalt but translate thy feare and not extinguishe it Ioy. I triumphe and reioyce in the singular heautie of my Children Reason For young folke to glorie and reioyce in theyr beautie it is a vayne thyng but common but for an olde man to reioyce in the beautie of his Chyldren whiche vnlesse he doated he woulde perceyue to be full of vanitie or subiecte to daungers it is more follie and next coosen to madnesse Ioy. My Chyld hath an heauenly beautie Reason Thou hast read I thinke the foure and twentie booke of Homers Iliades where Priamus speaking of his sonne Hector He seemed not sayeth he to haue ben the sonne of a mortal man but of a god This sayd Priamus but Achilles shewed that he was the sonne of a mortall man and not of a God and remember thou likewise that this heauenly beautie of thy chylde whereof thou speakest may be taken away and blemished and so long as it continueth whatsoeuer accompt be made of it it is but an vncertayne thyng Howbeit the immoderate loue of fathers whiche is enimie to vpryght iudgement bringeth foorth these errours and trifles Ioy. I haue a passyng fayre Daughter Reason If nothyng els chaunce thy house must be most sumptuous Of the valiencie and magnanimitie of a Sonne The Lxxiii Dialogue IOY I Haue a valient Sonne Reason The more valient he is the more it behoueth thee to be fearefull For Fortune layeth more dangers vpon none then those that contemne her that is to say Valient men And not without good cause for other men hyde them selues and seeke to auoyde her force but these lay themselues open to her furie Recall forepassed ages to memorie and thou shalt perceyue in a maner all the most valient men consumed by violent death Ioy. My Sonnes valiencie is exceedyng great Reason Fortitude is a most excellent vertue but accompanied with sundry chaunces and therefore see thou haue alwayes teares and a coffin in a redinesse Death is at hande to all men but nearest to the valient Ioy. My Sonne is a most
ciuilly then vertuously it were more profitable were it not the cause of sinne or forbyd by the lawe of God to remedie the matter by keepyng a Concubine then that a quiet house be disturbed by Stepmothers tempests and hatred Ioy. I entende to marrie againe Reason Thou maiest do so by the lawe of man the lawe of God rather suffryng it then praysing it All men knowe what Sainct Paul sayth concernyng that matter And truely we may easily perceiue how that among the Gentiles who in that respect lyued in more libertie this was more suffred then lyked of For your Forefathers dyd alwayes repute the experiment of many mariages to be a token of a certayne lawfull intemperauncie whiche opinion Sainct Ierome embracing how muche he writeth agaynst seconde marriages and how sharply our promised breuitie wil not suffer vs to declare whiche although it seeme al to be spoken agaynst women and not against men doubtles that sexe ought to be the greater preseruer of chastitie honestie notwithstandyng there is more wisedome and constancie required of men Ioy. I haue neede of seconde mariage Reason I should wonder vnlesse I knew your conditions for you make not only vayne but hurtful thynges also necessarie for you And as for thee thou hast a very hard mouth yf thou haue neede of another wife to brydle thee Ioy. I make hast to be married agayne Reason Too it then apace whyle thou art hotte and when thou art cold thou wylt repent thee Hast thou not noted how pleasaunt sleepe is in an emptie chamber Thy minde is only bent vpon that filthie and miserable act which passeth away and woundeth Of the marriage of Chyldren The Lxxvii Dialogue IOY MY ofspring is encreased by the marriage of my children Reason This care is somwhat more coÌ„mendable then the last was and yet notwithstanding the encrease of the hines hath often been more profitable then the bodyly issue The one filleth the caske with pleasant wine the other annoyeth the friende with bytter cares Ioy. I haue bestowed my daughter in mariage Reason If thou haue so doone circumspectly and happily thou hast both preserued thy daughter and founde a sonne or as I haue sayde erewhyle one better then a sonne but yf thou haue doone otherwyse then hast thou both cast away her and purchased to thy selfe an enimie and to thy daughter a Tyrant Ioy. I haue bestowed my daughter in mariage Reason If she were a good daughter thou hast bereft thy selfe of a sweete and pleasant iewell and transported it into an other mans house If she were an euyl daughter thou hast eased thy selfe of an heauy burden and laden therewith another man. Ioy. I haue married my daughter Reason Reioyce not to muche at it Maryage hath been vnto many the begynnyng of a careful and vnfortunate lyfe and admit that al thynges fall out happyly a wyfe is a trouble some thyng and thou hast sent foorth her whom thou louest about an harde labour and a payneful businesse Chyldren wyl come at home and thereof wyll spryng vp a peculiar fountayne of cares But yf there come nonâ— then that is a miserie and griefe Thus fruitefulnesse shal make her burdensome and barrennesse shall make her odious and perhaps she wyll wyshe she had taryed at home with thee and wyll haue this thy ouerhastie loue in bestowyng her Ioy. I haue gotten an husbande for my daughter Reason The ende of an idle lyfe and the begynnyng of a payneful an heauie burden of household cares the knowledge of the worlde and the triâ—â— or hersâ—â—â—e Ioy. My daughter is married Reason But she â—oth 〈◊〉 her libertie her virginitie her quietnesse whiche is nâ— indifferent change Ioy. I haue prouided a wyfe for my sonne Reason The bringing home of a daughter in law is worse then the sending â—ooth of thine owne daughter forasmuch as ciuil war is alwayes more dangerous then forraigne Thou hast set open thy Castle gates perhaps to an enimie or truely to a partner for nowe thou art not Lord and maister alone of thyne owne goodes and therfore it skylleth to know what maner one thou lettest in Ioy. I haue prouyded for my sonne a noble ryche and a fayre wyfe Reason Why dooest thou conceale that whiche followeth to wyt a proude and an importunate one who is enuious of her husbande and of thy lyfe There is auncient war betweene the husbandes father and the sonnes wyfe and neyther of them hath the greater vauntage but equal feare for they be both in one state and condition There is no lyuyng thyng that so much affecteth the hygher place as dooeth a woman For in case she perceyue her selfe by meanes of your lyfe debarred thereof what she imagineth then in her mynde and what she wysheth it were an harde matter to coniecture Ioy. I haue marryed my sonne to a wife Reason What knowest thou whether thou haue procured an euerlastyng weerysomnesse to hym thy selfe or perhaps secrete danger to you both Many daughters in law haue consumed theyr fathers in law and husbandes with continual pryde and doggednesse some haue made them away with poyson and some haue shortened theyr dayes with a weapon Howe many sonnes had Egisthus before he had euer a daughter in lawe Yea there hath ben founde suche a daughter in lawe who beyng carryed away with desyre to raigne and impaciencie of the seconde roomth to the ende she myght the sooner see her husband and her selfe possesse the gouernment hauyng procured the death of her owne father caused her Chariot to be driuen ouer his stayne carkasse If this be the rewarde of fathers at their owne chyldrens handes what shal the sonnes father looke for at his sonnes wiues hands Ioy. I am glad that I haue celebrated my daughters maryage Reason How many tymes hath an vnlucky euent disturbed this celebration and teares tumultes folowed songs and banquettes and dauncinges All immoderate ioy is foolish specially in these thynges whereout sorow may and woonteth to aryse Ioy. I haue both prouided a wyfe for my sonne and an husband for my daughter Reason Thou hast chaunged burdens thou hast layde a strange care vpon thyne owne shoulders and carryest thyne owne care vpon other mens shoulders Of Nephues The .lxxviii. Dialogue IOY I Haue a younge Nephue borne of my sonne Reason A great loue of thy sonnes and a continuall care notwithstandyng it hath a certeine ende but if it passe any further there is no ende of carefulnesse and both he that is borne of thy sonne and he likewyse that shal be borne of him finally all of them are borne to thy payne whose number how farre it proceedeth or may proceede thou knowest He that was the father of the people of Israel yf he beyng affected as thou art had in suche sort lyued duryng the lyfe cyme of our fyrst fathers howe great a burden of cares should there haue rested vpon the weeryed olde mens shoulders For besides Priestes and women and chyldren and other vnhable
the lande Reason Thou art the more subiect vnto chaunces in respect there be moe men Inhabite the earth then the Sea. For one man is the greatest part of the miseries that chaunce vnto another so that death commeth from whence succour ought to come to let passe the sundry kyndes of beastes wherof the lyfe of man is ful Ioy. At the least wyse the earth wyl stand steddy vnder foote Reason But many tymes it hath not stoode and for confirmation hereof I let passe auncient examples as Achaia and the residue of Greece with Syria and other countreis where in tymes past both whole Cities haue ben vtterly swalowed vp and hilles sunke downe Ilandes drowned to omit also vnspoken of the auncient ruines of your owne hilles Etna Vesenus amongst you of late dayes Rome it self the head of cities was shaken with an earthquake which in the time of the ciuil warres was counted a strange matter In this age the Alpes trēbled marueilously the hygh rockes beyng torne away gaue licence to the Sunne beames to view such places as were neuer discouered before since the creation of the worlde a great part also of Spaine and Germanie was ouerthrowne Thou hast seene Cities strong Castls and Townes at one tyme standyng most firmely which within few dayes after a miserable and feareful sight lay al flat vpon the earth Yea the riuer Rhine it selfe ran foorth in his chanel as it were weepyng for the ruines wherwith his banks were on eche side defaced specially that side which was somtyme most beautified with buildinges whose rubbishe he washeth now with his ratling whirlepooles And therfore ceasse thou to be carelesse where is no securitie Ioy. I haue the earth vnder my feete Reason Not so certayne a place of dwellyng as of buryal Ioy. I am glad that I am come to the ground Reason Like I see reioyceth in it lyke and thou art earth also Ioy. I am come to earth Reason Not yet truely but shalt shortly Of comming foorth of prison The .lxxxix. Dialogue IOY I Am glad I haue escaped out of pryson Reason Truely I confesse that this libertie after it hath been restrayned is more acceptable and more also when it is resfored then preserued but al thynges that delyght doo not profite and many tymes sweete thynges are hurtful and bytter thynges holsome Many tymes not pryson only but death also hath been profitable and as often lyfe and libertie hurtful Ioy. I am glad I haue escaped foorth of pryson Reason Erewhyle thou reioycedst that thou hadst gayned the Hauen and nowe thou art glad that thou hast escaped it Pryson vnto some hath ben an Hauen to some a refuge and Castle of defence and hath preserued some that would haue peryshed yf they had been at libertie Thinges that are shut vp and tied in chaines are easily kept Blind mortal men knowe not what is good for them and therfore they desire their owne harmes and when they haue obteined them they reioyce wherof they shal soone be sory And that thou maiest not seeke far for an example thou sawest of late that man whose enterprise was more couragious then constant who in time of trouble durst professe him selfe Patrone of the common wealth of Rome First he toke vpon hym the name of Tribune and afterward when fortune changed was banished the Citie then after his fall into pryson that first was Prince and then Bishop beyng in both well and honestly reputed at length by euyl chaunce beyng set at libertie and not only stayne but also hewed in peeces by his enimies weapons as he was dying I suppose wyshed he had been in pryson Ioy. I reioyce that I am come foorth of pryson Reason Hencefoorth thou shalt be conuersant in the courtes that are troublesome with contentions in the streetes of the cities and tumultes of businesse and supposing trouble to be libertie shalt falsly gratulate to thy selfe the one for the other while a thousand snares shal entrap thee whom before one key dyd shut vp and when al men reioyce out of a storme to come into the Hauen thou only art a woonderful Maryner who willyngly settest out of the Hauen into a tempest Ioy. I am glad that I am returned out of prysyn Reason The goodnesse and commoditie hereof as of such other like thinges is neither to muche to reioyce nor to much to be sorie but in ech state to kepe an equanimitie as the gouernment of your lyfe specially in so great darknesse of future accidentes neyther is it so miserable a thyng as some make it to goe into pryson neyther so happy to come foorth How often hath the pryson of the enimie ben more safe then his libertie How often hath libertie which you also much couet turned to destruction and death Ioy. I am come foorth of pryson Reason Many chaunces may delyuer a man out of a large pryson but out of his narow prison death only Ioy. I am come forth of a painfull pryson Reason Into that pryson thou mayest returne againe but when thou art once departed out of the other thou canst not come againe in this time Of a quiet State. The .xc. Dialogue IOY HAuing disposed mine affaires in good order I now lyue quietly Reason Forsooth euen as thy ship out of the surgies of the sea so thy mind being discharged of the cares of this lyfe is arriued in the harbour of troubles and terrours but in deede it is not so for now hast thou greatest cause to feare Knowest thou not that the state of humane things doth not continue but he that sitteth highest vpon the wheele is the neerest to fallyng Ioy. Al thynges goe with me as I woulde wyshe Reason Thou sayest wel in saying they goe al for nothyng tarrieth Before then that thou seeme happy perhaps hope possesseth some place within thee but afterward feare and last of all sorowe but ioy neuer I speake of the true ioy vntyl such tyme as we attayne to the true permanent good thyngs Ioy. Haueing disposed myne affayres nowe I take my rest Reason Trauayle and sorow are the summe of humane thynges canst thou take thy rest in them An hard head that can endure to lye betwene an iron payre of sheetes and rest thy selfe vpon a pillow of thornes Ioy. All thyngs are wel prouided for Reason I suppose that thy ship of merchandize is arriued thou hast escaped daunger thou hast builded an house thou hast tilled thy lande thou hast pruned thy vine thou hast watered thy medowes thou hast made thy floores thou hast planted trees thou hast cast ryuers thou hast plashed hedges thou hast buylded a doue house thou hast put thy flockes and heardes into pasture thy bees into their hiues thy seede into the furrowes thy new merchandize thou hast sent to sea thou hast layde thy money safely to banke thy coffers are full thy hall is rych thy chamber neate thy barnes wel stored thy store house full to the brim thou hast prouided a dowrie
for thy daughter a wyfe for thy sonne thou hast woon the peoples fauour with thy ambitious flatterie thou hast gotten theyr voyces thou hast prepared vnto thy selfe a redy way vnto ryches and honour there nowe remayneth nothyng but that thou reioyce in thyne owne felicitie This yf I be not deceyued is thy conclusion but myne is farre other wyse to wyt that thou dye It seldome happeneth vnto men to enioy long that which they haue gotten togeather with great diligence the toyle is long the vse is short Ioy. Nowe that my affayres goe forwarde prosperously I am in an assured state Reason Howe thou canst stande whyle thyne affayres goe forwarde see thou for I cannot perceyue Ioy. I reioyce nowe that my businesse proceedeth accordyng to my desire Reason Now therefore it is tyme to dye thynkest thou that there can any man lyue long meery heare Dye therefore while thou art meery before thou begyn to be sorowful I wyl nowe repeate agayne that whiche I haue sayde For the repeatyng of profitable thinges is not tedious but pleasant Dooest thou remember in Tullie what Lacon sayde to the auncient Diagoras Rhodius who at that tyme muche reioyced though vpon very lyght occasion whiche thou heardest before when we entreated of Palestrical exercises Die nowe Diagoras quoth he for thou canst not clymbe into heauen And truely it was grauely spoken For in this so great an alteration of thinges what can the mynde looke for more then to leaue to be mery and to begyn to be sorowful And therefore Diagoras very seasonably folowed his friendes counsel for in the sight and a middest the shoutyng and gratulation of the people in the middest of the embrasinges and kysses of his sonnes he gaue vp the ghost This Historie is written in the booke of the Attike nightes and in summe moe haue peryshed through ioy then sorowe Of all therefore that are wyse but specially that are in great ioy death is to be wyshed of whiche we ought alwayes to thynke but most of all in tyme of prosperitie and this cogitation wyll brydle al other Ioy. I haue taken payne and nowe I rest Reason Ye hope al for that but therein ye be all deceyued The course of your lyfe fareth otherwyse and the ende thereof answereth not your expectation This thy rest is eyther short or false or to speake more truely both and howe then carrye dreame any rest heare So dooth he that is in pryson dreame of libertie the sicke man of health and he that is hungrie of dayntie cheere but behold the last day is at hand whiche wyll shortly dryue away these dreames But be ye not deceyued by dreames and false opinions wherof the lyfe of man is full promyse not vnto your selues rest heare Beleeue me death is all the rest that men haue after theyr trauailes Ioy. I haue al thynges most plentifully that I thynke to be necessarie forâ—ine Reason All thinges more then needeful are wast superfluous but this is the maner of mans minde that professyng and ascendyng vpward to heauen burdeneth it selfe with so great care and studie as it is scarce neuer able to disburden it self againe so that being wayed downe with a forraigne burden whyle it endeuoureth to ryse vpward it falleth downe the earth is vnto it in steede of heauen Ioy. I haue abundaunce of al thinges and they be nowe in the Hauen Reason Then are they in the end of their course For this present lyfe is lyke to the troublesome Sea. The end of the one is at the shore and of the other in death so that they may be both well termed Hauens And truely the most part of men while they be careful in heaping togeather necessaries to lyue by in the chiefest of their preparation they are cut of by death and there is nothyng nowe more common then for death to preuent the carefulnesse of this lyfe it happeneth but vnto fewe to obteyne their desire and from these the vse of theyr dayly gaine is so soone taken away that the shortnesse of theyr ioy is an encrease of their sorowe wherof it is knowne that many haue complained at theyr death Ioy. Now that I haue ended my trauayles I lyue in securitie Reason So doth the foule flie safe betweene the line and the grin the fishe playeth among the hookes and the wylde beastes among the toyles Oftentimes whereas is most danger and least feare it is fortunes cunning to take away distrust that she may strike the more freely Ioy. I haue toyled al my lyfe tyme to the end I might take my rest at last Reason Thou hast placed thy rest securitie vpon a daungerous downefal hast liued in sorow to die in mirth wherein thou hast folowed no absurd gouernment concernyng thy lyfe and death so that we agree about the qualitie of the securitie and rest sorow and ioy Ioy. I haue prouided al things to furnysh my selfe whyle I lyue Reason Nay rather to make thy death more greiuous Thou hast wel prouided for the Phisitions they will shortly come thicke vnto thee pratling about thy bed There wil come also some to make thy Testament some to loke for Legacies some that wil dissemble their ioy counterfeite teares secretly curse that thy life continueth so long thy death approcheth no faster some wil marke the crisis or determination day of the sicknesse some the signes and tokens some wyl watch the golden carkasse All these goodes whiche in al thy lyfe tyme thou hast scraped togeather wyl be the meanes onely not for thee to lyue the better but to dye the more accompanied Thou hast not altogeather lost thy labour for thou shalt not lacke companie when thou art sicke neyther money for thy lust and superfluities neyther pompe for thy buriall Ioy. Now that I haue gotten al things I may take my rest Reason I sayd erwhyle thou soughtest rest and comfort of lyfe but thou hast founde payne and tediousnesse of death Ioy. I haue disposed all thynges and attained prosperitie Reason Thou hast heaped togeather a nest of most deceitfull and transitorie hope which so soone as it groweth to any ripenesse wyl flee away leauing thy hart voyde and sorowfull and many tymes it perisheth before it be fledge Ioy. After my long traueyle commeth quietnesse Reason Perhaps it wyll be as short as may be possible For often the trauel of many yeeres perisheth in a moment when as for the most part al procedinges are by degrees the endes of thynges are not seldome sudden Ioy. By long cares at length I am come to the beginning of securitie Reason Humane curiositie is very careful of the beginninges but is so blynde that it cannot foresee the ende A thycke miste of the tyme to come hath bleared the sight of mortal mens eyes Let our deliberation be the accomplishment of our fortune But to speake more truely it is the wyl of God in whose hands are al mens chaunces not such as in your
part of them through the fault of the geuers or receyuers are lost and cast away and that way vnto loue is more easie short and streight whiche I shewed thee before to wit to attayne vnto loue by leuyng in whiche while thou goest forwarde yf thou win the true name of a beneficiall person it shall make thee famous and beloued aboue expectation Ioy. I haue bestowed many and great benefites Reason Not what but how and with what minde thynges be doone both God and man doo respect great thinges are many tymes odious and meane thynges acceptable but aboue all the very naked hart only is accepted in the sacrifice and gyft of the poore Of loue of the people The .xciiii. Dialogue IOY THE people loue me Reason Stay awhyle and anone they wyll hate thee Ioy. The people loue me Reason Make no great hast the ende is not yet come for as one day so is the whole lyfe described by the ende Ioy. I am beloued of the people Reason Who was of them better beloued then the Scipioes then Camillus then Rutilius and Metellus What shall I speake of Themistocles or Milciades or of his sonne Cymon or Aristides What of Theseus of Solon of Hannibal or of Lycurgus These Citizens I say although they were neuer so dearely and neuer so short tyme beloued of their people notwithstandyng their endes are all knowen and this loue turned eyther into contempt or into hatred and requitall vnwoorthy of their desartes trauell at home and abroade accusation death exile imprisonment Ioy. Most part of the people loue me Reason The woorser sort then for there are but fewe good and it is knowen that the loue of euyll men is purchased by euyll meanes For yf a certayne similitude and lykenesse procure friendshyp as the wyse holde opinion thynke of thy selfe what thou art in that most of the people doo loue thee Ioy. The people loue me Reason A fayre Wynters weather Sommers ayre calmenesse of the Sea the Moones state and loue of the people yf all these were compared togeather for inconstancie the last shal beare the bell Ioy. The people honour me Reason With theyr lyps I thynke but theyr hart is far from thee for it is not more true vnto thee then to god The people doth seldome any thyng wyllyngly but raise tumultes and vprores Ioy. The people feare me Reason They wyl not doo so long For it soone decayeth that is not grounded vpon assured iudgement Ioy. The peoples good wyll is feruent towardes mee Reason Of an hot beginning many times commeth a warme middle and a cold end which may be seene in nothing sooner then in the good wil of the people Ioy. The people prayse me Reason The prayse of fooles is counted infamie among the learned Ioy. The people haue me in admiration Reason After some smal alteration they wyll despise thee for alwayes they holde one of the extremities but neuer the meane as fearyng hym whom they so account of for an enimie Ioy. The people doo reuerence Reason I woulde marueyle yf thou couldest prosper vnder so attendyng attenders Ioy. The people haue a good opinion of me Reason They vse to iudge on both sydes without discretion and therfore the verdict of the common people among true iudges is an argument of the contrary Ioy. The people esteeme wel of me Reason The estimation and iudgement of mad men is suspected of sounde wyttes I had rather the people knew thee not then so lyked of thee Ioy. The people speake much of me Reason And thou therfore art ouer credulus and carryed away with the populare ayre which although thou knowest to haue happened sometyme vnto great men yet is the vanitie neuer awhyt the lesse to reioyce in a slender and vncertayne state Ioy. The people haue me in admiration Reason And I also woonder at thee that thou ascribest this any deale to thy glory Ioy. The people loue me Reason This is no prayse to thee but thy fortune it is the peoples manner oftentymes to loue the vnworthy but from them many tymes they receyue a most woorthy reward of theyr vnworthy loue Of inuadyng a Tirranny The xcv Dialogue IOY I Haue inuaded a Tyrranny ouer my countrey men Reason Thou hast wel requited thy foolysh louers They aduaunced thee more then reason required and thou hast throwne them downe vnder the yoke of vniust seruitude Ioy. I haue taken vpon me a Tyrrannie Reason Thou hast depriued others of theyr libertie thy selfe of securitie and both of your rest Ioy. I haue obteyned a Tyrranny Reason A state of vndoubted trauayle of an vncertaine euent but for the most part infortunate I wyl not refer thee vnto auncient and forreine Histories What was the end of Alexander Phaeraeus what of Dionysius of Syracusae what of Phalaris of Agrigentum what of Anno the Carthagien what of Elearchus of Heraclea what of Aristotinus Ephirensis what of Nabis the Lacedemonian and lastly of Hipparchus the Athenian whose death purchased immortal fame to his murtherers Neyther wyl I send thee to new and domestical examples Cassius and Melius Manlius Citizens of Rome Catuline also and the Gracchi Apuleius not Tyrantes but affectyng a tirranny who were espied in theyr wycked attempts hyndred of theyr purpose and suppressed And lastly not vnto those who beyng greater not better cloked theyr cruel and vniust tyrrannie with the colour of a iust Empire namely Caius and Nero Domitianus and Commodus Bassianus and the residue of that crue who were Princes only in name and had both Tirantes mindes and Tirantes endes but I wyl rather refer thee vnto other whom in the remembrance of your fathers and grandfathers yea also of this present age this your region hath seene These that I may not weery thee with them that are farre of I would haue thee to consyder and behold and thou shalt see that the common and vsual ende of Tyrantes is eyther by swoorde or poyson and thou wylt confesse that the saying of the Saterical Poet is true Fewe Kinges and Tirants dye without murder and woundes or of a drye death without bloodshed Ioy. I possesse a tyrranny ouer my Citizens Reason A booty and slaughter house to fyl thy selfe with gold and with blood to gither with the gold lyke an hungry Crow and like the greedy Horsleach which wyll not let go the skyn tyll he be full of blood But with what countenance or what conscience doest thou either shead that blood which to preserue yf thou were a man thou shouldest wyllingly shed thine owne blood or extortest gold from thy Citizens to geue it vnto thy cruel tormentors spoiling them whom thou shouldest feede with thy ryches and enryching those from whom as thou readest thou shouldest by al meanes extort so smally are the examples and preceptes of your Elders regarded But this is one most vyle discommoditie in the lyfe of Tyrantes that they stand alwayes in feare of them whom they shoulde trust trust them that haue no
trust nor trueth at al and all this mischiefe happeneth on the one syde for that iniuries are offered to them that haue not deserued on the other for that benefites are bestowed vppon the vnwoorthy so that the whole course of thyngs beyng confounded through disorder enimies are made friendes and Citizens are made enimies Ioy. I am the Tyrant of my countrey Reason Couldest thou fynde in thy hart to be so yf thou remembredst that it were thyne owne countrey If the representation of your common mother came into thy mynde thou wouldest neuer in suche sort teare thy brethren with whom thou hast been brought vp in thy chyldehood and also in ryper yeeres hast enioyed the same ayre the same waters the same religion the same holydayes the same playes and delightes with what mynde canst thou insult and reignâ—â—ouer them and reioyce when they weepe Lastly with what impudencie â—â—ooest thou lyue in that Citie wherein thou knowest thy lyfe to he hated of all men thy death wyshed of all sortes where thou art assured there is none that woulde not haue thee destroyed as a most cruell Wolfe in a gentle flocke Ioy. I haue vndertaken a Tyrrannie Reason If thou compare the present tyme with the tyme past thou shalt perceyue howe miserable a clogge thou hast layd vpon thy shoulders thou lyuedst somtime a safe quiet life but now henceforward vnlesse thou ioyne madnesse to mischiefe thou shalt passe no day nor nyght without feare and trouble of minde eate no meate without suspition take no sleepe without dread whyle thou beholdest on euerie side the swoord hanging ouer thy head which Dionysius is reported not vnfitly to haue shewed vnto a certaine friend of his that wondred at his wealth and aucthoritie who was a tyrant in deede but a most graue considerer of the state of tyrranny Ioy. I haue purchased a tyranny by the swoorde Reason If thou haue gotten it by the swoorde thou must keepe it by the swoord and perhaps loose it by the swoord Thou hast wonne woorthy ryches in deede to be odious and fearefull vnto all men and that whiche foloweth therof to be continually a feareful burden to thy selfe But to admit there were no danger which in some Cities and countreys the nature of the people beareth sufficiently beyng apt to seruilitie and obedience yet when beyng out of feare and danger thou shalt call to mynde what Laberius a Knyght of Rome sayde vnto hym that was the fyrst founder of this whiche nowe hath the name of a iust Empire Needes sayth he must he feare many of whom many stande in feare The reason of which saying is that whiche Ouid aleageth For euerie man wisheth him dead whom he feareth which was first alleaged by Ennius where he sayth They hate whom they feare eche man wysheth hym dead whom he feareth But yf all feare and danger doo ceasse whiche hath happened vnto some Tyrantes theyr boldnesse beyng nooryshed by publique calamities or the experimented dastardes of theyr Citizens yet is it not a shame for thee to gouerne those vnto whom it were more meete thou were theyr vnderlyng besydes thy iniurious force which is the worst thyng of alâ—â— â–ª Ioy. I haue put on a tyrranny Reason Thou hast put of all humanitie and iustice and chosen a troublesome and blooddy lyfe or els truely a doubtful death Vnhappy man whose death only thy countrey which hare thee and brought thee vp dooeth continually hope for Is not he in sufficient wofull case whom al men would haue to be in woful case And is not he most wretched who cannot possible be so wretched but is worthy to be more wretched Ioy. I possesse the chiefest place among my Citizens Reason Thou possessest a tyrranny ouer thy Citizens thou hast placed thyne house vpon sande thy bed in the bryers thy seate vpon a downefal thy pouertie in rapynes and thyne enuie in miseries Of a Kyngdome and Empire The .xcvi. Dialogue IOY BEholde I am a Kyng by right Reason That cannot be long vnknowne for what the difference is betweene a Kyng and a Tirant I haue declared alredy And what auayleth it for thee to be called a Kyng yf thou be a Tirant The safetie of a King and kingdome consisteth not in a glorious name but in true iustice I deeme it lesse euyl for thee to refourme the gouernment that thou hast gotten and afterward so to behaue thy selfe that thou maiest appeare to be a true King then by tyrannical vexation to spoyle the kyngdome wherunto thou commest by right wherin thou lawfully succeedest thy father for there belongeth more true prayse vnto the proceedyng and end then to the begynning of thynges Ioy. I am a kyng Reason It were better and more quiet to lyue vnder a good King then to be a King thy selfe Ioy. I haue ascended into the Regal seate of the kyngdome Reason A conspicuous place and obiect vnto al mens eyes and therfore dangerous for slouthfulnes and paynful and difficult for vertue For a good Kyng is a publique seruant Ioy. I am aduaunced to the Regal throne of a kyngdome Reason To the end thou mayest seeme woorthy forget thy selfe and thyne owne affayres thynke vpon thy people and the commom wealth the day fyrst that thou wast made a Kyng thou beganst to dye to thy selfe and to lyue for other and which is the hardest case of al for vnthankful and vniust considerers of thy trauayle Ioy. I am come to a kyngdome Reason Perhaps thou mayest get there some transitorie glory but no quietnesse at all Ioy. I reigne vprightly Reason Thou doest well and a most acceptable thing vnto god And knowe this that thou seruest suche as are alwayes repynyng and ful of complayntes and that wyll scarce geue thee thankes before thy death There is seldome any Kyng so good but the people loue hym better that shall succeede who when he is come the other is wyshed for agayne These are the manners of the common people to hate the thynges that are present to desyre the thynges that are to come and to prayse the thynges that are past Howe then should complayntes ceasse yf euery good thyng that is present doo stynke and nothyng pleaseth but that whiche grieueth whether it be alredy past or hoped for Ioy. I haue gotten the Scepter and Diademe Reason Gloryous fetters and a noble miserie which yf all men throughly knewe trust me two woulde not so often stryue for one seate but there would be more kyngdomes then Kynges Ioy. I weare the princely robes Reason It is not the outward apparrel but the inwarde furniture and princely mynde that maketh a Kyng Alexander the Emperour of Rome was woont to say that Empyre and gouerment consisted in vertue and not in sumptuousnesse Ioy. I am aduaunced to a kyngdome Reason Now is the state of the subiectes vncertayne whether they be happie in that kind of happines which is imagined to be heare or in miserie For a vertuous king is the felicitie of a transitorie kingdome
moles heapes of stones rubbish throwen into the rough and deepe sea hard rockes cut in sunder plaine fieldes throwen vp into hilles toppes of hilles made leauel with plaine fieldes to the one earth added from the other earth taken away and that so suddenly that the strangnesse of the wonder was nothyng inferiour to the violence done vnto nature to wit when death was the rewarde of delaying the woorke by which meanes hauing within one yeeres space consumed the great treasure of his predecessour Tiberius and all the riches of the whole Empire he was driuen to extreame pouertie and most shameful rapine Among these thinges I do not recken how that he had determined in his minde to make a cut through Isthmus the hyl of Corinth which although it woulde haue ben a woorke of great charges yet had it been profitable for sea faring men whereby the two seas had been made one and they that had passed from Brundusium to Athens or Chalcis or Byzantium shoulde haue auoyded the great crooke of Achaia Next followeth Nero matche and superiour vnto him in madnesse whose disordinate expences had no measure specially in building wherein he surpassed all prodigal fooles and him selfe also He was not more â—â—â—â—ful in any other thing then in this and therfore I wyll touch on◠〈…〉 numerable follies He buyided an house which reached froâ— the hyl 〈…〉 vnto â—sguiline and stretched also ouer a greâ—â—â—â—â—art of the citie so that not vnwoorthily among the tauntes reproches wherwith the people with most free indignation girded hym home this also was cast against him All Rome shal be one house ye Romanes depart ye to the Vehi yf so be that this house doo not also streatch vnto the Vehi This house he commaunded to be called the golden house not vnfitly declaring the price by the name For the house was seeled and knotted with precious stones and of such height that at the entraunce 〈◊〉 of stoode a Colossus an hundred and twentie foote high Within was a Gallerie and Hal seeled about with pendentes of Golde Iuorie and vpon the top deuises of strange workemanshyp with motions after the maner of heauen by litle and litle of their owne accord turning about day and nyght without intermission Also a Ponde like the Sea adorned round about vppon the shoare with buyldinges after the maner of a Citie Moreouer fieldes and pastures and vineyardes and woods replenished with al kindes of liuing thinges The middest of this house as far as could be coniectured was that place which is coÌ„monly called Colosseum whose ruines do yet at this day astonish the beholders and the more to augment the wonder of the matter all these thinges were in the very middes of Rome So that notwithstanding he seemed to him selfe not only not to haue exceeded but not yet to haue answeared the greatnesse that ought to be in an Emperours house insomuch as when he dedicated the house he made no greater wonder at it but said this much onely Nowe at length I begin to dwell lyke a man. I omit these trifles that he neuer ware one garment twice that he neuer went iourney with lesse then a thousande Charrets that his Mules were shod with shooes of siluer that he fished with a golden Net that his roapes cordes were made of sine Purple silke with many suche other matters exceeding credite and breedyng tediousnesse But who wyl not wonder at these thinges that readeth of them but more wonder if he beheld them the remnantes and tokens whereof remayne to this day The Fishponde that was begun from the bridge Misenus and should haue reached to the â—ake Auernus compassed and couered with wonderful galleries and the dytch that was cast from Auernus to Hâ—stia◠〈◊〉 so long distance of way and through so many sâ—â—lles wâ—â—â—e bringing the sea into it and sayling in it without the accidentes â—â—â—t happen on the sea he might auoyde both the toyle of traueyling by lande and the weerisomnesse of faring by water the length whereof as now the inhabitantes of those quarters doo accompt it is well knowne vnto al men but as Tranguillus reckneth is an hundred threescore mile the breadth was such that two Gallies might meete and one not touch nor hinder another Which woorke if he 〈◊〉 finished he had beggered al Italy and the whole Common wealth but that death onely prouided a remedie for so great mischiefes of the world After him followeth Aurelius Verus who that I may let passe other thinges made suche a supper that yf he woulde haue made the lyke dynner I knowe not whether the Romane wealth would haue ben sufficient Whiche thing when his brother Marcus Aurelius vnderstoode beyng as great a friend to modestie as this was enimie is reported to haue lamented taking compassion vpon the Common wealth and the Empire decaying I leaue others for these are too many and I knowe that there be some of you that wyll thinke these examples to be longer then neede and the remedies shorter then promise But sometime it delighteth a learned man or one that loueth learning and honestie to heare the madnesse of fooles whiche may be a warning for him to followe the contrarie and with al myght and mayne to eschew the lyke All these thynges tende to this ende that thou mayest recompt with thy selfe what it is wherein thou hopest to haue treasure answerable to thy charges For as good husbandrie and modestie require no great treasures so neyther treasures nor whole empires are sufficient for prodigalitie and riotousnesse And this cause hath not onely constrayned men of meane callyng but almost all Princes those I meane that haue followed the vayne of these latter times of necessitie to fall to rapine and extortion whiche hath geuen occasion vnto many of an hastened and miserable death Ioy. Are not so many Cities sufficient to beare one mans charges â–ª Reason Let these aunsweare thee of whom I haue spoken so muche and others innumerable whom the lyke plague hath brought to lyke confusion To conclude this most deepe denne of expences that I may so tearme it lyke as that gapyng pitte of Curtius in olde tyme can not be filled with any ryches but may be restrayned by vertue and specially by modestie Wherein it auayleth to remember that it is others goodes which thou wastest and in this poynt also it is profitable to cal often to minde the saying of the Emperour Hadriane which as it is read he was wont many times to repeate in his speaches vnto the people in the Senat That he would so gouerne the Common wealth as knowing that it was the peoples commoditie and not his owne A fytte saying for so worthy a Prince Ioy. I reigne and reuenge is mine Reason Truely it is not thine for he lieth not that sayd Reuenge is mine And verily if thou be a true King nothing is lesse thine then reuenge and nothing more then mercifulnesse I coulde wyshe that nature had denyed
nor honestie in men that folowe the warres Ioy. I am Lord gouernour of a great Armie Reason Perhaps thou were better be a sheapheard among Tygers Beares The furie of wilde beastes may be tamed but the hartes of some men can neuer be reclaimed and wilde beastes do threaten before they strike but the malice of men doth suddenly breake foorth These whom thou tearmest thine call thee Lord alas this hireling inconstant generation for how smal a price and vppon how light occasion wyll they be changed and of thine owne souldiours become thine enimies Their flattering countenances shal be turned into horrour their right handes which they deliuered vnto thee perhaps shal be conuerted to thy destruction and if this happen it is no rare nor vnaccustomed matter At Placentia was that terrible commotion when as Iulius Caesars armie rebelled against him wherof this was spoken What Captaine woulde not that tumult haue made afrayde Howbeit Caesar through his wonderful constancie and fortitude repressed the vproare punishing the aucthours appeased the armie brought them to obedience Te like did Alexander that was Emperour of Rome at Antioche it tooke magnificall effect But goe forwarde a lytle and thou shalt see that shortly after he was slayne by none other then his owne Souldiours In the same maner Pertinax perished before in lyke sort afterward the two Maximi the father and the sonne so Balbinus and Maximus so Probus a most valient Captayne so Gratiane and Valentinian the younger a couple of good brethren the one betrayed by his legions the other by his companion so likewyse others innumerable whom their enimies coulde not ouercome haue perished by their owne armies and those whom they called their Souldiours they founde eruell Butchers Take heede therefore wherein thou reioycest For this thy cruel and vnmerciful armie as he sayeth is a beast with many heades and dareth to aduenture any thyng beyng thereunto prouoked by anger want or couetousnesse Ioy. I haue an huge armie Reason At the Thessalike battayle sayth Florus there was nothyng that ouerthrewe Pompei so muche as the greatnesse of his armie and it fortuneth almost in all battayles that the greater armie is vanquished and the lesser vanquisheth Of a well appoynted Nauie The .xcviii. Diaalogue IOY I Haue a well appoynted Nauie Reason And the Ayre hath well appoynted Windes the Sea well appoynted Waues and Rockes Thou creature of the Land why medlest thou with the Sea Ioy. I haue a well furnished Nauie Reason There be also tempestes for thee shypwrackes wel furnished thou ioyest in thyne owne daungers toyle and expences whereof there is no ende nor measure of all your madnesses a Nauie is the most chargeable Ioy. My Nauie is furnished Reason The violence of the heauen and sea wyll shake it and be it neuer so well appoynted a suddayne storme wyl scatter and destroy it whereof not to consyder whyle thou saylest on the Sea is the part of a foole Ioy. I haue a Nauie vpon the Sea. Reason Are ye not in daungers enough vpon the Lande but must ye trouble the Seas also It is not sufficient for you to digge the earth from whence is fette the hurtfull Iron and Golde that is more hurtful then iron as Ouid sayth but yee haue also ventured vpon the rough and horrible seas which the first men did only wonder at in euerie place seeking your owne trouble and in euerie place your owne danger and in this poinct yee be wakeful and diligent and in al other thinges slouthful and negligent Ioy. I haue entred vpon the Sea with a great armie Reason Thynke vpon thy returne for it is an easye matter to â—â—t foorth The Sea is commonly calme at the first settyng forward but when men are once entred it waxeth monstruous and â—â—â—ible notwithstandyng for one that was borne among men to couet to lyue among Dolphins and Monsters of the Sea is doubtlesse a wonderful delyght of a wyld and rough mynd Ioy. I haue a great and valiant Nauy Reason Perhaps it were more for thy profite and safetie eyther to syt in a litle Boate or to stand vpon the Shore and angle for fyshes then with an armed Nauy to offer violence vnto nations Many by theyr great Naâ—es hath been pricked forth to dangerous boldnesse which hath enforced them thyther where they haue wyshed them selues at home This the Grecians learned to be true at the mountayne Caphareus when they returned from Troy namely the Lacedemonians at Arginusis the Athenians at the shore of Syracusâ—e and the Carthagiens at the Ilandes Egrates Many dangers happen vnto Nauies not only by enimies but also by the Sea. To conclude when as there were before sundry kyndes of death this one kynde more is now added to the number O blind fooles and to to lauysh of your lyues which ye loue so dearely seekyng for death euery where which ye feare aboue all thinges Of Engines and Artillerie The .xcix Dialogue IOY I Haue al kynds of Engines Reason This is also a princely madnesse to haue wherewith to hurt men when ye lyst who of duetie ought to be most beneficial of al men And for this consyderation only kinges were first chosen and set ouer kingdomes to gouerne men and of them agayne to be honoured and loued as parentes Some also that are called fathers of their countrey do euery thyng quite contrary and are feared and hated of all men as common theeues and tormentours Ioy. I haue store of engines to ouerthrow townes with al. Reason How much better were it to buylde them and preserue them with all But perhaps thou thynkest it a more glorious matter to destroy and haddest rather seeme to be the Policertes of thy age but Townes are not alwayes ouerthrowne with engynes When Caesar in his warres in Fraunce had erected very great fortes agaynst the Hadriaticiâ— first his enimies contemned hym as though he attempted far vnpossible for humane power to archiue but then they saw them mooued brought close to their walles turnyng theyr contempt to astonishment and feare they gaue vp theyr defence and conuerted them selues to conditions of yeeldyng And lykewyse in Caesars ciuyl warres Brutus beyng captayne when he had erected and brought the lyke vnto the walles of Missilia he cast the besieged into as great astonishment but not into as great feare and therfore issuyng foorth in the nyght they set on fire the turrets and engynes Ioy. I abound with engynes and artillery Reason Al these thinges wherof thou boastest apparteyne rather to the iniuryng of other then to the encreasing of thyne owne honour How much more commendable were it and worthy for a man to abounde rather with the instrumentes of mercy then of crueltie and rather to possesse that wherwith he may geue entertaynment to his friendes and those that are in necessitie then by besiegyng innocent townes to disturbe the common tranquilitie Ioy. I haue engines that do cast great stones Reason To cast stones
a strange wayfaring man a woonderfull runner which in this stonye and difficult path art happy being tossed among so manie thousand dangers not knowing wherin thou art heere happy which as I suppose neuer any man was nor neuer shal be for who was euer happy in miserie Therfore there is none happy before he passe out of this vale of miserie Among al the men in the world there are twayne counted happy of whiche the most especiall is Quintus Metellus both by writers and common report reputed happy Neuerthelesse although the name of happynesse be very large and amply taken I knowe it is taken from hym by certayne precise wryters by reason of most grieuous iniuries whiche he susteyned and to encrease the griefe at the handes of a vyle person Nowe the false felicitie of other is euydent Scilla was only called happie notwithstandyng the haynousnesse of his lyfe death do prooue that he was vnfortunate Although Alexander of Macedonie and Iulius Caesar had most prosperous fortune yet theyr lyues were euer vnquiet and troublesome and therefore were not happy for they both had violent deathes the one in middle course of his warres the other after his conquest sodaynly the one perished by poyson the other by weapon The Martiall felicitie of the Scipioes in the one is by his vnwoorthy exile in the other by his shameful and vnreuenged death diminished It were ouerlong to recount euery ones fortune and therefore I come to the last Only Augustus the Emperour seemed almost vnto al men to be happy both for the excellency of his Monarchie continuance of peace length of his lyfe and pleasant ende thereof and which exceedeth all perpetual tranquilitie of minde and manners who wyl deny that he was most happy But they that haue applyed themselues to searche after the trueth wyll not graunt that he was happy For the inwarde state of his domesticall lyfe hyndred his outward glory and the change of his fortune much altered his want of natural and Male issue the vntymely death of his Adoptyues and Nephues and the vntowardnesse of some of them more woorse then death Moreouer the treason and secrete practises of certayne most vyle persons and often conspiracies of his owne kynsfolke agaynst hym the common whoredomes of his most dearely beloued and only daughter Neece finally an heyre that was none of his owne and a successour that he lyked not of whom he chose rather of necessitie then of iudgement beyng vnworthy of such an Emperour and Empire If then none of these were happy eyther shew me some other happy man with whom thou mayest be happy or els be thou happy alone or els at length encline thine eare to the truer opinion accordyng to the purport wherof I say agayne that there is no man happy before his death Ioy. I am happy in minde Reason I know what felicitie thou meanest eyther therefore thou art happy in thyne owne errour as one sayth which happinesse as I haue sayde is misery or els by the vertue of thy mynde which is no perfect felicitie although it be the way vnto it Last of all when I examine euery thyng with my selfe I cannot deny but that I am enforced to woonder what maner of felicitie it shoulde be whiche some doo dreame of and promyse vnto others being in many other matters very sharpe and wyse but in this most blynde For whether that there be required vnto felicitie an heape of all honoures and those neuer to fayle but to continue permanent and howe many thynges are wantyng to a man that foloweth this trade of lyfe euery one can iudge in hym selfe knowyng those things which he hath how vncertayne and transitorie they be or whether as other suppose the same be accomplyshed in vertue truely they that gouerne them selues accordyng to vertue whom these men account happy and whom I also confesse to come neerest to felicitie endure continually most cruel conflictes of temptations within them selues lying alwaies open vnto many and grieuous perils are neuer in securitie before theyr death which whether they know or know not they are alyke to be reputed wretched For there is no felicitie with errour and none without securitie Ioy. I seeme vnto my selfe to be happy Reason Thou haft alredy an answere for yf errour coulde make a man happy most men shoulde be happy therfore thy felicitie is false and very short It neuer happened vnto any to reioyce long in an errour trueth only is sounde and substancial As for errour it is a slender and vayne thyng whiche betweene the handes of them that embrace it fadeth away as a smoke or shadowe But a time wyl come which shal dryue away shadowes and discouer false ioyes and bryng them to lyght and make humane felicitie to be discerned from dreames And therfore make enquiry of al these men of whom I last made mention which of them seemed happy to them selues or to other and lykewyse where they be now and in what state they remaine what also they thinke of that their short felicitie though them selues holde theyr peace the trueth wyll speake and beare witnesse that they that were accounted happy were in deede most wretched Of good Hope The Cix Dialogue Hope HOwe soeuer the worlde goeth no man shal take hope fromme Reason In deede no man is able to take it from thee but she wyll take away her selfe by litle and litle and wasteth away beyng often deluded with vnlooked for euentes Hope I hope for many thinges Reason Thou must needes also stande in feare of many thinges for hope dwelleth no where without feare Hope I hope for some good Reason Then thou fearest some euil for as hope is opposite to feare so dooth it spring out of a contrary fountayne and it must needes be that looke what thou beginnest to hope for the contrary thou must as necessarily feare Hope I hope for prosperous thinges Reason But yet vncertaine in hope wherof to neglect the things that thou art assured of is assured madnesse for he that hopeth for that which he hath not forgetteth that which he hath Hope I am not forbidden to hope for the better Reason What if thou hope for difficult impossible matters that wil neuer come to passe What if those things which thou hopest for are bad yea very euil thou imaginest them to be better then they are Hope I delight to liue in hope Reason Say more truely to die in hope for whyle men thinke vpon future things the present passe away they that loke a far of see not what is vnder their eyes they that hope to liue to morow liue not to day for that is not yet come whose beginning is hoped for So then forasmuch as al hope is the loking for a good thing that is absent it followeth that he that hopeth in that respect that he hopeth suffreth some euyl Hope It is a sweete thing to hope Reason Truely I heare many say so but I can
tidinges when thou art awake Hope I saw good hap in sleepe Reason But thou shalt finde il hap when thou awakest Hope I was an happy man in my rest Reason But thou shalt be wretched in thy trauayle For many tymes â—reames signifie nothing and many tymes the contrary Hope True thynges are often seene in dreames Reason But how more often false The lyke iudgement is to he geuen of this and all such other kyndes of vanities one thyng happenyng true by chaunce purchaseth credite to a great many of false and mens myndes gapyng after that whiche is to come taketh no regarde of that whiche is past Hope The Diuinours promyse me many thyngs Reason I do not much wonder at these impostours and deceyuers who accordyng to theyr maner do lyue by theyr practise but I marueyle more at you that you subiect your lyues soules and wittes vnto theyr bellies and therfore take hede what perswasion thou holdest â—â—r yf thou wylt folowe mine aduyce thou shalt expect with a quiet and vpryght mynde not what the Starres but what the Creatour and gouernour of the Starres hath determined concernyng thee feruently woorkyng somethyng euery day whereby thou mayst be founde the more woorthy of his loue Concernyng the euentes let it not once enter into thy mynde to mooue any of them vnto whom the trueth is lesse knowne then to thy selfe Finally thus perswade thy selfe that it is an harde matter for men to knowe what it is to come and that it is not lawful for them yf it were expedient nor expedient yf it were lawfull Of glad tidings The. Cxiii Dialogue HOPE I Haue heard glad tydyngs Reason Beleeue not fame she is a lyar Hope Many tel me glad newes Reason It is better sometyme to beleeue one then many Hope That cannot be altogeather false which so many messengers doo report Reason The maner of common report is wel knowne which is to mingle lies with trueth A great many of lyes are seasoned with a few true tales for no body wyl beleeue hym that which al lyes Hope The first aucthour of the rumor is a credâ—â—le person Reason But there is no man contented to report only as much as he hath hearde or seene it is nothyng worth vnlesse that euery one adde some thyng of his owne to that which he hath heard or seene which when many haue done a man shal perceiue how one lye hath been heaped vpon another so that this mischiefe going from hande to hande hath encreased in mens handes as it was going and which the most excellent poet sayeth It floorisheth by moouyng and getteth strength by going Hope Hytherto the report is very ioyful Reason What yf it flatter thee that it may strike thee Many times after ioyful rumors folow woful massacres this for the more part is the manner of fortune to promyse hope that she may wound the deeper and she annoynteth her cruel weapon with the sweetnesse of some glad tidynges wherewith she purposeth to cut the throate of hym that reioyceth Which thyng forasmuche as the learned and wyse do vnderstande they are nothyng mooued with flatteryng reportes but remayne vnmooueable recountyng with them selues either that it is contrary or that this rumour that semeth so acceptable may be chaunged into the contrary Hope I am delighted in a ioyful rumour Reason Stay a whyle tyl thou knowe whether it be certayne and if it so fall out yet is it a shame for a manly courage to be moued with euery smal rumour though they be true but most shameful with those that are false Many haue ben ashamed that they haue reioyced and the remembrance of theyr false ioy hath augmented theyr true griefe Of expecting a mans sonne or Farmer or wyfe The Cxiiii Dialogue Hope I Hope for my sonnes returne Reason Thou hopest for a careful ioy and a neare sorow Hope I hope to see my friend agayne Reason Thou hopest for a sweete thyng but deceiueable mens affayres tremble vpon a brittle foundation perhaps he whom thou now lookest for is dead which thou maist proue yf thou liue There are a thousand kindes of impedimens one that is common to al that is death Hope I trust to enioy the desired sight of my friend Reason These two are almost alwayes ioyned togeather to wyshe and to hope but by sundry casualties they be dayly separated Howe many may we thynke were there in Rome that with very desirous myndes expected the returne of the last Marcus Marcellus But contrarywyse his most cruel foe attended his commyng in the myddes of the way whose furious sauagenesse was more mightie then was the mercyfulnesse of the conquerour that reuoked his aduersarie from exyle And therfore Caesar at the request of the Senate coulde pardon Marcellus but Marcellus Client coulde not sustayne any greater griefe then that he shoulde enioy that benefite from Caesar Hope I hope to see my friende and I expect him hauyng no enimie to hinder his commyng Reason What man is he that hath not an enimie and albeit he haue no priuate enimie yet is there any without publique fooes I meane theeues and murderers who mooued with couetousnesse haue proclaymed open war agaynst mankynde But imagine there chaunced some such good constellation that this mischiefe were banyshed out of the worlde notwithstandyng who shal defend Wagons and Horses from ouerthrowyng ryuers and streames from ouerflowyng brydges and houses from fallyng tempestes on Sea and lande from rysyng Adde moreouer the incursion of fierce and wylde beastes and venomous vermyne by meanes of whiche Dicaearchus a most curious searcher of such matters sheweth that not only certaine particuler men but also whole generations of men haue ben destroyed And in summe looke how many chaunces there be in humane affaires wherof there is no certaine number so many enimies are there of mankinde which may I say not slacke thy hope but extinguysh it And though nothyng els doo happen yet death of whom I spake erwhile whether men go or stande is alwaies at their elbowe and perhaps more neere to them that ryde and traueile vppon the way by howe muche theyr iourney and riding and changyng of place seemeth to be subiect to more kindes of casualties Hope I hope for my friendes returne after the prosperous dispatching of his businesse Reason How gloriously prosperously Drusus Nero that was sonne in law to Augustus behaued him self and accomplished his affaires that he was beloued of his enimies that he had vanquyshed so that they dyd almost adore hym as a God whose wonderfull affection towards the memoriall of hym euen to this present day I suppose thou mightest perceiue yf euer thou were conuersant among the states of Germanie Truely he atchiued such exploites wherof he might woorthily vaunt him the whiche appeareth yet remayning to this day ingrauen in certayne Romane stones wherof some of the first sillables are defaced and throwen downe by misfortune in these verses At the departing of the Rhine I inuaded the land and wasted
not onely vnderstande howe to hope for prosperous times but how to deeme of the sorowfull if thou looke vpon thine owne age whiche euery day waxeth more heauie then other as it is described by the Poet and founde in most olde men And truely yf thou cast thyne eyes backwarde and begyn to recount and consyder thine owne yeeres thou wylt also therewithal begin to despayre of that whiche thou hopest There is no cause why thou shouldest hope for alteration of the course of the world The tymes that folowe are not better but I feare me rather the worse And what is the cause I pray thee but onely because men waxe woorse and woorse whiche certayne notable men haue foretolde should be so and the effect plainly declareth but that you men vppon good hope do euermore conceiue some great opinion of your noble and modest youth from whiche opinion I am farre of for my minde can not prognosticate nor foresee any good to ensue at al euery thing is so prone vnto vice and vntowardnesse Hope The times are euyl but better shal ensue Reason Euery age hath complained of the maners that haue been then sayth Seneca And I adde that euery age had cause in deede whereof to complayne shal haue hereafter to the worldes end Hope I hope for a better time Reason There is one way vnto that wherby yf thou attaine to a better state thou wylt then hope for no farther matter Frame vnto thy selfe a merier mind which thou canst not do without vertue when thou hast so done al things shal be merrie fortunate and nothing vnprosperous or sorowful Hope I looke for a better tyme. Reason If it chaunce to come which is doubtfull verily as that approcheth thou drawest away How muche were it better to vse well the tyme present rather then carefully to expect that whiche perchaunce eyther wyll not come at all or thou shalt neuer lyue to see Of the hoped commyng of a Prince The Cxvi Dialogue HOPE I Hope for a Princes comming Reason As many things are feared which were rather to be wished so many are wished whiche were rather to be feared on both sides there is great want of iudgement Hope I hope for the Princes commyng Reason How much more seemely were it to hope for libertie for truely he that hopeth for a Lord or a Maister hopeth for his owne seruitude Hope I hope that the Prince wyll come Reason Thou hopest also for the common mischiefe whiche commeth with him But the tyme hath been when Princes haue hoped for their kingdomes and the people haue hoped for their Prince but now the kingdome is a burden to the Prince and the Prince a plague to the people Hope I and the common wealth doo hope that the Prince wyll come Reason What thou alone dooest hope for thou knowest best thy selfe wherein also thou mayest easily be deceyued but as for the hope of the Common wealth it is but foolyshe For what man vnlesse he were mad woulde hope for or desire that whiche he hath so often times experimented to be hurtful Hope I hope that the Prince wyll come Reason And he wyll bryng with hym sundry stirres and tumultes alterations of Cities hurtfull nouelties famine pestilence warres discorde al these at once or euery one of them seuerally vse commonly to come with Princes now a dayes If thou lyke of these thynges then hope for the Princes commyng but yf none of these be fearefull notwithstandyng the very name of an Empire is ful of reporâ—es and rumours deuoyde of al goodnesse and only founded vpon the shadowe of antiquitie Hope I hope that the Prince wyll come Reason But I woulde haue thee wyse and circumspect that as often as thou hearest of his comming thou imagine that thou hearest the voyce of some thunder that goeth before lyghtnyng nor begynne not to hope but rather to feare yf so be one of them must needes fayle For to feare aduersitie although it be repugnant to vertue yet is it agreeable to nature but to hope for euyll is contrary to nature and vertue Hope I hope that the prince wyll be heere shortly Reason When thou seest hym present imagine that thou beholdest an vnfortunate starre to the Common wealth and concernyng this matter take aduice of thyne owne memorie or demaunde of thy Parentes or of thy Grandfathers or great Grandfathers and thou shalt finde it to be so as I say whiche thyng declare thou also to thy chyldren posteritie least they also lyke fooles hope for the Princes commyng I pray thee tel mee when dyd euer the small Beastes hope for the Lyons comming or the lesser Foules for the Eagles Pardon me if I tel that trueth Man is a most foolyshe creature and alwayes most desirous of his owne harme other haue neede of a bayte to take them withall and man is caught onely with rumour of fame Of hope of Fame after death The Cxvii Dialogue HOPE I Hope for Fame after my death for my desartes Reason Many hope that they deserue fame when they rather deserue infamie and lyke traueylers that wander out of their way when they thynke they goe ryght foorth then goe they backewarde Hope I am famous in my lyfe tyme and I hope to be more famous after my death Reason This is true I confesse in some insomuche as Anneus Seneca in a certaine Epistle profecieth that he shoulde he beloued of posteritie and Statius Papinius sayth that he hath prepared a redie path for the present fame vnto his woorke among posteritie and lykewyse the Poet Ouid foretold of the eternitie of his name to come and that he shoulde be read by the mouth of the people and lyue by fame throughout all ages and truely none of these are deceyued But how many thynkest thou haue there been that haue hoped the lyke but their hope hath fayled them Many perhappes haue thought as much and haue written but haue not found that which they promised to them selues Hope If I be famous whyle I lyue why should I not be more famous after my death Reason For that it is an accustomable and common experience that many that haue been famous and noble in their life time after their death haue become obscure and vnknowen Dooest thou wonder at it The cause is manifest which is a certaine affabilitie neate pleasant speach a fawning countenance a friendly looke gentle greeting benefites bestowed vpon neighbours defending of clientes hospitalitie towardes strangers courtesie towardes al men These and suche lyke do purchase fâ—me to them that are lyuing but so sone as they are dead they continue no longer vnlesse perhaps as long as they remaine that knewe them whiche how short a time it is thou seest for how should thinges continue that are not grounded vpon a sure foundation It is the course of nature that the thinges that are weakely established and slenderly encreased do soone decay And therefore that thy fame may be durable it must proceede
eyther from thy holynesse of lyfe or worthinesse of thy desartes or singularitie of thy written woorkes A rare kinde of honour these praiers and courteous kind of gowned Gentlemen which walke in their Silkes and glitter in their precious Stones and Iewels and are poynted at by the people are knowen no longer then they can speake or a litle longer An hard case that all this brauerie and pompe this shewe of knowledge these thunderyng speeches shoulde so soodenly vanishe away into a thinne smoake an hard case I confesse but true it is in deede for they haue ministred none occasion of any testimonie of their due prayse but onely of ambition lucre or slouthfulnesse Hope I shal haue fame after my death Reason Fame neuer profited the dead but hath oftentimes hurt the liuing For what was it other that procured the destruction of Cicero and Demosthenes then their surpassing fame of learnyng The lyke also may be sayde of Socrates and Zeno and infinite other who are all knowen For what was it that gaue occasion to the Athenians to murther Androgeuâ— that was sonne to king Gnosius but onely the fame of his wit and learning What brought the chosen men as they tearme them of the great shyp Argos who in deede were very Theeues vnto Oetes king of Colchos but only the fame of his ryches For what els may we thinke to be signified by that famous golden fleece of the Ram but great riches diuersly dispersed wherewithall beastly rich men and suche as are destitute of the true ryches are plentifully endued lyke as Sheepe that are clad with their fleeces Hope I shal be famous Reason Admit thou be what great matter conceyuest thou thereof Fame perhaps were somewhat yf knowledge were ioyned with it as it often hapneth in the liuing but wyll it auayle thee any thyng to be praysed of them whiche knowe thee not yf they see thee I pray thee tell me yf thou shouldest see Homer and Achilles yf Virgil and Augustus shoulde they not passe by vnknowen although their names be neuer so well knowen and famous Beleeue me your hopes are for the more part vayne in two respectes the one in that the thinges that ye hope for come not to passe the other in that if they do come to passe yet doo they not perfourme that whiche they promised For why for the most al humane thinges consist more in hope then in effect Cast away therfore this vayne hope fonde desyres and contemnyng of earthly thinges learne at length to wyshe and hope for heauenly thynges Of Glorie hoped for by buyldyng The Cxviii Dialogue HOPE I Hope for Glorie by buyldyng Reason I knewe not so much before that glory was wonne out of Lime and Sande and Timber and Stone but I supposed it had only been gotten by atchiuing of valient deedes and exercise of vertue Hope I purchase Glorie vnto my selfe by buyldyng Reason But it is a frayle and transitorie Glorie Whatsoeuer is made by mans hande is eyther ouerthrowen by mans hande or fayleth of it selfe in continuance of tyme For long tyme hath verie long and strong handes there is none of all your woorkes that canne withstande olde age Wherefore when these thynges shall fall whereon this thy Glorie is founded it must needes be that it fall also If haply thou beleeue not beholde the thinges that are of antiquitie whereof thou canst not be ignoraunt Where is now that proude tower of Ilium in Troy Where is Byrsa of Carthage Where are the tower and walles of Babylon It is now an habitation of Serpentes and wilde beastes I speake nowe of the auncient Citie of Babylon As for the neerer and newe Babylon it standeth yet and is in case to be soone destroyed yf you were men To be short where are those seuen notable woorkes whiche the Greeke writers haue so muche celebrated And to come vnto more later tymes Where I pray thee is Neroes golden house which how much it weeried the woorkemen imagine thou it weerieth nowe the readers of it whiche house with other outragies and follies in buildyng wherein he exceeded al other brought hym to pouertie and enforced hym to rapine Where are Dioclesians warme Fountaynes and Antonius Bayne and Marius cymbrum and Seuerus Septizonium and also his Senerian warme Welles And briefely to conclude where is Augustus Market place and the house of Mars the reuenger and of thundryng Iupiter in the Capitol and the Temple of Apollo in the Palace Where is also his Gallerie and Librarie both Greeke and Latine likewyse his other Gallerie and large Treasance which were buylded and dedicated in the names of Gaius and Lucius his two Nephues and the thyrde Gallerie of his wyfe Liuia and his Syster Octauia and Marcellus Theatre Where are all the notable peeces of woorke whiche sundrie noble men buy ded in many places of the Citie with so great payne and excessiue charges at the commaundement and instance of the same Prince Merius Philippus house of Hercules and the Muses Lucius Cornificius house of Diana and Asinius Pollioes Court of Libertie and Munacius Pancus house of Saturne Cornelius Balbus Theatre and Statilius Taurus Amphitheater Ouer and aboue these the innumerable woorkes of Marcus Agrippa And not to touche euery thyng where are all the vaine and ouerriotous Palaces of Princes and Emperours Seeke in bookes and thou shalt finde their names but seeke all the Citie of Rome ouer and thou shalt eyther finde nothyng at all or a fewe remnantes remainyng of so many great woorkes and therefore thou knowest what thou mayest hope of thyne owne Truely vnlesse that Augustus who was chiefe of al hadde left somethyng behynde hym besydes buyldynges his glory had long synce fallen to the grounde and not only the Temples of the Goddes which he prepared fell downe vppon those that buylded them but other places also in the same Citie at this day haue some of them fallen downe some trembled and shaken and nowe they can scarse stande alone and beare theyr owne burden except one only whiche is the Temple of Pantheon made by Agrippa Beleeue me glory that must continue requyreth other foundations then are made of Stone Hope I seeke for glory by buyldyng Reason Seeke it where it is thou shalt neuer fynde a thing where it is not true glory consisteth not in walles nor stones There are I confesse commonly iudgementes and estimations of thynges geuen foorth in whiche respect glory is sayde to be gotten three wayes by doyng some notable deede so that good aucthours may condingly wryte of thee or by writyng some excellent woorke whiche posteritie may reade and woonder at or by buyldyng some syngulare peece of woorke whiche yf it be so yet this last is the least and of the other the most transitorie Hope I leaue behynde me woorkes of buyldyng wherein I vaunt when I am dying and hope to gayne glory among posteritie Reason Augustus the Emperour of whom I spake vaunted that he had left the citie of Marble
vnto Heauen it selfe A bondman can not serue in warfare vnder man but he may serue GOD the wages of whose seruice in warfare is to reigne The seruaunt of GOD is Kyng ouer all men felowe with Angelles a terrour to Deuylles The seruaunt of GOD may also be seruaunt to man and thus worldly seruice is no hunderaunce to the heauenly felicitie Sorowe I am a Seruaunt Reason If thou hast alwayes been so custome may asswage thy griefe If not hope that thou mayest one day not be that whiche some tyme thou wast not Sorowe I am a seruaunt Reason If thou hope for an ende of thy miserie let thy hope diminishe thy sorowe But yf thou despayre let patience mitigate it and heape not one mischiefe vppon another neyther vexe thy selfe to no purpose willingly and wittingly whiche were the greatest poynt of follie that is incident to the lyfe of man But a man must not despayre for when all thynges be wantyng death wyll come at the length who in despite of thy Maister wyll loose thee and set thee at libertie Of pouertie The .viii. Dialogue SOROWE I Am oppressed with pouertie that I can not ryse Reason Pouertie hath many tymes perswaded modestie to an vnwyllyng mynde and that whiche Philosophie hath attempted in vayne this hath brought to passe Sorowe Pouertie besiegeth myne entrie Reason Shee besiegeth it not but keepeth it neyther is this a strange and vnaccustomable thyng for in tymes past shee preserued the Citie of Rome many hundred yeeres For among the tentes of sober and carefull pouertie flouthfull wantonnesse sluggyshe sleepe and weake and effeminate vices doo entre Sorowe Pouertie hath inuaded my house Reason I aduertise thee to meete her willingly receyuyng and embracyng her with vnfolded armes and a cheareful countenance And though at the fyrst encounter she appeare some deale sharpe and bytter and not without cause to be compared vnto a wayfaryng man and one that is armed at all poyntes for that her commyng is speedie and threatnyng notwithstandyng when she is once receyued into familiaritie she wyll be a gheast nothing sumptuous but quiet and gentle Sorowe Pouertie rappeth at my doore Reason Open then vnto her speedily before that by sudden force she breake the barres and pluckyng the doore from the hookes she enter in lyke a conquerour For as she is very greeuous vnto those that withstand her so is she very pleasant vnto them that geue her place Sorowe Pouertie hath broken vp my house Reason Shee is a passyng diligent watcher agaynst Theeues and Pleasures whiche are woorse then theeues agaynst the girdes and absurd iudgementes of the common people and also agaynst the infamie of couetousnesse or prodigalitie whiche seldome sitteth in any other place then the entries of the ryche From these euylles can thy house by no meanes be better preserued then yf pouertie guard it And euen as yf a man be franke yet yf he reserue any thyng to him selfe he is commonly tearmed couetous so yf he be poore he shal be counted greedie to haue It is the maner of neere neighbours to enuie at wealth to pitie pouertie The one they desyre and disprayse the other they commende and abhorre Sorowe Pouertie hath possessed my house Reason Now shal there be no place with thee for pryde nor for enuie nor for notable losses nor for the feare of losses nor for a thousand kindes of suspitions nor for deceite nor for surfect and loathsomnesse nor for the Gout that is a gheast among the ryche all whiche being shut out of doores reste quietnesse and vertue shall haue larger entertaynement with thee who shall haue the more roomth the lesse that thy wealth is Sorowe Hard pouertie hath entred my house Reason I knowe what thou meanest ryches shoulde haue entred more pleasantly but pouertie more safely There are no riches before whom securitie is not to be preferred For when all thynges whatsoeuer men doo or desyre are directed vnto felicitie surely it may consist without ryches but not without securitie Sorowe I haue been long tyme oppressed with importunate pouertie Reason As no importable thyng can long be borne so is there no short thyng difficult But thou wylt say this is hard examine it with ryches doest thou make more accompt of golde then of vertue Hast thou not learned among the Paradoxes of the Stoâ—kes That onely a wyse man is ryche Or perhappes hast thou read it and not regarded it Whiche thyng most readers doo to the ende to talke more finely not to lyue more vertuously applying nothyng vnto honestie but referryng all to knowledge and eloquence then whiche nothyng is more vayne Of Domage sustayned The .ix. Dialogue SOROWE CRuell Fortune hath bereft me of all my ryches Reason Shee hath done thee no iniurie for she hath taken but her owne but this is an auncient and common vnthankefulnesse to forget what was geuen you and to remember what is taken away And therefore your thankes are fewe and colde and your complaintes many and feruent Sorowe Fierce Fortune hath taken also away the things that are necessary for liuing Reason No man can take away the thyngs that are necessarie forasmuche as nothyng is cruely to be called necessarie without whiche a man may lyue wel I say lyue wel not voluptuously not insolently or gorgiously but wysely but soberly but honestly wherein Fortune be she neuer so proud shal confesse that she hath no right And truely although desire of hauing is not satisfied with al the golde that is in the worlde and all the pompe of precious stones and plentie of all maner of thinges notwithstanding natural necessitie is contented with verie litle that may be gotten by some lyght meanes of the tongue or exercise of the hand thus vertue is pleased with a verie litle vice with nothing Sorowe Couetous Fortune denyeth me necessarie foode and apparrell Reason Thou must get it then some where els Vertue is more liberal then Fortune for she denieth a man nothyng but whiche wyll hurt yf it be graunted and doo good yf it be forbydden shee taketh away nothyng but which wyl hurt to haue it and is profitable to loose it shee deferreth nothyng shee commaundeth nothyng shee plucketh not backe her hande shee frowneth not shee looketh not strangly shee despiseth no man she forsaketh no man shee deceyueth no man shee chafeth not shee rageth not shee changeth not shee is alwayes one and euery where but that the more she is tasted of the sweeter shee seemeth and the neerer shee is beholden the fayrer euery day then other shee appeareth That thou mayest therefore be ryche in deede let nothyng carrie thee away from this affliction or repell thee although it doo exercise and molest thee the fyrst entraunce vnto it is harde as for the residue it is redie pleasant and easie For when thou art once come vnto it thou shalt not feele pouertie Sorowe Fortune hath spoyled mee of all my goodes Reason Thou supposest amisse this mischiefe is commune
all men that there is nothyng whereof they doo more grieuously and more often complayne so that there is nothyng among men better nothyng more hatefull then pouertie Sorow I am poorer in lyfe Reason Thou shalt be gladder in death There was neuer any man liuyng so poore but when he was dying coulde haue been contented to haue liued poorer Of thinne Fare The x. Dialogue SOROWE MY fare is thinne Reason Then is thy pleasure thin and thy sobrietie clenly Wouldest thou vpon desire to glut thy lust and to satisfie thy deynty mouth wyshe the contrary Sorowe I fare hardly Reason Take it in good part that thou wantest the prouocations of appetite seeyng thou hast in a redynesse those that are sweeter and easier both to be gotten and to be kept For vertue hath also her enticementes I vse nowe Tullies woorde When thou shalt once begyn to chaw and taste of these thou wylt not much passe for the other Sorowe My fare is harde Reason Hardnesse is friende vnto vertue and delicie vnto vice Howe many excellent men wyllyngly abandonyng pleasures haue chosen this kynde of fare whiche thou myslykest Whereof some when they myght haue fared deyntyly tooke pleasure rather in feastyng with bread and water Shal we iudge any man to be so wedded to pleasure that woulde not extreamely hate her yf he coulde beholde with his eyes the shâ—me that is wyned with her But sweetnesse is a pernicious thyng a deadly enimie vnto vertue and a beastly ticklyng whiche who so pursueth may be a man in shewe but in deede is a bruite beast Moreouer the familiaritie whiche is contracted with vices and the accustomyng vnto them whiche is very hurtefull casteth a myst before mens eyesight that they are not able to discerne how fayre that is whiche grieueth them and how foule that whiche delighted them Sorowe My fare is to short Reason Nay rather it is to sumptuous and thy throate is to wyde The same to see to is but a narrowe way and in deede but one way notwithstandyng it is a wyde open way for all vyces to runne in by vnto the foule By this way the flame of lustes the dulnesse of the wyt the rage and fury of anger and chydyng doo enter in and so dooeth also imperious desyre to haue whiche commaundeth you to suffer and doo all thynges so that you thynke them necessary when as in deede they be hurtfull and you call that the staye of your lyfe whiche is the ouerthrowe thereof By this way enter in the firebrandes of enuie and the implacable emulation with disdeyning myndes vauntyng that there be other that serue theyr throate and belly aswell as you seekyng for prayse there where as shame were to be feared To be short by this way entreth pryde whylest the swellyng belly that cannot receyue it selfe communicateth his swellyng vnto the mynde and perswadeth hym that he is of some greater callyng then a man for that he hath been fedde with Ambrosia and Nectaâ— the meate and drynke of the Goddes Thus thou seest howe one vyce is the entrie vnto all and yet yf it can be shut by none other meanes thou art not willyng that it be made fast with the barres of pouertie O amiable pouertie that takest vppon thee the office of continencie it is profitable for thee to be compelled vnto that whiche thou oughtest to doo of thyne owne accorde Sorowe My slender dyet maketh me leaue Reason Haddest thou rather then to swell This leauenesse wyl dryue the Goute out of thy boundes it wyll take awaye the head ache and the gyddynesse of the brayne and vomityng and the hycket and the lothsomnesse of the stomacke and sweatyng and weerysomnesse of thy selfe the sudden alteration of colour from palenesse to rednesse it wyll also helpe the strong smel of the breath and of the whole body that is noysome vnto thy selfe and others Moreouer it wyll moderate and represse the vnstablenesse of thy feete the tremblyng of thy handes the shakyng of thy head and whiche is chiefe of all it wyll stay thy mynde it selfe Wherefore then doest thou complayne since that thou hast gotten so many commodities of the body and mynde by wantyng of meate and the smal discommoditie of the sense of tastyng beyng woorthie to loose them and to be bondslaue vnto taste only Sorowe Thynne dyet weeryeth me Reason The contrary woulde make thee weery vnlesse perhaps thou call payne an ease Hast thou not read that the weerysomnesse of the delicate lyfe is great insomuche that it coulde not be abidden the space of fyue dayes togeather by men of temperate dyet and suche as aspire vnto hygher matters then are the throate and the belly Sorowe My fare is thyn aboue measure Reason There was an age when as there was here and yet is a nation among whom was most gallant fare but when the worlde was waxen woorse you endeuoured also to be worst of all beyng alwayes the aucthours of the publique decay and ruine so that you that were the best of all other now turnyng your footesteppes contrarywyse are become woorst of all men and among the vices of tyme and places possesse the hyghest degree Sorowe My thyn dyet pleaseth me not Reason The louers and patrones both of vertue and pleasure doo commend a thyn dyet what false opinion thou hast embrased I doo not knowe Plato condemneth the Syracusian feastes and banquettes and sayth that he lyketh not to haue the belly filled twyce in a day Epicurus setteth his pleasure and delight in his Hearbes and sallettes and this diet whiche thou mislykest he aloweth in woordes and deede Finally as Cicero sayeth there was neuer man sayde more of the thyn dyet If thou regarde not the most famous ryngleaders of two sectes what remayneth but that through the heate of thyne errour thou folow loathsome gurmandize whiche is enimie vnto vertue and not friende to pleasure whiche is a filthie ende rather of a beast then of a man and moreouer whiche I speake with disdayne and griefe beastes truely deuour muche but it is accordyng to the receipt of theyr bellies but you only that are the Lordes ouer al lyuing creatures both know not your owne proportion and also exceede it Neither is it for naught that many doo marueyle why in the remembrance of our fathers and grandfathers there were farre fewer Vineyardes then be nowe but as many men or rather moe and yet notwithstandyng Wines were then solde better cheape the reason is the thyrst of the drunken sort hath euery day since encreased more and more Sorowe From great fare I am fallen to small Reason It is fortuned wel that penury hath fulfilled that whiche modestie neglected It is best for a man to doo that wyllingly whiche he ought to doe and the next to do it though it were constraynedly Of Original Pouertie The .xi. Dialogue SOROWE YEA I was borne in pouertie Reason Who commeth not naked out of his mothers wombe In this matter kinges haue no preheminence Sorowe I
was poore before I was borne Reason Thou hast a good memorie yf thou doo remember it and a most delicate feelyng yf thou diddest perceiue it Sorowe I was begotten in pouertie Reason Dooth this complaint any thyng auayle thee It was not long of thee but of thy parentes Sorowe I was borne in pouertie Reason And shalt likewise dye in pouertie thy end shal be lyke thy beginning vnlesse perhaps thou thinke that the golde which thou hast in the bottome of thy cheast wyl cure thy sicknesses when thou liest a dying Sorow The beginning of my life was in pouertie Reason The middle many times possesseth false riches but the beginning ending are very pouertie to be borne naked to die naked is the necessitie of humane condition For what I pray you auayleth the chamber hung with purple the funeral bed gilden and whatsoeuer other pride the ambition of mankind hath deuised when a man is departyng out of this worlde What haue these thynges to doo or what apperteyne they to the Ague or to death it selfe whereof we speake or the nakednesse of them that dye Is it so that as trappings gallant furniture pleaseth an Horse so doo the costly hangynges delight the walles These thynges may please the eyes of the beholders In thynges that lacke sense there may be some what that may delight others but them selues can take no pleasure in any thyng Sorowe I was borne naked and poore Reason Varietie of fortune dooth alter almost all worldely thynges the same also maketh many of them equall and of lyke degree whereby she may bryng comfort vnto the inequalitie of the residue the greatest and chiefest wherof is this equalitie of byrth and death Many and sundry are the sortes of apparrell whiche the lyuyng doo weare but nakednesse only belongeth vnto them that are borne and dye but that the first sort doo fynde out many thynges vpon ignorance and the other forsake all thynges wittyngly so that the knowledge of transitorie thynges ought to qualyfie the sense of so small a losse Sorowe Naked dyd I enter into this wretched lyfe Reason Whyle thou thynkest on that thou shalt depart naked with a more indifferent minde Of the heauie burden of many chyldren The .xii. Dialogue SOROWE I Am ouerburdened with many chyldren Reason With gold and siluer also weake shoulders may be ouerlayed howebeit no man wyll complayne of it but wyll be glad to be so burdened But as for chyldren they are accounted among the chiefest gyftes of your felicitie Dooest thou say then that thou art ouerburdened and not rather lyghtened by them Sorowe I am a poore man among many chyldren Reason Nay rather thy chyldren are thy ryches then howe thou canst be poore in the myddes of ryches see thou For this happeneth but only vnto couetous men and those that are vnthankefull for theyr goodes Sorowe Among a company of chyldren I liue in beggerlie neede Reason Chyldren are not a toyle but an ease vnto their Parentes an appeasyng to theyr griefes and a comfort in all fortunes yf they be good otherwyse there is no complaynyng of their number but of their manners Sorowe I am hemmed in with an armie of Chyldren Reason And why not rather accompanied defended and beautified Truely not Fathers onely but Mothers also doo terme chyldren theyr Iewelles Hast thou not hearde howe Cornelia that was daughter vnto Africane the great when as a very ryche Gentlewoman of Campania who by chaunce lodged in her house womanlyshly glorying shewed her her most precious and fayre Iewelles prouokyng Cornelia as it were vnto emulation of very purpose prolonged that talke vntyll suche tyme as her chyldren shoulde returne from Schoole who then were but lytle boyes but afterwarde proued excellent men Whom when theyr mother behelde turnyng her selfe towardes her gheast These quoth shee are my Iewelles Notably well sayde truely and as it became the daughter of so woorthie a father but these thy ornamentes thou tearmest impedimentes Sorowe Who is able to feede so manie chyldren Reason He that feedeth thee from thy youth vnto thyne olde age who feedeth not onely Men but also Fyshes and Beastes and Foules Sorowe But who is able to cloath the bodyes of so many chyldren Reason He that apparrelleth not onely lyuyng creatures but also the Fieldes with Grasse and Flowres and the Wooddes with Leaues and Branches And how knowe we yet whether these thy chyldren perhappes shall not onely feede and clothe thee but also defende and honour thee Of humane affayres as some that begynne with pleasure doo ende with sorowe and care euen so contrarywyse some that haue a bytter begynnyng doo ende pleasauntly suche as for the most part is the euent of all vertuous actions whiche are greeuous at the fyrst entraunce but in processe delectable Sorowe I am poore and haue manye chyldren Reason Thou marueylest as though thou haddest not read of the plentifull pouertie of men There are sundrie kyndes of Trades and diuers gyftes of Fortune they happen not all vnto one man vnto some wandryng Merchandize to some the rough Earth to some dead Mettall and vnto thee lyuyng ryches whiche are Chyldren are alotted And shall we recken Oxen and Sheepe and Asses and Camelles and flittyng Bees and Pigeons and Poultry and Peacockes and lykewyse Menseruauntes and Womenseruauntes in the number of ryches and exclude Chyldren onely Sorowe O howe manye Chyldren haue I Reason O howe many moe haue other had Priamus had fyftie Orodes king of the Parthians had thirtie Artaxerxes king of the Persians had an hundred fifteene Erothinius king of the Arabians seuen hundred in trust and confidence of whom inuadyng the confines of his enimies with seuerall inroades he wasted the landes of Egypt and Syria And truely it is a kynde of power and force to haue many Chyldren But I knowe what thou wylt say These whom thou hast named were all of them myghtie Kynges and my state is farre otherwyse Was Appius Claudius a King No he was not so much as a Rych man in that auncient tyme when as it was a reproche to be counted ryche and blyndnesse was ioyned with his pouertie and olde age with his blyndnesse and yet notwithstandyng Tullie wrytyng of hym Foure Sonnes sayeth he and fyue Daughters so great an house and so great resort of Suters dyd Appius gouerne beyng both blynd and olde Neyther is it marueyle that he gouerned well his priuate affayres when as beyng troubled with these discommodities he gouerned also the whole Common wealth The greater part of humane defectes consysteth in the manners not in the thynges Appius estate was not lyke a Kyng neyther dyd he desyre it but beyng contented with his owne callyng decked vp his small house not with costlye furniture but with vertues and maynteyned his familie with a slender dyet And that whiche many Kinges doo vnwyllyngly and camplaynyng that dyd he with an indifferent mynd For he sought not for ryches but conformed his appetite to his abilitie Appius had not
eyther goe into Regulus Barrell or Phalaris Bull or goe vp vppon Theodorus Cyrenensis Gallowes and no body let them Thus whiche way foeuer thou turnest thy selfe the blame of loosyng thy tyme shall be returned vppon thy selfe Howbeit you accordyng to your custome accusing nature for makyng the tyme transitorie although heere be nothyng eternall acquite your selues of euery thyng when as in deede ye be gyltie of all For all of you for the most part doo loose your tyme or rather cast it away and contemne it as a vile thyng and nothyng woorth whiche I woulde God you woulde bestowe in seekyng after vertue and glorie and not alwayes in infamie and euerlasting reproche although to speake truely whatsoeuer is not conuerted to the vse that it was ordeyned for may be sayde to be lost To this ende it is euident that man was borne and had the benefice of tyme geuen hym that he myght honour and loue his Creator and thynke vppon hym and whatsoeuer is doone besyde this is doubtlesse lost and cast away Of vnfortunate playing at Tables The xvi Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost at Table playing Reason Dyd I not tell thee when thou wonnest that it was but vzurie and not gayne Sorowe I am drawne dry with gamyng Reason This game is of the same qualitie that Phisitions be by ministring of a lule to drawe foorth a great deale but beleeue mee thou hast more cause now to reioyce then when thou triumphedst with false ioy Better is sharpe chasticement then deceitfull flatterie The lytle vantage which thou gottest then dyd bryng thee vnto the whirlepoole of gaming now and this losse wyll reclayme thee thence agayne It is better to goe the right way with a foule brydle then to be dryuen into a pyt out of the way with a golden payre of reignes Sorowe I haue lost at tables Reason But thou hast wonne at the game of manners yf what thou hast doone thou marke diligently otherwyse good medicines were in vayne geathered togeather for an incurable disease yf neyther losse nor shame coulde reuoke thee from this bottomlesse pyt of destruction for when as experience bryngeth no profite there is it in vayne to seeke to doo good with woordes Of her vnto whom one was assured iudged vnto another The .xvii. Dialogue SOROWE THe Iudges sentence haue taken from me her to whom I was assured Reason Sentences of Iudges haue been against some deceyptful agaynst some playnely wrongful Sorowe I haue lost her to whom I was assured by a verdict of Court. Reason Some by craft and some by swoorde and whiche is a meanes of all other most shameful some haue lost their wiues by golde A man hath nothyng that is his owne at the one side is theft on the other deceypt then rapine next prayers then money and last of all death By this wheele the gouernement of temporall goodes is turned vp and downe and that whiche was ones becommeth anothers and anon shall passe to the thyrde which yf it be to be borne withal in profitable thynges in hurtfull and noysome thynges it is to be reioyced at And what marueyle is it yf humane thynges be turned vp and downe seeyng man hym selfe is turned and standeth not styll but as it is written Commeth foorth as a Flower and is troden downe and flieth away lyke a shadowe and neuer continueth in one state Thou complaynest that thou hast lost her to whom thou wast assured who in passing away euery day decreasyng dooest continually loose thy selfe Sorowe I haue lost in iudgement her to whom I was assured Reason Some contende in the fielde but it is safer to contende in lawe then in warre with sedules then with swoordes Thou hast read in Virgil what stryfe and contention there was betweene Lauiniaès suiters and what was the ende of the warre The wyfe followeth the conquerour and death followeth hym that is conquered thou hast lost thy spouse and saued thy lyfe Sorowe The Iudge hath berefte me of my spouse Reason An Adulter or a Theefe perhaps woulde haue taken her away It is a lyghter matter to loose her whom a man is assured vnto then to loose his true wyfe For in the one hope onely is lost in the other a thyng certaine Lesse is the losse of a thyng hoped for then a thyng in possession and to speake the same otherwyse of hope then of an effect Sorowe In iudgement haue I lost my beloued spouse Reason Thou hast not lost her but hast learned that she was not thyne Sorowe I haue lost her vnto whom I was betrothed Reason He that looseth his wyfe is delyuered of many cares but he that looseth his spouse is preserued both of these are good but the seconde is the better And why shoulde it not be the better forasmuche as it is the next thyng eyther not to haue any wounde at all or to haue a present remedie to cure it But you beyng carried foorth by the force of your minde and ledde along by great and blynde desyre doo wyshe for marriage whiche when you be entred into then doo your vexe you selues with continuall griefe and complaintes and then repent you of the deede when it can not be vndoone and when your repentance is vnprofitable and commeth too late Sorowe I haue lost her vnto whom I was assured and the hope whiche I had of chyldren Reason Myngle not togeather lamentations of sundrie kyndes for that whereof thou spakest last is another part of the rashe desyre of mortall men For this it is ye desyre to be married and to haue issue by your wyues but the goddes doo not graunt alwayes vnto men that whiche shall please them but that whiche shall profite them Thou remembrest in Apuleius Madaurensis how that the poore Mayden that was fallen into the Theeues handes with the raignes of her brydle turned the miserable Asse vpon whiche she roade into that part of the three wayes in whiche there was most danger but he forced to goe the contrary whereas it was the safest way and couertly reprooued the foolyshe wench that hasted forwarde to her owne hinderance But in the meane whyle that they were thus stryuyng the Theeues whom they thought they had escaped came rushyng vpon them by whom the Mayden who so carefully contended for her owne destruction was carried away into wofull captiuitie Not muche vnlyke to this is the contention betweene the prouidence of GOD and the follie of man concernyng the iourneyng and passyng foorth of this lyfe For the prouidence of GOD whiche is of thynges that are to come dryueth you thyther where all thynges are pleasaunt and without danger agaynst whiche striueth your blynde foolyshnesse whiche fauoureth her owne wretchednesse in obeying and geuyng credite vnto suche mischiefes as myght well be auoyded vntyll suddayne miseries catch you by the backes Sorowe I am ouerthrowen in the Lawe and haue lost her vnto whom I was made sure Reason Thou art woorthie to haue wonne for when two stryue for one
thou doo not that whiche many a one dooeth obiect thyne owne fault to another Many women beyng married vnto some one man haue seemed barren whiche when they haue been married vnto other men haue had chyldren Sorowe My wyfe is barren Reason How knowest thou what manner of sonne she would beare thee yf she were fruiteful The byrthes of some women haue made their fruitefulnesse hatefull and therefore to haue been wyshed that they had been barren The Empire of Rome had not suffered and abydden those cruell monsters of men Caius Caligula Nero Commodus Bassianus yf that Germanicus of Domitius yf Marcus Antonius yf Septimus Seuerus had had no wyues at all or els yf they had been barren Of an vnchast Daughter The xxiij Dialogue SOROWE MY Daughter is too nice Reason It is reported howe that Augustus the Emperour was wont to say that he had two delicate and nice Daughters whom both notwithstanding he must suffer to wit the Common wealth and his daughter Iulia. But as for his daughter Iulia he sayde that he knewe that she was of a pleasant disposition and merrie euen vnto the resemblance of incontinencie but was assured that she was free from any dishonest deede dooyng Howbeit the most wyse prince in so thynkyng was deceyued in them both For the Common wealth had then begun to degenerate from the auntient vertue and integritie thereof and his daughter wast not onely nice and wanton but also shamefully reported of and her good name blemyshed with reproches whiche the father onely neuer hearde of and at length though too late fyrst brake foorth into the lyght notwithstandyng accordyng to this signification thy Daughter may be nice but honest enough Which thing though I graunt thee neuerthelesse it can not be denied but that nicenesse delicatenesse are the redie way vnto woorishnesse Sorowe My Daughter beginneth to waxe wanton Reason Looke vnto her at the begynnyng hard thynges require an instument of iron to take them away but tender thynges are plucked away with a mans fyngers Who so is desirous to haue an habite or the perfect vse of any thyng let hym begynne in his youth to practice it whether it be in hym selfe or another Young thynges are easily fashioned and turned whiche way soeuer a man lyst Sorowe My Daughter waxeth lasciuious Reason Withdrawe her daintie fare take from her her soft braue apparrel her Ringes and Bracelets and other Iewelles and what euer she hath els wherein eyther she taketh delyght her selfe or indeuoureth to please other Lay vpon her other care of housholde stint her at sewing and spynning or whatsoeuer woorke thou canst deuise to make harde her soft and delicate handes Restrayne her from common shewes and resort of people Keepe her within doores vppon Holidayes leaue her no tyme to thynke vppon vayne and vnprofitable matters Businesse and labour and homely apparrell and hard fare and solitarinesse and continuall bendyng of the minde vppon one thyng moreouer a beloued and feared witnesse often warnynges gentle threatninges and if neede require some tyme sharper these be the doores and barres of chastitie agaynst dishonestie and that keepe of inuadyng and assaultyng passions from entryng into an idle mynde and abandon them yf they be entred Sorowe My Daughter is dishonest Reason This is the counsayle of Ecclesiasticus Take diligent heede ouer thy dishonest Daughter lest that she chaunce to bryng thee to shame Although there be nothyng that thou couldest suffer more greeuous then this neuerthelesse yf thou leaue no part of thy fatherly duetie vndoone thou hast wherewithal to comfort thy sorowe For the griefe may be thyne but neyther the shame nor the fault forasmuche as it is a very harde matter to brydle the mynde that is prone vnto lust and viciousnesse and a thyng that is impossible for man to doo vnlesse that GOD set to his helpyng hande For the force of the affection is so great and disordinate that many tymes the father in vayne in vaine the brethren in vayne the husbande also stryueth agaynst it And no marueyle since it is written I am not able to lyue continent vnlesse GOD geue me the grace Howbeit this is no excuse for dishonestie for GOD graunteth it vnto as many as require it at his handes with a pure fayth and whiche endeuour of them selues what in them lyeth acknowledgyng whose gyft it is and esteemyng truely of it and of the auctour thereof Sorowe My Daughter is an Harlot Reason If shee be married then is thy sonne in lawe partaker of thy sorowe thou hast also Augustus the Emperour both to be vnto thee a companion of the iniurie and an example of the reuengement Of shame commyng from another The .xxiiij. Dialogue SOROWE I Am slaundred for an other mans offence Reason I tolde thee erewhyle and true it is that the griefe of another mans offence may touche thee but so can not the infamie I tell thee true And yf it be a false infamie though for the tyme it be greeuous yet is it not durable and to make infamie or glorie durable thou must looke into thyne owne fielde and prune the vine of thy minde with thine owne sickle Sorowe I am sorie for another mans fault Reason Truely I beleeue thee But reioyce then in thyne owne innocencie vnlesse thou greeue more at other mens matters then at thyne owne for the inheritaunce of fame descendeth not as doth the inheritaunce of a patrimonie for yf it were so it myght sometyme be refused No man is constrayned to take vppon hym a burdensome and infamous inheritaunce for as I sayde before it descendeth not by succession of name there is no degree of kyndred expected in this matter whether thou desyre to haue a glorious or obscure name it must come from thy selfe and not from another and therein thine owne desartes are necessarie There is a tyme when as another mans deedes can neyther defame thee nor commende thee To what purpose dooest thou expect the Carrier or the Post or the Testatour or repose any trust in thy most louing and noble auncetours thy Father or Grandfather or to what ende art thou afearde of any of them to become infamous or obscure by any of their meanes Truely by neyther sort of them commeth eyther estimation or discredite Fame is not bequeathed but won Sorow I am ouerburdened with the infamie of my friendes Reason It is rather thine owne fansie that oppresseth thee whiche is one of the cheefest rootes of humane miserie Cast of that and thou shalt lyghten thy selfe of a false burden Sorowe I am diffamed with the offences of my friendes Reason I denie that it is possible to be so howbeit I confesse that it were better for thee to be diffamed for other mens crimes then that other men should be for thyne For more heauie is the weyght of offence then infamie for where offence is there is perfect miserie And contrariwyse false infamie hath no part of perfect and true miserie as hath false glorie although
is reckoned amongest the woorkes of synguler perfection accordyng to the saying of the Scripture Whoso offendeth not in woorde be is a perfect man In whiche thyng yee are to to often deceyued And alas therewhyle that saying of the same Apostle is to much verified That no man tan tame the tongue beyng an vnquiet mischiefe Wherefore it thrusteth you foorth headlong dayly vnto lying whom afterwarde your owne sway pricketh forwarde and next after that a false opinion of the thynges draweth you farther For there be some who with theyr very looke or speache doo couer the vitiousnesse of theyr maners whiche thyng we haue hearde of in Alcibiades and haue seene in many There be some also that cloke theyr vertues with a contrary veyle whether it be by the nature of theyr countenance or the proper austeritie of their vsual speache or by some art or studie purposely employed contrary vnto that whiche the multitude commonly desyreth For as there are manye that haue faygned them selues good so haue there lykewyse been some founde who haue counterfeited them selues to be euyll whereby they might eyther auoyde the pestilent ayre of humane fauour or escape the hatefull burden of temporall goodes whiche thyng we reade of S. Ambrose Hereunto are adioyned loue and hatred anger and enuie hope and feare with sundry other secrete affections of the mynd among these many that are altogeather vnknowen vnto vs which are alwayes enimies vnto true iudgement Adde herevnto moreouer that the prayse of the lyuyng by the expresse woorde of God through the inconstancie of this mortal lyfe is hyndred of continuance howe muche more then discommendation Hereafter therefore become slowe to prayse but more slowe to disprayse for synce eache of them as I haue said is an euyll errour yet is the last woorst Sorow I haue erred in commendyng one vnwoorthie Reason By erryng men doo learne and often tymes one errour withstandeth many errours and whyle men are ashamed to haue erred once then doo they take heede that the lyke errour take not holde of them Thou hast praysed vnaduisedly refrayne thy tongue let this commoditie at leastwyse folowe this mischiefe Sorowe I am ashamed and repent me that I haue praysed an vnwoorthie person Reason Shame and repentance and sorowe are certayne ladders and degrees vnto amendement and saluation There are fewe that can attayne into the ryght way but by wandryng through many bie wayes and therefore we haue seene many who in theyr youth were seruantes vnto voluptuousnesse in theyr olde age to become friendes vnto vertue Of vnfaythfull friendes The .xxvij. Dialogue SOROWE I Complayne of friendes Reason What wyll he doo of his foes that complayneth of his friendes Sorowe I trye my friendes to be vnfaythfull Reason Thou speakest of an impossible matter But to thynke that they were thy friendes that were not in deede is not only not impossible but a common matter Sorowe My friendes are vnfaythful Reason All the worlde is ful of suche complayntes and as for friendshyppe and infidelitie they cannot agree Who so begynneth to be vnfaythful leaueth of to be a friende or rather whiche I woulde sooner beleeue was neuer any And forasmuche as all vertues are immortall and all feignyng transitorie fayth is not taken away but feygnyng Sorowe I fynde vntrustie friendes Reason These that are falsly counted thy friendes yf nowe they first begynne to disclose theyr trayterous hartes then mayest thou reioyce to behold the ende of thyne errour but take heede in the meane whyle that the infection of the disease take not holde on thee but whatsoeuer they be preserue thou the fayth of friendshyppe and although not in respect of the vndeserued yet for thyne owne sake that hast deserued be not infected with that plague whiche thou shalt do the more willyngly yf thou doo narrowly examine thy selfe howe muche thou art greeued with theyr vnfaythfulnesse And many tymes the hatred of vice hath been an earnest prouocation vnto vertue Sorowe Vndeseruedly haue I purchased the euyll wyll of my friendes Reason Citizens are odious fellowes odious coosyns odious wyues and husbandes odious brothers and sisters are odious and fynally the chyldren are odious vnto theyr parentes and the parents to theyr chyldren And to be short there is no kinrede nor degree of friendshyp whiche cannot be infected with hatred Only sincere friendshyppe is free from this mischiefe And betweene this and the other this is the difference that all the other although they haue hatred accompanying them doo notwithstandyng continue and reteyne theyr names but yf hatred be ioyned vnto this or yf loue departe from it it can continue no longer vnder the name of friendshippe for a friende can no more be hatefull then loue can be odious Sorowe I suffer false friendes Reason If there be any hope of them suffer them vntyll suche tyme as they become trustie and loue them hartily For many with theyr luke warme loue haue vtterly quenched friendshyppe or by small trustyng haue taught other distrustinesse But if so be thou doo not profite and all hope be layde a water then vse Catoes aduice who in those friendeshyppes whereof a man hath no lykyng wylleth hym by litle and litle to ryppe them and not sodaynely to breake them of least that a double great mischiefe befall thereof in that thou hast lost thy friendes and purchased enimies vnlesse peraduenture some more vrgent cause which wyll suffer no tarriaunce doo not permit thee to followe this discrete counsel whiche yf it happen it is to be counted among the greatest troubles of friendshyp but it must be borne with a valiant mynde as all other chaunces and place muste be geuen vnto necessitie and the tyme oveyed but this chaunce is scarce knowen vnto true friendship Of vnthankeful persons The .xxviij. Dialogue SOROWE I Fynde many vnthankefull whiche is a great vice Reason To disprayse ingratitude were a needelesse matter for all mens speache doo condemne it There neede no trauayle be taken in perswadyng that whereof all men are perswaded and the opinion therof most fyrmely grafted in them Some man placeth the chiefe felicitie and some whole felicitie in vertue only and some in neither but in pleasure the enimie of vertue There be some also whiche holde opinion that chastitie is the most beautifull ornament of this lyfe Other some there be that contemne this in them selues and in others they accounte it ridiculus or truely very harde and extreeme paynful whiche S. Augustine so excellent a man as he prooued afterwarde perceyued in hym selfe where as he sayth that S. Ambrose syngle lyfe seemed paynefull vnto hym whiche vnto some other hath not only seemed a tedious but also a damnable state of lyfe Hereof commeth that example of Plato who when he had long tyme lyued a single and chaste lyfe at the last it is read howe that he sacrificed vnto nature to make an attonement with her whom he thought he had greeuously offended by lyuyng in suche order It is strange that
agaynst enimies then agaynst vices He that hateth another man fyrst geueth a wounde to his owne soule and next many tymes vnto his owne body For to much greedinesse to hurt and strike others hath layde foorth many vnaduised and naked vnto theyr enimies Thus euermore the first part of al mischiefes turneth vppon the aucthours thereof and some tyme the last part when many tymes he remayneth vnhurt agaynst whom the mischiefe was first prepared Sorowe Warres ryse agaynst me on euery syde Reason The people of Rome was neuer more famous and holy then when they were busied in many and great warres Their peace was the beginning of their mischiefe for with it entred flattering lasciuiousnesse a pestilent enimie vnto vertue Sorowe I haue great enmitie Reason Great enmitie many tymes hath been the beginnyng of great friendshyp Sorowe I haue enimies Reason Haue also trustinesse and mercifulnesse as for other matters whatsoeuer shal happen prouide that thou be theyr superiours in curtesie and vertue There is also right iustice to be vsed with a mans enimies with whom so behaue thy selfe that thou doubt not but that thou mayest be reconciled into friendshyp with them And know that this is more holsome counsell then was Biants who wylleth a man so to loue his friendes that he remember also that they may become his enimies whiche saying although it be commended of others yet neyther I nor Tullie doo lyke of it For in deede it is a very poyson in friendshyp wherefore in hatred a man ought to think on loue not in loue to thinke on hatred and truely Aristotles counsell in his Rethorickes is farre to be preferred before Byas aduice A man shoulde not as men commonly speake loue as though he shoulde hate but rather hate as though be shoulde loue Whereof Arislotle wrytyng reproueth Bias hymselfe and also his subtyle and malicious counsell Sorowe I haue enmities Reason But haue them agaynst thy wil let a louyng hart of peace dwell alwayes in thine armed breast and so goe to warre that thou mayst seeme to be constrayned thervnto least haply humanitie geue place vnto hatred or least thou studie more for reuenge then for glory or health Thou knowest that Hanibal was more hateful to the Romanes then was Pyrrhus when as both of them were enmities and Pyrrhus first inuaded Italy but not to the entent to destroy it vtterly as dyd Hannibal but only to requyre it We must conquere by all the meanes we can that in euery action true vertue may appeare so that it may seeme that nothyng els is sought for by war then honest peace Of occasion lost to reuenge The .xxxiij. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue lost my wyshed occasion to reuenge Reason From whom sinne is taken nothyng is taken but much is added for certayne thynges which men haue to be taken from them is a gayne but to withstand them that they may not be had at al is a greater vauntage Sorowe I haue lost the meanes to be reuenged Reason An happy losse to loose that whiche may hurt thee Sorowe I am prohibited of my hoped and wished reuenge Reason The chiefest point is to haue a minde not to doo euyl the next to be prohibited Sorowe I must of necessitie loose occasion of reuengement Reason If it be a notable kynde of reuenge not to haue a wyll to reuenge it is an excellent necessitie not to be suffered to reuenge It is the chiefest point willingly to embrace vertue the next to be constrayned therunto Sorowe I am sory that reuenge is taken from me Reason The tyme wyll come peechaunce shortly when thou mayest reioyce and that thou wouldest not wyshe that it had hapned otherwyse Many when they come by occasion vnto any thing at length they begyn to haue will vnto it and to loue it and theyr liking groweth vpon necessitie and when it beginneth to be a wyl it surceasseth to be a necessitie Sorowe I thought I could haue ben reuenged but I could not Reason Not to be able to doo euil is a great power this qualitie is proper vnto the almightie Sorowe Present reuenge is fallen away from me Reason Thinke that thou hast let fal a snake out of thy hand take heede that he creepe not into thine hand agayne There is nothyng so coutrary vnto a man as vngentlenesse By this he surceasseth to be a man whiche to be so the name it selfe declareth there is no sicknesse so contrary no not death it selfe For death hapneth by the course of nature but this far contrariwise To shew crueltie vnto a man is contrary vnto the nature of a man although it were deserued a man ought not to folowe the motion of a wounded mynd and by the remembrance of a priuate griefe to forgeat the instinct of the common nature Sorow I shall be sory for euer that I was restrayned from reuenge Reason Perhaps thou shalt reioyce for euer How often thinkest thou after enmitie layd a part and friendshyp concluded haue some abhorred theyr friendes in the middest of theyr embrasinges thus thinking with them selues this man I wished at the Deuyl and I lacked but litle of bryngyng my wicked desire to effect O happie chaunce to howe good a part hast thou conuerted my cruell meanyng Sorowe I cannot be suffered to wreake my iust wrath Reason A man shall scarce fynde iust anger forasmuche as it is written Mans anger woorketh not the righteousnesse of God and agayne it is said by an other Anger is a short madnesse It is best therefore not to be angrie at all and next not to reuenge but to bridle anger that it cary not away the mynde whyther as it is not seemely the thirde is not to be able to reuenge if thou wouldest Sorow I haue lost notable occasion to be reuenged Reason Pardon which is more notable is left vnto thee and also forgetfulnesse which is most notable of all The same made Iulius Caefar renowmed among all Princes Great innumerable were this worthie Emperours conquests his triumphes most glorious his excellencie in chiualrie incomparable his wyt most excellent his eloquence notable the nobilitie of his progenie the beautie of his personage the valure of his inuincible mynde surpassing but when thou hast heaped togeather all his commendations thou shalt finde nothyng in hym more excellent then his mercifulnesse and forgetfulnesse of offences which although it procured vnto hym the cause of his death so that the saying of Pacunius was iustly song at his buriall It was my fortune to saue some that there might some lyue to destroy me neuerthelesse since that he must of necessitie die in suche a cause death was in a maner to be wyshed Of the peoples hatred The .xxxiiij. Dialogue SOROWE THe people hate me Reason Then hast thou the ende of the multitudes fauour whereof I forewarned thee to wit hatred for loue Sorowe The people hate me without a cause Reason Thou woondrest that they hate thee without a cause who
beyng offended with the difficultie of them he commaunded his scholemaister to teache hym the same more playnely But what answeared he These thynges sayde he are a lyke difficult vnto al men whiche he spake to this ende to beate from him all hope of his Princes prerogatyue And truely it is so in deede for as concernyng the disposition of mans wit fortune hath nothyng to deale therin and who so desireth to be learned and wyse let him quite forgeat that he is of power and aucthoritie Sorow I haue an ignorant and a hygh mynded schollar Reason Thou saylest agaynst the wynde and the tyde hale in the sayles and goe to shore Sorowe I haue an obstinate and a frowarde schollar Reason Thou dooest not only dygge the sande but also nooryshest vp a Serpent and tyllest a venemous plante yea and teachest an enimie Sorowe I teach a slyffenecked schollar Reason Thou syngest in a deaffe mans eare but so the worlde goeth and some are delyghted in great noyses and some in quiet silence The greatest sway in all dooynges dooth custome alwayes beare Marke howe styll the Fysher is and howe loude the Hunter and the Scholemaister louder then he yea then the Raunger of a Foreste Sorowe I haue gotten an harde harted schollar Reason Thou mayest oftentymes reclayme the head of a Beare sooner then of a man What wouldest thou more It is set downe in a fable how that the Wooolfe the Foxe went to schole togeather and the Elephants haue ben learned it is no old wyues tale but a natural historie And so it may chaunce that this thy scholler by studie may alter mollyfie nature In my iudgment the lyfe of a shepheard and of a scholemaister seemeth almost all one it is marueyle but that both of them will be manered according to their liuing The one of them guideth beasts the other boyes Of a Stepdame The .xlij. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue a Stepdame Reason Then thou hast a father also Thus goeth the course of mans lyfe that meery thyngs are myxt with sorowfull sowre with sweete and I wyshe that sweete and sowre beyng thus equally mixt togeather dwelled not here amongst vs. Sorowe I haue an vniust stepdame Reason Thou vsest Virgils terme very aptly but how much the more vniuste she is to thee so muche the more labour thou to be iuster then she Sorowe I haue a very proude stepdame Reason It is the propertie of a woman to be proude and therefore of a stepdame yf two causes doo engender one effect there is no cause why thou shoulde be amazed but that thou shouldest suffer and therein thou shalt shewe thyne owne selfe both a good naturall sonne and also a good sonne in lawe Sorowe I haue a very proude stepdame Reason Pryde is ouercome by no meanes better then by lowlynesse Sorow I cannot abyde my stepdame Reason But thou must suffer thy father Yf thou loue hym wel thou shalt the better abide her Sorowe I haue a wicked an importunate stepdame Reason Be thou duetiful pacient towardes her thou owest loue vnto thy father pacience towards a woman reuerence to thy stepdame Sorow I haue a malapert stepdame Reason Do not commit that her malapertnes be greater thē thy duetifulnes There is nothing hard nothing difficult vnto duetifulnesse the same aduanceth men vnto God plucketh downe god vnto men As often as thy stepdame shal be in her outrage thynke not on her but on thy father Sorow I haue an iniurious stepdame Reason Womens iniuries are better requited with cōtempt then with reuenge Sorow I suffer a greeuous stepdame Reason Thou sayest well I suffer For to faynt and not to be able to suffer a foolyshe simple woman is not the part of a man. Sorow My stepdame hateth me Reason Loue thou her and it is Gods commaundement that we shoulde loue our enimes but to loue that thou shouldest be loued agayne is the counsayle of the Heathen Philosophers Sorowe My stepdame hateth me Reason It may suffise thee if she loue thy father and it is not the duetie of a sonne to hate her that loueth his father but if she hate hym whom dooth she not hate For and yf she loue another man more then her husbande see that thou be not he Sorowe My stepdame hateth me ouer muche Reason Perhaps the hate of thy stepdame is lesse hurtfull then her exceeding loue Dooest thou know the Historie of Phaedra and Hippolitus Truely that hatred whiche thou oughtest not to reuenge ought eyther to be pacified or auoyded or suffered for there is none other meanes Complaintes oftentymes doo encrease hatred Of the hardnesse of a Father The .xliij. Dialogue SOROWE I Suffer an harde father Reason The hardnesse of a father is many tymes profitable for the sonne cocklyng is alwayes to be condemned ▪ and the tongue is not only to be vsed but also there must be no spare of the rod as the learned haue geuen counsayle And by these twaine is al the direction of young wits ordered which yf they be vsed in vayne then to greater griefes we must geue stronger medicines as banishment and imprisonment yea and moreouer according to the order of the olde Romanes extreame punishment and death which not only Consuls Captaines vnto whom publique aucthoritie gaue iurisdiction ouer al men but also those priuate auntient seuere fathers vnto whō only theyr countrey gaue them power ouer their children haue most extreamely executed as we reade in histories among whom the seueritie of Cassius Fuluius is most specially renowmed Goe thou thy wayes now and cal thy father that is to gentle an harde father Sorow I suffer an harde father Reason What maner of sonne thinkest thou did he suffer of thee when thou wast a chylde and lykewyse afterwardes when thou wast a young man This is an harde thyng to perswade them in that doo very muche please them selues But beleeue me there is nothing more payneful then to suffer the vnruly manners of that age Sorowe I suffer an harde father Reason What if thou be an harde sonne Harde thynges by harde thyngs are more effectuously mollified and often times the scarre of a gentle Surgion is more euyll fauoured Sorowe I haue an harde father Reason If he be a true father in deede he loueth thee and yf he loue thee he thynketh vpon the thynges that may profite thee and not flatter thee Sorowe I haue an extreame harde father Reason Those thynges that seeme very harde vnto thee perhappes seeme profitable vnto hym whose iudgement is more certayne and affection more incorrupt Youth measureth nothyng but that whiche lyeth before theyr eyes ryper age foreseeth many thynges Sorowe I haue a very harde father Reason See that thou be not harde vnto hym so that whylest he resisteth thy shame thou disquiet his lyfe with thyne vnthrifcie demeanure Sorowe My father is very hard Reason He that neclecteth the good estate of his sonne the same is to be counted an harde father
vertue be not in thy sonne yet loue hym because he is thy sonne yf not for that cause then for that he is a man Lastly yf there be no cause at all why thou shouldest loue hym them pittie hym As seueritie belongeth to a father euen so dooth compassion Sorow I haue a sonne of a moste wicked lyfe Reason An vnlucky burden and so much the heauier that as long as it is to be suffered it cannot be quite cast away suffer and as thou mayst amend it so shalt thou either cure thy sonne or at the least play the part of a father but this thou oughtest to do of duetie and wyshe the other Sorowe My sonne is very vngodly vncurteous and vnreasonable Reason If wantonnesse and pleasure be once growen vnto knauery and myscheefe then is there a venomous beast to be driuen out a doores neyther must we regard where but what is borne and sprung vp for you nouryshe vp birdes bread in the wylde wooddes and ye kyl scorpions brought vp at home in the house Sorow I haue a very wicked sonne Reason It is the part of a wyse man to put a way daungerous thinges before they do any harme at al. Let not the shadow of godlynesse deceyue thee no godlinesse is due vnto an vngodly person A man may sometyme finde where it is a kynde of crueltie to be godly but whyle there remayneth the least sparke of hope alwayes enclyne thy selfe vnto mercy and remember that thou art a father and not a iudge and see thou forget not here that notable saying of Terence For a great fault a litle punishment is sufficient of a father Of a contentious brother The .xlv. Dilalogue SOROW. I Haue a contentious brother Reason And what of hym then hath he not thee an agreeyng brother for brotherly agreement whiche ought of twayne to make but one is deuided in twayne so that you are made not diuers only but quite contraryes a greeuous mischeefe surely but an auncient which both the worlde and the head of the worlde had in the begynnyng For the infamie of the citie of Rome is auncient but that of the world is of more antiquitie to wyt that it was embrued with the blood of brethren Therefore that which thou seest betweene al cooples of brethren yea when there was but one coople only in the world hast no cause to be amased at it now among so many thousandes Sorowe I haue a very contentious brother at home Reason Doest thou marueyle that to be in a greate house whiche hath been in the narowe roome of one mothers wombe where as in time past which was a shadow of a greater misery we reade of brothers that were not onely among them selues contentious but also togeather by the eares Is it any strange thing then that men being armed shoulde do that whiche they that are vnborne are wont to doo Sorowe I fynde no fauour with my brother Reason Thou oughtest rather to haue learned this long before in the schooles than to haue found it true in effect at home thinges that are foreseene are neyther complained of nor woondred at Sorowe I haue an odious and contentious brother Reason As for the most part there is no loue more tender then the loue of brethren so when it beginneth there is no hatred more vehement no enuie more vnquenchable Thus equalitie inciteth and enflameth their mindes when as the shame of geuing place and the desyre of superioritie is by so much the more feruent the more that the remembrance of their infancie togeather or what so euer els may seeme to engender goodwyl when as they be once digressed from the ryght way may procure hatred and disliking betweene them in this respect therefore the hart burnyng of a rebellious nature may be very wel reclaimed namely by curtesie gentlenesse For there is no nature almost so rough and vnciuile whom at length true continuall humilitie in woordes and vnfeigned and gentle dealing in al matters wil not ouercome and molifie If thou finde this to be voyde and without force or that peraduenture thou thy selfe canst not enforce thy minde hereunto whereby he may be honestly and profitably constreyned then before that the matter breake foorth vnto vtter destruction thou must vse the last and extreame remedie the roote of the mischeefe must be plucked vp and comunitie remoued which is the mother of discorde wherein thou must demeane thy selfe so curteously that looke howe muche thou yeeldest of thy right so much thou shalt perceiue to be added vnto thy vertue and fame The sharpe prickes of impious proud desire are by nothing better rebated then by vertuous and curteous liberalitie That gold is good whereby the peace of familie and brotherly loue is purchased It is a very auncient and no lesse true saying That these two pronownes myne and thyne are great cause of warres and disagreement whiche yf they were taken away from out of the life of man out of doubt men should liue muche more quietly Of the losse of a father The .xlvi. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue last my father Reason It is meete that him whom thou complainedst of while he was present with thee thou seeke him when he is absent and yet not finde him There is nothing more iust then in vaine to wysh for the aucthoritie which thou hast contemned Sorowe I haue lost a good father Reason It is wel that he hath left a good sonne behinde hym reioyce for the good olde mans sake vnto whom at length that hath hapned which he alwayes wyshed for who leauing thee in safetie is departed hym selfe out of this worlde Sorowe I haue lost a louing father Reason A good sonne standeth in dread of the chaunces of fortune for none other cause then that any calamitie befallyng vnto hym myght strike his fathers mind with sorowfulnesse but nowe thou shalt lyue more at quiet at thine owne peril only he shal not any more be greeued with rumours of thee thine aduersitie shal not breake him thy sicknesse shal not weaken him thy death shal not kyl him Sorow I haue lost a most louing father Reason Thou must nowe begin to care for other for he that was woont to care for thee is gone That tendernesse that was showed ouer thee repaye thou vnto another it is seldome repayed vnto whom it is due Sorowe Poore wretche I haue lost a louing father Reason If thou knowe the reason and nature of loue tendernesse comfort thy chaunce by remembrance of the time past Thou diddest reuerence thy father and as long as thou couldest thou shewdst thy selfe alwayes duetiful vnto hym thy father is departed but thy duetifulnesse lyueth otherwyse I confesse thou haddest cause to be heauie continually Sorowe My father by dying hath forsaken me Reason Take in good part the common course of nature he is first gone that first came into the world neyther hath he forsaken thee but is gone before thee Sorowe I haue lost my father Reason Thou knowest
may feede my cattayle and I my selfe wyll resolue thee in this matter Then he answeared that it was impossible But she sendyng for such Noble men and Gentlemen as dwelt neere hande and causyng hym to geue his woorde for the perfourmance of his promyse helde vppe her young sonne in her armes and Is this my chylde in deede myne sayde she And when they all answeared yea she stretched foorth her armes and delyuered hym vnto her husbande and heere sayde she take hym I geue hym thee freely and nowe be assured that he is thyne Then al that stoode by brake foorth in laughter and gaue iudgemente on the womans syde and condemned the husbande by all theyr verdictes Such contentions and lamentations are thereto often among men they be hastie to marriage yea slipperie and headlong you thynke you shall neuer see the day wherein you shal be husbandes that is to say men as though otherwyse you shoulde neuer be men Then beyng resolued in ioyes or to speake more truely in madnesse the fyrst dayes of your marriage you spende in reuel route feastyng and daunsing among your weddyng solemnities with pastimes and songes and minstrelles and the residue of your lyfe you spende in suspition and braulyng In both you are to blame For neyther ought you in suche sorte to loue so doubtful a thyng neyther to abhorre so inseparable a thyng nor to hate so louely a thyng and by deceiptfull coniectures so to confounde the moste sacred lawes of the diuine and humane house and dissolue the moste entyre bondes of this lyfe Sorowe Yea my wyfe her selfe hath confessed that he is none of myne Reason Thou tellest me this as yf it were some syngular matter but it is common some confesse so muche whyle they are lyuing and some when they lye a dying among whom some haue wylled to haue it imparted vnto theyr husbandes after theyr departure Sorowe Myne owne wyfe hath conâ—essed vnto me that he is 〈…〉 my sonne Reason Olimpias that was wyfe vnto the renowmed kyng Phillip of Macedonie confessed as muche vnto her husbande whiche myght haue tended vnto the destruction of her valiant sonne and yet we reade neyther of teares nor sighes nor complayntes among them all Nowe hearken to a meery tale but not vnfyt for our purpose Not far from the Ocean Sea shore whiche lyeth right ouer agaynst Britaine not very many yeeres agoe report goeth that there was a certayne poore woman fayre and well fauoured but a notable Harlot who had twelue small chyldren by as many seuerall men one of them but a yeere elder then other But beyng sicke when she perceyued that the houre of her death was come she caused her husband to be called vnto her and this is no tyme sayde she nowe to dissemble any longer there is none of all these chyldren thyne but the eldest only for the first yeere that we were married I lyued honestly It chaunced that at the same time al the children sate on the ground about the fire eating according to the maner of the countrey At which woordes the good man was amazed and the children also that hearde their mothers communication whose fathers she reckoned al by name as they were in order of yeeres Which thyng the youngest of them all hearyng who was then but three yeeres olde immediatly layde downe his bread which was in his ryght hande and the Rape roote whiche he had in his left vppon the grounde besyde hym and tremblyng with feare and holdyng vp his handes after the maner of them that pray Now good mother quoth he geue me a good father And when in the ende of her speache she had tolde who was father to the youngest to wit a certayne famous ryche man takyng vp his bread and meate agayne in his hand That is well sayde he I haue a good father Of the losse of a brother The Lj. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue loste my brother Reason Yet I heare no cause why thou shouldest be very sory For Ouid sayth to true that there is seldome agreement betweene brethren Sorowe I haue lost my brother Reason It may be that thou hast at once lost both a brother and an housholde enimie Loe see then what thou hast lost an yll thyng couered with a good name Sorowe I haue lost a brother Reason Perhappes thou hast lost hym that hath wyshed thee lost and that alwayes resisted thyne attemptes Brothers hatred hath hyndred many from the entraunce vnto great commendation Sorowe I haue lost a brother Reason Thou hast lost peraduenture an heauie yoke as oftentymes we haue seene it fal out vnto the tender yeeres of thy chyldren thou hast lost also the enuier of thy lyfe the hynderer of thy glory and also which is euident the partner of thy patrimonie Sorow But I haue lost a vertuous and louyng brother Reason But a mortall one Vertue is no defence to the body but an ornament to the mynde and a procurer of immortall glory but as for the body she cannot exempt it from the power of death but rather thrusteth it forwarde many tymes thereunto before due tyme but yf he be left vnto nature good and had doo perysh a lyke and most commonly we see the best men weakest and the woorst long lyued but none immortall Sorowe I haue lost a good and gloryous brother Reason If thy brother be dead the glory vertue soule remaineth in safetie which only excepted death consumeth and destroyeth all other worldly thinges with lyke violence These therfore embrace thou as yf they were so many sonnes of thy brother with these immortal good things requite the mortal euil but if he haue sonnes liuing vnfeigned duetifulnes shal make them thine Sorowe I haue lost a good brother Reason Thou shouldest haue employed hym diligently which if thou diddest necligently his death is not to be blamed but thyne owne slouthfulnes Death hath exercised his power but thou hast slacked thyne oportunitie Sorow Death hath deceiued me for I thought not that he woulde haue died so soone Reason All thinges that happen vnto them that are vnwillyng seeme to come quickly but if they be wished for they come but slowly Sorowe I scarce thought that he could haue died Reason Vehement loue beareth with it selfe in al things and promiseth it selfe euery thyng vnpleasant thoughtes whatsoeuer is noysome vnto cast it escheweth insomuche as whosoeuer is in loue imagineth vnto hym selfe that his pleasures are in a maner euerlastyng thou since thou knewest that thy brother was borne oughtest also to knowe that he was mortall and therefore yf thou bewayle his tymely death as some sodaine matter thou art much deceyued but if as it were vntymely thou wast in a wrong opinion Sorowe I knewe that he was mortall but I thought not vpon his death Reason Vnwysely doone but this is your dissimulation beyng mortall ye thynke neuer to dye when as you may chaunce to dye euery day and needes you muste dye one day Yea rather it is the
his friendshyp who with so great trustinesse had honoured the friendshyp of his enimie so great is the beautie of vertue and friendshyp that we are delighted therwith euen in our enimies and enforceth a man to loue hym of whom he knoweth hymselfe to be hated Sorowe My most faythfull friende is dead Reason Thou muste bury hym in thy remembraunce where he may secretely remayne with thee and neuer dye altogeather Whom yf thou hast lost by any other meanes then by death then hast thou not lost a friende but a false opinion of friendshyp Of the absence of friendes The Liij Dialogue SOROWE I Am greeued for the absence of my friendes Reason It hapneth so many tymes but he that hath learned to take indifferently the death of his friende may somewhat more moderately beare his absence neither can the absence of a friende ouerthrow him whom the death of a friende could not ouerthrowe Sorowe My most deare friend is absent my right hand and my right eye Reason Though he were so absent that he woulde neuer returne yet woulde I say that there is nothing but a man ought to take it indifferently but he wyl come a gayne and thyne integritie shal be restored vnto thee Sorowe My frende is absent the one moitie of my selfe Reason Horace the poet tearmeth Virgil the one halfe of his soule whiche phrayse beyng afterward vsed of many is nowe growen into a prouerbe But if a freend be not naturally only but ciuilly also had in possession wherein doth absence hurte frendshyp but that wheresoeuer thou be he may sit walke talke and confer with thee in pleasant and serious matters For if ye sawe nothing else but what lyeth before your eyes and only the thinges that are present delited you then should your sight be very short and narrowe Sorow I am sorie for the absence of my sweete freende Reason But you vse rather to be sorie for the absence of beloued then sweete thinges Hearken now vnto that which wil scarce enter in the common peoples eares It is a strange case howe ticklish and loathsome somtime is the presence yea of mens dearest freendes manie times men are offended at a smal matter and those whom they loue berie wel or whose presence they earnestly desire not only their friendes but also their brethren or children for that perhapes they are some hindrance vnto their studies and businesse they had rather sometime that they were absent In their absence there is nothing bitter nothing that greeueth our desire but that they are away whiche notwithstandyng thou canst not deny to be pleasant Sorowe The absence of my belooued frende greeueth me Reason This is a common thing I confesse among women suche as loue after a womanish maner whose whole delite consisteth in the senses Notwithstandyng of these the poet spake where he saith He that is absent heareth and seeth another that is absent Which if it be so why should not also a freende see and heare his freende that is absent vnlesse peraduenture your eyes be more bright and cleare to beholde the visions of lasciuiousnesse then of vertue or els there is more honoure to be ascribed vnto mad then chast loue which besides honest and quicke thoughtes which no distance of place nor necessitie of force can restrayne to wander and be conuersant where soeuer it pleaseth them there is a prouision made by the benefite of sendyng letters then whiche I knowe not whether there be any presence more acceptable Marcus Cicero was in Rome whyles wryting vnto his brother Quintus Cicero who as deputie gouerned the countrey of Asia when I reade thy letters sayth be me thinkes I heare thee speake and when I wryte vnto thee me thinkes I talke with thee And anon exhortyng hym vnto the excellencie of glory he sayth that he hath founde it very effectuous in al his woorkes and deedes to imagine vnto hymselfe that his brother was present with hym I cannot tel whether he were at Athens or in some other place where Epicurus was present whyles wryting vnto his freende So behaue thy selfe in al matters sayth he as if Epicurus hym selfe beheld thee Truely Anneus Seneca was in Campania whiles by his letters communing with his freend that soiourned in Sicilia he exhorteth him to studie to dyne and walke with him which he coulde not do but in minde only and thervnto wanted neyther the assistance of the eyes nor of the eares nor of the handes nor of the feete Sorowe Myne eyes do greedily requyre myne absent freende Reason I cannot deny but that by absence there is some delite taken from the eies but nothing from the minde neyther from the eyes in a manner as I sayde before yf it be true freendshyp From hence it commeth that in the same Poet we reade commende this saying Pallas Enander they al stande before his eyes And Cicero hym selfe also in a certayne epistle sayth that he beareth not onely in his minde his freend Balbus who serued vnder Caesar in Fraunce but also in his eyes Sorowe My freende is absent Reason Sometyme a freende is not knowen vnlesse he be absent As in al other thinges so lykewyse in freendshyp great plentie dulleth the sense and scarcitie sharpneth it And yf the schoolemaister of loue sayth that intermission of loue is profitable vnto louers whose vniuersal pleasures consist in presence why should not the same also be auaile able vnto freendes whose whole delite is reposed in vertue and feeleth no discommoditie in absence since it is present in euery place Do not therefore geue ouer vnto desire but embrace thy freend in thy remembrance whom neither departure nor death it selfe can take from thee Sorowe I suffer greeuously the absence of my sweete freende Reason Suffer it onely and confirme the softer partes of thy minde with present vertue For this bitter absence whiche thou nowe bewaylest perhappes in time shal make thy freende more deare vnto thee and his presence more acceptable Of greeuous shypwracke The liiii Dialogue SOROW. I Haue been tossed in a greeuous shypwracke Reason Thou tellest me of the shypwracke on the sea but as for the wracke of the minde thou speakest nothing of it as though there were any more greeuous or common There is the tempest of desires and affections as if it were of contrarie blusteryng windes which when the sayles of your concupiscences and hope are hoised and spread bearing away the helme of the minde and leesing the ankers of constancie in the deepe sea driueth you about vnto al coastes and ouer al seas that wracke it was that draue thee into this Take away desire and thou shalt take away this sayling for the most part or at leastwise the danger therof the same driueth men not only into ships but miserably vpon rockes and death it selfe And therfore for the most part al that by their owne seking perish in the sea haue first perished in the minde and were first ouerwhelmed by the waues of
couetousnes before that they were drenched in the surgies of the sea For desire commeth seldome without headlong hastinesse and that which it wil haue it wil haue it presently al tariance and the companions therof costlinesse it hateth the same is the redie way vnto destruction and the first cause of often shypwracke Sorowe I am discomforted by a great shypwracke Reason Thou hast learned to pray vnto God to make vowes and promise many thynges of whiche although feare was the cause yet since thou art arryued agayne on the lande acknowledge thou that fayth was the cause God is not mocked skot free he hateth the breakers of their faithful promises Sorowe I haue suffered a foule shypwracke Reason None complayne of shypwracke but they that haue escaped it Reioyce therefore that thou art safe and more expert The remembrance of dangers past is commonly delectable as contrariwyse the memory of forepassed prosperitie is greeuous But howe muche wouldst thou haue esteemed in foretymes to haue seene the Triton goddes of the sea and the mountaines of water foming the waues vp to heauen swelling the monsters of the sea swimming Thou hast now some feareful tales to tel in the winter nightes by the fire side to make folke a fearde withall and to holde thyne amazed family in admiration Nowe therefore thou knowest what is a poetical tempest and that feare whiche thou wouldest scarce beleeue is certaynely knowen vnto thee whiche thou hast now wel gained eyther by the feare of death or losse of goodes Sorow I haue been in a dangerous shypwracke Reason There is nothyng learned without trauayle this if thou be wyse shal be a perpetual lesson vnto thee that heareafter thou neuer perswade thy selfe to commit thy lyfe vnto the windes Sorowe I haue suffered a woful shypwracke Reason If this be the first take heede thou fal not into the seconde if it be the second then holde thy peace For proper is the saying of Publius the wryter of scoffes He wickedly accuseth Neptune that committeth shipwracke the seconde tyme. Sorow I haue scarse escaped in a terrible shypwracke Reason I can not see why it shoulde be more terrible to dye in the sea then vpon the lande seeing men must needes dye vpon the one of them or why it were better to feede wormes then to be baite for fyshes but forasmuche as thou hast escaped beware that thou commit not agayne thy lyfe to a broken oare or a rotten boorde Since thou art an earthly creature learne to keepe the earth and rather to affect heauen then the sea Of Burnyng The .lv. Dialogue SOROW. I Haue scarce escaped out of a burning fire Reason Doest thou then drawe it vnto the iniurie of fortune that thou hast escaped Let Alcibiades be moued who could not escape out of the hot burning of his enimies howbeit although thou haue preuented the earthly yet who is able to gainestād the burninges that come from heauen Let the Romane kyng Tullus Hostilius and the Romane Emprour Charus answeare me whereof the one was consumed with fyre from heauen in the pallace at Rome and the other in his tentes neare vnto the ryuer Tigris if we may credite common histories Sorowe Hauing lost al my goodes I haue escaped naked out of the fyre Reason Whom I pray thee would eyther Kias as al men say or Stilbon as Seneca wyl haue it haue spoken suche a woorde who when his countrey was on fyre being demaunded or rather reprooued for that he conueighed none of his goods out of the flame as other of his neighbours did answeared in this manner Al my goodes sayd he I carrie with me Woorthily truely whether it were the one or both of them that spake it although suche kinde of speeches do alwayes sound most excellently out of the mouth of the first aucthour of them but omitting the aucthour the trueth of the saying is commonly perceiued For the true goodes in deede remayne within and cannot be taken from the owner whyle he lyueth neyther when he is dead For they cleaue fast to the soule whyther as neyther the ryght hand of fortune nor of death is able to reache Thou being safe and sounde lamentest that thou hast lost certayne thynges whiche if they had been thine in deede out of doubt they had been safe with thee this day For beleeue me true goods doo not peryshe Golde is not more precious then vertue nor so good as it although it be not consumed but purged by the fyre Sorowe A great fire hath blasted me Reason There was one Caeculus I knowe not who that sought the fame of diuinitie by fyre In Virgil a flame of fire taking hold of Iulus haire gaue the first hope to their doubtful health And for that Seruius head burned light with fire it was no poetical but an historical abodyng of a kingdome It is wel knowen that the founders of the Empire of Rome escaped out of the flame of troy To be short the scriptures declare that Helias dyed by fyre and that the Lorde hym selfe appeared in a flame of fyre so that it is not for nought that bonefires are a token of myrth and reioycing in your cities whiche now is a cause of thy heauinesse Sorowe My house is suddenly consumed with fyre Reason Yea the temple of Diana at Ephesus was in olde tyme set on fyre a goodlier peece of woorke then whiche that age neuer sawe And also the temple of Hierusalem that was dedicated vnto the lorde of heauen was burnt the verie enemies pitiyng it that set it on fire likewise in this our age the laterane castel for beautie the flowre of the world was twice consumed with fire an euident plaine token of Gods wrath in my iudgment no strange matter I confesse but terryble And last of al to say nothing of litle cities fire hath often touched Saguntum and Numantia and Corinth and other innumerable yea and Rome it selfe was brought almost vnto vtter destruction And Carthage once and Troy was twice destroyed with fire Cities haue been burned and we beleeue that the whole worlde shal be one day brought to nought by fire And doest thou then complaine that it dare take hold on thy house that shal consume both heauen and earth Sorowe I had much a doo to escape out of the fyre Reason Thou hast escaped then and art thou sorie for it vnlesse thou haddest escaped thou haddest helde thy peace but now being a lyue and ashes thou lamentest that ashes is extinguished Of great laboure and traueyle The .lvi Dialogue SOROWE I Am weeried with great labour Reason There is no glorie without difficultie Al vertue dwelleth on hygh not easily to be atteyned the passage thereunto is cragged rough and ful of stones Sorowe I am ouerweerie with traueyle Reason Traueyle is the ground of vertue and rest of pleasures there is nothing commendable nothing excellent without traueyle and therefore laboure was the foundation of Hercules prayse By nothing is Vlisses better knowen
nightly conflictes and to awake them out of their sleepe and alwayes to be carefull and circumspect howe these licentious cattayle vse them selues towardes their neyghbours at leastwyse thou shalt take thy rest in the night season for they that ryde do trauayle and are troubled also in the night Sorowe I go a long iourney on foote Reason Perhaps in shoes For the holie fathers walked about the wildernesse vpon their bare feete The apostles which were the messengers of Almightie God walked throughout al partes of the worlde one into the East another into the Weast another into the North another into the South somtime they went by water that but seldome only when as the situation of the place was such as they coulde not otherwise choose but which of them I pray thee hast thou hearde to haue ridden on horsebacke except S. Iohn only Neither rode he euer more then once and that but a litle way which was as Clemens writeth the Ecclesiastical historie maketh mention when as he was stirred foorth with a godly hast to recouer the soule of a lost desperat young man And how should they ryde whose Lorde and Maister went on foote He scarse rode once hym self vpon a poore Asse which was not long before he was hanged vpon the crosse But if these examples doo ouer-burden thee with incomparable holynesse yet is it knowne well yenough that the Romane armies which vanquished the whole world were for the most part of them footemen who not only carried their armour and weapon on foote but also as muche victual as should serue them many dayes moreouer a kinde of munition whereby when once they were entred within their enimies boundes they defended their campe in the day times and theyr tentes in the nyght agaynst the inuasion of their enemies whervpon our cuntreiman Cicero in a certein place excellently disputing of the Romane souldiers when he had sayd that vnto valiant men of other nations theyr armour was no impediment but in the maner of a garment yet this commendation he gaue them aboue al other saying that vnto the Romane souldiers only their armour weapons were not a garment but stood them in steede of their armes shoulders And when they had once put on those warlike burdens whereof I spake then they thought them selues in deede to be apparrelled And least haply any man be deceiued by the common custome of speache let it be knowne vnto them that by the name of souldiours or seruitours footemen are only signified and that in many places of the Romane historie it may be geathered that by this name they are distinguished from horse men although they doo both sortes of them serue in the warres Wherefore the remembrance of theyr labour and trauayle may breede thee no small ease comfort not only being vnarmed and light and trauayling on an hard though a safe iourney but also yf thou were armed and heauily laden and faryng on foote in a dangerous path For there is nothing more effectuall vnto the beareyng of aduersitie then to thinke that many haue borne the same with valiant myndes And a loftie minde wylbe ashamed that he only cannot doo that which in numerable coulde doo before hym Whiche thought hath not only been profitable in labours of difficultie but also in those paynes and tormentes of the body whiche seeme to be most miserable specially in death it selfe Sorowe A long payneful iourney do I sorowfully passe foorth on foote Reason There is nothing that so much easeth a painful iourney and comforteth an heauie minde as noble and sweete cares which cannot harbour within the hart and keepe company al the way long vnlesse it be with some good and learned man Herevnto if by chaunce there happen the pleasaunt societie of some meery and eloquent companion the iourney shall not only seeme light but short also Many haue been so delighted with pleasaunt communication vpon the way that they haue felt no tediousnesse at al of the trauaile and although the iourney were long indeede yet haue they complayned of the shortnes therof supposing them selues not to haue gone but rather to haue been carried This is also common among the wrâ—tie sayinges of Publius A pleasant companion vpon the way is as good as a Wagon Of one yeeres barrennesse The Lviij Dialogue SOROWE I Am oppressed with the barrennesse of one yeere Reason Plentie then will be the better welcome vnto thee euery thing is best knowne by comparyng it with the contrary Sorowe My lande hath deceyued myne expectation Reason It is not thy lande that hath deceyued thee but thy wyckednesse and greedinesse of mynde you promyse your selues euery thyng to fall out as you would haue them lyke proude fooles beyng worthie in your owne opinion that nature her selfe shoulde be at your commaundement Who yf she dare receyue her ryght and fayle once to satisfie the deepe and bottomelesse whyrlpoole of your couetous mynds which nothyng is able to fyl then seemeth she vnto you straunge and couetous iniurious This is no righteous nor modest hope but the imaginations of an immoderate desire yee feigne that those thynges shall come to passe whiche you woulde haue and if you mysse ought thereof you call it a losse thy lande keepeth it olde custome and thou thyne For the barrennesse and fruitefulnes of the earth come by course but your couetousnesse is continual You beyng most partiall interpretours of all thynges when as you ought to take the first thankefully and soberly and the seconde patiently and valiantly the one you contemne the other you bewayle the one maketh you proude the other playntyffe Sorowe My lande whiche promised me better successe hath deceiued me Reason You weery the earth with your oxen and plowes and heauen with your vowes and prayers The blowing of the wyndes the oportunitie of shewres the comelinesse of the springyng trees the beautie of the fieldes the Wynters dust the Springs durt the Sommer Sun the rypenesse of haruest all these do drawe your couetous mindes into hope And lyke as euery flambe setteth on fyre the drie stubble and euery wynde bloweth abrode the loose dust euen so euery gaine engendreth hope to the couetous minde and the least losse not of substance only but also of hope quite confoundeth him But O you wretches moderate your vnseemely motions restraine your vnmeasurable couetousnesse and chasten your crebulus hope which hath ben frustrated by a thousand successes to what end do you looke vpon heauen and earth Plentifulnesse commeth from God only O ye mortal men suffer him to worke his pleasure behold you what is done praise it Let the workeman woorke denye not vnto God that reuerence which ought to be geuen to a man that is skilful in any science Let vesselles of earth be ashamed to controule the heauenly potter but in voyce and mynde geue thanks vnto hym for al thing who being priuie of your necessities and not ignorant of your desires
credite I woulde recite examples whereby to comfort thy heauie chaunce but that they are innumerable For who lyueth and is not deceyued What euer myscheefe befalleth to man is not so muche as one man suffereth by another And for that it is not possible nor needeful to recken al remember the historie of Caninius in what sort he was once coosined by Pytius at Siracuse Neuerthelesse Caninius hath wherewith to comfort him selfe for that being a knight of Rome he was deceiued by a stranger that was liuing when as Augustus Caesar that was Emperour of Rome was deluded by a meane ritizen that lay a dying The history is wel knowen how that a certayne man called Marius who through the freendship of the same Augustus had been aduaunced from the base estate of a common souldier vnto great honour and ryches was woont commonly to geue foorth in speeche that he would make him only his heire and leaue al his goodes vnto hym by whose meanes he had gotten al that he had whiche thing when as in woordes he had assured vnto the Emperour Augustus hym selfe the day before he dyed he gaue vp his deceitful ghost and at the length it was found howe that in al his wyl he had not once made mention of the Emperours name Truely he wel deserued to haue his dissemblyng carckase drawen with an hooke into the ryuer Tiber who at his very death was not afeard to deceyue his cheefe lorde and benefactour Of a streight and narow dwelling The .lxiii. Dialogue SOROWE I Owel to straightly Reason A narrowe house is profitable for many thinges and amongst other matters it is good agaynst theeues wherof thou complainedst erewhyle for that they can fynde no lurkyng corners in it as the contrary may be verified of large houses that they deceyue their owner and are conuenient for theeues I take an house to be litle or large according to the number of the inhabitantes and thou seemest now to thy selfe to dwel in to litle an house But how muche more narrowly doth thy soule dwel and howe muche more filchily among blood and matter and other loathsome substance and yet yf thou myghtest haue thy wyl thou wouldest neuer haue hym depart from thence Sorowe My house is narrowe Reason The house of claye doth not pynche the heauenly soule with the narrownesse thereof many tymes a lytle house hath been capable of great glory when as in the meane tyme a great house hath been replenished with great infamie The house conformeth not the minde but the minde conformeth the house and therefore as the blinde cottagies of the poore may be merry and vertuous so may the castles of princes and palaces of the ryche be sorowful and dishonest There is no house so narrow but the greatnesse of the tenant maketh it larger and meete to receyue a great ghest Sorowe My house is litle Reason Kyng Enanders litle palace receyued great Hercules Iulius Caesar that was afterwarde lorde of al the worlde was borne in a simple tenement Romulus and Remus that were the first founders of so great a citie were brought vp in a shepheards cottage Cato dwelled in no sumptuous house Diogenes soiourned in a rouling tub and Hilarion vnder a simple shead the holy fathers lead their lyues in caues vnder the ground and great Philosophers in litle gardeins mightie captaynes haue lyen in the open ayre and vnder poore tentes but Caius and Nero dwelled in gorgeous pallaces chose thee nowe with whiche of these thou haddest leeuest dwel Sorow I haue a narowe and homely and euil-fauoured house Reason The walles are able to keepe out theeues and the wynde and the tediousnesse of the people which is woorse then any of them both the roofe colde and heat sunneshyne and rayne as for the loftie towres they are dwellinges for foules of the ayre a large house serueth for pride a beautiful house for lasciuiousnesse a stoared house for couetousnesse but vertue thinketh scorne of no habitation vnlesse it be possessed with vices Sorow I dwell very narrowly Reason Wouldest thou that any house may seeme very large vnto thee Then thinke vpon the narrownesse of thy graue Of a prison The .lxiiii. Dialogue SOROW. I Am shut vp in an vnwoorthy pryson Reason Better is an vnwoorthy prison then vnwoorthy libertie and muche more better it is for a man vndeseruedly to suffer aduersitie for righteousnesse sake then through wickednesse to abound in prosperitie although those ought not to be tearmed euilles neyther nor these goodes but I speake as the common people speaketh who iudge payne to be the greatest euyl and pleasure the greatest good thing Sorow I am shut vp in prison Reason Who is not shut vp in prison or who departeth out of prison but when he dyeth This is thy destinye and the common destiny of al men why then should you commence peculier or newe complayntes For knowe this since the first day thou wast borne yea and before thou wast borne to thou wast inclosed in prison and hampered with fetters by his commaundement vnto whom al the compasse of heauen is a litle house and yf we wyl also beleeue the greatest Poet euen in a darke and blynd pryson The ende of whiche pryson yf thou desire to be plausible and fortunate thou shalt not abhorre the narrownesse thereof neyther punishmentes nor death nor what soeuer may befall vnto man vnto the pacient tollerating and contempt whereof vnlesse the mynde be prepared and armed at al poyntes in whatsoeuer fortune he wandreth in a verie perilous path Sorowe I am shut vp in a filthy and narrowe prison Reason There is no pryson more filthy none narrower then this pryson of the body wherein thou takest so great delight and from whiche thou fearest so muche to be dissolued Sorowe I am deteyned in an inconuenient pryson Reason Pryson hath delyuered many from instant daunger and the handes of their enimies Vnto many the very entry of their pryson hath stand in steade of a shielde and that whiche was profitable vnto them at their entryng in hath been hurtfull vnto them at their goyng out insomuche that beyng certified by the departure they haue confessed that to be profitable whiche they abhorred and that to be miserable whiche they wyshed Sorow I am holden in pryson Reason Howe knowest thou whether perhappes it be a pryson or rather as it is sayde a place of safe keeping Howe often hath eyther the enimies swoorde or pouertie more cruel then any foe consumed those that haue been loosed from pryson Howe often haue they repented of their escaping and their imprisonment which they complayned to be long haue they afterwarde lamented that it was not perpetuall we haue seene some that haue lyued in pryson sumptuously but so soone as they haue been set at libertie they haue finished their poore and wretched lyfe with a sorowful ende Sorowe I leade a miserable lyfe in pryson Reason Some haue written bookes in pryson but thou framest complayntes there Some haue learned
good faculties in bandes but thou learnest to forget pacience Sorowe I am kept fast in pryson Reason Some within caues and dennes and some haue enclosed them selues within the circuit of walles choosing vnto them selues voluntarie imprisonment eyther for the loue of God or for hatred of the worlde or for loathsomnesse of the common multitude as dyd many holy fathers in the primitiue Churche Thou yf thou be not disposed that way desirest an end of thyne imprysonmēt stay a while eyther man wyl discharge thee or els death whiche caryeth a key of the pryson doore There is one manner of entrance but sundry sortes of departyng Some haue been let goe vpon pitie some by the course of lawe some through their owne innocencie some by negligence of the keepers some for money some by craft some by breaking prison or vndermining the walles and some haue escaped out of pryson by the freendly darkenesse of the nyght and also since the memory of your fathers some haue been set at libertie by earthquakes and ouerthrowing of the pryson and last of al they that coulde finde none other meanes haue been released from imprisonment by death And lykewyse no lesse dyuers haue been the euentes of them that haue escaped Marius delyuerie from pryson brought hym to the Consulshyp Iulius Caesars imprisonment among the pyrates transported hym to the Empire of the worlde In this age certayne haue passed from pryson to lordshyps and the cheynes whiche they haue shaken from them selues they haue layde vpon other Finally Regulus and Socrates and many moe were not extinguished in prison as it was thaught but rather by an honorable ende discharged out of pryson To conclude the pryson hath sent some vnto great glory some vnto notable fortune some to a kyngdome and many to heauen but al to the graue for it neuer receyued any whom it hath not agayne restored Of Tormentes The .lxv. Dialogue SOROW. I Am vniustly tormented Reason What wouldest thou nowe say if it were iustly For there is no torment greater then the torment of the conscience If this be vpryght contemne these outwarde thinges for thou hast a comforter within thee Sorowe I am tormented very vnwoorthily Reason Take compassion vpon thy tormentour he is more sharpely tormented then thou for although the world crye out agaynst thee yet know this that it is a lesse euil to suffer then to offer an imurie Sorowe I am tormented Reason A newe lamentation for an olde greefe wast thou neuer tormented before Among tormentes thou wast borne among tormentes thou hast lyued among tormentes thou shalt dye tell me now what newe thing is befallen thee The kindes of tormentes are changed but the tormentes them selues do not surceasse Examine the whole course of thy forepassed life recount what euer day thou passedst ouer without torment Perhaps thou mayst finde somthinges shadowed with false ioyes but al thinges full of true tormentes wherof if thou iudge exactly thou wilt confesse that there is no part of this life voyde Wherby it commeth to passe that some not without iust cause haue supposed this whole life to be a continual punishment But you neuerthelesse so demeane your selues as though these Philosophical speeches concerned you not they sticke in the enterance of your eares they pearce not into the closet of your mindes So that ye lament for euery small griefe of the bodie but as for the euerlastyng and deadly punishment of the minde ye do not feele it in the first ye are impacient but in the other without sense Sorow I am layde vpon the wheele Reason What skilleth it whether thou goe vp to the wheele or to the bed to be tormented The tormentours knot shal wring thee and put thee to payne but heare now one with the ague another with the gout another with a shrewysh wyfe another with his sonne another with his louer another with his ryches another with pouertie another by the Phisitions hand another with the schoolemaisters ferula another with a naughtie seruaunt another with a proude lorde another is vexed with an infinite hope and couetous desire another with feare that is more greeuous then any tormentour Search through the whole state of mankynde and thou shalt scarse finde one man that lyeth not vpon the wheele and beyng a thousand sundry sortes of tortures doo you feare none but those that are made of wood Sorowe I am tormented Reason In the middest of thy tormentes comfort thy selfe eyther with thyne innocencie or with iustice for if thou be vniustly tormented thou hast a cause to reioyce whereby thou hast purchased experience to thy selfe and others and also a certayne bryghtnesse is added vnto thy vertue the fame of handled and aduaunced thynges is more renowmed and spices the longer they be beaten the sweeter they smell and most excellent wares are set a loft to the viewe that they may be seene the better But yf thou be tormented deseruedly thou hast thy remedye in thy handes but clottered fylth is purged by fyre and difficultie and a desperate sicknesse muste haue a sharpe cure who so is weery of his disease wyl not refuse any bytter thyng and he that is sory for his synnes wyll not eschewe any punishment Sorow I am laide on the racke Reason If without desart thou hast a meane to despise the crueltie of another from an hygh But yf deseruedly when thou art plucked from the earth thou mayst the more euidently beholde thyne offence and that which thou art now sorowful for the committyng thou shalt not be grieued for the sufferyng of the punyshment Sorow I am tormented Reason Eyther thy vertue is tryed or thy vyce punyshed the one is often profitable the other alwayes expedient It is a good tryall for the ryghteous to suffer punyshment but there is nothyng woorse then to suffer the gyltie to escape vnpunished Sorowe I am tormented Reason Learne the way vnto patience and death Of vniust iudgement The Lxvj. Dialogue SOROWE I AM condemned by vniust iudgement Reason There haue been some ere nowe condemned by the sentence of one iudge or by the testimonie of a fewe witnesses who haue ben often tymes acquitted eyther by the voice of the common people or by theyr secrete iudgement or whiche is better by theyr owne conscience or whiche is best of al by Gods owne iudgement For the best appealyng is vnto the eternall iudgement seate of the most iust and hygh iudge and he it is that vseth to reuerse the false iudgementes of other by a wrytte of errour Sorowe I am condemned vniustly Reason As the vnryghteous are ouerthrowen by iustice so are the ryghteous by iniurie Then whereas is vniust condempnation there the partie condempned is innocent and there is no man so foolysh vnlesse he were starke mad that would haue this be contrarie and had rather be condemned iustly then vniustly There is none so feareful vnlesse he be too bad but had rather be condemned by an vnrighteous doome then acquitted
But they on the other side feigned that they beleeued hym not saying that they muche suspected his fidelitie towardes the common wealth To be short they coÌ„maunded him vpon a great penaltie not to passe out of the citie gates Howbeit they say that he was in suche sort prouoked by the impaciencie of his forbidding that the very next day folowyng whiche was neuer seene before he was taken without the walles of the citie Thus though the pryde stubbernesse of your mind ye are alwayes carryed away vnto that whiche is forbidden And nowe thou complaynest that thou art shut vp and the whole citie is not bygge enough for thee whom peraduenture some litle corner thereof perhappes some one house might suffise yf thou were not besieged as for the most part it hapneth vnto studentes Moreouer it fortuneth that al besieginges be but of short continuance Ye haue comfort ministred vnto you both by the place and tyme only ye lacke vprightnes of minde which causeth you to lament and complaine which runneth not by the nature of the thinges but through your owne effeminatenesse Of a mans countrey destroyed The lxix Dialogue SOROW. BVt what sayest thou to this that my country is vtterly destroyed Reason Diddest thou not heare the fortune of cities and countreyes which I named not long since and the lyke also in other without number Alexandeâ— kyng of Macedonie ouerthrewe Tirus and Thebes and Persipolis the chiefe citie of the Persian kyngdome and that thou mayst marueyle the more at the suggestion of one harlot a great citie dependeth but vpon a tickle fortune Agamemnon rased Troy Hanibal Saguntum Scipio the younger Carthage and Numancia Titus Hierusalem and lykewise other others Rome none wholy ouerthrew but olde age battered it beyng ayded by the ciuile dissentions And what maketh matter who ouerthrewe it for asmuch as we see it is ouerthrowen The fame of the destruction of Millane is of later time vnder Frederike a barbarous and cruel emperour diddest thou thinke that thy countrey was priuiledged from the iurisdiction of fortune vnto whom great cities and mightie kingdomes are subiect Hath loue so blinded thee that thou shouldest imagine one citie because thou wast borne in it to be immortall when as the whole world it selfe is transitorie Heauen and earth shal fayle the mountaynes and seas shal be mooued and al thinges that were made of nothing shal returne to nothing agayne doest thou then woonder or complaine that thy countrey is come to nought Cities aswel as men as I noted a litle before haue their dying dayes but they chaunce not so often as they do to men for that there are fewer cities and they be of longer continuaunce notwithstandyng subiect to death for not men onely but all other worldly thynges also are mortal the soule of man onely excepted Sorow My countrey is fallen Reason Perhappes it may ryse agayne for some are rysen agayne that haue fallen and the fallyng of some hath been the occasion of their more fortunate rysing For Saguntum and Millaine stande at this day in their auncient places but the next neyghbout citie vnto Millaine whiche was the last of Pompeius commendation chaunged place as some say by the same varbarous handes and was destroyed about the same tyme and so likewyse were Hierusalem and Carthage Liue therefore in hope but yf thy hope fayle thee and thou seppose thy countrey be destroyed beware least thou also fayle and faint vnder fortune For woorse is the ouerthrowing of mindes then of walles A man ought to shew a manly courage and not an effeminate mind and although thou be sorye for thy countreyes ouerthrowe do not thou semblably perysh with it seeing that thy ruine wil nothing auayle the common wealth but rather endeuour to reserue thy selfe the residue of thy country folke if there be any remaining vnto some more fortunate tyme in this case deedes are more needefull then lamentations where also flight it selfe is commendable Thou hast heard howe that vnto Terentius Varro through whose fault and rashnesse the whole Empire of Rome was almost ouerthrowen thankes were commonly yeelded of al fortes of the people for that he dispayred not of the common wealth which his college or felow officer a most noble gentleman who was in no part of the fault seemed to doo But if there be nothing els remayning at the leastwyse with Bias carie thou al thy goodes with thee although thou depart starke naked out of the walles of thy peryshing countrey and hencefoorth seeke after that countrey whose kyngdome shal haue none ende Whervnto when as at last by the callyng of God thou art once ascended thou shalt no more feare beseeging nor destruction nor any of those thinges which are commonly dreaded in your cities Of the feare of loosing in warre The .lxx. Dialogue FEARE I Feare to loose in war. Reason Then seeke for peace Feare I very muche dread ouercomming Reason A moderate feare procureth heedefulnesse but that whiche is vehement engendreth desperation then the one of which there is nothing better in war and nothing woorse then the other in all thinges Feare I am shaken with great feare of battayle Reason What mischeefe feare bryngeth vnto them that are readie to fight and also heauinesse whiche proceedeth of feare Flaminius at Thrasumenus Craslus at Carras and Pompeius in Thessalia haue prooued in which places and often elswhere that saying of the Poet hath appeared to true Feare is an â—nluckie south sayer in matters of experience Feare I stande in great feare of the euent of battaile Reason Delay then the tyme vntyl hope may come it is yll to goe forwarde in that from whiche the minde and dread do will to absteyne There is commonly in the minde a certayne foreseeing facultie contrarie to the motion whereof I would in no respect perhappes geue thee counsel to attempt any thing The examples that myght be alleaged in this case aswel new as olde are without number wherof it sufficeth me to haue cited three onely of the most notable Feare I feare the euent of the instant battayle Reason Shake of thy timoriousnesse which none knoweth better then thou thy selfe take heede that it be not the nature of the thing or the want of power but rather cowardice that imagineth this abodyng of euyll successe vnto whom there is nothing not fearfull and difficult Wherefore if the same be burtfull to thy glory yf to thy safetye by the assistance of vertue it must be repressed and the minde awakened to whom it must be declared that oftentymes the dangers are far fewer and lyghter then the feare and that many tymes false fancies of terrible matters doo flye before the eyes wherewith some haue been in suche sort dismayed that they haue yeelded vp the victorie to theyr enimies whiche they themselues had alredie wun with their weapons For false and vayne feare is nothing slower then true feare but in this respect many tymes the more vehement by howe muche the errour of
them that are afrayde imaginyng al thynges to be greater them they are in deede dryueth them foorth headlong with sharper vehemencie and thus as the same Poet sayth Hastinesse euylly gouerneth al thynges But yf with none of these neyther thou canst lyft vp thy drouping minde but fearefulnesse ouercomme thy valiencie keepe thee out of the fielde it is seldome well done that is fearefully done If thou goe thus affected into the batrayle there shal be one within thee that wyll fyght agaynst thee for the better part of thy selfe rebelleth agaynst thee Feare is alwayes an euyl ghest of the minde but a muche more woorse companion in warre Of a foolyshe and rashe felow in office The .lxxi. Dialogue SOROW. I Haue a foolyshe and rashe felowe officer Reason As thou hast cause I confesse to feare so hast thou cause also on the other side to hope for as this hath ministred vnto some matter of calamitie so hath it vnto others cause of great glorie The rashnes of Terentius Varro procured death vnto Paulus Emilius But on the other side the rashnesse of Lucius Furius Minutius purchased singular glory vnto Marcus Furius Camillus and Quintus Fabius Maximus the histories are wel knowen Sorow I haue an hastie and vnconstant office felowe Reason Be thou constant and modest Vertue neuer shineth more brightly then when she is compared with her contrarie Why shouldest not thou rather modestly rule hym then he rashly dryue forth thee Sorow I haue a very insolent felow in office Reason Hast thou forgotten how that vnto the same Camillus of whom I spake erewhyle being Tribune of the people with the aucthoritie of the Consul his fiue fellow officers that were equal in commission with him at one time willingly submitted them selues vnto his gouernmēt This commoditie bringeth surpassing vertue it purchaseth auctoritie to the possessours reuerence and shamefastnes to the woonderers at it For thou shalt by no means better represse the insolencie of thy colleagen then by industrie vertue By that meanes thou shalt bring it to passe that he wil be ashamed to be called thy felow as was Minutius ashamed and wil either submit himselfe vnto thee with more honourable consent then if the people had made him inferiour vnto thee or at leastwise all the world shal see that though he be equal with thee in name yet is he inferiour in valour and what soeuer is well doone shal be counted thine and what soeuer yll done shal be iudged his Sorow There is happened vnto me a foolyshe and stubberne colleagen Reason Some thinges are learned by their contraries Scholemaisters are woont to propose some foolyshe trysle vnto their schollars that learne but slowely whiche when the myt of the learner refuseth it is the more easily withdrawne vnto the thinges that are true and woorth the learning There commeth into my minde a notable saying of an obscure fellowe when as not long agoe the citie of Florence had changed the estate which it doeth to often and willingly and the gouerment of the commonwelth was committed to theauctority of the common people one of that insolent companie which had long time continued in it and at length with greife had lost it despising the basenesse of his poore neighbour that was an handicraftes man And thou sayde he whiche neyther art learned nor euer passedst out of the boundes of thine owne countrey leadyng foorth thy lyfe alwayes togeather with thy companions in tradyng of thyne occupation howe wylt theu be able to gouerne this so great and noble a citie But he beyng nothing mooued here with What great matter wyl that be quoth he As for you there is no man ignorant what course you keepe and yf we do euery thing contrary we can not do amisse O woorthy answeare meete to haue proceeded from the wit of some learned man Do thou lykewyse propose vnto thy selfe a contrarie example in thy college vnto whom thou wouldest be most vnlike Of an vndiscreet and hastie Marshal of the feelde The .lxxii. Dialogue SOROWE I Haue an vndiscret and hastie Marshal of the feelde Reason This is somwhat a more dangerous matter I must needes confesse Aske of your legions that were slayne at Trebeia at Thrasumenus at Cannas and in many other places moe If thou looke for remedie leaue vncertayne warfare But yf thou mayest not do so neuerthelesse apply thou thy callyng valiantly and diligently so that thy valure may appeare among the errours of thy captaynes and that the ruine of an other man oppresse not thee but that thou rather yf there be any meanes at al mayest beare vp the common losse vpon thy souldiers It is a difficult matter I confesse but neyther impossible nor vnaccustomable which I commaund For as the dastardlinesse of one Captaine hath often times ben the destruction of many souldiers euen so somtime the valiencie of one man hath saued the Captaine the whole army But to the end I be not longer then I ought to be seke thou euery matter in order accordingly for me it sufficeth to haue recited the names times Publius Decius in the Samnitike warre Calphurnius Flamina in the first punike warre Africanus the younger in the thyrd punike warre all the Tribunes of the Souldiers the defenders of theyr Captaynes and armies But such so great may be thy prowesse and good hap that the infamie of another may turne to thy exceedyng renowme A doubtful matter truely but yet the onely meane in exte ame necessitie And therefore howsoeuer fortune haue tossed and turmoyled other yet yf thou wylt be ruled by mee thou shalt not forsake to be gouerned by vertue neyther in peace nor in warre nor in lyfe no nor in death it selfe Of vnfortunate successe in battayle The Lxxiij Dialogue SOROWE BVT I am ouercome in battayle Reason Now feare is vanished away and here after thou wylt begin to hope for as muche as this is the succession of these affections For hope and feare beyng of thynges to come as there may be some thyng to come whereof thou mayest hope so is that past now which thou fearedst Sorowe I am ouercome in a great battayle Reason Onely be not ouercome in minde for yf that once quayle all is marred Thou remembrest how Marcellus the next day after he was vanquished in battayle returned into the fielde and ouerthrewe his conquerour in a greater conflict then he had been foyled in the day before ▪ And Iulius Caesar beyng put to the woorse at Durachium shortly after gat the vpperhand at Pharsalia in an hotte skirmishe Many that haue been ouercome in battayle haue gone away with the better in the warre the courage of valient men is not daunted with one dayes mishap for such haue not loftie only but also long lasting valure If to day thou be ouercome to morowe thou wylt fight more warily Vnfortunate battayles like sharpe and faithful Maisters doo teach Captaines experience and with stripes admonyshe them where they haue erred euen so
lykewyse are Husbandmen by barrennesse and Carpenters by the fall of houses and Horsemen by the often founderyng of their Horses and Saylers sharpned by great and dangerous tempestes thus by erryng men gaine experience Sorowe I am vanquished Reason There is none vanquished but he that thynketh hym selfe vanquished whose hope is troade vnder foote and extinguished whose minde hath layde downe the remembrance how to take aduersitie Beholde the Romanes and their inuincible mindes at all times but specially in the seconde Punike warre who notwithstandyng the treacherie of their felowe nations and so many conspiracies of kinges and countreys and so many vnfortunate battayles and almost vtter destruction yet were they not vanquished there was neuer any mention of peace made among them no signe of dispayre and finally nothyng els was there among them but altogether hygh and inuincible consultation Whiche thyng what is it other then by the vertue of the minde to soften the hardnesse of Fortune and to enforce it to be ashamed of it selfe and to loue thee But at length as meete it was they rose aloft and beyng a thousande tymes ouerthrowen they floryshed the more so that prowesse and Fortune made not onely their enimies that were terrible vnto them but also the whole world successiuely their subiectes vassals Sorow I am vanquished I confesse Reason Now at length thou beginnest to knowe what Fortune is this commoditie hast thou learned by fleeing none almost learneth great matters for nought Many haue learned better by experience then by going to schoole the dul head that could learne nothing of his schoole maister by the eare hath ben taught by the eie There is no schoolemistres of humane things more certaine then aduersitie none more conuenient to discusse and disciphre errours Sorowe I am ouerthrowen with a great wounde of Fortune Reason Arise lye not styll greatnesse of the mind neuer more notably sheweth it selfe then in the woundes of Fortune But nowe do thou know thy selfe hauing susteined so great a stroke vnderstand how great thine owne strength is Sorowe I haue lost my hoped victorie Reason If it were vnlooked for thou hast won wisdome but to say that there is no change in worldly things it may not be hoped Sorow I am vanquished in war. Reason He that is ouercome in battell retaineth his libertie and lyfe but whose is vanquished by vices lofeth both he that yeeldeth thervnto is truely ouercome in deede Sorowe I am ouercome Reason How knowest thou whether that which was spoken vnto Pompeius the great who was vanquished in battell in Thessalia do also agree vnto thee It had ben woorse that he had ouercome for as the more harme so the lesse sinne hath he that is ouercome A great gaine which some not only wishing to be ouercome but choosing also to die haue in hart preferred and truely they make a good exchange who by the death of their body seeke for the health of their soules but many reioyce in their owne harmes and are greeued at their owne good such blindnes possesseth the mindes of men Sorowe I am ouerthrowen Reason This might happen vnto thee not for want of skil in the art of warfare but by fortune Fortune neuer sheweth herself any where more to be fortune then in battel as in other things she may do much so in this they say she can do al. Sorow Being vanquished in battel I am come away Reason But thou art not therefore immediatly naked Marciall weapons may be taken from the vanquished but the true goodes which are the weapons of the minde they do styl retayne that seeme to be ouercome For they as well as out of the fire shipwracke are brought away out of a lost battell And not those alone which being hyd vp in the minde can not be touched with any weapon but they also that in the conflict seeme to be in the greatest daunger and most exposed to the dint of the swoorde And therefore not whosoeuer is ouercome in battell is also spoyled of his Martiall honour although loosyng his armour and fleeyng out of the fielde or that more is leauyng his Carkas dead vppon the colde grounde he carrie away with hym the name of a woorthie Captayne For the Grecian histories report howe that Leonides at Thermopylae beyng not so muche ouercome as weeried with ouercomming was there slayne with his power lying among the great heapes and mountaynes of his enimies whiche fame the Poet Virgil commendeth in Deiphobus and in the Emathian sieldes if we beleeue Lucane the vnfortunate armie stoode in an vncertayne aray And in the last battayle that was fought in Africa agaynst Hannibal it was not possible that an armie should be more orderly marshalled nor fyght more couragiously which thyng as he that was conquered confessed of the conquerour so dyd the conquerour report of hym that was conquered beyng eyther of them men of singuler iudgement in those affayres And what shal we say hath he lost who hath lost neyther the true glorie of his art nor the assurance in conscience of his vpryght dealyng in that he vndertooke Of Ciuile warre The Lxxiiij Dialogue SOROWE WE are shaken with Ciuile warre Reason The name hereof is deriued of Citizens and thou art one of the Citizens take heede therefore that thou be not one of the number of the sticklers in this mischiefe and to thy power thou be not voyde of blame For this is the maner of ciuile warres one man enflameth and prouoketh another vntyll all of them ioyntly haue raysed a publike outrage whiche publique outrage at length pricketh foorth and thrusteth headlong euery priuate man forwarde For this common mischiefe neuer commeth thus fyrst to ripenesse of it selfe although by encreasing it infect yea sometyme ouerthrowe an whole Citie but yf thou wouldest fynde the fyrst original thereof it is rooted in the errours of priuate persons and this is that therefore whereof I exhort thee to beware that thou also haue not ben one of those that haue mayntayned the ciuile flame eyther by ministryng matter to the fire or by blowyng the coales For many doo thynges whereof shortly after they complayne and lament theyr owne deede as yf it were some wound inflicted by another mans hand Many haue perished in their owne fyre But yf thou be gyltie vnto thy selfe of no suche matter duetifull and godly is the sorowe of a Citizen in the publique calamitie but he may conceyue comfort of his innocencie Of all the mischiefes that folowe man there is none more lamentable then sinne or rather as it seemeth vnto certaine notable men there is none other mischiefe at al. Sorow We are vexed with ciuile warre Reason In the rage of the multitude shewe thou thy selfe a follower of peace whiche though it be to small purpose yet aduaunce thy selfe though alone in the defence of libertie and iustice whiche although perhappes shall doo thy Countrey but small pleasure yet shall it redowne to thy commendation of
eyther of these one Citie shall gene thee an example to wit Menenius Agrippa and Portius Cato euen the same that was the last Sorowe The Citizens are together by the eares in implacable ciuile warre Reason If thou canst doo nothyng thereto of thy selfe labour others reprooue them entreate them withstande them chastice them speake them faire beate into their heades the vtter ouerthrowe of the Common wealth whiche conteyneth in it the ruine of euery priuate person and seemyng proper to none appertayneth to all To be short seeke to appease theyr mindes at the one syde with duetie on the other with terrour But yf thou profite nothyng that way make thy prayers vnto Almightie GOD and wyshe the witte and amendment of thy Citizens and the safetie of thy Countrey and in all poyntes fulfyl the duetie of a good Citizen Sorow The Common wealth is come to great extremitie by ciuile warre Reason To the ende that neither by ciuile nor external warres any thyng happen vnto thee vnlooked for nor any chaunce oppresse thee vpon a sudden alwayes recount this one thyng in thy minde that not men only but al worldly thynges also are mortal the soule of man onely excepted And as in men so lykewyse in Cities and great Empires there be sundry diseases and maladies some in the outwarde partes and some rysing within the bodye among which are mutinies and fallinges away and brawles and discordes and ciuile warres and moreouer that euery one hath a tyme prefixed whiche he can not passe whiche euery day draweth nearer then other and although it be deferred for a time yet most sure it is that it wyll come Where there stand now most famous Cities there sometyme haue stoode rough and wilde wooddes and so perhaps shall doo agayne It is a great follie for any Citie to hope for that of it selfe whiche Rome the Lady and Queene of all Cities coulde not attayne This is the difference betweene the endes and decayes of men and of Cities in that the ende of men by reason of their innumerable and infinite multitude and shortnes of lyfe is dayly seene with the eyes but of Cities because of the rarenesse of them and theyr longer continuance it is scarce beholden once in many hundred yeeres and then with great wonder and admiration This meditation shall make thee more strong agaynst all chaunces as well publique as priuate And to conclude the same shall lay foorth vnto thee though not a pleasant yet an indifferent way vnto pouertie vnto exile and vnto death it selfe and teach thee how that this mischiefe is peculier to thy Countrey which is common vnto you all that be Citizens Of the disagreement of a waueryng minde The Lxxv. Dialogue SOROWE I AM troubled with the disagreeyng of my minde Reason There is no warre woorse then this no not ciuile warre For that is betweene Citizens but this with a mans owne selfe That is betweene factions of Citizens in the streetes of the Cities but this is fought within in the minde betweene the partes of the soule And therefore forasmuche as there is a kynde of warre which is counted more then ciuyll warre where not Citizens onely but kinsmen also fyght among them selues as was betweene Caesar and Pompei of whiche it was sayde Heere brethren stoode and there was shedde the parentes blood Muche more truely may that be so called where not the father agaynst the sonne nor brother agaynst brother but man agaynst hym selfe doth contende duryng whiche stryfe the minde hath neyther quietnesse nor securitie Sorowe My minde is at variance and distracted with diuers affections Reason Away with that variance begynne to minde one thyng For tyll those contrary affections lyke seditious Citizens minde one and the same thyng neuer shall the minde be quiete and at peace with it selfe But as the Ague of bodyes commeth through contrarie and corrupt humours so contrarie affections engender the Ague of mindes the whiche by so muche is the more dangerous by how muche the minde is more noble then the body and eternall death more terrible then the temporall in eche yf a meane be obserued health may notably be maynteyned Sorowe My minde is at debate and chooseth not what it woulde Reason Thou nowe tyest the cause of euyll and euyll it selfe together supposing the same to be at debate because it chooseth not But let it once begyn to choose the stryfe wyll quicklie ceasse I say let it choose to wyll that good is not euyll for els it wyl be so far from finding quietnesse that more and more it shal be disquieted For vices can neuer agree together but where vertues are there is peace and concorde Sorow My minde is at dissension being deuided into partes Reason Philosophers haue destinguished the mind into three partes the fyrst wherof as the gouernour of mans lyfe heauenly blessed next vnto GOD they haue placed in the head as it were in a Towre where quiet and honest cogitations and willes doo dwell the second in the brest where anger and malice boyleth the thyrd in the neather partes from whence proceedeth lust and concupiscence the tempest of this sea is double so thou seest now what thou hast to doo Doo as Menenius dyd of whom euen now I spake he perswaded the common people to come vnder the gouernement of the Senatours whose profitable counsayle they followyng were brought from dissension to amitie so he counsayled them but yf counsayle wyl not serue doo thou compell thyne abiect and base partes to obeye the noble For tyl that be brought about neuer looke to be quiet in minde And lacking quietnesse surely mans lyfe is vnsetled and foolyshe and tossed about and vncertaine and blinde yea altogether miserable Many in all theyr lyfe tyme knowe not what they woulde haue Sorow I am troubled in minde and knowe not what I woulde Reason Thou hast moe companions troubled not once or twyse but as last of all I sayde all theyr lyfe tyme And truely among all that thou hast sayde thou hast not and saye what thou wylt thou canst not almoste shewe a greater miserie Sorowe I am tossed and diuersly enclined Reason To be in suche a case is a notable argument that the minde is not wel For as a sicke body tumbleth on the bedde so a sicke minde knoweth not what to stycke vnto Suche are in a most miserable case For better doo I conceyue of hym which stoutly persisteth in wickednesse for if he repent happily he wyl be as constant in well doyng as he was impudent in naughtinesse then of a lyght brayne which carelesly neglecteth al counsayle for yf he at any tyme begyn to doo well he is soone weerie and wyll not persiste but remayneth altogeather ignorant so that we may well apply that obscure saying of Seneca vnto hym They which doo not that they shoulde consume the tyme without profite for dooyng nowe that nowe this and neuer continue in one may well be sayde to doo that they should not
albeit that place may otherwyse be applyed Sorowe I am oppressed with cares Reason As though among the swellyng waues the shyppe of thy lyfe beyng voyde of counsayle and destitute of a Master coulde escape shypwracke if thou doo not whyle tyme serueth ride in some quiet and safe Port and there lye at Anker before the tempest of the minde doo ouerwhelme thee Sorow I am caried away knowyng not what to doo Reason And so besides the peryls of the minde whiche are incomprehensible and infinite your lookes are diuers and strange lyke the minde whiche as Cicero wryteth maketh the same and beyng in such a state now merrie now sadde now feareful now secure now swyft now slowe in gate thou art a notable garyng stocke for al men through the varietie of such gesture as was Catiline But once settle thy selfe to wyll and doo well but otherwyse yf thou wyll that yll is styll shalt thou be as thou art For vice is alwayes variable Settle thy selfe I say to wyll that good is and then shalt thou fynde as thy minde quieted so thy lookes stayed and all thy gestures vniforme vnchangable eyther through hope or feare through ioye or griefe whiche is a speciall part of grauitie seene in very fewe men and hyghly commended among the Grecians in Socrates and in Lelius among your Countreymen and last of al in Marcus Antonius and in Aurelius Alexander among your Princes Of a doubtful state The .lxxvi. Dialogue SOROW. I Am in a doubteful state Reason What is it I pray thee that thou doubtest of Is it whether mortall men must dye or whether transitorie thinges are to be contemned or that we must not depende altogether vpon prosperitie or whether destinie cannot be auoyded and therefore must be tollerated neither fortune bowed but may be broken To all these the answeares are certayne Sorowe Beyng in a doubtfull state I knowe not what wyll become of me Reason In deede perhaps thou mayest doubt where when and how thou shalt dye but that thou must dye that he can not dye an euyll death whiche hath ledde a good lyfe or to soone which alwayes hath played the honest man thou canst not doubt Agayne that he can dye out of his owne countrey who maketh the whole worlde his countrey or but in exile whiche desireth to be in his natiue countrey except thou be vnwyse thou canst neuer doubt Whence therefore come these doubtynges Perchaunce of fortune but thinkest thou she wylbe faythful to thee whiche with none keepeth fayth Is it not more lykely that she wyll keepe her olde woont lyke the troublesome sea now deceitful with a fayned calmenesse nowe with surging waues terrible by and by dreadefull with shypwracke And yet hadst thou any experience at al no place should there remayne for doubting For albeit the euentes be doubtful yet vertue which wyl make thee certayne in the greatest vncertaynetie is alwayes certayne vnto whom when thou hast geuen thy selfe nothyng shal be doubtful but al thynges foreseene Sorow I haue a doubtful state Reason But the same is not doubtful to God and therefore content thy selfe and commit thee wholly vnto him saying In thy handes I am do with me as it pleaseth thee whiche thing spoken godly laye feare aside cast of doubting be no more careful He knoweth what to doo with thee which knoweth al thynges With a litle but sure with a trustie barke thou cuttest the mightie sea He is a faythful and most careful gouernour of thy saluation What skylleth it if the passenger know not the way so it be knowen to the maister of the shyp Of woundes receyued The .lxxvii. Dialogue SOROWE I Am vexed with most greeuous woundes Reason O howe lyght shoulde they seeme wouldest thou beholde the woundes of thy soule But suche delicate bodyes haue most commonly insensible soules Of one part nothyng on the other ye are redy to suffer al thynges and whiche is most wretched ye neuer feele them Sorowe My woundes trouble me Reason The enimies swoorde pearseth the shielde not the soule For she can neuer be hurt if so be she do not bereaue her selfe of her owne weapons It was sayde of a certaye man in a litle but sure a learned woorke that no man can be hurt but of hym selfe whiche I thinke to be a true saying albeit many mislyke the same Sorowe I am mangled with most greeuous and manifolde woundes Reason There is no wounde more greeuous then that whiche is to the death but there is but one suche wounde and yf but one that is most greeuous the rest must needes be lyght Caesar being goared with twentie and three woundes had but one deadly wounde and yf we should graunt them al to be deadly yet coulde he dye but once And albeit many and deepe are the woundes yet but one effect is there of them all the often woundyng of a dead body argueth a blooddie minde in the wounder but encreaseth no payne in the wounded Sorowe With woundes I am weakened Reason Woulde to God pryde with al her sisters were brought lowe and humilitie admitted for a companion of the woundes that we myght finde it true whiche was written Thou hast humbled the proude lyke a wounded person It is a good wounde and profitable whiche is a medicine to heale other and greater woundes Sorowe I am ougly in sight through my woundes Reason Hast thou forgot that young man of whom twyse in this our communication we spake Hereafter shouldest thou doo that of thyne owne accorde which now thou doest lament to be done vnto thee by another Sorowe My face is disfigured with woundes Reason The wounde is not to be regarded so muche as the cause thereof Woundes receyued in a lawful war do woonderfully adorne the face Fayre is the wounde whiche a valiant man hath gotten in a good quarel but muche fayrer is the death Sorow I am lame withall Reason Thou remembrest I am sure the answeare of Horatius Cocles who after he had borne the brunt of the whole armie of the Tuscaâ—e king vpon the brydge Sublicius after a more valiant then credible maner and escaped from his enimies the brydge beyng broken by his owne countreymens handes and leaping into the ryuer Tyber though with some hurt vnto one of his legges which thing afterward suing for an office was obiected vnto hym thus stopped the mouth of his aduersarie I halte not at al quoth he but suche is the wyt of the immortal Gods that euery step whiche I make shoulde bryng into my remembrance my glorious victorie as noble an answere as his exploite was notable Sorow I haue lost myne hande in fight Reason If it be thy left hande the losse is the lesse but if it be thy ryght hande thou mayest doo as dyd Marcus Sergius a man of prowesse who hauing in fight lost his ryght hande in the Punike war made hym one of Iron wherewith he went to many and blooddie battayles But yf that be not so conuenient make thy left
very fewe among many are able to say so for of so many thousand thousandes as are borne howe many are there that atteyne to olde age And of them that do howe many lyue out the lawful tyme that they may be called old Sorowe I am very olde Reason It is a myracle to meete with a verie old man specially if a man thinke with hym selfe with how many dangers on steppes he hath passed to that age The great rarenesse of olde folke is a great argument of the manyfolde chaunces of this mortal lyfe Sorowe I am olde Reason Thou hast runne an hard and daungerous race it were marueyle but that by this tyme beyng weerie and desirous to rest thou were glad to see the ende so nigh Sorowe I am soone waxen olde Reason The course of your lyfe is sometyme short sometyme very short neuer long alwayes hard rough and vncertayne the last part whereof is olde age and the ende death what cause hast thou here to complayne alone Art thou waxen old By this time then thou oughtest to haue fulfilled the dueties of life and now rest thy self seing thou art come to the end thereof That traueiler were worse then mad that being weerie and weakened with his long iourney woulde be content to goe backe agayne There is nothyng more acceptable to them that are weerie then their Inne Sorowe I am aged Reason The toyles of thy lyfe haue been pleasant vnto thee belike if thou be sorie thou hast passed them Sorowe I am an olde man. Reason If thou haddest a delyte to lyue loe thou hast lyued what needes thou must do thou hast fulfilled And who is so mad that wylbe sorie for the doing of that whiche he wyshed vnlesse he perceyue that he wyshed a misse or reioyceth not that that is done alredy that might not be left vndone nor be done without great trauayle And therefore on euery side thou hast cause to reioyce whether thou hast obteyned thy wyshed desire or accomplyshed thy necessarie and payneful duetie Sorow I am in yeeres and olde age hath chased away the delites of the body Reason Enioy the pleasures of the minde which are as many and truely more permanent and do neuer depart but when the soule departeth to her they cleaue her they folowe But bodilye pleasures when they come they bring offence and when they depart they leaue behinde them cause of repentance shame and sorowe Reioyce that thou art discharged and free from them and geue thankes to thy deliuerer for bringing thee out of the handes of thine enimies and causing thee do folowe thy duetie which thou haddest deferred and neglected Sorow I am olde and want mine accustomed pleasures Reason Accustome thy selfe then to new for olde age hath it proper pleasures whiche when thou hast tasted thou wylt loath those whiche thou hast lost if thou mightest euen rufe to returne vnto them Sorow I am olde and gray headed Reason The reuerende hoarie heares of a vertuous olde man carie with them not onely more aucthoritie but also honest delite then al the filthy pleasures of young men neyther be thou greeued at the changyng of their colour For whose senses are so corrupted or iudgment blynded that he woulde not rather beholde baskets ful of white Lilies then hutches full of blacke coales And yf he were to be transfourmed had not rather be made a whyte swanne then a blacke crowe Sorowe I am olde and the filthy wrincles haue furrowed my face Reason The forrowed lande bryngeth foorth the ranker corne and the lyfe that hath been wel instructed yeeldeth the ryper and pleasanter fruite in olde age If the wrincles of thy face offende thee frame the countenance of thy minde vnto more comlinesse whiche wyll neuer be deformed with wrincles nor altered with yeeres but rather encrease by continuance and to be short wyl do thee more honour if thou neglect it not Sorowe I am olde and become so wrincled and euyl fauoured that I scarce knowe my selfe Reason I tolde thee at the begynning of this Nowe thou wylt haue lesse desire to looke in a glasse lesse please thine owne perhaps but much lesse the eyes of wanton women whom to haue a desire to delite I cannot easily determine whether it tast of greater vanitie then lasciuiousnesse But they that séeke for trustinesse for constancie for grauitie for wysedome do hope more assuredly to fynde them among these wrincles then where the forehead and cheekes be playne and smoath and soft Sorow I am aged and the sweetest part of my lyfe haue I left behynd me Reason Nay surely the sowrest for those thynges that are most wyshed for are not alwayes best Many haue desired their owne hurte which they would not do were not the saying of the Satirike Poet true There are but fewe that can discerne the true goodes Sorowe I am olde and my pleasant dayes are past Reason The dayes in al tymes are muche one and lyke but mens mindes do varie yea one minde disagreeth from it selfe Hereof it commeth that the madnesse of youth on the one side and the impaciencie of olde age on the other haue in such sort disturbed the iudgement of this lyfe that that is counted good whiche is euyl and that most excellent whiche is woorst of al. As for the dayes they are of them selues al good for asmuch as the kyng and creatour of al worldes is good And although some dayes be hotte and some cold some drye and some moyst some cloudy and some cleare some troublesome and some calme yet yf thou haue a respect vnto the beautie of the whole worlde and the course of nature they be al good But yf they be referred vnto you and your iudgement they are almost al of them euyl sorowful doubtful heauie troublesome careful bitter plaintile lamentable ful of aduersitie Among these thou tellest me a tale of certayne pleasant ones I knowe not what whiche whiles they were present were heauie and not without their complaintes and nothing maketh them now seem pleasant but that they are past and the desire thou hast that they shoulde returne maketh them deare vnto thee and the rather for that perhaps they haue caried away with them some thynges whereby thou settest no small store A foole commonly loueth nothyng but that he hath lost Sorowe I am waren old but O that my young dayes woulde returne agayne Reason O no lesse foolyshe then vayne wyshe as thou meanest but yf thy vnderstandyng were of hygher matters then were it not voyde for it wyl surely come agayne one day and according as it is written Thyne youth shal be renewed as is were the youth of an Eagle Sorowe I am olde and my good tyme is past Reason As euery age is good to the good so is it euyl to the euyll liuers vnto both sure it is but short and very neare to the ende when as the godly shal be rewarded for their vertue and the wycked punished for their sinnes Which is then
this good tyme wherof thou speakest whiche is euermore hard and fleeting but onely in respect that it leadeth to eternitie Otherwyse yf there were any thyng sweete in it the swyftnesse thereof in passing away may seeme to abate it for who can tast a thing wel as he is running When Darius was in flyght a draught of foule and stinking water seemed most sweete vnto hym Thirst as Cicero thinketh but as I iudge feare had corrupted his tast Alexander that banquished hym folowed hard at his heeles and swift tyme likewise pursueth you apace The yeeres runne away the dayes folow headlong one vpon another the houres haue wynges and slyt swyftly death standeth before your eies neyther can ye returne when ye are staied nor stay when ye are driuen nor passe further when ye are preuented Of this way then that is beset with so many dangers and subiect to so many terrours what part thereof I pray thee can be good But I vnderstand your meanyng you call that a good age whiche is most apt vnto shame and licentiousnesse For this is your manner of speaking to tearme that good whiche is most agreable to your affections be those your affectitions neuer so euyll So doth the theefe cal the chaine good which he prepareth for the trew mans necke and the Tirant his citadel whiche he buildeth to bereaue his subiectes of their libertie and the witche her pestilent poysons whiche she mingleth to infect poore innocentes and the murtherer his blade wherewith he entendeth to commit slaughter and so likewyse do you cal that age good whiche is most conuenient for the thynges that you desire And therefore among al them that lament the losse of their forepassed dayes ye shal not finde one to lament his childhood or infancie which in deede were the best parts of this lyfe if to be best were to be farthest from olde age as ye holde opinion No not the middle age nor olde age which beginneth but nowe is yet to be counted greene old age but it is youth youth that ye require the most dangerous and woorst part of al your life O say ye the pleasant dayes of fyue and twentie yeeres where are ye become which ye speake that your auncieÌ„t filthinesse may be knowen vnto al men how wel ye like of them without repentaÌ„ce secking for nothyng els then a conuenieÌ„t tyme for them Sorowe I am old why should I not sigh with that king in Virgil that sayde O that Iupiter would restore vnto me my forepassed dayes Reason But we heare not that euer Socrates Plato Fabius or Cato samented for any such matter and yet they were old men but I confesse that it is a more rare thing to finde a wise man then a king And therefore if king Enander had been a wyse king that same sigh of his should not be doubtlesse so coÌ„monly frequented of our old men now adayes Foolish old men do sigh with heauinesse of minde cal backe for their youthful dayes but al in vayne which they goe about to reuoke not onely with their secrete wyshes but also with bootelesse medicines and cunning woorkemanshyp to alter the course of vnbridled nature In whiche poynt Hadriane the Emperour very pleasantly skoffed at a certayne grayheaded sire vnto whom he had denyed a sute And when he sawe hym come agayne to renue his former request and in the meanewhile had dyed his hoarie haires into a blacke colour he repelled hym with this answeare No goe thy wayes quoth the Emperour for I haue denyed the same alredie to thy father Sorow I am aged O that I coulde waxe young agayne Reason Erewhyle I tolde thee that thy youth woulde returne and nowe I say it is returned If thou mightest so casily obteyne thy wysh in al thynges thou shouldest wyshe for nothyng in vayne The poore man wysheth for ryches the bondman for freedome the deformed person for beautie the sicke man for health the weerie for rest the banished to be called home but he that deserueth the true name of an olde man cannot wyshe for his youth agayne for that is a very chyldishe desire Sorowe I am waxen olde alas why hath my pleasant youth so soone forsaken me Reason It is soone gone that is pleasant and that commeth alwayes to quickely that is payneful But it is a vayne thyng to wyshe for that which cannot be had and annoye in the hauing and would hurt if it returned agayne Leaue of now thy sighing for whilst thou continuest in this minde thou mayst soone become gray-headed but neuer an old man For the desire to be young man old man what is it other then the verye chyldishnes of old age Sorowe I am old and crooked Reason Beholde the earth and thinke from whence thou camest and whyther thou shalt For from thence thou camest and thither thou must goe agayne Nature putteth thee in minde both of thy beginning and ending To the intent thou shouldest not goe astray the common passage is shewed vnto thee into which since thou art entred looke downe vpon it diligently the manner is for blynde men to be lead on their way by the hand Sorowe I am soddenly waxen olde Reason Nay rather by small and smal creepingly slowly softly but that wheÌ„ men thinke vpon nothing al thynges seeme to happen sodaynly vnto them as contrariwyse when they mind all thynges nothyng commeth vnlooked for And yf olde age were a thing to be lamented then should men lament al the dayes of their lyfe for through them as steppes they trace vnto that Sorow Alas I am olde Reason O vnconstancie of desyres vnto this dyddest thou specially endeuour to attayne vnto this dyddest thou most couet and that thou shouldest not reache thereunto dyddest thou much feare and now that thou art come to it thou lamentest which were a monstrous and incredible matter but that it is now vsual among you All would fayne come to olde age but none wyl be content to be olde but rather ye count olde age miserie and to be called olde an iniurie as yf it were a reproch to be aged which none may iudge so but they that thinke it a shame to haue lyued of which sort I confesse the number is not smal from whom notwithstanding I would haue thee exempted to the ende thou mayest be the better for our communication Otherwyse good counsell can neuer sinke into the hart although it be abundantly poured into the eares Sorowe I am waxen aged at length Reason They that haue susteined losses on the land on the sea in warre â–ª and by gaming immediatly perceiue their harmes but thou onely awakest in the ende and beginnest to complayne when as the ende of all complainâ—es is at hande Sorowe I am olde Rea on It is the part of a â—oole neuer to thynke vpon olde age but when it is come For truely if thou haddest foreseene that it shoulde haue come or perceyued it commyng thou shouldest with lesse greefe behold it present Sorow
young men is called bitter and is bitter in deede contrary vnto this bitternesse is ripenesse which being commended in Apples and al mauer fruites is most commendable in man Not that I am ignorant that many fruites do wither before they waxe ripe but that is not the fault of the age but the peruâ—rsenesse of nature not of all but of many I meane in men who beyng borne to that whiche is good doo stoutely endeuour to the contrarie And therefore yf there be any droppe of noble iuyce in thee thou oughtest now to be ripe and withour all feare to attende vntyll the hand of the mower cutte thee downe to the ground That is not death whiche thou fearest but the ende of troubles and begynnyng of lyfe not death I say but an hard ende of lyfe whereunto fewe arriue in a calme tyde but all for the most part naked weepyng and wrecked on the sea In the middes of thyne olde age takyng in hand an easie vtage towardes thine ende thou shalt be brought by a prosperous gale through the troublesome surges of worldly affayres into the calme porte of securitie Now is it tyme for thee to run a ground and moare vp thy weerie barke vppon the shore and whyther so euer thou turnest thee to thynke vpon thine ende This shalt thou fynde more profitable for thee then as fooles vse to doo to blame good age and nature which is a most gracious mother Of the Gout The Lxxxiiij Dialogue SOROWE I Am vexed with the loathsome Gout Reason Knowest thou not the nature of old age It commeth not alone but most tymes bryngeth an armie of diseases and sicknesses with it Sorowe I am greeued with the paynefull gout Reason Thou art troubled in the extreamest and most vile partes of thy body what if it were neere thy hart or head Sorowe The gout so greeueth me that I cannot goe Reason The wandering minde of man needeth to be restrayned with a bridle One man is kept vnder by pouertie another by imprisonment another by sicknesse Fortune playing with thee hampereth thee by the feete This is not the gout but rather fetters and therefore learne to stand styll Sorowe The gout maketh me vnfyt for affayres Reason Vnfyt I thinke in deede to run to leape to daunce to play at tennice doest thou thinke that thou wast borne vnto these pastimes But yf thou be so ignorant know this that thou wast horne vnto greater matters whiche thou mayest very wel accomplysh if thy head do not ake nor thy hart be sicke Thou mayest applie the studie of the liberall sciences ensue godlinesse and vertue keepe floelitie and iustice contemne this frayle body and the transitorie worlde hate vices loue vertues honour freendshyp helpe thy Countrey by counsell and aduice These are the dueties of a good man and herein what can fetters hynder thee Sorowe I am weakned with the gout Reason Perhaps thy disease wyl not suffer thee to fight agaynst thyne enimies but it wyl against vices which is as paineful and common as warre And what knowe we whether this bodily payne agaynst whiche thou fightest be layde vppon thee for the exercise of thy minde Sorowe I can not stand vpon my feete Reason See then what hope thou hast to conceiue of the residue of the buyldyng when thou perceiuest the very foundation to be so weake watche and take heede that the fall oppresse thee not at vnwares make redy thy packes and prepare thy selfe to flight Sorow I am marueilously troubled with the gout Reason This disease as it is commonly reported vseth to accompany rych men Loe thou hast an other remedy be of good comfort for either the sweetenes of thy riches shal asswage the sharpnes of thy griefe or the bitternes of thy pouertie driue it away and so thou shalt eyther find comfort or an ende If these faile thee that wyl come at length which shall not deceiue thee which is also the ende of al troubles aduersiue Sorow I am oppressed with the paine of my feete Reason If thou wylt haue remedy thou must eyther be poore in deede or at least wise liue poorely Pouerty which is the true purifiyng of mens bodies as some say hath deliuered many from this infirmitie and some haue been cured by frugality or sparing whiche by an other tearme I may cal voluÌ„tary or fained or imagined pouerty Thou hast seene some cured by perpetual abstinence from wine Thus it hapneth that payne with payne and one nayle is driuen out with an other as sayth the olde Prouerbe There is no payneful malady cured without payne And moreouer yf thou wylt be at one with this sicknesse many other thou must proclaime open warre not only against wine but also venerie But what doo I I promised remedies for the mind not for the body yet notwithstanding I suppose I haue taught thee the only cure of this disease If thou like it vse it yf not the vse of fomentations otherwyse framed wyll not deceyue thee For pacience is the most effectuall and present and many tymes the only remedie in aduersitie Sorow The paine of the gout hath made me crooked Reason Then art thou vnable to goe and lesse meete to take payne but not vnfitte to doo other thinges not onely apparteyning to thy priuate householde but also concernyng the Common wealth yea if neede so require of a Kingdome or Empire Wherfore this onely saying of Septimus Seuerus Emperour of Rome is very famous and notable who beyng an olde man and muche subiect to the gout when he had bewrayed the conspiracie of the nobilitie that woulde haue made his sonne Emperour whyle he was yet lyuing the aucthours of this sedition and also his some beyng apprehended and standing all dismayde trembling shaking before his seate looking for nothing but present death Seuerus lyfting vp his hand to his head At length quoth he Ye shal vnderstand that it is my head and not my feete that do gouerne Sorowe I am marueylously poore wretch tormented with the gout Reason Do not be wayle only the greefe and sharpnes of thynges but if there haue any pleasure or sweetenesse hapned vnto thee by them thinke vpon it whereby thou mayest comfort thy selfe in this aduersitie Among all the euyll conditions of the common multitude this is not the least that as they are whining and impatient in aduersitie so are they forgetful and vnthankfull in prosperitie then which there is nothing more iniurious For why for example sake who is able with indifferent eares eyther to heare the Emperour Seuerus of whom we spake erwhyle complayne of his gout or Domitian of his baldnesse whiche he tooke very greeuously or Augustus when he was olde of the weakenesse of his left eye or Iulius Caesar of his feare in the night season and troublesome dreames or to be short other very happie honourable men in such sort complayning of one default of nature or other yf a man may so tearme it or iniurie of
fortune that they myght seeme to be vnmindfull of their Empire and ryches and conquestes and so many and great commodities and yet to remember that they were men for whom in this lyfe to looke or hope for perfect and sounde felicitie is but a meere madnesse To mingle the sweete with the sowre is a peculiar medicine agaynst the gout and a common remedie agaynst all diseases which thou shalt fynde to be very effectuall and wylt confesse to be good and vertuous counsayle if thou followe the aduice of that godly olde man who once attayned vnto great prosperitie and afterwarde tasted extreame aduersitie who by meanes of the benefites which he receyued at Gods handes learned to take all affliction in good part although that same hand can neyther make nor geue any euyl but he had only a respect vnto the common opinion of men Sorow The gout keepeth me downe in my bedde as yf I were bounde with knottes that can neuer be vndoone Reason Whyle thou lyes thy minde may stande vp and suruey the whole heauen earth and sea Of Scabbes The Lxxxv. Dialogue SOROWE I Am greeued with paynefull Scabbes Reason I maruel now no longer if thou take in yl part those that be greefes only seeing thou also bewailest that wherewith there is some sweetenesse mingled Sorow I am vexed with the greeuous scab Reason Some say that it is holsome to be scabbed But for that I wyl not cal so woful a thyng by so good a name I tearme it a token of health or the way leading to health It is but a gentle thing for that it is not long in comming foorth whose issuing is somtime ioyned with no small tickling Sorow The dry scab molesteth me Reason Thou needest now no clock nor watch for the same wyl awake thee in the night and cal thee vp vnto thy necessarie honest affayres For there is none so slouthful whom the payneful scab wyl not styr vp and make wakeful Sorow I am vexed with scabbes Reason A base disease but which hath a noble cure labour paine heate bathes watching diet these are medicines against scabbes If these wyl do no good thou must flee to the remedie of pacience which in al diseases is the most profitable salue Sorowe I am troubled with the paynefull and fylthie scab Reason I denie neither of them And whereas Publius sayd that the sore feete of one that had the Gout were a paynefull rest so on my woorde mayest thou say that a payre of scabbed handes are a greeuous businesse But what wylt thou say to this The loathsommer the disease is the comlier is the patience And how yf out of a small discommoditie thou reape great profite This is one of the thinges that especially engender a contempt of this body then whiche is nothing more necessarie for mankind Sorow I am al ouer infected with scabbes Reason That thou art al scabbed I thinke it be too true and I stande in great feare thereof But perhaps this is more then thou wouldest haue sayd For thou meanest it of thy whole body but there is an other kind of inuisible scabbe in your mindes to wit couetousnesse and sensualitie and a certaine vehement uching to reuenge and complaine which the more it is scratched the more it rageth This itche ye neyther feele or craue to haue cured so muche is your care lesse ouer your soules then ouery our bodyes Of watching The .lxxxvi. Dialogue SOROW. I Cannot sleepe Reason Watch then and reioyce that the ryme of thy lyfe is prolonged For betweene sleepe and death there is small difference but that the one lasteth but for a tyme the other is perpetual And therefore I cannot tel whether it be not sayde properly enough that sleepe is a short death and death a long and euerlasting sleepe Sorowe I haue lost my sleepe Reason It must be prouoked agayne not by force but by fayre meanss If thou thinke to procure it it wyl not be constrained Goe some other way to woorke geue rest to thyne head and trouble not thy minde with cares and it wyll come vnlooked for when the minde is loose and the body weerie sleepe wyl came stealyng on Sorowe My sleepes are often broken of Reason Do as it is sayde Augustus Caesar was woont to do when thou wakest out of sleepe haue some about thee to renue it agayne by readyng or tellyng of tales But if it be long of earnest and vrgent cares lay them aside and sleepe wyl come of whiche sort of cares Virgil speaketh where he sayth that good cares do breake sweete sleepes Sorowe I can take no rest in sleepe Reason Neyther shalt thou then be terrified with dreadfuldreames nor surprised with suddeyne feare in the night And although Aristotle hold opinion that the visions whiche wyse men see in their sleepe be good true in deede it is Neuerthelesse the one of these who was nothing inferiour vnto hym in wit but of greater aucchorine the other in al respectes his equal in holinesse and pacience whom I mentioned erewhyle endured great extremitie and trouble in their dreames What others haue fealt and suffered euery one is priute vnto hymselfe and can cal his owne bed to wytnesse of the illusions and troubles whiche he hath susteynâ—d Truely the one of these was woont in his latter dayes to be terrified in his dreames as it is wrytten of hym The other I made mention of not long since where I entreated of rest and quietnesse who among other troubles of this lyfe complayneth of his suddayne frightyng in sleepe and the terrour of his visions and drcames Sorowe I slepe not so wel as I was woont Reason Then thou lyuest longer then thou wast woont for thus the learned say that as sleepe is death so watchyng is lyfe Sorow Sickenesse hath dryuen away my sleepe Reason Then health wyl bryng it agayne Sorowe Loue hath bannished my sleepe Reason Thou speakest one thing twyse For loue is a sickenesse and the greatest sickenesse that is Sorowe Feare hath bannished away my sleepe Reason Securitie wyl reuoake it Sorow Olde age hath taken away my sleepe Reason Death approchyng wyl restore it Of the vnquietnesse of dreames The .lxxxvii. Dialogue SOROW. I Am disquieted with dreames Reason If that be true whiche a certayne wyse man sayth that dreames doo folow great cares whiche is also confirmed by your wryters then cut of the cause of the mischeefe abandon cares and dreames wyl vanish away To what purpose serue your manyfold cares whiche are to none effect in so short a lyfe whereof in the begynnyng I promised to entreate and to declare that it is bootlesse to forment it and make it troublesome and through your owne follie to disquiet your rest with dreadâ—full dreames Wyl ye ouercome gods prouidence with your owne counsel and do ye not perceyue howe your madnesse and cousultations of that tyme whiche is not onely beyond your iudgement but also your knowledge are laughed at from an high Neyther
warnyng namely that hereby thou mayest make prouision agaynst darkenesse whiche is nowe but transitorie since thou takest it in so yll part least haply thou be constrayned to endure euerlastyng darkenesse Sorowe I am troubled with fyre from heauen with hayle and stormes Reason These and suche lyke make vnto an wholesome feare or yf ye contemne them vnto reuenge Heare this one thyng Fyre Brymstone and the breath of stormes are the portion of their cup. Heare also another saying Fire hayle famine and death al these make to reuenge Sorow I am frighted with tempestes of the sea Reason Doo not herein accuse nature but eyther thyne owne follie or couetousnesse for who constrayneth thee thereunto Sorow I am molested with darke cloudes and contrarie windes Reason Thou wast borne in darkenesse and in darkenesse shalt thou dye and lyuest betweene the wyndes of contrarie tempestes learne to suffer that at length whiche thou alwayes sufferest perforce Sorowe I am shaken with thunder and lyghtnyng Reason Herein there is more then weerisomnesse In the first truely a great feare contemned of none but of some fooles but in the seconde is death And therefore some haue iudged that none complayne of lyghtnyng but suche as want experience And who is so mad I pray thee vnlesse he be to farre gone that standeth not in feare of them both seeing that among the auncient Romanes whiche were a most valiant kynde of people it was prouided by an auncient statute that there should be no assemblies of the people holden to choose officers or otherwyse whyles Iupiter thundred from heauen Howbeit vnlesse this feare tende to the amendment of lyfe it is vnprofitable For what can feare auayle where there is no redresse of the thyng feared Wherefore the matter must be thus applyed that although it thunder and lyghten by natural causes neuerthelesse it must be iudged to be a warnyng from hym who beyng tyed vnto no causes is hym selfe the fountayne and cause of al causes To this ende therefore doth he thunder in heauen that thou shouldest lyue well vpon the earth and driuyng away forgetfulnesse acknowledge the wrath of God and do that at leastwyse for feare which thou oughtest too do for loue Complayne not a lyke of good and euyl thinges it is expedient for you beleeue me that it thunder often and it is left in wrytyng vnto posteritie that it thundreth very often the same yeere wherein the assured aduersarie of God and al godlinesse Domitian the Emperour died not that ye should cry out as he dyd Let him now strike whom he lust but that ye may appease the wrath of God with penitent teares humble prayer Sorow I am greeued with the conuersation mirth of drunkardes Reason That wine maketh glad the hart of man that Bacchus is the geuer of mirth although Dauid Virgil had neuer spoken it very experience maketh it knowen And although that likewise be true whiche not so eloquent but a more holy Poet spake The flowyng of a ryuer cheareth the citie of God yet is there more feruent ioye and ioyful gladnesse as the Philosophers terme it in a fewe caskes of strong wynes then in many streames of running water whiche are conteyned within the ryuers and I confesse that there is nothyng more lamentable then the mirth of drunkardes and nothyng more vayne then typlers and Tauerners whom Cicero very wel calleth the dregges of cyties whiche notwithstandyng a man must suffer or els he must forsake cities or otherwyse flye from the market and place of iudgement or at the leastwyse from the streetes and haunt of Tauernes euen as he woulde doo from so many rockes Sorow I am oppressed with resort and importunate concurse of citizens Reason It is a sauage and vnnaturall wyshe to seeke thy countreyes desolation that thou thy selfe mayest lyue at lybertie For the very same cause as thou knowest in the olde tyme was the sister of Appius Claudius punished shee that was last celebrated among writers for an innocent and truly as this is an vngodly wish and deserueth punishment so to auoyde the weerisomnes of thronges and cities and it occasion so require to depart awhile out of the way is a poynt of modestie and frequented of the wise Sorowe I am greeued with a long suite and slow iudgment Reason To what ende was daying of matters deuised but to ende strife and to remedie the slacknes of iudgment Sorowe I am worne with wofull and troublesome strife Reason Thou hast vsed apte and conuenient tearmes for thy selfe For where strife and contention is there can be nether ioy nor quietnesse Thou if thou wylt liue out of stryfe auoyde the cause of stryfe Couetousnesse engendreth contention and nourisheth it when it is engendred Of an earthquake The .xci. Dialogue SOROWE I Am afrayd of an earthquake Reason This is I confesse a great discommoditie of dame nature and not without cause abandoned of al parentes which although it be more greeuous yet for that it happeneth but seldome the rarenesse thereof may stand in some steede of a remedie Many tymes the sorowful countenance of heauen foretelleth an earthquake at hande but precisely there is no token nor forewarnyng thereof although it be reported that Pherecydes foretolde of one to come by drynkyng a draught of water out of a well Moreouer agaynst the threatnynges of heauen caues vnder the ground perhaps doo yeelde some succour the lyke whereof we reade was Augustus Caesars denne into whiche he fledde for feare of thunder whiche is yet seene at Rome in the way Flaminia and keepeth the aucthours name vnto this day but from an earthquake no flight can serue no lurkyng places can preuayle For poore man that is made of the earth whyther shal he flye out of the earth or what shal become of hym yf the heauen thunder ouer hym and the earth tremble vnder hym vnlesse perhaps some wyl aduise hym to goe to the sea whiche is also partaker of the varietie of heauen earth and also vnquiet by it owne motion Feare Thou tellest me no remedies as thou wast woont to do but amplifiest the daungers Reason I supposed thou wouldest thinke so and doubtlesse so it is in deede There be some thynges that may be dissembled and extenuated in woordes that although by report they haue seemed greeuous yet in effect they may appeere at one tyme tollerable at another contemptible and truely this whereof I now intreate is such a one as by it owne force it refuseth the argumentes of mans eloquence but one comfort as I haue sayde is the seldomenesse thereof Thou hast seene welnygh an whole age without any earthquakes duryng whiche tyme there is no doubt but that there haue dyed innumerable who in al their lyfe tyme though they haue hearde the name of so terrible a matter yet neuer were made afearde with the sight thereof But who is not mooued when he heareth or reedeth eyther those auncient histories or these of latter tyme the memorie
whereof is extant eyther in the bookes of histories or yet ryfe in the mindes of men that sawe them when as long sence vpon one and the selfe same day both the citie of Rhodes was shaken with an horrible earthquake and also newe Ilandes rose vp from the bottom of the sea and moreouer twelue auncient cities in Asia were ouerthrowen and some also swallowed vp into the earth After that the same mischiefe raged also in Achaia and Macedonia and last of all in Campania the most bewtiful part I say not of Italy only but also of al the world much about Senecas time who maketh mention therof among his naturall questions when as by the same most cruell outrage Herculaneum and the Pompeâ—j which are most famous cities of those quarters yea and Naples it selfe was not a litle molested as thou mayest reade Shall I prosecute all examples touching this matter Truely that were an infinite woorke Of late dayes thou mightest haue seene the Alpes which reach vnto the cloudes and deuide Italy from Garmanie who as Virgil saith do neuer mooue to stirre and quake and in many places to be ouerthrowne and immediatly after the queene of al cities greeuously shaken euen to the vtter subuerting of the towers and churches therof and also some layde flat with the ground And not long after this as it were for a continuance of the miserie it is wel knowne how that the best and most fertile part of al Germany namely the whole valley of the Rhine was shaken and vpon the shoare therof standing the citie of Basile and also castles and fortresses to the number of foure score and vpwarde vtterly ouerthrowen Truely an horrible matter were it not that death were the most terrible of al terrible thynges Who so hath learned not to feare that wyll feare nothyng as the Poet Horace sayeth excellently well If al the worlde shoulde fall though the peeces thereof strake hym he woulde not be a fearde For what skilleth it whether a litle stone fall vpon thee and brayne thee or the most mightie mountayne Apeninus crushe thee to death so thou be slayne by any of them or the whole worlde breake and fall vpon thee seeing there is but death in neyther Vnlesse perhaps some wyl count that death to be the more honorable whiche is procured by the greater instrument Wherefore to conclude this is the summe of myne aduice forasmuch as we haue also set downe some remedies agaynst lyghtnyng and all other mischeefes are releeued eyther by resistyng or geuing place vnto them and it falleth out contrariwyse in this that neyther flyght auayleth neyther wyt nor force can preuayle it were good aboue al thynges to lay away the feare of death whiche onely maketh al thynges dreadeful whiche thyng to do I confesse is very harde in deede to speake but yet not impossible to doo And forasmuch as there is no tyme nor place free from this heauie chaunce men ought to prepare and arme their myndes with al patience agaynst whatsoeuer may happen eyther by course of nature or by fortune at al tymes and places whiche cannot possibly be done vnlesse there be also adioyned the loue of vertue and feare of vice To conclude seeing that not only the heauens are in continuall motion and the elementes threaten you round about but also the earth vppon which you treade which also was hoped to be without al danger and a most assured rampire is sometime shaken deceiueth and putteth in feare her inhabitantes I exhort you to flee with your mindes vp to heauen and among al these shakinges and quakinges of thinges and men to repose al your hope in him who looketh downe vpon the earth and maketh it to quake of whom it is writen I am the Lorde and I am not changed Whosoeuer fasteneth vpon him the footestepes of a deuout minde is safe and sound and shal neuer be moued himselfe nor stand in feare of any earthquake Feare I cannot choose but be mooued and feared with earthquakes Reason Canst thou remoone al thy hope and mynde from the earth Do so and thou shalt lyue out of feare and stand vpryght whether that shake or fal For to repose assured trust in a quaking and vnconstant thyng is a great follie Of the plague farre and wide raging The .xcii. Dialogue FEARE I Am afrayde of the plague which rageth farre and wyde Reason In this also is nothyng els but the feare of death whiche being cast of thou hast purchased perfect securitie whiche feare ought not onely to be layde downe of valiant mindes but also neuer be admitted for what is lesse the part of a man then to feare common thynges Feare I am afeard of the plague Reason Forasmuch as thou must needes dye what shalt thou loose or gayne by dying of the plague but that thou shalt dye with more company but if thou escape that thy life be the sweeter vnto thee since that thou art deliuered out of so great a danger if so be it be danger and not nature to dye for the plague sweepeth not away al whiche if it had been so there should none haue escaped this last great plague a more sorer then which there was neuer any since the begynnyng of the worlde But many escaped who it had been better they had dyed whereof it commeth that as thou now seest the worlde is pestred with these kyndes of dregges as it was woont to be whiche neuer any plague nor death is able to consume they are so clodded and baken Feare I feare the plague Reason Say rather as the trueth is thou fearest death wherof for that I see thee so prone vnto complaintes I purpose to entreate before I make an ende of this booke For this only exepted wherefore shouldest thou abhor the name of the plague seeing as I haue sayd it is rather a kinde of comfort to die with many Feare I stand in dread of the plague Reason If it be a certayne kynde of loue and charitie towardes mankynde that draweth thee hereunto I haue cause to commend thee for there is nothing more besettyng a man then to take compassion vpon the miseries of men But if it be for thine owne sake onely I may iustly blame thee for wherein can the plague hurt thee that art a mortal man but to bryng thee to that whereunto thou must needes come vnlesse perhaps thou count this among the discommodities thereof not to be solemly mourned for whiche hapneth vnto them that dye so and thou count them more happie who are recited by Virgil to assend most bewayled of their freendes vp into heauen Of sadnesse and miserie The .xciii. Dialogue SOROW. I Am sad Reason A man must consider for what cause he is sad or merie These as many thynges els may be tearmed indifferent matters whiche vpon smal occasion may be made good or bad For sadnesse for sinne is good so that it ioyne not handes priuily with desperation and ioy for vertue and the remembrance of
finde no special thyng at al there for death whiche is indifferent vnto al men hath dispersed and consumed al. Ye loue your bodyes and mortal members ouer muche ye despise your immortal soules and vertue more then ye ought being blynd and vnequal discerners of thynges Sorowe Now I am quite without teeth Reason Now then art thou without toothache yea and without any succoure of them thou hast no vse of them at al. Thou must grinde thy meate paynefully without teeth vnlesse thou wylt dissemble with thy selfe thou oughtest to remember that thou hast a iourney shortly at hande to goe thither where as there is nothyng at al eaten but where men liue onely with ioy and the euerlastyng foode of the soule Of payne in the legges The .xcv. Dialogue SOROW. I Am troubled with a payne in my legges Reason In al buildynges that is the most daungerous fault whiche happeneth in the foundations For as touchyng al other defaultes howe euer thou repayre them this bryngeth ruin therefore at this present there is nought els for thee to do but immediatly to depart out of this ragged Inne Sorow I am troubled with the payne of my legges Reason The cause of this sickenesse as also of many other moe for the most part ryseth from no whence els but from your selues and therefore that whiche came from you by good ryght commeth backe vnto you agayne seeing thou hast forgotten the counsel of the wyse man whiche sayth Let thyne eyes goe before thy feet and I suppose that that first argument of an other wyse man may wel agree hereunto and be accordyngly applyed Ye cannot stay your selues nor looke vnto your feete but lyke blynd men ye runne headlong hither and thither groping after your way What marueyle is it then yf thou stumble sometyme at a stone and sometyme at a blocke This sure is very strange that you wil lay your faultes vpon giltlesse nature Yea moreouer ye haue a great delight to be thrusting in amongst a company of madde iades so that oftentymes ye bryng away the print of a horse showe vpon you Doest not thou thinke that that whiche is spoken by Tullie vnto one belongeth welnigh vnto al men These mischeefes saith he thou foolish felowe hast thou brought wholy vpon thy selfe And so it is truely deceyue not your selues the harme which you suffer for the most part is of your owne doing for whiche afterward ye be sorie Thou yf thou hadst remayned at home that is to say with thy selfe thou perchance ne hadst this greefe ne found any cause of these thy complayntes It is nothyng iniurious that a wandryng lyfe an vnstable should be molested with dyuers discommodities Sorowe I am tormented with the payne of my legges Reason If thou hast geuen the occasion to haue payne reioyce to be punished for the fault yf not comfort thy minde that is innocent And if thou be sory that thou hast a greefe yet reioyce that thou art without blame Howsoeuer the matter goeth in al thy greefe set the shielde of pacience against the sharpe dart of payne which is a perpetual document in al matters of perplexitie then the which there was neuer yet any medicine more wholesome Sorowe I am woonderfully greeued with the payne of my legges Reason The phisitions wyll geue thee counsel that thou shalt lye styl and moue thee from thy bed and truely they do wysely therein to geue thee counsell to do that after thou hast taken harme whiche thou shouldest haue done before but I wil speake no more of their counsels thou thy selfe shalt learne to thy owne cost how their counsels are to be estemed of Notwithstanding I wil geue thee that aduice which they vse to geue but in another respect For they suppose that they are able to restore thee easily to thy health when thou art sicke by applying fomentations other remedies whiles they endeuour to defend the part affected from the confluence of spirites humors whyther thou stand or goe For my part I would wish thee while thou lyest in thy bed setting al other cares aside aswaging thy greefes by laying thy selfe easily in thy couche after that thou hast taken order for thy bodily health to thinke some thyng of thy graue and howe and where thou shalt lye hereafter and to examine the condition of thy present estate and to make thy selfe so familiar with death before he come that when he is come thou do not feare hym For it is death only that is able to delyuer this mortall carckase from al infirmities Of Blyndnesse The .xcvi. Dialogue SOROW. I Haue lost myne eyes Reason O howe many loathsome thynges of lyfe also hast thou lost Howe many foolyshe toyes of fonde sight shalt thou not see Sorow I haue lost myne eyes Reason Of the face perhaps not of thine hart If they remayne good enough al is wel Sorowe I am blynde Reason Thou shalt see the sunne no more but thou hast seene it and thou remembrest what manner thyng it is or yf thou hast not seene it as it hath chaunced vnto thee the more hardly in that respect so the desire of a thing vnknowen shal greeue thee the lesse Sorow I lacke eyes Reason Thou shalt not see heauen nor earth but to see the Lord of heauen and of earth abilitie is not taken from thee this sight is much clearer then that other Sorowe I am condemned to perpetual blyndnesse Reason Thou shalt not see from hencefoorth the wooddie valleyes the ayeriall mountaynes the florishyng costes the shadowy dennes the siluer sprynges the crooked ryuers the greene meddowes and that whiche they say is of al thynges most beautiful the portraiture of mans countenance Thou shalt neyther see the heapes of dunge the ouerflowyng Iakes torne carkases nor whatsoeuer els by filthinesse of sight offendeth the stomacke and senses Sorow I am depriued of myne eye sight Reason If there were none other commoditie in this discommoditie in that thou shalt not beholde these games of enormious and deformed iestures blindnesse were to be wyshed whiche although I haue oftentymes confessed before to be a wyshed thyng yet doo I deny that it is to be wyshed for as muche now as in tymes past there is no hope left thee to runne away whyther soeuer thou turnest thy selfe the kyngdome of madnesse is a lyke and a like exile of vertue in whiche state to lose a mans eye sight is a kind of flight comforte Sorow I haue lost my sight Reason And the beholdyng of womens faces Reioyce therefore that those wyndowes be shut vp at the whiche death entred in and that the passage to many vices is closed vp couetousnesse gluttony ryotousnesse and diuers other plagues haue lost thereby their seruantes and retinue for looke howe muche of thy soule was taken away by these enimies so muche perswade thy selfe that thou hast gayned Sorow I haue lost myne eyes Reason Thou hast lost euyl guydes whiche lead thee into destruction
aboundantly good but he that is euyll is also a foole and vnlearned although in booke learnyng he be the most skylfull vnder the Sunne Sorow My hearing fayleth Reason It is well that this chaunced not vnto thee before thou receauedst thy fayth whiche is gotten specially by hearyng whiche fayth nowe thou possessest Whereof complaynest thou nowe or what seekest thou more If thou hearest not the singyng of men nor of byrdes then encline thyne harte vnto heauenly songues and applye thyne inwarde eare to GOD wardes Sorowe I heare not Reason Then thynke and speake to thy selfe If I heare not what men say eyther to me or of me I shall heare what the Lorde GOD sayth vnto me They oft tymes talke of discorde but he euer speaketh of peace Sorowe I heare nothyng at all Reason Many beyng very desirous of silence haue been weeried with long iourneys and trauayle to the entent that in some secret places and bye wayes they myght finde that whiche they sought for That whiche is paynefully sought for by others thou hast it with thee in euery place wheresoeuer thou goest Nowe learne to vse thyne owne commoditie and remembring the noyses and tumultes that are past begynne at the last to be delyghted with silence Of the lothsomnesse of lyfe The XCviij Dialogue SOROWE I Am wonderfull weery of my lyfe Reason A mischiefe sprynging out of the premisses then whiche I know not whether there be any othermore daungerous for it is most greeuous of it selfe and the next neyghbour and redie way to desperation Agaynst whiche mischiefe by name there hath been order taken in your Churches to pray for assistaunce vnto the blessed Sainctes of heauen who beyng discharged of this earthly weerisomnesse and bandes of the bodye doo now rest in the ioyes of heauen in euerlastyng felicitie I doubt not truely but that some of them are at rest in deede but as for those your prayers vnto them I compt them vayne and foolyshe Sorowe I am compassed about with muche lothsomnesse of lyfe Reason All thynges that are lothsome ought to be abandoned with gladsome thoughtes with good hope with the comfort of freendes with readyng of bookes with varietie of honest delyghtes and pleasaunt exercises and expellyng of sluggishnesse but especially bâ— pacience in all thynges and long sufferyng whiche is inuincible Ye ought not to preuent the naturall ende of your lyfe eyther for the hatred of the present state or the desire of the future neither to be breefe for any feare or hope whatsoeuer whiche certayne fooles and miserable wretches haue doone who whyle they haue sought meanes to auoyde pouertie the troubles of this lyfe and paynes temporall haue fallen into eternall Let our countreyman Cicero speake what he lyft who in his booke of Offices excuseth the death of the latter Cato Let Seneca say what he wil who woonderfully extolleth and commendeth the same and also disputeth in many places howe that in certayne cases a man may violently destroy hym selfe But the other opinion of Cicero is muche more true and commendable wherein he sayth That both thou and all godly men ought to retayne theyr soules within the prison of theyr bodyes neyther to depart out of this humane lyfe without his commaundement by whom it was geuen least haply ye shoulde seeme to refuse the callyng whereunto he hath assigned you Yea moreouer thynke that this was spoken vnto thee from heauen to witte that vnlesse God whose temple is all this whiche thou beholdest shall discharge thee out of the wardes of this bodye thou canst haue no entraunce hyther And to conclude take heede lest that through any weerisomnesse of this lyfe thou so thynke of death at any tyme that thou suppose it lawfull to thee to hasten it or so esteeme of any ioye that it be able at any tyme to ouerthrowe thy heedelesse mynde vppon a sodden Of heauinesse of the bodye The XCix. Dialogue SOROWE I AM heauie of bodye Reason Thou mightest complaine hereof yf thou haddest been borne to flye lyke a byrde and not rather as a man vnto manhood Sorowe My body is heauie and vnwyldie Reason Leaue this complaynte to Roscius and Aesope Thou yf thou canst neyther bende thy selfe rounde in a lytle compasse or slyde downe out of the toppe of the ayre by a rope what matter is it Walke thou soberly with honest men contemne gesticulation and dauncyng whiche belongeth to players As grauitie becommeth a wyse man in all his deedes and woordes so also is it conuenient that he vse it in his gate with great modestie Sorowe I haue a heauie body Reason This heauinesse was wont to be one of the companions of olde age lest haply he that had lost the fyrst shoulde exclude the seconde although many tymes this heauinesse be founde not to be so muche the companion of olde age as of nature whereof it commeth that we see young men dull and heauie and olde men quicke and nimble But oftentymes vnder a heauie bodye is contayned a lyght minde and vnder a lyght bodye abydeth a heauie minde but yf a certayne proportion and equalitie both of bodye and minde doo meete together that is not to be despised Sorowe The weyght of my bodye is exceedyng great Reason Though inuisible yet no lesse is the weyght of the mynde and firmenesse thereof set the one agaynst the other and there shal be nothing heauie Sorowe I am drowned with the weyght of my bodye Reason Fleete then agayne by the lyghtnesse of thy mynde and dryue it away and in laboryng studie takyng in hande many and harde matters both to the exercise of thy mynde and bodye and the banishyng of all pleasures Dryue away idlenesse procure thy selfe businesse despise lustes bate slouthfulnesse loue carefulnesse caste away tendernesse followe hardnes haue a delyght in difficult thynges and with continuall persistaunce vse thy selfe to moderate diet in meate and drynke and to short and carefull sleepe litle sittyng and seldome lying Sorowe I am payned with the weyght and greatnesse of my body Reason Another is troubled with the contrary some with one thing and some with another No man leadeth his lyfe without traueyle but euery man knoweth his owne and eyther despiseth or is ignorant of an others griefe Sorow My body is much growen vnto mole Reason If mans name for that he is a mortal creature be deriued from the woord Elumus which signifieth the earth the must man needes be oppressed with muche earth Notwithstandyng his earthly nature cannot so ouerwhelme the heauenly but that it wyll aryse vnlesse it shewe it selfe deafe to vertue and quicke of beleefe vnto euyl perswadyng pleasure Sorowe A heauie bodye oppresseth my soule Reason Plucke vp thy mynde and with great endeuoure sustayne this greeuous burden and thynke with thy selfe that heauenly myndes doo oftentymes breake foorth out of the burden of the bodyly mole and attayne vnto woonderfull hyghnesse Sorowe I am ouerborne with the burden of my bodye Reason Although nature cannot be ouercome
then a labour to speake and a quietnesse to holde a mans peace Sorow I can speake to no purpose Reason Those thynges which I sayde in the lacke of eloquence may more aptly be repeated in the losse of the tongue Then since thou canst not speake hold thy peace and that whiche necessitie byddeth thee to do do it wyllyngly Whiche thyng they that can speake myght do many tymes more profitably and repeate them often that they haue not donne so Holde thy peace I say and thinke not that thou sustaynest any losse thinke with thy lelfe secretly and speake with thy selfe in priuitie whiche to be better then to speake in open assembly they that are eloquent cannot deny Sorowe I am fallen dumbe Reason If Cicero and Demosthenes had been dumbe they had lyued longer and dyed a more gentle death Sorow I haue quite lost the vse of my tongue Reason And the custome of lying and the artes of deceyuing and the instrument of purchasing enmitie and infamie for many are become more infamous for their tongue then for their deedes There is no part of the body reedier to hurt and harder to bridle Therefore not without cause as some great and rare matter vttered he those woordes who sayde I wyl looke vnto my wayes that I offende not with my tongue Whiche when a certayne holy man who came to the studie of diuinitie had hearde is reported to haue departed away and that he would heare no more thereof And when as after a long season his maister marueylyng demaunded of hym why he had been so long absent from his studie whiche he had begun he ausweared that the very first worde had geuen hym enough to do and that he could not fulfyl that one poynt by any his labour or traueyl whatsoeuer See thou despise not this gouernment nor bridle whiche is offered vnto thee eyther by nature or fortune but wyllyngly yelde thy selfe to be ruled and spurne not agaynst thine owne destinie Sorow I haue lost my tongue Reason Nowe kepe thou with al diligence that which the wyse man wylleth thee to wyt thyne hart and beyng called from two careful watchynges vnto one and discharged from the one moitie of thy labour thou mayest the more easily keepe a fewe and more warely guard precious thynges Sorow I haue lost my tongue Reason In a certayne fewe men this is a noble and excellent member but in the greater sort of the people very pestilent and noysome and a great deale better that many had wanted it Whiche is not only seene to be true in a seruant in that the Satirike Poet sayth The tongue is the worst part of an euyl seruant but also in many free persons vnto whom nature hath geuen nothing woorse then their tongue Warres deceites adulteries and al kynde of abuses for the most part should surceasse dyd not the tongue cast abrode and nouryshe their euyl seedes Sorow I haue lost my tongue Reason If an euyll one thou hast gayned much For it is great ryches to be poore in wyckednesse Who so hath not these is borne ryche but who so looseth them is made ryche and his lyuing beyng encreased with a newe reuenewe hath founde that by loosing whiche he had lost by findyng But yf thou haue lost a good tongue I say agayne keepe thy hart Thou hast lost that wherewith thou mightest please men keepe that wherewith thou mayest please God vnto whom yf thou canst not speake with thy tongue yet talke vnto hym with thy hart For yf it be written of the wycked Lying lyppes are in their hart and with their hart they haue spoken why are not godly lyppes in the hart of the ryghteous that they also may speake in their hart whereas are the eares of God And that is true whiche the same man wrytech in an other place My mouth is not hydden from thee whiche thou madest in secret For there is no thought be it neuer so secrete that is hidden from God neyther heareth he lesse them that speake softly then those that crye aloude yea he heareth no clamour be it more or lesse before the clamour and crying out of the hart for he harkeneth vnto none but that and he is delited with silence This clamour dyd he that was first a keeper of sheepe and afterwarde a most famous shepheard of the people of God restrayne within the closure of his lyppes who deserued to heare the voyce of God saying vnto hym Why cryest thou vnto me He spake not but he cryed yea he spake but it was with the hart And lyke as he that heareth God is not deafe so he whom God heareth is not dumbe Of want of vertue The .ciiii. Dialogue SOROW. BVt I am without vertue Reason An hurt in deede a iust sorowe sauing that al other wantes may happen to be eyther natural or casual or violent but this doubtlesse is voluntarie For other are eyther in the body or in the wyt or in the memory or in the speech or in some outwarde thyng one or other al which happen not accordyng as a man woulde wyshe but as euery mans fortune chaunceth but this onely consisteth in will whiche euery one guydeth and disposeth at his owne pleasure For a man can require none other good wyll of another man then he is disposed to shewe whose wyll it is wherby he wylleth this thing or that thyng Otherwyse as defectes happen vnto men of strength or of speeche or of ryches agaynst their willes so shoulde of their wylles also neyther shoulde vertue deserue rewarde nor vice merite punishment But nowe not a wyl vnto you to do this or that but a libertie to chose this or that was geuen you at your byrth whiche beyng applyed vnto that whiche is good maketh you good but conuerted vnto euill maketh you euyll The same may you vse as you lust and yf you lust ye may vse it well whiche doubtlesse is the gyft of God as yf ye abuse it it is a great peruersitie of the wyller but it cannot be otherwyse chosen but that a good wyll is the roote of vertue as an euyl wyll is the roote of vice And thus there is none that suffereth a want of vertue but he that wyl for that the greatest cheefest part of vertue consisteth in the wil. Sorow Yea I would haue vertue but I cannot get it Reason Many there be that thinke they woulde haue that whiche they wyl not and that they woulde that whiche they wyl thus euery one deceiueth hym selfe and endeuoureth to perswade not onely hym selfe but others that he is desirous of good neyther perswadeth any more easily how delectable true vertue is since that the false opinion of vertue so muche deliteth that it is pleasant vnto hym to deceyue the people and his freendes and moreouer by them to be deceyued Sorow I knowe that I would fayne but I cannot be good Reason Admit it be so it sufficeth not to haue a will vnlesse thou haue also a desire and that
thou be enuious thou must needes also be base minded of all vices there is none more sluggyshe then enuie it can not ascende into hygh mindes neyther is there any more wretched and therefore all other presuppose some good thyng although it be false but this is onely nourished with euyls and greeued with good and suffereth that euyll it selfe whiche it wysheth to others And therefore I lyke well of the saying of Alexander Kyng of Macedonie to wit That malicious men are nothyng els but their owne tormenters Truely a graue saying of so lyght a young Prince Of wrath The Cvij Dialogue SOROWE BVT I am angrie Reason I haue promised comfort agaynst aduersitie and not agaynst vices as for these they are not casuall but voluntarie and in your owne power who then shall constrayne thee to be angry Sorowe I am angrie when I am offended Reason Perhaps he whom thou blamest for offendyng thee complayneth that thou hast offended hym the offences are not so great as is your insolencie marueylous Sorowe I burne with wrath Reason Then art thou mad And wrath sayth Horace is a short madnesse but many through euyl custome and impatience doo make it a long madnesse For Ennius sayth That anger is the beginning of madnesse seeyng that vnto many that geue them selues ouer vnto it it maketh an ende both of their madnesse and lyfe also For as the plague whereof we disputed before euen so this lykewyse although it trouble other yet doth it most torment the possesser thereof so that I marueyle the more for what cause it shoulde seeme vnto some to be I knowe not howe sweeter then hony reuenge perhappes may haue in it some tast of cruell and sauage pleasure but surely anger hath nothyng in it but bitternesse Sorow I am angrie for iniuries Reason There was neuer any almost so hastily disposed that woulde be angrie for nothyng vnlesse perhaps it were Caelius the Senatour the angriest man that euer lyued who when as his client agreed with hym in all poyntes confessed whatsoeuer he required of hym yet cryed he out being angrie saying Say somewhat contrarie that we may disagree A wylfull man truely howe woulde he haue borne iniuries that coulde not beare gentle speeche Sorowe I am angrie for that I am prouoked by offence Reason On this syde men commonly offende very muche they picke quarrelles and seeke occasions and in those causes for which they may iustly be angrie their wrath exceedeth measure In all offences there is some excuse alleaged and the excuse it selfe is an offence but thou because thou art not obeyed as a God art wroth and GOD him selfe is euery day prouoked in woordes and deedes but is not alwayes angrie As for you ye drawe euery ouerthwart woorde be it neuer so small vnto some haynous crime of lyfe and death wherein you shewe your selues to be an impacient generation Sorowe I am angrie with them that haue deserued it Reason If of thee it is yll doone yf of the Common wealth and it be not doone in anger but for the loue of Iustice it is very well and to speake breefely that saying of Tully is precisely to be kept to witte that anger be farre of with which nothyng can be ryghtly and discreetely handled And therefore the saying of Archytas Tarentinus is woorthyly commended and also the deede of his freende Plato of whom the one when beyng wholy occupied in the studie of learnyng he sawe his goodes destroyed and wasted through the negligence of his Baylife turnyng hym selfe towardes hym truely quoth he I woulde punyshe thee accordyng to thy desart vnlesse I were nowe angrie with thee The other beyng offended with his seruaunt dyd not let hym goe freely as Archytas dyd but committed hym vnto one of his freendes to be punished fearyng lest that the vehemencie of anger shoulde enforce hym farther then reason woulde require These and suche lyke examples ought to moderate mens anger lest haply as commonly it chaunceth it dryue them headlong into infamie and destruction Of Gluttonie The Cviij Dialogue SOROWE I AM molested with gluttonie Reason I sayde erwhyle that I take those thynges in cure onely that happen vnto men agaynst theyr wylles for who wyll heale them that are wyllyngly sicke and diseased Sorowe â–ª I am vexed with gluttonie Reason Properly spoken in deede for there is nothyng so vyle that maketh you so carefull It is woonderfull and shaâ—â—efull to thynke wherevnto the disposition of mankynde whiche was created vnto hygher matters doth encline it selfe since that forsakyng the coastes of the lande ye goe about to searche out the seeâ—eâ—e tractes of the Sea and Ayre Ye haue veuised Neâ—â—es and Hookes and Byrdlime and Snares and Hawkes also â—e â—aue â—aught to come and goe at your commaundement and to pray for your pleasure and for nothyng els but to serue your throtes whiche you cloy not onely with fyllyng but also with ouerburdenyng and by sundrie meanes you oppresse your slender bellie by too muche followyng the greedinesse thereof for whiche hunger were muche more conuenient but sobrietie most profitable aboue of all other thynges when as ye ought rather to geue some rest vnto that filthie and miserable paunche of yours and to leaue some quietnesse vnto the Wooddes Cloudes and Riuers But thus goeth the worlde and this is the maner specially among Noblemen these are the arces whiche sometyme beyng liberall are nowe become Handicraftes whiche ye applie and they that were wont to be Generalles of Armies and Philosophers and Gouerners of Cities and Fathers of theyr Countrey are nowe become Hunters and Faulkoners that thou mayest vnderstande howe that there is nowe no hope of saluation remainyng That is ascribed vnto Nobilitie whiche is gluttonie or rather playne vanitie This mischiefe is by noneother meanes better beaten downe then by a certayne noble disdayne and indignation and by vpryght consideration of the thyng it selfe eyther by lytle and lytle as Cicero lyketh it or suddenly as Aristotle thynketh it good It auayleth very muche to thynke vpon the ende which beyng a generall rule in all vices yet is it most effectuall in this vice and also in letcherie Of sluggyshnesse of the minde The Cjx. Dialogue SOROWE I Am sluggyshe in doing of businesse Reason What marueile yf after so diligent studie of gluttonie sluggyshnesse of the minde do followe the heauinesse and ouerburrdening of the bodye Sorowe I am greeued with dulnesse of minde Reason This dulnesse springeth from an imperfect wyl but so soone as thou shalt beginne to bende thine endeuour it wyl growe to an earnest desire and courage which being very yll vnto many thynges is most commendable vnto vertue Sorowe I am slouthful and sluggysh to ryse vnto any good woorkes Reason There is a certayne dulnesse in the minde and also a couragious feruencie engraffed in a part of the minde whiche feruencie wyll be set on fyre and dulnesse shaken of by consyderyng the swyftnesse of tyme in passyng away whiche is so great that
fal from God for that he forsaketh hym that made hym and forasmuche as pryde is the beginnyng of al sinne Thou knowest al other thynges which being diligently weighed thou shalt perceyue howe foule a monster a proude man is Of Agues The .cxii. Dialogue SOROWE I Burne with Agues Reason This heat wyl ende in processe of tyme or els with colde whiche euer of the twayne it be it is well Sorow I am greeued with agues Reason All this motion agaynst nature is of more vehemencie then continuance and of these twayne it alwayes doth the one eyther it clenseth the body or setteth the soule at libertie Sorowe I am holden with Agues Reason Stay a whyle thou shalt not long be holden for eyther thou shalt soone be discharged thereof or set at libertie and eyther of them is very good Sorowe I am sicke of an Ague Reason Thou shalt be at quiet anon nature striueth with death attend the ende of the battayle for the houre draweth nygh which shal eyther free thee from thy sickensse or discharge thee from al. Sorow I burne with the Ague Reason It is lesse harme for the bodye to burne then the foule whereof thou madest thy last seuen complayntes and howe yf the scortching of the one be medicinable for the other Finally how much more better is it by a short cast of the euyles of this present lyfe to be put in mynde of the euerlastyng punishment to the ende that men may study to auoyde infinite bitternesse who so greeuously susteyne the sharpenesse of a fewe houres and by these troubles learne to flye them from whiche neyther the Phisition nor herbes nor the critical day nor death can delyuer them Sorowe I trye with the Feuer Reason The woormes meate is rosted suffer thy selfe to be burned for other for whom other meates haue been so often tymes burned and take aduisement of the punishment Many euyles haue stoode in steede of remedies a smal greefe in the present tyme hath often geuen men occasion to prouide for greater to come and that whiche was paineful becommeth profitable Happie is that short burnyng whiche is the cause of eternal ioy Sorowe I am molested with the Ague Reason Nowe shalt thou be an vpryght iudge of prosperous health For you men beyng an vnthankeful generation cannot acknowledg the giftes of God vnlesse they be lost or surceasse Sorow I am sore vexed with a greiuous ague Reason Ye cannot long continue togither No man can burne long For either thou wilt shortly forsake thine ague or else thine ague wil leaue thee Of the payne of the guttes and Traunce The .cxiii Dialogue SOROWE I Suffer the payne of the guttes Reason Begyn to hope for there can happen now nothing more greeuous vnto thee For lyke as it is the begynning of sorowe to come to the vttermost degree of pleasure so lykewyse the extremitie of sorowe must needes be the begynning of pleasure This is the lawe of contraries that the one spryngeth from the ende of the other Sorowe I am tormented with the Iliake passion Reason It is I confesse an hard kynde of comfort that a man can suffer nothing more bitter Sorowe I am vexed with the Iliake passion Reason Who so is sorie and feareth is in wretched case but feare which is the one halfe of miserie is taken from thee on euery side for whereof I pray thee neede he to be afeard who hopeth for death whereof aboue al thynges men stande most in dreade Sorowe I am martyred with the payne in the guâ—tes Reason Whyle thou lyuest learne to dye and that which must be done but once assay thou to do often then at length thou shalt do that more safely once whiche thou hast assayed to do so often for that whiche thou doest then shal be no strange thyng to thee The payne in the guttes is muche lyke vnto death sauing that death is shorter and easier so that he that can beare that payne valiantly vnlesse some other feare come betweene and alter the case shal much more valiantly endure death Sorowe I am torne in peeces by the iliacke passion Reason The vehemencie of the payne promiseth an ende for there is no man long a dying Sorow Yea the very payne driueth me into a sounde Reason The long paynes of feauers thou passest ouer with one breathyng Sorowe I feele howe I am fallen into a traunce Reason A man shall scarce perceyue when it is comming for it commeth sodenly and when it is come it presently depriueth the vnderstandyng of all force Sorowe I begynne to faint Reason O happie art thou that shalt passe ouer so assured and hard a thyng without sense Sorowe I fall oft tymes into a traunce Reason Thou returnest often from death to lyfe Sorowe I fal very often into a deadly traunce Reason Thou canst not fal into that twyce For none dyeth more then once and whiche shoulde be the best kynde of death there was somtyme disputation among certayne learned and notable men at whiche was Iulius Caesar in presence for empire and learnyng a most excellent personage who also in his latter tyme as some wryte of hym vsed many tymes to faynt suddeynly which question he in this manner determined concludyng that a suddeine and vnlooked for death was of al the most commodious Whiche opinion although vnto godlynesse and true religion it seeme very harde notwithstandyng euery one that wyse is but specially godly and studious of true religion ought so to lyue that nothyng may befal vnto hym soddenly and vnlooked for and yf any suche thyng happen to the minde that the soddennesse thereof hurt it not but profite also the body Of sundry paynes and greefes of the whole body The .cxiiii. Dialogue SOROWE I Am greeued in al partes of my body Reason If thy minde whiche is the gheast of the body be not greeued nor troubled it is wel whatsoeuer hapneth vnto the poore cottage thereof shal redownde I hope vnto the safetie of it Sorowe I am vexed in al my body whiche is a greeuous payne Reason The Stoikes say that among al humane thynges only vertue is good And although others be of another opinion yet this is the more true and manly as seemeth vnto me and many moe whereof it foloweth that whatsoeuer is contrarie hereunto is a vice whereby it commeth to passe that although the payne of the body be most greeuous yet it is not euyll Sorow Alas poore wretch how I am tormented and thou disputest and al are but philosophical fables Reason Thou shewest thy selfe to be a wretche if it were but in this poynt only for that thou callest the rules of mans lyfe fables Sorow These thynges are plausible in the schooles and famous in bookes but they are not able to enter into the racke or to clymbe vp into the beddes of the sicke they be spoken and wrytten more easily then practised Reason Yes truely they be profitable agaynst payne and sicknesse and death but not vnto al
drynke and haue the the more aman hath and drynketh and the causes of al dangers it plucketh vp by the rootes Your ryches are ful of deceitfulnesse and feare they feare cuppes aswell as swoordes and dishes no lesse then dartes there is neyther your table nor your house nor your chamber nor your bed voyd of danger Al thynges about you are vncertayne and suspitious and threaten vnto men present death as Virgil speaketh in a tempest and may be verified of you in a calme and al this is long of your sweete ryches whiche ye loue so entirely As for pouertie sauing that it is slaundrously reported of by the common people and for the very name odious vnto them al thynges are safe in it and yf euer the vayne glorious desire to be magnified by the multitude shoulde fayle altogeather pleasant sweete quiet and be wyshed But learne at length you earthly creatures to eate and drynke in glassen and earthen vessels yf ye wyl eate and drynke in safetie for poyson is mingled in cuppes of gold and precious stone O couetousnesse how farre wylt thou proceede Yea poyson is in loue with gold and precious stones agaynst whiche most wretched plague neyther the electuarie of Mithridates kyng of Pontus nor of any other be he neuer so cunnyng is more effectual then is pouertie Sorowe I haue drunken poyson death swymmeth nowe in my entrailes Reason When thou hast once perswaded thy selfe that thou must dye whiche al men must needes determine that remember them selues to be mortal what skylleth it whether thou dye by thirsting or drynkyng or whether imbrued with thine owne blood or with wyne In this kynde of death thou shalt haue great personages that haue been drynkyng fellowes with thee of this confection to wyt Alexander Hannibal Philippomenes Mithridates Claudius hym selfe Theramenes and Socrates Of the feare of death The .cxvii. Dialogue FEARE I Feare to dye Reason Herein thou oughtest not to feare but to muse which musing of thyne yf it began nowe first in thee then hath it not growen vp with thee from thine infancie But if it come vpon thee but by fittes and is not continuall then hast thou lyued vnwysely For this most excellent and profitable aduice of the Poet Horace ought most firmely to be engraffed within the very marrowe of thy bones Betweene hope and care and betweene feare anger thynke euery day to be the last that thou shalt lyue that thou mayst be such an one as he speaketh of in an other place He shal leade his lyfe merily and vnder his owne gouernement who is able to say euery day I haue lyued Let to morowe be fayre or foule whyle I am busie I do not care And this forsooth is that whiche the Philosophers do so muche commend to lyue the forepassed lyfe whereof I haue spoken in an other place Feare I feare to dye Reason Thou shouldest haue feared also to be borne to lyue The entrance into lyfe is the begynning of death and lyfe it selfe is the passedge to death or rather more truely a very death in deede By lyuing eyther thou wentest towardes death or rather accordyng to the iudgement of the wyse thou beganst euery houre to dye Why shouldest thou then be afeard of death yf death haue eyther dayly accompanied thy lyfe or of necessitie do folowe it The first of these the learned only do vnderstand the other the common people do perceyue for what soeuer was borne dyeth and what soeuer dyeth was borne Feare I am afearde to dye Reason Fearest thou to dye that art a reasonable mortal creature as the Philosophers do diffine thee But yf thou were veryly the first I suppose thou wouldest not feare the second for that these two natures beyng ioyned in one do fully accomplysh the substance of man to wyt reason and death The one concerneth the soule the other the body but want of reason hath brought in the feare of death Feare I feare death Reason Nothyng ought to be feared which the necessitie of nature importeth Who so hateth or feareth the thinges that are naturall must needes hate or feare nature it selfe Vnlesse perhaps it be lawful to commend and embrace the one part thereof and to condemne and despise the other then whiche there is nothyng more insolent not only in men towardes GOD but also in one man towardes another And therefore eyther thou wholy receyuest or reiectest thy freende least yf thou reape that only whiche is sweete thou seeme to be a partial iudge and louer of friendshyp Feare I abhorre death Reason If there be any euyl in death the same is encreased by the feare of death But yf there be no euyl in death the feare thereof is a great euyl and it is a great follie for a man to procure or encrease his owne harme Feare I detest the very name of death Reason The infirmitie of mankynde hath made the name of death infamous But yf men had any courage of minde they would no more feare death then they woulde al other thynges that come by course of nature And why shouldest thou more feare to die then to be borne to growe vp to hunger to thirst to wake to sleepe Wherof this last is so lyke death that some haue termed it the cousin and some the image of death And that thou mayest not cal this manner of speeche eyther a poetical colour and a Philosophical quirke Iesus Chryst the truth it selfe called the death of his freend a sleepe and art thou afeard to do that once wherin thou takest pleasure euerie day This inconstancie do the learned woonder at and also reprooue Feare These thinges are common and vsuall among the Philosophers and bring delite while they are heard but when they leaue soundyng feare returneth Reason Nay rather it remayneth for if it were once gonne it would not returne agayne and moreouer there is a certayne feare of death naturally ingraffed within the hartes of the common multitude But it is a shame for a learned man to haue the feelyng but of the vulgare sort whom it becommeth as I sayd erewhyle not to folowe the steppes of the greater part but of a fewe And concernyng that whiche thou speakest of Philosophers I muche merueyle that since you learne the preceptes of saylyng of saylers and of husbandrie of husbandmen and also of warfare of warriours ye refuse to take aduice how to direct your lyfe of the Philosophers And seeing you aske counsel of Phisitious for the cure of your bodyes why do you not resort also to Philosophers for the saluing of your mindes who if they be true Philosophers in deede they are both Phisitions of your mindes and the instructours of this lyfe But yf they be counterfeites and puffed vp onely with the bare name of Philosophie they are not only not to be sought vnto for counsel but to be auayded then whom there is nothing more importunate nothing more absurde of whom this age is muche more ful then I coulde
wyshe and much more destitute of men then I woulde it were And therefore seeing there is nothing els to be expected at the handes of them that are nowe present but meare toyes and trifles yet yf there be any thyng alleaged by them whiche eyther they haue founde out them selues or borowed of the auncient wryters that may aswage thy greefe do not reiect it nor say as do the vnlearned this thou haddest out of the Philosophers For then wyl I answere thee with Cicero I thought thou wouldest haue sayde of whores and bawdes And to say the trueth where shoulde a man fishe or hunt but where fishes and wylde beastes are in the waters and wooddes Where is golde to be digged or precious stones to be gathered but where they growe For they are to be founde in the veines of the earth and vpon the shoares of the sea Where are marchandizes to be had but of merchantes Where pictures and images but of paynters and keruers And last of al where wylt thou expect Philosophical sawes but at the Philosophers handes Whiche although they lye hyd vp by them in their treasuries and were first founde out by them neuerthelesse the same are set open and expounded by other and that paraduenture more playnely or more pithily or more breefely or lastly disposed in some other order and methode promising lyke hope vnto al that heare them but bringing successe vnto fewe For such is the force of order and good ioyning as Horace very wel declareth in his Poeticalles that one matter being diuersly told representeth a greater grace vnto the mind of the hearer yea though it be a common thing that is told such noueltie may be added vnto that which is old and such light vnto that whiche is euident and suche beawtie vnto that whiche is fayre whiche I haue not nowe vttered as lackyng some other place more conuenient therevnto but because thou ministredst occasion at this present For I woulde not haue thee doo as it is the maner of blinde and ignorant pryde to disdayne vulgare and vsuall thynges whiche thou hast heard once and neuer vnderstoode Feare I yeelde vnto thee for I see that thou art very redie in these admonitions although far from effect to me wardes for I feare death yet neuerthelatter Reason There be certayne thynges in name and opinion of men greater then in effect certayne afarre of haue seemed terrible whiche at hande haue been ridiculous It were no wysedome to beleeue the vnexpert there is not one of these defamers of death that can speake any thyng to the purpose for being vnexpert he can learne nothing at all neyther can he be instructed in any matter by one that is vnexpert also Aske a question of a dead man he wyl answere nothyng and yet it is he that knoweth the trueth They wyl babble most that knowe death least and prophecie most vaynely of it wherein they haue least skyll Whereby it commeth to passe that by some death is made the most manifest thyng and of othersome the most hydden secret and this coniecturall case is diuersly tossed in suspition But in doubtfull matters it is good to cleaue to the best opinion and to holde that whiche shall make the minde rather merrie then dumpyshe Feare My soule feareth death Reason If in respect of it selfe that feare is vayne for that the soule is immortall But yf in respect of the bodye it is a thanklesse pittie to be careful of it enimie But if it feare to be dissolued it is to much in loue with it owne prison and bondes whiche were but a verie foolyshe affection Feare I am troubled with the feare of death Reason All fooles are afearde to dye and noe marueyle for all their felicitie is in theyr bodye whiche doubtlesse is by death extinguished And therefore not without cause good men are sorie to heare of theyr ende and heauie to beholde it For this is the nature of man that he can not lyue without desyre not to be vnhappie It becommeth a learned man who maketh no other accompt of his bodye then of a vyle Drudge and fylthie Carkasse whose dilligence and loue and hope and studie is wholy reposed vpon his minde to esteeme of the death of this bodye none otherwise then as of his departure in the morning out of some vnpleasant and noysome lodging Feare I can not choose but feare death Reason Thou mayest refuse to feare the departure out of this lyfe yf thou canst hope or wyshe for the entrance into an other For hereof it is that the same feare ryseth And although there be commonly diuers causes alleaged of the feare of this departure neuerthelesse they vanishe away when the hope of that other life is laide before the eyes Feare I dread death Reason The dread thereof is specially engendred by the lacke of meditating thereon and the sudden necessitie of dying whiche in a learned and wyse man is most shameful but specially in an olde man whose whole course and order of lyfe yf he be learned and wyse indeede ought to be a continuall meditation of death Whiche if it seemed so vnto the auntient Philosophie what may it nowe appeare vnto your new deuotion which is the hygh Philosophie and the true wisedome Consider the maner of them that are commaunded vpon a sudden to goe some far iourney how sadde and careful they are to make vp their carriage and how they complaine at their departure and in a maner repine that they had no longer warning before so that as soone as their backes are turned they thinke vpon necessaries which they haue forgotten and are discontented therewith Now there is no way longer then to dye none harder as they say none more noysome for Theeues none more obscure none more suspicious nor more vncertaine which though it wanted al these yet is it vnreturneable By meanes whereof ye ought to be the more diligent least haply ye forgette any thing for that when ye are once departed from hence ye can no longer doo as they that occupie other trades or vndertake whatsoeuer other iourney that is to say commit suche thynges by their letters or messengers vnto their freendes to see vnto as they them selues haue left forgotten For ye are not able to sende any message backe nor to stay in the place where ye were nor to returne agayne Ye must needes goe hence it is not possible for you to returne ye must needes goe thyther Souldiers from whence it is not needefull that ye come backe agayne Thus in Seneca sayde the Romane Captayne to his men and thus also sayth your Captayne to you And therefore seeyng ye must needes depart and come no more and that the necessitie of your iourney is very certayne but the houre of death vncertayne this is your onely remedie to be alwayes readie in mind to answere when ye are called and to obey when ye are commaunded and when all thinges are disposed in good order at your Captaines fyrst
commaundement to goe foorth on you iourney couragiously which ye must needes take in hand eyther willingly or in spite of your beardes This mee thinketh should very muche abate your feare and payne of death and make you not onely carelesse but also desyrous to depart hence Otherwyse yf ye be vnprouided and take no regarde the same may befall vnto you whiche Cicero once truely in his Epistles prophecied vnto his freende Brutus Ye shal be suddenly oppressed beleeue me freende Brutus quoth he vnlesse ye foresee and make prouision And so truely it hapneth in deede I say vnto all that vse no forecast in that which is lyke to happen vnto them hereafter And seeyng prouidence in all thinges is very necessarie yet is it specially to be regarded in those thynges whiche can be done no more but once wherein one errour sufficeth for wheresoeuer the foote slyppeth there is an ende Sorowe Now doo I verie muche abhorre death Reason Thynges deepely rooted are not easily plucked vp I knowe well as I sayde that the feare of death is engraffed within the mindes and senses of men specially of the vulgar sort As for the Philosophers they account death neyther good nor bad for that they recken it a thyng of it selfe neyther to be wyshed nor feared but number it among thynges indifferent whiche in respect of those that enioy them some tyme they tearme good and some tyme euyll Which thyng I perceyue well to be lyked of one of your religion who sayde that the death of sinners was euyll but of the Saintes and vertuous men most precious Sorowe I feare death I hate death Reason From whence this feare and hatred of death commeth vnto men verily I shoulde muche merueyle were it not that I knewe the daintinesse of your mindes whereby ye nouryshe and encrease this and suche lyke degenerate kindes of feare Dooest thou not perceyue howe that the greater part of men are afearde of the very name of death Whiche what is it other then to abhorre your owne nature and to hate that whiche ye are borne to be then whiche there is nothyng more vayne among men nor more vnthankefull towardes god Howe many are there whiche with greefe doo heare that name whiche ought alwayes to beate vppon the inner eare Without the whiche there is no man that can thinke vppon him selfe for what should he thinke him selfe to be other then a mortal creature As often as a man turneth backe into the consideration of him selfe doth not the name of death presently come into his minde But ye abhor that as though death would force in at the eare and ye turne away your mindes striue to forget that which wyl by and by compel the most vnwilling of you al to haue it in remembrance For loe ye refuse to thinke vpon death which not long after ye must of necessitie both thinke vpon also suffer the insult whereof would a great deale the more easely be borne yf it were thought vpon before but now that both of them are brought to a narrowe poynt together the one of them exasperateth the other For euery thing that is vnthought on sudden shaketh the soule It is as much follie to couet a thing in vaine as to be desirous to auoyde that which thou canst not they are both of them the more foolish by how much it had ben the more hurtful that thou haddest obteyned that which thou desirest But there is nothing more hurtful amongst al the mischiefes of this worlde then to forget GOD a mans owne selfe and death which three thynges are so vnited and knytte together that they may hardly be plucked asunder but ye wyll seeme to be mindfull of your selues and vnmindfull both of your begynnyng and ending Thou mayest marke them that vpon some occasion set all thinges in order in theyr houses howe there is scarce any that dare say when I am dead but yf I dye as though that were in doubt then the which there is nothyng more certayne Neyther is this saying If I dye plainely pronounced but rather yf any thyng happen vnto me otherwyse then well whiche what I pray thee can it other be then the selfe same thyng that hath hapned vnto all men or shall happen both vnto them that are nowe alyue or that shall be borne hereafter Vnto whom as there hath hapned sundrie kindes of lyfe so shall there lykwyse befall diuers kindes of death but one necessitie of dying The same doest thou couet to escape whiche neyther thy Fathers neyther the Kinges of nations coulde euer escape nor euer shal Deceiue your selues as much as ye lyst euen so shall it happen vnto you as it doth vnto them that winke against the stroke of their enimies weapon as though they should not feele the danger which they see not ye shal be stroken ye shal dye ye shall feele it but whether it shal happen vnto you eyther blinde or seeing it lyeth in your handes Therefore desire to dye well which thing also vnlesse ye doo lyue well is in vaine Wysh therefore I say and endeuour your selues and doo what lyeth in you commit that whiche remayneth vnto him who vnto those whom he brought into this lyfe of his owne accorde not being therevnto required wyll not stretch foorth his handes when they depart out of it agayne vnlesse he be called on and desyred Wyshe not not to dye for it is not onely an impudent and an arrogant but also an vnfruitfull and a vayne desyre Accustome your selues O ye mortall men vnto the lawes of nature and yeelde your neckes to that yoke which can not be auoyded And yf ye loue your selues loue that whiche ye are borne not because ye woulde that ye had not been borne for it is not meete that Nature shoulde obey you but you her Feare I haue long assayed in vayne to cast away the feare of death Reason I muse thou shouldest so long assay a matter wherevnto thyne owne voluntarie thinking ought to bring thee To thinke so much vpon so small a danger is a great shame if so be it may be called a danger or not rather an ende of all dangers to dye a great shame I say it is for a man so long to continue in the feare of so small and peeuishe a peryll and so many yeeres to lyue in feare and suspense for the euent of breathing one poore houre But wouldest thou haue the most present remedie agaynst this euyll and be delyuered from the perpetuall feare of death Then lyue well a vertuous lyfe despiseth death and many tymes desireth it and to be short it is the ende of all terrible thynges For labour payne sorowe aduersitie infamie imprisonment exile losse warre bondage lacke of chyldren pouertie oldeage sicknesse death all these vnto men of valure are nothyng els then the schoole of Experience and the feelde of Repentaunce and the exercise place of Glorie Of Voluntarie murthering a mans owne selfe The Cxviij Dialogue FEARE I AM
determined to doo violence vnto my selfe Reason At one tyme to feare a thyng and at another to wyshe for it this is al the constancie that you haue Erwhyle womanishly thou fearedst death and now vnmanly thou seekest the same tel me I pray thee what sudden chaunce hath chainged thy mind Feare I am enforced to do violence vnto my selfe Reason If thou be enforced then is it not voluntarie violence although it be sayd that a constrained wyll is a wyll yet truely it is no free wyl neither that wyl which properly taketh the name à volendo of willing But I would fayne know by whom thou art enforced Whoso is vnwilling may haue violent handes layde vpon hym but thou canst doo thy selfe no violence vnlesse thou were willing thereunto Feare There are great causes that enforce me to be willing to die Reason They be great in deede I coufesse yf they enforce thee but they coulde not enforce thee yf thou were a man But there is nothyng so weake that it can not ouerthrowe the delicacie of your mindes and hearken now whether I can not directly gheasse these causes anger disdaine impatiencie a certayne kynde of furie agaynst a mans owne selfe and the forgetfulnesse of his owne estate For yf thou dyddest remember that thou were a man thou wouldest also knowe that thou oughtest to take all worldly chaunces in good part and not for the hatred of one small euyll or rather no euyll at all to be willyng to fal into the greatest euyll of all Feare By reason of extreame miserie I am constrayned to lay violent handes vpon my selfe Reason It is not extreame miserie neither are they the greatest euylles that oppresse thee but this is the most extreame of al other which now enrageth thee to wit desperation agaynst which onely when as all other euylles haue their peculiar remedies there is no medicine that can preuayle And which be these that thou callest exâ—reame euylles but onely labour perhaps and trouble and pouerâ—ie For these are they whereof the Poet Virgil intreateth saying These without cause procured their owne death and hating this lyght powred out their owne soules Of whose too late repentance he addeth immediatly Howe glad woulde they now be returnyng into this worlde agayne to abyde pouertie and suffer all troubles and aduersitie Are these so great euyls whereof the fyrst all good and vertuous men endured with a valiant and indifferent minde and some more ouer dyd wyllingly choose it and thereby became glorious and riche in the euerlastyng riches That the worlde is meete for men we reade in Salust and that man was made for that intent we finde it written in the holy and afflicted good old man But you beyng of al creatures the most vnquiet yf thinges fal not out according to your couetous desyre or letcherous lust ye thynke that ye haue iust cause to kyll your selues So delicate and hastie headlong is your lasciuiousnesse that vpon the least cause that may be ye are not onely angrie with Fortune but also with your selues farther â—icking against GOD hymselfe ye scoure your blasphemousâ—â—â—ithes agaynst him as though euery thing wherein your Lord and God fulfylleth not your minde were an haynous iniurie agaynst you Feare I am so oppressed with great euylles that to choose A woulde dye Reason For the loathsomnesse of thy lyfe perhaps which is a familiar fault among all fooles For vnto the wyse euery kynde of lyfe is pleasant the happie lyfe they accept willingly the miserable lyfe they indure patiently and although in the thinges themselues they take final comforâ— yet are they delyghted in the exercise of patience for there is nothing more acceptable nor more sâ—â—eâ—e then veritie The same is that which asswageth greefes amendeth what is anusse moâ—â—fieth that whiche is harde mitâ—igateth thâ—ir whiche is sharpe siâ—â—otheth that whiche is rough and lâ—uellech that whiche is vneâ—â—en In consyderation hereof complainte or 〈◊〉 and hastie headlongnesse hath an ende and to be breefe there is nothing more glorious nor quiet then a wyse mans lyfe As for these teares and greefes of the minde these cloudes and troublesome stormes whiche driue the barke of this lyfe vpon the rockes they spryng from follie onely Feare Impaciencie of sicknes maketh me desirous to dye Reason Thy desyre is fond and proude Let the Lorde alone to dispose of thy bodye accordyng to his owne determination and good pleasure Wylt thou looke to haue more aucthoritie ouer thine owne buyldyng whereof thou hast made neyther Timber nor Stone and wherein there is nothing thine but only the buylding and wylt thou not geue lykewyse sembleable libertie vnto the Lorde and maker of all the worlde who in the same hath not onely created the spirite the fleshe the blood and the bones but also heauen the earth the seas and all thynges that are therein of nothyng Say not within thy selfe My bodye is greeuously tormented with payne For thou hast receyued no dominion euer thy bodye but onely a vse thereof for a certayne short tyme Thynkest thou thy selfe to be Lorde and Maister ouer this thyne house of Clay Verily thou art but a stranger he that made all is Lorde of all Sorowe With exceeding payne I am constrayned to be desyrous to die Reason Perhaps this payne is layde vpon thee for thine experience whiche yf it be troublesome and greeuous vnto thee then may it be profitable but yf intollerable then can it not long continue Attende the commaimdement of the Lorde that detayneth thee and answeare when thou art called and not before Thy daye is appoynted whiche possibly thou canst not preuent nor yet prolong Howheit many haue preuented it in deede and goyng about to auoyde a smal short greefe haue cast them selues headlong intoirreuocable euerlasting tormentes This opinion hath had great defenders Fyrst Anneus Seneca who so constantly and often falleth into the mentionyng thereof insomuche that it seemeth vnto me that he feared least it shoulde not appeare to be his â—â—bâ—e and maketh me sometyme to wonder bowe so cruell aâ— opinion coulde enter into the hart of so woorthie a man And to â—et that passe whiche it were too long to recite in a certayne Epistle vnto Lucilius If sayth he the bodye be vnfytte for the ordinarie and conuenient actions â–ª why shoulde not a man set the greened soule at libertie And immedialy after a fewe woordes betweene I wyl leape quoth he out of this rotten and ruinous buyldyng But O Seneca thou sayest not wel and with one euyl saying hast disgraced a great many good sayinges For thou oughtest to abyde and not to depart let thy buyldyng fal downe that thou be driuen out of doores before thou depart Sorowe I cannot suffer the thynges that are lyke to happen vnto me I had rather dye Reason Perhaps for some death whiche shal be inflicted vpon thee by an enimie whiche beyng valiantly vndertaken can not be shameful but voluntarily procured by thine owne hand cannot
but be reprochful and ignominious for that it is contrarie to the commaundement of the most hygh Lorde agaynst whiche nothyng can be wel done Sorowe I had rather dye then to see the thynges that are lyke to happen shortly Reason It is not the part of a man not to be able with open eyes to behold both faces of fortune it is the part of a woman to turne away the eyes in feare What is the thyng that troubleth thee so muche that nothyng can helpe thee but death only Is it thine owne or thy freendes or perhaps the aduersitie of thine afflicted countrye As for the first two they are but gentle for fortune is not so strong but vertue is able to withstand it the thirde is godly but the loue thereof is fainte and slouthful For the bondage and captiuitie of a mans countrey and the gouernement thereof in manner of a Tirannie is rather to be repelled by death then auoyded by steppyng a side For the first is the part of a man but this tastest of womanyshe imbecillitie Whiche thyng notwithstandyng the same Seneca doth woonderfully extol in the death of Cato in that same his peculiar opinion whereof I spake erewhyle But Cicero thinkyng it sufficient to excuse him only abstaineth from commending him For he sayth that vnto Cato that was a man of such wonderful grauitie and perpetual constancie of nature it was better to dye then to looke the Tyrant in the face whom Brutus notwithstandyng behelde and thought it better to make hym away by kyllyng hym then by kyllyng hym selfe Whiche how wel or ill it was done I do not now dispute But so in deede he did As for Cicero whyle he excuseth Cato he forgetteth his owne more commendable opinion whiche long before he had set downe in his sixth booke De republica of a common-wealth whiche is after this manner folowyng whiles that he bringeth in Publius Scipio Affricanus the younger dreaming howe that he talked in heauen with his father and graundfather and hearyng them speake of the immortalitie of the soule and the felicitie of the other lyfe made hym desirous to dye and brought in his father by and by reprouing the same his fonde and vnprofitable desyre in these woordes It may not be so quoth he for vnlesse God whose churche al this is which thou beholdest doo loose thee out of these bondes of thy bodye thou canst haue none entrance hyther For men were created for this cause that they shoulde beholde the globe whiche thou seest in the middest of this temple whiche is called the earth Wherefore good sonne Publius both thou and also al vertuous men ought to keepe your selues within the custodie of this your bodye and not to depart out of the lyfe of man contrarie vnto his commaundement by whom that lyfe was geuen vnto you least happely ye seeme to forsake the vocation whereunto God hath called you Doo not these woordes of Cicero sufficiently reprooue Cato that is excused And truely yf thou were appoynted by some earthly Prynce or Captayne to keepe a place by defence of armes thou wouldest not dare to depart from thy charge without his lycence whiche yf thou shouldest doo doubtlesse he woulde take it in ill part Howe then woulde the heauenly Emperour take it thynkest thou vnto whom so muche the more obedience ought to be geuen by howe muche God is greater then man There was of late dayes one Stephanus Columnensis a gentleman of auncient vertue who yf lie had lyued had not onely been famous in this age but also in remembrance of al posteritie The same Stephanus beyng besieged by a mightie enimie of his vnto whom he was in power far vnequal committed the defence of one turret wherein there seemed to be most danger vnto one of his captaynes of whose trust he was assured This turret being vndermined and secretly shaken by the enimies so that it was in danger of fallyng when as the residue of the garison perceyuing so much forsooke it and perswaded hym also to come downe and prouide for his safety since it was bootelesse to tarrie but vnto him selfe very dangerous or rather present death I wyl not come downe sayde he vnlesse he cal me away who set me here Which being reported vnto Stephanus who also was very careful for the gentleman came running in bast to cal hym away the turret beyng shaken at the very foundation fel downe immediatly with great noyse Thus that trustie defendant was miserably slayne whom his lord and maister beyng scarcely able to finde out among the rubbishe and ruynes of the turret buryed hym with great sorowe and lamentation and whyle he lyued had a dutiful care ouer hym and in his common speeche alwayes aduaunced his fayth with worthy commendation What I meane by these wordes I thinke thou knowest Suche a keeper oughtest thou to be of thy body whiche is committed vnto thy keepyng by God as he was of his turret which was commended to his charge by his lorde and maister Notwithstandyng I am not ignorant howe that the death of Cato was muche commended by many of that age wherein he lyued and very glorious in the common opinion of men And that saying of Iulius Caesar is wel knowen who beyng conquerour and making hast vnto Vtica where Cato had slayne hym selfe and hearyng report of his death Cato quoth he enuyed my glory and I enuie his death Doubtlesse it seemed some excellent thyng whiche so great and glorious a personage enuied at Sorow Then what shoulde let me to folow the death of a wyse man that was enuied at by so great a person and excused and commended of the wyse and to eschewe the innumerable distresses of lyfe by a voluntarie death Truely I had rather dye Reason Beware that thou be not caryed away with the vayne hope of hynges For there be some inferiour in eloquence but superiour in sense whiche neyther commend nor excuse this death of Cato but sharpely reprehende it Among whom Sainct Augustine a most sharpe searcher after the truth disputeth that this was not the cause of the hastenyng of his owne death because he woulde not lyne vnder the empire of Caesar togeather with his sonne forasmuche as he hym selfe was the cause that his sonne fledde to Caesar and in hope of safetie submitted hymselfe to his mercy wherein he was not deceyued Whiche yf he had thought to haue been a shameful thyng would he not haue delyuered his sonne from it as wel as hym selfe eyther by poyson or by sword or by some other kynde of death whatsoeuer Seeing that Manlius Torquatus is commended for killyng his owne sonne for that he had geuen battel to his enimies and vanquished them but contrarie to his fathers commaundement Neyther can it be sayde that it is a more shameful thing to be conquerour ouer a proude enimie then to be subiect to an arrogant conquerour Why then dyd he thinke Caesar woorthy to graunt lyfe to his sonne who thought hym vnworthie
and enuied at hym that he should graunt lyfe vnto hymselfe And to conclude he findeth that only enuie was the cause of his death whiche Caesar hym selfe did not dissemble as we sayde erewhyle For what coulde he other feare or why could he not abyde hym to be his prince by whom not long before he was banyshed the senate and committed to pryson So that he that slue not hym selfe in so great and present an iniurie why shoulde he nowe slaye hym selfe for a vayne feare or false opinion of pryde or crueltie What terror was there expressed in Caesars face that he shoulde seeke to auoyde the same by death who not only of all men but of al Tirantes and Prynces was the most gently and mercifull For although Cato had neuer seene any more myghtie yet truely in that age had he seene many more cruel but truely neuer sawe he any more merciful And therefore ryghtly sayeth another excellent wryter famous both for credite and eloquence It seemeth vnto me sayth he that Cato sought an occasion to dye not so muche to escape Caesars handes as to folowe the decrees of the Stoykes whom he immitated and by some notable deede to leaue his name famous vnto posterytie What harme woulde haue happened vnto him if he had lyued I do not perceyue For suche was the clemencie of Caius Caesar that in the greatest heate of the ciuile warres he would seeme to do nothing els but to deserue wel of the common wealth prouiding alwayes for the safetie of Cicero and Cato Loe behold another cause of his death beside enuie to wit a vayne follie both which were farre vnwoorthy of the person of Cato and yet neyther of them sufficient to preuent a mans owne death Sorowe I had rather dye then lyue thus Reason Howe knowest thou whether this lyfe whiche seemeth greeuous vnto thee be desired of many or enuied of the most But your impatiencye maketh all thynges more greeuous Sorow I desire to dye Reason As from the feareful to force the feare of death so to wreast from the desperate the hatred of lyfe is a hard matter Neuerthelesse this is the effect of our remedie to beare this lyfe with indifferencie and to looke for death valiantly Of Death The .cxix. Dialogue SOROWE I Dye Reason Now thou art come to the last cast nowe canst thou neyther feare death nor wyshe for it of both whiche thou hast alredie wearied me in many discourses next before written Hereafter thou shalt neyther be in sorowe nor in paine neyther be subiect to the defaultes of the body nor minde neyther shalt thou be wearied with the tediousnesse of any thing nor with sickenesse nor with olde age nor with deceites of men nor with the varietie of fortune al whiche yf they be euyl then is the ende of euyl good Not long since thou complaynedst of al these and nowe thou findest fault with the ende of them beware that thou seeme not iniurious for beyng sory for the begynning of a thing and the endyng of the same Sorowe I dye Reason Thou shalt walke the way of thy fathers or rather the broade and worne way of thy predicessors haddest thou rather that there shoulde happen vnto thee some peculiar accident I wote not what Goe forward on thy way thou needest not be a frayde of goyng amisse thou hast so many leaders and companions of thy iourney Sorowe Alas I dye Reason If there be any that hath cause to weepe when he dyeth he ought to be ashamed to haue laughed when he lyued knowyng that he had cause at hand and alwayes hanging ouer his head ful soone to make hym weepe whose laughter doubtlesse was not farre disioyned from weeping Sorowe I dye Reason He is not to be suffred that be waileth the estate of his owne kynde Thou shouldest not dye vnlesse thou were mortal But if thou be sorie because thou art mortal thou hast no cause to complayne when thou surceasest to be that which thou wast agaynst thy wyl Thou shouldest haue lamented at the begynnyng when thou beganst to be that whiche thou wouldest not but now thou oughtest to reioyce for that thou begynnest to be immortal Sorowe I dye Reason Al these that lately stoode about thy bed and moreouer al that euer thou hast seene or heard or read of and as many as euer thou wast able to knowe since thou wast borne as many as euer heretofore haue seene this lyght or shal hereafter be borne in al the worlde and to the worldes ende either haue or shal passe through this iorney Beholde in thy minde as wel as thou canst the long troupes of them that are gone before or of those that shal folowe hereafter and also the number not small of thy companions and coequales in yeeres who dye with thee euen at this presente and then I thinke thou wylt be ashamed to bewayle a common case with thy pryuate complayntes when as among so many thou shalt not finde one whom thou mayest enuie at Sorowe I dye Reason This is to be impassible and to goe about to shake of the yoake both of fortune and death a double great good whiche no prosperitie can geue vnto any lyuing creature Thinke with thy selfe howe many and howe great cares howe many paynefull traueyles there were remayning yet vnto thee yf thou lyuedst I say not an infinite lyfe but the space of a thousand yeeres when as there is alotted vnto thee a lyfe but onely of one dayes space wherein yf thou make an indifferent estimation thou shalt perceyue the toyles and wearisomenesse of this short transitorie and vncertayne lyfe and also thine owne greefes and vexations whiche thou hast susteyned Sorow I dye Reason In suche forte ye bewayle death as though lyfe were some great matter whiche yf it were then were the flyes and emmotes and spyders partakers of the same If lyfe were alwayes a commoditie then were death euermore a discommoditie whiche sometyme is founde to be a great benefite when as it delyuereth the soule from intollerable euyles or dischargeth or els preserueth the soule from sinne that is to come whiche is the greatest euyl of all But as vertue is onely a great thyng among you so yf this lyfe be considered by it selfe as it is it is the stoare house of innumerable miseries for the shuttyng vp whereof whoso is sorowfull the same taketh it not well that euyles doo surcease and hateth quyetnesse and he that coueteth the same it must needes be that he couet the ende of a payneful and troublesome lyfe Then yf there be noneother ende of toyles and euyles why doest thou weepe for it That day is nowe at hande which yf it were prolongued thou wouldest wyshe for it and perhaps suche is the worlde the power of fortune so great and her chaunces so variable that thou hast oftentymes alredie wished for it Sorowe I dye Reason Nay rather thou departest out of an earthly and transitorie house vnto the heauenly and euerlastyng habitation
and thy foote beyng vpon the very thresholde thou art sorowfully and vnwyllyngly plucked away and carefully thou lookest behynde thee I wot not wherefore whether forgettyng thy fylthynesse which thou leauest behynde thee or not beleeuyng the great good vnto whiche thou art goyng And truely yf as I sayde before whiche notable men haue also auerred this whiche you cal lyfe be death then it foloweth that the ende thereof whiche is death be lyfe Sorow I dye Reason Thy kyng setteth thee at libertie nowe the bandes and fetters are broken whiche it pleased your louyng father to make mortal and transitorie Whiche I knowing to be specially apperteyning vnto his mercie as Plotinus holdeth opinion and it is confirmed by your wryters I see not whereof thou hast cause to complayne Sorowe I dye Reason Thy kyng calleth thee an happie messenger But thus it is it commeth vnlooked for and vnluckely that happeneth vnto men agaynst their wylles Consent thereunto and then shalt thou begyn to perceyue howe wel thou art dealt withall Then shalt thou reputyng with thy selfe thy departure out of this prison the other euyles of this lyfe which thou fearest prophecying of the commodities whiche death bringeth after the manner of Socrates swan that coulde diuine of heauenly thynges to come and was therefore consecrated to Apollo die singing though not with thy voyce yet in thy minde And vnlesse whiche God forbid the heauie weight of thy sinnes not clensed nor forgiuen do ouermuch presse thee downe do thou that in thy minde which it is read that the emperour Vespasian did in bodie rise vp when thou art a dying and thinke it vnmeete to dye lying neither in this respect ascribe thou lesse vnto thee then he did to himselfe although thou be not a prince as he was For death respecteth no auctorytie it knoweth not princes from other men and is a notable meane to make al estates of one calling after this life There was nothing that Vespasian might doo but it is lawful for thee to do the lyke yea and I trust thou hast somewhat more of the grace of God then he had if thou do not refuse it not for that thou art better then he but because thou art more happie in respect of the free goodwyl loue of God who hath graunted to the litle ones and reuealed to the vnlearned those thynges whiche he denied to the mightie and hyd from the wyse Adde moreouer that it is more profitable and easie for thee to aryse For his endeuour requyred bodily strength which sicknesse weakeneth and death quite extinguisheth but thou hast neede of noneother then the strength of the minde which oftentymes encreaseth the neerer that death is at hand Sorow I dye Reason Why doest thou tremble in safetie and stumble in the playne and stay vpon the side of a sheluing downefall I wyl not here bryng into thy remembrance what the Philosophers do dispute in this poynt For there be many thynges which the troublesomnesse of hym that lyeth a dying and the shortnesse of the tyme wyl not suffer to be done and therefore it ought deepely to be engraffed and rooted in thy mynde whatsoeuer the auncient Philosophers haue disputed concernyng this matter For as they hold opinion rare prosperitie specially towardes a mans ende is able to make al remedies agaynst aduersitie and hard fortune voyde to no purpose but as touchyng those thynges whiche are alleaged agaynst death they be alwayes profitable and necessarie whiche no casual but the natural and inuincible necessitie of dying maketh to stande in ful force and effect Among diuers other truely Cicero gathereth together many sounde reasons and perswasions in the fyrst dayes disputation of his Tusculan questions whereof I made mention a litle before whiche vnlesse thou hast alreadie learned in times past I haue no leasure now to teach thee wherein he concludeth that whether he that dieth seeme to be in prosperitie or aduersitie neuerthelesse forasmuche as generally the whole state of mankynde is equally subiect to the dartes and insultes of Fortune it is to be supposed that by death he is not delyuered from good thynges whiche doubtlesse he shall fynde to be true whosoeuer shall geue hym selfe to the deepe consideration of worldly affayres Wherefore by death he findeth him selfe aduauntaged and not hyndered and thynking continually thereon when it commeth he maketh account thereof as of the messenger and seruant of his delyuerer and when he is once past it and looketh backe vpon it he beholdeth as it were out of a Windowe how he hath escaped the deceites of the worlde and the prison of this fleshe The very same sense doth Cicero followe in his disputation that whether the soule dye with the body or be translated to some other habitation that either there is no euyll at al or very much good in death Sharply truely among his owne Countreifolke at that time but among your Philosophers now adayes yea and your common people a thing nothing doubted of and truly I beleeue neither vnperswaded vnto Cicero himselfe of whom we haue so much spoken which opinion most frankly he hath declared in many and sundry places although he applied him selfe vnto the want of fayth in him with whom he communed or the distrustinesse of the time in which he liued But in few wordes thus perswade thy selfe that thy soule is immortal which not only the whole consent of your naâ—ion but also the most excellent of al the Philosophers do haue defended Repose no trust in the death of the soule whose nature is such that it cannot die and thinke not that there remaineth no euyl after death because there shal be no soule to suffer it But forasmuch as the creatour of the soule is gentle and louing and merciful he wyl not despise the woorke of his owne handes but wyl be neere vnto them that cal vpon him faithfully Vnto hym let your prayers vnto hym let your vowes be directed let the vttermost of your hope depend vpoÌ„ him let your last gaspe ende in callyng vpon his name Depart quickly feare nothing dame Nature that is the most louing mother of al other mothers hath made no horrible thing it is the errour of men and not the nature of the thing that ought to be prouided for that causeth death to seeme dreadful If thou harbour any great attempt in thine hart or go about any excellent high matter despise the base and low speeches deedes of the raskal multitude but haue them in admiration whom to imitate is the perfect path vnto true glorie Among our Countreymen truly of such as haue dyed merely and happily there are innumerable examples But yf we searche rather after such as are of more antiquitie we shal finde many that haue not onely taken their death valiantly but also hastened it which deede in Marcus Cato Marcus Cicero blameth Seneca commendeth as we sayd erewhile As for you ye lyke wel of neither but woorst of the
seconde for that it is more tollerable to excuse an errour then to commende it But I reiecte them both because as for to answere when a man is called to obey with reuerence is prayse woorthie euen so without licence of the General to depart from the watch keeping of the body is to be counted hygh treason woorthie to be punished eyther with cruel banishment or with extreame torment Of purpose I repeate some thynges againe and agayne to the ende they may take the deeper roote for all these matters as I suppose are sufficiently discoursed in our communication going immediatly before Sorowe I dye Reason Rather thou payest tribute of thy fleshe and yeeldest thy duetie vnto Nature and anon thou shalt be a free man and therefore doo that willingly which of force thou art constrayned to doo and as one that is a verie good exhorter vnto death sayth Haue a desire to doo that which thou must needes doo There is no counsayle more profitable yea there is none other counsayle at all in tyme of necessitie Whatsoeuer a man doeth wyllyngly is made the more easie and tollerable and yf a wyll be adioyned it surceasseth longer to be a necessitie Sorowe Loe I dye Reason Loe the Lorde tarrieth for thee Make hast vnto hym doo neyther stumble nor stay lay away all dread suspition thou art not more deere to thy selfe then thou art to him and who wyl distrust when he is called by his freende and louer Perhappes hereafter thou wylt merueyle why thou fearest that whiche rather thou oughtest to haue wyshed for Now when thou art at libertie thou shalt knowe many thynges which when thou wast in prison thou couldest learne by no studie Insomuche that vnto them that are desirous to knowe the secretes and misteries of thynges whereunto your eyesyght can not pearce by meanes of the mortall vayle wherewith you are compassed round about for such verily is the naturall desyre of man but woorking most feruently in the studious and learned sort there is nothing as I iudge better then death nor that bryngeth a man more compendiously vnto his wyshed purpose Sorowe I dye Reason Nay rather thou sleepest and beyng wearie of this lyfe as I suppose thou takest now thy rest Sorow I dye Reason Depart into euerlasting rest for now thou beginnest to lyue A good death is the beginning of lyfe Of Death before a mans tyme The Cxx. Dialogue SOROWE BUT what sayest thou vnto it that I dye before my tyme Reason None dyeth before his tyme but all haue not one tyme limitted them alyke but rather as the noble Poet writeth Eche mans day stands prefixt vnto which when he is come then hath he attayned to the ende And because men can neither returne agayne nor stay where they are they must needes passe away Sorow I dye before my time Reason That myght be true yf thou dyddest owe a death agaynst a certayne day but the good and pure detter oweth it euery day and therefore let hym looke euery day for his creditours callyng vpon hym and alwayes haue that in a redinesse which he oweth For he is continually in det as long as he hath a mortal bodye he neede not to borowe nor to take vpon vsurie he hath that at home whiche he must pay Yea whyther so euer he goeth he carrieth with hym and hath that as it were in his hande wherwith to discharge hym selfe whiche when he hath payde he is then no longer indetted to Nature nor to any of the heauenly bodyes as the Poet Virgil sayeth Therefore leaue of this complaynte that can not be required before the day which is due euery day but rather geue thankes for that for the payment of this det thou needest neyther intreating nor yet to haue great riches of thine owne nor pawne nor vsurie which were the last woordes that euer that valiant vnknowen Spartane is reported to haue spoken most woorthie in deede to haue been knowen euen at that time when he was led to execution wherevnto he went without feare and couragiously by the losse of his lyfe to satisfie Lycurgus lawes Sorowe I dye before my tyme. Reason I vnderstand not what it is to dye before your time vnlesse it be ment as the common speech is before it be lyght or before the day breake which is a time most fit for the exercises of the minde soule which now thou art geuing ouer But in any other signification who is he that dyeth before his time when as in deede that is euery mans day wherein he dyeth and none other Sorowe I dye before my tyme. Reason Neyther before thy tyme nor after thy tyme but euen in thy very tyme shalt thou dye vnlesse thou take that for thy tyme which thou thy selfe not Nature nor Fortune hath prescribed But in trueth as thou canst not dye before thy tyme so canst thou not lyue after it Sorowe I dye before my tyme. Reason Who is he vnlesse he were madde that wyll complayne that he is loosed from his fetters and discharged out of prison before his tyme Truely he had more cause to reioyce in mine opinion yf this hapned sooner then his expectation but certaynely it hapneth not nor it can not happen so for euery thyng hath it owne tyme This was the appoynted tyme of thyne ende there dyd he constitute thy boundes who brought thee into the race of this lyfe If thou complayne of this ende thou mayest lykewyse as well complayne of any other Sorowe I dye soone Reason Thou wast soone borne he dyeth not soone that hath lyued tyll he is olde And yf thou haddest not lyued vntyll thou wast olde then remayned there another part of complaint Howbeit yf olde age be the last portion of a mans lyfe he must needes be fyrst olde whosoeuer dyeth But when I speake of olde age I meane it as the common people vsually take it for an heapyng vp of many yeeres together whiche not as other ages hath no ende but death onely Concernyng the beginnyng whereof there is great varietie of opinions but in consideration of the strength of those that growe olde and in respect of their bodyly health and the abilitie of their mindes easie enough to be reconciled To be short this is the conclusion of all that eyther thou surceasse to fynde fault with the hastinesse of death or to mislyke the troubles of a long lyfe whiche come by the deferryng of death But you beyng at contention within your selues are neyther willing to dye nor to waxe olde when as ye must needes doo both of them or at the leastwyse one of them Sorowe I myght haue lyued longer Reason Nay truely thou couldest not for yf thou myghtest verily thou haddest lyued longer but thou wouldest say I woulde fayne or I hoped to haue lyued longer for the mindes of mortall men are so desirous of lyfe and so readie to hope that in eyther I easily agree with thee But if thou wylt say I shoulde or
ought to haue lyued longer for that perhappes thou seest some that haue lyued longer in deede as though of duetie thou myghtest claime longer continuance also I can not yeelde vnto thee For some dye late and many moe soone but none at all that dye neuer betweene these there is no meane appoynted but all men are generally subiect vnto one lawe and all owe obeysaunce to the soueraingtie of death albeit some are taken away by one meanes and some by another and that at diuerse tymes and ages thus of one thyng there are manyfolde meanes and sundrie tymes And therefore let euery one with indifferencie attende his owne kinde of death and dying day and not through the greedinesse or lothsomnesse of lyfe doo as the vnskylfull and ingratefull sort are woont complayne and be disquieted about the lawes of Nature Sorowe I haue lyued but a smal time Reason There was neuer any lyued so long that thought not that he lyued but a small tyme and truely it is but a short tyme in deede that men lyue heere And therefore yf ye be desirous to lyue long seeke after that lyfe wherein ye may lyue for euer which although it be not heere yet is it purchased heere Sorowe I haue lyued but a short tyme. Reason Admit thou haddest lyued longer haddest thou then lyued any more then a short tyme The tearmes of this lyfe are vnequall and vncertaine but this one thyng is common to them all that they be al short Put case a man haue lyued eyghtie yeeres what hath he more I pray thee then he that hath liued but eyght yeeres Examme thy selfe diligently and looke into thine owne estate and let not the madnesse of the common multitude deceiue thee what more I say hath he that hath lyued longer vnlesse perhappes ye account cares and troubles paynes and sorowes weerisomnesse for a vantage Or what more should he haue yf he lyued eyght hundred yeeres There is somewhat more in deede I confesse in hope and expectation but when both tymes are expited beleeue mee thou shalt fynde nothyng whereby thou mightest make account that thou hast lyued more happily Sorowe I dye when as I thought to haue done good Reason What dydst thou thinke to haue done somethyng which thou hast not done So perhappes thou wouldest alwayes haue thought haddest thou liued neuer so long There be some that alwayes thinke to doo well but they neuer begin But yf thou haue begun once to doo well doubt not to goe forward although death preuent thy woorke before it be brought to a wished ende which although peraduenture in the blinde iudgement of men it may seeme to be some preiudice vnto thee neuerthelesse it is to be despised for that in the syght of the vnfallible surueyer of all thynges thou loosest nothyng but thy reward shal be full and whole as well of thy deedes as of thy thoughtes Sorowe In the middes of all my preparation I dye Reason This fault is not in death but in them that dye who then begyn to weaue the most short web of their lyfe when it is a cutting of which vnlesse it were so men should not so often be preuented by death not hauing fyrst accomplished the dueties of lyfe but rather when they had fulfylled and accomplished them woulde then begin to liue than which truely there were no lyfe more sweete Which sweetenesse notwithstanding not so much the shortnesse of lyfe as the slouthfulnesse of them that lyue taketh away from men who therefore count no lyfe long because how long soeuer the tyme be they neuer lyue but are euermore about to lyue And when they be once come to be olde men wauering among newe deuices how to lyue with a swift ende they preuent their slow beginning Sorowe I dye euen whyle I am preparing great matters Reason This hapned vnto many greatmen and almost to all Men are deceyued in many thinges specially in death which there is none but knoweth that it wyll come but they hope of the deferring of it and imagine that to be farre of which God knoweth is hard by them which both the shortnesse of lyfe and swyftnesse of tyme and the power of fortune and the varietie of humane chaunces wherewith they are beset round about needily constrayneth to be so And O most woonderfull blindnesse for that what ye ought to hope of your selues at leastwyse ye learne at length by others But thus the case standeth your mindes hardly can enter into bitter cogitations and therefore while euery one promiseth him selfe very long lyfe and either the age of Nestor or as Cicero sayth the fortune of Metellus and finally whyle euery one supposeth him selfe to be dame Natures whyte sonne whyle they be busie about the beginning the end commeth vpon them and while they are in consultation of many thinges death setteth vpon them at vnwares and cutteth them of in the middes of their endeuours Sorowe I dye in my greene age Reason If there be none other commoditie herein at leastwise there is prouision made hereby that thou shalt not languish in thine old yeeres For although that old age be not greeuous as Lelius sayth in Cicero and we also haue disputed before neuerthelesse it taketh away that greenesse wherein he sayth that Scipio flourished at that time and thou likewise reportest now the like of thy selfe Hereafter perhaps many shal wish for thee but none shal be weery of thee which thing in a long life although it be gouerned by vertue is an hard matter to be found Sorowe I die a young man. Reason Thou knowest what thou hast suffred alredy in thy life time but what thou were like to suffer hereafter thou knowest not and beleeue me whoso in this so variable and rough kingdome of Fortune dyeth first deceiueth his companion Sorow I am hyndered by death so that I can not ende the thynges that I beganne Reason And tustly in deede For ye be euermore a dooyng the thynges that ye ought to haue doone and yet there is nothyng finished this is the cheefest thyng that maketh your death greeuous and miserable vnto you but yf the thynges that thou begannest were suche that without any negligence in thee thou couldest not finishe them it suffiseth thee that thou hadest a good wylt hervnto But if through slouthfulnes thou hast put them of from time to time let it displease thee that thou hast neglected them If this peraduenture be the pretended cause of thy lamentation yet in trueth there is nothyng but a vayne lengthening of lyfe and a deferryng of death wyshed for thereby although it wyll not be long but at length though late thou wylt be ashamed of this vulgare wyshe But O ye mortall men how greedie soeuer ye be of lyfe hearken vnto mee I demaunde of you the exercise of Vertue beyng layde asyde what is this lyfe other then a slack and vnprofitable tariance which how long so euer it is can not be other then very short Wherefore I
lyke wel of the saying of a certaine good fellowe of whom S. Augustine maketh mention whom beyng in extremitie of sichnesse when as his freendes comforted hym saying that he should not dye of that disease he answered Though I shal neuer dye wel yet because I must dye once why shoulde I not dye nowe Sorowe I dye my businesse beyng vnperfected Reason If thou cal to minde those that haue been most famous for wisedome or other notable exploites the most part of them haue dyed leauyng theyr woorkes vnfinished vnto verie fewe it hath hapned in this lyfe to bryng to perfect ende theyr conceyued and vndertaken attemptes But thou since that after the common manner of men thou hast throwen thy selfe into these difficulties and that which is past can not be called agayne take holde of this onely way and meane eftsoones to aduaunce thy selfe not lamentably and vaynely to looke backe vpon many imperfecte thynges but manly to goe through with that onely which remayneth that is to say to dye well Of a Violent death The Cxxj. Dialogue SOROWE BUT I dye a violent death Reason Euery death is violent vnto thee yf thou dye vnwillyngly but yf thou dye wyllyngly there is no death violent Sorowe I dye a violent death Reason If the strength of life be taken away what skylleth it whether it be by an ague or by the swoord And so that thou depart freely what maketh it matter whether the doores of thy bodily dungeon do open alone or be broken open Sorow I dye violently Reason There are many kyndes of deathes and but one death only whiche whether it be violent or not it lyeth in his handes that dyeth the greater force ouercommeth the lesser and consent quite extinguisheth it A wyse man commeth thus instructed that looke what he cannot withstande he consenteth vnto it But perhaps thou wylt say doest thou counsel me then to consent vnto hym that kylleth me Verily some haue not onely consented vnto them but also geuen them thankes yea there was suche an one founde as wyllingly excused the ignorance of his murtherers and at the very giuing vp of the ghost prayed for them But I am not she that commaund thee to agree vnto the fact of the bloudie butcher or cruel executioner but only vnto the inuincible necessitie of destinie whiche who so obeyeth not willyngly shal be brought thereunto by force Sorowe I dye by myne enimies hande Reason What didest thou suppose then that thou couldest dye by thy freendes hande whiche cannot possibly happen but vnwittingly Sorowe I dye by mine enimies hande Reason So shalt thou escape thine enimies handes For whyle he pursueth his wrath he prouideth for thy libertie and abateth his owne power and hath aucthoritie ouer thee no longer Sorowe I perysh by the hande of myne enimie Reason It is better to peryshe vnder an vniust enimie then vnder a iust Prince For in the one the murtherer is culpable and in the other the murthered is not gyltlesse Sorow I am slayne by the hand of myne enimie Reason What doth it touche thee more with what hande then with what swoorde thou art dispatched We speake not of the hande but of the wounde Howbeit Pompeius in Lucane seemeth to wyshe that he might be slayne by Caesars owne hande as a comfort in his death and also in Statius Capaneus comforteth Ipseus and in Virgil Aeneas Lausus and Camilla Ornithus for that they wer slayne by their handes Sorow I dye by the swoord Reason This fortune is common vnto thee with the greatest men forasmuch as most part of the worthiest men that eyther haue lyued in most blessed estate in this world or are nowe most holy fainctes in the euerlastyng kyngdome haue dyed by the sworde whom al yf I would vndertake to rehearse I should play the part rather of a long historician then of a short admonisher Sorowe I peryshe by the swoord Reason Dyuers diuersly haue come to their ende some by the halter some by a fal some by the Lyons clawes some by the wilde boares teeth many haue wanted a swoord beyng desirous to haue ended their lyues with a weapon Sorowe I am slayne with a swoord Reason Howe knowest thou whether thou shouldest escape to fal into greater destruction and that this death whiche thou thinkest to be most miserable be the eschuyng of a greater miserie I tolde thee before howe that Plotinus who next vnto Plato was the seconde glory of Philosophie was strooken with a pestilent leprosie But I recited not vnto thee hoowe that Euripides who immediatly after Homer was the seconde light of Greece for poetrie was torne in peeces by dogges Lucretius who among your countrey Poetes was next to the chiefe of whom Virgil was not ashamed to borowe so muche as he dyd drinking of a slabbersauce confectioned amorous cup fel into a sickenesse and extreame madnesse and in the ende was enforced in dispatche hymselfe with a swoord for remedie Herod kyng of Iudea dyed beyng beset with an armie of foule and loathsome diseases so that the more compendious and short way of diyng might be by hym enuied at as doubtlesse I thinke it was Hadrian that was Emperour of Rome beyng ouercome with the payne and tediousnesse of his sickenesse was wylling if it had been lawful to shorten the extremitie of his greefe by dynt of swoord It is reported howe that in our age there was a great personage consumed by woormes that issued out of al the partes of his body and another in lyke manuer deuoured by myse Among so many mockeries and infirmities of mans body who is so weake that yf he might haue his choyce woulde not rather desire to dye by the swoorde Sorowe I peryshe by fire Reason Some that supposed the soule to be of a firie force and â—aturâ— haue thought that to be the most easiest kinde of death Sorowe I am consumed with fire Reason Thy body by this meanes beyng delyuered from the wormes wil not putrifie Sorowe I am euer whelmed in water Reason A feast for the fishes and for thy selfe a place of burial large cleere and notable And what maketh it matter whether thou render vp thine earthen carcase to the earth or to the sea Sorow I dye in the sea Reason Not where but howe a man dyeth maketh to the purpose euery where a man may dye wel and euerywhere yll It is not in the place but in the minde that maketh the death happie or wretched Sorowe I peryshe in the sea Reason I knowe that many are perswaded that it is miserable to be drowned in water for that the ethereal and burnyng spirite seemeth to be ouercome by his contrarie but as I sayde before the place maketh nothyng but it is the minde that maketh all vnto the miserie And therefore I lyke very wel of the answere of a certayne sayler I wot not what he was of whom when on a tyme one demaunded where his father dyed he answeared vpon the sea Then demaundyng farther the lyke
of his graundfather and great graundfather great great graundfather receiuing the same answere concernyng them al at length he inferred and art not thou afearde then quoth he to goe to sea The sayler answeared dissemblingly I pray thee quoth he tell me also where thy father dyed In his bed answeared the other And where lykewyse thy graundfather Euen he sayde the ocher and my great grandfather and great great grandfather and al my auncetours dyed in their beddes The sayler answeared art not thou then afeard quoth he to goe into thy bed Trimly answeared truely and somewhat more then saylerlyke Concernyng the death therefore let nature looke to that whiche made men mortal and as touchyng the kynde of death the place and tyme let fortune vse her discretion Sorow I dye by poyson Reason I tolde thee whilere what notable companions thou hast herein whereas I entreated of this matter onely The swoord is a princely death but most of al poyson And to conclude it is a very ridiculus matter when thou hast determined of the death to be carefull of the instrumentes Of a shameful death The .cxxii. Dialogue SOROWE BUt my death is shameful Reason It is not the kynde nor qualitie of the death but the cause of the punishment that maketh it shameful Sorow I dye reprochefully Reason No good man dyeth yll no euyl man well It is not the pompe of buryal nor the attendance and waiting of seruantes and officers nor the ryche garmentes nor the spoyles of the enimies nor the shieldes and swoordes turned downe and dragged after nor the whole family mournyng for their maister nor the howlynges and outcryes of the common people nor the wyfe drenched in teares nor the chyldren with duetiful compassion resolued in sorowe nor the cheefe mourner who soeuer he be holdyng downe his head and walkyng before the corpes attired in blacke and wofully be dewing his face with stoare of bitter teares nor lastly the oratour or preacher in commendation of hym that is to be buryed nor the golden images and pictures wherewith to furnyshe the sepulcher nor the titles and stiles of hym that is dead whiche beyng engrauen in marble shal lyue vntyl suche tyme as though it be long first death also consume the stones themselues but it is vertue and the famous report of hym that hath deserued well and needeth not the brute of the common multitude but whiche sheweth it selfe in it owne maiestie and not whiche the headelong and blynde fauour of men but rather a long continuance in doing wel and an innocent lyfe hath procured and also the defence of trueth and iustice vndertaken euen to the death and moreouer a valiant minde and notable bouldnesse euen in the middes and thickest of deathes sharpest threatninges that maketh the death honest and honourable Agaynst which most honourable death what place remayneth there for reproch Or howe can he die shamefully that dyeth in such manner yea though there be prepared agaynst the body in slauish sore whippes roddes tormentes halters axes yea high gallowetrees wheeles set vpon the toppes of postes cartes with wild horses to teare the limmes of the body insunder adde moreouer fire fagot gridirons set vpon glowyng coales and caudrons sweatyng with hot scaldyng oyle the sharpe teeth of cruel wylde beastes whetted with hunger and lastly hookes and other engins to drag withal the mangled carcases about the streetes or whatsoeuer other villanie or reproche may be deuised or the lyuing or deade body be put vnto the death I say may happely seeme cruel but shameful it cannot be but rather many tymes the crueller it is the more glorious it is And therefore neyther the outward preparance for execution nor the thronging of the people nor the trumpets nor the terrible lookes of the hangmen and tormentours nor the wrathful voyce of the Tirant are any thing to the purpose But turne thee into thy selfe there seeke and awake thy selfe and with al the force of thy mynde that remayneth arme thy selfe agaynst the present extremitie withdrawe thyne eares from the odious noyse turne away thine eyes from the pompe and preparation for the execution and secretly gather togeather thy spirites and comfort thy soule within thee and examine the thinges themselues and not their shadowes And yf thou be able with ful sight to beholde death in the face I suppose thou shalt feare neyther swoord nor axe nor halter nor poysoned cuppes nor the hangmen dropping with goare blood for why it is a vayne thyng when thou contemnest thine enimie to be afeard of his furniture or ensignes Sorowe I am condemned to a shameful death Reason It hapneth many-tymes that the accuser is infamous and the wytnesses dishonest and the iudge obscure and the partie accused very noble and often the death is commonly accounted reprochful and he that dyeth honourable and glorious And to speake nothyng of any other for that there haue been to many suche alreadie and to much vnwoorthy of that ende what death was there euer more shameful then the death of the crosse Vpon whiche the most excellent and glorious lyght both of heauen and earth was hanged to the ende that thenceforth no state or condition of men whatsoeuer shoulde iudge it to be reprocheful And forasmuche as there is nothyng higher then the highest in this example onely I make an ende Vertue alone is able to make any kinde of death honest and there is no death that can blemishe vertue Of a suddayne death The .cxxiii. Dialogue SOROWE BVt I dye to suddeynly Reason It is not long since yf I forget not my selfe that thou sayest thou wast olde I meruayle then howe there can be any death suddayne to an olde man who vnlesse he doate or be mad hath death euermore before his eyes For since there is this wholsome counsel geuen to al ages that they perswade themselues that euery day is the last that they shall lyue it is most specially conuenient for olde age to thynke euery houre the last of their lyfe And not only not to hearken vnto that which is wrytten by Cicero There is no man so olde that thinketh not to lyue one yeere longer but not so muche vnto that which Seneca sayeth one day longer Sorow I dye suddaynly Reason In this case what shal I answere thee other then repeate that which that most mightie personage no lesse in wyt then great in fortune answeared scarse one whole day when he disputed thereof before his death as prophecying of the trueth thereof by reason of the neerenesse of the experience Who pronounced that a suddayne and vnprouided death was most to be wyshed Whiche iudgement seemeth to be dissonant from that religion whiche teacheth to pray with bowed knees vnto GOD euery day to be delyuered from this kynde of death Neyther do I lyke of this opinion where there is otherwyse choyse and libertie but thou must in other manner perswade thyselfe for I say not that it is
such a death as thou oughtest to wyshe for but suche an one as thou mayest wel endure For this is a cleare case that vnto a wyse man and one that foreseeth a far of al thynges that are lyke to ensue there can nothyng happen vnlooked for Whereupon it foloweth that death cannot come vnto hym vnprouided for whose lyfe was alwayes prouident for how should he be negligent in the greatest thinges that was wount to demurre in small yea the least thynges And in al worldly thynges what canst thou shewe me that is greater then death or comparable vnto it Sorowe I dye most speedily Reason So that the death be not vnthought vpon the speedier the easier it is and yf there be any payne in it it is very short and the speedinesse thereof preuenteth the feelyng of it and so that is taken away from death whiche is most greeuous in death to wyt the feare of death Of one that is sicke out of his owne countrey The .cxxiiii. Dialogue SOROW. I Am sicke in a strainge countrey Reason What skylleth it whose countrey it be the sickenesse thou art sure is thine owne Sorowe Thou mockest me I am sicke out of mine owne countrey Reason He that is out of his owne countrey is surely in some other for none can be sicke or whole out of al countreyes Sorow Thou seekest delayes in wordes but I am sicke out of my countrey Reason In this miserie thou gainest this one commoditie that thou hast none to trouble thee nor to lye vpon thy bed not thine importunate wyfe nor thy sonne who woulde both be careful for them selues and carelesse of thee Howe often thinkest thou hath the wyfe to her husband and the sonne to the father and one brother to another when they haue lien in extremitie of death throwne a pillowe ouer their mouthes and holpen to set them packyng whiche a stranger would not haue done nor haue suffered to be done by others Many tymes there is most loue where it is lesse looked for and there none that are about thee wylbe glad of thy sickenesse or wyshe for thy death And shall I tel thee the cause why There is none there that looketh for thine inheritance none commit any wickednesse but they are moued thereunto by hope or desire which quietnesse wherein thou art nowe would not haue hapned vnto thee in thine owne countrey For many vnder the colour of goodwyl woulde flocke about thee and gape after thy burial whiche conceit vnlesse I be much deceiued is a seconde sickenesse to him that is sicke alreadie when he shal perceiue himselfe beset rounde about at the one side with woolfes and at the other with rauens whiche in their mindes come to pray on the carcase Sorowe I am sicke out of my countrey Reason Howe knowest thou that Perhaps thou returnest nowe into thy countrey for the readiest and shortest way for a man to returne into his countrey is to dye Sorowe I am sicke out of my countrey Reason O the needelesse alwayes and vayne cares of men and fond complayntes as though out of a mans owne countrey his ague were fiercer or his gout more intollerable Al this whiche seemeth euyl consisteth in your owne wyl and lyeth in your owne power lyke as other plagues and mischeefes do whatsoeuer a false opinion hath engendred in your mindes Of one that dyeth out of his owne cuntrey The .cxxv. Dialogue SOROWE I Dye out of my natiue countrey Reason Doth this happen vnto thee beyng a traueiler or a banished man For whether thou madest thine aboade in this countrey for studie sake or for religion thou hast cause to reioyce that death hath taken thee in an honest deede or in a iust condemnation and thou oughtest to take it not onely valiantly but also willingly For the wyckednesse of an vnryghteous person is by no meanes better purged then by wyllyng and patient suffryng of punishment But yf it be long of the iniurie of some mightie enimie neuerthelesse thou must not be sorie for it and as for banishment I suppose we haue disputed sufficiently of it alreadie Sorowe I dye out of my countrey Reason This I sayd euen nowe is to returne into thy cuntrey there is no streighter path nor readier way Hast thou forgotten hudemus of Cyprus that was familiar with Aristotle of whom Aristotle hymselfe and also Cicero wryteth Who on a tyme beyng very sicke in Thessalia dreamed that he should recouer very shortly and after fiue yeeres expired returne into his countrey that the Tyrant of the same citie where at that tyme he soiourned whose name was Alexander Phaereus shoulde dye shortly But when after a fewe dayes beyng restored vnto his despaired health and the Tyrant slayne by his owne kinsfolke thinking his dreame to be true in al poyntes at the tyme limitted he looked also to returne into his Countrey at the ende of the fyfth yeere he was slayne in fyght at Syracuse and this sayd the Interpretours of dreames was the meanes of the returnyng into his Countrey that there myght be no part of the dreame false What myne opinion is concernyng dreames I haue declared elsewhere alreadie and nowe I haue vttered what came into my mynde of this returnyng into a mans Countrey Sorowe I am compelled to dye out of my Countrey Reason When I entreated of exile then sayd I which nowe I repeate agayne that eyther none or all dye out of theyr Countrey The learned holde opinion that euery part of the worlde is a mans Countrey specially to hym that hath a valiant minde whom any priuate affection hath not tyed to the liking of this place or that and othersome call that a mans Countrey where he is wel and lyueth in good case And contrariwyse some say that a man hath heere no speciall Countrey at all The fyrst is a common doctrine but this last a poynt of hygher Philosophie Sorowe I dye farre from my Countrey in which I was borne Reason But that is more truely thy Countrey where thou dyest The same shall possesse thee longer and not suffer thee to wander abroade but keepe thee within it for a perpetuall inhabitaunt for euer Learne to lyke of this Countrey that wyll enfranchize thee into it selfe wheresoeuer otherwyse thou were borne Sorowe I must dye and be buried farre out of myne owne Countrey Reason Those heauenly and diuine men lykewyse whom one age and the selfe same middle part of the worlde brought foorth are dispersed ouer all partes of the worlde as well in theyr deathes as burialles Ephesus keepeth one and Syria another and Persis another and Armenia another and Aethiopia another and India another and Achaia another and Rome othersome and the farthest part of Spayne another neuerthelesse it is reported that some of them after theyr death were carried away and translated from the places where they dyed vnto certayne Cities of Italy I speake of the earthly part of them but as for theyr spirituall part doubtlesse it is long since that
they possessed the kyngdome of heauen Sorowe I must needes dye out of my Countrey Reason What shall I speake of men of a meaner degree One that was remooued fyrst from Stridon Bethleem and afterwarde Rome receyued Fraunce another from Pannonia and Parris another from Athens and Rome another from Greece and Spayne and Millaine another from Rome lyuing and the same when he was dead Sardinia from Africa and shortly after Ticinum from Sardinia two most bryght shining streames of the East march in merites and ioyned in minde and neere in bodye Who they be that I speake of thou knowest and therefore in makyng hast I ouerpasse many thynges But that thou mayest not want also an example of the thyrde sorte Cyprus receyued one from the land of Palestine and Campania another from Nursia Spaine this one and Italie that other and Bononie one and Padua another Sorowe I vnderstande well all that euer thon meanest notwithstandyng vnwillingly doo I dye farre from my Countrey Reason And truely I vnderstande the very cause hereof to wit for that the most sacred spirites and mindes which alwayes haue their affections fixed in heauen haue no care at all of their earthly Countrey which care thou hast not yet layd aside but truely beleeue mee yf thou hope after heauen thou must needes lay it asyde indeede Neuerthelesse I wyll entreate of others that were louers of vertue and mindfull of heauen and yet not through their loue of heauen altogether forgetful of the earth The boanes of Pythagoras of Samos Metapontus dyd couer Cicero whom Arpine brought foorth and Rome dyd nourysh the bay of Caieta sawe dead Plinie whom the riuer Athesis washed when he was an infant the ashes of the mount Veseuus couered when he was olde Mantua brought Virgil into the worlde Brundusium or as other some write Tarentum plucked hym away and now Naples holdeth hym Sulmo framed the Poet Ouid but his exile in Pontus disolued him Carthage as it is reported brought forth Terence the Comike Poet but Rome taught him and Arcadia buried him Apulia sent foorth Horace the Poet and Calabria Ennius and the Prouince of Narbona Statius and Vasconia Ausonius Corduba the three Annei or as some say foure to wit the two Senecaes and Gallio and the Poet Lucan And al these ouer besides Plautus of Arpine and Lucillus of Arunca and Pacuuius of Brundusium Iuuenal of Aquinum and Propertius of Vmbria Valerius of Antium and Catullus of Verona and Varrus of Cremona and Gallus of Forli and Actius of Pisaurum Cassius of Parma Claudianus of Florence Persius of Volaterrae a thousand moe hath Rome receiued and for the most part buried only Titus Liuius of Padua with muche adoo was restored vnto his Countrey to be enterred and so contrariwise Rome hath bread many that haue dyed and ben buried in other places The whole world is in manner of a narrow house fouresquare wherein men passe from one extremitie to another and in the one is life and in the other death Men of valiant courage esteeme of it for none other cause then for the varietie of the vse thereof as it were to goe out of a cold bath into a stone or to chaing out of a winter chamber into a summer lodging This chaing and varietie namely to be borne in one place and buried in another is common among al men specially the more noble for t Sorowe I knowe it is so yet I dye sorowfully out of myne owne Countrey Reason Thou shouldest dye no more merily in that Countrey which thou callest thyne but ye geue your selues ouer to teares and seeke causes to lament and be sorie as yf ye tooke pleasure in them But yf the examples of holy learned and discrete pouertie can not discharge thy minde hereof which is infected with the errours of the vulgare multitude I wyll alleage them that haue been more fortunate in proouing that this which troubleth thee hath hapned to the most famous Captaynes Dukes Kynges and Emperours so that I wyll see whether thou wylt refuse that fortune which may befal to a man. Sorowe Whom thou wylt speake of and alleage I knowe well enough but what neede many woordes I am sorie to dye out of my Countrey the place encreaseth the greefe of my death Reason I perceiue thou refusest to be cured yet wyll I proceede but with how good effect that looke thou vnto as for me it shall suffice to vtter the trueth and geue thee faythfull warnyng Alexander was borne at Pella slayne at Babylon and his ashes buried at Alexandria a Citie called after the name of the founder The other Alexander was brought vp in the Princes Palace of Epirus and drowned in the Riuer Lucanus Kyng Cyrus was borne in his Kyngdome of Persis and slayine and mangled in Scythia Rome and the whole Romane Empire had in admiracion Marcus Crassus and Pompeius the great which as it was able to beare the greatnesse of them whyle they lyued so yf Fortune had so suffered it had been sufficient to haue receyued theyr ashes but the one was couered with earth in Assyria beyonde Euphrates the other ouerwhelmed in the Channell of the Aegyptian streame Vnto the latter Cato the Citie of Rome gaue both begynnyng and name but Vtica brought both ende and surname The Cornelii Scipioes Rome procreated most noble and profitable members of the Common-wealth by whom it had been often saued and adorned whom notwithstanding their destinies so dispersed that those two which are called the great were entombed both in Spanish moulde and the elder Africane at Linternum and Nasica at Pergamus and Lentulus within Scicil dwelling al in seuerall and disioyned graues Of all this number only Asiaticus and Africanus the younger lye buried at Rome who perhaps had lyen better in any banishment whatsoeuer for the fyrst was punyshed by imprisonment the other by death And thus many tymes it happeneth that a man may lyue better and dye better in any other place then in his owne Countrey and lye nowhere harder then at home The three Deci although the common report make mention but of twayne dyed valiantly out of theyr owne Countrey the Father fyghting with the Latines the Sonne with the Hetrurians and the Nephew as Cicero addeth with Pyrrhus To what purpose shoulde I nowe rehearse in order as they come to my minde woorthie Captaynes and Princes whiche were all borne at Rome and dyed elsewhere Africa behelde Attilius Regulus howe muche the more cruelly so muche the more gloriously dying both for the preseruyng of his Countrey and also of his fayth and credite with his enimie and in the next war followyng Cortona sawe Caius Flaminius and Cumae Paulus Aemilius and Venusia Claudius Marcellus and Lucania Tiberius Gracchus lying dead it was the fortune of none of these to dye at Rome Two noble Gentlemen of great hope and expectation in the Romane Commonwealth were cut of in the very floure of their youth Drusus and Marcellinus
who although they returned both into their Countrey yet dyed they both farre from their Countrey Drusus in Germanie and Marcellinus in Baion And tell me nowe are thou prouder then Tarquinius or myghtier then Sylla Yet the fyrst of these dyed a bannished man at Cumae the other beyng a great Lorde gaue vp the ghost at Puteoli What shall I speake of men of meaner degree Augustus Caesar who was called Father of his Countrey dyed out of his Countrey at Nola in Campania Tyberius that was vnlyke in Manners but equall in Empire deceassed at Misenum in Campania Vespasian and Titus two most excellent Princes as it well became the father and the sonne dyed in one Village yet without of the Citie of Rome â–ª though not farre But â—raian being borne in the West part of the worlde dyed in the East Septimus Seuerus came but of a base parentage in Africa and had a proude Empire at Rome â–ª and was buried at Yorke in Englande Theodosius that was borne in Spayne and dyed at Millain Constantinople receyued whiche Citie also had in it before the founder thereof beyng of the same name but borne in another place What shall I neede to recite others Lycurgus who fledde from Sparta Creta receyued which long before had seene Kyng Saturne bannished out of his Kyngdome and flying from his sonne and hearde howe he hyd hym selfe in the confines of Italie and was there buried A poore graue of Bithynia couereth Hannibal the lyght of all Africa Theseus Themistocles and Solon the three Diamondes of all Athens were so scattered by Fortune that the fyrst was buried in Syria the seconde in Persis and the thyrde in Cyprus in farre vnfitte Graues for so woorthie Carcasses The day woulde sooner fayle mee then matter yf I shoulde stande to reporte euery example But my purpose was not to weerie thee with Histories but onely to instructe thee Sorowe I vnderstande thy meanyng and I confesse that all these and as many moe as thou canst recken dyed out of theyr Countreyes in deede but I denie that it was with their wylles but rather I suppose to theyr great greefe Reason Whereby speakest thou this but onely for that all fooles iudge other lyke them selues and thynke that to be impossible for others to doo which they them selues can not attayne to And perhappes thou hast hearkened to the olde prouerbe It is good to lyue abrode in strange Countries but yll to dye there when as in deede they are both good so that they be orderly doone with patient forbearyng and comlinesse but both euyl yf they be yll handled lamentably and without discretion I wyll tell thee that which thou wylt marueyll at and is quite repugnant to the olde prouerbe If there be any iust occasion to complayne of the cause I had rather impute the same to the lyuyng whom perhaps in some respect it may concerne then hym that lyeth a dying who hath now no regarde of any place seeyng that he is vpon departyng from all places Sorowe Somewhat thou moouest my minde neuerthelesse I am yet desirous to dye in my Countrey Reason The wyll of man vnlesse it be bridled by vertue and wysedome of it selfe is wylde and vnreclaymed And yf thou consider of the matter deepely thou wylt confesse that none of all this appertayneth vnto thee seeyng that thou thy selfe canst remayne heere no longer nor thy boanes retayne any sense after thy deceasse to discerne where thou myghtest haue lyen harder or softer and also vnto that place whyther thou departest which had been the shorter or easier way When Anaxagoras lay a dying in a farre forraine Countrey and his freendes demaunded of hym whether after his death he woulde be carried home into his owne natiue soyle he answeared very finely saying that it shoulde not neede and he added the cause why for that the way to Heauen is of lyke distaunce from all places Whiche answeare serueth as well for them that goe downe to Hell as for those that goe vp to Heauen Sorowe I woulde GOD I myght dye at home Reason If thou were there perhappes thou wouldest wyshe thy selfe in another place perswade thy selfe so Learne to doo that dying whiche thou oughtest to haue doone lyuyng An hard matter it is for you O ye mortall men to beare your selues vpryghtly ye are so dayntie and faultfyndyng euermore makyng none account of that whiche ye haue and alwayes iudging best of that whiche ye want Sorowe O that I myght dye at home Reason Peraduenture thou shouldest see many thynges there that woulde make thy death more greeuous vnto thee for whiche cause thynke that thou art remooued to the intent that all other cares beyng set apart thou myghtest onely thynke vpon GOD and thyne owne soule Of one that dyeth in Sinne. The Cxxvj. Dialogue SOROWE I Oye in sinne Reason This is neyther Natures nor Fortunes but thyne owne fault Sorowe I dye in sinne Reason Fyrst who enforced thee to commit sinne And next who forbydde thee to bewayle it when it was committed And last of all who letteth thee from repentyng though it be late fyrst For vnto the last gaspe the spirite and minde is free Sorowe Whyles I am dying I carrie my sinnes with mee Reason Beware thou doo not so lay downe that venemous and deadly carriage whyle thou hast tyme and there is one that wyll take it away and blotte it out accordyng as it is written and wyll cast it behynde his backe into the bottome of the Sea and wyll abandon it as farre from thee as the East is distant from the West If thou neglect this houre when it is once past it wyll neuer returne agayne Whith qualitie although it be common to all houres that alwayes they passe away and neuer returne yet many tymes that which hath been omitted in one houre may be perhappes recouered in another but yet the neglectyng of the last houre of a mans lyfe is irrecurable And therefore as some report it to be found in the secret disputations of the soule the errours of this lyfe are as it were softe falles vpon the playne grounde after which a man may soone ryse vp agayne but the sinne vnto death is compared vnto a greeuous fall from some hygh and craggie place after which it is not possible to aryse any more the hurt therein taken is so great that it can not be salued Wherefore helpe thy selfe nowe whyle thou mayest and call to remembraunce not onely what your owne writers say but also what Cicero counselleth who in his woorke de Diuinatione of Diuination disputing of those that are dying Doo thou cheefely quod he studie to winne commendation and thynke that they which haue lyued otherwyse then they ought doo most bitterly repent them of their sinnes What I pray thee coulde be vttered by any man more religiously or profitably yf so be that be followed which is commaunded and thou repent thee though it be late fyrst A difficult and dangerous matter it is truely to
shewe themselues willing to learne and not forsake them vnto their olde yeeres and crooked age no not to their death and graue God is the hope vnto man when he is borne and not his father though he were a king It is not good buylding vpon the sand but vpon the rocke for al hope in man is short and transitorie And therefore thy children being deceiued by the hope which they reposed in thee wil put their trust in God only sing with the Prophet Dauid My father my mother haue forsaken me but the Lord hath taken me vp The seedes sparkes of good nature vertue that haue appeared in many children haue been quite extinguished by their parentes to muche cockling lyke as on the contrary side losse of parentes and pouertie haue oftentimes driuen away the childrens deintinesse Feare What wyl become of my ryches Reason They wyl returne from whence they came that is to say vnto fortunes handes and from thence they shal be dispersed from one to another and neuer tarrie long with any For they are of a flitting nature and cannot abyde in one place And that not without a mysterie For some haue thought that mony cannot tarrie in a place because of the roundensse the rollyng forme of the coyne whiche some merily haue sayd to be a token of the slipperinesse thereof whiche partly I cannot deny But I am of opinion that if it were three or foure square it woulde tunne away as fast I meane concernyng the continuall passing of ryches whose nature is alwayes to slyp and flye away to hate coffers that haue but one locke to be delited with sundry and often possessours eyther to the intent to auoyd rust or els by their currantnesse and runnyng about to circumuent very many or lastly to contend with their owners in vnconstancie Seeyng therefore tha thou lyest nowe a dying cast of that care whiche vnto the lyuing is superfluous But rather yf thou dye ryche acknowledge howe that there is seldome any rust founde in fortune and nowe that thou art departyng out of this lyfe flye ryches whiche are not profitable for thee nor necessarie for any But yf thou be poore depart foorth vpon thy iourney lyght without burden whether thy ryches be very great or indifferent or very small or none at al heretofore they belonged very litle vnto thee but hencefoorth they shall apperteine vnto thee nothyng at al but this much onely that thou mayest perceyue that he that was poorer then thou lyued in more quietnesse then thou seeing that these troublesome and paynefull helpes of lyfe or whether thou list rather to terme them tormentes doo make thy death more carefull Feare What shal become of my children Reason Thy name shall lyue in them if they be good and if that be any comfort in death thou shalt not seeme wholy to be dead For in their countenances actions gesture thy freendes wyl thinke and also reioyce that thou art restoared vnto them But if they be euyl thou hast cause willingly to forsake them those whom thou thyselfe couldest not correct nor tame thou shalt deliuer them ouer vnto the worlde and fortune to be corrected and tamed And do not thou nowe dying lament for them that wyl nothyng at al be grieued at thy death and perhaps are sorie that thou diedst not sooner Sorowe But what shal become of my goodes Reason Fearest thou that when thou hast left them they shal fynde no owner They are looked for they are wyshed for they are valewed alreadie neyther oughtest thou to be afeard so muche for the neglecting of them as for the striuing for them But this is one thyng they shal nowe surceasse to be thy goodes any longer but whose they shal be next why doest thou looke vpon thy chyldren It cannot possibly be knowen nor it must not it suffiseth thee to knowe that they were once thine yf euer they were thyne indeede and not rather hers that is the lady and mistresse of goodes that passe away and generally of al wordly thynges whose name is Fortune But hauing been thine so long that is to say beyng but a short tyme in thy disposition it is nowe hygh tyme for thee to depart and to leaue them to others Let them nowe learne to be at others commaundement awhile and to keepe their accustomed chainge vnlesse thou wylt dye so ambitiously as some fooles haue also done the lyke and haue thy monie buried with thee in thy graue whiche may one day redownd to the commoditie of them that dig graues hereafter But rather nowe at length cast from thee al care of the earth and metalles and repose thy cogitations vpon heauen and thine owne estate Feare My goodes flye from me Reason Diddest thou thinke that they woulde tarie when thy lyfe passed away and when thou thyselfe wast continually carried hence Feare What shal become of my goodes when they leaue of to be myne Reason What dyd they before they were thyne Feare Leauing behynde me so great ryches as I doo I depart naked Reason Naked thou camest into the worlde and naked thou must depart agayne whereof thou hast no cause to complayne but rather to geue thankes In the meane tyme thou hast had the vse and occupiyng of an others goodes there is nothyng taken from thee that was thine owne but only the goodes of another required agayne at thy handes when thou mayest occupie them no longer For honest guestes when they are departyng away doe willingly restoare the vessel and stuffe whiche they borowed of their host Feare Alas of al my ryches I carie not thus muche away with me Reason Carie away as much as thou broughtest or yf thou lust as muche as any kyng doth Feare What wyl my young chyldren do Reason If they lyue they wyl growe vp and wax olde and walke their owne wayes and trye their owne fortune and passe through their owne troubles in the meane tyme they shal abide in Gods protection and perhaps when thou wast young thou liuedst lykewyse without a father Of one dying that is careful what his wyfe wil do when he is dead The .cxxviii. Dialogue FEARE WHat wyl my welbeloued wyfe do when I am dead Reason Perhaps she wyl marrie agayne what is that to thee Feare What wyl my deere wife do Reason Beyng discharged from thy yoake eyther she wyl yeelde her necke to another or liue at large or els rest herselfe after her wearinesse seeke only how to passe foorth her lyfe quietly Feare What wyl my most louing wyfe do Reason Doest thou aske what she wyl do when she hath escaped from thee and knowest not what she dyd when she was vnder thy subiection The greater sort of mortal men beyng ignorant what is done at home in their owne houses hearken what is a dooing in heauen and the farthest partes of the world Truely what shall become of thy wyfe after thy departure let her selfe or her next husbande looke to that
since that care appertayneth no longer to thee hereafter Feare I am afeard lest after my decease my wyfe marrie agayne Reason Some there be that marrie their olde husbandes lyuing Thus dyd Herodias among the Hebrewes Sophronisba among the Africanes and Martia and Liuia among the Romanes although their husbandes consent commaundement doo excuse these two last recited wylt thou onely binde thy wyfe from marriage Yea there are but few that lyue faythfully towardes their husbandes wilt thou require that thy wife continue her truth to thy cold senselesse ashes If she haue liued faythful to thee vnto the last day of thy lyfe then hath she accomplyshed the duetie of a true and trustie spouse Feare I am afeard that my wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason That she first married perhaps thou shouldest haue feared more that belonged to thee but her second marrying shal apperteyne to another But this is your common trade ye contemne the things that ye ought to feare and feare the thynges that ye ought to contemne esteeming of nothyng iustly as ye ought Thou enâ—redst the combat of the married bed without feare not forethinkyng what danger thou passedst into and art thou afeard now least another should do the like Feare I would not I confesse haue my wyfe marrie agayne Reason For a woman of exact perfecte chastitie I graunt although she be permitted by lawe to marrie agayne yet were it better to abstayne but most of al to eschue perilous widowhood There is moreouer some such tyme occasion that a woman is not onely excused but also enforced to marrie agayne For it is an hard matter for a fayre woman to lyue alone chastly Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another husband Reason There are but fewe women found yea among them that are counted honest that euen whyle their present husbande is lyuing do not determine in their minde who shal be their next My husband say they is a mortal man and yf he chaunce to dye shal I marrie next for vertue or nobilitie or loue or eloquence or bewtie or person sake Feare My wife wyl marrie againe Reason Not thy wyfe verily for death wyl make that she shal not be thine And no merueile though it part man and wyfe whiche dissolueth the bandes whereby the body and soule are knyt togeather Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The wyues of the Romane Captaines and Dukes and Emperours haue also married agayne and therefore take in good part this fortune whiche is common to thee with thine auncetours Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The Romane Captaynes and Prynces did marrie wyddowes also so did the most godly kyng Dauid take to wife two wyddowes that had been the wyues but of meane persons and it may so happen that one greater then thou may marrie thy wyfe vnto whom resigne this carefulnesse seeing thou goest thyther where there is no marrying at all Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another man. Reason If she marrie a better reioyce at her prosperity whom thou louedst But if to a woorse be glad yet for that she wyl thinke more often vpon thee and holde thee more deere For there be many that haue learned to knowe and loue their first husbandes onely by their second marriages Of one dying that is careful what wyl become of his countrey after his deceasse The .cxxix. Dialogue FEARE WHat shal become of my countrey after my death Reason All good men haue but one countrey and all euyl men another take heede nowe into whiche of these two countries thou wilt be admitted a countreyman As for a third countrey there is none but onely an Inne and a place of passage a thoroughfare Feare What wyll become of my countrey Reason That countrey which thou goest vnto continueth alwayes in one estate and this whiche thou now forsakest as I haue oftentymes sayde before is not thy countrey but hath rather been thy place of banishment Feare What wyl my countrey do after my deceasse Reason This is the peculiar care of kynges to thynke what wil become of their kyngdomes dominions after their death the lyke whereof thou readest there rested in the heart of the great king of Assyria or of the most mightie emperour of the Romans This care exceedeth the calling of a priuate person But since nowe euen at thy very ende thou art so affected that thou lust to terme that stoarehouse of miserie and hospital of payne and sorow wherein thou hast passed foorth the swyft tyme of thy lyfe in great trouble aduersitie and heauinesse by the name of thy countrey and art desirous to knowe what it wyl doo I wyl tell thee it wyl do as it dyd and as other countreyes do What is that thou wylt say It wyl be troublesome disquiet dissentious and studious of innouations it wyl followe factions chainge lordes and gouernours alter lawes and both these many tymes for the woorse seldome for the better spurne agaynst the best and most noble subiectes aduaunce the vnwoorthie banishe the well deseruing esteeme of the pillers poullers of the treasurie loue flatterers hate them that speake the trueth contemne the good honour the myghtie woorshyp the enimies of it libertie persecute the defenders of the Commonwealth weepe sometyme and laugh without cause esteeme of golde and precious stones reiect vertue and embrace pleasures these are the manners and state of your Cities and Countreys There is none but may most assuredly prophecie vnto thee of these matters vnlesse he be such an one as hath alwaies led a rurall lyfe or entred into Townes with deafe eares and dimme eyes Feare What wyll befall vnto my Countrey after my deceasse Reason Why art thou carefull and troubled herewith Whatsoeuer hapneth to thy Countrey thy house shal be free from burnyng theeues and ouerthrowing Whether the yeere fall out to be pestilent or els to be deare or plentiful hot or drye haylie snowie or raynie frostie or otherwyse moyst rotten yea the byrdes of the ayre wild beastes of the wooddes the Caterpiller and Chaffer finally earthquakes and raginges of the lea dearth of victualles inuasions of enimies or ciuile warres none of all these are able to touche or concerne thee hereafter Feare O what shal be the estate of my Countrey or to what ende shal it come Reason To what other thinkest thou then that the greatest citie and state that euer was or shal be is come vnto to wit dust ashes rubbysh scattered stones and a name only remâ—yning I could prooue this to be true by innumerable argumentes but thou knowest the matter sufficiently To be short there is nothing apperteining vnto man that is euerlasting no worldly thyng permanent but only the soule of man which is immortal Enclosures shal fayle sowed landes shal decay buildinges shall fall downe all thynges shall come to naught and why art thou greeued and vexed in the minde If thou be in heauen thou wylt both dispise this and all other worldly
blooddy vnlesse perhaps some man wyl say that the Theater were more honest wherein thou mayest see not only the people gaping but also the Senate and the Emperours of Rome the Lordes of al the worlde In lyke sort were they also delyghted in spectacles who were made spectacles to mankynde I wyl tel thee a straunge matter but wel knowen and common That same rage and folly of frequenting the Theater so inuaded the myndes of al men that it brought abroade into common assemblies not onely the wyues and daughters of the Emperours but also the Virgyns vestale whose chastitie was suche as nothyng was more perfect nothyng more tender then fame nothyng more reuerent to be preserued in so muche that in them al motion all trymming al wanton talke was reprehended and puâ—yshed and yet we reade that there was a place appoynted for these in the Theatre not by euery one but by the good and great Prince Augustus Caesar Notwithstanding the errour wherein great men are ouerseene is not therefore the lesse but rather the greater and more conspicable Ioy. I am very willing to see playes Reason A thyng whiche is neyther honestly playde nor honestly behelde neyther easily to be spoken whether the player or the looker on be more infamous or whether the Scene be more dishonest or the seueral place for the Senatours sauyng that pouertie many tymes draweth men to the one and vanitie alwayes plucketh them to the other For in euery offence it skylleth muche whether a man offende through pouertie lasciuiousnesse or pryde Ioy. I am delyghted with the syghtes of the Amphitheater Reason A very hurtful delyght euery way aswel publique as priuate whiche thou mayest easyly geather yf thou call vnto mynde out of the stories the begynnyng hereof and the encrease with what expences of common charge and with what care of Princes neare vnto madnesse and fynally with what studie and toyle of the people it was buylded Truely it is an harde matter to report the manyfolde vanities and superfluous to repeate so many common things a thousand couple of Fensars at once whiche were not only not sufficient for the play but for the fight with the flockes of Elephantes and Tigres and Lions and Leopardes and wylde Asses and couragious Horses and sundrie kyndes of straunge beastes sent from al partes of the world from their Desertes Parkes and Forestes to serue the Romane Theater Moreouer that the same sumptuousnesse of buyldyng had no patterne but not lyke to want imitation Pyllers of Marble brought by Sea and by lande for the vse of the playes cunnyngly carued by the great industrie of the woorkmen proudly polyshed on the toppes and the braunches glysteryng with golde Of whiche madnesse Scaurus was the chiefe and beginner he that was Edilis or Maister of the woorkes in buyldyng the Stage of the Theater within the space of a fewe dayes whiche was reared with a small deale of timber and a fewe roopes bringing in three hundred and threescore suche monstrous pillers to please the eyes of the people that reioyced in suche toyes and finished a woorke as thou knowest it is written the greatest that euer was made by mans hande not in respect of the temporall continuance thereof but by euerlastyng destinie whereby he deserued truly to be reported that as first by a greeuous proscription he sent the citizens so afterwarde in his most vaine Edileship he sent good maners into banishment as one that was both auctor and example of muche losse tyme to the foolyshe commons and of many great expenses to the common wealth But O strange case shortly after the madnesse of them that came afterward surpassed this outrage whereby it came to passe that what by the wonderfulnesse and number of the woorkes there was nothyng in all the whole world to be wondred at but Rome For thou seest also how it is written that the very bowels of the earth were perced the â—â—â—ntes digged vp the bidden rockes discouered riuers turned aside and conueâ—ghed away in pipes the frettyng sea shut in or out with great bankes toppes of mountaines hanging the secretes of the sea seatched and to be breefe a great and large scope of madding left to the posteritie and the expecâ—ation of your Grandfathers fulfylled in you to wit that your lasciuiousnesse would neuer leaue ye And that the mischiefe myght be the more â—eaped priuate calamitie was added to publike losse For the people being tyed with the desire to see and in the meane while forgetting theyr dayly gayne they neyther let one day escape them neyther perceyued howe armed penurie pinched them by the backe And thus enterchangably priuate destruction was turned into publique and publique into common Neyther is the losse of patrimonie more greeuous then of maners where lust is learned and humanitie forgotten And therefore what ye shoulde hope for by shewes from the verie begynnyng your fyrst kyng Romulus gaue a president who in them circuâ—â—ented the rough and seuere chastitie of the Sabine women And although the houour of matrimonie couered both the iniuries vnto howe many since that tyme hath this been a meane not to mariage but to whoordome and wandryng sensualitie To be shâ—rt beleeue this one thyng that we haue seene chastitie often ouerthrowen by playes but alwayes assaulted And to speake nothyng of those men who haue proceeded to suche outrage of wickednesse that they doo almost glory in theyr adulterie the good name and honestie of many women hath there peryshed many haue returned home vnchast moe doubted of and none the honester Moreouer to the ende there may want no kynde of mischiefe what bodyly slaughters not onely of priuate men but of whole multitudes doo there happen the effuse laughing turned into sodayne sorowe and the dead corpses caryed out of the Theater and the troupes of weepers mingled with the companies of reioycers doo declare Thou hast hearde howe that the same Curio whiche was slayne in the ciuile warre in Africa on Caesars syde went beyonde Scaurus in witte whom he coulde not matche in wealth how he I say deuisyng a Theater of wood but double and hanging by wonderfull art hung vp a loft aboue ground that conqueryng people beyng ouercome with the playes of the nations and reioycing in their owne perilles that laughing within and amazed without they myght be both laughed at and pitied of the beholders And do we wonder that he coulde turne the mynde of one great banished personage by laying before hym the hope of an Empyre who by proposing so light and short pleasure of the eyes coulde turne about so many thousande citizens in a moueable spectacle But some man wyll say vnto me there perished no body â—â—t there myght haue perished and thousandes also in another place perished And that I may not touch both newe and olde downefalles together by meanes whereof many haue found both their death and their graue vnder Tyberius the Emperour at a notable shewe at the citie Tidena thou remembrest how
for that they cannot sinke into all mens mindes and truely vnto those that wyl geue no credite to them they can do no pleasure Sorowe Alas I am tormented and thou disputest Reason This thy sorow must needes be long or vehement and therfore requireth eyther easie or short pacience Sorowe Alas alas I am cruelly vexed Reason If thy payne be extreame then must it needes be short and therfore lament no more for it must needes eyther goe away from thee or set thee packing set thy doores wyde open for eyther lybertie and remember in the meane whyle that it is a valiant and manly thing to beare humane chaunces with indifferencie Sorowe It is a goodly matter I graunt in woordes to speake it but truely I thinke to do it impossible Reason It is not the impossibilitie of the thynges but the dayntinesse of men that causeth innumerable to forsake vertue and wyl cause many hereafter whyles euery harde thing is refused as impossible Thus vertue perysheth whose subiect is a certayne difficultie but that whiche is honest Sorow We be men and no goddes and poore dying bodyes are not able to abyde the force of payne Reason That mens bodyes are frayle I cannot deny but yet not so frayle but that they haue strength enough to beare al aduersitie were it not that the infirmitie of your myndes were muche greater This is it whiche forceth out of men vnseemely houlynges and womanish and effeminate voyces For I pray thee why shouldest thou thinke that impossible for a man to doo whiche thou seest that in olde tymes men coulde doo and dyd also Sorowe Alas I am nowe called away agaynt vnto hystories and in the very middest of the paynes of my greefe beyng scarse myndeful of my selfe I am reuoked vnto the remembrance of auncient examples Reason Doth not then the remembrance of most excellent men who valiantly susteyned the lyke bryng great ease and comfort in al aduersitie Sorow I know it wel but thou canst alleage vnto me but fewe whom I may imitate thy aduise is glorious but to high for man and aboue his capacitie Reason Why sayest thou aboue mans capacitie Seeing they are not the reasons and examples of goddes but of men which I lay before thee Sorow Of men in deede I graunt mary but of fewe whose rarenesse is such as almost they are none at al and I can see but smal difference betweene the Phenix and Chimera but I folowe them whiche say that Chimera is nothyng for among some it is an hyl in Sicil Reason As though that the Phenix were layde before thee to immitate and not almost an whole armie of men who the rarer they be founde so muche the more woorthy they are whom thou shouldest couet to be lyke whosoeuer neglecteth to folowe rare men shal neuer be rare man hym selfe Sorow I perceiue how thou wouldest haue me be one of a fewe but I am one of many Reason I had rather almost that thou were no body then to be one of many I cannot determine whether it were better not to be at al then to be a foole for to be one of the greatest number and to be a foole is al one Sorow I knowe that there is nothyng woorse then not to be at al. Reason Thou knowest not howe yll it is to be somewhat nor to be what thou oughtest to be Sorowe Thou speakest this although that must needes happen to al which by chaunce befalleth vnto one which thou wouldest haue to be applyed vnto al. Reason Thou sayest yll to happen for veriue commeth not by happe but altogeather by deliberation and election and is gotten not by chaunce but by studie Neyther do I drawe that vnto al which chaunce hath geuen vnto fewe but that whiche vertue hath geuen to many do I drawe vnto one being wylling to drawe it to all but I am weeried euen in one Sorowe But al men cannot doo all thinges Reason That this is not only a poetical but also a shepheardly speech I knowe very wel but I woulde that thou shouldest haue a power or a wyl to do that whiche al cannot do whiche nowe thou canst and I desyre that thou wouldest haue a wyl to doo it Sorowe Alas why doest thou disquiet me poore wretch is it not sufficient that I am vexed with payne Reason I goe about rather to procure thy quyetnesse to take away this torment from thee which I shal be neuer able to do alone vnlesse thou set to thine helping hande Sorowe Phy phy what is that which thou sayest that I am able to doo Can I otherwyse choose then feele the payne whiche I feele or deny that to be euyl which in deede I fynd to be very yll Reason The first I wyl not requyre at thy handes for nature gaynesayeth it the second that I may not obteyne it is not nature nor trueth but onely errour that withstandeth Sorowe Out alas to what purpose serue these foolyshe discourses which you cal philosophical I know certainely that payne is no infirmitie of the mind but of the body I knowe that paine is anotheer thing from falshood to be in paine one thyng to steale another these thinges that thou maiest teathe me no new matter yea though thou adde nothing vnto them are of thē selues I know a great euil also that paine is of it selfe euil I know wel enough the meanes way how to know which thing to be so I do not want but rather how to suffer or most of al to driue it away For I know very wel I woulde I knewe not so much what payne is Reason And I know also that payne is a bitter thing cruel horrible sower sharpe contrarie to nature odious to the senses but whiche notwithstandyng may not onely be made sweete by the assistance of vertue as Epicurus sayde dissendyng from hym selfe but also be lenified and rebated and also the greater vehemencie thereof if the minde be armed with true vertue eyther be fealt more tollerably or in a manner not be fealt at al. Sorowe Armed or vnarmed I sustayne most cruell payne and professe that it is a very euyl thyng Reason I woulde wyshe rather to heare some other profession of thee Sorow If we be agayne called backe vnto plausible and fayre thynges magnifical woordes do delyte the eares but true speeches the mynde and what yf the bodily greefe be greater then the pacience of the minde Reason What yf there be no delites nor greefes of the body nor afflictions whatsoeuer ouerth wharting that are comparable to the strength of the minde What yf in all conflictes yf so be that it wyllingly gaue not ouer but with al force and vnfeinedly resisted the aduersarie it alwayes had the vpper hande and departed the conquerour Sorow What yf it happen that vnto the intollerablenesse of the payne there ve added some farther greefe as filthinesse loathsomenesse and shame of the disease What yf the foule leprosie haue inuaded the corrupt and