Hebrew people For speaking the trueth Ionathas the Sonne of Gedeon was murthered by Abimilech reproouing him but iustly Ieremie reprehending king Asa was therefore cast in prison with fetters on his feet Iohn Baptist telling king Herode of his vnlawfull mariage lost therefore his head Daniell because he told the Babylonians that Bel the Dragon were not Gods was cast into the den of Lyons All the holy Martyrs were slaine by wicked Tyrants and other iust men most cruelly persecuted for no other cause but for openly speaking and iustifying the trueth I haue read of a vertuous religious man according to some writers it was venerable Beda of England who had his eyes puld out for speaking the truth in manner following In search of ancient monuments in Rome there was foūd a goodly door of Marble on the forefront wherof these letters were engrauen P. P. P. S. S. S. R. R. R. F. F. F. many good wits were called to expresse the true sense of them but none knew directly how to construe them At last this reuerend man was sent for because in those times he was greatly esteemed for the same of his study in good letters was far neer renowmed He looking on these mysterious letters gaue the true interpretation of them as followeth The three P. P. P. signified Pater Patria Profectus est the three S. S. S. were thus read Sapientia Secum Sublata est the three R. R. R. had this meaning Regnum Romae Ruet the three F. F. F. were thus interpreted Ferro Flamma Fame And because he told the truth he was thought to prognosticate the ruine of Rome and for his reward had his eyes pluckt out Claudio Alas my Lord what needes so long a discourse or expence of time in approouing how odious trueth hath been and yet is to the world it selfe For the only truth it selfe the Son of God what trauailes endured he in the world al which he suffered for the trueth for confession whereof the Nazarites his neighborly compatriots would haue throwne him from the mount whereon their citty was builded For the trueth the Iewes tooke vp stones to stone him withall for the truth they prosecuted him euen to death at last he dyed for the truth Ego sum veritas I am the truth Ego in hoc natus sum ad hoc veni in mundum vt testimonium perhibeam verit ati For this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the truth Hee came to teache trueth to the world Si veritatem dico vobis quare non creditis mihi And If I say the truth why do ye not beleeue me He came to teach vs the holy law whose precepts are not other then truth Omnia mandata tua veritas All thy commandements are truth The kingdome of heauē suffereth violēce and to apprehend it there are no armes more meet then truth Scuto circundabit te verit as eius His truth shall be thy shield and buckler When Christ ascended into heauen he promised nothing else to his disciples but the spirit of trueth Expedit vobis vt ego vadam Si autem abiero mittam ad vos spiritum veritatis It is expedient for you that I goe away but if I depart away I wil send you the comforter the spirit of truth If the holy spirit do teach men any thing it is nothing else but truth Cùm autem venerit ille Spiritus veritatis docebit vos omnem verit atem Howbeit when he is come which is the spirit of truth he will leade you into all truth If the Father would be worshipped he would haue it done in spirit and truth Adorabunt patrē in spiritu veritate They shal worship the Father in spirit and truth If that we be made free verit as liberauit vos The truth hath set you free The word of God is nothing else but trueth Sermo tuus verit as est Thy word is trueth If Christ be persecuted it is for speaking the trueth Quaeritis me interficere hominem qui veritatem vobis loquutus sum you goe about to kill me a man that haue told you the truth If God be sayd to be sorie for Lucifer for no other cause is it but for hauing forsaken the trueth Ille homicida erat ab initio in veritate non stetit quia non est veritas in eo He hath bin a murtherer from the beginning abode not in the trueth because there is no truth in him If God be sayd to greeue for men he lamenteth for nothing else but because they left the trueth and addicted themselues vnto lyes Non est in ore eorum veritas cor eorum vanum est Filii hominum vsque quò graui Corde vt quid diligitis vanitatem quaeritis mendacium There is no trueth in their mouth within they are very corruption O ye sons of men how long will you turne my glory into shame louing vanity and seeking lyes If God do sweare he sweares the trueth Iurauit Dominus Dauid veritatem non frustrabitur eum The Lord hath sworne in trueth vnto Dauid and he will not shrinke from it If God do draw neere to any man it is in regard of the truth Prope est Dominus omnibus inuocantibus eum in veritate The lord is neer vnto all that cal vpon him in trueth If he giue heauen to vs mortalles it is onely to such as speake the trueth Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo aut quis requiscet in monte sancto tuo Qui loquitur veritatem in corde suo qui non egit dolum in lingua sua Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle who shall rest in thy holy mountaine He that speaketh the trueth in his hart he that hath no guile in his tongue There is nothing more acceptable to God then trueth is because he is the trueth it selfe Therefore Stobeus telles vs that Pythagoras being demanded what thing men ought to doe to be like vnto God made answere Let them speake trueth because God is trueth the center for full confirmation the scope wherat all vertues aime Aeschines the Philosopher and Oratour the corriuall of Demosthenes in a certaine Oration which he wrote against him sayeth That the power of trueth is such as without it all strength is weakenesse all wisedome follie all temperance turpitude all iustice reuenge all humility deceipt all patience to no purpose chastity is hurtfull riches are but losse and pitty meere vanity For trueth among all substances it is the cheefest among the heauens the imperial among mettals pure gold among the elements the fire among pretious stones the Carbuncle among Sciences the most celebrate And as without light light cānot be seen euen so without trueth we can
the glory of god edifying of my neighbour therfore I swept purged and clensed my thoughts from al the filth of malice slattery infamy and trechery Claudio Quite contrary do they that vtter whatsoeuer comes first to mouth lashing it liberally foorth without conceiting and foredeeming whether it be good or euill of whome wee may well speake that saying of Dauid Ecce labia mea non prohibebo Domine tu scistâ—s I will not refraine my lips O Lord thou knowest This is the reason why they commit many errors and become euen vnlike an vntamed horse without a bridle beside oftentimes by defect of the lips the whole body and soule do suffer greeuance dearly repenting what the tongue hath wilfully blabd abroade which if not in this world yet assuredly in the other as Dauid in very significant wordes testifieth in the 140. Psalme Labor labiorum ipsorum operiet eos Let the mischefe of their own lips come vpon them And therfore I think the Latins called the lips Labia à labendo quia per labia homo labitur in praeceps Lodouico Some hold that he would or else might haue sayd Labor labiorum ipsorum angustiabit or rather vestiet eos but in saying that the trauaile of the lippes shall couer them signifieth that there shall bee no parte of the bodie or the soule but it will be anguished by the defect of the lippes Moreouer such will bee the payne of the error committed by the lippes that their rage and choler beeing wasted the damned shall deuoure vp their owne tongues according as of some of them the Secretarie of Christ Saint Iohn telles vs in his Apocalypse Et commanducauerunt linguas suas prae dolore blasphemauerunt Deum coeli prae doloribus vulneribus suis And they gnawed their tongues for sorone and blasphemed the God of heauen for theyr paynes and their sores Be more carefull and respectiue Oh negligent man in thy talking and consider miserable wretche how manye are damned in hell not so much for what they haue doone as for their vile and blasphemous words spoken Claudio Sampson was a man of woonderfull strength yet so soone as he was ouercome by an immodest sillie woman he was bound and deliuered into the hands of his enemies who pluckt our his eyes and made him like a beast to grinde in a mill all which happened to him by beeing ouer carelesse of his tongue and too too readye in the labour of his lippes Dauid exhorteth them that forethinke not well what they woulde saye to lay a punishment on themselues answerable to such neglect thereby to preuente a farre greater detriment Quae dicitis in cordibus vestris in cubilibus vestris compungimini Examine your own harts and in your chambers and be still as meaning to inflict the penaltie there where the crime was committed The heart first contriued it before the tongue spake it the hart first cried guiltie ere the tongue did blab it therefore the heart must haue his due chastisement imposed on it Sacrificate sacrificiuÌ„ iustitiae c Offer the sacrifices of righteousnesse c. This sacrifice of righteousnesse saith old Father Augustine is the very same where of king Dauid speaketh in another place Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus cor contritum humiliatum Deus non despicies The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise In the hart was first of all conceiued and committed the sinne of the tongue therfore the Iibbet of death should first be set vp for the hart there the soule dooing her true repentance shee is to endure the iustice of sacrifice on her selfe causing the hart to be intirely sory euen from the very bottom therof to weep bloudy tears in true compunctioÌ„ promising neuer to minister matter more to the tongue without sincere deliberate premeditation Lodouico The flatterer should haue some reason to refrain his glib and oylie tongue because silence is much better then false and coyned lying speeches for that is a sinne against nature because the tongue being the discouerer of the heart in speaking otherwise then then as the hart thinketh it appears to haue some want in his naturall office Pliny affirmeth That the tongue of a man hath two veines one correspondent to the hart the other agreeable to the braine the place where reason makes his abiding It seemeth that the diuine architect did this to instruct thereby that we ought not to haue one thing in the tongue and another in the hart much lesse should wee profer with the tongue all that is hidden and lockt vp in the heart but only those things wherof reasoÌ„ hath first tasted Whereupon the wise man sayd Qui ambulat fraudulenter reuelat arcana qui autem fidelis est celat amici commissum The flatterer praiseth and blameth not according to what he hath in his heart but agreeable to that which hee perceiues pleasing to him whome he would flatter therefore he neuer fastneth on any proper sentence but turnes and windes still euery way not much vnlike the clapper of a bell or like a vane on a house top as the winde bloweth Claudio The Satyrick Poet Iuuenal paints him forth to the life in a Satyre of his Rides maiori cachinno concutitur Flet si lachrimas aspexit amici Nec dolet iguiculum brumae si tempore poscâ—s Accipit endromidem si dixeris aestuo sudat Nocte dieque potest alienum sumere vultum A' facie iactaâ—e manus laudare parat us Plato in his Phedon and in Menexemus calles the flatterer A wilde furie infested in man and au vncleane deuill that with vnhappie meates and hurtfull brutishnesse nourisheth defiled thoughtes He compares him likewise To a Iuggler an Enchaunter or a poysoner who by deceiuing wordes worke mens mindes to their owne willes Hee giues him also the name Of a seperator because he is diuided in himselfe keeping one thing in his breast and vttering another with the tongue The Grashopper bathed in oyle dyeth but afterward being washt with vinegar he comes to life againe Euen so many are slayne by the oyly tongue of a flatterer which afterwarde by a iust reprehension doone with charitie doe recouer life againe This made holy Dauid saye Corripiet me iustus me in misericordia increpabit me oleum autem peccatoris non impinguet caput meum Let the righteous smite me for that is a benefit let him reprooue me and it shall be a pretious oyle that shall not breake mine head The reason heereof his sonne Salomon teacheth vs where hee sayeth Meliora sunt vulnera diligentis quà m frrudulenta oscula odientis The woundes of a louer are better then the false kisses of aâ— eâ—emie Lodouico Let euery such tongue be dumbe in a christian common
praise more beeing thus blessedly in contemplation and with so sacred a taciturnity then the glibbest tongue can reache vnto with longest or loudest speeche Because the very subiect it selfe outgoeth the greatest and highest Oratorie What maruayle was it then if Moyses hauing talked with god found an impediment in his tongue and Ieremie knew not how to forme a word and Daniel remained as dumbe when euen the sanctified spirits themselues do hold their peace and are driuen to silence onely by the woonderfull excellency of the obiect Factum est silentium in coelo And so much the rather because those spoken of were but mortall men and the other are both immortall and euer blessed It is a matter oftentimes experimented that the greatnesse of the subiect for or to whome the speeche is prepared dooth daunt the Oratour in such sort as he becomes forgetfull of what he would say albeit the Oration had bin long time before premeditated and conned perfectly by heart as we vse to tearme it Whereof I could alleadge many examples which for ciuilities sake I am enforced to forbeare Onely let me remember you but of the Queene of Saba who departed from her owne royall kingdome to heare the admired wisedome of Salomon Being come to Ierusalem and beholding there the riches of Salomon the adornements of the Temple the pretiousnesse of the vessels the beauty of the Kings Palace the sitting of his seruants their sumptuous preparation their costly foode and variety of viands the Maiesty of the kings person his vnmatchable wisedome and his speeches deliuered with surpassing grace By ouer-abounding amazemēt she was quite caried from her selfe and she had not so much boldnesse left her as but to speak neither strength to go or ability to mooue but stood transported with vnspeakable astonishment euen like a body without a soule So that the holy scripture saith Non habebat vltra spiritū There was no more spirit in her What shall we hold it then to be for vs to see and speake with God himselfe as did Moyses Ieremy and Daniel Can there be any greater amazement to strike dumbe and make the tongue falter be imperfect when euen the blessed themselues do fall into such an extasie why then I may wel say that thus they prayse him more by silence then they can by the Hymne Te decet silentium Deus Which is a thing vnspeakable goes beyond al humane power euen Angelical praise it self Quantum potes tantum aude quia maior omni laude nec laudare sufficis Hereupon and much to this purpose Dauid hath a most excellent sentence Cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi reliquiae cogitationum diem festum agent tibi As if he wold haue sayd Lord the iust man perceiuing thy greatnesse prayseth thee and in his praysings is filled full of most sweete rauishing thoughts which make so deep an impression into his mind as they cease not to solemnize haile thee for euer Likewise the blessed Saintes singing thy diuine prayses do fall into a merueilous astonishment And this is the silence wherewith pleasing themselues they euermore laude thee and in their lauding contemplate thee the highest Creatour after this manner Non cessant clamare quotidie vna voce dicentes Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus Dominus Deus exercituum And they ceased not dayly to cry with one voyce saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hoasts Claudio If at al houres and euery moment the celestiall spirits do giue prayse both with a contemplatiue silence and yet with voyces also do sing to the soueraigne maiesty diuine as you say what needed Dauid then to haue inuited them to laude him in the Psalme by you so lately alleaged as if otherwise they did not laude him at all His words are these Laudate Dominum omnes Angeli eius laudate eum omnes virtutes eius Praise ye the lord all ye his Angels praise him all his Army Lodouico Saint Augustine answers your demaund concerning that Psalme and that in very gratious manner also saying Although it be most true that the Angels and all the blessed spirits are neuer weary neither can be wearied in their praises to God whereon Saint Iohn sayeth Cantabant quasi canticum nouum They sung as it were a new song not that the Song was new but by the great sweetnesse they receiued in the praises diuine it seemed to them as a new Song onely by the inexplicable dulcitude therein contained Yet notwithstanding Dauid inuites them after such manner as the father of a family vseth to doe Or as a Gardiner who beholding his spade-men to labour lustily euen contending as it were for most speede and agility eache one seeking to out-strip his companion Hee in meere ioye seeing in them such diligent cheerefulnesse sayes to them On gallant spirits on you labour lustily Nor speakes he this as if he thought them to be slothfull and negligent for he plainely perceiues them to worke with courage but as one ouercome with ioy and contentment Euen so spake Dauid to those celestiall spirits Laudate Deum omnes Angeli eius c. But to returne to our own purpose it is not to be maruailed at if by the like or same reason Moyses found a defect to be in his tōgue if Ieremy Daniel were smittē as dumb being al assayled by the excellency of such a subiect glorious maiesty of the highest Creator whereupon the wise man sayd Qui scrutator est maiestatis opprimetur a gloria Saint Paul was a great Preacher and a most eloquent Orator neuerthelesse he being mounted aboue the third heauen there beholding the diuine secrets he knew not what to say but onely that they were inexplicable Audiuit arcana verba quae non licet homini loqui He heard words which cannot be spoken which are not possible for man to vtter VVe may also say in answere of the before named doubt speaking of Moyses and of Ieremy that when we our selues do come to the knowledge of god the more that knowledge encreaseth in vs so much the more will our strength grow enfeebled And perceiuing therby our own lesse aptnesse both to his diuine praises and also to the right cognition of his infinite maiesty we do come euen then to the true knowledge of our own insufficiency and vilenesse Therefore when Moyses had heard God speake to him he found himselfe to be the lesse fit for speaking to men Whereupon grew his excuse that he was vnmeete for the message to Pharaoh but much more need there was that God would make choise of his brother and companion Aaron he being a man most eloquent Obsecro Domine non sum eloquens ab heri nudiustertius ex quo loquutus es ad seruum tuum impeditioris tardioris linguae sum Whence we may learne this celestiall doctrine that by how much the more a man
possible to put words into the mouth What do you count them like to receiued morselles But admit they may be cramd into the mouth had it not as well sufficed if the Lord had sayd to Dauid Open thy mouth as to say Enlarge thy mouth A great morsell is required for the mouth if it must needs be enlarged so wide Lodouico Haue you neuer heard in disputation that the Master to supply the ignorance and weaknesse of his Scholler in commaunding him to open his vnderstanding winnes occasion thereby to haue himselfe answered In such a case we vse to say that the master puts the words into his schollers mouth So the lord commanding our vnderstanding to open and illuminating the will administers the words therby giues occasion of speaking woorthily without error Which made him say to Dauid Intellectum tibi dabo And to the Apostles he sayd Ponite in cordibus vestris nō praemeditari quē admodum respondeatis Ego enim dabo vobis os sapiētiam cui non poterunt resistere omnes aduersarii vestri Lay it vp therefore in your hearts that ye premeditate not what ye shall answere For I will giue you a mouth wisedome where against all your aduersaries shall not be able to speake nor resist this is called the putting of wordes into the mouth Claudio But what say you then to the so wide opening or enlarging of the mouth because that Dilatare idem est quod multum latare in regard some great morsell was to be put into the mouth Lodouico To speake vprightly Dilata os tuum implebo according to the interpretation of the reuerend and learne Caietanus importeth thus much Aske what thou wilt that I may giue it thee Is not this a morsell beyond comparison And Dauid knowing the greatnesse of the Godhead would aske nothing of little moment but euen a matter most great and important answerable to the maiesty of him of whom hee was to require it Whereupon he said Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam Haue mercy vpon me O God according to the multitude of thy mercies Implying thus much on Dauids behalfe and euen as if hee had thus minded to say Lord I haue required of thee that thou wouldst open my lippes Thou hast I thanke thee opened them and in the opening hast further sayd vnto me Opē thy mouth also demaund of me whatsoeuer thou wilt I being a sinner and in some measure considerate of the infinite power and maiestie of thy person will require no children of thee as Sara and Abraham did Nor foode to eate like the murmuring Hebrew people in the desert Nor death as Elias did vnder the Iuniper tree Nor long life with Haman of Siro Nor the reward of good labour as Peter did Nor a temporall kingdome like vnto Iames and Iohn But I desire a thing correspondent to thine owne greatnesse to wit that thou wouldst giue me thy grace pardon me my sinnes cancell my foule abusings of thee forget my weaknesses and take compassion on my miseries euen according to the immeasurable bountie of thy mercies This I aske this I desire and this with all my heart most humbly I sue for Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam In this manner also ought we to open our lippes because such a request is highly pleasing to God and without any perill of breaking silence Let vs pray then vnto the Lord that he would open our vnstanding mooue the will guide our tongue and rule our lippes in speaking rightly to aske nothing else but what may be to gods glory our owne soules health and our neighbours benefit Domine labia mea aperies Let vs hartily pray vnto him to giue vs such things as are answerable to his high magnificence agreeable to his glorious maiesty And not things worldly or momentary because in such requests we should offer high preiudice and wrong to his wondrous bounty Claudio Let me tell you my good Lord that if magnanimous and great persons haue giuen more liberall giftes then haue been asked of them by how much god exceedeth them in power omnipotencie by so much the more ought our petitions to bee answerable in conformitie Perillus a friend to Alexander the great required money of him toward the mariage of his daughter and Alexander gaue him fifty talents But Perillus dutifully made refusall of them deliuering acceptation but of ten talents onely and answered That they onely were sufficient for him whereto Alexander replyed Ten may be sufficient for thee to aske but not enough for Alexander to giue If Alexander had such bounty and largesse in him being but dust and ashes how much more in liberalitie will the greatest god enlarge his graces to his sonnes and seruants Lodouico Why then euen in as sound reason as god said vnto Dauid Dilata os tuum implebo illud may we in humilitie pray vnto him That he would purifie our vncleane lippes and purge our hearts of wicked thoughts and al vnmeete desires that no vaine cogitations may bee there contriued nor hurtfull speeches from our mouthes deliuered Finis Cap. 22. The Argument That aboundance of words without wisedome is not called eloquence but loquacity or babling Therfore our words ought first to be brought to the file ere to the tongue to auoide the errour of our folly in speaking Therefore we should pray vnto the Lord that it would please him to open our mouthes and fill them with the holy spirit of wisedome vsing euery morning duely some especiall godly prayer meete for such a purpose And because Intus existens Prohibet extraneum we cannot be capable of the blessed spirit except we first euacuate our owne proper spirit which is the occasion of infinite defects We must know that there are not so many letters in the Alphabet as are the errours hourely committed by the tongue that is not skild rightly in speaking of God Heerein likewise is declared what that race or stocke is whereof the wise man speaketh who haue in steed of teeth sharpe swoords Also what wisedome is according to the Philosophers Peripatetikes Stoickes Diuines with many other memorable matters beside Chap. 23. CLAVDIO An excellent prayer is that vsed by the Church entreating the eternall father that hee wold send his holy spirit to purifie our hearts to the end that we may worthily loue and praise him And this ought we euery morning rising out of our beds to vse for passage of the whole day after without staine of sinne which is ouer-easie to bee committed by the vnprepared heart and slippery tongue Deus cui omne cor patet omnis voluntas loquitur quem nullum latet secretum Purifica per infusionem Spiritus sancti corda nostra vt te perfectè diligere dignè laudare mereamus Amen O God to whom al hearts are open al desires knowen and from whom no