which carie an inscription in the front of manie remedies and excellent drogues but within there is eyther nought auaileable or else peraduenture some poyson which our Sauiour reproched the Pharises with that they clensed the outside but within was full of rauening and iniquitie And God in the 29. of Isaiah sayth This people commeth neare vnto mee with their mouth and honour mee with their lippes but haue remoued their heart farre from me and their feare towarde me was taught by the preceptes of men The same did he cast in the Iewes teeth Matth. 15. Mar. 7. and in the 48. of Isaiah You turne your selues from me and make mention of me but not in truth nor righteousnesse It is not without cause written in Iob The hypocrites hope shall perish his confidence also shall be cut off and his trust shall be as the house of a spider Neither was it ill pictured of him who in the right hand put a tongue and in the left drewe a long a heart All deceites are likewise proper as Seneca writeth to a base and mischeeuous minde and to be detested of an honest man I would desire euerie one that meaneth to estrange himselfe from hypocrisie to consider his debt vnto his creator to wit to imploye himselfe and whatsoeuer is giuen vnto him our being our life our senses our speech our actions brieflie all that wee haue in vs or without vs for his seruice And that contrariwise we turne all things to our selues as to their end And if we make a regyster of our life what part thereof we giue to God to whom all is dewe And see howe much we are mooued if a body doe but speake euill of our friend and neuer regard nor care for blasphemies against God or iniuries against our neighbour being his image We deserue to be called the children of the earth as they were woont to call bastardes For we doe followe earthly thinges despising the spirituall for which we were created We must not thinke it strange if the Philosopher toke a light at noone day to seeke a man in the midst of a presse for the greatest part serue to vanitie and leasing and no whit obey vertue And if our eye sight could but enter so farre we should finde manie sauage beastes hidden in some men which make semblance to bee vertuous and yet will not confesse their fault to the Phisition who by their confession should the nearer approch to iustice according to the opinion of Aristotle the Diuines and other auncient writers which say that the confession of sinne is the remedie thereof S. Basill praysed the aboue sayde opinion of Plato touching the vniust that counterfayted to be iust and blamed that sayde in Euripides that he rather desired to seeme good then to be Dauid after he had declared the happinesse of them whose sinnes the Lorde had pardoned and couered addeth those in whose spirite there is no guile nor hypocrisie with which that faith which resteth in the heart not in bare countenance hath no acquaintance CHAP. 7. That those which loue the truth should shewe it by good workes and of the meanes which doe leade vs thereunto and of those which are farre from it OVr Sauiour sayeth that they which are of the truth heare his voice so consequently obey him And saint Iohn in his first Epistle after hauing shewed our inclination to sinne and that our sauiour Christ Iesus offred himselfe for our deliuerance and that he is our aduocate and also that faith in the mercie of God is ioyned with a loue and obedience he addeth that he wrote those things vnto them that they sinne not and he that sayth he knewe God and doeth not keepe his commaundementes is a lyer and the trueth is not in him For as Paul writeth we are deliuered from sinne to the end we should liue to righteousnesse and their sinnes are forgiuen that acknowledge and confesse them detesting and shunning them and hope for life eternall And to this end as well the law as the gospell tendeth that we liue no more in sinne but enforce our selues to followe truth righteousnesse and holinesse Yea the verie worlde was created for the vse of men that thereby they might glorifie God The promisses were giuen and Christ Iesus came into the worlde to the ende that by participating his so great benefites we should learne to obey God whose people we are called of him in his Church that euerie one should knowe how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence being iustified through him to the end we should serue thorough righteousnesse and not defile our bodies being his temple For The eyes of the Lorde sayth Ieremie are vpon the truth S. Iames writeth that they abuse themselues who boast that they haue faith and shewe it not by their good workes S. Paul also requireth that faith that worketh thorough charity for as much as the sonne of God appeared to the ende that they which are his should be clensed of all their filthinesse and required such disciples who renouncing them selues shoulde followe him not searching any more their owne pleasure but to obey God and dispose them selues to pacience long suffering and all vertues And we haue beene deliuered from the bondage of sinne to the end we should walke before God all the daies of our life in in holinesse and righteousnesse And the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared vnto vs and teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse and worldly lust and that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present worlde looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glorie of the mightie God and of our sauiour Iesus Christ We be the temples of the holy ghost which we must not defile we are consecrated and dedicated to God and are not our owne nor darkenesse but light in God and therefore we ought to walke as children of the light and to liue and die to the Lorde to whom we appertaine And our sanctification is the will of the Lorde to the ende we should abstaine from all naughtie desires And S. Iohn saide in his first Canonicall that in this the children of light differ from the children of darkenesse in that they loue one another as members of one bodie and that they who haue hope of life sanctifie themselues since their God is holie And if we loue God in respect of the benefites which we receiue continually at his handes and beleeue that he is our prouident father it is vnpossible but we should manifest this loue by our obedience Dauid saide Mercie is with thee O Lorde that thou mayst be feared As if he woulde saye that the foundation of the feare of God is to knowe his great mercie And in respect of the accorde which is betweene trueth and mercie they haue euer beene ioyned together as in the
and engendreth within vs an amendment of life readie obedience and loue towardes God and our neighbour giueth vnto vs the hope of eternal life and of obtaining what we ask at Gods hands rendreth our conscience peaceable maketh vs to perseuere in the good giueth vnto vs a boldnes to addresse our selues to the throne of grace bringeth with it selfe a constancie and pacience in all aduersities and comforteth vs cleane remouing away all feare anguish vexation of minde For this cause God is called by S. Paul in the beginning of his second Epistle to the Corinthians The God of mercie and consolation And in the sixth to the Ephesians he doth exhort vs to take vpon vs the shielde of faith wherewith we may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked CHAP. 3. Properties of the truth and how much it is requisite in a Prince and Clergie SAint Paul recommendeth this trueth vnto vs as an especiall and principall part of the armour required to be worne by a Christian Knight and as a bulwarke against all assaults And most excelent is that saying in the 8. chapter of the prophesie of Zecharie where hee exhorteth Euerie man to speake the trueth vnto his neighbour and as the bodie bereft of the soule is nought else then stinking carrion so man depriued of this trueth is no better then a verie infection and filthie carkasse For this cause Plato in his commonwealth ordained for a lawe that aboue all thinges the truth might be preserued And Xenophon bringing in a good Prince vnder the person of K. Cyrus requireth especialy that he be founde true This was also the first lesson which Aristotle taught Alexander the great And Isayah setteth downe a King to reigne in Iustice and a Prince to rule in Iudgement being as an hiding place from the winde and as a refuge for the tempest And a byshop of Cologne declared to Fredoric the Emperour that the bare worde of a Prince ought to be of as great weight as other mens othes and that the trueth ought to bee his chiefest ornament The aunsweare which Charles the fift Emperour made vnto such as would haue perswaded him by no meanes to sende backe Luther being come vnto him vnder his safe conduit is greatly praised saying that though the performance of promises were cleane banished the face of the earth yet it should be kept by an Emperour Our Sauiour also in manie places of the Euangelistes commaundeth vs in any wise to keepe truth and nameth himselfe the sonne of Iustice and the essentiall truth On the other side the Diuell is called a lyer and the father thereof to the end that euerie one abyding in God who is the soueraigne good and hauing him for a father Lorde Sauiour and Protectour might be founde true and that we should not serue so wicked a murtherer and cruell deceauer as Sathan and that we shoulde abhor lying with which he onely serueth his turne to extinguish the light of the truth the onely life of the soule And Iob sayth that the wicked abhor the light they knowe not the wayes therof nor continue in the pathes thereof The Catholique Church is likewise called of S. Paul The pillar and grounde of trueth And Lactantius calleth it the fountaine of trueth house of faith and temple of God into which who so doth not enter is cleane shut vp from anie hope of eternall life For out of her is there no saluation to be found but euen as it fared with them that were without the Arke of Noah in the time of the flood And our religion hath beene founded vppon faith which dependeth of this truth which alone hath much more vertue than Cicero would attribute to Philosophie as in casting out of spirits remouing vaine solitarinesse deliuering vs from lusts and chasing away all feare For she teacheth vs the true seruice of God how to worshippe his mightinesse admire at his wisedome loue his bountie trust vnto his promises and rule our life according vnto his holie will She cleareth and giueth light vnto the course of reason thorough the knowledge of thinges and guideth our will vnto the true good and taketh away the clowdes of our vnderstanding as it is saide the North winde doth in the ayre And wee daylie see that the afflicted and wretched innocent taketh his greatest comfort in that the trueth is of his side And this truth causeth that parte of our vnderstanding wherein reason lyeth to rule and our will affections and like partes willingly obey thereto and suffer themselues to be gouerned therby And we may the rather be termed men in neare approching to God our patron For all the doctrine of the lawe tendeth to ioyne man through holinesse of life vnto his God as Moyses in Deutronomy sayth to make him leane vnto him For neither the worlde nor anie other creature can make man happie but he alone which made him man And thorough this truth are we deliuered from false opinions and ignorance and in al actions she is the light to guide vs frō stumbling and bringeth foorth all vertues And since that the end of Grammer is to speake aptly and agreeably and the end of speech societie of Rhethoricke to carrie all mens mindes to one opinion And of Logicke to finde out a truth amidst manie falshoodes all other artes doe likewise tende to this trueth And let vs make our senses to serue our vnderstanding and that vnderstanding of ours to serue him by whom it is and doth vnderstand And since this truth is a light her propertie is to chase away the darkenesse blindnesse and ignorance of our vnderstandings and to reioyce and comfort vs as the sunne rising doth to Pilgrims except they be such as our Sauiour spoke of who loue darkenesse more then the light which maketh vs to perceaue what hath beene hidden from vs. And men are more afraide to do amisse by day then by night and we are better able to guide our selues and can yeelde a better testimonie of what we haue seene as our Sauiour sayde in S. Iohn we speake that we knowe and testifie that we haue seene CHAP. 4. Extremities in the truth and how men may speake of themselues and of that which they vnderstande and that men ought not to publish anie writing but of their owne inuention and to some purpose nor to attribute to themselues the honour of a thing well done SInce that this trueth is approued to be a vertue she ought to hold a mediocritie to be set betweene two vitious extremities of either too little or too much as it is saide of the rest of the vertues which make them selues more apparaunt in gayning vnto themselues by those actions which consist in the middest of two contrarie vices as doeth the true tune among discords The excesse and ouerplus shal proceede of arrogancie pride vaunting disdain insolencie
will be a witnesse thereof he sinneth the lesse so is there no doubt but manye tyrauntes haue refrayned the executing of a number of mischiefes they haue determined for feare of the spotte which a historie woulde staine them with As Democritus likewyse rehearseth how manye kinges of Aegipt haue heene brideled from committing of euill fearing a custome which the people had to oppose them selues to the pompes and magnificences that were wont to be celebrated at the obsequies of their good kinges Without histories we are neuer able to know the benefites which GOD hath bestowed vppon men nor the chastisementes with which he correcteth the wicked nor the beginning progresse and successe of all thinges nor the mischeefe which both the publique and particular weale suffer nor what doctrine is more auncient and to bee followed For this cause Cicero calleth it the light of trueth the witnesse of tymes the Mistresse of lyfe the Messenger of antiquitie and the life of memorye preseruinge from obliuion deedes worthye of memorye atchieued thorough longe processe of tymes And this same seede of vertues whiche Plato sayeth is in oure spirites lyfteth it selfe vppe thorough the emulation of them whiche haue beene suche as wee nowe are And wee doe gayne more by reading thereof in our youth then by whatsoeuer is either attributed to sence or experience of old men or to suche as haue beene in farre voyages It is written tht Charlemagne woulde euer haue a history read vnto him during his meales and that perceauing the small regarde the auncient Gaulois had of setting downe the monumentes of their auncestors in writing he caused certaine songes to bee made commaunding they shoulde teach their children to singe them by hart to the ende the remembraunce therof might endure from race to race and that by this meanes other might be stirred vp to doe well and to write the gestes of valiaunt men Which they say was likewise obserued by the Indians and Homer writeth the same of Achilles And the like is mencioned in the 78. psalme And Caesar in his Commentaries Lucane and Tacitus maketh mention of certaine philosophers that were french men called Bardes which song the praises of valiaunt men and the blame and reproch of lewde persons tyrauntes and base minded and Polibus sheweth that a historie doth teache and prepare the way to the affaires of Policie and to carrie well the chaunges of Fortune and to know what we are And if that which Plinie writeth be true that all that time which is not imployed to the study or exercise of good things is lost and that which Seneca hath written that they are all fooles that in this greate scarcetie of time which is bestowed of them learne but matters superfluous Wee ought much to lament that the desire which the common sort haue to histories is an occasiō that they giue themselues to fables and old wiues tales where is nought els but a vaine delight without anie profite where as in histories besides pleasure there is great learning to teach vs not to vndertake vppon the fiske and flying either any warre that is not necessary or any quarrels suites in law or other affaires of importaunce And we see how manie mischiefes losses and faultes ignoraunce hath beene the cause of But Prudence is greatly required especially in holy histories For there must we confrant the examples to the commaundementes of God because the very saints them selues haue had their faultes which we ought not to follow and the holye scripture is a good looking glasse which representeth as Saint Augustine saide thinges as they in deede are setting before vs vertues to follow them and vices and imperfections to shunne them and to praise the mercie and bountie of God in that he couereth them And as touching the prophane we must carry the like iudgement and therein consider the particularities the causes the conduct and Prudence which men haue vsed and the fortune and successe that hath proceeded from aboue It shall not here be amisse for the readers if I admonish them not to take for good monye not to account all that which prophane aucthours haue writen as articles of their faith nor indifferently to trust therevnto without examining them further I comprehend herein all such where they which can see clearely may discouer lies and vntruthes amidst good things and some beastes come from a pensell and not by nature Therefore we must apply thereto a good sife to sifte and seperate the one from the other And me thinketh what knowledge soeuer those bookes teach vs is verye small if one bee not acquainted with the vse and practise of the world and be likewise accompanied with a iudgement and quicknes of spirit And it was verye wisely written by Aristotle that in reading of histories a man muste not be of too quicke a beliefe nor too incredulous for feare he take not false for true or els profite no whit at all And what color or disguising so euer men set on to flatter great ones they which prie narrowly into their behauiours take their counsels and actions in time of peace and war are not deceaued and discerne toyes and cauillinges amidst deepe counsels and do discouer pretexts cloaking and occasions with the true causes neuer hauing their iudgement there by deceaued referring and examining all things to the rule of the holy scripture Besids we ought to esteme most of such histiographers which haue had least passions and partialitie and the best meanes to discouer the truth either beeing there them selues in personne or hauinge certaine intelligence from them that were present men of faith and sincere iudgement speaking without affection to the ende they set not out fables and lies as many of our time haue done and that which they steale from other is as a precious stone ill set in worke It were also requisite they should be conuersaunt and nourished in affaire of state and acquainted with the proceedinges of the worlde and not giue them selues so much to pleasure as to speake the truth not beeing inough not to write false but to declare the very truth without anye partialitie at all For if in anye one place a writer be founde a lier the rest of his historie is cleane reiected as Alexander the great was wont to saye It is also needefull to obserue what sundrye Italians Spaniardes Fleminges as Almames of an enuious malice and want of right iudgement haue euen enforced them selues to praise their countrie and couer their faultes and diminish the greatnesse and excellencie of matters done by the french men to the aduancement of whole christendome and profite of sundry nations And it is no straunge thing to see how much the passions and affections of men doe staine the truth which is the very eye of histories Polibus him selfe reherseth the exāples of sundrie historiographers before his time and discouer contrarieties betweene them selues and by
passions of sundrie men which report nothinge of certayne Notwithstandinge they are to bee excused if they keepe a libertye and write not to the ende to deceaue But in the holye historie they oughte to feare no such thinge since that it proceedeth of the holye Ghoste and thence a man maye take out certayne witnesses and soueraigne arrestes Now that wee may the better reape our profite out of Historyes we must consider the beginning and motyfe cause of all enterprises the meanes which therin they haue held and afterwardes the issue thereof which cannot possibly be good proceeding from an euil beginning And after hauing known the root and causes therof we must iudge what may happen in like cases and consider other circumstances which bewtifie the actions and referre all to the glory of God through whose bountie the euents haue succeeded well and gloriously to the ende wee may render prayses and thankesgeuing vnto him which are due vnto him for asmuche as by weake and vyle persons hee oftentimes compasseth high and mightie things And because that whatsoeuer thinges are written afore time are written for our learning We ought to apply vnto our selues whatsoeuer we read and to behold as in a looking glasse our own affections to the end we might follow good and eschew euill and cleane remoue from vs all disguising and corruption and aboue all things we ought to acknowledge the iudgementes of God against the wicked and contemners of his law And for because that great dangers ensue those which indifferently gouerne them selues by examples I thought good to aduertise that it is diligently to be considered whether there be a concurrence of lyke reasons not onely in generall but also in particular It is also necessary to rule ones selfe as prudently as they did whom we would imitate and to demaund of God like successe And in our enterprises we must not onely consider the superficies and beginnyng of thinges but to looke more inwardly what may happen in time We must not likewise take too exactly what is written by ancient Historiographers but conferre them with the newe hauing regard to the great chaunges which happen in all countreyes and that there are fewe Cities or Nations which hold theyr former name nor their auncient seates and fashions otherwise we should wander awry and iudge amisse And this consideration of the vnstablenesse subuersions dissipations and lamentable chaunges of sundry peoples and families ought to prepare vs to beare all accidentes sent from God knowing that this life is but a sorrowfull exile subiect to stormes and continuall tempestes and that there is no seate nor hauen sure but in the heauenly and eternall lyfe to the which the sonne of God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath prepared the way for vs and let vs humbly beseeche him to guide vs therein CHAP. 18. That one ought not to suffer him selfe to be deceiued by praises nor be carried away from modesty and that honour dependeth vpon vertue with aduise vpon the same or vpon the reproches or lyes of the people and how much it is requisite to commaund ones selfe WHo so woulde not swarue from the truth ought not to be mooued with praises which for the most part are disguised for as Sainct Augustin hath written He which often praiseth one abuseth him self confirmeth an errour and proueth in the end a lyer and he which is praised becommeth thereby a great deale more vaine And Dion sayd the ouer great praises and honours out of measure carrie with them a misknowledge lightnes and insolensie yea among such persons as of them selues are modest ynough because they are perswaded that they deserue them and euery man pleaseth them and puffeth them vp as Xenophon wryteth though in deed they might well be termed mockeries And such excessiue honours are neither more nor lesse then as portractures ill proportioned which fall to the grounde of them selues as the three hundred statuas of Demetrius which neuer engendred either rust or filth beeing in his owne life tyme broken in peeces And those likewise of Demades were bruysed made to serue for chamberpots and basins in close stooles and so haue sundry other princes their monuments beene serued The inhabitants of the city of Pilles in their counsels ordained moste mightie honours for Theopompus he wrote backe vnto them that time was accustomed to increase honours moderately bestowed and to deface the immoderate When Niger was chosen Emperour they recited certayne verses in his praise but hee sayde that they ought rather to prayse Hanniball or the prowesse of some other great captaynes to the ende they might be imitated and that it was a mockery to prayse men while they liued which peraduenture might alter And that there was great presumption that either they did it for feare or for hope to obtayne somwhat of them and that for his part he rather desired to be fauoured and loued during his life and praysed after his death Other were wont to saye that they neuer acknowledged such prayses but wished to God that they were worthye of them Bracidas his mother was highly commended for aunswearing the embassadours of Thrace comforting her for the death of her sonne affirminge that he had not left his like behinde him that shee knew well ynough that the citye of Sparta had manye Citizens a great deale more worthie and valiaunt then him As Antigonus sayde vnto a Poet who called him the sonne of the sunne that hee whiche emptied his close stoole knew well ynough there was no such matter The shadow shunneth those which follow it and followeth those which shunne it and so fareth it with prayse Sigismond the Emperour stroke one that praysed him too much saying that he bitte him So was it likewise reported by Iustinian When they offered to Titus a crowne of golde togeather with great praises for his taking of Ierusalem he aunsweared that he himselfe was not the authour thereof but that GOD serued him selfe thorough his handes in that he made manifest his anger agaynste the Iewes As much is sayde of Fabritius for the deliuerie of Greece and of Timoleon for restoring Sicilie to libertye And Antistenes commaunded his children neuer to conne any thankes for praysing of them for often tymes it is with men as with an number of beastes which suffer a man to doe with them what he will yea to tumble and drale them on the grounde as long as hee tickleth them Galien entreating howe the sickenesse of the minde might be discerned wryteth that he learned of his father to despise glorye as an intisement to euill and ennemye to truth And Iosephus wryteth that honours bestowed on young men are as matches of follie and rashnes And in our french tongue we call offices and dignities charges And Varro in his fourth booke of the Latin tongue writeth that this name of honour proceedeth from a name which
and lawes to runne in contempt And both the one and the other is to be founde fault with if it be not tempered Saul was reprehended of God because hee slewe not Amelec And the Prophet sayd to Achab that he should die because hee had pardoned Benadad the King of Siria who had deserued death as also because he caused Naboth to be murthered The holie scripture doth also teache vs that the wrath of God is appeased by the punishment of the wicked and that his vengeance extendeth ouer all people for their iniquitie and contrariewise his blessing doeth spreade it selfe vppon whome soeuer hee chasteneth The wicked shalbe afraide and kept backe but the righteous shal bee preserued from the contagion of them that worke iniquitie For this cause the booke of the lawe founde againe in the time of Iosias is called the booke of the alliance of the Lorde the which hee commaunded the Priestes to deliuer to the King Samuel followinge this rule put it into the handes of Saul and according vnto the tenure thereof Iosias yeelded himselfe the feodarie and vassal of the Lorde Likewise the lawe which was giuen in the Arke was called the couenant of the Lorde And Salomon saide vnto God Lord thou hast chosen mee to raigne ouer thy people and to iudge ouer thy sonnes and daughters For this cause our Kings were euer willing that none should regarde the pardones they yeelded if they were grounded vppon so yll a foundation As also Micheas the Prophet detesteth and curseth in the name of God all such as obey the wicked ordinances of Kinges who for this cause haue had especiall care and commaundement to administer iustice esteeming themselues rather armed with the sworde to chastise the wicked then to repulse their enimies and are the ministers of God for the peoples benefite as the Apostle sayeth And to this ende they establish good and learned Iudges in all places that are voyde of passions if they followe the lawes otherwise they shoulde bringe into the flocke the Wolfe which they ought to chase away and render themselues culpable of the death of those innocentes that such pardoned men shoulde kill and so grace should neuer be without crueltie CHAP. XXVI The definition of Lying THE Philosophers were neuer wont to content themselues in declaring the propertie of vertues except they opposed vnto them their contrarie vice to the ende that the lothsomnes thereof being wel regarded the other mought be found more agreable So haue we of purpose discoursed of the trueth before we com to shew the vice of lying the which we may define by a contrary significatiō vnto the truth whē one speaketh of things vncertain contrarie to that which one knoweth making thē seeme other then they are S. Augustin writeth to Cōsentius that it is a false significatiō of spech with a wil to deceiue And when one speaketh more or lesse then is in deede it is a member of iniustice turning topsie turuie all humane societie and the amitie due vnto our neighbour for since that speach is giuen vnto vs to make manifest what we thinke and to instruct his vnderstanding of whome wee speake It is a foule fault to abuse it and to behaue our selues in other sort towardes our neighbour then we willingly woulde he shoulde towardes vs for as much as hee which desireth and expecteth from vs the trueth is deceiued and led into an errour and hauing afterwardes in time discouered the lye he will no more beleeue vs and wee shal lose the meanes to be able to instruct for euer For lyars only gaine this that albeit they say and speake the trueth yet shal they neuer be beleeued And in the holy scripture idolatrie hipocrisie superstition false weights false measures and al cosinages are called lying to the end that by so disformed a name we should the rather eschewe them The lyar is detested of God and called double of heart and toung because he speaketh one thing and doeth an other And for verie good respect sundrie of the auncient doctors haue written that the trueth being depraued there are ingendred an infinite number of absurdities heresies scismes and contentions And Socrates was wont to saye that it proceeded from a good will to enforce it selfe to remoue the foolish opinions of men and that it was not possible for him to approue a lye nor to dissemble the trueth And Homer writeth of the great and valiant Captaine Achilles that he did more hate and abhorre lying then hell or death And it is written in the olde and newe testament that God doeth abhorre all lying and that the true are gratious in his sight yea that a theefe is better than a man that is accustomed to lye And lying is contrarie to nature ayded by reason and seruaunt or handmayd to the trueth It is writen in Leuiticus Yee shall not steale neither deale falsly neither lye one to another CHAP. XXVII The effectes of Lying PHilo in his first booke of the contemplatiue life setteth downe all kind of wickednes to proceede from lying as all good doth from the trueth And if wee wel consider the causes of the seditions troubles heresies and quarels which alter whole estates publike quiet and mans conuersation we shall finde all to proceede from the infected fountaine of lying And that Achab and the most part of the Kings of Israel the Emperours Nero Commodus Maximinus Iulius Valencius and sundrie other as well of olde time as of ours haue thereby beene ruyned Gehazi the seruant of Elisha was stroken with a leprosie Ananias Saphira fell downe dead Haman was hanged on the tree he had prepared for Mardocheus The hande of Ieroboam was dryed vp Craesus King of Lidia draue awaye Solon reiecting the trueth he had tolde him which for all that afterwardes saued his life and Dionisius the tyrant of Sicil not being able to make his profite of that which Plato had declared vnto him nor to wash away the stayne of tyrannie was constrained in his banishment to confesse that that which he had hearde of Plato made him the better able to carrie so great a change Thorough a lye Ioseph was cast in prison and S. Chrisostome sent into banishment and an infinite number of other holy and great personages haue beene maruelously afflicted and manie realmes and common wealthes haue euen had the verie beginning of their ruine from thence The saide Chrisostome in the 28. Homelie vppon Iohn sayeth that nothing is so vnfirme or vnconstant as lying for what ayde or piller so euer it can come by it weakeneth so as it causeth it to fall of it selfe CHAP. 28. The punishments of Lying IT is written in the Prouerbs He that speaketh lyes shal not escape and in the booke of wisedome The mouth that speaketh lies slayeth the soule and in Ecclesiasticus The condition of liars are vnhonest and their shame is euer with them
The Aegyptians ordained death it selfe for a punishment to periured persons and to such as declared not the verie trueth in their declaration which of necessitie eche one was to make yearely both touching his name and the meanes he had to nourish his familie The Scithians and Garamanthes followed the same lawe and there was he condemned that had prognosticated any false thinges to come The Persians and Indians depriued him of all honour and farther speache which lyed The Gimnosophistes Chaldeans barred them al companies dignities condemned to remaine in perpetual darknes without speaking And Nicephorus reciteth how the verie wormes did eat the toung of the cosener Nestorius in his life time Monstrelet writeth of Popiel k. of Pologne who had euer this word in his mouth If it be not true I would the Rattes might eat mee that he was so assailed by rattes in a banquet that neither his gards nor fire nor water could preserue him from them Other do assure vs that an Archbishop of Magence died of the like death K. Artexerxes made one of his souldiers toungs to be nailed with iij nailes that had made a lie The lawes of Solon imposed great pains vpon such for that cause did the Gabaonites lose their libertie The emperour Traian surnamed the good Prince took away frō the sonne of Cebalus the kingdom of Dace which we terme at this day Trāsiluania Valachia only because he caught him in a lye told him that Rome the mother of truth could not permit a lyar to possesse a kingdom Cirus in like sort told the k. of Armenia that is was most manifest a lye was not capable of pardō as Xenophon writeth in his 3. booke of his Pedia After that one had red vnto Alexander the great a historie out of Aristobulus wherin he had intermingled certaine counterfait praises he flong the booke into the riuer saying the said writer deserued to haue bin flung in himself because men ought to studie to serch out the truth without which nothing can be wel don that it was a shame great damage when a lye shold put good wordes out of credit And he found fault with another when he compared him to Hercules If he had in this sort remained al the rest of his life that prosperitie flatterie had not rendred himself more insolent he had bin worthy of much greater honor I could here verie wel alledge how in Almanie the lye hath bin alwayes extremely hated shunned as it were a plague bastardes could neuer obtain the prise of any ocupatiō whatsoeuer nor take degree in any art or science as also in the olde testament they were excluded both out of the church sanctuarie For they are euer in doubt which of the sundrie mignions that their mother entertained was their father For this cause Philo Alexandrin compareth those with Idolaters who through ignorance of their creator and his bountie cal vpon many declareth that a multitude as much to say as a pluralitie of gods is very athisme the grounde of lying banishing for euer from thence life euerlasting CHAP. XXIX That the periured and blasphemers are detestable lyers and the paines for them CIcero was of opinion that there was no difference betweene the lyar and the periured person and that God had ordained to eche like punishment and that he which was accustomed to lye did easily periure himselfe The which opinion sundry doctors of the church haue in like sort helde Others notwithstanding haue thought that they haue offended more deepely which abuse the name of God to confirme their lying the which sort of people deserued death by the lawes of Plato Aegypt as committers of sacriledge And the Prophet Ezechiel calleth it the prophaning of the name of God the spoyling him of his trueth He saieth also that he which despiseth his othe shall neuer escape And it is written in Ecclesiasticus that A man that vseth much swearing shalbe filled with wickednes and the plague shall neuer goe from his house Saint Chrisostom made sundrie homilies sermons to the end we should hate leaue all othes that there mought neuer be among men folowing the cōmandement of our sauiour but yea yea nay nay without blaspheming the name of God by swearing And he greatly marueiled to see vs so ready to obey the lawes ordinances of Princes albeit they be very hard vnreasonable that of Gods commandemēt so expressely giuen vnto vs not to sweare at al we make so litle account wherof also Plato greatly complaineth and that men couer themselues with a lewd custom which euery man ought to enforce himselfe vtterly to abolish The saide doctor in like sort writeth that it is vnpossible that he which much sweareth should not forsweare himselfe As wee reade of the othe rashly made by King Saul whereby he was constrained either to put to death his innocent sonne or to remaine periured And God reuenged vpon his race and people the great slaughter that he made of the Gabaonites contrarie to the othe sworne vnto them by his predecessours And the other tribes of Israel hauing sworne that they would not giue their daughters in marriage to that of Beniamin because they woulde not breake their othe chose rather to councell them to rauish their saide daughters And Titus Liuius sheweth that the Petelins in Calabria the Sagontines in Spaine chose rather to dye a most miserable death then to breake the faith they had plighted It is written in Zechariah I sawe a flying booke the length thereof is 20 Cubites and the bredth 10. the curse whereof shall enter into the house of him that falsely sweareth and it shall remaine in the middest of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and stones thereof Now that all is full of blasphemies othes and periuries wee greatly ought to feare a most sharpe chastisement of the wrath of God for so ordinarie a contempt of his holy name and followe the counsell of Ecclesiasticus Keepe thy mouth from being accustomed to sweare for that carryeth great at ruyne withall K. Agesilaus hauing vnderstoode that Tisaphernes K. of Persia had broken the promise which he had sworne vnto him aunswered that therein he had done him a verie great pleasure because that by his periurie he had rendred himselfe odious and enimie both to the Gods and men And truely all policies and matches are cleane turned topsie turuie if the promise be not obserued Titus Liuius in the beginning of his historie greatly commendeth the common wealth of Rome because it was gouerned by faith and simple oth not by feare of lawes or chastisements It was also the principall charge of the Censors of Rome as Cicero writeth to punish the periured against whome there is great threates in the holie scripture and in Leuiticus not onely the periured man is
considering the excellencie of our soule in his owne nature haue great cause to boast in God which hath giuen it vnto vs and through his bountie hath vouchsafed to honour vs farre aboue all other creatures but looking backe howe this nature hath beene corrupted and esloyned from her first originall there remaineth nought to vs but shame And if there bee any good in vs it proceedeth from the liberalitie of God by whome if wee bee not continually supported wee shall fall into all miserie and mischiefe Let vs likewise considered howe manye great personages fearing to bee too much exalted haue refused Empires Kingdomes Bishoprickes Abbayes and other dignities And haue accounted themselues happie when God hath done them the honour to humble them and bring them vnto him through sundrie afflictions Philo the Iewe writeth that the occasion whie Leuen was forbid vnto the Iewes at the feast of Easter was to teache them to haue a greate care to keepe themselues from pryde and presumption into which they fell which helde any good opinion of their owne selues and puffeth themselues vp therewith as the dowe is with the leuen CHAP. XLI That Painting is Lying FOr as much as sinceritie simplicitie roundnesse and trueth are proper to such as are vertuous and all disguysing hath beene accounted odious It is not without cause that sundrye haue blamed and found fault with paynting which serueth not but to delight such as are licentious and proceedeth as Sainct Ciprian and Chrisostome wrote from the Diuel a lyar and deceiuer And if Saint Peter and Saint Paul exhort weomen not to haue their appareling outwarde as with broydered hayre and golde put about or in putting on of apparell but what is comely to weomen making profession of the trueth through good woorkes much lesse will they allowe of paynting God in Isaiah reprehendeth the daughters of Sion because they minsed as they went and decked themselues too curiously Among other things he sayeth that because they were haughtie and walked with outstretched neckes and with wandring eyes walking minsing as they went making a tinckling with their feete therefore shall the Lord make the heds of the daughters of Zion bald discouer their secrete partes and in that day shall take away the ornament of the slippers and the calles and the round tires the sweete balles the brasselets and the bonnets the tyres of the head and the sloppes the headbands and the tablets and the eare rings the rings the mufflers the costly apparel the vailes the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the launes and the men shal fall by the sworde for suffring such pride of women In Deuteronomie it is written The woman shall not weare that which pertaineth voto the man neither shall a man put on a womans raiment And we must glorifie God in our bodies and in our spirites which are his and the temples of the holie Ghost as S. Paul sayth and take heede of giuing offence to any It is without all doubt that there chaunceth sundrie great imperfections to children when weomen with childe goe too straite laced Tertullian in his booke of the rayments of weomen would haue them simple and differing from common maydens and such as were nice and drunken S. Ciprian and S. Ambrose vppon the like argument and S. Chrisostome vpon the 12. to the Hebrewes forbid painting to women and say that they giue occasion of offence and cause men to sinne and wallow in the stye of the brickle vanities of this world And Sueton telleth how Augustus called gorgious garments markes of pryde and nestes of riotousnes And many olde doctors of the Church haue greatly complained against such as curle their haire and aboue all things reproued the vse of wearing of perwigs And Clement Alexandrin writeth that as a man would iudge one to be yll at ease which weareth a plaster on his face or one that hath beene scourged to haue beene punished by lawe so doeth painting betoken a diseased soule marked with adulterie as Iezabel was founde fault with and punished And Platina reprehendeth Pope Paul the second The auncient fathers called it a corruption and staine if many colours were mingled togither And Homer speakinge of a peece of yuorie that was coloured red writeth that it was poluted with a staine A man may rather say so by ones face As also Horace called Lentiscus a lyar because he blacked his haire And K. Archidamus tolde an Orator which had done the like that he carryed a lye in his head therefore could say nothing well K. Philip said as much to one of Antipaters friends from whome he tooke away his office after that he vnderstood that he curled his haire beard telling him that he which in his haire was fals a liar could hardly be loyal in any good affaire This is the reason why Lycurgus forbad al kind of painting artificial garnishing to be vsed in the citie of Sparta ordaining in like sort that maidens should be giuen im marriage without dower to the ende that for want of money none should remaine vnmarried nor any sought for their goods but respecting the maners of the maiden eche one should make election of vertue in her whom he would marrie A Lacedemonian being demanded by a stranger why there was no lawe made against adulterers Why said he should there be any since all riches delicatenes al painting outward garnishing is forbidden in Sparta shame to do yll honestie obedience there hath al the authoritie preheminence And if a painter would take it greeuously for a great iniury offred vnto him if any other should adde any colours to the picture whiche had finished especially vpon the counterfaict of Princes which themselues would hold for a great contempt by the ciuil law the child may haue an action of the case against him which shal deface the portract of his father Wee may wel imagin how much it displeaseth God if by painting we seek to correct his work pollute his temple as S. Ierom writeth in an Epistle to Laeta against Heluidie And S. Chrisostom vpon the ninth of S. Matth. addeth that it maketh vs resemble strumpets hasteneth wrinkles before old age Titus Liuius telleth of one Vestale Postumea that she was accused vnder colour of appareling her self too netely S. Peter would haue a Christian woman which maketh professiō of godlines to liue holily as if she were of a religion wel reformed And it was excellently wel written by Tertullian that the force of faith is such that it is perceiued by mans vnderstāding by his countenance garments euery action And Plato said that they which were curious in bedecking of their body despised the care of their soule It were not amisse if euery one that were curious were serued as a