Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A14084
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The doue and the serpent In which is conteined a large description of all such points and principles, as tend either to conuersation, or negotiation.
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D. T. (Daniel Tuvill), d. 1660.
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1614
(1614)
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STC 24394; ESTC S118774
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53,201
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88
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to cut the threed of his fathers life the violence of his passion remoou'd the impediment of his speech and he cried out O stay thy hand It is the King thou hast at that aduantage This which through naturall loue was caused in him hath very ofteÌ„ by the disordered irregular motions of the Minde bin wrought in others Philotas by his ambitious vaunts and windie ostentations made a broade passage to his own confusion Sampson by dallying too much with his Dalilah betrayde his life and safety to the Philistims And Claudius Tac Annal Lib 12. by veÌ„ting forth a word in his distemperature gaue Agrippina warning to hasten his destruction I will not stand to amplifie this point with any more particulars but in a word aduise thee whosoeuer thou art that shalt thrust thy selfe abroad into the day so to compose thy inward minde that thy outward carriage may continually be calme and quiet For thence it is that all the parts and members of our bodie haue their stormie motions Hunc igitur fraenis hunc tu compesce Catena If this be setled once the Tongue cannot miscarrie We may obserue in Homer that such as are commended by him for their wisedome are likewise saide to bee most sparing of their speech Hee makes Vlysses after his returne to giue his sonne this charge If thou be mine from my bloud deriu'd Odyss Let none perceiue Vlysses is arriu'd Let not Laertes nor Eumaeus knowe it Nor vnto any of my Seruants showe it c. And to speake truth it is impossible according to that saying of Demaratus A foole should hold his peace Plutar. de Audit So that Spintharus did not meanely commend Epaminondas when he said He nere had entercourse with any in all his life that knew so much and spake so little as he did It is requisite therefore that they which take vpon them the performance of any publike office should first bend their endeuours to the attayning of Concealement For without this Liâ—tora bobus arant arenis pemina mandant They can neither be profitable to themselues nor seruiceable to others Lib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An open mouth sayeth Plutarke serues the Maister to no other vse then doth a house without a doore or a purse without a string Hee must not in any wise be like that place in the City of Olympias which for the often resounding of one and the selfe-same voyce by reason of diuers and sundry reflections in it was not without iust and due consideration surnamed Heptaphonos For howsoeuer it be a very difficult thing to restrain the tongue from intemperancie in this kinde and that many men are of such a temper that they could with greater patience endure to carry burning coales in their brests then â—ecrets Whereupon it often-times falls out that those things which are whispered in the eare are presently after published in the market yet is there no excuse wherewith to colour such a defect in one of publike place For besides an imputation of weakenesse which he brings thereby vpon himselfe he doth first of all controll the very purpose and intent of Nature who to shew vs the vnrulinesse of the tongue and with what strictnesse it is to be obserued hath as it were imprisoned it in the mouth chain'd it with sinowes to the throate wall'd it about with gummes hedg'd it in on euery side with teeth and for feare it might any way breake forth shut it vp closely with the lips as with a two-leau'd gate so that his iudgement and discretion which haue the charge and custodie thereof cannot but be liable to Censure if it make escape Secondly he doth digresse from Reason which confirmes vnto vs euery moment by infinite examples That the safetie of the tongue is the tree of life and hee which preserueth it according to that of the wise man Agâ—â—opir quabit Spiritâ—i Thirdly Hor. Carm. lib. 3. Od. 2. he maketh himselfe thereby an enemy to all Societie vetabo qui Câ—reris sacrum Vulgarit arcanae sub ijsdem Siâ— trabibus fragilâ—mque mecum Soluat fâ—â—elum sayth the Poet And in an other place he giueth euery one this caution Percunâ—â—atorâ—m fugito nam garruius idem est Fourthly he doth breake and violate the lawes of Nations Amongst the Persians Lingua magis castigabatur sayth Q. Curtius quà m vliâ—m probrum Q. Curt. lib. 4. the tongue was more seuerely punished then any crime nec magnam rem magis sustineâ—i potuisse crediderunt ab eo cuitacere graue esset quod facilâ—imâ—m voluâ—â—it esse Natura yea they disabled him from euer hauing the managing of any waightie charge that had not in him the power of Concealement and by this discipline they preuailed so farre that neither feare nor hope could euer drawe from them the least knowledge of that which was not to be knowne witnesse Alexander who notwithstanding the â—â—ligent enquities and industrious searches which he made after the plots and proiects of Darius could neuer learne the course of his proceedings Amongst the Egyptians likewise it was a capitall offence A Virgin in the Temple of Isis was defloured by a Priest Diodor. Sic. who hauing for the better compassing of his lustfull desires relyed vpon the secrecie of a third was by him betrayed vnto the Magistrate who pronounced the sentence of death against the malefactors and branded him for the hyre of his falsehood with an infamous and shamefull banishment And in other kingdomes where this was neuer punisht as a fault the contrary hath still beene honoured and rewarded as a Vertue Est fideli tuta silentio Merces Dionysius gaue straight commaundement the head of Brias one of the Gentlemen of his Chamber should be cut off for telling Plato who had demaunded of him what the Tyrant did That he had stripped himself by reason of the heate and was painting in a Table So that last of all he makes a blot of his owne Securitie and hazards vpon the vncertaine chances of the Dice his dearest safetie Vipers are torne in sunder with the bringing forth of their young and secret words issuing out of the mouth bring with them the vtter ruine and subuersion of those that reuealed them It is an oracle vttered vnto vs by the mouth of Wisedome Prouerb 13 verse 3. That he which keepeth his mouth keepeth his life And indeede it is as true as tride Non tacuisse nocet nocet esse locutum according to the saying of that good Simonides Amongst other Hieroglyphikes by which the Egyptians did shadow Silence forth they made the Quince-tree one whose fruite hath the proportion of the heart and whose leafe is fashioned like the tongue of man to signifie thereby vnto vs that Speech which is the fruite as it were of the Vnderstanding should be perpetually fastened vnto that and not to this Yea the spirit of Truth enformeth vs that he which hath knowledge spareth his words
cloathes Verè sapiens non se in aliquibus mutat sed aptat And such a one was Piso Tacit. Annal. 6. Lepidus Annal lib. 4. if not disguise her countenance and so she direct intend her course to the same goale run right or byas as she seeth occasion But I will step from hence vnto an other point which is to be obserued in this example and that is this That the dutie which we owe vnto our King and Countrie must alwayes be preserued and maintained with more religion and respect then either life or being There is infused and formed in all things a two-fold imitation or propension to what is good the one as euery particular is a Totall and essentiall substance of it selfe the other as it is a subordinate part or member to a greater body as appeareth plainely in those massier Elements which of their first and inbred forme doe make the center of the earth the onely period of their motion yet rather then nature should suffer any divulsion interruption or disturbance in the progresse and continuance of her course the water we see forsaketh the center to which of it selfe it standeth affectionate and inclinable and contrary to that inherent propertie of weightie bodies ascendeth vpwards to relieue the world In a man vnlesse he will belye the author of his creation through his degenerate and base proceedings it is expressed and set out in a farre fairer Character Rom. cap. 9. verse 3. Exod. cap. 32. vers 32. Saint Paul desireth to be anathematized for his brethren and Moses when the Israelites through their Idolatrous defection had in a terrible and fearfull manner incensed the Lord of hoasts against themselues becommeth an humble suter in their behalfe vnto his heauenly Maiestie desiring him that hee would cause his mercie to be knowne in the free pardon and remission of their sinnes if not that he would vouchsafe to rase his name out of those rolles and registers of Immortality which he himselfe had written Yea the very Heathens haue eleuated and exalted this good which is communicatiue aboue the thought of any priuate or particular respects Witnesse that memorable speech of Pompey the Great who when he was in Commission of purueyance for a dearth and scarsitie at Rome being earnestly disswaded by his friends from hazarding himselfe vpon the Sea in so rough a season controlled their faint and crauen allegations with this reply Plut. Apophtheg Vt eam non vt viuam necesse est It is necessarie that I should goe but not that I should liue and so set foote into the ship Tull. lib. 1. de Offic. Omnium societatum nulla est grauior nulla carior quà m ea quae cum Repub. est vnicuique nostrûm Cari sunt parentes cari liberi propinqui familiares sed omnes omnium caritates patria vna complexa est pro qua quis bonus dubitet mortem oppetere si ei sit profuturus Of all societies and combinations there is none so weightie as that which consisteth betweene the Common-wealth and euery home-borne Indiuiduall Our Parents are deare our Children deare our neighbours and acquaintance deare but all this dearenesse our Countrie deriueth wholly to it selfe for whose aduancement and commoditie no good or loyall Patriot will euer be afraid saith Tullie to abandon and forsake his life The safetie of our King must be preferred before the safetie of our neerest kinne So that our Agent as an honest and faithfull subiect must alwayes but especially in forraine regions where there is hath beene or in time may be any hostile difference as the leagues of loue and amitie betweene Princes are not alwayes of long continuance so fashion and conforme his carriage that the benefit of the publike weale maybe the onely marke and scope of his endeauours He must labour to get good information of such particulars as lye within the compasse of that Clime in which hee doth reside as namely of the situation of the place the nature and disposition of the people their lawes customes statutes and decrees their manner of gouernement as well Oeconomicall as Politicall their forces and reuenues their friendes factions and allyes and from thence descend to a diligent suruey of all Estates conditions by themselues quoting in euery determinate person of more honoured ranke his rules his principles and obseruations his desires endes and actions last of all his opposites fautors and competitors For if afterwards occasion of enter-course befall him with any such hee shall by this meanes knowe how to contriue dispose conduct and manage the businesse to his best aduantage In compassing the first there is no difficulty if in the choyce of his acquaintance hee fit himselfe with such as are familiar and conuersant with those that looke into the world and are likewise generally wel intelligenced themselues in euery seueral kinde as for the last it may be easily effected by getting priuacie inwardnes with their enemies friendes or seruants which indeed doe likely report them truest of anie For the malice of the first will peraduenture aggrauate and make worse their imperfections faultes and weakenesses the affection of the second too highly prize it may be their good deseruings vertues and abilities whereas the last are quickly drawne and wonne by those that are familiar with them to make a perfect and exact delineation both of their worth and wants discoursing of the one with signes of ioy and cheerfull approbation of the other with shewes of griefe and sad commiseration But if he would vnderstand their inclination from their owne discouery and knowe by sounding how well affected they are vnto their owne established gouernement if when need required they might not bee wrought to second assist his Soueraigne in any enterprise or attempt that might be to his profit and aduantage he were better proceede by way of argument and reasoning then direct enquiry It is a course of greater certainty of more security and such as with no small aduantage and successe was practised by Brutus and Cassius who intending the deposition of Caesar and hauing therevpon inuited to a supper certaine of their friends did set on foote the question of killing an Vsurper and a Tyrant with no other intent then to collect and gather by the iudiciall and definitiue arrest of each which of the number present might best be made associates with them in the businesse Or last of all he may follow the example of Germanicus who when the time was come that his armie should confront the forces of Arminius considered with himselfe in what manner he might come best to knowe how well prepared and resolued his soldiers were for that assault He knew it was the fashion of the Tribunes and Centurions Laeta saepius quà m comperta nuntiare Tacit Annal lib 2. to relate matters of gladnes rather then of truth Hee knew that his Liberti were of a base and seruile disposition that friends would rather flatter