places are Arbours and Gardeins to wofull and heauie hearts A slaue hath nothing to care for but himselfe alone but you that be princes haue to satisfie and please all men For the Prince should haue a time for himselfe and also for those which are about him The diuine Plato said well that hee that should haue the least parte of a Prince and belonging to a Prince ought to be the Prince himselfe For to that ende the Prince should bee all his owne he ought to haue no part in himselfe Though a slaue work trauel in the day yet he sleepes without care in the night but you Princes passe the time in hearing importunate suites and the nights in fetching innumerable sighs Finally I say that in a slaue be it well or be it euill all his paine is finished in one yeare or is ended at his death but what shall a wofull Prince doe when he dyeth If he were good there is but a short memory of his goodnesse and if hee hath beene euill his infamy shall neuer haue end I haue spoken these things to the end that great and small Lords and seruants should confesse and acknowledge the true Seigniory to be onely vnto him who for to make vs Lords aboue became a seruant heere beneath CHAP. XXX When the Tyrants beganne to ratgne and vpon what occasion commaunding and obeying first begann And how the authority which the Prince hath is by the ordinance of God CEasing to speake any further of the Poeticall Histories and auncient faynings and speaking the truth according to the diuine Histories the first that did liue in this World was our Father Adam who did eate of the fruite forbidden and that not so much for to trespasse the commaundement of one as for not to displease his wife Eue For many now a dayes had rather suffer theyr conscience a long time to bee infected then one onely day to see theyr wiues displeased The first homicide of the worlde was Caine The first that dyed in the World was Abel The first that had two wiues in the World was Lamech The first City of the World was by Enoch built in the fields of Edon The first Musition was Tubalcaim The first which sayled in the World was Noe The first Tyrant of the World was Nembroth The first Priest was Melcrisedech The first King of the World was Anraphel The first Duke was Moyses The first which was called Emperour in the World was Iulius Caesar For vntill this time they which gouerned were called Consuls Censors and Dictators And from Iulius Caesars hitherto haue beene called Emperours The first battell that was giuen in the world as wee reade was in the wilde valleyes which now they call the dead and salt sea For a great part of that that then was the maine land is novv the dead sea The holy Scriptures cannot deceyue vs for it is full of all truth and by them it is declared that eighteene hundred yeares after the World beganne there was no battell assembled nor company that met to fight in the field for at that time when they had no ambition nor couetousnesse they knew not what battell meant It is reason therefore that in this writing we declare the cause why the first battell was fought in the world to the end Princes may thereof bee aduertised and the curious Reader remaine therein satisfied The manner was this that Bassa being King of Sodome Bersa King of Gomorrhe Senaab King of Adamee Semebar King of Seboime and Vale King of Segor were all fiue Tributaries to Chodor Lanmor King of the Elamites which fiue Kings conspired against him because they would pay him no tribute and because that they would acknowledge no homage vnto him For the realmes paying tribute haue alwayes rebelled and sowed sedition This rebellion was in the 13 yeare of the raigne of Chodor Laomor King of the Elamites and immediately the yeare following Anraphel king of Sernaar Arioch king of Ponte and Aradal King of the Allotali ioyned with Chodor Laomor All which together beganne to make warres to destroy Cities and Countries vpon their enemies For the olde malice of the warre is That where they cannot haue their enemies which are in the fault they put to sacke and destroy those which are innocent and guiltlesse So the one assaulting and the other desending in the end all come to the field they gaue battell as two enemies and the greatest part was ouercome of the fewest and the fewest remayned victorious ouer the greatest which thing God would suffer in the first battell of the world to the end Princes might take example that all the mishappes of the Warres come not but because they are begun of an vniust occasion If Chodor Laomor had helde himselfe contented as his Predecessors did and that hee had not conquered Realmes in making them subiect and had not caused them to pay tribute neyther they vnto him would haue denyed reason nor hee with them would haue waged battell For thorow the couetousnesse of the one and the ambition of the other enmities grew betweene the people This considered which wee haue spoken of Sygnorie and of those which came into contentions for signories Let vs now see from whence the first originall of seruitude came and the names of seruantes and Lordes which were in the old time and whether seruitude was by the discorde of vertuous men first brought into the World or else inuented by the ambition of tyrants for when the one commaundeth and the other obeyeth it is one of the nouelties of the world as the holy Scripture declareth vnto vs in this manner The holy Patriarch Noah had three sons which were Sam Ham and Iaphet and the second sonne which was Ham begot Cusn and this Cusn begotte Nimrod Nimrod made himselfe a Hunter of wilde beasts in the woodes and mountaines Hee was the first that beganne to play the Tyrant amongst men enforcing their persons and taking their goods and the Scripture called him Oppressor hominum which is to say an Oppressor of men For men of euill life alwaies commit much euill in a Common-wealth He taught the Chaldeans to honor the fire hee was the first that presumed to be an absolute Lord and the first that euer required of men homage and seruice This cursed tyrant ended his life in the golden World wherein all things were in common with the Common-wealth For the Auncients vsed their goods in common but their wils onely they reserued to themselues They ought not so thinke in a light matter for his persō to haue been a tyrant but they ought to think it a greater matter to haue beene a rebel in a Common-wealth much more they ought to esteeme it as an euill matter in him which hath beene as hee was a disturber of the good customes of his country but the most vniust of all is to leaue behind him any euil custom brought into the common wealth for if hee deserue great
whereby the good were fauoured and also institutions of grieuous paines wherewith the wicked were punished Although truely I had rather and it were better that the good should loue reason then feare the law I speake of those which leaue to doe euill workes for feare onely of falling into the punishments appoynted for euill doers For although men approue that which they do for the present yet God condemaeth that which they desire Seneca in an epistle hee wrote vnto his friende Lucille saide these wordes Thou writest vnto mee Lucille that those of Scicile haue carryed a great quantitie of Corne into Spaine and into Affrike the which was forbidden by a Romaine law and therefore they haue deserued most grieuous punishment Now because thou art vertuous Thou mayest teache mee to doe well and I that am olde will teach thee to say well and this is because that amongst wise and vertuous men it is enough to say that the Law commaundeth appoynteth and suffereth this thing but in as much as it is agreeing with reason For the crowne of the good is reason and the scourge of the wicked is the law The fourth thing that commonly through the worlde amongst all men was accepted was the Barbers And let no man take this thing in mockery For if they doe reade Plinie in the 59. chapter and the seuenth booke there they shall finde for a Trueth that in those former times the Romaines were in Rome 454. yeares without eyther powling or shauing the hâ—ires off the bearde of anie man Marcus Varro said that Publius 〈◊〉 was the first that brought the barbers from Scicilie to Rome But admit it were so or otherwise yet notwithstanding there was a great contention among the Romaines For they sayd they thought it a rash thing for a man to commit his life vnto the curtesie of another Dyonisius the Syracusian neuer trusted his Beard with any barbor but when his Daughters were very little they clipped his beard with sisers but after they became great hee would not put his trust in them to trimme his beard but hee himselfe did burne it with the shales of nuttes This Dyonisius Syracusan was demaunded why hee would not trust any Barbours with his beard He aunswered Because I know that there bee some which will giue more to the Barbor to take away my life then I will giue to trimme my beard Plinie in the seuenth booke sayeth that the great Scipio called Affrican and the Emperour Augustus were the first that caused them in Rome to shaue their beards And I thinke the end why Plinie spake these things was to exalt these two Princes which had as great courage to suffer the rasours to touch their throats as the one for to fight against Hanniball in Affricke and the other against Sextus Pompeius in Scicilie The fifte thing which commonly throgh the world was accepted were the Dyalls and clockes which the Romains wanted a long time For as Plinie and Marcus Varro say the Romaines were without clockes in Rome for the space of 595. yeares The curious Hystoriographers declare three manner of dyalls that were in old time that is to say Dyalls of the houres Dyalls of the Sunne and Dyalls of the Water The dyall of the Sunne Aneximenides Millesius inuented who was great Animandraes scholler The dyall of the water Scipio Nasica inuented the dyall of houres one of the Schollers of Thales the phylosopher inuented Now of all these Antiquities which were brought into Rome none of them were so acceptable to the Romaines as the Dyalls were whereby they measured the day by the houre For before they could not say we will rise at seuen of the clocke wee will dine at ten we will see one the other at twelue at one wee will doe that wee ought to doe But before they sayde after the Sunne is vp wee wil doe such a thing and before it goe downe wee will do that wee ought to doe The occasion of declaring vnto you these fiue antiquities in this preamble was to no other entent but to call my Booke the Diall of Princes The name of the Booke beeing new as it is may make the learning that is therin greatly to be esteemed God forbid that I should bee so bolde to say they haue been so long time in Spaine without dayes of learning as they were in Rome without the Diall of the Sunne the water and of the houres For that in Spaine haue beene alwaies men well learned in Sciences and very expert in the warres By great reason and of greater occasion the Princes ought to bee commended the knights the people their wits and the fertility of their Countrey but yet to all these goodnesse I haue seen many vnlearned bookes in Spaine which as broken Dials deserue to bee cast into the fire to bee forged anew I doe not speake it without a cause that many bookes deserue to bee broken and burnt For there are so many that without shame and honesty doe set forth bookes of loue of the world at this day as boldlie as if they taught them to despise and speake euill of the world It is pitty to see how many dayes and nights be consumed in reading vaine bookes that is to say Orson and Valentine the Court of Venus and the foure sonnes of Amon and diuers other vaine bookes by whose doctrine I dare boldly say they passe not the time but in perdition for they learne not how they ought to flye vice but rather what way they may with more pleasure embrace it This Diall of Princes is not of sand nor of the Sunne nor of the houres nor of the water but it is the Diall of Life For the other Dials serue to know what houre it is in the night and what houre it is of the day but this sheweth and teacheth vs how wee ought to occupie our minds and how to order our life The property of other Dials is to order things publike but the Nature of this dyal of Princes is to teach vs how to occupie our selues euerie houre and how to amend our life euery moment It little auaileth to keepe the dyalls well and to see thy Subiects dissolutely without any order to range in routes and dayly rayse debate and contention among themselues The End of the generall Prologue THE AVTHOVRS PROLOGVE SPEAKETH PARTICVLARLIE of the Booke called MARCVS AVRELIVS which he translated and dedicated to the Emperour CHARLES the fift THe greatest vanity that I finde in the world is that vaine men are not onely content to be vaine in their life but also procure to leaue a memory of their vanity after their death For it is so thought good vnto vaine and light men which serue the world in vain works that at the houre of death when they perceyue they can do no more and that they can no longer preuaile they offer themselues vnto death which now they see approch vpon them Many of the World are so fleshed in the World that
banishment I did helpe him with money and moreouer he was banished another time for the lightnes hee did commit in the night in the Citie and I maruell not hereof For we see by experience that Olde men which are fleshed in vices are more obstinate to correct then the young Oh what euill fortune haue the old men which haue suffered themselues to waxe olde in vice For more dangerous is the fire in an old house then in a newe and a great cut of a sword is not so perillous as a rotten Fistula Though olde men were not honest and vertuous for the seruice of the Gods and the commonwealth for the saying of the people nor for the example of the young yet he ought to bee honest if it were but for the reuerence of their yeares If the poore old man haue no teeth how shall he eate If he haue no heate in his stomacke how can he disgest If hee haue no taste how can he drinke if he be not strong how can hee be an adulterer if he haue no feet how can he goe if he haue the palsey how can he speake if he haue the gowte in his hands how can he play Finally such like worldly vicious men haue employed their forces being young desirous to proue al these vices and when they are old it grieueth thē extreamly that they cānot acomplish their desire Amongst all these faultes in olde men in myne opinion this is the chiefest that since they haue proued all things that they should still remaine in theyr obstinate follie There is no parte but they haue trauelled no villanie but they haue essayed no Fortune but they haue proued no good but they haue persecuted no euill but hath chanced vnto them nor there is any wickednes but they haue attēpted These vnhappie men which in this sort haue spent all their youth haue in the ende theyr combes cut with infirmities and diseases yet they are not so much grieued with the vices which in them doe abound to hinder them from vertues as they are tormented for want of corporall courage to further them in their lustes Oh if wee were Gods or that they would giue vs licence to knowe the thoughtes of the olde as wee see with our eyes the deedes of the young I sweare to the God Mars and also to the Mother Berecynthia that without comparison wee would punish more the wicked desires which the aged haue to be wicked then the light deedes of the young Tell mee Claude and Claudine doe you thinke though you behaue your selues as young you shall not seme to be olde Knowe you not that our nature is the corruption of our bodie and that our bodie hindereth our vnderstandings and that the vnderstandings are kept of our soule and that our soule is the mother of desires and that our desires are the scourge of our youth and that our youth is the ensigne of our age and age the spye of death and that death in the end is the house where life taketh his harbor from whēce youth flyeth a foot frō whence age cānot escape a horseback I would reioyce that you Claude and Claudine would but tell mee what you finde in this life that so much therwith you should be contented since no we you haue passed foure-score yeares of life during the which time either you haue bin wicked in the worlde or else you haue bin good If you haue bin good you ought to thinke it long vntill you bee with the good Gods if you haue bin euill it is iust you dye to the ende you be no worse For speaking the truth those which in threescore and ten yeares haue bin wicked in workes leaue small hope of their amendment of life Adrian my Lord beeing at Nola in Campania one brought vnto him a nephew of his from the studie whereas the yong childe had not profited a little for hee became a great Grecian and Latinist and moreouer hee was faire gratious and honest And this Emperour Adrian loued his Nephew so much that he saide vnto him these wordes My Nephewe I knowe not whether I ought to say vnto thee that thou art good or euill For if thou be euill life shall be euill employed on thee and if thou be good thou oughtest to dye immediately and because I am worse then all I liue longer then all These words which Adrian my Lord said doe plainly declare and expresse that in short space the pale and cruell death doth assault the good and lengtheneth life a great while to the euill The opinion of a phylosopher was that the gods are so profound in their secrets high in their mysteries and so iust in their works that to men which least profite the commonwealth they lengthen life longest and though he had not saide it we others see it by experience For the man which is good and that beareth great zeale friendship to the Commonwealth eyther the Gods take him from vs or the Enemyes doe slay him or the daungers doe cast him away or the trauells doe finish him When the great Pompeyus and Iulius Caesar became enemyes and from that enmitie came to cruell warres the Gronicles of the time declare that the kings and people of the occidental part became in he fauour of Iulius Caesar and the mightiest and most puissant of al the oriental parts came in the ayde of great Pompeius because these two Princes were loued of a few and serued and feared of all Amongst the diuersity and sundry nations of people which came out of the Orientall part into the hoast of the great Pompeius one nation came maruellous and cruell barbarous which sayde they dwelled on the other side of the mountaine Riphees which goe vnto India And these Barbarians had a Custome not to liue no longer then fifty yeares and therefore when they came to that age they made a greater fire and were burned therin aliue and of their owne wils they sacrificed themselues to the Gods Let no man be astonied at that we haue spoken but rather let them maruell of that wee will speake that is to say that the same day any man had accōplished fifty yeares immediately hee cast himselfe quicke into the fire and his friends made a great feast And the feast was that they did eate the flesh of the dead halfe burned and dranke in wine and water the ashes of his bones so that the stomacke of the childrē being aliue was the graue of the Fathers being dead All this that I haue spoken with my tongue Pompeius hath seene with his eyes for that some being in the camp did accomplish fifty yeares and because the case was strange hee declared it oft in the Senate Let euery man iudge in this case what he will and condemne the barbarians at his pleasure yet I will not cease to say what I thinke O golden world which had such men O blessed people of whom in the World to ome shall be
he hath fetched in the night Truely I thinke and in my thought I am nothing deceiued that if a prince would declare vnto vs his whole life and that hee would particularly shewe vs euery thing wee would both wonder at that bodie which had so much suffered and also we would be offended with that heart which had so greatly dissembled It is a troublesome thing a dangerous thing and an insolent and proud enterprise for a man to take vpon him with a penne to gouerne the Common-wealth and with a Prince to reason of his life For in deed men are not perswaded to liue well by faire words but by vertuous deedes And therefore not without cause I say that hee is not wise but very arrogant that dare presume vnasked to giue a Prince counsell For princes in many things haue their mindes occupyed and haughtely bent and som of them also are affectionate and whereas wee peraduenture thinke to haue them mercifull wee finde them more angrie and heauie against vs. For counsell doeth more harme then profite if the giuer thereof be not very wise and hee also which receyueth it very pacient I haue not bin a Prince for to know the trauels of Princes nor am as president to counsell Princes and yet I was so bolde to compile this Booke it was not vpon presumption to counsell a Prince so much as by an humble sort to giue mine aduise For to giue counsell I confesse I haue no credite but to giue them aduise it sufficeth mee to bee a subiect What the order is in that I haue taken in this Booke how profitable it is to all men and how vnpleasaunt to no man how wholsom and profound doctrine in it is contayned and how the Historyes bee heerein applyed I will not that my pen doe write but they themselues shall judge which shall read this worke We see it oft come to passe that diuers Bookes doe loose their estimation not for that they are not very good and excellent but because the Authour hath been too presumptuous and vaine-glorious For in mine opinion for a man to praise his owne wrytings much is nothing else but to giue men occasion to speake euill both of him and of his workes Now let no man thinke that I haue written this which is written without great aduisement and examination I doe confesse before the Redeemer of the whole world that I haue consumed so many yeares to seeke what I should write that these two yeares one day hath scarcely escaped me wherein my Pen hath not done his dutie to write or correct in this worke I confesse that I tooke great paines in writing it for of truth it hath been written twice with mine owne hand and thrice with another mans hand I confesse I haue read and searched in diuers and sundrie partes manie good and straunge books to the end I might finde good and pleasaunt doctrine and besides that I trauelled much to set and apply the Hystories to the purpose For it is an vnseemely thing to applie an hystorie without a purpose I had great respect in that I was not so briefe in my wrytings that a man might note mee to bee obscure nor yet in anie thing so long that any man should slaunder mee with too much talke For all the excellencie of Wryting consisteth where many and goodly Sentences are declared in fewest and aptest words For oft times the long stile is loathsome and tedious both to the Hearers and Readers Nero the Emperour was in loue with a Ladie in Rome named Pompeia the which in beautie to his fantasie exceeded all others In the ende partly with intreatie partly with Money and presents he obtained of her that hee desired For in this case of loue where prayers and importunities bee paciently heard resistance doth lacke The inordinate loue that Nero bare to Pompeia proceeded of the yealow haires she had which were of the colour of Amber and in praise of her he compiled diuers and sundry songs in Heroicall-Meeter and with an instrument sang them himselfe in her presence Nero was a sage Prince wise and excellently well learned in the Latine tongue and also a good Musitian yet Plutarch in his book of the jests of noble women to declare the vanitie and lightnes of Nero reciteth this history and describing Pompeia that her bodie was small her fingers long her mouth proper her eyelids thin her nose somwhat sharpe her teeth small her lips red her necke white her fore-head broad and finally her eyes great and rowling her brest large well proportioned What think you would Nero haue done if hee had so affectionately set his fantasie vpon al other her beautiful properties since that for the loue only of her yellow locks he was depriued both of his wisdom also senses For vaine light men loue commonly not that which reason commandeth but that which their appetite desireth The loue of the Emperour increased with folly so much that not onely he counted seuerally al the haires that his louer Pompeia had on her head but also gaue to euery hayre a proper name and in prayse of euery one of them made a song insomuch that this effeminate Prince spent more time in banqueting and playing with his louer Pompeia then he did to reform and amend the faults of the common wealth yea his folly so much surmoūted all reason that he commaunded a combe of golde to bee made and therewith hee himselfe combed her yellow locks And if it chaunced that any one hayre in combing fell off hee by and by caused it to be set in golde offered it vp in the Temple to the Goddesse Iuno For it was an ancient custome among the Romanes that the thinges which they entirely loued whether it were good or euill should bee offered vp to their gods And when it was once knowne that Nero was so in loue with those haires of Pompeia which were of the color of amber all the Ladies endeauoured themselues not onely to make artificially theyr hayre of that colour but also to weare their garments and other attires of the same colour in somuch that both men and women did vse collers of amber brooches and ringes set with amber and all their other iewels were of amber For alwayes it hath beene seene and euer shall be that those things whereunto the Prince is most addicted the people follow and aboue all other couet the same Before this Emperour Nero plaied this light part in Rome the amber stones was had in little estimation after that hee set so much by it there was no precious stone in Rome so much esteemed Yea and furthermore the Marchant gained nothing so much whether it were in golde or silke as he did in the amber stones nor brought any kind of marchandize to Rome more precious or more vendible then that was I do maruell at this vanitie foras-much as the children of the world do loue desire and labour more to
What is there to see but hath bin seene what to discouer but hath bin discouered what is there to read but hath bin read what to write but hath bin written what is there to knowe but hath bin knowne Now-adayes humaine malice is so experte men so well able and our wittes so subtill that wee want nothing to vnderstand neyther good nor euill And wee vndoe ourselues by seeking that vaine knowledge which is not necessary for our life No man vnder the pretence of ignoraunce can excuse his fault since all men know all men reade and all men learne that which is euident â—n this case as it shall appeare Suppose the Plough-man and the Learned-man do goe to the Law and you shall perceyue the Labourer vnder that simple garment to forge to his Counsellour halfe a dozen of malitious trickes to delude his aduersarie as finely as the other that is learned shall bee able to expound two or three Chapters of this booke If men would employ their knowledge to honesty wisedome patience and mercy it were well but I am sorry they know so much onely for that they subtilly deceiue and by vsury abuse their neighbours and keepe that they haue vniustly gotten and dayly getting more inuenting new trades Finally I say if they haue any knowledge it is not to amend their life but rather to encrease their goods If the deuil could sleep as meÌ„ do he might safely sleepe for whereas he waketh to deceyue vs wee wake to vndo our selues Well suppose that all this heretofore I haue sayde is true Let vs now leaue aside craft and take in hand knowledge The knowledge which we attaine to is small and that which wee should attain to so great that all that wee know is the least part of that wee are ignorant Euen as in things naturall the Elements haue their operations according to the varietie of time so morall Doctrines as the aged haue succeeded and sciences were discouered Truly all fruites come not together but when one fayleth another commeth in season I meane that neyther all the Doctors among the Christians nor all the Philosophers among the Gentiles were concurrant at one time but after the death of one good there came another better The chiefe wisdome which measured all thinges by iustice and dispearseth them according to his bounty will not that at one time they should bee all Wisemen and at another time all simple For it had not beene reason that one should haue had the fruit and the other the leaues The old world that ranne in Saturnes dayes otherwise called the golden world was of a truth much esteemed of them that saw it and greatlie commended of them that wrote of it That is to say it was not guided by the Sages which did guild it but because there was no euill men which did vnguilde it For as the experience of the meane estate and Nobility teacheth vs of one onely person dependeth as well the fame and renowne as the infamy of a whole house and parentage That age was called golden that is to say of gold and this our age is called yron that is to say of iron This difference was not for that gold then was found and now yron nor for that in this our age there is want of them that be sage but because the number of them surmounreth that be at this day malicious I confesse one thing and suppose many will fauour mee in the same Phauorin the Philosopher which was master to Aulus Gelius and his especiall friend saide oft-times that the Phylosophers in olde time were holden in reputation Because there were fewe teachers and many learners We now-adayes see the contrarie For infinite are they which presume to bee Maisters but fewe are they which humble themselues to be Schollers A man may know how little Wise-men are esteemed at this houre by the great veneration that the Phylosophers had in the olde time What a matter is it to see Homer amongst the Grecians Salomon amoÌ„gst the Hebrewes Lycurgus amongst the Lacedemonians Phoromeus also amongst the Greeks Ptolomeus amongst the Egiptians Liuius amongst the Romaines and Cicero likewise amongst the Latines Appolonius amongst the Indyans and Secundus amongst the Assyrians How happie were those Phylosophers to bee as they were in those dayes when the world was so full of simple personnes and so destitute of Sage men that there flocked great numbers out of diuers countreys and straunge Nations not onely to heare their doctrine but also to see theyr persons The glorious Saint Hierome in the prologue to the Byble sayth When Rome was in her prosperitie then wrote Titus Lyuius his deedes yet notwithstanding men came to Rome more to speake with Titus Linius then to see Rome or the high capitol therof Marcus Aurelius writing to his friend Pulio saide these wordes Thou shalt vnderstand my Friende I was not chosen Emperor for the Noble bloud of my predecessors nor for the fauour I had amongst them now present For there were in Rome of greater bloud and Riches then I but the Emperour Adrian my Maister set his eyes vpon mee and the Emperor Anthonie my Father in law chose mee for his Sonne in law for none other cause but for that they saw me a friend of the Sages and an enemie of the ignoraunt Happie was Rome to chuse so wise an Emperour and no lesse happie was he to attaine vnto so great an Empire Not for that hee was heire to his predecessours but for that hee gaue his minde to studie Truely if that Age were then happie to enioy his person no lesse happie shall ours bee now at this present to enjoy his doctrine Salust saith they deserued great glory which did worthie feates and no lesser merited they which wrote them in high stile What had Alexander the great bin if Quintus-Curtius had not written of him what of Vlysses if Homer had not bin borne what had Alcybiades bin if Zenophon had not exalted him what of Cyrus if the phylosopher Chilo had not put his actes in memorie what had been of Pyrrus king of the Epyrotes if Hermicles chronicles were not what had bin of Scipio the great Affricane if it had not bin for the Decades of Titus Liuius what had been of Traian if the renowmed Plutarch had not bin his friend what of Nerua and Anthonius the meeke if Phocion the Greeke had not made mention of them How should wee haue knowne the stoute courage of Caesar and the great prowesse of Pompeius if Lucanus had not written them what of the twelue Caesars if Suetonius Tranquillus had not compyled a booke of their liues And how should we haue knowne the antiquities of the Hebrues if the vpright Ioseph had not beene Who could haue knowne the comming of the Lombardes into Italie if Paulus Dyaconus had not writ it How could we haue knowne the comming in and the going out of the Gothes in Spayne if the curious Roderious had not showed it vnto
those which were new apparrelled And to say the truth we determined not to goe thither thou because thy garments were torne and I because my shoes were broken and that both the times wee were sicke in Capua they neuer cured vs by diet for our diseases neuer proceeded of excesse but of extreame hunger And oftentimes Retropus the Physition for his pleasure spake to vs in the Vniuersity sayd Alas children you dye not through surfetting and much eating And truely hee sayde truth for the Country was so deare and our mony so scarce that wee did neuer eate vntill the time we could endure no longer for famine Doest thou not remember the great famin that was in Capua for the which cause wee were in the war of Alexandria wherein my flesh did tremble remembring the great perils which wee passed in the gulfe of Theberinth What snowes at winter what extreame heate all Summer what generall famine in the fields what outragious pestilence amongst the people and worst of all what persecution of strangers and what euill will we had of ours remember also that in the city of Naples when wee made our prayer the Prophetesse Flauia shee tolde vs what should become of vs after vvee left our Studies Shee tolde mee that I should bee an Emperour and sayde that thou shouldest be a King To the which answere wee gaue such credite that wee tooke it not onely for a mocke but also for a manifest iniury And now I do not maruell in that then we both maruelled wonderfull much For enuious fortune practised her power more in plucking downe the rich then in setting vp the poore Beholde excellent Princes the great power of the Goddesse the wheele of fortune and the variety of times who would haue thought when I had my hands all rough and scuruy with rowing in the Galley that betweene those hands the Scepter of the Romane Empire should haue been put Who vvould haue thought when I was so sicke for lacke of meate that I should euer haue surfetted by too much eating Who vvould haue thought when I could not bee satisfied vvith cattes flesh that I should haue then glutted with too much dainty meates Who vvould haue thought at that time when I left going into the Temple because my shooes were broken that another time should come when I should ride triumphing in Chariots and vpon the shoulders of other men who would haue thought that that which with my eares I heard of the Prophetes in Campagnia I should see heere with my eyes in Rome O how many did hope at the time we were in Asia to be gouernours of Rome Lords of Sicille which not onely fayled of the honour that they desired but also obtayned the death which they neuer feared for oftentimes it chaunceth to ambitious men that in their greatest ruffe and when they thinke their honour spun and wouen then their estate with the webbe of their life in one moment is broken If at that time one had demaunded the Tirant Laodicius aspiring to the Kingdome of Sicille and Ruphus Caluus who looked to be Emperour of Rome what they thought of themselues assuredly they would haue sworne their hope to haue been as certaine as ours was doubtfull For it is naturall to proud men to delight themselues and to set their whole mind vpon vaine deuises It is a strange thing and worthy of memory that they hauing the honour in their eyes fayled of it and wee not thinking thereof in our hearts should obtaine it But herein fortune shewed her might that shee prouided hope for those which looked for least and despayre for others that hoped for most vvhich thing grieued them at the very heart For no patience can endure to see a man obtaine that without trauell which hee could neuer compasse by much labour I cannot tell if I should say like a simple Romane That those things consist in fortune or if I should say like a good Philosopher That all the Gods doe ordaine them For in the end no Fortune nor chaunce can doe any thing without the Gods assent Let the proud and enuious trauell asmuch as they will and the ambitious take as much care as they can I say and affirme that little auayleth humane diligence to attaine to great estates if the Gods bee theyr enemies Suppose that euill Fortune doe ordaine it or that the God and Gods doe suffer it I see those which haue their thoughts high oftentimes are but of base estate and so in fine to come to mischiefe or extream pouerty those that haue their thoghts low are humble of heart and for the more part are greatly exalted by fortune For many oftentimes dreame that they are Lords and men of great estate which when they are awake finde themselues slaues to all men The condition of honour is such as I neuer read the like and therfore such as haue to doe with her ought to take good heed For her conditions are such shee enquireth for him whom she neuer saw and she runneth after him that flyeth from her she honoureth him that esteemeth her not and she demaundeth him which willeth her not she giueth to him that requireth her not and she trusteth him whom she knoweth not Finally Honour hath this custome to forsake him that esteemeth her to remaine with him which little regardeth her The curious Trauellers aske not what place this or that is but doe demand what way they must take to leade them to the place they goe I meane the Princes and Noble men ought not directly to cast their eyes vpon honour but in the way of vertue which bringeth them to honour For dayly wee see many remaine defamed onely for seeking honour and others also exalted and esteemed for flying from her O miserable World thou knowest I know thee well and that which I know of thee is That thou art a Sepulchre of the dead a prison of the liuing a shoppe of vices a Hangman of vertues obliuion of antiquity an enemy of things present a pittefall to the rich and a burden to the poore a house of Pilgrimes and a denne of theeues Finally O World Thou art a slaunderer of the good a rauenour of the wicked and a deceyuer and abuser of all and in thee O world to speake the trueth It is almost impossible to liue contented and much lesse to liue in honour For if thou wilt giue honour to the good they thinke themselues dishonoured and esteeme thy honour as a thing of mockerie And if perchance they bee euill and light thou sufferest them to come often to honour by way of mockery meaning infamy dishonour vnto them O immortall Gods I am oftentimes troubled in my thought whose case I should more lament eyther the euill man aduanced without desert or the good man ouerthrowne without cause And truely in this case the pitifull man will haue compassion on them both For if the euill liue hee is sure to fall and if
whom he neyther lifted speare nor sword because all yeelded to his cōmandment With these and such other like things they would haue feared them for that words oft times maketh men more afraide especially when they are spoken of braue stoute men then doe the swords of cowards Lucius Bosco saith in his third booke of the antiquityes of the Grecians of whom the originall of this hystorie is drawne that after the Embassadours of Alexander had spoken to the Garamantes they were nothing at all troubled for the message neither did they fly away from Alexander nor they prepared any warre neyther tooke they in hand any weapon nor yet they did resist him Yea and the chiefest of all was that no man of the Countrey euer departed out of his house Finally they neyther answered the Ambassadors of Alexander to theyr right message nor yet spake one word vnto them concerning their coming And truly the Garamantes had reason therein and did in that right wisely For it is but meere follie for a man to perswade those men with words who enterprise any thing of will It is a maruellous matter to heare reported the hystories of these Garamantes that is to say that all theyr houses were of equall height all men were apparelled alike the one had no more authority then another in feeding they were no glouttons in drinking wine they were temperate concerning pleas and debates they were ignorant they would suffer no idle man to liue among them they had no weapons because they had no enemyes and generally they spake few words but that which they spake was alwayes true King Alexander being somwhat informed of those Garamantes and their life determined to send for them and called them before his presence and instantly desired them if they had any wise men among them to bring them vnto him and by writing or by word of mouth to speake somewhat vnto him For Alexander was such a friend to sage men that all the realms which he ouercame immediately he gaue to his men excepting the Sages which he kept for his owne person Quintus Curtius by king Alexander sayth that a Prince doth wel spende his treasors to conquer many Realms only to haue the conuersation of one wise man And truely he had reason for to princes it is more profit in their life to bee accompanied with Sages then after their deaths to leaue great treasours to their heires Certaine of those Garamantes thē being come before the presence of Alex the great one among them as they thoght the most ancientst himselfe alone the residue keeping silence in the name of them all spake these words CHAP. XXXIII Of an Oration which one of the Sages of Garamantia made vnto King Alexander a goodly lesson for all ambitious men IT is a custome king Alexander amongst vs Garamantes to speake seldome one to another scarsely neuer speake to strangers especially if they be busie and vnquiet men For the tongue of an euil man is no other but a plaine demonstration of his enuious heart When they tolde vs of thy comming into this countrey immediately wee determined not to goe out to receyue thee nor to prepare our selues to resist thee neyther to lifte vp our eyes to beholde thee nor to open our mouthes to salute thee neyther to moue our hands to trouble thee nor yee to make warre to offend thee For greater is the hate that we beare to riches and honours which thou louest then the loue is that thou hast to destroy men and subdue Countreyes which we abhorre It hath pleased thee we shuld see thee not desiring to see thee and wee haue obeied thee not willing to obey thee and that we should salute thee not desirous to salute thee wherewith wee are contented vppon condition that thou be patient to heare vs. For that which we will say vnto thee shall tend more vnto amendmēt of thy life then to disswade thee frō conquering our countrey For it is reason that Princes which shal come hereafter doe know why wee liuing so little esteeme that which is our owne and why thou dying takest such paines to possesse that which is another mans O Alexander I aske thee one thing and I doubt whether thou canst aunswer me thereunto or no For those hearts which are proud are also most commonly blinded Tell me whether thou goest from whence thou commest what thou meanest what thou thinkest what thou desirest what thou seekest what thou demandest what thou searchest and what thou procurest and further to what Realms Prouinces thy disordinate appetite extendeth Without a cause do I not demand thee this question what is that thou demandest and what it is that thou seekest For I think thou thy selfe knowest not what thou wouldest For proud and ambicious hearts know not what will satisfie them Sith thou art ambitious honor deceiueth thee sith thou art prodigall couetousnes beguyleth thee sith thou art yong ignorance abuseth thee and sith thou art proude all the world laugheth thee to scorne in such sort that thou followest men and not reason thou followest thine owne opinion and not the counsell of an other thou embracest flatterers and repulsest vertuous men For Princes and Noble men had rather bee commended with lyes thē to be reproued with truth I cannot tell to what ende you Princes liue so deceyued and abused to haue keepe in your pallaces more flattrers iuglers and fooles then wise and sage men For in a princes pallace if there bee any which extolleth theyr doings there are ten thousand which abhorre their tyrannies I perceiue by these deeds Alexander that the gods will sooner end thy life then then wilt end thy wars The man that is brought vp in debates discentions and strife all his felicitie consisteth in burning destroying and bloud shedding I see thee defended with weapōs I see thee accōpanied with tirants I see thee rob the tēples I se thee without profit wast the treasors I see thee murder the Innocent and trouble the patient I see thee euill willed of all and beloued of none which is the greatest euill of all euils Therefore how were it possible for thee to endure such and so great trauels vnlesse thou art a foole or else because God hath appointed it to chastice thee The Gods suffer oftentimes that men being quiet should haue some weighty affayres and that is not for that they should be honoured at this present but to the end they should be punished for that which is past Tell mee I pray thee peraduenture it is no great folly to empouerish many to make thy selfe alone rich It is not peraduenture folly that one should commaund by tyranny and that all the rest lose the possession of their Seigniory It is not folly perchance to loue to the damnation of our soules many memories in the world of our body It is not folly perchance that the Gods approue thy disordinate appetite alone and condemne the will and opinion of all the
ought to be friend to one and enemie to none Besides all this wee haue amongst vs great friendshippes good peace great loue much rest and aboue all wee holde our selues contented for it is better to enioy the quietnesse of the graue then to liue a discontented life Our Lawes are few but in our opinions they are good and are in seuen words onely included as here followeth Wee ordaine that our children make no more Lawes then wee their Fathers doe leaue vnto them for new Lawes maketh them to forget good and ancient customes We ordaine that our Successors shall haue no moe Gods then two of the which the one God shall bee for the life and the other for the death for one God well serued is more worth then many not regarded Wee ordaine that all bee apparrelled with one cloath and hosed of one sort and that the one haue no more apparrell then the other for the diuersity of garments engendreth folly among the people Wee ordaine that when any woman which is maried hath had three children that then shee bee separated from her husband for the aboundance of children causeth men to haue couetous hearts And if any woman hath brought forth any mo children then they should bee sacrificed vnto the Gods before her eyes We ordaine that all men and women speake the truth in all things and if any bee taken in a lye committing no other fault that immediately hee bee put to death for the same For one lyer is able to vndoe a whole multitude We ordaine that no woman liue aboue forty yeares and that the man liue vntil fifty and if they dye not before that time that then they be sacrificed to the Gods for it is a great occasion for men to bee vicious to thinke that they shall liue many yeares CHAP XXXV That Princes ought to consider for what cause they were made Princes and what Thales the Philosopher was of the 12. questions asked him and of his answere he made vnto them IT is a common and olde saying which many times by Aristotle the noble and vertuous Prince hath beene repeated That in the end all thinges are done to some purpose for there is no worke neyther good nor euil◠but he that doth it meaneth to some end If thou demaundest the Gardener to what end he watereth so oft his plants hee will answere thee it is to get some money for his hearbes If thou demaundest why the riuer runneth so swift a man will answere thee that it his to the end it should returne from whence it came If thou demaundest why the trees budde in the spring time they will answere to the end they may beare fruite in haruest If wee see a traueller passe the mountaines in the snow the riuers with perill the woods in feare to walke in extreame heate in Sommer to wander in the night time in the colde winter and if by chance a man doth aske one of them saying Friend whether goest thou wherefore takest thou such paines And hee aunswereth Truly sir I know no more then you to what end neyther can I tell why I take such paines I aske thee now what a wise man would answere to this innocent Traueller Truly hearing no more hee would iudge him to bee a foole for he is much infortunate that for all his trauell looketh for no reward Therefore to our matter a Prince which is begotten as an other man borne as an other man liueth as an other man dyeth as an other man And besides all this commaundeth all men if of such a one wee should demaund why God gaue him signiory and that he should answere hee knoweth not but that he was borne vnto it In such case let euery man iudge how vnworthy such a King is to haue such authority For it is vnpossible for a man to minister iustice vnlesse hee knew before what iustice meaneth Let Princes and noble men heare this word imprint it in their memory which is that when the liuing God determined to make Kings and Lords in this world hee did not ordaine them to eate more then others to drinke more then others to sleepe more then others to speake more thē others nor to reioyce more then others but hee created them vpon condition that sith he had made thē to commaund more then others they should be more iust in their liues thē others It is a thing most vniust and in the Common wealth very slaunderous to see with what authority a puissant man commandeth those that bee vertuous and with how much shame himselfe is bound to all vices I know not what Lord he is that dare punish his subiect for one onely offence committed seeing himselfe to deserue for euery deede to bee chastised For it is a monstrous thing that a blinde man should take vpon him to leade him that seeth They demaunded great Cato the Censor what a King ought to doe that he should be beloued feared and not despised he answered The good Prince should be compared to him that selleth Tryacle who if the poyson hurteth him not hee selleth bis Triacle well I mean therby that the punishment is takē in good part of the people which is not ministred by the vitious man For hee that maketh the Tryacle shall neuer bee credited vnlesse the proofe of his Triacle bee openly knowne and tryed I meane that the good life is none other then a fine Triacle to cure the Common-wealth And to whome is he more like which with his tongue blazeth vertues and imployeth his deedes to all vices then vnto the man who in the one hand holdeth poyson to take away life and in the other Triacle to resist death To the end that a Lord bee wholy obeyed it is necessary that all that he commaundeth bee obserued first in his owne person for no Lord can nor may withdraw himselfe from vertuous works This was the answere that Cato the Censor gaue which in mine opinion was spoken more like a Christian then any Romane When the true God came into the World he employed 30. yeares onely in workes and spent but two yeares and a halfe in teaching For mans heart is perswaded more with the worke hee seeketh then with the word which hee heareth Those therfore which are Lords let them learne and know of him which is the true Lord and also let Princes learne why they are Princes for he is not a Pylot which neuer sayled on the seas In mine opinion if a Prince will know why he is a Prince I would say to gouern well his people to command well and to maintaine all in iustice and this should not bee with words to make them afrayde neyther by works which should offend them but by sweet words which should encourage them and by the good workes that should edifie them for the noble and gentle heart cannot resist him that with a louing countenance commaundeth Those which will rule and make tame fierce and wilde beasts do
to gather with trauell the grape know thou that heere in my palace thou shalt not want of the wine The Gods will not suffer that now in this moment thou shuldst find my heart shut from thee whose gates I found alwaies for the space of twentie yeares open vnto mee Sith that my Fortunes wrought me to the Empire I haue alwayes had two things things before mine eyes that is to say not to reuenge my selfe of mine enemies neither to bee vnthankfull to my friends For I pray to the Gods daylie rather then hereafter through vnthankfulnes my renowm should be defamed that euen now with forgetfulnes my bodie should be buryed Let a man offer to the Gods what sacrifices he will let him doe as much seruice to men as he can yet if he be vnthankfull to his friend hee ought in all and for all to bee vtterly condemned Because thou shouldest see my friend Pulio how greatly the auncient friend ought to bee esteemed I will declare thee an example of a Philosopher the which to heare thou wilt somewhat reioyce The auncient Histories of the Grecians declare that among the seuen Sages of Greece there was one named Periander who was Prince Gouernour a great while and he had in him such liuelinesse of Spirit on the one side and such couetousnesse of worldly goods on the other side that the Historiographers are in doubte whether was the greater the Philosophy that hee taught reading in the Schooles or the tyranny that hee vsed in robbing the Common-wealth for truly the science which is not grounded of truth bringeth great damages to the person In the second yeare of my Empire I was in the City of Corinth where I saw the Graue which contained the bones of Periander where about was engrauen in Greeke verses and old letter this Epitaph Within the compasse of this narrow graue Wretched Periander enclosed lyes Whose cruel facts could Greece alone not haue So small a soyle his hunger could suffice Here lodgeth oke loe Periander dead His filthy flesh the hungry wormes doe eate And liuing he with Orphelines good was fed His greedy guts did craue such dainty meate The Tyrant Periander stayeth here Whose life was built to hinder all the rest And eke whose death such profit large did bear As brought reliefe to him that had the least Here wicked Periander resteth now His life did cause great peopled realmes decay His death that forst his liuing sprite to how Assurde them life that stoode in brittle stay The cursed Periander heere doth lye Whose life did shed the poore and simple blood And eke that clambe to riches rule so hye By others swette they sought for wasting good Of Corinth loe here Periander rest To seeme for iust that equall Lawes did frame Yet flitting from the square that they possest By vertues doome deserude a Tyrants name The Catiue Periander sleepeth here That finisht hath his 80. years with shame And though his life that thousands bought so deer Be faded thus yet bloometh stil his blame There was more letters on the graue but because it was alone in the fielde the great waters had worne it so that scarsely the letters could bee roade and truely it was very olde in his time it seemed to bee a sumptuous thing but the negligence of reparation lost it quite and it is not to bee maruelleed at for in the end time is of such power that it causeth renowmed men to be forgotten and all the sumptuousbuildings to decay and fall to the earth If thou wilt know my friend Pulio in what time the tyrant this Philosopher was I will thou know that when Catania the renowned City was builded in Cicilia neere the Mount Ethna and when Perdica was the 4. King of Macedonia and that Cardiced was the third King of the Medes and when Candare was fift king of the Libeans and that Assaradoche was ninth King of the Assyrians and when Merodache was twelfth King of the Caldeaus and that Numa Pompilius raigned second King of the Romanes and in the time of those so good Kinges Periander raigned amongst the Assirians And it is meete thou know an other thing also which is this That this Periander was a Tyrant not only in deede but also in renowme so that they spake of no other thing thorow Greece but it tended hereunto Though hee had euill works hee had good words and procured that the affayres of the Common-wealth should bee well redressed For generally There is no man so good but a man may finde somewhat in him to bee reproued neyther any man so euill but hee hath some thing in him to bee commended I doe yet remember of my age being neyther too yong nor too old that I saw the Emperour Traian my Lord suppe once in Agrippine and it so chanced that wordes were moued to speake of good and euill Princes in times past as wel of the Greekes as of the Romans that all those which were present there cōmended greatly the Emperour Octauian and they all blamed the cruell Nero for it is an ancient custom to flatter the princes that are present and to murmur at Princes that are past When the good Emperour Traian was at dinner and when he praied in the Temple it was maruell if any man saw him speake any word and that day since hee saw that they excessinely praysed the Emperour Octauian and that the others charged the Emperour Nero with more then needed the good Traian spake vnto them these words I am glad you commend the Emperour Octauian but I am angry you should in my presence speake euill of the Emperour NERO and of none other for it is great infamy to a Prince being aliue to heare in his presence any Prince euill reported after his death Truely the Emperour Octauian was very good but yee will not deny me but hee might haue beene better and the Emperour Nero was very euill but you will graunt mee hee might haue beene worse I speake this because Nero in his first fiue yeares was the best of all and the other nine following he was the worst of all so that there is both cause to disprayse him and also cause to commend him When a vertuous man will speake of Princes that are dead before Princes which are aliue hee is bound to prayse onely one of their vertues that they had and hath no licence to reueale the vices whereof they were noted for the good deserueth reward because he endeauoureth himselfe to follow vertue and the euill likewise deserueth pardon because through frailety he hath consented to vice All these wordes the Emperour Traian spake I being present they were spoken with such fiercenes that all those which were there present both chaunged their colour and also refrayned their tongues For truly the shamelesse man feeleth not so much a great stripe of correction as the gentle heart doth a sharpe worde of admonition I was willing to shew thee these things my
and had memorie fresh being meanely learned in Philosophy but he was of much eloquēce and for to encourage and counsell the Athenians he was sent to the warres For when the Ancients tooke vpon them any warres they chose first Sages to giue counseil then Captains to leade the souldiers And amongst the Prisoners the Philosopher Epicurus was taken to whom the tyrant Lysander gaue good entertainement and honoured him aboue all other and after hee was taken hee neuer went from him but read Philosophy vnto him and declared vnto him histories of times past and of the strength and vertues of many Greekes and Troians The tyrant Lysander reioyced greatly at these things For truly tyrants take great pleasure to heare the prowesse and vertues of Ancients past and to follow the wickednesse and vices of them that are present Lysander therefore taking the triumph and hauing a Nauie by sea and a great Army by land vpon the riuer of Aegeon he and his Captaines forgot the danger of the wars and gaue the bridle to the flothfull flesh so that to the great preiudice of the Common wealth they led a dissolute and idle life For the manner of tyrannous Princes is to leaue off their ownt trauell and to enioy that of other mens The Philosopher Epicurus was alwayes brought vp in the excellent Vniuersity of Athens whereas the Philosophers liued in so great pouerty that naked they slept on the ground their drinke was colde water none amongst them had any house proper they despised riches as pestilence and labored to make peace where discord was they were onely defenders of the Common wealth they neuer spake any idle word and it was a sacriledge amongst them to heare a lye and finally it was a Law inuiolable amongst them that the Philosopher that should bee idle should bee banished and he that was vicious should be put to death The wicked Epicurius forgetting the doctrine of his Master and not esteeming grauity whereunto the Sages are bound gaue himselfe wholly both in words and deedes vnto a voluptuous beastly kind of life wherin he put his whole felicity For hee sayde There was no other felicity for slothfull men then to sleepe in soft beds for delicate persons to feele neyther hote nor cold for fleshly men to haue at their pleasure amorus Dames for drunkards not to want any pleasant wines and gluttons to haue their fils of al delicate meats for herein hee affirmed to consist all worldly felicity I doe not maruell at the multitude of his Schollers which hee had hath and shall haue in the world For at this day there are very few in Rome that suffer not themselues to be mastered with vices and the multitude of those which liue at their owne wils and sensuality are infinite And to tell the truth my friend Pulio I do not maruell that there hath been vertuous neither doe I muse that there hath beene vitious for the vertuous hopeth to rest himselfe with the Gods in an other World by his well doing and if the vitious bee vitious I doe not maruell though he will goe and engage himselfe to the vices of this world since he doth not hope neyther to haue pleasure in this not yet to enioy rest with the gods in the other For truly the vnstedfast beleefe of an other life after this wherein the wicked shall bee punished and the good rewarded causeth that now a dayes the victous and vices raigne so as they doe Of the Philosopher Eschilus ARtabanus beeing the sixt king of Persians and Quintus Concinatus the husbandman beeing onely Dictator of the Romanes in the Prouince of Tharse there was a Philosopher named Aeschilus who was euill fauoured of countenance deformed of body fierce in his lookes and of a very grosse vnderstanding but hee was fortunate of credite for he had no lesse credite amongst the Tharses then Homer had among the Greekes They say that though this Philosopher was of a rude knowledge yet otherwise he had a very good naturall wit and was very diligent in harde things and very patient with these that did him wrong hee was exceeding couragious in aduersity and moderate in prosperities And the thing that I most of all delighted in him was that hee was courteous and gentle in his conuersation and both pithie and eloquent in his communication For that man onely is happy where all men prayse his life and no man reproueth his tongue The auncient Greekes declare in their Histories that this Philosopher Aeschilus was the first that inuented Tragedies and that got money to represent them and sith the inuention was new and pleasant many did not onely follow him but they gaue him much of their goods And maruel not thereat my friend Pulio for the lightnesse of the Common people is such that to see vaine things all will runne and to heare the excellency of vertues there is not one will goe After this Philosopher Aeschylus had written many bookes specially of Tragedies and that he had afterward trauelled through many Countries Realmes at the last hee ended the residue of his life neare the Isles which are adioyning vnto the Lake of Meatts For as the diuine Plato saveth when the auncient Philosophers were young they studied when they came to be men they trauelled and then when they were old they retyred home In mine opinion this Philosopher was wise to do as he did and no lesse shall men now a dayes bee that will imitate him For the Fathers of wisdome are Science and Experience and in this consisteth true knowledge when the man at the last returneth home from the troubles of the World Tell me my friend Pulio I pray thee what dooth it profite him that hath learned much that hath heatd much that hath knowne much that hath seene much that hath beene farre that hath bought much that hath suffered much and hath proued much that had much if after great trauell he doth not retire to repose himselfe a little truly hee cannot be counted wise but a foole that willingly offereth himselfe to trauell hath not the wit to procure himselfe rest for in mine opinion the life without rest is a long death By chance as this ancient Philosopher was sleeping by the lake Meatis a Hunter had a Hare with him in a Cage of woode to take other Hares by whereon the Eagle seazed which tooke the Cage with the Hare on high and seeing hee could not eate it hee cast it downe againe which fell on the heade of this Philosopher and killed him This Philosopher Aeschylus was demaunded in his life time wherein the felicity of this life consisted hee answered that in this opinion it consisted in sleeping and his reason was this that when wee sleepe the entisements of the flesh do not prouoke vs nor the enemy persecute vs neyther the friends do importune vs nor the colde winter oppresse vs nor the heate of long Sommer doth annoy vs nor yet wee
licence to all the Plebeyans to the end that euery one doe loue his wife his children and his Parents And this sorte of loue hee will not that Princes haue to whome hee perswadeth that first aboue all things they loue theyr cōmon-wealth For if the prince doe loue anie thing aboue his Common-wealth it is vnpossible but that one day for the loue of that he will wring Iustice When Plato gaue not licence vnto Princes not to enlarge theyr loue on diuers things peraduenture he would counsell them least they should doe some wrongs It chaunceth oft times that Princes doe omit iustice not for that they will not administer it but because they will not bee informed of things which they ought to remedie and looke vnto And this is vnexcusable where hee hurteth his honour burdeneth his conscience For at the day of iudgement though hee be not accused for malice yet hee shall be condemned for negligence The Prince which is carefull to see and to enquire the dammages of his Realmes we may say that if he doeth not prouide for them it is because he can do no more but he which is negligent to see them and know them we cannot say but if he leaue to prouide it is for that hee will not The Prince or great Lorde which dare take vpon him such things what name or renowme may we giue him I would not we should call such a one father of the commonwealth but destroyer of his countrey For there can be no tyrannie greater nor more vnequall then for the physitian to aske his duety for his cure before hee hath begunne to minister the medicine That Princes and great Lords desire to know their reuenues I allow them but in that they care not to knowe the dāmages of their commonwealths I do discommend them For the people pay tribute to their Princes to the ende they should deliuer them from their enemies and defend them from tyraunts For the Iudges which wil be euill though I say much it will profite little but vnto those which desire to bee good that which is spoken as I thinke sufficeth Notwithstanding that which is spoken I say that Iudges and gouernors ought to consider wel with themselues and see if they wil be counted for iust ministers or cruell tirants For the office of a Tyrant is to robbe the Common-wealth and the Office of the good Prince is to reforme the people Noble Princes and great Lordes haue more businesse then they thinke they haue to see all those which will see them and to heare all those which will complaine vnto them And the cause hereof is admitte that which the Subiect demaundeth hee presently cannot giue nor that whereof hee complaineth he cannot remedie yet notwithstanding they remaine after a sort contented saying that they haue now shewed all their complaynts and iniuries vnto their princes For the wounded harts oftentimes vtter their inward paines which they feele without anie hope to receyue comforte of that which they desire Plutarche in his Apothegmes sayeth that a poore and aged woman desired king Philippe of Macedonie which was father of king Alexander the great that hee would heare her with iustice and sith shee was very importunate vpon him K Philip saide on a day vnto her I pray thee woman bee contented I sweare by the gods I haue no leysure to heare thy complaint The old woman answered the king Beholde K Philippe if thou hast not time to heare mee with iustice resigne thy Kingdome and another shall gouerne thy Commonwealth CHAP. III. Of an oration which a villaine dwelling neere to the riuer of Danuby maae before the Senatours of Rome concerning the tyrannies and oppressions which their officers vsed in his countrey And the Oration is diuided into three Chapters IN the tenth yeare of the raigne of the good Emperour Marcus Aurelius there happened in Rome a generall pestilence the which being so outragious the good Emperour went into Campaigne which at time was very healthfull without diseases though it was very drie and wanted much of that which was necessarie yet notwithstanding the good Emperor was there with all the principall Senatours of Rome for in the time of pestilence men doe not seeke where they should reioice their persōs but where they may saue their liues Marcus Aurelius being there in Campagnia was sore vexed with a Fener and as his condition was alwaies to bee amongst sages so at that time his sicknesse required to be visited by Physitians The resort that he had in his Pallace was very great as well of Philosophers for to teach as of Physitians for to dispute For this prince ordered his life in such sorte that in his absence things touching the warre were well prouided and in his presence was nothing but matters of knowledge argued It chaunced one day as Marcus Aurelius was enuironed with Senators philosophers physitians and other Sage men a question was moued among them how greatly Rome was changed not onely in buildings which almost were vtterly decayed but also in maners which were wholly corrupted the cause of this euill grew for that Rome was full of flatterers and destitute of those which durst say the truth These and such other like wordes heard the Emperour tooke vp his hand and blessed him and declared vnto them a notable example saying In the first yeare that I was Consull there came a poore villaine from the riuer of Danuby to aske iustice of the Senate against a Censor which did sore oppresse the people and in deed hee did so well propound his complaint and declare the folly and iniuries which the Iudges did in his Country that I doubt whether Marcus Cicero could vtter it better with his tongue or the renowmed Homer haue writen it more eloquently with his pen. This villaine had a small face great lips hollow eyes his colour burnt curled hayre bare-headed his shoes of Porpyge skinne his coat of goates skinne his girdle of bul-rushes a long beard and thicke his eye brows couered his eyes the stomacke and the necke couered with skinnes heared as a Beare and a clubbe in his hand Without doubt when I saw him enter into the Senate I imagined it had beene a beast in forme of a man and after I heard that which he sayd I iudged him to bee a God if there be Gods among men For it was a fearefull thing to behold his person it was no lesse monstrous to heare his words At that time there was great prease at the dore of the Senate of many diuers persons for to solicite the affayres of their Prouinces yet notwithstanding this villaine spake before the others for two causes The one for the men were desirous to heare what so monstrous a man would say The other because the Senators had this custome that the complaints of the poore should bee heard before the requests of the rich Wherefore this villaine afterwards in the middest of the Senate beganne to tell
crooked To the end Iustices be vpright they ought much to trauell to bee liberall I meane in things wherein they ought to giue sentence It is vnpossible that those which haue respect in theyr sentences to fauour their Friendes should not accustomably vse to bee reuenged of theyr enemyes Truely such a Iudge ought not to bee called iust but a priuate tyrant Hee that with affection iudgeth and passion punisheth is greatly deceyued Those in like manner which haue authority to gouerne and doe thinke that for borrowing a little of Iustice they should therby encrease and multiplie friends in the common wealth are much abused For this acte before men is so heynous and before GOD so detestable that though for a space he refraine his hands yet in the ende hee will extend his power For the Redeemer of the world onely Father of Trueth will not permit that such doe take vppon them the title of Iustice which in their Offices do shew so extreame wrong Helius Spartianus in the life of Anthonius saith that the good Emperour going to visite his Empire as he was in Capua and there demaunding of the state of the Censours whether they were vniust or rightfull A man of Capua saide in this wise By the immortall Gods most noble Prince I sweare that this Iudge who presently gouerneth here is neither iust nor honest and therefore mee thinks it necessarie that wee depriue him of his dignitie and I will recount vnto thee what befell betweene him and mee I besought him that for my sake hee would graunt me foure things which were all vniust and hee willingly condescended therevnto wherof I had no lesse maruell in my hart then vexation in my bodie For when I did desire him I thought nothing lesse then to obtaine them but only for the contentation of those which instantly desired me to doe it And further this Capuan saide By the God Genius I sweare likewise that I was not the more friendly vnto him for that he sayde he did it for my sake more then for another For hee that to mee would graunt these foure it is to bee beleeued that vnto others hee would graunt them foure hundreth For the which thou oughtest to prouide most noble Prince because good Iudges ought to be patient to heare and iust to determine By this notable example Iudges ought to haue a great respect not to those which doe desire them but to that which they demaund For in doing their duty their enemyes will proclaime them iust and contrary wise if they doe that they should not doe their nearest friends wil account them as tyrants Iudges which pretend fauour vnto the common-wealth and to bee carefull of their consciences ought not to content themselues simply to doe Iustice but that of themselues they should haue such an opinion that none durste presume to come and require at their hands any vile or dishonest thing For otherwise if we note the demaunder to bee vnshamefaste we must needes somewhat suspect the Iudge in his iustice Princes ought also to bee very circumspect that the Iudges be not onelie contented to bee iust honest and true but also in them there ought to remaine no auarice nor couetousnes For Iustice and Auarice can seldome dwell in one house Those that haue the charge of the gouernement of the people and to iudge causes ought to take great heed that with bribes and presentes they be not corrupted For it is vnpossible but that the same day that Riches and Treasures in the houses of Iudges begin to increase that the same day the true administration of Iustice should not decay Lycurgus Prometheus and Numa Pompylius did prohibite nothing in their Law so much neyther for any other cause they ordained so many punishments but to the intent Iudges should not bee so couetous nor yet thieues And of truth they had great consideration to foresee and forbid it For the iudge that hath receyued parte of the Thefte will not giue sentence against the stealers thereof Let not iudges be credited for saying they receyue no siluer nor golde neyther silkes nor iewells but that they take onely small presentes as fruites fowles and other trifles For oftentimes it chaunceth that the iudges doe eate the fruite and the poore Suter doeth feele the morsell Cicero in the booke of lawes saith that Cato the Censor beeing very aged the Senators said vnto him one day in the Senate Thou knowest now Cato that presently wee are in the Calendes of Ianuary wherein wee vse to deuide the Offices among the people Wherefore wee haue determined to create Manlius and Calidanus Censors for this yeare wherefore tell vs as thou thinkest if they be able and sufficient to supplye the rowme Cato the Censour answered them in this wise Fathers conscript I let you knowe that I do not receyue the one nor admit the other For Manlius is very rich and Calidanus the citizen extream poore and truly in both there is great perill For we see by experience that the rich Officers are too much subiect to pleasures and the poore Officers are too much giuen to auarice And further hee said in this case me thinketh that your Iudges whom yee ought to chuse should not bee so extreame poore that they should want wherewith to care neither so rich that they should surmount in superfluity to giue themselus too much to pleasurs For men by great aboundance become vitious and by great scarcitie become couetous The Censor Cato beeing of such authoritie it is but reason that wee giue credite to his words since hee gouerned the Romane Empire so long space though in deed all the poore bee not couetous nor all the rich vitious yet hee spake it for this intent because both those Romans were noted of these two vices For the poore they desire to scrape and scratch and the rich to enioy and keepe Which of those two sortes of men Princes should chuse I cannot nor dare not rashly determine And therefore I doe not counsell them eyther to despise the poore or to chuse the rich but that they giue the authoritie of iustice to those whom they know to bee of good conscience and not subiect to couetousnesse For the iudge whose Conscience is corrupted it is vnpossible hee should minister equall iustice A man may giue a shrewde guesse of suspition in that iudge whether hee bee of brittle conscience or no if hee see him procure the office of iustice for himselfe For that man which willingly procureth the charge of conscience of another commonly little regardeth the burthen of his owne CHAP. VII Of a Letter which the Emperour Marcus Aurelius wrote to Antigonus his friend answering another which hee sent him out of Scicile wherein hee aduertised him of the cruelty of the Romane Iudges and this Letter is diuided into v. Chapters MArcus Aurelius companion in the Empire Tribune of the people presently being sicke wisheth vnto thee Antigonus health comfort in the
no sporte nor lightnes inuented in Rome but first it is registred in your house And finally they say that you giue your selues so vnto pleasures as though you neuer thought to receyue displeasures O Claude and Claudine by the God Iupiter I sweare vnto you that I am ashamed of your vnshamefastnes and am greatly abashed of your manners and aboue all I am exceedingly grieued for your offence For at that time that you ought to lift your hands you are returned againe into the filth of the world Manie things men commit which though they seeme graue yet by moderation of the person that cōmitteth them they are made light but speaking according to the truth I finde one reason whereby I might excuse your lightes but to the contrarie I see tenne whereby I may condemne your follies Solon the Phylosopher in his Lawes said to the Athenians that if the young offended hee should be gently admonished and grieuously punished because he was strong and if the olde erre hee should bee lightly punished and sharply admonished sith hee was weake and feeble To this Lycurgus in his lawes to the Lacedemonians sayd contrarie That if the young did offend hee should be lightly punished and grieuously admonished since through ignorance he did erre and the olde man which did euill should bee lightly admonished and sharply punished since thorough malice hee did offend These two phylosophers beeing as they haue bin of such authority in the worlde that is past and considering that their lawes and sentences were of such weight it should bee much rashnes in not admitting the one of them Now not receiuing the one nor rereprouing the other Mee thinketh that there is no great excuse to the young for their ignorance and great condemnation to the aged for their experience Once againe I returne to say that you pardon me my friends and you ought not greatly to weigh it thogh I am somewhat sharpe in condemnation since you others are so dissolute in your liues for of your blacke life my penne doth take inke I remember wel that I haue heard of thee Claude that thou hast beene lusty and couragious in thy youth so that thy strength of all was enuyed and the beauty of Claudine of all men was desired I will not write vnto you in this letter my friends and neighbours nether reduce to memory how thou Claude hast employed thy forces in the seruice of the comonwealth and thou Claudine hast won much honor of thy beauty for sundry times it chāced that men of many goodly giftes are noted of grieuous offences Those which striued with thee are all dead those whom thou desirest are deade those which serued thee Claudine are dead those which before thee Claudine sighed are dead those which for thee dyed are now dead and since all those are deade with theyr lightnesse doe not you others thinke to die and your follies also I doe demand now of thy youth one thing and of thy beauty another thing what do you receiue of these pastims of these good entertainements of these aboundances of these great contentations of the pleasures of the world of the vanitie that is past and what hope you of all these to carry into the narrow graue O simple simple and ignoraunt persons how our life consumeth and wee perceiue not how wee liue therein For it is no felicitie to enioy a short or long life but to know to employ the same eyther well or euill O children of the earth and Disciples of vanitie now you know that Time flyeth without mouing his wings the life goeth without lifting vp his feete the World dispatcheth vs not telling vs the cause men doe beguile vs not mouing their lippes our flesh consumeth to vs vnawares the heart dyeth hauing no remedie and finally our glorie decaieth as it it had neuer beene and death oppresseth vs without knocking at the dore Though a man be neuer so simple or so very a foole yet hee cannot deny but it is impossible for to make a fire in the bottome of the sea to make a way in the ayre of the thinne bloud to make rough sinewes and of the soft veines to make hard bones I meane that it is vnpossible that the greene flower of youth be not one day withered by age CHAP. XX. The Emperour followeth his Letter and perswadeth Claudius and Claudinus being now olde to giue no more credite to the World nor to any of his deceitfull flatteryes THat which I haue spoken now tendeth more to aduertise the young then to teach the olde For you others haue now passed the prime time of childhood the summer of youth and the haruest of adolescency and are in the winter of age where it seemeth an vncomely thing that those your hoary haires should bee accompanied with such vaine follies Sithens young men know not that they haue to end their youth it is no maruell that they follow the world but the olde men which see themselues fall into this guile why will they runne after vices againe O world for that thou art the world so smal is our force so great our debilitie that thou willing it and we not resisting it thou dost swallow vs vp in the most perillous gulfe and in the thornes most sharpe thou dost pricke vs by the priuiest wayes thou leadest vs by the most stony waies thou carriest vs. I meane that thou bringest vs to the highest fauours to the end that afterwards with a push of thy pike thou mightest ouerthrow vs. O world wherein all is worldly two and fifty yeeares haue passed since in thee I was first borne during which time thou neuer toldest mee one truth but I haue taken thee with ten thousand lyes I neuer demanded the thing but thou diddest promise it me and yet it is nothing at all that euer thou diddest perform I neuer put my trust in thee but euer thou beguiledst me I neuer came to thee but thou diddest vndoo me finally neuer saw I ought in thee wherby thou deseruest loue but alwayes hatred This presupposed I know not what is in thee O world or what we worldlings want for if thou hatest vs we cannot hate thee if thou doest vs iniury we can dissemble it if thou spurne vs with thy feet wee wil suffer it if thou beatest vs with a staffe wee wil hold our peace also though thou persecutest vs we will not complain though thou take ours wee will not demand it of thee though thou dost beguile vs we will not call ourselues beguiled and the worst of all is that thou doest chase vs from thy house yet we will not depart from thence I know not what this meaneth I know not from whence this commeth I know not who ought to prayse this same that wee couet to follow the world which wil none of vs and hate the gods which loue vs oft times I make account of my yeares past somtimes also I turne and tosse my booke to see what
for admit the pillers be of gold the beames of siluer and that those which ioyne them bee kings those which build them noble in that mining they consume a 1000. yeares before they can haue it out of the ground or that they can come to the bottomes I sweare vnto them that they shall finde no stedy rocke nor liuely mountain where they may build their house sure nor to cause their memory to bee perpetuall The immortall Gods haue participated all things to the mortal men immortality onely reserued therefore they are called immortall for so much as they neuer dye and wee others are called mortall because dayly we vanish away O my friēd Cincinnatus men haue an end thou thinkest the Gods neuer ought to ende Now greene now ripe now rotten fruit is seuered from this life from the tree of the miserable flesh and esteem this as nothing for so much as this is naturall But oftentimes in the leafe or flower of youth the frost of some disease or the perill of some mishap doth take vs away so that when wee thinke to be aliue in the morning we we are dead in the night It is a tedious and long worke to weaue a cloth yet whē in many daies it is wouen in one moment it is cut I meane that it is much folly to see a man with what toyle hee enricheth himselfe and into what perill he putteth himself to win a state of honour and afterwards when wee thinke litle we see him perish in his estate leauing of him no memory O my friend Cincinnatus for the loue that is betweene vs I desire thee and by the immortall Gods I do coniure thee that thou giue no credit to the world which hath this condition to hide much copper vnder little gold vnder the colour of one truth hee telleth vs a thousand lyes and with one short pleasure he mingleth tenne thousand displeasures He beguileth those to whom he pretendeth most loue and procureth great damages to them to whom he giueth most goods hee recompenseth them greatly which serue him in iest and to those which truly loue him he giueth mockes for goods Finally I say that when wee sleepe most sure he waketh vs with greatest perill Eyther thou knowest the world with his deceit or not if thou knowest him not why dost thou serue him if thou dost know him why dost thou follow him Tell mee I pray thee wouldest not thou take the theefe for a foole which would buy the rope wherewith hee should bee hanged and the murtherer that would make the sword wherewith hee should bee beheaded and the robber by the hie-way that would shew the well wherein hee should be cast and the traytor that should offer himselfe in place for to be quartered the rebel that shold disclose himselfe to be stoned Then I swear vnto thee that thou art much more a foole which knowest the world and will follow it and serue it One thing I will tell thee which is such that thou neuer oughtest to forget it that is to say that we haue great need of faith not to beleeue the vanities which we see then to beleeue the great malice which with our eares we heare I returne to aduise thee to read and consider this word which I haue spoken for it is a sentence of profound mistery Doest thou thinke Cincinnatus that Rich men haue little care to get great riches I let thee know that the goods of this world are of such condition that before the poore man doth locke vp in his chests an 100. crownes hee feeleth a thousand griefes and cares in his heart Our predecessors haue seen it we see it presently our successors shall see it that the money which wee haue gotten is in a certaine number but the cares and trauels which it bringeth are infinit We haue few painted houses and few noble estates in Rome that within a litle time haue not great cares in theyr hearts cruell enmityes with their neighbours much euill will of theyr heyres disordinate importunities of their frends perilous malices of their Enemies and aboue all in the Senate they haue innumerable proces and oft times to locke vp a little good in their chests they make tenne thousand blots in their honour Oh how manie haue I knowne in Rome to whom it hath chaunced that all that they haue gotten in Rome to leaue vnto their best beloued Childe another heyre with little care of whom they thought not hath enioyed it There can bee nothing more iust then that all those which haue beguyled others with deceyte in their life should bee found deceyued in their vaine imaginations after theyr death Iniurious should the Gods be if in all the euils that the euill propound to doe they should giue them time and place to accomplish the same But the gods are so iust and wise that they dissemble with the euill to the ende they should beginne and follow the things according to theyr owne wills and fantasies and afterwardes at their best time they cut off their liues to leaue them in greater torment The Gods should bee very cruell and to them it should bee great griefe to suffer that that which the euill haue gathred to the preiudice of many good they shold enioy in peace many yeres Mee thinketh it great follie to knowe that we are borne weeping and to see that wee dye sighing and yet for all this wee dare liue laughing I would aske of the world and his worldlings sithens that we enter into the world weeping and go out of the world sighing why wee should liue laughing For the rule to measure all parts ought to be equall Oh Cincinnatus who hath beguyled thee to the ende that for one bottle of water of the Sea of this worlde for thy pleasure thou wilt blister thy hand with the rope of cares and bruse thy bodie in the anckor of troubles and aboue all to aduenture thine own honour for a glasse of water of another man By the faith of a good man I sweare vnto thee that for all that great quantitie of Water thou drawest for that great deale of money thou hast thou remainest as much deade for thyrste drinking of that water as when thou wert without water in the cup. Consider nowe thy yeares if my counsell thou wilt accept thou shalt demaund death of the Gods to rest thee as a vertuous man and not riches to liue as a Foole. With the teares of mine eyes I haue bewayled manie in Rome when I saw them depart out of this worlde and thee I haue bewayled and do bewaile my friend Cincinnatus with drops of bloud to see the return into the world The credite thou hadst in the Senate the bloud of thy predecessours my Friendship the authoritie of thy person the honour of thy parentage the slaunder of thy Common-wealth ought to withdraw thee from so great couetousnesse Oh poore Cincinnatus consider the white honored haires which
doe fall ought to be occupied in the noble armies sithens thou art noble of bloud valiant in person auncient of yeares and not euill willed in the Common-wealth For thou oughtest to consider that more worth is reason for the pathway of men which are good then the common opinion which is the large high way of the euill For if it be narow to go on the one side there is no dust wherewith the eyes be blinded as in the other I will giue thee a counsell and if thou feelest thy selfe euill neuer count thou mee for friend Lust no more after the greasie fatte of temporal goods since thou hast short life For wee see daily manie before they come to thy age dye but wee see fewe after thy age liue After this counsell I will giue thee an aduise that thou neuer trust present prosperitie For then alway thou art in daunger of some euill Fortune If thou art mounted into such pricking thornes as a foole me thinketh thou oughtest to discend as a Sage And in this sort all will say amongst the people that Cincinnatus is descended but not fallen My Letter I will conclude and the conclusion thereof see well thou note that is to say That thou and thy Trade shall bee cursed where you other merchaunts will liue poore to dye rich Once againe I returne to curse you for the couetousnes of an euill man is alwayes accomplished to the preiudice of manie good My wife Faustine doeth salute thee and she was not a litle troubled when she knew thou wert a Marchaunt and that thou keepest a shop in Capua I send thee a Horse to ride vppon and one of the most richest Arras of Trypolie to hang thy house withall a precious ring and a a pommel of a sword of Alexandrie And all these things I do not send thee for that I know thou hast neede thereof but rather not to forget the good custome I haue to giue Pamphile thy aunt and my neighbour is dead and I can tell thee that in Rome dyed not a woman of a long time which of her left such renowme for so much as she forgot all enmities shee succoured the poore she visited the banished she entertained friends and also I hearde say that shee alone did light all the temples Prescilla thy cousin hath the health of body thogh for the death of her mother her heart is heauie And without doubt she hath reason for the onely sorrowes which the Mothers suffer to bring vs forth though with drops of bloud we shold bewaile them yet wee cannot recompence them The Gods be in thy custodie and preserue mee with my wife Faustine from all euill Fortune Marke of Mount Celio with his owne hand CHAP. XXVIII ¶ The Authour perswadeth Princes and great Lordes to flye couetousnes and Auarice and to become bountifull and liberall which vertue is euer pertinent to the royall person c. PIsistratus the renowmed Tyrant among the Athenians since his friends coulde not endure the cruelties that he committed eache one returned to his owne house and vtterly forsook him The which when the Tyraunt saw hee layd all his treasure and Garments on a heape together and went to visite his friends to whome with bitter teares hee spake these word All my Apparell and money here I bring you with determination that if you will vse my company we will go all to my house and if you will not come into my company I am determined to dwell in yours For if you bee weary to follow mee I haue great desire to serue you sithens you know that they cannot be called faithfull Friendes where the one cannot beare with the other Plutarchus in his Apothegmes saith that this Tyraunt Pisistratus was verie rich and extreame couetous so that they write of him that the golde and siluer which once came into his possession neuer man saw it afterwards but if hee had necessitie to buy anie thing if they would not present it vnto him willinglie hee would haue it by force When he was dead the Athenians determined to weigh him and his treasure the case was maruellous that the gold and siluer hee had weied more then his dead body sixe times At that time in Athens there was a Philosopher called Lido of whom the Athenians demaunded what they should doe with the treasure and dead body Mee thinketh qd this Philosopher That if those which are liuing did know any siluer or gold which the tyrant tooke from them it should bee restored againe immediately and doe not maruell hereat that I doe not require it to bee put in the common treasure For God will not permit that the Common wealth bee enriched with the theft of tyrants but with the swet of the Inhabitants If any goods remaine which doe not appeare from whom they haue beene taken me thinketh that they ought to bee distributed among the poore for nothing can bee more iust then that which the goods wherewith the tirant hath empouerished many with the selfe same wee should enrich some As touching his buriall me thinketh hee ought to bee cast out to the fowles to bee eaten and to the dogs to be gnawne And let no man thinke this sentence to bee cruell for we are bound to do no more for him at his death then hee did for himselfe in his life who being so ouercome with auarice that he would neuer disburse so much money as should buy him seuen foot of earth wherein his graue should bee made And will you know that the Gods haue done a great good to all Greece to take life from this tirant First it is good because much goods are dispersed which heretofore lay hid and serued to no purpose Secondly that many tongues shal rest for the treasures of this Tirant made great want in the Common-wealth and our tongues the greatest part of the day were occupied to speake euill of his person Me thinketh this Philosopher hath touched two things which the couetous man doth in the cōmon-welth that is to say that drawing much golde and siluer to the hidden Treasure hee robbeth the marchandize wherewith the people doe liue The other damage is that as hee is hated of all so he causeth rancour and malice in the hearts of all for he maketh the rich to murmur and the poore to blaspheme One thing I reade of in the lawes of the Lumbardes worthy of truth to bee noted and knowne and no lesse to be followed which is that all those which should haue gold siluer money silkes and clothes euery yeare they should bee registred in the place of iustice And this was to the ende not to consent nor permit them to heap much but that they should haue to buy sell and traffique wherby the goods were occupied among the people so that he which did spēd the money to the profit of his house it was taken for good of the common-wealth If Christians would do that which the Lūbards did there should not
blush to heare the count that pleasures cast So now I see the masse of huge delight With flattering face doth promise but decay Whose flitting foote entyced one to flight His restles wings doe seeke to sore away Loe thus he slippes reclaimde with endles paine Possest a while departing soone againe Thus sayeth the sage Salomon talking of the things of the world the which as he spake of the world so had hee proued it in deede in his owne person Crediting as it is reason to such high doctrine I cannot tell what my pen can write more in this case since hee saith that after he had all proued experimented possessed and tasted he found that al we procure and haue in this worlde is vanitie Oh Noble Princes and great Lords I beseeche you and in the Name of IESVS CHRIST I exhort you with great discretion to enter into this deepe Sea since this order is so disordered that it bringeth all disorders and euill customs For all those which shall trauell by the way when they shall thinke to goe moste sure in the midst of their iourney they shal finde themselues to be lost None ought to agree with the world for that hee might liue secure in his house for day and night to all worldlings hee hath his gates open making their entrie large and sure But let vs beware we enter not and much more that wee loade not our selues with his vices and be delighted with his pleasures For since we doe waxe worse and that wee are entred therein though wee doe repent by no way wee finde the sure comming out but that first wee must well pay for our lodging I maruell not though the Worldlings at euery moment be deceyued since superficiously they beholde the world with their eyes and loue it profoundly with their hearts But if they desired as profoundly to consider it as they doe vainely followe it they should see very plaine that the world did not flatter them with prosperitie but threaten them with aduersitie So that vnder the greatest poynt of the Dye which is the vi is hidden the least which is the Ase I would counsell Noble-Princes and great Lords that they would not beleeue the world nor his Flatterers and much lesse beleeue themselues nor their vaine imaginations The which for the most part doe thinke that after they haue traueled heaped vp great treasure they shal enioy but their own trauel without the trouble of any man or that any man doe go againe them Oh how vaine is such thought and how often doth it change contrarie The world is of such an euill conditition that if hee let vs rest our first sleepe as well vs as that which wee haue gotten immediately in the morning yea oftentimes an houre from thence he awaketh vs with a new care and now he hath prepared for vs some meane to occupie our selues about some other trouble CHAP. XL. ¶ The Authour followeth his intention and speaketh vehemently against the deceyts of the World THe Emperor Traiane said one day to his maister which was Plutarche the great philosopher Tell mee maister why there are commonly more euill then good why without comparison there are moe which follow vices then those which embrace vertue The great Plutarch aunswered As our naturall inclination is more giuen to lasciuiousnes and negligence then to chastity and abstinencie so the men which doe enforce themselues to follow vertue are fewe and those which giue slacke the reynes vnto vices are manie And know thou if thou knowest it not moste Noble Prince that all this euill proceedeth that men doe followe men and that they suffer not reason to folow reason Feeble and miserable is our nature but in the ende wee cannot deny that for our trauells we may finde remedie in it which seemeth to be true For so much if the sunne doth annoy vs we retire to the shadow If we are grieued going on foote wee doe remedy it going on Horsebacke If the sea be dangerous we sayle with ships If the colde doe vexe vs we approche neere the Fire If thyrst doth trouble vs we do quench it with drinke If the raine doth wet vs wee goe into houses If the plague be in one place wee flie into another If we haue enemies we comfort ourselues with our friēds Finally I say that there is no sorrow nor trauell but that a man hath found some rest and remedie This presupposed to be true as it is truth indeed now I aske al the worldlings if they haue found any remedie against the troubles and deceytes of this world If I be not deceyued and if I vnderstand any thing of this world the remedie which the worlde giueth for the troubles certainly are greater trauells then the trauels thēselues so that they are salues that doe not heale our wounds but rather burn our flesh When the diseases are not very olde rooted nor daungerous it profiteth more oftentimes to abide a gentle feauer then to take a sharpe purgation I mean that the world is such a deceiuer and so double that he doeth contrary to that he punisheth That is to say that if hee doe perswade vs to reuenge an iniurie it is to the end that in reuenging that one wee should receiue a thousand inconueniences And wheras we thinke it taketh from vs it increaseth infinite So that this cursed guyde maketh vs to belieue it leadeth vs vpon the drye land among our friends causeth vs to fall into the Ambushments of our enemyes Noble Princes great Lords in the thoughts they haue and in the words that they speake are greatly esteemed and afterwardes in the workes which they doe and in the affayres they trauell are as little regarded The contrarie of all this doeth the wicked world who with all those hee acompanyeth in his promises hee is very gentle and afterwardes in his deedes hee is very prowd For speaking the trueth oft times it costeth vs deere and wee others doe sell it good cheape I say much in saying that wee sell it good cheap but in a maner I shold say better that wee giue it willingly For fewe are those in number which carrie away wages of the world and infinite are those which doe serue it onely for a vaine hope Oh Noble Princes and great Lordes I counsell and require you that you doe not trust the world neither in word deed nor promise though hee sweare and sweare againe that he will keepe all he hath promised with you Suppose that the world doth honor you much flatter you much visite you oft offer you great treasures and giue you much yet it is not because hee will giue it you by little and little but that afterwards he might take it all frō you againe in one day For it is the olde custome of the world that those which aboue all men hee hath set before now at a turne they are furthest behind What may wee haue in this world and
no lesse doe they trauell which goe alwayes in the plaine way then those which mount on the sharpe craggy mountaine According to that I haue gathered of thy letter mee seemeth that when we hope most rest greatest trauel hath succeeded to thee And hereof I doe not maruell nor thou oughtest not be offended for as experience teacheth vs when the trees haue the blossoms then they are most subiect to the frost and when glasses are drawne out of the furnace they breake The Captaines hauing won the victorie doe die When they will put the key in the dore the house doth fall The Pirates perish within the kenning of land By that I haue spoken I meane that when wee thinke to haue made peace with fortune then shee hath a new demaund ready forged All new changes of Fortune causeth all wayes new paine to the person but often times it is cause of more great fortresse for the tree beareth not so much fruit where it first grew as there where againe it is planted and the sauours are more odoriferous when they are most chafed I meane that men of high thoughts the more they are wrapped in the frownings of Fortune the more valiant and stout they shew themselues The man vtterly is foolish or hath great want of vnderstanding who hopeth at any time to haue perfect rest imagining that the World will giue no assault vpon him but that the time shall come wherein hee shall bee without care and feare This miserable life is of such condition that dayly our yeares doe diminish and our troubles encrease O Torquatus by the immortall Gods I doe desire thee and in the faith of a friend I doe require thee thou being borne in the world nourishing thy selfe in the world liuing in the world being conuersant in the world being a child of the world and following the world what didst thou hope of the world but things of the world Peraduenture thou alone wilt eate the flesh without bones giue battell without perill trauell without paine and sayle by the sea without daunger I meane that â—s vnpossible for mortall men to liue in the world vnlesse they will become subiect to the sorrowes of the world The world hath alwayes been the world and now the world shall be after vs and as a world shall handle the worldlings The wise men and those which of their estates are carefull are not contented to see nor superficialy to know the things but rather waigh them profoundly I say this because if thou knewest thy debelity and knewest fortune and her chaunge if thou knewest the men and their malices if thou knewest the world and his flatteries thou shouldest winne no little honour where as otherwise thou mayes chance to get infamie Wee are now come to so great folly that wee will not serue the Gods which haue created vs nor abstaine from the World which persecuteth vs And the best is that hee not willing vs but rather reiecting vs we say that of our owne willes wee will loue and serue him and yet knowing that those which longest haue serued the world do goe out of his house most bitterly lamenting Oftentimes I stay for to thinke that according to the multitude of men which follow the world beeing alwayes euill handled of the World if the World did pray them as hee doth annoye them if hee did comfort them as he doth torment them if he kept them as he banisheth them if he exalted them as he abuseth them of he receyued them as he expelleth them if he did continue them as he consumeth them I thinke that the Gods should not be honoured in heauen nor the temples worshipped in the earth O Torquatus my friend that which I will now say of thee thou mayest say of mee that is to say how much wee put our confidence in fortune how lewdly wee passe our dayes and how much wee are â—inded in the world yet for all that we credite his word as much as though hee had neuer mocked any CHAP. XLII Marcus Aurelius goeth on with his Letter and by strong and high reasons perswadeth all that line in the world not to trust the world nor any thing therein TEl l mee I pray thee Torquatus what wilt thou hear more What wilt thou see more and what wilt thou know more to know the world seeing how vntill this present thou hast beene handled of the world thou demaundest rest and he hath giuen thee trouble thou demaundest honour and he hath giuen thee infamie Thou demaundest riches and he hath giuen thee pouerty thou demaundest ioy and hee hath giuen thee sorrow Thou demaundest to be his and hee hath giuen thee his hand Thou demandest life and hee hath giuen thee death Therefore if it be true that the world hath handled thee in this wise why doest thou weepe to returne againe to his wicked house O filthy worlde how farre art thou from iust and how farre ought they to bee from thee which desire to be iust For naturally thou art a friend of nouelties and enemie of vertues One of the Lessons which the world readeth to his children is this that to be true worldlings they should not bee very true The which experience plainely sheweth vs for the man which medleth much with the world leaueth alwayes suspition of him that hee is not true The World is an Ambassadour of the euill a scourge of the good chiefest of vices a tyrant of the vertuous a breaker of peace a friend of warre a sweete water of vices the gawle of the vertuous a defendor of lyes an inuentor of nouelties a trauellour of the ignorant a hammer for the malitious a table of gluttons and a furnace of concupiscence Finally it is the perill of Charibdes where the harts doe perish and the danger of Scylla where the thoughts doe waste Presuppose that these he the conditions of the world The truth is that if there bee any worldling who complayneth to be euill content with the world shall he therefore chaunge his stile Truly no and the reason is that if perchaunce one worldling should goe out the house of the world there are x. thousand vanityes at his Gate I know not what wise man will liue in the World with such conditions since the vices wherewith wee doe reioyce our selues are very fewe in respect of the torments which we suffer I say not that we doe heare it by heare-say and reade them in bookes but wee see with our owne eyes the one to consume and wast the goods others by misfortune to fall and lose their credite others to fall and loose their honour and others to loose their life and all these miseryes seene yet neuertheles euery man thinketh to be free by priuiledge where there is none priuiledged Oh my deare Friend Torquatus of one thing I assure thee which is that the men which are born of women are so euill a generation and so cruell is the world wherein we liue and Fortune
render thankes for the benefits receiued but we haue not the power to requite the gentlenesse shewed For the man which dare receiue of another any gift doth bind himselfe to be his slaue I cannot bee thy slaue for I am thy friend and thereof thou oughtest to reioyce more then another For being a seruant I should serue thee with feare but being a friend I will profite thee with friendship Therefore to declare the chiefe occasion wherefore I write vnto thee at this present I say I send thee three ships loden with Iesters and Iuglers Loyterers Vacabondsand fooles and yet I do not send vnto thee all the vacabonds which are in Rome for then thy Ile should be peopled with strangers The office that they had was that some of them iested and rayled at the table some sang sundry malicious songs at mariages others told lies and newes for their dinners at the gates others played common playes in the streetes other entertained the Romaine matrons with follish nouels and tales others set forth vaine and light bookes of rymes and ballets yet I sweare vnto thee by the God Hercules these Loyterers wanted no fooles to heare them I let thee know my friend Lambert that these Loiterers are such and their Schollers in number so many that though the Masters may be in 3. ships carried yet the Schollers could not be in an hundred transported Of one thing I maruell much and also I affirm that the Gods be offended since the earthquakes ouerthrew the houses the great waters carry away the bridges the frost freese the vines the corrupt ayre infecteth the Wise men and yet there is no plague that consumeth the fooles O how vnhappy art thou Rome vnto him that shall well behold thee and diligently search thee For in thee wanteth valiant Captaines honest Senators iust Censors faithfull officers and vertuous Princes and onely there aboundeth fooles Iesters Players Dicers Loyterers and vagabonds O what seruice thou shouldst do to the Gods and profite to our mother Rome if for three ships of fools thou didst send vs one barke onely of wise men I would not say but I will not cease to say that I haue seene fooles that I haue heard many follies but I neuer saw so great fooles nor heard such extreme folly as that of some noble Romanes and Italians who thinke it a great act to keepe a foole in their house I iudge him to be a greater foole that desireth to keepe a foole then the foole himselfe for a foole hath a sēblance of the sage after hee accompanieth with a Sage but the Sage sheweth himselfe a foole after hee accompanieth with a foole Why doe men seeke things of mockerie since all that is in the World is mockerie Why seeke wee fooles since all that we say is nothing but folly Why doe wee reioyce with those that flatter vs since there are none that say one onely truth Why doe we seeke fained fooles since that all or the most part of vs all are very fooles I see diuers in Rome the which though they company with honest men are dissolute companying with Sages they are simple treating with wise men they are without consideration and being conuersant with fooles they thinke to be sage if we keepe company with pittifull wee shall be pittifull If wee be conuersant with the cruell wee shall bee cruell If wee communicate with lyers we shall be lyers If wee haunt the true we shall be true and if wee desire the foolish we shall be fooles for according to the masters and doctrines we haue such shal be the sciences which we shall learne and the works which wee shall follow The famous tyrant Dionysius the Syracusane which was in Scicill sayde vnto the Philosopher Diogenes Tell mee Diogenes what kinde of men ought we to haue in our houses and with what persons ought wee to diuide our goods Diogenes answered him The wise man which will liue in peace with the Common wealth and that will not see his goods euill employed ought not to giue to eate nor to accompany with any but with the aged persons which should counsell them with the young which should serue them with friends which should fauour them and with the poore to the end they should prayse them Dennis the tirant greatly commended that which Diogenes the Philosopher told him but hee could neuer profit with that counsell for as he shewed himself a tyrant in robbing so he shewed himselfe also vndiscreet in spending Presuppose that which Diogenes the Philosopher spake were true that is to say that we ought to feede the aged seruants friends and poore Wee see by this answere it is not iust to giue to eate eyther to Iesters Parasites Flatterers Loyterers or fooles First mee seemeth that a man ought not to thinke that fooles are capable to giue counsell since they haue it not for themselues for it should bee great folly to vse men as Sages which of their owne will haue made themselues fooles The second mee seemeth that it is a vaine thing to thinke that the Iesters should serue as seruants For these vnhappy people to flye trauel onely haue taken vpon them this office so slaunderous Thirdly it seemeth to bee a shamefast thing and of great inconuenience that any Noble and sage man should determine to haue any Flatterer or Iester for his familiar friend for such ought not nor cannot be counted among the true friends since they loue vs not for the vertue we possesse but for the goods which we haue Fourthly me thinketh it a vaine thing to thinke that vnder the colour of pouerty it should be iust to giue meate to Iesters or Loyterers for we cannot say that such are poore for that they want riches but that folly aboundeth in them Since therfore a man is defamed to haue such Iesters Flatterers for friends and that for beeing seruants they are vnable and without witte to aske them counsell mee thinketh it a great folly to spend his goods on such loyterers For as their intentions to the Gods onely are manifest and to men secret so there is nothing wherein the good do approue and manifest their intentions to bee good or euil more then in the words which they speake and in the Companies which they keepe CHAP. XLVI Marcus Aurelius goeth forward with his letter and declareth how he found the sepulchres of many learned Philosophers in Helespont whereunto hee sent all these Loyterers I Will thou know Lambert that thy Isle is consecrated with the bones of many excellent men the which were banished by sundry tyrannous Princes of Rome The Ancients greatly commend that Isle because there are therein stones called Amatists tame Deere faire women familiar wolues swift dogs of feet pleasant fountaines Yet notwithstanding I will not cease to commend these things which reioyce those that bee present and also comfort those that bee to come For I esteeme more the bones which the earth do
and trauells considered wherein wee liue and the safetie wherein wee dye I say that it is more needefull to haue vertue and strength to liue then courage to dye The Authour hereof is Plutarch in his Apothegmes Wee cannot say but that Cato the Censor spake as a wise man since daylie we see shamefast and vertuous persons suffer hunger cold thyrst trauell pouerty inconuenience sorrows enmities and mishaps of the which things wee were better to see the ende in one day then to suffer them euery houre For it is lesse euill to suffer an honest death then to endure a miserable life Oh how small consideration haue men to thinke that they ought to dye but once Since the truth is that the day when wee are born and come inthis worlde is the beginning of our death and the last day is when we do cease to liue If death bee no other but an ending of life then reason perswadeth vs to thinke that our infancie dyeth our childhood dyeth our manhoode dyeth and our Age shall dye wherof we may consequently cōclude that we dye euery yeare euery day euery houre and euery moment So that thinking to leade a sure life we taste a new death I know not why men feare so much to dye since that from the time of their birth they seeke none other thing but death For time neuer wanteth for any man to dye neyther I knew any man that euer fayled of this way Seneca in an Epistle declareth that as a Romaine Woman lamented the death of a Childe of hers a Phylosopher saide vnto her Woman why bewaylest thou thy childe She aunswered I weepe because hee hath liued xxv yeares and I would he should haue liued till fiftie For amongst vs mothers wee loue our Children so hartily that we neuer cease to behold them nor yet ende to bewaile them Then the Phylosopher said Tell me I pray thee woman Why doest thou not complame of the Gods because they created not thy Sonne manie yeares before he was borne as well as thou complavnest that they haue not let him liue fiftie yeares Thou weepest that hee is deade so soone and thou dost not lament that he is borne so late I tell thee true Woman that as thou doest not lament for the one no more thou oughrest to bee sorrie for the other For without the determination of the Gods we cannot shorten death and much lesse lengthen our life So Plinie saide in an Epistle that the chiefest law which the Gods haue giuen vnto humane nature was that none shold haue perpactual life For with dis-ordinate desire to liue long wee should reioyce to goe out of this paine Two Phylosophers disputing before the great Emperor Theodose the one saide that it was good to procure death and the other likewise sayde it was a necessary thing to hate life The good Theodose taking him by the hand sayd All wee mortalles are so extreame in hating and louing that vnder the colour to loue and hate life wee leade an euill life For we suffer so many trauells for to preserue it that sometimes it were much better to loose it And further hee sayde Diuers vaine men are come into so great follyes that for feare of Death they procure to hasten death And hauiwg consideration to this me seemeth that wee ought not greatly to loue life nor with desperation to seeke Death For the strong and valiant men ought not to hate Life so long as it lasteth nor to bee displeased with death when hee commeth All commended that which the Emperour Theodose spake as Paulus Dyacon saith in his life Let euery man speake what he will and let the Phylosophers counsell what they lift in my poore iudgment hee alone shall receyue death without paine who long before is prepared to receyue the same For sudden death is not onely bitter vnto him which tasteth it but also it seareth him that hateth it Lactantius saide that in such sorte man ought to liue as if from hence an houre after he should dye For those men which will haue Death before their eyes it is vnpossible that they should giue place to vaine thoughts In my opinion and also by the aduise of Apuleius It is as much follie to flie from that which we cannot auoyd as to desire that wee can not attaine And this is only spoken for those that would flye the voyage of death which is necessarie and desire to come againe which is vnpossible Those that trauell by long wayes if they want any thing they borrow it of their companie If they haue forgotten ought they returne to seeke it at their lodging or else they write vnto their friends a letter But I am sorrie that if wee once dye they will not let vs returne again we cannot speake and they will not agree we shall write but such as they shall finde vs so shall wee bee iudged And that which is most fearfull of all the execution and sentence is giuen in one day Let Noble Princes and great Lords beleeue mee in this Let them not leaue that vndone til after their death which they may doe during their life And let them not trust in that they commaund but in that whiles they liue they doe Let them not trust in the workes of an other but in theyr owne good deedes For in the end one sigh shall be more worth then all the friendes of the world I counsell pray and exhort all wise and vertuous men and also my selfe with them that in such a sort wee liue that at the houre of death wee may say we liue For wee cannot say that wee liue when we liue not well For all that time which without profite wee shall liue shall be counted vnto vs for nothing CHAP. XLIX ¶ Of the death of Marcus Aurelius the Emperour and how there are fewe Friendes which dare say the truth to sicke men THe good Emperor Marcus Aurelius now beeing aged not onely for the yeares he had but also for the great trauells hee had in the warres endured It chaunced that in the xviii yeare of his Empire and lxxij yeares from the day of his birth and of the foundation of Rome fiue hundreth xliii beeing in the warre of Pannonie which at this time is called Hungaria besieging a famous cittie called Vendeliona suddenly a disease of the palsey tooke him which was such that hee lost his life and Rome her Prince the best of life that euer was borne therein Among the Heathen princes some had more force then he others possessed more riches then hee others were as aduenturous as hee and some haue knowne as much as hee but none hath bin of so excellent and vertuous a life nor so modest as hee For his life being examined to the vttermost ther are many princely vertues to follow and fewe vices to reproue The occasion of his death was that that in going one Night about his Campe suddenly the disease of the palsey tooke him in
those that contrary your opinion Be not proud and seuere vnto those you doe commaund neyther doe any thing without good aduisement and consideration For albeit in Princes Courts euery man doth admire and beholde the excellencie and worthines of the person yet are those alwayes that are most in fauour of the Prince more noted regarded and sooner accused then others 10 If you will not erre in the counselles you shall giue nor fayle in those things you shall enterprise Embrace those that tell you the truth and reiect and hate those whom you know to be Flatterers and dissemblers For you should rather desire to bee admonished of the thing present then to be counselled after the dammage receyued Although wee suppose assuredly that all these things aboue-written are not likely to happen nor yet come euen so to passe as I haue spoken yet if it may please you Syr to remember they are not therefore impossible For spitefull Fortune permitteth oftentimes that the Sayles which in stormie weather the Lightnings and boystrous Tempests could not breake and teare in piecâ—â— are afterwardes vpon a sudden euen in the sweete of the mornings sleepe each man taking his rest leauing the Seas before in quiet calme all to shiuered and torne a sunder He that meaneth to giue another a blowe also the more he draweth backe his arme with greater force hee striketh And euen so neyther more nor lesse sayeth Fortune with those on whom for a time shee smyleth For the longer a man remayneth in her loue and fauor the more cruell and bitter she sheweth herselfe to him in the ende And therefore I would aduise euery wise and Sage person that when Fortune seemeth best of all to fauour him and to doe most for him that then hee should stand most in feare of her and least of all to trust her deceits Therefore Syr nake no small account of this my Booke little though it bee For you know that doubtlesse as experience teacheth vs of greater price and value is a little sparke of a Dyamond then a greater ballast It forceth little that the Booke bee of small or great volume sith the excellencie thereof consisteth not in the number of leaues more or lesse but only in the good and graue sentences that are amply written therein For euery Authour that writeth to make his booke of great price and shew ought to be briefe in his words and sweete and pleasaunt in his matter hee treateth of the better to satisfie the minde of the Reader and also not to growe tedious to the hearer And Syr I speake not without cause that you should not a little esteeme this smal treatise of mine since you are most assured that with time all your things shall haue ende your Friendes shall leaue you your goods shall bee diuided your selfe shall dye your fauour and credit shall diminish and those that succeede you shall forget you you not knowing to whome your Goods and Patrimonie shall come and aboue all you shall not knowe what conditions your heyres and children shall be of But for this I wryte in your royall Historic and Chronicle of your laudable vertues and perfections and for that also I serue you as I doe with this my present worke the memorie of you shall remaine eternized to your Successors for euer Chilo the Phylosopher beeing demanded whether there were anything in the world that Fortune had not power to bring to nought aunswered in this sort Two things only there are which neither Time can consume nor Fortune destroy And that is the renowne of man written in bookes and the veritie that is hidden For though truth for a time lye interred yet it resurgeth againe and receiueth life appearing manifestly to all And euen so in like case the vertues we find written of a man doe cause vs at this present to haue him in as great veneration as those had in his time that best knewe him Reade therefore Syr at times I beseech you these writings of mine albeit I feare me you can scant borrow a moment of Time with leysure once to looke vpon it beeing as I knowe you are alwayes occupyed in affayres of great importance wherin me thinketh you should not so surcharge your selfe but that you might for your commodity and recreation of your spirits reserue some priuate houres to your selfe For sage and wise men should so burden themselues with care of others toyle that they shold not spend one houre of the day at the least at their pleasure to looke on their estate and condition As recounteth Suetonius Tranquillus of Iulius Caesar who notwithstanding his quotidian warres he had neuer let slip one day but that he reade or wrote some thing So that being in his Pauillion in the Campe in the one hand hee held his lance to assault his enemie and in the other the penne he wrote withall with which he wrote his worthy CoÌ„mentaries The resonable man therfore calling to mind the straight account that he must render of himselfe and of the time he hath lost shall alwayes be more carefull that hee lose not his time then he shall be to keepe his treasure For the well imployed time is a meane and helpe to his sal saluation and the euill gotten good a cause of his eternall damnation Moreouer yet what toyle and trauell is it to the body of the man and how much more perill to the liuing soule when hee consumeth his whole dayes and life in worldly broyles and yet seely man hee cannot absent himselfe from that vile drudgery til death doth summon him to yeelde vp his account of his life and doings And now to conclude my Prologue I say this booke is diuided into two parts that is to say in the first tenne Chapters is declared how the new-come Courtier shall behaue himselfe in the Princes Court to winne fauour and credit with the Prince and the surplus of the work treateth when hee hath atchieued to his Princes fauour and acquired the credite of a worthy Courtier how he shall then continue the same to his further aduancement And I doubt not but that the Lords and Gentlemen of Court will take pleasure to reade it and namely such as are Princes familiars and beloued of Court shall most of all reape profite thereby putting the good lessons and aduertisements they finde heretofore written in execution For to the young Courtiers it sheweth them what they haue to do and putteth in remembrance also the olde fauoured Courtyer liuing in his princes grace of that he hath to be circumspect of And finally I conclude Syr that of all the Treasures riches gifts fauours prosperities pleasures seruices greatnesse and power that you haue and possesse in this mortall and transitorie life and by the Faith of a true Christian I sweare vnto you also that you shal carrie no more with you then that onely Time which you haue well and vertuously employed during this your Pilgrimage THE ARGVMENT OF THE BOOKE
whole yeare I require you Romans determine your selues to take away our liues so wee shall ende or else heare our complaints to the intent that we may serue you For in another manner it may be that ye know by hearing with your eares which peraduenture yee would not see with your eyes And if yee thinke my wordes be out of measure so that ye will remedie my countrey I set not by my life And thus I make an ende Verily friend Catullus these bee the words that he spake vnto the Senate which I gate in wryting I say of truth that the hardinesse which the Romains were wont to haue in other Countreys the same as now strangers haue in Rome There were that saide that this Embassadour should bee punished but GOD forbid that for saying trueth in my presence he should haue beene corrected It is ynough and too much too to suffer these euils though wee slea not and persecute those that aduertise and warne vs of them The Sheepe are not in surery of the wolfe but if the Shephearde haue his dogge with him I meane dogges ought not to leaue barking for to awaken the Shepheards There is no GOD commaundeth nor Law counselleth nor Common-wealth suffereth that they which are committed to chastice Lyers should hang them that say trouth And sith the Senatours shewe themselues men in their liuing and sometimes more humane then others that bee Slaues who else should deliuer them from chasticement Oh Rome and no Rome hauing nothing but the name of Rome Where is now become the noblenesse of thy Triumphs the glorie of thy children the rectitude of thy iustice and the honor of thy tēples For as now they chastice him more that murmureth against one onely Senatour then they do them that blaspheme all the Gods at once For it grieueth mee more to see a Senatour or Censor to bee worst of all other then it displeaseth mee that it should be saide that hee is the best of all other For a trueth I say to thee my friend Catullus that now we need not to seek to the Gods in the Temples for the Senators are made gods in our hands There is a difference betweene them that bee immortall and they that be mortal For the Gods neuer do thing that is euill and the Senatours do neuer any thing well The Gods neuer Lye and they neuer say trueth The Gods pardon often and they nouer forgiue the Gods are content to be honoured fiue times in the yeare and the Senatours would bee honoured tenne times a day What wilt thou that I say more but whatsoeuer the Gods doe they ought to bee praised and the Senatours in all their workes deserue to be reproued Finally I conclude that the Gods are constant in euery thing and erre and faile in nothing and the Senatours assure nothing but erre in all things Onely in one thing the Senators are not of reason to be chasticed and that is when they intend not to amend their faultes they will not suffer the Oratours to waste theyr time to shew them the truth Bee it as may be I am of that opinion that what man or woman withdraweth their Eares from hearing the truth impossibls it is for them to applye their hearts to loue any vertues bee it Censour that iudgeth or Senatour that ordaineth or Emperor that commaundeth or Consul that executeth or Oratour that preacheth No mortall man take hee neuer so good heede to his workes nor reason so well in his desires but that hee deserueth some chastisement for some cause or counsell in his doings And sith I haue written vnto thee thus of others I will somewhat speake of my selfe because of the words of thy letter I haue gathered that thou desirest to know of my person Know thou for certaine that in the Kalends of Ianuary I was made Censor in the Senate the which office I desired not nor I haue deserued it The opinion of all wise men is that no man without he lacke wit or surmounteth in folly will gladly take on him the burthen and charges of other men A greater cause it is for a shamefast man to take on him an office to please euery man for hee must shew acountenance outward contrary to that hee thinketh inward Thou wilt say that the good are ordained for to take the charge of offices O vnhappie Rome that hath willed to take mee in such wise as to be the best in it Grieuous pestilence ought to come for them that be good sith I am escaped as good among the euill I haue accepted this office not for that I had neede thereof but to fulfill the commaundement of Antoninus my Grandfather Haue no maruell of any thing that I doe but of that I leaue to bee done For euery man that is wedded to Faustine there is no villany but he shall doe it I sweare to thee that sith the day wee were wedded me seemeth that I haue no wit I leaue wedding for this time and returne to speake of offices Surely a peaceable man ought to bee in offices though it be painefull for as the offices are assured among them that bee vertuous so perillously goeth the vertuous folke among Offices And for the truth hereof reckon what they winne and then thou shalt see what they lose Say that is good if thou knowest it and heare the euill if thou desire to know it Hee that will take the charge for to gouerne other seeketh thought and trouble for himselfe enuie for his neighbours spurres for his enemies pouerty for his riches a waking for theeues perill for his body end of his dayes and torment for his great renowne Finally hee seeketh a way to reiect his friends and a repeale to recouer his enemies O vnhappy man is hee that taketh on him the charge of children of many mothers for he shall bee alwayes charged with thoughtes how he should content them all full of sighes because one hath to giue him feare that one should take from him weeping if he lose and feare that they infame him Hee that knoweth this without long tarrying ought to set a bridle in his head But I say of one as I say of another For I will sweare and thou wilt not deny it that wee may finde some now a dayes that had rather bee in the parke to fight against the bulles then be in surety vpon the Scaffold Ostentimes I haue heard say Go wee to the Theaters to runne at the Buls Goe wee to chase the Harts wilde Bores and when they come thither they runne away not the beastes from them but they from the beasts In such wise as they went running they returne againe flying I say these ambitious persons procure for to gouerne and are gouerned they commaund and are commaunded they rule and are ruled And finally thinking to haue diuers vnder their hands these wretches put themselues vnder euery mans foote For the remedy of all these perils my thoughtes are comforted with one thing
earth there abode certaine peeces of earth which cleaued together and the Sunne comming to them created many wilde beasts amongst whom was found the first woman Note Ladies it was necessary that the floude Nilus should breake out so that the first woman might bee made of earth All creatures are nourished and bred in the entrailes of their mothers except the Woman which was bredd without a mother And it seemeth most true that without mothers you were borne for without rule yee liue and with order yee die Truely hee that taketh vpon him a great thing hath many cares in his minde much to muse vpon needeth much counsell needeth long experience and ought to chuse amongst many women that thinketh to rule the onely wife by reason Bee the beasts neuer so wilde at length the Lion is ruled by his keeper the Bull is enclosed in his Parke the Horse ruled by the bridell the little hooke catcheth the fish the Oxe contented to yeelde to the yoake onelie a woman is a beast which will neuer bee tamed she neuer loseth her boldnesse of commaunding nor by any bridle will bee commaunded The Gods haue made men as men and beasts as beasts and mans vnderstanding very high and his strength of great force yet there is nothing be it of neuer so great strength and power that can escape a woman eyther with sleight or might But I say vnto you amourous Ladies there is neyther spurre can make you goe reine that can holde you backe bridle that can refrayne you neyther fish-hooke nor Nette that can take you and to conclude there is no Law can subdue you nor shame restraine you nor feare abash you nor chasticement can amende you O to what great perill and danger putteth bee himselfe vnto that thinketh to rule and correct you For if you take an opinion the whole world cannot remoue who warneth you of any thing yee neuer beleeue him If they giue you good counsell you take it not if one threaten you you straight complaine If one pray you then are you proude if they reioyce not in you then are you spitefull If one doe forbeare you then are you bolde if one chastice you straight you become serpents Finally a Woman will neuer forget an iniury not bee thankefull for a benefite receyued Now a dayes the most simplest of all Women will sweare that they doe know lesse then they doe But I doe sweare which of them that knoweth least knoweth more euill then all men and of a truth the wisest man shall faile in their wisedome Will yee know my Ladies how little you vnderstand and how much you bee ignorant that is in maters of great importance yee determine rashly as if you had studyed on it a thousand yeares if any resist your counsell you holde him for a mortall enemie Hardie is that woman that dare giue counsell to a a man and hee more bolde that taketh it of a woman but I returne and say that hee is a foole which taketh it and hee is a foole that asketh it but he is most foole that fulfilleth it My opinion is that he which wil not stūble amongst such hard stones nor pricke himselfe amongst such thorns nor sting him with so many Nettles let him harken what I say and doe as he shal see speak well and worke euill In promising avow much but in performing accomplish little Finally allow your words and condemne your counsells If wee could demaund of famous men which are dead how they liked in their life time the counsells of Women I am sure they would not rise againe to belieue them nor to be reuiued to heare them How was that famous King Philip with Olympia Paris with Helene Alexander with Rosana Aeneas with Dido Hercules with Deyanira Hannibal with Tamira Antonie with Cleopatra Iulius with Domitian Nero with Agrippina And if you will belieue what they suffered with them aske of me vnhappie man what I suffer amongst you Oh ye Women when I remember that I was borne of you I loathe my mylife and thinking how I liue with you I wish and desire my death For there is no such death or torment as to haue to doe with you and on the contrarie no such life as to flye away from you It is a common saying among Women that men be very vnthankfull because we were bred in your entrailes Wee order you as seruants Ye say for that ye brought vs forth with perill nourished vs with trauell it is reason that wee should alwayes employ vs to serue you I haue bethoght me diuers times with my selfe from whence the desires that man hath vnto Women commeth There are no Eyes but ought to weepe no heart but should breake nor spirite but ought to waile to see a wise man lost by a foolish woman The foolish Louer passeth the day time to content his eye and the dark-night hee spendeth in tormenting of himselfe with fond thoughts one day in hearing tydings another day in doing seruices Sometimes in liking the darkenesse and somtimes in loathing of the light being in company and solitary liueth And finally the poore Louer may that he will not and would that he may not Moreouer the counsel of his friends auayleth him nothing nor the infamy of his enemies not the losse of goods and the aduenture of honour the loosing of his life nor the seeking of his death neyther comming neer nor flying farre nor seeing with his eyes nor hearing with his eares nor tasting with his mouth nor feeling with his hand and to conclude to get victorie hee is alwayes at strife and warre with himselfe Then I would ye louers knew from whence your Loue doeth come it is thus The entrailes whereof we are bredde be Flesh the breasts that we sucked are flesh the armes wherein we be fastued bee of flesh the thoughtes which wee thinke be fleshly the works which wee doe are fleshly the men with whom wee liue are of flesh and the wonder for whom we dye are flesh By which occasion commeth the reuerting of our flesh to flesh manie free hearted are entangled with these snares of Loue. It seemeth well my Ladyes that yee were engendred in puddles as before is mentioned of the Egyptians the puddles haue no cleare waters to drinke nor fruite to bee eaten nor Fish to bee taken nor yet shippe to sayle in My meaning is that in your liues ye be filthy and your persons without shame in aduersity weake and feeble in prosperity full of deceit and guile false in your words and deceitfull in your doings in hating without measure in loue extreame in giftes couetous in taking vnshamefast and finally I say yee are the ground of feare in whom the Wise men finde perill and the simple men suffer iniury In you the wise men holde theyr renowne slaundered and the simple men their life in penury Let vs omit the opinion of the Egyptians and come to the Greekes which say that in the deserts of Arabia