THE GOLDEN CABINET OF true Treasure Containing the summe of Morall Philosophie Translated out of French enlarged by W. IEVVEL Mr of Arts of Exeter Colledge in Oxford AT LONDON Printed by H.L. for Iohn Crosley 1612. To the Right Honorable and most vertuous Lady the worthy Patronesse of Learning ALICE Countesse of Darby c. RIght Honorable vertue was once esteemed the woorthiest shelter against the tempestuous storms of worldlie violence But now such is the miserie of these times thogh she deserue most yet is shee least desired and is so farre from being a Protectrix that shee her selfe doth want a Patronage Our predecessours were wont to saie Vilius argentum est auro virtutibus aurum As gold surpasseth siluer in account So in true value vertues gold surmount But those good daies are past the rudenes of our times giues the Lie to that worthy Sentence saying cleane contrarie Gold hath all the glory and shee is the onlie goddesse vnto whose sacred Altar each one almost will sacrifice his life his soule He that is wealthiest now is accounted worthiest And to bee vertuous saie the worldlings is not the waie to possesse riches Oculo eligunt non animo The eie of the bodie preuailes now far more with man then the eie of the soule The glittering lustre of a pompous traine drawes with it all your braue mindes and statelie Gallants according to the worlds phrase when as poor forsaken Vertue shal be constrain'd Tymon-like to liue alone They will scarce euer deigne to look on her or if they do it wil be in disdain taunting at her desolate and friendless condition saying scornfullie Is this shee that thirsteth to be the mistresse of manie followers yet cannot preserue her selfe from ragged pouertie Vice is so short a cut to honours pleasures and profit as the world tearmes them that they dare maintaine there needes no vertue saying with Seneca Cum vitia prosunt peccat qui iustè facit He is held most foolish that deales most faithfully and accounted most simple that is most sincere Beholde the height of monstrous iniquitie euerie vice hath its protection but naked Vertue wants a Patronage Which she would willingly not beg of any but onlie of those that are as readie to proffer it as shee to sue for it VVherefore most boldlie shee addresseth her selfe vnto your Honour beeing full of confidence through the Sympathy of both your affections to finde with you a pleasing Welcom For although shee be worthless indeede in the purblinde eie of the fantastick world yet shee is a world of worth in the iudicious eie of your honourable minde But Madame when your Ladiship shall behold mee who thus peremptorilie intrude into your honorable presence you cannot but maruaile much therat my much disturbed selfe being almost transform'd with amasemēt shal stand as mute as a marble statue Yet calling to remembrāce that old saying of the Philosopher Neminem timendo ad summū locū peruenire that fear is a fault in such as seek prefermēt I shal be bold to speak beseech your Ladiship to accept of this poor excuse to wit that this my presumptiō was occasioned through the fauours which my best friend hath receiued from your Honor firmly obliging both himself me to the dutiful performance of our best seruices Whō it is not to be maruailed at if you remēber not among so great a nūber as your Hon. doth good vnto forasmuch as you register not as most doe an exact diary of your good deeds in tables of brass The opportunitie of acknowledging this our obligement could neuer in my weake iudgement be fitter then by the mediation of Vertue who in requital of my louing and kinde office for bringing her vnto your Palace gate will speake vnto your Ladiship in my behalfe And so heereby I shall attaine I hope to be hereafter knowne vnto your Hon which I account the greatest part of my felicity Madame that heretofore hath been accounted vicious which by too much vse is now become a custome which is to depaint the vertues of those vnto whō men dedicate their books with immoderate praises Which I dare not attempt to doe fearing lest my words if it were possible might be preiudiciall vnto your worthiness also lest your Hon should haue cause to distrust the sincere truth of my spotlesse fidelitie It being both an vsuall and a true saying Much praising begets suspicion and that A flattering tongue hath alwayes relation vnto a false heart Which danger I will auoide hauing no occasion to fall thereinto sithence the sunne needs not the light of a candle to make it seen nor a perfect naturall complexion the disgracefull helpe of artificiall tinctures It being most true which the Poet saith Fucati sermonis opem mens conscia laudis Abnuit Ingenuous mindes in all true vertues rich Doe scorne the blason of a flattering speech That which Pomponius Mela said of Athens may with a modest face bee spoken of your vertues Clariores sunt quà m vt indicari egeant So that if anie shall looke into mine Epistle to see what Encomium I make of your vertues I must referre their search to the report of the world which is a copious Index of your honourable deeds it being a task farre too difficult for my vndertakings for who can paint the heauens And againe such commonlie doe most desire praises as least deserue them For in shewing their great loue of such windie puffes what do they lesse then giue the Lie vnto their flattering commenders But your Honourable selfe is most directlie opposite vnto such as those rather then you will endure it you will strike the flatterer on the check as the Emperour Sigismond did who thereupon being demanded by him Why doe you strike mee made aunswere Why dost thou bite mee Your Noble minde loues the substance onelie not the outward shew and ioyeth more in being vertuous indeed then in seeming so whereby you adde one vertue more vnto your manie others and deserue exceedinglie to be praised for not desiring it Thus beseeching your Honour to deigne the Patronage of this small Treatise I will alwaies remaine Your Honours most humbly deuoted William Iewell The Epistle to the Reader ALl things for the which men labour and trauaile in this world may bee reduced vnto one of these three points Honour Riches or Pleasure and yet notwithstanding the greatest part of men are often beguiled of their purposes because their election erreth in the meanes wherby they might attaine vnto the same For in lieu of aspyring thereunto by vertue which alone is able to crown their solicitous and painefull indeauours with the free possession and quiet enioyance of true honour true treasure and true felicitie which they pursue they slide voluntarilie into vices spacious and pleasant-seeming path and being seduced by false promises and deceitfull perswasions to detest the pricking thornes of penurious pouerty base disdaine and irksome trauells which encounter them in
victorie they vvould insult like bloudy minded Tyrants ouer vs taking away by cruell violence the peacefull tranquillitie and pleasures of the soule which vertue giues to Honour as solacing associates being the chiefest the comfortablest companions that mans heart can wish for And of these I meane to treat in this chapter following The description of true rest and perfect pleasure wherwith Vertue accompanieth Honour accomplishing man with all felicitie CHAP. XII ALL men naturally desire pleasure and ease and labour in the world to no other end but to settle themselues in such an estate as may crowne their affections with content All their practises and indeauours all their plots and counsells all their restlesse purposes and painefull enterprises aime at no other marke but this But who is it that findeth what hee searcheth for Euerie one complaines on the misery of his owne condition and bewailes the peruersitie of his froward fortunes informing the world by these his dolefull moanes that he continues still vnsatisfied The reason hereof is because hee seeketh in this life that which is not heere and therefore it is impossible to be found They search with watchfull eyes and restlesse hearts that celestiall pearle in the dunghill of the world which is reseru'd in heauen for those that will exclaime against the vanities of the world and the fraile incertaintie of all things therein for those I say that bend all their studies to extirpate the loue and liking which they beare towards the world out of their hearts and minds presenting them by the assistance of vertuous contemplations vnto the GOD of heauen In whom they obtaine as in a hauen of securitie that sweet repose and quiet comfort which they sought in this life with an earnest vehement but a fruitless pursuite For we learne by infallible demonstrations deduced from the knowledge of our owne selues that this life on earth is but as it were a pilgrimage a short yet tedious iourney whereby we trauell or tend towards another place which is celestial wherfore wee ought to demeane both our selues and substances with such a golden moderation whether it bee in giuing satisfactions to our vrgent necessities or elss in our pleasances delightful recreations that al conspire for the aduancement of vs vnto that other place which is the celestial treasury of our soueraigne good It is a thing maruailous ful of difficultie to be attain'd vnto but being gained it is as ful of profit ease and pleasure yea such a thing as in the acquisition whereof no paines or perills should seeme hard or fearefull For this is a prize so precious that the least and meanest particle thereof is throughlie sufficient of it selfe to recompence a worlde of paines And because the remonstrances and characters which may bee composed setting forth vertues beauty and excellencie gentlie inuiting vs to imbrace her and the manifold discourses of vice shewing vnto the world her vglie monstrous and deformed shape enforcing vs to detest and hate her are not sufficient remedies to cure our depraued passions and to appease the perturbations of our spirits pleasures and paines are propos'd vnto vs in the schoole of vertue to be the Directrices of al our actions the one seruing as a rewarde and salarie to encourage vs to vertue the other as a torture to deterre vs from vice for there are no intendments or actions eyther plotted or performed but it is through the consideration and respect either of the one or other It remaineth therefore in the conclusion and vpshot of this little tract to represent vnto you what and how wondrous great the delectation and pleasure is which a vertuous man reapeth in the inioyance of this rich and great treasure of honour and happines which vertue endoweth him with very profusely heere in this life but most aboundantly in the life to come Let vs therefore knowe what pleasure and delectation is Wee define it to be a contentment ful of pleasure and delight proceeding from a perfect action accompanied with the knowledge and vnderstanding thereof Sensible creatures are capable of action but because it is without the vnderstanding of such things as they doe they cannot haue any delectation thence Yet notwithstanding euery action done with knowledge doth not beget pleasure and delectation It must bee perfect also if you will haue it pleasant For imperfection and defect breede alwayes more displeasure then content Two things are necessary to the perfect accomplishment of an action and so by consequence to the fruition of pleasure A good constitution in the faculty that worketh and in the obiect also whereon it worketh There is small comfort in looking on any thing when the eye is badde and the obiect worse And poore content God knowes shall a man enioie in hearing when as the eare is almost deafe and the musicke dull But if the prospectiue which we beholde be full of glory and the eye good the musick curious and the eare acute then shal our eie content vs with beholding and our eare with hearing The like may bee said of the other senses Furthermore all delectation is not indiuiduall for there are diuers yea as manie sorts of them as there are perfect actions done vvith vnderstanding Euery action that is ioyn'd vvith knowledge issueth from the senses and is perfected by them Thence it is that there being in man two sorts of senses senses of the bodie and senses of the soule there are also found in him two sorts of actions one of the body the other of the soule and two kinds likewise of delectations the one corporeall the other spirituall The delectation of the body is externall and proceedeth from the perfect actions of the externall senses which are fiue in number euery one of them hauing a delectation proper vnto it selfe and which it most affecteth to weet seeing hearing smelling tasting and touching so that there is nothing more admirable amongst the workes of nature then the senses naturall combination and their subiection to the body The spirituall delectation is internall and issueth from the perfect action of the faculties of the soule so that the more perfect the action is the more pleasant is its delectation And by how much also the facultie is more excellent and the obiect more perfect so much the perfecter shall the action bee and so by consequence somuch the greater shal its pleasure be Wherefore it followeth that the delectation which proceedeth from the perfect actions of the soule doth farre surpasse the other issuing from the actions of the body because the powers and faculties of the soule are farre more efficacious and excellent then those of the body according to the proportion of the soule aboue the body as much as the obiect of the soule which properly is vertue and veritie doth surmount in excellency all the obiects of the corporeall senses so that the true ioy true peace and true rest of the soule wherein only consisteth true and perfect pleasure beare
great correspondency with truth vertue There is no delectation then which is truely worthie to be desired by man but that which proceedeth from the actions of the soule that onely being peculiar vnto him sithence beasts participate of all other as well as he And albeit the body haue its distinct pleasures apart from the soule yet they cannot be either truely pleasant or laudable in man if they be not contain'd within the precincts of moderation and vertue I will grant a man to haue as acute an eye as the sharp-sighted Lynx and that hee stand contemplating on the fairest the most admired obiect of the world hee may certainely conceiue some pleasure from such an action but if it be wanton lewd erronious too much or to a wicked end that action neither is nor ought to be imagin'd laudable For their is no true and laudable pleasure without perfection nor any perfection but within the lists of vertue Furthermore amongst corporall pleasures some are natural others vicious and superfluous The naturall pleasures are indifferent and are either good or bad according to their vse and end vnto the which they are referd For being vsed with mediocritie and applyed only vnto their owne proper end which is preseruation of health and continuance of the bodies perfect disposition they are then without question worthy to be prais'd much lesse then to be either reiected or despised Such as shew themselues to bee of too austere and rugged a disposition in the inioyance and vse of naturall pleasure are too too extreame For God did not make the creatures of the world only to serue vs and our necessities but that they should also afford vs pleasure and delight Which may easilie be proued by the varietie of the manifold and curious colours the diuersity of harmonious sounds the differences of pleasant tastes and multiplicitie of fragrant smells which hee particularly hath appropriated vnto euery kinde of creature shewing thereby to haue had more regard to giue cōtent pleasure to our senses then food and sustenance vnto our bodies Whence it may be inferd that superfluity which is both vaine and vicious in all things being eschewed we ought not to refuse or shew our selues disdainfull to accept the honest pleasures and moderate delights which God doth offer to vs in his Creatures and therefore are not eyther to be reiected or despised The seuere Stoickes which would haue the desires of men euen in these moderate inioyances of delectation to be stupid and senseless are as sharply censured as the dissolute and loose Epicures vvhich take from their strong-headed affections Reasons bridle being alwayes too tractable to the vaine inducements of sensuall appetite For such as would depriue man of his naturall affections because they dispose and allure him vnto certaine vices may be fitly likened vnto those that obstinately maintaine that none ought to drink wine because oftentimes it makes some men drunk or that a man should not ride a gallop for that diuers men haue beene destroyed thereby But what should become of vs if we were intirely despoyled of our naturall affections We should haue no more power to turne either to the one hand or the other then if a dead palsie had benumm'd our senses The affections are the nerues and synnewes of the spirit which serue to contract to slacken to lift vp to lay downe to stirre and settle her wheresoeuer shee will euen as the body is mooued and remooued by its ligaments VVherefore they ought to be preserv'd and moderated not taken away and vtterly destroyed We are to imitate in this a wel experienced horseman who for to tame and manage well his horse will not take from him agilitie and courage but endeauours especially to bring him to runne to turne to rise to curuct to stand how and when it pleaseth him and not according to the horses will Euen so when as we perceiue our affections inclining to stubborne disobedience we must correct and reforme them with iudgement reason and not attempt indiscreetly wholly to mortifie and extinguish them We must not then disallow and reproue naturall pleasures in the like sort as we doe such as are vicious and superfluous nor yet condemne the desire of them or their fruition For both in the one and the other that meane may be observ'd which is commended in all things Yet howsoeuer we must not take so much pleasure and delight that it preiudice the health and safety of our soules nor yet so little that our bodies growe feeble and sickly through defect thereof In so doing whosoeuer recreateth himselfe with the moderate delectation of an honest pleasure shall be much better reputed then hee that voluntarilie refuseth so great a good which freely prostitutes it selfe to his acceptance For hee neglecteth it eyther through despisall superstition or arroganee thinking to seeme more wise in refusing then his Creatour was in offering it As for vicious and dishonest pleasures they are to be detested of necessitie sithence such as are ingendred by gourmandizing and ebrietie doe not onely make men like to beasts but a great deale worse For they neuer eate and drink with such a greedy insatietie but that they haue alwayes remembrance and power to retire themselues into their owne nests and dennes whereas man tunnes such disproportionate measure of wine into his belly that reason and iudgement for all their shifts are drowned in the deluge through losse of whom he that ere whiles was rationall but now insensible vnknowes his friends his familiar acquaintance his seruants nay himself Moreouer his capacity of wine destroyes the capacity of his wit makes him absolutely vnfit for any performances beside the wrong it doth vnto his reputation to the health of his body and which is worst of all to the safety of his soule Voluptuous sensualitie and worldly delight are alwayes inseparable from a gluttonous belly which haue the power to transforme men into hogges vtterly depriuing them of the loue and knowledge of vertue honesty Such as hunt after them are induced therevnto by an apparant resemblance of true felicitie promised by voluptie but they find themselues incontinently strangely benumm'd both bodies and soules in such sort that the one can deliberate and determine nothing but that which is dishonest the other is as impotent in the execution of good and so at last it is the vtter ouerthrowe both of their sense and reason Volupty is not a iot more gracious vnto wealth riches thē it is vnto the soul body for there is no patrimony or inheritance so infinite in the world which it wil not deuour in a little time The greatest treasury that euer was seen or heard of was that of the Romanes For beside the pillage of gold siluer which they rauaged from all the richest cities kingdoms of the earth the reuenewes also of the Prouinces were yearly brought in to maintain expences supply their wants And yet notwithstāding the voluptuous
meanes such affections as are both naturall and necessary Briefly she is the pillar of defence the flesh-subduer against luxury the rasor of wicked thoughts the rebuker and chastiser of vnbridled desires and the seuere mistress of wanton eyes On the other side shee is the nursing mother of cleane continence she mollifies the heart and makes reason attend thee as thy counselling seruant in all thine affaires This verâ—ue is diuided into foure principall branches Continence Clemency Modesty and Order Continence appeares as well in the actions of sobriety as of chastity Clemency consisteth principally in pardoning offences euen when it hath fit and conuenient opportunity to reuenge Modesty is the knowledge of a comly demeanor euen in time of prosperitye and of vsing well the gifts of fortune Order consisteth in the disposing of al things in their proper places by suiteable degrees and conuenient proportions to their well being Fortitude being the third Vertue in order is a certain immortall good seated in the power and guidance of the soule fortified and confirmed by the diligent study of Philosophy which importuneth man both to chuse and effect all things by his owne desire onlie for the loue of the things themselues She leadeth a generous and a noble spirit through the hardest things most dangerous and of greatest difficultie to the end that it may augment his honour and giue greater cause of ioy when as he hath triumpht ouer such designes Shee aduanceth our mindes and infuseth into our soules a wondrous desire of aspiring euen to the highest part of that which is most high most excellent most honorable most commendable most profitable Her greatest vndertakings are without feare she stickes not after sound counsell and serious aduice to enterprise actions full of threatning dangers and to perseuere therein with immoueable constancye For Constancy is the diligeÌ„t page of manly Fortitude and is neuer from his elbowe though shee tread the crimson paths of warre and march euen vp at knees in a fielde of bloud Moreouer none of the vertues can be consummated and truely accomplished without constancy Hee that hath one vertue hath not alwaies the other but hee that hath this hath all others whatsoeuer forasmuch as shee is neuer found but euen in the full perfection both of the will and power And therefore she magnifieth her possessour making him to disdeigne eyther the pinch of sorrow or the feare of death making him to account nothing eyther intolerable or troublesome which is possible to befall a mortall wight nor any thing bad which is eyther necessary or ineuitable Briefly it is the knowledge of that which ought to bee sustained when as we fight for the maintenaÌ„ce of Iustice This vertue is also diuided into foure principal branches to wit magnificence Confidence Patience and Perseuerance Magnificence is shewed in the atchieuing of great and excellent things Confidence appeares when as a generous mind is indued with an assured hope of the happy successe of his vndertakings Patience appares in the voluntary and continuall sufferance which is sustained for the meere loue of honesty and vertue Perseuerance is seene in the perpetuall Constancy and firme continuance of dessignes and resolutions enterprised vpon good considerations by the perswasions of reason The fourth and more eminent vertue is Iustice which we define to bee a constant and perpetuall willingnes of doing right and reason vnto all with an equall and proportionate distribution according to euery ones merite and desert Wherefore this vertue comprehendeth within itselfe all others whatsoeuer forasmuch as man should not be able to discerne iust from vniust thereby to embrace the one and eschew the other were hee not also indued with prudence for as much as this is a peculiar property solely depending on that vertue In like manner also hee would hardly be able to put in practise the preceps of Iustice that is not indued with temperance wherewith hee might moderate all the passions and particular affections of his owne minde Furthermore hee cannot fully performe one of the chiefest and diuinest parts of Iustice which is to giue helpe and succour vnto the afflicted persecuted soule when there is need therof be it in what danger soeuer if by reson of manly courage and true fortitude he doe not contemne death sorrowe griefe and whatsoeuer else the world containes and so to be as neare as flesh and blood will permit a perfect imitatour of Diuinity In such sort that hee alone is to bee stiled Iust which rendreth good vnto as many as he can without offering iniurie vnto any one hauing no striuing contentions within his owne breast remaining a louing seruant to his God and a gentle friend vnto his neighbour This vertue is twofold Distributa CoÌ„mutatiue The Distributiue coÌ„sisteth in giuing vnto euery one according to his merit whether it bee honour dignity or punishment The Commutatiue consisteth in obseruing our faith and credit in our promises couenants and neuer doing vnto any that which wee would not haue others doe vnto vs. From this generall fountaine issue forth these foure riuers which by an Allegory haue bene termed the riuers of the terrestriall Paradise which alwaies water the little worlde Prudence Temperance Fortitude and Iustice which are as necessary to be conioynd and vnited in him which desireth to be perfectly vertuous as the separation of them would bee preiudiciall to his estate For no man can bee temperate if hee bee not formerly prudent forasmuch as euery vertuous action proceedeth from knowledge and vnderstanding In like manner man can neuer bee truely valiant and magnanimous if formerly he be not temperate forasmuch as such a one that is indued with a generous and an vndaunted spirit without moderation would in a short season become desperate and he that should be temperate and not courageous would in a short time become a coward In like manner Iustice without Prudence and Temperance would shortly bee transformed into bloudy Tyranny In such sort the vertues being vnited and knit together are all absolutely perfect but beeing disioyned once and separated they become feeble are ouerborn by the strength of vice Wherefore these fower vertues being ordained as a sure basis and firm foundation vnto euery one that earnestly desireth to bee perfectly vertuous they ought to serue him as an obiect and mirrour of his contemplatioÌ„ wherein he shall not onely behold the vgly deformities and defects of nature but also remedies against the same to attaine vnto the which three thinges are to be obserued by him which shall be declared in the Chapter following Of such things as are requisite in the acquist of vertue and which concurre to the perfect accomplishment of a vertuous man CHAP. III. THREE things ought to bee vnited and conioyned together in the acquist of Vertue and full accomplishment of a vertuous Man Nature Reason and Vse It is the office of Nature to incline vs Reason to direct vs and Vse and Custome to conforme and confirme vs.
vertues and thirâ—â— our actions worthy imitution But if we descend from these proâ—â—der cogitations and in sober sadnes enâ—er into a due contemplation of our â—â—rst form which bore the resemblance â—f God himselfe and make a collation â—herof with the estate which man is â—ow in then shall wee bee enforced to â—onfesse that the first plant of maÌ„kind â—as wondrous full of exquisite and admired excellency but now the glorie â—â—erof is vtterly defaced and from beâ—â—g like an Angell is become like a â—eâ—â—st full of sauage rudenes or rather â—â—ke a forsaken desert all ouergrowne â—ith thornes and thistles Man being considered in the estate â—f his creation as he was in the full inâ—grity and heauenly perfection wherâ—ith God innobled his soule in the Worlds begininng theÌ„ should he haue â—â—st occasion to bee esteemed the Meâ—â—opolitan chiefe Prince and Commaunder of all the Creatures of the World But beeing considered as he 〈◊〉 to day and in the estate where into â—ee is fallen declining from the comâ—andemeÌ„t of God his Soueraign Lord by his proud ambition then shall hâ—â— be adiudged the most miserable of thâ—â— world and farre inferiour vnto al Godâ— Creatures O most lamentable and heaâ—â— change that man created after God owne Image a companion vnto Angels crowned with honour and glory Lord of the earth Citizen of Heauen one of Gods Domestickes and an Inheritour of all celestiall happiness by a change a sudden change should bee found all naked miserable poore 〈◊〉 pittifull creature yea a thousand thousand times more wretched then thâ— beasts which he had lamed For indeed we durst not affirme thâ— wee are now in regard of our humanâ— nature in any thing more excellent then the brutish beasts And if wee would iudge of the truth as wee are taught by reason and experience was must needs confess against our selues that they in very many things doâ— much outstrip vs as the harmelesse Doue in pure simplicity the diligent â—nt and painefull Bee in labour and â—â—dustry the gentle Storke in kind huâ—anity the Dog in loue and firm fideâ—â—ty the Oxe and Asse in memory and â—â—membraÌ„ce of good turns the Lamb 〈◊〉 mildness the vndaunted Lyon in â—agnanimity the Cocke in watchfulâ—â—ss the Serpent in prudence all in â—enerall in content and sobriety And if perchance he doe surmount â—â—me one in a good nature and vertuous disposition for that againe he surâ—ounteth all others in hatred and maâ—â—e For he is more trecherous more â—uell then a wolfe more crafty then a â—xe prouder then a peacocke more â—â—xurious more vngratefull then a â—ogge and farre more dangerous then â—poysonous aspe Besides all the most wicked impieâ—es if it be not vnlawfull to term them 〈◊〉 which are found but particularly in â—â—uers brute beasts and which proâ—â—ed in them also from the necessity of â—â—ture without hauing eyther Iudgeâ—ent or free election of will for the perpetration of them are found al too firmly inherent in the depraued soule of man and euery one of them in the highest degree and for the fuller accomplishing of them if it be possible there is heither industry nor affectioÌ„ nor will nor ought else whatsoeuer which shall not be rackt to constraine the same to performe its best indeuours And shall we then vaunt and boaâ—â— of our Iudgement and reason wheâ—â— there is nothing besides a misty error and a clowdy darknes Or of our freâ—â— liberty or rather licentious loosene of our will And of our eyes placed 〈◊〉 the highest watch toure of the little world thereby to discerne a farre oâ— and discerning eschew all vanity thaâ— would besiege vs And of our tonguâ— which steadeth vs in nothing but lying slandering and blaspheming Anâ— of our hands which are most imployed as our chiefest instruments for the and murther And of our feete which in the paths of sinne are as Mercurie full of feathers but in the paths of verâ—â—e turnd to lead And lastly of al the â—ther parts and members of the Body â—hose diligent indeauours in lewde â—xercises make them seeme to bee as â—uicke apprentises or nimble pages to â—niquity And so in this manner then we haue miserably altered and changed that which God gaue vs wherewith to imâ—race vertue but most especially to magnifie praise his glorious name â—nto the seruice of Sathan of the world of sinne and of our owne concupisâ—ence But if when the resemblance of the worlds Creatour appeared in vs by the â—lumination of our spirits and by the â—prightnes of our then wel tempered affections wee had some occasion of glorifying ourselues in him now also â—t being through our defect so monstrously defaced or at least so inuelloped with darknes and obscurde with clouds that the traces therof can hardly be distinguished haue not we then as great nay a farre greater reason of humiliation and the more especially for that the image of the Diuell hath succeeded it who being a murtherer and the father of lyes hath nothing within the compasse of the earthly Globe that more resembleth him then wretched man who is now naturally cruell proud and a lyar I would willingly aske if man beeing in this sort disarrayed of the garments of grace gifts of God hauing not any thing whereof to boast and yet most profusely boasteth should not truely merit a publique and general detestation and that al other creatures should conspire together to vpbraide him with his owne arrogancy In the course then which he is to obserue he should not imitate the Pharisee but the Publican to the end that hauing by our selfe-obseruing truely informed our soules of our miserye we might forthwith make our recourse vnto humility which onely maketh vs capable of the perfect vnderstanding of our owne estate and so consequentâ—y coÌ„ming before the throne of God â—erforme dutifull obeisance vnto his â—oly name as well for our Creation â—s also for all other good gifts which â—ee dayly and howerly receiue from â—is bountifull and liberall hand esâ—â—cially for spirituall and heauenly â—â—ings which we alone enioy not aâ—â—y other creature whatsoeuer And â—herefore if we haue receiued any such â—racious gift from God aboue it must â—e disrobed that wee may attaine vnto the consideration thereof being naâ—ed and in its own proper nature with â—he more facility For man is neuer â—eerer vnto a diuine contemplation â—hen when hee meditates on humane â—â—ailety Whosoeuer coueteth to bee â—ood must first beleeue that hee is â—aught For there are not a fewe that â—eceiue themselues heerein with the Pharisee who thinking theÌ„selues Pruâ—ent Iust Liberal Magnanimous and Temperate do ouerswell with self-conâ—eit and glorifie themselues as if they had gained all these vertues by their owne industry Although there be not any man that possesseth any thing which hee hath not receiued as a gift from heauen Knowledge and vnderstanding together with all the other vertues and ornaments of the soule as also the quaint proportioÌ„ of the body strength and agility of the limmes
the body for therein onely her action consisteth For how can she imploy her selfe otherwise by what meanes can shee appeare vnto the world but by her faculties Therefore it is very requisite that she ayde and succour them guide and gouerne them as long as they remaine together that thereby at length triumphing in glory for hauing vanquished the Diuell the World the Flesh and its affections shee may bring them vnto the fruition of eternall blessednes Contrarily if shee by yeelding too obsequiously vnto their lustfull appetites and wanton concupiscences forgetting both office and place should slaue her selfe to the seruile subiection of their desires shee should truely merit by suffering her selfe to bee thus transported by their lewd and carnall affections to be depriued of all her soueraignty forasmuch as by giuing too facile an obseruance to their flattering perswasions she hath frustrated the serious intention of her Creatour which was that she shold assimulate vnto her selfe by vertuous actions such things as were impure and subiect to the dregs and blemishes of sinne that so at her returne shee might bring them with her to bee conioynd in him The course then that shee is to obserue in such contrarieties is so to demeane her selfe that both the senses and her selfe be nothing but Reason that is to say that she be not so spirituall that she forget her selfe to be conioyned with a body whereof she ought to haue great care to rule and gouerne it Nor yet so corporall that she should bee vnmindfull of her purer essence and that she is the secōd cause of both their felicities So thē Vertue producing these effects in a prudent mā impresseth in the soul of him not only a knowledge of that which is iust honest and profitable that he may thereby loue and imbrace it but also of that which is vniust dishonest vnprofitable that hee may therby shunne and hate the same holding his affections vnder the rule and moderation of her lawes to the ende that he may not be made a bondslaue to his enemy beeing fallen vnder the power of Vice And what is more miserable in the world then seruitude And what seruitude greater then to be in a slauish subiection to a mans owne disordered affections On the other side what greater happines in the world then liberty And what greater liberty then to bee master and commaunder of a mans selfe If the victory that is atchieued ought to bee valued according to the dignity and worth of him that is conquered it is most certaine that the Conquerour shall bee as greate as was his glory whom hee conquered In such sort the renowned victory which Achilles wonne when hee conquered Hector was so much the more noble by how much Hector was more mighty valiant Furthermore there is nothing in the World so greate as man nor any thing in man so excellent as his soule and courage which is the greatest and most puissant thing within the compasse of the Vniuerse For questionless that is chiefest that is noblest which approacheth neerest vnto the first beginning But the soule of man doth most resemble God because of his vnderstanding vse of reason and freenesse of will which shee hath farre aboue all the parts of mans body and all other terrestriall creatures whatsoeuer Whence it necessarily followeth that the reasonable soule is the most worthy most noble of all the vniuersall World If man then gaine the conquest ouer his own soule he ought to be esteemed more victorious then hee that hath subdued and conquered the whole world Wherefore it is that mans chiefest content during his continuance in this life is the soules quiet and peacefull tranquillity which cannot be gotten by things directly contrary such as are restlesse desires and greedy couetousnes wherewith the soule is miserably tormented Nor yet doth the peace and tranquillity of the spirit properly consist in the exemption of griefe and sorrow but also in the freeing of it from such violent passions as plunge the vicious in a sea of sadnes So that then he only is to be accounted free which domineereth ouer his owne affections and withstandeth the violence of such ill-seasoned desires as without resistance would destroy him If we esteeme that man to be attended on by an vnhappy chance and a miserable fortune which hauing bene once a Lord and Commander is now tumbled headlong downe by some disastrous accident or other into the subiection of his owne vassall what then shall wee say of him that is voluntarily becomme a seruile bond-slaue not onely vnto his passions but also vnto such things as are senselesse dead such as are gold and siluer and the like worldly vanities and so at length a seruaunt to sinne and which is worst of all vnto the Diuell himselfe Is not this a great punishment of God that man out of his owne free will for want of knowing and vnderstanding himselfe should make himselfe a seruant and a slaue vnto those things whereof hee if hee would eschewe Vice and imbrace Vertue so to vse his goods and fortunes with moderation might haue the mastery and full command Therefore if there bee any sparkle of Iudgement remaining in vs whereby wee may discerne the treacherous conspiracies and domestical treasons which our own passions contriue against vs shall wee not blush to suffer our selues to bee so shamefully surprised by those toyish fopperies which the least foresight in the world would vtterly haue queld Haue our painful indeauors in the school of Vertue gained no greater profit then that fraile riches and worldly vanities should haue greater power and preheminence ouer vs then Reason Are we willing our selues to deface that relique of Gods image and resemblance in vs that we may become wholy brutish Do we loue long for that which wee ought to hate to imbrace that which burneth vs and to kisse that which consumeth vs O where then is vertues loue and the affection due to her O where is the laudable desire of Glory and Honour whereunto all truely generous and noble spirits doe aspire by ciuill demeanours and commendable actions Well then let vs contemne all Ambition for Ambitions sake saue onely that which by arming our minds with true humility maketh vs so valiant against our selues as to ouercome our selues in such sort that flaying off our old skin with all his staines blemishes spots and imperfections we may put on a cleane a faire and a beautifull skin not onely laudable for its meekenes mildnes patience liberality humanity modesty and fidelity towards all men but also for its fortitude constancy and Iustice towards our selues whereby we may be able to daunt yea to subdue our greatest enemy who hath by smooth insinuation fortified himselfe euen in the Cittadell of our owne vnderstanding with a resistlesse and immutable resolution of forcing frō vs that little little residue that smal sparkle of brightness which suruiueth in vs to the end that beeing altogether in darknes we might
meane reckoning nay scarce accounting eyther of them of any esteeme at all For indeede it is almost impossible for such as vse all the means they can for the reaping of profit to do that vnto Honour which is her due Forasmuch as dishonest gain is a carelesse regard nay an absolute despisall of true glory the shining splēdour whereof euery vertuous heart ought to be iealous to preserue not suffering it to bee eclipst by the obscure clowds of base actiōs but most especially the nobler sort such as haue bin exalted to the highest dignities whether by letter or Armes For Honour exacts the performāce of duty so much the more seuerely in those by how much their worths and dignities haue more distinguisht them frō the vulgar Therefore it is that the golden Merchant is not so much honoured as the simple Souldier For the one heapeth vppe a mountaine of treasure respecting onely his owne inriching the other practiseth but few meanes and those also as instruments of Honour and the onely end of all his parsimony is wholly referred vnto the acquist of Glory And then if naturall Duty haue obliged all sorts of men to doe their best indeauours in their seueral vocations to accomplish somthing that may bee profitable to the publique good it stands with greater reason that shee should oblige those which are the bright lamps and glorious starres of honour eyther by place or parentage to the end that they might enlighten the meaner actions of other men by the shining lustre of their examples Which they can neuer doe but by clearing first their owne hearts from filthy couetousnesse forasmuch as that is the principal cause which maketh men forgetfull of those thinges which appertaine to the purchase of Honour wholly addicting their minds to riches and suffring thē to think on nothing saue that alone which serues for increase of their reuenues wheron being wholly bent they oft times practise base and ignoble actions which in fine procure their miserable ruine against those that are of their own profession Wherfore it is very expedient for him that desireth earnestly to imbrace vertue to propose her alwaies before his eyes as the onely obiect wherat he aymeth and not to esteem of any profit saue onely that which is attaind vnto by her accord For how-soeuer the imposturous hypocrite and dissembling wretch seeme more faire in his affaires according to the censure of the World then the plaine honest and open hearted man yet certainely it is better to bee vnrespected with the last then with the first to be in great esteeme For the ends of such are alwaies miserable And therefore they that seek after nothing but their owne priuate gaine are miserably deluded because whatsoeuer their greedy minds induced them to follow was false riches coūterfeit treasures For true riches are not gaind but by the performance of our duties grounded on Vertue which is nought else but the practise of doing wel to all not in regard of gaine or hope of recōpence but only in respect of Vertue it selfe which is ought to be the sole profit of an honest man She it is that maketh all things profitable And hee that taketh care to perform his duty is neuer guerdor less For the obseruance therof being wel imployed procureth vs esteem credit amongst men credit preferres vs to the dignity of some high place wherein are gained orderly and quiet riches which are to bee accounted of farre more then great abundance mischieuously gotten It is a worthy cement that firmely vniteth honest and profitable For if they bee disioyned Vtility is nothing but deluding cosenage and Ouerreaching an irreligious policy which seuerely bindeth the trembling-guilty conscience to answere for the same It behooueth therefore euery particular man to bee as well in art as industry constantly resolued and resolutely confirmed in three especiall points before the atchieuement or execution of any action The first is that his enterprize bee iust The second is that the meanes which he practiseth by for the attainment therof be lawfull The last is that he surpasse not the bounds of his owne vocation be it eyther publique or particular but alwaies containe himselfe within its limits and do his best for the common good For than this there is nothing more agreeable vnto God nor more beseeming an honest man Let vs then learn our deuoir towards men to the end that wee may render thanks vnto God for all First for the good which he hath giuen vs next for the good which wee haue had to make it truly profitable for the prosperous successe thereof and lastly for the reward which wee are sure to obtaine I mean the beatitude felicity which is the true ground of perfect goodnes We haue formerly declared what are Vertues effects in man making him to loue and follow her besides the recōpence which she hath in her self of her own nature And because recompence hath a very great power ouer vs and is able to cause vs to affect things a great deale the more Vertue will neuer be without the same Now by how much the more her excellency surmounteth the worths of other things so much the richer and more pretious are the salaryes which she presenteth to vertuous men These are Honor Pleasure a double good without which shee neuer marcheth whereof now following we make description The Description of true Honour and how it ought to bee acquired CHAP. VIII ALl our actions whatsoeuer doe vsually tend towards Perfection We desire her for her own sake being not able to bee contented without her Imperfection is the mother of displeasure and nurse of discontent For which cause as many as haue treated of beatitude affirme that wee ought if we wish for true content true felicity to desire perfection For none can be said to be truely happy but such as haue attained vnto the perfect accomplishment of the same Her supportāce hath no referēce to the goods honours and pleasures of the Body because perfection is not found in thē being fraile inconstant momentary and lyable to decay through times tyranny We ought therefore to seeke after Wisedome and imbrace the vertues of the soule whose condition beeing permanent and estate eternall they scorn the violence of alteration whose constancy also is neuer mooued with the battering storms of angry fortune So then if all things labour for perfection and desire that which is good agreeable vnto them it stands with greater reason that the soule of man should couet that which is not onely appertinent but wondrous necessary The soule then being an immortall essence it is cleare that it ought not to appropriate such things vnto it selfe as are fraile and full of change but ought rather to be richly adorned and glorified by such as are permanent and proper only to its owne nature Amongst all the goods and treasures of the soule the acquisition of the Honour which proceeds from vertuous actions whether ciuill
man to be the Author of his owne destruction CHAP. X. A Quarrell is the complainte of an offence which wee pretend to haue been done against our Honour Honour is assaulted eyther by word or deede The deede lieth in the violence of the hand of him that is offensiue either to body or goods Yet notwithstanding a noble mind groundeth not his quarrell on any detriment procurde either through the ransacking of goods or grieuance of a blowe receiued but on the offence which may diuers wayes redound thence vnto his Honour For such as haue the enioyance of more eminent places then others aduanced thereunto eyther by lineall descent or their proper merites make small or no account at all of wealth but as it is the instrument of glory only and therefore doe not thinke eyther losse of goods or other afflictions to bee iniurious disgraces as long as their Honour is not interressed For if iniury be properly defin'd an vniust action and in that vniust action bee also ransacking of goods they neuer account any thing vniustly done against them when they are spoyled of nothing which they rightly tearme their own goods which is the pretious treasure of their Honour As for example a man of armes addressing himselfe vnto the warres incountreth his enemy face to face is vanquished is exceedingly abused in his person loseth his goods receiueth wounds and payes a ransome yet for all this he shall not make a particular complaint hereof because hee hath not lost any thing of his owne that is to say which hath beene preiudiciall to his Honour and therefore hauing lost nothing of his owne proper and principall good it consequently followeth that it cannot properly be said to be an action of iniury But if his Honour be reproached and his reputation defamed hee is much iniured in righting himselfe for such a disgrace he seeketh satisfaction so much the more discreetely the more worthily by how much his courses are more conformable to the lawes which neuer constraine any one to endure that which is a blemish vnto his name and a spot vnto his renowne Yet because there are diuers quarrels which arise daily amongst young brauing gallants whose ground is only the damage eyther of goods or body when the preiudice of vertue and honour onely ought to be the finall end of our noble resolution the first causes of such rash and foolish quarrels should quickly be extinguished as a fire wanting fewell if they had not strength of body to swagger it great meanes to contribute vnto the charge thereof For riches and treasures are honourable being imployd in vertuous actions which is Honours mother in such sort that the greater the treasures are which heauen hath profused on great men the greater is the glorie wherewith it crowneth them For fulnes and perfection of strength is generallie reuerenced by the Lawe of Nations which commandeth vs to honour those which can doe much forasmuch as their designes are so much the more excellent by how much they are more able to effect vvhat they vvoulde doe Beholde then why vertue which is not a fained or an imaginarie point is touched to the quick when as anie one endammageth the meanes of her performances vvhich haue dependaunce on the bodie and goods so that good men doo exercise their vertues when as they vse their meanes vvith a prudent hand and conforme the actions of their bodies vnto Temperaunce Modestie Magnanimitie and other honorable and woorthie imployments making both the one and the other to appertaine to the conseruation of their honour But vvhen the iniurie by deede proceedeth from swaggering brauadoing and audacious temeritie such a fantasticall and capricious humour is so irregular so immoderate that the repression thereof deserues no meane reward and then speciallie vvhen the rebuker shall not haue anie peculiar interest therein But when the disgrace or iniurie is directed vnto him he is so much the more earnestly prouoked by how much the more his courage manhood is called into questiō by the ouerweening faucines of the offender For whether this audacious swaggerer desire to make proof therof and so he be incited through the disparagement of this affront or whether he proceeded so rashly that he imagineth the partie that incountreth him to be of too base a minde to dare to make shew of reuenge Both the one and the other intention offendeth and giueth sufficient cause of complaint because the honour thereby is much impeacht This ought to be vnderstood to be amongst men of equall strength or betweene such as are of small disparity For if the greater outbraue the lesser the infamy redounds vnto the assaulter because the inequalitie of strength debarres him from the meanes of working his reuenge And no action that is constrained can beget dishonour no more then an action can be honourable that is not free Touching the iniury by word it is eyther reproachfull detraction or gybing foppery for both the one and the other hath a bitter relish in the ingenuous apprehension of a generous spirit The first which is detraction plants the massacring petard of a slaunderous obloquie against the gates of vertue to batter downe the Palace of Honor he sayes that honour is vnder vice and so confoundeth the glory thereof it being onely maintained by the supportance of vertue And although this aspersion be full of vntruthes yet notwithstanding it shakes the whole Fabricke in such sort that it is alwaies ready to tumble downe and cannot easily be reduced vnto its former estate againe For Honour ought to be still preserued so pure so spotlesse that it should be free from the least blot or blemish whatsoeuer For this reason calumnious imputations were vtterly condemned by all lawes both diuine and humane And because malitious detraction hath helpe of spuing forth its venemous poyson as well by writing as wording all defamatory and reproachfull Libels haue alwayes bin seuerely censured The second which is gybing mockery are words which very much offend especiallie being spoken by a scornefull spirit which is the source and fountaine of disdaine affording argument of vice and mischiefe and consequentlie much abating the value of true Honour whether because a person that is well borne conceiues thereby a sudden shame vvhich kindleth his passions with an angrie choler being as yet but greene in yeeres or a greater indignation hauing through the maturitie of his age attainde vnto discretion to iudge of an offence vvhich is then indeede when wisedome and experience should furnish him with so much vnderstanding that hee should not giue occasion to bee flouted at VVhosoeuer then is prouoked in this sort cannot chuse but conceiue a great deale of discontent For indeede if it bee a difficult thing to a man of worth to see himselfe not priz'd according to his merite vvhat spight and vexation would it bee vnto him to see whatsoeuer hee eyther saide or did to bee contemptuouslie derided at Yet notwithstanding those of the vviser sort