like vnto frendship There is differēce in this that frendship hath compassion and humble corage and conuersacion hath not For why A man maie cōpany with men that he knoweth not And the mā that doth excede in these thynges is he that medleth him self vncōly to be acquainted w t a stranger with a man that he knoweth not neighbour or not neighbor without respect suche one is called a mery felowe if it bee of nature But he that maketh mirth for gaines is called a flatterer and he that is sad is called rude and vncherfull ¶ The .xxij. Chapiter Of Truthe and liyng TRuthe and liynges be the mooste contrarye thinges that can be in the world and be vsed in worde in dede A honorable man and of a good corage vseth truth in worde deede and the vile mynded the contrary The very man is he that kepeth the meane betwene the vaūter that cracketh vpō himself more then he is he that dispraiseth hymself in hidyng the goodnes that is in hym In somuche that the verie man affirmeth y ◠goodnes that is in hym nother more nor lesse but he that dispraiseth is of better disposicion then is he that vaunteth hymself For the vaunter lieth in woorde and in dede Worsse in these thinges a boue saied is he that knoweth not hymself and therefore he is more vituperable thē other the truthe is to bee praised and lies to bee dispised For the liar speketh such wordes as he maketh in his mind a man that is true for the loue of truthe is better then he y ◠is true for profite that he maie haue thereby He that bosteth and presumeth for gold or siluer is like vituperable to the vainglorious But he that vaunteth hymself for honor or profit is not so blamable Ther bee men that reioyse themselfes in lies and other lie to be regarded the humble mā dispraiseth himself to fly strife busines as did Socrates to haue quiete life and he y ◠exalteth himself in litle thinges is nothing to be named ¶ The .xxiij. Chapiter ¶ How a manne is knowen by his mouyng THe mā that laugheth to muche is vituperable and he that neuer laugheth thei saie he is sad and vncherful But a mā that is cōpaniable with his felowe loureth not nor moueth not other by foule bourdyng plaiyng for sometyme iestyng moueth a man to lechery and is forbiddē in the law but to kepe good and louyng compaignie suche a one is to be praised ⧠Shamefastnes is a passion that is ingendred with fere for why He that is a shamed changeth colour with euery thyng also somtime thei that be afraid Shamfastnes is wit in youth not vnconuentent to boyes and wenches for it withdraweth thē frō sinne but shame is to be blamed in old mē for age shuld do nothing wherof to be ashamed ¶ The .xxiiij. Chapiter Of Justice IUstice is a commendable habite by the which a man is made Juste and dooeth the workes of Justice and willeth and loueth thynges that be iust Insomuche as it is the habite of iustice the whiche is vertue Then iniustice whiche is the cōtrary muste needes bee vice Justice is saied to bee in three sortes and the vniust is also in three sortes he is called vniust that doth against the lawe and he that passeth the nature of equalite and he that meddeleth with vnlawfull and dishoneste gaynes And likewise a man is Juste in three sortes for euen so many sortes as is in the one so many are in the other So that the iust man is he that doth obserue the law and the nature of the equalite and those that bee content with lawfull gaynes ¶ The .xxv. Chapiter ¶ Of the Lawe THe law is iust and all thynges of the lawe be iuste for it commaundeth the workes of vertue whiche workes make a mā happy and cōserueth the workes of happinesse in hym and forbiddeth al euill in citees and tountrees and commaundeth vnto good men greate workes as to ordre araye battailes and cōmaundeth y e men beware of fornicacion and lechery and commaundeth that men bee peaceable from hurtyng one another and forbiddeth vnclene speche And generally it commaundeth the workes of iustice and to flie vice Justice is the moste noble thing the most strōgest vertue that is Wise mē do loue y ◠workes of iustice hauing more mar uel of y ◠goodnes of thē then of y ◠shinyng ster or y ◠settyng of the sunne or rising therof for it is y ◠moste perfight vertue of all other And the iust man vseth iustice in himself in his frendes for a man y ◠is not good to himself nor to his frēdes is worst of al other persōs For a man to be good it sufficeth not onely to be good to hymself but also to his frendes Justice is not parte of vertue but al. And wrōg is not part of vice but al vice Ther be kyndes of vices openly for bidden as these adultry inchātmēt false witnes treason fraude and deceit And ther be kindes of vi ces which be iniurious as killing smityng other like thynges in the which the iust man is somtime equaller and somtime measurer in comparison he is called equaller betwene .ii. and a measurer betwene many thynges and fewe and is in relacion in .iiii. thynges So the iust mā can be no lesse then in .iiii. thynges There be two persones betwene whom Justice is to be do en .ii. be causes that is to saie right and wrōg and yet in these selfthinges may be equalite for if ther might be no disequalnes there shold be no equalnes and so Justice is in proporcion of number And as iustice is equal so is wrong vniust vnequall and therfore the Lord of the lawes laboreth to bring euerithig equal Wherfore he killeth one and scourgeth another other he sendeth to prisō vntil the par tie haue satisfyed so laboreth to bring to muche and to litel in to a meane Therfore he taketh frō one and geueth to another til they be egal and therfore the forme therof is to be knowen to the intēt that his subiectes may liue stedfastly in the middest ¶ Yet of Justice Chapiter .xxvi. THe inhabitors together in Cities doo take and geue one to another and euery one yeldeth too ther according to the quantitee of their thinges and al to come to the middest for we put the case that the Smythe hath a thing that is worth one the Shomaker hath a thing that is worth two the Carpēter hath a thing that is worth thre thē the Smith must nedes take of the Shomaker his woorke and the Shomaker muste take of the Carpenter his worke yet the worke of the one may be better then the other therfore it is nedeful to some man of equalytee that maye returne them to a meane and therfore was found money For money is a mean by the which a man may bryng euery vnegal into
the most noblest life that is in hym For although a man bee but litle of persone he is aboue all other creatures whence the moste delectable life that a man hath is by vnderstandyng ¶ The .lij. Chapiter ¶ Of the morall vertue and of the happie manne THese vertues morall or Ciuill will bee in more trouble more solicite then the intellectualles for that liberalitee hath neede of riches The iuste man is busied with theim that commaūde iustice and likewise of the straunge man and chaste but these vertues intellectuall haue no nede for the accomplishyng of their operaciōs of outward thynges But rather many tymes the very perfight mē bee sped in these vertues of the outward thynges But a man that cannot come to the perfeccion of this life oughte to chose a waie to liue accordyng to the comen lawes For the operaciō of the vnderstandyng speculatiue is in thend of example of the very beatitude of man And manne is likened to God and his angels For the other operacions bee not worthy to be likened to God nor to heuenly thynges God and his angels haue moste noble life for thei be euer in the moste best speculacion their speculacion neuer wereth nor faileth And the manne that inforceth hymself moste contynually to vnderstande thinke of these thynges is moste like vnto theim that bee in the very beatitude ¶ The .liij. Chapiter Of the knowledge of Uertues AMan to bee happie in this worlde hath nede of moderate conductingin outward thinges for because nature geueth not sufficient inwardly of these thynges As to bee satisfied in brede of wine of other thynges that be nedeful to the life of man But it is not nedeful to be lorde of the sea and of the land for suche thynges maie happen to thē that are of lesse degree of riches that be more ware to bee happy then the Lordes of these thynges And therfore it is well saied of Anaxagoras that felicite is not in riches nor in lordeship his saiyng is to be noted for the woordes of hym are to be alledged whose woorkes agree with his saiyng A man that maketh his orision accordyng to the obedience of the ordre of the vnderstandyng is loued of God If almightie God haue cure of man whiche is a worthy thyng to beleue Then moste cure he hath of thē that moste inforceth themselfes to be like vnto hym and best rewardeth theim and delighteth hym to them that is to saie with them as one frende with another Thē according to this saiyng we ought to thinke that it is sufficiente to obtaine felicite only to know y ◠thinges written in this boke of vertues and frēdship and of other thinges but the accōplishyng is in the operacions For this thyng that of nature ought to be doen sufficeth not only to be said but to be doen. And in this forme is fulfilled the goodnesse of man ¶ The .liiij. Chapiter ¶ Yet of like matter THE knowledge of vertue maketh a māne of power to be admonished vn to good woorkes specially such as haue good nature and moued by admonision to do well Also payn maketh a man to flee from vice for feare of punishement and not for the loue of vertue but for feare of paine thinke not well though thei dooe well It is not possible for theim that bee hardened in malice to be corrected by wordes There bee menne whiche bee good by teachyng And those men that bee good by nature haue it not of theim selfes but by the grace of God whiche is vetely called good nature Then the solle of him that hath the garmente of goodnesse and of righte loue hateth euill the mouyng ingendereth vertue in her as doth the seede that is cast vpon good ground And to the intente that a man haue a good custome from the beginnyng to vse to loue thynges that bee good to hate euil he ought to be brought vp frō his youth accordyng to the noble lawes and vse the woorkes of vertue and this oughte to bee in maner of continence although it bee not delectable to many men yet the hande may not bee withdrawen from chastesyng of children yea and from childhode till thei bee greate There be menne whiche maie not bee corrected by woordes And there bee that cannot bee by woordes but by payne And there bee other whiche will not bee corrected by nother of these sortes And those bee to be takē from other The good and noble ruler of the citee maketh good citezens whiche obscrue the lawes and doo y ◠worke that it cōmaundeth Thei be aduersaries that obserue not the lawes and commaundementes although thei dooe well In diuerse Citees there is no good rule because thei liue dissolutly in folowyng their willes The moste conuenient rule that may be in citees is that whiche is tēpered prouidently in suche sort as maie bee kepte not to heuy and that whiche manne desireth to bee obserued in hym and in his children and in his frendes The good punisher of y ◠lawes is he that maketh rules vniuersall whiche bee determinate in this boke and conioyne them to the perticulars whiche cometh daily in hādes therefore to ordre the lawes well it is nedefull to haue reason and experience FINIS ¶ Imprinted at Londō in the parishe of Christes Church within new gate by Richard Grafton Printer too our soueraigne lorde Kyng Edward the. VI. 1547. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum SVSCIPITE INCITVM VERBVM IACO I
is the welthe of the solle the other is the welthe of the bodie and the other is the welthe with out the body And of these thre the welth of the Solle is moste worthy and the fourme thereof is not knowen but in woorkes which be with vertue ¶ Beatitude coÌ„sisteth in the obteinyng of vertues in the vsiÌ„g of theÌ„ But whaÌ„ beatitude is in a man in habite and not in dede or act than he is vertuous as a man that sleapeth whose vertue and whose workes are not manifest but of necessite must nedes work accordyng to the arte and is in similitude to him that standeth in trauers and feightes obtaineth hath the crouÌ„e although there be no more stronger than he that hathe the victory yet he hathe not therfore the crowne because he is most stroÌ„g except he feighte Albeit by his power he get the battayle And so the rewardes of vertue a man hath not if he bestowe not himselfe in vertue actually and this is for because the reward is the Beatitude which he hath so long as he worketh y â— workes of vertue ¶ The iuste manne deliteth in iustice the wyse man in Sapyence the vertuous man in vertue And euerye worke whyche is doone by vertue is faire and delectable in it selfe Beatitude is a thing Jocound pleasant ¶ Beatytude that is in yearth hathe neede of outewarde healthe for it is impossyble to a man to dooe faire woorkes and to haue Arte whyche is seemyng to good and vertuous liuing with abuÌ„dance of freÌ„des prosperitie of fortune withoute good outwardly And therfore it is nedefull to haue withoute forthe wherby may be the more manifest the honour value of man And if any gifte be geuen to man in this worlde from the gloryous God it is a worthye thynge to beleue this to bee the Beatitude because it is the best thyng that may be in man For whi it is an honorable and com plet fourme of vertue There is no generacyon nor kynde that can haue vertue and beatitude but man There is nether child nor beaste that can haue Beatitude for whi ther works be not according to vertue Beatitutde is a thing stedfast and fyrm accordiÌ„g to very disposicioÌ„ wherin nether falleth variaunce nor permutacioÌ„ as for to haue now well and nowe euill but euermore well and this is the goodnes that is in the workes of maÌ„ â–ª The pillers of beatitude be the operacions which a man dothe accordiÌ„g to vertue The pillers of the contrarye be those that a man doth accordyng to vyce These workes be stedfaste and stable in the minde of man and the vertuous manne is not moued nor trobled in him selfe for anye thyng that maye happen contrarye for then he shoulde neuer haue felicitee it he be trobled because sorowe taketh awaye pleasure from felicitie There be thiÌ„ges which be hard to be born but whaÌ„ a man hath borne theim paciently he hathe shewed the streÌ„gth of his mind and there be thinges also which be light to be borne in the sustainyng whereof there is no great prudeÌ„ce shewed therein A hard thyng it is to sustaine sicknes death of chyldren yet although they be strange and harde they mouenot a man from his Beati tude The happynes of the man that is wel fortuned is so much to be praised as a thing sent froÌ„ God and is so much to be honored coÌ„mended that their laud praise can not be spoken spe cially it shal become vs to glori fye honor magnify almyghty god aboue al thinges we ought to thinke him in him self to haue in his thought algoodnes felicite For whi he is the begiÌ„ning cause of algoodnes Felicite beatitude ar one certeÌ„ act the which procedeth of y e solle of the body And like as the perfect phisiciaÌ„ seketh sercheth dt ligeÌ„tly the nature of the body of maÌ„ to thenteÌ„t to coÌ„firm it in hel the Likewise tt belongeth vnto good rulers gouerners of cyties to loke studi prouide tocoÌ„ serue the form of felicite in y e mides of their citizens for to put them in comfort to worke accor ding to vertue which is the pre cious frute y â— coÌ„meth of felicite The powers of the solle Chapâ—ter .vi. The solle of maÌ„ hath diuers powers as one called the power irracional that is to say vnresonable wherein a manne differeth not froÌ„ plaÌ„tes brute beastes And therefore thys is not the propre power in manne For by this power manne may worke his operacion sleapyng The other is the power intellectiue according to whose work after the forme aforsaid is good and euell And this power worketh not in slepynge but manyfestely therfore it is said that the miserable differeth not from the good in the lymittes of this life For in the tyme of sleape which is the good such is the euel and is because that man resteth from the worke by the whi che he is called good and euell but this is not treuth generallye because the myndes of the good seeth somtimes in visions and dreames many good thynges and profitable Whiche be not sene in the mindes of eiuell men The other power that the sollc hath although it be not racionall Yet it taketh part with reason therefore it oughte to obey vnto the vertue of reason and this is called the vertue coÌ„ cupissible And a man oughte to knowe that in the solle there ar somtime contrary mouinges Lyke as are in the bodye as wheÌ„ one membre moueth in the Paralitico or Paulsye it muste moue againste nature but this coÌ„trary is manifest in the bodi and in the solle hid and sâ—â—rete ¶ The power racional is to be said in two sortes the one is the power which is very resonable that lerneth deserneth and iudgeth The other power vnreasonable that is to saye the power concupissible and is called reasonable as long as it is obedyent vnder the power of that which is veri reasonable as the good child vnto the father whi che receaueth his correction Of two maners of vertues Chapter .vii. THere bee two vertues one is called Intellectuall as Sapience science and prudence the other is called Morall as chastitie liberalitie and humilitie then if we wyll prayse a manne in vertue Intellectuall we say this is a wise man and subtil in vnderstandynge and whan we will praise a man for his morall vertues that is to sai in his ma ners we say this is a chast man and a liberall Howe vertue groweth in man Chaptter .viii. ALthoughe there be ii vertues the one intellectual the o ther moral the Intellectuall ingendreth and groweth by doctryne learnyng And the moral like wyse ingendreth groweth by good vse and custome and this vertue moral is not in vs by na ture for naturall thynges can not be moued from their disposicions by contrary vse ¶ Example the nature of the Stone is to goo down warde and cannot be caste
manslaughter treason and adultry so there be thynges whiche bee vertues and haue no extremities As teÌ„peraunce and fortitude for the meane hathe no extremitee in it selfe Fortitude or strength is a meane betwene feare and folish hardinesse Chastite is meane betwene the man that foloweth his wil and he that vtterly forsaketh it Liberalite is the mean betwene prodigalite Auarice for the prodigall is lesse in receuing then he is in geuing and the couetous contrarie but the maÌ„ that is liberal kepeth the meane betwene these two extremities Liberalite truth and prodigalite in litel and mean thinges but in greate thynges the meane is called Magnificence the suê‘abuÌ„daÌ„ce hath no name in Latin but in Greke ir is called Pleonasmonus the lyttel is called Pernesa Meane in the wil is equanimite that is to sat equalnes Equanimite are those that wil not to much The Magninimus is he that willeth to much and he that wil not is called pusillanimus A maÌ„ that angreth with a thing so much as it veho ueth is called meke he that is angri with a thig withoutcause is called Irefull and he that is not so angry as he should be is called Iniracibile or angerles truthe is in the myddes betwene the twoo extremees that is betwene ouermuche and to lytel Those which kepe the meane betwene these two thynges be called trusty and thei that ouerpasse be called vaunters or boasters And those that bee to short in these thynges be called humble and they that kepe the meane in thes thinges of sporte plaie be called in Greke Metrocalor and they that ouerpas be called skoffers and they that lacke be called haskardes and he that kepeth the meane in coÌ„pany is called coÌ„paniable and he that passeth the mean loking for no gaynes is called a good felowe and he that passeth the middest and al forgaines is called a flatterer Shamfastnesse is a passion of the minde and no vertue and they that holde the meane in shame be called shamfaste and they that bee more ashamed than nede is be called in Greke Recoples and they whiche shame lesse than thei shulde are called shamelesse ¶ Howe to knowe vertues Chaptter .xiiii. THre dysposicyons ben in the workes of man that is to saye muche lyttel and mean And al thes thre thynges bene contrary emongest theymselues For lyttell is contrary to muche and the meane is contrarye to theym bothe that is to saye to lyttell and to muche whence yf thou wylte make coÌ„paryson betwene the meane and muche we maye say to muche and yf we wyll make comparison betwene the meane and litel we may say to litel whence yf thou wilt make comparison betwene prowes and feare ther prowes shalbe called hardines and yf a man will compare betwene prowes and hardines verely theyr prowes shalbe called fear But it is to be knoweÌ„ that ther is a greater contrary from the one extreme to the other theÌ„ it is from the meane to the extremes yet the one is more nere to the meane then is the other ¶ Example hardynes is more nearer to prowes then is feare and prodygalitee is more nearer to Lyberalitee then is Auarice but the sencibilite of the carnall wyll is more neare vnto Chastitee then it is to Lechery and that is by two reasons the one reason is accordynge to the nature of the thynge the other is of oure parte by nature and thys is the reason whereof that fear is more contrari vnto Fortytude then is hardynes of our parte because the extremytees vnto the whiche we been moste ready to fall by nature been the furthest froÌ„ the mean and therfore we fal more redily vnto carnal desires then we do to the coÌ„trary Then in so much that vertue is in the meane and to take the mean there nedeth so many consideracioÌ„s it is a hard thing for a man to become vertuous Euery art apperteneth to euery maÌ„ euery man ought to lern speciallye suche as are wise and expert therin for euery man cannot find the point of the cercle but he onely that is wise in Geometry Can do and wyl do the thynge is lightlye sayde but to do with al dewe circumstance appertcineth onely to them that be wyse in that arte Euery operacion that kepeth the meane is faire and worthi reward and for this cause we oughte to incline our mides contrary to our desires wherby we may come to the mean although it be a hard thyng at the fyrst Then in al thynges the mean is to be praysed and the extremities to bee blamed ¶ Howe a man doth wel and euel Chapiter .xv. THere bee operacions which a man doth not with his will that is to saye by force or by ignorance as if the wynd shuld take a manne and cary him into another countreye There be other operacions whiche a man doth willyngly by his own conseÌ„t as a man that doth a worke of vertue or vyce by his propre wil. And there be other operacions whiche be part by his wyl and parte not accordyng to hys wyll as yf a man beyng vppon the Sea in time of tempest and casteth forth his harnes stuffe to saue him selfe or as it hathe bene sene that the lord hath coÌ„mauÌ„ded his subiect to slaie hys father or mother in pain of life Such operacions be not coÌ„pouÌ„ded of the workes of wil nor inforced yet if thou do it thou doest it by thy wil although thou dooe it by commaundemente therefore suche woorkes haue praise and dispraise A man oughte rather to die then to doc so fyithy a thing as to kyll father or mother or to do any such like thynges Lacke of wit and discrecion is the cause of all eiuell for lacke of knowledge what is to be done what is not to bee done is the onely cause of the in crease of euel meÌ„ In this know lage the mind seeth not the euil name and peril that they run in to Thinke you a dronken man and Ireful when he dothe any euell dede that he doth it by ignorance without knowledge al though he be ignoraÌ„t in his dede Neuerthelesse the cause of the malice is not without hym for why the science of a man caÌ„ not depart from him Then the cause of the coÌ„cupiscence of this euel is but in the euel doer that foloweth hys wyll for it is impossyble that a man may do wel by his wyll and euell withoute his wyl And lykewyse the wyll is more common and more generall then is the election For why the operacyon of the wyll is common with Beastes and children but the election apperteineth not but to him that abstaineth him self from concupiscence Somtimes a man wold haue a thyng that is possible yet doth chose for it that whiche is impossible Also the wil is theÌ„tent but the electioÌ„ is an antecedeÌ„t vnto thenteÌ„t for why election goeth before the operacion the operacion goth after And a maÌ„ is called good or euel by the worke but by
the election he is nother called good nor euyll ¶ Also the opinion is of truthe or falsehode but the election is of wel or euell And like opynions are of those thynges that a mā knoweth not sureli But the election is of those thinges whiche a man knoweth of a suretie yet euery thing is not to be chosen but those wherein a manne hathe had councell before And yet councel is not to be kepte in euery thing But of those wherin wyse men take councell but of the thynges whereof fooles coūcell is no coūcel to be made but these thinges which be weightie and maye be done by vs the Issue beyng doutefull that is to saye doutefull in the ende There be thynges whiche be to haue councell as to geue medysyns to a sycke manne or like thinges Of other thinges whiche appertayneth not to vs nedeth no counsayll as to kepe councell vppon thynges that be perpetuall and of necessitie as whether the sonne ryse in the mornyng or yf it rayne or not nor yet to councell of thynges that come by chaunce as too fynde a Pursse or other treasure nor yet to councell vppon the ende but rather vppon the thynges that go before the end ¶ The Physicyan counsaileth vpon the lyfe of the sycke and counsayleth howe he maye heale hym The Rhethorician counsaileth not vppon perswasyons and he that makethe the lawe counsayleth not of the beatitude but rather euery man counsayleth in those thinges by the whyche they maie come to the thynges that be nedefull to theyr arte by him or by his frēdes as he woulde to hymselfe The wyll is the ende or the intente as it is sayd aboue where it semeth to some men that to be good which please them other there be to whom it semeth that all is good that the most would haue cōmonly but according to the truthe it is not so but good is that whiche seemeth good to them that be good that iudge thinges as they bee and iudge as doth the whole man that iudgeth that swete which is swete and that bitter which is bitter But the sicke man doth al cōtrarye for he iudgeth bitter to bee swete the swete bytter and so vnto an euel man that which is good seemeth euell and that is euyll good and this is because the euel man taketh not delight to be good but that he delyteth to be euell and there be manye sicke of this naughty syckenes because the woorkes good and euell be in their iugemēt Then it is in vs to do wel also it is in vs to do euel and somtymes it is by the workes of man as it is with chyldren put the case that some be naught the father thynketh hym good And that good and euel is in vs it appeareth by thē that made the law whiche scourgeth theim that do euell with dyuerie paynes and geueth honoure to theym that do well The lawes put men in comforte to dooe wel and constrayne them from euell and no man comforteth another to doo that thynge that is not in his power There is none that wyll aduyse a manne to mourne for that thyng that he shoulde sorow nor there is none that wyll beare a man in hand he shal not warme standing nere the fyer that he bee not thrusty nor hungry and they that made the lawes punishe men for suche Ignoraunce wherein thei be gilty And it is to be knowē that there is doble ignorance one is this of the which a man is notcause as the ignoraunce of the foole and for thys a manne is not to bepunished another ignorance whereof a man is cause as the ignoraunce of a dronken man And for that a man ought to be punished for euery manne that passeth the commaundementes of reason and of the lawe ought to bee punished and euery man that is iuste or euill is suche because he will bee suche But when a man is made iuste or e-euill he is not become iust bycause he would become iust As it happeneth to a man that was wonte to bee whole and is sicke and is not healed bycause he had no will that he would not belefe the Phisicion nor vse the thynges that conserueth health And such like is he that casteth a stone that before he casteth it it is in his power to holde it But when he hath caste it it is not in his power to holde it nor in his will And so it is in a man that becometh euil in the begin nyng it is in his power to bee come good ⧠Malice is not onely in man by will But more ouer it is in the body As a man to bee blind andlame and these euils maie be in two sortes y ◠one is by nature as he that is borne blind lame the other maie come by a mannes owne foly As by them that drinke theimselfes blynde or fall to stealyng or other euill dedees Of suche there is no pety to bee taken excepte thei repente and amende theim selfes Then euery manne is the cause of his owne imaginacion for that a manne hath naturall vnderstādyng to knowe good and euill Then ought wee to will to dooe well and to flie from euill And it is the beste thyng and not impossible to take a custome and doctrine in goodnes and he that taketh it at the beginnyng and continueth suche a man hath a good nature and perfight And who that taketh the cōtrary hath an euil nature But although it be euil he may make it good if he wil For it is in him to take what he wil then vertue and vice is according to the will of manne But marke this that operacion and habite bee not accordyng to the will of man in one sorte but in diuerse For why The operaciōs from the beginnyng to the ende is in the power and will of manne But the habite is not in the power nor in the will of man if it be not at his beginnyng ¶ The .xvj. Chapiter ¶ Of Fortitude LEt vs speake now of euery habite begin at strength I laie that strēgth is accordyng as it is said before a meane betwene feare and hardines For ther be thynges that a man ought reasonably to feare as vices and euery thing that putteth a man in an euill name and thei that be not afraied of these thynges be shamelesse and worthy to bee blamed And thei that be afraid of these are to be praised ▪ There be men that be hardy in battail and there be that bee liberall in spendyng money but the verie strong man is nether more nor lesse then nedeth and is redy in all these thynges as nedeth to sustain But the irefull man excedeth in these thynges and the fearefull man lacketh in theim The thynges that be to be feared bee not of one nature but of many sortes For there bee diuerse thynges that are to be fered of al men that haue wit and vnderstandyng for he that feareth not thondre and the waues of