Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A13666
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A short inuentory of certayne idle inuentions the fruites of a close and secret garden of great ease, and litle pleasure. By C.T.
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Thimelthorpe, C.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 23952.3; ESTC S111413
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51,625
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158
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flye vvith fettered feâ—ete fast tyde in scrauling Spyders vveb A stinking seate of flattering Fleete vvhere â—â—arse he can put out his nebb A byrde a beast more meeter may the vvitles vvoodcock paynt himselfe VVhom beaten seamen did assaye so oft to vvarne from shollovv shelfe A guiltles guest and harbored longe in hollovv caue of hardest stone VVith patience novv doth salue his vvronge and vvisâ— it vvere his harme alone From thence this ydle toy doth spring vvher vvere greene nimble vvitseed sovvn Greate crops of toyes that field might bâ—ing and ranke if oft it vvere not movvne VVe see vvhen grovvnd is nevvly layed vvith vveedes and thistles fyrst it springes VVhen sutes in loue be fyrst assayd it fyrst vvith triflyng toyes begynnes Before vvee come to mannes estate in childish toyes longe tyme vve spend And after then our youthul rate vve vvalke as vvild til nere our ende VVho vvil strong houldes attempt to vvin do first vvith vveaklinges trye their streÌ„gth And so the strykers all begin and grovv to courage great at length Before the souldiour presse to vvarres he musters fyrst in sport to trye And there if fit the boulder dares aduenture then in field to dye VVe likevvise see vvhen plants do spring before their leaues can spread abrode First forth their litle buds must bring and then at length their bovves they lode Thus euery thing if rightly vvayde vvith tryfles small doth fyrst begin Rightly therfore it is not sayd this tryfling toy great blame doth vvinne A needful thing in common vvealth no man nor vvoman thinkes to long VVhich soule or body bringes to health but still more more is all their song A tryfling toy in priuate sporte if tedious vvorkes vvithout delight Blame not therfore this ioy though short vvhich needles here is brought to light Patet que pardit virtutis arctaque via est The Castle This narrow lane of virtue with her 4 capt Prudence Iustice Fortitude TemperaÌ„ce resceyues to rest of rest this wide field with these 3 captaynes 〈◊〉 world The flesh The Deuil Leades al to distruâ—ction The vvorldly souldiours THe godly polliticke wise gouernment of the one with the wicked subtil diuilish illutions of the other euer since their beginning first entring into field of worldly fight which was when Adam at the first subtle intisement temptinge tounge of Eue fyrst puld the Apple of the tree is by many learned and godlye auctors far morâ— aptly discribed better set forth more largelye playnly publyshed then possibly by anye here at this tyme can be spoken or imagined And the lyke I may say of euerye other particular theame in this shorte small pamphlet hereafter following For euery litle strayte and norrowe path which here is taken woulde most easilye conduct and playnly lead a most cunning and perfite penman into a moste ample and large field most pleasant and necessary And therefore leauinge that wyde and fertil field wherin most sweete holesom and necessarye flowers of greate good and requisite matters might bee gathered as to intreate now at this present of these three vyses and fower virtues with the substance of euery other matter hereafter followinge I rather bende my iourney forthwith according to the tytle of this toy into a more secrete and syldome used garden where I intende not to gather of all sortes of flowers such plenty as to make therof a great and goodly garland but rather more likely no flower of plâ—â—â—ure at al. For wel do I know that hardly should I finde were I in place neuer so plentifull such a flower of pleasure or delyght which hath not alreadye heretofore by some or other bene presented vnto many tender noses who perhaps if agayne they should be tryed with the lyke would rather stop their noses disalow therof beyng so oft cloyde with such accustomed sauors theÌ„ they would prayse the sweetnes thereof were it neuer so pleasauÌ„t which we dayly see by great experience as for example this for one amonge many others may well bee noted that when wanton youth most wyldlye flyinge here and there exercysing the youthful winges of his vnconstant and flickeringe mynd froÌ„ place to place light happily vpon some fertile and pleasaunt ground where he fynds great plentye of sweete and comfortable flowers then settelynge his mynde according to the humour of his eye hee syts him downe as it were vppon some one choisâ—â—â— spetial moulehil neere vnto to the flower he best delytes and there resting his bodye from tyme to tyme though with a restles mynde rather willing to feede the desire of his wantoÌ„ eye in stil perusing beholding his chosen long eye bitten flower then to satisfy his hungry and needy stomacke with any other nourishing or necessary food at length after many bashful priuate attemptes sometyme handling the stalk oftentymes kissing the leaues gathering vp some crummes of courage suddaynly takes it vp by the rootes caryes it cleane awaye which lightly hee kepes for a tyme most louingly somewhile in his hand somewhile in his bosome and strayght in his lap somtyme to his nose some tyme to his lips not vnlike but somtyme to his bed for that he wakes no soner in the morning then he desyres to haue it neere his nose to bee short his delightes be such therein as who knows not that he esteemes it before all other growinge herbes or flowers vnder the sunne he loues it according to the old saying of the poet Anacreon as a sweete mischiefe and with the saying of Propertius as a sweete tyranny because he indureth his tormeÌ„ts willingly is sildome content to settle or quiet his mynde where he lyues but alwayes there where hee loues Hee stickes not for the loue thereof to adueÌ„ture the ouerthrow of his owne body with Roderick of Spaine who lost his kingdome for the loue of Camma or to enterprise the deathe and destruction of a straunger with Retormodicus who ouerthrewe the whole state of the Lacedemonians for the loue of Scedasus daughters with Cateline who slue his owne sonne for the loue of Orestilla And all this not withstandinge after a whyle his eager sight beyng once satisfyed aâ—â— the rest of his senses which before toke their delightes grow as greate to mislikingr as before in theire first beginning they kyndled and grew to loue a thing no lesse straunge vnto all such as stil remayne free their flower to chose theÌ„ it were miraculous for the hot mouÌ„t Aetna to become the cold hil Caucasus whose loâ— soeuer it is to tread the world do not vnlikely stuÌ„ble oftentymes vpon many such though lost and cast away pleasant and sweete flowers This example the worlde ouer is dayly seene And therefore now since that such famous inuentions be so cunningly deuysed and seuerallye knyt vp togeather you may for a peÌ„ny haue in your pocket choyse of many prety toyes at al times to delight you I know it were now in vayne for me to