and couetous men to their lucre wynnynge Thus men ought to be beloued though shortly after they ought to be abhorred And also they ought to be abhorred ▪ as though shortely after they ought to be beloued Thus than the gouernours of the sayde cytie commaunded all the sayde shyppes to be sequestred into theyr owne handes to the intent that they shulde not be solde nor the coueytous people to haue the aduauntage in the byenge of them The cause was for the custome of the menne of the yles was that all thynges shulde be kepte togyther vnto the ende of the warre or at leaste tyll they had peace This was a iuste lawe For many tymes is made stedfaste appoyntmentes betwene great enmyes and not all onely for the auncient hatred but also for lacke of rychesse to satisfie the presente domages Thanne as all the people were withdrawen into theyr houses aboute suppertyme for it was sommer sodenly there came a monster into the myddes of the citie after this shape He semed to be of two cubytes of heighte and he had but one eye his heed was all pylled so that his scul myght be sene He had none eares but that a lyttell of his necke was open wherby it semed y t he hard He had two croked hornes as a gote His ryght arme was longer than the left his handes were lyke hors fete he had no throte his necke was egall with his heed his shulders shone as pytche his breste and stomacke was all rough of heare his face was lyke a man saufe it had but one eye in the myddes of his forheed and had but one nosethryll from the waste downewarde he was not seene for it was couered he satte on a chariot with .iiii. wheles wherat were two lyons fastened together before and two beares behynde and it coude not be determyned wherof the chariotte was made but there was no difference in facion therof and other that were vsed commonlye In the myddis of the sayde chariotte was a caudron lyke a table with two eares wherin the sayd monster was and therfore it was sene but fro the gyrdelstede vpwarde He went about in the citie fro gate to gate a long space castyng out spercles of fyre The feare was so great that dyuers women with chylde were delyuered with great peryll and other that were weake harted fell in a swowne And all the people great and smalle lesse and more ranne to the temples of Iupiter Mars and Phebus makyng importunate cries and clamours And the same season all the said Pyrates were lodged in the gouernours palayes named Solyn He was of the nation of Capue and there was all the rychesse kepte And whan this monster had bene ouer all the citie with his charyot than the lyons and beares brought hym to the palays where the Pyrates were and beinge very nygh to the gates that were faste closed the monster cut an eare of one of the lyons and with the bloode therof he wrote these letters R. A. S. P. I. P. These letters were a profe to all theym of highe spirite to gyue declaration of them and there were mo declarations than there were letters But finally a woman diuineresse or contrary a sothsayer that was had in great reputation for her craftes made the very declaration of the sayde letters sayinge thus R. reddite A aliena S si vultis P propria I in pace P. possidere Whiche all togyther is to saye Render that perteyneth to other yf that ye wylle in peace possesse your owne Surely the Pyrates were soore affrayde of that dredeful commaundement and the womā was greatly praised for her high declaration Than forthewith the same nyght the monster wente into a highe mountayne called as than Ianitia and there by the space of thre days was in the syght of all the citie and in that season the lyons made great rorynge and howlynge and the beares and monster keste out greate fearefull flames And all that season there neyther appered byrd in the aire nor beaste in the feldes and all the men offred great sacrifices to the goddis in suche wise that they brake the veynes of their handes and fete and offred their blode to se if they myght appease their goddis After the thre days passed sodenly appered a clowde blacke and derke vppon the erthe and it began to thunder and lyghten with a greate erthequake so that many howses fell in the citie and many of the dwellers and citesins dyed And than sodaynely there came a flame of fyre from the monster and brent all the palays where the sayd Pyrates were and the rychesses that were in it so that all was consumed in it yea the very stones and the domage was so great that there fell mo than .ii. M. houses And there died as good as .x. M. persons And in the same place on the toppe of the mountayne where as the monster was thēperour cōmanded to edifie a temple to the god Iupiter in memorie of the same Of the whyche temple themperour Alexander hauynge warre with them of the realme made a stronge castell ¶ What befell to a citesin of Rome in the tyme of this emperour Marcus Cap. xxvii THe same tyme that this aduenture chaunced in that Ile there was dwellynge in the same citie a Romayne named Antygone a lorde of noble bloude and sommewhat entred in age and about two yere before he his wyfe and a doughter of his were banyshed Rome and not his sonnes The occasion was There was an auncient laudable custome sith Quintus Cincinatus dictatour that two of the auncient senatours togyther shulde goo with the censure newly created and the olde in the month of Decēbre for to visite all Rome and they to call euery Romayne aparte alone shewynge hym the .xii. tables of their lawes and particular decrees of the senate demandyng of them if they knewe any neyghbour in their quarter that hadde broken these lawes And if they dyd it shulde be informed to the senate And there all togyther to ordeyne punysshement accordynge to the diuersitie of the fautes that they hadde commytted But the fautes commytted that presente yere they myght not chastise but to aduertyse them to amende afterwarde And all suche as were ones warned and in the nexte visytation founde stylle vnamended to be greuously punyshed and somtyme banyshed These were the wordes of the lawe in the .v. table and third chapiter It is ordeyned by the holy senate by consent of blisfull men receyuyng the auncient colonies that if men being men in one yere do trespas the men as mē for the said yere shall dissimule and forbeare but if they that be yll as yll do not amende they that be good as good shal chastise them Also the sayd lawe saith the first fautes are suffred bycause they ar cōmitted with weake ignorāce but if they cōtinue them y t they be chastised bycause their yll cometh of slouth and malyce This inquisition was euer made in the monethe of
be of good fame Finally he is most set by y t putteth them that be good fro hym and is the most vayne among them that be vayne Certaynly there is great suspection to sette hym amonge wyse men that is allowed of all fooles And the reason therof is that the commons lyghtly loue none but men that with malyce refrayneth them that be vertuous and letteth the rayne slyppe to them that be vicious Truely wise men haue hym as suspect that the commons desyre whiche wyl not be displeased with his yl doinges O howe often tymes dothe the goddis permytte the ambicious man in honours that procureth to do yl many dais without Iustice and dothe not beholde the sodayne hole losse therof with shame Than take this word of me that in the multitude of men there are fewe to be praysed and many to be repreued ¶ Howe a son in lawe ought to be well examyned er he be acceptep to his purpose cap. xiii NOwe to come to our particular purpose ye amonge you do prayse this yonge man and yf his werkes be as your wordes ye shoulde not onely say that he hath merited to be my sonne in lawe but rather meriteth to be onely inheritour of the hole empire And therfore I wolde wytte of you wherof you can praise this your kynseman that there be no contraritie betwene his werkes and your wordes If he be rusticall it abateth hym soore if he be of hyghe bloude he wyll be presumptuous if he be ryche he wylle gyue hym to viciousnes if he be pore he wyl be couetous if he be valiant he wyll be ouerbolde yf he be a cowarde he is defamed if he be a greate speaker he shall be a lyer if he be to lyttelle a speaker he shall be noted as vnwyse yf he be faire he wylle be coueted if he be foule he wylle be ielous Than if he be quite of al these I swere to you that I wyll gyue hym my doughter Matrine with all my hart I do not say this vnto you bicause I suppose any yl in your kynsman but to thentent that ye shulde thynke that I say it accordynge to my naturalitie And than syth I say it not agaynst your credence for the knowelege that ye haue of hym mistake not my suspection sith that I am hole ignoraunt of this yonge mans lyuynge And I wyll not that ye shoulde thynke that the chylde my doughter that hath ben brought vp in so great vertue in my palais shulde be maried to this yong man for the onely fame that he hath amonge the people O howe often haue I sene in our tyme nowe and haue redde of the worlde passed the whiche as nowe by commaundement of the goddis at an other tyme by their yll workes haue deserued it at an nother tyme by their sorowfull destenies haue permytted it wenynge for to brynge sonnes in lawe into theyr howse haue brought in a hell In stede of wyse and fayre doughters haue recouered adders And seekynge sonnes haue founde basilycke serpentes In bienge of bloudde poyson delyuered In sekynge frendes they haue founde ennemies In demaundyng honour shame hath be gyuen and finally in marienge theyr chyldren wenynge to haue lyued merily the sorowfull fathers haue hadde euyll lyfe and a wors dethe And in case that suche ought to be moued more of them that be ioyous than they that bene sory of them that ben ioyous as well oughte we to approue the iuste chastisement of the iuste goddis by the vniuste workes done to iuste men For he deserueth great chastisement that with feareful hardynes as a foole determineth hym selfe in high and difficult thynges with sodayn counsell And therfore my frendes if ye be vertuous be not abashed of that that I saye nor take the examination that I make in a sclaunder If I take this younge man to be my sonne to be sonne in lawe to Faustyne my wyfe husbande to my doughter Matrine brother to Comodus the prince felowe to them of the senate kynsman to my kynsfolke and lorde of my seruantes It is reason that suche a robe ought well to be regarded sythe that so many persons muste weare the lyueray therof The garmente that so many persons must weare must be wysely cutte to content them all We se naturally many thynges noyfull to vs if it be nere vs and yet nat domageable to vs ferre of The sonne with his shynynge beames dothe parche the fleshe of the people of Ethiope bycause hit is nere vnto them and contrary wise it doothe no greefe to theyr persones that inhabite in the ende of Europe for bycause it toucheth them afarre of There haue bene dyuers sonnes of Rome whiche beinge in strange countreys haue done greatte proufyte to the common welthe and noo lesse famed throughout the worlde whiche after they were returned to theyr owne howses haue spylte more bloode of innocentes than they had done before of the Barbariens And that it is sothe demaunde of Iulius Cesar of Pompeius of Sylla of Marius of Casius of Catilina and of Lypulus of Octauius and Marcus Anthonius of Caligula and of Nero of Othus and Domitianus And as I say of soo small a nombre of bastarde chylderne that helde Rome I maye saye of dyuers other tyrauntes broughte vppe in Italye Beleue me in oone thynge All that is agreable to vs abroode agreethe not to vs yf we brynge them into the howse For there gothe many thynges betwene the entreatynge of a man in wordes and to belonge conuersant with hym in workes Lyttell nedethe humayne ignorance for to begyle an other and yet lesse to be begyled of many an other With a meke vysage swete wordes in the tongue good delyberation in the personne temperaunce in the worde euery one may begyle an other nowe adayes and by shrewdenes and malyce is begyled hym selfe I say to you I beinge a yonge man knewe the famous oratour Taurin propose dyuers tymes in the senate And on a day he spake for a Romayn matron which shulde haue maried an honest doughter of hers to a mayster of horses by semynge a Romayne and not very well appoynted And amonge other wordes he sayde O noble fathers O happy people commande not that thinge that afterwarde ye wolde were not commaunded An yll mariage is lyke as he that shoteth a pellet of duste it hurteth hym that it toucheth and blyndeth theym that stande nexte Sothelye these were hie wordes and the comparison well vnderstanden conteyneth in it sentences of grauitie It is manyfest to all men that an ylle sonne in lawe is the deathe of the wyfe that hath hym shame to the frendes that procured it and at the laste an yll ende for hym selfe and for his father that offered it Than by all these thynges that I haue sayde ye maye vnderstande what I thinke in this mariage His sayinges thus ended the Senate was gretly edified therwith and the knyghtes kynsfolke to this yong man greatly abashed and Faustin the empresse sore
deuide theyr ylle amonge theyr neighbours bycause they occupy not theyr forces in good workes nor refraine theyr tongues to clatter of other mens liues who imagineth in these dayes so many malices in Rome the whiche was neuer harde of our fathers nor redde in our bokes but vacabundes that neyther apply nor sette their wittes about nothynge els but thynke howe to endomage other The emperour that coude vanyshe all these ydell persons out of his empire myght well auant him selfe to haue oppressed all the vices of the worlde I wolde it pleased the immortal goddis that of so many triumphis that I haue hadde of straungers occupied in good exercyses that I hadde sene one of the vacaboundes of Rome driuen out of all houses There was an auncient lawe none myghte be taken and receyued for a citisen in Rome but he were first examined by the Censure In the time of Cato Censorius when any wolde be a citiesin of Rome this examination was made of hym He was not demaunded of whens he was nor what he was nor whens he came nor wherfore he came nor of what kinne or auncient stocke he cam but only they toke his handes betwene theyrs and if they felte them softe and smothe forthewith as an ydell vacabunde man they dispatched and sent him away and if they found his handes harde and full of hard knottes by and by they admitted hym a citezen and dweller in Rome Also whan any officers toke any yll doers put them in prison that was called Marmotine in stede of information the firste thynge that they toke hede of was theyr hondes whiche if they had bene as a labourers handes and a worke man though his crime were greuous yet his chastisement was mitigate and more easye and if the vnhappye prysoner chāced to haue ydell handes for a littel faut he shuld haue sharpe punishement It hath ben an old sayeng He that hath good handes muste nedes haue good customes I say I chastised neuer a labouringe man but I was sorye for it nor I neuer caused to whyppe a vacabunde but I was gladde of it I wyll tel you more of this Catho Censorius whiche was greately feared For euen as chyldren in the scholes herynge their maister commynge in renne to their bokes So when Catho went through the stretez of Rome euery body went to theyr worke O right happy baron before whom the people feared more to be idel than to do yl before any other Than beholde ye at this houre what force vertue hath and howe valiaunte a vertuous man is seinge that all the worlde feared Rome onely for her worthynes in armes and all Rome feared Catho onely for his vertues The aduentures of men are so dyuers and the suspect fortune gyueth soo many ouerthwart turnes that after that a great space she hathe gyuen greatte pleasures incontinent we are cyted to her subtyll trauayles of repentaunce O happy Cato Censorine who with suche as haue folowed his wayes are nowe sure fro the abatementes of fortune Than he that wyll haue glorye in this lyfe and attayne glorye after deathe and be beloued of many and feared of all lette hym be vertuous in doynge of good workes and deceyue no manne with vayne wordes I sweare vnto you by the lawe of a man of worshyppe that if the goddes wolde accomplisshe my desyre I had rather to be Cato with the vertuous policies that he vsed in Rome than to be Scipio with the abundance of blode that he shedde in Affrike All we knowe wel that Scipio hadde a great fame in beatynge downe of cities and cuttynge innocentes throtes and Catho hath attayned eternal memorie in reformyng the people pardoning trespassours and teachyng ignorant folke Than ye may all see yf I haue not good reason more to desyre to be Cato to the profyte of many than to be Scipio to the preiudyce of so many Lo my frendes these wordes I haue said bycause ye may see that our predecessours somme in their owne londes other in strange landes some beinge yonge and some olde in their tymes had glorye in their persons for them selfe and for the worlde to come haue left no lesse memory for their successours and ofsprynge And we doo all the contrary I beinge emperour am lothe for to commande any yll and our officers for theyr interest do wors And where as we are set in dyuers pleasures by our vice we fall hourely into dyuers myseries and are noted to our greate infamie By the which occasion the iust goddes for our vniuste workes gyuinge iuste sentence commaunde that we lyue with suspection dye with shame and to be buried with forgettefulnes neuer to be hadde in memory Than you of my courte take good hede and prynte welle my wordes in your myndes for who so seuer I se or fynde ydell from hensforth I discharge hym out of my seruice ye that be lerned may write and rede ye that be men of armes and knyghtes exercyse you in feates of warre ye that be officers occupie you in your offices And take this for certayne that if ye take not this for a warnynge and monition that I haue gyuen you betwene you and me the punyshementes that I shall gyue vnto you shall be openly And to the entente that ye haue it better in your memorie and to be a doctryne to pryncis hereafter to comme this presente practise and remonstrance I haue written in all tongues and set it in the hyghe Capitoll with manye other of my wrytynges The goddis be kepers of you and also they defende and kepe me from yll fortunes and mysaduentures ¶ Of a maruaylous and feareful monster that was seene in Scicile and of his wrytynges cap. xxvi IN the yere of the foundation of Rome vii C.xx and .xli. of the aege of Marcus the emperour and .ii. yeres before he toke possession of the empire the .xx. day of the month Sextilis which now is called August about the tyme of the sonne settynge in the realme of Sycil than called Trinacrie in a citie called Bellyne on the see now named Palerme a port of these there chāced a thing right perillous to them that sawe it and no lesse fearefull to them that shall here it nowe As they of Bellyne or Palerme were then celebratynge a feaste with great ioye for the gladnes that their Pirates had ouercome the army of the Numidiens and had taken .x. of theyr ships and cast xxxii persones into the see bycause at that time they were ennemies eche to other and for the yl workes they dydde were shewed the great passions that passed among them And as it is the customme the thinge that these Pyrates get on the see they departe it amonge them all whan they come home And whan they comme to lande they spende that merily that they gatte with greatte trauayle It is a thynge well to be noted howe all good and ylle hartes are applyed The good men haue greatte desyre to theyr triumphes
of good inhabitauntes oughte to be praysed and not the great edifices Our predecessours haue triūphed on strangers as weake and feeble and nowe they may triumphe on vs also as menne that be more vanquysshed with vyces than any of the other By the myghtynes and prowesses of our predecessours we that be nowe are greattely honoured and exalted and by the smalle estimation of vs that be now they that come after vs shall be greatly ashamed Of a very trouthe it is a great shame to saye and no lesse infamy to doo that the goodnesse and trauayle of the auncientes shuld nowe be tourned and conuerted to folies and presumption My sonne loke wel on thy selfe that the reyne of thy youthe and lybertie of the empire cause the nor to commytte vyce He is not called onely free that is free borne but he that dieth within the same O how well are the sclaues borne that after their deth are free by their goodnes howe many haue died sclaues by their noughtynes that were borne free There is fredome where noblenes abydeth The prowes of thy persone shal gyue the more hardines and libertie than thauctoritie of thempire It is a generall rule that euery vertuous man of necessitie is to be holden hardye and euery vicious man of necessitie is to be reputed a cowarde Nowe boldely they be chastised that be noted with any vice and coldely they be chastised that deserue chastisement Let the prince be in a certayn that the loue of his people and the lybertie of his offyce hath not wherwith to vpholde hym in armes spred abrode on the erth without the dyuers vertues assembled in his person ¶ Certaynly Octauius Cesar subdewed mo nations by the renoume of his vertues than dydde Gaius his vncle with his army of many men All the worlde ioy of a vertuous prince and it semeth that al the world ryseth ageinst a vicious prince Vertue is a strong castell and can neuer be wonne it is a riuer where nedeth no rowing a see that moueth not a fire that quencheth not a treasure that neuer hath ende an army neuer ouercome a burden that neuer werieth a spie that euer retourneth a sygne that neuer deceyueth a playne waye that neuer fayleth a syrope that healeth forthwith and a renoume that neuer peryssheth O my sonne if thou knewest what thyng it is to be good and what a man thou shuldest be if thou were vertuous thou woldest doo seruyce to the goddes good renoume to thy selfe pleasure to thy frendes and engender loue of straungers and finally all the worlde shulde feare and loue the. I remembre that in the boke of yeres of the battayle of Tarentyne I founde that the renoumed Pyrrhus king of the Epyrothiens bare in a rynge grauen these wordes To a vertuous man is but a smalle rewarde to be lorde of all the erthe and it is but a small chastisement to take a vicious mans lyfe fro hym ¶ Truly it was a worthy sentence of such a prince What thinge is it be it neuer so difficile begonne by a vertuous man but there is hope to haue a good ende therof Sothly I haue sene in dyuers parties of myn empyre dyuers men very darke of good fame very lowe in goodes and vnknowen of their kynne and bloud vndertake so great thynges that to my semyng it was a feareful audacitie to begynne And yet by the wynges of vertue all onely they haue had good renoume at the last By the immortal goddis and as the god Iupiter bryng me in his mancion and stablyshe the in all that is myne There were ones a gardyner and a potter dwellynge in Rome whyche only by their vertues caused to put tenne vycious senatours out of the senate and the fyrste occasyon was for makynge a hedge of thorne and a potte for the workemanshyp and labour whereof the Senatours wolde not paye theym I tell it the my sonne bycause that vyce maketh a bolde personne thoughtefulle and vertue causeth hym that is in thought to take strengthe and boldenes I was wel ware of two thinges in my lyfe not to pleade agaynst the clerenes of iustyce nor to take part ageynst a vertuous person For with vertue god susteyneth vs and with Iustyce the people are well gouerned and ruled ¶ Of other more partycular counsaylles gyuen by the emperour to his sonne Cap. xlvi NOwe to come to thinges more particular Seinge sonne that thou arte yonge and that nature can not denye the And as in all dyfficile thinges ripe counselle is necessarie no lesse to comfort thestate of our lyuing we desire some recreations For thy youth I leue y e with gret lordis children with whom thou mayst passe the tyme And to teache the I leue olde Romains that haue nouryshed the serued me of whom thou shalt take counsell The inuention of interludes of theatres to fyshe in pōdes to hunt wilde beastes to course in the fieldes to hauke for byrdes and to exercise dedes of armes are the thynges that thy youthe desyreth And youth with youth ought to kepe companye in doinge the same But behold my son that in orderyng of armies to apply the warres to pursue vyctories to accepte truce to confyrme peace to reyse tributes to make lawes to promote some and dismisse other to chastyse the yll and recompence the good in all these thinges that be so chargeable they that be of clere mynde redy broken and trauayled of their bodies whyt heared ought to be takē to coūsel the. And sith thou art yōge lusty of body reioyce sport with them that be yong whan thou art emperor than touching thy secrete affaires take coūsel of them y t be old Beware my son of all extremities For as yll may the prince be vnder the colour of grauitie to be rulyd by the ancient persones as vnder the colour of pastyme to kepe cōpany with yonge folkes It is no generall rule that all yonge persons shall alwayes be yonge and lyght nor that all olde persons shulde be always wyse I am sure of one thynge that if the yonge man be borne with foly the olde man lyueth and dieth with couetyse Therfore my sonne beware be not extreme in extremities For the yonge people wyll corrupte the with their lyghtnes and olde folkes wil depriue thy mind with theyr couetousnes What thing can be more monstrous than a prince that commaundeth euery man to be commaunded of one Sothely the gouernyng of diuers can not be gouerned wel by the opinion of one alone Than the prince that gouernethe many oughte to haue the intention and opinion of dyuers ¶ In the annales of the Pompeyens I founde a lyttell boke of remembrance the which great Pompeie bare alway with hym wherin were dyuers good counselles and aduertisementes the which were gyuen in diuers parties of the worlde Amonge the whiche I founde these wordes He that gouerneth the common welthe and putteth the gouernance to them that are old sheweth hym selfe vnable and he
conquered realmes altered peasibles dystroyed cityes caste downe fortresses robbed the poore enriched tyrantis shedde moche bloode and made infinite wydowes shoulde for recompence of all these domages be receyued with great triumph Where hast thou sene a greter foly Infinite nombre is distroyed in warre one alone shal beare away the glorie therof And though suche miserable conquerours merited not to be buried yet whan I went through the stretes of Rome I telle it as a secrete betwene the and me that whanne the charyotte tryumphaunt came and the vnhappy prysoners charged with yrons remembring the infinite treasures yll gotten and heryng the lamentations of the wydowes sorowfully wepynge for the dethe of their husbandes and callynge to mynde our manyfolde frendes deed though I reioyced me openly I wepte droppes of bloode secretely I canne not telle what personne taketh pleasure in hym selfe of an other mannes dammage In this case I prayse not the Assyriens nor I enuye not the Persians nor am contente with the Lacedemoniens nor approue the Caldeens nor content me with the Grekes I curse the Troyans and condempne them of Carthage bycause they folowed not the zeale of Iustyce but what they dyd in their tyme was with rage of pryde wherby they and theyr realmes were brought into sclaunder and was occasion to lese vs. O cursed Rome cursed thou haste ben and cursed thou shalt be For if the fatal destenies deceiue me not myn vnderstandynge fayle me not and that fortune holde not faste we shall se in tyme to come Rome shall be in lyke case as other realmes be nowe in our dayes And where as nowe with tyranny thou arte lady ouer all seignouryes it shall comme by Iustyce that thou shalte tourne to be bonde to theym that are nowe vnder thy bondage O ylle fortunate Rome I say it bycause that vertue is so dere in the and makest folye soo greate cheape Peraduenture thou art more autentike than Babylon fayrer than Hely rycher than Carthage stronger than Troye better peopled thanne Thebes more stored with shyppes than Corinthe more delicious than Thyre more inexpugnable than Aquilie more happy than Numancy we see howe they all are peryshed for all theyr vertues and valiant defenders and thou hopest to abyde perpetually stored with them y t be vicious and peopled with suche as be full of vyce O Rome marke this for certayne that the glorie that thou hast at this houre was fyrste theyrs and this distruction that nowe is theyrs hereafter shall be thyn My dere frēd Cornelius shall I shewe the the losse of the Romayne people but I can not telle it the without wepynge I the emperour of Rome commaunde I make decrees for the warre if any countreye aryse by sownynge of a troumpette to make menne to reyse theyr baners and to create newe Capytaynes And hit is a thynge very euydente to see that whan they reyse theyr standerdes and haue leaue to make and assayle ennemyes chyldren leaue theyr mothers Studentes leaue theyr scholes seruauntes forsake theyr maysters and officers theyr offyces to the entente that vnder the colour and crafte of goynge to warre they shulde not be chastysed by Iustice They haue noo feare of the goddes nor reuerence to the temples nor obedyence to theyr fathers nor loue nor awe of the people and loue to lyue ydylly and hate iuste labour and theyr exercyses are domageable Somme doo robbe the churches somme make qarelles and stryffes and somme breake gates open and beare the goodes away Sometyme they take theym that be at lybertie and delyuer theym that shulde be prisoners They passe the nyghtes in playes and the days in blasphemes Finally they ar vnfete to do wel are holly disposed to do yl What shall I say of their neclygence I am ashamed to write it They leaue theyr owne wyues and take other mens They dyshonour the daughters of honeste men and begyle yonge maydens They enforce theyr hostesses and neyghbours wiues and worste of al the women that do go with them sette theym agog that do tarye And soo in this maner none of these women that so go scapeth without losse of honour and the other ar striken with vices in theyr hartes bicause they tarye Thinke surely Cornelius that the enterprises are smalle where as women do goo to warre Thou knowest that the women Amazones haue made greatter warre in Grece than the cruell ennemies and not for bycause they had not men ynowe but bycause they were soo many women Pyrrhus was ouercome by Alexander The valyant capitayne Hanyball was lorde of Italy as long as he suffred no women to come in his warres And when he was enamoured of a fayre yonge damoysell of Capue he was faine forthwith to turne his backe to Rome bicause Rome clensed the felde fro lecherie For the same cause Numancie was caste to the erthe And I my selfe haue sene in the warre of Parthes .xvii. M. horsemen .lxxx. M. fote men and .xxxv. M. women And our besines went so that fro our hoste I sent away Faustine my wyfe and so dydde other senatours their wyues home to theyr houses to thentent that they shulde serue them that were olde and bring vp their chyldren That daye that a Patricion is approued by the Senate and ledde aboute Rome by the Consules the egle is hanged at his brest and his raymente is reade and he after ryseth in suche pryde that he remembreth not the pouertie of the tyme passed but thynkethe to be emperour of Rome forthwith Beholde than what they do They writh their berdes and ruffle their heares boystous their wordes they chaunge their clothes rolle their eien that they may seme the fierser And finally they loue to be feared hate to be loued And wotest thou not that they wyll be feared On a day being at Pentapolyn I harde a capitayne of myn not seinge me swere and blaspheme sayinge to a woman his hostesse ye vyllaynous people wyll not knowe the capitaynes of warre I wyll thou knowest mother that the erthe neuer trembleth but whan it is thret of a capitayne Romayne and god neuer causeth the sonne to shyne but where as we be obeyed But nowe frende Cornelius sythe I haue blasoned his vaunt harken his vertue and worthynesse I swere to the that the sayde capytayne for al his booste beinge in a cruell battayle was the firste that fled alone fro the batayle and lefte the standerde wherin he dydde inough to cause me lose the field But whan it was done I caused to strike of his heed It is an infallible rule that they that shewe them selfe moste fierse in effecte are moste cowardes ¶ In dyuers bookes I haue redde and of dyuers I haue harde and in many I haue seene that it can not fayle in a man that can suffre and take pacience to haue vertue and force And it is meruayle that he is stronge and valyant that can not suffre What shall I saye more of the greues and domages that