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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05094	The French academie wherin is discoursed the institution of maners, and whatsoeuer els concerneth the good and happie life of all estates and callings, by preceptes of doctrine, and examples of the liues of ancient sages and famous men: by Peter de la Primaudaye Esquire, Lord of the said place, and of Barree, one of the ordinarie gentlemen of the Kings Chamber: dedicated to the most Christian King Henrie the third, and newly translated into English by T.B.; Academie françoise. Part 1. English	La Primaudaye, Pierre de, b. ca. 1545.; Bowes, Thomas, fl. 1586.	1586 (1586)	STC 15233; ESTC S108252	683,695	844

fifteene dayes he had gotten with child a hundred virgins of Sarmatia which he had taken prisoners in the warre Chilpericus the first king of France to the end he might the better enioy a whore called Fredegonda whō afterwards he maried compelled his first wife named Andeuora to become a religious woman and put to death two children which he had by her through the counsaile of his sayd concubine Then hauing in his second mariage taken to wife Galsonda daughter to the king of Spaine he caused her to be strangled and maried Fredegonda who perceiuing afterward that he noted in himselfe this loosenesse of life and offensiue kind of gouernment caused him to be slain A iust punishment suffred by God for his intemperance Xerxes monarch of the Persians was so intemperate and giuen to lust that he propounded rewards for those that could inuent some new kind of pleasure And therfore comming into 〈…〉 infinit number of men to subdue it he was ouercome and repulsed by a small number as being an effeminate and faintharted man Epicurus a learned philosopher was so intemperate that he placed the soueraigne Good and Felicitie in pleasure Sardanapalus monarch of Babylon the first of the foure Empires was so addicted to lust and intemperance that he stirred not all day long from the company of women being apparelled as they were and spinning purple Whereby he became so odious that two of his lieutenants iudging him vnworthy to command ouer Asia and ouer so many good men as were vnder his Empire raised his subiects against him and ouercame him in battell Wherupon dispairing of his safetie he caused a great Tabernacle of wood to be set vp in a sure place within the cloister of his palace and compassed it round about with great store of dry wood Then he caused his wife and his concubines whom he loued best to enter into it and all the wealth he had to be brought thither This done shutting himselfe within it his Eunuches and seruants according to the othe which he had taken of them put fire to the said frame and so this miserable king of the Chaldeans and Assyrians with all that was with him was suddenly consumed with fire and ended his monarchie which his victorious lieutenants diuided betwixt them the one taking himself for king of Babylon the other of Medea Antonius one of Caesars successors in the Empire procured his own ruine through intemperance loosenes and stirred vp against himselfe the enuie and murmuring of the Romans for his retchlesnesse of feats of Arms in that warre ouer which he was generall against the Parthians For to the end he might quickly return to his concubine Cleopatra Queene of Egypt he hazarded all in such sort that without doing any thing worthy his first reputation he lost more than twentie thousand of his own men Afterward Octauius his companion in the Empire beyng armed against him that he might reuenge the iniurie which he had done him in forsaking his sister whom he had wedded to liue in his vncleannes gaue him battell wherein Antonius seeing his friend Cleopatra flie who had born him company in that warre folowed her with three skore of his owne gallies albeit the fight was yet equal the victorie doubtful Thus he betraied those that fought for him to follow her who already had begun his destruction to the end she might accomplish the same as in deed it fel out after For being besieged within Alexandria by the said Octauius and without hope of safetie he thrust himself through the body with his sword wherof he died and Cleopatra also procured her own death by the biting of the serpent Aspis Boleslaus the second king of Polonia being giuen to all vncleannes and filthines made no dout to take women by violence from their husbands Whereupon the bishop of Cracouia often admonished him therof and when by reason of his obstinate perseuerance he proceeded against him euen with excommunication he was caried headlong with such fury that he killed this holy man After that his subiects comming against him he was constrained to flie into Hungarie where falling mad he slew himself The emperor Adrian tooke such glory and pride in al execrable vices that he commanded a Temple with a sumptuous tombe to be made for a naughtie man named Antinoüs whō he had miserably abused in his life In our time Iohannes a Casa Archbishop of Beneuento and Legate in Venice wrote a booke in praise of the abominable vice of Sodomitrie Sigismundus Malatesta lord of a part of Romaignola a prouince of Italy striued to haue carnal knowledge of his sonne Robert who thrusting his poinado into his fathers bosom reuenged that great wickednes By these examples and infinit others whereof histories are full it appeereth sufficiently that man burning with intemperance careth not at what price with what shame hurt or hinderance he may come to the execution and practise of all such pleasure delight as he propoundeth to himselfe As if he purpose to haue his fame continue for euer he will not stick to do it although it be by some notable wickednesse And thus we read of him that burnt the Temple of Diana which was accounted the fift wonder of the world was two hundred eight and twentie yeeres in building by the Amazones within the citie of Ephesus in Asia The planks thereof were all of Cedar wood and the doores and garnishing of the wals of Cypres This wretched caitife confessed that he put fire to that sumptuous building for no other cause than to leaue his fame and renowne behind him in the world but commandement was giuen that none should fet down his name in writing Neuerthelesse he is named Erostratus by Solinus and Strabo from whence came that prouerb This is the renowne of Erostratus vsed when any man seeketh to be famous by a wicked act which we may also apply to all intemperate men As touching the defect of Temperance wherof mention was made in the beginning of our present discourse and which hath no proper name but vnproperly is called by some Stupiditie orsencelesnes it is rarely found amongst men who by nature are giuen to pleasure and caried away with all kinds of desires lusts For where shal we find any so dul blockish that hath no feeling of pleasure and that is not mooued with glory and honor Such a man may be truly taken and accounted as one void of sence and feeling like to a blocke Neither doth it belong to temperāce to be depriued of all desires but to master them For that man as Cicero saith that neuer had experience of pleasures and delights neither hath any feeling of them ought not to be called temperate as he that hath done nothing which may testifie his continencie and modestie Thus ye see we haue no matter offred wherabout to bestow time in reproouing this vice of defect frō which men are

more they thought to know the greater occasion of doubting they found in them so that for all their labour and vnderstanding they could neuer carrie away any true knowledge or certaine resolution And euen as that man who not contenting himselfe with the abundant light of the sunne beames but seeking with his eies to pearce through the brightnes therof euen vnto the midst of the circle of the body must questionlesse become blind so falleth it out for the most part to those who go about too curiously to inquire after that which is not lawfull to be knowen The ill successe of our age affoordeth vs too manie miserable testimonies wherin at this day we see nothing but contrarieties of opinions and vncertainties through their subtilties bold curiosities who haue sought to plucke as a man would say out of heauen the secrets hid from the angels yea which is worse haue boasted that they haue attained vnto the knowledge of them filling our times with trouble and confusion vnder that false pretence There are others also no lesse hurtful who haue binne such curious Inquisitours of the causes of all naturall things that through friuolous and vnprofitable questions they haue fallen into that impietie as to seeke for another beginning of all things than God Whereupon this prouerbe which is too true arose Of three Physitions one Atheist This kinde of curiositie is of all others most pernitious But forasmuch as it is without the compasse of our Academie we let it passe with this short mention thereof and with this onely addition that God commonly punisheth the pride of such men by those fruits which we see them bring foorth and by taking from them their vnderstanding in principall and most necessarie matters wherein notwithstanding they thinke themselues to be woonderfull and iolly fellowes aboue all others As touching this point the example of Socrates is very memorable and to be imitated who being demanded what the world was answered that since he had any iudgement he gaue himselfe to seeke out the true knowledge of himselfe which yet he could neuer find But so soone as he had attained thereunto then he would seeke for other things that would do him no seruice or pleasure Aristotle as Iustin Martyr writeth who for the excellencie of his skill in naturall philosophie was called the god of the earth burned with such a desire of curiositie in vnderstanding the causes of naturall things that bicause he could not know and conceiue the cause and nature of Euripus which is in Chalcis a citie of Eubaea I meane of the flowing ebbing of the sea which turneth compasseth about that place nor giue a sufficient reason thereof he died for very shame and greefe which he conceiued thereupon Plinie also who wrote the historie of naturall philosophie was choked with the flames and vapors of the mountaine Mongibel in Sicilia whilest he sought to find out the cause of them and from whence that great fire came which spoiled the countrie round about in the time of Titus the emperor insomuch that seuen or eight townes were burned and many persons trauelling by land and sailing on the sea were stifled with the ashes therof caried about by the vehemency of the winds But let vs leaue these curious spirits and speake of two other generall kinds of curiositie which respect chiefly our morall philosophie and from whence all corruption of good maners proceeded The first kind concerneth our selues onely and the other our brethren and countrimen To speake therefore of the first it bringeth foorth pernitious effects after diuers sorts and maners but amongst vs Frenchmen they appeere principally in that burning desire which inflameth vs to trauell into strange nations and in our carking and caring for the nourishment clothing and decking of our bodies and for the setting foorth and trimming vp of our houses with curious and vnprofitable moueables wherein we exceede all the superfluitie of other countries When the ancients speake of the felicitie that accompanied the golden age amongst the good conditions and commendable maners which they noted in that holie and first simplicitie they neuer forgat this that the men of that good time tilled and manured their grounds and cared not what strangers did in farre countries Moreouer since the time that men made light account of their owne climate through a curious and vnsatiable desire of appropriating vnto themselues the inheritance and labour of others besides the crueltie violence and murders which prepared a way to their miserable platformes all corruption of good maners at home and all bastardlike attire haue followed thereupon We might heere note infinite testimonies of antiquitie and especially of our ancient progenitors the Gaules who were verie warlike and liued within their bounds in al simplicitie of maners and frugalitie of life But our owne example to our vnspeakeable shame and miserie is so euident before our eyes that I neede no better proofe of my saying than that experience which we feele by our owne perill For the ruine and destruction of this french monarchy proceedeth of no other second cause our iniquitie being the first than of the mixture which we haue made of strangers with our selues Wherein we are not contented to seeke them out vnder their roofes vnlesse we also draw them vnto vs and lodge them vnder our roofes yea preferre them before our owne countrimen and citizens in the offices and honorable places of this kingdome against the law and right of euerie good and well established policie Besides we adore and reuerence all their nouelties and subtill inuentions and that so ignorantly or rather blockishly that suffring them to sucke vs euen to the verie bowels in steade of all our riches and spoiles which they for their part haue drawne from vs they haue left vs nothing but new maners and fashions of liuing in all dissolutenes and pleasure except this one thing also that we haue learned of them to dissemble and withall to frame and build a treason verie subtillie Such is the prouision wherewith our french youth is commonly furnished by their Italian voyages To this purpose Gueuara Chronicler to the emperor Charles the first writeth that from forraine countries men commonly bring newes to prattle of and strange customes to practise and that few come out of Italie that are not absolute and dissolute Lycurgus by his lawes commanded the Lacedemonians not to go out of their kingdome nor to conuerse with strangers saying that although by their trafficke with them they might be inriched yet on the other side they would grow poore in regard of their owne vertues Titus Liuius Macrobius Salustius and Tully cursed and bewailed the conquests and victories which Rome had in Asia saying that if the Romanes brought the Persians Medes vnder subiection by force yet the selfe same Asians ouercame the Romans with their vices and delights This doth Cicero testifie writing to Atticus where he saith

Cicero are miserable And many forget iustice after they are fallen into a desire of glory empires and honors Go to then Achitob let vs vnderstand of thee more at large what are the effects of this vice ACHITOB. Eudoxus a Greeke Philosopher desired of the gods that he might behold the sunne very neere to comprehend the forme greatnes and beautie therof and afterwards be burnt of it as the Poets report that Phaeton was such a hardie and bold passion to vndertake most difficult dangerous things is the desire of enioying any pleasure whatsoeuer This may chiefly be spoken of ambition which is the most vehement strongest most disordred passiō of all those desires which so sore trouble mens minds and fil them with an insatiable greedines of glory and with an vnbrideled desire to rule But to handle it more profitably we will make two kinds of ambition the one respecting priuate mē only that liue vnder the power and gouernment of heads of estates and pollicies the other shal be of the heads themselues of monarchs and gouernors of peoples and kingdoms In the meane time we may thus generally define ambition calling it an vnreasonable desire to enioy honors estates great places Further it is a vice of excesse and contrary to modesty which is a part of temperance For that man as Aristotle saith is modest who desireth honor as he ought and so farre foorth as it becommeth him but he that desireth it more than he ought and by vnlawful means is ambitious and caried away with a perturbation of intemperance Ambition neuer suffreth those that haue once receiued hir as a guest to enioy their present estate quietly but maketh them always emptie of goods and full of hope It causeth them to contemne that which they haue gotten by great paines and trauel and which not long before they desired very earnestly by reason of their new imaginations and conceites of greater matters which they continually barke foorth but neuer haue their minds satisfied contented And the more they growe and increase in power and authoritie the rather are they induced and caried headlong by their affections to commit all kind of iniustice and flatter themselues in furious and frantike actions that they may come to the end of their infinite platformes and of that proud and tyrannicall glory which contrary to all dutie they seeke after These imperfections happen vnto them bicause from the beginning they studied to hoord and heape vp externall mortall and hurtful riches before they had laid a good foundation of reason through knowledge and learning thereby to direct aright their purposes and doings according to comelines and honestie And therfore oftentimes they are deceiued and misse of their intent and euen loose that which they might haue had because they sought ouer boldly to laie hands on that which they could not so much as touch So that we may wel say with Timon that the elements matter of mischiefs are ambition auarice which are found both together for the most part in the same persons But to enter into a more particular consideration of the nature of euery ambitious mā he hath commonly this propertie to enuie the glory of others whereby he becommeth odious and stirreth vp against himself the enuy and ill will of euery one Moreouer this his ielousie ouer another mans glory is so much the more hurtfull vnto him in that he might being set in high estate and authoritie vse the helpe and company of such as are vertuous and noble minded in the execution of great matters if in stead of taking them for his aduersaries in the pursuite of vertue he fauored them and drew them neere vnto himself Whereby we may iudge that there is none so pernitious a plague for the ouerthrow of vertue as ambition bicause it is neuer without contention for glory and honor euen against the greatest friends from whence in the end proceed the greatest enmities Cicero also saith very well that whatsoeuer hath this qualitie that many things of the same kind cannot be excellent thereof ariseth for the most part such strife that it is a very hard matter to obserue holy society For equitie is not easilie kept inuiolable when one desireth to be greater than all the rest It commeth through the fault of ambition saith Aristotle that many seditions arise in cities For the mightier not the vulgar sort contend for honors and promotions But if as Plato writeth there were a Common-wealth of good men you should see as great strife for the auoiding of offices as now men contend to command and rule Also the honor of a good man saith Plutark to Traian consisteth not in that estate or office which he presently inioieth but in his former deserts so that it is to the office wherunto men giue new honor as for the person he hath but a painful charge Out of the sayings of these great Philosophers we will draw this conclusion that we must labor more to deserue estates honors than dare to procure them and account that thing vnwoorthie and vnbeseeming vs which is obtained by vnlawfull meanes Now as the ambitious man is intollerable in all his actions so especially he bringeth himselfe in derision and reproch through this burning desire of glorie and praise which he looketh that others should yeeld vnto him and wherein he taketh vnmeasurable delight Now if he perceiueth that he cannot be commended for his doings that are vnworthie of honor the thirst of glorie wherewith he pineth away compelleth him to borow of himselfe by his owne commendation against all seemelines which is neither more nor lesse than if the bodie of a man in time of famine not receiuing nourishment elsewhere should take of it owne substance against nature Further if we should go about heere to make recitall of those notable euils and mischiefs which the ambition of some particular men hath brought vpon Monarchies cities and Commonwealths and generally vpon all those persons which were vnder their bloudie raigne the whole life of one man would not suffice to describe them But to touch this point briefly we may note in all ancient histories that the greatest plagues of flourishing estates and oftentimes their vtter subuersion came from ciuill warres and dissentions stirred vp by ambitious men desirous to command and to be preferred before others What did at any time procure the ruine of Grecia flourishing in armes and sciences so much as the ambition of those men who sought to bring the publike offices into their owne hands as Leosthenes Demosthenes and many others did who were not afraid to kindle the fire of domesticall diuision not caring what would be the issue of their damnable enterprises so they might make waie for their deuised platformes How many mischiefs did Alcibiades procure to his countrey being an enimie to peace and giuen to all kind of nouelties and seditions Who vsed to say that

that fall into it through negligence or misgouernment of those goods which God hath put into their hands that they should be faithfull keepers and disposers thereof in charitable workes This is that which Thucidides saith that it is no shame for a man to confesse his pouertie but very great to fal into it by his owne default Therefore to reape profite by that which hath beene heere discoursed let vs put off that old error which hath continued so long in mens braines that pouertie is such a great and troublesome euill whereas it is rather the cause of infinite benefits and let vs say with Pythagoras that it is a great deale better to haue a quiet and setled minde lying vpon the ground than to haue much trouble in a golden bed Moreouer let vs knowe that to possesse small store of earthlie goods ought not to be called pouertie bicause all fulnes of wealth aboundeth in the knowledge and assurance of the fatherlie grace and goodnes of the Author and Creator of all things which he offereth liberally to all without accepting either of pompe or greatnes And further when as continuing the care which it pleaseth him to take of vs he giueth vs although in trauell and sweate wherewith to feede and to cloth vs in all simplicitie and modestie and that according to our necessitie we should be vnthankfull and altogither vnwoorthie the assistance of his helpe and fauour and of his eternall promises if not contented nor glorifieng him for our estate we complained or wondred at desired the calling of other men offering thereby in will and affection our birthrights through a gluttonous desire whereas we ought to preserue to our selues the possession of that heauenlie inheritance wherein consisteth the perfection of all glorie rest and contentation Of Idlenes Sloth and Gaming Chap. 35. ARAM. TWo things being the cause of all passions in men namely Griefe and Pleasure they alwayes desire the one but flie from and feare the other But the occasion of the greatest euil that befalleth them is bicause these desires and affections being borne with them from the beginning do also grow encrease a long time before they can haue any iudgement framed in them through the right vnderstandyng of things Whereupon as well by nature which of it selfe is more inclined to euill than to good as through a long continuing in vice they are easily drawen to follow the appetite and lust of their sensualitie wherein they falsly iudge that pleasure consisteth and thinke it painfull not to please it Being thus guided by ignorance and walking like blindmen they haue experience for the most part of such an end as is cleane contrary to their purposes As we may see in those men who purposing with themselues to liue at their ease in ioy rest and pleasure giue ouer all intermedling in serious matters and such as beseeme the excellencie of vertue that they may liue in idlenes wherwith being bewitched they are partakers of many false pleasures which procure them a greater number of griefs and miseries all which they thought to auoyd very well And this we may the better vnderstand if we discourse of Idlenes the enemie of all vertue and cleane contrary to Perseuerance which is a branch of Fortitude Therefore I propound the handling of this matter to you my Companions ACHITOB. Although we haue not a singular excellencie of spirite yet we must not suffer it to be idle but constantly follow after that which we haue wisely hoped to obtaine For as Erasmus saith that which is often done reiterated and continually in hand is finished at last ASER. They that do nothing saith Cicero learne to do ill through idlenesse the body minds of men languish away but by labour great things are obtained yea trauail is a worke that continueth after death Let vs then giue eare to AMANA who will handle more at large for our instruction that which is here propounded vnto vs. AMANA As we admire and honour them with very great commendation in whom we may note as we think some excellent and singular vertues so we contemn them whom we iudge to haue neither vertue courage nor fortitude in them and whom we see to be profitable neither to themselues nor to others bicause they are not laborious industrious nor carefull but remain idle and slouthfull And to say truth the maners conditions and natural disposition of such men are wholy corrupted their conuersation is odious vnprofitable and to be auoided seeing that Idlenes is the mother and nurse of vice which destroieth and marreth all Therefore it was very well ordained in the primitiue Church that euery one should liue of his owne labor that the idle and slothfull might not consume vnprofitably the goods of the earth Which reason brought in that ancient Romane edict mentioned by Cicero in his booke of Lawes that no Romane should goe through the streets of the city vnles he caried about him the badge of that trade whereby he liued Insomuch that Marcus Aurelius speaking of the diligence of the ancient Romanes writeth that all of them followed their labor and trauell so earnestly that hauing necessarie occasion one daye to send a letter two or three daies iournie from the towne he could not find one idle bodie in all the citie to carie it That great Orator and Philosopher Cicero minding to teach vs how we ought to hate Idlenes as being against nature sheweth that men are in deede borne to good works whereof our soule may serue for a sufficient and inuincible proofe seeing it is neuer still but in continuall motion action And for the same cause he greatly commendeth Scipio who vsed to say that he was neuer lesse quiet than when he was quiet Whereby he giueth vs to vnderstand that when he was not busied with waightie affaires of the Common-wealth yet his owne priuate matters and the searching after knowledge were no lesse troublesome vnto him so that euen then in his solitarines he tooke counsell with himselfe It seemeth saith this father of eloquence that nature doth more require of a man such actions as tend to the profit of men than she doth the perfect knowledge of all things seeing this knowledge and contemplation of the workes of nature should seeme to be maimed vnperfect if no action followed it whereas vertuous deedes are profitable to all men for which end nature hath brought vs foorth which sheweth sufficiently that they are better and more excellent So that vnles the knowledge of things be ioined with that vertue which preserueth humane societie it will seeme to be dead and vnprofitable Therefore Chrysippus the Philosopher said that the life of those men that giue themselues to idle studies differed nothing from that of voluptuous men So that we must not studie Philosophie by way of sport but to the end we may profit both our selues and others Now if action must of necessitie be ioined to