aboundantly good but he that is euyll is also a foole and vnlearned although in booke learnyng he be the most skylfull vnder the Sunne Sorow My hearing fayleth Reason It is well that this chaunced not vnto thee before thou receauedst thy fayth whiche is gotten specially by hearyng whiche fayth nowe thou possessest Whereof complaynest thou nowe or what seekest thou more If thou hearest not the singyng of men nor of byrdes then encline thyne harte vnto heauenly songues and applye thyne inwarde eare to GOD wardes Sorowe I heare not Reason Then thynke and speake to thy selfe If I heare not what men say eyther to me or of me I shall heare what the Lorde GOD sayth vnto me They oft tymes talke of discorde but he euer speaketh of peace Sorowe I heare nothyng at all Reason Many beyng very desirous of silence haue been weeried with long iourneys and trauayle to the entent that in some secret places and bye wayes they myght finde that whiche they sought for That whiche is paynefully sought for by others thou hast it with thee in euery place wheresoeuer thou goest Nowe learne to vse thyne owne commoditie and remembring the noyses and tumultes that are past begynne at the last to be delyghted with silence Of the lothsomnesse of lyfe The XCviij Dialogue SOROWE I Am wonderfull weery of my lyfe Reason A mischiefe sprynging out of the premisses then whiche I know not whether there be any othermore daungerous for it is most greeuous of it selfe and the next neyghbour and redie way to desperation Agaynst whiche mischiefe by name there hath been order taken in your Churches to pray for assistaunce vnto the blessed Sainctes of heauen who beyng discharged of this earthly weerisomnesse and bandes of the bodye doo now rest in the ioyes of heauen in euerlastyng felicitie I doubt not truely but that some of them are at rest in deede but as for those your prayers vnto them I compt them vayne and foolyshe Sorowe I am compassed about with muche lothsomnesse of lyfe Reason All thynges that are lothsome ought to be abandoned with gladsome thoughtes with good hope with the comfort of freendes with readyng of bookes with varietie of honest delyghtes and pleasaunt exercises and expellyng of sluggishnesse but especially bâ— pacience in all thynges and long sufferyng whiche is inuincible Ye ought not to preuent the naturall ende of your lyfe eyther for the hatred of the present state or the desire of the future neither to be breefe for any feare or hope whatsoeuer whiche certayne fooles and miserable wretches haue doone who whyle they haue sought meanes to auoyde pouertie the troubles of this lyfe and paynes temporall haue fallen into eternall Let our countreyman Cicero speake what he lyft who in his booke of Offices excuseth the death of the latter Cato Let Seneca say what he wil who woonderfully extolleth and commendeth the same and also disputeth in many places howe that in certayne cases a man may violently destroy hym selfe But the other opinion of Cicero is muche more true and commendable wherein he sayth That both thou and all godly men ought to retayne theyr soules within the prison of theyr bodyes neyther to depart out of this humane lyfe without his commaundement by whom it was geuen least haply ye shoulde seeme to refuse the callyng whereunto he hath assigned you Yea moreouer thynke that this was spoken vnto thee from heauen to witte that vnlesse God whose temple is all this whiche thou beholdest shall discharge thee out of the wardes of this bodye thou canst haue no entraunce hyther And to conclude take heede lest that through any weerisomnesse of this lyfe thou so thynke of death at any tyme that thou suppose it lawfull to thee to hasten it or so esteeme of any ioye that it be able at any tyme to ouerthrowe thy heedelesse mynde vppon a sodden Of heauinesse of the bodye The XCix. Dialogue SOROWE I AM heauie of bodye Reason Thou mightest complaine hereof yf thou haddest been borne to flye lyke a byrde and not rather as a man vnto manhood Sorowe My body is heauie and vnwyldie Reason Leaue this complaynte to Roscius and Aesope Thou yf thou canst neyther bende thy selfe rounde in a lytle compasse or slyde downe out of the toppe of the ayre by a rope what matter is it Walke thou soberly with honest men contemne gesticulation and dauncyng whiche belongeth to players As grauitie becommeth a wyse man in all his deedes and woordes so also is it conuenient that he vse it in his gate with great modestie Sorowe I haue a heauie body Reason This heauinesse was wont to be one of the companions of olde age lest haply he that had lost the fyrst shoulde exclude the seconde although many tymes this heauinesse be founde not to be so muche the companion of olde age as of nature whereof it commeth that we see young men dull and heauie and olde men quicke and nimble But oftentymes vnder a heauie bodye is contayned a lyght minde and vnder a lyght bodye abydeth a heauie minde but yf a certayne proportion and equalitie both of bodye and minde doo meete together that is not to be despised Sorowe The weyght of my bodye is exceedyng great Reason Though inuisible yet no lesse is the weyght of the mynde and firmenesse thereof set the one agaynst the other and there shal be nothing heauie Sorowe I am drowned with the weyght of my bodye Reason Fleete then agayne by the lyghtnesse of thy mynde and dryue it away and in laboryng studie takyng in hande many and harde matters both to the exercise of thy mynde and bodye and the banishyng of all pleasures Dryue away idlenesse procure thy selfe businesse despise lustes bate slouthfulnesse loue carefulnesse caste away tendernesse followe hardnes haue a delyght in difficult thynges and with continuall persistaunce vse thy selfe to moderate diet in meate and drynke and to short and carefull sleepe litle sittyng and seldome lying Sorowe I am payned with the weyght and greatnesse of my body Reason Another is troubled with the contrary some with one thing and some with another No man leadeth his lyfe without traueyle but euery man knoweth his owne and eyther despiseth or is ignorant of an others griefe Sorow My body is much growen vnto mole Reason If mans name for that he is a mortal creature be deriued from the woord Elumus which signifieth the earth the must man needes be oppressed with muche earth Notwithstandyng his earthly nature cannot so ouerwhelme the heauenly but that it wyll aryse vnlesse it shewe it selfe deafe to vertue and quicke of beleefe vnto euyl perswadyng pleasure Sorowe A heauie bodye oppresseth my soule Reason Plucke vp thy mynde and with great endeuoure sustayne this greeuous burden and thynke with thy selfe that heauenly myndes doo oftentymes breake foorth out of the burden of the bodyly mole and attayne vnto woonderfull hyghnesse Sorowe I am ouerborne with the burden of my bodye Reason Although nature cannot be ouercome
drynke and haue the the more aman hath and drynketh and the causes of al dangers it plucketh vp by the rootes Your ryches are ful of deceitfulnesse and feare they feare cuppes aswell as swoordes and dishes no lesse then dartes there is neyther your table nor your house nor your chamber nor your bed voyd of danger Al thynges about you are vncertayne and suspitious and threaten vnto men present death as Virgil speaketh in a tempest and may be verified of you in a calme and al this is long of your sweete ryches whiche ye loue so entirely As for pouertie sauing that it is slaundrously reported of by the common people and for the very name odious vnto them al thynges are safe in it and yf euer the vayne glorious desire to be magnified by the multitude shoulde fayle altogeather pleasant sweete quiet and be wyshed But learne at length you earthly creatures to eate and drynke in glassen and earthen vessels yf ye wyl eate and drynke in safetie for poyson is mingled in cuppes of gold and precious stone O couetousnesse how farre wylt thou proceede Yea poyson is in loue with gold and precious stones agaynst whiche most wretched plague neyther the electuarie of Mithridates kyng of Pontus nor of any other be he neuer so cunnyng is more effectual then is pouertie Sorowe I haue drunken poyson death swymmeth nowe in my entrailes Reason When thou hast once perswaded thy selfe that thou must dye whiche al men must needes determine that remember them selues to be mortal what skylleth it whether thou dye by thirsting or drynkyng or whether imbrued with thine owne blood or with wyne In this kynde of death thou shalt haue great personages that haue been drynkyng fellowes with thee of this confection to wyt Alexander Hannibal Philippomenes Mithridates Claudius hym selfe Theramenes and Socrates Of the feare of death The .cxvii. Dialogue FEARE I Feare to dye Reason Herein thou oughtest not to feare but to muse which musing of thyne yf it began nowe first in thee then hath it not growen vp with thee from thine infancie But if it come vpon thee but by fittes and is not continuall then hast thou lyued vnwysely For this most excellent and profitable aduice of the Poet Horace ought most firmely to be engraffed within the very marrowe of thy bones Betweene hope and care and betweene feare anger thynke euery day to be the last that thou shalt lyue that thou mayst be such an one as he speaketh of in an other place He shal leade his lyfe merily and vnder his owne gouernement who is able to say euery day I haue lyued Let to morowe be fayre or foule whyle I am busie I do not care And this forsooth is that whiche the Philosophers do so muche commend to lyue the forepassed lyfe whereof I haue spoken in an other place Feare I feare to dye Reason Thou shouldest haue feared also to be borne to lyue The entrance into lyfe is the begynning of death and lyfe it selfe is the passedge to death or rather more truely a very death in deede By lyuing eyther thou wentest towardes death or rather accordyng to the iudgement of the wyse thou beganst euery houre to dye Why shouldest thou then be afeard of death yf death haue eyther dayly accompanied thy lyfe or of necessitie do folowe it The first of these the learned only do vnderstand the other the common people do perceyue for what soeuer was borne dyeth and what soeuer dyeth was borne Feare I am afearde to dye Reason Fearest thou to dye that art a reasonable mortal creature as the Philosophers do diffine thee But yf thou were veryly the first I suppose thou wouldest not feare the second for that these two natures beyng ioyned in one do fully accomplysh the substance of man to wyt reason and death The one concerneth the soule the other the body but want of reason hath brought in the feare of death Feare I feare death Reason Nothyng ought to be feared which the necessitie of nature importeth Who so hateth or feareth the thinges that are naturall must needes hate or feare nature it selfe Vnlesse perhaps it be lawful to commend and embrace the one part thereof and to condemne and despise the other then whiche there is nothyng more insolent not only in men towardes GOD but also in one man towardes another And therefore eyther thou wholy receyuest or reiectest thy freende least yf thou reape that only whiche is sweete thou seeme to be a partial iudge and louer of friendshyp Feare I abhorre death Reason If there be any euyl in death the same is encreased by the feare of death But yf there be no euyl in death the feare thereof is a great euyl and it is a great follie for a man to procure or encrease his owne harme Feare I detest the very name of death Reason The infirmitie of mankynde hath made the name of death infamous But yf men had any courage of minde they would no more feare death then they woulde al other thynges that come by course of nature And why shouldest thou more feare to die then to be borne to growe vp to hunger to thirst to wake to sleepe Wherof this last is so lyke death that some haue termed it the cousin and some the image of death And that thou mayest not cal this manner of speeche eyther a poetical colour and a Philosophical quirke Iesus Chryst the truth it selfe called the death of his freend a sleepe and art thou afeard to do that once wherin thou takest pleasure euerie day This inconstancie do the learned woonder at and also reprooue Feare These thinges are common and vsuall among the Philosophers and bring delite while they are heard but when they leaue soundyng feare returneth Reason Nay rather it remayneth for if it were once gonne it would not returne agayne and moreouer there is a certayne feare of death naturally ingraffed within the hartes of the common multitude But it is a shame for a learned man to haue the feelyng but of the vulgare sort whom it becommeth as I sayd erewhyle not to folowe the steppes of the greater part but of a fewe And concernyng that whiche thou speakest of Philosophers I muche merueyle that since you learne the preceptes of saylyng of saylers and of husbandrie of husbandmen and also of warfare of warriours ye refuse to take aduice how to direct your lyfe of the Philosophers And seeing you aske counsel of Phisitious for the cure of your bodyes why do you not resort also to Philosophers for the saluing of your mindes who if they be true Philosophers in deede they are both Phisitions of your mindes and the instructours of this lyfe But yf they be counterfeites and puffed vp onely with the bare name of Philosophie they are not only not to be sought vnto for counsel but to be auayded then whom there is nothing more importunate nothing more absurde of whom this age is muche more ful then I coulde
vnto Heauen it selfe A bondman can not serue in warfare vnder man but he may serue GOD the wages of whose seruice in warfare is to reigne The seruaunt of GOD is Kyng ouer all men felowe with Angelles a terrour to Deuylles The seruaunt of GOD may also be seruaunt to man and thus worldly seruice is no hunderaunce to the heauenly felicitie Sorowe I am a Seruaunt Reason If thou hast alwayes been so custome may asswage thy griefe If not hope that thou mayest one day not be that whiche some tyme thou wast not Sorowe I am a seruaunt Reason If thou hope for an ende of thy miserie let thy hope diminishe thy sorowe But yf thou despayre let patience mitigate it and heape not one mischiefe vppon another neyther vexe thy selfe to no purpose willingly and wittingly whiche were the greatest poynt of follie that is incident to the lyfe of man But a man must not despayre for when all thynges be wantyng death wyll come at the length who in despite of thy Maister wyll loose thee and set thee at libertie Of pouertie The .viii. Dialogue SOROWE I Am oppressed with pouertie that I can not ryse Reason Pouertie hath many tymes perswaded modestie to an vnwyllyng mynde and that whiche Philosophie hath attempted in vayne this hath brought to passe Sorowe Pouertie besiegeth myne entrie Reason Shee besiegeth it not but keepeth it neyther is this a strange and vnaccustomable thyng for in tymes past shee preserued the Citie of Rome many hundred yeeres For among the tentes of sober and carefull pouertie flouthfull wantonnesse sluggyshe sleepe and weake and effeminate vices doo entre Sorowe Pouertie hath inuaded my house Reason I aduertise thee to meete her willingly receyuyng and embracyng her with vnfolded armes and a cheareful countenance And though at the fyrst encounter she appeare some deale sharpe and bytter and not without cause to be compared vnto a wayfaryng man and one that is armed at all poyntes for that her commyng is speedie and threatnyng notwithstandyng when she is once receyued into familiaritie she wyll be a gheast nothing sumptuous but quiet and gentle Sorowe Pouertie rappeth at my doore Reason Open then vnto her speedily before that by sudden force she breake the barres and pluckyng the doore from the hookes she enter in lyke a conquerour For as she is very greeuous vnto those that withstand her so is she very pleasant vnto them that geue her place Sorowe Pouertie hath broken vp my house Reason Shee is a passyng diligent watcher agaynst Theeues and Pleasures whiche are woorse then theeues agaynst the girdes and absurd iudgementes of the common people and also agaynst the infamie of couetousnesse or prodigalitie whiche seldome sitteth in any other place then the entries of the ryche From these euylles can thy house by no meanes be better preserued then yf pouertie guard it And euen as yf a man be franke yet yf he reserue any thyng to him selfe he is commonly tearmed couetous so yf he be poore he shal be counted greedie to haue It is the maner of neere neighbours to enuie at wealth to pitie pouertie The one they desyre and disprayse the other they commende and abhorre Sorowe Pouertie hath possessed my house Reason Now shal there be no place with thee for pryde nor for enuie nor for notable losses nor for the feare of losses nor for a thousand kindes of suspitions nor for deceite nor for surfect and loathsomnesse nor for the Gout that is a gheast among the ryche all whiche being shut out of doores reste quietnesse and vertue shall haue larger entertaynement with thee who shall haue the more roomth the lesse that thy wealth is Sorowe Hard pouertie hath entred my house Reason I knowe what thou meanest ryches shoulde haue entred more pleasantly but pouertie more safely There are no riches before whom securitie is not to be preferred For when all thynges whatsoeuer men doo or desyre are directed vnto felicitie surely it may consist without ryches but not without securitie Sorowe I haue been long tyme oppressed with importunate pouertie Reason As no importable thyng can long be borne so is there no short thyng difficult But thou wylt say this is hard examine it with ryches doest thou make more accompt of golde then of vertue Hast thou not learned among the Paradoxes of the Stoâ—kes That onely a wyse man is ryche Or perhappes hast thou read it and not regarded it Whiche thyng most readers doo to the ende to talke more finely not to lyue more vertuously applying nothyng vnto honestie but referryng all to knowledge and eloquence then whiche nothyng is more vayne Of Domage sustayned The .ix. Dialogue SOROWE CRuell Fortune hath bereft me of all my ryches Reason Shee hath done thee no iniurie for she hath taken but her owne but this is an auncient and common vnthankefulnesse to forget what was geuen you and to remember what is taken away And therefore your thankes are fewe and colde and your complaintes many and feruent Sorowe Fierce Fortune hath taken also away the things that are necessary for liuing Reason No man can take away the thyngs that are necessarie forasmuche as nothyng is cruely to be called necessarie without whiche a man may lyue wel I say lyue wel not voluptuously not insolently or gorgiously but wysely but soberly but honestly wherein Fortune be she neuer so proud shal confesse that she hath no right And truely although desire of hauing is not satisfied with al the golde that is in the worlde and all the pompe of precious stones and plentie of all maner of thinges notwithstanding natural necessitie is contented with verie litle that may be gotten by some lyght meanes of the tongue or exercise of the hand thus vertue is pleased with a verie litle vice with nothing Sorowe Couetous Fortune denyeth me necessarie foode and apparrell Reason Thou must get it then some where els Vertue is more liberal then Fortune for she denieth a man nothyng but whiche wyll hurt yf it be graunted and doo good yf it be forbydden shee taketh away nothyng but which wyl hurt to haue it and is profitable to loose it shee deferreth nothyng shee commaundeth nothyng shee plucketh not backe her hande shee frowneth not shee looketh not strangly shee despiseth no man she forsaketh no man shee deceyueth no man shee chafeth not shee rageth not shee changeth not shee is alwayes one and euery where but that the more she is tasted of the sweeter shee seemeth and the neerer shee is beholden the fayrer euery day then other shee appeareth That thou mayest therefore be ryche in deede let nothyng carrie thee away from this affliction or repell thee although it doo exercise and molest thee the fyrst entraunce vnto it is harde as for the residue it is redie pleasant and easie For when thou art once come vnto it thou shalt not feele pouertie Sorowe Fortune hath spoyled mee of all my goodes Reason Thou supposest amisse this mischiefe is commune
determined to doo violence vnto my selfe Reason At one tyme to feare a thyng and at another to wyshe for it this is al the constancie that you haue Erwhyle womanishly thou fearedst death and now vnmanly thou seekest the same tel me I pray thee what sudden chaunce hath chainged thy mind Feare I am enforced to do violence vnto my selfe Reason If thou be enforced then is it not voluntarie violence although it be sayd that a constrained wyll is a wyll yet truely it is no free wyl neither that wyl which properly taketh the name à volendo of willing But I would fayne know by whom thou art enforced Whoso is vnwilling may haue violent handes layde vpon hym but thou canst doo thy selfe no violence vnlesse thou were willing thereunto Feare There are great causes that enforce me to be willing to die Reason They be great in deede I coufesse yf they enforce thee but they coulde not enforce thee yf thou were a man But there is nothyng so weake that it can not ouerthrowe the delicacie of your mindes and hearken now whether I can not directly gheasse these causes anger disdaine impatiencie a certayne kynde of furie agaynst a mans owne selfe and the forgetfulnesse of his owne estate For yf thou dyddest remember that thou were a man thou wouldest also knowe that thou oughtest to take all worldly chaunces in good part and not for the hatred of one small euyll or rather no euyll at all to be willyng to fal into the greatest euyll of all Feare By reason of extreame miserie I am constrayned to lay violent handes vpon my selfe Reason It is not extreame miserie neither are they the greatest euylles that oppresse thee but this is the most extreame of al other which now enrageth thee to wit desperation agaynst which onely when as all other euylles haue their peculiar remedies there is no medicine that can preuayle And which be these that thou callest exâ—reame euylles but onely labour perhaps and trouble and pouerâ—ie For these are they whereof the Poet Virgil intreateth saying These without cause procured their owne death and hating this lyght powred out their owne soules Of whose too late repentance he addeth immediatly Howe glad woulde they now be returnyng into this worlde agayne to abyde pouertie and suffer all troubles and aduersitie Are these so great euyls whereof the fyrst all good and vertuous men endured with a valiant and indifferent minde and some more ouer dyd wyllingly choose it and thereby became glorious and riche in the euerlastyng riches That the worlde is meete for men we reade in Salust and that man was made for that intent we finde it written in the holy and afflicted good old man But you beyng of al creatures the most vnquiet yf thinges fal not out according to your couetous desyre or letcherous lust ye thynke that ye haue iust cause to kyll your selues So delicate and hastie headlong is your lasciuiousnesse that vpon the least cause that may be ye are not onely angrie with Fortune but also with your selues farther â—icking against GOD hymselfe ye scoure your blasphemousâ—â—â—ithes agaynst him as though euery thing wherein your Lord and God fulfylleth not your minde were an haynous iniurie agaynst you Feare I am so oppressed with great euylles that to choose A woulde dye Reason For the loathsomnesse of thy lyfe perhaps which is a familiar fault among all fooles For vnto the wyse euery kynde of lyfe is pleasant the happie lyfe they accept willingly the miserable lyfe they indure patiently and although in the thinges themselues they take final comforâ— yet are they delyghted in the exercise of patience for there is nothing more acceptable nor more sâ—â—eâ—e then veritie The same is that which asswageth greefes amendeth what is anusse moâ—â—fieth that whiche is harde mitâ—igateth thâ—ir whiche is sharpe siâ—â—otheth that whiche is rough and lâ—uellech that whiche is vneâ—â—en In consyderation hereof complainte or 〈◊〉 and hastie headlongnesse hath an ende and to be breefe there is nothing more glorious nor quiet then a wyse mans lyfe As for these teares and greefes of the minde these cloudes and troublesome stormes whiche driue the barke of this lyfe vpon the rockes they spryng from follie onely Feare Impaciencie of sicknes maketh me desirous to dye Reason Thy desyre is fond and proude Let the Lorde alone to dispose of thy bodye accordyng to his owne determination and good pleasure Wylt thou looke to haue more aucthoritie ouer thine owne buyldyng whereof thou hast made neyther Timber nor Stone and wherein there is nothing thine but only the buylding and wylt thou not geue lykewyse sembleable libertie vnto the Lorde and maker of all the worlde who in the same hath not onely created the spirite the fleshe the blood and the bones but also heauen the earth the seas and all thynges that are therein of nothyng Say not within thy selfe My bodye is greeuously tormented with payne For thou hast receyued no dominion euer thy bodye but onely a vse thereof for a certayne short tyme Thynkest thou thy selfe to be Lorde and Maister ouer this thyne house of Clay Verily thou art but a stranger he that made all is Lorde of all Sorowe With exceeding payne I am constrayned to be desyrous to die Reason Perhaps this payne is layde vpon thee for thine experience whiche yf it be troublesome and greeuous vnto thee then may it be profitable but yf intollerable then can it not long continue Attende the commaimdement of the Lorde that detayneth thee and answeare when thou art called and not before Thy daye is appoynted whiche possibly thou canst not preuent nor yet prolong Howheit many haue preuented it in deede and goyng about to auoyde a smal short greefe haue cast them selues headlong intoirreuocable euerlasting tormentes This opinion hath had great defenders Fyrst Anneus Seneca who so constantly and often falleth into the mentionyng thereof insomuche that it seemeth vnto me that he feared least it shoulde not appeare to be his â—â—bâ—e and maketh me sometyme to wonder bowe so cruell aâ— opinion coulde enter into the hart of so woorthie a man And to â—et that passe whiche it were too long to recite in a certayne Epistle vnto Lucilius If sayth he the bodye be vnfytte for the ordinarie and conuenient actions â–ª why shoulde not a man set the greened soule at libertie And immedialy after a fewe woordes betweene I wyl leape quoth he out of this rotten and ruinous buyldyng But O Seneca thou sayest not wel and with one euyl saying hast disgraced a great many good sayinges For thou oughtest to abyde and not to depart let thy buyldyng fal downe that thou be driuen out of doores before thou depart Sorowe I cannot suffer the thynges that are lyke to happen vnto me I had rather dye Reason Perhaps for some death whiche shal be inflicted vpon thee by an enimie whiche beyng valiantly vndertaken can not be shameful but voluntarily procured by thine owne hand cannot
but be reprochful and ignominious for that it is contrarie to the commaundement of the most hygh Lorde agaynst whiche nothyng can be wel done Sorowe I had rather dye then to see the thynges that are lyke to happen shortly Reason It is not the part of a man not to be able with open eyes to behold both faces of fortune it is the part of a woman to turne away the eyes in feare What is the thyng that troubleth thee so muche that nothyng can helpe thee but death only Is it thine owne or thy freendes or perhaps the aduersitie of thine afflicted countrye As for the first two they are but gentle for fortune is not so strong but vertue is able to withstand it the thirde is godly but the loue thereof is fainte and slouthful For the bondage and captiuitie of a mans countrey and the gouernement thereof in manner of a Tirannie is rather to be repelled by death then auoyded by steppyng a side For the first is the part of a man but this tastest of womanyshe imbecillitie Whiche thyng notwithstandyng the same Seneca doth woonderfully extol in the death of Cato in that same his peculiar opinion whereof I spake erewhyle But Cicero thinkyng it sufficient to excuse him only abstaineth from commending him For he sayth that vnto Cato that was a man of such wonderful grauitie and perpetual constancie of nature it was better to dye then to looke the Tyrant in the face whom Brutus notwithstandyng behelde and thought it better to make hym away by kyllyng hym then by kyllyng hym selfe Whiche how wel or ill it was done I do not now dispute But so in deede he did As for Cicero whyle he excuseth Cato he forgetteth his owne more commendable opinion whiche long before he had set downe in his sixth booke De republica of a common-wealth whiche is after this manner folowyng whiles that he bringeth in Publius Scipio Affricanus the younger dreaming howe that he talked in heauen with his father and graundfather and hearyng them speake of the immortalitie of the soule and the felicitie of the other lyfe made hym desirous to dye and brought in his father by and by reprouing the same his fonde and vnprofitable desyre in these woordes It may not be so quoth he for vnlesse God whose churche al this is which thou beholdest doo loose thee out of these bondes of thy bodye thou canst haue none entrance hyther For men were created for this cause that they shoulde beholde the globe whiche thou seest in the middest of this temple whiche is called the earth Wherefore good sonne Publius both thou and also al vertuous men ought to keepe your selues within the custodie of this your bodye and not to depart out of the lyfe of man contrarie vnto his commaundement by whom that lyfe was geuen vnto you least happely ye seeme to forsake the vocation whereunto God hath called you Doo not these woordes of Cicero sufficiently reprooue Cato that is excused And truely yf thou were appoynted by some earthly Prynce or Captayne to keepe a place by defence of armes thou wouldest not dare to depart from thy charge without his lycence whiche yf thou shouldest doo doubtlesse he woulde take it in ill part Howe then woulde the heauenly Emperour take it thynkest thou vnto whom so muche the more obedience ought to be geuen by howe muche God is greater then man There was of late dayes one Stephanus Columnensis a gentleman of auncient vertue who yf lie had lyued had not onely been famous in this age but also in remembrance of al posteritie The same Stephanus beyng besieged by a mightie enimie of his vnto whom he was in power far vnequal committed the defence of one turret wherein there seemed to be most danger vnto one of his captaynes of whose trust he was assured This turret being vndermined and secretly shaken by the enimies so that it was in danger of fallyng when as the residue of the garison perceyuing so much forsooke it and perswaded hym also to come downe and prouide for his safety since it was bootelesse to tarrie but vnto him selfe very dangerous or rather present death I wyl not come downe sayde he vnlesse he cal me away who set me here Which being reported vnto Stephanus who also was very careful for the gentleman came running in bast to cal hym away the turret beyng shaken at the very foundation fel downe immediatly with great noyse Thus that trustie defendant was miserably slayne whom his lord and maister beyng scarcely able to finde out among the rubbishe and ruynes of the turret buryed hym with great sorowe and lamentation and whyle he lyued had a dutiful care ouer hym and in his common speeche alwayes aduaunced his fayth with worthy commendation What I meane by these wordes I thinke thou knowest Suche a keeper oughtest thou to be of thy body whiche is committed vnto thy keepyng by God as he was of his turret which was commended to his charge by his lorde and maister Notwithstandyng I am not ignorant howe that the death of Cato was muche commended by many of that age wherein he lyued and very glorious in the common opinion of men And that saying of Iulius Caesar is wel knowen who beyng conquerour and making hast vnto Vtica where Cato had slayne hym selfe and hearyng report of his death Cato quoth he enuyed my glory and I enuie his death Doubtlesse it seemed some excellent thyng whiche so great and glorious a personage enuied at Sorow Then what shoulde let me to folow the death of a wyse man that was enuied at by so great a person and excused and commended of the wyse and to eschewe the innumerable distresses of lyfe by a voluntarie death Truely I had rather dye Reason Beware that thou be not caryed away with the vayne hope of hynges For there be some inferiour in eloquence but superiour in sense whiche neyther commend nor excuse this death of Cato but sharpely reprehende it Among whom Sainct Augustine a most sharpe searcher after the truth disputeth that this was not the cause of the hastenyng of his owne death because he woulde not lyne vnder the empire of Caesar togeather with his sonne forasmuche as he hym selfe was the cause that his sonne fledde to Caesar and in hope of safetie submitted hymselfe to his mercy wherein he was not deceyued Whiche yf he had thought to haue been a shameful thyng would he not haue delyuered his sonne from it as wel as hym selfe eyther by poyson or by sword or by some other kynde of death whatsoeuer Seeing that Manlius Torquatus is commended for killyng his owne sonne for that he had geuen battel to his enimies and vanquished them but contrarie to his fathers commaundement Neyther can it be sayde that it is a more shameful thing to be conquerour ouer a proude enimie then to be subiect to an arrogant conquerour Why then dyd he thinke Caesar woorthy to graunt lyfe to his sonne who thought hym vnworthie
and enuied at hym that he should graunt lyfe vnto hymselfe And to conclude he findeth that only enuie was the cause of his death whiche Caesar hym selfe did not dissemble as we sayde erewhyle For what coulde he other feare or why could he not abyde hym to be his prince by whom not long before he was banyshed the senate and committed to pryson So that he that slue not hym selfe in so great and present an iniurie why shoulde he nowe slaye hym selfe for a vayne feare or false opinion of pryde or crueltie What terror was there expressed in Caesars face that he shoulde seeke to auoyde the same by death who not only of all men but of al Tirantes and Prynces was the most gently and mercifull For although Cato had neuer seene any more myghtie yet truely in that age had he seene many more cruel but truely neuer sawe he any more merciful And therefore ryghtly sayeth another excellent wryter famous both for credite and eloquence It seemeth vnto me sayth he that Cato sought an occasion to dye not so muche to escape Caesars handes as to folowe the decrees of the Stoykes whom he immitated and by some notable deede to leaue his name famous vnto posterytie What harme woulde haue happened vnto him if he had lyued I do not perceyue For suche was the clemencie of Caius Caesar that in the greatest heate of the ciuile warres he would seeme to do nothing els but to deserue wel of the common wealth prouiding alwayes for the safetie of Cicero and Cato Loe behold another cause of his death beside enuie to wit a vayne follie both which were farre vnwoorthy of the person of Cato and yet neyther of them sufficient to preuent a mans owne death Sorowe I had rather dye then lyue thus Reason Howe knowest thou whether this lyfe whiche seemeth greeuous vnto thee be desired of many or enuied of the most But your impatiencye maketh all thynges more greeuous Sorow I desire to dye Reason As from the feareful to force the feare of death so to wreast from the desperate the hatred of lyfe is a hard matter Neuerthelesse this is the effect of our remedie to beare this lyfe with indifferencie and to looke for death valiantly Of Death The .cxix. Dialogue SOROWE I Dye Reason Now thou art come to the last cast nowe canst thou neyther feare death nor wyshe for it of both whiche thou hast alredie wearied me in many discourses next before written Hereafter thou shalt neyther be in sorowe nor in paine neyther be subiect to the defaultes of the body nor minde neyther shalt thou be wearied with the tediousnesse of any thing nor with sickenesse nor with olde age nor with deceites of men nor with the varietie of fortune al whiche yf they be euyl then is the ende of euyl good Not long since thou complaynedst of al these and nowe thou findest fault with the ende of them beware that thou seeme not iniurious for beyng sory for the begynning of a thing and the endyng of the same Sorowe I dye Reason Thou shalt walke the way of thy fathers or rather the broade and worne way of thy predicessors haddest thou rather that there shoulde happen vnto thee some peculiar accident I wote not what Goe forward on thy way thou needest not be a frayde of goyng amisse thou hast so many leaders and companions of thy iourney Sorowe Alas I dye Reason If there be any that hath cause to weepe when he dyeth he ought to be ashamed to haue laughed when he lyued knowyng that he had cause at hand and alwayes hanging ouer his head ful soone to make hym weepe whose laughter doubtlesse was not farre disioyned from weeping Sorowe I dye Reason He is not to be suffred that be waileth the estate of his owne kynde Thou shouldest not dye vnlesse thou were mortal But if thou be sorie because thou art mortal thou hast no cause to complayne when thou surceasest to be that which thou wast agaynst thy wyl Thou shouldest haue lamented at the begynnyng when thou beganst to be that whiche thou wouldest not but now thou oughtest to reioyce for that thou begynnest to be immortal Sorowe I dye Reason Al these that lately stoode about thy bed and moreouer al that euer thou hast seene or heard or read of and as many as euer thou wast able to knowe since thou wast borne as many as euer heretofore haue seene this lyght or shal hereafter be borne in al the worlde and to the worldes ende either haue or shal passe through this iorney Beholde in thy minde as wel as thou canst the long troupes of them that are gone before or of those that shal folowe hereafter and also the number not small of thy companions and coequales in yeeres who dye with thee euen at this presente and then I thinke thou wylt be ashamed to bewayle a common case with thy pryuate complayntes when as among so many thou shalt not finde one whom thou mayest enuie at Sorowe I dye Reason This is to be impassible and to goe about to shake of the yoake both of fortune and death a double great good whiche no prosperitie can geue vnto any lyuing creature Thinke with thy selfe howe many and howe great cares howe many paynefull traueyles there were remayning yet vnto thee yf thou lyuedst I say not an infinite lyfe but the space of a thousand yeeres when as there is alotted vnto thee a lyfe but onely of one dayes space wherein yf thou make an indifferent estimation thou shalt perceyue the toyles and wearisomenesse of this short transitorie and vncertayne lyfe and also thine owne greefes and vexations whiche thou hast susteyned Sorow I dye Reason In suche forte ye bewayle death as though lyfe were some great matter whiche yf it were then were the flyes and emmotes and spyders partakers of the same If lyfe were alwayes a commoditie then were death euermore a discommoditie whiche sometyme is founde to be a great benefite when as it delyuereth the soule from intollerable euyles or dischargeth or els preserueth the soule from sinne that is to come whiche is the greatest euyl of all But as vertue is onely a great thyng among you so yf this lyfe be considered by it selfe as it is it is the stoare house of innumerable miseries for the shuttyng vp whereof whoso is sorowfull the same taketh it not well that euyles doo surcease and hateth quyetnesse and he that coueteth the same it must needes be that he couet the ende of a payneful and troublesome lyfe Then yf there be noneother ende of toyles and euyles why doest thou weepe for it That day is nowe at hande which yf it were prolongued thou wouldest wyshe for it and perhaps suche is the worlde the power of fortune so great and her chaunces so variable that thou hast oftentymes alredie wished for it Sorowe I dye Reason Nay rather thou departest out of an earthly and transitorie house vnto the heauenly and euerlastyng habitation
and thy foote beyng vpon the very thresholde thou art sorowfully and vnwyllyngly plucked away and carefully thou lookest behynde thee I wot not wherefore whether forgettyng thy fylthynesse which thou leauest behynde thee or not beleeuyng the great good vnto whiche thou art goyng And truely yf as I sayde before whiche notable men haue also auerred this whiche you cal lyfe be death then it foloweth that the ende thereof whiche is death be lyfe Sorow I dye Reason Thy kyng setteth thee at libertie nowe the bandes and fetters are broken whiche it pleased your louyng father to make mortal and transitorie Whiche I knowing to be specially apperteyning vnto his mercie as Plotinus holdeth opinion and it is confirmed by your wryters I see not whereof thou hast cause to complayne Sorowe I dye Reason Thy kyng calleth thee an happie messenger But thus it is it commeth vnlooked for and vnluckely that happeneth vnto men agaynst their wylles Consent thereunto and then shalt thou begyn to perceyue howe wel thou art dealt withall Then shalt thou reputyng with thy selfe thy departure out of this prison the other euyles of this lyfe which thou fearest prophecying of the commodities whiche death bringeth after the manner of Socrates swan that coulde diuine of heauenly thynges to come and was therefore consecrated to Apollo die singing though not with thy voyce yet in thy minde And vnlesse whiche God forbid the heauie weight of thy sinnes not clensed nor forgiuen do ouermuch presse thee downe do thou that in thy minde which it is read that the emperour Vespasian did in bodie rise vp when thou art a dying and thinke it vnmeete to dye lying neither in this respect ascribe thou lesse vnto thee then he did to himselfe although thou be not a prince as he was For death respecteth no auctorytie it knoweth not princes from other men and is a notable meane to make al estates of one calling after this life There was nothing that Vespasian might doo but it is lawful for thee to do the lyke yea and I trust thou hast somewhat more of the grace of God then he had if thou do not refuse it not for that thou art better then he but because thou art more happie in respect of the free goodwyl loue of God who hath graunted to the litle ones and reuealed to the vnlearned those thynges whiche he denied to the mightie and hyd from the wyse Adde moreouer that it is more profitable and easie for thee to aryse For his endeuour requyred bodily strength which sicknesse weakeneth and death quite extinguisheth but thou hast neede of noneother then the strength of the minde which oftentymes encreaseth the neerer that death is at hand Sorow I dye Reason Why doest thou tremble in safetie and stumble in the playne and stay vpon the side of a sheluing downefall I wyl not here bryng into thy remembrance what the Philosophers do dispute in this poynt For there be many thynges which the troublesomnesse of hym that lyeth a dying and the shortnesse of the tyme wyl not suffer to be done and therefore it ought deepely to be engraffed and rooted in thy mynde whatsoeuer the auncient Philosophers haue disputed concernyng this matter For as they hold opinion rare prosperitie specially towardes a mans ende is able to make al remedies agaynst aduersitie and hard fortune voyde to no purpose but as touchyng those thynges whiche are alleaged agaynst death they be alwayes profitable and necessarie whiche no casual but the natural and inuincible necessitie of dying maketh to stande in ful force and effect Among diuers other truely Cicero gathereth together many sounde reasons and perswasions in the fyrst dayes disputation of his Tusculan questions whereof I made mention a litle before whiche vnlesse thou hast alreadie learned in times past I haue no leasure now to teach thee wherein he concludeth that whether he that dieth seeme to be in prosperitie or aduersitie neuerthelesse forasmuche as generally the whole state of mankynde is equally subiect to the dartes and insultes of Fortune it is to be supposed that by death he is not delyuered from good thynges whiche doubtlesse he shall fynde to be true whosoeuer shall geue hym selfe to the deepe consideration of worldly affayres Wherefore by death he findeth him selfe aduauntaged and not hyndered and thynking continually thereon when it commeth he maketh account thereof as of the messenger and seruant of his delyuerer and when he is once past it and looketh backe vpon it he beholdeth as it were out of a Windowe how he hath escaped the deceites of the worlde and the prison of this fleshe The very same sense doth Cicero followe in his disputation that whether the soule dye with the body or be translated to some other habitation that either there is no euyll at al or very much good in death Sharply truely among his owne Countreifolke at that time but among your Philosophers now adayes yea and your common people a thing nothing doubted of and truly I beleeue neither vnperswaded vnto Cicero himselfe of whom we haue so much spoken which opinion most frankly he hath declared in many and sundry places although he applied him selfe vnto the want of fayth in him with whom he communed or the distrustinesse of the time in which he liued But in few wordes thus perswade thy selfe that thy soule is immortal which not only the whole consent of your naâ—ion but also the most excellent of al the Philosophers do haue defended Repose no trust in the death of the soule whose nature is such that it cannot die and thinke not that there remaineth no euyl after death because there shal be no soule to suffer it But forasmuch as the creatour of the soule is gentle and louing and merciful he wyl not despise the woorke of his owne handes but wyl be neere vnto them that cal vpon him faithfully Vnto hym let your prayers vnto hym let your vowes be directed let the vttermost of your hope depend vpoÌ„ him let your last gaspe ende in callyng vpon his name Depart quickly feare nothing dame Nature that is the most louing mother of al other mothers hath made no horrible thing it is the errour of men and not the nature of the thing that ought to be prouided for that causeth death to seeme dreadful If thou harbour any great attempt in thine hart or go about any excellent high matter despise the base and low speeches deedes of the raskal multitude but haue them in admiration whom to imitate is the perfect path vnto true glorie Among our Countreymen truly of such as haue dyed merely and happily there are innumerable examples But yf we searche rather after such as are of more antiquitie we shal finde many that haue not onely taken their death valiantly but also hastened it which deede in Marcus Cato Marcus Cicero blameth Seneca commendeth as we sayd erewhile As for you ye lyke wel of neither but woorst of the
ought to haue lyued longer for that perhappes thou seest some that haue lyued longer in deede as though of duetie thou myghtest claime longer continuance also I can not yeelde vnto thee For some dye late and many moe soone but none at all that dye neuer betweene these there is no meane appoynted but all men are generally subiect vnto one lawe and all owe obeysaunce to the soueraingtie of death albeit some are taken away by one meanes and some by another and that at diuerse tymes and ages thus of one thyng there are manyfolde meanes and sundrie tymes And therefore let euery one with indifferencie attende his owne kinde of death and dying day and not through the greedinesse or lothsomnesse of lyfe doo as the vnskylfull and ingratefull sort are woont complayne and be disquieted about the lawes of Nature Sorowe I haue lyued but a smal time Reason There was neuer any lyued so long that thought not that he lyued but a small tyme and truely it is but a short tyme in deede that men lyue heere And therefore yf ye be desirous to lyue long seeke after that lyfe wherein ye may lyue for euer which although it be not heere yet is it purchased heere Sorowe I haue lyued but a short tyme. Reason Admit thou haddest lyued longer haddest thou then lyued any more then a short tyme The tearmes of this lyfe are vnequall and vncertaine but this one thyng is common to them all that they be al short Put case a man haue lyued eyghtie yeeres what hath he more I pray thee then he that hath liued but eyght yeeres Examme thy selfe diligently and looke into thine owne estate and let not the madnesse of the common multitude deceiue thee what more I say hath he that hath lyued longer vnlesse perhappes ye account cares and troubles paynes and sorowes weerisomnesse for a vantage Or what more should he haue yf he lyued eyght hundred yeeres There is somewhat more in deede I confesse in hope and expectation but when both tymes are expited beleeue mee thou shalt fynde nothyng whereby thou mightest make account that thou hast lyued more happily Sorowe I dye when as I thought to haue done good Reason What dydst thou thinke to haue done somethyng which thou hast not done So perhappes thou wouldest alwayes haue thought haddest thou liued neuer so long There be some that alwayes thinke to doo well but they neuer begin But yf thou haue begun once to doo well doubt not to goe forward although death preuent thy woorke before it be brought to a wished ende which although peraduenture in the blinde iudgement of men it may seeme to be some preiudice vnto thee neuerthelesse it is to be despised for that in the syght of the vnfallible surueyer of all thynges thou loosest nothyng but thy reward shal be full and whole as well of thy deedes as of thy thoughtes Sorowe In the middes of all my preparation I dye Reason This fault is not in death but in them that dye who then begyn to weaue the most short web of their lyfe when it is a cutting of which vnlesse it were so men should not so often be preuented by death not hauing fyrst accomplished the dueties of lyfe but rather when they had fulfylled and accomplished them woulde then begin to liue than which truely there were no lyfe more sweete Which sweetenesse notwithstanding not so much the shortnesse of lyfe as the slouthfulnesse of them that lyue taketh away from men who therefore count no lyfe long because how long soeuer the tyme be they neuer lyue but are euermore about to lyue And when they be once come to be olde men wauering among newe deuices how to lyue with a swift ende they preuent their slow beginning Sorowe I dye euen whyle I am preparing great matters Reason This hapned vnto many greatmen and almost to all Men are deceyued in many thinges specially in death which there is none but knoweth that it wyll come but they hope of the deferring of it and imagine that to be farre of which God knoweth is hard by them which both the shortnesse of lyfe and swyftnesse of tyme and the power of fortune and the varietie of humane chaunces wherewith they are beset round about needily constrayneth to be so And O most woonderfull blindnesse for that what ye ought to hope of your selues at leastwyse ye learne at length by others But thus the case standeth your mindes hardly can enter into bitter cogitations and therefore while euery one promiseth him selfe very long lyfe and either the age of Nestor or as Cicero sayth the fortune of Metellus and finally whyle euery one supposeth him selfe to be dame Natures whyte sonne whyle they be busie about the beginning the end commeth vpon them and while they are in consultation of many thinges death setteth vpon them at vnwares and cutteth them of in the middes of their endeuours Sorowe I dye in my greene age Reason If there be none other commoditie herein at leastwise there is prouision made hereby that thou shalt not languish in thine old yeeres For although that old age be not greeuous as Lelius sayth in Cicero and we also haue disputed before neuerthelesse it taketh away that greenesse wherein he sayth that Scipio flourished at that time and thou likewise reportest now the like of thy selfe Hereafter perhaps many shal wish for thee but none shal be weery of thee which thing in a long life although it be gouerned by vertue is an hard matter to be found Sorowe I die a young man. Reason Thou knowest what thou hast suffred alredy in thy life time but what thou were like to suffer hereafter thou knowest not and beleeue me whoso in this so variable and rough kingdome of Fortune dyeth first deceiueth his companion Sorow I am hyndered by death so that I can not ende the thynges that I beganne Reason And tustly in deede For ye be euermore a dooyng the thynges that ye ought to haue doone and yet there is nothyng finished this is the cheefest thyng that maketh your death greeuous and miserable vnto you but yf the thynges that thou begannest were suche that without any negligence in thee thou couldest not finishe them it suffiseth thee that thou hadest a good wylt hervnto But if through slouthfulnes thou hast put them of from time to time let it displease thee that thou hast neglected them If this peraduenture be the pretended cause of thy lamentation yet in trueth there is nothyng but a vayne lengthening of lyfe and a deferryng of death wyshed for thereby although it wyll not be long but at length though late thou wylt be ashamed of this vulgare wyshe But O ye mortall men how greedie soeuer ye be of lyfe hearken vnto mee I demaunde of you the exercise of Vertue beyng layde asyde what is this lyfe other then a slack and vnprofitable tariance which how long so euer it is can not be other then very short Wherefore I
thynges But as for them that goe downe into hel casting of al charitie it is to be entended that they hate both God and men and also al the workes of God and man. Of one that at his death is carefull of his fame and good report The Cxxx. Dialogue SOROWE WHAT wyll men speake of me when I am dead Reason An vnseasonable care thou shouldest haue prouided for this in thy youth for looke what a mans life is suche is his fame Sorowe What wyll they say of me Reason What shall I answeare thee other then that which the most learned and eloquent Marcus Cicero sayeth What other men shall speake of thee let them see to that them selues but they wyl speake notwithstanding howbeit all their talke is comprehended within the narrowe boundes of these regions which thou seest neyther was it euer continual of any but is extinguished by the death of men and forgetfulnesse of posteritie Sorow What wil they speake of me that shal be borne herafter Reason I would tel thee otherwyse then Cicero doeth yf I thought that any thing could be better vttered then is by him And what skilleth it sayth he if thou be spoken of by them that shal be borne hereafter seeing there nowe remayneth no fame of them that were borne before thee One thing he addeth moreouer which perhaps at that time was doubtful peraduenture false but now very sure most true without doubt Who sayth he were as many in number as you are now and truely better men to For who is he that doubteth but that there wyl neuer come so good men as there haue ben Thus al thinges waxe woorse woorse and tend euery day toward their final ruine A merueilous care then it is which thou hast to stande in feare of the speeches of those whom thou knowest not are thy youngers as not liuing in the same age with thee seeing thou now contemnest the iudgement and woordes of excellent men of thine owne time and acquaintance Sorow What fame shal there be of me when I am dead Reason Far better then while thou liuest when enuie once holdeth her peace For enuie and malice seldome last longer then a mans life and as vertue is the roote of glorie so is enuie the cutter downe of it and as the enuious hand being present hindreth the growth of it so when it is taken away it restoreth the encrease of true commendation And therfore vnto many as the entrance into their graues hath been a bar vnto enuie so hath it ben the beginning of great glorie Sorow Howe long wyl my fame continue Reason A long time perhaps as you call long But that all thinges may not only be long but also euerlasting vertue alone is able to bring that to passe and specially Iustice of which it is written The iust man shal be had in euerlasting memorie Which meaning also your countrey Poet expressed as wel as he could where he sayth But by mens deedes their fame to stretch that priuiledge vertue geues Sorow What fame shal I haue after my deceasse Reason What skilleth it what it be which shortly shal be forgotten or contemned What shall the breath of men apperteyne vnto thee when thou thy selfe shalt be without breath For one that breatheth to be nourished and delyghted with the winde and ayre it is no meruaill but for a dead man to be so it is a woonder Sorowe What shal be sayde of me when I am dead Reason No goodnesse be sure vnlesse thou haue deserued it but muche euyl peraduenture not merited and perhappes lytle or nothyng at all For in many thynges fame is a lyer but in the most a true reporter otherwyse it could not long continue For trueth is the foundation of continuance and as for a lye it is weake and transitorie Sorowe What fame shall I haue after my death Reason Suche as thy lyfe was before and at thy death Concernyng this matter therefore let the tyme to come but specially the tyme present looke to that And thus perswade thy selfe assuredly that what report and fame a man is woorthy to haue after his death it is no way better discerned then at his death when as in deede which is a strainge thyng to be spoken many that haue lyued all theyr tyme obscurely and without glorie death onely hath made famous Of one that dyeth without Children The Cxxxj. Dialogue SOROWE I Die without children Reason For that cause thou oughtest to die the more willingly and with the more expedition to goe foorth on thy iourney for that thou hast nothyng behinde thee to stay thee or cal thee backe The greatest greefe which they that lie a dying haue surceaseth in thee whiche riseth vpon the sorowe and compassion of leauing their children specially when they be young neede the asistance and counsel of their parentes being at those yeeres destitute of aduice subiect vnto iniuries many other casualties Sorow My children whom I wished hoped should haue liued after me are gone before me Reason Then hast thou some to whom thou art desirous to goe from whom thou art not willing to depart which is no smal comfort vnto thee Sorowe Bitter death constraineth me to dye without chyldren Reason If thou thinke this to be so miserable a matter what cause hast thou either to die now or heretofore to haue liued without children seeing there is such choise of young Gentlemen towardly youthes among whom thou maiest choose and adopt thee sonnes who perhaps wyl be more louing and obedient vnto thee then thine owne natural children descended of thy flesh blood for they come vnto thee by chaunce but these are elected out of many by exquisite iudgment The other were thy children before thou knewest them but these thou knewest chosest and louedst before thou madest them thy children And therefore the one sort of them wil wholy impute it to nature that they are thy children but the other to thy special good liking Whereby it hath hapned many times that the succession by adoption hath ben very fortunate vnto the heyres in which kind not only meane inheritances but also whole Empires haue ben committed in trust Thou knowest howe Iulius Caesar wanting issue adopted Augustus to be his sonne Augustus againe adopted Tyberius almost against his wyl And likewise afterward how Nerua adopted Vlpâ—us Traianus and he Elius Hadrianus be againe Antonius pius he likewise toke vnto him Marcus Aurelius to be his sonne which Marcus I would to God he had more happily adopted any other then vnluckely begotten his sonne Commodus commodious to none but discommodiouss to the whole world the only disgracing of so good a father one among a few of them that were no small shame reproch to the Romane Empire also a most apparent argument how much adoption is more fortunate then procreatioÌ„ For whereas the first princes had in order one after another raigned long time in happie
by the fall of the Amphitheater twentie thousand men were slayne This is the commoditie and ende that the lookers on doo get Ioy. I beholde shewes with great pleasure Reason Eyther of faygned loue or true hatred The fyrst is not for a man to beholde the seconde not for a reasonable creature Who wyll wyllyngly receyue a dagger to his hart Who wyll powre more blood vpon an hotte wounde Who can waxe pale sooner then when he seeth death What delyght haue ye to goe to the schoole of crueltie Ye neede no scholemaisters ye learne euyll too fast of your selues Ye learne more of your selues at home then is needefull What if the maisters of mischiefe and the mystresse of errour the common multitude shoulde ioyne vnto this with redy wittes Many whom nature framed gentle haue learned crueltie by meanes of shewes and spectacles Mans minde whiche of it selfe is prone to vice is not to be pricked forward but brydled yf it be left to it selfe it hardly standeth yf it be dryuen foorth it runneth headlong There commeth in muche euyll at the eares but muche more at the eyes by those two open windowes death breaketh into the soule nothyng entreth more effectually into the memorie then that whiche commeth by seeyng thinges hearde doo lyghtly passe by the images of thynges which we haue seene sticke fast in vs whether we wyl or not and yet they enter not vnlesse we be wylling but verie seldome and they depart soone Whyther goest thou then What violence caryeth thee a way To be mery an houre and alwayes afterwarde to be sorie To see that once that thou wylt repent a thousande tymes â—hat euer thou sawest it To see a man slayne with a weapon or to be torne by the teeth and nayles of wylde beastes or some suche other syght as may trouble a man that is awake and terrifie hym when he is a sleepe I can not perceyue what pleasure is in it or rather what bitternesse and greefe is no in it and I can not discerne any greater argument of madnesse in you then in that bitter sweetenesse and vnpleasaunt delyght thrust you dayly forwarde to death enticyng you by miserable flatteries drowned as it were in a Stygian sleepe Ye obserue one order almost in al thynges Whatsoeuer ye desire whatsoeuer ye goe about whatsoeuer ye doo it is agaynst you Of Horses The .xxxi. Dialogue IOY I Take pleasure in a nimble Horse Reason A most fierce and vnquiet beast which sleepeth not and is neuer satisfied Ioy. I am destrous to ryde Horses Reason It is not muche more daungerous to sayle vppon the raging Sea then to ride vpon a fierce prauncer There is no beast more proude toward his maister neyther is this improperly gone for a prouerbe among horse breakers That an horse doeth twice euyll although be be at one tyme humble and at another proude Who beyng of suche strength and swiftnesse wyll suffer hym selfe for a lytle bile meate to be subiect to another to be tamed to be hampred to be haltred to be linked in chaines to be brydled to be shâ—oed with iron to haue nayles driuen through his hoofes to be spurred to beare an armed rider to abyde slauishe imprisonment and fiâ—thie seruitude On the other syde as though he were vntamed he behaueth hymselfe as yf he were free and doeâ—h euery thyng as yf he were his maisters enimie When he shoulde runne he regardeth not the spurre When he shoulde stay he taketh the bridle betweene his teeth When he should snort he is asleepe When he shoulde lye in secrete he snorteth This is that plyant beaste whiche some tearme trustie and faythfull whereof fables doo report so many goodly matters callyng hym commonly a noble a princely an excellent an honourable beast woorthie to be bought at a great price and kept with great diligence Nay rather it is a beast whose weerisomnesse yf it be compared with his seruiceablenesse no wyse man wyll buye hym no good husbande wyll feede hym a beast that is impacient both of rest and labour with the one he is proude with the other he is tyred with the one a fierce beast with the other a dull iade at one tyme bolde at another tyme fearefull at one tyme flying at another tyme fallyng at one tyme startlyng at a flie or a shadowe at another tyme dispising his maister and dyuers wayes drawing hym into daunger Who can sufficiently discribe his stubbernnesse the daunger of his teeth and his heeles his neighing and his impaciencie of his sitter and rider For truely looke howe many conditions there be of horses so many dangers are there of the horsemen Ioy. I haue great delight in horses Reason I shoulde wonder the more at thee vnlesse I remembred some great men bent also to the lyke studie to to folyshly Who hath not heard that Alexander king of Macedonie erected a tombe for his horse which he loued and named a citie after his horses name But the coutage and heate of minde wrought no woonderfull thyng in hym whyle he liued There was more stomacke in Augustus although lesse follie for he buylded not a tombe for his horse but he made a graue whiche thing notwithstanding was vnmeete for his wit and grauitie For whether Iulius Caesars monstrous horse were by him or any other consecrated with a statue of marble before the temple of Venus it may be doubted Antonius Verus who came after in yeeres and glory but in riches and imperiall name was but litle inferiour that I may omit to tell what fare and what furniture he ordeined for his horse which he loued immoderately truely he caused a statue of gold to be made lyke hym whyle he was alyue and when he was dead a sepulture to be buylded that we might be the more greeued at it in Vaticanum among so many holy bones as were there buried to be buried This is scarce credible but true notwithstanding The Poet thinkyng on this and suche lyke thinges maketh the soules of such men to be delighted with horses in hell And yet this vanitie is neuer awhit the lesse but the greater whiche is able to allure so great mindes vnto it But that no man shall thynke that this was some auncient folly only and not at this day raigning let him call to minde one dwelling not far of and not long since who is yet lyuing and not very olde and dwelling here in Italy among you whose name it shall not be needefull for me to vtter a man highly in fortunes fauour and of no small wit and iudgement a man otherwise of great courage and policie whensoeuer he hath occasion to vtter himselfe or hath any weightie affaires in hande who notwithstanding when his horse whiche he loued was sicke layde him vpon a bed of silke and a golden pillowe vnder his head and while he hym selfe being bound and not able to stirre by appoyntment of his Phisitions for the gout was gouerned by their orders neuerthelesse being either borne in
the armes of his seruantes or vpon some other horse and carying his Physitions with hym he woulde goe visite his sicke horse twice or thrice euery day and sorowfully sighing woulde sit by hym and gently stroke him with his hand and comfort him with fayre speech To be short there was no kind of meanes by Physicke let passe vnassayed and nothing omitted that might relieue his sicke freend Perhaps posteritie wil cal this a tale howbeit it is true and knowen among a great people Thus this noble gentleman was as carefull for the good health of his horse as for his owne and lamented for his death as he had been his sonne Ioy. I delight to ride Reason It is profitable somtime and also an helpe to swiftnesse and a remedy for weerinesse and a token of nobilitie to ride vpon a goodly courser and to excel al theresidue not only by the head but also by the shoulders and to be higher then the other by the whole body Contrariwise a fierce horse is most troublesome many times hurtful to his maister If thou wouldest goe a iourney on foote thou hast no power nor space to rest thee therfore thou chosest rather to exchang the dustines on foote for the daunger on horsebacke And for this cause horses haue deliuered many from the middes of death and brought sundry also into extremitie of destruction or hurt them with falles or tumbled vpon them with their bodyes and so killed them Yea horses are not the least seede of warre Take away horses thou shalt take away forren inuasions of countreis and the greatest part of warlike destruction That as in natural Philosophie the question is mooued of windes and of Iulius Caesar in histories whether it were better the winde should blowe or not or that Caesar were borne or not The like question may also be demaunded concerning horses there are so many contrarie reasons on the contrary side And it was not without cause that Thessalia which first founde out the vse of horses and tamed them first coyned money of siluer and gold and first assayed to goe vpon the Sea in a shyp seemed to be the store house of Mars and for that also not once onely after so many hundred yeeres it was wette with plentie of valient blood Ioy. How much thinkest thou doth our poet delight me where he describeth the maners spirite and courage of a noble horse Reason And doeth not the saying of the Hebrue prophete make thee afrayd where he sayth At thy rebuke O God of Iacob haue they fallen asleepe that got vpon their horses Examine euery poinct not only that pleasant but also this rough saying Of hunting and hauking The .xxxii. Dialogue IOY BVT I am delighted in Dogges Reason Now I vnderstande the delight of a beardles youth who as Horace sayth Delighteth in horses and dogges and the pleasant greene feeldes But beware thou be not that which foloweth Apt to be plucked to vice and sharpe to them that tell thee thy fault A flowe prouider for profite lauishe of money proud couetous and redy to forsake that which thou hast loued I feare mee thou art suche an one since thou settest thy pleasure vpon such transitorie delightes Ioy. I am delighted with dogges and foules Reason This peece of madnesse was wantyng is it not sufficient for thee to gadde and wander abroade but meanest thou to flye also Ioy. Thou mockest me for I meane not to flye but I am delighted in the foules that flye Reason But they wyll flye away and contemne thy pleasure and not knowe thee and vnthankfully be deafe when thou callest them What shouldest thou do that wantest feathers seeyng thy pleasure is winged Imagine that they returned the taking of them would be hurtfull thou wouldest cal againe and forgetting thy more profitable affaires loose thy time Agayne looking backe and castyng thine eyes vp to the cloudes after thy foolyshe byrde perhappes thou wilt weepe as though there were no necessarie woorke to be doone in this lyfe by reason of the pleasure whiche you fynde by your idlenesse and slouth ye glorie in that ye are slaues to your byrdes Nature hath geuen you two handes with the one ye rule the bird the other you trouble with crooked talentes So being idle on al sides being come lame with desire to flie to the end ye may not seme to do any thing with great noyse ye ryse before day and sodeinly run out of the doores as though the enimies were at the threshold all the day after ye run about the pondes and waters wooddes and bushes filling the ayre with sundry outcries and euil fauoured houlinges And in this pastime ye spende your breath whiche is meete for some greater matter with whiche spirite your forefathers made their enimies afearde in battayle and in peace mainteyned iustice At nyght when ye come home as though ye had atchiued some great enterprice yet syt within doores declaryng howe well that byrde flue and how well this byrde hath endued his meate how many feathers of the trayne and how many of the winges are remaning or lost Is not this all your skyll is not this your loue is not this your felicitie and is not this al whiche ye requite to God your Creatour to your countrey that bredde you to your parentes that be gate you to your freendes that loue you to wit your Spathaukes or your Hernshawes skimming in the ayre and some peece of a torne foule and swet and dust and your nyghtly storie of your lost day Vnto this ye be alwayes valient and vnweeried and vnto earnest businesse weake and daintie Liuies stories and Tullies orations and the holy Scriptures ye condenme as ouerlong whereof ye may be ashamed Who can heare this with vnoffended eares Who wyll beare with you being borne to other thinges to lyue in these delites yf ye lyue in these doynges Ioy. I take pleasure in Spanyels and Haukes Reason We haue heard of many princes and noble men whereof some were wont to take delight in horses and many in dogges insomuche that Adrian the Emperour erected monumentes not for horses only as those of whom we made mention before but for dogges also And moreouer buylded a citie in the same place where in prosperous hunting he had slayne a shee Beare with his owne hand vsed many tyme to kyl a Lion but neuer that he made any tombe for a byrde or foule For which cause some say that Virgil mocked Marcillus that was nephue to Augustus in that he seemed to take pleasure in them when he was a young man. Ioy. I delight muche in huntyng Reason This exercise was peculiar sometime to the Latines but nowe to the Frenchmen whiche experience teacheth to be true and wherof some of theyr owne writers do boast Wherefore to speake nothyng of those kinges whose whole lyfe was perpetual huntyng the chiefest kyng of them all whensoeuer he had any rest from battayle excercysyng hym selfe in dayly huntyng at length when
into my golde Mine Reason This question is commenly mooued amongst men what deuice will drowne a man in the bottom of hel and thou being in bel doest thou seeke what wil aduaunce thee to the top of heauen Ioy. I haue founde a Mine of golde Reason Thou hast founde the redie way to the Deuyll Of the fyndyng of Treasure The .lv. Dialogue IOY I Haue found treasure Reason Beware of the craftes and deceites of fortune The hooke is offred in the bayte the line as ginnes pretend a kynde of delite Ioy. I haue founde treasure Reason Treasure hath been death vnto many and though it bryng no danger to the body yet is it perilous to the soule Ryches do not satisfie the desire nay they slake it not but rather prouoke it mans desyre is set on fyre with successe and as the golde encreaseth the thirst of gold encreaseth also and the desire of seekyng more but vertue decreaseth whiche only is the death of the soule Ioy. Chaunce hath brought me treasure Reason An hurtful burden and enimie to modestie He wyl arrogate any thyng to hym selfe whom sodayne fortune hath made happy Ioy. I haue fallen vppon treasure by chaunce Reason Perhaps thou myghtest more safely haue fallen vppon an Adder forasmuche as plentie of siluer and golde do commonly bryng scarcitie of vertues and this is proper to al thyngs specially that doo come sodaynely that though other doo hurt yet they doo it by litle litle whilest in tyme they drawe away somewhat from the trueth and geue confirmation to the erronius opinions but these procure sodayne astonyshment and trouble the mynde with an vnexpected inuasion Ioy. The treasure which I found I haue layde vp at home Reason That whiche is chiefe in this thy ioy thou hast found an heauie and vnprofitable lumpe of earth it is a shame for the mynde which is of an heauenly nature to waxe proude thereof Ioy. A treasure vnlooked for hath sodaynely happened vnto me Reason Thou thynkest it wyl continue ▪ but it wyll sodaynly decay for looke what is soone growne is as soone wythered Sodayne 〈◊〉 is lyke the prosperitie of one that is in a dreame Of Vsurie The .lvi. Dialogue IOY I Haue layde foorth my money safely to Vsurie Reason There are some that wyll abuse thynges that were inuented for a good purpose and those thynges that were euyll inuented to worse purpose or worst of all thou hast founde money not to the ende thou wouldest be ryche but to the ende thou wouldest be nought and as I suppose wouldest not be so euyl vnlesse thou haddest founde money There be some that be the worse for their good chaunces not acknowledging therein the blessing of GOD neyther lyke vnto him of whom it is written He wyll thanke thee for that thou hast deast mercifully with hym But rather supposyng that GOD from aboue hath geuen them occasion and as it were a meane and way to commit wyckednesse And therefore thou hast founde money wherewith thou myghtest purchase ignominie and vnhappy man myghtest make a lyuelesse mettal to be a burden to the lyuely soule Ioy. I haue well layde foorth my money to vsurie Reason Say not that an euyll thyng may be wel layde foorth but only layde downe If thou cast away an euyl burden it is wel otherwyse wheresoeuer thou bestowest it as long as it apparteyneth vnto thee it ceasseth not to be euyl Ioy. I haue wel layde foorth my money to good encrease Reason How an euyl thyng may be wel layde foorth to commoditie see thou Truely howe muche the more abundant euery euyl thyng is so much it is worse Thou knowest the saying of Dauid Theyr iniquitie is sproong foorth as it were out of fatnesse And the richer an vsurer is the worse he is so muche the greater his couetousnesse and wyckednesse is Ioy. I applie vsury Reason Couldest thou fynde out no better Art to bestowe thy tyme vppon Or dyddest thou fynde many but this was most meete for thy disposition Or what els was the matter that among so many thou appliedst thy mynde to this a more worse or vyler then which I know not where thou couldest haue found any or that dependeth vpon the lykyng of a more wretched base and cowardly mynde Among so many Artes as are at this day knowne and so many trades of lyuyng thou hast chosen the worst of all whiche thou hast doone for that it seemed a quiet kynde of lyfe namely to sytte styll and reckon the dayes and to thynke long vntyl the last day of the Moneth come speedyly litle regardyng howe therewithall also thy houres dayes monethes and yeeres doo passe away and lyke as theyr tyme draweth neare that are indebted vnto thee so dooth thy tearme lykewyse approche and lyke as theyr tyme I say draweth neare that they must pay thee so dooth thy tyme drawe neare that thou must pay thy debt vnto nature leauyng that behynde thee which thou hast shamefully gayned and not knowyng when the time wyll come Thus thou extortest from the poore to enriche thou knowest not whom and art alwayes in feare of the future iudgement and in the meane whyle art not maister but a feareful keeper of that whiche is gotten by fylthie Rapine and pinched with hunger and infamie I woulde marueyle howe this mischiefe coulde be suffered in wel gouerned Cities but that I see al mischiefes are suffered in them And therefore when as not long agoe Vsurers as Leaperous persons lyued separated apart from the company of other men that not only none shoulde come at them but those that stoode in neede but also were eschewed by them that met with them as stynkyng and contagious persons Nowe they lyue not only among the people but they be conuersant also with Princes and they be aduaunced by maryages and come to great honour and dignitie such is the force of golde Yea moreouer a thyng which thou mayest woonder at as a Monster Princes themselues be vsurers the Lorde amende them so smal regarde haue they of the losse of soule and honour so sweete is the sauour of money howsoeuer it be gotten Ioy. I take delight in vsurie Reason A fylthie and miserable delyght Ioy. I vse to laye foorth money to vsurie Reason If we beleeue Cato thou hast slayne a man. Ioy. I am an vsurer I haue learned none other trade to lyue by Reason This is a defence for thy couetousnesse this is the cause whiche thou pretendest and yf it be harde for hym that is wyllyng to learne who can learne agaynst his wyl Ioy. I wyl alwayes occupie vsurie Reason Then shalt thou alwayes be a wretch alwaies couetous alwayes poore and in the ende goo to the Dyuel Of fruitefull and well tylled lande The lvii Dialogue IOY I Haue fruitefull lande Reason Vnderstande thereby then the power of hym that maketh fruitful and so vse the heauenly gyftes that thou displease not the geuer of them which thou shalt doo yf the fruitfulnesse of thy lande dryue not
there shal be no end of contention punishment neither shal weapons or lyghtnings ceasse Spare therfore be mercyful and moderate thy mind Do thou so vnto a man as thou wouldst haue another man yea God hym selfe do vnto thee Impudent is he that desireth pardon of his lord and maister and denieth the same to his felow seruant The Doctor Ecclesiasticus cryeth out disdaynyngly One man keepeth anger in store agaynst another and doeth he seeke for pardon at Gods handes He taketh no compassion vpon a man that is lyke to hym selfe and yet he prayeth for his owne sinnes Ioy. I do no iniury but reuenge Reason What skilleth it whether thou offend first or last It is not indifferent to mislyke that in another which thou lykest in thy selfe Wylt thou vse that crueltie which thou condemnest in thyne enimie and be lyke hym in manners whom thou art vulyke in mynde and folow that thy selfe which is worst in hym Ioy. I wyl and it is lawful for me to be reuenged Reason Thou oughtest neyther to haue a wyll neyther is it permitted by any lawe for although defence be lawful yet reuengement is forbydden it is written He that wylbe reuenged shal finde reuengement from god And againe as I sayd before Vengeance is mine and I wyl repay when I see good sayth the Lorde Tarry thou for that tyme let him reuenge thy quarrel who is Lord both of the offendour and the offended It is common among one lords seruants for one to know another yf thou haue any sparke of good nature in thee if thou haue any care to attayne to perfection rather wish than pray that he do not reuenge so shalt thou turne thine enemies offence to thine owne commoditie Ioy. I minde to be reuenged Reason Geue space to thyne anger geue tyme to thy determination bridle thyne affection put it of deferre the time eyther it wil slake or waxe colde One short houre appeaseth the raging sea Ioy. I wil bee reuenged Reason By one deede thou shalt offend manye one iniurye hath oftentymes made innumerable enimies Ioy. I wil be reuenged Reason Thou wylt hurt thy selfe more then thyne enimie Perhaps thou mayest destroy his body or riches but thou shalt cast away thyne owne soule and estimation Ioy. I wyll be reuenged Reason How often hath an iniurie been doubled by studie of reuengement Many times it hath been dangerous for him that hath been iniured to dissemble his only remedy yea many tymes to haue made complaint or but by a secrete becke to pretende that he susteyneth iniurie Ioy. I may destroy myne enimie Reason It is better to get a friend then to take away an enimie but to do both at once is best which is by no meanes more easily accomplished then by forgeuyng when thou mayest be reuenged The fittest instrument to take away an enimie is lenitie wherin if credite might haue ben geuen to the auncient and wise Herennius neyther had the late conquerous armie of the Samnites abode the Romane yoke nor the general Pontius with the residue first suffered the yoke and afterwarde alone the axe Ioy. I am much prouoked and mooued to reuenge Reason Resist that prouocation with godly thoughtes and al maner examples that may enclyne thy mynde to lenitie and specially by recomptyng the shortnesse frailtie of this lyfe for it seemeth vnto Seneca with whom I agree the most effectual remedie in his booke of the appeasyng of anger with whom accordeth the Doctour of whom I spake erewhyle For what meant he other where he sayth Remember the last thyngs and leaue of enmitie Doubtles this for there is nothyng that noorysheth enmitie more then forgetfulnesse of a mans state and condition For this man whose death thou so much thirstest be assured that without doubt he shal dye and that quickly perhaps to day and peraduenture although thou thynke it not thou mayest dye before hym Stay awhyle and moderate thy self that shal come to passe which thou desirest and that which thou fearest Howbeit the death which thou preparest for thine enimie is in making redy for him not by thy procurement What auayleth it to hasten the course of the swyft destinie and to embrue thy handes that shal dye with the blood of hym that shall dye It is not only a wicked part but also a needelesse matter agreeyng to thyne vngodlynesse to hasten the tyme that commeth apace which yf thou wouldest neuer so fayne thou canst by no meanes prolōg or defer how much more were it for thy quietnes honesty that he whole sound thou drie and innocent then that both of you blooddy thou shouldest depart hence hurtful and wicked Ioy. I am muche prouoked to reuenge Reason Beware thou yeelde not but set agaynst this prouocation the remembraunce of suche men as haue been not only mercyfull vnto theyr enimies but also fauourable and beneficiall and on the contrary side laye them before thine eyes who hauyng hewed theyr enimies in peeces and yet proceedyng to farther outrage haue wreaked theyr crueltie vpon senselesse carkases Then choose with thy self whom thou haddest rather be lyke and confer not only theyr deedes but theyr woordes also For there resteth no smal part of crueltie in the woordes Cruel is the foote more cruel the hand but of al most cruel is the tongue Many tymes that crueltie of the minde which the hand could not match the tongue hath surpassed As of crueltie so of mercyfulnesse the tongue is the best wytnesse Therfore let that saying of Hadriane of whom I made mention not long since and also of Tiberius sound in thine eare of whom it is written that when he heard that one that was accused called Carmilius had preuented his owne death he cried out aloud saying Carmilius hath escaped my handes O cruel voyce and if it may be so tearmed more cruell then the aucthour of the voyce What ordinarie punishment did he looke for at his handes whom he escaped being in prison by procuring his owne death with his owne handes Beholde therfore two persons of one calling but of dyuers myndes who vsed the selfe same worde but in sundry significations The one said vnto his enimie that was present Thou hast escaped my handes the other of his enimie that was absent Thou hast escaped my handes The one pardoned his enimies lyfe the other enuyed his enimies death Choose whiche of these twayne thou wyll haue reported of thee eyther the mercyfull saying of that good Prynce or the blooddy voyce of that cruel butcher And I am not ignorant that it is an easyer matter to commaunde these thynges to be doone then to do them and I know also what may be obiected against them to wyt That it is an harder matter to be mylde in the iniuries that are offered to hym selfe then to another hard it is I confesse but good And thou thy selfe canst not deny but that euery vertue consisteth in that which is good difficult vnto them that loue vertue al
haue wept at his birth for then he began to die but nowe he hath done But do not thou lament for thine owne and his most excellent estate he left behind him a perilous way to passe but thou hauing him alwayes before thine eyes who now is in securitie hast no farther regarde of thy sweete burden as Virgil speaketh or of any other Sorowe Al my delite to lyue is extinguished Reason A good sonne I confesse is a great comforte vnto his father but notwithstanding careful greeuous And many times the sweetest things do offend vs and the dearest do hinder vs and the most precious do oppresse vs And perhappes this thy sonne was some let vnto thy minde that would haue aspired vnto greater matters And now although thou art become more heauie yet since thou art at more libertie be of good cheare to gather good out of euyl is the part of a wise man. Sorowe The death of my lonne hath made me heauie Reason But spende the residue of thy lyfe that remayneth in iolitie thou diddest lyue for hym now lyue for thy selfe Of the miserable fal of a young child The .xlix. Dialogue SOROWE I Lament the miserable fal of my young child Reason A man ought to lament for nothing that may happen vnto mankinde al thinges should be premeditated before if they haue not hapned alredie lament not thy childes fal but thine owne vnskylfulnesse the forgetfulnesse of thine owne condition Sorow I complaine of the miserable death of my young childe Reason There is no death miserable which the death of the soule doth not folow from which daunger thy young child is free Sorowe My childe is dead by breaking his necke Reason What skylleth it after what sort a man dye so that he die not dishonourably he can not die dishonourably that dieth without offences Sorowe My chylde is peryshed by breakyng his necke Reason But Archemorus by the biting of a serpent other some by suckyng milke of a nurse being with child other by sickenesse the which for the more part happen more commonly then than in old age Sorowe My young child is perished by breaking his necke Reason Sodeyne death is to be wished of the innocent and to be feared of the guiltie Sorowe My chylde is dead of a fal from an hygh Reason Unto them that dye languishingly death often times seemeth the sharper the panges the longer for al paine the shorter it is the more tollerable it is Sorow My chylde is dead by breakyng his necke Reason To stumble and fal is proper to that age Thy chylde hath done that which al doo although al peryshe not by casualtie but do thou suffer hym to peryshe for he must needes peryshe one day and he is the more happily dealt withal for that he hath peryshed before he was intangled in the euylles of this lyfe whiche howe manyfold they be those that haue prooued and diligently obserued can tell There is none that prooueth not in part and they that obserue them not leade foorth their liues as it were in a dreame whiche so soone as they awake they haue forgotten Thyne infant died an innocent who perhappes if he had lyued had dyed a very hurtful person Lament not that he is safe he hath escaped al the threates of fortune and hath preuented death whiche being deferred would haue preuented hym Sorowe A woolfe hath deuoured my chylde Reason This nowe is the woormes complaynt Sorowe A woolfe hath carried away the body of my poore chylde into his denne Reason But the angels haue caryed vp his blessed soule into heauen Of a sonne that is found to be another mans The .l. Dialogue SOROWE ANd moreouer that whiche is more greeuous then death he whom I thought had been my sonne is another mans Reason If you had a respect to the common father then would you by the counsel of the Comical Poet thinke that there is no humane thing but may happen vnto you Sorowe I haue fostred another mans chylde a great while for mine owne Reason Nature wylleth a man to foster his owne and charitie to foster another mans so that thou repent thee not after the deede but delite in it Sorowe He that was counted my chylde appeareth to be another mans Reason There is opened vnto thee a way vnto a great and singuler merite if as thou hast hytherto done so thou continue hereafter to keepe hym as thyne owne Truely that were a very gracious and acceptable deede before god For chyldren are woont for the more parte to contemne the mayntenance of theyr parentes as a thyng due vnto them by ryght and moreouer it were a poynt of wickednesse to loue thy chylde that is borne of thee and not to loue man that is created of god Thus euery way both before God and men thou shalt purchase vnto thy selfe singuler commendation and vertue through another mans wickednesse Sorow I haue nooryshed one for my chylde that was not so Reason Thou nooryshedst hym as thy chylde and so nooryshe hym styll yf not as thy chylde yet as thy brother For of al the people that are or euer shal be or haue been heretofore there is one father and one gouernour Doo not dissemble through insolencie or through enuie and hatred breake of the sacred bond of nature for you be brethren one to another Sorowe He whom I thought to haue been as I heare is not my sonne Reason Take heede of whom thou hearest it and whom thou trustest For many beyng pricked foorth by wicked prouocations doo of set purpose deuise false rumors and other some by a certayne slypprynesse and vnbridled affection of the tongue doo aswell babble foorth the thynges that they knowe as that they knowe not and with lyke impudencie vtter whatsoeuer commeth in theyr mynde Howbeit to determine precisely of a mans chylde whether it be his owne or not is an harde case Sorowe I heare say that he that was called my sonne is another mans Reason Why dooest thou herein beleeue other rather then thyne owne wyfe since none knoweth it more certaynely then she Truely she hath geuen thee a chylde whom other goe about to take from thee Thou hast heard I thinke howe that within the remembrance of our fathers there was a certaine noble man who had to wyfe a gentlewoman of equall beautie and parentage but of whose honestie the report seemed some what to doubt By her he hadde one moste beautifull sonne whom when his mother vppon a tyme helde in her lappe and perceyuyng that her husbande syghed and was carefull she demaunded of hym what was the cause of his heauinesse Then he syghyng agayne I had rather sayde he then the one halfe of my landes that I were as sure that this boy were myne as thou art that he is thyne Whereunto she aunsweared neyther in countenance nor mynde any whit moued Truely sayde shee the matter shall not cost so great a price but geue me an hundred acres of pasture whereon I
But they on the other side feigned that they beleeued hym not saying that they muche suspected his fidelitie towardes the common wealth To be short they coÌ„maunded him vpon a great penaltie not to passe out of the citie gates Howbeit they say that he was in suche sort prouoked by the impaciencie of his forbidding that the very next day folowyng whiche was neuer seene before he was taken without the walles of the citie Thus though the pryde stubbernesse of your mind ye are alwayes carryed away vnto that whiche is forbidden And nowe thou complaynest that thou art shut vp and the whole citie is not bygge enough for thee whom peraduenture some litle corner thereof perhappes some one house might suffise yf thou were not besieged as for the most part it hapneth vnto studentes Moreouer it fortuneth that al besieginges be but of short continuance Ye haue comfort ministred vnto you both by the place and tyme only ye lacke vprightnes of minde which causeth you to lament and complaine which runneth not by the nature of the thinges but through your owne effeminatenesse Of a mans countrey destroyed The lxix Dialogue SOROW. BVt what sayest thou to this that my country is vtterly destroyed Reason Diddest thou not heare the fortune of cities and countreyes which I named not long since and the lyke also in other without number Alexandeâ— kyng of Macedonie ouerthrewe Tirus and Thebes and Persipolis the chiefe citie of the Persian kyngdome and that thou mayst marueyle the more at the suggestion of one harlot a great citie dependeth but vpon a tickle fortune Agamemnon rased Troy Hanibal Saguntum Scipio the younger Carthage and Numancia Titus Hierusalem and lykewise other others Rome none wholy ouerthrew but olde age battered it beyng ayded by the ciuile dissentions And what maketh matter who ouerthrewe it for asmuch as we see it is ouerthrowen The fame of the destruction of Millane is of later time vnder Frederike a barbarous and cruel emperour diddest thou thinke that thy countrey was priuiledged from the iurisdiction of fortune vnto whom great cities and mightie kingdomes are subiect Hath loue so blinded thee that thou shouldest imagine one citie because thou wast borne in it to be immortall when as the whole world it selfe is transitorie Heauen and earth shal fayle the mountaynes and seas shal be mooued and al thinges that were made of nothing shal returne to nothing agayne doest thou then woonder or complaine that thy countrey is come to nought Cities aswel as men as I noted a litle before haue their dying dayes but they chaunce not so often as they do to men for that there are fewer cities and they be of longer continuaunce notwithstandyng subiect to death for not men onely but all other worldly thynges also are mortal the soule of man onely excepted Sorow My countrey is fallen Reason Perhappes it may ryse agayne for some are rysen agayne that haue fallen and the fallyng of some hath been the occasion of their more fortunate rysing For Saguntum and Millaine stande at this day in their auncient places but the next neyghbout citie vnto Millaine whiche was the last of Pompeius commendation chaunged place as some say by the same varbarous handes and was destroyed about the same tyme and so likewyse were Hierusalem and Carthage Liue therefore in hope but yf thy hope fayle thee and thou seppose thy countrey be destroyed beware least thou also fayle and faint vnder fortune For woorse is the ouerthrowing of mindes then of walles A man ought to shew a manly courage and not an effeminate mind and although thou be sorye for thy countreyes ouerthrowe do not thou semblably perysh with it seeing that thy ruine wil nothing auayle the common wealth but rather endeuour to reserue thy selfe the residue of thy country folke if there be any remaining vnto some more fortunate tyme in this case deedes are more needefull then lamentations where also flight it selfe is commendable Thou hast heard howe that vnto Terentius Varro through whose fault and rashnesse the whole Empire of Rome was almost ouerthrowen thankes were commonly yeelded of al fortes of the people for that he dispayred not of the common wealth which his college or felow officer a most noble gentleman who was in no part of the fault seemed to doo But if there be nothing els remayning at the leastwyse with Bias carie thou al thy goodes with thee although thou depart starke naked out of the walles of thy peryshing countrey and hencefoorth seeke after that countrey whose kyngdome shal haue none ende Whervnto when as at last by the callyng of God thou art once ascended thou shalt no more feare beseeging nor destruction nor any of those thinges which are commonly dreaded in your cities Of the feare of loosing in warre The .lxx. Dialogue FEARE I Feare to loose in war. Reason Then seeke for peace Feare I very muche dread ouercomming Reason A moderate feare procureth heedefulnesse but that whiche is vehement engendreth desperation then the one of which there is nothing better in war and nothing woorse then the other in all thinges Feare I am shaken with great feare of battayle Reason What mischeefe feare bryngeth vnto them that are readie to fight and also heauinesse whiche proceedeth of feare Flaminius at Thrasumenus Craslus at Carras and Pompeius in Thessalia haue prooued in which places and often elswhere that saying of the Poet hath appeared to true Feare is an â—nluckie south sayer in matters of experience Feare I stande in great feare of the euent of battaile Reason Delay then the tyme vntyl hope may come it is yll to goe forwarde in that from whiche the minde and dread do will to absteyne There is commonly in the minde a certayne foreseeing facultie contrarie to the motion whereof I would in no respect perhappes geue thee counsel to attempt any thing The examples that myght be alleaged in this case aswel new as olde are without number wherof it sufficeth me to haue cited three onely of the most notable Feare I feare the euent of the instant battayle Reason Shake of thy timoriousnesse which none knoweth better then thou thy selfe take heede that it be not the nature of the thing or the want of power but rather cowardice that imagineth this abodyng of euyll successe vnto whom there is nothing not fearfull and difficult Wherefore if the same be burtfull to thy glory yf to thy safetye by the assistance of vertue it must be repressed and the minde awakened to whom it must be declared that oftentymes the dangers are far fewer and lyghter then the feare and that many tymes false fancies of terrible matters doo flye before the eyes wherewith some haue been in suche sort dismayed that they haue yeelded vp the victorie to theyr enimies whiche they themselues had alredie wun with their weapons For false and vayne feare is nothing slower then true feare but in this respect many tymes the more vehement by howe muche the errour of
lykewyse are Husbandmen by barrennesse and Carpenters by the fall of houses and Horsemen by the often founderyng of their Horses and Saylers sharpned by great and dangerous tempestes thus by erryng men gaine experience Sorowe I am vanquished Reason There is none vanquished but he that thynketh hym selfe vanquished whose hope is troade vnder foote and extinguished whose minde hath layde downe the remembrance how to take aduersitie Beholde the Romanes and their inuincible mindes at all times but specially in the seconde Punike warre who notwithstandyng the treacherie of their felowe nations and so many conspiracies of kinges and countreys and so many vnfortunate battayles and almost vtter destruction yet were they not vanquished there was neuer any mention of peace made among them no signe of dispayre and finally nothyng els was there among them but altogether hygh and inuincible consultation Whiche thyng what is it other then by the vertue of the minde to soften the hardnesse of Fortune and to enforce it to be ashamed of it selfe and to loue thee But at length as meete it was they rose aloft and beyng a thousande tymes ouerthrowen they floryshed the more so that prowesse and Fortune made not onely their enimies that were terrible vnto them but also the whole world successiuely their subiectes vassals Sorow I am vanquished I confesse Reason Now at length thou beginnest to knowe what Fortune is this commoditie hast thou learned by fleeing none almost learneth great matters for nought Many haue learned better by experience then by going to schoole the dul head that could learne nothing of his schoole maister by the eare hath ben taught by the eie There is no schoolemistres of humane things more certaine then aduersitie none more conuenient to discusse and disciphre errours Sorowe I am ouerthrowen with a great wounde of Fortune Reason Arise lye not styll greatnesse of the mind neuer more notably sheweth it selfe then in the woundes of Fortune But nowe do thou know thy selfe hauing susteined so great a stroke vnderstand how great thine owne strength is Sorowe I haue lost my hoped victorie Reason If it were vnlooked for thou hast won wisdome but to say that there is no change in worldly things it may not be hoped Sorow I am vanquished in war. Reason He that is ouercome in battell retaineth his libertie and lyfe but whose is vanquished by vices lofeth both he that yeeldeth thervnto is truely ouercome in deede Sorowe I am ouercome Reason How knowest thou whether that which was spoken vnto Pompeius the great who was vanquished in battell in Thessalia do also agree vnto thee It had ben woorse that he had ouercome for as the more harme so the lesse sinne hath he that is ouercome A great gaine which some not only wishing to be ouercome but choosing also to die haue in hart preferred and truely they make a good exchange who by the death of their body seeke for the health of their soules but many reioyce in their owne harmes and are greeued at their owne good such blindnes possesseth the mindes of men Sorowe I am ouerthrowen Reason This might happen vnto thee not for want of skil in the art of warfare but by fortune Fortune neuer sheweth herself any where more to be fortune then in battel as in other things she may do much so in this they say she can do al. Sorow Being vanquished in battel I am come away Reason But thou art not therefore immediatly naked Marciall weapons may be taken from the vanquished but the true goodes which are the weapons of the minde they do styl retayne that seeme to be ouercome For they as well as out of the fire shipwracke are brought away out of a lost battell And not those alone which being hyd vp in the minde can not be touched with any weapon but they also that in the conflict seeme to be in the greatest daunger and most exposed to the dint of the swoorde And therefore not whosoeuer is ouercome in battell is also spoyled of his Martiall honour although loosyng his armour and fleeyng out of the fielde or that more is leauyng his Carkas dead vppon the colde grounde he carrie away with hym the name of a woorthie Captayne For the Grecian histories report howe that Leonides at Thermopylae beyng not so muche ouercome as weeried with ouercomming was there slayne with his power lying among the great heapes and mountaynes of his enimies whiche fame the Poet Virgil commendeth in Deiphobus and in the Emathian sieldes if we beleeue Lucane the vnfortunate armie stoode in an vncertayne aray And in the last battayle that was fought in Africa agaynst Hannibal it was not possible that an armie should be more orderly marshalled nor fyght more couragiously which thyng as he that was conquered confessed of the conquerour so dyd the conquerour report of hym that was conquered beyng eyther of them men of singuler iudgement in those affayres And what shal we say hath he lost who hath lost neyther the true glorie of his art nor the assurance in conscience of his vpryght dealyng in that he vndertooke Of Ciuile warre The Lxxiiij Dialogue SOROWE WE are shaken with Ciuile warre Reason The name hereof is deriued of Citizens and thou art one of the Citizens take heede therefore that thou be not one of the number of the sticklers in this mischiefe and to thy power thou be not voyde of blame For this is the maner of ciuile warres one man enflameth and prouoketh another vntyll all of them ioyntly haue raysed a publike outrage whiche publique outrage at length pricketh foorth and thrusteth headlong euery priuate man forwarde For this common mischiefe neuer commeth thus fyrst to ripenesse of it selfe although by encreasing it infect yea sometyme ouerthrowe an whole Citie but yf thou wouldest fynde the fyrst original thereof it is rooted in the errours of priuate persons and this is that therefore whereof I exhort thee to beware that thou also haue not ben one of those that haue mayntayned the ciuile flame eyther by ministryng matter to the fire or by blowyng the coales For many doo thynges whereof shortly after they complayne and lament theyr owne deede as yf it were some wound inflicted by another mans hand Many haue perished in their owne fyre But yf thou be gyltie vnto thy selfe of no suche matter duetifull and godly is the sorowe of a Citizen in the publique calamitie but he may conceyue comfort of his innocencie Of all the mischiefes that folowe man there is none more lamentable then sinne or rather as it seemeth vnto certaine notable men there is none other mischiefe at al. Sorow We are vexed with ciuile warre Reason In the rage of the multitude shewe thou thy selfe a follower of peace whiche though it be to small purpose yet aduaunce thy selfe though alone in the defence of libertie and iustice whiche although perhappes shall doo thy Countrey but small pleasure yet shall it redowne to thy commendation of
finde no special thyng at al there for death whiche is indifferent vnto al men hath dispersed and consumed al. Ye loue your bodyes and mortal members ouer muche ye despise your immortal soules and vertue more then ye ought being blynd and vnequal discerners of thynges Sorowe Now I am quite without teeth Reason Now then art thou without toothache yea and without any succoure of them thou hast no vse of them at al. Thou must grinde thy meate paynefully without teeth vnlesse thou wylt dissemble with thy selfe thou oughtest to remember that thou hast a iourney shortly at hande to goe thither where as there is nothyng at al eaten but where men liue onely with ioy and the euerlastyng foode of the soule Of payne in the legges The .xcv. Dialogue SOROW. I Am troubled with a payne in my legges Reason In al buildynges that is the most daungerous fault whiche happeneth in the foundations For as touchyng al other defaultes howe euer thou repayre them this bryngeth ruin therefore at this present there is nought els for thee to do but immediatly to depart out of this ragged Inne Sorow I am troubled with the payne of my legges Reason The cause of this sickenesse as also of many other moe for the most part ryseth from no whence els but from your selues and therefore that whiche came from you by good ryght commeth backe vnto you agayne seeing thou hast forgotten the counsel of the wyse man whiche sayth Let thyne eyes goe before thy feet and I suppose that that first argument of an other wyse man may wel agree hereunto and be accordyngly applyed Ye cannot stay your selues nor looke vnto your feete but lyke blynd men ye runne headlong hither and thither groping after your way What marueyle is it then yf thou stumble sometyme at a stone and sometyme at a blocke This sure is very strange that you wil lay your faultes vpon giltlesse nature Yea moreouer ye haue a great delight to be thrusting in amongst a company of madde iades so that oftentymes ye bryng away the print of a horse showe vpon you Doest not thou thinke that that whiche is spoken by Tullie vnto one belongeth welnigh vnto al men These mischeefes saith he thou foolish felowe hast thou brought wholy vpon thy selfe And so it is truely deceyue not your selues the harme which you suffer for the most part is of your owne doing for whiche afterward ye be sorie Thou yf thou hadst remayned at home that is to say with thy selfe thou perchance ne hadst this greefe ne found any cause of these thy complayntes It is nothyng iniurious that a wandryng lyfe an vnstable should be molested with dyuers discommodities Sorowe I am tormented with the payne of my legges Reason If thou hast geuen the occasion to haue payne reioyce to be punished for the fault yf not comfort thy minde that is innocent And if thou be sory that thou hast a greefe yet reioyce that thou art without blame Howsoeuer the matter goeth in al thy greefe set the shielde of pacience against the sharpe dart of payne which is a perpetual document in al matters of perplexitie then the which there was neuer yet any medicine more wholesome Sorowe I am woonderfully greeued with the payne of my legges Reason The phisitions wyll geue thee counsel that thou shalt lye styl and moue thee from thy bed and truely they do wysely therein to geue thee counsell to do that after thou hast taken harme whiche thou shouldest haue done before but I wil speake no more of their counsels thou thy selfe shalt learne to thy owne cost how their counsels are to be estemed of Notwithstanding I wil geue thee that aduice which they vse to geue but in another respect For they suppose that they are able to restore thee easily to thy health when thou art sicke by applying fomentations other remedies whiles they endeuour to defend the part affected from the confluence of spirites humors whyther thou stand or goe For my part I would wish thee while thou lyest in thy bed setting al other cares aside aswaging thy greefes by laying thy selfe easily in thy couche after that thou hast taken order for thy bodily health to thinke some thyng of thy graue and howe and where thou shalt lye hereafter and to examine the condition of thy present estate and to make thy selfe so familiar with death before he come that when he is come thou do not feare hym For it is death only that is able to delyuer this mortall carckase from al infirmities Of Blyndnesse The .xcvi. Dialogue SOROW. I Haue lost myne eyes Reason O howe many loathsome thynges of lyfe also hast thou lost Howe many foolyshe toyes of fonde sight shalt thou not see Sorow I haue lost myne eyes Reason Of the face perhaps not of thine hart If they remayne good enough al is wel Sorowe I am blynde Reason Thou shalt see the sunne no more but thou hast seene it and thou remembrest what manner thyng it is or yf thou hast not seene it as it hath chaunced vnto thee the more hardly in that respect so the desire of a thing vnknowen shal greeue thee the lesse Sorow I lacke eyes Reason Thou shalt not see heauen nor earth but to see the Lord of heauen and of earth abilitie is not taken from thee this sight is much clearer then that other Sorowe I am condemned to perpetual blyndnesse Reason Thou shalt not see from hencefoorth the wooddie valleyes the ayeriall mountaynes the florishyng costes the shadowy dennes the siluer sprynges the crooked ryuers the greene meddowes and that whiche they say is of al thynges most beautiful the portraiture of mans countenance Thou shalt neyther see the heapes of dunge the ouerflowyng Iakes torne carkases nor whatsoeuer els by filthinesse of sight offendeth the stomacke and senses Sorow I am depriued of myne eye sight Reason If there were none other commoditie in this discommoditie in that thou shalt not beholde these games of enormious and deformed iestures blindnesse were to be wyshed whiche although I haue oftentymes confessed before to be a wyshed thyng yet doo I deny that it is to be wyshed for as muche now as in tymes past there is no hope left thee to runne away whyther soeuer thou turnest thy selfe the kyngdome of madnesse is a lyke and a like exile of vertue in whiche state to lose a mans eye sight is a kind of flight comforte Sorow I haue lost my sight Reason And the beholdyng of womens faces Reioyce therefore that those wyndowes be shut vp at the whiche death entred in and that the passage to many vices is closed vp couetousnesse gluttony ryotousnesse and diuers other plagues haue lost thereby their seruantes and retinue for looke howe muche of thy soule was taken away by these enimies so muche perswade thy selfe that thou hast gayned Sorow I haue lost myne eyes Reason Thou hast lost euyl guydes whiche lead thee into destruction
there is no minde be it neuer so swyfte that is able to measure it and also the surpassyng beautie of vertue whiche is so louelie that yf it coulde be seene with the bodily eyes as Plato sayth it woulde rauyshe men woonderfully with the loue thereof Therefore let loue on the one syde and feare on the other styrre thee vp for both of them are very effectuall for neyther he that loueth neyther he that hateth can commonly be dull and sluggyshe and yet notwithstandyng ye ryse in the nyght tyme vnto diuine seruice wherein ye pray that hurtfull sleepe and sluggyshnes oppresse you not there is no place for sleepe nor sluggyshuesse when as death frayeth you on the one syde and vertue on the other For who coulde euer be slouthfull and carelesse in great dangers or great aduauncementes Whensoeuer thou haft respect vnto these courage wyll resort to the minde and sleepe wyll flye from the eyes when ye thynke with your selues howe muche imperfection remayneth within you and howe muche tyme ye haue spent in idlenesse whereof when men haue no consyderation we see howe they spende long ages vnprofitably and heare olde men wonderyng and amazed to say What haue we doone heere these many yeeres We haue eaten drunken and slept and nowe at last we are awaked too late The cheefe cause whereof is this sluggyshnesse whereof thou complaynest whiche in tyme ought to be dryuen away by the prickes of industrie and the brydle of foresyght least that by ouerlong staying thou be caried away with the multitude vnto a dishonourable ende Of Letcherie The Cx. Dialogue SOROWE I AM shaken with the vehemencie of Letcherie Reason Letcherie is begotten by slouthfulnesse and brought foorth by gluttonie what maruell is it then yf the daughter followe her parentes As for gluttonie and letcherie they are common vnto you with beastes and that they make your lyfe more beastly then any other thyng wyse men haue so iudged and therefore although there be many mischiefes more greeuous yet is there none more vyle Sorowe I am carryed away with Letcherie Reason Whyther I pray thee but vnto death both of the bodye and soule and infamous ignominie and too late and perhappes vnprofitable repentance Goe thy wayes nowe and followe her that carrieth thee away vnto suche endes Thynke vppon the miserable and notorious chaunces of innumerable not onely priuate men but also Cities and Kyngdomes whiche partly by syght and partly by heare-say but specially by readyng ought to be very well knowen and then I suppose thou wylt not geue thy hande vnto this vice to followe it Heare what the best learned haue iudged and written concernyng this matter Pleasures sayth Cicero beyng most flatteryng Ladyes doo wreast the greater partes of the mynde from vertue To this ende sayth Seneca they embrace vs that they may strangle vs whiche none otherwyse then Theeues that lay wayte for traueylers vppon the way and leade them aside to murther them ought to be auoyded Wherein it shall muche auayle yf whosoeuer shall feele hym selfe infected with this mischeefe doo imagine that most excellent sayeing of Scipio Africane in Liuie whiche he spake vnto king Masinissa to be spoken vnto hym selfe Vanquishe thy minde quoth he and take heede thou doo not deforme many good giftes with one vice and corrupt the beautie of so many desartes with a greater faulte then the cause of the faulte is The whiche shal be doone the more easily yf a man doo thynke earnestly vppon the vilenesse fylthinesse shortnesse and ende of the thyng and also the long reproche and the short time and howe perhappes the pleasure of one breefe moment shal be punished with the repentaunce of many yeeres and peraduenture with euerlastyng damnation Of Pryde The Cxj. Dialogue SOROWE I AM lyfted vp with pryde Reason Earth and ashes why art thou proude Canst thou that art oppressed with the burden of so many mischiefes be lyfted vp with pride Who yf thou were free from them al and were lyfted vp by the wynges of al vertues yet were al thy good gyftes defiled with this vyce only For there is nothing more hateful vnto God then pryde By this fel he that was created in most excellent estate by which thou beyng a sinner thinkest to aryse If it hapned so vnto hym for this one thing what doest thou thinke wyl befall vnto thee in whom this wickednesse is ioyned with other vices Thou hast heaped a naughtie weight vpon thy burden Sorow I am carried with pryde Reason Why shouldest thou be so I pray thee Doest thou not remember that thou art mortal that thou wearest away euery day that thou art a sinner that thou art subiect to a thousand chaunces and in danger euery day to vncertayne death and finally that thou art in wretched case And hast thou not also heard the most famous saying of Homer The earth nourisheth nothyng more wretched then man I woulde fayne knowe whiche of these doth most cheefely pricke thee foorth vnto pryde whether the imbecilitie of the body or the whole armie of sickenesses or the shortnesse of lyfe or the blyndenesse of the minde whiche continually wauereth betweene most vayne hope and perpetual feare or the forgetfulnesse of that whiche is past or the ignorance of that whiche is to come and present or the treacherie of enimies or the death of freendes or continuing aduersitie or flytting prosperitie By these and none other ladders ye ascend vnto pryde by these ye ryse to ruine All other dangers wherein men do walter haue some excuse although it be vniust but pryde and enuie haue no coloure at al. Sorow I am sorie that I am proud Reason To be sorie for sinne is the first degree to saluation And as it is the nature of pryde to lyft vp so is it of humilitie to be sorie and submit it selfe whiche thou shalt do the more easye so soone as thou turnest thyne eyes earnestly vpon thy selfe whiche being so I am not mynded neyther ought I to heape vp vnto theeaucthorities wrytten in bookes agaynst vices This only shal be sufficient that thou knowe that so soone as euer thou be disposed vnfeignedly al these matters wyl surceasse immediatly and whensoeuer as they say thou shalt blowe the retreate retire to thyne ensignes as touchyng this present mischeefe This one thyng I wyl say moreouer that pryde is a sickenesse of wretches and fooles for doubtlesse they be suche that be proud otherwyse I am sure they woulde neuer be proud neyther is it written without cause in the booke of Wisedome That al that are foolysh vnfortunate are proud about the measure of their soule And truely yf they were wyse for their soules health their meane were to abase their estate knowyng their owne imbecilitie For so thou readest it written in the same booke He that is a king to day shal dye to morow And when a man dyeth he shal haue serpentes and beastes and woormes for his inheritance The begynning of pryde is to
shadowed neither let him be afearde of Bugges nor moued at outcries assuring him selfe that payne is nothing but dastardlinesse which dastardlinesse as also paine death and al difficult thinges may be ouercome by vertue In this opinion let him continue fixed and vnmoueable being redy valiantly to suffer that for vertue sake whiche is terrible vnto many to thynke vpon which could neuer be doone by any man that had not loued the most singuler beautie of vertue aboue the glittering of golde and precious stones aboue the gleming of womens faces or any other thyng that may be desired By this confirmation of the minde both false opinions and needlesse feare is weakened and the sharpnesse of payne aswaged And many tymes that commeth to passe wherof Cicero speaketh that lyke as in battayle the Souldiour that is afearde and throweth his weapon from hym when he seeth his enimie comming and by runnyng away falleth into danger where yf he had stoode to it there had been none at al euen so the very imagination of payne discomforteth a dastardly minde which yf it had been armed and furnished with vertue should haue escaped in fafetie gone away conquerour ouer payne and haue fealt almost no greefe at al. For by patience not only the strength of the minde is encreased but also the sharpnesse of payne diminished and almost consumed to nothyng Whereby it commeth to passe that in most horrible paynes some haue borne them selues vpryght and vnmoueable and othersome haue been meerie whiche coulde not haue been so vnlesse the minde being turned from feelyng the payne had put on the same firmitude and constancie agaynst it whereof we nowespeake Sorowe I begin to vnderstande thee but proceede to tell me what is the inwarde speeche Reason That also wyll I tell thee It is a valiant minde whiche indifferently despiseth pleasure and payne and wyl not yeelde awhitte vnto eythet but when it perceyueth it selfe to be in danger and besette rounde with emmies then taketh weapon in hand and goyng forwarde and animating it selfe to the conflict talketh much with it selfe and with it owne God although Cicero eyther knewe not this last or knewe not how to doo it truely not for lacke of witte but for want of grace Verily then suche kinde of talke whereof I speake there is none more effectuall eyther to the obseruyng of comlynesse or enflaming the strength to the ensuing of those thyngs wherof we haue entreated or to the brynging of our purpose to a wyshed ende Neuerthelesse there must not one sort of woordes be vsed both agaynst the flatteries of pleasure and the threates of payne but diuerse as it is an easie matter in eyther case for the skylfull to discerne whiche are those flatteries and whiche the threates and howe far inferiour they are vnto vertue But because we entreated but of the one of them I wyll also alleage one example but truely a notable one by meanes whereof thou mayst be the more perfect in all the residue And what is then this inwarde speache which is required in paine Thou remembrest what woordes the Poet Lucan maketh Pompeius the great to vse among the swoordes of the murderers but because it is but a speeche faigned by the Poet according to the qualitie of the person and expressed accordyng to the greatnesse of the man in suche woordes as myght seeme agreable to the valure of his minde being in that case therefore wyll I let that passe and recite another true and newe example which many that are yet alyue in this age them selues haue seene It is of the same couragious and inuincible auncient Samnite who when at the commaundement of hym whose name it were better to suppresse in silence he was drawen in a Cart naked about the Citie sittyng betweene two Tormentours who with hotte glowyng tongues teared his fleshe from the boones on euery syde and the people wept to beholde so miserable and heauie a spectacle he with drye eyes and graue constancie of voyce speaking vnto him selfe sayde What doo we O my soule Be of good comfort I pray thee and doo not faint neyther be angrie nor afearde although this be paynefull for a tyme it shall not continue long but be profitable doubt not for our euerlastyng saluation and this punishment be more greeuous vnto hym that commaunded it then to thee that sufferest it Lift vp thy selfe O soule and abandon al feare put thy trust in GOD anon al shal be at an ende By which woordes how great a boldnesse he gathered to hym selfe and engendred the lyke within the hartes of the hearers it is incredible to be spoken how great courage with compassion constancie securitie patience he procured to hymselfe and others Although if it were diligently examined this whereof we speake is no inward but an outward speeche for that as I haue said it was outwardly heard of many yet this and such lyke woordes may be spoken by other in silence perhaps were spoken so by him also for somtime he held his peace somtime he brake foorth into these wordes which I haue recited Moreouer this inward speech may be vnderstoode another way when as a man regardeth from whence it commeth not whither it is heard as I suppose it verified in this man when he spake with him selfe but of one that in his paynes and dangers commoneth with God there is no example more notable then first of Iob secondly of Theodosius The one being strooken by the hand of God and full of botches with what after a manner chiding libertie doth he cal vpon God and erect hym selfe vnto hym with a feruent and complayning deuotion The other with howe smal a trayne being beset rounde with an innumerable armie of Barbarians with what ardencie and sighes dyd he cal vpon God as yf he had been present Thou hast heard the historie Sorowe I haue heard in deede and remember it wyl and by examples I vnderstand what thou meanest and I geue Cicero hartie thankes from whose three small graynes I haue reaped three great eares of corne from whiche by due tillage and husbandyng there may be gathered a great haruest Reason True it is in deede for the woordes of the learned are very fruiteful and as it were withchylde they conteine more matter then they shew for insomuch as thou seemedst vnto me to haue forgotten thy paynes and plaintes as long as I talked with thee Whereby thou gatherest that an earnest imagination of an honest thyng whereupon the whole mind is bent without with drawyng vnto any other matters may procure great releife vnto al manner payne and greeuousnesse Sorowe It may be as thou sayest in deede howbeit I am very far from that health of mynde which thou pretendest and I am greatly in doubt whether payne may be aswaged or taken away by them al or whyther they be woordes that do only fyl the minde and delite the eares but nothyng at al appease grâ—ese Reason Woordes I confesse cure not
wyshe and much more destitute of men then I woulde it were And therefore seeing there is nothing els to be expected at the handes of them that are nowe present but meare toyes and trifles yet yf there be any thyng alleaged by them whiche eyther they haue founde out them selues or borowed of the auncient wryters that may aswage thy greefe do not reiect it nor say as do the vnlearned this thou haddest out of the Philosophers For then wyl I answere thee with Cicero I thought thou wouldest haue sayde of whores and bawdes And to say the trueth where shoulde a man fishe or hunt but where fishes and wylde beastes are in the waters and wooddes Where is golde to be digged or precious stones to be gathered but where they growe For they are to be founde in the veines of the earth and vpon the shoares of the sea Where are marchandizes to be had but of merchantes Where pictures and images but of paynters and keruers And last of al where wylt thou expect Philosophical sawes but at the Philosophers handes Whiche although they lye hyd vp by them in their treasuries and were first founde out by them neuerthelesse the same are set open and expounded by other and that paraduenture more playnely or more pithily or more breefely or lastly disposed in some other order and methode promising lyke hope vnto al that heare them but bringing successe vnto fewe For such is the force of order and good ioyning as Horace very wel declareth in his Poeticalles that one matter being diuersly told representeth a greater grace vnto the mind of the hearer yea though it be a common thing that is told such noueltie may be added vnto that which is old and such light vnto that whiche is euident and suche beawtie vnto that whiche is fayre whiche I haue not nowe vttered as lackyng some other place more conuenient therevnto but because thou ministredst occasion at this present For I woulde not haue thee doo as it is the maner of blinde and ignorant pryde to disdayne vulgare and vsuall thynges whiche thou hast heard once and neuer vnderstoode Feare I yeelde vnto thee for I see that thou art very redie in these admonitions although far from effect to me wardes for I feare death yet neuerthelatter Reason There be certayne thynges in name and opinion of men greater then in effect certayne afarre of haue seemed terrible whiche at hande haue been ridiculous It were no wysedome to beleeue the vnexpert there is not one of these defamers of death that can speake any thyng to the purpose for being vnexpert he can learne nothing at all neyther can he be instructed in any matter by one that is vnexpert also Aske a question of a dead man he wyl answere nothyng and yet it is he that knoweth the trueth They wyl babble most that knowe death least and prophecie most vaynely of it wherein they haue least skyll Whereby it commeth to passe that by some death is made the most manifest thyng and of othersome the most hydden secret and this coniecturall case is diuersly tossed in suspition But in doubtfull matters it is good to cleaue to the best opinion and to holde that whiche shall make the minde rather merrie then dumpyshe Feare My soule feareth death Reason If in respect of it selfe that feare is vayne for that the soule is immortall But yf in respect of the bodye it is a thanklesse pittie to be careful of it enimie But if it feare to be dissolued it is to much in loue with it owne prison and bondes whiche were but a verie foolyshe affection Feare I am troubled with the feare of death Reason All fooles are afearde to dye and noe marueyle for all their felicitie is in theyr bodye whiche doubtlesse is by death extinguished And therefore not without cause good men are sorie to heare of theyr ende and heauie to beholde it For this is the nature of man that he can not lyue without desyre not to be vnhappie It becommeth a learned man who maketh no other accompt of his bodye then of a vyle Drudge and fylthie Carkasse whose dilligence and loue and hope and studie is wholy reposed vpon his minde to esteeme of the death of this bodye none otherwise then as of his departure in the morning out of some vnpleasant and noysome lodging Feare I can not choose but feare death Reason Thou mayest refuse to feare the departure out of this lyfe yf thou canst hope or wyshe for the entrance into an other For hereof it is that the same feare ryseth And although there be commonly diuers causes alleaged of the feare of this departure neuerthelesse they vanishe away when the hope of that other life is laide before the eyes Feare I dread death Reason The dread thereof is specially engendred by the lacke of meditating thereon and the sudden necessitie of dying whiche in a learned and wyse man is most shameful but specially in an olde man whose whole course and order of lyfe yf he be learned and wyse indeede ought to be a continuall meditation of death Whiche if it seemed so vnto the auntient Philosophie what may it nowe appeare vnto your new deuotion which is the hygh Philosophie and the true wisedome Consider the maner of them that are commaunded vpon a sudden to goe some far iourney how sadde and careful they are to make vp their carriage and how they complaine at their departure and in a maner repine that they had no longer warning before so that as soone as their backes are turned they thinke vpon necessaries which they haue forgotten and are discontented therewith Now there is no way longer then to dye none harder as they say none more noysome for Theeues none more obscure none more suspicious nor more vncertaine which though it wanted al these yet is it vnreturneable By meanes whereof ye ought to be the more diligent least haply ye forgette any thing for that when ye are once departed from hence ye can no longer doo as they that occupie other trades or vndertake whatsoeuer other iourney that is to say commit suche thynges by their letters or messengers vnto their freendes to see vnto as they them selues haue left forgotten For ye are not able to sende any message backe nor to stay in the place where ye were nor to returne agayne Ye must needes goe hence it is not possible for you to returne ye must needes goe thyther Souldiers from whence it is not needefull that ye come backe agayne Thus in Seneca sayde the Romane Captayne to his men and thus also sayth your Captayne to you And therefore seeyng ye must needes depart and come no more and that the necessitie of your iourney is very certayne but the houre of death vncertayne this is your onely remedie to be alwayes readie in mind to answere when ye are called and to obey when ye are commaunded and when all thinges are disposed in good order at your Captaines fyrst
of his graundfather and great graundfather great great graundfather receiuing the same answere concernyng them al at length he inferred and art not thou afearde then quoth he to goe to sea The sayler answeared dissemblingly I pray thee quoth he tell me also where thy father dyed In his bed answeared the other And where lykewyse thy graundfather Euen he sayde the ocher and my great grandfather and great great grandfather and al my auncetours dyed in their beddes The sayler answeared art not thou then afeard quoth he to goe into thy bed Trimly answeared truely and somewhat more then saylerlyke Concernyng the death therefore let nature looke to that whiche made men mortal and as touchyng the kynde of death the place and tyme let fortune vse her discretion Sorow I dye by poyson Reason I tolde thee whilere what notable companions thou hast herein whereas I entreated of this matter onely The swoord is a princely death but most of al poyson And to conclude it is a very ridiculus matter when thou hast determined of the death to be carefull of the instrumentes Of a shameful death The .cxxii. Dialogue SOROWE BUt my death is shameful Reason It is not the kynde nor qualitie of the death but the cause of the punishment that maketh it shameful Sorow I dye reprochefully Reason No good man dyeth yll no euyl man well It is not the pompe of buryal nor the attendance and waiting of seruantes and officers nor the ryche garmentes nor the spoyles of the enimies nor the shieldes and swoordes turned downe and dragged after nor the whole family mournyng for their maister nor the howlynges and outcryes of the common people nor the wyfe drenched in teares nor the chyldren with duetiful compassion resolued in sorowe nor the cheefe mourner who soeuer he be holdyng downe his head and walkyng before the corpes attired in blacke and wofully be dewing his face with stoare of bitter teares nor lastly the oratour or preacher in commendation of hym that is to be buryed nor the golden images and pictures wherewith to furnyshe the sepulcher nor the titles and stiles of hym that is dead whiche beyng engrauen in marble shal lyue vntyl suche tyme as though it be long first death also consume the stones themselues but it is vertue and the famous report of hym that hath deserued well and needeth not the brute of the common multitude but whiche sheweth it selfe in it owne maiestie and not whiche the headelong and blynde fauour of men but rather a long continuance in doing wel and an innocent lyfe hath procured and also the defence of trueth and iustice vndertaken euen to the death and moreouer a valiant minde and notable bouldnesse euen in the middes and thickest of deathes sharpest threatninges that maketh the death honest and honourable Agaynst which most honourable death what place remayneth there for reproch Or howe can he die shamefully that dyeth in such manner yea though there be prepared agaynst the body in slauish sore whippes roddes tormentes halters axes yea high gallowetrees wheeles set vpon the toppes of postes cartes with wild horses to teare the limmes of the body insunder adde moreouer fire fagot gridirons set vpon glowyng coales and caudrons sweatyng with hot scaldyng oyle the sharpe teeth of cruel wylde beastes whetted with hunger and lastly hookes and other engins to drag withal the mangled carcases about the streetes or whatsoeuer other villanie or reproche may be deuised or the lyuing or deade body be put vnto the death I say may happely seeme cruel but shameful it cannot be but rather many tymes the crueller it is the more glorious it is And therefore neyther the outward preparance for execution nor the thronging of the people nor the trumpets nor the terrible lookes of the hangmen and tormentours nor the wrathful voyce of the Tirant are any thing to the purpose But turne thee into thy selfe there seeke and awake thy selfe and with al the force of thy mynde that remayneth arme thy selfe agaynst the present extremitie withdrawe thyne eares from the odious noyse turne away thine eyes from the pompe and preparation for the execution and secretly gather togeather thy spirites and comfort thy soule within thee and examine the thinges themselues and not their shadowes And yf thou be able with ful sight to beholde death in the face I suppose thou shalt feare neyther swoord nor axe nor halter nor poysoned cuppes nor the hangmen dropping with goare blood for why it is a vayne thyng when thou contemnest thine enimie to be afeard of his furniture or ensignes Sorowe I am condemned to a shameful death Reason It hapneth many-tymes that the accuser is infamous and the wytnesses dishonest and the iudge obscure and the partie accused very noble and often the death is commonly accounted reprochful and he that dyeth honourable and glorious And to speake nothyng of any other for that there haue been to many suche alreadie and to much vnwoorthy of that ende what death was there euer more shameful then the death of the crosse Vpon whiche the most excellent and glorious lyght both of heauen and earth was hanged to the ende that thenceforth no state or condition of men whatsoeuer shoulde iudge it to be reprocheful And forasmuche as there is nothyng higher then the highest in this example onely I make an ende Vertue alone is able to make any kinde of death honest and there is no death that can blemishe vertue Of a suddayne death The .cxxiii. Dialogue SOROWE BVt I dye to suddeynly Reason It is not long since yf I forget not my selfe that thou sayest thou wast olde I meruayle then howe there can be any death suddayne to an olde man who vnlesse he doate or be mad hath death euermore before his eyes For since there is this wholsome counsel geuen to al ages that they perswade themselues that euery day is the last that they shall lyue it is most specially conuenient for olde age to thynke euery houre the last of their lyfe And not only not to hearken vnto that which is wrytten by Cicero There is no man so olde that thinketh not to lyue one yeere longer but not so muche vnto that which Seneca sayeth one day longer Sorow I dye suddaynly Reason In this case what shal I answere thee other then repeate that which that most mightie personage no lesse in wyt then great in fortune answeared scarse one whole day when he disputed thereof before his death as prophecying of the trueth thereof by reason of the neerenesse of the experience Who pronounced that a suddayne and vnprouided death was most to be wyshed Whiche iudgement seemeth to be dissonant from that religion whiche teacheth to pray with bowed knees vnto GOD euery day to be delyuered from this kynde of death Neyther do I lyke of this opinion where there is otherwyse choyse and libertie but thou must in other manner perswade thyselfe for I say not that it is
who although they returned both into their Countrey yet dyed they both farre from their Countrey Drusus in Germanie and Marcellinus in Baion And tell me nowe are thou prouder then Tarquinius or myghtier then Sylla Yet the fyrst of these dyed a bannished man at Cumae the other beyng a great Lorde gaue vp the ghost at Puteoli What shall I speake of men of meaner degree Augustus Caesar who was called Father of his Countrey dyed out of his Countrey at Nola in Campania Tyberius that was vnlyke in Manners but equall in Empire deceassed at Misenum in Campania Vespasian and Titus two most excellent Princes as it well became the father and the sonne dyed in one Village yet without of the Citie of Rome â–ª though not farre But â—raian being borne in the West part of the worlde dyed in the East Septimus Seuerus came but of a base parentage in Africa and had a proude Empire at Rome â–ª and was buried at Yorke in Englande Theodosius that was borne in Spayne and dyed at Millain Constantinople receyued whiche Citie also had in it before the founder thereof beyng of the same name but borne in another place What shall I neede to recite others Lycurgus who fledde from Sparta Creta receyued which long before had seene Kyng Saturne bannished out of his Kyngdome and flying from his sonne and hearde howe he hyd hym selfe in the confines of Italie and was there buried A poore graue of Bithynia couereth Hannibal the lyght of all Africa Theseus Themistocles and Solon the three Diamondes of all Athens were so scattered by Fortune that the fyrst was buried in Syria the seconde in Persis and the thyrde in Cyprus in farre vnfitte Graues for so woorthie Carcasses The day woulde sooner fayle mee then matter yf I shoulde stande to reporte euery example But my purpose was not to weerie thee with Histories but onely to instructe thee Sorowe I vnderstande thy meanyng and I confesse that all these and as many moe as thou canst recken dyed out of theyr Countreyes in deede but I denie that it was with their wylles but rather I suppose to theyr great greefe Reason Whereby speakest thou this but onely for that all fooles iudge other lyke them selues and thynke that to be impossible for others to doo which they them selues can not attayne to And perhappes thou hast hearkened to the olde prouerbe It is good to lyue abrode in strange Countries but yll to dye there when as in deede they are both good so that they be orderly doone with patient forbearyng and comlinesse but both euyl yf they be yll handled lamentably and without discretion I wyll tell thee that which thou wylt marueyll at and is quite repugnant to the olde prouerbe If there be any iust occasion to complayne of the cause I had rather impute the same to the lyuyng whom perhaps in some respect it may concerne then hym that lyeth a dying who hath now no regarde of any place seeyng that he is vpon departyng from all places Sorowe Somewhat thou moouest my minde neuerthelesse I am yet desirous to dye in my Countrey Reason The wyll of man vnlesse it be bridled by vertue and wysedome of it selfe is wylde and vnreclaymed And yf thou consider of the matter deepely thou wylt confesse that none of all this appertayneth vnto thee seeyng that thou thy selfe canst remayne heere no longer nor thy boanes retayne any sense after thy deceasse to discerne where thou myghtest haue lyen harder or softer and also vnto that place whyther thou departest which had been the shorter or easier way When Anaxagoras lay a dying in a farre forraine Countrey and his freendes demaunded of hym whether after his death he woulde be carried home into his owne natiue soyle he answeared very finely saying that it shoulde not neede and he added the cause why for that the way to Heauen is of lyke distaunce from all places Whiche answeare serueth as well for them that goe downe to Hell as for those that goe vp to Heauen Sorowe I woulde GOD I myght dye at home Reason If thou were there perhappes thou wouldest wyshe thy selfe in another place perswade thy selfe so Learne to doo that dying whiche thou oughtest to haue doone lyuyng An hard matter it is for you O ye mortall men to beare your selues vpryghtly ye are so dayntie and faultfyndyng euermore makyng none account of that whiche ye haue and alwayes iudging best of that whiche ye want Sorowe O that I myght dye at home Reason Peraduenture thou shouldest see many thynges there that woulde make thy death more greeuous vnto thee for whiche cause thynke that thou art remooued to the intent that all other cares beyng set apart thou myghtest onely thynke vpon GOD and thyne owne soule Of one that dyeth in Sinne. The Cxxvj. Dialogue SOROWE I Oye in sinne Reason This is neyther Natures nor Fortunes but thyne owne fault Sorowe I dye in sinne Reason Fyrst who enforced thee to commit sinne And next who forbydde thee to bewayle it when it was committed And last of all who letteth thee from repentyng though it be late fyrst For vnto the last gaspe the spirite and minde is free Sorowe Whyles I am dying I carrie my sinnes with mee Reason Beware thou doo not so lay downe that venemous and deadly carriage whyle thou hast tyme and there is one that wyll take it away and blotte it out accordyng as it is written and wyll cast it behynde his backe into the bottome of the Sea and wyll abandon it as farre from thee as the East is distant from the West If thou neglect this houre when it is once past it wyll neuer returne agayne Whith qualitie although it be common to all houres that alwayes they passe away and neuer returne yet many tymes that which hath been omitted in one houre may be perhappes recouered in another but yet the neglectyng of the last houre of a mans lyfe is irrecurable And therefore as some report it to be found in the secret disputations of the soule the errours of this lyfe are as it were softe falles vpon the playne grounde after which a man may soone ryse vp agayne but the sinne vnto death is compared vnto a greeuous fall from some hygh and craggie place after which it is not possible to aryse any more the hurt therein taken is so great that it can not be salued Wherefore helpe thy selfe nowe whyle thou mayest and call to remembraunce not onely what your owne writers say but also what Cicero counselleth who in his woorke de Diuinatione of Diuination disputing of those that are dying Doo thou cheefely quod he studie to winne commendation and thynke that they which haue lyued otherwyse then they ought doo most bitterly repent them of their sinnes What I pray thee coulde be vttered by any man more religiously or profitably yf so be that be followed which is commaunded and thou repent thee though it be late fyrst A difficult and dangerous matter it is truely to
since that care appertayneth no longer to thee hereafter Feare I am afeard lest after my decease my wyfe marrie agayne Reason Some there be that marrie their olde husbandes lyuing Thus dyd Herodias among the Hebrewes Sophronisba among the Africanes and Martia and Liuia among the Romanes although their husbandes consent commaundement doo excuse these two last recited wylt thou onely binde thy wyfe from marriage Yea there are but few that lyue faythfully towardes their husbandes wilt thou require that thy wife continue her truth to thy cold senselesse ashes If she haue liued faythful to thee vnto the last day of thy lyfe then hath she accomplyshed the duetie of a true and trustie spouse Feare I am afeard that my wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason That she first married perhaps thou shouldest haue feared more that belonged to thee but her second marrying shal apperteyne to another But this is your common trade ye contemne the things that ye ought to feare and feare the thynges that ye ought to contemne esteeming of nothyng iustly as ye ought Thou enâ—redst the combat of the married bed without feare not forethinkyng what danger thou passedst into and art thou afeard now least another should do the like Feare I would not I confesse haue my wyfe marrie agayne Reason For a woman of exact perfecte chastitie I graunt although she be permitted by lawe to marrie agayne yet were it better to abstayne but most of al to eschue perilous widowhood There is moreouer some such tyme occasion that a woman is not onely excused but also enforced to marrie agayne For it is an hard matter for a fayre woman to lyue alone chastly Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another husband Reason There are but fewe women found yea among them that are counted honest that euen whyle their present husbande is lyuing do not determine in their minde who shal be their next My husband say they is a mortal man and yf he chaunce to dye shal I marrie next for vertue or nobilitie or loue or eloquence or bewtie or person sake Feare My wife wyl marrie againe Reason Not thy wyfe verily for death wyl make that she shal not be thine And no merueile though it part man and wyfe whiche dissolueth the bandes whereby the body and soule are knyt togeather Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The wyues of the Romane Captaines and Dukes and Emperours haue also married agayne and therefore take in good part this fortune whiche is common to thee with thine auncetours Feare My wyfe wyl marrie agayne Reason The Romane Captaynes and Prynces did marrie wyddowes also so did the most godly kyng Dauid take to wife two wyddowes that had been the wyues but of meane persons and it may so happen that one greater then thou may marrie thy wyfe vnto whom resigne this carefulnesse seeing thou goest thyther where there is no marrying at all Feare My sweete wyfe wyl marrie another man. Reason If she marrie a better reioyce at her prosperity whom thou louedst But if to a woorse be glad yet for that she wyl thinke more often vpon thee and holde thee more deere For there be many that haue learned to knowe and loue their first husbandes onely by their second marriages Of one dying that is careful what wyl become of his countrey after his deceasse The .cxxix. Dialogue FEARE WHat shal become of my countrey after my death Reason All good men haue but one countrey and all euyl men another take heede nowe into whiche of these two countries thou wilt be admitted a countreyman As for a third countrey there is none but onely an Inne and a place of passage a thoroughfare Feare What wyll become of my countrey Reason That countrey which thou goest vnto continueth alwayes in one estate and this whiche thou now forsakest as I haue oftentymes sayde before is not thy countrey but hath rather been thy place of banishment Feare What wyl my countrey do after my deceasse Reason This is the peculiar care of kynges to thynke what wil become of their kyngdomes dominions after their death the lyke whereof thou readest there rested in the heart of the great king of Assyria or of the most mightie emperour of the Romans This care exceedeth the calling of a priuate person But since nowe euen at thy very ende thou art so affected that thou lust to terme that stoarehouse of miserie and hospital of payne and sorow wherein thou hast passed foorth the swyft tyme of thy lyfe in great trouble aduersitie and heauinesse by the name of thy countrey and art desirous to knowe what it wyl doo I wyl tell thee it wyl do as it dyd and as other countreyes do What is that thou wylt say It wyl be troublesome disquiet dissentious and studious of innouations it wyl followe factions chainge lordes and gouernours alter lawes and both these many tymes for the woorse seldome for the better spurne agaynst the best and most noble subiectes aduaunce the vnwoorthie banishe the well deseruing esteeme of the pillers poullers of the treasurie loue flatterers hate them that speake the trueth contemne the good honour the myghtie woorshyp the enimies of it libertie persecute the defenders of the Commonwealth weepe sometyme and laugh without cause esteeme of golde and precious stones reiect vertue and embrace pleasures these are the manners and state of your Cities and Countreys There is none but may most assuredly prophecie vnto thee of these matters vnlesse he be such an one as hath alwaies led a rurall lyfe or entred into Townes with deafe eares and dimme eyes Feare What wyll befall vnto my Countrey after my deceasse Reason Why art thou carefull and troubled herewith Whatsoeuer hapneth to thy Countrey thy house shal be free from burnyng theeues and ouerthrowing Whether the yeere fall out to be pestilent or els to be deare or plentiful hot or drye haylie snowie or raynie frostie or otherwyse moyst rotten yea the byrdes of the ayre wild beastes of the wooddes the Caterpiller and Chaffer finally earthquakes and raginges of the lea dearth of victualles inuasions of enimies or ciuile warres none of all these are able to touche or concerne thee hereafter Feare O what shal be the estate of my Countrey or to what ende shal it come Reason To what other thinkest thou then that the greatest citie and state that euer was or shal be is come vnto to wit dust ashes rubbysh scattered stones and a name only remâ—yning I could prooue this to be true by innumerable argumentes but thou knowest the matter sufficiently To be short there is nothing apperteining vnto man that is euerlasting no worldly thyng permanent but only the soule of man which is immortal Enclosures shal fayle sowed landes shal decay buildinges shall fall downe all thynges shall come to naught and why art thou greeued and vexed in the minde If thou be in heauen thou wylt both dispise this and all other worldly