man much giuen to liberty or to put a bridle to vvanton affections Solon VVhere customs are corrupted libertie should be broken Hee that hath libertie to doe more then is necessary will oftentimes doe more then is tending to honestie VVhere liberty is giuen to offend sinne is so sweete to the flesh that there is no difference betweene men and beasts but that men doe exceed beasts in beastlines Hermes The recouery of libertie is so precious that to redeeme it no danger is to be feared He is to be thought free that is not a bondslaue to iniquitie Ille mihi non videtur liber cui mulier imperat cui lex imponit praescribit iubet vetat quod videtur qui nihil imperanti negare potest nihil recusare audet Sipossit damnum est si vocat veniendum si elicit abeundum siminatur extimescendum Non potest paruo constare libertas hanc si magno aestimas omnia paruo astimanda sunt Of Seruing. Defi. Seruing or seruitude is a certaine slauish bond of constraint by which eyther for commoditie or loue men binde themselues to the will of others making themselues subiect to controlement TO serue or obey well is a great vertue proceedeth of nature which being good is holpen by education It is as necessary for him that serueth as for him that commaundeth to be honestly minded Seruants must be subiect to theyr Maisters whether they be curteous or froward Plato Nature and the lawes vvhich preserue nature binde men that will be seruants to strict obedience It is the duty of a good seruant to doe with willingnes vvhatsoeuer his Maister lawfully commaundeth him The seruaunts of wisedome are the church of the righteous and theyr of-spring is obedience Seruaunts ought with patience to beare the corrections of their maister Chilo A crafty Seruant ruleth his maister Terence The bondage of a wise man is liberty Aug. The Seruaunt that dutifully honoureth his Maister shall in time to come finde loue and obedience in his owne houshold The onely fruite of seruice is loue and the plesure thereof humility and obedience The first duty in a Seruant is vvillingnesse to learne vvhat soeuer is necessarie the second faithfulnes in performing truly whatsoeuer belongeth to his duty the third carefulnesse in seeking all honest meanes to profit his maister the fourth silence in tongue in not replying against his maisters speeches There ought to bee in a seruaunt double silence the one in not replying or contradicting the other in not reuealing abroade what his maister doth at home Seruaunts ought not to obey with eye-seruice onely but also with singlenes of hart It is a most commondable vertue in a seruant to know how to obey well A seruant once made malapert and saucie will alwaies after kicke at his duty and scorne the controlement of his maister Anaxag Looke what kinde of seruice a seruant doth vnto his maister the lyke shall surely be requited when he keepeth seruants himselfe Honest gentle maisters haue commonly proud and stubborne seruants wheras a maister sturdy fierce is able with a little wink to commaund more duty then the other shal with many words The duty offeruing is to hold in high estimation all Magistrates Rulers and Gouernours in the Common-weale Princes must be serued both with lyfe and goods and that is the personall seruice of euery naturall subiect All men must be subiect to Principalities Vnder obedience in seruice is contayned moderation which priuate men ought to obserue in publique affaires Men are bound to obey Magistrates although they commaund things contrarie to publique profit except it bee in such things as are contrary to the lawes of God Seruing iustly is a seale of obedience and a testimony of an vpright conscience Chris. Tyrants are in the Scriptures termed the seruants of God It is treason against God and man for the seruaunt to offer violence to his maister but most damnable for a subiect to touch the Lords annoynted Nihil est faedius seruitute ad decus et libertatem nati sumus Cic. Simiserum est seruire multo miserimum est seruire ijs quos non possis effugere Of Obedience Defi. Obedience is the ende where-vnto vertue tendeth namely when in all our actions wee obserue honesty comlines it is that which bindeth the soule when fully and willinglie without force or constraint wee giue to euery one that which belongeth vnto him honour to whom honor reuerence to whom reuerence tribute to whom tribute and succour to whom succour belongeth OBedience sheweth our nurture rebellion our corrupt nature The Cōmon-weale is alwaies happy where the subiects are obedient and the magistrates mercifull VVicked men obey for feare but the good obey for loue Aristotle Seruants in word and deede owe dutiful obedience vnto their bodily maisters VVhere reason ruleth appetite obeyeth Nothing thriueth by strife and contention but all things florish through loue and obedience Disobedience proceedeth frō negligence for hee that gouerneth well shall be obeyed well but hee that giueth to his seruaunts too much liberty shall be sure to haue too much losse Theapom They commonly prooue the best Maysters that haue beene the most obedient seruants Obedience formeth peace establisheth cōmon-weales and preuents disorders The obedience of the lawe is the maintenance of the law Treason hath no place vvhere obedience holds principality VVhosoeuer obeyeth his superior instructeth his inferior Cicero It is a certaine infallible obseruation that the sonne who hath irreuerently and disobediently honoured his Father is in his old age plagued by his owne posterity The humble and obedient gaine honor but the stubborne and obstinate reproofe The more obedient a man is the more fauour he purchaseth Arist. The goods we enioy are giuen vs to the end we should obey our Prince Xenophon The blessednes of a common-wealth is the obedience of Cittizens Stobaeus Onely obedience enioyeth the merrit of fayth Bernard Obedience is the badge of deuotion the seale of contemplation the safe gard of the penitent and the schoole of the ignorant To obey the Law is to fulfill the Law The will obedient to reason neuer straieth but vvhere men breake all bonds of dutie there follow all sorts of plagues and punishments Iustinian The Spartans by theyr obedience and frugality vvere more honoured then eyther Thebes renowned for her Gods or Athens for her wise-men Obedience is a vertue due to GOD and man to God as our Creator to man as our Superiour Bernard Tis a signe of disobedience to grudge against vnworthy Rulers VVhere reason ruleth appetite obeyeth That country is wel kept where the Prince knoweth rightly howe to gouerne and the people how to obey A wicked disobedient person seeketh his owne confusion The King himselfe is supreame head of all other authority and obeyeth no man but the Law onely If thou vanquish thy Parents vvith sufferance thou shalt surely be blest for such obedience Hee obeyeth infinites that is a bond-slaue to his owne lusts Crates
increaseth and preserueth it selfe by a naturall facultie NAture in despight of Tyme will frowne at abuse Nature hath a certaine predominant power ouer the minde of man The man that lyueth obedient to nature can neuer hurt himselfe thereby Actions wrought against nature reape despight and thoughts aboue nature disdaine As Art is a helpe to nature so is experience the triall and perfection of Art As nature hath gâ—uen beautie and vertue giuen courage so nature yeeldeth death and vertue yeeldeth honour It is an old plague in mans nature that many men for the most part leaue the amendement of theyr liues farre behind them to sette theyr honors the more before them Nature is aboue Art in the ignorant and vertue aboue all thinges is esteemed of the vvise It is hard to straighten that by Art which is made crooked by nature Perian Nature is pleased in the eye reason in the minde but vertue in them both Consider what nature requires not howmuch affection desires That which is bredde in the bone vvill neuer out of the flesh and vvhat nature hath made Art cannot cure Nature guideth beastes but reason ruleth the harts of men VVhere in one man doe meete incertaintie of affection and malice of nature there is no other hope in him then distrust periurie words and reuenge Such as lyue according to nature are neuer poore and according to the opinion of men they are neuer rich because nature contenteth herselfe opinion doth infinitly couet Phillip King Alexanders Father falling vpon the sands and seeing there the marke print of his body sayd how little a plot of ground is nature content with and yet we couet the whole world The God vvhich is God of nature dooth neuer teach vnnaturalnesse S. P. S. Nature is higher prised then wealth and the loue of our Parents ought to be more precious then dignitie Fyre cannot be hid in the straw nor the nature of man so concealed but at the last it wil haue his course In nature nothing is superfluous Arist. Cineus the Phylosopher was of thys opinion that when the Gods framed Nature they went beyond theyr skill in that quoth hee the maker was subiect to the thing made VVhere nature is vicious by learning it is amended and where it is vertuous by skyll it is augmented There is no greater bonde then duty nor straighter Lawe then nature and where nature inforceth obedience there to resist is to striue against God Better is seueritie in nature then contempt in nature Liberall Sciences are most meet for liberall men and good Arts for good natures Nature without learning and good bringing vp is a blinde guide learning without nature wanteth much and vse vvithout the two former is vnperfit Nature beeing alwayes in a perpetuall motion desireth to be driuen to the better part or else shee suffereth herselfe to bee wayghed downe as a ballance to the worser Nature is our best guide whom if we folow we shall neuer goe astray Arist. Nature friendly sheweth vs by many signes what shee would what she seeketh and what she desireth but man by some strange mean waxeth deafe and will not heare what shee gently counsaileth Nature is a certaine strength and power put into things created by God who gyueth to each thing that which belongeth vnto it To striue against nature is lyke the monstrous broode of the earth to make warre against the Gods in heauen Quod satiare potest diues natura ministrat Quod docet infraenis gloria fine caret Hoc generi hominum natura datum vt qua infamilia laus aliqua forté floruerit hanc feré qui sunt eius stirpis quod sermo hominum ad memoriam patrum virtute celebretur cupidissimé persequantur Of Lyfe Defi. Life which we commonly call the breath of this worlde is a perpetuall battaile and a sharpe skirmish wherein wee are one while hurt with enuie another while with ambition and by and by with some other vice besides the suddaine onsets giuen vppon our bodies by a thousand sorts of diseases and floods of aduersities vpon our spirits LIfe is a pilgrimage a shadowe of ioy a glasse of infirmitie and the perfect path-way to death All mortall men suffer corruption in theyr soules through vice and in theyr bodyes through wormes Mans life is more brittle then glasse It is a miserable life where friendes are feared and enemies nothing mistrusted VVhose death men doe wish his lyfe they alwayes hate It is better not to lyue then not to knowe how to lyue Salust It is hard for a man to liue vvell but verie easie to die ill In lyfe there is time left to speake of the incombrances of fancie but after death no possible meanes to redresse endlesse calamitie If a good man desire to lyue it is for the great desire he hath to doe good but if the euill desire to lyue it is for that they woulde abuse the world longer The chyldren of vanitie call no time good but that wherein they liue according to their owne desire doe nothing but follow theyr owne filthie lusts Mans lyfe is like lyghtning which is but a flash and the longest date of yeeres is but a bauens blaze Men can neither inlarge their lyues as they desire nor shunne that death which they abhorre Menan A detestable life remoueth all merrit of honourable buriall It is better to lyue in meane degree then in high disdaine By lyfe grovveth continuance and by death all things take end Life and death are in the power of the tong The man that desireth life feareth death ought carefully to gouerne his tongue Life is short yet sweet Euripides Life to a wretched man is long but to him that is happy very short Menander Mans life is a warfare Seneca The mortall life which we inioy is the hope of life immortall Aug. An vndefiled life is the reward of age Aug. No man is so old but thinketh he may yet liue an other yeare Hierom. The breath that maintaineth life endeth it A good lyfe is the readiest vvay to a good name Aurel. Better it is to be carefull to liue vvell then desirous to liue long A long lyfe hath commonly long cares annexed with it Most men in these dayes wil haue precepts to be ruled by theyr lyfe and not theyr lyfe to be gouernd by precepts Mans life ought to be lyke vnto an image that hath euery part persit in it Our lyfe ought not to depend vppon one onely hope no more then a shyppe is to be stayed with one anker Fooles vvhen they hate theyr life will yet desire to liue for the feare vvhich they haue of death Crates Mans life is lent him for a time and he that gaue it may iustly demaund it when he will They liue very ill vvho alwayes thinke to liue To a man in misery lyfe seemeth too long but to a worldly minded man liuing at pleasure life seemeth too short Chilo VVhat a shame is it for men
our happines of life or amendment of manners IT is great commendation in the giuer to bestow many benefits vppon him which deserueth well and desireth nothing He that mindeth to giue must not say will you haue any thing If thou promise little and performe much it vvill make thy benefits to bee the more thankfully receaued Hee that knoweth not how to vse a benefit doth vniustly aske it He receaueth a benefit in the giuing therof which bestowes his gift on a worthy man Hee that giueth often teacheth to render somwhat againe at the last Hee bindeth all men by his benefits which bestoweth them vppon such as doe vvell deserue them The liberall man doth daily seeke out occasion to put his vertue in practise The memory of a benefit doth soone vanish away but the remembrance of an iniury sticketh fast in the hart He is a conquerer which bestoweth a good turne and he vanquished which receiueth it As the Moone dooth shewe her light in the world which she receiueth from the sunne so we ought to bestow the benefits receiued of God to the profit and commodity of our neighbour Though the gyuer make neuer so much hast yet his benefits come too late if they haue once been asked for This is a lawe that should bee obserued betwixt the giuer the receiuer the one shold straight-way forget the benefit bestowed the other should alwayes haue it in remembrance It becommeth him to holde his peace that gyueth a revvarde farre better then it becommeth him to bee silent that receaueth a benefit He that doth thankfully receaue a benefit hath paid the first pention therof already He that thinks to be thankfull doth straitway thinke vpon recompence That gift is twise double to be accepted of which commeth from a free hand and a liberall hart As giuing and receiuing of benefits are contrarie one to another so the one is much more often vsed then the other It behooueth a man in receiuing of benefits to be thankfull though he want power to requite them A vertuous hand is not bound to make the tongue a foole A benefit well giuen recouereth many losses The remembrance of a good turne ought to make the receauer thankfull Nor gold nor siluer nor ought we receaue is to be accounted a benefit but the minde of him which giueth Plautus He giueth too late who giueth when he is asked Plautus Ita sunt omnes nostri circes Si quid benefacias leuior pluma gratia est Si quid peccatum est phibeas iras gerunt Beneficiam nec in puerum nec in senem conferendum est in hunc quia perit antequam gratiae referendae detur opportunitas in illum quia non meminit Of Curtesie Defi. Curtesie is a vertue which belongeth to the couragious part gf the soule whereby we are hardly mooued to anger her office dutie is to be able to support and endure patiently those crimes which are layd vpon her not to suffer her selfe to be hastily carried to reuenge nor to bee too easily spurred to wrath but to make him that possesseth her mild gracious and a staied and setled mind CVrtesie in maiestie is the next way to binde affection in dutie As the tree is knowne by his fruite the gold by the touch and the bell by the sound so is a mans birth by his beneuolence his honour by his humility his calling by his curtesie Manie more vvere the enemies that Caesar pardoned then those he ouer-came The noblest conquest is without bloodshed It is for Scilla Tiberius Caligula and Nero to kill for Augustus Titus and Traian to pardon Theodosius gaue euery Citty hee besieged ten dayes respite to consider yeelding them meanes of his mercy before hee exemplified his iustice Phocion was of that gentle disposition that he alwayes defended such as were in misery and often-times the wicked Curtesie bewayleth her dead enemies and cherisheth her liuing friends Narses the night before he fought with his enemies wept in the temple The curteous man reconcileth displeasure the froward vrgeth hate Proude lookes loose hearts but curteous words winne them Ferdinando Curtesie couereth many imperfections preuenteth more dangers The Lion which was cured by the Romaine slaue would not deuoure him and natures best grace is the order of curtesie Alexanders curtesie to Roxana wonne her loue and Neros cruelty to his mother cost him his life It is a true token of nobility the certaine mark of a gentleman to be curteous to strangers patient in iniuries and constant in performing what he promiseth As the peg straineth the Lute-strings so curtesie stretcheth the hart strings Themistocles was so full of curtesie that hee neuer entred the market-place without saluting euery Cittizen by his name or some other office of curtesie Curtesie is that vertue whereby a man easily appeaseth the motions and instigations of the soule caused by choller Curtesie draweth vnto vs the loue of strangers and good lyking of our owne Countrimen Curtesie standeth in steade of a moderate temperance of the spirit decking a man with mildnes and generosity He that is mild and curteous to others receaueth much more honour then the partie whom he honoureth They lye who say that a man must vse cruelty towards his enemies esteeming that to be an Art onely propper to a noble and couragious man Cicero Mildnes and curtesie are the charracters of an holy soule which neuer suffereth innocencie to be oppressed It becommeth a noble and strong man to be both couragious and curteous that hee may chastice the wicked and pardon when neede requireth Plato Common curtesie is no curtesie to be kind to all is to be kind to none who so is most generall can neuer be at any time perticuler The rigor of discipline directing curtesie curtesie directing rigor the one will set forth and commend the other so that neither rigor shall be rigorous nor curtesie dissolute As it belongeth to the sunne to lighten the earth with his beames so it pertaineth to the vertue of a Prince to haue compassion be curteous to the miserable Homines ad Deos nulla re propius accedunt quam salutem hominibus dando Satis est homines imprudentia lapsos non erigere vrgere vero iacentes at praecipitantes impeliere certê est inhumanum Cicero Of Iustice. Defi. Iustice is godlinesse and godlinesse is the knowledge of God it is moreouer in respect of vs taken for an equall discription of right and of Lawes IVstice allots no priuiledge to defraude a man of his patrimony Iustice is a vertue that giues euery man his owne by euen portions Delay in punishment is no priuiledge of pardon Iustice is the badge of vertue the staffe of peace and the maintenance of honour Cic. It is a sharpe sentence that is giuen without iudgement He is daily condemned that liues alwayes in feare of iudgement Good mens eares are alwaies open to iust mens prayers Not the paine but the cause maketh
liue well Like as in a payre of tables nothing may be well written before the blots and blurs be wiped out so vertue and noblenesse can neuer be seene in a man except hee first put away his vices Mar. Aur. Measure thy pathes and marke what vvay thou walkest so shalt thou be sure to passe in safetie Si vis ab omnibus cognosci da operam vt á nemine cognoscaris Nulli te facias nimis sâ—dalem Gaude bis minus et minus dolebis Of Consideration Defi. Consideration or iudgement is that which properly ought to be in euery Magistrate obseruing the tenor of the law it is the distinguisher of controuersies and bringer foorth of happy counsailes and agreements COnsideration is the enemie to vntimelie attempts Actions well meant ought alwayes to bee well taken There is no needles poynt so small but it hath his compasse neither is there any haire so slender but it hath his shadow Hee is not to be accounted rich vvho is neuer satis-fied nor happie vvhose stedfast minde in quyet possession of vertue is not established It is better to practise doe aduisedly then to thinke and imagine neuer so wisely The consideration of pleasures past greatly augments the paines present No man doth so much reioyce at his prosperity present as he that calleth to minde his miseries past Chilo It is farre better for a man to be absent then present at perrils It is a benefit to denie such thinges as will hurt him that asketh them The pardon may well be granted where he that hath offended is ashamed of his fault VVise men will alwaies consider what they ought to do before they conclude any thing As we haue the audacity to commit a fault so if wee list wee may inforce our selues to worke amends August In any affaires whatsoeuer there can be no greater danger or else no greater safety then soundly to consider into vvhose hands men commit their causes Not so hard is the inuention in getting as the disposition in keeping when it is gotten Men loose many thinges not because they cannot attaine them but because they dare not attempt them Pythag. As a vessell sauoureth alwayes of the same liquor wherewith it was first seasoned so the minde retaineth those qualities in age wherin it was trained vp in youth CoÌ„sideration is the root of all noble things for by her we doe attaine to the end of all our hopes True consideration is the tutor both to action and speaking The haters of consideration neuer prosper in their actions Consideration is an honour to the meanest and improuidence a shame in princes Good consideration ought to be laide before we giue credit for faire tongs oft-times worke great mischiefes Circumspect heed is an espetiall care of the minde to bring those things which wee take in hand to some good purpose Circumspect heede in warre is the cause of scaping many dangers in peace Circumspect peace doth all things to the increase of vnity amongst men The causes bringing circumspection are feare care necessity and affection Feare afflicteth care compelleth necessity bindeth affection woundeth Bee circumspect to shevve a good countenaunce to all yet enter not into familiaritie with any but onely such whose conuersation is honest and vvhose truth by triall is made trusty Archim Suddaine trust brings suddaine repentance Qui sua metitur pondera ferre potest versate diu quid ferre recusent Quid valeant humeri Of Office Defi. Office or dutie is the knowledge of man concerning his owne nature contemplation of diuine nature and a labour to benefit our selues and all other men it is also taken for authority or rule MAns life may not bee destitute of office because in it honesty consisteth Office is the ende where-vnto vertue aymeth and chiefely when vve obserue things comely Office marrieth the soule to respect maketh it principally acquainted with piety The first office of dutie is to acknowledge the Diuinity Office is strenthened by zeale and zeale makes opinion inuinsible VVee must feare a dissembling officer because he delights in a tyrannous office A busie officer doth best become a troublesome office The office of a wise-man prefers euer consideration before conclusion Office without profit brings a man to pouerty and profit without office looseth his best reward Men to rule mens desires is the greatest authority In dooing nothing but what we ought wee deserue no greater reward but what we beare about vs. Chris. To know euill is an office of profit but to vse euill is a sinne of indignity Vpon the Anuile of vpbrayding is forged the office of vnthankfulnes It is an office of pitty to giue a speedy death to a miserable and condemned creature It is also an office of charitable loue to doe good vnto euery man that needeth and to refraine from seeking reuenge for our owne iniuries Loue sufficiency and exercise are the three beauties which adorne offices Old men well experienced in lawes and customs ought chiefly to be chosen Officers It is not meete that man should beare anie authoritie which with his money seeketh to buy another mans office The buiers of offices sell by retaile as deerâ— as they can that which they buy in grosse No poynt of philosophy is more excellent then office in publique affaires if officers doe practise that which Philosophers teach VVhere offices are vendible there the best monied ignorants beare the greatest rule They which sell offices sell the most sacred thing in the vvorld euen iustice it selfe the Common-wealth subiects and the lawes It is as hard an office to gouern an Empire as to conquer an Empire He is only fit to rule beare office which comes to it by constraint against his will The office of a Monarke is continually to looke vpon the Law of God to engraue it in his soule and to meditate vpon his word Officers must rule by good lawes good examples iudge by prouidence wisedome and iustice and defend by prowesse care vigilancie Agesil Pericula labores dolores etiam optimus quisque suscipere mauult quaÌ„ deserere vllam officij partem Cicero Sigismundus Romanorum Imperator dicere solitus est nulla nobis militia opus esset si suas quique ciuitates praetores caeterique magistratus moderaté iustequé gubernarent Of Auncestors Defi. Auncestors are our fore-fathers the reputed first beginners of our names and dignities from whom we challenge a line all desent of honour proouing our selues of theyr selfe substance TRue nobility desending from auncestry prooues base if present life continue not the dignity VVhat can the vertue of our ancestors profit vs if we doe not imitate theÌ„ in their godly actions Great merrits aske great rewards great auncestors vertuous issues As it is more coÌ„mon to reuenge then to reward so it is easier to be borne great then to continue great Stobaeus VVhere the perrill is great and the redresse doubtfull men are content to leaue right auncestrie in distresse It is miserable
to compasse all the worlde by wit and to destroy himselfe for want of wisedome As lyfe without learning is vnpleasant so learning without vvisedome is vnprofitable It is an auncient custome amongst vanities chyldren not to honor him that to the common wealth is most profitable but to reuerence him who to the Prince is most acceptable Thinke with consideration consider with acknowledging acknowledge with admiration S. P. S. Hee properly may be called a man that in his behauiour gouerneth himselfe like a man that is to say conformable vnto such things as reason willeth and not as the motions of sensualitie wisheth There is no man so iust nor of so cleane a iudgement that dooth not shewe himselfe fraile in matters which touch his owne interest Examples of the dead that were good doe profit men more to liue vvell then the counsaile of the wicked that be lyuing doe interre and bury all those that are now aliue Farre better it is to be a tennant of libertie then a Land-lord of thrall Hee that makes himselfe a sheepe shall bee eaten of the VVolfe Too much familiarity breeds contempt He that looseth fauour on Land to seek fortune at Sea is like him that stared so long at a starre that he fell into a ditch Small helps ioyned together wax stronger He is vnworthy to be a maister ouer others that cannot master himselfe Phocion A maister ought not to bee knowne by the house but the house by the maister A busie tongue makes the minde repent at leysure By repentance vvee are drawne to mercie without vvhose vvings wee cannot flye from vengeance VVhere the demaund is a iest the fittest aunswere is a scoffe Archim Tis better to doe well then say well Tis pleasant to play but displeasant to loose VVhen doggs fall a snarling Serpents a hissing and women a weeping the first meanes to bite the second to sting and the third to deceiue VVhere sinne is supported by authoritie men grovv worse and worse and vvhere punishment is restrained there insolency commaundeth the lawes A good VVoolfe will neuer hunt too neere his owne denne To know and not be able to performe is a double mishap Such as be borne deafe or blind haue commonly their inward powers the more perfit Hee that helpeth an euill man hurteth him that is good Crates VVheÌ„ that thing cannot be done that thou wouldest then seeke to compasse that which thou knowest may be brought to passe Contempt is a thing intollerable for asmuch as no man can thinke himselfe so vile that he ought to be despised Suddaine motions and enforcements of the minde doe often break out eyther for great good or great euill Homer Many men labour to deliuer themselues from contempt but more study to be reuenged thereof The eye can neuer offend if the mind wold rule the eye Fame shall neuer profit the wicked person nor infamy hurt the good It is more easie to allow wise counsaile then to deuise it Men ought as vvell to be thankfull for that vvhich they haue not as they haue cause to giue thanks for that which in their own possession they haue in keeping As things fall out so doth the common sort iudge esteeming things fondly by the euent and not looking on the cause Negligence in priuate causes are very dangerous Solitarines is the sly enemy that doth most seperate a man from doing well S. P. S. He that mindeth to conquer must be carefull Money borowed vpon vsury bringeth misery although for a time it seeme plesant For a short pleasure long repentance is the hier Xenocrates Priuate losse may be holpen by publique paines Immoderate vvealth causeth pride pride bringeth hatred hatred vvorketh rebellion rebellion maketh an alteration and changeth kingdoms The kinde of contemplation that tends to solitarines is but a glorious title to idlenes Liking is not alwayes the child of beauty Iealousie is the harbinger of disdaine S. P. S. All is but lip-wisedome that wants experience VVho will resist loue must eyther haue no wit or put out his eyes Prologenes Loue is to a yeelding hart a King but to a resisting a tyrant S. P. S. Shee is not worthy to be loued that hath not some feeling of her owne worthines Feare is the onely knot that harteneth a tyrants people to him which once being vntied by a greater force they all scatter from him like so many birds whose cages are broken S. P. S. Ambition and loue can abide no lingering Grosse capacities for that theyr ordinarie conceit draweth a yeelding to their greater haue not witte to learne the right degrees of duty S. P. S. No â—hraldome to the inward bondage The right conceite of young men is that they thinke they then speake wisely vvhen they cannot vnderstand themselues He that wil needs stirre affections in others must first shew the same passion in himselfe Things lost by negligence must be recouered by diligence Myson As rewards are necessary for well-dooers so chastisements are meet for offenders Vertue like the cleare heauen is vvithout clouds S. P. S. He that will blame another must first bee blamelesse himselfe especially in that matter which he blameth another for No outward vtterance can commaund a conceite Suspition breedeth care and the effects of cruelty stirre vp a new cause of suspition It is best dealing with an enemy when he is at the weakest Aurelius The better sort eschew euill for shame but the common people for feare of punishment Lawes not executed are of no value and as good not made as not practised It is better for euery man to amend one in dooing his dutie then euerie one to seeke faults in others vvithout amending errors in himselfe Things that are wrongfully gotten haue no certaine assurance Not as men would but as men may and as the nature of things doe require so should they deale VVhere flatterers beare rule things come to ruine Pompeius Such is the man and his manners as his delight and study is By diligence and paines taking all may be amended that is a misse VVhen things are in extreamity it is good to be of good cheere and rather indeuour to amend them then cowardly to faint and dispaire of all Negligence and vvant of care dooth cause much woe To thinke vvell and doe well ought continually to be kept in remembrance They that trust much to theyr friendes know not how shortly teares be dried vp Countries and states are the rewards of valiant and couragious personages God and Nature doth set all things to sale for labour Great is the value of order fore-sight to gouerne things well Discord want of knowledge causeth confusion Man can better suffer to be denied then to be deceaued Lingering is most lothsome when necessity requireth hast Quinâ—il The carefulnes of the vvicked quickneth the godly to looke about them All passages are open to the stout and valiant minded man Flying tales and flattering newes doe neuer good to any state Tis better to fight vvith an enemie at
the study and searching of knowledge and vvisedome By hearing not seeing vvee come to the knowledge of truth Bernard Hearing is the preparation of the sight Ber. That which the eye seeth the hart is often greeued at The sence of the eyes aunswereth to the element of fire Nihil est difficilius quam á consuetudine oculorum mentis aciem abducere Totius hominis debilitas est occulos perdidisse Hearing THe eare tryeth the vvords as the mouth tasteth meate To vvhom soeuer at the first the sence of hearing is denied to them the vse of the tong shall neuer be graunted As a stone cast into the water maketh many rounds so a sound which is begotten in the ayre hath his circles vvhich are multiplied vntill they come to the eare Arist. The eares of a man the eares of an Ape are not to be moued Plinie writeth a wonderfull example of the sence of hearing that the battaile which was fought at Sybaris the same day was heard at Olympia the places being aboue fiue hundred miles distant Nothing is more pleasant to the eare then variety The sence of hearing is aunswerable to the element of the ayre Qui audiunt audita dicunt qui vident plane sciunt Auris prima mortis ianua prima aperiatur eâ— vitae Bernardus Smelling THe sence of smelling is meerely conioyned with the sence of tasting The sence of smelling is not only for pleasure but profit Sweet smells are good to comfort the spirits of the head vvhich are subtile and pure and stinking sauours are very hurtfull for the same Albeit euery thing that smelleth vvell hath not alwayes a good taste yet what-soeuer a man findeth good to his taste the same hath also a good smell and that which is found to haue an ill relish the same hath also a badde smell This sence of smelling agreeth with the aire and fire because smells are stirred vp by heate as smoake by fire which afterward by meanes of the ayre are carried to the sence of smelling Non bené olet qui semper olet Odorem morum fama dijudicat colore conscientiae Bernardus Tasting THe sence of taste is that sence vvhereby the mouth iudgeth of all kinds of taste The iudgement of taste is very necessarie for mans life and especially for the nourishment of all liuing creatures because all things which the earth bringeth forth are not good for them Taste as is sayde before of smelling is not onely for pleasure but also for profit This sence of tasting aunswereth to the element of ayre Intellectus saporum est caeteris in prima lingua homini inpalato Gustus mecratum inuitat Euripides Touching THe sence of touching aunswereth the element of the earth to the end it might agree better vvith those things that are to be felt thereby The vigour and sence thereof ought to be close together and throughout and such as taketh more fast and surer hold then any of the rest The sence of touching although it be the last yet is it the ground of all the rest Arist. One may liue vvithout sight hearing and smelling but not without feeling Sensuum ita clara iudicia et certa sunt vt si optio naturae nostrae detur et ab ea Deus aliquis requirat contentané scit suis integris in corruptisque sensibus an postulet mâ—lius aliquid non vidiam quod quaerat amplius Cic. Nos Aper auditu Linx visu Simia gustu Vultur odoratu nos vincit Aranea tactu Of Children Deâ—i Our chyldren are the naturall and true issues of our selues of the selfe same mould temprature begot by the worke of nature and made by the power of the Almighty CHildren are a blessing of God bestowed vpon man for his comfort Chyldren according to theyr bringing vp prooue eyther great ioy or great greefe to their parents He is happy that is happy in his children VVhen we behold our children wee see a new light Theocritus A good sonne is a good Cittizen Stobaeus That child is not bound in duty to his parents of whom he neuer learnt any vertuous instruction VVhatsoeuer good instructions chyldren learne in theyr youth the same they retayne in their age No error giues so strong assault as that which comes armed with the authority of parents S. P. S. The wicked example of a Father is a great prouocation of the sonne to sinne Nothing is better to be commended in a Father then the teaching of his children by good ensample as much as by godly admonition Children by theyr lasciuious and vngodly education grow in time to be persons most monstrous and filthy in conuersation of liuing The fault is to be imputed vnto the Parents if chyldren for vvant of good bringing vp fall to any vnhonest kind of life As those men vvhich bring vp horses vvill first teach them to follow the bridle so they that instruct chyldren ought first to cause them to giue â—are to that which is spoken Men ought to teach theyr children liberall Sciences not because those Sciences may giue any vertue but because theyr mindes by them are made apt to receaue any vertue Seneca Those children vvhich are suffered eyther to eate much or sleepe much be commonly dull witted and vnapt to learne As waxe is ready and plyant to receaue any kinde of figure or print so is a young childe apt to receaue any kinde of learning The youngest plants vvell kept become great trees and children vvell brought vp most worthy men The childe that hath his minde more constant then his yeeres yeelds many hopes of a staied and toward age Hee that corrects his sonne and brings him vp in awe giue his sonne an example how to bring vp his own children afterward in humble obedience Children are soone pleased and soone displeased He that letteth his sonne runne at his owne liberty shall finde him more stubborne then any head-strong Colt when he commeth to be broken The best way to make thy children to loue thee vvhen thou art olde is to teach them obedience in their youth VVoe be to those parents vvhose children miscarry through want of good education Nothing eyther sinketh deeper or cleaueth faster in the minde of man then those rules which he learned when he was a child The sonne cannot but prosper in all his affaires vvhich honoureth his parents with the reuerence due vnto them VVhen thy father vvaxeth old remember the good deeds he hath doone for thee when thou wast young Thou hast liued long enough if thou hast liued to releeue the necessity of thy father in his old age The lawe of nature teacheth vs that vvee should in all kindnes loue our parents The child is bound vnto his fathers will Those chyldren that denie dutiâ—ull obedience vnto theyr parents are not vvorthy to liue Solon made a law that those parents should not be releeued in their old age of their children vvhich cared not for theyr vertuous bringing vp He is a wretched father that bringeth a
Hee reputing dauncing to be a kinde of franticknes Sybilla the prophetesse neuer yeelding any Oracle except possessed first with a surie The same noble King hearing that Sciâ—io vvas vvont to recreate himselfe with dauncing sayd that a dauncer dyd differ nothing from a madde man but onely in the length of time the one being mad so long as he liueth the other whilst he daunceth Alphon. VVhen the same King was reprooued that albeit hee had so much abhorred dauncing yet was seene openly dauncing at the entertainement of Fredericke the third in the company of the Emperour and Leonorâ— Augusta he aunswered that hee that daunced beeing prouoked by lasciuiousnes and wantonnesse was worthily to be esteemed a foole frantick but if it was done for honours sake hee escaped some part of reprehension because some-times it seemeth a decorum to be franticke and doate with great estates The Romaâ—nes Lace dâ—monians and other well ordered Common-weales banished out of their Countries all vaine pleasures and aboue all dauncing as seruing to none other vse but to effeminate young men and to allure them to vice No man daunceth except he be drunke or mad Tully The vertuous Matrons by dauncing haue oftentimes lost theyr honours which before they had long nourished and virgins by it learne that which they had beene better neuer to haue knowne Petrarch Tully finding fault vvith an enemie of his called him in derision a braue dauncer They which loue dancing too much seeme to haue more braines in their wit then theyr head and thinke to play the fooles with reason Terence A lamentable tune is the sweetest musick to a wosull minde S. P. S. Musick is the sweet meat of sorrow S. P. S. Men of auntient time haue named daunces allurings poysonings and inticements of sathan who by these meanes corrupteth vs. In the Sea of histories mention is made of an Archbishop of Magdebourg vvho broke his neck dauncing with a damâ—ell Hee daunceth vvell to vvhom Fortune pypeth The Egiptians Thratians and Scythians accounted dauncing amongst theyr holy ceremonies first appoynted by Orpheus and Museus who excelled in that kind The Romaines had certaine priests called Salij vvhich daunced in the honor of Mars The Grecians learned to daunce of Castor and Pollux and vsed to dispatch theyr businesse dauncing Socrates which vvas pronounced by the Oracle of Apollo to bee the vvisest man in all Greece was not ashamed in his olde age to learne to daunce extolling dauncing vvith wonderfull prayses Dauncing by an old auncient custom may be vsed so as a man in the exercise therof behaue himselfe modestly and not like vnto a madde man The Sirians before they met their enemies woulde sing Ballades and solace themselues with dauncing It is necessary that our footesteps be aswell ruled as our words ought to be God threatned the daughters of Syon for that they went winding and prauncing making theyr steps to be heard againe Apud antiquos tanto in precio habita est saltatio vt populi presides et antesignani presaltatorum nomine honorarentur Saltatio non ad pudicas sed ad adulteras pertinet Of Man Defi. Man is a creature made of God after his owne image iust holy good and right by nature and compounded of soule and bodie of soule which was inspired of God with spirit and life and of a perfect naturall body framed by the same power of God MAn was created to set forth the glory of his Creator and to speake and doe those things which are agreeable vnto him throgh the knowledge of his benefits Man is nothing but calamity it selfe Hero Mans nature is desirous of change A man may be without fault but not without sinne Aug. Man was wonderfully created but more wonderfully redeemed Aug. Man is the example of imbecillity pray of time sport of fortune and enuy the image of vnconstancy and the very seate of fleame choller and rewmes Plut. Townes Boroughs and Villages are the retreats of mans miseries full of noysomnes trauaile and fortune Solon A good man alwayes draweth good things out of the treasure of his hart and a vvicked man that which is wicked Chris. Man is so excellent a creature that all other creatures were ordained for his vse The duty of man consisteth in knowing of his ovvne nature in contemplating the deuine nature and in labour to profit others Man is onely a breath and a shadow and all men are naturally more inclined to euil then goodnes and in their actions as fraile and vnconstant as the shadow of smoke The end of mans knowledge is humilation and glory Bonauen Man wilfully minded depriueth himselfe of all happines Miseries haue power ouer man not man ouer miseries To the greatest men the greatest mischiefes are incident VVhatsoeuer chaunceth to one man may happen likewise to all men Man by nature keepeth no measure in his actions but is carried away through violence of his sundry affections No creature but man hath any knowledge of God He ceaseth to be a man which ceaseth to be prouident and leaueth the rules of reason Men at the beginning builded Townes for society and for safety but novv are vvildernesses safer then popularity Man hath no power ouer his lyfe but liues ignorant of the certaine time of his death euen as a beast only comforting himselfe with confidence To euery man belongeth two powers a desire and an opinion the first body bred leading to pleasure the other soule bredde leading to good things Cicero Opinion and desire hold in man great controuersies for when opinion is victor then he is sober discreet and chast but vvhen desire ouercommeth he is riotous vvilde and vnsatiate All men naturallie haue some loue and lyking of the truth The perfection of a vvise-man is to ioyne the actiue life vvith the contemplatiue in a certaine expectation of an immortall most blessed life All thinges are resolued into those thinges whereof they are compounded the body of man being earth shall returne to earth and the soule beeing immortall shall enter into immortality All men are by nature equal made all of the earth by one workman and howsoeuer vvâ— deceaue our selues as deere vnto God is the poore peasant as the mighty Prince Plato Misery then seemeth to bee ripe for man when he hath age to know misery S. P. S. The Philosophers knevv mans imperfections but could neuer attaine to knowe the true cause of them Nonne vides hominuÌ„ vt celsos ad sider a vultus Sustulerit Deus ac sublimia finxerit ora Cum pecudes volucrumque genus form asque feraruÌ„ Segnem atque abscaenaÌ„ passuÌ„ strauisset in aluum Homo non vt á matre sed vt á nouerca editus est in vitam corpore nudo et fragili animo infirmo ad molestias anxio humili ad timores molli ad labores ad libidines prauo in quo tamen in est tanquam obrutus diuinus ignis ingenij et mentis August Of Choyce Defi. Choyce doth belong vnto the
Saint Augustine reproueth Varro Pontifex Scaeuola vvho were of opinion that it vvas very expedient men shoulde bee deceiued in Religion because that there is no felicitie or certaine rest but in the ful assurance thereof and in an infallible truth without diuinitie and the doctrine of GOD none can take any principle at all in the discipline of manners Polybius vvriteth that nothing so much aduaunced the Romaines as theyr Religion albeit it were not pure The VVorde is a medicine to a troubled spirit but being falsely taught it prooueth a poyson Bern. Religion is like a square or ballance it is the canon and rule to liue well by and the very touch-stone vvhich discerneth truth from falshood The auncient Fathers haue gyuen three principall markes by which the true Religion is known first that it serueth the true God secondly that it serueth him according to his VVord thirdly that it reconcileth that man vnto him which followeth it The true worshyppe of God consisteth in spyrit and truth Chrisost. VVhere religion is Armes may easily bee brought but where Armes are without religion religion may hardly be brought in There can bee no surer signe of the ruine of a kingdome then contempt of religion There can bee no true Religion vvhere the word of God is wanting Those men are truly religious which refuse the vain transitory pleasures of the world and wholy sette theyr mindes on diuine meditations Hee which is negligent and ignorant in the seruice of his Creator can neuer be careful in any good cause Religion doth linke and vnite vs together to serue with willingnes one God almighty It is the guide of all other vertues and they who doe not exercise themselues therein to withstand all false opinions are like those souldiers which goe to warre vvithout weapons The Romaines allowed the seruice of all Gods and to that end builded a Temple to all Gods called Pantheon yet woulde they neuer receiue the true God to wit Iehouah the Lord God of the Hebrues The principall seruice of God consisteth in true obedience which the prophets call a spirituall chastitie not to swarue there-from nor to thinke that whatsoeuer wee find good in our owne eyes pleaseth him The knowledge of true religion humilitie and patience entertaineth concord August If men dyd knowe the truth and the happinesse which followeth true religion the voluptuous man woulde there seeke his pleasures the couetous man his wealth the ambitious man his glory sith it is the onely meane which can fill the hart and satisfie theyr desire it serueth vs also for a guide to leade vnto God whereas the contrary dooth cleane with-hold vs from him No creature is capable of religion but onelie man Basil. The first precept that Socrates gaue to the Prince Demonicus was Tima ton Theon feare God The first law that should bee giuen to men should be the increase of religion and pietie The chiefest oath that the Athenians tooke was this In defending religion both alone with others will I fight against my foes The auncient Romaines through the instinct of Nature dyd so reuerently thinke of Religion that the most noble men of Rome sent theyr sonnes into Hetrurio to learne the manner of seruing God It is a very hard matter to change religion VVhere no religion resteth there can be no vertue abiding August True Religion is to be learned by fayth not by reason Religion is in truth not in falshood Religion is the stay of the weake the Mayster of the ignorant the phylosophie of the simple the oratory of the deuout the remedie of sinne the counsaile of the iust and the comfort of the troubled Pure religion vndefiled before God the Father is thys to visite the fatherlesse and widdowes in theyr aduersity and for a man to keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world Philosophia pernosci non potest siue Christiana veraque religione quam prelucentem si tollis fateor ecce et clamo ludibrium illa vanitas delirium Oportet principem anté omnia esse deicolam Country or Commonweale Defi. Our Country is the region or clime vnder which we are borne the Common mother of vs all which wee ought to holde so deere that in the defence thereof wee should not feare to hazard our liues THere can bee no affinitie neerer then our Countrey Plate Men are not borne for themselues but for theyr Countrey parents kindred friends Cicero There is nothing more to be desired nor any thing ought to bee more deere to vs then the loue of our Country Children parents friendes are neere to vs but our Country challengeth a greater loue for whose preseruation wee ought to appose our liues to the greatest dangers It is not enough once to haue loued thy Country but to continue it to the end Plut. VVhere soeuer wee may liue well there is our Country The remembrance of our Country is most sweet Liuius To some men there country is their shame and some are the shame of theyr country Let no man boast that he is the Cittizen of a great Citty but that he is worthy of an honourable Country Arist. VVe ought so to behaue ourselues towards our Country vnthankful as to a mother The profit of the country extendeth it selfe to euery Citty of the same Stobaeus Our Country saith Cicero affoordeth large fields for euery one to runne to honor So deere was the loue of his Country to Vlisses the he preferred his natiue soyle Ithaca before immortality Our country first challengeth vs by nature The whole world is a wisemans country Necessity compelleth euery man to loue his country Eurip. The loue which we beare to our country is not pietie as some suppose but charity for there is no pietie but that which we beare to God and our Parents Many loue theyr Countrey not for it selfe but for that which they possesse in it Sweet is that death and honourable which we suffer for our Country Horace If it be asked to whom we are most engaged and owe most duty our Countrey and parents are they that may iustly challenge it The life which we owe to death is made euerlasting beeing lost in the defence of our Countrey Giue that to thy country which she asketh for nature will constraine thee to yeeld it Happy is that death which beeing due to nature is bestowed vpon our Country Happy is that common-wealth where the people doe feare the law as a tyrant Plato A cōmon-wealth consisteth of two things reward and punishment Solon As the body without members so is the common-wealth without lawes Cicero Peace in a common-wealth is like harmony in musick Aug. Men of desert are least esteemed of in their owne Country Erasmus Coriolanus beare vnkinde Armes against his Countrey Plut. Nascia was most woorthily renowned for the defence of his Country Appian Q. Mutius Scaeuola Curtius deserued euerlasting memory for louing their country Nescio qua natale solum dulcedine cunctos Allicit et memores non sinit