that I teach any rebellion or slacknes in doing our duetye All these things haue I considered and haue geuen my mynde vnto euery worke that is vnder the sūne and I sawe how one man hath lordshipp ouer an other to his owne harme NOw returneth he to his Register repeating againe the miseries of mans vanitie Among all these thinges that I haue rehearsed I haue séene this the man hath power ouer man to his owne hurt This is to be referred to the person that is subiect that is it commeth to passe many tymes that Tyrantes beare the rule and their rule tendeth to the afflicting of the subiectes And yet notwithstanding their commaundement must be fulfilled and no tumult or busines to be made for although the Prince were a good man yet hath he no thanke and not onely he is not thanked but men also become the worse euen lyke as the commons in these dayes being deliuered from the Byshop of Rome his lawes and bondage All men desire to haue tyranny taken away but when they are deliuered they can not abyde in that state neyther He graunteth therefore that magistrates are euill in punishing of subiectes but that they are notwithstanding to be borne and suffered Lykewise I sawe the wicked buryed which walked in the holy place and they were forgotten that they had so behaued themselues This also was a vanitie THe like place is in Amos the 6. chap. Woe be to the riche in Sion which proudly enter into the house of Israell To enter into the Church or house of God is an Hebrew phrase signifiyng one that beareth office or rule ouer the people of God as in the 22 of Deuteronomy the Ammonites are forbidden to enter into the house of God that is to beare any rule in the cōmon weale of the Iewes For the Ammonites were suffered to be among the Iewes but not to beare any office So likewise in this place They were in the holy place that is to say they were rulers in the commō weale Therefore he sayth I saw the wicked buryed THat is how tyrauntes dyed and good Princes succéeded as Dauid did after Saule was dead But the wicked once deliuered from their tyrāny forget their deliuery Thus men acknowledge not their benefites So we by and by had forgotten our good Prince Frederike the author of peace No man remembreth what benefites they got by him from what mischiefes he deliuered them We alwayes desire chaunge neglecting and forgetting thinges present All these thinges Salomon speaketh to this ende that we may learne to know this world and wysely to vse the foolishnes therof Therfore this booke new rulers ought chiefely to reade on who hauing theyr heades troubled with diuers opinions thinke to rule the world after their owne deuises and will exacte the vttermost of all men But these men ought first to haue learned to know the worlde namely how it is vniust stubborne disobedyent vngracious and to cōclude vnkinde Let them geue God thankes if they can bryng but the hundreth parte to the obseruing of their lawes So our Sectaries are not content with the present goodnes of God with the preaching of fayth and grace of the gospell but will disturbe all the worlde with newe and vayne opinions Therefore Salomons counsell is to teach vs their vanity and to withstand it as much as in vs lyeth Howbeit those whom we are not able by our admonishmentes to conuerte vnto the fayth and to kéepe in the same we must bid a dieu For the euill are made euen obstinate and the worse with continuall punishement Therfore he sayth Because sentence agaynst an euyll worke is not executed speedely therfore the hart of the children of mē is fully set in them to doe euill THis may be two wayes expounded Actiuely thus that is the wicked holde on in doing euil because their punishement is deferred Because God taketh not vengeaunce by and by as men doe therefore they waxe the prouder Passiuely thus we that sée how such goe vnpunished are filled with many euils we take indignation we are ouercome with tediousnes and cease from doyng well For both these thinges punishmēt put of bringeth to passe First it maketh vs obstinate and the worse nexte it maketh other also that sée these thinges the slacker to doe their duties Both senses are good But though a sinner offend an hundreth tymes and God prolong hys dayes yet I know that it shall goe well with them that feare the lord and doe reuerence before him But it shall not be well to the wicked neyther shall he prolong his dayes he shall be lyke a shadowe because he feareth not God. NOw he comforteth not man but the godly hart For man can not abyde this nor suffer such ingratitude Neither could Dauid beare with foolishe Nabat but purposed to kill him in his cogitatiō in the first of the kinges the .25 He saith therfore learne onely to know the world Thou canst not redresse or amende it shee will not yelde to thee thou must yelde to her that thou mayst know it is ingratefull and vnmyndefull of all pleasures and benefites knowing thys thou shalt doe well This therefore is that he woulde say by these wordes though a sinner offēd an hundreth tymes that is though his punishment be deferred and his vniust dealing not reuenged yet shall he be punished in tyme to come It cā not be chosen but such vngrateful persons must be punished Therfore be not thou so hasty to iustifye and make good the worlde or to be reuenenged of all men Holde thy selfe well apayde if thou canst conuerte but the thousandth parte thereof and make it thankefull Let the worlde sinne and not thou For it shall not escape vengeaūce no more then the Iewes which murthered the Prophetes Christ escaped the punishment of Vespasiane ¶ And his dayes shall not be prolonged IT séemeth the punishment of the wicked is long differred specially to those that are afflicted but when the day and punishmēt of the wicked commeth it séemeth thē to vs all to soone As Iob saith That the day of the wicked commeth suddenly And in the 54. Psalme Wicked men shall not lyue out halfe theyr dayes that is where they alwayes take enterprises in hand and hope after many thinges they dye before they bringe halfe their purposes to passe ¶ There is a vanitie also which is done vpon the Earth that is there be righteous men to whom it happeneth as if they did the workes of the wicked and there be also wycked to whom it commeth as if they did the workes of the iust I sayd This also is a vanitye THese two thinges greately offend the mynde of man that the punishment of the vnthankfull is differred and the good are entreated and dealte with all as if they were wicked good men hated and enuied and the wicked had in estimation and reuerenced And yet dayly so it commeth to passe
Heretofore men gaue the wicked Priestes all thinges but now the Godly haue scarce any lyuing They that teach schollers are not mainteined those that trauell most to set the worlde at libertie haue no thanke but are trodē vnder foote But they that destroy and drowne the world in naughtines want nothinge For now a dayes Souldyers are more déerely waged then good teachers These thinges for this ende are repeted so often to enfourme mans mynde to enstruct the good to learne what the world is Namely a furious beast and an vnkinde which waxeth fierce through benefites exalting alwaies the wycked and oppressing the good And other thing then this must we not looke for Therefore I praysed myrth gladnes because a man hath no better thing vnder the sonne then to eate and drinke to reioyce For this is all he hath of his labour all the dayes of his lyfe that God geueth him vnder the Sunne THis is a repetition but very necessary because he had declared so many sorrowfull thinges that he might séeme to haue forgottē his purpose The world is vnkinde looking euer an other way It lotheth things present although they be good It suffereth to toyle and weary thy selfe and despiseth and persecuteth thée Therefore mocke thou the worlde as it mocketh thée Dooe thine endeuour and duety and let goe cares and sorrowfulnes Be of good cheare meary knowing that the world vseth not to rewarde consider the good And I applyed my mynde to know wisedome and to beholde the busines that is done on the earth that neyther daye nor night the eyes of man take sleepe THat is while I was thus occupied and vexed my mynde and deuised how to gouerne order all thinges prudentlye vpon earth I gat nothing but sleaples nightes And euen so shall it happen vnto thée if thou wilte not be meary but weary thy selfe in thine owne wayes and deuises for herein thou doost but as that foole did which would beare all the worlde on his shoulders the is would order and rule it by his owne industry and lawes of his owne apointing Why doost thou not rather commit all matters to God cease thy curyositie in other mens doinges Then I consydered all the workes of God how man can not fynd out the worke that is wrought vnder the Sun. But the more he laboureth to searche it the lesse he findeth yea and although he thinke himself wise inough yet he can not finde it THis is Salomons copiousnes The sentence is lyke to that that wente before Consider the workes of God how no man can make straight that he hath crookened Euen so here Let no man take vpon him to redresse and amende all thinges For this is the onely worke of God and not mans And impossible it is to bring man to doe that which God alone doth For man looketh not on thinges present neither is satisfyed with them but looketh onely on thinges to come Mans harte is fylled with dyuerse desyres But God hath all thinges bounded and appointed thinges present and thinges to come But we are neuer quyet with thinges present nor satisfied with thinges to come which is nothing els but to make thinges present not present and things to come not to come This thing made the Poetes to say that all thinges were ruled by destenye and imagine the the goddesses called Parcae brake of the webbe of our lyfe euen when we would faynest lyue So Iulius Caesar founde not that is accomplished not his deuyse he was cut of from his purpose in the middle of his consultation For as he deuised to establish or rather to restore the Roman publike weale he dyed as he toke the matter in hande Absolon castinge howe to compasse and get the kingdome perished most miserably The nineth Chapiter All these thinges I cast in mine hart to vnderstand There are righteous men and wise whose seruaunts are in the hand of God and yet no mā knoweth the loue or the hatred of that that is before him HEre we must well remember the argument that we geeue not eare to them which drawe this texte to the worthynes of the hatred or loue of God and teach men wickedly that no man can be certayne of the fauour of god c. Where Salomon speaketh onely of thinges done vnder that Sunne that is among men gouernance of ciuile lyfe Sée sayth he what vntowardnes crookednes is in this worlde where I finde there are mē that gouerne iustly and wisely whose seruauntes and subiectes yet are in the hand of God and are prospered and defended lyke Salomon and Dauid And yet no man knoweth whether he is loued or hated I Take bothe these wordes actiuely that is to say men are so vntowarde that they acknowledge not the iust and wyse men whose seruauntes they see God prospereth and gouerneth for theyr benefactours or their loue or hatred They forget nothing so soone as benefites Salomō gouerned wisely in peace in great plenty As soone as he was dead they complaine how he yoked thē There they remembred none of his benefites What state or condition the worlde was euer in it could not away with it We may see by Italy which whether it be at peace or at warre it can away with neither In tyme of peace they procure wars in time of warre they would faine haue peace So Germany is alwayes newfāgled In the beginning of the Gospell all men gredilye ranne to heare it when it had spread it selfe abrode euery where they lothed it forgetting the benefytes that ensue and follow it Now many men take parte with the Sectaries and when they shall haue cōtinued their time they shall be disdained and men will desyre other thinges To be shorte the world cā not suffer neither good nor bad gouernment He whom the Lord aydeth not in his gouernement can not lyue one daye without daunger Therefore he that will serue this worlde either by wisdom iustice or whatsoeuer other good qualities must looke for nothing but all maner of extremitie Thus Dauid Salomō very good kings loued the good hated the bad but the people acknowledged not their loue forgetting all their benefits good turnes Therfore S. Iohn truely wrote that the world was geuen to naughtines because their is nothing but disquietnes and all kinde of euell in it Who therefore can lyke this lyfe where men liue in so great daungers and vnquietnes all the dayes of their lyfe They haue both lyke successe For it happeneth to the righteous euen as to the wicked to the good cleane as to the vncleane to him that offreth as to him that offreth not As it happeneth to the vertuous euen so to the sinners to him that forsweareth as to him that feareth an othe This is the woorste of all thinges that are donne vnder the Sunne that it happeneth to all men alyke Whereby the hart of man is fylled with wickednes and foolishnes remaineth in
Sunne The miserie of a couetous man. All things that haue beginning shall decay A mouth wyth the Hebrewes signifieth a kynde of measure Euery maÌ„ must apply his vocatioÌ„ Be content with thine owne estate Who lyketh an others estate hateth his owne Of what wise men fooles SalomoÌ„ speaketh A looking glasse Women watching in the temple of the lord We must enioy thinges preseÌ„t not seeke after things away He repreheÌ„deth vnstable mindes desirous of other mens welfare There shal be alwayes vnstable meÌ„ couetous desirous of other mens goods Euery maÌ„s trade of life is appointed of God. All thinges ordeyned appointed of God. Be content wyth thine estate The doctrine comming by histories No man knoweth what is expedient for him in thys lyfe The successe of thinges is not in our power Consolations and exhortations entermedled in the accompte of vanities An exhortation to patience Many wearyed with the malice and ingratitude of men leaue their vocation A good name is not gotten but with great labour and bearing of many troubles S. Hierom repreheÌ„ded A good name compared to an odorifecous oyntment The meaning of this place An exhortation to beare patiently the incoÌ„modities of this life Suffrings are instructinges Trouble bringeth vnderstanding Aduersitie must be suffred wyth good courage and petition and seeking of gods helpe What this phrase to liue meaneth among that Hebrwes Why sadnes is preferred before laughter for the mynde of man ryoteth in prosperitie With grauitie men are amended wyth leuitie they are offeÌ„ded A maÌ„ may be meary at hart yet graue in countenaunce A meane must bee kept betweene myrth and sadnes Fooles geue themselues to myrth but wyse men study how to auoyde aduersitie The rebukes of the wyse must be patiently borne What laughing meaneth A comfort the we ought not to be wearied with the sclaunders vngratefulnes of men We must continue to the ende beaâ—e out all aduersitie Hastines must be auoyded Anger must be brydled The dayes are alwayes 〈◊〉 and the worlde set on naughtiâ—â—â— We must discharge the duties of our vocation and commit the successe vnto God. Wysedome must be preferred before riches Mens affayres can not alway be redressed by our deuyses It fareth well wyth no man alwayes We must take prosperitie and aduersitie bothe in good worth All thinges are appointed of god He returneth to hys roll of vanities We must not be too precise in executing iustice What it is to be too righteous We must vse moderation in gouernance rather theâ—â— rigour Some things must be winked at in gouernaunce and yet must not gouernance through negligence be corrupted This life is full of sinne errours As thou mayst wheÌ„ thou canst not as thou wouldest He speaketh of iustice to bevsed in gouernment A rule to be obserued of gouernours of common weales The seditious bowers An. 1525. Force without couÌ„sell falleth of his owne sway Wysedome is the gouerner of commoÌ„ weales and not lawes and power The best gouerners are sometyme deceaueâ— faultye Against too seuere exactours of iustice Gouerners must beare and winke at many thynges We must not harken after euery maÌ„s talke Two thinges necessary in gouernement ModeratioÌ„ of lawes necessary in all gouernment He setteth his owne example before gouernours A summe of the seueÌ„th Chapiter To play the foole sometime is an high pointe of wisdome An other kynde of vanitie the rule and gouernance of wyues A wife ordeyned to obey and not to haue rule ouer her husbaÌ„d Amazones womeÌ„ bearyng rule Candace Crowing imperious dames great impedimentes to their husbandes Vnhappie is the wisedome that is not gouerned of God. An errour of the Schoole doctours No man content wyth his present state An acclamation coÌ„cluding with the commendation of wisdome Salomons counsell in this booke Obedience to the magistrate commaunded What it is to depart from the kyngs face We must obey the magistrate They that obey escape punishmeÌ„t IudgemeÌ„t He threateneth with punishment those that obey not the magistrate God punisheth them that obey not magistrates Kinges haue long handes He returneth to hys roll of vanities We must obeye euen naughty magistrats The vnthaÌ„kfulnes of men wheÌ„ they haue good princes to succeede euill Frederike Duke of Saxony a very good Prince This booke woulde be redd of new chosen gouernours Salomons counsell PunishmeÌ„t commeth once or at length A consolation against the offence that the godly take when the vngodly persecute them He concludeth with his senteÌ„ce so often repeated Vnhappye is the wisedome of maÌ„ not ruled by God. How thys saying maÌ„ knoweth not whether he is worthy of loue or hatred is corrupted An admonition that we iudge not of gods prouideÌ„ce according to prosperity or aduersitie The world is geuen to naughtines The vnkind world remembreth no benefites An admonition against the offence of vnkindnes They that are offended with some mens vnkindnes wil benefite no man. He exhorteth vs that we will not cease to doe good though men haue vsed vs ingratefully We must goe thorow in our vocation euen for a fewes sake that be good If thou caust not be a lyon be a whelp in thine office Be beneficiall to other because thou knowest thou shalt dye A place to be noted against the inuocation of Saintes daparted An errour of Saint Hierome Comfort often repeated The workes of the godly please God ergo man knoweth ought to beleeue the God loueth him Whom Salomon exhorteth to be meary Diligence continuance in labour commaunded Against inuocation of Saintes What this worde infernus signifieth Where the sayntes that be dead are Then be our enterprises happye when God prospereth them and gouerneth their successe We must goe on with our vocatioÌ„ All successe of matters is of God. Fraunces kyng of Fraunce takeÌ„ prisoner 1525. Many notable artificers coÌ„temned We must trauell and leaue all successe vnto God. All aduersities caÌ„ not be foreseene Foolishnes vnkyndnes of the people reprehended Themistocles Exhortations reprehensions mixed togither Wyse mens counselles despysed Counsell taketh no place but in myndes wholsomly settled Force without counsell can not stand Peruerters of good counsell Euill couÌ„sellers reprehended To dote in some thyng is helde for high wysedome Glorye The difference betweene wise men and fooles Many such glorious braggers in Princes Courtes Fooles must not be striueÌ„ with but yelded to for a tyme. All thyngs replenished wyth folly Whome he vnderstandeth by riche men seruauntes GouernaÌ„ce a perillous enterprise GouernaÌ„ce must not be cast of for the perrils therin An other similitude Daunger ioyned with gouernaÌ„ce An hard thyng to gouerne a corrupt coÌ„mon weale Great wisdome is needefull to correct euill manners A precept how to beare sclauÌ„ders and back bytyng The deuises of wyse meÌ„ hindred by the sclaundering of fooles Fooles deuises preferred before wyse mens Fooles be full of wordes The foole is vexed with his labour but the wyse man reioyceth in hys Fooles know not of what weight matters are nor what is needfull to be done What a discommoditie a foolishe prince is geueÌ„ to voluptuousnes A good Prince is a great gifte of God. Princes Courtes Diligence coÌ„mauÌ„ded whether in publike or priuate gouernaunce Frederike Duke of Saxony a most laudable Prince Princes Courtes An exhortation to good workes A coÌ„maundement to honour the magistrate Euen euyll magistrates are to be honoured Men alwayes impatient and discontent A coÌ„maundement to be liberall The commaundemeÌ„t of liberality repeated agayne A commination agaynst Niggards We must geue liberally He shall neuer be liberall that is voyde of fayth and feareth pouertie Because our life is vncerteine we must be liberall The workes of God be vnknowen to vs. He that made thee will feede thee He repeateth his former exhortations and comfortes A man shal scarce finde one that hath liued mearyly all the dayes of his lyfe He exhorteth youth to enioy their goods mearyly in the feare of God. How youth should be brought vp The mindes of youth must be well instructed We must enioy the goods that God geueth vs with feare of the Lord. Fret not against god though aduersitie fall and be not ouercoÌ„med with voluptuousnes Sorow must be put away TeÌ„perance modestie must be obserued He exhorteth youth to feare God. A description of age The handâ—â— the garde of the body The legs The teeth The eyes The mouth and lippes The voyce Sleepe The eares The head-shaking or trembling White head Leannesseand bones sticking out Lothsomnes of meat and drinke The buryall graue NutrimeÌ„t or foode Breath and lyfe The body returneth to dust The spirit returneth to God. A greuous compalynt of the miserie of mans lyfe The dutie of Preachers He exhorteth vs to abyde in the true and holesome doctrine of the church We must keepe to the bookes receaued and allowed by God. The sonne of God the onely shepeheard of the Church The church is the piller and witnes of the trueth The inconuenience of many bookes writing One maister to be folowed The suÌ„me of the doctrine of this booke comprehending all worshyp and feare of God fayth and good workes